The Hope College women's golf team has been honored as one of the nation's top squads academically by the the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA).

The Hope College women's golf team has been honored as one of the nation's top squads academically by the the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA).

The national group recognized the top 25 teams in all NCAA Divisions (I, II and III) for the best cumulative grade point average (GPA) during the 2008-09 schjool year.

The Flying Dutch ranked 15th with a cumulative 3.618 GPA. Division I University of Idaho topped the list at 3.780.

The team was also a recipient of a 2008-09 Team GPA Award from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

The 2008-09 Flying Dutch were coached by Eva Dean Folkert. Members of the team were Emily Atsma of Caledonia (South Christian HS), Katie Blodgett of Traverse City (Traverse City St. Francis HS), Sasha Burau of Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc HS), Margaret Livingston of Kalamazoo (Portage Northern HS), Andrea McCarty of Denver, Co. (Cherry Creek HS), Caitlin McDougall of Flint (Powers Catholic HS), Jori Niemann of Elmhurst, Ill. (York Community HS), Megan Scholten of Grand Rapids (Grand Rapids Christian HS), Cassie Sneller of Holland (Hamilton HS), Lindsey Springstroh of Lisle, Ill. (Downers Grove North HS) and Lauren Zandstra of Flushing (Flushing HS).

The team finished third in the MIAA standings and were ranked 25th in the final Division III national poll of the NGCA.

The National Golf Coaches Association, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women's collegiate golf coaches. The NGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the NGCA represents nearly 500 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.