SEWARD, Neb. – Junior Jacob Cornelio, sophomore Cody Williams and head coach Matt Beisel were honored with major conference awards on Thursday (May 9), as announced by the GPAC. In addition, 47 Concordia University athletes earned all-conference recognition in one or more events courtesy of their performances last week at the 2019 GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Yankton, S.D. Beisel’s squads placed first on the women’s side and third on the men’s side at the GPAC championships.
As the leading point scorer among GPAC men’s athletes at the conference meet, Williams was tabbed the Hauff Mid-America Sports GPAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Outstanding Athlete of the Year. Beisel was voted the Jim McMahon/Hauff Mid-America Sports GPAC Women’s Coach of the Year (earned the same award for indoor season). Finally, Cornelio was recognized with the Men’s Field Performance of the Meet for his personal best hammer throw of 202’ 5,” for a first-place claim. On the national scale, Beisel’s squads are ranked third in the NAIA on the women’s side and 11th on the men’s side.
Conference individual titles were claimed by Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Cornelio (hammer throw), Samantha Liermann (shot put), Erin Mapson (pole vault), Addie Shaw (discus) and Williams (long jump, 110 hurdles). Concordia athletes also combined for nine GPAC runner-up claims. The women completed a sweep of GPAC indoor/outdoor titles while the men followed up a second-place indoor finish with the third-place outdoor finish.
Williams is the fourth Bulldog male since 2011 to earn GPAC Outdoor Athlete of the Year accolades. The previous three were Lucas Wiechman (2017), Zach Lurz (2014) and Dana Schmidt (2011). Williams racked up 34 team points by way of conference titles in the 110 meter hurdles (14.88) and the long jump (23’ 7 ¼”) and place finishes of second in the high jump (6’ 7 ½”) and third in the triple jump (45’ 1 ¾”). Williams is an automatic national qualifier in the high jump and pole vault.
The depth of the women’s roster is made clear by its 29 all-conference athletes. Shaw led the way with 21 team points via her GPAC title in the discus in addition to place finishes of third in the hammer and fourth in the shot put. Liermann, who broke the GPAC meet record in the shot put, also placed top six in the same three events as Shaw did. Other Bulldogs to earn all-conference honors in three or more events included Battershell, Nathan Matters, Josiah McAllister Jamie Nikodym, Jacee Pfeifer and Williams.
Next up for the Bulldogs is Friday’s Concordia Twilight Meet. The season will then conclude with the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 23-25.
2019 GPAC Outdoor All-Conference
MEN (18)
- Taylor Beck – triple jump (6th)
- Zach Bennetts – pole vault (7th)
- Jacob Cornelio – hammer (1st)
- Gavin Davis – 4x400m relay (3rd); 400 meters (5th)
- Gavin DeHaai – pole vault (2nd)
- Liam Hennessy – discus (6th)
- Jordan Lorenz – 10,000 meters (4th)
- Rees Lyon – decathlon (8th)
- Nathan Matters – 4x800m relay (2nd); 4x400m relay (3rd); 800 meters (7th)
- Josiah McAllister – 4x800m relay (2nd); 4x400m relay (3rd); 800 meters (4th)
- Jerod Peters – shot put (7th)
- Ben Pratt – high jump (7th)
- Henry Reimer – 400 hurdles (7th)
- Xavier Ross – 4x400m relay (3rd); 400 meters (8th)
- Sam Sisco – pole vault (6th)
- Thomas Taylor – 4x800m relay (2nd)
- Christian Van Cleave – 4x800m relay (2nd); 1,500 meters (7th)
- Cody Williams – 110 hurdles (1st); long jump (1st); high jump (2nd); triple jump (3rd)
WOMEN (29)
- Rachel Battershell – 400 meters (1st); 4x400m relay (3rd); 200 meters (8th)
- Tori Beran – 400 hurdles (3rd)
- Jamey Broman –long jump (6th)
- Allie Brooks – pole vault (7th)
- Lydia Cook – steeplechase (5th)
- Claire Cornell – long jump (3rd)
- Morgan De Jong – discus (8th)
- Jessica Deterding – long jump (2nd); heptathlon (3rd)
- Jazzy Eickhoff – javelin (2nd)
- Alyssa Fye – 1,500 meters (7th)
- McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (2nd)
- Taylor Grove – 5,000 meters (7th)
- Rebekah Hinrichs – 1,500 meters (2nd)
- Jacy Johnston – steeplechase (4th)
- Mackenzie Koepke – high jump (3rd)
- Leah Larson – triple jump (3rd)
- Sarah Lewis – 100 hurdles (2nd); 4x400m relay (3rd)
- Samantha Liermann – shot put (1st); discus (5th); hammer (6th)
- Elle Luehr – shot put (8th)
- Erin Mapson – pole vault (1st)
- Kennedy Mogul – 100 hurdles (5th); heptathlon (8th)
- Tristen Mosier – pole vault (8th)
- Jamie Nikodym – 4x400m relay (3rd); 100 hurdles (6th); 400 hurdles (7th)
- Jacee Pfeifer – 4x400m relay (3rd); 400 meters (5th); pole vault (5th)
- Addie Shaw – discus (1st); hammer (3rd); shot put (4th)
- Bethany Shaw – discus (6th)
- Johanna Ragland – hammer (2nd)
- Hannah Rebmann – 10,000 meters (6th)
- Carley Weisser – discus (4th)