The post-season honors for Hope College basketball standout Joel Holstege have begun.

Holstege, who led the Flying Dutchmen to a second place finish in the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament this past weekend, has been named a first team Division III All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Chevrolet-Chevy Trucks.

The team is selected in voting conducted by NABC member coaches across the country. General Motors is a member of the NABC Corporate Team and the title sponsor of the NABC All-America program.

Holstege has also been named the NABC Division III Great Lakes District player of the year. He earlier was voted the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) most valuable player for the second consecutive year. He was voted to the Final Four all-tournament team as both a sophomore and senior.

A graduate of Convenant Christian High School, Holstege had an amazing collegiate career. The Flying Dutchmen won four consecutive conference (MIAA) championships and went to the NCAA tournament every season with Final Four appearances in 1996 and 1998. Hope's record during Holstege's four seasons was 105-14.

Holstege went into the Hope record book as the career leader for games played (118), three-point baskets (181) and assists (567). He averaged 13.1 points per game over his career while finishing with 429 rebounds, 301 steals and 119 blocked shots.

He becomes just the second Hope player to achieve NABC All-America status. Hope's other honoree was Chip Henry in 1984.

NABC Great Lakes All-District Teams
First Team
Joel Holstege, Hope (Player of the Year)
Ryan Gorman, Wooster, Ohio
Jeremy Thompson, Ohio Northern
Artie Taylor, John Carroll, Ohio
Mark Heidorf, John Carroll, Ohio
Jason Rusnak, Denison, Ohio

Second Team
Aaron Shipp, Mount Union, Ohio
Kevin Sensabaugh, Ohio Northern
Ben Geerling, Albion
Ryan Brown, Washington & Jefferson, Pa.
Hollis Edwards, Adrian

NABC Division III All-America Teams
First Team
Mike Nogelo, Williams, Mass.
Joel Holstege, Hope
Brent Niebrugge, Illinois Wesleyan
Rob Scott, Rowan, N.J.
Mike Schantz, Hamilton, N.Y.
Andy Panko, Lebanon Valley, Pa.
Ryan Harrigan, Univ. of South, Tenn.
Ben Hoffman, Wisc.-Platteville

Second Team
Damien Hunter, Alvernia, Pa.
Ryan Gorman, Wooster, Ohio
Jason Sibley, Franklin, Ind.
Danel Allen, Jersey City, N.J.
Greg Acunto, St. Lawrence, N.Y.
Demarcus Morrison, Averett, Va.
Khris Silveria, Salem State, Mass.
Devean George, Augsburg, Iowa

Related News

  2. Flying Dutchmen Swimmers Finish Tenth in Nation

    A most successful winter sports season at Hope Collegeconcluded with yet another top ten national finish this past weekend as themen's swimming team had several outstanding performances at the NCAA DivisionIII championship in St. Louis, Mo. All four Hope winter sports teams excelled in NCAA competition thiswinter. The men's basketball team finished second in the nation, the women'sswimming team was fifth and the men's swimming team ended tenth. Inaddition, the women's basketball team also gained a berth in the NCAAplayoffs. Coach John Patnott's Flying Dutchmen have finished among the top tenmen's swimming programs for the seventh time in eight years. Kenyon Collegeof Ohio successfully defended its national championship finishing with 726points. Hope's tenth place total was 95.5 points. The Flying Dutchmen gained two All-America relay performances. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of senior Dan Shelley of Saginaw (Arthur Hill HS),senior Troy Aumaugher of Hudsonville, freshman Joshua Ficke of Etiwanda,Calif. and sophomore Jarod Lippert of Alma finished in seventh place (1:24.58)while the 200-yard medley relay team of freshman Chris Dattels of Wilmette,Ill. (New Trier HS), junior Dan Daly of East Grand Rapids, Shelley and Lippertwere eighth (1:35.87). The Flying Dutchmen also posted honorable mention All-America efforts inthree relays. The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Lippert, Shelley, Aumaugherand senior Brandon Nyboer of Holland (West Ottawa HS) won the consolationfinals (3:07.50) and ended ninth overall.Both the 400-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay finished 11thoverall. The 400-yard medley relay of Dattels, Daly, Shelley and Lippert wastimed in a season-best 3:31.22 while the 800-yard freestyle relay of Dattels,Nyboer, Lippert and Ficke finished in 7:06.76. The best individual effort was recorded by Dattels who ended 10th in the100-yard backstroke (:52.33). Nyboer concluded his collegiate career byfinishing 16th in the 200-yard freestyle (1:44.39). Both received honorablemention All-America designation for their performances. Other individual finishes included Shelley, 21st in the 50-yardfreestyle (:21.36), Lippert, 31st in the 50-yard freestyle (:21.60) and 43rdin the 50-yard freestyle (:22.26), and Dattels, 26th in the 200-yardbackstroke (1:57.50) and Lippert, 36th in the 100-yard freestyle (:47.75).