The Hope College women's lacrosse team opened defense of its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association regular-season title last Saturday, unleashing a first-half offensive explosion to defeat Adrian College, 17-7, at Van Andel Soccer Stadium.
The 17 goals for the Flying Dutch matched a season-high, equaling a feat done twice previously: March 18 vs. Nazareth (N.Y.) University in Panama City Beach, Florida, and again on March 29 at DePauw (Ind.) University.
Hope (5-4) handed the Bulldogs just their third loss in 11 games this season but their second in two MIAA games.
The Flying Dutch, who have won the past two MIAA championships, recorded their 18th consecutive MIAA regular-season victory dating back to April 2022.
Adrian, which entered the contest as the MIAA's top-scoring team at 15.3 goals per game, kept the game close early, trailing only 5-4 late in the first quarter. Hope, however struck for a pair of quick goals just 14 seconds apart in the final minute of the quarter to ignite an avalanche of eight consecutive goals that broke the game open.
First, junior midfielder Caleigh Randall (Lansing/DeWitt HS) scored off a feed from junior midfielder Sydney LaPrairie (Rochester/Stoney Creek). Then, junior midfielder Stella Bottum (Alto /Caledonia) scored an unassisted goal to give Hope a 7-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Flying Dutch reeled off six more goals while keeping the high-powered Adrian attack scoreless.
Junior attacker Julia Brown (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Central) scored three of those goals, two of them with Hope a player up, and assisted on another tally by senior attacker Juli Kirkpatrick (Granger, Ind./Mishawaka Penn), and the Flying Dutch went into the halftime break with a 13-4 lead.
"We just found our rhythm, and we knew what we had to do in terms of maintaining momentum, and continuing that from the end of the first quarter," said assistant coach Rich Pruszynski, who led the Flying Dutch in head coach Keagan Pieri's absence. Pieri missed the game after giving birth to her first child earlier in the week.
The Bulldogs pulled no closer than eight goals in the second half. Hope led by 10 goals on several occasions.
Nine different players scored in the game for Hope, led by Julia Brown with her fourth five-goal game of the season plus two assists for a seven-point day.
"It was a good effort, through and through," Pruszynski said. "Everyone got a lot of playing time today. We executed the various elements of what we wanted on offense and defense early in the game. I was just really proud of everybody's effort."
Senior attacker Kerrigan Brown (DeWitt/DeWitt) added two goals and three assists for Hope, while also scooping up four ground balls. Randall, Bottum and freshman attacker Elliana Hillard (DeWitt/DeWitt) also scored twice.
Freshman midfielder Brynn Collins (Grosse Pointe Park/ Grosse Pointe University Liggett) and freshman attacker Kayla Reis (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) scored their first career goals, and freshman attacker Madison Pyle (Rockford, Michigan/Rockford) also scored. LaPrairie had two assists.
Abby Malone led Adrian with three goals.
Hope outshot Adrian 30-19 for the contest and won 21 draw controls to seven for the Bulldogs.
The 17 goals for the Flying Dutch matched a season-high, equaling a feat done twice previously: March 18 vs. Nazareth (N.Y.) University in Panama City Beach, Florida, and again on March 29 at DePauw (Ind.) University.
Hope (5-4) handed the Bulldogs just their third loss in 11 games this season but their second in two MIAA games.
The Flying Dutch, who have won the past two MIAA championships, recorded their 18th consecutive MIAA regular-season victory dating back to April 2022.
Adrian, which entered the contest as the MIAA's top-scoring team at 15.3 goals per game, kept the game close early, trailing only 5-4 late in the first quarter. Hope, however struck for a pair of quick goals just 14 seconds apart in the final minute of the quarter to ignite an avalanche of eight consecutive goals that broke the game open.
First, junior midfielder Caleigh Randall (Lansing/DeWitt HS) scored off a feed from junior midfielder Sydney LaPrairie (Rochester/Stoney Creek). Then, junior midfielder Stella Bottum (Alto /Caledonia) scored an unassisted goal to give Hope a 7-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Flying Dutch reeled off six more goals while keeping the high-powered Adrian attack scoreless.
Junior attacker Julia Brown (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Central) scored three of those goals, two of them with Hope a player up, and assisted on another tally by senior attacker Juli Kirkpatrick (Granger, Ind./Mishawaka Penn), and the Flying Dutch went into the halftime break with a 13-4 lead.
"We just found our rhythm, and we knew what we had to do in terms of maintaining momentum, and continuing that from the end of the first quarter," said assistant coach Rich Pruszynski, who led the Flying Dutch in head coach Keagan Pieri's absence. Pieri missed the game after giving birth to her first child earlier in the week.
The Bulldogs pulled no closer than eight goals in the second half. Hope led by 10 goals on several occasions.
Nine different players scored in the game for Hope, led by Julia Brown with her fourth five-goal game of the season plus two assists for a seven-point day.
"It was a good effort, through and through," Pruszynski said. "Everyone got a lot of playing time today. We executed the various elements of what we wanted on offense and defense early in the game. I was just really proud of everybody's effort."
Senior attacker Kerrigan Brown (DeWitt/DeWitt) added two goals and three assists for Hope, while also scooping up four ground balls. Randall, Bottum and freshman attacker Elliana Hillard (DeWitt/DeWitt) also scored twice.
Freshman midfielder Brynn Collins (Grosse Pointe Park/ Grosse Pointe University Liggett) and freshman attacker Kayla Reis (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) scored their first career goals, and freshman attacker Madison Pyle (Rockford, Michigan/Rockford) also scored. LaPrairie had two assists.
Abby Malone led Adrian with three goals.
Hope outshot Adrian 30-19 for the contest and won 21 draw controls to seven for the Bulldogs.
Hope’s Danitz Sets School Record in Men’s 200 Meters
Hope College junior Liam Danitz set a school record in the men’s 200 meters last Friday at a meet at Grand Valley State University with a time of 21.10 seconds. Danitz’s time is one of the fastest among all NCAA Division III sprinters in the 200 so far this season.
Photo credit: Stockton Photo
Hope College sprinter Liam Danitz keeps running like he wants no one to catch him.
The junior from West Branch (Ogemaw Heights HS) ripped off NCAA Division III's fastest 200-meter outdoor run for the second time this season last Friday at Grand Valley State University, posting a school-record time of 21.10 seconds.
Danitz topped the 21.20 run by Brady Fowler of Roanoke (Va.) College at the Raleigh Relays on March 27. Two weeks earlier, Danitz raced to his first national-leading time of the season at 21.47 seconds at the Emory University Invitational in Atlanta, Ga.
Later in the day, Illinois College's Dylan Doss eclipsed Danitz with a 20.93 at the Illinois College True Blue Invite.
At GVSU, Danitz eclipsed Justin Freeman's 2019 Hope record of 21.32 and finished second out of 30 runners in a field that included NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA entrants. GVSU's Jacob Machiniak won at 20.98, Division II's 11th-fastest sprint this season.
Hope recorded 13 more top-10 finishes during the two-day, non-scoring meet.
In the 400 meters, sophomore Dylan Terpstra (Hudsonville/Hudsonville) placed third out of 36 runners by posting a run of 49.06 seconds, ranking 42nd fastest in Division III. Freshman Gavin Bush (Bloomfield Hills/Birmingham Seaholm) took seventh with a PR 50.02. Senior Joshua Ennen (Zeeland/Zeeland West) was 10th with a season-best 50.25.
In the 400 hurdles, freshman Kevin Barifagok (Las Vegas, Nev./ Cristo Rey Saint Viator) finished third out of 16 runners at 48.23 seconds, Division III's 48th fastest run. Freshman Logan Lipka (Frankenmuth/Frankenmuth) was sixth at 58.25.
In the 100 meters, Danitz recorded a fourth-place time of 10.85 seconds.
In the men's open javelin, senior Alex Daniels (Holland/Holland) finished fifth with a toss of 47.57 meters (156 feet, 1 inch). Sophomore Matthew Bir (Wenatchee, Wash./River Academy) took sixth at 46.47 meters (152-5). Junior Wil Pinkerton (Ann Arbor/Pioneer) was eighth at 44.95 meters (147-5).
In the 800 meters, senior Lucas Guidone (Chicago, Ill./Taft) placed seventh out of 37 runners at 1:57.84.
In the 1,500 meters, freshman Elias Kretchmar (Granville, Ohio/ Granville) took seventh out of 71 runners by clocking a time of 3:55.32, Division III's 24th fastest run this season.
In the 5,000 meters, junior Carston Cole (Holland/West Ottawa) finished ninth out of 49 runners at 15:03.03.
In the open discus, freshman Jake Punches (Farwell/Clare) posted a 10th-place and PR throw of 42.83 meters (140-6) in a field of 27.
The junior from West Branch (Ogemaw Heights HS) ripped off NCAA Division III's fastest 200-meter outdoor run for the second time this season last Friday at Grand Valley State University, posting a school-record time of 21.10 seconds.
Danitz topped the 21.20 run by Brady Fowler of Roanoke (Va.) College at the Raleigh Relays on March 27. Two weeks earlier, Danitz raced to his first national-leading time of the season at 21.47 seconds at the Emory University Invitational in Atlanta, Ga.
Later in the day, Illinois College's Dylan Doss eclipsed Danitz with a 20.93 at the Illinois College True Blue Invite.
At GVSU, Danitz eclipsed Justin Freeman's 2019 Hope record of 21.32 and finished second out of 30 runners in a field that included NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA entrants. GVSU's Jacob Machiniak won at 20.98, Division II's 11th-fastest sprint this season.
Hope recorded 13 more top-10 finishes during the two-day, non-scoring meet.
In the 400 meters, sophomore Dylan Terpstra (Hudsonville/Hudsonville) placed third out of 36 runners by posting a run of 49.06 seconds, ranking 42nd fastest in Division III. Freshman Gavin Bush (Bloomfield Hills/Birmingham Seaholm) took seventh with a PR 50.02. Senior Joshua Ennen (Zeeland/Zeeland West) was 10th with a season-best 50.25.
In the 400 hurdles, freshman Kevin Barifagok (Las Vegas, Nev./ Cristo Rey Saint Viator) finished third out of 16 runners at 48.23 seconds, Division III's 48th fastest run. Freshman Logan Lipka (Frankenmuth/Frankenmuth) was sixth at 58.25.
In the 100 meters, Danitz recorded a fourth-place time of 10.85 seconds.
In the men's open javelin, senior Alex Daniels (Holland/Holland) finished fifth with a toss of 47.57 meters (156 feet, 1 inch). Sophomore Matthew Bir (Wenatchee, Wash./River Academy) took sixth at 46.47 meters (152-5). Junior Wil Pinkerton (Ann Arbor/Pioneer) was eighth at 44.95 meters (147-5).
In the 800 meters, senior Lucas Guidone (Chicago, Ill./Taft) placed seventh out of 37 runners at 1:57.84.
In the 1,500 meters, freshman Elias Kretchmar (Granville, Ohio/ Granville) took seventh out of 71 runners by clocking a time of 3:55.32, Division III's 24th fastest run this season.
In the 5,000 meters, junior Carston Cole (Holland/West Ottawa) finished ninth out of 49 runners at 15:03.03.
In the open discus, freshman Jake Punches (Farwell/Clare) posted a 10th-place and PR throw of 42.83 meters (140-6) in a field of 27.
Hope Men’s Lacrosse Rolls Over Calvin
After a back-and-forth start, the Hope College men's lacrosse team had enough.
The Flying Dutchmen ripped off four goals in four-plus minutes midway through the first half, setting the stage for a 16-5 victory at Calvin University on Saturday.
Hope broke a 3-3 tie 45 seconds into the second quarter, then extended the lead to 7-3 by the 10:07 mark. The Knights never pulled back closer than three goals.
The Flying Dutchmen's second victory over an MIAA opponent in three days continued their domination in the series. Hope (7-4, 2-0 MIAA) has won all 16 meetings against Calvin as NCAA Division III opponents, dating back to 2013.
Sophomore Gibson Heethuis (Hudsonville/Hudsonville) spearheaded a balanced attack with a game-high four goals.
Heethuis scored the final two goals of the Flying Dutchmen's decisive second-quarter surge — just 1:06 apart. The attacker also recorded a game-high three assists.
Senior midfielder Andrew Lanham (Rockford/Rockford) matched his season-high with three goals. Lanham's second goal — in a man-up situation — snapped a 3-3 tie.
Forty-two seconds later, senior midfielder David Brace (Plymouth/Plymouth) struck with the first of his two goals, and the Flying Dutchmen were off and running.
Junior midfielder Jackson Early (East Lansing/East Lansing) also finished with two goals.
Hope seized a 12-4 lead after halftime by scoring all five of third-quarter goals.
The Flying Dutchmen held an opponent to single-digit goals for the fifth time in six games.
Junior goalkeeper Jack Balmforth (Livonia/Detroit Catholic Central) totaled 13 saves in 57 minutes, 42 seconds of action.
Calvin (4-8, 1-2 MIAA) received two goals apiece from Christian Coler and Braden Carpenter.
The Flying Dutchmen ripped off four goals in four-plus minutes midway through the first half, setting the stage for a 16-5 victory at Calvin University on Saturday.
Hope broke a 3-3 tie 45 seconds into the second quarter, then extended the lead to 7-3 by the 10:07 mark. The Knights never pulled back closer than three goals.
The Flying Dutchmen's second victory over an MIAA opponent in three days continued their domination in the series. Hope (7-4, 2-0 MIAA) has won all 16 meetings against Calvin as NCAA Division III opponents, dating back to 2013.
Sophomore Gibson Heethuis (Hudsonville/Hudsonville) spearheaded a balanced attack with a game-high four goals.
Heethuis scored the final two goals of the Flying Dutchmen's decisive second-quarter surge — just 1:06 apart. The attacker also recorded a game-high three assists.
Senior midfielder Andrew Lanham (Rockford/Rockford) matched his season-high with three goals. Lanham's second goal — in a man-up situation — snapped a 3-3 tie.
Forty-two seconds later, senior midfielder David Brace (Plymouth/Plymouth) struck with the first of his two goals, and the Flying Dutchmen were off and running.
Junior midfielder Jackson Early (East Lansing/East Lansing) also finished with two goals.
Hope seized a 12-4 lead after halftime by scoring all five of third-quarter goals.
The Flying Dutchmen held an opponent to single-digit goals for the fifth time in six games.
Junior goalkeeper Jack Balmforth (Livonia/Detroit Catholic Central) totaled 13 saves in 57 minutes, 42 seconds of action.
Calvin (4-8, 1-2 MIAA) received two goals apiece from Christian Coler and Braden Carpenter.
Hope Baseball Swept by Alma College
Junior first baseman Cade Seabaugh delivered his second multi-homer game for the Hope College baseball team on the road, but Alma College rallied twice to sweep Saturday's doubleheader, 10-7 and 7-6.
In Game 1, Seabaugh (Ballwin, Mo./Ladue Horton HS) slugged a two-run homer in the top of the sixth and a solo home run in the eighth. It was Seabaugh's first multi-homer game since April 15, 2024, against The University of Olivet.
Sophomore rightfielder Brenden Collins (Kalamazoo/Hackett Catholic) blasted a solo homer in the sixth, helping the Flying Dutchmen build a 7-2 lead.
Alma, however, erupted for eight runs on five hits in the eighth, capped by Giuseppe Sapienza's go-ahead three-run homer. The Scots sent 12 batters to the plate. Sapienza led off the rally with a single.
In Game 2, Hope rallied with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to take a 5-4 lead.
Freshman designated hitter Colton Kinnie (Bloomfield Hills /Birmingham Seaholm) tied the game with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly that brought home freshman centerfielder Corbin Bennetts (Jenison/Jenison).
Senior third baseman Al Money (Midland/Midland) scored the go-ahead run in the seventh after Alma misplayed a grounder from senior shortstop Dylan Kleinedler (Sterling Heights/Stevenson).
Alma rallied again, taking the lead in its half of the seventh on a two-run Stephen McGlade homer for a 6-5 lead.
The Scots tacked on a run in the eighth, which proved valuable when Seabaugh scored on Money's groundout. Alma reliever Ken Fistler entered the game and earned the save by retiring the final two Flying Dutchmen batters and stranding the tying run at third.
Alma swept the three-game series after rallying for a 3-2, 10-inning victory last Friday at Hope.
Four of the Flying Dutchmen's seven MIAA games have been decided by one run. Hope is 1-3 in those games.
In Game 1, Seabaugh (Ballwin, Mo./Ladue Horton HS) slugged a two-run homer in the top of the sixth and a solo home run in the eighth. It was Seabaugh's first multi-homer game since April 15, 2024, against The University of Olivet.
Sophomore rightfielder Brenden Collins (Kalamazoo/Hackett Catholic) blasted a solo homer in the sixth, helping the Flying Dutchmen build a 7-2 lead.
Alma, however, erupted for eight runs on five hits in the eighth, capped by Giuseppe Sapienza's go-ahead three-run homer. The Scots sent 12 batters to the plate. Sapienza led off the rally with a single.
In Game 2, Hope rallied with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to take a 5-4 lead.
Freshman designated hitter Colton Kinnie (Bloomfield Hills /Birmingham Seaholm) tied the game with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly that brought home freshman centerfielder Corbin Bennetts (Jenison/Jenison).
Senior third baseman Al Money (Midland/Midland) scored the go-ahead run in the seventh after Alma misplayed a grounder from senior shortstop Dylan Kleinedler (Sterling Heights/Stevenson).
Alma rallied again, taking the lead in its half of the seventh on a two-run Stephen McGlade homer for a 6-5 lead.
The Scots tacked on a run in the eighth, which proved valuable when Seabaugh scored on Money's groundout. Alma reliever Ken Fistler entered the game and earned the save by retiring the final two Flying Dutchmen batters and stranding the tying run at third.
Alma swept the three-game series after rallying for a 3-2, 10-inning victory last Friday at Hope.
Four of the Flying Dutchmen's seven MIAA games have been decided by one run. Hope is 1-3 in those games.
