Seven members of the Dordt University men's cross country team earned all-conference honors for their performance at the 2026 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Cross Country Championship held last weekend on the Defenders home course. Six Defender runners were all-conference while Head Coach
Nate Wolf was named the GPAC Coach of the Year.
To receive all-conference accolades, runners had to finish among the top 15 individuals at the GPAC Championship. All six Defenders earned the postseason honor for the first time in their cross country career.
Voted upon by the 11 head coaches, Wolf earned the top coaching honor in the conference for the eighth time in the last nine years. Wolf led the Defenders to the GPAC Championship and a No.17 ranking in the latest NAIA Coaches' poll.
Jackson Prins was the top Dordt finisher among the field of 92 runners last weekend, placing fifth with a personal-best time of 24:55. The sophomore crossed the finish line less than a second in back of the fourth place runner and posted his second top 10 finish of the season. Prins has been one of the Defenders top six runners in all five meets this season.
Jamison Velzke was the next to cross the finish line for the Defenders, placing just behind Prins in sixth place with a personal-best time of 25:02. This matched Velzke's career-best finish and was the highest he ranked on the Defenders team. Velzke has finished in the top 10 in two meets this season.
Caleb Van Beek placed ninth and gave the Defenders three runners in the top 10. Van Beek ran a personal-best time (25:13) and placed in the top 10 for the second time this season.
Bennett Visser earns the postseason honor with a 12th place finish and was the fourth Dordt runner to cross the finish line. Visser ran a personal-best time of 25:25 and posted his fourth top 25 finish of the season.
Hudson Hamilton placed 13th overall with a time of 25:28 and was the Defenders final point scorer. Hamiton has been one of the Defenders top six runners in every meet this season and was the top Dordt finisher in the first two meets.
Tyler Rozenboom claimed the final all-conference honor with a 15th place finish and completed the course with a personal-best time of 25:30. This was Rozenboom's second top 25 finish of the season.
Dordt won its eighth GPAC title, all since the 2018 season, and totaled 45 points to edge out both Doane (62pts) and Concordia (69). The Defenders have the most conference championships among active GPAC members and second most all-time (Nebraska Wesleyan - 11). Dordt earned an automatic bid into the NAIA National Championship which will be held Nov.20 at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash.
