by Anna Mitchell '21
The ninth-ranked Hope College women's cross country team displayed why it is considered one of the best in NCAA Division III during the Louisville Cross country Classic on Saturday.
The Flying Dutch finished second in two different divisions at Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
"Having Emily Hamilton leading us in the Blue Division and Amanda Bentley leading us in the Silver Division, the depth of our team was shown today," head coach Mark Northuis said.
Hamilton clocked a 5K run of 18 minutes, 9.3 seconds in the Blue Division and placed eighth. The senior from Naperville, Illinois (Naperville North HS) finished behind three University of Michigan runners and four NCAA Division III competitors.
Hope scored 154 points and was runner-up to Michigan (20).
Junior Chelsea Miskelley of Holland, Michigan (Black River), pictured, was not far behind with a time of 18:56.7 for 28th place.
Senior Avery Lowe of North Muskegon, Michigan (North Muskegon) finished just a second off of Miskelly — clocking in at 18:57.7 for 30th place.
Junior Kelly Peregrine of Traverse City, Michigan (Traverse City Central) took 35th place at 19:05.6.
Junior Anna Frazee of Watervliet, Michigan (Home School) placed 65th overall with a time of 19:31.5 to complete Hope's scoring.
In the Silver Division, Bentley took 16th place with a run of 19:42.7. The senior from Somonauk, Illinois (Somonauk) helped the Flying Dutch to a runner-up total of 163 points. Hope finished nine points behind Division III Georgia College.
Junior Sydney del Valle of Holland, Michigan (Black River) crossed the finish line with a time of 19:58.1 for 30th place.
Senior Sarah Neumar of Ann Arbor, Michigan (Huron HS) finished just seconds behind her fellow teammate — placing 34th at 20.03.
Sophomore Brooke Truszkowski of Traverse City, Michigan (Central ) came in 38th at 20:07.4.
Freshman Madelyn Marciniak of Otsego, Michigan (Otsego) went 20:17.4 for 49th place.
Hope's next meet is Friday, October 5 at the Lansing Community College Invitational.
