For the second week in a row, Ben Hammer has been named Great Plains Athletic Conference field athlete of the week, after strong performances in the 2016 Sioux City Relays in Sioux City, Iowa held April 11-17, 2016 . Ben qualified for the NAIA National Championships in the shot put after qualifying last week in the discus. He finished third in the shot put with a toss of 15.60 meters to qualify for nationals. In the discus, he took fourth place Saturday with a throw of 48.08 meters, besting all throwers from the NAIA level.
Ben Hammer is GPAC’s Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Ben Hammer of Dakota Wesleyan is this week’s Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference’s track & field athlete-of-the-week. Hammer, a freshman from Dell Rapids, South Dakota, set a school record, while picking up strong finishes in three events. Hammer placed first in the men’s shot put with a toss of 50′ 2¾”, while adding an eighth-place showing in the hammer throw with a toss of 118′ 6″. His record performance came in the discus with a throw of 169′ 9″, eclipsing the DWU school record by 11 feet. Hammer finished second in the event, qualifying for the NAIA national meet.