Calvin College Sports Champions

Men’s Cross Country Captures National Title

For the third time in four years, the Calvin College men’s cross-country team won the NCAA (National Intercollegiate Athletic Association) Division III championship.

Terrible course conditions at Voice of America Park north of Cincinnati forced the Calvin team to rise to the occasion. “It was unbelievable,” said head coach Brian Diemer, “the way they had to run through the mud and standing water. [It] was a tough assignment.”

Head coach Al Hoekstra praised his runners for their great performance. “This team has performed so exceptionally all year. They ran for each other, their school, and the Lord. It was simply magnificent.”

—Colin McWhertor

Women’s Soccer Team Wins State Title

The women’s soccer team made Calvin College history with an undefeated season that won the Michigan Division III championship, with a record of 22-0, and one tie.

It was the tie game that eliminated the team from the National Division III championships, when Messiah College of Grantham, Pa., defeated Calvin in a shoot-out.

“It’s hard not to be proud of them,” said Coach Mark Recker, who was named MIAA (Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association) coach of the year. Recker said he encourages the team to play for a God who is watching. “We see our performance as a praise offering—God giving us one more opportunity to give him praise.”

—Roxanne Van Farowe

Calvin Coach Named National Coach of the Year

Brian Diemer, a member of Caledonia ( Mich.) Christian Reformed Church, was recently named the Division III men’s cross-country coach of the year by the United States Track and Field Coaches Association.

It is the fourth time in his career that Diemer has been awarded the honor. Diemer is a former Olympian, winning the bronze medal in the steeplechase in 1984. He has been Calvin’s men’s cross-country coach since 1986. This fall Diemer also accepted the head coaching position of the Calvin women’s cross-country team.

Calvin coaches have now received National Coach of the Year honors 13 times, including nine times in the past seven years.

—Jeff Febus