CALVIN KNIGHT WEEKEND SPORTS WRAP FOR FEB. 19, 2017
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 65, Hope 62 (OT)
HOLLAND, Mich. - Calvin closed out its 2017 MIAA regular season campaign with a 65-62 overtime victory at rival Hope Saturday afternoon at DeVos Fieldhouse.
With the win, Calvin (15-10 overall) claims sole possession of second place in the final MIAA regular season standings at 10-4 in league play. The Knights will return to DeVos Fieldhouse next Wednesday to face Trine University (14-11) in an MIAA Tournament semifinal game with Hope (20-5) set to face Alma (12-13) in the second semifinal in the game to follow.
Calvin's victory over 16th-ranked Hope denied the Flying Dutchmen a perfect MIAA regular season and also snapped a three-game losing streak against its rival. Hope finishes the MIAA as the regular season champion at 13-1.
On January 25, Calvin suffered an 87-67 defeat to Hope at Calvin's Van Noord Arena but on Saturday, the Knights were able to control the boards and the tempo of the game to claim the victory.
Calvin's seniors were crucial down the stretch. In overtime, senior Nick Kronemeyer made a diving steal and fed senior teammate Cam Denney for a go-ahead dunk that put the Knights up 63-62.
With under a minute left to play, senior Michael Welch preserved the one-point lead with a block on a Hope layup attempt.
Hope later missed the front end of a bonus opportunity with 23 seconds left in overtime and the Flying Dutchmen were forced to foul Calvin junior point guard Tony Canonie. Canonie swished both ends of the free throw opportunity to give the Knights a 65-62 lead. Hope then had two late possessions in which to tie the game but came up empty both times as the Knights secured their seventh-ever victory over Hope at DeVos Fieldhouse which opened in time for the 2005-06 season.
Junior Mike Siegel came up clutch for Calvin off the bench, scoring a career-high 20 points including four three-point field goals while also grabbing eight rebounds. Welch had 12 points and nine boards off the bench while Kronemeyer had 10 points and four boards in a reserve role for the Knights.
Denney had eight points and six boards while Canonie had six points, five rebounds and three steals while providing stellar defense in 37 minutes of action.
"It wasn't the prettiest game I've seen but what I've said all along about this group of guys is that they don't quit," said Calvin men's basketball coach Kevin Vande Streek. "We kept grinding and working. We received great contributions from our bench. For our seniors, this was a great result in their final MIAA regular season game. I'm proud of them and I'm proud of the entire team."
The two teams were tied at halftime 30-30. Calvin opened the second half on an 11-4 run to build a 41-34 advantage capped off by a driving layup by Kronemeyer. Hope roared back to tie the game at 43-43, using three-point shots from seniors Harrison Blackledge and Chad Carlson. Another basket by Carlson gave Hope a 47-44 lead but Calvin responded with eight unanswered points with Kronemeyer capping off the run with an old-fashioned three-point play.
Hope came back to regain the lead at 56-54 and again at 58-56 but Welch was able to come up with a pair of buckets to give Calvin the lead back at 60-58. Hope tied the game on a layin by Mitchell O'Brien with 1:12 left but neither team was able to score the rest of the way in regulation, sending the contest into overtime.
Hope held a brief 62-60 lead but Siegel hit a free throw and Kronemeyer followed with his pivotal steal that led to Denney's go-ahead dunk and the Knights never trailed again.
"That was definitely a huge play in the game," said Vande Streek of Kronemeyer's steal and Denney's two-handed dunk. "Today was a game about heart and desire and when a guy like Nick is out there diving on loose balls, it inspires the rest of the team."
Calvin finished the game with a commanding 51-33 rebounding advantage. The Knights shot 40.9 percent from the floor but just 40.0 percent (6 of 15) from the free throw line. Conversely, Hope shot just 37.9 percent from the floor including 58.3 percent (7 of 12) at the free throw line.
Hope was led in scoring by Blackledge with 17 points while Carlson had 12 points and Stuive 10 points and 10 boards.
Saturday's game marked the 195th meeting between Calvin and Hope in a series that Hope leads 101-94.
FINAL MIAA MEN'S REGULAR SEASON BASKETBALL STANDINGS
Hope 13-1
Calvin 10-4
Trine 9-5
Alma 8-6
Albion 7-7
Olivet 5-9
Kalamazoo 3-11
Adrian 1-13
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Calvin women's basketball had a bye on Saturday in the MIAA schedule but now knows its MIAA Tournament opponent. Calvin will face rival Hope next Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the MIAA Tournament semifinals atTrine University. Trine defeated Hope on Saturday to clinch the MIAA regular season title and the top seed for the league tournament while Hope now has the second seed and Albion the fourth seed.
As the third seed, Calvin will face Hope at 5:30 p.m. next Friday at Trine's Hershey Hall. Trine will then face Hope in the game to follow at 7:30 p.m. The MIAA Tournament Championship game is slated for Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Trine.
FINAL MIAA WOMEN'S REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
Trine 15-1
Hope 14-2
Calvin 12-4
Albion 11-5
Adrian 8-8
Alma 6-10
Kalamazoo 3-13
Olivet 2-14
Saint Mary's 1-15
WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
HOLLAND, Mich. - For the 13th-straight year and for the 15th time in program history, the Calvin women's swimming & diving team won the MIAA title on Saturday evening at the Holland Community Aquatic Center. The Knights finished the four-day competition with 868 points. Calvin won three events on Friday and nine events at the Championships. Hope was in second place with 687 points. Calvin also finished the meet with the Most Valuable Swimmer in junior Abby Van Harn (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and Most Valuable Diver with junior Sarah Bradley (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North).
"We talked before the meet about getting out and charging to the finish line," said head coach Dan Gelderloos. "I told the team that they have what I am addicted to, that energy and the feel. This is going to be a meet that we can learn from, going forward. We have been able to accumulate some consistent recruiting classes every year and that is starting to pay dividends. This is a good group of ladies that wants to be successful in academics, the pool and in life."
The evening started with a second-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle for sophomore Anna Serino (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney). Serino clocked in at 17:51.83.
Calvin sent three swimmer into the finals of the 200-yard backstroke on Saturday. Freshman Abbey Wellman (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) led the way at 2:06.27 to take second place. Wellman had the second-fastest time in school history in the prelims at 2:05.88. In sixth place was freshman Emily Slenk (Zeeland, Mich./Holland Christian) at 2:10.57 with the eighth-fastest time in school history and freshman Sydney Boyer (Bristol, Ind./Northridge) checked in at 2:14.44 in eighth place.
The Knights dominated the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday night, with five swimmers in the finals. Abby Van Harn tied her league record in first place, with a NCAA B-Cut time of 50.85. Sophomore Madelyn Smith (Allegan, Mich./Allegan) was in second place at 52.56 with the ninth-fastest time in school history. Junior Rachel Mattson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) clocked at 52.87 to finish in third place. Freshman Emily Gunderson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) continued her strong championship performance with a fifth-place finish at 53.59. In eighth place was freshman Libby Engle (Troy, Mich./Troy) at 54.23.
Van Harn claimed the Most Valuable Swimmer honors with three individual victories and was on three victorious relay teams. She is the first Calvin swimmer to win the award since Michaela Rookus in 2014 and the seventh all-time.
"It feels really good to be named MVP," said Van Harn. "It has been a couple of years of hard work and it feels good to finally get it this year. This team is just amazing. We have so much depth and great relationships."
In the 200-yard breaststroke, junior Klara Oh (Kent, Wash./home school) was the was the fastest-Knight at 2:29.19 in fifth place. Touching the wall at 2:33.35 was senior Adrienne Wesselius (Sioux City, Iowa/Unity Christian) in seventh place.
Sophomore Kendall Murphy (Modesto, Calif./home school) tallied a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly at 2:12.27 with the fifth-fastest time in school history.
Sarah Bradley won the 1-meter diving event with a score of 471.85 points. Bradley claimed the Most Valuable Diver award, with victories at the 1-meter and 3-meter events. Bradley is the first Calvin diver to win the award since Samantha Klaasen in 2013 and is the third all-time.
"I feel really good after this week," said Bradley. "It is always fun to celebrate with my team. We have worked very hard this season."
Sophomore Amelia Andrilenas (Kirkland, Wash./Juanita) finished in fifth place at 340.95 points. Senior Hillary Glover (Wyoming, Mich./Calvin Christian) competed for the first since having heart surgery at the end of the fall semester and advanced to the finals with an eighth-place finish at 298.95 points.
I was very nervous," said Glover. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well. I was trying to be the same diver that I was before the surgery, which was not the case at all. I was excited, because my goal was to dive at conference and the amount of pride and pleasure that came with succeeding is amazing. I was able to work hard and overcome to get back on the boards and prove to everyone I could do it."
The Knights closed the meeting breaking the MIAA record in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The team of Madelyn Smith, Rachel Mattson, Anna Serino and Abby Van Harn finished in first place with a NCAA B-Cut time of 3:28.50.
Final Women's Team Scores
Calvin 868
Hope 687
Kalamazoo 669
Albion 627
Alma 228
Olivet 155
MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
HOLLAND, Mich. - The Calvin men's swimming and diving team closed out the MIAA Championships on a strong note, claiming a pair of individual titles on Saturday and claiming second place in the final team standings.
Albion claimed the league title with 985 points with Calvin second with 772 points. Hope was third with 652 points.
Calvin began its Saturday surge with a surprising 1,650 freestyle one-two finish as junior Tanner Vincent (Novi, Mich./Novi HS) won the league title with a time of 16:32.81 while freshman Brian Goins (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) was second in a time of 16:50.27. Vincent won the race in a most unusual way. Competing in the race for the first time this year, Vincent entered without a seed time and as a result, swam in the slower seeded afternoon heat.
Undaunted, Vincent churned through the mile-long event in a career-best time to win the event for the first time in his career. Swimming in the evening, Goins held off a charge from Kalamazoo's Keyan Boniadi to claim second.
Freshman Ian Hazlett (Lutz, Fl./Home Schooled) added a 12th place swim in the event, clocking in with a time of 17:31.77.
Sophomore Jared Britton (Falls Church, Va./George Mason HS) also claimed an upset win in the 100 freestyle, edging out defending MIAA Champion Derek Bosko for the victory, clocking in with an NCAA III B cut qualifying time of 45.43 with Bosko right behind in 45.49.
Calvin freshman Tim Randall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) was fifth in the race (46.72) and junior Max DeYoung (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Eastern HS) sixth in 46.79. in the consolation final, freshman Luke Herman (Waterford, Wisc./Burlington HS) tied for ninth in 48.01 while freshman Tristan Hazlett (Lutz, Fl./Home Schooled) was 12th (48.46).
In the 200 backstroke, sophomore Ben Holstege (Keswick, Va./Covenant School) was second (1:52.63) while junior Steven Tarske (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney HS) was eighth (2:05.90).
Calvin also had a strong showing in the 200 breaststroke as freshman Fear Churchwell (Athens, Ga./Clarke Central HS) was third (2:08.79), senior Eli Holstege (Keswick, Va./Covenant HS) ninth (2:09.26), freshman Sam Holstege (Keswick, Va./Covenant HS) 11th (2:17.00), sophomore Jacob Lensing (Pella, Ia./Pella Christian HS) 13th (2:17.37) and freshman Nick Pecoraro 15th (2:18.99).
Calvin closed out the meet with a second place finish in the 400 freestyle relay as the quartet of Ben Holstege, Randall, DeYoung and Britton recorded an NCAA III B' cut qualifying time of 3:04.00.
"We talked before the meet started today to get out and charge to the finish line rather than limping home," said Calvin head swim coach Dan Gelderloos. "Brian Goins kind of set the tone by winning his heat in the 1,650 which set us up for a one-two finish in that event. That got the energy going and the place alive. It not only sparked our men's team but also our women's team. We finished this meet on a high note. This is a meet that will provide a lot of substance that we can learn from going forward over the next few years."
FINAL MEN'S TEAM SCORES
Albion 985
Calvin 772
Hope 652
Kalamazoo 501
Olivet 196
Alma 130
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Calvin 5, Aquinas 4
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Calvin women's tennis team improved to 2-0 on the year with a 5-4 victory at Aquinas on Saturday afternoon. The Saints fall to 0-1 on the season.
"It was a nice match," said head coach Kevin Van Haitsma. "We thought it was going to be a 5-4 match coming into the day, which it turned out to be, anytime you have that case, it comes down to doubles. We had a nice win early at three doubles. At one and two doubles we were down a break, returning and we came back returning and at one doubles we came back and that was the difference in the match."
Junior Jessica Bouma (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian) and junior Micaela Seazzu (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia) picked up the first victory of the day at No. 3 doubles, defeating Brittany Mayer and Kiara Berry, 8-4.
The senior duo of Claire Spoelhof (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) and Ellie Benzel (San Dimas, Calif./San Dimas) rallied at No. 1 doubles to defeat Martina Devetak and Isabella Buck, 9-7.
At No. 3 singles, Jessica Bouma defeated Isabella Buck, 6-0, 6-3.
Freshman Anna Asfour (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) bounced Kasey Jacobs at No. 5 singles, 6-3, 6-2.
Micaela Seazzu clinched the match at No. 4 singles, with a victory over Bailey Chouinard, 7-5, 6-1.
The Knights return to action on Friday against the Bluejays of Elmhurst in Wheaton, Illinois.
Received on Sun Feb 19 15:24:03 2017
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