Posted: May 03, 2025
Hastings, Neb. - The Dakota Wesleyan University women's track and field team closed out the 2025 GPAC Outdoor championships with a determined and spirited performance. Multiple young Tigers came close to scoring for the team.
Track Events:
Sprints-
- Hailey Oswald (So.) ran in the 400m, where she set an outdoor PR of 1:03 minutes. She placed 20th in the conference. She is now #10 on the outdoor top-ten list.
- Ava Ludwig (Fr.) ran in the 100m hurdles, running a time of 17.55 seconds and placing 18th overall.
Relays-
- The 4x100m relay team included Tanley Goebel, Ava Ludwig, Dani Deffenbaugh, and Hailey Oswald. The Team ran a combined time of 52.26 seconds.
Field Events:
Jumps-
- Dani Deffenbaugh (So.) competed in the long jump. Deffenbaugh's best jump of the day was 4.64m, placing her 22nd in the event.
- Elizabeth Heinen (Fr.) competed in the high jump at conference. She hit a PR of 1.56m and came close to hitting another of 1.51m. The freshman placed 12th in the meet. She is also now #6 in the outdoor top-ten list.
- Ava Ludwig (Fr.) jumped in the triple, long, and high jump. Ludwig competed in the triple jump, where she jumped a 9.14m mark and placed 13th in the new event. In the long jump her best jump was 4.84m, which placed her in 15th to end out the meet. In the high jump, she no heighted.
Throws-
- Abby Magnuson (Grad.) competed in the discus and shot put at conference. In the shot, the all-american's best throw was a 13.36m throw. In discus, Magnuson's best distance was her fifth throw of 41.46m. She placed 5th for both and stood on the podium.
- Samantha Kludt (Jr.) competed in the hammer. Fouling all of her throws.
- Dani Deffenbaugh (So.) had a strong day in the javelin, as she hit an all-time PR of 34.72 and placed 10th out of 24She makes her mark in Tiger history as #6 in javelin. She looks to come back and make the finals next year, as she missed it by a single placement.
Tigers Looking Ahead-
The Tigers aren't done yet, as a small, selected group of athletes will travel to Concordia University (NE) for a last-chance meet on Friday, May 9, hoping to hit qualifying standards for nationals and keep building on their momentum.
The DWU women's track and field team ends the GPAC championships on a positive note as multiple athletes became closer to standing on the podiums in the conference. Some are new to their respective events and continue to grow with their impressive marks.