CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR DEC. 1, 2017 (Part Two)
Men's and Women's Basketball Teams Claim Non-Conference Victories over Martin Luther College;
Swimming and Diving Teams Continue to Pick Up Steam at Knight Invitational
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 105, Martin Luther 76
By Gina de Haan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Calvin men's basketball team claimed a 105-76 victory over Martin Luther College on Friday night at Van Noord Arena.
Calvin used 57 second-half points to eclipse 100 points and pick up its second win of the season. With the win, Calvin improves to 2-5 on the season, while Martin Luther drops to 0-5.
Martin Luther, also known as the Knights, is a member of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). Friday night's game marked the first-ever meeting between the two teams in men's basketball.
The Knights came out strong, going on a 7-2 run to start the contest. Freshman Luke Morrison (Bristol, Ind./Northridge) fed sophomore Alex Bos (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) for a pair of quick layups, and senior Tony Canonie (South Haven, Mich./South Haven) followed with a three-pointer.
Martin Luther pushed back, narrowing the gap to one point just under six minutes into the game. Calvin sophomore Tom Morrison (Bristol, Ind./Northridge) answered with a bucket, but Martin Luther's Richard Eckmann hit a triple to tie the score at 14. Tom Morrison responded with another bucket, and junior Austin Bykerk (Jenison, Mich./Unity Christian) followed with a layup before Tom Morrison scored again.
Trailing 20-14, Martin Luther's TJ Babinec made a three, but Luke Morrison responded by sinking a triple of his own. Morrison's bucket ignited a six-point Calvin run, as sophomore Derrick DeVries (Grand Rapids, Mich./Covenant Christian) and Bos added points.
As the midpoint of the half neared, Calvin held a 26-17 advantage. The teams exchanged points, but a three-pointer by Luke Morrison gave the home team a ten-point lead. Martin Luther scored seven straight points to bring the score to 31-28.
Calvin junior Carlos Amoros-Gutierrez (Wyoming, Mich./Wyoming) responded with five consecutive points, coming from a three and a pair of free throws, to put the Knights up by eight with just over six minutes remaining in the first half.
After points on both ends, Calvin used a seven-point run to pull ahead by 13. Bykerk and DeVries added two points apiece, and Luke Morrison capped off the run with a three-pointer to force a Martin Luther timeout.
Martin Luther outscored Calvin 8-4 in the remaining four minutes of the half, but Calvin headed into the break with a 49-40 lead.
Calvin outscored its visitors 57-36 in the second half.
Martin Luther hit a triple to start off the second half, but Luke Morrison continued to dominate from behind the three-point arc as he answered with three straight triples. With Morrison's nine points, Calvin held a 58-43 lead less than two minutes into the second half.
Martin Luther cut the deficit to 11 on two occasions before Calvin scored six consecutive points to lead by 17. Junior Jason Walter (Coloma, Mich./Coloma) scored in the paint, Bykerk followed with a big dunk before Walter hit another shot to make the score 66-49.
Martin Luther pushed back to make it a 13-point game, but a strong performance by Calvin's bench gave the Knights a comfortable 22-point lead. Amoros-Gutierrez and Isaiah McLaughlin (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower) knocked down a triple apiece, while Walter capitalized on a three-point play.
Calvin maintained its momentum, using a well-balanced scoring effort to build its lead to 29 with just under nine minutes remaining. A three by Walter a minute later gave Calvin a 30-point lead, its largest of the night.
Calvin's bench maintained the lead in the final minutes of play, and the Maroon and Gold rolled to a 29-point win.
Luke Morrison led all players with 24 points, as he shot 6-9 from three-point range. Walter added 18 points and six rebounds off the bench. Amoros-Gutierrez came off the bench to score 12 points. Bykerk added 10 points and seven rebounds, while Bos posted seven points and a team-high eight boards. Canonie dished out seven points and earned four steals in the win. Calvin's bench contributed 56 points.
Calvin shot 45.5% in the win, including 40% from three-point range, while Martin Luther shot 35.7% from the floor. Calvin outrebounded Martin Luther 56-41 on the night.
Friday's game marked the start of a three-game home stand for the Knights as they host Wisconsin-Oshkosh next Saturday at 3 p.m. and Carthage on December 16 at 5 p.m.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 56, Martin Luther 36
By Gina de Haan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Calvin women's basketball team claimed a 56-36 home victory over Martin Luther College on Friday evening.
Calvin improves to 3-3 on the season with the win, while Martin Luther falls to 1-5. After dropping the first three games of the season, the Knights picked up a pair of victories last weekend at the Carleton College Town Classic, defeating St. Olaf and host Carleton, to claim the tournament championship.
Martin Luther, also known as the Knights, is a member of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). Friday evening's matchup marked the second-ever meeting between the two teams in women's basketball.
Calvin took an early lead and controlled the remainder of the contest.
Martin Luther's leading scorer Grace Schultz hit a triple to put the visiting team on the board first. Just over three minutes into the game, Calvin junior Rachel Warners (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) converted on a three-point play to even the score.
The teams exchanged points until Calvin called its first timeout with the score tied at eight. Out of the break, Calvin used six straight points to gain a 14-8 advantage by the end of the first quarter.
Calvin built its lead to nine, holding Martin Luther scoreless for just over five minutes before the visiting Knights made back-to-back layups to bring the score to 17-12. After points on both sides, Calvin used a 7-2 run to take a double-digit lead. Martin Luther held Calvin scoreless for the final two and a half minutes before halftime, but the Maroon and Gold headed into the locker room with a 29-20 lead.
Neither team scored for the first four minutes of a low-scoring third quarter. Calvin freshman Caitlyn Demaree (St. Louis, Mo./Principia) broke the scoreless spell, knocking down a triple to put Calvin up 32-20.
Back-to-back buckets by seniors Ali Spayde (Lewis Center, Ohio/Worthington Christian) and Bre Luurtsema (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) widened Calvin's lead to 13 with three and a half minutes left in the quarter. Martin Luther answered with two points of its own, and Calvin headed into the final quarter with a 37-26 lead.
The Maroon and Gold found their groove in the fourth quarter, claiming the first seven points. Sophomore Kara Minderhoud (Grand Rapids, Mich./Covenant Christian) fed Spayde to spark the Knights' offense. Luurtsema added three points, capitalizing on an and-one play, and Spayde added another bucket to complete the run. With just over eight minutes remaining, Calvin held a commanding 44-26 lead.
Martin Luther narrowed the deficit to 13 points, but the visitors' foul trouble put Calvin at the free throw line to earn a 50-33 lead with just under four minutes left on the clock.
Calvin outscored Martin Luther 6-2 in the final two minutes of play to roll to a 20-point victory
Spayde, recently named MIAA Player of the Week, led all players with 20 points. Spayde has posted 20 or more points in all six of Calvin's games this season. Luurtsema recorded a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Warners had a solid game, adding nine points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
Calvin is back in action next Wednesday when it opens its conference season against Saint Mary's. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The No. 17 Calvin men's swimming & diving team broke a school record for the second-straight day. The Knights jumped Findlay on Friday to stand in third place at 725.5 points. A duo of NCAA Division II teams lead the competition with No. 15 Northern Michigan at 1168 points and No. 4 Grand Valley at 1116 points.
In the Friday prelims, junior Jared Britton (Falls Church, Va./George Mason) posted a school-record time of 20.33 in the 50-yard freestyle. He placed fifth in the finals at 20.56.
The team of freshman Lucas Holcombe (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron), junior Jacob Lensing (Pella Iowa/Pella Christian), junior Nathan Olberding (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) and sophomore Tim Randall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) finished in 9th place at 3:33.30 in the 400-yard medley relay.
The Knights placed third in the 200-yard freestyle relay on Friday. The team of junior Ben Holstege (Keswick, Va./Covenant), Jared Britton, Nathan Olberding and senior Max DeYoung (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Eastern) clocked in at 1:23.06.
In the 200-yard butterfly, senior Tanner Vincent (Novi, Mich./Novi) finished in fifth place at 1:52.71. In the prelims, he recorded the second-fastest time in school history at 1:51.38.
Tim Randall was the fastest Knight in the 200-yard freestyle, placing 12th at 1:45.53.
Sophomore Tristan Hazlett (Lutz, Fla./Home School) touched the wall at 58.98 to finish in 10th place in the 100-yard breaststroke. His prelim time of 58.72 is the fourth-fastest time in school history.
Ben Holstege posted two strong times in the 100-yard backstroke on Friday. He finished the night in fourth place at 49.79. His time of 49.68 in the prelims was 0.02 away from his own school record.
Calvin placed two swimmers into the A-Finals in the 400-yard individual medley. Tanner Vincent placed third at 4:07.13. Sophomore Fear Churchwell (Athens, Ga./Clarke Central) finished in seventh place at 4:16.33, in the prelims he clocked in at 4:08.05, for the fifth-fastest time in school history.
Senior Michael Moentmann (Solon, Ohio/Solon) recorded a seventh-place finish on the 3-meter boards at 453.80.
The Knights close the three-day competition on Saturday.
WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The No. 17 ranked Calvin women's swimming & diving team posted a strong outing on Friday at the Calvin Winter Invitational. The Knights jumped Findlay of NCAA Division II to stand in third place, heading into the final day of competition. The Maroon and Gold won two events on Friday to earn 744 points. At the top of the standings is a NCAA Division II battled between No. 17 Northern Michigan at 998.5 points and No. 5 Grand Valley State at 927.5 points.
In the morning session, the 400-yard medley relay dropped over six seconds from their previous best time to finish in eighth place. The team of sophomore Abbey Wellman (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point), freshman Hannah Chao (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington), sophomore Emily Gunderson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and junior Anna Serino (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney) recorded a time of 3:59.75.
The Knights had two of the five fastest times in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Emily Gunderson, junior Alyssa Oezer (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian), senior Rachel Mattson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) and senior Abby Van Harn (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) placed third at 1:34.94, a NCAA B-Cut time. The B-Team of Hannah Chao, junior Daniella Sugijanto (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate), freshman Jenna Oezer (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and junior Madelyn Smith (Allegan, Mich./Allegan) finished in fifth place at 1:37.45.
Freshman Audrey McFarland (Seattle, Wash./Ballard) was the fastest Knight in the 200-yard butterfly at 2:20.92.
The 200-yard freestyle A-Final was packed with Knights, with five Calvin swimmers swimming. Abby Van Harn touched the wall at 1:52.03 to finish in second, with a NCAA B-Cut qualifying time. In fifth place was Anna Serino at 1:54.42, in sixth was Madelyn Smith (1:54.90), in seventh was sophomore Libby Engle (Troy, Mich./Troy at 1:55.77 and junior Kendall Murphy (Modesto, Calif./Home School) in eighth place at 1:56.60.
Senior Sarah Bradley (Wheaton, Ill/Wheaton North) was the top diver on the 1-mter boards on Friday. She won with a score of 447.25. In the prelims, freshman Joselyn Smith (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland West) recorded a NCAA qualifying score of 397.55 to finish the prelims in fourth. She placed seventh in the evening session.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Rachel Mattson clocked in at 1:10.57 in 14th place.
Calvin had a pair of top-five finishers in the 100-yard backstroke on Friday. Hannah Chao led the Knights in fourth place at 57.68, the second-fastest time in school history. Abbey Wellman recorded a fifth-place finish at 58.52, the fifth-fastest time in school history.
Freshman Kelly Makela (Boise, Idaho/Boise) led the Knights in the 400-yard individual medley on Friday evening in 14th place at 4:51.80.
The Knights closed the night with the two-fastest times in the 50-yard freestyle. Abby Van Harn won with a NCAA B-Cut time of 23.41. Emily Gunderson finished right behind in second place at 23.77, the sixth-fastest time in school history.
The Knights close the three-day competition on Saturday.
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