2023-24 CSC Cross Country/Track & Field Academic All-District
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Cross Country and Track & Field programs placed the maximum number of student-athletes on the list of 2023-24 Academic All-District honorees, as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC). The award winners were announced on Tuesday (June 18) and featured Bulldog repeat selections in Kylahn Freiberg, Rylee Haecker and Josie Puelz on the women’s side and Calvin Rohde and Zach Zohner on the men’s side. The full list of Concordia all-district honorees is included below, along with their career accomplishments.
The 2023-24 Academic All-District® Cross Country/Track & Field Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Student-athletes must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in order to be nominated for this award. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA — for each gender.
Women’s Honorees
Jenna Esch | Hastings, Neb.
8x NAIA All-American (six in relays, two in individual events) … ran leadoff leg for 2024 indoor national championship winning 4x800m relay (school record time of 9:06.48) … 6x Great Plains Athletic Conference champion … five NAIA national meet appearances … member of six GPAC championship winning teams and three teams that earned NAIA national championship trophies (top four or better) … 2024 NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Kylahn Freiberg | Nampa, Idaho
T&F: 7x NAIA All-American … ran leadoff leg for 2024 indoor national championship winning 4x800m relay (school record time of 9:06.48) … 3x Great Plains Athletic Conference event champion (indoor 1,000m, outdoor 1,500m and outdoor 3,000m) … eight NAIA national meet appearances … 2023 NAIA indoor 1,000-meter national runner up (2:54.87) and 2024 NAIA indoor mile national runner up (4:54.09) … school record holder in the outdoor 1,500 meters (4:31.08) and 3,000 meters (9:54.40) … member of nine GPAC championship winning teams and six teams that earned NAIA national championship trophies (top four or better) … 2023 CSC Academic All-District/All-America … 4x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
XC: 2023 NAIA All-American (16th) … 3x GPAC All-Conference … qualified for the NAIA national meet in 2019, 2022 and 2023 … helped the 2019 team to a GPAC title while placing as the conference individual runner up … 2019 team placed 12th nationally and 2023 team placed 18th nationally … 4x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Rylee Haecker | Davenport, Neb.
T&F: 10x NAIA All-American (six in individual events; four in relays) … ran second leg for 2024 indoor national championship winning 4x800m relay (school record time of 9:06.48) … 7x Great Plains Athletic Conference event champion … school record holder in the indoor 1,000 meters (2:52.88) … seven NAIA national meet appearances … member of teams that won eight GPAC team championships and six teams that earned NAIA national championship trophies (top four or better) … 2023 CSC Academic All-District/All-America … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
XC: 2x All-GPAC runner; 3x NAIA national qualifier … helped the 2023 team place 18th nationally … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Josie Puelz | Lincoln, Neb.
5x NAIA pole vault national champion (runner up 2023 outdoor) … 8x NAIA pole vault All-American … 6x Great Plains Athletic Conference pole vault champion … 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year award winner … 3x CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-American/All-District (entering 2024) … 3x NAIA Women’s Field Scholar Athlete of the Year, as selected by the USTFCCCA … 2021 State College Female Athlete of the Year in the state of Nebraska by the Lincoln Journal Star … owns the GPAC conference meet records for both the indoor and outdoor pole vault and holds school records in the indoor (13’ 4 ½”) and outdoor (13’ 7 ¼”) pole vault … has helped the program to nine GPAC team titles and to six NAIA national championship team trophies (top four or better) … 4x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Adrianna Rodencal | Lincoln, Neb.
4x Great Plains Athletic Conference champion (three in individual events) … named the 2023 GPAC Indoor and Outdoor Female Athlete of the Year as a freshman … four NAIA national meet appearances … school record holder in the 60-meter hurdles (8.55) and the 100-meter hurdles (13.65) … member of four GPAC championship winning teams and one team that earned an NAIA national championship trophy (top four or better) … 2024 NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Men’s Honorees
Carson Fehlhahfer | Utica, Neb.
2x NAIA national qualifier … at the 2024 GPAC Outdoor Championships, placed third in the shot put and seventh in the discus … also a starter on the football team … NAIA Scholar-Athlete in both football and track & field.
Mayson Ostermeyer | Crofton, Neb.
2024 NAIA indoor pole vault All-American (5th) … 2x NAIA national qualifier … placed as the 2024 GPAC pole vault runner up for both indoor and outdoor … helped the team to two top 10 NAIA national place finishes in 2024 (eighth for indoor and seventh for outdoor) … pole vault PR of 16’ ¾” … 2024 NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Calvin Rohde | Reed City, Mich.
T&F: 6x NAIA national qualifier … placed sixth in the mile (4:10.63) at the 2024 NAIA indoor national meet and earned first career All-America award … 14 career all-conference awards … won the 2024 GPAC indoor 1,000-meter title in 2:34.93 … school record holder in the 5,000 meters (14:39.56) … helped the team to two top 10 NAIA national place finishes in 2024 (eighth for indoor and seventh for outdoor) … 2023 CSC Academic All-District/All-America … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
XC: 2021 and 2023 NAIA national qualifier … 3x all-conference award winner … helped Concordia place second in the GPAC in 2022 … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Darien Semedo | Sacramento, Calif.
2x NAIA All-American in the shot put … 4x NAIA national qualifier … won the 2024 GPAC outdoor shot put title with a throw of 54’ 10 ¼” … PR of 57’ in the shot put at the NAIA outdoor national championships … ranks No. 2 on the program’s all-time outdoor list … helped the team to two top 10 NAIA national place finishes in 2024 (eighth for indoor and seventh for outdoor) … 2024 NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Zach Zohner | Battle Creek, Neb.
Swept 2024 NAIA indoor/outdoor pole vault national titles … 2023 NAIA indoor pole vault national runner up … 4x pole vault All-American … 3x Great Plains Athletic Conference pole vault champion … seven career all-conference awards … owns all-time school rankings of No. 4 for the indoor vault (17’ 2 ¾”) and No. 3 for the outdoor vault (17’ 2 ¾”) … 2023 CSC Academic All-District/All-America … helped the team to two top 10 NAIA national place finishes in 2024 (eighth for indoor and seventh for outdoor) … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Women's Track and Field/XC first-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on Tuesday, July 9. The Men's Track and Field/XC first-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced one day later on July 10.