MITCHELL, S.D. — Dakota Wesleyan Track & Field hosted its annual Alumni Open in the DWU Sports & Wellness Complex as the team continues to find competition and improve marks towards the end of the indoor season.
The women's team kicked off its day with records in the field events, with Dani Deffenbaugh setting a new long jump personal-best of 5.12m to take second place in the event. The junior out of Kimball also set a new personal record in the high jump, posting 1.40m. Devin Hongslo placed second in a competitive lineup for the women's shot put with a personal-best throw of 11.61m, finishing only behind DWU alumnus and former national qualifier Abby Magnuson. Shirley Huckins once again dominated the weight throw with a 15.61m hurl, good for first place, while Samantha Kludt rounded out the throwers' efforts for the Lady Tigers with a solid showing in both the weight throw, recording 12.93m, and the shotput, posting 9.41m. Stacy Ruelas-Hertz led the way on the track for the Tigers with a first-place finish in the 60m hurdles with a new personal-best time of 9.51 seconds, while Ashlyn Maldonado set her own personal best of 11.48 in the same event. Ruelas-Hertz also finished second place in the 200m with a 28.06-second recorded time. Aubrey Cumming recorded an 8.42 in the 60m dash for a new personal record while posting a solid showing in the 200m. In the mid-distance, Ella Pollreisz finished fourth in the 800m while Hailey Oswald finished just one spot behind her with a new personal-best time of 2:32.65. The relay team of Oswald, Deffenbaugh, Pollreisz, and Maldonado recorded a new NAIA top-100 mark in the 4x400m, posting a 4:23.66 to round out the women's team's efforts.
Mikey Hart led the way for the men's team on the track, winning both the prelims and finals in the 60m to register a new season-best mark of 7.10s. Sean DeBlieck finished closely behind with a personal-record run of 7.16 seconds and was able to set a season-best mark in the men's long jump, recording a 5.84m best. He competed alongside Trevor Sladky and Quenton Walls in the long jump, who both had good days. Sladky took second place with a new personal record of 6.37m and recorded a third-place finish in the 60m dash, while Walls placed third in the triple jump and second in the long jump. Talan Heezen continued the field crew's success with a personal record in the pole vault, leaping over 4.00m, earning him second place in the event. Carter Harris would finish in fifth with a mark of 3.85m. Back on the track, the effort was rounded out individually by Dustin Lemaster and Kellen Brozik in the 800m, who finished in third and seventh place, respectively, and Graham Huffman and Gage Dietterle in the mile. Huffman recorded a new personal record of 4:52.96 and claimed 13th overall in the event. The DWU men's team concluded its day of competition with the 4x400m relay, which saw Quincy Stephens, Tayne Herrmann, Brozik, and Lemaster record a season-best mark of 3:32.59. The new time also ranks 86th in the entire NAIA, meaning that both the program's 4x400m teams recorded top-100 marks on the same day.
DWU Track & Field will be back in action at the Mount Marty Last Chance Meet on Friday, February 13th. See the full 2025-26 schedule here.