The Hope College women’s lacrosse team has earned a spot on the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association NCAA Division III Academic Honor Squad for the 2015 season.
Coach Kim Vincent’s Flying Dutch are one of 128 Division III teams who recorded a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Vincent said she is proud of her student-athletes and their outstanding academic achievement in 2015.
“I wish I could say there was one thing I did to make a difference, but honestly each one of our student-athletes from the beginning embraced the idea that they are first and foremost students,” Vincent said. “New players and freshmen made up more than half of our team last year, so mentoring and leadership were areas we often had to focus on.
“I’m grateful for how many leaders we had on the team in addition to our team captains. I have many stories about players who took personal interest outside of practices to see that a teammate was getting her needs met. Often it is a matter of helping that teammate find her own healthy balance between athletics, academics, social and other campus activities and interests.”
The Flying Dutch qualified for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament last spring in Vincent’s first season as head coach and finished with a 6-9 overall record.
The 2015 season was an educational one for the Flying Dutch, Vincent said.
“I love coaching sports; because I believe what we learn on the field from trial and error translates to being able to make better choices in the other aspects of our lives. Last year’s pre-season schedule challenged us as a team to think differently about wins and losses, about taking care of the details, of daily hard work and preparation,” Vincent said. “Through these experiences we learned that there's just no substitute for giving the best we can individually give. This applies on the lacrosse field, in the classroom and in life.”