Women's 200 Freestyle Relay Joins Elite Hope Club with All-America Swim

The nationally-ranked Hope College women's swimming and diving team etched its name into the record book again on Thursday with one of the elite 200-yard freestyle relays in program history.

The Flying Dutch placed sixth in the nation in the event during Day 2 of the NCAA Division III Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, earning the first trip to the First Team All-American podium in 20 years.

Senior Greta Gidley (Franklin, Michigan / Mercy HS), senior Lauren Ryle (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Catholic Central), junior Bella Turner (Chelsea, Michigan / Chelsea) and junior Laurel Wasiniak (Northville, Michigan / Northville) clocked a time of 1 minute, 31.99 seconds during the championship final at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

It's the Flying Dutch's 15th All-America 200 freestyle relay and the first since a seventh-place finish in 2005.

The relay swam a half-second faster in the finals than the morning's prelims.

On Wednesday, Hope recorded its first All-America relay in the 400 medley relay in 25 years with an eighth-place swim.

Wasiniak also advanced to the consolation final in the 200 freestyle, claiming Second Team All-America honors in the 200 freestyle after finishing 16th with a time of 1:51.54.

Wasiniak is the Flying Dutch's first 200 free All-American since Erinn VanAuken in 1999.

In the 400 individual medley, senior Sara Kraus (Rockford, Michigan / Rockford) placed 24th with a swim of 4:30.84 during prelims.

The ninth-ranked Flying Dutch remain in contention for a Top 10 finish after two days of the four-day meet.

Hope sits in ninth place with 64 points, two behind eighth-place Pomona Pitzer (California) and 11 more than 10th-place Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania). New York University took over the overall lead with 242 points, 26 more than second-place MIT.

Day 3 begins on Friday, March 21, at 10 a.m. with prelims. Finals follow at 6 p.m.

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