CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR FEB. 19, 2013
Carissa Verkaik Named Capital One Academic All-American of the Year in Women's
Basketball / Baseball Picked to Finish Fourth in MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Senior center Carissa Verkaik has been chosen as the NCAA Division III
Academic All-America® of the Year award winner for women’s basketball. In
addition, she has also received a spot on the Capital One Division III Academic
All-America first team.
The Capital One Division II and III Academic All-America® program is being
financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance
structures, to assist CoSIDA (College Sports Information Director's Association
of America) with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2012-13 DII
and DIII Academic All-America® teams program.
Verkaik, a Capital One Academic All-America® third team honoree last year, is
averaging 19.8 points per game. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic
Association scoring leader, she ranks 19th in NCAA Division III.
An elementary education major with a 3.76 G.P.A., Verkaik is a two-time
D3hoops.com Great Lakes Region Player of the Year and a 2012 DIII News Player
of the Year who averages 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. A native of
Holland, Mich., Verkaik is a three-time MIAA Most Valuable Player and
three-time first-team All-MIAA honoree. She is the MIAA’s career scoring
leader.
As a senior, she has led No. 3 Calvin to a 22-2 record. Last year, the Knights
finished the season with a 28-2 record and reached the NCAA quarter-finals.
Recently, she became just the second player to score more than 1,000 points in
league games. Verkaik is Calvin’s career leader in scoring (2,172 points) and
blocked shots (428) and is tied for first on the Calvin career list in rebounds
(1,034).
Verkaik is currently ranked third on the all-time NCAA Division III list in
career blocked shots and is 21st in points scored.
She is the second individual from Calvin to be named a Capital One Academic
All-American of the Year this academic year as Calvin senior Lizzie Kamp was so
honored in women's volleyball this past December.
It is the first time that Calvin has had two Capital One Academic
All-Americans of the Year in the same academic year. Other Calvin
student-athletes to have received the award include Chris Knoester in men's
basketball (1994), Joel Klooster in men's cross country/track and field (2002)
and Rebecca Kamp in women's volleyball (2011).
Calvin has now had its athletes receive CoSIDA (Capital One) Academic
All-America accolades 99 times including 67 times in the last 16 years. Calvin
currently ranks eighth on the all-time NCAA Division III list for CoSIDA
Academic All-Americans.
BASEBALL
The Calvin baseball team has been picked to finish fourth in the MIAA
preseason coaches' poll. Four-time defending champion Adrian was selected to
repeat as Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion.
The Bulldogs, who ran away with last season’s championship with a 24-4 record,
finishing six games ahead of their nearest competition, received seven of a
possible eight first-place votes in the coaches poll. Hope, which was picked to
finish second, received the other first-place vote. Coaches could not vote for
their own team.
Poll Results (first-place votes in parenthesis): 1. Adrian (7) 7 pts. 2. Hope
(1) 15. 3. Trine 18. 4. Calvin 25. 5. Albion 30. 6. Alma 42. 6. Olivet 42. 8.
Kalamazoo 45.
In addition to winning last year’s championship, Adrian also won the MIAA’s
first conference tournament to receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA
Division III tournament.
Calvin will open its season on March 1 and 2 when it faces Defiance in a
three-game weekend series in Crestview, Kentucky.
Calvin is coming off a season where it finished 15-25 overall and in sixth
place in the league standings with a 9-19 record. Calvin returns several
letterwinners from last year's team including three members of its starting
pitching rotation.
For a preseason outlook, please visit the Calvin website for an audio
interview with head Calvin baseball coach John Sparks at:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/audio/2013/Baseball/JohnSparksPreseason.mp3
Received on Tue Feb 19 17:24:41 2013
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