Hope College

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Geoff Henson/The University of Olivet

Pictured, Tessa Rindfliesch

Women's Cross Country 8/30/2025 10:36:00 AM Alan Babbitt

Women's Cross Country Starts Season Successfully in South Carolina and Michigan

The Hope College women's cross country team kicked off the 2025 season with split-squad meets in South Carolina and Michigan.

The Flying Dutch finished fourth at the 12-team Eye Opener X-C Meet hosted at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, S.C., site of this season's NCAA Division III Championships.

Hope also placed second at the six-team Comet Open hosted by The University of Olivet.

Eye Opener Meet

Hope raced against NCAA Division I, II and III teams in Spartanburg and totaled 121 points. Clemson University took first with 27 points and was followed by Furman University (35), New York University (66) and Hope. The Flying Dutch finished 43 points ahead of Georgia Southern University.

Senior Molly Durow (Glenview, Illinois / Glenbrook South HS) led Hope in the 112-runner field by clocking a 22nd-place, 6K run of 18 minutes, 57.5 seconds

Durow was followed by four scoring teammates:

29. Junior Olivia Ippel (St. Joseph, Michigan / St. Joseph), 19:10.8;
31. Freshman Taylor Mitchell (Otsego, Michigan / Otsego), 19:20.6;
33. Junior Grace Baldauff (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania / Northgate), 19:21.5
37. Freshman Dylan Ballin (Brookville, Ohio, Brookville), 19:35.8.

Comet Classic

At Olivet, Hope totaled 60 points at Broadway Acres Golf Course in Charlotte.

Sophomore Tessa Rindfliesch (Holland, Michigan / Zeeland West) topped the Flying Dutch with a 10th-place, 5K run of 19:22.3 in a field of 84 runners and was followed by scoring runs from:

21. Junior Elise Bodary (New Boston, Michigan / Father Gabriel Richard), 19:35.7;
33. Junior Amanda Markham (Hoffman Estates, Illinois / William Fremd), 19:40.6;
46. Sophomore Nidia Martinez (Fennville, Michigan / Fennville), 19:41.2;
60. Senior Claire Vellinga (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa), 19:43.6.

Calvin University placed first with 15 points. Hope finished ahead of Saint Mary's College (97), Adrian College (109), Albion College (131) and Olivet (164).

Hope's next meet is Friday, Sept. 19, at 11 a.m. at Western Michigan University's George Dales Invitational.

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Players Mentioned

Grace Baldauff: Junior; Biology

Elise Bodary: Junior; Nursing

Molly Durow: Senior; Elementary Education

Amanda Markham: Junior; Engineering

Nidia Martinez: Sophomore; Exercise Science

Tessa Rindfliesch: Sophomore; Engineering

Claire Vellinga: Senior; Civil Engineering

Dylan Ballin: Freshman

Olivia Ippel: Junior

Taylor Mitchell: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Grace Baldauff
: Junior; Biology

Elise Bodary
: Junior; Nursing

Molly Durow
: Senior; Elementary Education

Amanda Markham
: Junior; Engineering

Nidia Martinez
: Sophomore; Exercise Science

Tessa Rindfliesch
: Sophomore; Engineering

Claire Vellinga
: Senior; Civil Engineering

Dylan Ballin
: Freshman

Olivia Ippel
: Junior

Taylor Mitchell
: Freshman