The Event

• the Dordt University women's cross country team is set to compete in the Blazing Tiger Invite this weekend in Ashland, Neb.
• Saturday's 8K race will start at 10:45am
• the top-ranked Defenders, along with 40 other teams, will run at Mahoney State Park
• all spectators and fans need to purchase a parking pass, which will also serve as a ticket to watch the event
  • Tickets / Parking Pass
  • Meet Info

Meet Information

• Distance: 6000m
• 10:45am start 
• Course Map |
• Entry List |
• Live Results (Black Squirrel Timing)

Teams Competing

• 41 teams are scheduled to compete (all from the NAIA)
• 11 teams ranked in the top 25 or earning votes are slated to compete
  • #9 Benedictine 
  • #15 College of Saint Mary
  • (RV) Concordia
  • #17 Doane
  • #1 Dordt
  • #21 John Brown
  • (RV) Kansas Wesleyan
  • (RV) Mount Mercy
  • (RV) SCAD
  • #23 Southern Oregon
  • #20 Saint Mary
• 10 GPAC teams are schedule to compete:
  • Briar Cliff
  • College of Saint Mary
  • Concordia
  • Dakota Wesleyan
  • Doane
  • Dordt
  • Hastings
  • Morningside
  • Northwestern
  • Waldorf

Defender Notes

• GPAC Success
  • Dordt has won six consecutive GPAC titles (2020-25), all under the direction of current head coach Nate Wolf
  • the Defenders have won eight of the last nine, 12 of the last 14, conference titles
• National Success
  • Dordt has qualified for the NAIA National Championship 14 consecutive seasons (since 2012)
  • the Defenders finished among the top 10 at the NAIA National Championship nine times, including five of the last six seasons
• In the Rankings
  • Dordt continues to hold the No.1 spot in the latest edition of the NAIA Coaches' poll, released earlier this week by the NAIA (Oct.15)
  • this is the second consecutive week the Defenders earned the No.1 ranking
  • the Defenders earned 18 of the 20 possible first place votes; six more than the previous poll
  • Dordt has been ranked among the top three teams in every poll this season 
    • #3 - preseason
    • #2 - Sept. 24
    • #1 - Oct.8 and 15
  • Dordt is one of three teams from the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in the top 25
    • College of Saint Mary - 15
    • Doane - 17
  • the Defenders have been ranked in the top 25 in 107 consecutive polls, the longest current streak in the NAIA
    • during this streak, Dordt has been ranked in the top 10 76 times
  • Dordt was picked to win the conference title based on the GPAC preseason coaches' poll released earlier this season
• About 2026
  • the Defenders return six of their top 10 runners and a total of 31 runners from last year
  • Roster Notes:
    • 45 total runners
      • 9 seniors
      • 10 juniors
      • 12 sophomores
      • 14 freshmen
• Schedule Outlook
  • this is the fourth and final meet of the regular season for the Defenders 
  • the GPAC Championship will be held at the Defenders home course on Nov.7
  • the NAIA Championship returns to once again to Fort Vancouver, Washington at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site on Nov.20
• Coaching Staff
  • Nate Wolf returns for his 12th season as the head of the Dordt Cross Country program
  • Wolf is a 9x GPAC Coach of the Year, including six straight years
  • Wolf earned the USTFCCCA Regional Coach of the Year for the second time in 2025
  • 1st season - 2015
  • Jesse Veenstra and Emilee Heynen round out the Defenders coaching staff
• Notes
  • Dordt has finished among the top three teams in every meet this season
  • they won the Sunflower Open (1st meet) and claimed both titles (Gold and Black Divisions) at the Holiday Inn Express Classic
  • the Defenders have been the top NAIA team in all three meets
  • Joy Koole has the No.1 time in the GPAC
  • seven Defenders are ranked in the top 10 in the GPAC:
    • Koole - 1st
    • Bailey VanderGriend - 2nd
    • Addy Liston - 3rd
    • Hannah Thong - 5th
    • Jeni Burtis - 6th
    • Isabella Webb - 9th
    • Elyse Zwart - 10
  • three additional Dordt runners are ranked in the top 15
  • Koole has been the top Dordt runner in all three meets
    • Koole has three top 10's this season, seven in her career
  • Addy Liston has a pair of top 10's this season, six in her career
  • Bailey VanderGriend has two top 10's this season
  • Kyrin De Groot won her first collegiate race last time out in the Black Division of the Holiday Inn Express Classic