A record number of Hope College track and field athletes have received all-conference honors from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).
Sixteen athletes have been named by coaches to the honor squad. Thirteen of them were gold medal winners at the annual Field Day championships. The others were selected in the at-large category.
Men's and women's All-MIAA teams have been named since 1983. The previous combined high of All-MIAA honorees from Hope was nine. The Hope teams had 13 conference champions, the school's highest number since 1986.
The teams, coached by Kevin Cole, each finished second in the conference standings. Each had their highest team point total since the current point-system was initiated in 2000.
Senior Lindsay Lange (Manistee/Manistee HS) received All-MIAA honors for a fourth straight year. She is the fourth female athlete to achieve that distinction, joining Marcia Vandersall (90-93), Emily Sowers (98-01) and Christy Watkin (01-04). An All-American heptathlete, Lange was the conference shot put champion this year. During her career she was also a conference champion in the 200 meters, 400 meters and 100-meter hurdles. She was also an All-MIAA basketball player.
Junior Nora Kuiper (Parchment/Parchment HS) received All-MIAA honors a third consecutive year after winning the 100-meter dash a third straight year. Her time this year was a conference record (:12.13). She also won the 200-meter dash.
Achieving All-MIAA honors a second time were junior Sean Bergsma (Grand Haven/Grand Haven HS) and junior Christina Lis (Novi/Novi HS). Both were the conference high jump champion, Bergsma for a second consecutive year.
First-time honorees include junior Brandon Bosch (Hudsonville/Hudsonville HS), senior Andrew Denniger (Winfield, Ill./West Chicago HS), freshman John Donkersloot (Zeeland/Zeeland East HS), junior Kate Freshour (Bloomington, Ill./Olympia HS), freshman Emily Kreichelt (Northville/Northville HS), freshman Cameron Lampkin (Oak Park/Berkley HS), sophomore Jeff Minkus (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West HS), senior Chad Rector (Grant/Grant HS), freshman Nick Rinck (Hudsonville/Hudsonville HS), freshman Kara Vandeguchte (Hamilton/Hamilton HS), junior Emily VanderMeer (Holland/Holland HS) and senior Seth Weener (Grandville/Grandville HS).
Seth Weener was also an All-MIAA honoree in cross country. Emily VanderMeer continued a family tradition in winning the pole vault. Her older sister, Jennifer, was the MIAA pole vault champion in 2007. And waiting in the wings is her freshman sister, Sarah, who was fifth in the event this spring.
Hope honorees who were conference champions included Brandon Bosch, men's long jump; Andrew Denniger, men's javelin; Chad Rector, men's shot put; Jeff Minkus, men's triple jump; Seth Weener, men's 1,500-meters; Nick Rinck, men's 400-meter hurdles; and Emily VanderMeer, women's pole vault.