Two Hope College runners have qualified for the NCAA Division III cross country championships to be held Saturday (Nov. 20) at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Two Hope College runners have qualified for the NCAA Division III cross country championships to be held Saturday (Nov. 20) at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Senior Jennifer Ernst of Westerville, Ohio (Westerville HS) will compete in the women's 5K race while junior Joe Veldman of Sawyer (Three Oaks-River Valley HS) will be the men's 8K field.

Both gained berths at nationals during the Great Lakes Regional meet held last Saturday (Nov. 13) in Ada, Ohio.  Ernst placed second in a field of 212 female runners while Veldman was sixth among 203 male entrants.

This marks the third consecutive year that Hope has qualified a runner for the women's nationals.  This will be Ernst's first trip although she is not a newcomer to national collegiate competition.  Last spring she achieved NCAA All- America status by finishing seventh in the 10,000 meter run at the Division III track and field championships.

Veldman becomes the first Hope runner to qualify for the men's nationals since 1995.

The Hope runners will be accompanied by coach Mark Northuis who since taking over the helm of the cross country program in 1988 has coached six All-America efforts at the women's nationals.  The last was a year ago when Rebecca Timmer finished 19th to achieve All-America honors.  

Northuis is seeking his first men's All-American.  

The last male runner to achieve All- America designation was Steve Underwood in 1981.

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