The college track & field season has officially begun. That also means that many of our own athletes will once again be giving their all in the coming months to compete for awards.
In this article we have deliberately highlighted some of our top athletes, track and field athletes who we think can start surprising everyone next season.
We have full confidence in our toppers and are sure they will shine. In this article, we introduce some of these toppers to you. Want to know who they are and where they are playing? Then read on quickly.
Rafael Raap
University: University of Illinois
Division/Conference: NCAA Division I/Big Ten Conference
Rafael Raap began his American adventure at the University of Oregon, a university with a strong track and field program. Here Rafael managed to develop rapidly.
Last season, his performance rose to the next level again, Rafael erased himself to “PAC-12 Conference Outdoor Individual Champion. But it didn’t stop there! Rafael steamed on to the NCAA Nationals and picked up a fantastic sixth place finish in the all-around, making him the fifth best all-around competitor in America.
Meanwhile, Rafael is part of the team at Illinois. We are extremely curious to see how he can further develop his qualities at Illinois and what performances he will achieve this year.
Jip de Greef
University: University of Illinois
Division/Conference: NCAA Division I/Big Ten Conference
Jip de Greef also made the move to Illinois this summer, having previously started his college time at University of Central Arkansas. At Illinois, Jip is already managing to continue his development at a record pace.
During his first college heptathlon he immediately managed to set a bizarrely high score, he managed to record the sixth highest Dutch score ever in the heptathlon. Moreover, the European Championship limit for Jip is also getting closer and closer.
We are all confident that Jip can show many more great things this season and will also surprise us with some nice scores.
Luca Poppe
University: Wingate University
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division II / South Atlantic Conference
Luca began his American adventure in the summer of 2022 at Saint Leo University, before transferring to Wingate University after a good debut season. One of the best track and field universities in Division II.
The senior is especially active in the longer distances, such as three and five kilometers. With this, he already managed to win a spot on the first team all conference once.
And that Luca is enjoying himself is something he has already proven. The athlete will leave for the University of Georgia next summer to pursue his master’s degree here and take his athletics performance to an even higher level. We expect Luca to finish his time at Wingate with another bang.
Isa van Puffelen
University: University at Buffalo
Division/Conference: NCAA Division I/Mid America Conference
Isa van Puffelen left for America last summer to start her new adventure at the University at Buffalo. In the Netherlands, Isa had belonged to the National top of her age category for years and was active during several National Championships. A perfect preparation for a great American adventure.
Over the past few months she has been training extremely hard, with which she is now ready to pop in the coming months during her first track and field season.
Noëlle Huijser
University: Houston Christian University
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division I / Southland Conference
Like Isa, Noëlle Huijser also left for America only last summer and is thus in her first season. The expectations are immediately high for our track athlete, who competes mainly in the middle distances.
In the Netherlands she already competed in several Dutch Youth Championships. Where she also managed to achieve some great performances. How this preparation continues in America will become clear in the coming months. But we have every confidence that Noelle will perform well for Houston Christian. Good luck!
Of course, these are not the only athletes who will be back in action in the coming months, we are sure that all the other top athletes will also be putting up top performances again. Keep checking our socials to follow the achievements of these five, but also those of all our other athletes. We wish everyone the best of luck!
Would you like to go to America yourself to combine track & field and study? Then fill out this introduction form and we will contact you to discuss your possibilities.
