Steve Underwood, Stu Scholl and William (Bill) Vanderbilt Sr. are some of the names that help comprise the rich history of Hope College men's cross country. Here are five things to know about the Flying Dutchmen.
4
Top place for a Hope runner at NCAA Division III Championships. Steve Underwood ('84) posted Hope's best individual finish with a fourth-place run in 1981.
8
Number of All-MIAA First Team honors for Stu Scholl ('76). He has the distinction of being the only Hope athlete to receive All-MIAA first team honors eight times in his career. He was honored in his freshman through senior years in both cross country and track.
10
Length, in years, of current streak where the Flying Dutchmen have had at least one All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) First Team Runner 10 consecutive years, a streak dating back to 2003. Sam Pederson and Blake Rottschafer continued the run in 2012.
14
Number of MIAA championships for the Flying Dutchmen during former coach William (Bill) Vanderbilt, Sr.'s tenure between 1971-87. Vanderbilt ('61) also led the Flying Dutch to three league titles. The traditional season-opening cross country meet, hosted by Hope since 1966, honors Vanderbilt. The alumni H-Club presented Vanderbilt its "Hope for Humanity Award" in 1999.
33
Length, in miles, of first Hope running race. Cross country has been an intercollegiate sport at Hope for more than a century. One of the first publicized events occurred in 1909 when teams from Hope and the Grand Rapids YMCA covered 33 miles in a relay between Holland and Grand Rapids.
