MIAA Athletes Shine At NCAA Track & Field Championships 

The MIAA received five All-American performances during the final day of competition at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships in La Crosse, Wis. on Saturday.
 

Calvin got its third men's All-American performance of the meet as Greg Whittle finished fifth in the men's 1,500-meter run in a time of 3:49.48. Trine's Tyler Bourdo earned All-American honors in the men's 400-meter dash, finishing eighth in :48.17. Hope's Joel Rietsema finished fourth in the men's 800-meter run for the second straight year in 1:51.61. In the men's shot put, Adrian's Jacob Mehr finished fifth with a toss of 55 feet, 9 inches.
 

In the women's competition, Hope's Sarah Venlet earned All-American honors by finishing eighth in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:02.10.
    

Earlier in the meet, Calvin's Nicole Michmerhuizen won the national championship in the women's 10,000-meter run Thursday.

Michmerhuizen, a junior from Holland (Holland Christian HS), won the event in 35:45.08, more than six seconds faster than runnerup Alyssa Duncan of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is the first MIAA women's outdoor track and field athlete to win a national championship since Calvin's Rachel Boerner won the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles at the 2010 NCAA championships.
 

Meanwhile, Calvin had two All-American performances in the men's 10,000 meters as Dan Kerr finished third in 29:58.90 and Matt Vander Roest placed eighth in 30:09.49.
 

Final Men's Team Scores: 1. Wis.-La Crosse 66. 2. Wis.-Eau Claire 64. 3. Wis.-Oshkosh 51.5. 4. Wis.-Whitewater 40. 5. North Central, Ill. 36. 5. T19. Calvin 11. T45. Hope 5. T53. Adrian 4. T72. Trine 1. 
 

Final Women's Team Scores: 1. Wartburg, Iowa 46. 2. Wis.-Oshkosh  43. T3. Ramapo, N.J. 41. T3. Buffalo State, N.Y. 41. 5. Wis.-La Crosse 38. T26. Calvin 10. T69. Hope 1.
 

MIAA All-American Performances
WOMEN
10,000 Meter Run: Nicole Michmerhuizen, Calvin, 1st (35:45.08)
400 Meter Hurdles: Sarah Venlet, Hope, 8th (1:02.10) 
 

MEN
10,000 Meter Run: Dan Kerr, Calvin, 3rd (29:58.90); Matt Vander Roest, Calvin, 8th (30:09.49) 
800 Meter Run: Joel Rietsema, Hope, 4th (1:51.61)
Shot Put: Jacob Mehr, Adrian, 5th (55' 9")
1,500 Meter Run: Greg Whittle, Calvin, 5th (3:49.48)
400 Meter Dash: Tyler Bourdo, Trine, 8th (:48.17) 

Hornets' Woods Falls In Quarterfinals Of NCAA Women's Singles Tournament

Kalamazoo's Sarah Woods was defeated Friday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III women's tennis singles tournament, falling to top seed Kristin Lim of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Calif., 6-3, 6-1.

The loss for Woods was her first this season against a Division III opponent. She finished the season with a record of 21-2. 

Woods, who was the Most Valuable Player in the MIAA this season and also the International Tennis Association's Division III Rookie of the Year, had advanced to the quarterfinals by winning two matches Thursday. She defeated Melita Ferjanic of Trinity, Conn., 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in her first-round match, then eliminated Jenny Liles of Sewanee, Tenn. in straight sets in the second round, 6-3, 6-2.

Hope's Tjepkema, Trine's Fuller Named To Division III Softball Academic All-America Team

Hope outfielder Laura Tjepkema and Trine pitcher Bree Fuller have been named to the Capital One NCAA Division III Academic All-America Team in softball by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Tjepkema was a first-team selection, while Fuller was named to the third team when CoSIDA announced the Academic All-America Team Tuesday.

A senior from Dorr (Grand Rapids South Christian HS), Tjepkema had a perfect 4.0 grade point average while majoring in special education at Hope. She was named to the Academic All-America team for the second straight year, having been named to the third team last year.

A two-time All-MIAA first team selection, Tjepkema led the Flying Dutch this season in batting average (.380), hits (46), RBIs (31) and doubles (8). She finished with a career batting average of .358, finishing third in school history in RBIs with 109 and fifth in hits with 162.

Fuller, a sophomore from Hubbardston (Fulton HS), carries a 3.88 grade point average as an exercise science major at Trine.

Fuller earned All-MIAA first team honors this spring as she posted a 15-1 record with a 1.48 earned run average as the Thunder won the MIAA softball championship and the conference tournament. She struck out 136 batters in 104 innings while allowing only 65 hits as opponents hit just .174 against her. She was 6-0 in MIAA competition with 51 strikeouts in 36 innings of work.

To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his or her institution and be nominated by that school's sports information director. 

With the honors bestowed upon Tjepkema and Fuller, the MIAA has now had six student-athletes named to Academic All-America teams during the 2012-13 academic year. The others are Calvin's Lizzie Kamp (first team, volleyball), Calvin's Carissa Verkaik (first team, basketball), Albion's C.J. Carroll (second team, football), and Kalamazoo's Mark Ghafari (third team, basketball). Kamp and Verkaik were each named CoSIDA Division III Academic All-America of the Year in their respective sports.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-Ameica honors on more than 18,000 student-athletes in all three NCAA Divisions as well as NAIA. Click here for the complete Division III Academic All-America softball team.

Calvin Wins 2012-13 MIAA Commissioner's Cup

Final Commissioner's Cup (All-Sports) Standings: 1. Calvin 216. 2. Hope 205. 3. Adrian 157. 4. Trine 131. 5. Alma 127. 6. Albion 118. 7. Olivet 96. 8. Kalamazoo 87.

Final Men's All-Sports Standings: 1. Calvin 102. 2. Hope 93. 3, Adrian 80. 4. Trine 67. 5. Albion 60. 6. Kalamazoo 45. 7. Olivet 42. 8. Alma 36.

Final Women's All-Sports Standings: 1. Calvin 114. 2. Hope 112. 3. Alma 91. 4. Adrian 77. 5. Trine 64. 6. Saint Mary's 60. 7. Albion 58. 8. Olivet 54. 9. Kalamazoo 42.

• The MIAA Commissioner's Cup is based on the cumulative performance of each member school in the league's 20 sports for men and women.
• The final Commissioner's Cup standings are determined on the basis of each college's standings in eight of 10 sports for men and eight of 10 sports for women.
• Hope College had won the Commissioner's Cup 12 consecutive years before Calvin won this year's Cup.
• The Commissioner's Cup (All-Sports Award) has been presented since 1934-35. Hope has won the award 34 times, followed by Albion 14, Kalamazoo 13, Calvin 9 and Alma 5.

All-MIAA Track & Field Teams Named

Men's Most Valuable Runner: Tyler Bourdo, Trine
Women's Most Valuable Runner: Sarah Venlet, Hope
Men's Most Valuable Field Performer: Jacob Mehr, Adrian
Women's Most Valuable Field Performer: Kristin Nelson, Albion

Click here for the complete All-MIAA Men's Track & Field Team 
Click here for the complete All-MIAA Women's Track & Field Team

All-MIAA Baseball, Softball Teams Announced

Baseball
Most Valuable Position Player: Dan Heatherly, Adrian
Most Valuable Pitcher: Mike Schypinski, Albion 

Softball
Most Valuable Position Player: Sarah Belote, Trine
Most Valuable Pitcher: Andi Gasco, Trine 

Click here for the complete All-MIAA Baseball Team
Click here for the complete All-MIAA Softball Team

First All-MIAA Lacrosse Teams Announced

MEN
Most Valuable Offensive Player: Cody Kilcoyne, Adrian
Most Valuable Defensive Player: Brandon MacDonald, Adrian 

WOMEN
Most Valuable Offensive Player: Stacey Birlson, Adrian
Most Valuable Defensive Player: Grace Garrett, Trine 

Click here for the complete All-MIAA men's lacrosse team
Click here for the complete All-MIAA women's lacrosse team

All-MIAA Tennis Honors Announced

MEN
Most Valuable Player: Bobby Cawood, Hope
Dr. Lawrence Green Scholar-Athlete Award: Brian DeMaagd, Calvin
Allen B. Stowe Sportsmanship Award: Kyle Kreps, Hope

WOMEN
Most Valuable Player: Sarah Woods, Kalamazoo
Karen Caine Scholar-Athlete Award: Leah LaBarge, Hope
Sue Little Sportsmanship Award: Marissa Messenger, Albion

Click here for the All-MIAA Men's Tennis Team 
Click here for the All-MIAA Women's Tennis Team 

MIAA Unveils Stories From Its History: Great Moments From 125 Years

As part of its 125th anniversary celebration this academic year, the MIAA will feature stories on its website highlighting great moments, memorable games, and outstanding student-athletes and coaches.

Some of the new stories you can see now on the website include:

- Albion's Cedric Dempsey, who was a three-sport standout for the Britons in the early 1950s who went on to become one of the most influential figures in college athletics, first as an athletic director, and then as president of the NCAA from 1994 to 2003. The NCAA last fall named its office building in Indianapolis after Dempsey in recognition of his contributions to collegiate sports.

- Saint Mary's women's soccer student-athlete Kaitlin Teichman, who seeks to build bonds with other student-athletes across the MIAA together as president of the conference's SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee).

- The 1991-92 Calvin men's basketball team, which became the first team in school history to win an NCAA Division III national championship. 

- Albion's Melissa Washburn, a three-sport athlete at the school who graduated in 1981, and her mother, Ruth, a 1937 Albion graduate who also competed in three sports. The Washburns are the only mother-daughter tandem enshrined in the college's athletic Hall of Fame.

- The 1989-90 Hope women's basketball team, which overcame a 20-point deficit in the championship game to become the first MIAA women's team to win an NCAA Division III team national championship.

More stories will be added throughout the 2012-13 season. Click here to read more on these stories.