Women's Track & Field Claims First GPAC Title Since 2018

Women's Track and Field climbed back to the top of the mountain on Saturday evening in Mitchell, S.D., as they won their first Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) title since 2018. Doane snapped Concordia's six-year reign, with the two teams combining to win the indoor title every year since 1991. The Tigers have won 28 of 35 titles during that stretch.

Athletes finishing in the Top 8 of individual events or Top 3 of relay events earn All-GPAC honors for the indoor track and field season.

On the track, Neryah Hekl broke her school record in the 60m dash and posted a GPAC meet record time of 7.58 in winning the race. RaeAnn Thompson took third with a time of 7.68, as both runners' times met the NAIA provisional qualifying standard.

Josie Garrett took third in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.94, meeting the provisional NAIA standard. Chaney Nelson took eighth with a time of 10.58.

In the 200m, Katie Vogt placed fourth with a time of 25.96 and Thompson was sixth with a time of 26.03.

Vogt took second in the 400m with a time of 58.36. Kiley Hejtmanek placed eighth with a time of 1:00.76.

Danie Parriott came from behind on the last lap to win the 600m in a GPAC record time of 1:34.05, topping the previous record set in 2001 by Doane Hall of Famer Wendy Brouillette. Her time is also a NAIA automatic qualifying time. Nelson took sixth in the race with a time of 1:42.14.

Parriott added another come-from-behind win in the 1000m, going from fourth to first on the final lap with a final time of 3:02.31, winning by 0.4. She ran a 32.75 time on the last lap to make up a near two second deficit going into the final 200m.

Laura Hasemann scored for the Tigers in the mile run by placing eighth with a time of 5:36.75. She ran the sixth-fastest final lap, 40.10, to move up into scoring position.

In the 5000m, Mackenzy Lippold placed sixth with a time of 19:32.88. Calla Wittland took seventh with a time of 19:33.70, running the fastest final lap time of 39.62.

The 4x400m relay team of Vogt, Nelson, Hejtmanek, and Parriott took fifth place to earn the final team points of the meet. They ran a time of 4:06.79.

The 4x800m relay team placed fourth with a time of 10:19.51. Running for the Tigers were Allison Ernst, Maddy Ramey, Madison Lytle, and Marissa Miles.

Garrett paced the Tigers in the long jump with a mark of 5.48m (17-11.75) to place fifth. Rosalyn Roggasch took sixth with a mark of 5.33m (17-06.00).

Garrett won the triple jump with a leap of 11.58m (38-00.00). Roggasch took third with a mark of 11.44m (37-06.50) as both competitors' marks met the NAIA provisional qualifying standard. Kyla Davis finished sixth with a mark of 11.08m (36-04.25).

In the high jump, Garrett placed eighth with a clearance of 1.55m (5-01.00). She was having to compete in the long jump at the same time as the events overlapped.

Kaylee Pribyl broke the school record in the pole vault as she hit a winning height of 3.97m (13-00.25) on her final attempt as the mark. Kennedy Stanley took second with a clearance of 3.45m (11-03.75) and Samantha Knapp was eighth with a mark of 3.15m (10-04.00).

Madison Sutton picked up a second place finish in the shot put with a mark of 14.25m (46-09.00). Alivia Baucom was fourth with a mark of 14.13m (46-04.25) as both marks met the NAIA automatic qualifying standard. Delaney Burge took seventh with a mark of 12.91m (42-04.25).

Sutton won the weight throw with a throw of 18.93m (62-01.25). She hit the toss on her final throw but had already sealed up the win, unofficially, by her second throw as she was the only thrower with a mark over 18.00m and she had four throws hit the mark. Kaylie Lotspeich took fourth with a mark of 16.92m (55-06.25) and Mia Knigge was seventh with a toss of 16.22m (53-02.75). Lotspeich and Knigge's throws met the NAIA provisional qualifying standard.

The pentathlon was the first event scored in the meet with Nelson placing fourth with 3,037 points. Dayle Haake was seventh with 2,943 points.

Next up for Doane will be the NAIA Track and Field Championships in Gainesville, Florida, from February 27-March 1.