Dirksen leads Tigers at the Dennis Young Classic

STORM LAKE, Iowa – The Dakota Wesleyan University men's and women's track and field teams took eighth and sixth, respectively in the Dennis Young Classic Friday and Saturday in Storm Lake, Iowa.

 Senior Gabe Dirksen (Lead, S.D.) brought home a fifth place finish in the heptathlon, placing in the top-10 in seven different events. He started the day with a seventh place finish in the 60-meter hurdle, then took sixth in the long jump with a leap of 5.7 meters. His best finish came in the pole vault with a jump of 3.6 meters and placed second. Dakota Bodden (Tabor, S.D.), Nathan Bader, Anthony Fontenot (Stephan, S.D.) and Jon Harmening (Jackson, Minn.) finished fourth in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:35.18. Along with his relay finish, Harmening placed seventh and fifth in the in the 60-meter hurdles and 4x400-meter relay. Freshman Rex Schlicht (Woonsocket, S.D.) ran the 800-meter run in a time of 2:03 and placed seventh. Jeremiah Panec (Kenesaw, Neb.) took fifth in the 4x400-meter relay and third in the 1,000-meter run in 2:36.35. Lane Tibbs (Kenesaw, Neb.) came in ninth in the Mile Run with a run of 4:50. Jared Rabenberg (Britton, S.D.) took fourth in the high jump with a leap of 1.85 meters.

 Kaylynn Anziano (Rapid City, S.D.) ran the 200-meter dash in 27.15 and took fifth. Shailhyn Schweigert (Burke, S.D.) took fourth in the 800-meter run in 2:33.24. In the 1,000-meter run, McKenna Rogers (Saint Michael, Minn.) finished in fifth with a time of 3:09.67. Kamber Lamer (Hartford, S.D.) took second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.69. She also took first in the long jump with a leap of 5.21 meters. Lamer, Anziano, Kristen Longville (Lake Preston, S.D.) and Aubrey Rabenberg (Platte, S.D.) took third in the 4x200-meter relay. Lamer, Longville, Anziano and Macey Claussen (Howard, S.D.) took fifth in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:19.15. Longville took second in the triple jump at 10.41 meters. Heidi Frazee (Gilette, Wyo.) placed 10th in the weight throw with a toss of 12.36 meters.

 The Tigers will compete next in the DWU Alumni Open on Saturday in Mitchell, S.D.