SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – The Dakota Wesleyan University men's and women's track and field teams competed at the Great Plains Athletic Conference championships on Friday and Saturday in Sioux Center, Iowa. At the conclusion of the meet, Dakota Wesleyan secured six All-Conference performances including a trio of top-3 finishes.
Lydia Gerber (Canton, S.D.) highlighted the weekend with a first-place finish in the triple jump. Gerber matched a collegiate best with a jump of 37-11.5 feet (11.57m). Fellow DWU jumper Ashtyn Evans (Gillette, Wyo.) collected a top-10 finish as well in the event with a mark of 32-10.25 feet (10.01m), a collegiate best.
Fellow Dakota Wesleyan jump specialists Lia Guigui (Rapid City, S.D.) and Avany Long (Oacoma, S.D.) secured fifth place and eighth-place performances in the long jump. Guigui recorded a mark of 16-11.5 feet (5.17m), while Long totaled a leap of 16-7 feel (5.05m). Guigui also picked up All-GPAC accolades in the high jump after a third-place finish with a jump of 5-2.25 feet (1.58 m).
In the throwing ring, a pair of Tiger men finished top-12 in the shot put. Caden Milmine (Buffalo, Wyo.) compiled a mark of 54-1 feet (16.48m) as he finished runner-up in the event, good for All-GPAC honors. Meanwhile, Ryan Kienzle (Gillette, Wyo.) ended the day with a 12th-place finish after a toss of 44-11.5 feet (13.70 m).
Justin Sorensen (Vermillion, S.D.) competed in the 800-meter run and received All-Conference accolades as he took eighth place with a time of 2:02.85 minutes. Just missing out of All-GPAC honors was freshman Hunter Shanks (Bennington, Neb.) as he came in ninth place in 2:03.71 minutes. Competing in the 1,000-meter run was Wyatt Baldauf (Seneca, Ill.). After a time of 2:42.85 minutes, good for 12th place, he now sits ninth in the program all-time record books.
On the women's side, Morgan Taft (Norris, S.D.) continued her strong indoor season as she placed eighth in the weight throw. Taft, who compiled five first-place performances during the regular season, tallied a toss of 51-3.75 feet (15.74 m).
On the track, Gerber came up just short of All-Conference status in the 55-meter dash as she crossed the finish line in ninth place. The DWU senior clocked a new-collegiate best in the event with a time of 7.44 seconds. Nate Rupprecht (Bennington, Neb.), who swept the field in the shot put of the men's heptathlon, totaled 3,384 points good enough for 12th place in the event.
The men's and women's 4x800-meter relay teams concluded the day for Dakota Wesleyan with a pair of top-10 performances. The Tiger women notched a ninth-place finish with a time of 10:50.32 minutes while the Dakota Wesleyan men completed the race in 8:42.17 minutes good enough for seventh.
The Tigers will return to action in two weeks at the NAIA National Meet hosted by Mount Marty University March 3-6 in Yankton, S.D.