The Dordt University women's track and field team concluded the Drake Relays with strong finishes in a pair of relays. The 113th annual edition of the Drake Relays is held on the infamous track, the Blue Oval, at Drake Stadium.
One day after earning the eighth and final spot into the finals, the Defenders 4x400 relay bettered their placing by three spots as they crossed the finish line in fifth place in one of the final races on the Blue Oval. Dordt once again ran a season-best time (3:50.94) and finished just behind its friendly rival from the GPAC, Concordia, who edged ahead of the Defenders by a half-second. The Defenders time today is No.2 in the GPAC, No.9 in the NAIA and No.7 on Dordt's all-time list; and would have been the second fastest time in today's university division, behind only Indiana State. Relay members include;
Anmarie Stuit,
Shelby Buwalda,
Mika Kooistra and
Emilee Heynen.
Loras, a NCAA D-III institution from Dubuque, Iowa, won with a time of 3:40.75, less than a second ahead of second place Minnesota State-Mankato.Â
The Defenders distance medley team took the track early this morning, in one of the first races of the day, and finished sixth overall in the college division. The team of
Bethany Ten Haken,
Ayda Den Herder,
Mika Kooistra and
Molly Mulder completed the 4K race in 12:32.47, the top time among NAIA teams and and sixth fastest in program history. The Defenders moved up two spots in the standings over the final carries (800m and mile). Augustana (S.D.) finished first with a time of 11:42.58.
The Defenders finished fifth overall as a team with 16 points, highest among NAIA teams.Â
Defender Results (Saturday):
- Distance Medley (College Division):
- 4x400 Finals (College Division):
