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Dordt Cross Country Set To Compete At Conference Championships
November 3, 2009
 Meet Time…The 2009 Great Plains Athletic Conference championships are set for Saturday, November 7 in Fremont, Nebraska at the Valley View Golf Course. The women’s race begins at 10:30 and the men start at 11:15.
Participants…All the conference schools will feature runners at the event with the event also serving as a qualifying structure for the NAIA National Meet. The top two teams from each race (excluding Nebraska Wesleyan who participates in NCAA DIII for postseason) will advance to the NAIA National Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Washington on Saturday, November 21. The top seven individual runners outside those two teams will also advance, provided they place 20th or better in the meet.
Last Year… Jen Kempers raced to an individual championship and the Dordt College Defender women were fourth and the men fifth in the Great Plains Athletic Conference cross country championships on Saturday, November 8 in Hastings, Nebraska.
Kempers left the competition behind with a championship time of 17:51, easily taking the title with here nearest competitor recording a time of 18:19. Dordt's Tami Wieringa ran the 5000 meter course in a time of 19:42 and Michelle Steiger was 24th in 19:47. Kelsey Verkaik and Steph Helmus were fourth and fifth for the Defenders with times of 20:01 and 20:04 for 33rd and 36th overall.
Dordt's best finisher on the men's side was Brent Van Schepen's 18th place time of 26:46 and Josiah Luttjeboer was 27th in a time of 27:11 over the 8000 meter course. Mark Eekhoff recorded a time of 27:22 for 36th while Dordt's other counters were Jathan Robinson and David Christensen with times of 27:35 and 27:58 respectively for 41st and 46th place.
Kempers is assured of a berth in the NAIA Championships for the third straight year and the Defender women await the rankings put out tomorrow which will determine if they qualify as a team. Concordia and Doane both qualify for the national meet on the women's side. Dordt's Brent Van Schepen qualifies for the meet with his finish. Concordia and Doane claimed the two -team berths at the  NAIA national meet. The top-seven individuals on those teams not qualifying for the national meet advance to the national meet. Van Schepen qualifies sixth in that process.
113 women ran the course while 111 men ran the meet at the Elks Country Club in Hastings, Nebraska.
Last Time… The Dordt College Defender cross country capped their regular season with a fourth place finish in the men's division at the Mount Marty Invite on Saturday, October 24 and the women were sixth in the final tune up before the Great Plains Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday, November 7.
The Dordt men used balance in taking fourth in the 18-team field. Brent Van Schepen was the top finisher for the Defenders with a 16th place finish in a time of 26:17 on the 8,000 meter course. Ryan Tholen came in with a time of 26:48 for 27th and was followed closely behind by Josiah Luttjeboer and Mark Eekhoff in 30th and 31st respectively. Luttjeboer ran the course in 26:50 while Eekhoff came in with a time of 26:51. David Christensen completed Dordt's top five with a time of 27:17 which earned him 41st out of 162 runners.
Michelle Steiger added another top-ten finish to her sophomore campaign with an eighth place time of 18:48. Merissa Harkema took 12th in 19:09 and Rachel Werkhoven was 38th in a time of 20:02. Nichole Duncan, like Harkema a freshman, finished 44th in a time of 20:10 and Laura Broekhuis was Dordt's final scorer with a 57th place time of 20:26 on the 5,000 meter course.
Dordt's men scored 142 points and were nine points behind Dickinson State in third place. Concordia ran away with a first place total of 36 points.
The Dordt women finished in sixth with 134 points, three points out of fifth and 30 out of fourth. Concordia claimed the women's title as well with a total of 48.
148 women ran the race while the men's field had 162 competitors.
After Today…The NAIA Nationals set for Saturday, November 21 at Vancouver, Washington for those teams and individuals qualifying.
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