SEWARD, Neb. – Final exams week at Concordia also means it’s GPAC week. Concordia University Track & Field is gearing up for the 2024 GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships set to run Friday and Saturday at De Valois Stadium in Orange City, Iowa, home to Northwestern. The Red Raiders will host the conference outdoor meet for the first time since 2011. They were scheduled to host it in 2020 when the entire outdoor season was wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads are coming off GPAC placements of first on the women’s side and third on the men’s side this past indoor season. Additional details on the 2024 GPAC outdoor meet can be found below.
MEET INFO
2024 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships
Friday/Saturday, May 3-4
De Valois Stadium | Orange City, Iowa
Event Schedule (PDF)
Live Coverage
--Video Streams: Day 1 | Day 2
--Results: Black Squirrel
--Admission: $10 for adults/senior citizens, $3 for K-12; only those with NAIA passes and GPAC student ID’s will be admitted free of charge.
Overview
The Bulldogs will carry 13 automatic national qualifying standards into the conference championships. The season tally grew last week when the women’s 4x800-meter relay blazed to a time of 9:12.95 at the Drake Relays (third fastest in the NAIA this season). The women’s relays were a major highlight of last week. In addition to the 4x8, the Bulldogs improved on their 4x4 time (3:48.16) and broke the school record in the 4x2 in a time of 1:40.76. Jenna Esch starred while contributing to each of those aforementioned relays. Another big moment in April came on the 19th when sophomore Matthew Boyer shattered the program javelin record with a gargantuan toss of 219’ 1.” Boyer has qualified for nationals along with other throws in Carson Fehlhafer, Abby Gerber, Darien Semedo and Chris Wren.
Concordia’s women’s program hopes to extend its string of 10-straight GPAC meet titles. Returning Bulldogs who won GPAC event championships at the 2023 conference outdoor meet include the women’s 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays, Rylee Haecker (1,500 meters), Josie Puelz (pole vault), Amy Richert (heptathlon) and Zach Zohner (pole vault). There are 15 athletes on the roster (combined men and women) with previous GPAC titles to their credit. Haecker leads the way with seven career GPAC championships (all seven in individual events). Meanwhile, Puelz has won six career GPAC pole vault titles and Zohner has claimed the two most recent conference pole vault championships on the men’s side.
The current GPAC performance lists show Concordia leading the conference in a total of 11 events (seven on the women’s side and four on the men’s side). The women’s 4x4 and 4x8 relays not only lead the GPAC but are also rated in the top five nationally. In addition, the national champion Zohner paces the NAIA in the pole vault, Abby Gerber ranks No. 4 in the shot put, Chris Wren ranks No. 4 in the hammer throw and Adrianna Rodencal ranks No. 5 in the 100-meter hurdles.
Bulldogs with top-rated GPAC marks
· Women’s 4x400m Relay (3:48.16)
· Women’s 4x800m Relay (9:12.95)
· Matthew Boyer – Javelin (219’ 1”)
· Jenna Esch – 400 Meters (55.80)
· Kylahn Freiberg – 1,500 Meters (4:36.15)
· Abby Gerber – Shot Put (47’ 8”)
· Jordan Koepke – 400m Hurdles (1:01.93)
· Darien Semedo – Shot Put (53’ 11 ¾”)
· Gretchen Stottlemyre – Javelin (131’ 5”)
· Chris Wren – Hammer Throw (198’ 6”)
· Zach Zohner – Pole Vault (17’)
Head Coach Matt Beisel is in his eighth season leading both the cross country and track programs. He’s been named a GPAC Coach of the Year 11 times (once for cross country). All 11 of his conference championships have come on the women’s side. The men are looking to break through after having placed second in the GPAC three times in track during Beisel’s tenure. In cross country this past 2023 season, the Bulldogs recorded conference place finishes of second on the women’s side and third on the men’s side. Kylahn Freiberg garnered All-America status at the national meet held in Vancouver, Wash.
Automatic National Qualifiers (13)
· Women’s 4x400m Relay (3:48.16)
· Women’s 4x800m Relay (9:12.95)
· Matthew Boyer – Javelin (219’ 1”)
· Jenna Esch – 400 Meters (55.80)
· Carson Fehlhafer – Shot Put (53’ 3 ¾”)
· Abby Gerber – Shot Put (47’ 8”)
· Jordan Koepke – 400m Hurdles (1:01.93)
· Adrianna Rodencal – 100m Hurdles (13.84)
· Darien Semedo – Shot Put (53’ 11 ¾”); Hammer Throw (185’ 2”)
· Zoey Walker – High Jump (5’ 6”)
· Chris Wren – Hammer Throw (198’ 6”)
· Zach Zohner – Pole Vault (17’)
--NOTE: Both Amy Richert (4,600 points) and Josi Noble (4,534 points) rank inside the top 10 on the current NAIA national heptathlon list.
The GPAC meet will serve as one of the final chances to post national qualifying marks. Those who qualify will continue their seasons at the 2024 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Marion, Ind., May 22-24. More details on the national meet can be found HERE. Official national qualifiers will be announced in May. Following the GPAC Championships, the Bulldogs will host the Concordia Twilight (May 10) and compete at the Loper Twilight Meet (May 11) hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
Concordia all-time conference titles
MEN – indoor: 2014 | outdoor: 2014, 2015
WOMEN – indoor: 2010, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | outdoor: 1998, 2010, 2012, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
Concordia all-time conference runner-up finishes
MEN – indoor: 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 | outdoor: 2002, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017
WOMEN – indoor: 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 | outdoor: 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Current Bulldogs with GPAC titles
Lauren Dawson – 1 (2023 indoor 3,000m race walk)
Jenna Esch – 5 (2024 indoor 600 meters; 2024 indoor 800 meters; 2024 indoor 4x400m relay; 2023 outdoor 4x400m relay; 2023 indoor 4x400m relay)
Kylahn Freiberg – 2 (2021 indoor 1,000 meters; 2020 indoor 3,000 meters)
Rylee Haecker – 7 (2024 indoor 1,000 meters; 2023 outdoor 1,500 meters; 2023 indoor mile; 2023 indoor 1,000 meters; 2022 outdoor 1,500 meters; 2022 indoor mile; 2022 indoor 1,000 meters)
Kayla Kirchner – 3 (2024 indoor 4x400m relay; 2023 outdoor 4x100m relay; 2023 outdoor 4x400m relay)
Jordan Koepke – 5 (2024 indoor 400 meters; 2024 indoor 4x400m relay; 2023 indoor 4x400m relay; 2022 outdoor 400 hurdles; 2022 indoor 600 meters)
Josie Puelz – 6 (2023 outdoor pole vault; 2023 indoor pole vault; 2022 outdoor pole vault; 2022 indoor pole vault; 2021 outdoor pole vault; 2020 indoor pole vault)
Joel Rathe – 1 (2021 outdoor 4x100m relay)
Kellie Rhodes – 1 (2023 outdoor 4x100m relay)
Amy Richert – 1 (2023 outdoor heptathlon; 2023 indoor pentathlon)
Adrianna Rodencal – 3 (2023 outdoor 4x100m relay; 2023 indoor 60 hurdles; 2023 indoor 200 meters)
Calvin Rohde – 1 (2024 indoor 1,000 meters)
Trinity Tuls – 3 (2024 indoor 4x400m relay; 2023 outdoor 4x400m relay; 2023 indoor 4x400m relay)
Chris Wren -1 (2024 indoor weight throw)
Zach Zohner – 2 (2024 indoor pole vault; 2023 outdoor pole vault)