CKSR (Men's Soccer Team Ranked 16th in Preseason National Poll/Calvin Athletics Facilities Receive Honors from Princeton Review)

CALVIN KNIGHT WEEKEND SPORTS ROUDUP FOR AUGUST 8, 2015

Men's Soccer Team Ranked 16th in Preseason National Poll;
Calvin Athletics Facilities Receive Honors from Princeton Review

MEN'S SOCCER

The Calvin men's soccer team will enter the 2015 season nationally ranked. The Knights are ranked 16th in the preseason Division III Top 25 poll conducted by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Calvin is coming off a standout 2014 campaign that saw the Knights post an overall record of 18-2-3 and reach the second round of the NCAA III Tournament. Calvin also captured the MIAA regular season title with an unblemished 14-0-0 conference record.

Calvin then claimed the 2014 MIAA Tournament title by defeating Alma 1-0 in the tournament semifinals and then defeating Kalamazoo in a penalty kick shootout in the MIAA Tournament final.

Calvin will head into the 2015 season under the direction of fourth-year head coach Ryan Souders. A native of Wheaton, Illinois, Souders has led Calvin to three consecutive MIAA regular season titles continuing an MIAA regular season championship streak of eight MIAA crowns that dates back to the 2007 season.

Calvin will open its season on September 4 when it travels to Massachusetts to take on Endicott College.

The NSCAA Division III Top 25 preseason poll can be found online at: http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4162/NCAADivisionIII/men/PreseasonPoll

CALVIN ATHLETICS FACILITIES RECEIVE PRINCETON REVIEW HONORS

According to the most recent set of rankings released by the Princeton Review, Calvin's athletics facilities rank 19th in the nation. This marks the second time in three years that Calvin has cracked the top 20 for athletic facility rankings as it was ranked 19th in the same category two years ago.

Calvin's athletics facilities are highlighted by the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex which houses VanNoord Arena, the Venema Aquatic Center and the Huizenga Tennis and Track Center.
Completed in 2009, the Spoelhof Fieldhouse complex boasts some of the best facilities in Division III, as well as the nation.

The 4,800-seat Van Noord arena is home to Calvin's basketball and volleyball teams. This past March, VanNoord Arena was the site of the NCAA III Women's Basketball Finals and will also be the site of the 2015 NCAA III Volleyball Finals this coming November.
Home of the Calvin men's and women's swimming and diving teams, the Venema Aquatic Center includes Olympic-sized (50 meter) lanes and an 850,000-gallon capacity. Calvin will host the 2016 MIAA Swimming and Diving Championships next February.

The Huizenga Tennis and Track Center is the part-time home for Calvin's men's and women's tennis teams as well as its track and field teams during the winter indoor season. Other Calvin teams such as the baseball and softball squads, men's and women's lacrosse teams and men's and women's soccer teams also utilize the space for practice and training.

In addition the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex includes an 80-foot climbing wall and 18,000 square feet of weight and train room space.

Calvin's men's and women's soccer and men's and women's lacrosse team also compete at the 1,500 seat Zuidema Field which features a natural grass surface. The field is surrounded by Calvin's eight-lane track and adjoining field event venues. The outdoor track was resurfaced in 2014. Calvin's baseball team plays on a natural grass field on the northwest portion of the campus while the men's and women's tennis teams play outdoors at the Strikwerda Tennis Center just east of the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex. The six-court Strikwerda Tennis Center was completed in 2013.

Calvin's men's and women's cross country teams and its women's softball team compete at the Gainey Athletic Complex located on the far eastern portion of the Calvin campus. The Gainey Athletic Complex includes a challenging cross country course that has been host to the NCAA III Great Lakes Regional Championships in both 2007 and 2013.

The recent Princeton Review rankings can be found online at: http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=best-athletic-facilities
Received on Sat Aug 8 17:50:25 2015