HOLLAND -- Dereck Chavis, the Hope College men's and women's track and field coach the past five years, has announced his resignation, effective immediately, in order to accept the position as head cross country and track and field coach of NCAA Division I Murray State University in Murray, Ky.

HOLLAND -- Dereck Chavis, the Hope College men's and women's track and field coach the past five years, has announced his resignation, effective immediately, in order to accept the position as head cross country and track and field coach of NCAA Division I Murray State University in Murray, Ky.

Mark Northuis, Hope's men's and women's cross country coach, will serve as interim coach during the 2005 season, according to Dr. Richard Ray, chairman of the department of kinesiology. Northuis was Hope's track and field coach from 1989-99.

"We congratulate Dereck on this wonderful opportunity and hope that his position at Murray State University will be a fruitful one for him, his family, and Murray State. He is a man of great integrity and while we will miss him, we also wish him well." said Ray.

"I am very pleased that Dr. Mark Northuis has agreed to serve as interim coach. Dr. Northuis is an experienced coach who enjoys the admiration of his student-athletes, colleagues, fellow coaches, and other members of the running community. Though he is a busy and productive teacher, scholar, husband, and father, he is committed to providing an outstanding experience for the students on Hope's track and field team. Not many people could do all that he does with such high quality, but he is an extraordinary person for whom we are very grateful," Ray added.

Under Chavis' guidance, the Hope track and field program produced seven NCAA All-Americans, 23 national qualifiers, 21 MIAA conference champions and 31 all-conference performers. Hope athletes set three MIAA and 32 school records. The women's team finished second in the MIAA for five consecutive seasons while the men's team ended as high as third in the conference standings four of the five seasons.

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