hope athletics    
hope.edu | hope athletics | miaa | ncaa | links   

 
Women's Cross Country Home <
Schedule/Results <
Roster <
Coach <
Previous Season <
History <
Hope in the NCAA <
Ticket Info <
Information for Prospective Students <

Click here to see a
video featuring Hope
cross country.

 

2009
CAPTAINS

JACKIE BEELER

EMILY FISCHER

JOANNE GABL
 

2009 Season in Review

Hope Teams Compete at NCAA Regional (11/14/09)
Regional Website
Women's Results / Men's Results
Hope's cross country teams competed in the men's and women's NCAA Division III Great Lakes Cross Country Regionals in Terre Haute, Ind. Approximately 550 runners from 40 institutions located in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio competed.

Women: The Flying Dutch finished sixth in a field of 34 teams with 187 points. Calvin led the women's field scoring 50 points. The individual winner was Katie Navarre of Denison (21:23.09). Emily Fischer led Hope's finishers in 25th place (23:16.56). Next was Kate Nelson in 31st (23:30.48), Taylor Mattarella, 38th (23:40.29), Katie Martin, 52nd (24:07.44), and Claire Byrd, 58th (24:12.86). Fischer and Nelson were named to the all-region team.

Men: The Flying Dutchmen finished 10th in a field of 35 teams with 314 points. Calvin led the men's field scoring 73 points. The individual winner was Nick Kramer of Calvin (25:45.65). Matt Wiersum led Hope's finishers in 18th place (26:24.73) to earn all-region honors. Next was Collin Kooy in 44th (27:04.53) followed by Blake Rottschafer, 68th (27:26.78), Ryan Jara, 8th (27:37.55), and Nate Love, 98th (27:52.88).

Both Teams Second at MIAA Championships (10/31/09)
Women's Results / Men's Results
Both Hope teams finished in second place at the championships of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) on Saturday. Calvin swept the championships with perfect-score performance in both the men's and women's races.
Women: The Flying Dutch finished a solid second with two runners in the top ten, freshman Taylor Mattarella in 8th place and junior Emily Fischer in 10th. Other Hope finishers were sophomore Kelly Luftkin, 11th; freshman Karly Sikma, 12th; and freshman Katie Martin, 15th. Five Hope runners received All-MIAA honors -- Mattarella, Fischer, Luftkin, Sikma and junior Susan Savasky.
Men: The Flying Dutchmen edged-out Albion for second place. Senior Matt Wiersum led Hope's runners in sixth place. Other Hope finishers were sophomore Brian Hernandez, 13th; senior Collin Kooy, 17th; senior Ryan Jara, 18th; and freshman Blake Rottschafer, 20th. Wiersum and Hernandez were named to the All-MIAA team.

MIAA Championships Saturday at Adrian (10/30/09)
Championships Website
See New Cross Country Video
The MIAA cross country season culminates Saturday when runners from all nine member schools will compete in the conference championships, hosted by Adrian, at Lenawee Christian High School. The women's meet begins at 11 a.m., with the men to follow at noon. Calvin is the defending league champion for both men's and women's cross country and leads the standings heading into the championship meet. Hope stands in second place in both the men's and women's standings.

Wisconsin Invite is Final Tuneup (10/17/09)
Men's Results / Women's Results
Hope's cross country team got a glimpse of their future NCAA competition by competing in the Brooks Cross Country Invitational in Oshkosh, Wisc. on Saturday. The meet attracted more than 1,000 runners. In their final competition before the league championships (Oct. 31) and NCAA regional (Nov. 14), the Flying Dutch finished seventh in a 34-team women's field while the Flying Dutchmen were 13th among 35 teams.

Leading the Flying Dutch was freshman Taylor Mattarella in 24th place (22:16 for 5K) among 466 runners. Other Hope runners were Karly Sikma, 34th (22:31), Emily Fischer, 35th (22:33), Kate Nelson, 44th (22:48), and Kelly Lufkin, 51st (22:51).

Leading the Flying Dutchmen was sophomore Nathan Love in 62nd place (25:37 for 8K) among 551 runners. Other Hope runners were Matt Wiersum, 69th (25:44), Blake Rottschafer, 79th (25:49), Andrea McKeachie, 88th (26:02), and Collin Kooy, 97th (26:08).

Flying Dutch 2nd at Rose-Hulman Invite (10/10/09)
The Flying Dutch finished second in the 15-team Gibson Family Cross Country Invitational hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute on Saturday. DePauw won the invitational with 61 points while Hope totaled 81. Leading Hope was Emily Fischer in seventh place with a 5K time of 23:25. Other Hope finishers were Kate Nelson, 14th (23:49); Taylor Mattarella, 15th (23:53); Karlyn Sikma, 22nd (24:15); and Kelly Lufkin, 23rd (24:18). The NCAA Regional in November will be held on Saturday's course.

Hope Teams Compete in Invitational (10/3/09)
Both Hope cross country teams compete in an invitational hosted by Lansing Community College on Saturday. The Flying Dutch won the women's meet while the Flying Dutchmen were second among the men.

WOMEN'S 5K - 1. Hope 45, 2. Lansing CC 46, 3. Spring Arbor 53, 4. Siena Heights 128,, 5. Oakland CC 149, 6. Jackson CC 179, 7. Macomb CC 180, 8. Madonna 197, 9. Schoolcraft CC 215, 10. Kirkland CC 283, 11. Glen Oaks CC 311. Hope Finishers: 3. Taylor mattarella, 18:58; 8. Sharon Hecker, 19:25; 9. Katie Martin, 19:25; 12. Claire Bird, 19:28; 13. Morgan McCardel, 19:33

MEN'S 8K 1. Lansing CC 35, 2. Hope 63, 3. Spring Arbor 68, 4. Oakland CC 92, 5. Jackson CC 139, 6. Macomb CC 169, 7. Glen Oaks CC 262, 8. Kirtland CC 264, 9. Mott 292. Hope Finishers: 9. Collin Kooy, 26:39; 11. Brian Hernandez, 26:45; 12. Blake Rottschaffer, 26:47; 15. Ryan Jara, 26:55; 16. Bruce Kraay, 26:56

Hope Teams Second at MIAA Jamboree (9/26/09)
Results
Both Hope teams finished second behind rival Calvin at the MIAA cross country jamboree hosted by Hope. In the women's 5K, Calvin took the first eight places. Hope sophomore Karly Sikma (pictured above) led the Dutch with a 10th place finish in a field of 135 runners. In the men's 8K, Hope sophomore Nate Love (pictured above) averted a Calvin sweep by finishing fifth in the field of 127 runners.

Hope Hosts MIAA Jamboree on Saturday, Sept. 26 (9/22/09)
MIAA MCC Website / MIAA WCC Website
The nine member colleges of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) will compete in the cross country jamboree hosted by Hope College on Saturday at the Ridge Point Community Church (340 104th Avenue, Holland MI 49423). The women's race will begin at 11 a.m. and the men's race at noon.

The MIAA cross country championship is determined on the basis of two meets involving all schools. One jamboree during the season determines one-third of the seasonal champion and a season-ending meet determines the remaining two-thirds. The season-ending meet will be hosted by Adrian on Oct. 31.

DIRECTIONS TO MIAA JAMBOREE at HOPE COLLEGE

  • From I-196 exit 52, go west (toward Holland) to the first stop light (approx 0.25 miles). Turn left at 104th ave and go 0.75 miles to church entrance on LEFT (east) side of road. The starting line is just off the SE course of parking lot.
  • From US-31: once to Holland, turn east on 16th st (if heading from the north you'll need to do a Michigan u-turn). Travel about 2 miles to 104th ave (at the base of a large hill) turn right (south) and go 0.75 miles to church entrance on LEFT (east) side of road. The starting line is just off the SE course of parking lot.

    Hope Team Compete at MSU Invitational (9/18/09)
    Results
    Hope's cross country teams competed at the Michigan State University Invitational in East Lansing on Friday. The event drew more than 4,200 competitors ranging in age from middle school to college athletes, and totaled 12 races. Hope's first finisher in the men's field of 218 runners was sophomore Nathan Love in 61st place. In the women's field of 160 runners, junior Emily Fischer led the Dutch with a 48th place finish.

    Vanderbilt Invitational Launches CC Season (9/5/09)
    Men's Results / Women's Results
    The small college cross country season began Saturday with the traditional Vanderbilt Invitational Division II Grand Valley won both the men's and women's races. Hope finished second among six teams in the women's race and was third among five teams in the men's. Hope's first finisher in the women's race was junior Emily Fischer (Naperville, Ill.) in fifth place while sophomore Nate Love (Midland) topped the men with a 12th place finish.

    Pre-Season Outlook

    A solid nucleus of returning veterans will be key to the success of the Hope College women’s cross country team in 2009.

    The 2008 Flying Dutch finished second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and ninth in the Great Lakes Regional of NCAA Division III.

    Coach Mark Northuis begins his 22nd season at the helm of the Hope cross country program. Under his tenure, the Flying Dutch finished third or higher every season in the MIAA standings.

    The roster of 27 athletes includes 14 returning letterwinners. There are 10 freshmen, six sophomores, eight juniors and three seniors.

    The tri-captains are senior Jacqueline Beeler of Plymouth (Plymouth HS), junior Emily Fischer of Naperville, Ill. (Naperville Central HS), and senior Joanne Gabl of Saline, Mich. (Saline HS).

    A year ago four Hope underclassmen received All-MIAA second team honors. Forming the nucleus of this year’s team will be sophomore Kate Nelson of Williamston (Williamston HS), sophomore Kelly Luftkin of Houghton (Houghton HS), sophomore Karlyn Sikma of Grand Rapids (North Pointe Christian HS), and junior Emily Fischer, Hope (sophomore from Naperville, Ill./ Central HS). Returning junior Susan Savasky of Berkley (Berkley) was an All-MIAA second team honoree in 2007. Hope’s top four finishes in the 2008 NCAA Great Lakes Regional return -- Kate Nelson, Karlyn Sikma, Kelly Luftkin and Susan Savasky.

    Other returning letterwinners include sophomore Alyssa Ambrose of Okemos (Okemos HS), junior Sarah Anthony of Mt. Pleasant (Mt. Pleasant HS), junior Claire Bird of New Paltz, N.Y. (New Paltz HS), junior Kate Brundige of Vicksburg (Vicksburg HS), sophomore Salome Emmanuel of Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton North HS), sophomore Katrina Gobrogge of Napoleon, Ohio (Archbold HS), senior Emma Lucas of Cadillac (Cadillac HS), junior Elle Munoa of Holland (West Ottawa HS), and senior Faith Whitehouse of Manton (Manton HS).

    The Flying Dutch also excelled in the classroom in 2008-09 receiving Team Academic All-America honors from the College Cross Country Coaches Association for the 19th consecutive team and the MIAA Team GPA award for the 11th straight year.

    Hope will host two meets this fall, the season-opening Hope Invitational on September 5 and the MIAA Jamboree on September 26.

    Off-Season Headlines
    Flying Dutch Presented MIAA GPA Award
    MIAA Academic Honor Roll Recipients

    2008 Season in Review
    2008 WCC Season Summary
    2008 Fall Season in Review
    2008 Fall Sports Guide

    Four Runners Named National Scholar-Athletes
    Four members of the 2008 Hope cross country teams have been named national Division III scholar-athletes by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA). Honorees are freshman Kelly Luftkin of Houghton (Houghton HS), freshman Kate Nelson of Williamston (Williamston HS), freshman Karlyn Sikma of Grand Rapids (North Pointe Christian HS), and senior Seth Weener of Grandville (Grandville HS). read

    Flying Dutch Compete at NCAA Regional
    Results
    The Flying Dutch finished ninth in the field of 34 women's teams for their first top-ten finish at the NCAA Great Lakes regional since 2004. Freshman Kate Nelson led Hope with a 36th place finish among the 233 runners. She missed all-region honors by one spot. Calvin won the women's 6K scoring 42 points while Hope total 281 points. Hope's finishers were Nelson, 36th (23:45); freshman Karlyn Sikma, 50th (24:01); freshman Kelly Luftkin, 64th (24:09); sophomore Susan Savasky, 68th (24:25); sophomore Claire Bird, 77th (24:34); senior Kate Freshour, 100th (24:59); and sophomore Emily Fischer, 128th (25:24).

    Flying Dutch Finish Second in MIAA
    MIAA CC Results
    The Flying Dutch finished runnerup at the MIAA championships and ended second in the league's seasonal standings. Hope's first three finishers in the women's meet were freshmen, Karli Sikma 10th, Kate Nelson 11th and Kelly Lufkin 12th.

    Flying Dutch Win Vanderbilt Invitational
    Vanderbilt History / 2008 Invitational Results
    The Flying Dutch celebrated the start of the season by winning their own Vanderbilt Invitational championship. The Hope men's team also won the championship. It marks the seventh time since the joint men's/women's invitational started in 1980 that both Hope teams are champions. The Flying Dutch took advantage of running as pack as the top five runners were within 20 seconds of each other. Andi Ruth Owens of Cornerstone won the race (19:24) while the next five runners were all from Hope. The Flying Dutch were led by sophomore Emily Fischer of Naperville, Ill. (19:39), followed by #3 Karli Sikma (19:50), #4 Joanne Gabl (19:51), #5 Kate Nelson (19:53); and #6 Kelly Lufkin (19:59).

  •