Hope College hockey defenseman Nolan Holtrop and swimmer Grace Wesley are featured on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast.
Nolan Holtrop
The two seniors discussed their time as Hope College student-athletes, the Hope Athletics mission of academic success, competitive excellence and transformational experiences, and competing for two of the nation’s top athletic programs.
Holtrop (Walker, Michigan / Kenowa Hills HS) and Wesley (Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan / Grosse Pointe North) also shared about their mission trip to Zambia last summer with the college’s Sports Evangelism to Equip Disciples (SEED) program.
A business major, Holtrop was a key leader on the Flying Dutchmen’s American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 3 national championship team this season.
Grace Wesley
Wesley, an exercise science major, also led the Flying Dutch swimming and diving team to a fifth consecutive Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title and ninth place in the nation, the program’s second top-10 finish in three years at the NCAA Division III Championships.
The podcast episode is part of Hope College’s NCAA Division III Week celebration.
The annual nationwide event highlights the positive impact Division III student-athletes have on their campuses and in their community. Hope is a founding member of Division III, which started in 1973. Learn more about Division III at ncaa.org/d3.
Hope College swimmer Dallas Fisher is featured on this week’s Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast.
Dallas Fisher
The senior electrical engineering major from Highland, Michigan (Detroit Catholic Central HS) talked about his rewarding experience in the pool with the Flying Dutchmen and the Hope Athletics mission of academic success, competitive excellence and transformational experiences.
Fisher also shared about his mission trip to Costa Rica last summer as part of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).
Today’s podcast episode is part of Hope College’s NCAA Division III Week celebration. The annual nationwide event highlights the positive impact Division III student-athletes have on their campuses and in their community. Hope is a founding member of Division III, which started in 1973. Learn more about Division III at ncaa.org/d3.
This week’s final of four podcast episodes is scheduled to be downloaded on Sunday, April 13: seniors Grace Wesley (swimming) and Nolan Holtrop (hockey) discuss their experiences on a SEED mission trip to Zambia last summer.
Hope College senior runner Tyler King and soccer defender Oliva Dieppa are featured on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast this week.
The student-athletes discuss the Hope Athletics mission of academic success, competitive excellence and transformational experiences. They also share their memories from a Sport Evangelism to Equip Disciples (SEED) mission trip last summer to Kenya.
Today’s podcast episode is part of Hope College’s NCAA Division III Week celebration. The annual nationwide event highlights the positive impact Division III student-athletes have on their campuses and in their community. Hope is a founding member of Division III, which started in 1973. Learn more about Division III at ncaa.org/d3.
Tyler King
King, a native of Villabrook, Illinois, majors in biochemistry and molecular biology while competing for the Flying Dutchmen cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field teams.
Dieppa, a native of Hudsonville, Michigan, majors in exercise science while playing soccer for the Flying Dutch.
Two more Orange and Blue Podcast episodes will be available this week:
Friday, April 11, senior Dallas Fisher (swimming) talks about his experience on a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) mission trip to Costa Rica last summer;
Sunday, April 13, seniors Grace Wesley (swimming) and Nolan Holtrop (hockey) discuss their experiences on a SEED mission trip to Zambia last summer.
Inspired by Colossians 1:16, Jerry Root ’75 has loved to meet and get to know Hope College student-athletes and coaches over the past 17 years.
A former college athlete and youth coach himself, Root enjoys talking sports with anyone, especially Hope College teams. Yet, he revels even more in digging deeper with individuals, learning who they are and walking alongside their faith journeys.
Jerry Root ’75
Root’s calling to minister at Hope the past 17 years has garnered the appreciation of hundreds and, now, the college’s H-Club “Hope for Humanity” Award.
The volunteer associate chaplain of athletics will be honored during a reception at the college’s kinesiology office on Monday, April 14, and during the Hope Athletics HOPEYs awards ceremony that evening at DeVos Fieldhouse.
Root is a special guest on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast series that is airing during NCAA Division III Week across the country.
Sports and the Christian faith
Root played basketball for the Flying Dutchmen, transferring to Hope from Grand Rapids Junior College long before the transfer portal became en vogue like it is today. He graduated from Hope with a degree in education and worked in the field for 33 years before retiring.
In 2008, Root began volunteering as an athletics chaplain at his alma mater.
A curious and caring nature, modeled by his loving mother growing up, drew Root to teaching and coaching, then ministry. God’s words in Colossians make balancing sport and Christian faith possible, Root said.
“One of my favorites Bible verses I share a lot is Colossians 1:16. It talks about us being made by God and for God,” Root said. “It so fits into the athletic life of training and eating properly. To translate this into ‘I have this body. I have this platform. I have this message.’ Athletics does mesh quite nicely with our Christian faith.”
Three more Orange and Blue Podcast episodes will be available this week:
Wednesday, April 9, junior Olivia Dieppa (women’s soccer) and senior Tyler King (cross country, and track and field) share their Hope stories, including a Sport Evangelism to Equip Disciples (SEED) mission trip to Kenya last summer;
Friday, April 11, senior Dallas Fisher (swimming) talks about his experience on a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) mission trip to Costa Rica last summer;
Sunday, April 13, seniors Grace Wesley (swimming) and Nolan Holtrop (hockey) discuss their experiences on a SEED mission trip to Zambia last summer.
Cara Anderson and AJ Boucher pour themselves into everything they do for Hope College and Hope College Athletics.
Anderson, who is graduating this December after majoring in social work, has been a team manager for the Flying Dutch women’s lacrosse team. The Adrian, Michigan, native and Lenawee Christian High School graduate also works in the college’s admissions office as a tour guide and team leader.
Boucher is a junior elementary education major and a midfielder on the Flying Dutchmen soccer team. The Delton, Michigan, native and Richland Gull-Lake High School graduate also works as a campus tour guide.
Earlier this summer, Anderson and Boucher stepped away from familiar roles to serve during a Sports Evangelism to Equip Disciples (SEED) mission trip to Costa Rica. Both talked about their experience in Season 4’s fifth episode of the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast.
“Emotional” journey
As part of the mission trip, the group delivered Sawyer water filters to remote areas of the country. These filters, which can last for as many as 20 years, provided a poignant reminder of how God can work through us, Anderson said.
“We did some sports camps with kids out in those communities. One of these days we were up in the mountains … and it was super hot,” Anderson said. “One of the girls on our team asked one of the little girls she was with ‘Do you want some water?’ For the first time, that girl could have been like ‘I have clean water.’ That made me so emotional. We are so blessed here [in the United States]. We have clean water. In those communities, they rely so heavily on each other and the community that’s right there. Taking them clean water was such a gift.
“We got to share the gospel with the water filters. Jesus makes us clean and he doesn’t care if we’re dirty and messy and no matter what, we come out clean. The combination of all those things was such a gift, really shifted my perspective.”
Boucher felt God working throughout the sports camps as well.
“We had lacrosse, soccer, and basketball. We did some jump rope. We blew some bubbles as well,” Boucher said. “Every single one of them [soccer] was their favorite sport. I think for me, it touched me because it brought me a new joy to see that to my sport. I think I appreciated soccer a little bit more coming back to the States.
“Honestly, it has given me a reason why I want to be a coach in the future. I want to see kids with that joy that I saw playing the sport that I love in Costa Rica. I want to see that joy here in the States. I think right now, soccer’s growing, but I want it to get to a point where it’s the most popular thing and it just brings that joy that I saw in Costa Rica. That really impacted me a lot.”
On a recent Hope College Athletics SEED mission trip, juniors Justice Mims and Samantha Smith felt God’s spirit moving within them.
The two student-athletes and kinesiology majors spoke about their time in The Dominican Republic on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast. Season 4’s fourth episode featured a conversation with Mims, a guard on the men’s basketball team, and Smith, a goalie on the women’s lacrosse team.
Hope Athletics recognizes that sport provides an opportunity for athletes to have a significant platform from which to influence others. In traveling with the Sports Evangelism to Equip Disciples (SEED) program, Hope College students utilize their passion for sport to share the love of Christ with individuals around the world.
Through participating in the SEED program, students are intentionally challenged to use their experiences to sow the seed and water the harvest so that the Good News of Jesus Christ takes root in their own lives as it is shared around the world.
Mims, a native of Rochester Hills, Michigan, near Detroit, remembered how he felt after his group brought and instructed residents of villages to use Sawyer water filters that clean the water.
Rich in spirit
“Yes, they’re underprivileged, but they’re not poor, they’re rich in spirit, 100%,” Mims said on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast. “I always say this to people whenever I talk about the SEED trip. I really believe the biggest difference is that they have God in everything.
“They welcome us in, even though we don’t even speak the same language as them. We’re just strangers, foreigners, and they’re still inviting us in. Having the hospitality to give us their grace, it was just awesome. I really do think that because they had God in everything, it didn’t matter what the situation was, they are much happier than what is perceived.”
Smith, a native of Westfield, Indiana, near Indianapolis, was grateful for how those she met through the SEED mission trip, brought God into every conversation.
“They see God in everything,” Smith said on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast. “One of the biggest things that I noticed was our leader, John, told us that when we were done having a conversation with someone, we’d say, dios te bendiga, which means God bless you. Everybody on the trip picked it up immediately. We would say it every two seconds after every conversation, even if we didn’t say ‘Hi’ to someone, we’d say that.
“I just realized that in our community here, if we told a group of 20 20-year-olds, ‘Hey, after every conversation say ‘God bless you’, we’d all be like, ‘No, that’s kind of random, kind of weird.’ But just because of the community they have created, that’s completely normal and it’s encouraged. That’s something that I’ve been trying to incorporate here in my life, and I’ll definitely try to incorporate it at Hope. There’s always room for God in a conversation.”
When injuries sidelined Hope College’s Keegan DeKuiper and Annie Lockett from competition last season, they put aside their disappointment and focused on supporting their teammates and coaches.
Their servant leadership drew praise from those around them, including their respective men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams. They were announced as Anchor Award recipients in April at the 2024 Hope Athletics HOPEYs ceremony.
The Male and Female Anchor Awards are presented to athletes who anchor their teams, inspiring their teammates to train and perform at their best.
Annie Lockett
Keegan DeKuiper
DeKuiper and Lockett spoke about their experiences and lessons learned during Season 4, Episode 3 of the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast.
They both said they relied on their Christian faith to help navigate a challenging time in their lives.
“It was super tough, but God just has a way of changing your heart (and) changing your mindset,” DeKuiper said.
Added Lockett, “Ultimately, we serve a God who turns these poor things into good things, and he does that through people.”
Ultimate Teammates
A goalkeeper, DeKuiper went from starting nine games as a sophomore in 2022 to missing the entire 2023 season.
The exercise science major from Norton Shores, Michigan (Mona Shores HS) rose to the occasion, head coach David Blahnik said.
“Keegan is the ultimate teammate,” Blahnik said. “Whether he is the star of the game or injured on the sideline you can always count on him to be a servant leader to his teammates and coaches to help in whatever way possible.”
Lockett earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America honors as an outside hitter in 2022 and helped the Flying Dutch reach the NCAA Division III quarterfinals.
The business major from Mason, Ohio (William Mason) never saw the court in 2023 but still poured herself into her teammates, head coach Becky Schmidt said. Hope finished as national runner-up last season.
“Annie is a selfless leader who was able to impact the team despite not having one stat this year,” Schmidt said. “Her willingness to put the team first, celebrate her teammates and bring wisdom and perspective to the team was inspiring.”
Dylan Clem is poised to build a successful and fulfilling career as a structural engineer with a foundation set at Hope College and his hometown of Stevensville, Michigan.
The All-American offensive guard has one more college football season to play, though.
Clem is returning for a fifth season with the Flying Dutchmen this fall. Hope is coming off an 8-2 season despite one of the toughest schedules in NCAA Division III. The Flying Dutchmen’s home and season opener is Saturday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. against Loras College (Iowa) at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium.
Clem appeared on the Hope College Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast and spoke about preparing for the upcoming season while also interning in the Washington, D.C., area.
“I took that leap of faith to come down here and spend the money on rent, for knowledge and a little bit of money. The first four weeks have been great,” Clem said. “A lot of what Hope taught me in the engineering program has correlated, along with just the ability to work hard and that comes in the classroom and the football field and just honestly campus in general. That’s just why I love Hope. Everyone has that mission to want to succeed, to want to work hard, to want to do all those things. I’ve really felt the presence of Hope in my life around here in D.C.”
In April, Clem was named the 2024 male recipient of the Be Strong. Be True. Award at the annual HOPEYs ceremony The honor is presented to a junior or senior who demonstrates the true essence of being a student-athlete and embodies the Division III motto of Discover, Develop, Dedicate. This student-athlete is in high academic standing (minimum GPA of 3.5), plays a significant role on the team, and is involved in the Hope and Holland community.
Career Builder
The award was one of many for the Lakeshore High School alum. In May, Clem received one of two Senior Engineering Prizes from the Hope College Engineering Department. In January, he was chosen for the Academic All-America First Team by College Sports Communicators. In December, he was selected as an All-American by D3football.com.
Dylan Clem
Along his journey at Hope, Clem served as a team captain for two years, as a member of the Athletes Coming Together / Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (ACT/SAAC), and was part of the athletic mentoring program, Team 43. He also worked as a research student in Dr. Courtney Peckens’ lab.
Clem expressed gratitude for Hope’s embrace of allowing student-athletes to follow their passions on and off the field. He said he did not always find that through his college recruiting process.
“When I came to Hope, the first thing Coach [Peter] Stuursma said was ‘All right, let me get you to a football player who’s an engineer.’ He showed me Dan Romano who was probably the smartest person I know,” Clem said. “Ever since then, Hope’s been that place where I felt like I could do it all. Coach Stuursma and all of our coaches really gave us that chance to succeed and gave us that chance to feel like we can do whatever we want.”
Hope’s Engineering Department also set him up for success as well, Clem said.
“The coolest thing about the Hope engineering program was that their intro class takes you through all different types of engineering. You’ll do civil two weeks. You’ll do mechanical two weeks. You’ll build circuits and do electrical,” Clem said. “I really loved the bridge section of the civil and then we got to make concrete and crush it. I was like, that’s pretty cool. I stuck with civil and I’ve loved it ever since.”
H-Club Hope for Humanity Award Kara VanderKamp ’95 poses for a picture with head women’s soccer Leigh Sears and Associate Athletic Director Lindsey Engelsman.
Kara VanderKamp ‘95 carries the lessons she learned on the soccer field and at Hope College into her missionary work in Niger.
“I think one of the things I really love about soccer is it truly is a team sport that everybody has to play at their best in order to be successful and to win as a team,” VanderKamp said. “You have to sacrifice for the team. As far as leadership is concerned, I think really trying to find the strengths of every person on the team and then drawing that out of them, I find that I use that all the time in the work that I’m doing now. I’m just trying to find the right people with the right skill set, then encouraging one another, being positive, and challenging each other as well to bring out the best.”
VanderKamp’s interview kicks off the fourth season of the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast this summer.
The Orange and Blue Podcast features interviews with Hope student-athletes, coaches, staff and alumni. They share their stories of academic success, competitive excellence and transformational experiences at Hope.
Hope for Humanity Award Recipient
VanderKamp received the Hope for Humanity Award in April on campus. The award is presented to Hope College alumni athletes who have demonstrated Christian commitment and service to others in their careers after Hope. It was first awarded in 1990 and is presented by the college’s H-Club, which consists of Hope alumni who were athletic letterwinners and other honorary letter winners.
VanderKamp graduated from Hope with a degree in political science and an elementary teaching certificate. A midfielder on the women’s soccer team, she served as co-captain during her senior year, was named to the All-MIAA First Team in 1993 and 1994, became the first Hope women’s soccer player to gain all-region honors and ended her career as Hope’s all-time leader in assists.
The Remember Niger Coalition, under VanderKamp’s leadership, partners with 18 schools and serves over 5,400 students. Each year, more than 400 students graduate from primary school and matriculate to middle school. Remember Niger partner schools have a 90% pass rate on the national exam.
During the past 15 years, 80 classrooms have been constructed in 13 communities, four solar-powered wells have been built, thousands of children have received school meals. In addition, 115 teachers receive training annually, and 400 boys and girls in primary school and 98 girls in middle and high school who would not otherwise be able to afford the cost of going to school receive financial assistance from sponsors.
Expanding Education in Niger
Kara VanderKamp kicks a soccer ball past a defender at Buys Athletics Field.
As CEO of Remember Niger Coalition, VanderKamp leads the initiative to spread the word about the organization and its mission, raise funds and support, and implement, monitor and evaluate projects in Niger. She is actively engaged in leading the staff and serving on the board of directors.
VanderKamp travels around the United States as a public speaker in churches, rotary clubs, schools and businesses. She regularly travels across Niger to visit each school partner and work closely with each one to ensure that the schools have what they need and students are receiving a quality education. She oversees annual teacher trainings in Niger, and she and her team evaluate and monitor the health and wellness of the students, making sure that students receive school meals and extra healthcare in emergency situations.”
VanderKamp has served as the CEO of the Remember Niger Coalition for the past 15 years.
“What became apparent to me pretty quickly was that they had everything that they needed. They had the, they had the vision. They had a pretty concrete plan. They knew what they were doing. They knew how to start schools in their community in their country. What they lacked were partners,” VanderKamp said. “I thought I could be more useful going back to the United States and helping them find more partners. That’s how Remember Niger started.”
Editor’s note: From Monday-Sunday, April 1-7, Hope College Athletics is celebrating NCAA Division III Week with member schools across the country as we observe and celebrate the impact Division III athletics and student-athletes have on campus and in the surrounding community. There are special events planned at Hope Athletics home events throughout the week. Check out Hope Athletics social media accounts for more stories. As part of Division III Week, Hope softball pitcher and communication major Grace Connelly ‘25 is profiling four peers throughout Division III Week for the Hope Athletics blog.
Hope College senior Sophia Farbarzhevich has made the most of her time, in and out of the pool, as an NCAA Division III student-athlete.
In addition to being a high-achieving diver on the MIAA champion women’s swimming and diving team, she has been on a pre-medicine track: majoring in Spanish and minoring in chemistry and neuroscience.
Farbarzhevich (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Northern HS) is involved in research, the pre-health professionals club, and the Students Teaching and Empowering Peers (STEP) organization. She is a member of the Sigma Iota Beta (SIB) sorority. She went on a Sports Evangelism to Equip Disciples (SEED) trip to Zambia.
As Farbarzhevich has continued to commit her time to various activities, she has understood the importance of being present. With a rigorous schedule, she has to be intentional with her time and understand what is important.
People are at the top of her list. It’s a priority that has played a key role in the development and success of the diving team, diving coach Becca Garza said.
“This sport is about relationships and connections,” Garza said. “Soph loves and craves relationships. She has been such a blessing to help build the program over the last four years.”
As Farbarzhevich has grown in this confidence, she has seen success both academically and athletically.
She was named to the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association First Team as a junior and the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America Second Team as a sophomore.
Farbarzhevich focuses on what others have given her. Throughout her time with the dive team, the relationships she’s cultivated have become a huge part of who she is.
“Setting out time for the people I love has been really important and has changed me for the better,” Farbarzhevich said. “I have learned so much about myself and others, trying to understand who I am while growing through diving.
“As I’ve grown closer with the dive team, we have become a family. I have seen characteristics within the other athletes that I desire to see in myself which helped me become more comfortable and confident with who I am.”
