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.
