Brittany Summerfield with her parents, Rob and Kristie, her high school coach, Stephanie Hare, and Coach Renzema

Brittany Summerfield, a 5-10 forward from Forest Hills Northern High School has signed to play basketball at Grace Bible College starting with the 2012-13 season.  Brittany was a two-year varsity player for the Huskies under the guidance of coach Stephanie Hare.  

Brittany is the daughter of Rob and Kristie Summerfield.  She has a sister, Madison (13) and a brother, Trent (11).  Brittany was brought up in a basketball environment, which has helped her develop a high basketball IQ, which becomes very evident as you watch her play. 

When asked about Brittany, Coach Renzema commented,  “Brittany may not have the gaudy offensive numbers that some other girls have, but she does a lot of things well that will help our team.  Brittany is rarely, if ever, out of position on defense and she knows how to play the angles.  She runs the floor well, finishes the fast breaks with efficiency, and she can hit a jump shot as well.  We expect great things from Brittany and are very happy she has chosen to come to Grace.”

Brittany had this to say about her decision to attend GBC.  “I am really looking forward to attending Grace and playing basketball.  I like being a part of a team and am looking forward to building some great friendships.  I feel that Grace is where God wants me to be at this point in my life.”

Abby with her parents, Steve and Lynette Schultz.

Abby Schultz, a 5-6 guard from Calvary Schools of Holland, has signed to play basketball at Grace Bible College.  Abby had a terrific athletic career for the Crusaders where she also excelled in volleyball and soccer in addition to her basketball exploits.

Abby’s list of high school accomplishments in basketball is impressive as she played for Coach Shannon Badgero and the Calvary Crusaders.  Abby was team captain twice, All-Conference all four years in high school, Team MVP two times, Holland Sentinel All Area 2nd Team two years and 3rd team one year.  Abby finished her stellar career with 1,072 points, including a fine 15.1 ppg average her senior year which saw her shoot a solid 39% from beyond the 3 point arc.  Abby was also a standout volleyball player for the Crusaders where she was All-Conference for two seasons. 

Abby Schultz with her parents, her high school coach, Shannon Badgero, and Coach Renzema.

Abby is a very good student, with a 3.74 GPA and has been on the honor roll through all of high school. 

Abby is the daughter of Steve and Lynette Schultz.  She has an older sister Julie (21), and a twin brother, Paul. 

Coach Renzema had some glowing remarks to say about his newest guard after she signed.  “Abby is a really good fit for us at Grace.  She can play both guard positions and we really like her effort and her athleticism.   One thing for sure is that Abby always plays hard, even in pick-up games, and that speaks volumes about her character.   She shoots the ball pretty well, but we think that will continue to only get better.  Abby is going to be a fine player and student here at Grace.”

GBC Women’s Basketball Head Coach Rich Renzema is pleased to announce that Anna Iwaniw, a 5-9 forward from Kent City has signed to play basketball with the Grace Lady Tigers.  Anna is a 2011 graduate of Kent City High, and spent the last year at Central Michigan University.  

Anna Iwaniw with her parents, Greg and Amy, and Coach Renzema.

Anna was a standout athlete in basketball and softball during her high school years.  She was All-Conference and Academic All-State in both sports, All-Region in softball and was also a key member of district championship teams in both sports.  Anna holds two school records in softball and has won awards in 4H.  She was also a member of the National Honor Society.  One of Anna’s most noteworthy accomplishments is that she was named the Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year in the OK Silver Conference for the 2010-11 year. 

Anna is the daughter of Greg and Amy Iwaniw.  She has one older brother, Scott, who was also a stand-out athlete at Kent City.  Anna played basketball at the very successful Kent City program under the guidance of Scott Carlson. 

On her decision to come to Grace, Anna commented, “I think Grace will be an overall great experience for me and will help me grow as a person.  I’m looking forward to playing basketball again and and I’m excited to meet new people.” 

“You can tell Anna has a real passion for the game of basketball,” Coach Renzema commented about Anna.  “We are very excited about what is happening with the women’s basketball program at Grace.  Anna is going to be a big part of a very bright future.”

Anna will be joining her high school teammate and good friend, Sydney Wildeboer, at Grace.  Come back to the web site in the future to hear more about the “Dynamic Duo” from Kent City as they begin their playing career and continue their education at GBC. 

Sydney Wildeboer and her parents, Todd and Becky

Sydney Wildeboer graduated from Kent City High School in 2011, but on April 20, 2012, she went back for one more day.  This time it was at the invitation of Scott Carlson, her high school basketball coach, to participate in a celebration for players signing their letters to play basketball.  Sydney signed her letter of intent to play basketball at Grace Bible College starting with the 2012-13 season. 

Sydney is a 5-10 forward and will be a key member of the front line for the Lady Tigers.  Sydney is an excellent defender, strong rebounder, and solid mid-range shooter.  She won Sportsmanship Awards in the 2010 and 2011 seasons for basketball and was a key member of district championship teams.  Sydney was also a standout performer in track and field, winning All-Conference and Team MVP honors.

Sydney Wildeboer with her parents and Coach Renzema

Sydney was Valedictorian of the 2011 graduating class at Kent City.  She was also a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council.  She received the GVSU Award of Distinction and was on the Dean’s List. 

Sydney is the daughter of Todd and Becky Wildeboer.  She has three siblings; Morgan is 17, Ben is 15, and Taylor is 14. 

Sydney remarked on her decision to transfer to Grace from Grand Valley, “I had been praying about this most of my winter semester.  I wasn’t sure if Grace would be the right choice for me or not.  But, after a lot of prayer, I decided that I would be a lot happier and better off at Grace.  To be honest, I’m looking forward to the smallness.  Grand Valley was just so large that I felt so small.   I’m also looking forward to playing basketball again.  I missed it quite a bit this past year, so it will be nice to get back into the game.  And, Anna (Iwaniw – stay tuned the next few days) and I have been really close and have played together for a long time, so it will be fun to play basketball with her again.”

“Sydney is a tremendous young lady and we are thrilled to have her in the program at Grace,” Coach Renzema commented.  “She is very intelligent and is a real leader.  Her basketball abilities also fit well with the type of game we play and she has been well-schooled in the fundamentals.”

Amy Leszinske with Coach Renzema.

Amy Leszinske, a versatile 5-10 player from Ravenna High School has signed to play basketball at Grace Bible College.  Amy was Honorable Mention All-Conference in the West Michigan Conference and also received Honorable Mention for the Muskegon Chronicle All-Area team in 2012 as she played for Coach Bill Stone and the Bulldogs.   

Amy has been a three-sport standout and has been All State as a high jumper, has competed in sprint relays at the state track meet since her freshman year, and has been the MVP of the track team.  Amy was a part of Ravenna’s state runner-up volleyball team in 2009 and has been a team captain for all three sports. 

Amy is also a standout in the classroom with a 3.599 GPA and has earned Academic All-Conference awards in all three sports and Academic All-State awards in volleyball and track.  Amy was the female student nominated for the West Michigan Showcase for Ravenna High School and is the 2012 female student athlete being honored in the RHS Hall of Fame. 

Amy Lezinske with her dad and Coach Renzema.

Coach Renzema had some glowing remarks about his newest signee.  “Amy brings a different dimension to our team because she could play every position on the floor.  She has the size and strength to play inside where she is a tremendous finisher and rebounder, yet she is a very strong ball-handler and can run the point where she is a good decision-maker and very unselfish.  Amy is very fast and athletic and we are very excited about the skills that Amy brings with her to Grace.”

Amy is the daughter of Bill Leszinske and Ruth Hathaway.  Amy has one older brother, Paul (22).

Kim Kamp with her brother Stephen, her mother Carol, and her youth pastor Tommy McCaul and his wife Cheryl, and Coach Renzema.

Kim Kamp, a 5-9 guard from Tri-Unity Christian has signed to play basketball at Grace Bible College starting with the 2012-13 season.  Kim was 1st team all-conference in the River Valley Conference and received honorable mention for the Grand Rapids Press All-Area team.   Kim averaged 13.4 points per game her senior campaign, the third highest average in the conference. 

Tri-Unity Girls Varsity Basketball Coach Tyler Whitcomb had this to say about his former stand-out player, “Kim is a tremendous shooter, good at attacking the rim, and passing.  She had some big games for us.  Kim can really jump and she actually jumped center for us despite playing a guard position for us.  Her biggest strength is being able to get off shots over defenders and a strong passion for the game.  She is the definition of a gym rat.”

Kim Kamp at her signing with her mother Carol.

“Kim is going to be an exciting player here at Grace,” Coach Renzema commented.  “She is a versatile player that can score inside and out and she has a very high basketball IQ.  We are very happy to have Kim with us and I think the GBC fans are going to enjoy watching her play.”

Kim is the daughter of Carol and the late Michael Kamp.  She has two brothers; David, 20 and Stephen, 17.

Amanda Alvarez signing her letter with her mom, Amanda Cuello.

The Lady Tigers are pleased to announce they have signed Amanda Alvarez to play basketball starting in the 2012-13 season.  Amanda is a 5-2 guard that graduated from Potter’s House Christian in 2011 where she was a three-time all conference player.  Amanda averaged 15.5 points and made 49 three-point shots her senior year and was an honor roll student as well. 

“Amanda is a dynamic player that is comfortable at either guard position,”  Coach Renzema commented about his newest player.  “She can really shoot the ball and I like how she sees the entire floor and gets her teammates involved with the flow of the offense.” 

Amanda Alvarez with her mom, Coach Renzema and her high school coach, Mike Wood

Amanda is the daughter of Amanda and Andres Cuello and she has one brother, Samuel.  Her high school coach was GBC alum, Mike Wood. 

Amber Jones with Coach Renzema

Amber has been playing basketball since the 6th grade and has been a natural leader, having been a team captain on three different teams. 

“I love to play basketball because it has always been a stress reliever for me,” Amber stated at her signing.  “Basketball is a sport that my dad and I have always had a connection with to talk about.”

Amber is the daughter of Phil and Susan Jones and she has three siblings; Gabby (12), JJ (11), and Ebony (3). 

Amber is planning to major in elementary education and has a real passion for kids. 

“We are very pleased to have Amber in this class,” Coach Renzema commented.  “Amber has a lot of athleticism and is just scratching the surface of her basketball abilities.  She has shown the ability to make the mid-range shot and we are excited about what she brings to the team.”

Katlyn Rausch, a 5-3 guard from East Troy, Wisconsin has signed to play basketball for Grace starting in the 2012-13 season.  Katlyn comes from a very successful program at East Troy. 

Katlyn is the youngest of four kids and has eight neices and nephews that she loves to be around when she isn’t playing basketball.  Katlyn describes herself as a “mom’s girl” and enjoys the outdoors. 

Coach Renzema commented, “We are very happy to have Katlyn joining us next season.  She has a real passion for the game and will provide valuable depth at the guard positions for us in the future.”

Katlyn Rausch

Jessica Sikorski has received a lot of different honors in her four years of basketball at Grace Bible College.  Jessica ended her career with 2,630 points; more than any other player that has played women’s college basketball at any program in West Michigan. 

Jessica ended up being a NCCAA first-team All-American three times, NCCAA Midwest Region Player of the Year three times, Grand Rapids Press/MLive.com all-area third team twice, and the subject of a lengthy special article in the Grand Rapids Press.   Not bad for a relatively unheralded player coming out of high school. 

“Jessica has been synonymous with the Grace Bible College women’s program the last four years,” Coach Rich Renzema said of his star player.  “Our opponents had to prepare to defend her and she would make them pay if they didn’t pay special attention to her.  She battled against double and triple teams and trusted her teammates enough to lead the team in assists.  We are going to miss having Jess in the Grace uniform next season, and her accomplishments and records will certainly stand for a long time.”