Calvin track and field athletes earn GTE Academic All-District honors

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Four Calvin College track and field athletes have earned GTE Academic All-District honors in the spring at-large division. Junior Sarah Gritter has been named to the women's GTE Academic All-District IV spring at-large team in the college division while seniors Steve Michmerhuizen and Nate Kuipers along with sophomore Phil Sikkenga have been named to the men's GTE Academic All-District IV spring at-large team. The college division includes NCAA II, III and NAIA schools. District IV includes schools at that level in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee. The spring at-large women's division includes the sports of crew, lacrosse, indoor/outdoor track and field, golf and tennis. The spring-at large men's division includes the sports of lacrosse, indoor/outdoor track and field, golf, tennis and volleyball. As members of the GTE Academic All-District IV teams, Gritter, Kuipers, Michmerhuizen and Sikkenga advance to the national ballot and are eligible for GTE Academic All-America consideration. Gritter is a native of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and a graduate of Racine Lutheran High School. A two-time All-MIAA selection in track and field, Gritter was named the MIAA's co-MVP in women's track and field this spring as she captured titles at the MIAA Championships in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters. At the NCAA III Championships at Baldwin-Wallace College this past weekend, Gritter earned All-America honors twice as she finished second in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:54.74 and third in the 1,500 meters with a school-record time of 4:31.79, shaving nearly three seconds off her own school mark. Gritter's pair of All-America performances helped Calvin finished tied for fourth place at nationals with Wisconsin-LaCrosse with 39 points, marking Calvin's third top-four national finish in the last seven years. A mathematics major, Gritter carries a 3.91 grade point average. Joining Gritter on the GTE Academic All-District IV women's spring at-large team from the MIAA is Albion senior Denise Routhier. Kuipers hails from Gainsville, New York, and is a graduate of Letchworth Central High School. A member of the All-MIAA men's track and field team this spring, Kuipers established a new school record in the discus earlier this year with a throw of 171-4 that was later broken by Michmerhuizen. At the MIAA Championships, Kuipers finished second in the discus behind Michmerhuizen. Kuipers also qualified for the NCAA III Track and Field Championships last weekend at Baldwin-Wallace College where he finished 10th in the discus. A biology major at Calvin, Kuipers was graduated from Calvin this past weekend with a 3.33 grade point average. Michmerhuizen is a native of Zeeland and a graduate of Holland Christian High School. Michmerhuizen completed an incredible track and field career this past weekend at the NCAA III Track and Field Championships as he became a three-time All-American at Calvin, finishing fifth in the discus while also adding a 10th place finish in the shot put. As a junior, Michmerhuizen finished eighth in the shot put and discus at nationals to earn All-America accolades in both events. During his junior campaign, Michmerhuizen established a new school record in the shot put with a throw of 55-7 which ended up as the top throw in NCAA Division III track and field last spring. At the MIAA Championships this year at Alma College, Michmerhuizen shattered the oldest MIAA track and field record as he uncorked a throw of 172-4 to win the discus for the second consecutive year. He also won the shot put crown at the league meet for a third consecutive year. At the Paddock Invitational hosted by the University of Michigan two weekends ago, Michmerhuizen broke the school record in the discus for the final time with a throw of 175-8 which finished as the second-best throw in NCAA Division III track and field this year. A three-time All-MIAA selection in track and field, Michmerhuizen was named the MIAA's co-MVP in track and field in 1998. In addition, he was the recipient of the Bere' Memorial Award this past May, given to the top senior male student-athlete at Calvin College every year. A religion major, Michmerhuizen was graduated from Calvin this past weekend with a grade point average of 3.75. He is making his second consecutive appearance on the GTE Academic All-District IV team in the sprint at-large division. Sikkenga is a native of Wheaton, Illinois, and is a graduate of Timothy Christian High School. A sprinter and long jumper, Sikkenga broke three school-records this year as he established new Calvin standards in the 100 meters (10.79), 110 high hurdles (14.25) and 200 meters (21.47). At the MIAA Championships, Sikkenga captured league crowns in the long jump, 110 high hurdles and 200 meters. He was then named to the All-MIAA track and field team for the second consecutive year and was named the MIAA's MVP. A qualifier for the NCAA III Track and Field Championships in the 110 high hurdles and 200 meters, Sikkenga finished fourth at the national meet last weekend in the 110 high hurdles to become the first All-American in the 110 highs in Calvin track and field history. His All-America finish in the 110 high hurdles helped Calvin finish sixth as a team with 22 points, marking its fifth top-10 national finish in the last 11 years and its highest national finish since 1991. Sikkenga is a business administration major at Calvin and carries a 3.51 grade point average. -end-