CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 14, 2016
Women's Lacrosse Falls in NCAA III Tournament Second Round at St. John Fisher;
Track and Field Teams Compete at Last Chance Meets;
C Club Awards Wrap-Up
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
St. John Fisher 18, Calvin 2
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The women's lacrosse team fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The Knights historic season came to an end with an 18-2 loss to the No. 18 Cardinals of St. John Fisher. Saturday's game marked the first-ever NCAA Tournament game in program history, the Knights secured the automatic bid after Calvin's 12-11 victory over Albion in the MIAA Tournament.
"With regard to today's game, it was a great experience," said Calvin head coach Blake Boehm. "Saint John Fisher is a well-coached team and talented team. We played strong and we fought hard, we are walking away with a lot of things to look forward to. It has been a fun season and it has been a season that has challenged us where we have never been challenged before. I am so proud of every player on the team for their ability to overcome barriers time and time again. They have learned how to win and lose as a team. We are returning a lot of talented players so the future of our program is bright."
Junior Emily Cefaratti (Hinsdale, Il./Hinsdale Central HS) was able to slide past a pair of Cardinal defenders to get a shot off that went just wide of the net, for Calvin's first shot of the game.
The Knights would continue to pressure the Cardinals and would get on the scoreboard with 3:49 remaining in the first half. Freshman Emma Tilma (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) recorded Calvin's first goal with an assist from freshman Kelly Pepper (Wycoff, NJ/Indian Hills HS)
"I got the pass from Kelly and I found an opening in the defense," said Tilma. "It was encouraging to get a goal on the board."
The Knights would go into halftime trailing, 11-1.
Sophomore Amanda Davio (Okemos/Okemos HS) put the ball in the back of the net with 3:16 remaining of off a nice pass from Emily Cefaratti.
"I think that the goal is what we needed," said Davio. "It helped improve our mentality and gave us a boost of energy to fight hard through the final few minutes."
Sophomore Madeline Baas (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) finished with a game-high six draw controls. Sophomore Alyssa Gagnon (Minooka, IL/Minooka HS) had a team-high three ground balls.
Freshman Ellis Chalfant (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Country Day School) came up with some spectacular saves on Saturday and finished with 10 saves on the day.
"This team worked really hard this season," said Calvin senior Corry Remy (Zeeland/Zeeland East HS). "This team has faced a great amount of hardship, but as a unit, the team has overcome so much. I am so proud of my teammates, and I feel so blessed to have been a part of Calvin's lacrosse team. Even though today was the hardest game we have played thus far in Calvin lacrosse history, the team proved to be mentally strong and team oriented."
The Knights finish the season with a 12-6 record and a 7-1 mark in MIAA play. The 12 victories ties the single-season record with the 2015 season.
WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
The Calvin women's track and field team had several sterling performances at last chance meets this past Thursday and Friday.
A big group of distance runners competed at the Dr. Keeler Invitational hosted by North Central College.
On Thursday night, junior Lauren Strohbehn (Stillwater, MN/St. Croix Preparatory HS) took first place with a time of 35:32.52. The time ranks seventh on the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field performance list and also ranks as the second-fastest in Calvin women's track and field history, surpassed only by the time of 34:09/96 set by 10K national champion Nicole Michmerhuizen in 2013.
Junior Hope Gaffner (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) also had a season-best time of 37:45.71.
In the steeplechase Friday night, senior McKenzie Diemer (Caledonia/South Christian HS) placed 11th with a time of 11:14.78.
The rest of Calvin's athletes competed at a last-chance meet hosted by Grand Valley State University on Friday.
Sophomore Bethany Love (Kentwood/East Kentwood HS) highlighted by the day by taking sixth in the shot put with a career-best throw of 44-2. The throw ranks 16th on the current NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field performance list.
In the long jump sophomore Jenna Dyksen (Hawthorne, NJ/Hawthorne HS) took sixth with a jump of 17-10 1/4. Junior Michaela Meckes (Bay City/Saginaw Valley Lutheran HS) had a throw of 126-3 in the discus while senior Stacie Mead (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Eastern HS) went 141-1 in the hammer throw.
In the GVSU steeplechase competition, Calvin sophomore Marissa McGahan (Brighton/Brighton HS) had a time of 11:52.61 that was a career-best by nearly 20 seconds. Sophomore Lora Huizingh (Byron Center/South Christian HS) was close behind in 12:00.00.
Senior Kally Verkaik (Holland/Holland Christian HS) ran a time of 1:04.98 in the 400 meter hurdles. Senior Maria Steblay (Eden Prairie, MN/Eden Prairie HS) had a time of 15.39 in the 100 meter hurdles.
MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
The Calvin men's track and field team competed at last chance meets in West Michigan and in suburban Chicago this weekend.
A group of Calvin distance runners competed at the North Central College Dr. Keeler Invitational. In the men's 5,000 meters, sophomore Andrew Philipose (Mount Prospect, Il./John Hersey HS) had a career-best time of 14:53.13.
In the steeplechase, junior Zach Nowicki (Comstock Park/Calvin Christian HS) had a time of 9:25.06. In the 1500 meters, senior Jeff Meitler (New Berlin, Wisc./Milwaukee Lutheran HS) had a time of 3:57.43 while junior Nathan VanHaitsma (Olympia, Wash./Olympia HS) came in at 4:00.18 and senior Andre Otte (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) at 4:01.87. Senior Bret Habura (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville HS) also had a time of 4:11.46.
At the Grand Valley State University Last-Chance Invitational on Friday, Calvin had several strong efforts.
In the men's 200 meters, senior Joel Brouwer (Elmhurst, Il./Timothy Christian HS) was second in a time of 22.94. Sophomore Hendrik VerMeulen (Bright's Grove, Ont./St. Patrick's Secondary School) had a career-best time of 1:57.33 in the 800 meters.
Sophomore Nathan Brookhouse (Whitinsville, Mass./Whitinsville Christian HS) was fifth in the 5,000 meters (16:10.49). Senior Lucas Wolters (Vincennes, Ind./South Knox HS) was fourth in the pole vault (15-6 ˝). Senior David Dadzie (Accra, Ghana/Ghana International School) was third in the javelin (165-2) while junior Erick Holder (Marian, Ind./Eastbrook HS) was fifth (146-10).
CALVIN COLLEGE C CLUB AWARDS RECAP
The fourth Annual Calvin College C Club Awards were held on May 12 in Van Noord Arena.
The award winners are as follows:
Record-breaking Performance: Niko Giantsopoulos, senior, men's soccer
Female Exceptional Performance in an Individual Event: Abby Van Harn, sophomore, swimming & diving
Male Exceptional Performance in an Individual Event: Ethan Valentine, sophomore, track & field
Female Role Player of the Year: Kelsey Hiegel, senior, women's soccer
Male Role Player of the Year: Nate Drews, junior, men's basketball
Play of the Year: Carly Veenstra (junior) overtime winning goal in NCAA III Women's Soccer Sweet 16 Tournament game vs Carnegie Mellon
Male Newcomer of the Year: Alex Grosse, freshman, men's ice hockey
Female Freshman of the Year: Anna Gernant, freshman, softball
Male Athlete of the Year: Nick Groenewold, senior, soccer
Female Athlete of the Year: Maggie Kamp, senior, volleyball
Game of the Year: Men's soccer, NCAA III Tournament quarterfinal win over Kenyon
Breakthrough Team of the Year: Women's soccer
Outstanding Team of the Year: Men's soccer
Kay Tiemersma Award: Maggie Kamp, senior, volleyball
Beré Memorial Award: Jordan Cochran, senior, swimming and diving
Each year C Club, the Calvin College alumni athletic organization, recognizes a former Knight who has served God, church and community with the Christian character that was partly shaped by participation in the athletic program at Calvin College. Previous recipients of this award have been Anthony Diekema '56 and Mark Veenstra '76.
Being part of a team has always meant something to Gretchen Toxopeus Pyles '91. As a member of Calvin's women soccer team and track and field squad, she enjoyed the camaraderie and encouragement that team sports provides-and the emphasis on faith made that experience even more meaningful.
But during her senior year, the importance of spiritually aware teammates proved to be especially valuable.
"Both the soccer and track teams were like family to me," she said. "During my senior year, my 16-year-old brother died in a car accident and I couldn't go on the annual spring break trip to Gulf Shores [Alabama]. I was all set to go, but just couldn't.
"When I came back to school after break, the team gave me a cassette recording of 'When Peace Like a River' that team members had sung in a church in Gulf Shores. I can't tell you how much that song and those teammates helped me."
Pyles still has the recording and still listens to it.
"The team aspect of sports is all-important. Being on a team helps you handle success and adversity well," she said. "Everyone on a team has a gift, and together a team can express something that's all for God's glory. It's something that transcends the athletic field."
Pyles played soccer for Calvin from 1987-90 and was on the 1988-91 track teams. Women's soccer became a varsity sport her sophomore year and an MIAA sport her junior year and she was an All-MIAA selection in 1989 and 1990. On the track in 1990, she was on a relay team that achieved All-American status.
After Calvin, Pyles went to West Virginia University for law school where she met her husband, Chris.
As a young attorney, she recalls working on workman's compensation claims in the coal mining industry, an experience that was challenging emotionally as well as professionally. She also began coaching girls' soccer in West Virginia-something she's delighted to do wherever she has lived.
When her husband Chris was relocated by work to Amherst, New Hampshire, the landscape for Pyles and her family changed dramatically, but the call to serve remained.
"I have always thought that you need to do what you can where you are," she said. "Yes, some are called internationally, but most of us are called to do God's work where he has placed us."
So to work she went. As she became the mother of three children, Pyles pulled back on her legal work and got engaged in the town of Amherst.
"Our town really is like a Norman Rockwell painting," she said.
Pyles became involved in the town's public library, volunteering, running the annual book sale, promoting the events and programs of the place. Recently she was elected to the library's board of trustees.
"I've always been passionate about libraries," she said. "You can get just about everything you need from your public library."
In addition, she has served on the town's Fourth of July Committee, pre-school education board and recreation league. Oh, and she still coaches girls' sports, too.
But we're just getting started. Sensing with others that her congregation, Amherst Congregational Church, needed a refreshed mission, Pyles has been working on a long-range planning team to refocus the church's ministry.
"We're rethinking how we should be speaking to the next generation of believers," she said. "Thinking outside of the box is important."
Finally, Pyles also serves as executive director of the New Hampshire Women's Bar Association, which seeks to promote women in the legal profession throughout the state. As she has personally experienced, it is very challenging forwomen to achieve a good work-life balance and to stay engaged in the profession after having children.
"Our organization also works on issues related to women serving in senior legal positions and on judicial appointments," she said.
In all of her activities, building team chemistry has proved vital-and that's a key lesson Pyles learned as a Calvin College Knight.
"I've simply considered doing what I understood any Calvin graduate would do," she said.
You look around, where you are, and become part of the team.
Received on Sat May 14 22:46:08 2016
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Sat May 14 2016 - 22:46:08 EDT