No. 19 Men's Swim/Dive Wins Three Events, Grabs Leads at MIAA Championships

Hope sets MIAA and school records on Thursday during Day 2

The 19th-ranked Hope College men's swimming and diving team roared into the lead during the second day of the MIAA Championships on Thursday at the Holland Aquatic Center.

The Flying Dutchmen won three events in the evening session, including record-setting performances from the 200-yard freestyle relay (school) and junior Josh Bordovsky (Herndon, Virginia / South Lakes) in the 200 individual medley.

Sophomore Joe Engle (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) repeated as the MIAA gold medalist in the 500 freestyle.

After seven events, the Flying Dutchmen lead the field with 423 points. No. 12 Calvin University is 53.5 points behind in second place, while Kalamazoo College (178), Albion College (175) and Alma College (164.5) are fighting for third. The University of Olivet is in sixth place with two points.

The Flying Dutchmen opened the night with their second relay school record of the meet, as the team of Bordovsky, junior Graham Eisenmann (Ozark, Missouri / Ozark), junior Christian Hoeksema (Holland, Michigan / Holland Christian) and sophomore George Marsh (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan / Seaholm) came from behind in the final leg to capture the 200 freestyle relay.

The squad posted a time of 1:20.29, topping the mark of 1:20.95 set in 2009 by Ryan Vogelzang, Stephen Kurti, Aaron Welsch and Matt Rose.

Hope won the relay by .45 seconds over Calvin as the final three legs of the relay posted splits faster than 20 seconds. Marsh erased a three-tenths-of-a-second deficit with a 19.93 anchor leg to give the Flying Dutchmen their second win in the event in the last three years.

The B relay team of freshman Nolan Smith (Buffalo Grove, Illinois / Buffalo Grove), freshman John Szuba (Farmington Hills, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central), senior Henry Booker (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) and sophomore Blake Hetherington (Jackson, Michigan / Lumen Christi) was victorious in the consolation final, combining for a time of 1:21.41.

In the 500 freestyle, Engle repeated as MIAA champion, leading a 1-2-3 finish for Hope in the event. Engle touched the wall in a season-best 4:31.75, marking the second-fastest time in school history. Hope has now won the 500 freestyle at MIAAs for the last five years.

Sophomore Everett Cox (Sugar Land, Texas / Logos Prep) placed second in the 500 free with a personal-best time of 4:32.43, the third-fastest time in school history. Freshman Hunter Latham (Lake Stevens, Washington / Lake Stevens) completed the sweep with a 4:33.60 showing. His time ranks sixth in school history.

Bordovsky became the first Hope champion in the 200 individual medley since 2020, setting an MIAA and school record. His mark of 1:48.85 was fourth-hundredths of a second under the old MIAA record, set by Calvin's Eric Chimes in 2024. Bordovsky also topped his own school record by nearly eight-tenths of a second.

Hoeksema placed third in the 200 IM with a personal-best time of 1:50.27, the second fastest time in school history. Sophomore Luke Wyrick (Glen Ellyn, Illinois / Glenbard West) also posted a personal best, touching the wall in 1:52.06. His time ranks fifth in program history.

In the 50 freestyle, the Dutchmen took four of the top six spots, led by Eisenmann, who stopped the clock at 20.40 to place second. Marsh finished third with a personal-best time of 20.54, the fifth-fastest time in school history. Hetherington touched in 20.61 to notch a personal-best time and finish fifth, while Smith placed sixth with a personal-best 20.77. Hetherington's time ranks sixth in program history.

Booker won the consolation final of the 50 free in 20.99.

In diving, freshman Finn Sanders (Wyoming, Michigan / Grandville) finished as the runner-up on the 1-meter board with a score of 456.70 in the six-dive finals. During Wednesday evening's preliminary round with 11 dives, Sanders secured a spot in the finals with an NCAA regional-qualifying score.

Senior Justin Romero (Detroit, Michigan / Woodhaven) and junior Max Reed (Fairfield, Ohio / Fairfield) placed fourth and sixth, respectively, adding crucial points for the Flying Dutchmen.

The only setback for Hope during the evening session came in the final event, the 400 medley relay. The Flying Dutchmen were disqualified in the championship heat after an early exchange.

However, the B relay team of Szuba, Hoeksema, junior Nick Suranyi (Novi, Michigan / Novi) and Smith won the consolation final by nearly a second.

"They said one of our swimmers left early. That's a judgment call and nothing we can do to have them review it," head coach Jake Taber said. "It was a fantastic day. We were on from start to finish, Our guys came to race. They had a great energy. That's what we're going to bring tomorrow morning, tomorrow night and Saturday. We're putting ourselves in the right positions during the first three sessions. It's a great group. I'm really proud of them."

The MIAA Championships, sponsored by Collegiate Credit Union, will continue Friday-Saturday at the Holland Aquatic Center, with preliminaries starting at 10 a.m. and finals beginning at 5 p.m. each day. Tickets can be purchased online at the door beginning 1 hour before each session.

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