National Caliber: Two National Champions

Hope College welcomed two more national champions to the fold this spring as track & field runner Erin Herrmann and golfer Josh Gibson both claimed NCAA Division III titles in their respective events.

Herrmann, a senior from Wheaton, Illinois, won the 3,000-meter steeplechase on May 27 in Geneva, Ohio, with a school-record time of 10 minutes, 21.08 seconds that was the ninth-fastest time in Division III women’s history. She joined Hope’s Nora Kuiper, the 100-meter national champ in 2009.

Gibson, a sophomore from Grandville, Michigan, became Hope’s first national champion in golf by winning a one-hole playoff on May 20 in Howie-in-the-Hills, Florida. He recorded a par-four on the playoff hole and finished 73 holes and four days of play at 1-under par. Hope finished a program-best sixth place as a team at nationals, capping an outstanding year for long-time coach Bob Ebels, who retired this summer after guiding the team for 26 seasons.

A successful end for the 2016-17 school year saw Hope Athletics finish 19th in the national Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings for Division III — the college’s second-highest finish ever. Hope also finished runner-up in the MIAA Commissioner’s Cup after winning seven MIAA team championships.

For highlights in athletics from across the 2016-17 school year, including of all of the college’s sports, please visit Hope online at hope.edu/1617athletics