(Monday, December 12; Sioux Center, Iowa) Jada Koerner, a senior at Freeman Academy (South Dakota), has announced her intention to attend Dordt and join the Defender cross country and track programs.  

"I am excited to have Jada join our programs," said Dordt cross country coach and assistant track and field coach Nate Wolf. "She is a wonderful fit for our women's team at Dordt. She has raced at a high level during her career shown by her four top-10 state placing finishes. This experience will help her as she transitions to college racing and will provide a great base for her to contribute to the team early in her career. I look forward to working with Jada for the next four years." 

Koerner has personal bests of 19:39 on a 5,000-meter cross country course; 11:58 in the 3,200 meters; 5:29 in the 1,600 meter and 2:26 in the 800 meters. She's a six-time medalist at the state cross country championships and has four top-10 finishes and has finished as high as third. She's been the anchor on two-fifth place finishing relays in the 4x800 and 1600 medley at the state meet. 

"My older sister went to Dordt so it has always been on my radar. I've always loved the campus and atmosphere at Dordt and when I visited everyone was extremely kind and I could tell they genuinely cared about me. I thought there were a lot of great opportunities in the business department, and I love the atmosphere of the cross country team," said Koerner.  

Jada is the daughter of Todd and Suzanne Koerner of Freeman, South Dakota. She plans to study business administration at Dordt.  

Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, is a comprehensive Christian college rooted in the Reformed tradition. The Defender athletic program is a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA). 

U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review all list Dordt on their best colleges lists. Dordt is home to approximately 1,500 students.