Hope College head swimming and diving coach Jake Taber
Hope College’s Jake Taber ‘04 has been voted the 2024 MIAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year.
The honor is voted on by MIAA coaches and is based on the achievements of coaches both during regular-season and postseason competition.
In his fifth season, Taber guided the 12th-ranked Flying Dutch to a fourth consecutive MIAA title this season. With 1,275.5 points, Hope finished 275 points ahead of runner-up Calvin University during the six-team meet at the Holland Aquatic Center.
Ten Hope women’s swimmers and two Flying Dutch divers made the All-MIAA First Team, including Most Valuable swimmer Greta Gidley (Franklin, Michigan / Mercy HS) and three-time
Most Valuable Diver Abby Koops (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Northern).
Five more Hope swimmers earned multiple All-MIAA honors, including three-time selection Sara Kraus (Rockford, Michigan / Rockford) and Grace Wesley (Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan / Grosse Pointe North), and two-time selections Katie Hermann (Canton, Michigan / Mercy), Lauren Ryle (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Catholic Central), Ashlea Swingewood (Carmel, Indiana / Carmel), and Laurel Wasiniak (Northville, Michigan / Northville).
The Flying Dutch have qualified eight swimmers for the NCAA Division III Championships later this month in Greensboro, N.C.
“This is a humbling award but one that should recognize our entire staff,” Taber said. “Coach [Becca] Garza’s divers performed at a very high level and created great opportunities for team success throughout the season, especially at the MIAA Championships. Coach [Dave] Jolly and Coach [Madison] Whitman have been essential in the development and preparedness of the student-athletes in this program.
“I think it’s also important to recognize the team and its leadership. This is a talented and hard-working group that puts a lot of trust in the process. To see the conference championships come together the way that they did was very rewarding for everyone involved in the program. I’m proud of this group and proud to be at Hope College.”
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