by Dena Meiste
David McHugh, Andrew Althouse, and Jared Lowe led the Hope College men's track and field team at the Olivet College Tune-Up on Saturday with event victories.
Lowe and Althouse won their respective events in the field, while McHugh earned a first-place result on the track.
McHugh (Whitehall, Michigan / Reeths Puffer HS) took top honors in the 400-meter hurdles. With a career-best time of 56.75 seconds, he was the only competitor to cross the line in under one minute.
The junior opened the meet in the field, where he nearly picked up the win in the triple jump. He stretched the tape to 12.52 meters (41 feet, 1 inch) to place second overall.
Lowe (Cincinnati, Ohio / Wyoming) earned the team's first win of the day, clearing a season-best height of 1.90 meters in the high jump (6-2 ¾). It was the senior's first individual victory of the year.
Lowe also scored a point in the long jump competition with his fifth-place result of 5.53 meters (18-1 ¾).
Althouse also earned his first win of the 2021 campaign. The senior from Ludington, Michigan (Ludington) native eclipsed the 40-meter mark in the discus for the first time in competition to take first place. He was credited with a final distance of 42.84 meters (140-7).
Althouse also picked up a top-three finish in the shot put with a distance of 13.53 meters (44-4 ¾).
Senior Noah Russo (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) paced Hope in the shot put, edging Althouse for second place behind a distance of 13.83 meters (45-4 ½).
In the pole vault, Zach Elmore (Cadillac, Michigan / Cadillac) earned a runner-up result to score four points for the Dutch. The sophomore cleared a height of 3.80 meters (12-5 ½).
Sophomore Nathan Woolum (Mattawan, Michigan / Mattawan) had a solid day on the track, placing fourth in both the 200 (24.11) and 400 (52.07).
Junior Drew Dow (Bridgman, Michigan / Bridgman) clocked a 2:06.87 to place second in the 800 meters.
Photo by Drew Dow by Olivet College sports information director Geoff Henson
Junior Eric Salisbury (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland West) also scored for Hope with this fifth-place performance in the triple jump (11.64 meters).
The partial Flying Dutchmen squad scored 43 points overall to place fourth. Olivet won the meet with 94 points.
Hope is Alma College-bound next week for the MIAA Field Day on Thursday-Friday, May 6-7.
