NAIA National Qualifiers: Men | Women
SEWARD, Neb. – The field of 2022 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships Qualifiers was unveiled on Friday (Feb. 25) by the NAIA. In conjunction with that release, the Concordia University Track and Field program has announced a nationals team of 34 individuals (including 20 women and 14 men). The event will run March 3-5 at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D. This will mark the third time the NAIA national indoor meet has taken place at this location.
Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads are coming off conference places finishes of first for the women and fourth 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 while falling just out of the top 25 on the men’s side.
The Concordia women have the potential to score big points at the national meet with five current NAIA top four national marks thanks to Josie Puelz (No. 1 in the pole vault), the 4x400 meter relay (No. 3), Erin Mapson (No. 3 in the pole vault) Rylee Haecker (No. 4 in the 1,000 meters) and Sarah Ragland (No. 4 in the weight throw). Puelz will be attempting to defend her sweep of 2021 NAIA indoor/outdoor pole vault national championships. Meanwhile, Rachel Battershell is the defending NAIA 400 meter indoor national champion. Also at the 2021 NAIA indoor meet, Ragland placed third in the weight throw, Mapson took fourth in the pole vault, the 4x4 finished fifth and Haecker placed eighth in the 1,000. As a team, the women placed third nationally at both the 2021 NAIA indoor and outdoor meets.
On the men’s side, the Bulldogs would be happy to duplicate last year’s NAIA indoor team finish of 12th. Returning All-Americans from last year’s indoor nationals include Zach Bennetts (pole vault), Chase Berry (pole vault), Wyatt Loga (high jump) and Chris Wren (weight throw). In addition, Jacob Jennings, Cade Kleckner and Colton Meyer are back after contributing to a 4x4 that placed eighth last season. Berry is a two-time All-American in the pole vault.
The list of Bulldogs making their first-ever national championship appearance includes Mark Cooke, Grant Lammers and Sam Plante on the men’s side and Elena Batenhorst, Jordan Koepke, Hannah Newton, Grace Oberg and Trinity Tuls on the women’s side.
For additional details on the national meet, visit the NAIA website HERE.
2022 Concordia indoor national qualifiers
(Current national seeding in parentheses)
*2021 NAIA indoor national qualifier
MEN
· Andy Amos, junior
-Weight Throw (23rd, 57’ 10 ½”)
· *Zach Bennetts, junior
-Pole Vault (12th, 15’ 3”)
· *Chase Berry, sophomore
-Pole Vault (12th, 15’ 3”)
· Mark Cooke, junior
-4x400m Relay (16th, 3:19.18)
· *Jacob Jennings, senior
-4x400m Relay (16th, 3:19.18)
· *Cade Kleckner, senior
-4x400m Relay (16th, 3:19.18)
· Grant Lammers, junior
-Distance Medley Relay (14th, 10:11.03)
· *Wyatt Loga, sophomore
-High Jump (9th, 6’ 8 ¼”)
· *Maccoy Menke, sophomore
-4x400m Relay (16th, 3:19.18)
· *Colton Meyer, sophomore
-4x400m Relay (16th, 3:19.18)
· Sam Plante, freshman
-Distance Medley Relay (14th, 10:11.03)
· *Calvin Rohde, sophomore
-Distance Medley Relay (14th, 10:11.03)
-Mile (28th, 4:15.18)
· *Camden Sesna, sophomore
-Distance Medley Relay (14th, 10:11.03)
· *Chris Wren, sophomore
-Weight Throw (5th, 64’ 1 ¾”)
WOMEN
· Jordyn Anderson, junior
-Shot Put (13th, 44’ 3 ¼”)
· Elena Batenhorst, freshman
-Pentathlon (16th, 3,177)
· *Rachel Battershell, junior
-4x400m Relay (3rd, 3:52.96)
-400 Meters (8th, 56.77)
· *Keri Bauer, senior
-4x800m Relay (9th, 9:29.48)
-600 Meters (15th, 1:36.51)
· *Amira Cummings, sophomore
-Pole Vault (10th, 11’ 6 ½”)
· *Morgan De Jong, senior
-Weight Throw (6th, 56’ 7 ½”)
· *Abby Gerber, sophomore
-Weight Throw (8th, 55’ 9 ¾”)
-Shot Put (14th, 44’)
· *Rylee Haecker, sophomore
-1,000 Meters (4th, 2:56.11)
-4x800m Relay (9th, 9:29.48)
· *Kylahn Heritage, sophomore
-4x800m Relay (9th, 9:29.48)
-Mile (36th, 5:10.44)
· Jordan Koepke, freshman
-4x400m Relay (3rd, 3:52.96)
-600 Meters (6th, 1:34.86)
· *Sarah Lewis, junior
-4x400m Relay (3rd, 3:52.96)
-400 Meters (13th, 57.34)
-60 Hurdles (13th, 8.87)
· *Erin Mapson, junior
-Pole Vault (3rd, 12’ 9 ½”)
· Hannah Newton, freshman
-High Jump (12th, 5’ 5”)
· Grace Oberg, freshman
-4x800m Relay (9th, 9:29.48)
· *Jacee Pfeifer, senior
-4x400m Relay (3rd, 3:52.96)
-600 Meters (17th, 1:36.94)
· *Josie Puelz, sophomore
-Pole Vault (1st, 13’ 5”)
· *Sarah Ragland, senior
-Weight Throw (4th, 57’)
· *Grace Reiman, sophomore
-4x800m Relay (9th, 9:29.48)
· *Amy Richert, sophomore
-Pentathlon (2nd, 3,500)
-High Jump (12th, 5’ 5”)
-Long Jump (13th, 18’ 5 ¾”)
· Trinity Tuls, freshman
-4x400m Relay (3rd, 3:52.96)