Dordt University was named runner-up in the overall standings for the 2023-24 Great Plains Athletic (GPAC) All-Sports Trophy, according to a GPAC announcement made earlier this week.
Dordt University Athletics claimed four total conference championships, placing 12 teams in the top four in the final GPAC standings for their respective seasons. Men's cross country, women's cross country, women's basketball and men's outdoor track & field also won conference championships this year.
The Defenders saw national success when the women’s basketball team claimed the program’s first-ever NAIA National Championship. The women’s basketball team spent 11 weeks of the season ranked first in the NAIA Coaches’ poll; they finished the season with a nine-game win streak and ended with a program-best 35-2 record.
In addition, four Dordt coaches were named GPAC Coach of the Year:
- Nate Wolf: Women's Cross Country/Men's Cross Country
- Craig Heynen: Men's Outdoor Track & Field
- Bill Harmsen: Women's Basketball
- Mel Knobloch: Dance
The GPAC all-sports standings are also broken down between women's and men's offerings. Dordt ranked second in the GPAC in women's sports and fifth in the men's standings.
This is the third year in row that Dordt has been in the top-three of the league standings. The Defenders won the All-Sports Trophy in 2023 and finished third in 2022.
Dordt teams that placed fourth or better during 2023-24 include:
- Men's Cross Country: 1st
- Women's Cross Country: 1st
- Women's Basketball: 1st
- Men's Outdoor Track & Field: 1st
- Women's Indoor Track & Field: 3rd
- Men's Indoor Track & Field: 2nd
- Football: 3rd
- Women's Outdoor Track & Field: 3rd
- Softball: 3rd
- Cheer: 4th
- Dance: 4th
- Women's Soccer: 4th
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About Dordt University
As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.