by Dena Meiste
The Hope College women's track and field team was crowned the 2021 MIAA Conference Champions, taking home the program's third consecutive title and 10th overall.
Sophomore Grace Behrens was the Flying Dutch's standout performer, winning one individual and two relay titles.
Hope scored 234 points overall to finish ahead of second-place finisher Trine University which finished with 178.50 points. Between the indoor and outdoor seasons, the Flying Dutch have won the last three MIAA conference titles, including the indoor championship earlier this year.
"Our women were strong. Every facet of the team had a lot of strengths," head coach Kevin Cole said. "We scored even higher than I predicted. They rose to the challenge."
Overall, Hope took first five individual events and both relays.
Behrens (Mishawaka, Indiana / Trinity School at Greenlawn) won the 400 meters for her first individual MIAA title. After qualifying in second during yesterday's prelims, the sophomore lowered her personal-best time in the event to 58.43 seconds to move up to the top spot.
As they have all season long, Amanda Lines (Naples, Florida / First Baptist Academy), Behrens and Helen Dodge (Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan / Grosse Pointe South) were a force in the 200 meters. Lines claimed the championship with a time of 26.04, with Behrens and Dodge close behind at 26.39 and 26.42 to earn the podium sweep.
Lines also placed in the top-three in the 100 meters.
The Flying Dutch went 1-2-3 in the 5,000 meters, led by Rebecca Markham (Hoffman Estates, Illinois / William Fremd), who took the victory (17.58.63). Ana Tucker finished runner-up and Libby Gorman (Traverse City, Michigan / St. Francis) secured the sweep with her third-place performance.
"Going to the 5K, we thought we had the meet won but weren't sure," Cole said. "To get that 1-2-3 in the 5K right after the 200 meters — then we crushed everybody in the 4x400 relay — was a super way to finish the meet."
Tucker (Midland, Michigan / Herbert Henry Dow), the 2021 MIAA Indoor Most Valuable Track Athlete, clocked a career-best 4:32.25 to be crowned the 1,500-meter conference champion. It was the sophomore's third league title of the season, after winning the 1-mile and 3,000 meters during the indoor campaign.
Jacinda Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) picked up All-MIAA honors in the 1,500 meters as well, taking third place overall (4:47.54).
Another MIAA individual title was claimed by Hayley Scollard (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City Central), with a first-place effort in the 400-meter hurdles. Sophie Hall (Holt, Michigan / Haslett) followed in the runner-up spot.
Both juniors ran personal bests in the event, with Scollard's winning time of 1:06.32 and Hall's mark of 1:08.81.
The Flying Dutch swept both the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays for two more wins on the day. Dodge, Lines, Kimmie Drake (Katy, Texas / Seven Lakes) and Behrens collaborated in the 4x100 (48.97), while Julie Timperman (Lafayette, Indiana / Faith Christian), Scollard, Hannah Kenny and Behrens claimed the victory in the 4x400 by an impressive eight-second margin at (4:04.25).
In addition to the relay victory, Kenny (Grand Haven, Michigan / Grand Haven) also earned all-MIAA accolades in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 800 meters. The senior crossed the finish line in second place in the steeplechase (11:07.36) and took third in the 800 (2:16.84).
Other point scorers for Hope included:
- Triple Jump - Addyson Gerig (West Ottawa), third, 10.27; Taylor Novotny (Batavia, Illinois / Batavia), fifth, 9.86 meters; Ellie Haan (McBain, Michigan / Northern Michigan Christian), eighth, 9.72 meters
- Javelin – Elisabeth Strotman (Maine Township), third, 30.09 meters; Emily Tyner, fifth, 28.95 meters; Lauren Tocco (Saint Francis High School), seventh, 26.73 meters
- Hammer Throw - Emma Althouse (Ludington, Michigan / Ludington), fourth, 42.02 meters
- 3,000-meter steeplechase – Katie Cole (Batavia, Illinois / Batavia), sixth, 12:00.33; Ellie Stevens (Twin Lake, Michigan / Whitehall), eighth, 12:37.33
- 1,500 meters – Heleyna Tucker (Midland, Michigan / Herbert Henry Dow), sixth, 4:50.00; Jessie Schamanek (Rochester, Michigan / Stoney Creek), eighth, 5:51.51
- 100 Hurdles - Gerig, fifth, 16.68; Scollard, seventh, 17.14
- 400 meters – Timperman, fourth, 1:02.14
- 100 meters – Lines, third, 12.96; Dodge, fourth 13.10; Drake, fifth, 13.55
- 800 meters – Cole, fourth, 2:20.35; Samantha Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West), fifth, 2:24.64
