SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — Dakota Wesleyan Track & Field capped off the 2025-26 indoor season at the GPAC Championships over the course of two days.
Friday saw the first of DWU's placing athletes, Dani Deffenbaugh, work her way through the women's indoor pentathlon. She would be joined by Tiger teammate Riley Jones, who landed a first-place finish in the high jump portion of the pentathlon, and would end the weekend in 12th place out of 16 competitors. Deffenbaugh would earn seventh place and an All-Conference standing with a consistent effort across the board, which saw her finish in fifth place in the 60-meter hurdles, long jump, and 800m. She would fall just shy of earning a spot at the national championships, but her stout performance is sure to give her momentum as the outdoor season lies just over the horizon. In the Saturday portion of women's competition, Shirley Huckins came close to a national qualification spot with a 15.83m mark in the weight throw to cap off a strong start to her college career, while Devin Hongslo placed 17th in the shot put with a recorded 10.86m. Hailey Oswald and Ella Pollreisz wrapped up the women's team's efforts, with Pollreisz taking 13th place in the one mile with a 5:40.73, while Oswald competed in mid-distance events, earning 15th place in the 400m with a time of 1:03.71, along with a 17th-place finish in the 600m, recording a 1:49.26. Both women were also a part of the 4x400m relay team, alongside Jones and Deffenbaugh, and took ninth place with a final time of 4:16.95.
The men's team saw a top performance from Quenton Walls in the triple jump, earning DWU five team points with a fourth-place leap of 13.58m to wrap up the indoor season on a high note. His top-four finish also earned him All-Conference honors. Other competing Tigers posted solid performances, including Carter Harris, who took 13th place in the pole vault with a 3.95m mark, along with Mikey Hart in the 60m, who posted a 7.14 in the prelims of the event. In mid-distance events, Dustin Lemaster competed in two races, placing 14th with a 52.03-second time in the 400m, and recording a 1:30.68 in the 600m, while Kellen Brozik placed 17th overall in the 600m with a 1:27.44. The Tigers closed competition in the 4x400m relay, where Quincy Stephens, Brozik, Tayne Herrmann, and Lemaster placed ninth with a final time of 3:31.91. Overall, the men's team finished ninth out of 11 schools with five total team points.
DWU Track & Field will look ahead towards the outdoor portion of the season. See updates for the spring schedule here.