by Dean Meiste

The Hope College men's track and field team carried on with the 2021 outdoor season on Friday at Olivet College's Comet Invitational. Freshman Dan Campbell, pictured, earned his first outdoor victory to pace the Flying Dutchmen.

After earning a pair of runner-up finishes at last week's season opener, Campbell (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) broke through for his first collegiate outdoor win. The freshman took top honors in the 1500 meters, clocking a 4:06.98 to better his next competitor by a sizable margin. 

Hope got a second victory on the day from the 4x400 meter relay squad, comprised of Nathan Woolum (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan), Drew Dow (Bridgman, Mich./Bridgman), Nick Hoffman (Holland, Mich./ Holland) and Nathaniel Trumble (Granger, Ind./Trinity School At Greenlawn). The crew combined for a winning time of 3:27.12.

Several members of the relay team fared well individually as well. Both Trumble and Woolum scored points in the 400 meters, with top-five times of 50.18 and 51.84, respectively. 

Woolum also contributed in the field events, achieving a distance of 5.58 meters in the long jump for seventh place overall. 

With a third-place time of 2:00.57, Dow paced the Flying Dutchmen in the 800 meters.

Jackson Player (San Antonio, Tex./Winston Churchill) reached the podium in both hurdle events. The sophomore earned a second-place result in the 400 meter hurdles (1:00.53) in addition to his third-place effort in the 110 high hurdles (16.68).

He opened the day in the field events, placing seventh in the high jump (6' 5").

Andrew Althouse (Ludington, Mich./Ludington) led Hope in the field events, scoring eight points total after placing fifth in the shot put and discus events. The senior stretched the tape to 43-feet, 1-inch in the shot put and 127-feet, 4-inches in the discus. 

Overall, Hope scored 79 points for fifth place.

Next up, the Flying Dutchmen travel to Albion on Friday, April 9.