Hope College's Ben Zank is running after All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Mason, Ohio.

The senior from Midland, Michigan (H.H. Dow HS), posted the eighth-fastest time on the same course during last weekend's regional hosted by Wilmington University.

It was the top performance among runners from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The top 35 runners are All-Americans.

Hope coach Mark Northuis said Zank is capable of finishing among the top 40 runners at nationals.

Three Hope runners have claimed All-America recognition: Steve Underwood (1981), Stu Scholl (1975) and Sherwood Schaffer (1961).

"Ben is a very focused individual who understands his strengths," Northuis said. "He has been able to use this understanding to help him adjust to various racing conditions and perform very well, such as having the ability to run very well in crowds and finish strong. These attributes are necessary to compete well at the national level."

Zank will race at 11 a.m. on Saturday. This is his first trip to nationals.