The Hope College women's cross country team picked up the pace of practicing this season at the Ridge Point Church course where it holds the Vanderbilt Invitational every season.
The Flying Dutch zeroed in on preparing for the type of terrain they will face at the NCAA Division III Championships.
Hope, ranked 12th in NCAA Division III, is competing as the Great Lakes Regional champion at nationals Saturday at 12:15 p.m. Central at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois.
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Head coach Mark Northus describes Principia's course as similar to Ridge Point's.
"We went there last year with a group of freshmen and sophomores as kind of a dream race, thinking about racing here for nationals," Northuis said. "We were able to train it and visualize it. We filmed the whole course. It has long, gradual hills. You start up on a 250-meter hill, where at Ridge Point you finish on a hill. We have a good idea what to expect."
Ten Hope runners have made the trip to nationals: seniors Alissa Frazee of Watervliet, Michigan (Home School), Alexis Guttilla of St. Charles, Illinois (Westminster Christian), senior Rachael Webb of Grandville, Michigan (Grandville), juniors Kayla Gercak of Portage, Michigan (Portage Northern), Emily Hamilton of Naperville, Illinois (North), Avery Lowe of North Muskegon, Michigan (North Muskegon), and sophomores Sydney del Valle of Holland, Michigan (Black River), sophomore Hannah Kenny of Grand Haven, Michigan (Grand Haven), Chelsea Miskelley of Holland, Michigan (Black River), and Kelly Peregrine of Traverse City, Michigan (Central).
Webb said she and her teammates have been working on how to handle hills throughout the season.
"This year especially we practiced at Ridge Point quite a big — working on not just charging up the hill but going over them too, not slowing down," Webb said. "It's helped us also mentally. We know we're capable of doing it."
The Flying Dutch have learned how to assist each other during the race, Frazee said.
The teamwork has fortified their pack, putting runners together to score the points needed to claim Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Great Lakes Regional championships.
"It really calms you down when you start on the line. You look around and say 'I know these girls. We've trained together,'" Frazee said. "When the race starts, you find those girls and do everything you've been doing. You feel them and look at 'Who can I jump?' Then push them up to the next person. We keep pushing up farther and farther."
