Bessler, Schmitz Earn All-American Honors at Nationals

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Doane University men's track and field team competed at the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, tying for 33rd place with nine team points during the three-day meet at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center.

Doane's points all came in the throws, where the Tigers placed two athletes on the podium in the shot put. Cale Bessler earned All-America honors with a third-place finish after a top mark of 16.96 meters (55 feet, 7.75 inches), while Andrew Schmitz added a sixth-place finish at 16.65m (54-7.5) to give Doane nine team points in the event.

Those performances helped the Tigers finish in a tie with Concordia (Neb.) and Corban in the national team standings. Marian (Ind.) won the men's team title with 66 points, followed by Cumberlands with 52 and Indiana Tech with 42.5.

Doane's throws group supplied several other strong national efforts. In the weight throw, Schmitz narrowly missed another scoring finish, taking ninth at 18.56m (60-10.75). Jaden Vollenweider placed 24th with a mark of 17.19m (56-4.75), and Tad Dimmitt was 27th at 16.50m (54-1.75). In the shot put, Colton Dillon finished 12th at 15.97m (52-4.75) and Christopher Brown was 21st at 15.40m (50-6.25).

On the track, Michael Grigsby advanced to the finals in the mile and placed 10th overall in 4:16.36 after qualifying with a preliminary time of 4:13.91. Grigsby also anchored Doane's distance medley relay team of Luke Bonifas, Eli Marez, Emmanuel Yego and Michael Grigsby, which finished 12th in the preliminaries in 10:07.89.

The Tigers also had solid performances in the distance events from Porter Bickley, who finished 15th in the 3,000 meters in 8:33.98, and Alvin Keter, who placed 16th in the 5,000 meters in 15:06.69.

In the jumps, Brian Cech competed in both horizontal events, placing 26th in the long jump at 6.48m (21-3.25) and 27th in the triple jump at 13.76m (45-1.75). Andrew Harms represented Doane in the high jump.

The national meet capped another successful indoor season for the Tigers, who scored in the national championships through Bessler and Schmitz and added multiple top-20 finishes against one of the deepest fields in the NAIA.

Doane Men's NAIA Indoor National Championship Performers
Shot Put: 3. Cale Bessler, 16.96m; 6. Andrew Schmitz, 16.65m; 12. Colton Dillon, 15.97m; 21. Christopher Brown, 15.40m
Weight Throw: 9. Andrew Schmitz, 18.56m; 24. Jaden Vollenweider, 17.19m; 27. Tad Dimmitt, 16.50m
Mile: 10. Michael Grigsby, 4:16.36
3,000 Meters: 15. Porter Bickley, 8:33.98
5,000 Meters: 16. Alvin Keter, 15:06.69
Long Jump: 26. Brian Cech, 6.48m
Triple Jump: 27. Brian Cech, 13.76m
Distance Medley Relay: 12. Luke Bonifas, Eli Marez, Emmanuel Yego, Michael Grigsby, 10:07.89
High Jump: Andrew Harms, no height

(generated by ChatGPT)