Junior Liam Danitz Sprints to Two Indoor Track School Records

Hope College sprinter Liam Danitz ran to a record-setting day at Grand Valley State University on Saturday.

The junior two-sport standout from West Branch, Michigan (Ogemaw Heights HS) broke the Flying Dutchmen's indoor track 60-meter record twice and the 200-meter record once at the non-scoring Bob Eubanks Open in Allendale.

Danitz's second-place finish in the 200 featured a converted 200 time of 22.11 seconds that topped his old top mark of 22.56. It's also the fourth-fastest run in NCAA Division III this season, according to the AthleticLive website.

In the 60 meters, Danitz went 6.90 seconds during prelims and 6.89 during the finals to surpass Justin Freeman's 2019 mark of 6.91. His finals run ranks 17th in NCAA Division IIi this season, according to the AthleticLive website.

Head coach Kevin Cole said he could sense Danitz was on track for a big meet.

"I timed a lot of practice, and I knew something special was going to happen," Cole said. "He's stronger and more powerful this year. It shows in his speed. He had an amazing day."

Danitz also anchored Hope's fourth-place 4x400 relay that crossed the finish line at 3:21.27 for Division III's 12th-place effort this season, according to the AthleticLive website.

Senior Joshua Ennen (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland West) led off the relay and was followed by sophomore Dylan Terpstra (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) and senior Alex Daniels (Holland, Michigan / Holland).

Hope placed in the Top 10 in three more events.

In the 60-meter hurdles, freshman Logan Lipka (Frankenmuth, Michigan / Frankenmuth) finished seventh with a time of 8.82 seconds. Freshman Kevin Barifagok (Las Vegas, Nevada / Cristo Rey Saint Viator) was ninth at 9.17.

In the long jump, senior Derik Smith (Niles, Michigan / Edwardsburg) took ninth with a leap of 6.43 meters (21 feet, 1 ¼ inches).

In the 400 meters, junior Erickson Kunzler (Marne, Michigan / Catholic Central) recorded a 10th-place run of 50.65.

Hope's next meet is Friday, Jan. 24, at 5 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Classic hosted by Aquinas College.

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