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Molly Durow runs towards the finish line.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Grace Baldauff strives toward the finish line.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Dylan Ballin runs in a pack.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Olivia Ippel runs in a pack.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Molly Durow looks ahead on the course.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

The Hope women's cross country team huddles together on the course.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Anna Sybenga looks toward the finish line.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

All-American Molly Durow is honored during post-race ceremonies.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Grace Baldauff fights through traffic.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Taylor Mitchell runs in a pack.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Mary England runs in a pack.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

The Hope women's cross country starts the race.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Molly Durow chats after the race.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

A NCAA Division III Championships sign.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

The Hope women's cross country team poses for photo on the awards stage.

Photo Credit: Stockton Photo

Women's Cross Country 11/23/2025 9:00:00 AM Alan Babbitt

Molly Durow Races to All-America Honors at NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships

It's the 15th time a Flying Dutch runner has earned the accolades

Amid hundreds of loudly cheering fans and an unusual uphill climb to finish a cross-country race — let alone the NCAA Division III National Championships — Hope College runner Molly Durow dug deep.

The senior used determination and her pre-race knowledge of the Roger Milliken Cross Country Course on Saturday in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to deliver the 15th All-America performance in program history.

Durow (Glenview, Illinois / Glenbrook South) passed seven runners during the final kilometer to post a 32nd-place time of 21 minutes, 51.9 seconds. The top 40 individual finishers earn All-America honors.

"For my final cross country season, it was really everything I could have imagined," Durow said. "It meant so much to have all of my amazing teammates and coaches here. It was an incredible experience."

The finish for the 6K course went uphill for 200 meters, then flattened for the final 200, head coach Mark Northuis said.

"She was able to focus on what she wanted to do and carried it out perfectly," Northuis said of Durow, Hope's first All-American since Ana Tucker in 2022. "She knew what to expect and how we wanted to push the last 1K. We didn't like the finish but knew how to attack it. If you don't blow up too early, you can pass people."

Durow and her teammates learned about the course after running on it three times this season: Aug. 29 during the University of South Carolina Upstate meet and twice this week during practice.

"It's so hard," Durow said of the finish. "We knew we had to give it our all, have grit and push through the pain at the end. At nationals, with so many out there cheering the runners, you don't have time to think to yourself. The noise from the people helps us. They push you while cheering. What a good way to finish your senior year. I really wanted to give it my all in my last race, and I did."

Durow helped the Flying Dutch finish 26th in the nation as a team after returning to the NCAA Championships following a one-year absence. Hope totaled 565 points, just one behind 25th-place Brandeis College of Massachusetts.

Sophomore Mary England (Kalamazoo, Michigan / Kalamazoo Central) crossed the finish line next for the Flying Dutch in 112th place at 23:13.8.

Junior Olivia Ippel (St. Joseph, Michigan / St. Joseph) took 130th in 23:20.8.

Junior Grace Baldauff (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania / Northgate) finished 145th in 23:29.6.

Freshman Dylan Ballin (Brookville, Ohio / Brookville) placed 151st in 23:34.1.

Freshman Taylor Mitchell (Otsego, Michigan / Otsego) recorded a 154th-place finish in 23:37.9.

Freshman Anna Sybenga (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Central) clocked an 183rd-place time of 24:08.

"It was good to beat our national ranking coming into the meet, which was 28th," Northuis said. "We were hoping for better, but six of our runners are back next year. We have a runner who ran at regionals back as well. The future looks great."

New York University raced to the national championship with 79 points. Williams College of Massachusetts was the national runner-up with 106.
Audrey Maclean of Middlebury College in Vermont was the individual national champion after posting a time of 20:16.8 — 48 seconds ahead of the pack.

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Players Mentioned

Grace Baldauff: Junior; Biology

Molly Durow: Senior; Elementary Education

Mary England: Sophomore; Exercise Science

Dylan Ballin: Freshman

Olivia Ippel: Junior

Anna Sybenga: Freshman

Taylor Mitchell: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Grace Baldauff
: Junior; Biology

Molly Durow
: Senior; Elementary Education

Mary England
: Sophomore; Exercise Science

Dylan Ballin
: Freshman

Olivia Ippel
: Junior

Anna Sybenga
: Freshman

Taylor Mitchell
: Freshman