FREELAND, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) announced the Hope College men's basketball team as the 2022 regular-season champion after earning a 12-2 mark in league contests, along with an overall record of 19-6.

This is the first outright league title for the Flying Dutchmen since 2017, as Hope shared the regular-season crown with Olivet in 2018, and the fourth conference title under head coach Greg Mitchell since he started in the 2014-15 season.

The Flying Dutchmen secured the outright championship title following a 71-55 victory over Kalamazoo on Saturday, February 19.

Junior guard Evan Thomas has been leading the Hope squad throughout the season.  In MIAA contests alone, Thomas leads the league in minutes (475), free throws (91), defensive rebounds (112), total boards (135), rebounds per game (9.6), points (301), and points per contest (21.5).  Classmate Clayton Dykhouse is a defensive leader for the Hope squad with 56 assists and 26 steals in conference games.

The eight team 2022 MIAA Men's Basketball Tournament will begin with the quarterfinal games this Tuesday.  The highest seed of each matchup will host that contest.  Semifinals are slated for Friday, February 25, and the championship game will take place on Saturday, February 26.