2025 National Championships Info
SEWARD, Neb. – A group of 17 Bulldogs have earned the opportunity to represent Concordia University, Nebraska Powerlifting on the national stage. The group that includes 10 returning national qualifiers will compete in Oklahoma City, Okla., site of the 2025 USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championships to be held April 3-6. This will mark the second-straight year that Head Coach Freddie Myles’ program has qualified 17 athletes for the national championships.
The qualifying field for Concordia is listed below. The returning national qualifiers from 2024 include Dax Davis, Jack Hedke, Pryce Ostermeier and Hunter Powers on the men’s side and Teya Badger, Taylor Hedke, Kenzie Houser, Rylee Ladd, Abigail Lockingen and Abigail Velten on the women’s side. At the ’24 national championships in Atlanta, Ga., the Bulldogs placed ninth (out of 109 teams) on the women’s side and 19th (out of 110 teams) on the men’s side.
2025 Concordia National Competitors
* Returning National Qualifier
Men
· *Dax Davis, 60kg (Grand Island, Neb.)
· Nolan Graupmann, 110kg (Goddard, Kan.)
· *Jack Hedke, 125kg (Marysville, Kan.)
· Wyatt Hosick, 60kg (Cozad, Neb.)
· Pablo Martinez, 140kg (Wichita, Kan.)
· Quentin Nelson, 100kg (Omaha, Neb.)
· *Pryce Ostermeier, 82.5kg (Grand Island, Neb.)
· Rayle Ostermeier, 65kg (Grand Island, Neb.)
· *Hunter Powers, 75kg (Grand Island, Neb.)
Women
· *Teya Badger, 100kg (Brandon, S.D.)
· Chloe Gaspar, 60kg (Grand Island, Neb.)
· *Taylor Hedke, 60kg (Marysville, Kan.)
· *Kenzie Houser, 56kg (Riverton, Kan.)
· *Rylee Ladd, 52kg (Chetek, Wis.)
· *Abigail Lockingen, 90kg (West Jordan, Utah)
· Nevaeh Osterbauer, 70kg (Osceola, Wis.)
· *Abigail Velten, 75kg (Whitesboro, Texas)
A junior from Chetek, Wis., Rylee Ladd will look to build upon her 2024 national runner-up claim at 52kg. As part of the competition in Atlanta, Ladd broke the American female collegiate bench press record for her weight class by lifting 92.5kg (204 pounds). Ladd also squatted 132.5kg and deadlifted 145kg for a total of 370kg. In addition, Will Peterson placed fifth at 140kg while earning a spot on the podium. In terms of sheer place finishes, the next best Concordia competitors were Badger (ninth at 100kg), Houser (14th at 56kg), Jack Hedke (17th at 125kg) and Taylor Hedke (26th at 60kg).
The following Bulldogs set to head to Oklahoma City also recently competed at the 2025 University Weightlifting National Championships: Gaspar, Graupmann, Taylor Hedke and Houser. Taylor Hedke placed fifth in the 59kg weight class at weightlifting nationals.
The 2024-25 season to date for Bulldog Powerlifting has included the Strong Husker Meet (Oct. 12), the Central Collegiate Cup Series (Nov. 23-24) and the Friends University Open (Feb. 1). Some of the major highlights were three individual titles and three school records at the Strong Husker Meet, eight new school records and five first-place awards at the Central Collegiate Cup Series and a Best Female Lifter honor for Velten at the Friends Open. In addition, Ladd was tabbed the Best Female Lifter at the Strong Husker competition.
Following the collegiate national championships, Concordia will look forward to hosting the CUNE Collegiate Powerlifting Meet on Saturday, April 12. The Bulldogs hosted a competition in 2024, marking the first home meet in program history.