by Eva Dean Folkert
Making its competitive debut of the 2020-21 season against two NCAA Division II programs, the Hope College women's swim and dive team recorded split results on Saturday by topping Saginaw Valley State University, 148-90, but falling to Grand Valley State University, 167-74.
Due to the pandemic, the Flying Dutch had not competed since the 2020 MIAA Championships conducted last February.
"It was a meet unlike any I've ever been a part of, but it was unquestionably fun," said head coach Jake Taber of meet held at the Holland Community Aquatic Center.
Despite the long layoff, the tone was set in the first event when the 400-yard medley relay team of freshman Rachel Gamm of Rockford (Rockford HS), senior Emma Schaefer of DeWitt (Saint Johns HS), freshman Maddy O'Donnell of Lincolnshire, Ill. (Stevenson HS), and freshman Delaney Wesolek of Bay City (John Glenn HS) took second place with a time of 3:54.97.
"This time of year, 3:54 is a pretty good swim," Taber said. "But I think as much as anything, that was also a swim where we got back to racing. It's event number one and our whole team's eyes were on the pool. They saw that relay go out and put some really good swims together. It lifted everybody up just a bit more and got everybody just a little bit more excited. We built on it from there."
Schaefer, the reigning MIAA Most Valuable Swimmer, pictured right, was a winner in the 200-yard individual medley with a 2:09.74 finish.
She was also runner-up in the 100-yard breaststroke, racing in at 1:07.24.
"Emma is our senior team captain and a workhorse and she sets the tone for us," Taber added. "It's just exciting to see her hard work continue to pay off like it has throughout her career."
In the first meet of her Hope career, O'Donnell claimed two second-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle (1:55.19) and the 100-yard freestyle (53.65).
The 200-yard free relay of Wesolek, sophomore Sydney Randall of Byron Center (Byron Center HS), freshman Madeline Tessin of Waxhaw, N.C. (Marvin Ridge HS), and freshman Abby Mendels of Holland (Holland HS) also earned a runner-up result with a time of 1:41.35 in the meet's last event.
In racing against Division II competition in their first meet in 11 months, a young Flying Dutch team – 15 of their 29 swimmers and divers are freshman – didn't shy away, Taber said. In fact, they embraced the opportunity to compete against anyone, at any level.
"It's great to go out and swim 'up,'" Taber explained. "There were some really talented swimmers that we saw today, and that raises the bar for us a little bit in terms of knowing what's out there. That's a really positive thing for us. We said, 'Let's go and see how we match up.' And, you know, I was proud of the way we competed."
Hope's next meet is Friday, January 29 at the Holland Community Aquatic Center versus Albion and Olivet at 6 p.m.
