By Eva Dean Folkert
Though the Hope College women's golf team finished its last round of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's national-qualifying tournament in rainy conditions on Saturday, the Flying Dutch's bid to play on the national stage for the third year in a row was not the least bit dampened.
Coach Greg Stafford's Flying Dutch bested the field on their home course, Ravines Golf Club, over two days and will play next at the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship in less than two weeks.
Hope beat Saint Mary's College on Friday by four strokes after being down to the Belles by a shot after the first round of competition on April 22, played on Saint Mary's home course.
The Flying Dutch — MIAA champs of last fall's regular season — added to their Friday, three-stroke lead with seven more on Saturday by topping Saint Mary's, 335 to 342. Hope's total over 54-holes was 996 to the Belles' 1,006. Olivet shot 352 on the day (1023 overall) while Trine finished with 369 (1077 overall).
Hope was led by junior Megan Klintworth of Jackson, Michigan (Hanover-Horton HS) and senior Dominique Molinaro of Burtchville, Michigan (Port Huron Northern) who each shot 82 and tied for fourth place.
Julia DeBelly of Trine led the field with the day's only sub-80 total, shooting a 79.
Hope's Britni Gielow, a senior from Muskegon, Michigan (Mona Shores) finished with an 83, good for a sixth-place tie.
Junior Megan Wierenga of Byron Center, Michigan (South Christian) rounded out Hope's scoring with a 10th place 88
Junior Nicole Meyer of Brighton, Michigan (Brighton) came in 11th place with a 90.
The Flying Dutch will head to Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas, for NCAA competition from May 9-12. The championship there will consist of 72 holes. All Division III teams will complete 54 holes of competition.
After 54 holes, the field will be cut to the top 15 teams and the top six individuals not on one of those teams.
Last year at the NCAA championship, also in Houston, Hope finished 10th out of 21 teams, their best finish ever. Gielow finished seventh, receiving All-American honors, while Meyer tied for 31st, Klintworth tied for 41st, and Wierenga tied for 86th. There were 116 competitors in the field in 2016, the same number of participants anticipated in 2017.
