NAIA National Qualifiers: Men | Women
SEWARD, Neb. – The field of 2021 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships Qualifiers was officially unveiled on Friday (May 21) by the NAIA. In conjunction with that release, the Concordia University Track and Field program has announced a nationals team of 37 individuals (including 24 women and 13 men). The event will run May 26-28 at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium Complex in Gulf Shores, Ala. According to the NAIA, a total of 1,133 athletes have qualified to compete at the outdoor national meet.
Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads are coming off conference places finishes of first for the women and fourth for the men at the GPAC outdoor championships. The 24 women’s national qualifiers ranks most among all NAIA schools. Entering the meet, the Bulldogs boast NAIA national rankings of No. 1 on the women’s side and No. 13 on the men’s side.
Between the Concordia men and women, the team’s 2021 outdoor national qualifying field has combined for 43 career All-America awards and six NAIA national titles. The past national champions include Rachel Battershell (twice in 400 meters), Jacob Cornelio (2020 weight throw), Josie Puelz (2021 indoor pole vault) and Addie Shaw (twice in discus). Shaw will round out her collegiate career by making her eighth career trip to nationals. Included in her eight career All-America awards are three national runner up claims. Meanwhile, Cornelio will take aim at a hammer throw title in what will be the final meet of his career.
The throws group is loaded once again. Cornelio and Shaw are two of 17 Bulldog throwers who will make their way down to Gulf Shores. That total represents a school record for throwers at a single national meet. Cornelio and Shaw are obviously capable of winning national titles. Entering the meet, Bulldog throwers own four marks that rank No. 1 in the NAIA: Cornelio (hammer), Shaw (shot put and hammer) and Elizabeth Stottlemyre (javelin). Outside of the throws, Battershell (400 meters) and Puelz (pole vault) also reside atop the NAIA leaderboard.
The list of Bulldogs making their first-ever national championship appearances includes Andy Amos, Jordyn Anderson, Dagne’ Buck, Sara Huss, Ben Moll, Hannah Mulligan, Alli Owings, Erin Painter, Joel Rathe and Stottlemyre. It should be noted that Stottlemyre qualified for the 2018 NCAA Division II outdoor national meet as a competitor at Concordia University, Portland.
The following Concordia athletes will be appearing at a national meet for at least the fourth time in their careers: Battershell (fifth), Cornelio (seventh), Morgan De Jong (fourth), Sarah Lewis (fifth), Erin Mapson (fourth), Jacee Pfeifer (fifth), Sarah Ragland (fourth), Henry Reimer (fifth), Addie Shaw (eighth) and Bethany Shaw (fourth).
The Bulldogs just might have the firepower on the women’s side to compete for a team national title. Concordia Track & Field has seized recent NAIA national titles with the men taking the team championship at the 2015 NAIA outdoor meet and the women following with a title of their own at the 2016 NAIA outdoor meet. Prior to the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor season, Concordia turned in 2019 NAIA outdoor national finishes of fifth on the women’s side and 31st on the men’s side.
Fans who plan to attend the meet in Gulf Shores are encouraged to purchase advance tickets online HERE. Daily passes can be purchased for $10 while an all-meet pass can be bought for $25.
2021 Concordia outdoor national qualifiers
(Current national seeding in parentheses)
MEN
· Andy Amos, sophomore
-Hammer (17th, 182’ 10”)
· Dagne’ Buck, sophomore
-Hammer (23rd, 179’ 11”)
· Jacob Cornelio, senior
-Hammer (1st, 211’ 3”)
-Discus (4th, 166’ 5”)
· Jacob Jennings, senior
-4x400 Meter Relay (9th, 3:15.76)
-4x100 Meter Relay (28th, 41.77)
· Cade Kleckner, junior
-200 Meters (18th, 21.35)
-4x400 Meter Relay (9th, 3:15.76)
-4x100 Meter Relay (28th, 41.77)
· Wyatt Loga, freshman
-High Jump (T-9th, 6’ 8 ¾”)
· Maccoy Menke, freshman
-4x400 Meter Relay (9th, 3:15.76) alternate
· Colton Meyer, freshman
-4x400 Meter Relay (9th, 3:15.76)
-4x100 Meter Relay (28th, 41.77)
· Ben Moll, freshman
-Hammer (31st, 174’ 10”)
· Jerod Peters, senior
-Shot Put (16th, 53’ 5 ½”)
-Hammer (35th, 172’ 2”)
· Joel Rathe, freshman
-4x400 Meter Relay (9th, 3:15.76) alternate
-4x100 Meter Relay (28th, 41.77)
· Henry Reimer, junior
-4x400 Meter Relay (9th, 3:15.76)
-4x100 Meter Relay (28th, 41.77) alternate
· Chris Wren, freshman
-Hammer (9th, 187’ 11”)
WOMEN
· Jordyn Anderson, sophomore
-Shot Put (10th, 45’ ½”)
· Rachel Battershell, sophomore
-400 Meters (1st, 55.05)
-100 Hurdles (6th, 14.25)
-4x400 Meter Relay (13th, 3:53.92)
-4x100 Meter Relay (15th, 47.70)
· Keri Bauer, junior
-4x400 Meter Relay (13th, 3:53.92) alternate
· Amira Cummings, freshman
-4x100 Meter Relay (15th, 47.70) alternate
-Pole Vault (T-21st, 11’ 7 ¾”)
· Morgan De Jong, junior
-Discus (12th, 145’ 5”)
· Abigail Gerber, freshman
-Shot Put (12th, 44’ 6 ¾”)
· Sarah Huss, freshman
-Discus (9th, 149’)
· Mackenzie Koepke, sophomore
-High Jump (T-8th, 5’ 5 ¾”)
· Sarah Lewis, sophomore
-400 Hurdles (7th, 1:02.77)
-4x400 Meter Relay (13th, 3:53.92)
-4x100 Meter Relay (15th, 47.70) alternate
· Emily Loy, junior
-Heptathlon (7th, 4464)
-4x100 Meter Relay (15th, 47.70)
· Elle Luehr, sophomore
-Shot Put (14th, 44’ 5 ½”)
· Erin Mapson, sophomore
-Pole Vault (T-5th, 12’ 7 ½”)
· Hannah Mulligan, sophomore
-4x100 Meter Relay (15th, 47.70)
· Cora Olson, sophomore
-4x100 Meter Relay (15th, 47.70)
· Alli Owings, freshman
-Discus (14th, 145’ 3”)
· Erin Painter, freshman
-Discus (3rd, 159’ 11”)
· Jacee Pfeifer, sophomore
-4x400 Meter Relay (13th, 3:53.92)
· Josie Puelz, freshman
-Pole Vault (1st, 13’ 7 ¼”)
· Sarah Ragland, junior
-Hammer (4th, 183’)
· Amy Richert, freshman
-Heptathlon (4th, 4683)
-High Jump (T-8th, 5’ 5 ¾”)
· Sydni Schernikau, sophomore
-4x400 Meter Relay (13th, 3:53.92)
-4x100 Meter Relay (15th, 47.70) alternate
· Bethany Shaw, senior
-Discus (5th, 154’ 5”)
-Hammer (17th, 166’ 6”)
· Addie Shaw, senior
-Shot Put (1st, 49’ 4 ¼”)
-Hammer (1st, 188’ 5”)
-Discus (2nd, 164’ 11”)
· Elizabeth Stottlemyre, senior
-Javelin (1st, 155’ 2”)
A closer look at the qualifiers:
Andy Amos, sophomore (first trip to nationals)
Jordyn Anderson, freshman (first trip to nationals)
Rachel Battershell, sophomore (fifth trip to nationals; six All-America awards; two-time 400 meter national champ)
Keri Bauer, junior (second trip to nationals)
Dagne’ Buck, sophomore (first trip to nationals)
Jacob Cornelio, senior (seventh trip to nationals; five All-America awards; 2020 weight throw national champ)
Amira Cummings, freshman (second trip to nationals)
Morgan De Jong, junior (fourth trip to nationals; two All-America awards)
Abigail Gerber, freshman (second trip to nationals)
Sara Huss, freshman (first trip to nationals)
Jacob Jennings, senior (second trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Cade Kleckner, junior (second trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Mackenzie Koepke, sophomore (second trip to nationals)
Sarah Lewis, sophomore (fifth trip to nationals; four All-America awards)
Wyatt Loga, freshman (second trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Emily Loy, junior (third trip to nationals)
Elle Luehr, sophomore (second trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Erin Mapson, sophomore (fourth trip to nationals; three All-America awards)
Maccoy Menke, freshman (second trip to nationals)
Colton Meyer, freshman (third trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Ben Moll, freshman (first trip to nationals)
Hannah Mulligan, sophomore (first trip to nationals)
Cora Olson, sophomore (second trip to nationals)
Alli Owings, freshman (first trip to nationals)
Erin Painter, freshman (first trip to nationals)
Jerod Peters, senior (third trip to nationals)
Jacee Pfeifer, sophomore (fifth trip to nationals; four All-America awards)
Josie Puelz, freshman (third trip to nationals; two All-America awards; 2021 indoor pole vault national champ)
Sarah Ragland, junior (fourth trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Joel Rathe, freshman (first trip to nationals)
Henry Reimer, junior (fifth trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Amy Richert, freshman (second trip to nationals)
Sydni Schernikau, sophomore (second trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Addie Shaw, senior (eighth trip to nationals; eight All-America awards; 2018 and 2019 discus national champ; three-time national runner up)
Bethany Shaw, senior (fourth trip to nationals)
Elizabeth Stottlemyre, senior (first trip to NAIA nationals; qualified for NCAA DII nationals in 2018)
Chris Wren, freshman (second trip to nationals; one All-America award)