Nicole Michmerhuizen had a very successful time as Calvin’s sole representative at the Division III National Championship meet at the University of Nebraska on Friday and Saturday, placing second in the 5,000 meters and fourth in the 3,000 meters. These are Michmerhuizen’s third and fourth All-American berths, as she also finished second in the indoor 5,000 last year and won the 10,000 outdoor.

In the 5,000 on Friday, Michmerhuizen recorded a career-best time of 16:41.26, which is the second-fastest time in Calvin history and the fastest ever recorded on an indoor track. The University of La Verne’s Lenore Moreno was the national champion with a meet-record time of 16:32.85. Moreno and Michmerhuizen ran the majority of the race well ahead of third place, and their positions were largely unchallenged.

Michmerhuizen opted for another aggressive race in the 3,000 the next day, taking the lead early and gapping the field. A group of three runners eventually caught her around two-thirds of the way through the race, but Michmerhuizen was able to hold off the rest of the field to finish fourth in 9:45.22. Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Christy Cazzola made a big move to win in the final 100 meters.

Nicole will look to continue her success on the track as the Knights move to outdoor track where she can compete in the 10,000 meters, the event she considers her best. The Rhodes Open meet in Tennessee, the next on Calvin’s list, is scheduled for March 22.