Ryan Flynn
MEN’S SOCCER
The Hope College men’s soccer team is projected to be in the chase for a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship this spring.
The Flying Dutchmen placed second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with 43 points and one first-place vote.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own programs. Calvin topped the poll with 49 points and seven first-place votes.
Led by head coach Dave Brandt, the Flying Dutchmen return three all-league players from a 2019 team that played in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Hope finished that season with a 14-6-1 overall record and a 6-1 mark in MIAA games.
Midfielder Ryan Flynn (Bloomington, Illinois/Bloomington HS) earned All-MIAA First Team honors as a sophomore.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
The Hope College women’s soccer team is picked to be in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title hunt this spring.
The Flying Dutch finished second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with 40 points and one first-place vote.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own programs. Adrian topped the poll with 49 points and seven first-place votes. Saint Mary’s has opted out of the 2021 spring season but was allowed to vote.
Led by head coach Leigh Sears, Hope returns three all-league players from the 2019 season.
Two Flying Dutch were second-team honorees in 2019: senior forward Corinne Cole (St. Paul, Minnesota/Eastview) and sophomore defender Erin Powers (Norton Shores, Michigan/Mona Shores).
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Hope College’s Olivia Voskuil has been chosen as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week for the third time in her career.
The senior civil engineering major from Holland, Michigan (Holland Christian HS) is honored after helping the top-ranked Flying Dutch win the MIAA Tournament last week with three victories in six days.
Voskuil averaged 9.3 points, a team-leading 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.3 blocks per game against No. 3 Trine University, Calvin University and Kalamazoo College.
In Saturday’s championship game against Trine, Voskuil matched his season-high five steals during a 64-54 victory that clinched back-to-back undefeated seasons for the Flying Dutch.
WOMEN’S SWIM/DIVE
Hope College’s Emma Schaefer has been named the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Women’s Swimming Athlete of the Week.
A breaststroke specialist, Schaefer won three individual events in record-setting time and swam on the winning 400-yard medley relay for the Flying Dutch at the 2021 MIAA Swimming and Diving Championships last weekend.
She was named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Swimmer for the second year in a row as Hope claimed the team title for the second time in three years.
Schaefer, an exercise science major from DeWitt (St. Johns HS), set her first school record last Thursday in the 200-yard breaststroke in a dominating win with a time of 2:18.55. She broke the 21-year-old mark of 2:18.68 recorded by Betsy VandenBerg in 2000.
MEN’S TRACK/FIELD
Hope College’s Nick Hoffman has been selected as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this season and in his career.
The junior public accounting major from Holland, Michigan (Holland HS) is honored after his record-setting performances for the Flying Dutchmen on Saturday at the MIAA Indoor Championships at Trine University.
He also helped Hope tie for second place in the overall standings — the top finish in program history.
In the 3,000 meters, Hoffman edged out his nearest competitor by three seconds, clocking a time of 8:39.37 and setting a new meet record in the process. He returned in the 1 mile to win his second conference title – and second meet record — of the day, pacing the field with a time of 4:13.62.
WOMEN’S TRACK/FIELD
Hope College’s Ana Tucker is the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week for the second time in her career.
The sophomore exercise science major from Midland, Michigan (H.H. Dow HS) is honored after her performance for the first-place Flying Dutch at Friday’s MIAA Indoor Championships hosted by Trine University.
Tucker claimed two MIAA titles on Friday in the 3000-meter and in the mile, and in winning both, she shattered former league and school records. Running in the 3,000 on Friday, Tucker set a new MIAA record with a time of 9:58.70, breaking the previous mark of 10:09.40 held by Hope’s Erin Herrmann set in 2016. Tucker set the Hope record in that event earlier this year with a time of 9:46.33 at GVSU.
Then, in the mile, Tucker crushed both MIAA and Hope records by crossing the finish line in 4:57.92. The old MIAA mark was 5:05.03 set by Calvin’s Katie Diekema in 2018 and the previous Hope record was 5:03.86 set by Rachael Webb in 2018.
MEN’S LACROSSE
Hope College attacker Jack Radzville has been selected as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Men’s Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week.
In the Flying Dutchmen’s season-opening action last week, the junior electrical engineering major from Howell (Howell HS) scored a total of nine goals while recording a total of six assists.
Against Aurora College (Illinois) last Wednesday, a 15-5 Hope win at home, Radzville led the Flying Dutchmen in scoring with six goals. He also had two assists, four groundballs, and caused one turnover.
On Saturday at Calvin University, Radzville had a three-goal and four-assist game against the Knights in a 19-6 Flying Dutchmen victory. He also collected one groundball while causing one turnover.
SOFTBALL
Hope College’s Megan Soderbloom is being honored as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Softball Position Athlete of the Week for her accomplishments on the mound and at the plate.
The senior public accounting major from Dowagiac (Dowagiac HS) pitched a victory and went 4-for-7 at the plate as the Flying Dutch defeated Hanover College (Indiana) twice in Hope’s season-opening doubleheader last weekend.
In the first game, a 5-2 Hope win, Soderbloom went 7 1/3 innings, giving up four hits, two runs, and striking out two while walking two.
In that game, she also had two hits, one of which was a double.
In the second game, a 10-8 victory for Hope, the pitcher moved to the designated player position and picked up two more hits while recording three RBIs.
Comments