SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – The regular season ended in more PR performances, All-Conference marks, and NAIA National qualifying marks than a title can give justice. With multiple lightning delays on Friday, the Raiders pressed on and got the job done they came to do. By the end of the meet, Kennedy Kramer hit the Auto mark in the 400m dash, Abigail Clarke hit the provisional mark in the 400m hurdles, and the 4x400m relay hit the provisional mark. Although she didn't hit it at the meet, Jacie Vander Waal hit the Provisional mark earlier in the year, bringing the total up to 4.
 
Lightning delays caused the first event, the women's pole vault, to be thrown around with the start time being pushed forward and pushed backward. Finally getting in the pit after being shorted on their warm up time, Colleen Rypkema would finish over 2.65m or 8'8.25". Erin Hulberg would jump her season best of 3.40m, barely missing the provisional mark of 3.55m on her way to the 5^th place finish. At the same time, javelin, where Jordan Bjork would be the top Raider in the event with a 7^th place finish. She would toss the spear 35.14m or 115' 3" in the competition. Shortly after the javelin event was started, the women's long jump also got underway. Charlee Olson would jump the best for the Raiders on her 6^th and final jump, ending with 5.22m or 17' 1.15. This would finish her in 5^th place overall in the long jump competition.
 
Onto the track to start Friday, Grace Hendrickson would run her second fastest win-legal time of her life in the 100m prelims of 13.41. That was immediately after her best series in the javelin throw against Bjork and the rest of the field, and after her second best 100m hurdle performance in all conditions of 17.05 seconds. Joining her in the hurdles was Olson, back from the long jump, and Emma Zoet. Zoet would be the top Raider in the event, with her 7^th place finish in prelims of 15.15. Saturday in finals, Zoet would jump a spot to claim 6^th in 15.20. Almost done with events for the first day was the 4x800m relay, fighting for the 6^th place finish. Abby Ervin, Savonne Sterk, Caitlin Alberts, and Lauren Derscheid came across the line together in 10:04.00. Finally on the track was Ellie Zeutenhorst to tackle the monstrous 25-lap, 10,000m run. Zeutenhorst would sit comfortably with the pack as the race went on, and end up finishing the race in 5^th place overall to end the Raiders' Day 1 of events.
 
Saturday, the 2^nd day of competition for the Raiders would begin with women's discus. Molly Schany would place highest for the Raiders from her very first throw of 40.88m, or 134' 1". This would be enough to make finals and get into 9^th place, but try as she might, she was unable to climb into 8^th. The last throwing event to be contested was the shot put. Emily Kraft and Jori Harskamp would finish in 18^th and 21^st place respectively. The final field event to be contested was the high jump where Jacie Vander Waal, clean over nearly every height, would finish in 3^rd place with a final jump of 5'3" or 1.60m.
 
On the track to start the second day of competition, Emma Haley would come away with 4^th place in the 3000m steeplechase. Staying with the lead pack nearly the entire race, it would come down to a sprint finish that brought her across the finish line in 12:12.51, a 17 second PR. Next on the track was the women's 4x100m relay that would finish 9^th place overall. Hendrickson, back for her 4^th event of the championship, pulled away from the competition on the starting leg. Handing off to Addie Wierda, Wierda would just barely hold on to what Hendrickson had done. Handing off to Aleah Rees for the third leg, Rees and Yates narrowly get their handoff in as Yates finishes the race for the quartet in a season best time of 51.90.
 
As the meet continued, the 1500m run kept Alberts, back from the 4x800m relay the day before, in the lead pack through most of the race. Narrowly missing the top 8 placing spots, she would run a lifetime PR in the event at 4:59.39. Just after the 1500m was the 400m dash where two Raiders would take to the track. Savonne Sterk running in the fast lane for a reason, ran a lifetime PR in the event to take 7^th place with 59.80, her first time ever breaking 1 minute. Kennedy Kramer in the very next heat, led the race through 300m before the proverbial "wall" would hit her. She managed to cross the line in a lifetime PR of 56.51 to get 2^nd place and hit the NAIA Auto Mark in the event. The last NAIA mark to get hit from the open sprint events was the 400m hurdles. Abigail Clarke, chasing down her opponents to finish in a thrilling 3^rd place, finished in 1:04.06, hitting the NAIA Provisional Mark on the way.
 
The distance races came next, with the 800m run. Ervin, back for day 2 of competition, after having the 4x800m relay the day before, finished in 14^th in 2:30.49. the final distance event to be contested was the 5000m run. Emily Haverdink would finish highest for the Raiders. Through feeling waves of nausea the whole race and generally not feeling well, she gutted out a stellar 6^th place finish, to cross the line in 19:22.20. Haley, back for the ambitious double after the steeplechase crossed in 11^th place in 20:24.69, and Zeutenhorst, in an equally ambitious double from the 10k the day before, would finish in 14^th in 20:47.81.
 
The final event on the track was the 4x400m relay. Coming back from the 400m hurdles, Clarke would step into the blocks and run her fastest split of the year to hand off to Sterk, also back from the open 400m. Sterk would maintain the lead that was created by Clarke as she handed off to Emma Blum who had run the 200m an hour before. Blum would do her best to hang on a she rounded the last corner, now in third, on her way to Kramer. Kramer would get the baton, with 4^th place breathing down her neck as both teams started the last lap of the race. Kramer would not let off the gas as she came down the home stretch, definitively in 3^rd place, and crossing the line in 3:55.47. That mark would be good enough for the NAIA Provisional Mark. 
 

WTRACK | The Raider women had a great showing this weekend with 12 @GPACSports All-Conference marks!#RaidersStandOut | @NWCTRACK pic.twitter.com/ihbewlSpYG

— NWC Red Raiders (@nwcraiders) May 7, 2023

Raiders All-Conference Top-8
400m Dash

• Kennedy Kramer 56 51 – 2^nd NAIA Auto Mark
• Savonne Sterk 59.80 – 7^th  

100m Hurdles

• Preliminaries
  • Emma Zoet 15.20 – 7^th
• Finals
  • Emma Zoet 15.15 – 6^th

400m Hurdles

• Abigail Clarke 1:04.06 – 3^rd NAIA Provisional Mark

5,000m Run

• Emily Haverdink 19:22.20 – 6^th

10,000m Run

• Ellie Zuetenhorst 42:54.91 – 5^th

3000m Steeplechase

• Emma Haley 12:12.51 – 4^th

4x400m Relay

• Abigail Clarke, Savonne Sterk, Emma Blum, Kennedy Kramer 3:55.47 – 3^rd NAIA Provisional Mark

High Jump

• Jacie Vander Waal 1.60m – 3^rd

Pole Vault

• Erin Hulberg 3.40m – 5^th

Long Jump

• Charlee Olson 5.22m – 5^th

Javelin

• Jordan Bjork 35.14 – 7^th

 
Raider Rankings in the NAIA:
Kennedy Kramer – 400m Dash

• 56.51 – 20^th

Abigail Clarke – 400m Hurdles

• 1:04.06 – 23^rd

4x400m Relay – Clarke, Sterk, Blum, Kramer

• 3:55.47 – 17^th

Jacie Vander Waal – High Jump

• 1.65m – 13^th

Up Next: Some of the men's and women's track and field teams might compete at the Concordia Last Chance meet on Friday, May 12^th, otherwise they will be studying for their final exams. Seniors will have Commencement on Saturday the 13^th, and the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships will be competed on May 24^th, 25^th and 26^th.