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Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Nation's Oldest Collegiate Conference |
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Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Nation's Oldest Collegiate Conference |
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Hope picked to win MIAA football title
Defending MIAA co-champion Hope College has been installed as the preseason favorite to win the 2008 league football championship. Despite losing 15 starters to graduation, including nine on offense, a poll of coaches and media gave the Flying Dutchmen a slight nod over Adrian and Olivet, who shared last year’s championship with Hope and made its first appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Coaches and media had differing views on the season. Olivet was the favorite among coaches, picking up four of seven first-place votes, while Adrian, which picked up the other three first-place votes, was the second choice. Among media, Hope was the favorite, even though it only picked up two of eight first-place votes. Adrian, which was picked second, had four first-place votes and Olivet, which was chosen third had two first-place votes.
Poll Results (first-place votes in parenthesis):
1. Hope (2) 27 pts, 2. Adrian (7) 33, 3. Olivet (6) 34, 4. Alma 56, 5. Trine 64, 6. Albion 67, 7. Kalamazoo 100.
The nation's oldest collegiate athletic conference, the MIAA begins its 111th season of competition Sept. 6, with league play to begin Oct. 4.
New Hartman and Renner Awards Announced
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association has announced the winners of two newly-established awards honoring outstanding publicity efforts by its member schools - the Hartman Writing Award and the Renner Associate SID Award.
The first recipients of the new awards both come from Calvin College. Bruce Van Baren, a student assistant in the Calvin sports information department, was named the winner of the Hartman Award, while Annalise VenHuizen, also a student assistant at Calvin, was named the recipient of the Renner Award.
Hartman Writing Award 
Bruce VanBaren, who will be a senior at Calvin this fall, was honored for a story he wrote on the comeback of Michael Holwerda, a member of the Knights' men's soccer team who overcame a serious medical problem to earn All-MIAA honors last season. continue
A native of Crete, Ill., VanBaren has worked for two years as a student assistant in the Calvin sports information department. A graduate of Illiana Christian High School in Lansing, Ill., VanBaren produces game stories, feature stories and columns. A business communications major, he also serves as a broadcaster on Internet broadcasts of Calvin sports events.
A dean's list student at Calvin, VanBaren has also served as the co-sports editor of the school's student newspaper, Chimes, and has served internships at WMVP-AM in Chicago and WOOD Radio in Grand Rapids. This summer, he served as an intern for the nationally-syndicated Michael Reagan Talk Show, based in Washington D.C.
Renner Associate SID Award
A May graduate of Calvin with a degree in English, Annalise VenHuizen worked in the school's sports information office all four years she attended. She started as a writer and became involved in producing game day programs. Soon, she picked up photography and took photos of numerous Calvin athletic events and athletes, highlighted by her photography at this year's NCAA Division III track and field championships.
VenHuizen also worked as a game day statistician for men's and women's basketball and updated the Calvin sports Web page with game stories, statistics and photos. Earlier this year, she was selected to serve as a chaperone for visiting writers at Calvin's Festival of Faith and Writing.
A native of Lansing, Ill., and also a graduate of Illiana Christian High School, VenHuizen has accepted a teaching position at Grand River Preparatory Academy in Kentwood, Mich.
The new awards honor two sports information directors who have given many years of service to the MIAA - Robin Hartman of Albion College and Tom Renner of Hope College. The Hartman Award honors outstanding writing in a sports information capacity, either by a sports information director or assistant, while the Renner Award honors outstanding efforts by student assistants in sports information offices at MIAA schools.
Here are links to other entries for the Hartman Award:
By Colin McWhertor, Calvin College student assistant
By Bobby Lee, Albion College Sports Information Director
By Geoff Henson, Olivet College Sports Information Director
By Geoff Henson, Olivet College Sports Information Director
By Sarah Miesle, Adrian College
From Calvin College
From Kalamazoo College
From Kalamazoo College
Recipients of Kovalchik and Deal Awards Announced
Awards by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association to the outstanding senior athletes from its member schools during the 2007-08 academic year have been announced by Commissioner David Neilson.
Sarah Wittingen of Calvin College has been presented the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Scholar-Athlete Award, while Dustin Meisner of Olivet College has received the Albert H. Deal Scholar-Athlete Award.
"Dustin and Sarah have had marvelous careers these last four years in the classroom, on the track and in the pool, 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 qualities. The awards honor two former MIAA commissioners, Albert Deal (1971-91) and Sheila Wallace Kovalchik (1991-2002).
Sarah Wittingen
A graduate of East Grand Rapids High School, Wittingen was an All-MIAA selection in track all four years at Calvin, leading the Knights to four straight conference championships. She was a 12-time league champion, winning the 400-meter hurdles in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and the 100-meter hurdles in 2006 and 2007. A team captain her junior and senior years, she was also part of Calvin's winning team in the 4x400-meter relay four consecutive years and the 4x100-meter relay team in 2005, 2006 and 2007. She holds the school record in both the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles, as well as the MIAA record in the 100 hurdles (:14.28) and 400 hurdles (1:01.37), and is part of another league record in the 4x400 relay (3:48.58). Wittingen was named the MIAA's most valuable runner three consecutive years, from 2006-08.
At the national level, Wittingen was a 10-time All-American, capping off her career this year by winning the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III national championships in Oshkosh, Wis., in a school-record time of :59.39. She also finished seventh in the 100-meter hurdles and ran the leadoff leg for Calvin's 4x400 relay team, which finished fifth in the nation. Wittingen has earned All-American honors in the 400-meter hurdles in 2006-08, the 100-meter hurdles in 2007-08, the 4x400-meter relay all four years and the 4x100 relay in 2007. Sarah was named the Great Lakes Region Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in 2007 and 2008.
An accounting major, Wittingen graduated from Calvin in May with a 3.96 grade point average. She was a member of the Calvin orchestra for three years, the Gioioso String Quartet for four years, and played the cello at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans and at local church services. Additionally, she served as an English as a Second Language tutor for foreign students.
Wittingen was selected to the Academic All-MIAA Team in 2005-07, a member of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team from 2005-07, and was named to the ESPN the Magazine College Division Academic All-America team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America in 2007 (second team). Sarah Wittingen is the daughter of Rosemary Fiedler and Terry Wittingen.
Other candidates for the Kovalchik award were Sara Morningstar of Adrian, Shauna Paradine of Albion, Melissa Morcom of Alma, Lindsay Lange of Hope, Laura Winkler of Kalamazoo, Shanna Fisher of Olivet, Allison Kessler of Saint Mary's and Amanda Steiner of Tri-State.
Dustin Meisner
A native of Temperance, Mich., and graduate of Erie-Mason High School, Meisner was a four-time All-MIAA selection in men's swimming at Olivet. He won the 200-yard breaststroke three times during his career (2005, 2006 and 2007) and finished runnerup in the 100-yard breaststroke four times, leading the Comets to conference championships in 2006 and 2007. Meisner also competed in three NCAA Division III national championships, earning honorable mention All-American honors in 2005 and 2007.
Dustin holds the Olivet school record in the 100-yard breaststroke (:57.19) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:04.61), and also swam the breaststroke leg on two school record-setting relay teams - the 200 individual medley (1:34.09) and 400 individual medley (3:26.46) relays.
Meisner, a double major in visual arts and biology, graduated summa cum laude from Olivet in May with a 4.0 grade point average. He received the college's Donald A. Morris award, given each year to the top graduating students with the highest GPA. On campus, he was a member of the Art Alliance, Omnicron Delta Kappa (a professional academic honor society), Hosford Society and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He also participated in Olivet's Service Day activities all four years in school.
Meisner was a three-time selection to the ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-America team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the first student-athlete in Olivet's history to achieve that honor. He was a third-team selection in 2006 and a first-team selection in 2007 and 2008. Dustin Meisner is the son of Dan and Alison Meisner.
Other candidates for the Deal award were Chris Elsey of Adrian, John Fileccia of Albion, Alex Catlin of Alma, Ricky Tilton of Calvin, Tommy Yamaoka of Hope, Mike Benson of Kalamazoo and Matt Eby of Tri-State.
Greg Chandler is Appointed MIAA Publicist
The appointment of Greg Chandler as publicist/statistician of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has been announced by Commissioner David Neilson.
Chandler succeeds Tom Renner who is concluding his service to the conference as publicist/statistician after 42 years in that capacity. Chandler will begin on July 1.
Neilson further announced that Renner, who is associate vice president for public and community relations at member institution Hope College, will continue to serve the conference as MIAA historian. He will be responsible for the MIAA’s archives and will take the lead in preparing the MIAA for its celebration as American’s oldest collegiate conference in 2011-12.
“Tom’s contributions to the student athletes of the MIAA over the last 42 years have been immeasurable and I’m pleased that Tom has agreed to continue in a new role for a while longer. Tom’s strong working relationship with our new MIAA publicist, Greg Chandler, plus the depth of experience among our fellow MIAA SIDs, will be helpful to Greg as he steps into the role Tom has performed so well."
A native of Detroit, Chandler has worked in the print and broadcast media for more than 20 years. He has been a freelance news correspondent with the Grand Rapids Press since 1998, and also contributes to various other publications. He has broadcast college and high school football and basketball games and professional basketball games on WHTC-AM in Holland.
Prior to joining the Press, Chandler was sports editor at the Holland Sentinel from 1996-1998, and was news director at WHTC from 1988-1996. He has also worked at the former WMAX-AM in Grand Rapids and WMUB-FM in Oxford, Ohio. Chandler also has been a Great Lakes regional reporter for two Web sites devoted to NCAA Division III sports, d3football.com and d3hoops.com.
Chandler, 44, holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast and cinematic arts from Central Michigan University, a master of science degree in mass communication from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and a master of business administration degree from Grand Valley State University. Chandler lives in Holland with his wife, Leanne, and daughters, Lindsay and Megan.
07-08 Commissioner's Cup Standings End in Tie Between Calvin, Hope
For the first time in the eight-decade-long history of the MIAA Commissioner's Cup (All-Sports) standings, there is a tie for first place. Calvin and
Hope each accumulated 202 points in the compilation. The MIAA Commissioner’s Cup award is based on the cumulative performance of each member school in the league's 18 sports for men and women.
The Commissioner's Cup (MIAA All-Sports Award) has been presented since 1934-35. The standings have been based on men's and women's sports standings since 1981-82. The closest finish before this tie occurred in 1999-2000 when Calvin edged Hope edged Hope 178-176. Hope won the Commissioner’s Cup the next seven years (2000-01 thru 2006-07).
This year's "race" came down to the final MIAA athletic of the school year. By winnning its final baseball game, Calvin clinched the MIAA championship and garnered enough all-sports points to cause the tie.
Commissioner's Cup Standings:1. Calvin 202. 1. Hope 202, 3. Albion 153, 4. Olivet 110, 5. Alma 103, 6. Tri-State 102, 7. Adrian 89, 8. Kalamazoo 79
Men’s All-Sports Standings: 1. Hope 97, 2. Calvin 90, 3. Albion 68, 4. Olivet 60, 5. Tri-State 51, 6. Alma 45, 7. Kalamazoo 42, 8. Adrian 36.
Women’s All-Sports Standings: 1. Calvin 112, 2. Hope 105, 3. Albion 85, 4. Saint Mary’s 75, 5. Alma 58, 6. Adrian 53, 7. Tri-State 51, 8. Olivet 50, 9. Kalamazoo 37. The final Commissioner’s Cup standings are determined on the basis of each college's standings in eight of nine sports for men and eight of nine sports for women.
Hope has won the award 30 times, followed by Albion 14, Kalamazoo 13, Calvin 9 and Alma 5.
MIAA Commissioner's Cup Standings thru 2007-08 Winter Season
Posted February 27
Commissioner’s Cup Standings: 1. Hope 134, 2. Calvin 126, 3. Albion 99, 4. Olivet 85, 5. Kalamazoo 62, 6. Tri-State 61, 7. Alma 56, 8. Adrian 51.
Men’s All-Sports Standings: 1. Hope 67, 2. Calvin 50, 3. Olivet 48, 4. Albion 44, 5. Tri-State 35, 6. Alma 30, 7. Kalamazoo 27, 8. Adrian 18.
Women’s All-Sports Standings: 1. Calvin 76, 2. Hope 67, 3. Albion 55, 4. Saint Mary's 48, 5. Olivet 37, 6. Kalamazoo 35, 7. Adrian 33, 8. Alma 26, 8. Tri-State 26.
The MIAA Commissioner's Cup award is based on the cumulative performance of each member school in the league's 18 sports for men and women. The final All-Sports standings will be determined on the basis of each college's standings in eight of nine sports for men and eight of nine sports for women. The standings after the winter season are based on 10 of 12 sports played to date (five for men and five for women).
Commissioner Emeritus Albert Deal Dies at Age 93
Albert L. Deal, Commissioner Emeritus of the
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), died on
Thursday, Feb. 14, in Grand Haven, Mich. following a lingering
illness. Mr. Deal was 93.
"This is, of course, a very sad day for the MIAA and our member schools," said current commissioner David Neilson. "Al Deal was a giant in the history of the MIAA, serving at a time of great transition in collegiate athletics. We extend our deepest sympathies to the entire Deal family."
Mr. Deal served as commissioner of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1971-91. He guided the MIAA through a historic period in which the MIAA became one of the first collegiate conferences in America to have a combined governance structure for men's and women's sports. His efforts also increased the MIAA's stature among NCAA Division III conferences. Even in retirement, he and his wife, Connie, frequently attended conference events at the member campuses.
He received an A.B. degree from Kalamazoo College and the M.A. degree in school administration from the University of Michigan.
In 2003 the MIAA established the Albert L. Deal Scholar-Athlete Award, which is presented annually to the top graduating male scholar-athlete in the league.
In a distinguished career spanning 40 years in Michigan public education, he served four school districts as superintendent, including the Kent County Intermediate School District. He served as president of the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) and was active in the Michigan Association of School Administrators. In 1988 he was inducted into the Michigan Education Hall of Fame.
He received the Michigan Sport Sages' Humanitarian Award in 1991 and was voted into the Kalamazoo College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995 . In 1999 his alma mater presented him the Distinguished Service Award. He was the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Olivet College.
He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Naval Armed Guard in WW II, during which he saw duty in both the Atlantic and Pacific war operations.
He is survived by his wife Connie, three daughters: Ann M. VandenBerg, Emily J. Dood and Martha E. Butler; four stepsons: Richmond H. (Cindy) Jones, Douglas H. Jones, Dr. Donald H. (Maryvic Cuison) Jones, all of Spring Lake, and Craig H. (Lisa) Jones of Vero Beach, FL; and several loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be Sunday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church in Grand Haven, Mich. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Vanzantwick Bartels and Kammeraad Funeral Homes, 213 East Savidge St., Spring Lake, Mich. Memorial gifts are suggested to St. John's Episcopal Church.
MIAA Commissioner's Cup Standings thru 2007 Fall Season
Commissioner’s Cup Standings: 1. Hope 96, 2. Calvin 86, 3. Albion 67, 4. Olivet 51, 4. Tri-State 51, 6. Alma 46, 7. Adrian 39, 7. Kalamazoo 39.
Men’s All-Sports Standings: 1. Hope 49, 2. Calvin 32, 3. Olivet 31, 4. Albion 30, 5. Tri-State 27, 6. Alma 26, 7. Kalamazoo 16, 8. Adrian 13.
Women’s All-Sports Standings: 1. Calvin 54, 2. Hope 47, 3. Albion 37, 3. Saint Mary’s 37, 5. Adrian 26, 6. Tri-State 24, 7. Kalamazoo 23, 8. Alma 20, 8. Olivet 20.
The MIAA Commissioner's Cup award is based on the cumulative performance of each member school in the league's 18 sports for men and women. The final All-Sports standings will be determined on the basis of each college's standings in eight of nine sports for men and eight of nine sports for women. The standings after the fall season are based on all eight sports played to date (four for men and four for women). As a single sport member (football), Wisconsin Lutheran was not computed into the all-sports standings.
Men's Basketball Coaches Pre-Season Poll
1. Hope (5) 10, 2. Calvin (3) 11, 3. Tri-State 23, 4. Albion 25, 5. Adrian 26, 6. Kalamazoo 38, 7. Olivet 42, 8. Alma 49.
Women's Basketball Coaches Pre-Season Poll
1. Hope (6) 10, 2. Calvin (3) 15, 3. Albion 23, 4. Saint Mary's 26, 5. Adrian 41, 6. Alma 45,
7. Tri State 52 , 8. Olivet 53, 9. Kalamazoo 59.
"This event proved to be a very successful time both from a competitive interaction and equally from a cultural exchange perspective," said MIAA Commissioner David Neilson. "Both our MIAA student-athletes and those from Isreal had plenty of opportunity to compete and interact both on and off the field. It was a special week."
Participating MIAA colleges included Albion, Alma, Calvin, Kalamazoo, Olivet and Tri-State.
Tri-State Closer to Full NCAA Membership
Posted August 6, 2007
The NCAA Division III Management Council has recommended that Tri-State University become a full member of the NCAA effective September 1st. The Thunder will be ending three years of provisional membership. Tri-State has been eligible for MIAA championships since the 2004-05 school year. Beginning in 2007-08, Tri-State will be eligible for all NCAA Division III championships.
MIAA Hosts First SAAC Retreat
Posted August 6, 2007
Student-athletes from the MIAA member colleges participated in the conference's first-ever Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) retreat the weekend of August 4-5 at Mackinac Island.
The retreat was organized as part of a league-effort to enhance student-athlete leadership and heighten institutional commitment to student-led initiatives on the various MIAA campuses. The Student Athletic Advisory Committee is part of the MIAA's governance system. The retreat was supported by the National College Athletic Association (NCAA).
The group of 40 students and advisors heard from league officials on topics such as the history of the nation's oldest collegiate conference and the philosophy of Division III athletics. They were also brought up-to-date on issues facing NCAA Division III.
Each school's representatives shared how they have sought to involve their campus communities through activities, service projects and educational initiatives such as sportsmanship, substance abuse and gambling. They also shared their plans for the upcoming school year.
"As this was our first retreat, I was very pleased by both the group that attended, and the energy and commitment they brought to our discussions and activities," said Commissioner David Neilson. "We expect to see some very positive outcomes as a result of our efforts. We are blessed to have outstanding student-athletes on our MIAA campuses."
Hope Favored in Pre-Season Football Poll
Posted August 3, 2007
Defending MIAA football champion Hope is the pre-season favorite of the league's coaches and the media. The Flying Dutchmen were the unanimous pick of the coaches and received 12-of-13 votes from the media during the 38th annual Media Day hosted by Albion College.
Poll Results: 1. Hope (19) 21 pts., 2. Adrian (1) 59, 3. Olivet 65, 4. Albion (1) 70, 5. Alma 85, 6. Tri-State 119, 7. Kalamazoo 121, 8. Wisconsin Lutheran 152.
The oldest collegiate conference in America, the MIAA will mark its 110th football season in 2007. After a month of conference play, the conference schedule will begin on Saturday, Sept. 29.
Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athletes Named
Posted June 13, 2007
Awards by the MIAA to the outstanding senior athletes from its member schools during the 2006-07 school year have been announced by Commissioner David Neilson.
Lisa Winkle of Calvin College has been presented the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Scholar-Athlete Award while Josh Brehm of Alma College has received the Albert H. Deal Scholar-Athlete Award.
“The selection committees have chosen two exceptional scholar-athletes from an outstanding group of candidates,” said Commissioner Neilson.
The awards recognize senior class athletes who have excelled in academics and athletics and displayed outstanding leadership qualities. The awards honor two former MIAA commissioners, Albert Deal (1971-91) and Sheila Wallace Kovalchik (1991-2002).
This year’s awards recognize two students who excelled on a national level as well as in the MIAA. Each was named the national Division III player of the year in their sport, Winkle in basketball and Brehm in football.
A graduate of Grand Rapids South Christian High School, Winkle was a standout two-sport athlete, basketball and in track and field. In basketball, she finished her career as Calvin’s all-time leading scorer (1,722 points) and rebounder (1,034 rebounds). The only four-time first team All-MIAA selection in MIAA women’s basketball history, Winkle was a two-time MIAA MVP and was named a Kodak All-American as a senior. She also led the team to a pair of MIAA titles, three trips to the NCAA III tournament and two visits to the national quarterfinals. She was twice named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American and as a senior was presented the prestigious Jostens Trophy, an award that honors basketball and academic excellence as well as service in the community.
In track and field, she was a three-time All-MIAA selection, including a three-time league champion in the long jump. She was a part of four MIAA championship teams as well as three national runner-up squads. She finished her track and field career as a 10-time NCAA III All-American. Winkle was graduated from Calvin with a degree in secondary education and mathematics while carrying a 3.96 grade point average. This was recently named the 2006 Michigan Female College Athlete of the Year by the Detroit Athletic Club.
Hailing from Ithaca, Mich., Brehm led NCAA Division III football in three categories: total offense (4,084), passing yards (3,448) and passing yards per game (344.8). The MIAA’s 2006 most valuable offensive player, he set an NCAA record with 288 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, and set the NCAA Division III record with 10 consecutive games of 300 yards of total offense or more. He participated in the East Coast Bowl completing 20 of 28 passing for 240 yards, one touchdown and added another on the ground.
Brehm is the holder of 15 school records including passing yards (10,706), pass completions (919) and touchdown passes (85). A two-time All-MIAA first team selection, he collected 12,247 career yards of total offense and was honored as the MIAA offensive player of the week seven times over his career.
Brehm was the 2006 recipient of the Gagliardi Trophy, awarded annually to the best player in Division III football for excellence in academics, athletics and community service.
In addition to his expertise and agility on the football field, Brehm, a double major in business and psychology, had a 3.78 GPA. He had three consecutive semesters with a 4.0 GPA and has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. This past year, he was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team. An active member of Alma’s Students in Free Enterprise, Brehm dedicated countless hours of service in area schools. His many activities at Alma College included spearheading a fundraising effort in memory of Joe Nelson, a fellow football player, who tragically died in a car accident.
Other candidates for the Kovalchik award were Abby Sikora of Adrian, Emily Stocker of Albion, Kelsey Krull of Alma, Lisa Smith of Hope, Elizabeth Garlow of Kalamazoo, Stephanie Smith of Olivet, Anne Cusack of Saint Mary’s and Rainbow Bednarski of Tri-State.
Other candidates for the Deal award were Ryan Sulek of Adrian, Jason Bowman of Albion, Tim Finnegan of Calvin, Ryan TerLouw of Hope, Chris Werme of Kalamazoo, Ananta Fetters of Olivet, and Adam Garvin of Tri-State.
Hope Wins 06-07 Commissioner's CupCommissioner's Cup Standings: 1. Hope 216, 2. Calvin 197, 3. Albion 152, 4. Olivet 116, 5. Alma 102, 6. Kalamazoo 101, 6. Tri-State 101, 8. Adrian 77.
Men's All-Sports Award Standings: 1. Hope 108, 2. Calvin 86, 3. Albion 73, 4. Olivet 54, 4. Tri-State 54, 6. Kalamazoo 46, 7. Alma 42, 8. Adrian 41.
Women's All-Sports Award Standings: 1. Calvin 111, 2. Hope 108, 3. Albion 79, 4. Saint Mary's 74, 5. Olivet 62, 6. Alma 60, 7. Kalamazoo 55, 8. Tri-State 47, 9. Adrian. 36.
The MIAA presents separate awards for the best cumulative finish in men's and women's sports as well as an award for the best cumulative finish in all league sports (men and women). The separate awards are known as the Men's All-Sports Award and the Women's All-Sports Award while the cumulative award is known as the Commissioners' Cup.The final standings for the all-sports awards are determined on the basis of each college's standings in eight of nine sports for men and eight of nine sports for women. These point-totals are added together to determine the winner of the Commissioners' Cup. As a single sport member (football), Wisconsin Lutheran is not computed into the all-sports standings.
The Commissioner's Cup (MIAA All-Sports Award) has been presented since 1934-35. Hope has won the award 29 times, followed by Albion 14, Kalamazoo 13, Calvin 8 and Alma 5.
All-Sports Standings After Winter SportsMen's All-Sports Standings thru Winter: 1. Hope 68, 2. Calvin 50, 3. Olivet 44, 4. Albion 41, 5. Tri-SDtate 37, 6. Kalamazoo 30, 7. Alma 25, 8. Adrian 23.
Women's All-Sports Standings thru Winter: 1. Calvin 80, 2. Hope 70, 3. Albion 51, 4. Saint Mary's 49, 5. Kalamazoo 40, 5. Olivet 40, 7. Alma 31, 8. Adrian 26, 9. Tri-State 24.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other SSTIs are being recognized and transferred with increasing frequency in community settings. If left untreated, MRSA can cause significant disability or even death.
The MIAA has provided its member schools with CleenFreek® anti-microbial towels for use during athletic contests and other “shared” towel situations. The towels are treated to eliminate the transfer of bacteria from one athlete to another in a “shared” towel situation.
The MIAA member institutions are Adrian, Albion, Alma, Calvin, Hope, Kalamazoo, Olivet, Saint Mary’s and Tri-State.
The league-wide action, approved by the MIAA Board of Control, was in response to concerns by the sports medicine staffs at member colleges. It was noted that athletes might be put at risk of serious infectious disease by “shared” bench towel environments.
“The conference felt appropriate education prevention measures, including the introduction of a conference-sponsored purchase program of anti-microbial towels, was warranted,” said Commissioner David Neilson.
The MIAA is believed to be the first collegiate conference in the nation to provide the anti-microbial towels to its member institutions. The towels are distinctively green, matching one of the conference’s logo colors.
The MIAA has also adopted a policy aimed at helping its member colleges implement practices that reduce the risk of skin and soft tissue infections for its student/athletes at all conference competitions. The policy was prepared using the recommended practice guidelines of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and National Athletc Trainer’s Association (NATA.) Dr. Kirk Brumels, head athletic trainer at Hope College, chaired a sub-committee that developed the policy and action plan.
06-07 All-Sports Standings Through Fall
Posted December 7, 2006
Hope tops the Commissioner's Cup standings after the fall sports season. Fall sports champions were: men's and women's cross country, Calvin; men's soccer, Hope; women's soccer, Calvin; football,
Hope; volleyball, Calvin; women's golf, Olivet and men's golf, Hope.
Men's All-Sports Standings: 1. Hope 54, 2. Albion 32, 3. Calvin 30, 4. Olivet 27, 4. Olivet 27, 6. Alma 21, 7. Kalamazoo 17, 8. Adrian 16
Women's All-Sports Standings: 1. Calvin 50, 2. Hope 48, 3. Saint Mary's 37, 4. Albion 36, 5. Kalamazoo 28, 6. Adrian 24, 6. Alma 24, 8. Olivet 21, 9. Tri-State 20
Christine Hendricks of Calvin College has been presented the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Women Scholar Award while Travis Sleight of Olivet College has received the Albert H. Deal Male Scholar-Athlete Award.
The awards recognize senior class athletes who have excelled in academics and athletics and displayed outstanding leadership qualities. The awards honor two former MIAA commissioners, Albert Deal (1971-91) and Sheila Wallace Kovalchik (1991-2002).
Travis Sleight was a four-year football letterwinner. A running back, he was an All-MIAA first team honoree as a junior and senior and received ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors in both 2004 and 2005. As a senior, he was the recipient of the MIAA’s Pete Schmidt Scholar-Athlete Award for excellence on the football field and in the classroom and received the Morley Fraser Scholar-Athlete Award from the Michigan Chapter of the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame. He holds the Olivet career scoring record with 51 touchdowns. He majored in health, physical education, recreation and sport. He is the son of John Sleight of Delton, Mich.
Christine Hendricks was an All-MIAA honoree in volleyball and track & field. She lettered four years in both sports. This spring she was crowned the NCAA Division III champion in the heptathlon with a national record performance. She was the conference field MVP as both a junior and senior, won the league javelin crown her sophomore, junior and senior years, and was an NCAA All-American in the heptathlon for three consecutive years. She majored in mathematics. She is the daughter of Carla and Steve Hendricks of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Other nominees for the Kovalchik award were Jamie Fornetti, Albion; Erin Fralick, Alma; Anneliese Fox, Hope; Christie Zakar, Kalamazoo; Jill Lingbeek, Olivet; and Kayla Cheesman, Tri-State. Other nominees for the Deal award were Tony Vennekotter, Adrian; Eric Johnson, Albion; Calvin Hilson, Alma; Nate Meckes, Calvin; Greg Immink, Hope; Kyle Konwinski, Kalamazoo.
A special ceremony honoring Cooper and his wife Willo will be held between games of the men’s semi-final basketball games Friday, Feb. 24 at Calvin College.
“Although we are losing Joe in the day-to-day and game-to-game oversight and assigning of officials, I’m delighted to announce that he has agreed to stay with the MIAA. In his role he will continue to help in the recruitment of new officials as well as assisting the conference with its officiating improvement programs.” said Neilson.
“One of the strengths of the MIAA has been our ability to retain the long serving experienced personnel, who have worked in the MIAA – Marv Zuidema, the retired Calvin College AD, now secretary to the MIAA Committee on Athletics, being another example. These individuals carry with them the heritage and values of our conference, and now Joe Cooper has agreed to continue and bring his 46 years of officiating experience to this new assignment. It is through these commitments that we are able to sustain the values we want our conference to exemplify.
Cooper first joined the MIAA as a football referee and basketball official in 1960. In 1971, under former Commissioner Al Deal, he was named Supervisor of Officials for football and men's basketball; expanded to include women’s basketball in 1978 when women’s sports were added under the MIAA banner.
As Cooper steps down, the condition of the MIAA’s officiating is on solid footing, Neilson noted. "Joe has re-stocked and enhanced the performance of our football crews to the point that an MIAA crew has been selected to work the NCAA Division III national championship game in football two of the last four years, including this past fall.
These selections are merit-based, determined by evaluations conducted during the preliminary rounds of the NCAA playoffs," said Neilson.
The condition in basketball is similar. “For basketball, I use a different metric,” said Neilson. “The number of phone calls and e-mails offering video tapes of the previous games’ ‘bad calls’ are way down this year, and I attribute this to Joe, his efforts and a group of hard working, dedicated officials,” Neilson added. The MIAA is the nation’s oldest athletic conference dating back to 1888; and Joe Cooper has been involved in almost 40% of that 118-year history. "With his departure from his role as Supervisor of Officials, the only one the MIAA has ever had, we are truly witnessing the end of an era," said Neilson.
The MIAA officials in the crew included Tom Essenberg of Grand Rapids (referee), Bob Holcomb of Muskegon (umpire), Eddie Steenbergen of Jenison (head linesman), Steve Hendrickson of Wyoming (field judge), Jeff Stille of Spring Lake (side judge) and Tom Schramm of Southgate (line judge). The crew earlier officiated a first round game. Hendrickson was officiating in the championship game for a second time while it was a first for the rest.
The Scots, who posted an 8-3 record last year in winning the conference championship for the second time in three years, received seven of a possible 20 first place votes. Five of the league's eight teams received a first place vote.
The predicted order of finish in the poll with first place votes in parentheses: 1. Alma (7) 40, 2. Albion (4) 47, 3. Hope (5) 51, 4. Adrian (3) 56, 5. Olivet (1) 81, 6. Tri-State 122, 7. Wisconsin Lutheran 126, 8. Kalamazoo 133.
The MIAA is the oldest collegiate conference in America. The 108th season of football begins with three non-league games followed by a seven-week conference schedule. The league champion receives a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Julia Adams of Saint Mary’s College has been presented the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Women Scholar Award while Peter Boumgarden of Calvin College has received the Albert H. Deal Male Scholar-Athlete Award.
The awards recognize senior class athletes who have excelled in academics and athletics and displayed outstanding leadership qualities. The awards honor two former MIAA commissioners, Albert Deal (1971-91) and Sheila Wallace Kovalchik (1991-2002).
Julia Adams was an All-American golfer at Saint Mary’s. She achieved NCAA All-America honors this spring after finishing ninth at the Division III championships. She was the conference medalist in 2002 and 2004. She was the valedictorian of her senior class, achieving a cumulative 4.0 grade point average with a major in biology. She is the daughter of Dr. Phillip and Barbara Adams of Peoria, Ill. (Notre Dame HS). Her future plans include attending Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine next fall.
Peter Boumgarden achieved distinction as a freestyle swimmer. He was an NCAA Division III All-American 10 times in his career. He was the MIAA conference champion four consecutive years in both the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. His name appears on nine Calvin school records. He majored in business communication and plans to pursue his graduate education at Washington University. He is the son of Rev. David and Jane Boumgarden of Naperville, Ill.
Other nominees for the Kovalchik award were Catherine Converse, Adrian; Katie Gustavson, Albion; Leigh Ann La Fave, Alma; Susan Abbring, Calvin; and Dawn Gillam, Hope.
Other nominees for the Deal aware were Adam Novak, Adrian; William Green, Albion; and Scott Barriger, Alma.
Commissioner Dave Neilson announced that $4,337 has been donated to the New Hope Church in Chapel Hill, N.C. to support their volunteer efforts through Professionals International, an international faith-based organization.
" The members of our conference donate this in Christian spirit for the work being doing done, and pray for the victims and relief workers dealing with the tsunami tragedy," said Neilson.
The MIAA contributions came from the net proceeds of admission charges to its men's and women's swimming/diving championships and men's and women's basketball tournaments as well as contributions received from spectators attending the events.
Support of the work of New Hope Church was stimulated by Andrew and Shanna Ten Clay Norden, graduates of Hope College. Shanna is currently a resident anesthesiologist at Duke University Medical Center and Andrew is an assistant athletic trainer at Duke University. Shanna recently joined a group of volunteers from New Hope Church in providing aid in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Their efforts were coordinated by Professionals International. In Indonesia, Professionals International is supporting the reconstruction of more than 2,000 homes in 14 villages in Banda Aceh and helping meet medical needs such as infectious disease control, follow-up care of traumatic injuries, pre and post-natal care and treatment of respiratory distress that resulted from airborn silt. Engineers among the volunteers are redesigning water and waste removal systems. Another group of volunteers plans to return this summer.
The member colleges of the MIAA include Adrian, Albion, Alma, Calvin, Hope, Kalamazoo, Olivet, Saint Mary's, Tri-State and Wisconsin Lutheran.