ASHLAND, Neb. – In a showcase event for NAIA cross country, the Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country teams competed favorably on a cool Saturday (Oct.26) morning at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb., location of the 2024 Blazing Tiger Classic. The Bulldogs emerged from the meet with place finishes of sixth on the men’s side and 12th on the women’s side (out of 27 NAIA squads on both sides). There were a combined 11 NAIA top 25 teams that took part in the meet, which featured a men’s 8k followed by a women’s 6k.
Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads entered the weekend listed among others “receiving votes” in the national polls. In what was the final outing prior to the conference championships, Concordia had aspirations of putting themselves in a prime position for potential national championship bids come November.
“All of us wanted more than we got today from a team perspective,” Beisel said. “We had some standout performances and also some individuals who didn’t have a good day. That’s always disappointing to them. This was a really big meet from a rankings standpoint. We had two good weeks of training going and felt pretty good going into this. We didn’t run badly, we just didn’t make the big jump as a team that we were hoping to make. In all things, God is good. That’s the most important thing that we think about.”
Men’s Summary
In a field that included five teams ranked in the NAIA top 20, the Bulldogs came away with a sixth-place team finish (235 points) at the Blazing Tiger. Concordia placed third among GPAC teams at the meet as it finished behind Dordt (third) and Doane (fifth) but in front of Hastings (23rd) and Morningside (25th). The Bulldogs were a mere five points behind the rival Tigers, who are ranked 15th in the NAIA. The meet title went to No. 3 College of Idaho (31 points).
Said Beisel, “The men placing sixth out of 27 teams is huge. We were sniffing at Doane very closely, so that’s a huge positive. We had some health issues, but at the same time we had some huge performances from Vaughn, Trey, Trevor and Aidan. We ended up beating a lot of teams. For Trey to go under 25 for the first time is a huge confidence booster.”
Top Dawks – 8k
10. Vaughn Hendrickson: 24:49.52
11. Trey Robertson: 24:49.74
66. Trevor Kuncl: 26:03.08
80. Aidan Limback: 26:14.88
103. Thomas Gorline: 26:30.18
125. Jarrett Miles: 26.44.60
127. Jack Ellis: 26:46.25
Indeed, Hendrickson and Robertson continue to star at the top of the lineup. Both standouts clocked new 8k personal bests while going under 25 minutes. In running 24:49.52, Hendrickson shaved nearly 10 seconds off his time from two weeks earlier at the Dordt meet (when he placed third). Hendrickson wound up in 10th place in the field of more than 330 runners at the Blazing Tiger. Robertson was hot on his heels while finishing in 24:49.74 (11th place), roughly 12 seconds faster than two weeks ago.
The rest of the team’s top five included junior Trevor Kuncl (26:03.08), sophomore Aidan Limback (26:14.88) and senior Thomas Gorline (26:30.18). Both Limback and Gorline ran personal bests. Next in line were freshman Jarrett Miles (26.44.60) and senior Jack Ellis (26:46.25). The Concordia top 10 was rounded out by senior Nathan Pennekamp (26:53.72), freshman Ethan Sholey (27:02.11) and sophomore Ransom Watts (27:02.72). There were 26 Bulldogs who completed the 8k.
Women’s Summary
In placing 12th with 362 points, the Bulldogs came up a bit shy of the expectations they had coming into the meet. They were outrun by GPAC rivals such as Dordt (third), Doane (ninth) and College of Saint Mary (10th). Concordia defeated Morningside (21st) and Hastings (25th). Six of the top seven placing teams at the Blazing Tiger are ranked inside the NAIA top 25. The meet was won by third-ranked University of Saint Mary (Kan.).
Said Beisel, “On the women’s side, there were some rough days, but some individuals ran great. We know going forward into the next two weeks, we are going to have to put together incredible performances at conference in order to accomplish our goals. We all believe we are capable of that. We have two weeks to work it out.”
Top Dawks – 6k
56. Keegan Beisel: 23:30.31
68. Annika Staab: 23:48.27
83. Rhaya Kaschinske: 24:04.89
94. Alison Stepanek: 24:12.49
108. Annaka Schlachter: 24:26.70
139. Ellie Jander: 24:51.33
140. Hannah Beintema: 24:52.11
For the second outing in a row, junior Keegan Beisel paced the Bulldogs individually. She ran a 6k of 23:30.31 and placed 56th in a field of just over 300 competitors in Ashland. Meanwhile, freshman Annika Staab also repeated a sub-24-minute (23:48.27) 6k as the team’s No. 2 runner. The top five also included senior Rhaya Kaschinske (24:04.89) and freshmen Alison Stepanek (24:12.49) and Annaka Schlachter (24:26.70). Kaschinske and Stepanek crossed the finish line with top 100 placements.
Concordia’s Nos. 6 through 10 runners at the meet were: juniors Ellie Jander (24:51.33) and junior Hannah Beintema (24:52.11) and sophomores Kelsie Heins (25:27.19), Claire Beikmann (25:40.70) and Josie Smith (25:41.74). There were 15 runners who represented the Bulldogs at the Blazing Tiger.
Up next
The Bulldogs will have the next two weeks to prepare for the 2024 GPAC Cross Country Championships, which are set for Saturday, Nov. 9. On that date, Concordia will be right back at Mahoney State Park along with its conference rivals. At the 2023 conference meet held in North Sioux City, S.D., the Bulldogs placed second on the women’s side and third on the men’s side.