Mar. 26—SIOUX CITY, Iowa. — Behind Macy Sievers’ strong performance, Dordt women’s basketball made history on Tuesday night.
Sievers, the Great Plains Athletic Conference player of the year, posted a triple-double of 25 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds to guide the Defenders to their second consecutive NAIA national championship, taking down Indiana Wesleyan 82-73.
Dordt became the first team to repeat as champions since NAIA basketball was condensed into a single division prior to the 2020-21 season. From 1992 until 2020, there were two divisions of basketball in the NAIA. It’s also the 16th time a GPAC team has won the national championship in women’s basketball since the conference’s formation in 2000.
Dordt finished the season with a 35-2 record for the second consecutive year. Ethan alum Ava Lingemann was a part of the championship-winning roster, having appeared in 20 games this season, including the Defenders’ NAIA semifinal victory over Bethel (Tenn.) on March 24. She averaged 1.8 points per game and put up a season-high 12 points in a win over Mount Marty on Dec. 17. Lingemann is one of four Defenders from South Dakota on the Dordt varsity roster.
