[Indoor Track & Field] NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championship Preview

Doane Track and Field has hit the road to Brookings, South Dakota, for the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships which runs from February 28-March 2 at South Dakota State University.

The Tigers enter championship week ranked 3rd on the men's side while the women are ranked 5th by the USTF-CCCA computer rankings. However, on paper (Top 8 in event standings), the women are thought to out-score the men. The women are positioned to score 40 team points while the men have 13 points on paper going into the championships.

For the men, Levi Sudbeck (JR/Hadar, Neb.) is scheduled to compete in three events. He enters the championships sitting 4th in the heptathlon, 6th in the pole vault, and 15th in the high jump. Sudbeck was recently named the GPAC Male Track and Field Indoor Athlete of the Year after his performance at the conference championship meet.

Alan Varela (SR/Oxford, Neb.) is set to run twice on the track. He will open action with the 4x400m relay, running the lead leg for the Tigers. He will team with Peyton Harsin (JR/Syracuse, Neb.), Turner Hill (SR/Crete, Neb.), and Logan Hammond (SO/Ogallala, Neb.) with Tanner Harsin (JR/Syracuse, Neb.) serving as an alternate. The Tigers sit 5th in the NAIA this season in the relay. Varela is also set to run in the 600m run, which he sits 8th.

Henry Arnold (JR/Falls City, Neb.) and Julius Dickmander (JR/Brule, Neb.) will also compete in two events. Arnold ranks 10th in the long jump and 12th in the triple jump this season. Dickmander sits 10th in the pole vault and 13th in the heptathlon.

The women are led by Kate Grint (JR/Ord, Neb.). She ranks 2nd in the shot put (14.80m/48-06.75) and 5th in the weight throw (18.16m/59-07.00) this season. Grint hopes to continue a trend in the shot put where she has posted the top throw in the NAIA for five consecutive weeks. Jordyn Stearns (JR/York, Neb.) is currently 7th in the NAIA in the shot put (14.16m).

Alexis Dale (JR/Ravenna, Neb.) leads the way for the Tigers in the high jump. She leads the nation with a top mark of 1.78m (5-10.00). Shay Brown (SR/Roca, Neb.) and Claire Sintek (SR/Norfolk, Neb.) are tied for 4th with a height of 1.71m. Isabelle Watson (SO/Columbus, Neb.) is currently 11th with a height of 1.65m and Madison Blackstone (FR/Superior, Neb.) sits 19th with a mark of 1.63m.

Jaysa Hoins (SR/Superior, Neb.) hit a personal best in the conference meet of 12.00m (39-04.50) and sits 3rd in the NAIA entering the championship.

Below are the competitors for Doane, by hometown, who are scheduled to participate at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend.

Name - Event (Date of Competition)
Maitlyn Thomsen (SR/Beaver Crossing, Neb.) - Women's Pentathlon (Feb 28)
Julius Dickmander - Men's Heptathlon (Feb 28-March 1)/Pole Vault (March 2)
Alyssa Downs (JR/Columbus, Neb.) - Women's Pole Vault (March 1)
Isabelle Watson - Women's High Jump (March 2)
Simon Rangel (SR/Cozad, Neb.) - Men's Weight Throw (March 1)
Turner Hill - Men's 4x400m Relay (Feb 28)
Zach Muff (FR/Crete, Neb.) - Men's Pole Vault (March 2)
Xavier Bridges (SR/Fairmont, Neb.) - Men's Long Jump (March 1)
Henry Arnold - Men's Long Jump (March 1)/Triple Jump (March 2)
Levi Sudbeck - Men's Heptathlon (Feb 28-Mar 1)/High Jump (Mar 1)/Pole Vault (Mar 2)
Corbin Hubbell (JR/Lincoln, Neb.) - Men's 1000m (March 1)
Eddie Sierra-Lee (FR/Moline, Ill.) - Men's Pole Vault (March 2)
Austin Becker (SR/Norfolk, Neb.) - Men's High Jump (March 1)
Courtney Schindler (JR/Norfolk, Neb.) - Women's Pole Vault (March 2)
Claire Sintek - Women's High Jump (March 2)
Richard Dover (SO/Norfolk, Neb.) - Men's Weight Throw (March 1)
Taleah Williams (SR/Norfolk, Neb.) - Women's Long Jump (March 1)
Logan Hammond - Men's 4x400m Relay (Feb 28)
Kate Grint - Women's Weight Throw (March 1)/Shot Put (March 2)
Alan Varela - Men's 4x400m Relay (Feb 28)/600m (March 1)
Annika Pingel (FR/Pella, Iowa) - Women's 4x400m Relay (Feb 28)
Alexis Dale - Women's High Jump (March 2)
Shay Brown - Women's High Jump (March 2)
Kaitlyn Mahnke (JR/Scribner, Neb.) - Women's Pole Vault (March 1)
Mackenzie Brandl (SO/Stanton, Neb.) - Women's 4x400m Relay (Feb 28)
Jaysa Hoins - Women's Triple Jump (March 2)
Madison Blackstone - Women's High Jump (March 2)
Delaney Lemkau (SR/Sutton, Neb.) - Women's 4x400m Relay (Feb 28)
Peyton Harsin - Men's 4x400m Relay (Feb 28)
Tanner Harsin - Men's 4x400m Relay-alternate (Feb 28)
Jacob Hruska (FR/Waverly, Neb.) - Men's High Jump (March 1)
Logan Hayek (SO/Wilber, Neb.) - Women's 4x400m Relay (Feb 28)
Jordyn Stearns - Women's Shot Put (March 2)