The Hope College men's cross country team hopes being healthier will lead to a rise at the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship this weekend.
The Flying Dutchmen are running at 11 a.m. Saturday at Raisin Valley Golf Club in Tecumseh, Michigan. The meet is hosted by Adrian College.
"We haven't been at full strength the whole year," head coach Mark Northuis said. "We hope this week we are fully healthy. If we can be, we can compete for moving up in the standings."
MIAA Championship Website
The Flying Dutchmen placed fourth at the MIAA Jamboree they hosted earlier this season.
Hope totaled 132 points to finish behind Calvin College (24), Albion College (47), and Trine University (77).
Senior Jacob Jansen of Johnston, Iowa (Johnston HS) topped the Flying Dutchmen with a 22nd-place effort.
Hope put its top five runners in the top 10: senior Benjamin Pederson of Mount Prospect, Illinois (Prospect) in 26th, sophomore Joseph Dawson of Richland, Michigan (Gull Lake) in 27th, junior Ryan Holman of Holmen, Wisconsin (Holmen) in 28th, and junior Nicholai Shaw of Allendale, Michigan (Home School) in 29th.
"We've had to overcome injuries. We've talked about it, someone has to be the next man up," Northuis said. "We're relying on a lot of young guys. It's been a season of learning and maturing."
