The Hope College men's cross country team is off to the races for the 2022 season. 

The Flying Dutchmen are aiming to build on a strong 2021 campaign that included a runner-up finish at the MIAA Championships and a ninth-place effort at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

Add in several promising newcomers, and head coach Mark Northuis has a lot of reasons to be optimistic.

"We have probably our best men's class in a long time for incoming freshmen. We have a good group of young people to add to the five returning seniors from our top seven from last year," Northuis said.

Great Lakes Regional Preseason Rankings

Hope is starting the season among the teams to watch in the Great Lakes Region. The Flying Dutchmen soared into the seventh spot in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Preseason Poll.

2022 Schedule

Hope begins the season at the Drenth Invitational at Central Michigan University on Friday, September 2, at 11 a.m. The orange and blue will run at the MIAA Championships on Saturday, October 29, hosted by Alma College. Both the Flying Dutchmen and Flying Dutch will host the 2022 NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Saturday, November 12, at Three Fires Golf Course in Holland.

Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Mark Northuis '82, 34th season
Associate Head Coach: Brian VanZanten
Assistant Coaches: Phil Jones, Avery Lowe

2022 Roster

The Flying Dutchmen return 14 runners on their roster of 24, including 10 of their top 11 runners from last season. Hope has one returning All-MIAA first-team selection: sophomore Connor Vachon (Jenison, Michigan / Jenison HS), who was also an all-region honoree. The orange and blue also have two All-MIAA second-team selections back: senior biology major Anders Bogard (Mattawan, Michigan / Kalamazoo Christian) and senior mathematics major Gabe DeYoung (Saegertown, Pennsylvania / Saegertown).

By the Numbers

Hope's roster features four seniors, three juniors, seven sophomores, and 10 freshmen.

The Flying Dutchmen's 2021 regional effort was the highest finish since 2016. It also was the 33rd Top 10 performance in team history.

Hope's second-place effort at the MIAA Championships was the team's highest finish since 2015.

Before Mark Northuis became an accomplished head coach, he was a five-time MIAA all-conference cross country and track runner at Hope. He won the 1980 MIAA cross country championship. He finished in the top five at the MIAA meet each of his four years. He was among the nation's top small college cross country runners, finishing 27th as both a junior and senior at the NCAA Division III national championship meet.

Coach's Outlook

"Our team this year really looks pretty good. You can take a look at what they did over the summer and that's what showed up in the first week when we went to team camp. We're really impressed with how they're looking, how they're pulling together as a team. The freshmen are really going to help us out this year. Our men's incoming class is highlighted by local runner Carston Cole and Owen Harries from South Carolina, and with the combination of our returners as well as transfers Cole Jenson and Lucas Guidone, the team should have some great experience and should be ready to hit the ground running." - Mark Northuis