PROPORTION

Articles on this page reflects how MIAA student-athletes demonstrate an appropriate relationship between competition in sport, academics and other pursuits.

Although athletic participation at the collegiate level is time demanding, athletes at MIAA member schools are students first and athletes second. They have their priorities in line.

Hope senior Chelsea Wiese of Rochester, Mich. is an exemplary example of the Division III student/athlete. Chelsea recently received the NCAA Elite 89 award for NCAA Division III women's swimming and diving.

The Elite 89 recognizes academic excellence with athletic accomplishment. It is presented to the athlete with the highest grade point average who is competing at the national championship for a particular sport. An accounting major, Chelsea has a 4.0 cumulative GPA. She was the MIAA champion in the 200 and 400 yard individual medley this year.

"Chelsea's work ethic, both academically and athletically is astounding," says her coach, John Patnott. "She is very intelligent, but also works very hard for her accomplishments. When she writes a paper she has it completed early and will proof her work three or four times before turning it in. She has the same attitude with her swimming; she does not except less than her best effort in practice and competition. In addition to her individual accomplishments Chelsea is very much a team player, always concerned about the best interest of her teammates."

"The environment at Hope is one that both encourages and enables student-athletes to thrive," says Chelsea. "The coaches, administration, and professors strongly uphold the Division III philosophy of being a student-athlete, instilling in us that we are students first and foremost, yet still providing the support necessary to achieve our athletic endeavors. The skills developed through participating in athletics at Hope complement the classroom education. Swimming is a demanding sport that requires dedication, perseverance, and hard work. I have found that these same traits are necessary to succeed in the classroom and will be applicable to any career. I have been really fortunate to swim at Hope with such talented individuals who strive for excellence in both the pool and classroom and who challenge me every day to be and do better."

The entire Hope swimming and diving program team reflects Chelsea's dedication toward academic achievement. The cumulative GPA of the women's team was the second highest in Division III swimming and diving in the spring and fall of 2011 with overall GPA’s of 3.65 and 3.62 respectively. The men’s swimming and diving team had a cumulative GPA of 3.42 in the fall of 2011, 11th in the nation.

"These academic accomplishments are remarkable considering that the team’s practice 3½ hours per day Monday through Friday and usually have competitions on Saturdays." says Patnott. "However, a swimmer or diver may miss a workout for academic reasons without question. Although athletics is time demanding, our athletes are students first and athletes second. They have their priorities in line."

March 2012

Under the direction of Professor Kevin Metz, Albion College chemistry students have successfully synthesized nanoparticles and attached them to other structures in the lab. Lyndsey Reynolds, ’11, received the best poster award at the Midwestern Undergraduate Symposium on Research in Chemistry after successfully soaking small particles of palladium into a plastic membrane. Chris Kruppe, ’13, hopes to take the next step as he begins to work toward a plan to form the nanoparticles into cube shapes.

Kruppe, a Naperville, Ill., native who is getting a serious look as the starting catcher for the baseball team, will take a weekend off the diamond in late March to attend the American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in San Diego where he will present a poster about the beginning of his work in the lab.

“Dr. Metz is known for using coffee as a reductant in the reaction to actually make the nanoparticles,” Kruppe said. “I’ll be reporting on the better yields of synthesizing nanoparticles at room temperature from the polyphenols in coffee as opposed to the use of polyols where you have to boil the solution, taking more energy to make these nanoparticles.”

Finding the right mix for a schedule that includes a demanding chemistry major, time in the lab, and preparing to play a new position on the diamond (Kruppe started 26 games in the outfield during the 2011 season) is a challenge for every student-athlete, but the juggling act isn’t new to the Albion baseball program. Jacob Rinkinen, ’11, a starting pitcher, missed games last season to make a presentation at the American Society of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Conference.

“Having a coach like Scott Carden, who understands it is a whole other animal to balance a hard science major and trying to play a sport, [is essential],” Kruppe said. “It is about losing some sleep [when baseball is in season], and I wouldn’t be able to make it work if I wasn’t passionate about it. Baseball was my life for a long time until I got to college and I found myself at Albion.”

Click here to read more about Chris Kruppe

February 2012

Albion College diver Zane Havens, ’12, hasn’t met a riverbed he hasn’t liked. His grandfather, Bill, competed in canoeing events in the 1948 Olympic Games, his grand-uncle Frank was a two-time Olympic medalist in canoeing, and his father, Keith, Albion's swimming and diving coach, twice participated in the Olympic Trials in flat-water canoeing.

It’s no surprise, then, that Havens’ research interest at Albion has kept him close to waterways on which he could paddle. He spent the summer of 2010 studying the cloudiness of the water in the Kalamazoo River for a project funded by the College’s Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (FURSCA). The FURSCA experience opened the door for a 2½-month internship with the Bureau of Land Management’s field office in Grand Junction, Colo., where he took measurements of stream discharge and looked for springs in the desert.

"A lot of it was doing basic tasks for the hydrologist at the BLM and learning the ropes of using these tools,” said Havens, an earth science major who is completing a concentration in environmental science and a minor in geographic information systems. “I learned the U.S. Geological Survey method of recording hydrology and now, when I visit the website and see these discharge readings, I have a general idea of how that works."

“It is a high desert region, they don’t have a lot of water going through the area, but they try to keep a fair amount of agriculture and grazing going on, so they are going to have a certain diversion of streams to provide water for crops and cattle,” he added. “They have to keep an eye on how much water they have in the streams so they don’t overdivert and kill an entire ecosystem. I did a lot of resource management and figuring out how much water could be diverted from this stream and how many chemicals, manure, and fertilizer could be put into the stream before it becomes too toxic.”

While he’s unsure of his ultimate career path, Havens credited the internship for providing one of the most educational summers of his life, adding that he would be eager to work for the government again if the opportunity arose.

Click here to read more about Zane Havens

December 2011

Over the last four years, the key for opposing teams to beat Calvin College on the volleyball court has been to stop senior middle hitter Rebecca Kamp. Unfortunately for opposing teams, Kamp was nearly unstoppable for the Knights this season and throughout her career. This fall she averaged 3.85 kills and 1.37 blocks-per-set along with a .401 hitting percentage while leading the Knights to 33-1 overall record. She completed her career as Calvin’s all-time leader in kills and total blocks while also establishing a Calvin single-season record for hitting percentage.

Kamp was recently named the AVCA Division III National Player of the Year as well as being named the Division III volleyball nominee for the Honda Leadership Award which will be announced next June. Kamp is one of only two four-time first team All-Americans in Division III women’s volleyball history.

A native of Orland Park, Ill. and graduate of Chicago Christian High School, Kamp chose to attend Calvin because of its rigorous academics, strong volleyball team, and head coach Amber Warners. “Coach Warners is exactly the type of coach I wanted to play for,” said Kamp.

Kamp was also selected to the 2010 NCAA III Final all-tournament team during the Knights run to the 2010 National Championship. Asked to describe the experience, Kamp said it was “unbelievable. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced, or ever will. It was a lot of fun to just hang out with the team while doing well at the sport we loved.”

A special education major, Kamp is currently student teaching at Grand Rapids Christian Elementary School with teammate Jen Pluymert’s mother Sue Pluymert. Kamp says she has enjoyed her time teaching. When asked how she balances her time as a student athlete, Kamp responded: “I try to plan ahead, not do stuff the last minute – put it in the planner right away. Mrs. Pluymert has been really flexible with my schedule.”

November 2011

Seniors Kelsey Hassevoort and Alex Dombos know what it means to have a balanced lifestyle. The Kalamazoo natives both play tennis for Kalamazoo College and have maintained impressive academic standings at “K.”

Dombos hails from Hackett Catholic Central High School, while Hassevoort is from Loy Norrix High School. Both attended the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center and are now majoring in science. Dombos is a physics major, while Hassevoort is a biology major.

Extracurricular activities, particularly tennis, are a huge part of their lives at “K,” and time management is something they have had to work on to succeed and strike a balance. They believe that extracurricular activities are key to their academic successes and happiness.

"The one thing I love about participating in extracurriculars is that it forces me to manage my time, and my overall experience with extracurriculars has been overwhelmingly positive," said Hassevoort who has maintained and impressive 4.0 GPA throughout her time at “K” and is currently the captain of the women’s tennis team. “I knew that I wanted to attend a small school where I would be able to receive a great education and continue to play tennis competitively."

Dombos came to “K,” "because it is strong in math and science and also because I wanted to play tennis for a great team steeped in tradition."

Click here to read more about Kelsey Hassevoort and Alex Dombos

October 2011

From the breathtaking skyline of New York City, to the dusty, beaten dirt roads of Uganda and the hut homes of the lowest members of the caste system of India, Saint Mary’s student-athletes had a wide array of experiences far from home this past summer. A handful of Belles lived in five different countries, covering four separate continents and learning more about life, adjustment, and balance than could ever have been taught in a classroom.

New York - it is the city that never sleeps and is home to more than 18 million Americans and hundreds of different ethnicities and languages. This past summer, it was also home to junior Ashley Morfin and seniors Christine Brown and Keely Noonan. Morfin had an internship with FIFA, the world governing body of international soccer. Brown interned with Fusion Public Relations, a technology public relations firm with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and London. "It was my first time actually working in public relations, and it was a great experience to be able to learn firsthand about the business," said Brown.

Noonan, meanwhile, worked in Midtown for InStyle.com as a digital planning intern. "I was living in the middle of China Town, Soho, and Little Italy," said Noonan. "The most interesting thing about being somewhere from home for the summer is learning NYC's lifestyle and how fast paced it is compared to everywhere else."

Nearly 7,000 miles away in the town of Kyarusozi, Uganda, seniors Kelley Murphy and Meghann Rose were busy assisting the Sisters of the Holy Cross by working in their health clinic. Working alongside nurses, the pair assisted in the many facets of a small, rural health clinic. "While in Kyarusozi, we worked with the clinical staff by traveling to nearby villages to give young babies and children immunization shots," recounted Murphy.

Meghann Rose added, "Going to Uganda was the most valuable and memorable experience of my life. The people in the community in which I lived not only became my family, but taught me so much about myself and the importance of diversity. I would go back in a heartbeat."

Neighboring to the South of Uganda is Tanzania, which is where junior Annie Doyle spent five weeks working for The Foundation For Tomorrow (TFFT), a non-profit organization that provides scholarships and quality educational opportunities for orphans in the country. Outside of the classroom, TFFT provides after school programming to ensure a holistic education for each of its scholars as well as teacher training programming for each of TFFT's partner schools.

September 2011

Focused. Determined. Well-Rounded. Goal-oriented. These are the characteristics that any college freshman would love to possess. Let me introduce to you Hudson, Michigan native and Adrian College freshman Sarah Luma.

Luma graduated valedictorian and was a standout student-athlete at Hudson High School. Luma earned a 3.98 GPA, while playing on the softball, volleyball, basketball, cross country, and track and field teams for the Tigers. Luma was recognized as one of the top Lenawee County Athletic Association (LCAA) scholar-athletes her senior year. This prestigious honor is only given to 10 athletes in the area who excel in the classroom and community. Luma earned All-League and All-State honors in track and field and was also tabbed All-League and All-County in basketball. For her efforts, she was selected for the LCAA Sportsmanship Award.

This past spring, Luma decided to take her talents 19 miles east to Adrian where she will join fifth-year head coach James Larson and the track and field team as a high jumper.

"Sarah Luma is one of those student-athletes that we call a 'coach's dream'," said Larson. "She is an intelligent, friendly, hard-working, disciplined and dedicated person to what she does in the classroom and on the track. Sarah leads by example, encourages others to do the same and has already become a major asset to our program."

In high school, Luma twice broke the high jump school record. Her best leap was 5'4" which is about one inch off a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) provisional mark.

Actions away from the track are just as important to Luma. In high school, she volunteered at Red Cross Blood Drives, numerous can drives for the food pantry of Hudson and has helped with a fundraiser for the Lenawee Community's Catherine Cobb Domestic Violence Shelter Project.

May 2011

It’s hard to believe four years ago Albion College senior Jake Rinkinen wasn’t even thinking about coming to Albion. Rinkinen had his sights set on attending Grand Valley State University in the fall of 2007, at least until he met Briton baseball coach Scott Carden and listened to an influential tour guide.

"I was going to Grand Valley, but I did a showcase over in Grand Rapids and coach Carden was there," Rinkinen said. "He really liked me and kept contacting me and about two weeks before school started I decided to come to Albion."

Rinknen is now majoring in anthropology and sociology and chemistry, a starting pitcher on the varsity baseball team, a former member of the junior varsity golf team, and a published writer. Yet, he has found a way to balance his academic prowess with a solid career on the baseball diamond.

Jake has worked closely with Albion professor ‘Dimeji Togunde, who is the Chair of the Anthropology and Sociology Department, to publish three papers in various scholarly journals. The scholarly work has given Rinkinen an avenue to gain an appreciation for diversity while also building an impressive body of work that helped him attract the attention of medical schools.

"He has done a great job of being my mentor the whole time and has helped teach me the way to look empirically at different research subjects," Rinkinen said. "He was there step by step and I am still working with him today."

"The tour guide when I visited Albion talked about the ability to do research here and how at a big school it's much harder to do that," Rinkinen said. "I didn't think anything of it at the time, but by the time my first-year came around, I realized Albion gave me a great opportunity to do this and it looks better on a resume if you have papers published when you're trying gain admission to medical school or graduate school."

Rinkinen’s first work, "Agents of Change: Gender Differences in Migration Intentions among University Undergraduates in Nigeria," was published in August of 2009 in the International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. Since then, he has had two other works published.

April 2011

Long before the formation of NCAA Division III, Hope College was committed to the balanced academic and athletic development of its student-athletes. They have earned Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, and NCAA Post-Graduate scholarships; numerous student-athletes have been named to the all-academic teams in their respective sports.

The Hope women’s cross country program has distinguished itself. These student-athletes have earned All-Academic Team national honors every year since the honors program was initiated in 1990. No other Division III women's cross country program has achieved that distinction.

In addition, there have been 62 women cross country team members who have earned individual all-academic national accolades during this period of time. These young women have established a strong reputation in the classroom and on the playing field. They have gone on to serve as leaders in their communities as physicians, lawyers, teachers, businesswomen, and in a variety of other professions.

Dr. Mark Northuis, coach of the Hope cross country team notes: "It is a true joy to work with young women who are high achievers, both in the classroom and field of competition. It is even a greater joy to know that they are accomplishing what they came to Hope College to do and are graduating well prepared for life."

February 2011

Alma College senior softball player Tara Leddy, of Saginaw, Mich. and Swan Valley High School, faces the same challenges of many Division III athletes. She loves the competition, but knows that other things await her upon graduation.

Balancing the athletic and academic side of things in college can be tough, but Leddy has found a way thus far to bridge all of those endeavors.

Leddy is a three-time First Team All-MIAA selection and is the reigning league Pitcher of the Year. She had 13 wins last season and posted an ERA of 1.41 in 134 innings pitched, as the Scots won the league title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

However, softball will not be her career. She is an elementary education major and is closing in on her degree. As she balances her first softball practices in Februrary, Leddy is also responsible for an education placement in the nearby Ithaca school district, focusing on a sixth grade class.

"Organization is huge for me staying on task," says Leddy. "My schedule puts me behind a bit, meaning I have to stay longer after practice to get my work in as some of the other players can get it done before practice. Then, I know I have the homework to do after practice, but that is ok. That’s just what it takes."

Long-time Alma head coach Denny Griffin has seen this process play out many times, but sees that Tara has a unique grasp of the responsibility ahead of her.

"Tara is a planner and is not as phased by the senior responsibilites as some others can be during this last year," says Griffin. "She understands the finality of the athletic career and will do everything she can do make it the best one yet. Away from the field, she excels as well."

January 2011

When Kalamazoo senior Michelle Maiuri isn’t on the basketball court or softball field, or in the dance studio, at work, in class, or at Athletic Leadership Council meetings, she can most likely be found studying in the library.

In addition to all of her activities, Maiuri studied abroad in China last winter, returning just in time for the spring softball season. A business major with a double minor in Chinese and psychology, Maiuri dedicates about 34 hours per week to her extracurricular activities. Many mornings she gets up at 5 a.m. to attend a 6 a.m. practice and then goes to class for the day. After class she heads to the library for an evening of studying.

Maiuri chose to attend Kalamazoo because she wanted to continue to participate in athletics after playing in high school at the International Academy in the Detroit area. While it may be difficult to find balance between all these activities, she says extracurricular activities ultimately help her grades as they provide a "de-stressor."

The most difficult part of balancing extracurricular activities and academic life is the tendency to "get lazy and neglect work when you want to have free time." Maiuri says she constantly has to stay on task to complete everything.

December 2010

The rigors of being a collegiate student-athlete are enough to keep anyone busy. Saint Mary’s softball player Hayley Bojorquez (pictured second from right) goes beyond only being successful in the classroom and on the field.

Going to college more than 2,100 miles and a 34-hour drive from home might have been more of a distraction than a reason to focus her time and efforts into just a few activities and softball. But the Moorpark, Calif., native used the resources and opportunities of the College to get involved and become a strong presence in the campus and South Bend communities.

The elementary education major and lone senior on the Belles softball team sets an example to her teammates and other student-athletes of how involvement is not only possible, but integral to the total educational experience.

“If I weren't as busy as I am, I would have thought about it all the time. Without the many activities that I am personally involved in, I would have not been able to evolve into the person I today," Bojorquez said.

November 2010

Finding a balance between the demands of academics and athletics is never easy for a collegiate student-athlete but Calvin College cross country runners Jake Christiansen and Ben Lewis have found a way to do just that.

Earlier this fall, the two Calvin student-athletes led a Calvin mathematics department colloquium detailing their summer research efforts under the guidance of Calvin mathematics professor Dr. Todd Kapitula. Christiansen and Lewis were able to study under Kapitula during the summer months thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Both students presented abstracts on eigenvalue problems. Lewis focused specifically on the Evans function while Christiansen focused on functions taking place in different dimensions which are related to quantum mechanics.

A junior from South Haven, Mich., Lewis is a mathematics major planning on attending graduate school. A native of New Ipswich, N.H., Christiansen is an education major with an emphasis in mathematics. Both individuals are Dean’s List students at Calvin and have been regular members of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. They are also key members of a Calvin men’s cross country team currently ranked eighth nationally. One of three Christiansen brothers to run at Calvin, Jake was the MIAA champion in the 5,000 meter run at the 2010 MIAA Track and Field Championships last spring.

October 2010

Olivet College senior Kellen Beckwith, of Farmington Hills, Mich., knows the importance of balancing athletics with his academic and co-curricular schedule. In addition to the rigors of being a college swimmer, Beckwith is also an outstanding student and is involved in other activities on campus.

In the pool, Beckwith is the first male swimmer in Olivet history to be a two-time NCAA All-American. As a sophomore, he finished in eighth place in the 100-yard backstroke, and last year, Beckwith improved one spot to place seventh in the same event.

In the classroom, Beckwith carries a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA) in mathematics. Out of the pool, he is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Mathletes and Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

Click here to learn more about Kellen Beckwith

September 2010

Lindsay Chitwood graduated from Adrian College in May after a career that saw her compete in three sports for the Bulldogs, earning All-MIAA First Team honors in women’s soccer as a senior. She also had a grade point average of more than 3.0 with marketing major. Chitwood, who is an assistant coach for the Adrian women’s soccer team this fall, offers tips to student-athletes on how to balance the demands of competing in sport with the requirements of their academic course work.

"According to U.S. News and World Report, less than five percent of college athletes ever make it into the professional ranks. This is a statistic that I would be willing to bet almost all incoming college student-athletes are familiar with.

It’s a harsh reality, but the main point of going to college is to get an education. The following are some tips from a recent graduate of Adrian College, who played three sports in her four years, double majored, and managed to stay above a 3.0 GPA.

I’m not saying that I used each and every one of these guidelines, but after being through four years, I feel they are the bare essentials to staying on top of your academics..."

Click here to learn more about Lindsay Chitwood