SEWARD, Neb. – While frigid temperatures and strong winds resulted in a condensed meet, racewalker Lauren Dawson and a large group of field athletes from Concordia University Track & Field made the most of the weekend. Bulldog athletes combined for six event titles and two new automatic national qualifying standards at the Concordia Outdoor Invite (April 14-15). As one of those event champions, Dawson reset her own record in the 5,000 meter racewalk.
The meet was a departure from the norm for Head Coach Matt Beisel and his staff, which had no distance, mid-distance, sprinters, hurdlers or relays to oversee at the Concordia Invite. Despite the lack of running events, 11 institutions sent athletes to compete at the meet, which played out in the throwing fields and in the Fieldhouse.
A junior from Cedar Falls, Iowa, Dawson just missed the cut in regard to qualifying for indoor nationals in the racewalk. Now she’s working on positioning herself for a bid to the outdoor national meet. She battled through the cool and windy conditions on Saturday to run a new personal best of 28:34.84 in the 5,000 meter racewalk. Teammate Peyton Gissler also clocked a PR (33:07.83). Both Bulldogs have made major strides with the tutelage of former Concordia racewalker Steve Hoger. Dawson pushed herself into the top 10 of the NAIA national list with a fresh ‘B’ standard.
“Just being excited about it helps me out the most,” Dawson said in response to her fast rise in the event. “I enjoy it because it’s something new and I love to try new things. Being able to stay in love with the sport and to see the success is really encouraging … It was difficult to gain the muscle needed. It uses a lot of different muscles than distance running. You also have to get used to the racewalk form – it’s nothing like running at all.”
Throwing events were contested both Friday and Saturday. A three-time NAIA All-American, Chris Wren made his outdoor season debut on Friday and got on the board with an automatic national qualifying mark of 187’ 5” in the hammer. He placed third out of 32 competitors in the field. He was joined by four teammates within the top 10 at the Concordia Invite: Darien Semedo (fifth), Ben Moll (sixth), Brady Klute (seventh) and Austen Rozelle (10th). On the women’s side of the hammer, Kamryn Pokorney hit the ‘B’ standard (159’ 3”) once again and placed fifth out of 37 athletes. She was followed by teammates Alli Owings (sixth), Abigail Gerber (seventh), Abi Wohlgemuth (eighth) and Erin Painter (ninth).
Two Bulldogs emerged as event champions in the throws as Matthew Boyer won the javelin in a toss of 179’ 10” and Carson Fehlhafer took first in the discus (154’). Boyer has won javelin competitions at three separate meets this season (including the Central Nebraska Challenge and the Central College Invite). On the women’s side of the javelin, 12 Concordia athletes tried their hand. Tops among them was Gretchen Stottlemyre with a throw of 118’ 4” (third place). In the men’s discus, the Bulldogs had four of the top five finishers with Rozelle (third), Grant Jansen (fourth) and Klute (fifth) coming in after Fehlhafer. The top discus performer on the women’s side was Erin Painter (134’ 8”; third place). In the shot put, Connor Asche (47’ 3”) and Pokorney (42’ 7”) were both third-place finishers.
Expectations are high each time out for the pole vault crew. On the women’s side, Josie Puelz took first place at the Concordia Invite while clearing 12’ 3 ½.” Meanwhile, teammate Erin Mapson (11’ 11 ¾”) qualified for nationals while placing second and Kayla Svoboda (11’ 7 ¾”) hit a new ‘B’ standard. On the men’s side, Zach Zohner (15’ 9 ¾”) would have been the meet champion if not for an unattached athlete. Four Bulldogs placed inside the top nine of a competition that featured 26 athletes.
An indoor long jump national qualifier, Joel Rathe is working on attaining the same feat this outdoor season. The Sterling, Neb., native missed the ‘B’ standard on Saturday by a centimeter while winning the Concordia Invite long jump with a mark of 23’ 5 ¼.” Teammate Myles Sadd followed him with a PR of 22’ 8.” On the women’s side of the long jump, three Bulldogs recorded measurements greater than 17 feet: Hayley Miles (18’ 1”), Kellie Rhodes (17’ 2 ¼”) and Amanda Steinke (17’ 1 ½”). Other top Concordia jumpers were Wyatt Loga in the high jump (second; 6’ 6 ¾”), Hannah Newton in the high jump (tied for first; 5’ 3”) and Josi Noble in the triple jump (third; 36’ 2”).
Automatic National Qualifying Standards
· Erin Mapson – Pole Vault (11’ 11 ¾”)
· Josie Puelz – Pole Vault (12’ 3 ½”)
· Chris Wren – Hammer Throw (187’ 5”)
· Zach Zohner – Pole Vault (15’ 9 ¾”)
Concordia Invite Event Champions
· Matthew Boyer – Javelin (179’ 10”)
· Lauren Dawson – 5,000m Racewalk (28:34.84)
· Carson Fehlhafer – Discus (154’)
· Hannah Newton – High Jump (5’ 3”)
· Josie Puelz – Pole Vault (12’ 3 ½”)
· Joel Rathe – Long Jump (23’ 5 ¼”)
All parties involved will pray for more favorable weather conditions next weekend (April 20-22) when the Jim Dutcher Memorial Classic will be hosted by Doane. The meet schedule can be found HERE.