SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia Indoor Invite provided one last chance for Concordia University Track & Field athletes to improve their positioning for the upcoming GPAC Championships. Six Bulldogs seized the moment and produced fresh automatic national qualifying standards in a meet that featured athletes from eight institutions. The yields for Concordia also included 11 event championships.
The new ‘A’ standards came courtesy of Jenna Esch (800 meters), Kylahn Freiberg (1,000 meters), Rylee Haecker (800 meters), Jordan Koepke (400 meters), Calvin Rohde (1,000 meters) and Darien Semedo (shot put). Additionally, Adrianna Rodencal broke her own record (again) in the 60-meter hurdles. Those results bring the combined season tally of ‘A’ standards to 32 for Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads.
“This is the meet where we want the last pieces to fall into place and get ready for conference,” Beisel said. “A number of people we wanted to make sure they got a good seed mark for conference and improve those marks with automatics and ‘B’ standards for nationals – we did it in spades. A lot of amazing things happened. I’m super proud of everybody.”
Nationally ranked No. 3 (according to the USTFCCCA), the Concordia women’s team continues to show off its immense depth. The Bulldogs boast an army of runners with multiple individual national qualifying standards. The reigning GPAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week, Freiberg (Nampa, Idaho) has been sensational this indoor season. She ran 2:56.29 in the 1,000 meters (No. 2 in the NAIA) on Friday while nearing the personal best that made her an NAIA national runner up a year ago. Freiberg is now qualified for nationals in not just the 1,000, but also in the mile, the 3,000 and the 5,000.
Esch and Haecker have been similarly impressive. They went 1-2 in the 800 meters at the Concordia Invite while both meeting the ‘A’ standard. Esch crossed the finish line in 2:15.68 while Haecker came right behind in 2:17.22. Esch (Hastings, Neb.) has qualified for nationals in the 400, 600 and 800 meters (No. 1 800-meter time in the NAIA) while Haecker (Davenport, Neb.) has recorded ‘A’ standards in the 800, 1,000 and mile. As for Koepke, she took the meet title in the 400 meters in a time of 57.95. Koepke has punched her ticket to nationals in both the 400 and 600 meters.
The goal for the Reed City, Mich., native Rohde is to reach the All-America podium for the first time in his career. He blazed around the track for a personal best time of 2:28.18. The conversion of 2:26.17 has vaulted Rohde all the way to No. 1 on the NAIA national list (pending results around the country this weekend). Rohde has also put his name into the national qualifying field for the mile.
Semedo’s big toss of 53’ 5 ¾” in the shot put (first place) brought cheers from the throws crowd at the Concordia Invite. A 2023 outdoor shot put All-American, Semedo (Sacramento, Calif.) had been hitting the ‘B’ standard with regularity before Friday’s breakthrough. In addition, the throws crew repeated two auto marks as Abby Gerber threw 45’ ¼” (second place) in the shot put and Abi Wohlgemuth fired off a weight throw of 58’ 4 ½.” Wohlgemuth sits No. 4 nationally in the event and is primed for big things at the GPAC and national meets.
Said the Lincoln Lutheran alum Wohlgemuth, “It’s been a long time coming. It was a rough-go earlier, but now we’re figuring things out, especially on my finish. I think it’s going to hopefully go a lot farther eventually. Right now we’re trying a few things to help it go a little bit.”
Also a Lincoln Lutheran alum, Rodencal keeps lowering her school record in the 60 hurdles. She ran like lightning in both the prelims and the finals, turning in times of 8.56 and 8.55. Rodencal was beaten out for first place in the event by just .01. Rodencal was the runner up in both the 60 hurdles and the 60 meters (7.85) at the Concordia Invite.
In the men’s field events, Joel Rathe and Zach Zohner continue to shine. Rathe landed a new indoor personal best in the long jump with his winning mark of 23’ 9” on Friday. The PR moved the Sterling, Neb., native up to No. 12 on the NAIA national list. In the men’s pole vault, Zohner has now won four meet titles. His latest vault of 16’ 8 ¾” was nearly a foot-and-a-half higher than the next best competitor at the Concordia Invite. Zohner remains at No. 1 nationally in the pole vault.
In reacting to his personal best, Rathe stated, “I’ve been working on trying to limit some of my older bad habits I’ve had in my jumping form. I just kind of got my foot up under me and got up taller through the air and that really felt like it carried me out those extra few inches I’ve been looking for.”
Not previously mentioned Concordia Invite event champions included Julie McIntyre in the mile (5:10.86), Hayley Miles in the long jump (17’ 10 ¾”) and Trey Robertson in the 3,000 meters (9:01.12). McIntyre managed to notch a ‘B’ standard and so too did junior Rhaya Kaschinske in the 1,000 meters (3:03.63). Kaschinske was the runner up to Freiberg. Other ‘B’ marks came in the women’s pole vault from Kayla Svoboda (11’ 4 ½”), in the men’s shot put from Carson Fehlhafer (50’ 8”) and in the men’s weight throw from Brady Klute (56’ 8 ½”) and Semedo (55’ 10 ¼”).
The following not previously mentioned Bulldogs placed second in their respective events at the Concordia Invite: Thomas Gorline (3,000 meters), Kayla Kirchner (200 and 400 meters), Josi Noble (triple jump) and Addie Reimer (high jump).
Automatic National Qualifying Standards
· Jenna Esch – 800 Meters (2:15.68)
· Kylahn Freiberg – 1,000 Meters (2:56.29)
· Abby Gerber – Shot Put (45’ ¼”)
· Rylee Haecker – 800 Meters (2:17.22)
· Jordan Koepke – 400 Meters (57.95)
· Joel Rathe – Long Jump (23’ 9”)
· Adrianna Rodencal – 60 Hurdles (8.55)
· Calvin Rohde – 1,000 Meters (2:28.18)
· Darien Semedo – Shot Put (53’ 5 ¾”)
· Abi Wohlgemuth – Weight Throw (58’ 4 ½”)
· Zach Zohner – Pole Vault (16’ 8 ¾”)
Concordia Invite Event Champions
· Jenna Esch – 800 Meters (2:15.68)
· Kylahn Freiberg – 1,000 Meters (2:56.29)
· Jordan Koepke – 400 Meters (57.95)
· Julie McIntyre – Mile (5:10.86)
· Hayley Miles – Long Jump (17’ 10 ¾”)
· Joel Rathe – Long Jump (23’ 9”)
· Trey Robertson – 3,000 Meters (9:01.12)
· Calvin Rohde – 1,000 Meters (2:28.18)
· Darien Semedo – Shot Put (53’ 5 ¾”)
· Abi Wohlgemuth – Weight Throw (58’ 4 ½”)
· Zach Zohner – Pole Vault (16’ 8 ¾”)
The Bulldogs will spend the next week preparing for the 2024 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships to be held on Feb. 16-17 at the Ruth Donohoue First Dakota Fieldhouse, home to Mount Marty. The venue hosted the 2021 NAIA indoor national championship meet. The GPAC championships schedule can be found HERE. At the 2023 conference indoor meet, Concordia placed first on the women’s side and third on the men’s side.
Said Beisel, “I think one of the biggest things leading into this week, everybody at practice as I watched them, everyone was working hard, laughing a lot and in a really great mood. I feel like that describes our team right now. I don’t think we’re stressing about it. We’re just anticipating it and are excited about the opportunity. I think that’s really important. When we go in and are at peace about it, things go better … I’ve given this up to God and this team up to God. In all that we do, we give glory to Him.”