MIAA Announces Top Senior Awards: Hope's Schmidt Named Deal Award Recipient, Calvin's Verkaik Receives Kovalchik Award

Awards by the MIAA to the outstanding senior athletes from its member schools during the 2012-13 academic year have been announced by Commissioner David Neilson.

Cory Schmidt of Hope College has received the Albert L. Deal Scholar-Athlete Award, while Carissa Verkaik of Calvin College has been presented the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Scholar-Athlete Award.

"Cory and Carissa have had marvelous careers these last four years in the classroom, on the field, and as role models in our conference. They will be missed, but their selection for these awards from such an exceptional group of nominees is an achievement for which they should take great pride," Commissioner Neilson said. 

The awards recognize senior class athletes who have excelled in academics and athletics, as well as displayed outstanding leadership in their respective communities. The awards honor two former MIAA commissioners, Albert Deal (1971-91) and Sheila Wallace Kovalchik (1991-2002).
 

Cory Schmidt

A native of Milan, Ohio and graduate of Edison High School, Cory Schmidt lettered four times in baseball at Hope during his career. He was named to the All-MIAA second team in baseball in 2012 and 2013. 

A left-handed pitcher, Schmidt compiled a 15-5 record during his career, allowing only one home run in 136 innings and posting a 2.93 earned run average. He posted a 6-2 record with a 3.23 ERA in 55-2/3 innings pitched this past spring for the Flying Dutchmen. In league play, he was 4-1 with a 2.50 ERA, walking only six batters over nearly 40 innings as Hope won a share of its first MIAA championship since 2007.

A psychology major at Hope, Schmidt graduated Phi Beta Kappa in May with a 3.95 grade point average. He was selected to the Capital One NCAA Division III Academic All-America second team this spring and was a four-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

Schmidt was involved in numerous campus and community activities during his four years at Hope. He worked in the college’s Writing Center for three years, was a help session leader for organic chemistry classes, took part in student-faculty research, served as an orientation leader on campus and was a member of a student panel on health professions. 

In addition, he worked with at-risk students for two years as a tutor in Hope’s Children’s After School Achievement program, and volunteered with Heights of Hope, a faith-based neighborhood outreach ministry in Holland, Mich.

Schmidt was named this spring as the recipient of Hope’s Otto van der Velde All-Campus Award, given to a senior male student-athlete for outstanding contributions in athletics, scholarship and participation in student activites. He will begin classes this fall at the University of Toledo College of Medicine.

Cory Schmidt is the son of Dr. Eric and Dr. Jane Schmidt of Milan, Ohio.

Other nominees for the Albert L. Deal Award were C.J. Carroll of Albion, Dan Kerr of Calvin, Alex Armstrong of Kalamazoo, Cole Dehen of Olivet and Matt Zurbriggen of Trine.
 

 Carissa Verkaik 

A native of Holland, Mich. and graduate of Holland Christian High School, Carissa Verkaik won eight letters as a student-athlete at Calvin, four in basketball and four in track and field. She was a seven-time All-MIAA selection during her career, four times in basketball and three in track and field.

In basketball, Verkaik became the first women’s basketball player in MIAA history to be named the conference’s Most Valuable Player four consecutive years and only the third player to be named first team All-MIAA all four years. She also graduated as the conference’s all-time career scoring leader, scoring 1,219 points in 64 league games for an average of 19.0 points per game. She finished as Calvin’s all-time leader in career scoring (2,236 points), rebounding (1,071) and blocked shots (440).

Verkaik won numerous national honors in her senior year, including the 2013 Jostens Trophy as the most outstanding NCAA Division III women’s basketball student-athlete. She was also named the national Player of the Year by d3hoops.com and Women’s Division III News, and was a two-time finalist for the State Farm/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division III Player of the Year award.

Verkaik also excelled as a high jumper for the Knights, winning the MIAA championship in the event three times and qualifying for the NCAA national meet twice.

Verkaik graduated in May from Calvin with a degree in education, finishing with a 3.77 grade point average. She was a member of the Dean’s List at Calvin all four years, a four-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, and a two-time Capital One Academic All-America selection (2012 and 2013). Last winter, she was named the national Division III Academic All-America of the Year in women’s basketball by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Verkaik was also active in numerous activities in the community. Some of her volunteer activities include serving as a mentor in the Special Olympics program, serving as a tutor with local elementary school children, serving as a praise and worship leader in her church and organizing a middle-school book club group. This past spring she has served as a student teacher at Potter's House Christian School in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Verkaik was recently was named the co-recipient of the Kay Tiemersma Award, presented annually to Calvin’s most outstanding senior female student-athlete. She was also named Michigan Female College Athlete of the Year by the Detroit Athletic Club. 

Carissa Verkaik is the daughter of Mike and Dawn Verkaik of Holland, Mich. 

Other nominees for the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Award were Kelly Eberhardt of Adrian, Kristin Nelson of Albion, Libby Westrate of Hope, Megan Martinez of Kalamazoo, Caitlin LaValley of Olivet, Morgan Bedan of Saint Mary’s and Andrea Gasco of Trine.

MIAA 125th Anniversary Exhibit Opens At NCAA Hall of Champions

The MIAA and the NCAA Hall of Champions are pleased to announce the establishment of a special exhibit honoring the conference's 125th anniversary.

The exhibit, which will include awards, memorabilia and historical information, will be on display in the Hall's Membership Showcase area through September 30. The Hall of Champions is located in Indianapolis, Ind.

The exhibit is the first Hall of Champions exhibit to feature an NCAA Division III conference.

The MIAA began March 24, 1888 and is America's oldest collegiate athletic conference. The conference has always conducted full-season championships in multiple sports, though there have been additions and removals of some athletic events over the course of the league's history. While bicycle racing and club juggling are no longer in existence, the MIAA currently offers 20 sports for men and women.

Albion and Olivet were charter members who joined the league in 1888, and are now joined by Adrian, Alma, Calvin, Hope, Kalamazoo, Saint Mary's and Trine, which was the last to join the conference in 2004.

The MIAA display will include reference to key athletics officials who attended schools within the conference, a timeline dedicated to the addition of women’s sports, historic photographs, articles and awards dating back to 1937-38, along with general facts about the league and how it has developed into one of the most successful and notable conferences in NCAA Division III.

MIAA member colleges have won 20 NCAA Division III championships. NCAA Division III history was made in 1991-92 when the MIAA claimed two national championships in basketball - Calvin earned the men's title and Alma claimed the women's title. The league has also had 97 individual NCAA national championship performances since 1978. The MIAA is headquartered in Royal Oak.

"The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is celebrating a milestone in its history, and the NCAA Hall of Champions wants to take this opportunity to share the story of the league’s successes and to put a spotlight on its member school and student-athlete accomplishments in Division III and the NCAA," said Kelly Dodds, associate director of the NCAA Hall of Champions. "The Hall of Champions is dedicated to telling the story of the NCAA, its members, and its student-athletes and we welcome this opportunity to celebrate with the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association."

The NCAA Hall of Champions is a two-level, 30,000-square foot facility that celebrates the academic and athletic experiences of current and former NCAA student-athletes and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.   The Hall of Champions features interactive exhibits, relevant artifacts and memorabilia, as well as photos and video that center on the 23 NCAA sports and 89 championships.  

The Hall of Champions is located in downtown Indianapolis in White River State Park and serves as a meeting and event facility and public attraction.  It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.   Regular admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children, senior citizens and students.   For more information, go to www.ncaahallofchampions.org or call 317/916-HALL.   For more information on the NCAA, go to www.ncaa.org.

MIAA Announces Hartman, Renner Award Winners

The MIAA has announced the winners of two awards honoring outstanding publicity efforts by its member schools – the Hartman Writing Award and the Renner Associate SID Award.
 

Bobby Lee, director of news and sports information director at Albion College, has been named the recipient of the Hartman Award, while Mitch Blankespoor, a student assistant in Calvin College’s sports information office, and Forrest Tarsa, a student assistant in Hope College’s sports information office, shared the Renner Award.
 

Bobby Lee
 

Bobby Lee is the director of news and sports information at Albion College. Lee came to Albion in the summer of 2001 as the college’s sports information director. He oversees all athletic publicity functions for Albion’s 22 intercollegiate sports, including design and development of athletic publications, coordinating of sports photography and statistical updates. He also oversees all news and information functions for the college.
 

Lee was honored for his story on Albion football student-athlete Zach Brewer, who caught a game-winning touchdown pass in an upset victory over Wheaton, Ill. last fall. Brewer dedicated the game to his late mother, who died in a traffic accident two years ago. The Wheaton game fell the day before Heidi Brewer’s birthday.
 

Click here to read this story 
 

A native of Gahanna, Ohio, Lee came to Albion from Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, where he had been sports information director for four years. He was in charge of publicity for 17 varsity sports with the Muskies, and served as host SID for three NCAA regional and seven Ohio Athletic Conference championship events. He previously was a graduate assistant in the Ohio State University athletic publicity department. While there, he was editor of the Ohio State football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball programs that received publication awards from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
 

The second-place entry for the Hartman Award was a story by Calvin sports information director Jeff Febus on the history of the college's field hockey program, while the third-place entry was a feature on Albion men's lacrosse student-athlete Kevin Riley, who took a year off from school to help care for his best friend, who had been paralyzed in a swimming accident.
 

Click here for the Calvin field hockey story
Click here for the Kevin Riley story

Mitch Blankespoor
 

A native of Cutlerville, Mich. and graduate of Grand Rapids South Christian High School, Mitch Blankespoor has worked in Calvin’s sports information department for four years, most recently as a student intern during his senior year. He is being honored with the Renner Award for the second consecutive year.
 

Blankespoor has fulfilled numerous responsibilities in Calvin’s SID office, including writing game stories, producing feature stories for the college’s sports website, overseeing student statistics crews for home athletic events, and provided play-by-play broadcast coverage in numerous sports. He took on the role of teaching both professional staff and student crews proper statistical procedures for both volleyball and lacrosse during the past year.

Blankespoor served as the lead broadcaster with the Calvin volleyball team as the Knights captured the NCAA Division III national title in 2010, and was lead broadcaster and writer for volleyball and basketball during his senior year. He served as a play-by-play broadcaster for Calvin road basketball games on WFUR-FM (102.9) in Grand Rapids. 


Blankespoor also volunteered to work at several NCAA national championship events, including the 2012 and 2013 Division III women’s basketball finals in Holland, and assisted other MIAA sports information directors during the past year, traveling to providing volleyball statistics assistance at several schools, and also to the MIAA cross country championships.
 

Blankespoor, who graduated in May from Calvin with a degree in sports management, is the son of Curt and Carmen Blankespoor of Cutlerville, Mich.
 

Forrest Tarsa 
 

A native of Cedar, Mich., and graduate of St. Mary High School in Lake Leelenau, Forrest Tarsa worked in Hope College’s public and community relations office as a sports information assistant for nearly all four of his years at Hope. 
 

Tarsa was responsible for coordinating schedules of other students who worked in Hope’s sports information office, trained students in keeping statistics, and managed the press box at home athletic events. He worked on numerous MIAA championship events and also provided support to professional staff when Hope hosted the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Division III women’s basketball championships and the 2012 NCAA Division III volleyball championships. He spent one summer at Hope determining all-time school records in several sports.
 

Tarsa, who graduated from Hope in May with a degree in economics, was an active member of the student body during his time at the college and as a senior received the college’s Dean of Students Greek Leadership Award. He will begin a job as a sales associate for the Chicago office of Good Harbor Financial in August.
 

He is the son of Stephen and Diana Tarsa of Cedar, Mich.
 

The awards honor two sports information directors who have given many years of service to the MIAA – the late Robin Hartman of Albion College and Tom Renner of Hope College, who is concluding his SID position at Hope after 47 years on July 1.

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.