The Dordt University men's track and field team qualified four individuals and one relay for finals on the opening day of the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships hosted by Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Ind.
Four Defenders,
Trey Engen,
Peyton Miller,
Thaniel Schroeder and
Peter Shippy, advanced to the finals in their respective individual event.
Engen was the first Dordt runner to solidify a spot in a final on day one of the championship as the senior finished with the 12th fastest time in the 1500m. Engen was the eighth runner to cross the finish line in a ridiculously fast and competitive heat as less a second separated the top eight runners. He closed with a 58.33 split and moved up one spot in the standings over the final quarter mile.
"Trey ran in a very fast heat that was very aggressive and strategic throughout," said Assistant Track and Field / Head Cross Country Coach Nate Wolf. "He stayed out of trouble for most of the race and closed with an incredibly fast 300m to be able to qualify for finals. It is a small gap (around one second) from 4th - 12th place as we head into the finals on Friday."
Miller finished fourth in a speedy first heat but qualified for Friday's final on the basis of his time, 53.03, eighth fastest overall in today's prelim. Miller's time is less than a second off his personal best, set last time out at the GPAC Championships. Will Reemtsma (St.Ambrose) ran the fastest time today (51.37) while less than a second separates the next eight runners.
"Peyton continued his strong year with his run today in the 400m hurdles," said Head Coach Craig Heynen. "Peyton competed in a fast heat which helped him solidify a spot in the finals."
Shippy and Schroeder finished with the fastest two times in today's 3000m steeplechase prelim and advanced to Friday's final. With both Dordt runners in the third and final heat, the Defender duo worked together to gradually move to the front of the pack by the end of the race. Shippy, a qualifier in the event at last year's championship, finished with a time of 9:16.15, followed closely by Schroeder in 9:17.11.
"Peter and Thaniel ran smart and strategic races today," commented Wolf. "They worked well together and showed good patience, waiting until the final laps to make their move and finish with the fastest times in today's prelim. I look forward to seeing them race again on Friday."
The Defenders 4x800 relay earned a spot in tomorrow's final with a second place finish in heat one. Dordt's team of Miller,
Cole Zevenbergen,
Sam May and
Payton Mauldin finished with a time of 7:38.86, ninth fastest overall and two spots ahead of its seed coming into the championship. They were just over a second in back of Westmont (Calif.) in their heat and are a mere .23 away from eighth-best Dakota State.
"The men's 4x800 field is extremely competitive and some very solid teams did not make finals," stated Heynen. "Our men put themselves in a good position throughout the race and secured an automatic bid into the final. "
Davis Tebben closed out his outstanding running career for the Defenders with a 16th place finish in the 10,000m final. Tebben, an All-American in cross country and during the last indoor track and field season, posted a time of 31:28 in his final race.
"Davis ended his outstanding running career in the 10K tonight," said Wolf. "He ran a strong race, leading for much of the opening third of the race and finishing in the top half of the field. This race is not only the culmination of an outstanding career but of one of the best seasons by a Dordt male distance runner."
The Defenders 4x100 relay finished fourth in its heat, 17th overall, and did not qualify for the finals. The team of
Levi Schelhaas,
Logan Franken,
Ryan Schober,
Luke Wagner ran their second fastest time of the season (41.01).
"The men's 4x100 ran a great race," said Heynen. "Their time was very close to a season-best and a few tenths of a second from qualifying for finals. They are a young group and it will be exciting to see them improve over the next few seasons."
Jon De Haan competed in the javelin, the lone field event on day one for the Defenders. De Haan finished 19th out of 30 athletes with a toss of 55.45m, his second best mark of the season.
"Jon had a solid performance in his first trip to nationals," said Heynen. "Jon's throws were consistent and considering the athletes were throwing into the wind, his marks were near his best of the season."
Defender Results:
- Jon De Haan - Javelin
- 19th of 30 athletes
- 55.45m, 2nd best mark of season
- 3rd best mark in program history
- 4x100 Relay Prelims
- Trey Engen - 1500m Prelims
- advanced to finals
- 12th fastest time overall; seeded 19th coming into today
- placed 8th in heat two
- half second separate 4th - 12th runners
- 3:54.58, 2nd fastest time and less than two seconds off personal best
- Peyton Miller - 400m Hurdles Prelim
- advanced to finals
- 8th fastest qualifying time
- placed fourth in heat one
- 53.03, 2nd fastest time and less than half second off personal best
- 4x800 Relay Prelims
- Peter Shippy, Thaniel Schroeder - 3000m Steeplechase
- both advanced to finals
- finished with the two fastest times; both ran in heat three
- Shippy - 9:16.15
- Schroeder - 9:17.11
- Davis Tebben - 10,000m Final
- finished 16th overall
- 31:28
Thursday's Line-Up (all times are eastern):
