Warriors Pick Up Handful of Wins at Dordt Open

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – Midland University was well-represented at the Dordt Open on Saturday as the men’s and women’s track and field teams posted several personal records while claiming a handful of individual event titles.
On the women’s side, Wendy van Nes earned first place in the pole vault with a mark of 10-08.00. Rian Boub was fourth in the high jump at 4-08.25 while also competing and placing in the shot put (ninth, 34-05) and weight throw (seventh, 37-05.75). Natalie Iacovetto also placed in the weight throw with a toss of 35-03.25.
Vivian Sanchez represented the Warriors in the 1000 meter with a time of 3:17.54—good for seventh place. Additionally, Sanchez placed sixth in the mile with a time of 5:39.56. Madilynn Edwards was ninth at 5:49.86.
The men’s competition was highlighted by Dylan Kucera, reigning NAIA Field Athlete of the Week. He won both the shot put and weight throw. Kucera improved his school record in the shot put with a mark of 59-11.75—a distance that he threw for in two of his attempts on Saturday afternoon. His first-place throw in the weight throw sailed 63-11.75—14 feet further than his nearest competitor.
In addition to Kucera’s impressive marks, Josh Lewis came in third in the shot put with a throw of 48-07-25 while William DeLay was third in the weight throw at 47-03.50.
In the triple jump, Eli Hustad and Abbas Muhammad earn second and third place, respectively. Hustad reached 43-11.25 while Muhammad came in at 42-09.00.
The Warriors took home the 55-meter dash crown courtesy of Adrien Patigny who ran a time of 6.63. Patigny also placed in the 200-meter dash where his effort of 22.57 was good for second.
“We had a lot of PRs in the throws today and a lot of good field event performances,” commented head coach Daniel Gerber. “There will be a lot of confidence from this group when we return for conference.”
Up next, the teams will head back to Crete, Neb. for the third time this season. This time the Warriors will be competing in the Fred Beile Classic. The action will begin on Saturday, January 30 on the campus of Doane University.