The No.7 Dordt University women's cross country team put its final stamp on a tremendous season with a podium finish at the 2025 NAIA National Championship held this morning at the Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Defenders bettered their ranking in the final national poll by four spots as they placed third overall in a tight battle with top-ranked Taylor (Ind.) and No.2 Milligan (Tenn.). Dordt totaled 136 points, nearly 100 points better than the fourth place team, The Master's, with 232. The Defenders were among the top three teams the entire race, holding the No.2 spot at the 1K and 2K and moving up to first at the 3000m checkpoint.
Taylor lived up to its No.1 ranking, winning the team title with 90 points, followed by Milligan with 109.
Three Dordt runners earned All-American honors by placing among the top 40 individuals, the most by any Defenders team in a single season.
Addy Liston was the top Defenders runner, placing 12th overall with a time of 21:39, three seconds off her personal-best. Liston was among the top 20 runners for the entirety of the race and was in 17th place at the 5K checkpoint before moving up to 12th with a 3:35 final 1000m split.
Addy Crow was the next Defenders runner to come across the finish line, doing so in 24th place with a time of 21:49 to claim All-American honors. Crow's time matched her personal-best from the Holiday Inn Express Classic earlier this season. The sophomore was in 33rd place at the 4K and moved up nine spots after closing with splits of 3:41 and 3:35 over the final 2000m.
Joy Koole finished 31st overall and claimed the Defenders third and final All-American honor. Koole completed the course in 21:52, closing the race with a 3:42 split.
Isabella Webb, competing in her third NAIA Championship, turned in her best finish (43rd) and best time run at the event (22:03). The junior closed with a 3:45 over the final 1000m.
Hannah Thong placed 49th overall with a time of 22:16, bettering both her finish and time from last year's championship. Thong moved up three spots with a 3:45 split over the final 1000m.
Jaci Burtis (66th) and
Corinne Braun (214th) complete the Defenders line-up and posted times of 22:28 and 23:59.
Notes:
- the 2025 championship field consisted of 36 complete teams and 331 runners who cross the finish line
- Jaynie Halterman (Taylor) defended her individual title with a new meet record time of 20:13, 30 seconds faster than the second place runner, Ellen-Mary Kearney (Milligan)
- Dordt's 1-5 split: 37 seconds
- Dordt's 1-7 split: 2:20
- Liston's 12th place finish is the sixth best by a Dordt runner at the championship
- prior to this season, Dordt had a total of 12 All-Americans in women's cross country
- the Defenders third place finish is a program-best
- this was the Defenders ninth top-10 finish at nationals
