PROGRAM ORIGINS AND MILESTONES
Men's outdoor track and field as it known today became an intercollegiate sport at Hope College in 1916. Hope's first dual meet was a 78.5-25.5 victory over Mount Pleasant Normal (Central Michigan University). Indoor track & field debuted as an MIAA-sponsored sport during the 2015-16 school year.
The MIAA Field Day is one of the oldest intercollegiate athletic events in America dating back to 1888. Hope had its first opportunity to host Field Day in 1966 as part of the college's 100th year commemoration.
Hope's track and field complex honors Gordon Brewer '48 whose involvement with Hope College spanned seven decades, including 32 years as track coach.
The 2011 Flying Dutchmen ended a 25-year drought by claiming a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title, albeit a co-championship with rival Calvin. Hope won a mid-season league jamboree while Calvin took first on Field Day to cause the co-championship.
For the first time in the history of Hope College track and field, both 2012 teams were crowned champions of the MIAA in the same season. Competing in the 121st MIAA Field Day, the Flying Dutchmen clinched their first outright men's league championship since 1986 while the Flying Dutch gained a co-championship in the women's standings for the first time since 1988. Coach Kevin Cole's Flying Dutchmen won both the league jamboree and Field Day crown to claim the outright title. It ended a string of 18 consecutive outright or co-titles by Calvin.
ATHLETES OF NOTE
Rob Appell '86 won the 1985 NCAA Division III national championship in the high jump, clearing seven feet. He received MIAA most valuable track athlete awards three times (1984-86), the first to do so in the league.
Through the years, the shotput event has been special to the Buys family. Ekdal J. Buys, Sr. '37 was the MIAA shot put conference champion as both a junior and senior. His Hope shot put record stood for 33 years. Grandson Matt Buys '92 won the MIAA shot put championship three consecutive years and the discus crown twice.
Among Hope's many outstanding sprinters was Cliff Haverdink '72, who was conference champion in three events during his career. He competed in six events at the 1970 MIAA Field Day anchoring the championship mile relay.
Ron Bos '53 was one of the most versatile and talented athletes to grace the Hope campus. In the winter he starred on the basketball court, leading Hope to MIAA basketball championships in 1952 and 1953. In the spring he competed concurrently in tennis and track. He played number one singles and number two doubles in tennis and was the MIAA champion in the 100 and 200 dash in both 1952 and 1953.
No MIAA mark in any sport stayed in the record book longer than John Kleinheksel's '60 long jump of 23 feet, 6 1/2 inches at the 1958 league Field Day. The league record withstood all challengers until it was broken in 2002.
Ryan TerLouw became the first Hope male athlete to gain All-America honors three times in the same event when he finished 4th in the 1,500-meter run at the 2007 NCAA Division III championships. He finished 7th as a sophomore (2005) and was 5th as a junior (2006).
John Donkersloot also became a three-time All-American in the high jump, finishing third at the NCAA Championships as both a sophomore (2009) and junior (2010) and fourth as a senior (2011).
When Joel Rietsema finished fourth in the 800-meter run at the 2013 NCAA championship, he became just the sixth Hope male athlete to achieve All-America honors multiple times. He was also fourth in the nation in the 800 in 2012.
The Flying Dutchmen's first All-American relay came on Saturday, May 28, 2016 when the 4x100-meter group of Dion Goliday, Justin Freeman, Matt Pelyhes and Boone Marois finished eighth at the 2016 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Waverly, Iowa.
Nick Hoffman recorded the Flying Dutchmen's highest finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 meters on May 29, 2021 in Greensboro, N.C. The junior clocked a third-place effort of 3 minutes, 47.74 seconds. The championship meet was the first in two year after the 2020 outdoor championships were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Junior sprinter Liam Danitz became the Flying Dutchmen's first All-American in the 200 meters, earning the honors during both the indoor and outdoor seasons with fifth- and sixth-place finishes, respectively at nationals.
