Men's Indoor Track/Field Wins Three Events at MIAA Championships

The Hope College men's indoor track and field team claimed two individual MIAA titles and one MIAA relay championship on Saturday at Trine University.

Junior Eli Meder led a 1-2-3 Flying Dutchmen sweep in the 800 meters. Sophomore Connor Vachon edged a Calvin University run for the 1-mile crown.

Hope's 4x400 relay won the final event of the day behind the run of sophomore Lucas Guidone, Vachon, Meder, and freshman Wyatt Marsh.

"The middle-distance runners were the strength of our team on the day," head coach Kevin Cole said of the group led by Meder, the senior from Williamston, Michigan (Lansing Catholic). "Eli had an amazing day. He came out really dominant in the 800. He ran really well."

Hope finished fourth in the team standings with 94 points. Trine University won with 152.5. Albion College took second with 116.5. Calvin University was third with 103.

Meder clocked a winning 800 run of 1 minute, 55.0 seconds. Guidone (Chicago, Illinois / Taft) placed runner-up at 1:56.92. Vachon (Jenison, Michigan / Jenison) was third at 1:57.66.

Vachon won the 1-mile in 4:16.06, topping Calvin's Thaine Nedervel by 0.69 of a second. Junior Dan Campbell (Brighton, Michigan / Brighton) took third at 4:25.46. Freshman Jonathan Harlow (Holland, Michigan / Home School) was eighth at 4:35.37.

In the 4x400 relay, Guidone, Vachon, Meder, and Marsh (Grand Blanc, Michigan / Lake Fenton) recorded a first-place run of 3:26.30.

The Flying Dutchmen scored in eight more events.

The Flying Dutchmen's distance medley relay of freshman Carston Cole, freshman Erickson Kunzler, freshman Owen Harries, and sophomore Tyler King clocked a second-place time.

Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa), Kunzler (Marne, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central), Harries (Lexington, S.C. / Lexington) and King (Villa Park, Illinois / Willowbrook) went 10:31.32.

Senior Zach Elmore (Cadillac, Michigan / Cadillac) finished runner-up at 4.25 meters (13-11 ¼).

In the 60-meter dash, freshman Liam Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights) sprinted to a third-place time of 7.05 seconds.

In the 60-meter hurdles, senior Jackson Player (San Antonio, Texas / Winston Churchill) took third with a run of 8.47 seconds.

In the 400, sophomore David McNiff (Norton Shores, Michigan / Mona Shores) and senior Nathan Woolum (Mattawan, Michigan / Mattawa) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, with runs of 51.92 and 52.12 seconds.

In the 3,000, two Hope runners earned points: Campbell in sixth at 9:05.31 and Cole in eighth at 9:08.04.

In the triple jump, sophomore Aidan Kyle (Weston, Connecticut / Weston) recorded a sixth-place leap of 12.18 meters (39-11 ½).

In the high jump, Campbell posted an eighth-place finish by clearing 1.80 meters (5-10 ¾).

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