NAIA National Qualifiers: Men | Women
SEWARD, Neb. – The field of 2021 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships Qualifiers was unveiled on Tuesday (Feb. 23) by the NAIA. In conjunction with that release, the Concordia University Track and Field program has announced a nationals team of 38 individuals (including 23 women and 15 men). The event will run March 3-6 at the Ruth Donahoe First Dakota Fieldhouse in Yankton, S.D. The Bulldogs took 32 athletes to the 2020 indoor national meet.
Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads are coming off conference places finishes of first for the women and third for the men at last week’s GPAC Championships. In the most recent NAIA ratings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, Concordia appeared at No. 2 on the women’s side and No. 4 on the men’s side. The Bulldogs’ 23 women’s national qualifiers are tied for the most in the nation.
The Concordia women have the potential to score big points at the national meet with four individuals who rank in the top four of the NAIA in an event: Rachel Battershell (No. 1 in the 400 meters), Josie Puelz (No. 2 in the pole vault), Morgan De Jong (No. 4 in the weight throw) and Elle Luehr (No. 4 in the shot put). Defending NAIA 400 meter national champion Battershell is making her fourth trip to a national meet (as is teammate Jacee Pfeifer). Returning All-Americans from a year ago on the women’s side include Battershell, De Jong, Sarah Lewis, Pfeifer and Puelz.
On the men’s side, Chase Berry (pole vault) and Xavier Ross (400 meters) are headed back to nationals after collecting All-America plaques in 2020. GPAC heptathlon champion Cody Williams missed last year’s national meet due to injury and will compete in three different events. Williams finished as the NAIA heptathlon national runner up in 2019. He will attempt to add to his tally of three career All-America honors (two in the heptathlon). The pole vault crew is four deep on the men’s side (and on the women’s side).
The list of Bulldogs making their first-ever national championship appearance includes Zach Bennetts, Jacob Jennings, Cade Kleckner, Wyatt Loga, Maccoy Menke, Calvin Rohde, Camden Sesna, Chris Wren and Zach Zohner on the men’s side and Keri Bauer, Olivia Buschow, Amira Cummings, Abby Gerber, Rylee Haecker, Elle Luehr, Grace Reiman, Amy Richert, Sydni Schernikau and Lainey Werts on the women’s side.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the field of athletes was limited to the top 16 competitors nationally in each event. Should athletes drop out of the field, replacements can be added as late as this Sunday. For additional details on the national meet, visit the NAIA website HERE.
2021 Concordia indoor national qualifiers
(Current national seeding in parentheses)
*2020 NAIA indoor national qualifier
MEN
· Zach Bennetts, junior
-Pole Vault (9th, 15’ 8 ¼”)
· *Chase Berry, sophomore
-Pole Vault (13th, 15’ 3”)
· Jacob Jennings, senior
-4x400 Meter Relay (6th, 3:19.01)
· Cade Kleckner, junior
-4x400 Meter Relay (6th, 3:19.01)
· Wyatt Loga, sophomore
-High Jump (5th, 6’ 9”)
· Maccoy Menke, sophomore
-Distance Medley Relay (14th, 10:23.22)
· *Colton Meyer, sophomore
-4x400 Meter Relay (6th, 3:19.01)
· *Henry Reimer, senior
-4x400 Meter Relay (6th, 3:19.01)
· Calvin Rohde, freshman
- Distance Medley Relay (14th, 10:23.22)
· *Xavier Ross, junior
-4x400 Meter Relay (6th, 3:19.01)
· Camden Sesna, sophomore
- Distance Medley Relay (14th, 10:23.22)
· *Christian Van Cleave, senior
- Distance Medley Relay (14th, 10:23.22)
· Cody Williams, junior
-Heptathlon (3rd, 5030)
-High Jump (5th, 6’ 9”)
-Pole Vault (13th, 15’ 3”)
· Chris Wren, sophomore
-Weight Throw (5th, 62’ 4”)
· Zach Zohner, freshman
-Pole Vault (5th, 15’ 11 ¼”)
WOMEN
· Anna Baack, senior
-Pole Vault (12th, 11’ 8”)
· *Rachel Battershell, junior
-400 Meters (1st, 55.93)
-60 Hurdles (10th, 8.90)
-4x400 Meter Relay (5th, 3:54.37)
· Keri Bauer, junior
-600 Meters (14th, 1:37.39)
-4x400 Meter Relay (5th, 3:54.37)
· *Jamey Broman, junior
-Long Jump (10th, 18’ 5”)
· Olivia Buschow, freshman
-Weight Throw (16th, 52’ 8 ¼”)
· Amira Cummings, freshman
-Pole Vault (12th, 11’ 8”)
· *Morgan De Jong, senior
-Weight Throw (4th, 56’ 10 ¾”)
· Abby Gerber, freshman
-Shot Put (16th, 42’ 7 ½”)
· Rylee Haecker, freshman
-1,000 Meters (10th, 2:59.65)
-Distance Medley Relay (6th, 12:24.63)
· *Kylahn Heritage, sophomore
-1,000 Meters (8th, 2:58.02)
-Distance Medley Relay (6th, 12:24.63)
· *Sarah Lewis, junior
-60 Hurdles (8th, 8.88)
-400 Meters (10th, 57.98)
-4x400 Meter Relay (5th, 3:54.37)
· *Emily Loy, senior
-Pentathlon (11th, 3188)
· Elle Luehr, sophomore
-Shot Put (4th, 45’ 3 ¾”)
· Erin Mapson, junior
-Pole Vault (12th, 11’ 8”)
· *Kennedy Mogul, senior
-Pentathlon (16th, 3133)
· Jacee Pfeifer, junior
-600 Meters (10th, 1:36.75)
· *Josie Puelz, sophomore
-Pole Vault (2nd, 13’ 4 ½”)
· *Sarah Ragland, senior
-Weight Throw (6th, 55’ ¼”)
· Grace Reiman, freshman
-Distance Medley Relay (6th, 12:24.63)
· Amy Richert, freshman
-High Jump (8th, 5’ 5 ½”)
-Pentathlon (14th, 3158)
· Sydni Schernikau, sophomore
-Distance Medley Relay (6th, 12:24.63)
· *Katie Severt, sophomore
-Long Jump (8th, 18’ 7 ¼”)
· Lainey Werts, freshman
-4x400 Meter Relay (5th, 3:54.37)