Director of Athletics Kristen Smith honors senior athletes
Kristen Smith, Director of Athletics
While Calder Fieldhouse faced the wrecking ball and the Angell Field Athletic Complex was overwhelmed by bulldozers, the class of 2012 held true to their commitment to excellence in the classroom and in athletic competition.
Kalamazoo College and future generations of students will forever be grateful to many of you for your flexibility in practicing and competing off site this season as our fieldhouse and athletic field complex were renovated. As you know, these improvements are critical to Kalamazoo College’s future and we look forward to your return next fall or spring to enjoy them with us.
As I look back on the past year, I am impressed by the number of accolades and accomplishments achieved by this senior class. Nick Jones, Adam Cares, Mike Page and Jake Schell earned All-MIAA honors in football. Autumn Cussen was named MIAA Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year while also earning All-MIAA honors with Colleen Leonard. Rachel Pitzer represented the women’s soccer program with All-MIAA honors. Women’s golfers Ashley Arnoldi and Meghan Turner finished their careers with the second and third best career averages, respectively.
Chris Manning earned MIAA MVP honors in men’s swimming while earning All-MIAA honors for the fourth time. Chris proceeded to finish in the top-five in three events at nationals, helping the team finish 13th in the country. Chris’s athletic accomplishments have continued since his NCAA performance. In April Chris qualified for the 2012 Olympic trials and will compete for a spot on the US Olympic team beginning in June. Good luck Chris! Swimmers Kevin Lodewyk and Katie Grue also earned All-MIAA honors this season while Christine Lewis broke school records in two events.
Joe Prepolec earned All-MIAA honors in basketball while finishing eighth all-time in scoring and sixth all-time in rebounding. He also shattered the school record for blocked shots in his career.
The men’s tennis team made it 74 straight with a league championship in May followed by a trip to the second round of the NCAA III Tournament. Nate Eddy was named league MVP for the second straight year and was joined on the All-MIAA team by Mark Denenfeld and Alex Dombos. Kelsey Hassevoort was named league MVP in women’s tennis while Paula Silverman joined her in earning All-MIAA honors. Jake Hansen was named to the All-MIAA team in baseball while David Kamerman set stolen base records for a single season and career.
Academic awards continue to roll in, but already we’ve seen Joe Prepolec named to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Academic-Athletic Honor Team, Alex Dombos and Kelsey Hassevoort earning MIAA awards for scholar-athletes in tennis, and Dombos, Hassevoort, and Kevin Lodewyk being selected to Academic All-District teams.
It was a pleasure to watch each of you compete this past season. The opportunity to compete in intercollegiate athletics at a place like Kalamazoo College is a privilege that I trust has been both challenging and meaningful, with lessons learned in practice and preparation, victory and defeat. I wish you all the best as you move down whatever path you create for yourself, and I look forward to your return to campus in the future.
About kzindex
