Miles of training paid off as the Hope College men’s cross country team will be racing together with the nation’s best for the first time since 1990.
The Flying Dutchmen received an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Championships. The NCAA announced the 32-team Division III field on Sunday.
Hope will run on Saturday, Nov. 16, at noon at the Lavern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. Rose Hulman Institute of Technology is the host school.
This is Hope’s 16th trip to the NCAA Championships and 12th in NCAA Division III.
The Flying Dutchmen last competed at nationals as a team in 1990.
Hope also competed four times at the NCAA College Division Championships between 1967-1971.
On Saturday, the Flying Dutchmen finished third at the Great Lakes Regional in Shelbyville, Indiana for their highest team finish since 1991.
Three all-region performances powered Hope.
Senior Connor Vachon (Jenison, Michigan / Jenison HS) clocked the Flying Dutchmen’s top 8K performance with a fourth-place run of 24 minutes, 55.72 seconds.
Junior Ian Petruska (Fort Collins, Colorado / Fort Collins) placed 10th with a time of 25;10.65.
Sophomore Carston Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) finished 15th by crossing the finish line at 25: 29.73.
Vachon, Petruska and Cole all claimed all-region honors.
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