Women's Swim/Dive Repeats As MIAA Champs with Dominant Performance

From start to finish, the Hope College women's swimming and diving team ruled the pool again in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

The Flying Dutch repeated as MIAA Champions on Saturday, completing a four-day meet at the Holland Aquatic Center with a winning total of 1,013.5 points. Hope finished comfortably ahead of runner-up Calvin University (897).

The MIAA title is the 24th in team history.

Hope's MIAA Championships

Photo by Alan Babbitt

Head coach Jake Taber was thrilled with his team's focus throughout the final day of competition.

"The women did a nice job of swimming within themselves," Taber said. "We didn't need a super-human performance or someone to put the weight of the world on their back. We just needed to go out and be ourselves. We were able to do that and celebrate now."

Hope also secured the first sweep of MIAA team titles since 2004 as the men won their 13th title overall and the first since 2010.

The 2022 teams joined seven others who swept MIAA crowns: 2004, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1987, and 1986.

"I don't think there's anybody happier for our women than our men. And, nobody is happier for our men than our women," Taber said. "This is something they set out to do. We felt like we had the group to do it. Boy, did they deliver this weekend."

Hope claimed two more individual titles on Saturday, giving them seven for the meet.

Sara Kraus poses for a headshot In the 200-yard backstroke, freshman Sara Kraus (Rockford, Michigan / Rockford HS), pictured left, and Freshman Grace Wesley went 1-2.

Kraus, who also won the 100 backstroke, swam a winning and meet-record time of 1 minute, 58.60 seconds. Kraus passed the 2018 record of 2:00.77 set by Hope's Meg Peel.

Wesley finished runner-up at 2:07.32. Junior Macey Meyer was fifth at 2:09.19.

Kraus was selected as the MIAA's Most Valuable swimmer.

Abby Koops poses for a headshot In 1-meter diving, freshman Abby Koops (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Northern), pictured right, posted a first-place, 11-dive total of 457.10 points in 1-meter diving.

Koops was chosen as the MIAA's Most Valuable Diver.

Sophomore Sophia Farbarzhevich finished fifth with 386.80 points. Freshman Michaela Sander placed sixth at 364.10. Junior Allie Graver took 10th at 302.75. Freshman Molly Leonard was 14th at 282.35.

Hope clocked runner-up swims in the 200 breaststroke and the 1,650 freestyle.

In the 200 breaststroke, senior Emma Schaefer recorded a second-place time of 2:20.91. Senior Aubrey East placed fifth at 2:26.62. Sophomore Maddie Kievit was sixth at 2:27.11.

In the 1,650 freestyle, freshman Norah Martin led five Flying Dutch distance freestylists who scored with a second-place swim of 17:51.10.

She was followed by senior Abigail LaDuke in fourth at 18:09.46, Sophomore Lindsey Case in seventh at 18:18.67, Freshman Katie Weedon in 11th at 18:41.47, and sophomore Maggie Hoerner in 12th at 18:52.10.

The Flying Dutch qualified four for the 200 butterfly championship final: Alyssa Kerkman in fourth at 2:10.90, Wesley in sixth at 2:13.82, sophomore Rachel Gamm in seventh at 2:14.13, and Mayer in eighth at 2:15.43.

Three Hope swimmers scored in the 100 freestyle: sophomore Madeline Tessin in sixth at 53.41, sophomore Delaney Wesolek in seventh at 53.64, and freshman Lauren Ryle in ninth at 53.89.

The Flying Dutch closed the meet with third-place and ninth-place 400 freestyle relays.

Wesolek, Teasin, Ryle, and Schaefer finished third at 3:33.18. Wesley, Kerkman, Martin, and Gamm won the consolation final at 3:35.79.

"I tried not to get caught up in the numbers. I challenged our team to do the same," Taber said. "We didn't want to waste any energy on any stuff that wasn't going to make a difference. We wanted to make sure the energy that we were putting forward was doing something — that was creating the environment for the people who still needed to compete and just being as positive as we could."