Week 6: Women's Outdoor Track & Field Honors
(Sioux City, Iowa) – The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and Hauff Mid-America Sports are proud to announce the following women’s outdoor track & field athletes-of-the-week for events held April 24-30, 2023. Hauff Mid-America Sports is the presenting sponsor of the 2022-2023 GPAC Players-of-the-Week and Players and Coaches-of-the-Year awards program.
Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Athletes-of-the-Week
Field Events – Kiara Anderson, Hastings College
Kiara Anderson from Hastings College is this week's field athlete-of-the-week. Anderson, a senior, from Mesa, Arizona, competed at the Prairie Wolf Invite in Lincoln last weekend. She began her meet Thursday, taking third in the discus with an "A" standard throw of 44.43m (145' 9"). This was just off of her season best. She went on to a career best throw in the hammer on Saturday winning the event and throwing another "A" standard throw of 56.42m (185' 1"). That mark breaks the Hastings College School record and is currently second in the NAIA and leads the GPAC by over two meters.
Track Events – Emilee Heynen, Dordt University
Emilee Heynen of Dordt University is this week's track athlete-of-the-week. Heynen, a sophomore, from Sioux Center, Iowa, won the 800m and hit the 'A' standard with a personal best time of 2:13.9 at the USD Monday Meet. Her time is best in the GPAC and ranks 10th in the NAIA. Three days later, on the first day of the Drake Relays, Heynen anchored the Defenders to a second-place finish in the 4x800 with a season-best time of 9:08.88. The time is currently the No.1 time in the NAIA. She also anchored the Defenders 4x400 relay that ran a season-best time of 3:50.94, second fastest in the GPAC and ninth in the NAIA. In addition, Heynen ran on a Defenders sprint medley that placed eighth and posted a time that ranks in Dordt's top ten list.