Awards by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association to the outstanding senior athletes from its member schools during the 2008-09 academic year have been announced by Commissioner David Neilson.
Jed Christiansen of Calvin College has received the Albert H. Deal Scholar-Athlete Award, while Nora Kuiper of Hope College has been presented the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Scholar-Athlete Award.
"Jed and Nora have had marvelous careers these last four years in the classroom, on the track, 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).
Jed Christiansen
A resident of New Ipswich, N.H., and graduate of Greenville (Pa.) High School. Christiansen was an eight-time All-MIAA selection during his career at Calvin, earning all-conference honors in both cross country and track and field all four years.
In cross country, Christiansen helped the Knights to four consecutive MIAA championships, earning Most Valuable Runner honors in his senior year. He also earned All-American honors all four years for Calvin, becoming just the 14th runner in NCAA Division III history to accomplish that feat, and played a key role as Calvin won the national championship in 2006. He finished fifth in the 2006 NCAA national meet and sixth in the 2008 national championships. He was twice named Great Lakes Regional Athlete of the Year by the Cross Country Coaches Association, in 2007 and 2008. He served as team captain in both his junior and senior years.
In track and field, Christiansen was a four-time MIAA champion, winning the 5,000 meters in 2006, 2007 and 2009, and the 1,500 meters in 2009 as Calvin extended its run of consecutive MIAA titles to 23. He earned All-American honors three times, finishing fifth in the 10,000 meters in 2008, and fourth in the 10,000 meters and eighth in the 5,000 meters in 2009. In addition, Christiansen earned All-American honors in indoor track and field in 2009, finishing third in the 5,000 meters. He was captain for Calvin’s men’s track team this past spring.
A major in secondary education and physical education with a 3.55 grade point average, Christiansen will graduate from Calvin in May 2010 after completing his student teaching. He was a member of the Cross Country Coaches All-Academic Team in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and of the U.S. Track Coaches Association All-Academic Team in 2008. Jed was also named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll for the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years.
Christiansen was a student mentor leader at Calvin for four years, served as student chairperson for the Area 11 Michigan Special Olympics, and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Raybrook Retirement Home in Grand Rapids, Christ Community Church, and the Greenville (Pa.) Nursing Home. He served on Calvin’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for two years and last fall contributed to an NCAA student-athlete blog.
Jed Christiansen is the son of Joshua and Marcia Christiansen.
Other nominees for the Deal Award were Todd Meyers of Adrian, Ryan Gunderson of Albion, William “Buddy” Scarborough of Alma, Jesse Reimink of Hope, Bobby Dekker of Kalamazoo and Mark VanLente of Olivet.
Nora Kuiper
A graduate of Parchment High School, Kuiper earned All-MIAA honors in track and field all four years at Hope. She was an eight-time MIAA champion, winning the 100-meter dash all four years for the Flying Dutch. She also won the 200 meters in 2008 and 2009, and was part of Hope’s winning 4x100-meter relay teams in 2008 and 2009. She set the MIAA record in the 100 meters in 2008 with a time of 12.13 seconds, then broke that mark in 2009 with a time of 12.10 seconds.
Kuiper was named the MIAA’s most valuable runner in 2009, and was also named the recipient of the Jack Schouten Award, given to Hope’s outstanding senior female student-athlete, in 2009.
Kuiper earned All-American honors three times during her career. She finished fifth in the 100 meters at the NCAA Division III national meet in 2008, then won the 100 meters in 2009 with a time of 11.84 seconds, the best time in the nation on the season. In the process, she became the first Hope female track athlete in school history to win a national championship. Kuiper also finished second in the 200 meters in 2009.
A chemistry major, Kuiper graduated from Hope in May with a grade point average of 3.93. She received numerous academic honors, including Phi Beta Kappa recognition and being named general chemistry student of the year and recipient of the Kleinheksel Award in Mathematics at Hope. She was named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll four consecutive years, and also was named
Kuiper was a teaching assistant in Hope’s chemistry department for three years, served on Hope’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years and was a member of Omnicron Delta Kappa, a leadership society. She also gave a presentation at an American Chemistry Society conference on utilizing fluorescent spectroscopy in DNA protein-building.
In addition, Kuiper was a group Bible study leader, tutored at-risk elementary students in Hope’s Children’s After School Achievement (CASA) program, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and participated in a mission trip to Mozambique. She plans to spend a year in Mozambique working on a project to improve water supplies.
Nora Kuiper is the daughter of Scott and Ann Kuiper.
Other nominees for the Kovalchik Award were Krissy Sheets of Adrian, Dorinda Williams of Albion, Erica Deur of Calvin, Katie Stefl of Kalamazoo, Lindsay Pipkin of Olivet, Caitlin Brodmerkel of Saint Mary’s and Sallie Richardson of Trine.
