The Dordt University men's track and field team had an outstanding first day at the 2023 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships held at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D.
The Defenders qualified three individuals and two relays for the finals in their respective events.Â
Three Dordt runners,
Peter Shippy,
Davis Tebben and
Aidan Vorster, began the day with a great race in the 5000m. All three Defenders finished with a top 10 time (top 12 qualify) and will run the finals on Saturday. Tebben was the first of the three to qualify as the senior raced to the front of the pack with just over a lap to go and went on to win heat one with a time of 14:58, second fastest in the prelims. Both Shippy and Vorster qualified from heat two; Shippy took the lead for good with 3-4 laps remaining, winning his heat with the fastest time in the prelims (14:53). Vorster gradually moved up in places throughout the race, finishing fifth in his heat but with the ninth fastest time overall (15:01).Â
"The 5K men all ran excellent races," said Dordt University Head Coach Craig Heynen. "Peter and Davis ran up front and ran strong; Aidan put in a really smart race and put himself in a position to qualify for finals."
Up next, the Defenders 4x800 relay team secured a spot in Friday's final by winning the second section of today's prelim. The team of
Peyton Miller,
Josiah Wittenberg,
Trey Engen and
Payton Mauldin ran the second fastest time (7:40.98) overall, trailing Grace (Ind.) by less than two seconds. Dordt's time is their fastest this season by nine seconds and ranks third all-time in program history.
"our men's 4x800 took care of business," said Heynen. "Peyton and Josiah ran extremely well in the opening two carries and that allowed Trey and Payton the opportunity to not push but still qualify. The finals tomorrow will be very entertaining."
Dordt's 4x400 relay earned a trip to Saturday's final by finishing second in heat two with a season-best time of 3:15.7. In fourth place heading into the final carry, Mauldin flew past both Dillard and MidAmerica Nazarene's final runner to secure a spot in the finals. The Defenders time today is the second fastest in program history. Team members include
Levi Schelhaas,
Cole Zevenbergen,
Micah Schaap and Mauldin.
"our men's 4x400 got a great leadoff carry from Levi and then stayed in the race for the duration," said Heynen. "The field is very strong and we will be competitive in Saturday's final."
The Defenders finished sixth in heat two and did not qualify in their final event, the distance medley. The team of Miller,
Sam May,
Dayton Brunsting and
Thaniel Schroeder recorded a time of 10:09.55, fourth fastest in program history.
"our DMR crew ran a tremendous race and competed till the very end," said Heynen. "All of the guys performed how we had hoped and we just came up a bit short. Today was one of the strongest DMR performances in program history."
Dordt's Friday Line-Up:
Trey Engen - Mile prelim: 12:20pm
Kyle Baumert - 60m Hurdles prelim: 12:50pm
Payton Mauldin,
Cole Zevenbergen - 600m prelim: 2:05pm
Joe Anderson - 3000m prelim: 4:15pm
4x800 Relay - Final: 5:35pm
Defender Results:
5000m:
- Peter Shippy - 14:53
- fastest time overall in today's prelim
- Davis Tebben - 14:58
- 2nd fastest time in today's prelim, won heat one
- Aidan Vorster - 15:01
- 9th fastest time; 5th in heat two
4x800: 7:40.98, qualified for finals
4x400: 3:15.71, qualified for finals
Distance Medley: 10:09.5, did not qualify for finals
