Catching up with former area athletes: Karly Gustafson claims career rebounding record at Dordt
Dec. 21—SIOUX CENTER, Iowa. — Ethan native Karly Gustafson etched her name atop the career rebounding chart at Dordt University on Dec. 6, pulling down her 919th collegiate rebound.
With 93 rebounds through 12 games this season, the fifth-year graduate student's career total stands at 934 rebounds, an average of 7.2 rebounds per game. Gustafson also ranks third all-time in Dordt history for points (1,676), fourth in field goal percentage (55.6%) and is top-15 in assists (252) and steals (146).
As of the most recent NAIA top-25 poll, released on Dec. 13, Dordt ranked No. 1 nationally with a 12-0 record. Gustafson is a leader on both ends of the floor for the Defenders, ranking second on the team with averages of 12.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Having started 92 of the 131 games she's played in as a Defender, Gustafson is a four-time all-Great Plains Athletic Conference selection, twice to the first team, once to the second and once as an honorable mention.
Dordt has completed play for the 2023 calendar year and picks up its GPAC slate on Jan. 6 at the College of Saint Mary. The Defenders host Dakota Wesleyan on Jan. 17 and come to Mitchell for a second meeting with the Tigers on Feb. 21.
MADISON, S.D. — In the Dakota State track team's final action of the 2023 calendar year, Mitchell High School product Lukas Bennett posted a personal record time.
Competing at the Bulldog Early Meet hosted by Concordia (Neb.) on Dec. 9, Bennett, a freshman, logged a 60-meter dash time of 7.23 seconds in the prelims to headline his individual efforts. It is the early season team-best mark in the 60-meter dash for the Trojans.
Bennett finished 13th in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.82 seconds and was part of a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay for the Trojans. He also had a 19th-place finish in a Dec. 1-2 meet at South Dakota State in the 200-meter dash (23.51 seconds).
Dakota State will be back in action on Jan. 13, 2024, when it travels to Yankton for the Mount Marty Opener meet.
ORANGE CITY, Iowa — Jonah Hofer, a Bridgewater-Emery product, wrapped up another season with the Northwestern College football program in the NAIA national championship on Dec. 18.
Though the Red Raiders were denied a repeat title, NWC finished the season with a 14-1 record with a 31-21 loss to Keiser (Fla.) on Dec. 18 in Durham, N.C..
Hofer, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound junior, appeared in seven total games for the Red Raiders this season, including home playoff games against Dordt, Saint Xavier (Ill.) and Georgetown (Kent.). For the season, he had three receptions for 27 yards.
