The Flying Dutchmen will send seven swimmers to compete in 13 events at the NCAA Division III championships when they are held in Buffalo, N.Y. from March 15-17.
Coach John Patnott's Dutchmen will compete in five relays and eight individual events in their bid to finish as a top ten team for the fourth consecutive year and the 11th time in 12 years. A year ago the Flying Dutchmen were sixth at nationals.
Junior Josh Boss of Jenison, Mich. (Jenison HS) is the top-seeded swimmer in the 100-yard (:55.00) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:00.07) events. Boss is the two-time defending national champion in the 200 breaststroke. He won the national gold in the 100 breaststroke as a freshman and was runner-up a year ago.
Sophomore Tim DeHaan of Haslett, Mich. (Haslett HS) is seeded second in the 100-yard freestyle (:45.88) and sixth in the 50-yard freestyle (:20.95), DeHaan was the MIAA conference champion in both events.
Sophomore Brian Slagh of Holland (Zeeland HS) will compete in three freestyle events. He is seeded seventh in the 200-yard freestyle (1:41.68), ninth in the 500-yard freestyle (4:36.85) and 22nd in the 100-yard freestyle (:46.76).
Sophomore Ian Kobes of Holland (Holland HS) and senior Chris Dattels of Wilmette, Ill. (New Trier HS) will be competing in the backstroke events. Kobes is seeded 13th in the 100 back (:51.78) and 20th in the 200 back (1:54.01) while Dattels is seeded 19th in the 100 back (:52.18) and 28th in the 200 back (1:55.26). A year ago Dattels finished seventh in the nation in the 100 back and ninth in the 200 back.
The Flying Dutchmen are seeded second nationally in both the 200-yard medley relay (1:32.88) and 400-yard medley relay (3:24.90). Both Hope medley relays won the MIAA gold medal this year. Swimmers on the teams included Ian Kobes (backstroke), Josh Boss (breaststroke), Chris Dattels (butterfly) and freestylers Brian Slagh and Tim DeHaan.
The 400-yard freestyle relay is seeded third (3:05.11) while the 200-yard freestyle relay is seeded sixth (1:24.23) and the 800-yard freestyle relay 15th (6:59.41). The freestyle relays are comprised of Tim DeHaan, Brian Slagh, freshman Chris Hamstra of Zeeland, Mich. (Zeeland HS), and senior Scott Vroegindewey of Kalamazoo (Portage Central HS).
Hope had three All-America relay teams a year ago finishing third in the 400 freestyle and fourth in both the 200 and 400 medley.
As a member of the relay team, Vroegindewey is eligible to compete in the 100-yard freestyle which he is seeded 33rd (:46.88).