The 2010 Flying Dutch will be seeking to be title contenders with a team built around as many as nine returning letterwinners.

Under first-year coach Greg Stafford, the 2009 Flying Dutch finished third in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) standings and were also third in the league's qualifying rounds for the NCAA Division III championships. The team ended ranked 15th nationally in the Golf World/NGCA Division III Poll conducted by the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) and Golf World magazine.

The team co-captains will be juniors Emily Atsma of Caledonia (Grand Rapids South Christian HS) and Megan Scholten of Grand Rapids (Grand Rapids Christian HS).

Scholten is a two-time All-MIAA golfer. She received second team honors as a sophomore after achieving first team recognition as a freshman.

Sophomore Charlotte Park of Grosse Pointe (Grosse Point South HS) also achieved All-MIAA honors last year. Junior Sasha Burau of Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc HS) earned All-MIAA honors in 2008.

Scholten and junior Lauren Zandstra of Flushing (Flushing HS) were honored as All-American Scholars by the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA). The Flying Dutch were also a recipient of the MIAA Team GPA Award.

Other returning letterwinners are senior Katie Blodgett of Traverse City (St. Francis HS), sophomore Shali Clark of East Kentwood (East Kentwood HS), sophomore Maggie Mangan of Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton-Warrenville South HS), and junior Andrea McCarty of Denver, Colo. (Cherry Creek HS).

The Flying Dutch play a fall and spring schedule. The fall schedule, which determines the seasonal MIAA champion, includes four 18-hole jamborees and a 36-hold championship round. The spring schedule, consisting of three 18-hole rounds, determines the MIAA qualifiers to the NCAA championships.

Hope's only home action in the fall will be a season-opening non-conference invitational on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at the Macatawa Legends Country Club.