2011 Honors and 2012 Captains are Announced (12/6/11)
Awards to members of the 2011 Flying Dutch team have been announced by coach Mark Northuis.
Individual Honors
Most Valuable Runner - Sheri McCormack, sophomore from Holland (West Ottawa HS)
Most Improved Runner - Sheri McCormack, sophomore from Holland (West Ottawa HS)
Best Newcomer - Jessica Krantz, freshman from Traverse City (Traverse City Central HS)
2012 Captains-Elect
Taylor Mattarella, junior from Traverse City (Traverse City Central HS)
Morgan McCardel, junior from Traverse City (St. Francis HS)

Hope Harriers Compete at NCAA Championships
Women's Results
The Flying Dutch finished 21st in a field of 32 teams at the NCAA Division III championships in Oshkosh, Wisc. on Saturday. Hope's top five finishers ended just 19 seconds apart. Sophomore Sheri McCormack led the Flying Dutch over the 6K course with a 79th place finish (22:24.63) among 277 runners. Other Hope finishers were Kelly Lufkin, 96th (22:32.66); Meredith Busman, 98th (22:32.96); Camille Borst, 108th (22:37.66); Kate Nelson, 125th (22:43.80); Salome Emmanuel, 146th (23:03.76); and Taylor Mattarella, 201st (23:53.78).

Nationals Await Hope Runners (11/12/11)
Women's Results / Men's Results
For the second straight year, the Flying Dutch are headed to the NCAA Division III cross country championships. They have qualified after competing at the Great Lakes Regionals in Oberlin, Ohio.

Women: Sophomore Sheri McCormack (pictured) led the Flying Dutch with a fourth place finish among 251 runners at the regional. The Flying Dutch finished third as a team behind rival Calvin and Ohio Northern. The Flying Dutch will be competing at nationals for the fifth time in school history. Rounding out Hope's top five finishers at Regionals were sophomore Meredith Busman, 17th; sophomore Camille Borst, 26th; senior Kate Nelson, 27th; and senior Kelly Lufkin, 29th.

Flying Dutch Run to MIAA Championship
Results
With five runners finishing within 18 seconds of one another, the Flying Dutch have captured the championship of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Coach Mark Northuis' Dutch edged defending champion Calvin by three points to claim their first league crown since 2004 and the sixth in school history. Sophomore Sheri McCormack was the first Hope finisher placing fourth (22:17) in the 6K race and her teammates were right with her -- sophomore Camille Borst, 7th (22:20); junior Morgan McCardel, 9th (22:29), senior Kate Nelson, 11th (22:33); and senior Salome Emmanuel, 12th (22:35).

Hope Teams Compete at Site of Future Nationals (10/15/11)
Men's Results / Women's Results
Hope's cross country teams had an opportunity on Saturday to compete on the course of next month's NCAA Division III national championship meet in Oshkosh, Wisc.
Women: The Flying Dutch were seventh in a field of 43 teams. Washington-St. Louis won the meet with 61 points. Hope totaled 250 points. Sheri McCormack led Hope's finishers in 12th place among the 395 runners with a 6K time of 22:24.
Men: The Flying Dutchmen placed 17th in a field of 47 teams. North Central, Ill. won the meet with 49 points. Hope totaled 530 points. Nate Love led Hope's finishers in 31st place among 434 runners with an 8K time of 25:50.
Jayhawk Invitational: A split squad competed in the Jayhawk Invitational hosted by Muskegon Community College on Friday. The Flying Dutch won the women's meet while the Flying Dutchmen were second. Leading the Flying Dutch was Taylor Mattarella who was the third collegiate finisher in the women's 6K while topping the men was William HeWitt who was sixth in the 8K.

Harriers Compete in Louisville, Ky. Classic (10/1/11)
Men's Results / Women's Gold Results / Women's Silver Results
Hope's cross country teams participated in the Louisville Classic on Saturday. The meet attracted more than 100 teams from every NCAA Division. In the men's blue division, the Flying Dutchmen finished 10th led by senior Nathan Love who was third in the field of 285 runners. The Flying Dutch had runners compete in two divisions, finishing 23rd in the mostly Division I gold field and third in the silver division.

Harriers Compete in Lansing Invitational (9/30/11)
It's a busy weekend for member of the Hope cross country teams with athletes competing in two invitationals. On Friday teams comprised mostly of underclassmen competed at the Lansing Invitational hosted by Lansing Community College. On Saturday another contingent of runners will be competing in an invitational in Louisville, Ky.

Men: With five runners finishing within a minute of one another, the Flying Dutchmen finished fifth in a field of 15 teams. Siena Heights won the meet with 41 points. Hope ended with 143 points. Leading Hope in the field of 161 runners over the 8K race was sophomore Tom Smeltzer in 19th place (26:39). Other Hope runners were sophomore James Rogers, 27th (26:50); sophomore Jesse Henkel, 41st (27:19); freshman Zack Zandbergen, 42nd (27:19); and sophomore Daniel Schriemer, 50th (27:25).

Women: The Flying Dutch finished ninth in a field of 15 teams. Saginaw Valley won the meet with 25 points. Hope ended with 252 points. Leading Hope in the field of 140 runners over the 5K race was sophomore Julia Windom in 33rd place (19:51). Other Hope runners were sophomore Catie Gammon, 60th (20:41); sophomore Julia Slesinski, 62nd (20:42); sophomore Hannah Nyboer, 74th (21:09); and freshman Katherine Hauge, 88th (21:45).

Flying Dutch Second at MIAA Jamboree (9/24/11)
The Flying Dutch finished second at the MIAA Jamboree hosted by Trine on Saturday. Calvin led the nine-team field with 27 points while Hope followed at 44 points. Next were Albion 95, Adrian 124, Alma 143, Kalamazoo 157, Saint Mary's 160, Trine 222 and Olivet 289. Three Hope runners finished in the top ten of the 6K race -- #3 Sheri McCormack, #7 Kate Nelson and #8 Kelly Lufkin. Results

Flying Dutch Compete Against Division I Field (9/9/11)
Results
The Flying Dutch competed against a Division I field at the George Dales Invitational on Friday. Eastern Michigan led the field with 23 points while host Western Michigan followed with 39 points and Hope had 64. Sheri McCormack led Hope finishing sixth with a 6K time of 22:28. Rounding out the Hope entry were Camille Borst, 10th at 23:00; Meredith Busman, 13th at 23:14; Kate Nelson, 16th at 23:22; and Kelly Lufkin, 19th at 23:32.

Flying Dutch Win Vanderbilt Invitational (9/3/11)
Results
The Flying Dutch defended their championship and won the Vanderbilt Invitational for the eighth time over the last 11 years topping the four-team field with 24 points. MIAA rival Albion was second with 41 points followed by Cornerstone 69 and Muskegon CC 118. Albion freshman Lauren Kettle won the 5K race in 19:02. Just two seconds behind was Hope sophomore Sheri McCormack (19:04). Other Hope finishers were Meredith Busman, 4th--19:24; Kate Nelson, 5th--19:33; Camille Borst, 6th--19:45; and Kelly Lufkin, 7th--19:54.

The 2011 Flying Dutch will be seeking to pick up where they left off a year ago when they competed in the NCAA Division III championships.

The 2010 Flying Dutch finished second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), were second in the 34-team Great Lakes Regional and competed at nationals for the first time since 1998 ending 19th in the elite 32-team field.

Coach Mark Northuis begins his 23rd season at the helm of the Hope cross country program. Under his leadership the Flying Dutch have finished third or higher every season in the MIAA standings and has been a top ten finisher at regionals seven times over the past decade.

Six of the seven runners who competed at nationals return to this year's squad which numbers 22 returning letterwinners. Those runners are sophomore Camille Borst of Allendale (Allendale HS), senior Kelly Lufkin of Houghton (Houghton HS), senior Kate Nelson of Williamston (Williamston HS), junior Taylor Mattarella of Traverse City (Traverse City Central HS), and senior Karlyn Sikma of Grand Rapids (North Pointe Christian HS).

Co-captains of the team will be Kelly Lufkin and Karlyn Sikma. Other returning senior letterwinners include Alyssa Ambrose of Okemos (Okemos HS), Salome Emmanuel of Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton North HS), Katrina Gobrogge of Napoleon, Ohio (Archbold HS), and Gina O'Brien of Saline (Saline HS).

At last year's MIAA championships, Hope was edged by rival Calvin by just two points. Six Hope runners finished in the top ten. Five returning runners achieved All-MIAA recognition -- Camilie Borst, Taylor Mattarella, Kate Nelson and Karlyn Sikma. Last spring Katrina Gobrogge and Kate Nelson were named to the All-MIAA track & field team.

The Flying Dutch also continued to excel in the classroom as they were named to the Academic Honor Roll of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for the 21st consecutive year. No other women's Division III program has achieved that distinction.

Post-Season Honors Announced
Awards recognizing outstanding performances and contributions to the 2010 cross country program have been announced by coach Mark Mark Northuis.
Most Valuable Runner
Emily Fischer, senior from Naperville, Ill. (Naperville Central HS)
Most Improved Runner
Sharon Hecker, sophomore from Grandville (Grandville HS)
Rookie of the Year
Camille Borst, freshman from Allendale (Allendale HS)
Dr. Vandervelde Coaches' Award
Sarah Anthony, senior from Mt. Pleasant (Mt. Pleasant HS)
USTFCCCA Scholar Athletes
Camille Borst, freshman from Allendale (Allendale HS)
Sharon Hecker, sophomore from Grandville (Grandville HS)
Kelly Lufkin, junior from Houghton (Houghton HS)
Karlyn Sikma, junior from Grand Rapids (North Pointe Christian HS)

Cross Country Teams Honored for Academics
Both Hope cross country teams have received All-Academic accolades from the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association of America. The recognition is especially significant for the women's cross country program which has been named to the Academic Honor Roll every year since the award was initiated in 1990. The men's program has been recognized every year but one during that time. continue

Flying Dutch Compete at Nationals
NCAA Championship Results
The Flying Dutch competed as a team in the NCAA Division III cross country championships in Waverly, Iowa. Coach Mark Northuis' team finished 19th in a field of 32 teams with 462 points. The team champion was Middlebury with 185 points. Rival Calvin was ninth in the women's field (354 points). Hope finishers among the 279 runners over the 6K course were: 69th (22:29.1), junior Kelly Luftkin of Houghton, Mich. (Houghton HS); 80th (22:34.3), sophomore Taylor Mattarella of Traverse City, Mich. (TC Central HS); 100th (22:46.1), junior Karlyn Sikma of Grand Rapids (North Pointe Christian HS); 103rd (22:48.0), sophomore Sharon Hecker of Grandville, Mich. (Grandville HS); 110th (22:51.9), freshman Camille Borst of Allendale, Mich. (Allendale HS); 138th (23:03.8), senior Emily Fischer of Naperville, Ill. (Naperville Central HS); and 178th (23:24.4), junior Kate Nelson of Williamston, Mich. (Williamston HS). The individual winner was Wendy Pavlus of St. Lawrence (20:49.3).

Flying Dutch Headed to Nationals
Regional Results
Hope will be well represented at the NCAA Division III national cross country championships after strong finishes at the Great Lakes Regional held in Holland.

The Flying Dutch are headed as a team to the women's national meet in Waverly, Iowa after finishing second behind rival Calvin in the 34-team field. Coach Mark Northuis' Dutch last qualified for nationals in 1998.

Hope's top five runners in the women's 6K ran within 19 seconds of each other to challenge meet winner Calvin. Leading Hope was sophomore Sharon Hecker who finished 15th (22:29.9) in the field of 240 runners. Other Hope finishers were freshman Camille Borst, 18th (22:35.0), senior Emily Fischer, 21st (22:39.5), sophomore Taylor Mattarella, 23rd (22:42.1), junior Karlyn Skima, 26th (22:44.9), junior Kelly Lufkin, 31st (22:52.7); and senior Susan Savasky, 38th (22:59.3).

Flying Dutch Second at MIAA Championships
MIAA Championship Results
The Flying Dutch were edged by rival Calvin by a mere two points at the MIAA championships. The host Knights finished with 31 points to Hope's 33, followed by Saint Mary's 105, Adrian 117, Alma 130, Albion 145, Kalamazoo 206, Trine 230, and Olivet 271. Hope had six runners in the top ten, but couldn't overcome Calvin's one-two-three finish. Sharon Hecker led Hope over the 6K course in fourth place (22:31.7). Next was Emily Fischer in fifth (22:31.7); Kelly Lufkin, seventh (22:42.3); Karly Sikma, eighth (22:46.7); Camille Borst, ninth (22;49.7); Taylor Mattarella, 10th (22:55.6); and Susan Savasky, 12th (23:02.3).

Eight Flying Dutch received All-MIAA recognition. Named to the All-MIAA first team were senior Emily Fischer of Naperville, Ill. (Naperville North HS), sophomore Sharon Hecker of Grandville (Grandville HS), sophomore Taylor Mattarella of Traverse City (Traverse City Central HS), and junior Kelly Luftkin of Houghton (Houghton HS). Fischer is being honored for a second time. All-MIAA second team honorees are freshman Camille Borst of Allendale (Allendale HS), senior Susan Savasky of Berkley (Marion HS), junior Karly Sikma of Grand Rapids (Northpointe Christian HS), and junior Kate Nelson of Williamston (Williamston HS).