The Dordt University women's track and field team placed second at the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Outdoor Championship held this weekend at Open Space Park in Sioux Center, Iowa with the Defenders serving as the host team.
The Defenders accounted for 132 points and finished as the runner-up, their highest finish at the outdoor championships in program history. Dordt outlasted both Doane and Hastings in a highly contested battle for second in the team standings. Concordia won its ninth consecutive conference title, totaling 244.5 points, while Doane (117pts) and Hastings (116pts) placed third and fourth, respectively.Â
The Defenders won six titles over the two-day championships and 19 Dordt entries earned all-conference honors (top eight finish as individual, top 3 in a relay). 28 Defenders turned in a personal best mark / time.
Elyse Kuperus claimed gold in the first running event on the track as the senior led from start to finish and crossed the finish line in 11:36.06, over 30 seconds faster than the second place runner (Madison Gerken - Hastings).Â
Emilee Heynen continued her dominance in the 800m, taking home gold with a new personal best time of 2:13.34, a time that puts her ninth in the NAIA.
Mika Kooistra was close behind in third place with a time of 2:15.41, hitting the 'B' standard and a time that was just off a personal best.Â
Jessica Kampman won the final championship for the Defenders as the junior crossed the finish line first in the 5000m. Kampman, who earlier in the day finished second and ran a personal best time in the 1500m, pulled away from her teammate,
Kristine Honomichl, over the final two laps and finished with a time of 18:42. Honomichl placed second with a time of 18:45 and
Anika Homan gave the Defenders three in the top eight as the junior finished eighth (19:43).Â
The Defenders registered several runner-up finishes throughout the day, including
Anmarie Stuit in the 400m hurdles. In fifth place just after the final turn, Stuit passed up three hurdlers over the final 100m to finish a close second to Jaida Rowe (Hastings) with a season-best time of 1:03.4. Stuit's time hit the 'B' standard, once of four runners in today's race to hit a qualifying mark.Â
In the final race of the day, the Defenders finished second to Concordia in the 4x400 relay in what was another classic in this friendly rivalry between two outstanding teams. Both teams hit the 'A' standard once again and ran season-best times; Dordt's team of Stuit, Kooistra, Heynen and
Shelby Buwalda finished in 3:49.61, less than a half second behind the Bulldogs winning time of 3:49.24.
Cassie Brandsma had a strong showing and second place finish in the high jump. Competing for the final time in her career, Brandsma cleared 5-3 and won a tie-break against Jacie Vander Waal (Northwestern) to place second.Â
Kelsey Evenhouse had a huge personal best and picked up points for the Defenders with her finish in the heptathlon. Evenhouse placed fifth overall with 3,747 points; the sophomore closed with a third place finish in the 800m to solidify her fifth place spot in the standings.
Dordt Champions (6):Â
Defender All-Conference Honors (19):
- Heptathlon:
- High Jump:
- Steeplechase:
- 4x100 Relay - 4th: 49.63
- 1500m:
- 400m:
- 800m:
- 400m Hurdles:
- 5000m:
- 4x400 - 2nd: 3:49.61
- Long Jump:
- 10,000m:
- 4x800 - 1st: 9:24.69
- Ten Haken, Feucht, Buwalda, Stuit
Defender Personal Best Times / Marks (28):
- Ayda Den Herder (2) - 100m, Long Jump
- Erica Nikkel (2) - 100m, 200m
- Shelby Buwalda - 400m
- Anna Herman - 400m
- Emilee Heynen - 800m
- Molly Mulder - 800m
- Jessica Kampman - 1500m
- Ella Veldkamp - 1500m
- Lucy Borkowski - 10,000m
- Courtney Joiner - 10,000m
- Sydney Van Essen - 100m Hurdles
- Lydia Herman - 400m Hurdles
- Bailey Beckman - Long Jump
- Emily Wingert - Long Jump
- Celia Vander Woude - Triple Jump
- Tara Horstman - Shot Put
- Maren Hettinga - Discus
- Jenna Gleason - Discus
- Kelsey Evenhouse (4) - Heptathlon, 200m, 100m Hurdles, Long Jump
- Faith Measel (4) - Heptathlon, 800m, 100m Hurdles, Javelin
