RESULTS

ANGOLA, Ind. – The Calvin punched its way through to grab a conference championship trophy that has alluded the program since 2019 on Saturday on the campus of Trine University. The Knights captured the MIAA Indoor title with a first place team score of 191 points, holding off a comeback bid by Hope down the stretch as the Flying Dutchmen finished second with 165 points with defending champion Trine taking third with 117.5 points.

Calvin began the day with a 30-point lead over Hope. Calvin's lead swelled over 60 points early on Saturday before Hope closed to within 40 points with four events left on the track, many of which favored Hope with its lineup of runners set to compete. A key win in the 800 meters helped thwart any comeback bid with gritty finishes in the 200 meters and 3,000 meter run sealing the win with a triumph in the 4x400 meter relay adding icing to the final victory cake.

Calvin's Saturday morning got off to a quick start with a 2-3-4-5 finish in the triple jump as the Knights added 23 points to their total. Junior Luke Nguyen (Houston, Tx./ Carl Wunsche Sr.) made a bid for the win before nipped on the last jump of the competition by a competitor from Albion. Nguyen still managed a strong second with a leap of 45-8 with freshman Alex Guidry (Cypress, Texas/Cypress Creek) placing third with a season-best mark of 45-2 ¼. Junior Connor Johnson (Kingsley, Mich./Kingsley HS) snuck into the finals in ninth place but moved up to fourth with his final three jumps, cranking out a finals-best leap of 43-5 ¼. Less than 12 hours after placing third in the high jump, freshman Sam Abdalla (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern HS) took fifth (43-0 ¼).

Freshman James McCoy (University City, Mo./Lutheran High School North) grabbed six points for the Knights with a third place finish in the shot put (48-10 ¾).

Calvin then delivered 15 points in the pole vault with freshman Zach Hartemink (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) delivering a clutch performance to win the event with a vault of 14-7 ½, winning the event on fewer misses than a competitor from Olivet. Sophomore Nathan Bengelink (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) also came up with a sterling effort, clearing the bar at 13-7 ¾ to take fourth.

The morning/early afternoon field event finishes allowed Calvin to build a 68 point advantage over Hope.

Hope went 1-3-5-6 in the first Saturday event on the track – the mile run. Sophomore Abe VanDuinen (Pentwater, Mich./Pentwater HS) came up with a key lean at the wire to take second place in 4:15.95 with junior Pierce Bentley (Kalamazoo, Mich./Otsego HS) grinding out a key point with an eighth place finish in 4:29.65.

Calvin grabbed 19 points to Hope's 17 in the 60 meter hurdles. Junior Zach VanBaren (Hudsonville, Mich./Covenant Christian HS) was second in the race with a season-best time of 8.42 with sophomore Rhys Bedford (Delton, Mich./Delton Kellogg HS) taking third in a season-best time of 8.43. Freshman Gavin Currie (Ada, Mich./Rockford HS) was fifth in a career-best time of 8.60 with junior Bob Horton (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) eighth in 8.66.

The Knights picked up 12 points in the 400 meter dash. Sophomore Benjamin Habers (Lake Ann, Mich./Traverse City West) was fourth (50.85), senior Connor Lubberts (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS) fifth (50.95) and sophomore Alexander Nelson (Snow Hill, Md./Snow Hill HS) sixth (51.47).

Freshman Gabe Van Goor (White Lake, Mich./Clarkston HS) took sixth in the 60 meter dash (7.02). In the prelims, he shattered his own school record with a time of 6.96.

The 60 meter dash set up the crucial 800 meter run. Running a tough mid-distance double, VanDuinen delivered an emphatic win the race, pulling away over the final 200 meters and crossing the line in a first place time of 1:57.53. Freshman Samuel Downing (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland East HS) was sixth (2:00.87) and freshman Cody Aardsma (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian HS) seventh (2:01.54).

Running in the first of seven heats, freshman Hudson Shoup (Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Latin HS) grabbed a point with an eighth place finish in the 200 meters with a career-best time of 22.51. The point by Shoup put the Knights on the doorstep of the league crown with Calvin needing just one point in the final two events to seal the deal.

Calvin did just that in the 3,000 meter run as sophomore Vaughn Meyer (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) dug down to dig out a sixth place finish in a time of 8:46.67, just missing a career-best time in the process. The sixth place finish came less than 24 hours after placing fourth in the 5,000 meters the night before. The three points earned by Meyer allowed the Knights to clinch their first MIAA Indoor Track and Field crown since 2017.

Calvin put the capper on the day by winning the 4x400 meter relay in 3:24.82. The relay consisted of Habers, Lubberts, Nelson and graduate student Koby VanderWoude (Caledonia, Mich./Caledonia HS). It marked Calvin's third straight win in the race at the MIAA Indoor Championships.

COACHES COMMENT: "Just a fantastic all-around effort by our team to get this done," said Calvin head track and field coach Adam Haldorson. "We had so many people contribute and step up. The field events this morning and early afternoon kept the momentum rolling that we had gained on Friday. We had some outstanding performances on the track. The win by Abe VanDuinen in the 800 meters really put us in strong position to win at a crucial moment in the meet."