The Event: 

• the Dordt University women's track and field team is set to compete in the Sioux City Relays this weekend (April 10-11)
• Friday's events will begin at 10am (hammer) and will conclude with the 10K at 8:15pm
• Saturday's events will begin at 1:15pm with the 4x200 relay and will run through the 4x400 relay at 4:45pm
• all of the events will take place at Elwood-Olsen Stadium in Sioux City, Iowa

How to Follow / Important Links:

• Live Results | courtesy of Dakota Timing
• Schedule of Events 
• Heat Sheets | Entries 

Schedule Outlook:

• this is the third week of competition for the Defenders during the outdoor season
• the outdoor season is made up of five weeks of the regular season where the Defenders have scheduled eight meets, leading up to the conference championship in week six
• this year's GPAC Outdoor Championship will be on May 1-2 and hosted by Midland University in Fremont, Neb.
• following a "last chance qualifier" in Vermillion, S.D. on May 8, the Defenders, who qualify, will compete at the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Championships
• this year's outdoor championship will be in Asheville, N.C.

Last Time Out:

• the Defenders as a split squad earlier this week, sending their steeplechase crew to Seward, Neb. on Monday and the rest of the squad to Vermillion, S.D. on Wednesday
• Addy Crow won the steeplechase, completing the 3000m race with a time of 11:20
• Dordt claimed the top four spots; Crow, Jada Koerner, Macy Marshall, Elyse Zwart
• Kaitlyn Wercinski hit the qualifying time in the 400m hurdles at USD on Wednesday
  • Wercinski's time (1:03.3) was a personal best and ranks 20th in the NAIA
• Dordt won two events, the 4x400 relay (Ayda Den Herder, Kaitlyn Wercinski, Ada Dekkers, Shelby Buwalda) and Buwalda in the 400m
• seven Defender entries turned in an all-time top 10 mark / time
• the Defenders registered 23 personal best times / marks
• Defender athletes recorded 25 top 10 finishes

National Qualifiers This Outdoor Season (4): 

• Makenna Walhof - Hammer (2nd)
• Makenna Walhof - Discus (5th)
• Fran Travis - Discus (7th)
• Kaitlyn Wercinski - 400m Hurdles (20th)

All-Time Top 10's This Outdoor Season (10): 

• Anna Heynen - 100m (T4th)
• Makenna Walhof - Hammer (1st)
• Fran Travis - Hammer (3rd)
• Anna Heynen - 200m (No.7)
• Kaitlyn Wercinski - 400m Hurdles (No.2)
• Faith Minderhoud - 400m Hurdles (No.8)
• Ava Ingwersen - Javelin (No.(9)
• Karly Champness - Pole Vault (No.8)
• 4x100 Relay - Heynen, Dekkers, Altena, Den Herder (No.5)

GPAC Runners / Athletes of the Week (1): 

• Makenna Walhof - April 1

Rankings:

• Dordt moved up two spots in this week's edition of the USTFCCCA Rankings
• the Defenders are 15th with 123.96 points
• Dordt is one of three teams from the GPAC in the current top 25; Doane (3) and Concordia (7)
• five Defender entries are in the top 10:
  • Makenna Walhof - Hammer (2nd)
  • Makenna Walhof - Discus (5th)
  • Addy Crow - Steeplechase (6th)
  • Fran Travis - Discus (8th)
  • 4x400 Relay (9th)

Top Performances This Outdoor Season (bold denotes last time out):

• 100m - Anna Heynen: 12.28
• 200m - Kailee Altena: 25.44
• 400m - Shelby Buwalda: 56.93
• 800m - Addy Liston: 2:20
• 1500m - Raegan Snieder: 4:55
• 5000m - Jessica Opfer: 19:06
• 10,000m - n/a
• 100m Hurdles - Faith Minderhoud: 16.24
• 400m Hurdles - Kaitlyn Wercinski: 1:03
• Steeplechase - Addy Crow: 11:20
• High Jump - Ada Smies: 1.59m / 5'02.50"
• Pole Vault - Karly Champness: 2.80m / 9'02.25"
• Long Jump - Taydem Graden: 5.31m / 17'05.25"
• Triple Jump - n/a
• Shot Put - Fran Travis: 12.87m / 42'02.75"
• Discus - Makenna Walhof: 47.68m / 156'05"
• Hammer - Makenna Walhof: 55.35m / 181'07"
• Javelin - Ava Ingwersen: 34.86m / 114-04"
• Heptathlon: n/a
• 4x100 Relay: 48.0 (Heynen, Dekkers, Altena, Den Herder)
• 4x400 Relay: 3:53 (Den Herder, Wercinski, Dekkers, Buwalda)
• 4x800 Relay: n/a

Defenders in the Top 10 in GPAC Performance List (April 9) - 19

• 100m:
  • Anna Heynen - 7th
• 200m:
  • Kailee Altena - 10th
• 400m:
  • Shelby Buwalda - 3rd
• 800m:
  • Addy Liston - 6th
• 1500m:
  • Raegan Snieder - 2nd
  • Jeni Burtis - 7th
  • Addy Crow - 8th
• 5000m:
  • Jessica Opfer - 4th
• 400m Hurdles:
  • Kaitlyn Wercinski - 3rd
  • Faith Minderhoud - 8th
• High Jump:
  • Ada Smies - 7th
• Long Jump:
  • Taydem Graden - 7th
• Shot Put:
  • Fran Travis - 3rd
• Discus:
  • Makenna Walhof - 1st
  • Fran Travis - 4th
• Hammer:
  • Makenna Walhof - 1st
  • Fran Travis - 6th
• 4x100 Relay - 3rd (Heynen, Dekkers, Altena, Den Herder)
• 4x400 Relay - 2nd (Den Herder, Wercinski, Dekkers, Buwalda)