Postseason accolades continue to come in for the Dordt University women's track and field team as the Defenders were named to the list of All-Academic teams by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) while 14 Defenders earned All-Academic Athlete honors for the 2025-26 indoor and outdoor seasons.
Criteria for a team to be named an All-Academic Team:
- The cumulative GPA for all student-athletes on the institution's eligibility certificate for Indoor and/or Outdoor Track & Field must be 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, certifiable by either Faculty Rep or Compliance Coordinator or Registrar's Office.
- The cumulative GPA of all student-athletes on the institution's eligibility certificate for Indoor and/or Outdoor Track & Field must be computed by the following method:
- Total the cumulative number of semester hours or quarter hours earned for all student-athletes on the eligibility certificate including the most recent grading period;
- Total the cumulative number of quality points earned by all student-athletes, including the most recent grading period;
- Divide the cumulative number of quality points earned by the cumulative number of semester or quarter hours earned.
- Institutions utilizing a different GPA scale than 4.0 then must convert the GPA to a 4.0 scale using the standard conversion method [GPA/Scale x 4.0].
The Defenders, under the direction of Head Coach
Craig Heynen, achieved a 3.81 team GPA, ranking second among all NAIA institutions.
14 Defenders earned All-Academic individual honors for this past season, tied with Indiana Tech and Marian (Ind.) for the second most in the NAIA and most in the GPAC. Criteria to be named an NAIA All-Academic Athlete:
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of a 3.25 on a 4.0 scale through the end of the semester of competition.
- Must have completed at least 24 semester hours/36 quarter hours through the end of the semester of competition at the institution.
- Transfer students and/or graduate students are to include only grades earned at the current nominating institution.
- The student-athlete must have achieved an automatic or provisional qualifying mark (individual or relay event) for either the indoor season or outdoor season.
The following is a list of the 14 Defenders who earned the academic honor, along with their listed major and what events they met a provisional / auto mark:
