The Dordt University men's cross country team won the 2024 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship earlier today at Mahoney State Park near Ashland, Neb.

• GPAC Press Release | PDF

The 2024 title is the seventh consecutive conference championship won by the Defenders, winning every one since the 2018 season. This matches the conference record (along with the Nebraska Wesleyan women's team) for the longest consecutive streak and is the second most won by any men's team since the GPAC (2000) and NIAC (1969) began (Nebraska Wesleyan (22).

In a tight dual with Doane, the Defenders edged the Tigers by four points in the final tally, totaling 41 points to win the championship. Doane was a close second (45pts), followed by Concordia with 67 points. Mount Marty was a distant fourth (132pts) and Northwestern rounds out the top five (140pts). 

"It was a close race for the team title today," commented Head Coach Nate Wolf. "On a day where it was tough to keep momentum on the course, due to wet and slick conditions, the men had to really focus to put themselves in position to win.  In several instances they had to battle down the homestretch to maintain a spot or gain a spot.  Their determination helped to maintain a slim margin in the team standings over the last 1,000m and secure the team championship.  To see the development of this group of men over the course of their careers has been incredible, and to see them work together today was a privilege."

By winning the GPAC Championship, the Defenders earn the lone automatic bid from the conference to the NAIA National Championship which will be held on November 22 in Columbia, Mo. Dordt qualifies for its seventh consecutive NAIA Championship as a team and 27th overall.

Dordt put four runners among the top 10 finishers, led by Ethan Summerhays, who recorded a career-best, third place finish with a time of 25:56. Summerhays pulled away from two Doane runners over the final 400m to secure his finish and add points to the Tigers. 

Aidan Vorster, the 2023 GPAC Individual Champion, placed seventh overall with a time of 26:12 and led a group of three Defender runners who finished in succession. Luke Swanson finished just behind, in eighth place, with a time of 26:16, while Tage Hulstein scampered in with a time of 26:19 and in ninth place. 

Rounding out the Defenders top five was Levi Landman, whose sprint to the finish passed a Doane runner at the very end and helped secure the team title. Landman placed 14th overall with an 8K time of 26:40. 

Dordt put four additional runners in the top 25, led by Truman Johnson (19th - 27:04), three seconds ahead of Defender teammate Sam May (20th - 27:07). Derrek Vander Leest (22nd - 27:18), Josiah Wittenberg (24th - 27:23) and Trace Obbink (36th - 28:06) round out the list of Dordt runners. 

Concordia's Vaughn Hendrickson was the individual champion with a time of 25:44, seven seconds in front of Bulldogs teammate Trey Robertson who place second.

The top 15 individuals claim all-conference honors while Dordt University Head Coach Nate Wolf was named GPAC Coach of the Year as voted upon by the league coaches. The GPAC will officially do a press release on all of the postseason honors next week. 

Defender Notes:

• this was the seventh consecutive and overall GPAC title won by the Defenders, all under current Head Coach Nate Wolf
• Dordt has finished among the top five teams in each of the last 16 years (since 2008)
• the Defenders 1-5 split was 44 seconds; 1-7 split was 1:11
• this was the best career finish for Summerhays and his second top 25 finish of the season
• Summerhays is now a 4x all-conference runner
• Vorster has finished in the top 10 in every meet this year
• Vorster is a 3x all-conference runner
• both Swanson and Hulstein claim all-conference honors for the second time and turned in their best finish at the GPAC Championship
• this was Hulstein's fourth top 10 this season
• Swanson has three top 10 finishes this season
• Landman recorded his fourth top 25 finish season 
• Vander Leest had his best finish at the GPAC Championship and his third top 25 finish of the season
• Johnson and May have three top 25 finishes this season
• Wittenberg totaled his fourth top 25 finish this season