Cornerstone University - News

[Men's Cross Country] Golden Eagles finish 19th at NAIA National Championships

Randy Strawser — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:00:00 -0600

(Vancouver, Wash.) After three beautiful days, the weather in Vancouver, Washington turned seasonal, which is to say rainy as the NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championships got underway. The four-loop course at Fort Vancouver became muddier and more slippery with each lap making the short hills and sharp corners more of a challenge.

Cornerstone senior, Travis Mabe led his team for the final time, working his way from 85^th in the open mile then passing a dozen or so competitors each time around the two kilometer circuit. Classmate, Cody Risch pulled the rest of the CU pack then broke away in the final miles.

Aiming for a spot in the top 30, Mabe reached 32^nd with one mile to go. He finished the race in 25:31, his best time of his four races here, placing 41^st. "I thought Travis ran exactly like he wanted to but fell a little short of his goal," said coach Nate Van Holten. "Cody ran well cracking the top 100 [96^th in 26:05] and Zach Bourdon ran 8 seconds off his PR [27:43 / 254^th]on a tough course and a tough day. Cornerstone fourth senior, Jared Courtright, gave a determined effort, having spent the previous day feeling quite sick. He finished in 169^th with a time of 26:47.

Between Risch and Courtright, were Thomas Bambach (133^rd / 26:30) and Louis Falland (161^st / 26:43). Tyler Grey placed 300^th in 29:17.

Van Holten was fairly pleased with the results, "We finished 19, which is our third best at nationals. It's been a season of ups and downs, bumps and bruises and this week has been like that as well. We handled that well. We came in ranked 18^th and finished 19^th after not running our best so I can live with that."

[Men's Cross Country] Seniors Set for Final Race at National Championships

Aimee Luurtsema — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:20:00 -0600

VANCOUVER, WA (11/15) The Cornerstone Men's Cross Country team heads into the 2012 NAIA Cross Country National Championship with an experienced crew that includes four seniors, Zach Bourdon, Jared Courtright, Travis Mabe and Cody Risch.

Mabe and Jared have paced the Golden Eagles this season, having joined the team with little in the way of high school experience. "It was a building process and they had a lot to learn," said coach Nate Van Holten. "There were instances their freshman year when I could see that down the road good things would happen." Van Holten saw great progress in the pair as sophomores and even as seniors notices that they continue to learn about how to race and train.

[Men's Cross Country] Seniors Pace CU to WHAC Runner-Up

Randy Strawser — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 19:50:00 -0600

(Grand Rapids, Mich.) In the annual battle for the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championship, the Cornerstone Men's Cross Country team had their best race of the year, claiming the runner up spot.

Conditions at Riverside Park were cold and calm, good for fast running. The early pace was quick, but the opening mile of just over five minutes resulted in a lead pack of nearly twenty men, including four from CU. By three miles, little had changed as Travis Mabe, Jared Courtright, Cody Risch and Thomas Bambach held from with a 15:20 split.

In the final two miles Aquinas secured the win, putting their first five in the top ten. Cornerstone countered with seniors, Mabe and Courtright finishing fifth and sixth with Bambach and senior, Cody Risch bookending a blanket nine through twelve group that finished one second apart.

[Men's Cross Country] Cross Country Men Back in the Top Twenty

Aimee Luurtsema — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:15:00 -0600

Following their fourth place finish at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge last Saturday, the Golden Eagles climbed back into the top twenty in the latest NAIA rankings.

The poll released Wednesday, October 24 is the last one before qualifying weekend. The CU men are well-positioned going into the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championship on November 3. WHAC rivals, Aquinas who finished one place ahead of Cornerstone Saturday held onto tenth in this week's rankings.

"We expect the usual all-out battle with Aquinas and Siena Heights always comes to the WHAC meet ready to race well," said CU Men's Head Coach, Nate Van Holten.

[Men's Cross Country] Men finish fourth at Great Lakes Challenge

Randy Strawser — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 19:15:00 -0600

(Grand Rapids, Mich.) The fifth annual NAIA Great Lakes Challenge hosted by Aquinas College had everything good about Cross Country racing: partly cloudy skies, crisp autumn temperature, wet but solid footing for 352 men from 34 teams to run 8,000 meters in front of hundreds of spectators.

The Cornerstone men, running all of their top five for the first time this season needed a good race to move up from 20^th in the NAIA national rankings.

Senior, Travis Mabe was not in the top 50 when he passed the mile mark in 5:05, but as he has done for four years, moved steadily through the field. Behind him Cody Risch and Thomas Bambach ran within a few meters of each other the entire race.

Jared Courtright and Louis Falland, both recently returning from injuries, raced a bit more conservatively and pulled within eight seconds of one another in the final mile.

"We needed to show we had five strong runners and they did that today," said Coach Nate Van Holten. "We make strides every race and get a little better and this was a part of that process"

By the finish, Mabe worked his way up to 12^th, lowering his best time to 25:29. Bambach crossed in 22nd, clocking 25:54 with Risch four places back in 26:00. Courtright ran 26:23 in 44^th and Falland arrived in 26:31 taking 48^th.

The University of St. Francis, IL, currently ranked third in the NAIA won the team title with 50 points over sixth ranked Shawnee State, OH. WHAC rivals and tenth rated Aquinas took third with 99, just ahead of Cornerstone's 152 points. "Overall we held form and had a great day," Van Holten said. "A few more tweaks and the conference meet will be even more exciting."

[Men's Cross Country] Men Climb Back into the Top 25

Randy Strawser — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:55:00 -0600

(KANSAS CITY, Mo. ) One week after dropping out of the NAIA national rankings, the Cornerstone Men's Cross Country team bounced back to 23^rd in this week's poll.

After a good race at the Michigan Intercollegiate Championships on October 5, the Golden Eagles returned to the 23^rd spot.

"This week we are back to full strength," said Coach Nate Van Holten. "Our entire top five should be racing next week and that will give us the chance to match up with the best NAIA teams in the Midwest."

The NAIA Great Lakes Challenge takes place Saturday, October 20 at 11 a.m. at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids.

[Men's Cross Country] Risch Records PR at Intercollegiates

Randy Strawser — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:30:00 -0600

(Grand Rapids, Mich.) One week after a lackluster outing in Kentucky the Cornerstone Men's Cross Country team bounced back with their best performance of the season at the Michigan Intercollegiate Championship.

This year's race was hosted by Calvin College at the very fast Gainey Athletic Complex course. Temperatures in the low 50's and a brisk wind created outstanding conditions and the Golden Eagles took full advantage.

Senior, Cody Risch decided to shake things up and led the team through the opening mile in 4:49 while Travis Mabe, Thomas Bambach and Jared Courtright trailed by less than ten seconds. By three miles, Mabe had pulled even with Risch, splitting 15:07 with Bambach close and Courtright 14 seconds back.

In the final mile, the quartet closed ranks then Risch launched a fantastic drive to the finish reaching the line in a huge personal best of 25:30, taking 23^rd place. Mabe, Bambach and Courtright arrived just nine seconds apart with Travis running 25:37 in 29^th, Thomas 32^nd in 25:45 and Courtright 33^rd in 25:46.

With Louis Falland sitting out again this week, Tyler Grey filled the #5 spot with a new best 27:26 for 105^th place.

The Golden Eagles earned a top five finish with 191 points behind Grand Valley State's winning 20 point effort with Calvin second with 73, Saginaw Valley third with 138 and Northwood fourth at 162. Twenty-six Michigan colleges took part in the meet.

[Men's Cross Country] Mabe Runs Season Best in Kentucky

Aimee Luurtsema — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 23:00:00 -0600

LOUISVILLE, KY (9/29) The Golden Eagles travelled to Louisville, KY to participate in the largest cross country meet in the United States this year. Nearly 150 teams and over one thousand athletes covered the course at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in six different races.

[Men's Cross Country] Men's Cross Country Season Preview

Aimee Luurtsema — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:52:18 -0600

The Cornerstone University Men's Cross Country team goes into the 2012 season with great anticipation. A core group with plenty of NAIA Nationals experience combines with strong underclassmen. The result should be another year of tight pack racing.

Last year's 1-5 split was typically around 30 seconds and all five men return after outstanding T&F seasons. Seniors, Jared Courtright and Travis Mabe share 8k PRs of 25:44. Courtright earned All-America honors from NAIA Indoor Nationals in the 3,000 meters and Mabe lowered his 5k track best to 15:09. Fellow senior, Cody Risch ran 26:03 last season before finishing national runner-up in the race walk at both NAIA Indoor and Outdoor National meets. Sophomore, Louis Falland fits right in with his 2011 best of 25:45 and earned All-America honors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase last May. Sophomore Thomas Bamach returns with the fastest 8k PR of 25:41.

Redshirt freshman, Tyler Steigenga brings a 15:53 5k PR from the track to add depth.

Looking at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, seniors took seven of the top nine spots last season, putting CU's pack out in front. There will likely be the usual battle between Cornerstone, Aquinas and Siena Heights for the WHAC team title with all three teams looking to advance to the NAIA Championships in Vancouver, Washington on November 17.

[Men's Cross Country] Golden Eagles Third at Vanderbilt Invitational

Aimee Luurtsema — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:00:00 -0600

9/1 (HOLLAND) The Cornerstone University Men's Cross Country team opened the 2012 season at the Vanderbilt Invitational hosted by Hope College. Meet conditions were warm and hazy, but much better than the sweltering temperatures one year ago when several athletes suffered heat related injuries.

Travis Mabe, Jared Courtright and Cody Risch started their senior seasons by placing in the awards. Mabe and Courtright raced together through four miles moving up steadily through the field. Travis pulled away slightly in the final mile to take fourth in 25:23 with Jared thirteen seconds and two places behind. Risch used a strong finish to place 14^th in 27:18.

Jared Holmberg (28:23 / 20^th) and Tyler Grey (29:15 / 24^th) completed the team scoring giving Cornerstone 67 points.

Hope won the meet with 39 points Albion was second with 43 followed by Cornerstone and Muskegon Community college with 85.

Currently ranked 20^th in the NAIA preseason poll, the Golden Eagles compete next at the Greater Louisville Classic on September 29.

[Men's Cross Country] Mabe Named Scholar-Athlete

Randy Strawser — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:47:02 -0600

Travis Mabe was named a 2011 Daktronics-NAIA Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete by the NAIA. Mabe, a junior Environment Biology major, was honored by the NAIA for his academic performance in the classroom. Click here to see the full list of honorees.

[Men's Cross Country] Falland Flies at WHAC Championships

Randy Strawser — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:06:33 -0600

(Grand Rapids, Mich.) On a perfect day for racing at Riverside Park, Cornerstone's Louis Falland competed like a veteran in just his sixth cross country meet, leading the Golden Eagles and securing a spot at the NAIA National Championships in Vancouver, WA in two weeks.

As is usually the case the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference meet is a three way battle between Aquinas, Cornerstone and Siena Heights. The past two years, Aquinas has been favored to win, then upset first by CU and last year by Siena. This time, Aquinas put five in the top ten taking the odd numbered places, Siena took the even numbered spots before and after Falland while Cornerstone used their :33 second 1-5 gap to pack their second through fifth men between tenth and seventeenth.

Louis' time of 25:44 was a personal best by 14 seconds and his sixth place finish earned him All-Conference honors. Jared Courtright placed tenth in 26:00, qualifying for the NAIA national meet and second-team All-WHAC. Travis Mabe (26:07 / 11^th) and Cody Risch (26:12 / 13^th) were also recognized as second-team all-conference. Thomas Bambach closed out the CU score running 26:17 for seventeenth.

Cornerstone's 57 points put them third behind Aquinas' 25 and Siena Heights' 49. Davenport was fourth with 116 followed by Indiana Tech (144), Madonna (160), University of Michigan-Dearborn (197) and Concordia (229).

[Men's Cross Country] Men Have a Great Race at Great Lakes Invite

Carla Fles — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:12:38 -0600

(Grand Rapids, Mich.) The day could not have been better for a cross country meet. The course at Riverside Park was firm and fast, the wind calm and the temperature crisp and cool.

[Men's Cross Country] CU Second at Manchester

Carla Fles — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:11:06 -0600

(North Manchester, Ind.) Strong winds slowed the times at the Manchester College Cross Country Invitational, but didn't prevent the Cornerstone men from racing well.

[Men's Cross Country] Jared Courtright Named WHAC Runner of the Week

Carla Fles — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:43:48 -0600

Jared Courtright of Cornerstone University and Alina Dhaseleer of Aquinas College were named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Runners of the Week.

Courtright, a native from Wyoming, Mich., finished 11th out of 173 runners at the Michigan Intercollegiate to earn the honor for men's cross country. The junior ran the 8K race in a time of 26:47 and was the first NAIA runner across the line.