Hope ended with 84 points by collecting one All-America and seven honorable mention All-America finishes.

On Saturday Hope had two honorable mention AA efforts. Phil Heyboer won the consolation heat of the 200-yard backstroke to end ninth overall (1:51.76) while the 400-yard freestyle relay of Charles VanderBroek, Ryan Nelis, Ryan Vogelzang and Matt Rose was 10th in 3:05.05.

On Friday the Flying Dutchmen collected four honorable mention All-American recognitions. Heyboer finished 10th in the 400-yard individual medley (4:00.48) while Nelis was 14th in the 100-yard butterfly (:50.34). Two relays placed in the consolation finals -- 200-yard medley (Rose, Brandon King, Nelis and Vogelzang), 12th (1:34.14) and 800-yard freestyle relay (Nelis, Vanderbroek, Vogelzang and Matt Rose), 15th (6:56.40).

The Flying Dutchmen scored in two events on the opening day. The all-sophomore quartet of Heyboer, Brandon King Ryan Nelis and Matt Rose finished seventh in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:34.72 to achieve All-America recognition. The quartet of VanderBroek, Vogelzang, Nelis and Rose earlier achieved honorable mention All-America status with a 10th place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:23.86).

Hope Qualifies Six for Men's NCAA Championships
Hope College has qualified six swimmers for the NCAA Division III men's championships to be held March 20-22 at Miami University's Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center in Oxford, Ohio.

Hope's qualifiers include sophomore Phil Heyboer of Zeeland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS), sophomore Brandon King of Willowbrook, Ill. (Hinsdale Twp. Central HS), sophomore Ryan Nelis of Holland, Mich. (West Ottawa HS), sophomore Matt Rose of Grandville, Mich. (Grandville HS); senior Charles VanderBroek of Holland, Mich. (Holland HS), and junior Ryan Vogelzang of Holland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS).

The Flying Dutchmen, coached by John Patnott, were champions of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) this season. The team has qualified for nationals swimmers in all five relays and nine individual events.

Hope's highest seeded relay is the 400-yard medley relay at sixth (3:24.67) among 23 eligible teams. The seedings of other relays are: 400-yard freestyle relay, 10th (3:04.29); 200-yard medley relay, 15th (1:34.13); 200-yard freestyle relay, 16th (1:23.62) and 800-yard freestyle relay (6:56.32).

Phil Heyboer returns as an All-American in the 200-yard backstroke. A year ago he was eighth in the event (1:53.55). He is seeded 13th this year (1:53.02). Heyboer will compete in two other events, the 400-yard individual medley (seeded seventh, 4:03.55) and the 200-yard IM (seeded 24th, 1:54.50).

Ryan Nelis was an honorable mention All-American last year with a 12th place finish in the 100-yard butterfly (:50.49). He is seeded seventh in the event this year at :49.90. He is also seeded 10th in the 200-yard butterfly (1:52.05).

Three other swimmers will compete in two individual events -- Matt Rose, seeded 28th in the 100-yard freestyle (:46.33) and seeded 29th in the 100-yard backstroke (:52.63); Ryan Vogelzang, seeded 22nd in the 50-yard freestyle (:20.92) and seeded 27th in the 100-yard freestyle (:46.27); and Charles Vanderbroek, seeded 25th in the 200-yard freestyle (1:42.49) and seeded 32nd in the 100-yard freestyle (:46.49).

All-MIAA Honors Presented Hope Swimmers
Honors have been presented to twelve Hope swimmers by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, including MVP recognition to sophomores Ryan Nelis and Brittaney Reest. continue

Flying Dutchmen Claim MIAA Championship (2/16/08)
Complete Results
A strong finish on the final day of competition propelled the Flying Dutchmen to the championship of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Coach John Patnott's Dutchmen won their first title since 2005 and the 10th in school history by edging defending champion Olivet, 543-504.5.

Coach Patnott has now guided Hope teams to 29 MIAA championships (19 women, 10 men). He is the winningest active MIAA coach and the second alltime among all MIAA coaches. Hope's strength in the freestyle sprints and Olivet's dominance in diving led to a very competitive meet. At one point on Saturday Hope's lead was only 1.5 points. The 100-yard freestyle led to the eventual outcome as Hope outscored Olivet 51-10 in the event.

Sophomore Ryan Nelis was named the meet's most valuable swimmer as he won three events -- the 200 IM, 100 Butterfly and 200 Butterfly. Junior Ryan Vogelzang was a double winner capturing the 50 and 100 freestyle events while sophomore Phil Heyboer won the gold in both the 400 IM and 200 backstroke. Hope won all three (200, 400 and 800) freestyle relays.

MIAA Championships Head Into the Final Day (2/15/08)
The MIAA swimming and diving championships head into the final day of competition today with one of the two meets pretty much decided and the other very much up in the air. Calvin appears to be on its way to repeating as conference women's champion while the battle continues between Hope and Olivet for the men's crown. Competition resumes at the Holland Aquatic Center on Saturday with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.

Men's Meet -- Hope goes into the final day with a 26.5 point lead over Olivet but is it enough? Olivet outscored Hope 36-0 in the one-meter diving competition on Thursday and is likely to do the same when the three-meter diving competition is held on Saturday. A year ago Olivet edged Hope in the men's meet by nine points by again dominating in the diving competition. And hanging in the wings 40 points off the pace is Kalamazoo. The Flying Dutchmen had two outstanding individual performances on Friday. Sophomore Phil Heyboer established an MIAA record in defending his 400-yard individual medley crown (4:03.55) and sophomore Ryan Nelis repeated as champion in the 100-yard butterfly (:49.90). Hope concluded Friday's competition by winning the 800-yard freestyle relay. The quartet of Charles VanderBroek, Ryan Vogelzang, Phil Heyboer and Ryan Nelis) had an NCAA conditional qualifying time of 6:56.32.

Women's Meet -- The Flying Dutch are a solid second behind frontrunner Calvin. The defending champion Knights have a 146 point lead (497-351) heading in the final day of competition. The Flying Dutch had two MIAA championship performances on Friday. Junior Brittaney Reest qualified for the NCAA championships by winning the 100-yard backstroke (:58.11). Sophomore Kate Williams won the gold in the 100-yard butterfly (:58.03).

MIAA Championships Underway (2/14/08)
One Hope team is involved a razor-thin race while the other faces an uphill climb after the first day of competition at the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association swimming and diving championships being hosted by Hope College at the Holland Aquatic Center.

Defending champions are in first place after Thursday's competition. Olivet tops the men's field, but is leading second place Hope by only one-half of a point, 160.5-160.0. In the women's competition Calvin has raced out to a big lead with 228 points followed at a distance by Hope at 160.

The Flying Dutchmen crowned one relay and two individual champions on Thursday. The champion 200-yard freestyle relay of Ryan Vogelzang, Stephen Kurti, Charles VanderBroek and Matt Rose had an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:23.65. Sophomore Ryan Nelis won the 200-yard individual medley edging out defending champion Robert Dekker of Kalamazoo with a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:54.14. Junior Ryan Vogelzang led a Hope assault on the 50-yard freestyle event with a winning time of :21.07. The Flying Dutchmen collected 46 points in the 50-free with six swimmers finishing in the top 12.

Hope's lone championship performance in the women's meet came in the 400-yard medley relay. The quartet of Brittaney Reest, Angie Griffore, Kate Williams and Laura Ansilio had a season-best time of 3:56.23.

Flying Dutchmen Win Dual Meet Finale
results
Both Hope swimming/diving concluded the dual meet portion of their season on a winning note topping host Olivet on Saturday. The Flying Dutch won 141-114 to finish unbeaten in MIAA duals (6-0) and 7-1 overall while the Flying Dutchmen were victorious 150-144 to end 4-1 in the MIAA and 4-3 overall.

Hope event winners in the women's meet included Aria Kieft, 1,000 free (11:40.36); Trisha Meier, 200 free (2:00.83); Meghan DeWees, 100 back (1:03.08); Claire Piester, 100 breaststroke (1:10.62) and 200 IM (2:17.89); and Sarah Johnson, 100 butterfly (1:05.17)

Ryan Nelis was a triple winner in the men's meet capturing the 200 butterfly (1:59.40), 100 butterfly (:52.88) and 200 IM (1:59.85). Other Hope event winners included Charles VanderBroek, 200 freestyle (1:47.43); Ryan Vogelzang, 50 free (:21.51); Matt Rose, 100 free (:47.74); Phil Heyboer, 200 back (1:58.25) and 500 free (4:49.50).

Flying Dutchmen Nationally Ranked (1/30/08)
Both Hope swimming/diving teams are ranked nationally by the College Swimming Coaches Association. The mid-season poll is based on dual meet results. The Flying Dutch are ranked 11th in the women's poll while the Flying Dutchmen are ranked 22nd among the men's teams. The Flying Dutch have a 5-1 dual meet record while the Flying Dutchmen are 3-3. The top-ranked men's team is Denison, Ohio while leading the women's poll is Kenyon, Ohio. Hope's teams conclude the dual meet portion of their schedule at Olivet on Saturday.

Flying Dutchmen Defeat Rival Calvin (1/26/08)
Results
The Flying Dutchmen defeated rival Calvin 163-116 to event their overall dual meet record at 3-3. Brandon King was a triple winner -- 100 breaststroke (1:01.61), 200 breaststroke (2:19.53) and 200 IM (2:04.46). Phil Heyboer was a double winner -- 200 freestyle (1:47.52) and 200 backstroke (2:13.40). Other winners included Matt Rose, 50 free (:21.61); Ryan Vogelzang, 100 free (:47.49) and Ryan Nelis, 100 butterfly (:52.04).

Hope winners were Ryan Nelis, 200 butterfly (1:58.25); Phil Heyboer, 200 backstroke (1:55.58) and the 400 freestyle relay (3:10.47).

Winning events were Ryan Nelis, 200 free (1:47.07) and 200 butterfly (2:00.88); Ryan Vogelzang, 50 free (:21.90) and 100 free (:48.36); Phil Heyboer, 200 IM (1:58.19) and 200 backstroke (1:57.41).

Hope Teams Compete at Wheaton Invitational (12/1/07)
Invitational Results
Both Hope swimming teams competed at the seven-team Wheaton Invitational this weekend. The Flying Dutchmen finished fourth while the Flying Dutch ended fifth. Hope's invitational highlights include: