The Dordt University women's cross country team delivered a commanding performance at the 2025 GPAC Cross Country Championships, claiming the team title with a near-perfect score of 17 points at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb.

• Results |  GPAC Release

The Defenders secure an automatic bid to the 2025 NAIA National Cross Country Championship held on Nov.21 in Tallahassee, Fla. at Apalachee Regional Park.

This is the sixth consecutive GPAC title won by the Defenders and their 12th overall, matching Nebraska Wesleyan for the most conference championships won in in the GPAC and NIAC years (1979 - present).

The 17 points is the best team score the Defenders have recorded at the conference championship and ranks second best all-time in GPAC Women's Cross Country history (Concordia - 15pts in 2004).

Led by Corinne Braun, who captured the individual championship for the second consecutive year, the Defenders placed six runners in the top nine and secured the top three overall spots. A part of the lead pack of runners for the entire race, Braun moved to the front at the 5K mark and closed out the race with a 3:10 split over the final 1000m. The sophomore finished the race with a personal-best time of 21:21.

• "Corinne has had to overcome early-season challenges and with each race, she has performed stronger and stronger," commented Dordt University Head Coach Nate Wolf. "Her performance today can be attributed to a consistent summer of training as well as a strong group of women who have been good training partners and supportive teammates.  It was fun to see it come together for Corinne today as she won the second conference championship of her career."

Freshmen Joy Koole and Addison Liston followed closely in second and third place, finishing in 21:40.1 and 21:45.1, respectively. Both Koole and Liston moved up two spots from their place at the first 1000m checkpoint.

Also scoring for Dordt were Addy Crow (5th, 21:54.0) and Hannah Thong (6th, 22:02.6), rounding out the scoring five. Crow posted her best career finish in today's race.

The Defenders had eight runners finish in the top 10 and all 10 Dordt runners placed among the top 15. Isabella Webb, Jaci Burtis and Jenna Hursh finished 8th -10th, respectively, while Courtney Joiner (13th) and Jessica Opfer (14th) completed the Dordt line-up.

• "The women had a special day as a team," said Wolf. "To have all 10 runners earn All-Conference is a testament to the overall team's talent, dedication, work ethic, and desire to perform for each other. I watched throughout the race as they encouraged one another, verbally telling each other to push the pace and race together. While the result is outstanding, I could not be more pleased with the way the women embraced the idea that they can accomplish more together, as a pack, than individually." 

Dordt's team time of 1:48:43.30 averaged out to 21:44.66 per runner, well ahead of second-place Morningside (76 points) and third-place St. Mary (83 points).

Notes: 

• the Defenders 1-5 split: 41 seconds / 1-7 split: 1:06
• Dordt has finished among the top five teams in every meet this season
• this was the sixth consecutive GPAC title won by the Defenders, matching both Midland (1979-1984) and Nebraska Wesleyan (2006-2011) for consecutive outright titles won (NWU shared the title with Concordia in 2005)
• Dordt has won 12 total GPAC titles, matching Nebraska Wesleyan for most all-time
• the 12 GPAC titles won have come in the last 14 years
• this was the eight GPAC title won by the Defenders under Head Coach Nate Wolf (since 2015)
• the Defenders have won four meets this season (Sunflower, Holiday Inn Express - Black Division, Mount Marty)
• Dordt has not lost to an NAIA team all season
• Braun's time was a personal-best by 19 seconds (21:40 @ Mount Marty)
• Braun is one of two Defenders to win back-to-back GPAC titles (Jessica Kampman, 2022-23)
• this was Braun's second win of the season, seventh for her career
• Koole has four top 10's this season
• Liston has three top 10's this season
• this was the best career finish for Crow (previous: 14th at the Sunflower Open)
• Thong has two top 10's this season, five for her career
• this was Webb's first top 10 of the season, sixth for her career
• Burtis has a pair of top 10's this season, six for her career
• Hursh was four top 10's this season
• this is the ninth time a Defender runner won the individual GPAC title
  • Jen Kempers - 2008
  • Michelle Steiger - 2010
  • Annechiena Knevelbaard - 2018
  • Olivia Couch - 2019
  • Jessica Kampman - 2022 and 2023
  • Corinne Braun - 2024-25
• all six Defenders who competed at last year's GPAC Championship on this course improved their time
  • Corinne Braun - 21:21, last year: 22:43
  • Hannah Thong - 22:02, last year: 23:30
  • Isabella Webb - 22:22, last year: 22:49
  • Jaci Burtis - 22:28, last year: 23:27
  • Courtney Joiner - 22:42, last year: 23:57
  • Jessica Opfer - 22:48, last year: 24:10