CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR DECEMBER 1, 2011
Brad Wassink Named Recipient of NCAA Elite 89 Award in Men's Soccer;
Day Two Diary From Men's Soccer Final Four - Written by Andrew Knot
Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Open Competition at Calvin Winter
Invitational
MEN'S SOCCER
SAN ANTONIO, TX - Brad Wassink, a senior at Calvin College, is the recipient
of the Elite 89 award for the 2011 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer
Championship.
A native of Long Beach, California, and a graduate of Valley Christian High
School, Wassink is majoring in English and political science and carries a 3.94
GPA. Wassink was presented with the award during the (NCAA III men’s and
women’s soccer banquet/presentation) Thursday night in San Antonio, Texas.
The Elite 89, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the
student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of
competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also
achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 89 is
presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point
average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above who have participated in
their sport for at least two years with their school. They must be an active
member of the team, traveling and a designated member of the squad size at the
championship. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.
Wassink is the second individual from Calvin to receive this award. In 2010,
Calvin’s Melissa Oosterhouse was the Elite 89 Award winner for NCAA III Women’s
Tennis.
For more information on the Elite 89 award winners, log on to
http://NCAA.com/elite89.
MORE MEN'S SOCCER
(Calvin Sports Information Student Assistant Andrew Knot is traveling with the
Calvin men's soccer team this weekend and filed this day two report)
Team breakfast in the hotel kicked off a loaded day for the squad. After
breakfast, the squad traveled in team vans to Blossom Soccer Complex to get to
know the facility. While there, they relived previous tournament goals, took
pictures, and enjoyed the sunny, 70-degree weather.
After the stadium walk-through, the team practiced at another local soccer
complex. The training session, filled with fast-paced possession drills,
marked the last of the 2011 season for the Knights. Following the practice,
the team had a chance to participate in a divison-wide partnership between the
schools and the Special Olympics. The team broke into groups and led dribbling
and shooting drills with the Special Olympians, who were eager to interact with
college athletes.
People from both parties described the event as a learning experience, and
they had a chance to dine together later at the tournament banquet. During the
banquet, Senior Miles Colago represented
Calvin with a speech on his experience as a Calvin Knight. His classmate,
Brad Wassink was awarded the prestigious Elite 89 award, issued to a key
contributor with the highest GPA at each of the NCAA’s 89 tournaments. Wassink
is only the second Calvin student to claim the award. The team capped off the
night with a barge tour of the River Walk. The tour gave the Knights a chance
to further acquaint themselves with the city by seeing its sights learning
about its rich history.
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As participants in the 2011 Final Four, the Knights participated in the NCAA’s
Division III partnership with the Special Olympics. During their interaction
with the Special Olympians, it became clear that the experience was far more
than a mandatory itinerary event.
The team broke into four groups and led the Special Olympians in drills. They
dribbled around cones, took shots on goal, and shared high-fives and smiles.
Two athletes, Oyesile Segun and a Special Olympian who went by Chewy, even
choreographed a short dance.
Junior Dan Nederhoed, who took on a leadership role in the event, called the
experience an enriching change of perspective.
“It was humbling because, in such a pressured environment, it shows that you
should think about things a little lighter,” he said.
Junior Kyle Vela, who is in his first year with the team, echoed his teammates’
sentiments.
“As soon as I met the first kid, I immediately connected to him. Everyone was
having a great time and you could see it made their day,” he added.
Both Nederhoed and Vela noted the impactful experience as a byproduct of their
team’s success on a national level.
“It feels great to be a part of something that’s nationally respected,” said
Nederhoed.
This experience is something I could get used to,” added Vela.
FINAL FOUR BANQUET SPEECH BY MILES COLAGO:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/audio/12/MensSoccer/MilesColagoFinalFourBanquetSpeech.mp3
AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS HUGHES, BRAD WASSINK AND MILES COLAGO:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/audio/12/MensSoccer/ncaaFinalFourInterview.mp3
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
The first day of competition of the 2011 Calvin Winter Invitational is in the
books and after day one, the Calvin women's team is in second place in a field
of eight teams with 71 points while the Calvin men's team is fifth in a field
of eight teams with 51 points.
Just two events were held on Thursday night - the 800 freestyle relay and the
1,650 freestyle.
On the women's side, the Calvin 800 freestyle relay team of Stephanie Fox,
Rachel Colasurdo, Shelby Cloyd and Kathryn Wrobel took fifth with a time of
7:51.22.
In the 1,650 freestyle, Calvin had three individuals score points as Cloyd
took fifth (18:08.78), Wrobel took seventh (18:12.62) and Bridget Scott took
10th (18:22.94).
On the men's side, Calvin's 800 freestyle relay of Ross Battoclette, Travis
Vincent, Alex Baumann and Peter Johnson took seventh with a time of 7:07.05.
In the 1,650 freestyle, Matthias Bares had a huge performance, placing fourth
with a time of 17:04.21.
Action continues on Friday with prelims set for 10 a.m. and finals set for 6
p.m.
Received on Fri Dec 2 01:09:54 2011
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