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Historic Moments and Notable Performances
Updated through the 2007 season
- Men's track and field as it known today became an intercollegiate sport at
Hope College in 1916. Hope's first dual meet was a 78.5-25.5 victory over Mount
Pleasant Normal (Central Michigan University).
- Hope's track and field complex honors Gordon Brewer '48 whose involvement
with Hope College spans seven decades, including 32 years as track coach.
- Rob Appell '86 won the 1985 NCAA Division III national championship in
the high jump clearing seven feet. He received MIAA most valuable trackster
award
three times (1984-86), an accomplishment not repeated since.
- Through the years, the shotput event has been special to the Buys family.
Ekdal J. Buys, Sr. '37 was the MIAA shotput conference champion as both
a junior and senior. His Hope shotput record stood for 33 years. Grandson
Matt Buys
'92 won the MIAA shotput championship three consecutive years and the discus
crown twice.
- Among Hope's many outstanding sprinters was Cliff Haverdink '72, who was
conference champion in three events during his career. He competed in six
events at the
1970 MIAA Field Day anchoring the championship mile relay.
- Ron Bos '53 was one of the most versatile and talented athletes to grace
the Hope campus. In the winter he starred on the basketball court, leading
Hope
to MIAA basketball championships in 1952 and 1953. In the spring he competed
concurrently in tennis and track. He played number one singles and number
two doubles in tennis and was the MIAA champion in the 100 and 200 dash in
both
1952 and 1953.
- The MIAA Field Day is one of the oldest intercollegiate athletic events
in America dating back to 1888. Hope had its first opportunity to host Field
Day
in 1966 as part of the college's 100th year commemoration. The Dutchmen
used the home track to their advantage, winning the first of three consecutive
league
championships.
- No MIAA mark in any sport stayed in the record book longer than John Kleinheksel's
'60 long jump of 23 feet, 6 1/2 inches at the 1958 league Field Day. The
league record withstood all challengers until it was broken in 2002. It remains
the
oldest mark in Hope's track and field record book.
- Ryan TerLouw became the first Hope male athlete to gain All-America honors three times in the same event when he
finished 4th in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Division III championships. He finished 7th as a sophomore and was 5th as
a junior.
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