Outstanding Team

Women's Swim & Dive - The Flying Dutch won the MIAA Championship in 2023 for the third consecutive year. The team posted one of their largest margins of victory in the history of the meet, finishing 276.5 points ahead of the runner-up team. During the meet, Hope broke 11 school records and three MIAA records. Eight swimmers and two divers were named to the All-MIAA Team. In addition, Sara Kraus was named the Most Valuable Swimmer and Abby Koops won the Most Valuable Diver. Nine swimmers and one diver qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships where they turned in 13 All-America performances over the four-day meet. Hope finished in 10th place at the national meet, making it their highest team finish in 16 years.

Exceptional Women's Team Performance

Volleyball vs. Calvin in NCAA Tournament - The Flying Dutch won a five-set thriller over rival and No. 3-ranked Calvin University in the NCAA Division III Tournament Regional Finals. Hope struck early, winning the first set. Set two went to Calvin in a 25-16 showdown, but the orange and blue came back to win set three in an almost identical score of the second set, 25-17. The two teams went back and forth multiple times with twelve ties in the fourth set and the lead for either team was never higher than three. Calvin would force a fifth set after winning 25-23 in the fourth. In the fifth set, Hope had a six point lead, but Calvin came back to tie the game at 10. The Flying Dutch battled through and won the final set with a score of 15-12 to secure the match victory. 

Exceptional Men's Team Performance

Men's Basketball vs. Calvin - The Flying Dutchmen clinched a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament after beating Calvin on their home court, 61-54 in the MIAA Tournament Championship. After building a 34-22 halftime lead, the Flying Dutchmen expanded their lead to as many as 16 points. Calvin battled back, scoring 20 points over the final seven and a half minutes. With just 39 seconds remaining, Calvin pulled to within three points but Hope was able to hold them off with clutch shooting from the foul line. 

Women's MIAA Championship Performance

Women's Track & Field - Over the last year, the Flying Dutch captured two MIAA Championships. Hope won the 2022 MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 171 points, finishing 19 points ahead of the runner-up team. It was a true team effort as Hope won only one individual event during the course of the championship. The Flying Dutch scored in 13 events on the final day to secure the fourth consecutive Women's Outdoor Track & Field MIAA Championship. Hope also won the 2023 MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships with 211 points. This was more than double the points of the second place team and the largest margin of victory for any team in the history of the meet. Hope set four MIAA meet records and finished first in seven different events at the indoor championships. 

Men's MIAA Championship Performance

Baseball - For the first time since 2013, the Flying Dutchmen won the MIAA regular-season title in 2022. Playing on the road at Trine, Hope won the final two games of the regular season to clinch the championship. In Game 1 of the doubleheader, Hope scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning and finished with 17 hits to post a 12-3 win. The offense continued in Game 2 in the fifth inning when Hope scored eight runs en route to an 11-2 victory. The Flying Dutchmen finished the regular season with a 17-4 mark in the MIAA. 
 

Female Athlete of the Year

Ana Tucker, Women's Cross Country and Women's Track & Field - Over the past year, Tucker has earned All-American honors in three sports - outdoor track, cross country, and indoor track. At the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Tucker ran to a fifth place finish in the 5,000 meters and finished in eighth place in the 10,000 meters. During the cross country season, she was the MIAA individual champion and named the MIAA Most Valuable Runner. She also raced to a first place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Cross Country Regional and capped off the fall with a fourth place individual finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships. As a member of the indoor track team, Tucker won the 3,000 meters and 1-mile run at the MIAA Championships. This earned her a second MIAA Most Valuable Runner honor for the year. At the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, Tucker was national runner up in the 1-mile run and finished in fourth place in the 3,000 meters. Throughout her career, Tucker has established seven school records and two MIAA records.  

Male Athlete of the Year

Evan Maday, Baseball - During the 2022 season, Maday earned All-America First Team honors from D3baseball.com after batting a career-best .436, belting a career-high and school record-tying 11 home runs and playing nearly flawless defense. He was one of three outfielders chosen to the first team. In MIAA play, Maday topped all league players in batting average and home runs and ranked second in runs batted in with a career-high 47. Defensively, Maday recorded a .991 fielding percentage with only one error in 120 chances. He earned All-MIAA First Team honors and was named the MIAA Position Player of the Year.  

Women's Be Strong. Be True. Athlete of the Year

Delaney Wesolek, Women's Swim & Dive - Wesolek is a junior Nursing major and balances the demands of being a student and athlete. As a captain she helped lead the Flying Dutch to a third consecutive MIAA Championship in the pool. Wesolek was a member of the 400-yard Freestyle Relay that qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships and earned All-American Second Team Honors. On campus, Wesolek is actively involved in Dance Marathon and team Bible studies. She is also a campus leader for Team 43. In the community, she is an ambassador for 'Be Better', a foundation that positively impacts mental health resources for student-athletes. Wesolek has also volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club of Holland and Freedom Village. 

Men's Be Strong. Be True. Athlete of the Year

Dan Romano, Football - Romano is a senior Biomedical-Mechanical Engineering major with a minor in mathematics. As a running back for the Flying Dutchmen he is a two-year starter and earned All-MIAA second0team honors in 2021. Romano is a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's Campbell Trophy which recognizes a college football student-athlete for his academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. On campus, he is a member of ACT/SAAC and represents Hope with the MIAA SAAC. Romano participated in a SEED trip in 2021 and currently serves as a co-leader of the football Bible study. 

Female Anchor Award

Meg Morehouse, Women's Basketball - Morehouse is a four-year varsity player and started for the first time in her career this season. As a point guard, she acts as the anchor on the court by starting the offense and pressuring the ball on defense. Off the court, Morehouse is the backbone of the team and is the person teammates turn to when they need encouragement and love. She is the first to high five her teammates, help them up off the ground, and even encourage them to dance on the court to let loose. Her love for her teammates and for the program is unmatched. 

Male Anchor Award

Ted Lockett, Men's Swim & Dive - Lockett is the team member for the Flying Dutchmen that wants the best for everyone around him and sees the best in them as well. He is intentional, accountable, and motivating. Lockett is constantly looking for ways to improve and helps to encourage and educate his teammates so they can also perform at their best. 

Female Comeback Athlete of the Year

Natalie Hammer, Women's Soccer - After missing the entire 2021 fall season due to an ACL injury, Hammer played in all 17 games for the Flying Dutch this year. She scored a career-best seven goals this season and tied for first in goals scored on the team. Hammer earned All-MIAA First Team honors after leading the MIAA with six goals scored during eight league games. She also received All-Region Third Team Recognition from the United Soccer Coaches for her performance this year. 

Male Comeback Athlete of the Year

Tucker Martinez, Men's Lacrosse - Late in the 2022 season, Martinez tore his Achilles and was sidelined for the rest of the year. He battled back to be ready for the year and was able to start on defense for the Flying Dutchmen in the 2023 season opener. 

Female Breakthrough Athlete

Emma Post, Volleyball - After seeing limited action in her first three years, Post became a six-rotation starter for the Flying Dutch. She had eight double-doubles (kills and digs) on the season, including one against Calvin in the NCAA Regional Final. Post played a key role this year in helping the Flying Dutch advance to the national quarterfinals in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championships.  

Male Breakthrough Athlete

Gabe Quillan, Men's Basketball - Last year Quillan played in 11 games for the Flying Dutchmen and saw limited minutes on the court. He had a breakthrough year, starting 28 games and averaging 29.1 minutes per game. Quillan was named to the All-MIAA Second Team as he finished ninth in the league in scoring at 14.4 points per game and second in the MIAA in rebounds at 8.6 per league game. 

Female Newcomer of the Year

Sara Schermerhorn, Women's Track & Field - As a freshman, Schermerhorn broke the school record in the 200-meter dash on five separate occasions. She ran to first-place finishes at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in the 60-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the 4x400-meter relay. Schermerhorn also broke the MIAA records in these three events. She was named to the All-MIAA team. Schermerhorn qualified as an individual for the NCAA Division II Championships in the 200-meter dash and finished as one of the top first-year sprinters in the nation. 

Male Newcomer of the Year

Liam Casey, Men's Golf - In his first collegiate season, Casey was named to the All-MIAA First Team and helped the Flying Dutchmen win the MIAA Championship. He won two tournaments in the fall, finishing first out of 90 players in one and first out of 82 players in the second. Additionally, he posted rounds of 69 strokes on two different occasions. Casey finished the fall season with a 74.3 stroke average. 

Bunko Service Award

The Bunko Service Award is in honor of Norman "Bunko" Japinga, who passed away in the fall of 2018 and left behind a legacy of service within the Hope College athletic program. The award, voted on by Hope student-athletes, is presented to a faculty or staff member who is connected to Hope Athletics and is recognized for their contributions that go above and beyond what is expected. This year's recipient is Nancy Kamstra, associate professor of kinesiology instruction. 

Karen Page Courage Award

The Hope College Karen Page Courage Award is presented in honor of beloved former Hope women's tennis coach Karen Page, who lost her brave, five-year battle to breast cancer in the summer of 2009. This year's recipient is sophomore Derik Smith, a member of the Flying Dutchmen football and track/field teams who also excels as a Paralympian. Smith lost his lower right leg to cancer when he was nine years old.

Hope for Humanity Award

Recognizing the values learned in cheering gyms and stadiums as well as silent early-morning workouts, the Hope for Humanity award is presented to Hope College alumni athletes that have demonstrated Christian commitment and service to others in their careers after Hope.

The H-Club selects recipients for this award from nominations who meet the following criteria:

• Former Hope College athlete
• Demonstrated Christian commitment and servanthood in their career
• Nominees for this award are eligible to be nominated for other awards
• Current members of the Alumni Board and the Hope College Board of Trustees are not eligible for this award.

This year's recipient is Michele Sterk '91 Schoon, a nurse and a member of the Flying Dutch 1990 national championship women's basketball team.