Northwestern’s Carson Van Sickle and Emma Blum became Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) indoor track champions in their respective events on Saturday, Feb. 15 in Mitchell, South Dakota, and a total of 19 Raiders claimed All-Conference honors.
While conditions outside were frigid, the action heated up early inside the Dakota Wesleyan event facility, with field events taking the spotlight first. Braden Kalvelage would take second in the long jump with a new indoor best. On the women’s side, Aubrey DeGroot would finish second in the high jump.
On the track, the Raiders would find more success. The women’s 4×800 relay would finish runner-up, and Emma Haley would finish fourth in both the 5000 meter and 3000 meters, while Emily DeGroot would finish third in the latter.
Blum placed fifth in the 200-meter dash, but her strength would really show in the 400 meters, where she took the GPAC crown with a time of 58.18, her second best ever.
NW Freshman Van Sickle would continue his stellar season with a dominant victory in the 800-meter run, during which he led the entire four laps. Van Sickle would also help the 4×400 meter relay team capture a second-place finish at the end of the meet.
“I feel like the thing that really made our team grow was simply just the consistency,” Van Sickle said about the success. “Everyone day in and day out showed up to practice ready to work and get better and did the little things really well.”
The meet concluded the indoor season for most of the team, but athletes who have achieved the qualifying standards will be traveling to Florida to compete in the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 27 through March 1. Among these Raiders are Aubrey DeGroot in high jump, Blum in the 400-meter, Kalvelage in the long jump, and Van Sickle in the 800-meter.
“All four of these athletes are looking really strong in their events,” Head Coach Scott Bahrke said. “They have been consistently achieving national qualifying marks. I am excited to see what they will do.”
“It’s an amazing opportunity to get to compete at the highest level of the NAIA with some of the greatest athletes in the nation,” Van Sickle said. He feels ready and confident in his training but does not know what to expect, so he is “trusting the Lord with the outcomes.”
Raider track and field had a strong showing at the GPAC Indoor Championships.
