ORANGE CITY, Iowa – On a windy day at Northwestern College, the Dakota Wesleyan University track and field team competed in the Red Raider Open over the weekend in Orange City, Iowa.
Senior Jessica Fossum (Canton, S.D.) set a new school record with 4,062 points, winning the women's heptathlon, while qualifying provisionally for the NAIA National Championships next month. Fossum finished first in the heptathlon 800-meter run and the javelin throw. Fossum is the third DWU athlete to qualify for the NAIA championships, joining senior Nicole Court-Menendez (Lewiston, Maine) and freshman Ben Hammer (Dell Rapids, S.D.).
Also on the women's side, senior middle distance runner Skylar Forgey (Colome, S.D.) continues her strong final campaign with a sixth-place showing in the 1,500-meter run. She crossed the line in 5 minutes, 3.22 seconds.
The lone first-place finish on the men's side came from senior jumper Daniel Porter (Plattsmouth, Neb.) who took top billing in the triple jump with a leap of 13.12 meters.
Hammer, the two-time reigning Great Plains Athletic Conference Men's Field Athlete of the Week, competed in three events over the weekend. He placed fourth in the shot put with a throw of 14.83 meters, while adding a sixth-place showing in the discus with a distance of 46.85 meters. He finished eighth in the hammer throw with a toss of 42.77 meters.
Sophomore sprinter Brandon Kocmich (Avon, S.D.) continues to improve taking fourth place in the 400-meter dash, while junior Gabe Dirksen (Lead, S.D.) added a sixth-place showing in the men's decathlon.
The Tigers continue the 2016 outdoor season at the Zach Kindler Wildcat Open Saturday in Baldwin City, Kan.
