The Dordt University women's track and field team had a pair of All-American performances to highlight day two of the NAIA Indoor Championships. The 2026 championship is being held at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Makenna Walhof was the first Defender to earn All-American honors, placing sixth out of 21 athletes in the weight throw. Walhof entered the championship as the No.9 seed, qualified for finals on her second attempt in the prelims with a mark of 17.30m. Later, in the finals, Walhof bettered her mark to 17.74m on her first of three attempts to finish sixth overall. The junior claims the national honor for the first time during the indoor season.Â
The Defenders 4x800 relay was the second entry to claim All-American honors and did so with a fourth place finish in today's final. Seeded seventh entering the championship and one day after running the sixth best time in Thursday's prelim, Dordt bettered that finish by two places with a season-best time of 9:08.02. The Defenders time ranks second all-time at Dordt and was just a half second in back of third-place Oklahoma City. This is the second consecutive year the Defenders finished as an All-American in the event and for the fourth time in the last five years. Defender relay members:
Arielle DeYoung, Addi Liston,
Shelby Buwalda,
Corinne Braun and
Elizabeth Hoogland.
Dordt had three runners qualify for the finals in their respective events:
Addy Crow (Mile),
Shelby Buwalda (600m) and
Corinne Braun (1000m).
Crow finished with the eighth fastest time in the mile, placing fifth in heat two, to qualify for Saturday's 10-runner final. The sophomore crossed the finish line with a personal-best time of 5:01.45, fourth fastest in program history.Â
Buwalda won heat two and secured an automatic bid into Saturday's final in the 600m. Coming into the championship as the No.2 seed, Buwalda, a two-time All-American in the event, crossed the finish line in 1:32.63, fourth fastest overall. The senior's time was .12 off her personal best and just .34 in back of the fastest time in the prelims (Autumn Nold - Evangel).Â
Braun qualified for the final in the 1000m for the second consecutive season. Braun, an All-American in the event in 2025, finished a close second to No.1 seed Heidi Heldt (Olivet Nazarene) in heat two to secure the second auto bid into Saturday's final. Braun's time of 2:51.69 is a school record, breaking the old record that she set at last year's national championship.Â
Three additional Defenders competed on day two of the indoor championships;
Fran Travis,
Kaitlyn Wercinski and Addi Liston.Â
Travis, competing in her first NAIA Indoor Championship, finished 18th in the weight throw with a toss of 15.47m. The sophomore was seeded 21st in the event.
Wercinski finished with the 22nd fastest time (1:36.65) in the 600m prelims, placing fifth in the second heat. The sophomore's time is a personal-best and ranks eight fastest all-time at Dordt.
A first-time qualifier in the 1000m, Liston finished with the 16th fastest time in today's prelim. Liston placed fifth in the third heat with a personal-best time of 2:57.85, third best all-time in program history.
Saturday's Schedule for the Defenders:
