Hope has a Record Number of All-MIAA Tracksters (5/8/08)
A record number of Hope College track and field athletes have received all-conference honors from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

Sixteen athletes have been named by coaches to the honor squad. Thirteen of them were gold medal winners at the annual Field Day championships. The others were selected in the at-large category.

Men's and women's All-MIAA teams have been named since 1983. The previous combined high of All-MIAA honorees from Hope was nine. The Hope teams had 13 conference champions, the school's highest number since 1986.

The teams, coached by Kevin Cole, each finished second in the conference standings. Each had their highest team point total since the current point-system was initiated in 2000.

Senior Lindsay Lange (Manistee/Manistee HS) received All-MIAA honors for a fourth straight year. She is the fourth female athlete to achieve that distinction, joining Marcia Vandersall (90-93), Emily Sowers (98-01) and Christy Watkin (01-04). An All-American heptathlete, Lange was the conference shotput champion this year. During her career she was also a conference champion in the 200 meters, 400 meters and 100-meter hurdles. She was also an All-MIAA basketball player.

Junior Nora Kuiper (Parchment/Parchment HS) received All-MIAA honors a third consecutive year after winning the 100-meter dash a third straight year. Her time this year was a conference record (:12.13). She also won the 200-meter dash.

Achieving All-MIAA honors a second time were junior Sean Bergsma (Grand Haven/Grand Haven HS) and junior Christina Lis (Novi/Novi HS). Both were the conference high jump champion, Bergsma for a second consecutive year.

First-time honorees include junior Brandon Bosch (Hudsonville/Hudsonville HS), senior Andrew Denniger (Winfield, Ill./West Chicago HS), freshman John Donkersloot (Zeeland/Zeeland East HS), junior Kate Freshour (Bloomington, Ill./Olympia HS), freshman Emily Kreichelt (Northville/Northville HS), freshman Cameron Lampkin (Oak Park/Berkley HS), sophomore Jeff Minkus (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West HS), senior Chad Rector (Grant/Grant HS), freshman Nick Rinck (Hudsonville/Hudsonville HS), freshman Kara Vandeguchte (Hamilton/Hamilton HS), junior Emily VanderMeer (Holland/Holland HS) and senior Seth Weener (Grandville/Grandville HS).

Seth Weener was also an All-MIAA honoree in cross country. Emily VanderMeer continued a family tradition in winning the pole vault. Her older sister, Jennifer, was the MIAA pole vault champion in 2007. And waiting in the wings is her freshman sister, Sarah, who was fifth in the event this spring.

Hope honorees who were conference champions included Brandon Bosch, men's long jump; Andrew Denniger, men's javelin; Chad Rector, men's shotput; Jeff Minkus, men's triple jump; Seth Weener, men's 1,500-meters; Nick Rinck, men's 400-meter hurdles; and Emily VanderMeer, women's pole vault.

Hope has Strong Showing at MIAA Field Day (5/2/08)
Complete Results
Hope had one of its strongest showings in recent years at the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) track and field championships which concluded Friday at Alma College. Hope athletes combined for 13 event championships as both teams finished second in the standings behind rival Calvin.

Junior Nora Kuiper was a double winner in the dashes. She set an MIAA record while repeating as champion of the 100-meter dash (:12.13) and also won the 200-meter dash (:25.62).

Other Hope athletes who successfully defended their league titles were senior Andrew Denniger in the javelin (176-8) and junior Sean Bergsma in the high jump (6-6).

Other Hope champions in the men's meet included junior Brandon Bosch, long jump (22-9 1/4); senior Chad Rector, shotput (48-8); sophomore Jeffrey Minkus, triple jump (45-7 1/4); senior Seth Weener, 1,500 meters (4:01.50); and freshman Nick Rinck, 400-meter hurdles (:55.95).

The Flying Dutch 4x100 relay on Nora Kuiper, freshman Kara VandeGuchte, freshman Emily Kreichelt, and senior Lindsay Lange won the gold medal in :48.71. Other Hope champions in women's meet were junior Christina Lisa in the high jump (5-5), junior Emily Vandermeer in the pole vault (10-11 1/2) and senior Lindsay Lange in the shotput (40-0 1/2).

Heptathlete Lindsay Lange Qualifies for Nationals (4/24/08)
Hope senior Lindsay Lange has qualified for the NCAA Division III track and field championship in the heptathlon for a third consecutive year.

Lange competed in the seven-event heptathlon at the Gina Relays hosted by Hillsdale College on Wednesday and Thursday. She accumulated 4,596 points against a qualifying standard for nationals of 4,100 points.

Lange is a two-time All-American in the heptathlon. A year she finished fourth at nationals and in 2006 was third. She holds the Hope record in the event at 4,930 points.

Hope freshman Kara Vandeguchte also competed in the heptathlon and just finished the qualifying standard of 4,100 with 4,068 points. Senior Nate Vandeguchte, older brother of Kara, competed in the decathlon. He garnered 5,248 points against a qualifying standard of 6,000.

The NCAA Division III national championship will be held at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh from May 22-24.

Hope Athletes Compete at Multiple Venues (4/19/08)
EMU Results / Northwood Results
Hope athletes competed at track and field invitationals hosted by two Michigan universities on Saturday, Northwood in Midland and Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti. Hope's entries had several outstanding performances, including a school record in the women's 4x100 relay.

Northwood Open: The women's 4x100 relay of junior Nora Kuiper, freshman Kara VandeGuchte, freshman Emily Kreichelt, and senior Lindsay Lange established a school record of :48.47, eclipsing the previous mark of :49.03. It was a provisional qualifying time for nationals. Lindsay Lange also had a provisional qualifying time in winning the 100-meter hurdles (:14.92). Nora Kuiper was the meet champion in the 100-meter dash (:12.56). Season-best performances included Emily Kreichelt, 200 meters (:26.47); Susan Savasky, 1,500 meters (11:35.26); Sara DeWeerdt, long jump (15-2) and Lindsay Lange, shotput (39-4); and Hunter Nostrant, pole vault (13-5 1/4).

Eastern Michigan Invitational: Freshman John Donkersloot won the high jump with the second best height in Hope history (6-10 3/4). The school record is 7-0 by Rob Appell in 1985. Sophomore Jeff Minkus bettered his own school record in the triple jump (46-4 1/4). Season-best performances were recorded by: Christina Lis, high jump (5-7); Nick Zendler, 800 meters (1:56.62); Seth Weener, 1,500 meters (3:56.30) and Matt Wiersum, 5,000 meters (15:44.41).

Hope Teams Second at MIAA Jamboree
Complete Men's Results
Complete Women's Results
Both Hope track and field teams finished second at the first-ever MIAA True Team Jamboree on Saturday hosted by Alma College. Every competitor (three per team) scored points based on the order of finish. The Jamboree replaced league dual meets this spring and will count toward half of the seasonal standings. Calvin led the field in both the men's and women's meet.

Men's Jamboree: Calvin led the seven-team field with 924 points followed by Hope 871.5, Albion 601.5, Alma 472.5, Tri-State 420.5, Adrian 418.5 and Olivet 327.5. Hope event winners included John Donkersloot, high jump (6-4 3/4); Brandon Bosch, long jump (22-1 3/4); Jeff Minkus, triple jump (44-1 1/4); and Cameron Lampkin, 200 meters (:22.57).

Women's Jamboree: Calvin edged the Flying Dutch for the women's title, 944.5-918, followed by Albion 701.5, Alma 578.5, Olivet 291.5, Adrian 290, and 6. Tri-State 99. Hope event winners included Christina Lis, high jump (5-5); Emily VanderMeer, pole vault (10-0); Lindsay Lange, shotput (38-11 3/4) and 200 meters (:26.58); and Nora Kuiper, 100 meters (:12.64). The Flying Dutch also won the 4x100 meter relay (:49.23) with a team of Nora Kuiper, Kara Vandeguchte, Emil Kreichelt and Lindsay Lange.

Hope Tracksters Compete at Ferris Invitational
Results
Hope tracksters competed in the Ferris State Invitational on Saturday. It was a non-scoring meet.
Women's Results: Recording season-best performances were: Nora Kuiper, 100 meters (:12.58); Sara Tyler, 3,000 meters (11:48.17); Emily Fischer, 3,000-meter steeplechase (12:33.38); Sara DeWeerdt, long jump (15-0 3/4); Courtney Knox, shotput (38-0).
Men's Results: First place performances were posted by Jeff Minkus in the triple jump (45-2 1/4) and Andrew Denniger in the javelin (181-5). Recording season-best performances were: Erik George, 100 meters (:10.81); Nicholas Rinck, 110-meter hurdles (:15.90) and 400-meter hurdles (:57.53); and the 4x100 meter relay (:43.49).

Flying Dutch Compete at Grand Rapids Open (3/29/08)
Results
The Flying Dutch competed in the non-scoring Grand Rapids Open at Houseman Field. The Flying Dutch had two first place performances -- Lindsay Lange, 100-meter hurdles (:15.14) and Christina Lis, high jump (5-3).

Flying Dutch Compete at Emory Invitational (3/22/08)
Results
The Flying Dutch concluded their annual spring break training by competing at the Emory University Invitational in Atlanta, Ga. with a fifth place finish in the 18-team field.

Hope had two meet champions -- junior Christina Lis in the high jump (5-7 1/4) and freshman Emily VanderMeer in the pole vault (10-6 3/4). Lis' height is a school record and NCAA qualifying performance. Scoring points were: Elle Munoa, 3rd in 5,000-meters (20:18.11); Kara VandeGutche, 6th in 100-meter hurdles (:16.42) and tied for fourth in high jump (5-1 1/4); Emily Fischer and Sarah Gosses, 7th (12:44.07) and 8th (13:30.98) in 3,000-meter steeplechase; Kylie Topliff, tied for 4th in high jump (5-1 1/4); Sarah Kibbey, 8th in triple jump (33-1 3/4); Anna Brandes, 2nd in discus (118-4); and Rachel Wendt, 5th in hammer throw (95-8).

Tracksters Excel at First Outdoor Competition (3/15/08)
Results
Hope opened the outdoor portion of its track and field season with some outstanding performances at the Coastal Carolina Invitational on Saturday. Three tracksters had provisional qualifying performances for the NCAA Division III championship to be held in May -0- senior Andrew Denniger in the javelin (191 feet, 11 inches), junior Christina Lis in the high jump (5 feet, 5 inches) and sophomore Jeff Minkus in the triple jump with a school record jump of 46 feet, 3/4 inch. The old mark had stood for 20 years, set in 1988 by Scott Schaaf (45'4 1/2").

Flying Dutch Compete at Chicago Invitational (2/23/08)
Women's Results
The Flying Dutch competed in the Margaret Bradley Indoor Invitational hosted by the University of Chicago on Saturday. The Flying Dutch were third in the 10-team competition. The host UC Maroons won the meet.

The Flying Dutch had two event champoions -- Kate Freshour in the 800-meter run (2:23.45) and Christina Lis took the gold in the high jump (1.70m). Other top six finishes included: Emily VanderMeer, 2rd in pole vault (3.07m); Kara Vandeguchte, 3rd in 55-meter hurdles (:08.90) and 5th in high jump (1.55m); Joanne Gabl, 3rd in 3,000 meters (10:57.51); Kylie Topliff, 3rd in high jump (1.57m); Rebekah Woods, 5th in pole vault (2.92m); and Emily Kreichelt, 6th in 55-meter dash (07.69); Hope won the distance medley relay (13:01.69) and was second in the 4x400-meter relay (4:16.88).

Flying Dutch Compete at Grand Valley (2/15/08)
Results
Members of the Hope track and field teams continued their preparations for the 2008 season by competing in the GVSU Indoor Open hosted by Grand Valley State University.

Flying Dutch Launch Season at Carthage Invitational (2/2/08)
Invitational Results
The Flying Dutch opened their season Saturday by finishing fourth at the 19-team Tadd Metzger Indoor Invitational hosted by Carthage College. The top eight finishers scored in the meet.

Hope Highlights: Sean Bergsma, 2nd in high jump (6-5 1/2); Ryan Jara, 3rd in 5,000 meters (16:25.77); Aaron Clark, 4th in 400 meters (:51.76); Jeff Minkus, 4th in triple jump (44-3 1/4); Daniel Sultz, 5th in 5,000 meters (16:51.82); Zach King, 7th in 3,000 meters (8:54.48) and 8th in mile (4:34.02); Nick Rincki, 8th in 55 meter hurdles (:08.39); and Nate VanderGuchte, 8th in high jump (5-11 1/2).

The Flying Dutch feature a squad that has a blend of veterans and collegiate newcomers.

The team returns 15 letterwinners from a team that finished second in the 2007 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) standings and 21st at the NCAA Division III championships.

The pre-season roster includes 21 freshmen along with eight sophomores, 13 juniors and four seniors.

Coach Kevin Cole begins his third season with a squad that includes season-best performances in 14 of 20 individual performances in 2007.

Two athletes are returning NCAA All-Americans. Senior Lindsay Lange of Manistee, Mich. (Manistee HS) finished fourth in the rigorous seven-event heptathlon to achieve All-America honors in the event for the second year in-a-row. Lange finished with a school-record 4,930 points. In 2006 Lange was third at nationals with 4,790 points. Lange has scored at nationals for three straight years. As a freshman she finished seventh in the 400-meter dash. Junior Christina Lis of Novi, Mich. (Novi HS) achieved All-America honors by tying for sixth place in the high jump. Appearing at nationals for the first time, Lis cleared 5 feet, 4 1/2 inches.

Junior Nora Kuiper of Parchment, Mich. (Parchment HS) is the two-time defending MIAA champion in the 100 meter dash.

Co-captains of the team will be senior Anne Hoekstra of Kalamazoo, Mich. (Loy Norrix HS); junior Sarah Kibbey of Maple City (Glen Lake HS); and Lindsay Lange.

Returning athletes who had season-best performances in 2007 include Nora Kuiper, 100-meter dash (:12.33); Lindsay Lange, school record 200-meter dash (:25.06), school record 100 meter-hurdles (:14.29), 400 -meter hurdles (1:10.00), long jump (16-9); shotput (39-0 1/4) and heptathlon (4,930 pts.); junior Sarah Multer of Plainwell, Mich. (Plainwell HS), 3,000 meters (11:24.47) and 5,000 meters (19:34.39); Anne Hoekstra, 10,000 meters (41:45.35); Christina Lis, high jump (5-6); Sarah Kibbey, triple jump (32-5 1/2); junior Anna Brandes of Hillsdale, Mich. (Hillsdale HS), discus (121-8); senior Laura Schaedig of Cedarville, Mich. (Cedarville HS), javelin (119-3); and senior Rachel Wendt of Hanover Park, Ill. (Glenbard North HS), hammer (105-1).

Seniors who have lettered three seasons include Anne Hoekstra and Lindsay Lange. Each is a two-sport athlete, Hoekstra in cross country and track and Lange in basketball and track.

A major change in scheduling has been initiated by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association for the 2008 season. There will no longer be dual meets between league teams. Instead, there will be a single jamboree at mid-season and the traditional season-ending Field Day to be hosted by Alma College.

Flying Dutch Had Banner Season
Three Hope tracksters achieved NCAA All-America status during 2007, a single season school record. Coach Kevin Cole's Dutch finished second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) standings. The team posted a 5-1 dual meet record.