The Dordt University men's track and field team completed a memorable day as five Defenders hit a qualifying mark and two program records fell on the first day of the Drake Relays (Des Moines, Iowa) and Kip Janvrin Invite (Indianola, Iowa). This was the first of three days at the 113th annual event held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
Payton Mauldin and
Joe Anderson set a school record and qualified for nationals in their respective events. One of two NAIA runners among the field of 22 competitors in the 800m, Mauldin finished second overall to an unattached runner (James Olivier). Mauldin's time of 1:49.07 is a school record and breaks the old mark, set by Matthew Van Eps (1:49.59) in 2021, by a half second. In the middle of the pack after 400m, Mauldin closed with a 54.9 split and moved up seven places during the final lap. The junior has the No.1 time in the NAIA.
Anderson then followed with a record-breaking performance in the 5000m in the early evening hours on the Blue Oval. Competing against runners from mainly NCAA D-I programs, Anderson more than held his own, finishing 12th out 38 runners with a school record time of 14:21, breaking the old record (14:30 by Jerrold Wynia in 1982) by nine seconds. In 34th place at 2200m, Anderson moved up an incredible 22 spots in the standings during the final seven laps.
Davis Tebben hit the 'A' qualifying standard again with his run this evening in the 10,000m. Tebben finished 14th overall, third among NAIA runners, with a time of 30:57, second fastest in program history.
The Defenders lone relay, the 4x800, hit the 'A standard in one of the first races on the Blue Oval this afternoon. Dordt finished seventh of 14 teams overall, second among NAIA schools, crossing the finish line in 7:41.28. The Defenders time is best in the GPAC and second in the NAIA, behind Benedictine (Kan.), who finished sixth today with a time of 7:39.54. Dordt relay members include
Josiah Wittenberg,
Sam May,
Trey Engen and
Cole Zevenbergen.
Aidan Vorster was the only Dordt men's runner to compete later in the evening at the Kip Janvrin Invite held at Simpson College. Vorster finished seventh out of a field of 113 runners and hit the 'A' qualifying standard with a time of 14:40.47. Vorster's final 400m split was 1:08, faster than all of his previous 11 splits. The sophomore currently is second in the GPAC and 15th in the NAIA.
Friday's Defender Line-Up:
- 4x100 Relay Prelims - 9:34am
- Grant Brouwer - High Jump - 11:30am
- 4x400 Relay Prelims - 3:26pm
- Sprint Medley Final - 6:33pm
- 4x200 Final - 7:34pm
