The Dordt University men's track and field team won five titles at the 2025 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Outdoor Championships held this weekend on the Osborne Family Sports Complex in Hastings, Neb.
Ryan Schober won four conference titles as the senior took home gold in both the 100m and 200m while also being part of the Defenders victorious 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Kaden Van Wyngarden won the Defenders fifth GPAC Championship, claiming the top prize in the 1500m with a school-record time.
Dordt placed second in the final team standings with 156 points, 41 ahead of third place Concordia. This is the sixth consecutive year the Defenders have placed among the top two at the GPAC Outdoor Championships and the seventh straight year with a top five showing. Doane won the team title with 222 points.
- 2025 - 2nd
- 2024 - 1st
- 2023 - 1st
- 2022 - 2nd
- 2021 - 2nd
- 2020 (CoVid)
- 2019 - 2nd
Defender Notes:
- a day after running the fastest time in the prelim, Schober crossed the finish line first with the same time from Friday (10.64), .05 ahead of Kumunule Gbaley (Morningside)
- just over an hour later, Schober won his second individual title as he claimed gold in the 200m with a career-best time of 21.45; Schober's time ranks third fastest all-time at Dordt
- earlier in the day, Schober ran the third leg of the Defenders winning 4x100 relay that ran a season-best time of 40.73
- Kaden Van Wyngarden ran a 59.8 split over the final 400m to win the 1500m in a school-record time of 3:51.70
- Van Wyngarden's time hit the NAIA 'B' standard and broke the school record (3:51.81) held by Craig Becker from last season
- the Defenders secured their fifth GPAC title in the final race of the championship, winning the 4x400 relay by nearly two seconds over Midland and Doane
- Dordt took the lead for good on the third carry as Isaac Davelaar brought his team to the front; Noah Schroder made sure the Defenders lead held with a 47.8 anchor
- Dordt's time hit the provisional mark once again and ranks seventh fastest all-time
- team members include: Schober, Scott Kroll, Davelaar and Schroder
- Dayton Brunsting had a record-setting day and finished third overall in the decathlon
- Brunsting totaled 5,948 points, second most all-time by a Defender, and established a GPAC record in the 10th and final event with a 4:28 in the 1500m
- the senior recorded personal bests in six of the ten events and won four
- wins in the 100m, shot put, javelin and 1500m
- personal bests in the 100m, long jump, 400m, discus, pole vault and javelin
- four entries qualified for nationals; Van Wyngarden (1500m), Levi Schelhaas (400m), 4x100 and 4x400
- Schelhaas placed second overall in the 400m with a season-best time of 47.85, just behind Joaquin Gutierrez (Doane)
- the Defenders scored points (top eight finish) in 18 of the 22 events, led by the 1500m (20pts) and 400m (17pts)
- Dordt scored double-digit points in 10 events; 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m, steeple, 5000m, 10,000m, 4x100, 4x400 and pole vault
- the Defenders had the highest point total among the teams in nine events
- 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m, Steeple, 5000m (tied), 10K, 4x100, 4x400
- Defenders who scored points in multiple events (7):
- Levi Schelhaas (400m, 4x100)
- Ryan Schober (100m, 200m, 4x100, 4x400)
- Noah Schroder (400m, 4x400)
- Isaac Davelaar (400m, 4x400)
- Kaden Van Wyngarden (800m, 1500m)
- Derrek Vander Leest (5000m, 10,000m)
- Aidan Vorster (5000m, 10,000m)
GPAC Champions (5):
Defenders Who Scored Points: 31 (finished among the top eight in their event):
- 100m:
- 200m (2):
- 400m (3):
- 800m:
- 1500m (4):
- Steeplechase (2):
- 5000m (2):
- 10,000m (3): (from Friday)
- Discus:
- Hammer (2): (from Friday)
- High Jump:
- Javelin: (from Friday)
- Long Jump:
- Decathlon:
- Dayton Brunsting - 3rd: 5,948pts (#2 all-time)
- 1500m of Decathlon: 4:28 (GPAC record)
- Pole Vault: (from Friday)
- 4x100 Relay - 1st: 40.73 (Schelhaas, Franken, Schober, Schmoll) (NAIA Auto)
- 4x400 Relay - 1st: 3:14.68 (Schober, Kroll, Davelaar, Schroder)
- 4x800 Relay - 4th: 7:46 (Shanks, May, Landman, Wittenberg) (from Friday)
Records Set (2):
National Qualifers (4):
Times / Marks in the All-Time Top 10 (14)
Personal Best Times / Marks (29):
