Story by David Rebstock, Morningside Athletics

Sioux City, Iowa  – Morningside College's Elin Landgren, a senior catcher from Des Moines, Iowa, broke the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) softball national record for most times hit by a pitch in a career during the 10th-ranked Mustangs'

Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) doubleheader sweep of Dakota Wesleyan University on Thursday in Sioux City.

Landgren was hit by a pitch for the 72nd time in her career when Dakota Wesleyan's Lorissa Loeppky hit her in the leg with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Mustangs' 3-0 victory in the nightcap. Landgren, who has been hit by a pitch 21 times this season, had shared the previous NAIA national record with Lindsey Krippel of Olivet Nazarene University, who was hit 71 times during her career from 2013-16.

Morningside, which won the first game 10-3, clinched at least a share of the GPAC championship with its sweep of the Tigers.

The Mustangs climbed to 33-8 overall and 15-3 in the GPAC for a two-game lead over runner-up Concordia University (13-5) with two games remaining. Morningside will wrap up its GPAC schedule with a Saturday home doubleheader against Midland University, while Concordia will complete its GPAC slate with a Saturday twin bill at Dordt College.

Morningside won its second consecutive GPAC regular season crown and its seventh GPAC title during the Jessica Jones-Sitzmann coaching era.