CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR MARCH 17, 2016
NCAA III Swimming and Diving Championships Day Two Recap;
Spring Sports Daily Roundup
WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
GREENSBORO, NC - The Calvin women's swimming and diving team crowned its first set of NCAA III All-Americans of the 2016 NCAA III Championships on Thursday evening. Calvin's All-America performance came in the 200 freestyle relay as the team of senior Megan Schroder (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS), sophomore Rachel Mattson (Ann Arbor/Ann Arbor Huron HS), junior Adrienne Wesselius (Sioux Center, IA/Unity Christian HS) and sophomore Abby Van Harn (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) took seventh with a time of 1:34.27.
It marks the sixth time the Calvin women's swim team has claimed an NCAA III All-America berth in the 200 freestyle relay and the first time since 2009.
Van Harn also picked up her second NCAA III honorable mention All-America performance of the meet, placing 11th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:51.31 after placing 16th in the morning prelims.
Calvin's quartet of Schroder, Wesselius, freshman Anna Serino (Pinckney/Pinckney HS) and freshman Kendall Murphy (Modesto, CA/Home Schooled) also competed in the 400 medley relay prelims, placing 20th with a time of 4:02.87.
In the women's one-meter diving competition, sophomore Sarah Bradley (Wheaton, IL/Wheaton North HS) was in the mix for the evening finals but came up short in her final three dives. Bradley sat as high as third in the afternoon prelims with just four dives remaining in her 11-dive rotation but ended up placing 20th with a score of 377.45.
"I'm very proud of the way Sarah competed," said Calvin diving coach Aaron Paskvan. "Today she was going against the best-of-the-best and she was right with them. She had a few dives at the end that were just a hair off on either her jump off the board or her entry into the water and that made a difference. The margin for error at a national meet is very narrow but she gave it everything she had and that's all you can ask for as a coach. We will come back on Saturday when she competes on the three-meter board and go after things with the same determined attitude."
Calvin head swim coach Dan Gelderloos was pleased with the overall performance of his team on Thursday. "I'm very proud of the way the team has found a way to get it done," said Gelderloos. "Not everything has gone our way but the determination and fight this has is impressive and was the reason why we are able to crown an All-American relay and Abby was able to move up five places tonight in her swim. We are looking forward to some special performances over the next two days. I don't know what that will mean in terms of times but they are going to be special."
Heading into the final two days of competition, the Calvin women's team is in 14th place with 35 points.
On Friday, Calvin is scheduled to compete in the 800 freestyle relay.
MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
GREENSBORO, NC - The Calvin men's swimming and diving team continues to pick up points at the NCAA III Championships.
The Knights claimed an honorable mention All-America berth in the 400 medley relay on Thursday night and currently sit in 18th place with 26 points.
Calvin's 400 medley relay team of sophomore Skyler Fish (Ionia/Ionia HS), senior Johnson Cochran (Mount Vernon, Oh./Mount Vernon HS), junior Brett Stoughton (Centerville, Ind./Centerville HS) and freshman Jared Britton (Falls Church, Va./George Mason HS) took 10th with a school record time of 3:18.29, breaking their own record of 3:18.43 set earlier this year.
In addition, Fish led off the relay with a school record 100 backstroke time of 50.44, breaking his previous school record time of 50.46.
Calvin took 12th in the morning prelims with a time of 3:19.52 but moved up two places in the evening finals by dropping just over a full second.
Calvin's 200 freestyle relay team of senior Brandon Muma (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Eastern HS), senior Mitch Schroder (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS), junior Eli Holstege (Keswick, Va./Covenant School) and Britton qualified for the consolation finals by finishing 15th in the morning prelims. The relay was then disqualified in the evening competition however after a member of the team left the blocks early on an exchange.
Senior Caleb Meindertsma (Annandale, Va./Trinity Christian HS) also competed in the 400 IM prelims but did not advance to the finals.
Stoughton and Britton swam in the morning prelims in the 100 butterfly but did not advance. Stoughton placed 26th (49.66) while Britton placed 32nd (49.92).
Freshman Andrew Kasper (Batavia, IL/Marmion Academy) and Muma swam in the 200 freestyle prelims but did not advance with Kasper taking 31st (1:40.81) and Muma 36th (1:41.23).
Calvin head swim coach Dan Gelderloos was pleased with the overall performance of his team on Thursday. "I'm very proud of the way the team has found a way to get it done," said Gelderloos. "Not everything has gone our way but the determination and fight this has is We are looking forward to some special performances over the next two days. I don't know what that will mean in terms of times but they are going to be special."
Scheduled to compete for the Calvin men on Friday are Stoughton in the 200 butterfly, Fish in the 100 backstroke, Cochran in the 100 breaststroke and Muma, Schroder, Kasper and sophomore Max DeYoung (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Eastern HS) in the 800 freestyle relay. Sophomore Michael Moentmann (Solon, Oh./Solon HS) will also compete on the one-meter diving board.
SOFTBALL
Calvin 6, Smith 5
Calvin 3, Macalester 1
CLERMONT, Fla. - The Calvin softball team pickup two more victories on Thursday to extend its winning streak to six games. The Knights defeated Smith, 6-5, and Macalester, 3-1, to improve to 6-2 in 2016.
"I am proud of how the team fought today," said head coach Tim Syrek. "We knew we were going to get the best of what both teams had to offer today and we did. The players embraced the situation today and responded really well."
The Knights found themselves in a defensive battle Thursday morning with the Pioneers of Smith. Neither team allowed a run until the Knights put three runs on the scoreboard in the fifth inning.
Calvin took advantage of the Pioneer errors in the fifth, senior Lydia Gildea (Gobles/Gobles HS) started the scoring with a double to left center field that scored freshman Rachel Borden and freshman Maddie DeGroot (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS). Gildea later scored on another Pioneer error.
The Pioneers would not go away and scored four runs in the sixth inning to take a 4-3 lead.
The Knights would take the lead back in the bottom of the sixth. Maddie DeGroot flew out to left field bringing home sophomore Kimiko Hinatsu (Romeo/Romeo) from third base on an interference call on the Smith catcher. Freshman Kristen Newman (Chelsea/Chelsea HS) would then hit a single up the middle to score senior Ashley Riemersma (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS).
"I was really proud of the team," said sophomore Jessica Brasser (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS). "We came together as a team today and did what we had to do to win. We didn't panic when things got tough and we pull together to fight back. We really had timely hitting as a team today."
Smith would strike again in the top of the seventh to tie the game at five.
Another Smith error allowed freshman Anna Gernant (West Des Moines, Ia./Valley HS) to get on base. Sophomore Kaley Frank (Edwardsburg/Edwardsburg HS) would move Gernant to second base with a bunt. Freshman Abby Colon (Caledonia/South Christian HS) would then end the game with a single to right field with two outs to score Gernant.
Anna Gernant improved to 3-0 on Thursday in the circle. She struck out six Pioneer batters and didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning.
Lydia Gildea and Abby Colon both finished the game with three hits, Gildea also recorded two RBI.
Calvin struck first against Macalester in the third inning. Jessica Brasser singled up the middle to score Maddie DeGroot. Anna Gernant singled to left field to score Jessica Brasser and Rachel Borden (Edwardsburg/Edwardsburg HS).
Those three runs would be all Calvin would need with sophomore Makela Chapman (Lowell/Lowell HS) keeping the Macalester batters quiet. Chapman only allowed one run on five hits. She also struck out two in the victory.
The Knights had five hits in the game, Anna Gernant had a game-high two RBI.
Calvin finishes its spring break schedule on Friday when the Knights face Bethel and Transylvania.
BASEBALL
Curry 9, Calvin 3
Calvin 12, Curry 1
AUBURNDALE, FL - The Calvin baseball team split a doubleheader with Curry College (Mass.) on Thursday, dropping the opener 9-3 and winning the nightcap 12-1.
Calvin is now 4-5 on the year.
In game one, Calvin led 2-1 but Curry exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull away for the win.
Junior Mike Kempton (Edwardsburg/Edwardsburg HS), freshman Steven Seager (Plantation, Fl./Plantation HS) and junior Colton Wolfe (Eaton Rapids/Eaton Rapids HS) all had two hits apiece.
Freshman Logan Walker (Imlay City/Lapeer East HS) took the loss in relief of sophomore starter Ryan Stewart (Detroit/Parkway Christian HS).
In game two, Calvin rapped out 15 hits. Sophomore Nick Steiginga (Mahwah, NJ/Eastern Christian HS) and freshman Steven Dogger (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) had three hits apiece.
Kempton, Seager, Stewart and junior Matt Kotva (Elkhart, Ind./Concord HS) all had two hits apiece with Kotva driving in three runs.
Junior Sawyer Howard (Atlanta, Il./Olympia HS) tossed a complete-game shutout victory for the Knights to claim the win. Howard struck out three batters and scattered six hits in seven innings of work.
Calvin will face Western New England on Friday in a single game at 9 a.m.
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Berry 11, Calvin 10
ROME, Ga. - The Calvin women's lacrosse team dropped a hard-fought 11-10 non-conference decision at Berry College Thursday evening.
In a physical contest, Calvin held its ground and had opportunites to tie the game in the second hald but could not capitalize.
The Knights led 6-4 in the first half but Berry closed the first half with four unanswered goals to take an 8-6 halftime lead.
The second half proved to be a tactical 30 minutes as both teams probed for scoring chances but found little room to operate around the net.
Calvin (2-2) closed to within 9-8 on a goal by sophomore Amanda Davio (Okemos/Okemos HS) early in the second half and then clawed to within 10-9 on a free position shot by junior Emily Cefaratti (Hinsdale, IL/Hinsdale Central HS) with 21:16 remaining. Davio then brought the Knights within one again at 11-10 with 9:45 left on the block but neither team would score again.
Calvin had a shot saved with eight minutes remaining and then struggled to regain possession. The Knights did regain the ball with six minutes left and called timeout, hoping to set up a tying goal.
Out of the timeout, Calvin turned the ball over and and failed to bring the ball back into the Berry end the rest of the game. With Calvin pressing to regain possession of the ball, the Knights were charged with a yellow card, allowing Berry to keep the ball away from Calvin over the final minute of play.
Berry held a 26-22 shots at goal advantage. Freshman Ellis Chalfant (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis Country Day School) had four saves for Calvin in goal. Davio had five goals on seven shots and won six draw controls. Cefaratti had three goals and an assist.
Freshman Kelly Pepper (Wyckoff, NJ/Indian Hills HS) and freshman Emma Tilma (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) had one goal each. Freshman Lauryn Slachter (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) added one assist.
"I thought we played with strong defensive effort," said Calvin women's lacrosse coach Blake Boehm. "We also did well winning draws. We had plenty of scoring opportunities. We just did not capitalize on enough of them."
Calvin will now travel to Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. The Knights will take on the Cardinals on Saturday at noon.
MEN'S GOLF
REDLANDS, Ca. - The Calvin men's golf team opened its 2016 spring schedule with a dual match against previously nationally-ranked Redlands College on Thursday. The dual match was played at one of the oldest continuous country clubs west of the Mississippi River - the Redlands Country Club.
Host Redlands finished out in front of the Knights with a team score of 291. Calvin put together a pair of teams with its "A" squad posting a score of 314 while its "B" squad had a team total of 325.
Calvin's "A" squad was led by sophomore John Van Noord (Troy/Oakland Christian HS) who posted a score of 73 that was good for third place individually on Thursday.
Sophomore Ben VanScoyk (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) came up with a round o 75 while senior Jason Zeigler (Mount Gilead, Oh./Gilead Christian HS) had an 81. Senior Justin Crow (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) carded a round of 87 and sophomore Matthew Lumbantoruan (Jakarta, Indonesia/Morning Star Academy) had an 85.
Calvin's "B" team was led by freshman Alec DeJonge (Niles/Niles HS) with a 76. Freshman Mitchell Knoor (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) came up with an 80 while freshman Sam Kuiper (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) had an 84. Sophomore Sean Behrens (Arlington Heights, Il./Rolling Meadows HS) contribued an 85 while sophomore Alex Wagner (Pentwater, Mich./Pentwater HS) had a 90.
Freshman Rowan Foxley was the medalist on the afternoon with a round of 70.
MEN'S TENNIS
Bethel 8, Calvin 1
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Knights came up short on Thursday, falling to Bethel, 8-1. Calvin is now 3-2 on the year.
"Bethel played well in the heat today," said head coach John Ross. "This was a tough week with some very tough teams and harsh weather. I think that we learned a lot this week and we will use this week to build upon the year."
Freshman Jason Wolters recorded Calvin's lone victory on Thursday at No. 5 singles. Wolters defeated Henry Morris, 6-2, 2-6, 10-2.
The Knights return to the courts on Friday when they finish the spring break schedule against Lawrence.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Bethel 8, Calvin 1
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Knights finished their spring break schedule falling to Bethel on Thursday, 8-1. Calvin is now 6-3 on the year and went 4-1 in Florida this week.
"We played really hard this week," said head coach Kevin VanHaitsma. "This week wasn't easy, we played five matches against five really good teams this week in very challenging conditions. We have to give credit to Bethel today, they came out and were the better team today."
Jessica Bouma recorded Calvin's lone victory on Thursday at No. 3 singles. Bouma defeated Anna Browning, 6-0, 6-3.
The Knights return to the courts on March 30 when they play Aquinas.
Received on Fri Mar 18 01:38:44 2016
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