The Flying Dutchmen return a solid nucleus of veterans who will be seeking to repeat as champions of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and be competitive on a national level.

Hope swimming and diving is directed by John Patnott who launched it as an intercollegiate program in 1978. Over the past quarter-of-a-century the Flying Dutchmen have finished first or second every season in the MIAA and scored points at the NCAA Division III championships every year except one and that was back in 1988. The Flying Dutchmen have won the MIAA championship 10 times in school history.

This year's pre-season roster includes 17 returning letterwinners comprised of two sophomores, 11 juniors and four seniors. The team also did well at recruiting with 16 freshman prospects.

Tri-captains of the team will be junior Ryan Nelis of Holland, Mich. (West Ottawa HS), junior Matt Rose of Holland, Mich. (Grandville HS), and senior Ryan Vogelzang of Holland (Holland Christian HS).

Five returning swimmers competed at nationals last year. Junior Phil Heyboer of Zeeland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS) finished ninth in the 200-yard backstroke and was 10th in the 400-yard individual medley. In 2006 Heyboer finished sixth at nationals in the 200-yard backstroke. Heyboer, junior Brandon King of Willowbrook, Ill. (Hinsdale Central HS), Nelis and Rose achieved All-America honors with a seventh place finish in the 400-yard medley relay. Vogelzang swam on four relay entries that finished as honorable mention All-Americans.

Five returning swimmers were All-MIAA honorees last year -- Heyboer, Nelis, Rose, Vogelzang and junior Mitch Ruch of Zeeland (Zeeland West HS). Returning defending MIAA champions include Ryan Nelis, 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard butterfly; Ryan Vogelzang, 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle; and Phil Heyboer, 400-yard individual medley (league record) and 200-yard backstroke. Hope is also the defending league champion in the three freestyle (200, 400, 800) relays.

Nelis holds the Hope record in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly while Heyboer is the record holder in the 400-yard individual medley.

Other returning letterwinners include senior Thomas Akers of Kentwood, Mich. (East Kentwood HS), junior Brian Collins of Warren, Pa. (Warren Area HS), senior Stephen Kurti of Battle, Mich. (Lakeview HS), senior Lucas Osterbur of Greenville, Ohio (Greenville HS), junior Matt Ray of Holland, Mich. (Holland HS), junior James Richardson of Mount Vernon, Ohio (Mount Vernon HS), junior Matthew Smith of Holland, Mich. (Holland HS), sophomore Clayton Sommers of Zeeland, Mich. (Zeeland East HS), junior Nicholas Stone of Westland, Mich. (John Glenn HS), junior Cody Tozer of Sturgis, Mich. (Sturgis HS), sophomore Austin Veltman of Ada, Mich. (Forest Hills Eastern HS), and junior Aaron Welsch of Saint Peters, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt South HS).

The Hope swimming and diving program (men and women) has an interesting mix of siblings. Junior Matt Rose is being joined by his freshman brother Andrew and there are four brother/sister sets in the program -- senior Laura and freshman Steven Ansilio of Western Springs, Ill. (Lyons Township), junior Phil and freshman Lisa Heyboer, junior Ryan and freshman Elizabeth Nelis, and senior Ryan and junior Christina Vogelzang.

The season begins Saturday, Oct. 18 with a unique triangular at Alma that will bring together Hope coach John Patnott and two former assistants who are now a head coach, Chris Hamstra at Alma and Jake Taber at Olivet. Both Hamstra and Taber are Hope alumni. The MIAA championship meet will be held at the University of Notre Dame on Feb. 19-21. A month later the first-ever joint men's and women's NCAA Division III nationals will be held at the University of Minnesota.

The all-sophomore quartet of Phil Heyboer, Brandon King Ryan Nelis and Matt Rose finished seventh in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:34.72 to achieve All-America recognition.

Phil Heyboer was an honorable mention All-American in two individual events. He won the consolation heat of the 200-yard backstroke to end ninth overall (1:51.76) and was 10th in the 400-yard individual medley (4:00.48). Ryan Nelis was also an honorable mention All-American with a 14th place finish in the 100-yard butterfly (:50.34).

Hope's other honorable mention All-America recognitions came in relay events --400-yard freestyle relay of Charles VanderBroek, Ryan Nelis, Ryan Vogelzang and Matt Rose; 10th place (3:05.05) 200-yard medleyrelay (Rose, Brandon King, Nelis and Vogelzang), 12th place (1:34.14) and 800-yard freestyle relay (Nelis, Vanderbroek, Vogelzang and Rose), 15th place (6:56.40).

2007-08 MIAA Season in Review
League Championship Results
The Flying Dutchmen won the championship of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) for the tenth time in school history.

Sophomore Ryan Nelis of Holland, Mich. (West Ottawa HS) was voted the league's most valuable swimmer. He was a triple winner at the league championship meet (200 IM, 100 Butterfly and 200 Butterfly).

Nelis is joined on the All-MIAA team by sophomore Phil Heyboer of Zeeland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS); sophomore Matt Rose of Grandville, Mich. (Grandville HS); sophomore Mitch Ruch of Zeeland, Mich. (Zeeland West HS); senior Charles VanderBroek of Holland, Mich. (Holland HS); and junior Ryan Vogelzang of Holland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS).

Hope champions at the MIAA championships included: Ryan Nelis, 200 individual medley (1:58.72), 100 butterfly (:49.90), and 200 butterfly (1:52.05); Ryan Vogelzang, 50 freestyle (:20.92) and 100 freestyle (:46.27); and Phil Heyboer, 400 IM (4:03.55, MIAA record) and 200 backstroke (1:53.02). Hope also won three freestyle relays -- 200 (Ryan Vogelzang, junior Stephen Kurti of Battle Creek/BC Lakeview HS, Charles VanderBroek and Matt Rose), 1:23.65; 400 (Charles VanderBroek, Ryan Vogelzang, Ryan Nelis and Matt Rose), 3:04.29; and 800 (Charles VanderBroek, Ryan Vogelzang, Phil Heyboer and Ryan Nelis), 6:56.32.