The Dordt University men’s track and field team concluded its 2024 season with a national championship in the 4×400 relay and a pair of All-American performances in individual running events at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships held in Marion, Ind. The 2024 event took place at Wildcat Stadium on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan.
- The Defenders 4×400 relay team of Levi Schelhaas, Devin Bos, Cole Zevenbergen and Payton Mauldin won the 11th national title in program history and third of the 2023-24 season (Payton Mauldin – 400m and 4×400 relay – indoor). Seeded first coming into the 2024 championship and running the fastest time in Thursday’s prelims (3:10), the top-seeded Defenders ran a school-record 3:06.30 to win the championship. Their time was over three seconds faster than their previous best when they won the Drake Relays (3:09.43) and is the third fastest time in NAIA history, trailing only Wayland Baptist (3:05.34 from 2019) and Mississippi Valley State (3:05.4 from 1981). The Defenders were in first or second place for the entirety of the race as all four relay members ran sub-48 splits, anchored by Mauldin’s 44.8.
- Men’s National Champions in Dordt History (11):
- 4×400 Relay (2x) – 2024 Indoor, Outdoor
- Payton Mauldin – 400m, 2024 Indoor
- Peter Shippy – 3000m Steeplechase, 2023 Outdoor
- Matthew Van Eps – 800m (3x)
- 2020 Indoor, 2021 Indoor, 2019 Outdoor
- 4×800 Relay – 2x
- 2019 Outdoor, 2021 Outdoor
- Jerrold Wynia – (2x)
- 1982 – 3 mile run
Mauldin and Craig Becker earned All-American honors (top eight finish) in their respective individual events this afternoon. Mauldin finished a close second to Myles Ellis (MidAmerica Nazarene) in the 400m final just 90 minutes prior to the start of the 4×400. Mauldin, who turned in a personal-best and school-record time for the second consecutive day, crossed the finish line in 45.51, just .31 in back of Ellis. Mauldin earned All-American honors for the 17th time.
Seeded 22nd overall and coming into the 2024 championship as a provisional qualifier, Becker placed eighth and took home All-American honors in the 1500m. Becker moved up two spots with a 58.59 split over the final 400m to finish with a time of 3:51.99, just .18 off his school-record time run in Thursday’s semifinal. Luca Santorum (Cumberlands) won the national title with a time of 3:47.79, finishing less than a half-second ahead of teammate Youssef Asslouj.
Dordt finished in a three-way tie for 12th place, along with GPAC members Northwestern and Doane, with 19 points. University of Cumberlands (Ky.) won their first outdoor national title, edging Marian (Ind.) 64-62 in the final team standings.
