SEWARD, Neb. – A group of 23 Bulldogs have officially been named qualifiers for the 2016 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. The 65th annual men’s event and 36th annual women’s event will play out next week (May 26-28) in Gulf Shores, Ala., the site of the Concordia men’s 2015 team national title.
Tabbed the 2015 NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field National Coach of the Year, Kregg Einspahr will travel a total of 11 men’s athletes to Alabama. That bunch includes 2015 national championships performer of the meet Zach Lurz, a two-time national champion in the shot put. Lurz is one of seven men’s throwers that qualified for the national championships while putting up 14 automatic marks. Lurz and Jose Rojas will both compete in three throwing events. Junior Lucas Wiechman, GPAC titlist in the decathlon and 110 meter hurdles, will also represent Concordia in three events.
Twelve Bulldog women are among the national qualifiers, including current NAIA national leaders Stephanie Coley (discus) and Kali Robb (shot put). Coley, Robb and seven other female throwers will make their way down south after compiling 16 automatic qualifying marks. Senior Liz King will attempt to duplicate her 2014 national title in the javelin in her final meet as a Bulldog. It will also be the final outing for star runner Kim Wood, a 12-time GPAC champion. She will take the track in the 800 and 1,500 meter races.
First-time national qualifiers are seniors Adam Aschenbrenner (hammer) and Jacob Kettner (triple jump), freshman Tyrell Reichert (pole vault) and sophomore Jan Steinbrueck (discus).
The multi-events kick off the NAIA National Championships on May 26 with the men’s decathlon at 10 a.m. CDT. In the women’s heptathlon, event’s get started at 10:30 a.m. Opening Ceremonies are scheduled for 2 p.m. on May 26 and precede trials of the relays.
Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video-streaming company of NAIA national championship events, will be broadcasting the events on www.NAIANetwork.com. A subscription package to view the entire three-day event is $14.95. For more information, including how to register and sign-up for an account, click here.
For more information on the 2016 NAIA Men’s & Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, click here.
2016 NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field National Championships Qualifiers
Men’s Qualifiers by School – HTML
Men’s Qualifiers by Event – HTML
2016 NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field National Championships Qualifiers
Women’s Qualifiers by School – HTML
Women’s Qualifiers by Event - HTML
MEN
- Adam Aschenbrenner, Senior
-Hammer (18th, 174’ 2”)
- Trey Barnes, Sophomore
-Shot put (5th, 55’ 6 ½”)
-Discus (14th, 164’ 11”)
- Philip Kreutzer, Junior
-Shot put (21st, 51’ 4 ½”)
-Hammer (13th, 177’ 6”)
- Jacob Kettner, Senior
-Triple Jump (14th, 47’ 2 ½”)
- Zach Lurz, Senior
-Shot put (1st, 59’ 1 ¼”)
-Discus (5th, 175’ 11”)
-Hammer (4th, 194’ 7”)
- CJ Muller, Junior
-200 meter dash (25th, 21.54)
-400 meter dash (25th, 48.40)
- Tyrell Reichert, Freshman
-Pole Vault (17th, 15’ 1 ¾”)
- Jose Rojas, Senior
-Shot put (9th, 54’ 8 ¾”)
-Discus (17th, 162’ 7”)
-Hammer (3rd, 195’ 2”)
- Ben Schulteis, Senior
-Hammer (22nd, 172’ 9”)
- Josh Slechta, Senior
-Discus (2nd, 180’ 4”)
-Hammer (2nd, 210’ 10”)
- Lucas Wiechman, Junior
-110 meter hurdles (6th, 14.60)
-Pole vault (9th, 15’ 11”)
-Decathlon (7th, 6400)
WOMEN
- Allison Brooks, Freshman
-Pole Vault (19th, 11’ 5 ¾”)
- Kattie Cleveland, Senior
-Discus (7th, 149’ 10”)
-Hammer (4th, 181’ 9”)
- Stephanie Coley, Senior
-Shot put (4th, 46’ 6 ¾”)
-Discus (1st, 160’ 11”)
- Hammer (3rd, 181’ 11”)
- McKenzie Gravo, Freshman
-Pole vault (6th, 12’ 1 ½”)
- Liz King, Senior
-Hammer (2nd, 183’ 9”)
-Javelin (3rd, 154’ 1”)
- Samantha Liermann, Freshman
-Shot put (3rd, 47’ 7”)
-Hammer (29th, 156’ 4”)
- Sydney Meyer, Junior
-Hammer (6th, 175’)
- Nicole Perry, Senior
-Hammer (16th, 165’ 4”)
- Kali Robb, Junior
-Shot put (1st, 49’ 5”)
-Discus (5th, 151’ 11”)
-Hammer (7th, 174’ 5”)
- Jan Steinbrueck, Sophomore
-Discus (13th, 146’)
- Katricia Svoboda, Junior
-Discus (3rd, 158’)
-Javelin (11th, 135’ 3”)
- Kim Wood, Senior
-800 meter run (4th, 2:10.56)
-1,500 meter run (20th, 4:35.82)