CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MARCH 18, 2009
Deur National Runner-Up on Three-Meter Board - Calvin Currently 7th at NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships;
Women's Tennis Opens MIAA Campaign With 9-0 Win Over Olivet
WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- A national runner-up performance by senior Erica Deur pushed the Calvin women's swimming and diving team into seventh place after day one of the four-day NCAA III Championships held at the University of Minesota.
A graduate of Holland Christian High School, Deur placed second in the three-meter diving competition with a score of 495.85 points. The finish is the second national runner-up berth by Deur on the three-meter board as she also accomplished the feat at the 2007 national meet. Deur was also the national runner-up on the one-meter board in 2006.
Deur has now claimed seven All-America berths in diving -- four on the three-meter board and three on the one-meter board. She will compete on the one-meter board on Friday.
As a team, Calvin is in seventh place with 36 points, a half-point behind sixth place Amherst. Kenyon is in first place in the women's standings with 142 points. Calvin also picked up two honorable mention All-America performances as senior Cara VanWoerkom (Calvin Christian HS) was 12th in the 50 freestyle with a career-best time of 23.65 while Calvin's 200 medley relay team of sophomore Monica Bressler (Sandusky, OH), junior Emily Roberts (DeKalb, IL), senior Julie Wolfe (Westerville, OH) and junior Maggie Vail (Portage Northern HS) was 10th with a time of 1:46.38. Calvin's 200 medley relay entered the meet seeded 12th while VanWoerkom came in seeded 12th in the 50 freestyle.
"We had a solid first day," said Calvin head swim coach Dan Gelderloos. "It was good to see Cara and our relay move up from where they were seeded. After only one day, it is quite evident that this will be an incredibally fast meet so we will have to continue to step up to the challenge to score points."
After a rough start to the day, Deur was able to step up to the challenge as she sat in 11th place midway through the semifinal round but rallied with her final three dives to move up to seventh place and into the evening finals. Deur then saved her best-for-last, cranking out several strong dives to move into second place, finishing nearly 30 points ahead of Hayley Emerick of Trinity (TX) and more than 20 points behind national champion Kelly Sponholz of Fredonia State who won with a total of 516.50 points.
"It was a typical Erica-style in the fact that she did not give up after a bumpy morning," said Gelderloos. "She came back, muscled her way up the standings and got within striking distance of the leader. She had another great performance under tremendous pressure and we are all very proud of her."
Also competing for Calvin on Wednesday but not advancing to evening competition were senior Jeena Velzen (Unity Christian HS) and junior Casey Herman (Libertyville, IL) on the three-meter board with Herman finishing 21st (341.55) and Velzen 22nd (308.30). Albion's Emily Magyar did gain an All-America berth on the three-meter board, placing seventh.
In addition, Calvin junior Laura Price (Warren, PA) competed in the 500 freestyle (5:08.42) but did not advance to the finals. In the 200 IM, Vail had a career-best time of 2:07.12 but did not advance.Roberts also swam in the 200 IM (2:09.80) but did not advance. Also competing but not advancing for the Calvin women were Bressler in the 50 freestyle (24.40) and Wolfe in the 50 freestyle (24.65).
Scheduled to compete for Calvin on Thursday will be Roberts in the 400 IM, Wolfe in the 100 butterfly, junior Libby Veldkamp (Calvin Christian HS), sophomore Kendra Kinzer (Fort Wayne, IN), Price and VanWoerkom in the 200 freestyle.
Calvin will also compete in the 200 freestyle relay where it is seeded fifth and in the 400 medley relay where it is seeded sixth.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Calvin 9, Olivet 0
LANSING -- Calvin snapped a three-match losing skid with a 9-0 win over Olivet (6-1, 0-1 MIAA) on Wednesday afternoon in the MIAA opener for both teams. Wednesday's match was played at the Michigan State Indoor Tennis Center. Calvin (2-3, 1-0 MIAA) picked up singles victories from sophomores Melissa Oosterhouse (Grand Rapids Christian HS), Michelle Busccher (Western Michigan Christian HS) and Kaitlin Spoelhof (Holland Christian HS), juniors Elisabeth Geenen (Holland Christian HS) and Rachel Strikwerda (Holland Christian HS) and Rachel DeGroot (Lombard, IL).
In doubles play, Oosterhouse and Spoelhof won at No. 1 doubles, Strikwerda and junior Jill VanVeen (Grand Rapids Christian HS) at No. 2 doubles and DeGroot and Geenen at No. 3 doubles.
Calvin returns to action on Saturday when it faces Augustana (SD) in its first match on its spring trip to Orlando, Florida.
Calvin College 9, Olivet College 0
03/18/2009 at East Lansing, Mich.
Singles competition
1. Melissa Oosterhouse (CALVIN) def. Jaclyn Mummaw (OLIVET) 6-3, 6-2
2. Kaitlin Spoelhof (CALVIN) def. Giana Guerra (OLIVET) 6-1, 6-4
3. Elisabeth Geenen (CALVIN) def. Celeste Gruber (OLIVET) 6-0, 6-1
4. Rachel Strikwerda (CALVIN) def. Kelsey Singer (OLIVET) 6-2, 6-2
5. Michelle Busscher (CALVIN) def. Leanne Scudder (OLIVET) 6-0, 6-1
6. Rachel DeGroot (CALVIN) def. Paige Sedgewick (OLIVET) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Melissa Oosterhouse/Kaitlin Spoelhof (CALVIN) def. Giana Guerra/Jaclyn Mummaw (OLIVET) 8-3
2. Rachel Strikwerda/Jill VanVeen (CALVIN) def. Celeste Gruber/Kelsey Singer (OLIVET) 8-4
3. Rachel DeGroot/Elisabeth Geenen (CALVIN) def. Leanne Scudder/Paige Sedgewick (OLIVET) 8-2
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Wed Mar 18 21:58:14 2009
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