ORIGINS OF PROGRAM
Hope College-sponsored lacrosse as a club sport from 1974 thru 2012. It was one of the oldest established collegiate lacrosse club programs in the state of Michigan. Lacrosse became an intercollegiate sport at Hope and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) during the 2012-13 school year.
PROGRAM MILESTONES
Men's collegiate lacrosse recorded an historic victory on March 2, 2013, when the Flying Dutchmen topped Baldwin Wallace (Ohio), 14-9, in their first varsity match. The game was played indoors on a neutral field in Detroit. The Flying Dutchmen went on to win their first five games, all on the road. Hope is home opener to eventual MIAA champion Adrian College, 15-10, on April 11, 2013.
Hope's first victory at Van Andel Stadium came over rival Calvin 20-5 on April 24, 2013. The Flying Dutchmen hosted their first MIAA Tournament match on May 4, 2017 as the No. 2 seed but were edged 11-10 in overtime by No. 3 seed Alma.
The Flying Dutchmen have earned four MIAA regular-season championships, the first being in 2018. Hope has repeated as MIAA champion once (2018-19).
In 2023, Hope earned the 100th win as an NCAA Division III program with a 9-6 victory against Aurora University on March 1 at Van Andel Soccer Stadium.
In 2021, the Flying Dutchmen posted their first NCAA Tournament victory with a 22-17 victory against Benedictine University (Illinois) at Illinois Wesleyan University. Jack Radzville led Hope with 11 points on six goals and five assists.
After opening the 2020 season with a 3-0 record, Hope's spring season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hope won its first MIAA Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in 2019. The Flying Dutchmen, who were regular-season champions, defeated Albion, 6-5, at Van Andel in the league final, but lost to John Carroll University (Ohio) in overtime, 7-6, in the NCAA first round.
The Flying Dutchmen posted a school-record 15-match win streak and claimed their first MIAA championship during the 2018 season. Hope finished with a team-record 15 wins.
PLAYS AND PLAYERS OF NOTE
Michael Mann set three Hope men's lacrosse scoring records with 199 goals, 113 assists and 312 points over four seasons (2021-24).
Gunnar Elder became the first Flying Dutchmen varsity player to reach 100 career goals during the 2016 season. He also set varsity records with 65 goals, 34 assists and 99 points during his junior season. Elder ended his career in 2017 with records for the most career goals (183), most career assists (105) and most career points (288). He was a three-time All-MIAA First Team honoree.
Jack Radzville became the first member of the Flying Dutchmen to register 100 points in a single season in 2021. He finished with 104 points with 56 goals and a school-record 46 assists.
The Flying Dutchmen set a team record for goals in a match during a 27-2 win against Dubuque on March 29, 2014 at Van Andel Stadium. Caleb Digison was the first to set a Van Andel record for most goals at home with seven. The 10 second-quarter goals and 16 first-half goals were stadium records.
COACHES OF NOTE
Head coach Michael Schanhals led the transition of the men's lacrosse program from a long-time club sport to a new varsity sport. Schanhals served as the coach of the Flying Dutchmen from 2005 to 2013 when they played in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA). In 2013, men's lacrosse became an MIAA and NCAA sport and Schnhals was at the helm. He has remained there ever since, guiding Hope to its first regular-season MIAA title (2018) and first league tournament title (2019).
