by Alan Babbitt
A sensational debut season for Hope College swimmer Sara Kraus ended with two All-America performances.
The freshman from Rockford, Michigan (Rockford HS) became the Flying Dutch's fourth All-American in the 200-yard backstroke at the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday in Indianapolis. Kraus clocked a fifth-place time of 1 minutes, 59.29 seconds.
On Friday, Kraus became the Flying Dutch's seventh All-American in the 100 backstroke with a seventh-place finish.
Head coach Jake Taber said Kraus quickly separated herself last fall in the 200 backstroke.
"Coming into the meet, the 200 back was her best event. It was all year long," Taber said. "We saw that in the first meet at Hillsdale College. A big part is just the way her stroke sets up. It's really balanced. She grabs good water early and holds throughout. It came together really well for her."
In the 200 backstroke, Kraus joins as an All-American 1994 national champion Susan Looman, 2019 runner-up Meg Peel, and 1998 third-place finisher Laural Horton.
Kraus helped the Flying Dutch finish in 19th place in the team standings with 40 points at Indianapolis University Purple University at Indianapolis.
The top 20 finish at nationals was Hope's first since an 18th-place finish in 2008-09.
Freshman Abby Koops (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Northern) placed 25th in 3-meter diving with a score of 385.20 points.
Hope recorded a 26th-place swim in the 400 freestyle relay. Sophomore Madeline Tessin (Waxhaw, N.C. / Marvin Ridge), junior Alyssa Kerkman (South Bend, Ind. / St. Joseph), freshman Katie Weedon (Whitinsville, Massachusetts / Whitinsville Christian), and sophomore Delaney Wesolek (Bay City, Michigan / John Glenn) clocked a time of 3:34.11.
Schaefer finished 35th in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:24.77 during prelims.
"We have seven women at nationals, and only one with national experience. What a great opportunity to have a meet like this this year," Taber said. "I want to recognize Emma and the leadership she has provided for the six other women. This is a person we're proud of. We also want to build on this the next few years."'
