Teammates For a Season...
Friends For a Lifetime
by Sandy Gholston - May 30, 2008
Fourteen young women in 1998 created a lifetime's worth of memories during one storybook softball season at Ferris State University.
Those 1998 Bulldogs started their historic season with goals that now appear modest in comparison to what was ultimately accomplished. Success was never about statistics or awards. Anne (Bentley) Dykstra, who played second and first base for Ferris in 1998, attributes the successes of that team to something that had less to do with hitting, pitching and defense and more to do with heart, soul, love and dedication. Dykstra, a school teacher and softball coach in Hudsonville, still feels some of those same emotions stirring from a decade ago.
"Our love for each other was our biggest strength, and so much of what we did was based on that love and that passion that we had for each other, for the team, for the program and the university," said Dykstra, who was part of the 1998 team that won the regional championship, advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament, finished third in the nation and was the only team to defeat national champion California, Pa. "We celebrated together, and we didn't have jealousy toward each other. It was all about the team and doing whatever we had to do to be successful."
FACING LONG ODDS
The Bulldogs, who finished 44-17 in 1998, shocked the Division II softball world as they beat the odds facing Ashland in the regional tournament -- on the Eagles' field in Ohio. Less than a week prior, Ferris' season stood at the crossroads after the team dropped a 6-1 elimination game to Ashland at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament in Allendale.
Nadine Crowl, who today is a police officer and was the workhorse pitcher with a 23-12 record in 1998, recalls the spontaneity of their tournament run.
"I don't think we were out there thinking of ourselves as a great team or anything like that during the season," said Crowl, also a premier power hitter who hit .376 in '98 with four homers and 38 runs batted in. "We were just trying to get into regionals. When we beat Ashland, I think that was when we started to think that we could be doing something special. Then, when you get to nationals, you know that you're one of the top eight teams in the nation. It's just a matter of going out and playing ball and seeing what happens."
What happened was something magical, indeed. The Bulldogs went to Ohio and opened regionals with a 4-1 win over Southern Indiana to set the stage for a meeting with the Eagles. This time, however, Ferris was on its game as it stunned Ashland with an 11-3 win in six innings. In the championship game, however, the Bulldogs needed to beat the host team one more time. The going was a little tougher, but the end result was the same as Ferris pulled together and celebrated its regional championship with a 4-2 win to earn its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II National Softball Championships.
"I would think that they are the measuring stick for team chemistry and work ethic," said Ferris Head Coach Keri Becker, who at the time was in her second season when she led the Bulldogs to the national championships in Pensacola, Fla. "They were a bunch of kids that didn't need big scholarships to go out and work hard and perform at a high level. They wanted to play, and they put in the time to make themselves into better softball players and a better softball team."
TRIUMPHING OVER TOUGH TIMES
"It wasn't an undefeated season. . .We went through some highs and lows, we went through some adversity and some things that we had to overcome like a lot of teams go through," added Becker, who 10 years later led the Bulldogs to the 2008 national tournament in Houston where they posted a fifth-place finish. "That team put it together, they blocked out the things they needed to block out, and they got the job done when they needed to get it done. That was a big part of what made that team so special."
The upsets continued for the upstart Bulldogs in the national tournament. Ferris opened nationals with a 4-0 win over Merrimack (Mass.). Ferris suffered a tough 4-2 loss to Barry (Fla.), but rebounded for a win over California State-Bakersfield, 5-3, to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament. The team put together arguably its best performance of the season in a 4-3 victory over a California, Pa. Ferris' national championship hopes ended May 18, 1998 as Barry again knocked off the Bulldogs - this time 6-5.
MEMORIES THAT LAST A LIFETIME
The good memories continue - even 10 years later.
"The great thing about our team is we stay in touch even 10 years later. We're still friends, and we're all successful career-wise with what we've done after softball and after college," said Sarah Guzal, a local graduate of Remus Chippewa Hills High School who was a shortstop on the team and now works in the construction business. "I think that speaks to the caliber of people that we had on that team."
There were some bumps in the road, but the team ultimately held strongly together.
"There were times that they didn't like me and that was okay because it was something that got them going and helped them get to the high level that they needed to get to," said Becker, whose 1998 team also had strong contributions from catcher Shawn Martinez, outfielder Amber Howe and infielder Anne Koltvedt. "That was, in a lot of ways, what sometimes pulled them together even tighter."
That bond is something the players cherished then, but even more so today.
"One of the best things about being a part of that team was the camaraderie we had and the way we always pulled together on and off the field when we had to," Guzal said. "We knew we had each other's back on and off the field and when we stepped out on the field we were all out there with the same goal in mind. . .we wanted to win."
That was echoed by Jody (Gifford) Markwart, an All-American left fielder who batted a staggering .409 with 10 home runs and 67 runs batted in.
"I have so many happy memories when I think about that season. The success we had was all about the bond we had," said Markwart, who currently is a math teacher in Ionia. "We all look back on it now and we realize that it was one of the best times of our lives. We all try to get together every year, at homecoming, and remember so many of those great times we had in the past and the friendships that we still have."
THE BOND IS AS STRONG AS EVER
Said Cathy (Boichot) Williams, a third baseman on that squad who now works as a police officer in Grand Rapids: "You can see the bond that we have because every single year we continue to get together during homecoming and we keep in touch with each other."
Added third baseman and Big Rapids native Jen Jacobs, who works in the marketing industry in Washington, D.C.: "It was a family and we respected each other and we were like one big family on and off of the field."
Another Big Rapids native who was a freshman at the time, Melissa Carrick, learned a lot about life, sports and tradition from the veterans on that team.
"That year I learned a lot about being part of a team and what it means to be teammates," said Carrick, a regional marketing consultant for a health care company and one of the reserves on that team along with Teresa Sutermeister, who was 17-4 as a pitcher; Mila (Prieur) Jacobson, who played in 19 games and started 12 times; and Loraine Brinker, who participated in 13 games with nine starts. "Even though I didn't get to play as much, I still remember all of the good times that we had and all of the memories we created that season and we still enjoy today."
STILL A FAMILY AFFAIR WITH SOFTBALL
Each year, during homecoming, players and coaches from 1998 and many other seasons of Ferris softball get together to share some good times. That is the kind of family -- where the older generations interact with younger generations and current players -- Becker has worked to build during her time as head coach.
"You want a team to take ownership, and I think the fact that these players continue to get together, even 10 years later, shows a lot of what it meant to them to be a part of Bulldog Softball," she said. "It wasn't a job for them. . .it was a passion."
Casey Munger-Dunham, currently a teacher and head varsity softball coach in her hometown at Rockford High School, was a three-time team captain as a junior in 1998. Dunham perhaps summed it up best as she looked around her during the group's 10-year season reunion.
"What I liked about that team is that we were teammates for a season and friends for a lifetime."
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