Summer 2010 - Northwestern College

ed zoneBrad Payne etched hisname in Northwestern’srecord books, finishing hiscareer second in runs (151)and triples (16) and fourthin batting average (.386).DAN ROSSRed ZoneBaseballNational QualifiersNorthwestern won the GreatPlains Athletic Conferencepostseason tournament andqualified for the NAIA nationaltourney. The Raiders went 3-2 inopening-round play at nationalsand finished among the top 19teams. With a 37-20 record, thesquad tied the school record formost wins in a season and setmarks for runs (410), RBIs (360)and hits (551). Shortstop andpitcher Brad Payne received NAIAAll-American honorable mentionafter hitting at a .451 clip andcompiling a 6-2 record.Men’s GolfFirst All-AmericanSenior Luke Vermeer becamethe first Red Raider golfer to benamed an All-American aftertying for 26th at the nationalmeet. The conference golfer ofthe year won four meets and setschool records for lowest averagein a season (74.4) and career (75).Aaron Aberson ’06 will serve ashead coach next year after twoseasons as an assistant to MarkBloemendaal ’81.Outdoor TrackFreshman SoarsHigh jumper Kendra DeJong placed second at the NAIAnational outdoor meet with a5-08.75 effort, earning All-American status. Three otherRaiders also competed at nationals.Service ProjectsTeams on a MissionMembers of the football andwrestling teams served in Italy andthe Czech Republic, respectively,in May. They practiced andcompeted with club teams, ledclinics and shared the gospel.Scholar-AthletesClass ActTwenty Raiders earned NAIAScholar-Athlete honors thisspring, including nine in track.SoftballHonorable MentionJunior Rachel Harris, who ledthe GPAC with a .449 battingaverage, received All-Americanhonorable mention. Under firstyearcoach Stephanie Kuhl, theRaiders compiled a 9-31 recordand were 5-19 in the league.Women’s GolfAll-ConferenceSenior Maggie Achterhofearned all-conference honors forthe second straight year. She wasthe medalist at the Sioux FallsSpring Invitational.Women’s TennisSixth in GPACFreshman Kellie Korverreceived all-conference honorablemention recognition following aseason in which the Raiders went3-11 overall, 3-5 in the GPAC.Red Raider ClubHall of FamersThe Red Raider Club addedthree alumni to the AthleticHall of Fame in February: RenaeBahrke ’02 (softball), NickScholten ’03 (football), and JaimeWoudstra ’04 (basketball).Bryan Case ’95, head footballcoach at Southern Cal HighSchool in Lake City, Iowa,was named coach of the yearafter leading his teams to twoconsecutive state titles. PeteStevenson ’79 received theBarnabas Award.For more on Raider sports, visitwww.nwcraiders.comDAN ROSSA Season to RememberCoach Earl Woudstra knewa year ago that the 2010 Northwesternwomen’s basketball teamhad the potential to go far in theNAIA Div. II national tournament.His 2009 squad surprised many byadvancing to the tourney’s FinalFour with four freshmen receivingsignificant playing time and noseniors on the roster.Then a mission trip to Mazatlan,Mexico, last summer helpedJunior Becca Hurley led the way forthe Raiders in the national championshipgame, contributing 23 points,seven assists and five rebounds.deepen relationships among theteam members. “There’s no doubtthat created team chemistry, whichis so critical,” says Woudstra. “Ourplayers enjoyed being with eachother on and off the court.”The Red Raiders didn’t disappointWoudstra and NWC fans.Ranked second in the nationalpreseason poll, the squad wasrated in the top five all season anddominated the national tourney inMarch, closing out the year witha 31-5 record and the program’sthird national title in 10 years.The Raiders defeated ShawneeState of Ohio in the nationalchampionship game, 85-66, afterleading by as many as 34 points inthe second half. Averaging morethan 91 points in the five gamesat nationals and winning by a27-point margin, NWC was testedmost severely in a semifinal roundgame against GPAC foe BriarCliff. Playing their fourth contestof the year with the Chargers—thistime before a full house in SiouxCity’s Tyson Arena—the Raidersprevailed, 91-83.Woudstra says he was amazedby the way his athletes complementedeach others’ talents, giftsand styles of play. “They reallycame together the last week of theseason, and then into the conferencetournament and nationals.We had great leadership from ourAll-Americans, Becca Hurley andRanda Hulstein. They played theirvery best and helped bring otherpeople with them.”The coach says the seasonwould have been a success evenwithout bringing a third nationalchampionship banner home to theBultman Center. “The relationshipsformed and lessons learnedthroughout the year outweigh thenational championship by a lot.Our focus is on enjoying the journey.If you’re only centered on whathappens in March, it can be empty.It’s like taking a vacation and onlyfocusing on the final destinationbut not stopping to see the sightsalong the way.”Senior Randa Hulstein (center) celebratesher second national title with teammates.She was also on the 2008 national championshipsquad.Red RaiderFeats• Becca Hurley was named MVP of thenational tournament. TeammatesRanda Hulstein and Kendra De Jongalso earned all-tourney honors.• Earl Woudstra earned national coachof the year honors for the third time.• Hurley was named a first-team All-American for the second year in arow, and Hulstein earned secondteamhonors.• Hurley and Kristin Neth were selectedas NAIA Scholar-Athletes.• The team set a national tournamentscoring record with 457 points.• Hulstein set the all-time nationaltournament rebounding recordwith 157.DAN ROSS16Northwestern Classic 17