CKSR (Calvin Knight Weekend Sports Wrap for September 10, 2017)

CALVIN KNIGHT WEEKEND SPORTS WRAP FOR SEPTEMBER 10, 2017

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The 15th-ranked Calvin men's cross country team flexed its muscle - en route to claiming the championship of its own Knight Invitational with a team score of 32 points at the Knight Invitational Saturday morning at the Gainey Athletic Complex.

Calvin finished 77 points clear of second place as the Knights placed six runners in the top 13 spots.

Senior Mark DeJong (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) was the top collegiate finisher on Saturday, clocking in with a time of 25:08 on the 8K course as he held off a late charge from Madonna's Tony Floyd for the win.

Just 36 seconds separated Calvin's top six as senior Andrew Philipose (Mount Prospect, Il./John Hersey HS) was third (25:13), junior Jamison Koeman (Whitinsville, Mass./Whitinsville Christian HS) seventh (25:26), senior Andrew Rylaarsdam (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian HS) 10th (25:39) and sophomore Tyler Johnson (Springfield, Il./Pleasant Plains HS) 11th (25:41) and freshman Justin Varineau (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) 13th (25:44).

Sophomore Addison Smith (Seoul, South Korea/Seoul Foreign School) was 23rd amongst collegiate runners with a time of 26:06) while junior Nathanael Dick (Grand Rapids, Mich./Home Schooled) was 34th (26:10) and sophomore Caleb Ferguson (Naperville, Il./Neuqua Valley HS) 41st (26:24).

"This team is very focused on running together," said Calvin cross country coach Brian Diemer. "This is the most together our men's team has been in a number of years. They have put in the work to start making some of their dreams and goals a reality. Today was a first step towards making some of those goals take place. They ran extremely well as a pack. They were patient and they made moves in the race at the right time. We are excited where this team is headed this fall."

Calvin will now break for two weeks and returns to action on September 23 when it competes at the MIAA Jamboree hosted by Hope College.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Junior Katie Diekema captured the Knight Invite individual championship Saturday morning in leading the eighth-ranked Calvin women's cross country team to a fourth place team finish in a field of nationally-ranked teams Saturday morning at the Gainey Athletic Complex.

Diekema (Kenmore, Wash./Ingelmoor HS) took first place with a time of 17:46 to finish eight seconds ahead of Melissa Winchester of Aquinas.

Senior Hope Gaffner (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS) took 14th in a time of 18:37. Senior Catherine Croft (Grand Rapids, Mich./Coopersville HS) was 26th (19:02), sophomore Sarah Ball (Lynden, Wash./Lynden Christian HS) 32nd (19:08), sophomore Michelle Koetje (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) 41st (19:24), sophomore Emma Schroer (Wheaton, Il./Wheaton Warrenville-South HS) 44th (19:20) and senior Marissa McGahan 45th (19:31) on the 5K course.

Grand Valley State took first place in the team standings with 63 points. Aquinas was second with 68 points followed by Madonna in third with 90 and Calvin fourth with 104.

Calvin cross country coach Brian Diemer commented on Diekema's impressive race. "She is really gaining confidence and coming into her own," said Diemer. "She is starting to believe that she can run at the top of the field and be prepared to run away from the field if the opportunity is there. Today she sensed that opportunity was there, grabbed it and had an awesome race."

Diemer also commented on the progression of the team as a whole. "We made a lot of progress today even though there some things we didn't do as well as we wanted to do," said Diemer. "Our women are learning to trust each other and finding out where they need to push forward to run together in packs. I feel this will be a very good year and we will continue to get better."

Calvin will now break for two weeks and returns to action on September 23 when it competes at the MIAA Jamboree hosted by Hope College.

MEN'S SOCCER
Calvin 3, Oberlin 2

OBERLIN, Oh. - A dramatic final five minutes fueled the Calvin men's soccer team to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Oberlin College Saturday night at Shults Field.

Calvin scored two goals just over a minute apart inside the final five minutes to snatch the win away from the host Yeomen.

Junior Jacob Witte (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) tied the game 2-2 with 4:24 left in regulation, heading in a corner kick taken by sophomore teammate Hunter Olson (Canton, Mich./Canton HS).

Just 1:07 later, junior Trent Vegter (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS) launched a long throwin into the box that senior Francisco Jay Noyola (East Lansing, Mich./Lansing Christian HS) headed over Oberlin keeper Connor English's head and just under the bar, giving the Knights a stunning 3-2 lead.

Calvin (4-0-0) stunned Oberlin (3-1-0) early as Witte gathered in a cross from junior Bobby McCaw (Dubuque, Ia./Hempstead HS) and whipped in a goal just 36 seconds into the game, giving the Knights a 1-0 lead.

Oberlin countered with an equalizer in the 12th minute on a goal by Brian James. Both teams traded scoring chances the rest of the half but the game remained level 1-1 at the break.

The Yeoman pressed early in the second half and were rewarded with a penalty kick in the 53rd minute. Oberlin made good on the chance with Matthew Bach-Lombardo successfully converting the spot kick to put the Yeoman on top 2-1.

The Knights then began to push for their own equalizer but were thwarted until the final five minutes when Olson was able to bend in a corner kick that found the head of Witte. Olson and Witte have now combined for five goals on the young season.

The game-winning goal by Noyola was his first of the season and the fourth of his career.

"It was not the prettiest performance but we'll certainly take the result," said Calvin men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "I am really really proud of every single guy and their contributions tonight. Everyone was bought in. That is a really strong and very well-coached Oberlin team. They were well prepared and took us out of what we wanted to do for quite awhile. To the credit of our guys, they fought and clawed and found a way. Now we turn towards the MIAA and there are no easy games there."

Calvin finished with a 20-10 shots at goal advantage in its win over Oberlin. Senior Nate Van Ryn (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian HS) came up with four saves for the Knights. Connor English had six saves for Oberlin. An Oberlin defender also cleared a Calvin shot off the line for a team save.

Calvin returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Trine University for its conference opener. Wednesday's game at Trine is scheduled to kick at 4 p.m.

WOMEN'S SOCCER
Calvin 3, Heidelberg 1

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Calvin women's soccer team hosted Heidelberg in a battle of undefeated teams on Saturday. The Knights remained perfect on the year with a 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. The Maroon and Gold are now 4-0-0 on the year and Heidelberg falls to 3-1-0. The 4-0-0 start is the best start for the Knights since 2009, when they started the year with a 6-0-0 record.
"I think today was confirmation that this team has a will to battle," said head coach Mark Recker. "We are still learning a lot of things, we are learning about each other; we are learning that we have flexibility with personal. Today was a good example of getting different players in different positions, as a coach you love that. For every player that plays in a new role is a step forward in the confidence building and it helps them understand what is going on around the field. I am excited about what we have done."
Calvin struck first on Saturday in the 14th minute. Senior Emily VanVeldhuisen (Brookeville, Md./Washington Christian Academy) positioned herself perfectly to deflect the ball off the top of her body to the back of the net. Freshman Emily Orr (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) was credited with an assist.
Heidelberg tied up the match two minutes later on a run.
The Maroon and Gold took the lead back 54 seconds later. Senior Camie Rietberg (Wyoming, Mich./Calvin Christian) was able to collect a rebound off the Heidelberg keeper from about one yard out. Alexandra Farmer was unable contain a chip in from junior Emily Van Vliet (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian).
The Knights would head into halftime leading 2-1
Senior Sydney Barcey (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) snuck the ball into the back of the net on a header from the left side of the box in the 68th minute.
Amy Kliewer (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern) had another strong performance for Calvin in the net with four saves.
The Calvin defense has not allowed more than one goal in every match this season, with one shutout.
Calvin outshot Heidelberg on Saturday, 14-7. Junior Kali Mouw (Avon, N.Y./Avon Central) led all players with four shots.
The Maroon and Gold return to action on Monday at Saint Mary's.
VOLLEYBALL
Calvin 3, Saint Mary's 0

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The No. 1 ranked Calvin volleyball team remained perfect in 2017. The Knights rolled over Saint Mary's on Saturday, 25-18, 25-19, 25-14. The Maroon and Gold move to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in MIAA play. Saturday marked the first MIAA loss for the Belles, as they fall to 2-3 and 2-1 in the MIAA. Calvin has now won 47-straight MIAA regular season matches and 40-straight regular season matches.
"It is always nice to win at home," said head coach Dr. Amber Warners. "Saint Mary's battled until the very end. It is never easy to comeback after playing the night before. We will now prepare for another difficult week."
After trailing in the first set 3-1, the serve of junior Keilahna Castillo rallied the Knights back to the lead at 5-3. The Belles bounced back to take a 9-8 lead to have the Knights rally with a 5-0 run. Leading 14-13, Calvin broke the set open with a 7-0 run. The run was highlighted by two service aces from Keilahna Castillo and two kills from sophomore Sarah DeVries (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northpointe Christian). The Knights closed the set with a kill from DeVries at 25-18, who finished the set with eight kills.
The Belles took an early 4-2 lead in set two on Saturday. The Knights evaporated that lead away quickly with a 5-0 run and the Maroon and Gold would not give the lead back. Calvin closed the set on a 4-1 run to win, 25-19.
The Knights broke away from the Belles in the third set, leading 8-7. A 6-1 run gave the Knights some separation. Kills from Sarah DeVries, senior Tessa Van Laare (Toronto, Ont./Toronto District Christian) and junior Jamie Petrarca (St. John, Ind./Illiana Christian) secured the victory at 25-14. Calvin had a hitting percentage of .429 in the third set and held the Belles to a .000 hitting percentage in the third set.
The Calvin offense was clicking on Saturday, senior Jenna Lodewyk (Villa Park, Ill./Timothy Christian) hit. 571 and Sarah DeVries was at .545 on Saturday. Senior Kristen Vyletel (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) led the Knights with 10 digs. Anna Kamp led all players with 15 kills and Keilahna Castillo closed the match with three service aces.
Calvin returns back to action on Wednesday at Alma.
MEN'S GOLF

WEST DUNDEE, Ill. - The Calvin men's golf team finished the two-day Tim Kopka Memorial Tournament in third place at 588 strokes. The Knights shot a combined round of 297 strokes on Saturday.
Senior Ben VanScoyk (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) improved one stroke from Friday with a round of 70 on Saturday. VanScoyk finished the weekend in third place at 141 strokes.
Senior John Van Noord (Troy, Mich./Oakland Christian) also clocked in a round of 70 on Saturday. Van Noord ended up tied for fourth place at 142 strokes.
Tied for ninth place was junior Sam Kuiper (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) at 147 strokes. Kuiper shot a round of 74 strokes on Saturday.
Freshman Sam Holland (Novi, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) finished the two-day tournament tied for 48th place at 158 strokes. Senior Matthew Lumbantoruan (Jakarta, Indonesia/Morning Star Academy) recorded a 66th place finish at 160 strokes.
Illinois Wesleyan took the crown at 581 strokes, Carthage finished in second place at 583.
The Knights return to action on Friday for the two-day Irish Hills Invite hosted by Adrian College at the Grande Golf Club in Jackson, Michigan.

WOMEN'S GOLF

BELLEVUE, Mich. - The Calvin women's golf team wrapped up competition at the two-day Olivet Invite on Saturday. The Knights shot a combined round of 382 strokes on day two. The Maroon and Gold landed in 10th place at 749 strokes, with DePauw cruising to a victory at 632 strokes.
Junior Nicole VanderYacht (Kentwood, Mich./South Christian) and freshman Linnea McDonough (Pentwater, Mich./Pentwater) finished tied for 33rd place on the weekend. McDonough had the lowest round of the day for Calvin at 90 strokes.
One stroke behind McDonough was sophomore Jessica Zylstra (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northpointe Christian) at 91 strokes. Zylstra ended the competition in 43rd place.
For the second-straight day, junior Katy Hamilton (Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central) shot a round of 101 to finish tied for 58th place.
Senior Gen Best (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) finished in 65th place with a two-day score of 223 strokes.
Calvin resumes play on Saturday when it renews its rivalry at Hope.
Received on Sun Sep 10 23:20:55 2017