2007 - 2008 Athletic Faculty,
Staff & Student Achievements

February 27, 2008

February 23, 2008

February 23, 2008

Championship Website Unveiled

February 6, 2008

CONGRATULATIONS COACH GLENN VAN WIEREN
600 Career Collegiate Victories!

January 15, 2008

December 11, 2007

Two Seniors Honored as
All-Region Football Players

Two Hope seniors have been named to the De3football.com All-North Region team.

Wide receiver Doug VanEerden of Grand Rapids, Mich. (GR Christian HS) is a second team honoree while tight end Kevin Vandenbosch of Grandville, Mich. (Calvin Christian HS) was elected to the third team.

The All-North Region team is comprised of Division III players from colleges in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Hope was co-champion of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Van Eerden was voted the MIAA's co-most valuable offensive player while Vandenbosch is a two-time All-MIAA first team honoree.

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November 30, 2007

Tom and Carole Renner
Honored for Service

After spending more than four decades helping to put the spotlight on Hope College students, faculty, teams, coaches and athletes, Tom Renner is in turn receiving some enduring recognition from the college.

Renner and his wife Carole are being honored for their significant roles in the life of the college by having the media section of the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse named in their honor. A bronze plaque commemorating the recognition will be unveiled during pre-game activities for the Hope men's basketball game that begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, as part of the Holland Sentinel Community Tournament.

"It is time to recognize Tom and Carole for their distinguished service to Hope College for the past 40 years," said President Dr. James E. Bultman. "Tom has received accolades from so many different organizations, and it is fitting now for this place that receives most of his attention to honor him and his wife Carole. Their work at Hope, especially in intercollegiate sport, has been a team effort. No one could give what Tom has given without the involvement and support of an understanding spouse."

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November 13, 2007

All-MIAA Honors Flow to Hope Players

MIAA co-champion Hope has placed 13 players on the all-conference football teams of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

In addition, two players have been name recipients of the league's special awards. Senior wide receiver Doug Van Eerden is the co-recipient of the league's outstanding offensive player award and senior fullback George Klupchak is the co-recipient of the Pete Schmidt Scholar-Athlete Award.

Players receiving All-MIAA first team recognition are senior offensive tackle Jake Droppers, junior offensive tackle Erik Ladomersky, senior tight end Kevin VandenBosch, senior wide receiver Doug Van Eerden, senior tailback David Booko, senior defensive end Matt Rugenstein, senior linebacker Drew Weigel, senior defensive back Troy Blasius, and senior kicker Chris Bowen.

All-MIAA second team honors were presented to senior offensive guard Ben Smith, sophomore tailback Brent Jones, junior quarterback Jake Manning and senior defensive tackle Colin Balas.

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A Photo Salute to Hope's MIAA Champions
Photo Gallery #1 / Photo Gallery #2

November 11, 2007

Victory Assures Dutchmen
Co-Championship

The Flying Dutchmen defended their MIAA football crown by posting a season-ending 38-12 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday. Coach Dean Kreps' Dutchmen will share the championship with Olivet. Both teams finished at 6-1 in conference play. The MIAA's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs goes to Olivet, however, because the Comets defeated Hope in their head-to-head game, 28-25.

The championship is the sixth in 10 years and the 20th in school history. The team finished 6-4 overall marking the 11th straight season that the team ended .500 or above, a school-record.

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November 8, 2007

Senior Dan Tresslar Voted MIAA's MVP

Seven Hope men's soccer players have been presented All-MIAA honors led by senior forward Daniel Tresslar of Bloomington, Ind. (Bloomington East HS), who has been voted the league's most valuable player. Tresslar is an All-MIAA first team honoree for the third year. This season he topped the MIAA in scoring with with 15 goals and seven assists ovr 14 league games.

Joining Tresslar on the All-MIAA first team are sophomore midfielder Kevin Bartosek of Traverse City, Mich. (TC West HS), junior back James Trebilcock of Haslett, Mich. (Haslett HS), and senior goalkeeper Mike Amerman of Indianapolis, Ind. (Brebeuf Prep). Amerman is being honored for the second time.

All-MIAA second team honorees are junior midfielder Kevin McMahon of Grand Rapids, Mich. (Forest Hills Central HS), junior back Mitchell Currie of Fort Collins, Colo. (Fort Collins HS) and sophomore forward John Turner of East Kentwood, Mich. (East Kentwood HS).

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November 8, 2007

Three Hope Players Named All-MIAA

Three Hope women's soccer players have received All-MIAA first team honors from conference coaches. Senior forward Sarah Cochrane of Watertown, Wisc. (Watertown HS) and juniormidfielder Allison VanBeek of Libertyville, Ill. (Libertyville HS) are being honored for the second time while freshman defender Courtney Cook of Grand Rapids (Forest Hills Central HS) is a first-time honoree.

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November 8, 2007

Three Hope Players Honored by MIAA

Three Hope volleyball players have received All-MIAA honors from conference coaches. Junior Nora Slenk of Holland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS) has been named to the All-MIAA first team while Kara VandeGuchte of Hamilton, Mich. (Hamilton HS) was voted the league's Freshman of the Year.

VandeGuchte and sophomore Andrea Helminiak of Maumee, Ohio (Anthony Wayne HS) were voted to the All-MIAA second team. The Flying Dutch, coached by Becky Schmidt, finished second in the MIAA standings and posted an overall 24-9 record.

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November 8, 2007

Kara VandeGuchte Named
Outstanding VB Freshman

Hope's Kara VandeGuchte of Hamilton, Mich. (Hamilton HS) has been named the outstanding Division III freshman volleyball player in the Great Lakes Region by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

The Great Lakes region includes NCAA Division III teams in Michigan and Ohio.

VandeGuchte had an outstanding first collegiate season on a team that posted a 24-9 record, including 14-2 in the MIAA. She topped the MIAA in hitting hitting percentage with a .370 average. For the season she led the team in kills with 304 over 101 games. VanderGuchte and junior Nora Slenk of Holland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS) received all-region honorable mention recognition.


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November 8, 2007

Seven athletes have been presented
All-MIAA cross country honors

Junior Rob Bailey of Portage, Ind. (Portage HS) is Hope's only All-MIAA first team honoree.

Receiving All-MIAA second team recognition are sophomore Jackie Ellis of Lebanon, Ohio (Lebanon HS), junior Zach King of Portage, Mich. (Portage Northern HS), junior Paul VanderVelde of Lawrence, Kan. (Free State HS), sophomore Matt Wiersum of Minnetonka, Minn. (Minnetonka HS) , senior Anne Hoekstra of Kalamazoo, Mich. (Loy Norrix HS), and freshman Susan Savasky of Berkley, Mich. (Birmingham Marian HS).

Both Hope cross country teams, coached by Mark Northuis, finished third in their respective MIAA standings.

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November 8, 2007

October 20, 2007

MIAA & Hope Take
Measures to Protect Athletes

This release was first posted in January, 2007 by the
Michigan Intercolelgiate Athletic Association.

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) schools, of which Hope College is a member, has implemented a program designed to lessen the risk of the transmission of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) among its athletes.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other SSTIs are being recognized and transferred with increasing frequency in community settings. If left untreated, MRSA can cause significant disability or even death.

The MIAA has provided its member schools with CleenFreek® anti-microbial towels for use during athletic contests and other "shared" towel situations. The towels are treated to eliminate the transfer of bacteria from one athlete to another in a "shared" towel situation.

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October 17, 2007

English Professor Honored
for Impact on Sport

In a world of well-paid professional athletes, high-profile coaches and notable sports personalities, the selection of a college English professor as one of America's most influential sports educators might seem to be out of place.

Not so, according to the Institute for International Sport which has included Hope College emeritus English professor Jack Ridl on its first list of the 100 most influential sports educators in America.

"In America and in many other countries, we honor elite athletes, winning coaches, wealthy team owners and media moguls. We praise sports educators yet we really do not honor them in a manner befitting their admirable impact on society," said Daniel Doyle, executive director of the Institute for International Sport. "This project is aimed at honoring individuals and organizations who have creatively and effectively used sport in the very best way -- as a means to educate and shape positive values."

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October 13, 2007

Dutchmen Win #400 &
Keep Wooden Shoes

The Flying Dutchmen marked a milestone in grand style Saturday sweeping past longtime rival Kalamazoo 57-7 to mark the 400th football victory in school history. The win also keeps the treasured Wooden Shoes in Hope's possession for a 12th consecutive year. With their third straight victory, coach Dean Kreps' Dutchmen moved to 3-3 on the season. Hope and Olivet share first place in the MIAA race with 3-0 marks. The Flying Dutchmen have now won 12 consecutive league games dating back to the 2005 season. They are just one away from the record 13 straight MIAA victories from 1980-82.

October 11, 2007

Hope one win from football milestone

Hope College football players have been so focused on getting back to the NCAA Division III playoffs this season, they didn't realize a significant milestone stood within reach.
The Flying Dutchmen need one win for their 400th victory since they first began playing college teams in 1908. Hope plays at Kalamazoo College Saturday.

Senior running back David Booko said he and his teammates want to make history this weekend.

"This will be huge," Booko said. "It's an honor just to be on this team when it happens. It will mean a lot to this team."

READ THE HOLLAND SENTINEL STORY

Photo Highlights of MIAA championship season

October 9, 2007

Hope Claims Fifth Straight
MIAA Men's Golf Title

Hope College has captured its fifth consecutive Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) men's golf championship.

With a come-from-behind effort, coach Bob Ebels' Flying Dutchmen finished 13 strokes ahead of Olivet over the course of the eight-tournament season. Hope did not move into first place until the seventh tournament of the year. The Flying Dutchmen won four of the year's tournaments outright, tied for first in another and were second in three others.

As league champions, Hope has earned a berth in the NCAA Division III championships to be held next spring. It will be Hope's third consecutive trip to nationals, the fifth since 2000 and the ninth in school history. The Flying Dutchmen finished 18th at last year's nationals.

For the second time in his career, senior Tommy Yamaoka of Zeeland, Mich. (Zeeland East HS) captured MIAA medalist honors by averaging 73.5 strokes over the season's eight tournaments. Yamaoka was also the conference medalist as a freshman (2004). As a sophomore he was second in the seasonal standings and as a junior was fourth. Over 32 league tournaments in his career, he maintained a 73.3 strokes average.

Yamaoka and senior teammate Matt Lapham of Brighton, Mich. (Brighton HS) earned All-MIAA first team honors four consecutive years. They become part of an elite group of only seven MIAA golfers to achieve that distinction. The only other Hope golfer to be All-MIAA four times was Eric Wohlfield from 1998-2001.

Senior Ryan Sheets of Saline, Mich. (Saline HS) received All-MIAA second team honors by finishing eighth in the seasonal standings with a 76.6 average. It marked the third year he has been All-MIAA having received second team honors as a junior (2006) and first team recognition as a sophomore.

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October 9, 2007

Hope Golfer Recognized by MIAA

Senior Juliue Hoogerhyde of Grand Rapids, Mich. (Forest Hills Northern HS) finished second in the conference seasonal standings to achieve All-MIAA first team honors.

The Flying Dutch, coached by Eva Dean Folkert, finished fourth in the MIAA standings.

October 07, 2007

Mary Lou Koop doesn't see herself as an athletic pioneer.
The 83-year-old from Hamilton played sports at Hope College before graduating in 1946 because she enjoyed being with friends and participating in extracurricular activities.

Yet, Koop was one of the 240 Hope alumnae the school honored during homecoming. She received her varsity "H" letter as part of a project to formally recognize female athletes who competed between 1938 and 1972 but received little fanfare.

"The thought of the school doing that is very special," said Koop, one of 50 alumnae who attended Saturday's ceremony during the alumni H-Club's luncheon. "Yet with the competition that is out there, I'm not sure we would have succeeded (as athletes) as they are doing now to earn the letter.

Holland Sentinel story

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The alumni H-Club presented it's Hope for Humanity Award to Russ DeVette '45 (left) who spent 37 years at Hope as a member of the faculty and coach. Gord Brewer '48 (right) presented the award to his longtime colleague.

September 30, 2007

DeVette to receive
Hope for Humanity Award

Russ DeVette has a humble, soft-spoken manner, yet his impact on Hope College and Holland has been substantial.
DeVette, 84, of Holland, will be this year's recipient of the Hope for Humanity Award, an annual recognition presented by the Hope alumni H-Club to graduate athletes who have demonstrated the values of Christian commitment and service to others in their careers after Hope.

A 1945 Hope graduate, DeVette taught and coached at Hope for nearly 40 years, from 1948 until retiring in 1988, with three years away in the 1950s to serve with the Marine Corps and on the faculty of the University of Maine.

"I've had the privilege of knowing Russ for a long time, and I'm a better person for it," said Ray Smith, men's athletics director at Hope and H-Club board member.

READ THE HOLLAND SENTINEL STORY

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Renovation of Baseball & Softball
Fields Underway

A renovation is underway of the baseball and softball fields at the Buys Athletics Complex on the campus of Hope College.

The college has also announced the naming of the two fields in honor of four persons who have been involved in the life of the college for several decades.

The softball stadium has been named in honor Karla Hoesch Wolters, longtime Hope softball coach, and her husband Tom. Both are graduates of the Hope College class of 1973. The baseball stadium has been named in honor of Ronald Boeve, Hope College class of 1953 and an assistant baseball coach for nearly a quarter of century, and his wife Sonya (Sunny).

"We are pleased to honor these two very special coaches. Both Karla and Ron have been integral parts of Hope athletics as players and coaches. And, because coaching at its best involves spouses as well, we are pleased to honor Tom and Sunny," said President James E. Bultman.

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