Four Hope athletes will compete in the NCAA Division III track and field championships to be held Thursday thru Saturday (May 27-29) in Berea, Ohio.
* Junior John Donkersloot (Zeeland/Zeeland East HS) will be competing in the high jump for the third straight year. An All-American a year ago with a third place finish, Donkersloot is top-seeded among 18 qualifiers having cleared 6-11 this spring.
* Junior Kara Vande Guchte (Hamilton/Hamilton HS) is in third place after the first day of competition in the heptathlon. She entered the competition seeded 16th among 18 competitors in the two-day, seven-event heptathlon. Four events were held Thursday and three more are scheduled for Friday. She is competing in the event for the second straight year. She placed 20th in 2009.
First-Day Results (3rd place after four events, 2,904 pts.)
100-Meter Hurdles - 2nd place, :14.88 (858 pts.)
High Jump - 4th place, 5-3 1/4 (747 pts.)
Shotput - 8th place, 32-11 1/4 (532 pts.)
200 Meters - 6th place, :26.35 (767 pts.)
Second-Day Events
Long Jump -
Javelin -
800 Meters -
* Senior Jeff Minkus (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West HS) is seeded 10th in the triple jump. The three-time MIAA champion in the event, Minkus set a Hope record this spring at 48 feet, 2 1/4 inches. He will be competing at nationals for the first time.
* Freshman Sarah Venlet (Zeeland/Holland Christian HS) did not advance to the finals in the 400-meter hurdles after finishing 14th (1:03.65) among 18 competitors in the prelims. She had been seeded 17th. Venlet earlier this spring set a Hope record with a time of 1:03.04.
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