The 17th-ranked Hope College men's cross country team put its depth to the test on Saturday, competing in the 8,000-meter Running of the Cows / Pre-National Meet hosted by Carleton College.
Racing on the course slated to host the upcoming NCAA Division III National Championship, the Flying Dutch put together solid team performances in both the Navy Championship and Men's Open divisions.
In the 35-team Navy Championship division, Hope secured a 13th-place finish led by a remarkably tight pack at the front. Sophomore Elijah Forbord (Howell, Michigan / Brighton HS) paced the squad with a 48th-place finish in 25:17.7, closely trailed by junior Elias Kretchmar (Granville, Ohio / Granville) in 53rd (25:19.0) and junior Joe Waalkes (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian) in 54th (25:20.1) — giving the Flying Dutch a top-three separation of less than three seconds.
Sophomore Aiden Moore (Battle Creek, Michigan / Lakeview) in 130th (25:55.2) and senior Nile Devers (Gobles, Michigan / Gobles) in 138th (26:00.7) rounded out the team scoring.
Junior Cooper Jacobsen (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Eastern) in 149th (26:06.6), freshman Jack Steen (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City Central) in 212th (26:36.2), and freshman Ethan Hertza (Northville, Michigan / Northville) in 263rd (27:06.6) completed the championship lineup.
In the 16-team Men's Open race, Hope placed fourth overall behind strong front-running and pack consistency. Junior Logan Begeman (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) led the effort with a top-10 performance, placing 7th overall in 26:12.8.
Sophomore Will Whitemore (Holland, Michigan / Holland Christian) added a top-20 result in 26:36.3, followed by sophomore Kaden Forward (Bear Lake, Michigan / Bear Lake) in 30th (26:55.8), sophomore Lincoln Bosh (Tacoma, Washington / Curtis Senior) in 32nd (26:57.7), and junior Noah Norris (Ann Arbor, Michigan / Washtenaw Academy) in 36th (27:01.1) to complete the scoring runners.
Freshman Keagan Smith (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland West) in 40th (27:07.4), sophomore Tyler Outlaw (Brighton, Michigan / Brighton) in 46th *27:11.8), and freshman Logan Westgate (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) in 53rd (27:19.9) provided key depth right behind the lead pack.
Hope is back in action on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Augusta College Interregional Invitational in Rock Island, Illinois.
