SPECIAL CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR MARCH 15, 2013
Carissa Verkaik Named Recipient of Jostens Trophy
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin College senior Carissa Verkaik Verkaik has been named the recipient of
the prestigious Jostens Trophy which is presented by the Rotary Club of Salem,
Va.
The Jostens Trophy is awarded to an outstanding Division III men’s and women’s
basketball player who excels on the floor, in the classroom and in the
community.
Verkaik is the second individual in Calvin women's basketball history to
receive the award as Lisa Winkle was also so honored in 2007.
Calvin is the first school to have two Jostens Trophy recipients in women's
basketball.
A native of Holland and a graduate of Holland Christian High School, Verkaik
has been a leader on the basketball court, in the classroom and in the
community.
As a basketball player, she was recently named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player
for the fourth straight year. She averaged 20.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.3
blocks a game.
She completed her career as Calvin’s all-time leader in points (2,236),
rebounds (1,071) and blocked shots (440). She is now currently ranked third on
the all-time NCAA III women’s basketball list in blocked shots and 14th in
points.
She helped Calvin post an overall record of 100-16 during her four-year
collegiate career which included three MIAA regular season titles and four
trips to the NCAA III Tournament including a berth in the national
quarterfinals in 2012. This year Calvin finished 23-4 overall including 15-1 in
conference play as the Knights gained a share of the MIAA regular season title
and later earned a bid to the NCAA III Tournament.
Verkaik was most recently named the D3hoops.com Great Lakes Region Player of
the Year for the third consecutive year and was named a State Farm Division III
All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association of American for the
second straight year. In addition, she is one of three finalists for the State
Farm Division III Player of the Year Award presented by the WBCA.
An education major, Verkaik was recently named the Division III Capital One
Academic All-American of the Year and also landed a spot on the Capital One
Academic All-America first team. She was named to the Capital One Academic
All-American third team the year before. She carries a 3.76 grade point average
and is a two-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
She has also been active in the community. Some of her volunteer activities
include serving as a mentor in the Special Olympics program, serving as a tutor
with local elementary school children, serving as a praise and worship leader
in her church and organizing a middle-school book club group. She is currently
student-teaching at Potter’s House Christian School in southwest Grand Rapids.
Verkaik is a two-sport athlete at Calvin, also competing on the outdoor
women’s track and field team. Last spring, she repeated as MIAA champion in
the high jump and later qualified for the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field
Championships in the event for the second consecutive year.
CARISSA VERKAIK BY THE NUMBERS:
*Career FG% of 57.9% (884-1528) - ranks 2nd on Calvin career list.
*Career FT% of .853 (412-483) - ranks 2nd on Calvin career list.
*Career 3pt% of .406 (56-138) - ranks 4th on Calvin career list.
*Calvin career leader in points (2236), rebounds (1071), and blocked shots
(440).
*Third on NCAA career list for blocked shots and 14th in points scored.
*played in 116 games (started all) posting won-loss record of 100-16. First
Calvin senior class to win 100 games.
*Career averages of 19.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.8 blocks per game.
*Four-time MIAA MVP (unprecedented). Four-time 1st team All-MIAA selection
(one of only three). 10-time MIAA Player of the Week.
*MIAA career scoring leader - one of only two players in MIAA women's
basketball history to score over 1,000 points in league games.
*Named to 2013 D3hoops.com Team of the Week in early February.
*Four-time D3hoops.com All-Region selection. Three-time D3hoops.com Great
Lakes Regional Player of the Year. Two-time D3hoops.com All-American. 2012
WDIII News Player of the Year. 2012 & 2013 WBCA Division III All-American.
*Two-time finalist for Jostens Trophy
*2013 Jostens Trophy Winner
*Two-time Capital One Division III Academic All-American.
*2013 Capital One Division III Academic All-American of the Year.
Received on Fri Mar 15 12:14:16 2013
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Fri Mar 15 2013 - 12:14:16 EDT