The Dordt University women's track and field team had three entries compete on day one of the Drake Relays held today held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Defenders 4x800 relay was the first entry to compete on the Blue Oval and the team of
Arielle DeYoung,
Shelby Buwalda,
Addy Liston and
Corinne Braun finished second among 16 teams. The Defenders were among the top five teams at every exchange and briefly held the lead on the third carry before crossing the finish line in second place with a season-best time of 9:07.28. The Defenders time hits the 'A' standard and secures a spot to compete in the NAIA Outdoor National Championships. They currently have the No.2 time in the NAIA, behind today's winner (St.Xavier) with a time of 9:00. The time ranks No.8 on Dordt's all-time list.
Hannah Thong and
Jeni Burtis were the Defenders lone individual entries on day one as the duo both posted a top 20 finish in the 10,000m Competing against runners from all divisions in college athletics, including NCAA D-I, Thong placed 18th and Burits just behind in 19th place. Thong crossed the finish line with a time of 38:29 and Burtis finished in 39:05; they were the second and third NAIA runners to finish.
Defenders Line-Up on Friday:
- 4x100 Relay prelims - 9:23am
- Makenna Walhof, Fran Travis - Discus - 11am
- 4x1600 Relay - Noon
- 4x400 Relay prelims - 3:12pm
- Sprint Medley - 6:20pm
- 4x200 Relay - 7:58pm
