Bailey Smith
MEN’S SWIM/DIVE
Bailey Smith is the best men’s distance swimmer in Hope College history.
When head coach Jake Taber said on Thursday, “We think (Smith’s) got more in the tank for Saturday in the 1,650,” he wasn’t kidding.
Smith, a sophomore from Battle Creek, Michigan (Lakeview HS) set Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and school records in the 1,650-yard freestyle in dominating fashion on Saturday.
The performance was the first of two MIAA records and three school records during the evening session for the Flying Dutchmen. Hope won four events on Saturday and finished the two-day meet with a second-place total of 906 points.
Smith’s time of 15:40.40 in the 1,650 easily is the Hope record. The previous mark was 15:51.00 by Josh Grabijas, set in 2012. The previous MIAA record of 15:42.35 was set by Calvin’s Caleb Meindertsma in 2016.
Hope was so dominant in the 200-yard butterfly, it had two swimmers surpass the MIAA record. Freshman Conor East (Farmington Hills, Michigan/North Farmington) won the event in 1:49.40, edging out teammate Jake Peterson (San Antonio, Texas/Churchill), who had a 1:49.82 finish.
The previous MIAA and Hope College record was held by Ryan Nelis, who swam a 1:50.32 in 2009.
BASEBALL
Brant Kym’s hitting and Kameron Miller’s pitcher sparked the Hope College baseball team to a doubleheader sweep at Albion College on Saturday. The Flying Dutchmen won, 2-0 and 17-7, and raised their record to 3-2 overall.
In Game 1, Miller and reliever Sean Hoey combined on a two-hit shutout. Miller (Coldwater, Michigan/Coldwater), scattered two singles and three walks over six innings of work. The right-hander struck out seven. Hoey (Holland, Michigan/West Ottawa) struck out two of the five batters he faced, including the final one. He earned his first save of the season.
In the second game, Hope overwhelmed the Britons with help from its shortstop, Kym, who recorded three of his four runs batted in after the Flying Dutchmen trailed 7-3 heading into the fifth inning. Kym (Libertyville, Illinois/Libertyville) delivered an RBI double during an eight-run fifth that put Hope ahead 11-7. He overcame two fielding errors with a sacrifice fly in both the second and the ninth innings as well as an RBI triple in the sixth. Hope collected five run-scoring, extra-base hits during the decisive fifth.
SOFTBALL
Two big innings paved the way for a dramatic sweep for the Hope College softball team on Saturday. The Flying Dutch won at Defiance College (Ohio), 5-2 in 11 innings and 6-0 in seven innings, to improve their record to 4-0 overall.
In Game 1, one of the longest in Hope history, the Flying Dutch’s three-run top of the 11th proved the difference. Shortstop Savannah Dixon (Edwardsburg, Michigan/Edwardsburg HS) led off the inning with a double and scored on winning pitcher Megan Soderbloom’s single. First baseman Kaelin Callow (Plainfield, Illinois/Plainfield) followed with a run-scoring single to right-center. One out later, she scored on a single from catcher Morgann Kanouse (Cadillac, Michigan/Cadillac).
In Game 2, the Flying Dutch jumped to a 5-0 lead with a five-run second. Callow started the rally with an RBI double. After two walks, third baseman Bre Nolan (Metamora, Michigan/Lapeer) cleared the bases with a double to right field. Nolan then scored when center fielder Peyton Benjamin (Eaton Rapids, Michigan/Eaton Rapids) reached base on an error.
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