SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University track and field programs will be represented by 38 qualifiers (23 women and 15 men) at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. The complete list of national qualifiers was officially announced by the NAIA on Friday (May 17). The national championship meet will take place next Thursday through Saturday (May 23-25) at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala. The 23 women’s qualifiers for Concordia is a national best.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads will look to improve upon NAIA indoor national finishes of ninth for both men and women that came back in early March. Currently, the Bulldogs carry NAIA national rankings of third on the women’s side and 16th on the men’s side, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The 38 national qualifiers is a significant increase from the 26 athletes the program sent to the 2018 NAIA outdoor meet. Ten Bulldogs will be making their first ever appearance at a national championship meet. Seventeen Concordia qualifiers have earned All-America honors in the past. They have combined for a total of 37 All-America awards.
All five Concordia athletes who earned All-America honors at the 2018 NAIA outdoor national championships return to the field in 2019. That group includes defending discus national champion Addie Shaw as well as Jacob Cornelio (hammer), Samantha Liermann (shot put), Johanna Ragland (hammer) and Carley Weisser (discus). This will be the last hurrah for the senior Liermann, one of the most accomplished throwers in program history. She is a two-time shot put national champion and eight-time All-American who recently broke the GPAC outdoor championship meet record in the shot put.
In the latest USTFCCCA event squad ratings, the Bulldog women boasted the nation’s top event groups in the pole vault, shot put, discus, hammer and heptathlon. The Concordia men also rank No. 1 in the NAIA in the pole vault. The Bulldogs will be especially well represented in the women’s hammer and discus with five and four competitors, respectively, set to compete in those events at the national championships. Concordia qualified three pole vaulters for both men and women, including Erin Mapson, a GPAC champion who ranks No. 2 nationally in the event.
The Bulldogs will be returning to a site where they won team national titles in 2015 (men) and 2016 (women). The men put together a tremendous run of success at the NAIA outdoor championships from 2015 through 2017 when they placed first, second and fifth, respectively. Meanwhile, the women have placed 12th or better at five-straight outdoor national championships.
The meet schedule for the national championships can be viewed HERE. The NAIA will provide a live feed of the meet HERE (fee required).
2019 NAIA outdoor national qualifiers
*NAIA national rank in parentheses
MEN
- Evan Asche, Senior
-Marathon (57th, 1:13:30 half) - Jacob Cornelio, Junior
-Hammer (4th, 202’ 5”) - Gavin DeHaai, Junior
-Pole Vault (11th, 15’ 7”) - Liam Hennessy, Junior
-Hammer (17th, 175’ 3”) - Michael Leapley, Junior
-4x800 meter relay (5th, 7:38.73) - Nathan Matters, Senior
-4x800 meter relay (5th, 7:38.73)
-4x400 meter relay (17th, 3:16.02) - Josiah McAllister, Senior
-4x800 meter relay (5th, 7:38.73)
-4x400 meter relay (17th, 3:16.02) - Jerod Peters, Junior
-Shot put (28th, 50’ 9 ¼”) - Henry Reimer, Sophomore
4x400 meter relay (17th, 3:16.02) - Xavier Ross, Freshman
-4x400 meter relay (17th, 3:16.02) - Ryan Sanchez, Senior
-Hammer (16th, 175’ 4”) - Sam Sisco, Sophomore
-Pole vault (11th, 15’ 7”) - Thomas Taylor, Senior
-4x800 meter relay (5th, 7:38.73) - Christian Van Cleave, Sophomore
-4x800 meter relay (5th, 7:38.73) - Cody Williams, Sophomore
-Pole vault (11th, 15’ 7”)
-High jump (5th, 6’ 9 ¾”)
-Long jump (24th, 23’ 7 ¼”)
WOMEN
- Rachel Battershell, Freshman
-4x400 meter relay (14th, 3:54.44) - Tori Beran, Senior
-4x800 meter relay (18th, 9:24.90) - Claire Cornell, Freshman
-Long jump (16th, 18’ 10 ¾”) - Jessica Deterding, Junior
-Heptathlon (3rd, 4,707)
-Long jump (17th, 18’ 9”) - Jazzy Eickhoff, Senior
-Javelin (15th, 134’ 1”) - Alyssa Fye, Freshman
-4x800 meter relay (18th, 9:24.90) - McKenzie Gravo, Junior
-Pole vault (5th, 12’ 2 ¾”) - Taylor Grove, Senior
-Marathon (8th, 1:25:04 half) - Rebekah Hinrichs, Junior
-4x800 meter relay (18th, 9:24.90) - Mackenzie Koepke, Freshman
-High jump (13th, 5’ 5 ¾”) - Leah Larson, Senior
-Triple jump (18th, 38’ 3 ½”) - Sarah Lewis, Freshman
-4x400 meter relay (14th, 3:54.44) - Sam Liermann, Senior
-Shot put (1st, 50’ 6 ¼”)
-Hammer (6th, 177’ 10”)
-Discus (9th, 148’) - Erin Mapson, Freshman
-Pole vault (2nd, 12’ 5 ½”) - Tristen Mosier, Junior
-Pole vault (14th, 11’ 9 ¾”) - Jamie Nikodym, Senior
-4x400 meter relay (14th, 3:54.44) - Jacee Pfeifer, Freshman
-4x400 meter relay (14th, 3:54.44) - Johanna Ragland, Senior
-Hammer (7th, 175’)
-Shot put (19th, 43’ 9 ¼”) - Sarah Ragland, Sophomore
-Hammer (13th, 167’ 6”) - Miranda Rathjen, Junior
-4x800 meter relay (18th, 9:24.90) - Addie Shaw, Junior
-Hammer (3rd, 183’ 4”)
-Discus (1st, 158’ 11”)
-Shot put (16th, 44’ 3 ½”) - Bethany Shaw, Junior
-Discus (12th, 147’ 2”) - Carley Weisser, Senior
-Discus (6th, 150’ 3”)
-Hammer (14th, 166’ 9”)