(Thursday, January 12; Sioux Center, Iowa) Kaden Van Wyngarden, a senior at Pella Christian High School (Iowa), has announced his intention to attend Dordt and join the Defender cross country and track programs.  

"I am excited to welcome Kaden to our program.  He is an excellent fit for Dordt University and is capable of instantly impacting our team.  He is coming off an incredible senior cross country season that saw him race to a top-10 finish at the Iowa State Meet. His time learning under Pella Christian coach, Mike Buchheit, coupled with his confidence from this past season of racing will provide a strong base for him as he transitions to college running. I look forward to working with Kaden for the next four years," said Dordt head cross country coach and assistant track coach Nate Wolf. 

Van Wyngarden has personal bests of 16:10 on a 5,000 meter cross country course, 10:30 in the 3,200 and 5:00 in the 1,600. He finished eighth at the Class 2A State Championship meet in 2022 and earned all-conference honors from the Hawkeye Conference.  

"I chose Dordt University because of its good engineering program and the environment and success of the cross country team," said Van Wyngarden.  

Kaden is the son of Will and Allison Van Wyngarden of Pella, Iowa. He plans to study engineering 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.