Three Hope College athletes have been named to the ESPN/Co-SIDA Academic All-District teams for achieving in both the classroom and field of play.
Senior Lisa Smith of Dearborn, Mich. (Dearborn HS) has been named to the All-District second team in the at-large category. Smith was an All-American swimmer who majored in psychology. She has also received an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship to pursue graduate studies at the University of Michigan.
Senior Matt Van Beek of Hudsonville (Unity Christian HS) has been named to the All-District second team in baseball. A four-year letterwinner who was co-captain of this year's MIAA champion team, Van Beek majored in biology. He was presented the college's Patterson Memorial Prize as a superior student with a major interest in biology. Van Beek will pursue his graduate studies at the University of Michigan.
Senior Matt TerLouw of Pella, Iowa (Pella HS) has been named to the All-District first team in track and field. A chemistry major, TerLouw lettered in cross country and track all four years. He earned all-conference honors in both sports and was a three-time NCAA All-American in the 1,500-meter run. He was also the co-recipient of the college's Otto van der Velde All-Campus Award. He will attend the University of Iowa Medical School.
The college division of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America program includes NCAA II, NCAA III and NAIA schools. The Academic All-District and All-America teams are selected by the College Sports Information Director's Association of America (CoSIDA). To be eligible for nomination, an individual must be a starter or a key reserve with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20.