The Event...The Dordt University women's track and field team will send 13 athletes to compete at the 2025 U.S. Marines NAIA Outdoor National Championships this week in Marion, Ind.
The 44th-annual championship is a three-day event, beginning Wednesday, May 21, and will conclude on Friday, May 23 with the awards ceremony at 6pm (EST). The championship will be held at Wildcat Stadium on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University for the third consecutive year.
Championship Format:
- all but two running events will have prelims that will take place on either Wednesday or Thursday; finals are set for Friday (except 4x800 relay which is on Thursday)
- the 10K and Racewalk do NOT have prelims and will just be finals
- prelims and finals for field events will take place on the same day
- top eight finishers in the finals are All-American and earn points for their team on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale
- the team with the most points after all 23 championship events are scored wins the team title.
A Look at the Championship, By the Numbers:
- 106 teams will send at least one athlete to compete at the championship
- 590 athletes will compete in an individual event
- 21 teams will send 10-or-more athletes to compete, including Dordt with 13
- British Columbia leads the field with 27 athletes, followed by Marion (18) and both Doane and Cumberlands (Ky.) with 16
- 15 teams have 10-or-more entries
- British Columbia leads the field with 31 entries, followed by Doane and Dicknison State with 19
- 23 total events, 9 field events, 11 events on the track and 3 relays
At Last Year's Indoor Championship:
- Dordt scored five points and finished 39th out of 115 teams at the 2024 NAIA Outdoor National Championships.
- five Defenders earned All-American honors:
- other qualifiers:
In the Rankings:
- Dordt is ranked 20th in the latest USTFCCCA rankings (May 20)
- this is the second consecutive week the Defenders have held the No.20 spot and the fourth straight week in the top 25
- the Defenders are one of three teams from the GPAC in the top 25; Doane (4) and Concordia (7)
- British Columbia, the defending national champion, is ranked No.1 with 668 points, nearly 400 points ahead of No.2 Dickinson State
Defenders Line-Up / Outlook:
- Corinne Braun - 800m
- Prelims: Thursday - 1:30 (CST)
- Finals: Friday - 2:50pm (CST) (9 advance, heat winner + five fastest times)
- ranked #28 (2:14) of 29 runners
- 1st time qualifier at the NAIA Outdoor Championships
- 2x NAIA All-American (4x800 - 3rd, 1000m - 3rd in the 2025 NAIA Indoor Championships)
- 4 All-Americans and 11 total returners from 2024
- Rachel Mortimer (British Columbia) - defending champion
- Mortimer - No.1 seed time (2:08)
- Mortimer, Emeline Delaville (Life), Kylie Sauder (Grace) and Ellen Palmgren (Master's) are returning All-Americans
- Addy Crow - Steeplechase
- Prelims: Wednesday, 6:25pm (CST)
- Finals: Friday, Noon (CST) (14 advance, top 2 in heat, next four fastest times)
- ranked No.8 among the 20 runners (11:08)
- 1st time qualifier
- fastest qualifying time: Elysse Fleming (British Columbia) - 10:25
- 3 All-Americans, 7 total returners from 2024
- Fleming, Mia Duncan (6th - Missouri Baptist), Zoe Tizard (8th - Embry-Riddle)
- Fran Travis - Shot Put
- Prelims and Finals: Thursday, May 22 (Noon CST)
- ranked No.19 among the 20 throwers (13.25m)
- 1st time qualifier
- No.1 qualifier - Sydney Duncan, IU Kokomo (16.60m)
- 3 All-Americans, 9 total returners from 2024
- Claire Caspersen (College of Saint Mary -3rd), Abby Magnuson (Olivet - 5th), Duncan (8th)
- Fran Travis, Makenna Walhof - Discus
- Prelims and Finals - Friday, May 23 (2pm CST)
- Travis - ranked 9th of 28 throwers (47.53m)
- Walhof - ranked 6th of 28 throwers (48.59m)
- Travis - 1st time qualifier
- Walhof - 2x qualifier
- No.1 qualifier - Madison Sutton (Doane) - 50.39m
- 3 All-Americans / 15 total returners
- Taylor Laumeyer (Dickinson State-4th), Tatiana Martinez (Providence-6th), Ava Conrad (Mount Mercy-8th)
- Sutton won the 2022 national title while competing for Benedictine (Kan.)
- 4x400 Relay
- Prelims: Thursday, 7:15pm (CST)
- Finals: Friday, 4:15pm (CST) (9 advance; top 2 in heat, next 3 fastest times)
- ranked 15th of 25 teams (3:51)
- Dordt finished eighth last year, earned All-American honors
- fastest qualifying time: Southeastern - 3:46.02
- 6 All-American, 19 total teams return
- Cumberland, Olivet Nazarene, Concordia, Cornerstone, Xavier-Louisiana, Dordt
- 4x800 Relay
- Prelims: Wednesday, 5:15pm (CST)
- Finals: Thursday, 5:10pm (CST) (9 advance; top 2 finishers, next 3 fastest times)
- ranked 1st of 26 teams (9:02)
- did not qualify last year, placed 3rd in 2023, 5th in 2022 and 1st in 2021
- Defenders have the fastest qualifying time (9:02)
- British Columbia is the defending champion
- 6 All-American,13 total teams return
- British Columbia, Grace, Marian, Taylor, College of Idaho, The Master's
