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Troll Nation has a lot to cheer about this post season!

The baseball team has earned a berth in NCCAA World Series and members of the women’s team Advance to the NAIA national track and field competition.

The World Series takes place May 22-25 and the track and field events will be held May 23-25.

NCCAA Baseball World Series

The Trolls earned their spot by claiming the NCCAA North Central Region Championship. Trinity’s 6th-seeded team is competing in pool play in a field of 10 at JB “Red” Owens Sports Complex.

The Trolls will take to the field:

• May 22 at 9 am CDT vs Warner University (FL)
• May 22 at 6 pm CDT vs Bluefield College (VA)
• May 23 at 9 am CDT vs College of the Ozarks (MO)
• May 24 at 12 pm CDT vs Randall University (OK)

The semifinal round begins May 24. Check out tournament pairings, results, and livestream here!

NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Championship

Four members of the women’s track and field team will compete at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala., starting on May 23: Madelyn Clausen in the high jump and Megan DeWeerd, Hope Fathman, and Nicole Syverson in the marathon.

DeWeerd, Fathman, and Syverson will compete on May 25 at 5 am CDT. Clausen competes on May 25 at 1 pm CDT.

You can follow all the action on the NAIA website here.

And of course, we’ll be sharing all the latest developments through the Athletics Twitter feed!

Go Trolls!

Congratulations to Madelyn Clausen ’21, the 2019 NCCAA women’s national high jump champion!

Clausen won with a jump of 5 feet, 5 inches at the NCCAA National Championships held at the Bernard and Linnie Key Track and Field Complex on the campus of Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind. from May 9-10.  She was named to the All-American list, along with Megan DeWeerd ’19, who had a third place finish in the 5000 meter with a time of 18:23.08.  For the men’s team, Caleb DeWeerd ’21 earned All-America honors with a third place finish in the 1500 meter. He finished with a time of 4:00.56.

The athletes were part of the women’s and men’s teams that faced national-level competition at the three day meet, which featured competitors from 25 schools across the country. The Trolls competed in 19 different events and placed in 13 events. Overall, the women’s team scored 42 points and was seventh of 22 teams. The men’s team scored 14 points for a 16th place finish of 25 teams.

Along with Clausen and DeWeerd’s performances, the women also had two fourth place finishes with Allie Boss ’22 in the 800 meter and Boss, DeWeerd, Nicole Syverson, and Brittany Hoekman in the 4 x 800 meter relay. Olivia Hoekstra had a strong race in the 400 meter and took fifth place. The team picked up points in four events with sixth place finishes. Those competitors were Hope Fathman in the 3000 meter steeple-chase, Taylor Yanke in the javelin, and Muabon Paye, Olivia Hoekstra, Carissa Wisse, and Clausen in the 4 x 100 meter relay and the foursome of Wisse, Alexis VanRyn, Val Hoekstra, and O. Hoekstra in the 4 x 400 meter relay.

Other points for the men came from Nick Heidinger in fifth place in the 3000 meter steeple-chase and Kyle VanderPlaats in seventh place in the 10,000 meter. In addition the 4 x 800 meter relay team of Ryan Mathes, DeWeerd, Andrew Dobrescu, and Brantley VanOverloop took seventh place.

Four women will be competing at the NAIA National Championships on May 23-25 at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala.: Clausen in the high jump and DeWeerd, Syverson, and Fathman in the marathon.

With a double-header victory over Hannibal-LaGrange University of Hannibal, Mo., on May 11 in the NCCAA North Central Region Championship, Trinity advances to the NCCAA World Series on May 22-25 in Easley, South Carolina!

The top-seeded Trolls faced Hannibal-LaGrange in a double-header of seven inning games before home-team fans at Schaaf Fields. The first game needed two extra innings before the Trolls took a 4-2 win on a walk-off home run. In the second game Trinity shut-out the Trojans with a 5-0 final.

Through the first three innings of the first game Trinity did not give up a hit and allowed only two runners on base.  The Trolls had a runner on base in each of the first two innings, but first got on the scoreboard in the third inning. With bases loaded Jake Tholl singled to left field to drive in two runs that gave the team a 2-0 lead.

Trinity threatened to score in each of the following innings of regular play and left bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth. In the top of the fifth the Trojans connected on three hits to score two runs to tie the game. When neither team broke the deadlock after seven innings the game went into extra play.

The eighth inning was scoreless and, despite two hits by Hannibal-LaGrange, so was the top of the ninth. With one out and one runner on base in the bottom of the ninth, Chris Baker set a ball over the right field fence for the two-run walk-off homer that gave the Trolls the 4-2 win.

Trinity ended the game with nine hits and Hannibal-LaGrange had seven. Baker had three hits and Sam Herzog had two. Dan Vos pitched the first seven innings and Bryan Vanderlee stepped for the win with the final two innings.

The second game had plenty of action on the base path in each inning, but after four the score was still 0-0.  Herzog doubled to start off the top of the fifth inning and eventually scored on a throwing error to put the Trolls on the board. In the following inning the Trolls registered three hits, of which two were bunts, and scored four runs to take a 5-0 lead. Ryan Stejskal singled for one RBI and, with bases loaded, Herzogsingled for two more runs. The next run came in on a fielder’s choice from Baker.

Hannibal-LaGrange, the home team on the scoreboard, got a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth, but did not score. They were three up and three down in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.

The Trolls registered 12 hits for the game and the Trojans had five. Herzog led the team with three hits while Will Kulcher and Stejskal each had two.  Christian Howell threw the first five innings for the win and Mike McIntyre finished the game.

Trinity will be in a field of 10 teams at the NCCAA World Series. More information on that national championship will be released as other regional play is completed. Click here for NCCAA region tournament results.

Trinity business major Mady Zula ’21 was “surprised but excited” when she and her team of seven students from Chicago-area colleges took first place in Ernst & Young (EY)’s Diversity Challenge at 1871, Chicago’s technology and entrepreneur center. Her team’s winning concept centered on an app they designed to solve a real-world problem for global professional services firm EY: how to attract a more diverse job applicant base.

Zula and 12 other Trinity students took part in the event, held April 5 and 6 at 1871 headquarters in Chicago’s historic Merchandise Mart.

The competition challenged more than 100 students from other Chicago area colleges and universities. Zula learned about the competition through Trinity’s Fusion 59 entrepreneur club, and was attracted by the opportunity to network with other business majors. But she admits to being intimidated at first, because she was the only Trinity student on her team, which also included students from Loyola University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, DePaul University, and the University of Chicago.

But intimidation soon turned to excitement as she and her teammates began analyzing the issue at hand.

“EY is already doing a great job with diversity,” she said. That made the project more challenging. Teams had 24 hours to brainstorm solutions and develop a presentation to the panel of EY judges in a “Shark Tank”-style concept pitch.

Zula’s team built their solution around a prototype mobile application that was designed to encourage undergrad applicants age 18-25 from diverse backgrounds to apply for jobs at EY and prepare them for an interview. The proposal included a home page, logo, and a detailed rollout plan.

App users earn points at different stages of usage, from signup to taking quizzes and participating in workshops offered by EY. The app also enables student applicants to upload their resumes and communicate directly with EY staff through email. “We wanted the app to be similar to LinkedIn, but be specific to EY,” Zula said.

During the judging process, she and her teammates discovered that all of the other teams had similar ideas of how EY could broaden applicant diversity, but none had developed an app and a solid plan to launch it. In fact, her team laid the groundwork so well that EY could actually launch the app in real life, she said.

Team collaboration was important, and members were grouped by major. Zula’s team included tech, marketing, and management majors, so all disciplines were represented.

The days were long: The Saturday brainstorming session ran from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the Sunday pitch session from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. But although it was “extremely exhausting,” it was also “a lot of fun,” and the team format made it easy to form strong friendships with her fellow teammates.

Zula double majors with management and marketing, and events like the 1871 experience are helping her to learn what she’s good at and what’s fun for her. “It was an incredible weekend! I learned a lot and was able to connect with other students in Chicagoland,” she said.

Along with Zula’s team winning the overall title, Soraya Limon ’20, a social work major, participated on a team that won its division.

The 1871 team was also impressed with what participating students brought to the table. “Our entire community cannot stop raving about their tremendous efforts, knowledge and eagerness to get involved with the tech and entrepreneurship communities here in Chicago,” said Jessica Childress of 1871.

Trinity Students from a range of majors participated in the EY Diversity Challenge in April

Nolani Schnabel- Entrepreneurial Management

Emily Schmidt- Accountancy

Mady Zula-Marketing

Josh Olson-Marketing

Mike Melody-Biblical Studies

Pat Hogan-Marketing

Dan Reiling- Computer Science

Ariel Love-Psychology

Kailah Price-English

Alec Visser-Computer Science

Joseph Wagner- Computing

Kynasia Hughlett- Communication Arts

Soraya Limon-Social Work

Thanks to the faithful generosity of two dedicated donor families, Trinity will be able to grow our nursing program facilities and enrollment for the future.

“Trinity has been blessed by two significant gifts from the family of George and Agnes DeJong and another donor family who wishes to remain anonymous. Both families have been touched by past interactions with Trinity’s nursing program,” said Rick Van Dyken ’83, Vice President for Advancement. “We are grateful that they have felt the call to give back to today’s students, and to those who will carry on Trinity’s tradition of nursing with Christian excellence.”

The expansion is scheduled to be completed next summer, in time for the beginning of Fall 2020 classes. Under the nursing program expansion plan, the entire first floor of the Classroom Building will be reconfigured to include an additional new simulation lab, observation room, and a welcome center/study space for nursing students.

“These gifts will allow us to add critical lab space to be able to expand the use of simulation for hands-on experience, and provide new areas for interaction between students and faculty,” said Nursing Department Chair and Associate Professor of Nursing Tina Decker, D.N.P. “At Trinity, we focus on preparing our nurses for a world that needs them, and the nursing program expansion will allow us to grow our tradition of Christian nurses.”

Trinity’s nursing program, which is ranked among the top BSN program in Illinois by RegisteredNursing.org, is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. For three of the last four years, 100% of Trinity BSN graduates have passed the NCLEX-RN exam the first time they have taken it. Learn more about Trinity’s Nursing Program here.

Trinity athletes, along with a contingent of the student body, gathered in the DeVos Athletics Center on April 25 for the annual Awards Night. The evening’s program was a celebration of the year, a reflection on its accomplishments, and time to honor individuals from Athletics and Student Life with annual special awards.

The Athletics Department’s highest honors are career awards given to a female and male athlete who exhibit exemplary play on the athletic field, high achievement in the classroom, and leadership in campus activities. This year the Liz Metcalfe Award was given to Elly Brummel ’18 of Hudsonville, Michigan and the Keith Albers Award was represented to Kris Kirchhoff ’18 of Frankfort, Illinois.

Brummel is a four-year starter and two-year captain as defender on the women’s soccer team.  She was an integral factor in the success of the program that made four national tournament appearances, including a NCCAA national title and a NAIA Opening Round appearance, in her four years.  In her career she was a part of 41 defensive shut-outs, which accounts for 45 percent of the games she played in. She also scored five goals and had five assists.

Brummel earned CCAC All-Conference honors twice, NCCAA All-Region honors three times, and USC All-Region honors this season. In addition she was NAIA All-America Honorable Mention this past year and NCCAA All-America in 2017 and 2018. Brummel was also named to the 2018 NCCAA Nationals All-Tournament Team.

“Elly is authentic, steadfast, trustworthy, bold yet loving, and sacrificial,” said women’s soccer coach Josh Lenarz. “She faithfully led by example on and off the field and is guided in all aspects of her life by her personal relationship with Christ. She has had a profound and lasting impact on our program.”

Kirchhoff is a three-year starting midfielder on the men’s soccer team after transferring to Trinity. Over the past three seasons he has been a steady competitor and leader for the team and provided stability and direction for the program. As a midfielder, he helped direct play on the field and also recorded three goals and had three assists in his career.

Kirchhoff, as a sport and exercise studies major, earned CCAC Scholar-Athlete in 2017 and 2018. He completed his studies in the fall semester and graduated in December.  Kirchhoff was a team captain, a member of ALPS, and also active as a coach for Trinity’s youth soccer program.

“We are grateful for Kris’ impact on our program, on the field, in the classroom, and as an incredible leader,” said Eric Sally, head men’s soccer coach. “Kris’ growth in our program exemplifies the very best of who we are and what we strive to be!”

For their outstanding individual accomplishment for the 2018-19 season, women’s soccer player Jessica Bianchi ’19 of Elmhurst, Illinois, was the Female Athlete of the Year and baseball player Chris Baker ’19 of South Holland, Illinois, was the Male Athlete of the Year.

Bianchi is a stand-out on the soccer team and led the team to a NCCAA National Championship title. For the year she recorded 36 goals and 10 assists and led the team and the conference in those categories. She also ranked in the top five in the NAIA in goals, points, and shots. In addition she scored seven game winning goals, had four hat tricks, and set a school season record with 102 shots on goal.

The other nominees for the Female Athlete of the Year Award were Madelyn Clausen ’21 (track and field), Megan DeWeerd ’19 (cross country/track and field), and Kacie Stoll ’19 (volleyball).

Baker is the starting center fielder on the baseball team. In the ongoing season, he is a leader with a .371 batting average and a .573 slugging percentage. He ranks in the top two on the team with 55 hits of which 18 are multiple-base hits. He also ranks in the top five in the conference in batting average, hits, runs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. In addition he leads the team with 12 stolen bases. Post-season honors for baseball are yet to be determined.

Other nominees for the Male Athlete of the Year Award were Caleb DeWeerd ’21 (cross country/track and field), Ben Boers ’21 (soccer), Steven Massey ‘19 (golf), and Jake Ostema ’21 (volleyball).

Recognizing a member of the Trinity community who has made a significant contribution to the athletics department, the Rich Kooy Award was presented to Pete Vega, senior graphic designer. Pete has been instrumental in athletics through his work in designing the new Troll logo and athletics brand.  This past year he has diligently, meticulously, and cooperatively worked on the athletics brand and a graphics catalogue for each sport.

“We are extremely thankful for the work that Pete has done and for the excitement he has created with the new branding look,” commented Amy Strong, Sports Information Director.  “We are also grateful for the way Pete goes about his work as he is gracious to listen, open to ideas, and always willing to help with projects and come up with new ideas.”

The Healthy Troll Challenge was created by the Exercise Science Club – a group of exercise science majors with hopes to help create healthier lives for all of our fellow classmates, faculty, and staff at Trinity.

As part of the Healthy Troll Challenge, we created workouts and short, informative presentations for those who chose to take an active role. The workouts consisted of exercises such as full body strength trainings, yoga, and high-intensity interval trainings. We utilized the spaces offered to us in the weight and cardio room in the DeVos Athletic and Recreation Center, as well as Trinity’s resource lab.

Prizes were offered each month, based off a point system. Points could be earned by eating healthy meals, people working out on their own, doing the twice-weekly workouts with other participants, attending our short presentations, and more!

The Exercise Science Club has been extremely grateful to have been able to better the lives of those who chose to take part in the Healthy Troll Challenge this year, and we would like to see even more participants next year! To learn more, visit our Facebook page or Instagram page.

 Have a great and healthy summer!

-Ava Gomez ‘20

Prof. Kara E. Wolff, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, Department Chair, and Director of the Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology, has been named Trinity’s 2019-20 Professor of the Year.

“I was pretty shocked, and it’s very exciting,” said Wolff. “I work with so many really fantastic faculty members, and I’ve learned so much from them.”

As 2019-20 Professor of the Year, Wolff will be honored at the May 4 commencement and offer the message at Trinity’s 61st Annual Convocation this fall.

Among those who nominated her, Wolff was lauded for her teaching, scholarship, and mentorship. Several nominators cited her exceptional ability to address often-challenging topics such as race, gender, and sexuality in a hospitable, Christian way.

Wolff said her work is part of a collaborative effort, for which she is grateful. “I don’t do this by myself. We succeed together. And I’m grateful for my students, who are willing to take on topics that are difficult and messy,” she said.

Wolff joined Trinity in 2012 and teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in psychology and counseling psychology. Her research interests include race and racism, issues of gender and sexuality, clinical supervision, colorblind ideology, and identity.