CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008
Day Two Report of MIAA Swimming and Diving Championships;
Track and Field Teams Open Indoor Campaigns
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
(Written by Annalise Venhuizen '08)
HOLLAND – The Calvin women enjoyed another strong showing in MIAA Championship
competition Friday night, finishing the second of three sessions in first place
with 497 points, holding a 146-point lead over second place Hope. The Calvin
men currently stand in fourth place with 172 points, coming off a handful of
solid performances.
The women had provisional-qualifying, first place finishes in both relays this
evening, taking the 200 yard medley relay in 1:48.71 and the 800 yard freestyle
relay in 7:45.90. The 200 medley team was made up of freshman Monica Bressler
(Sandusky, OH), sophomore Emily Roberts (DeKalb, IL), junior Julie Wolfe
(Westerville, OH), and senior Kat Vinson (Kaneohe, HI). The 800 freestyle team
that ended tonight’s women’s competition with an impressive win included senior
Stephanie Duncan (Long Grove, IL), freshman Kendra Kinzer (Fort Wayne, IN),
sophomore Laura Price (Warren, PA), and junior Cara VanWoerkom (Calvin
Christian).
In addition, Calvin came away with six individual NCAA Division III
provisional-qualifying times, capturing first, second, and third place of both
the 200 yard freestyle and the 100 yard breaststroke. Duncan placed first in
the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:54.62, VanWoerkom was second in 1:55.60, and
Price took third with 1:55.76. Completing the medal sweep in the 100
breaststroke were Roberts in first with 1:05.95, sophomore Maggie Vail (Portage
Northern) in second with a time of 1:06.55, and senior Sarah Abbot (East Grand
Rapids HS) third in 1:07.59.
Coach Dan Gelderloos said the results of these events were amazing, but not
unexpected considering the women’s potential. “We knew we had the depth, but
to see them all rise to the top was truly fantastic,” Gelderloos said.
Both Abbott and Vinson had third-place individual finishes in their last MIAA
meet, Vinson taking the bronze in the 100 yard backstroke in 1:00.69 and Abbott
finishing third in the 400 yard IM in 4:43.47.
In the midst of her final MIAA Championship meet, Abbott described the events
as “bittersweet.” “I’m excited with my results so far,” Abbott said. “It’s
nice to go out on a high note. I love watching my teammates do well too. The
atmosphere is exciting.”
In the women’s one-meter diving competition, junior Erica Deur (Holland
Christian) set new MIAA Championship and Holland Aquatic Center records with a
total of 483.10 points, a first-place finish that provisionally qualifies her
for nationals. Sophomore Casey Herman (Libertyville, IL) placed second with
411.75 points, and senior Lis Beal (Grand Rapids Christian) was fourth with
384.05 points.
The men’s relays had strong fourth-place finishes that granted Calvin team
points. In the 200 yard medley, the team of senior Joe Gluvers (Rocklin, CA),
senior Lucas Seebeck (Grand Rapids Christian), senior John Boumgarden
(Naperville, IL), and sophomore Kurt VanAllsburg (Grand Rapids Christian)
clocked in at 1:37.37. Boumgarden and Gluvers then teamed up with juniors
Keith Conrad (Wheaton, IL) and Matt Bolles (West Ottawa) for a 7:13.75
fourth-place finish in the 800 yard freestyle.
The highlight of the men’s competition was Boumgarden’s finish in the 100 yard
butterfly. With a time of 50.59, Boumgarden provisionally qualified for
nationals and took second place. “That was pretty special for John,”
Gelderloos said. “It couldn’t have happened to a better guy. He’s worked his
tail off this season, and for it to come together for him is very nice to see.”
Gelderloos speaks highly of the many seniors who, in addition to earning
points, “work behind the scenes more than anything.” “They are the ones who
prepared the team for the meets and provided the leadership and support,”
Gelderloos said. “They are swimming very well, but it’s the stuff you don’t see
that’s even more important.”
The final day of MIAA Championship competition at the Holland Aquatic Center
begins Saturday with preliminaries at 10:00 a.m. and finals at 6:00 p.m.
Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 27
1. Calvin College 497
2. Hope College 351
3. Kalamazoo College Swimming 183
4. Olivet College 170
5. Saint Mary's College 129
6. Albion College 115
7. Alma College 109
Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 27
1. Hope College 345
2. Olivet College 318.5
3. Kalamazoo College Swimming 305
4. Calvin College 172
5. Albion College 155.5
6. Alma College 99
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
ALLENDALE – The Calvin men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their
indoor campaigns at the Grand Valley State Open Friday night at the Grand
Valley State Fieldhouse.
In the women’s competition, Calvin received an NCAA III indoor provisional
qualifying performance from senior Sarah Wittingen (East Grand Rapids HS) in
the 55-meter hurdles with Wittingen taking second place with a time of 8.51. In
the women’s one-mile run, junior Lauren Bergstrom (Rochester, MN) just missed
an indoor provisional qualifying performance, placing third with a time of
5:07.31.
Bergstrom was part of a strong contingent of Calvin distance runners on Friday
as sophomore Jessica Koster (Grand Rapids Christian HS) led a 1-2-3 Calvin
finish in the 3,000 meters with a winning time of 10:25.12 with junior Calah
Schlabach (St. Michaels, Arizona) taking second (10:27.89) and sophomore Liz
Smit (Bellevue, WA) taking third (10:37.42). Calvin also took the top three
spots in the women’s 5,000 meters with senior Christina Overbeck (Bellevue, WA)
winning with a time of 18:10.29, senior Lynn Marsh (North Vernon, IN) taking
second (19:01.58) and junior Kelly Edwards (Grand Blanc HS) taking third
(19:08.67).
Other notable performances for the Calvin women on Friday included freshman Kim
Holtrop (Calvin Christian HS) taking fourth in the 55 meter dash (7.68) and
fourth in the 200 meter dash (27.08).
On the men’s side, Calvin was paced by its distance crew. Senior Tad Hulst
(Zeeland HS) had a solid second place time of 4:21.61 in the one-mile run while
junior Jed Christiansen (Greenville, PA) led a one-two Calvin finish in the
3,000 meters, winning with a time of 8:34.25 while junior teammate Andrew
Stutzman (Kutztown, PA) was second in 8:43.71.
In the high jump, sophomore Caleb Rottman (Fargo, ND) was second with a jump of
6-4 ¾ while senior Ryan Jensen (Northview HS) took second in the weight throw
with a heave of 53-10 1/2.
Both teams return to action next Friday when they compete at the Grand Rapids
Championships hosted by Grand Valley.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Feb 16 00:15:32 2008
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