Monthly Archive for May, 2010

What Are You

Published on May 25, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

up to?  That’s the question several people ask at this time of the year.

Well, we’re trying to finish the year the way we started it–with energy  and seeing things through to good conclusion.  The temptation is to shrug the shoulders and move along to next year.  Graduation took place nearly three weeks ago and honestly, it feels like almost two months ago.    Anyhow, we’ve got national track and field competition coming up starting Thursday.  We’ll track things starting with the women’s 4 x 100, Briana Wubben in the 100 hurdles, Nick Pfeifle in the 400 and 200 , Jenna Brouwer in the 200, Crystal Vander Zee in the long jump and both 4 x 800 teams on Thursday.  From there it depends on qualification for the semifinals and finals.

Looks like Brouwer will not run the 100 meters and Josiah Luttjeboer and Mark Eekhoff will not run the open 800…..timing with other events doesn’t lend itself to these athletes getting enough recovery to peak for all events…have to pick and choose and they have.

###################

A couple weeks ago we received the point totals for the GPAC All-Sports Trophy.  The GPAC All-Sports Trophy is awarded to the school which accumulates the most points in the conference title regular season races….in track, cross country, golf and wrestling it’s based on the final standings of the meets which serve for conference championships.  13 points are awarded for first place, 12 for second and so forth to one point for 13th place.  Point totals are split for ties.

Anyhow, Dordt doesn’t offer all of the sports the conference recognizes, namely men’s and women’s tennis along with wrestling and women’s golf (that will change next year), so I’m not sure if the standings are completely accurate, but that’s the system and I won’t change it.  But, I can put together the standings for where Dordt stands when you factor out the sports Dordt doesn’t offer.  So, after doing all this Dordt finished fifth in the women’s athletic race and eighth on the men’s side.  Overall we were seventh.  Here are the standings….just something to chew on as May comes to a close….

Men’s standings for sports Dordt sponsors:

Sioux Falls 81.5

Hastings 78

Nebraska Wesleyan  72

Morningside 69.5

Doane 69

Concordia 59

Dakota Wesleyan  57

Dordt 51

Northwestern 46

Briar Cliff 43

Dana 41.5

Mount Marty  31

Midland Lutheran 28.5

Women’s standings for sports Dordt sponsors

Doane 66.5

Morningside 66

Hastings 65.5

Concordia 62

Dordt 60.5

Nebraska Wesleyan 57.5

Northwestern  53

Sioux Falls 50

Briar Cliff 37.5

Dakota Wesleyan 34

Dana 32

Midland Lutheran 31

Mount Marty  21.5

OVERALL

Hastings 143.5

Doane 135.5

Morningside 135.5

Sioux Falls  131.5

Nebraska Wesleyan 129.5

Concordia  121

Dordt 111.5

Northwestern 99

Dakota Wesleyan  91

Mount Marty  86.5

Briar Cliff 80.5

Dana  73.5

Midland Lutheran  59.5

Player Of The Year!

Published on May 11, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

Sarah Seymour followed her first-team all-GPAC selection from 2009 with a banner season that saw her named the 2010 GPAC Softball Player of the Year.

Seymour, a junior from San Diego, California, put together as strong an offensive campaign as anyone in the league.  The first baseman batted .411 with 46 hits, five triples and 35 runs batted in–all team highs.  She also had six doubles and a slugging percentage of .768 with 14 bases on balls.  She became the single season record holder in homeruns this season and her .411 batting average ranks sixth all-time.  Her 86 bases is fifth all-time and her 30 runs scored rank just outside the top 10 at 11.  RBI’s–ranks second and her slugging percentage set a new record.

Barring something unforeseen Seymour can leave a substantial mark on the career record books.  Her career total of 25 doubles is sixth and her 10 triples rank fifth.  Her 13 homeruns are second all-time and her total bases are 197 and rank sixth.  RBI total of 78 is seventh and she ranks fourth all-time in walks with 48.

Would be missing something big if I didn’t at least mention the fact that Seymour had Kassandra Heynen and Megan Huizenga batting behind her, making certain she was going to see good pitches to hit.  Both hovered around the .400 mark all season long.

Putting the Wraps

Published on May 10, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

on things for  Monday.  About all we have to report on at this point are recruits and track over the next couple of weeks.  We’ll be busy in the office with some wrap-up items, update records and a few post-season honors.

I’ll be honest, felt a little strange to be around the house for all day this past Saturday.  Total up the damages for the past school year and it shows this office reported on about 340 athletic events in one way, shape or form.  I’ve got to think what I went through this past weekend is similar to what coaches and athletes feel when the season is over and there’s no game to get ready for the next day.  Anyhow, the break is welcome.

###################

A few things caught my eye this weekend.  Softball found Midland Lutheran, the team that knocked Dordt off in the first round of the conference tournament winning runner up honors and advancing with Morningside to the NAIA National Tournament.  When the dust had settled in Mitchell, South Dakota, the baseball tournament had the number six and seven seeds playing each other for the right to move on to the opening round of the national tournament.  Northwestern ended up winning and awaits word for where they are headed.

##################

Hoping the rain lets up for the much anticipated Dordt College Grade School Track Meet on Wednesday, May 12……

Yes

Published on May 6, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

We’re still open for business but things are slowing up.

Going back to last weekend the Defender baseball team had a chance to make the post-season.  With two doubleheaders to go I felt they needed to win three out of four to assure themselves of a spot and two of four might do it.  One of four wouldn’t be good enough in my estimation and they couldn’t afford to lose all four.  As it is the baseball team ran into a pair of teams playing pretty well–Northwestern and Sioux Falls and couldn’t get  a win to end their season at 8-16 in the league.

I really felt the team played better baseball this year than last but some hitters hit slumps towards the end of the year and they couldn’t generate enough runs.  Closed the books on some pretty strong careers.  Travis Feekes was among the career leaders in hits when all was said and done and Josh Bowers ended up near the top of the doubles list.  Bryan Diemer took the ball when it was his turn and battled on each batter.  If young pitchers can take anything away from his career it is that every at-bat is a battle and you try to win each one.  You also don’t have to throw 90 mph to be effective.  Also graduating is Alex Brown who spent just one year with the Defenders after transferring before his junior year.  Seemed like a pretty even tempered and steady ballplayer.

##############

Softball got  split with Hastings….felt like they gave Hastings some free outs in the first game of the twin bill.  Came back to get the win in game two.  Amanda Nikkel’s earned run average in the GPAC–a miniscule 1.23 earned run average.  Heading into the GPAC tournament the Defenders had a one game improvement in the conference over last year at 14-10.  Followed the formula of beating the teams below them in the standings and took enough games from the others to get to 14-10.  Here’s your odd stat…..Dordt was 10-0 against teams that didn’t make the tournament and were 4-10 against those in the field.

Pitching is the name of the game in the tournament….and fatigue.  Multiple games at a high level can take it out of a group quickly.  Anyhow, they’ll be taking the field in Hastings later this afternoon against Midland Lutheran at 4:00 and then will face either Morningside or Concordia.

#########################

Very quietly Jordan Janz is putting together quite a career at Dordt College.  Three time golf all-conference performer coupled with being a part of three ACHA Division III national tournament qualifying teams in hockey and taking all-region honors on the ice.  Will add scholar-athlete and academic all-American honors before he’s done as well.  Plus, he’s still got another season to go.

########################

Women’s 4 x 800 meter relay team won the event at the GPAC meet.  As big a contingent of athletes from Dordt College  traveling to the national meet that I can remember.  Five relays and seven individuals will make the trip to Marion, Indiana.