SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – In going up against fellow top-of-the GPAC contenders, the Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country squads came away with top four placements at the Holiday Inn Express Classic hosted by Dordt. When the dust settled in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Saturday (Oct. 12) morning, the Bulldogs finished third out of 11 teams on the men’s side and fourth out of 10 teams on the women’s side. The team’s top individuals were junior Keegan Beisel and freshman Vaughn Hendrickson in a meet that included more than 300 runners between men and women.
The outing marked the fourth of the 2024 season for Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads. It was the first time this fall that Concordia had competed on back-to-back Saturdays. Both Bulldog teams entered the meet as teams receiving votes in the NAIA national ratings.
“We haven’t yet run everyone completely healthy and yet what we did today for both the men and the women was show gigantic improvements compared to last week,” Beisel said. “I definitely think we made a statement. Overall, it was a good day. The way our kids have been hit with illness really affects you as a distance runner. The fact that we’re running as well as we are in spite of that is a really good thing. A huge focus of our team while knowing we needed to show some improvement against Dordt and Doane was to ultimately give this up to God. It was all about glorifying God while representing Concordia.”
Women’s Summary
In a first opportunity to go head-to-head with eighth-ranked Dordt, the Bulldog women’s team placed fourth while finishing behind the meet champion Defenders (20 points) and Doane (122 points), among conference rivals. In the team standings, Concordia (127 points) defeated the likes of Minnesota-Crookston (fifth), Dakota State University (seventh), Northwestern (eighth), Wayne State College (ninth) and Southwest Minnesota State University (10th).
Top Dawgs – 6k
18. Keegan Beisel: 23:10.00
28. Hannah Beintema: 23:33.70
30. Annika Staab: 23:35.90
36. Rhaya Kaschinske: 23:49.80
43. Annaka Schlachter: 23:58.90
48. Alison Stepanek: 24:05.30
61. Claire Beikmann: 24:32.50
Junior Hannah Beintema had been the top Bulldog finisher through the team’s first three meets of the season. This time, fellow junior Keegan Beisel led the way as she placed 18th out of 142 runners in the field in Sioux Center. Beisel completed the 6k course in 23:10.00 (as compared to the individual championship time of 21:52.60). Beintema wasn’t far behind as she crossed the finish line in 28th place (23:33.70). Two freshmen – Annika Staab (23:35.90) and Annaka Schlachter (23:58.90) – were also among the team’s top five runners. Senior Rhaya Kaschinske returned to action and placed fourth on the team (23:49.80).
Said Beisel, “Keegan was our lead runner and Hannah Beintema continues to be rock solid. She ran a very good race and went out aggressively. Keegan was able to finish strong. We had people like Annika, Rhaya and Annaka work their way up in the pack and hold it together. Alison was coming off an illness and ran a personal best. I think we have a much better team race in us. We have two weeks to get solid practice in and be ready to rock and roll at Blazing Tiger.”
The team’s sixth through 10 runners at the Dordt meet were freshman Alison Stepanek (24:05.30), sophomore Claire Beikmann (24:32.50), junior Ellie Jander (24:34.70) and sophomores Kelsie Heins (24:50.60) and Christina Martinson (25:00.40). Each of those runners placed 77th or higher.
Men’s Summary
The highest ranked teams in the GPAC crowded the top of the standings at the Holiday Inn Express Classic. The Bulldogs totaled 83 points and placed behind nationally ranked opposition in No. 12 Dordt (first place) and No. 14 Doane (second place). Dordt finished with 34 points and Doane landed at 56 points. Concordia outkicked the likes of Bellevue University (fourth), Benedictine College (fifth), Northwestern (sixth), Wayne State College (seventh), Dakota State University (eighth), Minnesota-Crookston (ninth) and Southwest Minnesota State University (10th).
Top Dawgs – 8k
3. Vaughn Hendrickson: 24:58.33
5. Trey Robertson: 25:01.24
11. Trevor Kuncl: 25:35.49
32. Aidan Limback: 26:17.24
37. Jarrett Miles: 26:17.24
39. Cole Yunker: 26:28.57
44. Aaron Jendro: 26:32.98
For the third straight meet, freshman Vaughn Hendrickson topped the Bulldogs. He placed third in the 8k race (out of 182 runners) in a time of 24:58.33. It was an improvement from his first place 8k time of 25:26.7 at the Briar Cliff Invite a week earlier. Hendrickson placed behind only Dordt’s Aidan Vorster (24:49.10) and Doane’s Thomas Oliver (24:54.07) at the top of the pack in Sioux Center. In addition, sophomore teammate Trey Robertson was hot on their heels as he crossed the finish line in 25:01.04, good for fifth place.
Said Beisel, “Vaughn led the team and Trey was right there with him. That was the first time Vaughn has been under 25 minutes, and I’ve only had one other person break 25 – Camden Sesna. Trey almost broke into the 24s and ran great. Trevor (Kuncl) had a huge race. He needed it – I knew he was capable of it. To have those three guys up front was huge for us. Then we had huge personal bests from pretty much most of our guys. We just need to bring the separation from our top three and our next three together.”
Concordia junior Trevor Kuncl just missed a top 10 placement as he clocked in at 25:35.49 and took 11th. The team’s top five also featured sophomore Aidan Limback (26:17.24) and freshman Jarrett Miles (26:17.24). The top eight for the Bulldogs were all among the first 50 runners to complete the race. Concordia’s Nos. 6 through 8 competitors were freshman Cole Yunker (26:28.57), junior Aaron Jendro (26:32.98) and senior Nathan Pennekamp (26:39.42). The team’s top 10 was rounded out by seniors Thomas Gorline (26:47.41) and Jack Ellis (27:03.77).
Up Next
The Bulldogs will take next week off from competition while looking ahead to the Blazing Tiger Classic on Saturday, Oct. 26. The meet will be held at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb., the same site of the 2024 GPAC Championships slated for Nov. 9.