CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR SEPT. 25, 2009 (Part One)
Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams Take First at MIAA Jamboree;
Volleyball Falls to Hope in MIAA Showdown
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
HOLLAND - Strong pack running, a career-best race by a hometown runner and
powerful performances by Calvin’s No. 1 runners highlighted a day where the
Calvin men’s and women’s cross country teams claimed first place finishes
at the MIAA Jamboree hosted by Hope at the Ridge Point Community Church
course.
Ranked seventh nationally, the Calvin men’s cross country team took first
place with a team score of 21 points, finishing 56 points ahead of second place
Hope. Meanwhile, Calvin’s second-ranked women’s team took the top eight
spots - en route to a perfect score of 15 points. Hope took second place in the
women’s race with 58 points.
In the women’s race, senior Jessica Koster (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids
Christian HS) ran away with first place honors with a time of 17:59. Calvin
then put a pack of seven runners together separated by just 21 seconds with
senior Jesi Hale (Rehoboth, NM/Gallup HS) finishing second (18:24), junior
Gretchen Braymer (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy) finishing third (18:32),
sophomore Jodi Hoekstra (Home Glen, IL/Chicago Christian HS) fourth (18:40),
sophomore Rebecca Hiemstra (Dusseldorf, Germany/International School of
Dusseldorf) fifth (18:41), senior Liz Smit (Kirkland, WA/Bellevue Christian HS)
sixth (18:42), junior Alison Tuuk (Grand Rapids/Gand Rapids Christian HS)
seventh (18:42) and senior Nicole Farr (Wheaton, IL/Warrenville South HS)
eighth (18:45). Sophomore Samantha Westveer (Kentwood/East Kentwood HS) added
an 11th place time of 18:51.
“Jessica Koster really put the hammer down and took off today,” said
Calvin head cross country coach Brian Diemer. “She was racing at a very high
level today but I was also very pleased with the way everyone else packed
together behind her. I saw a lot of good teamwork today and our strong finish
reflected that teamwork.”
The men’s race provided more drama as sophomore Nick Kramer (Dyer,
IN/Illiana Christian HS) was locked in a fight for first place with Trine
senior Darin King but surged with under a mile to go after powering up a steep
hill and broke free for the win with a time of 25:03, 25 seconds ahead of
King’s second place finish.
“What a great performance by Nick Kramer,” said Diemer. “He was the real
deal today. This is the first time he has been in a big race for first place
and he responded like a seasoned veteran. I’m very proud of the way he
responded to the challenge.”
Diemer was also proud of the rest of his team as the Knights placed eight
runners in the top 10 and five in the top seven.
Senior Aaron Goodman (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran HS) served as
Calvin’s second man, placing third with a time of 25:32 while senior Kyle
Mast (Holland Christian HS), running hear his hometown of Zeeland cranked out a
career-best performance with a fourth place time of 25:35.
Closed behind were senior Ben Van Wyk (Sussex, NJ/High Point HS) in sixth
(25:38), sophomore Dan Kerr (Petoskey/Petoskey HS) in seventh (25:38),
sophomore Matt Vander Roest (Ann Arbor/Ann Arbor Huron HS) in eighth (25:42),
junior Alex Wrobel (Arden Hill, MN/Mounds View HS) in ninth (25:42) and junior
Jake Christiansen (New Ipswich, NH/New Ipswich HS) in 10th (25:46).
“We had wonderful pack running and so many guys just stepped up in a big
way,” said Diemer. “Kyle Mast was a hometown hero. He ran the race of his
life and guys like Aaron Goodman and Dan Kerr weren’t far behind in the way
they stepped up. Today this team ran with heart and it ran with purpose. I am
extremely proud of everyone of our guys.”
Both Calvin teams will now break until next Friday when they compete at the
Notre Dame Invitational.
MEN’S MIAA JAMBOREE TEAM RESULTS:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/mens/cross-country/results/2009/MIAAJam09_MenTeam.htm
MEN’S MIAA JAMBOREE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/mens/cross-country/results/2009/Men%27s%20Jamboree%20Individual.htm
WOMEN’S MIAA JAMBOREE TEAM RESULTS:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/womens/cross-country/results/2009/MIAAJam09_WomenTeam.htm
WOMEN’S MIAA JAMBOREE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/womens/cross-country/results/2009/MIAAJam09WomenIndividual.htm
VOLLEYBALL
Hope 3, Calvin 0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-18)
(written by Calvin Sports Information Student Assistant Mitch Blankespoor)
HOLLAND -- The 10th ranked Calvin volleyball team traveled to the DeVos
Fieldhouse to take on 8th ranked Hope College. The rankings proved correct, as
Hope defeated Calvin in three sets 25-22, 25-15, 25-18. Hope took an early
20-11 lead in the first set only to see Calvin make a huge comeback. This
comeback, however, fell just short as Hope took the first set. Calvin never
really recovered. The Knights did, however, hold the lead in the second set
7-6. That was the last lead they had.
Hope beat Calvin with a steady offensive attack. Jacie Fielder and Kara
VandeGuchte had 10 kills for the Dutch, while Cassidy Bulthuis and Teresa Borst
added 8 kills. Hope as a team totaled 44 kills. Calvin totaled 27 kills with
sophomore middle hitter Rebecca Kamp leading Calvin with 8 kills.
Hope held a big edge in kill percentage hitting .233 as a team to the
Knight’s .088. Senior setter Andrea Helminiak led the Dutch with 36 assists
while fellow senior setter Nora Bruskewitz led Calvin with 23 assists. Both
teams had 7 blocks, but Hope led the contest in digs with 60 to Calvin’s 48.
When asked about the game, head coach Amber Warners replied, “Hope was the
better team. We did not play well. I don’t want to take any credit away from
Hope. The better team won today.”
While Calvin is 2-0 in their new home, VanNoord Arena, they have struggled on
the road this season, posting an 8-4 record. “ This has been an ongoing
thing for us this season. It doesn’t matter who we play whether it’s Hope
or it’s someone we are less familiar with. We just put too much pressure on
ourselves. We can control this issue ourselves. That is a good thing,”
Warners said.
This match started a four-match road “trip” for the Knights. They will
travel to Olivet next Wednesday. After that, they travel to Saint Mary’s on
October 6 and go to Albion on the 9th.
MIAA VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 9-26-09
Hope 6-0
Calvin 5-1
Trine 3-2
Albion 4-3
Alma 3-3
Saint Mary’s 2-4
Kalamazoo 2-4
Olivet 1-5
Adrian 1-5
Received on Sat Sep 26 18:00:00 2009
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