2019 Track & Field Schedule/Results
Men's place finishes
GPAC: 2nd indoor | 3rd outdoor
NAIA: 9th indoor | 31st outdoor
Women's place finishes
GPAC: 1st indoor | 1st outdoor
NAIA: 9th indoor | 5th outdoor
INDOOR
| Date | Meet | Location | Results |
| Jan. 11-12 | Univ. of Nebraska - Graduate Classic | Lincoln, Neb. | Results |
| Jan. 12 | Doane University - Ward Haylett Invite | Crete, Neb. | Results |
| Jan. 19 | Concordia Polar Dog Invite | Seward, Neb. | Results |
| Jan. 24-25 | Concordia University Classic | Seward, Neb. | Results |
| Feb. 1-2 | Univ. of Nebraska - Sevigne Husker Invite | Lincoln, Neb. | Results |
| Feb. 2 | Doane University - Fred Beile Invitational | Crete, Neb. | Results |
| Feb. 8 | Concordia University Indoor Invite | Seward, Neb. | Results |
| Feb. 15-16 | GPAC Indoor Championships | Seward, Neb. | Results |
| Feb. 28 - Mar. 2 | NAIA Indoor National Track & Field Championships | Brookings, SD | Results |
OUTDOOR
| Date | Meet | Location | Results |
| Dec. 2 | Midland University Half-Marathon | Fremont, Neb. | Results |
| March 31 | Hastings Bronco Open | Hastings, Neb. | Results |
| Apr. 5-6 | Concordia University Invite | Seward, Neb. | Results |
| Apr. 13 | NAIA Midwest Quad | Des Moines, Iowa | Results |
| Apr. 18-20 | University of Kansas Relays | Lawrence, Kan. | Results |
| Apr. 19-20 | Jim Dutcher Invite | Crete, Neb. | Results |
| Apr. 25 | Nebraska Wesleyan University Invite | Lincoln, Neb. | Results |
| Apr. 26 | Drake University Relays | Des Moines, Iowa | Results |
| Apr. 27 | Concordia University Blizzard Buster Invite | Seward, Neb. | Results |
| May 3-4 | GPAC Outdoor Championships | Yankton, S.D. | Results |
| May 10 | Concordia University Twilight Meet | Seward, Neb. | Results |
| May 23-25 | NAIA National Outdoor Track & Field Championships | Gulf Shores, Ala. | Results |
2018-19 Roster
| Men | ||||
| Name | Event | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Brayden Adams | Distance | Fr. | Omaha, Neb. | Elkhorn |
| Andy Amos | Throws | So. | Mountain Grove, Mo. | Mountain Grove |
| Evan Asche | Distance | Sr. | Omaha, Neb. | Elkhorn South |
| Hunter Bartels | Throws | So. | Imperial, Neb. | Chase County |
| Blake Becher | Multis | So. | Columbus, Neb. | Columbus Senior |
| Taylor Beck | Sprints / Hurdles / Jumps | Jr. | Central City, Neb. | Central City |
| Zachary Bennetts | Pole Vault | Fr. | Denton, Neb. | Lincoln Southwest |
| Dalton Berry | Pole Vault | So. | Seward, Neb. | Seward |
| Dagne Buck | Throws | Fr. | Plumas Lake, Calif. | Whitney |
| Keaton Burgess | Distance | Fr. | Red Cloud, Neb. | Red Cloud High School |
| Zach Christensen | Throws | So. | Hastings, Neb. | Adams Central Jr-Sr |
| Jacob Cornelio | Throws | Jr. | Elk Grove, Calif. | Elk Grove |
| Logan Craig | Pole Vault | So. | Seward, Neb. | Seward |
| Roch Croteau | Throws | Fr. | Loveland, Colo. | Mountain View |
| Jake Dack | Throws | So. | Parker, Colo. | Parker Lutheran |
| Gavin Davis | Sprints | Fr. | Leander, Texas | Leander |
| Gavin DeHaai | Pole Vault | Sr. | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Sioux Falls Christian |
| Sam Ferguson | Mid Distance | Sr. | Pilger, Neb. | Wisner-Pilger |
| Isaac Golke | Distance | Sr. | Milford, Iowa | Okoboji |
| Jayden Graham | Distance | So. | Yutan, Neb. | Yutan Jr-Sr |
| Philip Grothaus | Throws | Sr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Christian |
| Daniel Hakes | Sprints | Sr. | Erie, Colo. | Erie |
| Brayden Hamby | Sprints | Fr. | Johnstown, Colo. | Roosevelt |
| Paul Hammes | Hurdles / Jumps | Sr. | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Liberty |
| Liam Hennessy | Throws | Sr. | Omaha, Neb. | Millard North |
| Charlie Hewell | Throws | So. | Sacramento, Calif. | Christian Brothers |
| Ryan Holt | Throws | So. | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Thunderridge |
| Angelo Hurtado | Hurdles; Horizontal Jumps | Fr. | Johnsown, Colo. | Roosevelt |
| Jacob Joachim | Throws | Fr. | Corsica, S.D. | Stickney |
| Max Johnston | Throws | Fr. | White Bear Lake, Minn. | Concordia Academy |
| Bret Keeler | Throws | Sr. | Pawnee, Okla. | Cleveland |
| Grant Lammers | Sprints | Fr. | Blair, Neb. | Blair |
| Ivan Landmark | Multi Events | Sr. | Pleasant Prairie, Wis. | Indian Trail Academy |
| Michael Leapley | Mid Distance | Jr. | Milwaukee, Wis. | Milwaukee Lutheran |
| Wyatt Lehr | Distance | Fr. | Lamar, Colo. | Lamar High School |
| Trenton Liermann | Throws | Fr. | Wisner, Neb. | Wisner Pilger Junior Senior |
| Jordan Lorenz | Distance | So. | Gretna, Neb. | Gretna |
| Rees Lyon | Multis; Pole Vault | Fr. | Giltner, Neb. | Giltner |
| Nathan Matters | Mid Distance | Sr. | Overland Park, Kan. | Olathe East |
| Josiah McAllister | Mid Distance | Sr. | Atikinson, Neb. | West Holt |
| Austin Meisel | Sprints | Fr. | Jefferson City, Mo. | Calvary Lutheran |
| Cameron Moes | Distance | Sr. | Osmond, Neb. | Osmond |
| Renato Oyarzun | Throws | Jr. | San Jose, Calif. | Willow Glen / De Anza College |
| Kenny Paetow | Hurdles | So. | St. Louis, Mo. | Lutheran HS South |
| Ethan Pankow | Distance | Fr. | Milwaukee, Wis. | Milwaukee Lutheran HS |
| Jerod Peters | Throws | Jr. | Aurora, Neb. | Aurora |
| Robbie Peterson | Distance | Jr. | Ord, Neb. | Ord |
| Tucker Platt | Pole Vault | So. | Stromsburg, Neb. | Cross County |
| Micah Porter | Hurdles; Multis; Pole Vault | Fr. | Lakewood, Colo. | D'Evelyn Junior Senior |
| Zachary Potratz | Distance | So. | Seward, Neb. | Seward |
| Ben Pratt | Jumps | Jr. | Greeley, Colo. | Frontier Academy |
| Jerod Reed | Springs; High Jump | Fr. | Blair, Neb. | Blair |
| Jeremiah Reeser | Sprints / Horizontal Jumps | So. | Grand Island, Neb. | Heartland Lutheran |
| Tyrell Reichert | Pole Vault | Sr. | Benkelman, Neb. | Dundy County-Stratton |
| Henry Reimer | High Jump / Hurdles | So. | Sussex, Wis. | Milwaukee Lutheran |
| JP Reynolds | Distance | So. | Nuevo, Calif. | Woodcrest Christian |
| Caleb Roberts | Distance | So. | Wamego, Kan. | Wamego |
| Jake Rodgers | Sprints | Sr. | Council Bluffs, Iowa | Lewis Central |
| Xavier Ross | Sprints/Hurdles/Jumps | Fr. | Melrose Park, Ill. | Timothy Christian |
| Daniel Royuk | Mid Distance | So. | Seward, Neb. | Saint Paul Lutheran |
| Ryan Sanchez | Throws | Sr. | Omaha, Neb. | Concordia |
| Damian Santos Taylor | Sprints/Jump | Fr. | Fairfield, Calif. | Armijo |
| Patrick Schneeberger | Distance | So. | Raymore, Mo. | Summit Christian Academy |
| James Shaw | Throws | Fr. | Bassett, Neb. | Rock County |
| Samuel Sisco | Pole Vault | So. | David City, Neb | Aquinas Catholic School |
| Grant Stadler | Pole Vault | Fr. | Columbus, Neb. | Columbus Senior |
| Chevy Stout | Thross | So. | Grand Island, Neb. | Northwest High School |
| Thomas Taylor | Distance | Sr. | Papillion, Neb. | Papillion-La Vista South |
| Payton Thompson | Sprints | Fr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Northeast |
| Aaron Tidyman | Mid Distance | So. | Stromsburg, Neb. | Cross County |
| Klay Uher | Sprints; Throws | Fr. | Wilber, Neb. | Crete |
| Christian Van Cleave | Distance | So. | Arvada, Colo. | Jefferson Academy |
| Chris Warneke | Sprints / Mid Distance | Jr. | Grand Island, Neb. | Heartland Lutheran |
| Christian Watters | Distance | So. | Panama, Neb. | Norris |
| Landon Wilks | Sprints; Horizontal Jumps | Fr. | Larkspur, Colo. | Castle View |
| Cody Williams | Distance | So. | Saint Peters, Mo. | Lutheran HS of St. Charles County |
| Cody Williams | Multis / Jumps / Hurdles | So. | Imperial, Neb. | Chase County |
| Wyatt Woodman | Sprints | Jr. | Kenesaw, Neb. | Kenesaw |
| John Woruo | Sprints | Jr. | Omaha, Neb. | Omaha Benson |
| Nick Zadar | Middle-Distance | So. | Boise, Idaho | Timberline |
| Women | ||||
| Name | Event | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Amiah Akerson | Distance | Fr. | Pennock, Minn. | Benson Senior High School |
| Jordyn Anderson | Throws | Fr. | Plainview, Neb. | Plainview |
| Anna Baack | Pole Vault | So. | Seward, Neb. | Seward |
| Ashleigh Baker | Distance | Fr. | Milford, Neb. | Milford |
| Liliana Barrientos | Distance | Jr. | El Paso, Texas | Eastwood |
| Rachel Battershell | Sprints; Hurdles | Fr. | Wheatland, Wyo. | Wheatland Senior |
| Keri Bauer | Sprints; Middle Distance; Horizontal Jumps; High Jump | Fr. | Pleasanton, Neb. | Pleasanton |
| Maddie Beran | Mid Distance | So. | Grand Island, Neb. | Grand Island Northwest |
| Tori Beran | Hurdles | Sr. | Ord, Neb. | Ord |
| McKayla Besel | Multi Events | Sr. | Broomfield, Colo. | Legacy |
| Alyssa Bierwagen | Distance | So. | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Roosevelt |
| Paige Borcherding | Distance | Jr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran |
| Emily Boyer | Distance | So. | Mullen, Neb. | Mullen |
| Kaylee Boyle | Hurdles | Fr. | Scribner, Neb. | Scribner Snyder |
| Alia Brand | Distance | Fr. | Longmont, Colo. | Erie |
| Mika Brees | Sprints | So. | Seward, Neb. | Seward |
| Jamey Broman | Sprints; Horizontal Jumps | Fr. | Geneva, Neb. | Fillmore Central |
| Allison Brooks | Pole Vault | Sr. | Seward, Neb. | Seward |
| Bailey Clapper | Sprints | So. | Fremont, Neb. | Arlington |
| Sydney Clark | Distance | So. | Clive, Iowa | Des Moines Christian |
| Lydia Cook | Distance | So. | Perryville, Mo. | Perryville Jr/Sr |
| Claire Cornell | Sprints; Horizontal Jumps; Multis; High Jump | Fr. | Elm Creek, Neb. | Elm Creek |
| Nicole Daum | Jumps/Multis | So. | Colorado Springs, Colo. | The Classical Academy |
| Abi DeLoach | Distance | Fr. | Kearney, Neb. | Kearney |
| Morgan De Jong | Throws | So. | Orange City, Iowa | Moc-Floyd Valley |
| Jessica Deterding | Multi Events | Jr. | Eustis, Neb. | Eustis-Farnam |
| Gabby Diamond | Horizontal Jumps / Sprints | So. | Bennington, Neb. | Bennington |
| Savannah Dietz | Distance | Jr. | Denver, Colo. | John F. Kennedy |
| Casey Eberth | Jumps | Sr. | Basehor, Kan. | Basehor-Linwood |
| Jazzy Eickhoff | Throws | Sr. | Sterling , Neb. | Sterling |
| Everett Elder | Distance | So. | Greeley, Colo. | Roosevelt |
| Mackenzie Ferrel | Throws | So. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln North Star |
| Jodi Fry | Throws / Multis | So. | Ewing, Neb. | Ewing |
| Alyssa Fye | Distance | So. | Randolph. Neb. | Randolph |
| Tayler Gipe | Distance | So. | Scottsbluff, Neb. | Scottsbluff |
| Ally Glaser | Jumps | Fr. | La Vista, Neb. | Papillion-La Vista |
| McKenzie Gravo | Pole Vault | Sr. | Henderson, Nev. | Green Valley |
| Taylor Grove | Distance | Sr. | Billings, Mont. | Billings West |
| Kasi Grosserode | Distance | So. | Neligh, Neb. | Neligh-Oakdale |
| Sarah Heck | Sprints / Horizontal Jumps | So. | Coon Rapids, Iowa | Coon Rapids-Bayard |
| Jordyn Hilyard | Hurdles | Fr. | Holdrege, Neb. | Holdrege |
| Rebekah Hinrichs | Distance | Jr. | Kansas City, Mo. | Lutheran |
| Sophie Hoelz | Hurdles | Jr. | Jackson, Wis. | Living Word Lutheran |
| Madison Holt | Throws | So. | Elk Grove, Calif. | Elk Grove |
| Mariah Huneke | Throws | Jr. | Sabetha, Kan. | Sabetha |
| Jacy Johnston | Distance | Sr. | Westmoreland, Kan. | Rock Creek |
| Jessie Juergensen | Distance | Fr. | Dedarburg, Wisc. | Living Word Lutheran |
| McKenna Kaskie | Horizontal Jumps | So. | Grand Island, Neb. | Grand Island |
| Mackenzie Koepke | Sprints; High Jump | Fr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran |
| Leah Larson | Sprints / Jumps | Sr. | Norfolk, Neb. | Norfolk |
| Sarah Lewis | Sprints; High Jump | Fr. | Mason City, Neb. | Ansley Public |
| Samantha Liermann | Throws | Sr. | Wisner, Neb. | Wisner-Pilger |
| Erin Lindeman | Distance | Jr. | Sidney, Neb. | Sidney |
| Emily Loy | Hurdles / Multis | So. | Wood River, Neb. | Wood River Rural |
| Bagrielle Luehr | Throws | Fr. | Wood River, Neb. | Wood River Rural |
| Erin Mapson | Horizontal Jumps; Pole Vault | Fr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln East |
| Abigail Meier | Distance | Fr. | Lawrence, Kan. | Lawrence Free State |
| Amy Migl | Throws | Jr. | Parker, Colo. | Lutheran |
| Kennedy Mogul | Hurdles / Multis | So. | York, Neb. | York |
| Tristen Mosier | Jumps | Jr. | Bruning, Neb. | Bruning-Davenport |
| Hannah Mulligan | Sprints | Fr. | Hastings, Neb. | Adams Central Jr/Senior |
| Jamie Nikodym | Hurdles / Sprints | Sr. | Red Cloud, Neb. | Red Cloud |
| Cora Olson | Sprints; Horizontal Jumps | Fr. | Trimont, Minn. | Martin County West |
| Jacee Pfeifer | Pole Vault / Sprints | Fr. | Holdrege. Neb. | Holdrege |
| Allison Pinkall | Pole Vault | So. | Gretna, Neb. | Gretna |
| Abby Protzman | Distance | Sr. | Norfolk, Neb. | Norfolk |
| Johanna Ragland | Throws | Sr. | Rocky River, Ohio | Lutheran West |
| Sarah Ragland | Throws | So. | Rocky River, Ohio | Lutheran West |
| Miranda Rathjen | Mid Distance / Distance | So. | Osceola, Neb. | Osceola |
| Hannah Rebmann | Distance | Jr. | Springfield, Mo. | Pittsburg St. |
| Shayla Schelm | Throws | So. | Omaha, Neb. | Millard South |
| Jill Schroeder | Sprints / Jumps | Sr. | Davenport, Neb. | Bruning-Davenport |
| Addie Shaw | Throws | Jr. | Bassett, Neb. | Rock County |
| Beth Shaw | Throws | Jr. | Kearney, Neb. | Kearney |
| Adrianna Sims | Sprints; Horizontal Jumps | Fr. | Malcolm, Neb. | Malcolm |
| Carley Skorepa | Throws | Sr. | Utica, S.D. | Scotland |
| Kara Stark | High Jump | So. | Frisco, Texas | Prince of Peace Christian |
| Hayley Stazak | Hurdles | So. | Plainfield, Ill. | Plainfield North |
| Grace Thieme | Distance | So. | Columbia, Mo. | Calvary Lutheran |
| Miranda Unverferth | Hurdles / Sprints | Jr. | Raymond, Neb. | Raymond Central |
| Paige Uzzell | Hurdles; Horizontal Jumps; Multis | Fr. | Norfolk, Neb. | Norfolk |
| Anna Watters | Sprints | So. | Panama, Neb. | Norris |
| Kailey Weichel | Distance | Fr. | Plymouth, Neb. | Tri Country Public |
| Alice Wentz | Throws | So. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran |
| Emily Wetzel | Distance | Jr. | Olathe, Kan. | Olathe East |
| Alexa Williams | Pole Vault | Fr. | Elkhorn, Neb. | Elkhorn |
STAFF
Matt Beisel, Head Coach
Ed McLaughlin, Assistant Coach
Mark Samuels, Assistant Coach
Wayne Earney, Assistant Coach
Jason Berry, Assistant Coach
Season preview: 2019 Concordia indoor track & field
Dec. 19, 2018
At a glance
MEN
Head coach: Matt Beisel (3rd year)
2018 indoor finishes: T-4th (GPAC); T-42nd (NAIA)
2018 outdoor finishes: 6th (GPAC); T-69th (NAIA)
2018 All-Americans returning: Jacob Cornelio (weight throw; hammer throw); Cody Williams (heptathlon).
2018 All-Americans lost: None.
2018 Indoor National Qualifiers returning: Jacob Cornelio (weight throw); Josiah McAllister (1,000 meters); Tyrell Reichert (pole vault); Cody Williams (heptathlon; high jump).
WOMEN
Head coach: Matt Beisel (3rd year)
2018 indoor finishes: 5th (GPAC); 9th (NAIA)
2018 outdoor finishes: 3rd (GPAC); T-12th (NAIA)
2018 All-Americans returning: Samantha Liermann (*shot put-2; weight throw); Johanna Ragland (shot put; hammer throw); Adrianna Shaw (shot put; *discus); Carley Skorepa (discus).
2018 All-Americans lost: None.
2018 Indoor National Qualifiers returning: Anna Baack (pole vault); Jazzy Eickhoff (shot put); Jodi Fry (shot put); McKenzie Gravo (pole vault); Leah Larson (triple jump); Samantha Liermann (shot put; weight throw); Johanna Ragland (shot put; weight throw); Adrianna Shaw (shot put; weight throw).
*National champion
Team National Champions: 2015 men's outdoor | 2016 women's outdoor
Concordia all-time conference titles
MEN – indoor: 2014 | outdoor: 2014, 2015
WOMEN – indoor: 2010 | outdoor: 1998, 2010, 2012
Concordia all-time conference runner-up finishes
MEN – indoor: 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 | outdoor: 2002, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017
WOMEN – indoor: 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 | outdoor: 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Outlook
With the Blue-White intra-squad meet in the books, the Concordia University track and field programs now have their sights set on the official start of the 2019 indoor season. Head coach Matt Beisel’s 2018 squads were disproportional from a class perspective. Seventy-four freshmen held down roster spots. Such dynamics point to a more experienced and battled tested bunch this winter.
The short story: the men believe they are positioned to make a push back near the national top 25 while the women appear capable of scoring huge points at national meets.
“We brought in a lot of new recruits last year,” Beisel said. “They brought a lot of talent. We had a bunch of state champions and state runners up. When you get to the GPAC and the NAIA national level the competitiveness is so high. It takes a while for them to put on more strength and raise their mental ability from high school to meet the new expectations. I think this is particularly true of guys. You have to build a lot more power and strength and it takes time to do that. All of our fall testing and our intra-squad meet indicates that we’re primed for some big improvements over last year.”
Proven top-of-the-line athletes return on the women’s side. Most prominent among them is senior Samantha Liermann, a two-time shot put national champion and seven-time All-American. She is one of seven current Bulldog female athletes with at least one career All-America award. That group includes fellow throwers in junior Addie Shaw (three-time All-American), the 2018 discus national champion, and seniors Johanna Ragland (two-time All-American) and Carley Skorepa (2018 discus All-American).
Over the past five years, the Concordia throws program has been undeniably the best in the NAIA and one of the most accomplished at any level of collegiate athletics. In 2018, Liermann and Shaw came through with the program’s 13th and 14th throws national titles since the start of 2014 track seasons (more than any other NAIA program).
“I think it will be exciting this year because of the experience we have,” Liermann said. “Last year we were pretty freshman heavy. I’m excited to see how they step up. Outdoor was a lot of fun. People stepped up in roles that maybe we didn’t think they would, like Addie winning the discus. I don’t think anyone could have predicted that going in – not even her. I’m excited to see how it all plays out again.”
On paper, the pole vault looks to be a strength on both sides. The women should get a significant boost with juniors Allie Brooks (2017 indoor All-American) and McKenzie Gravo (three-time All-American) both returning from redshirt seasons. They rank Nos. 1 and 2 on the program’s all-time list in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault. The crew also returns past national qualifiers in sophomore Anna Baack and junior Tristen Mosier as well as potential standouts in newcomers to the scene in Erin Mapson and Jacee Pfeifer.
One example of a rising star is junior Jessica Deterding, a 2018 outdoor national qualifier in the heptathlon and triple jump. Besiel referred to Deterding as a “beast” and added, “I think she has a really good shot at being an All-American both indoor in the pentathlon and outdoor in the heptathlon.” She works closely with another multi-event star in sophomore Kennedy Mogul. The women’s field events are further strengthened by top triple jumper in senior Leah Larson, who will be gunning for the school record along with Deterding in the triple.
The top performer on the track is expected to be 2018 GPAC outdoor 10,000 meter champion Taylor Grove, who is fresh off qualifying for the cross country national championships and has already secured a spot at the 2019 outdoor track national championships in the marathon. The women’s distance crew also features All-GPAC cross country runners in freshman Abi DeLoach and junior Rebekah Hinrichs.
Another offseason of development should pay dividends for not previously mentioned national qualifiers such as sophomores Mika Brees, Jodi Fry, Madison Holt and senior Jazzy Eickhoff and junior Bethany Shaw. The former is a Seward native who established herself as one of the program’s top sprinters as just a freshman. Meanwhile, Eickhoff, Fry, Holt and Shaw are part of the vaunted women’s throws group.
“I think our women are loaded this year,” Beisel said. “As a staff, we think we have a shot at a conference title this year. I also believe our women can be top three at nationals. Last year we ended up ninth in indoor and 12th at outdoor, which is not bad. Top 12 nationally is something we’re not unhappy with, but I really believe we’re going to be in the running for top three this year. We’re bringing some redshirts back in who are all healthy and looking great.”
It wasn’t unexpected that the men’s team took a step back in 2018 after graduating 2017 national champions in Cody Boellstorff, Zach Lurz and Lucas Wiechman. Most of the key figures from last season are back, including All-Americans in junior Jacob Cornelio and sophomore Cody Williams. Both have the ability to win conference titles and to make a move up the national ladder.
Williams entered Concordia more advanced as a freshman than Wiechman, who enjoyed the type of senior campaign that many athletes only dream about. A native of Imperial, Neb., Williams could find similar success over his career based on his current trajectory.
“Cody Williams has really gotten a fire lit under him,” Beisel said. “He trained hard all summer. He came in this fall ready to go. His maturity has grown. We have three freshmen multi-event guys who he has taken under his wing. He’s acting like a senior. He’s shown true leadership. They’re having a lot of fun. He’s really pushing them and they’re all growing. He’s hit a new level in where he is mentally.”
On the track, Josiah McAllister has hopes of joining Williams as an All-American. McAllister has made his way to three national championship meets. At the 2018 GPAC indoor championships, the senior from Atkinson, Neb., earned all-conference honors in the one mile and 1,000 meters and helped the 4x800 meter relay to a runner-up finish.
McAllister decided to go out for cross country this past fall and gave the team a lift. The middle distance and distance crews believe they are ready to make a big impact in 2019.
“It’s always tough for indoor track coming off cross country,” McAllister said. “You have to get your legs under you and it’s a lot shorter races. Sometimes it doesn’t suit everyone. I think with the team we have we’re built to score a lot more at conference in the distance events than we have in the past. That’s something we’re looking forward to with some of those freshmen and underclassmen. They have a season under their belt and they’re ready to get after it.”
The men’s pole vault crew may be the deepest event area for the Bulldogs, men or women. Williams is one of the stars for a group that has additional returning national qualifiers in sophomore Tucker Platt and senior Tyrell Reichert. There’s a whole lot more in terms of potential. Transfer Gavin DeHaai is another intriguing athlete.
Benjamin Pratt (jumps) and Thomas Taylor (distance) are also familiar names with the ability to score big points at the conference championships. Additionally, the Bulldog men’s program is used to having stellar groups in the hurdles and relays. The men took a 4x800 meter relay to the 2018 outdoor national championships.
Another freshman class filled with quantity and quality will also impact the 2019 season. Look out for the likes of Claire Cornell, Angela Hurtado, Cora Olson and many others.
“I’m really excited about who we have on the squad right now,” Beisel said. “We’ve signed many great kids for next year and have a number of others making final decisions. I think our men and women are just going to continue to blossom with ability. Our coaching staff talks about it how this could be pretty cool. We have fierce competitors in the GPAC. It’s well-coached and well-recruited. We go up against powerhouses in our conference. We’ll have some good competition in the GPAC. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The indoor season is set to officially get started the weekend of Jan. 11-12 with the University of Nebraska Graduate Classic and the Ward Haylett Invite hosted by Doane. Beisel’s staff again includes full-time assistant coaches in Wayne Earney, Ed McLaughlin and Mark Samuels.
Larson breaks school record, Bulldogs post seven 'A' marks
Jan. 12, 2019
CRETE, Neb. – A new indoor track and field season is officially underway. In the opening weekend of the 2019 campaign, Concordia University track and field athletes combined for seven automatic national qualifying marks. Saturday (Jan. 12)’s action featured the Ward Haylett Invite hosted by Doane. Five Bulldogs also competed at the University of Nebraska’s Graduate Classic on Friday.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads totaled seven event titles on Saturday. Not only a winner in the triple jump, Leah Larson emerged with a school record.
“It’s about what we expected,” Beisel said of the overall team performances. “When you’re coming off break you’ve been away from practice for three or four weeks. We work them really hard this first week back because you don’t want to be taking it easy this early in the season. Some of them were tired and fatigued and it’s the first collegiate meet for the freshmen. The next two weeks is when things are really going to start to click. You have to keep it all in perspective.”
Larson has blossomed while working with jumps coach Wayne Earney. A national qualifier in 2018, Larson appears on track for bigger and better in her senior season. The native of Norfolk, Neb., toppled the school triple jump record that had been set by Charista Zehnder in 2010 with her mark of 38’ 1 ¼,” which will put Larson back in the national championships. As of Saturday evening, Larson was listed as the NAIA national leader in the triple.
Larson headlined a stellar day on the women’s side. Returning national champion throwers Samantha Liermann and Addie Shaw wasted little time qualifying for the national meet in both the shot put and weight throw. Liermann placed fourth in the shot put (44’ 11 ¾”) and fifth in the weight throw (53’ 2 ¼”) while Shaw checked in at second in the weight throw (57’ 11 ¼”) and sixth in the shot put (44’ 8”).
In her debut meet as a Bulldog, redshirt freshman Jacee Pfeifer punched her ticket to nationals in a winning effort in the pole vault (11’ 6 ½”). Pfeifer also placed second to teammate Rachel Battershell in the 400 meter dash. Battershell and Pfeifer hit the ‘B’ standard in the 400. Also in the pole vault, McKenzie Gravo claimed the runner-up spot (11’ ¾”).
Picking up additional event titles were the women’s 4x400 meter relay, the men’s 4x800 meter relay, Taylor Grove (3,000 meters) and Josiah McAllister (one mile). The women’s 4x4 posted a ‘B’ standard time of 4:03.48 and consisted of Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Mika Brees and Pfeifer. Meanwhile, the men’s 4x8 included J.P Reynolds, Thomas Taylor, Christian Van Cleave and McAllister.
An All-American in 2018, Jacob Cornelio will also be headed back to the national championships. He registered a weight throw of 61’ 10 ½” and placed second in the event. In the shot put, Liam Hennessy just missed a ‘B’ standard.
Additional ‘B’ marks turned in on Saturday came from Nathan Matters (600 meters), Ben Pratt (high jump) and Johanna Ragland (weight throw). Standout sophomore Cody Williams posted a ‘B’ time in the 60 meter hurdles while taking first place in his section of the preliminaries at the Graduate Classic on Friday. Adrianna Sims was not far off in the triple jump.
Due to the overnight snowstorm, the field was significantly smaller than first anticipated. Roughly 10 schools decided not to compete.
The Bulldogs now get set to play the role of meet host for the first time in 2019. The Polar Dog Invite will take place next Saturday (Jan. 19) inside the Fieldhouse. For a preliminary meet schedule, click HERE.
Bulldogs to host four-school field at Polar Dog Invite
Jan. 15, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – For the first time on the young 2019 indoor season, the Concordia University track and field programs will play the role of meet host when action begins in the afternoon on Saturday. The Bulldogs will welcome visiting men’s and women’s athletes from the following institutions: MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), Nebraska Wesleyan University and Sterling College (Kan.). The first events are scheduled to get started at 1 p.m. CST on Saturday.
Select events during Saturday’s Polar Dog Invite can be viewed live via the Concordia Sports Network. Additionally, Black Squirrel Timing will host live results HERE.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads kicked off the new season over the weekend with the bulk of Concordia athletes competing exclusively at the Ward Haylett Invite hosted by Doane. A handful of Bulldogs were also in action at the University of Nebraska’s Graduate Classic on Jan. 11. By the time the dust settled, Concordia produced a collective seven ‘A’ and seven ‘B’ standard national qualifying marks.
One of the automatic national qualifiers who emerged from the weekend was senior Leah Larson, who will be headed to a national championship meet for the third time in her career. Larson turned in a triple jump mark of 38’ 1 ¼,” which broke the program record and puts her at No. 2 on the national list. Additional automatic marks were recorded by Jacob Cornelio (weight throw), Sam Liermann (shot put and weight throw), Jacee Pfeifer (pole vault) and Addie Shaw (shot put and weight throw).
Concordia has the potential to add many more automatic national qualifying marks as the season wears on. The Bulldogs return additional 2018 indoor national qualifiers in Anna Baack (pole vault), Jazzy Eickhoff (shot put), Jodi Fry (shot put), McKenzie Gravo (pole vault) and Johanna Ragland (shot put and weight throw) on the women’s side and Josiah McAllister (1,000 meters), Tyrell Reichert (pole vault) and Cody Williams (heptathlon and high jump) on the men’s side.
MidAmerica Nazarene features Concordia alum Jonathon Becker as a member of its coaching staff. The Pioneers got their indoor season started prior to New Year’s and posted one automatic national qualifying mark and six ‘B’ marks. Their men’s 4x400 meter relay churned out a time of 3:21.51 while locking up a spot at the indoor national championships. At the 2018 NAIA Indoor National Championships, MidAmerica Nazarene placed 37th on the women’s side and 39th on the men’s side.
Due to inclement weather, Sterling was unable to make the trip to Doane this past weekend. That means the Warriors hope to get their campaign started in Seward. Meanwhile, Nebraska Wesleyan has competed solely as an NCAA Division III member since leaving the GPAC following the 2015-16 academic year. The Prairie Wolves are coming off a week that resulted in them sweeping both the men’s and women’s America Rivers Conference weekly awards. At the 2018 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (now the ARC) indoor championships, Nebraska Wesleyan placed second on the women’s side and fifth on the men’s side.
The Bulldogs will not have to leave home the rest of January. They will be back home next week to host the Concordia Classic (Jan. 24-25).
McAllister earns GPAC weekly award
Jan. 16, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – A four-time NAIA national qualifier, Josiah McAllister has kicked off his senior track and field season in impressive fashion. After a pair of event titles at the Ward Haylett Invite hosted by Doane, McAllister has been named the GPAC Hauff Mid-America Sports Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, as announced on Wednesday (Jan. 16). The release marks the first weekly track and field awards of the 2019 season.
In last week’s action, McAllister competed at both the University of Nebraska’s Graduate Classic and the Ward Haylett Invite. At the Graduate Classic, McAllister placed fifth out of 18 runners by finishing in a time of 2:31.75 (converted to 2:33.85). The next day McAllister shifted Doane and placed first in the one mile (4:30.69) and ran a leg for the winning 4x800 meter relay (8:09.13). Each of the aforementioned three times places McAllister at No. 1 on the current GPAC performance lists.
A native of Atkinson, Neb., McAllister is coming off a 2018 indoor season that saw him help the 4x8 to a runner-up GPAC finish. At the conference indoor meet, he also placed third in the one mile and seventh in the 1,000 meters. He also excels in the classroom having been named a CoSIDA Academic All-American and an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
McAllister and the Bulldogs will host the Polar Dog Invite on Saturday. The tentative event schedule can be viewed HERE.
Pole vault crew shines; Bulldogs total seven new 'A' marks
Jan. 19, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Led by a deep pole vault group, the Concordia University track and field programs posted seven new automatic national qualifying marks while hosting a meet for the first time in 2019. In a small gathering, the Bulldogs welcomed MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), Nebraska Wesleyan University and Sterling College (Kan.) for Saturday (Jan. 19)’s Polar Dog Invite, which unfolded inside the Fieldhouse.
The event signaled the second weekend of the 2019 indoor season for head coach Matt Beisel’s squads, which produced 14 event titles at the Polar Dog meet.
“(The size of the meet) allows our kids to relax a little,” Beisel said. “We were not only on our home turf where they practice every day, but a majority of the kids in each event were their teammates, especially in the jumps and the throws. That creates some chemistry. We were expecting our kids to do pretty well and a lot of them did. I heard from a lot of our freshmen saying they were a lot more relaxed than last week.”
The pole vault group turned in its first national qualifier of 2019 last week when Jacee Pfeifer cleared 11’ 6 ½” at Doane. At the Polar Dog Invite, Erin Mapson, McKenzie Gravo and Allie Brooks each were successful at vaulting 11’ 6 ½” while locking up the top three place finishes. On the men’s side, Gavin DeHaai hit the ‘A’ standard and won the pole vault competition with a clearance of 15’ 5.” A host of other Bulldogs also expect to reach the national championships in the pole vault. That would include Tristen Mosier, who had a ‘B’ standard qualifying mark.
In the throws, Jacob Cornelio could be the next Concordia male to take a run at an individual national title before his career is out. The junior from Elk Grove, Calif., set a new personal best in the weight throw with his winning toss of 63’ 7 ¾.” He won the competition by nearly 13 feet.
Said Cornelio, “It was the same feeling as most throws. I don’t really know until I hear the mark. I felt pretty good. I always think my throws are slow and not as good as they could be, but I was very happy to hear that it was a PR.”
On the women’s side, Samantha Liermann and Addie Shaw again eclipsed automatic marks in both the shot put and weight throw. Shaw took first with a weight throw that measured in at 60’ 6 ¾,” a PR that would rank No. 1 nationally based on the NAIA performance list entering Saturday. Also in the women’s weight throw, Johanna Ragland put up a fresh automatic mark of 55’ 9 ¾.”
Some good things also occurred on the track. The women’s 4x400 meter relay capped the evening by clocking an automatic national qualifying time of 3:58.50. The group featured Rachel Battershell (200 meter dash winner), Sarah Lewis, Jessica Deterding and Pfeifer. On the national level, only two women’s 4x4’s had achieved automatic qualifying times entering the day. Meanwhile, the Concordia men’s 4x4 of Gavin Davis, Nathan Matters, Xavier Ross and Jake Rodgers posted a ‘B’ time of 3:23.34.
Elsewhere on the track, senior Nathan Matters galloped to a new ‘A’ standard time of 1:21.89 while taking first place in the 600 meter run. Matters also ran the 600 at the 2017 indoor national championships. In the women’s 5,000 meters, senior Taylor Grove ran a PR of 18:41.87 for a meet record and won the event.
Another area of strength is the women’s triple jump, which last week qualified senior Leah Larson for the national championships with a school record performance. Larson placed runner up to teammate Adrianna Sims (37’ ¼”) on Saturday in the triple jump. Larson, Sims and Jessica Deterding all achieved ‘B’ marks.
Said Larson of what has kept her motivated after breaking the record, “My teammates for sure. I’ve got two other teammates who are pushing the school record as well so it’s really anybody’s game.”
Additional event champions not previously mentioned were the women’s 4x800 meter relay (Rebekah Hinrichs, Miranda Rathjen, Alyssa Fye and Kailey Weichel), Taylor Beck (triple jump), Ally Glaser (high jump) and Ben Pratt (high jump).
“We recruited these kids to do what they’re doing,” Beisel said. “The nice thing is that so many have already smashed their high school marks. That’s a credit to the training group that these kids work with. The expectation level is high and we have really good coaches.”
The Bulldogs will host another meet next Thursday and Friday (Jan. 24-25) with the Concordia Classic set to take place inside the Fieldhouse. The tentative schedule for the Concordia Classic can be viewed HERE.
Concordia Classic set to run Thursday-Friday in the Fieldhouse
Jan. 22, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – For the second week in a row, the Concordia University track and field program is getting ready to host a meet inside the Fieldhouse. The annual Concordia Classic will run Thursday and Friday in a meet that will be larger than last week’s Polar Dog Invite. The Concordia Classic will feature a men’s heptathlon and women’s pentathlon.
Multi events are slated to begin at 3 p.m. CST on Thursday. The women’s pentathlon will be completed on Thursday while the men’s heptathlon will take place over both days of the meet. On Friday, field events will get underway at 2 p.m. with running events to follow at 2:30 p.m. The tentative meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
Live results can be followed HERE. The Concordia Sports Network will not be doing a live webcast for this meet.
Athletes from the following institutions, in addition to Concordia, will be on hand:
Bethany College (Kan.)
Concordia University Irvine (Calif.)
Doane University
Kansas Wesleyan University
Mount Marty College
University of Nebraska-Kearney
Tabor College (Kan.)
It’s been an impressive first two weeks of the season for head coach Matt Beisel’s men’s and women’s squads. Bulldog athletes have combined for 14 automatic national qualifying marks and eight ‘B’ standard qualifying marks – numbers that put the 2019 squads ahead of teams from recent years at this point in the season. The women figure to be ranked especially high when the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) puts out national ratings on Wednesday, considering their wealth of top national marks. Addie Shaw leads the NAIA in the weight throw and is No. 5 in the shot put while Leah Larson (triple jump) and the women’s 4x400 meter relay also appear among the nation’s top five.
A total of seven new automatic qualifying marks were turned in at last week’s Polar Dog Invite. Four of those came from a deep pole vault group. Allie Brooks, McKenzie Gravo and Erin Mapson joined Jacee Pfeifer as qualifiers on the women’s side. Meanwhile, Gavin DeHaai cleared 15’ 5” to become this season’s first Concordia men’s pole vaulter to qualify for nationals. Many other vaulters tutored by assistant coach Jason Berry also have the ability to make it to nationals. Anna Baack and Tyrell Reichert were indoor qualifiers in 2018.
The multi events appear to be another strength for Bulldog track and field. The headliner of the group is sophomore Cody Williams, a 2018 All-American in the heptathlon. Concordia sent four athletes to the 2018 outdoor national championships in the multi events, including Jessica Deterding and Kennedy Mogul in the heptathlon.
Concordia also looks to be improved on the track. In the opening weekend, senior Josiah McAllister posted three GPAC leading times and was subsequently named the conference’s track athlete of the week. As it stands entering this week, the Bulldogs lead the GPAC in the men’s and women’s 4x400 meter relays, are No. 1 in the men’s 4x800 meter relay and No. 2 in the women’s 4x8. The Bulldog women’s 4x4 is the only GPAC relay team to own an ‘A’ standard qualifying time at this point in the season. Furthermore, Nathan Matters is qualified for nationals in the 600 meters.
Rival Doane will have select athletes entered into the competition. The Tigers have put 22 combined ‘A’ and ‘B’ marks on the board to this point in the season. Concordia University Irvine makes the longest trek to Seward. CUNE alum Keegan Bloomfield is currently the interim head coach/recruiting coordinator for the Eagles. Their staff includes another Bulldog alum in Benjamin Hinckfoot. Bethany has three ‘B’ marks to its credit.
After this week’s action, most Concordia athletes will then look forward to the Fred Beile Invitational hosted by Doane next Saturday (Feb. 2).
Matters, Shaw rake in GPAC awards
Jan. 23, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Courtesy of their efforts at last week’s Polar Dog Invite, two Bulldogs have collected weekly honors from the GPAC. On Wednesday (Jan. 23), the conference named senior Nathan Matters the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Men’s Track Athlete of the Week and junior Addie Shaw the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Field Athlete of the Week. Concordia has now won back-to-back GPAC men’s track weekly awards with Josiah McAllister having been honored on Jan. 16.
Shaw, a native of Bassett, Neb., may very well push for national titles in the shot put and weight throw. She took over the NAIA national lead in the weight throw last week with her personal best toss of 60’ 6 ¾.” Shaw also turned in a season best of 46’ ¾” in the shot put, which ranks No. 5 on the NAIA national list. On the school’s all-time indoor performance lists, Shaw ranks fourth in both the shot put and weight throw. She is the returning discus national champion and a three-time All-American (two top-three finishes in the shot put).
Matters has risen to the top of the GPAC leaderboard in the 600 meters via his national qualifying performance at the Polar Dog Invite. The Overland Park, Kan., native galloped to a first place finish in a time of 1:21.89 (fifth best in the NAIA). That time was just off his personal best (seventh best in school history) achieved at the 2017 GPAC indoor championships. Matters also ran a leg for the men’s 4x400 meter relay that clocked a ‘B’ standard qualifying time of 3:23.34 – No. 1 in the GPAC and No. 8 in the NAIA.
Matters, Shaw and the rest of the Bulldogs will return to action at the Concordia Classic, which will run this Thursday and Friday inside the Fieldhouse. The tentative meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
2019 GPAC athletes of the week
Jan. 23 – Nathan Matters (track); Addie Shaw (field)
Jan. 16 – Josiah McAllister (track)
Shaw upgraded to NAIA National Athlete of the Week
Jan. 23, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Named GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Field Athlete of the Week earlier in the day, junior Addie Shaw has picked up another major honor. As announced by the NAIA on Wednesday (Jan. 23), Shaw has been selected as the NAIA National Women’s Field Athlete of the Week. She is the Concordia University track and field program’s first national weekly award winner since Cody Boellstorff was honored in April of 2017.
Shaw, a native of Bassett, Neb., may very well push for national titles in the shot put and weight throw. She took over the NAIA national lead in the weight throw last week with her personal best toss of 60’ 6 ¾.” Shaw also turned in a season best of 46’ ¾” in the shot put, which ranks No. 5 on the NAIA national list. On the school’s all-time indoor performance lists, Shaw ranks fourth in both the shot put and weight throw. She is the returning discus national champion and a three-time All-American (two top-three finishes in the shot put).
The 2016-17 campaign saw Concordia haul in seven NAIA national athlete of the week awards. Boellstorff (two), Allie Brooks, Zach Lurz, Kali Robb (two) and Lucas Wiechman all pulled in at least one NAIA weekly honor during that academic year.
Shaw and the rest of the Bulldogs will return to action at the Concordia Classic, which will run this Thursday and Friday inside the Fieldhouse. The tentative meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
Seven new automatic national qualifying marks turned in at Concordia Classic
Jan. 26, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – After earning lofty rankings in the first U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association computer ratings, the Concordia University track and field squads enjoyed another stellar meet inside their home venue of the Fieldhouse. Senior Leah Larson broke her own record in the triple jump and seven Bulldogs posted automatic national qualifying marks during Friday (Jan. 25)’s action. Athletes from seven opposing institutions joined Concordia at the meet.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads (ranked second nationally on the women’s side and sixth on the men’s side) produced a combined nine Concordia Classic event titles. The Bulldogs competed favorably against conference schools such as Dakota Wesleyan, Doane and Mount Marty. Concordia University, Irvine also made the journey to Seward.
By meet’s end, the season count of automatic national qualifying marks had reached 21. The latest to join the national qualifying field were the men’s 4x400 meter relay, Gavin Davis (200 meters), Jodi Fry (shot put), Josiah McAllister (1,000 meters), Tristen Mosier (pole vault), Johanna Ragland (shot put) and Cody Williams (pole vault). That doesn’t include Williams’ big performance in the heptathlon, an event he won with 5,096 points, which could put him atop the nation when all meet results for the weekend are in the books.
A native of Norfolk, Neb., Larson is one of many Bulldogs who continue to reach new heights. Her winning triple jump measured in at 38’ 2 ¾” at the Concordia Classic. She remains a step ahead of a talented group of teammates in the event.
The Bulldog pole vault crew has flooded the 2019 indoor national championship field. Seven are now qualified after Mosier (11’ 6 ½”) and Williams (15’ 9”) added their names to the list on Saturday. On the women’s side, Erin Mapson, Mosier and Jacee Pfeifer placed 1-2-3 in the pole vault with all three clearing the national qualifying height. For the second meet in a row, Gavin DeHaai valuted 15’ 5.” Three men also hit the ‘B’ mark: Zach Bennetts, Tucker Platt and Sam Sisco.
Other winners on the day were the men’s 4x4, Jacob Cornelio (weight throw), Taylor Grove (one mile; 3,000 meters), Angelo Hurtado (600 meter hurdles) and NAIA Field Athlete of the Week Addie Shaw (weight throw). The men’s 4x4 featured Davis, Nathan Matters, Xavier Ross and McAllister. They clocked in at 3:20.04, nearly two seconds faster than second place Mount Marty. Meanwhile, Cornelio bested his personal best from a week ago with his weight throw of 64’ 11 ½.”
Not only did Shaw win the win the women’s weight throw competition, Bulldogs placed fourth, sixth and seventh. Ragland threw 55’ 4 ¼” and Mariah Huneke and Morgan De Jong both achieved ‘B’ marks. In the women’s pentathlon, Jessica Deterding and Kennedy Mogul posted personal bests and reached the minimum totals needed to go to the national championships.
The results from the Concordia Classic should solidify the Bulldogs’ position as a national top 10 team on both sides. Concordia had entered the meet already situated within the top five nationally in six events: women’s 4x400 meter relay, Cornelio (weight throw), Larson (triple jump), Matters (600 meters) and Shaw (shot put; weight throw).
Williams is a blossoming star who earned indoor All-America honors as a freshman. He is following in the footsteps of former pole vault national champion Lucas Wiechman as the program’s next big thing in the multi events.
Most Bulldog athletes will be headed to the Fred Beile Invitational hosted by Doane next Saturday (Feb. 2). Select Concordia athletes will also be at the Sevigne Husker Invite (Feb. 1-2) hosted by the University of Nebraska.
Bulldogs pull in three GPAC weekly awards
Jan. 30, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – The indications of an impressive first few weeks of the 2019 indoor season are all around for the Concordia University track and field programs. On Wednesday (Jan. 30), three Bulldogs garnered GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Track & Field Athlete of the Week awards. The honorees were Taylor Grove (women’s track), Josiah McAllister (men’s track) and Cody Williams (men’s field).
Head coach Matt Beisel’s program has monopolized the GPAC men’s track weekly award, winning the first three of 2019. Out of a possible 12 GPAC honors named so far this season, the Bulldogs have accounted for half of them.
Grove has not yet lost a race during the indoor season. One of the conference’s top distance runners, Grove placed first in the one mile (5:29.13) and 3,000 meter (10:52.74) runs at last week’s Concordia Classic. The native of Billings, Mont., currently sports GPAC rankings of first in both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters and third in the mile. She is the conference’s reigning champion in the outdoor 10,000 meters and is already qualified for the outdoor marathon at the national championships.
McAllister is a GPAC track athlete of the week for the second time in three weeks. He rose to No. 1 on the NAIA national list in the 1,000 meters by clocking in at 2:29.93 (10th fastest in school history). He is one of only two GPAC athletes qualified for nationals in the event. The Atkinson, Neb., native also ran the anchor leg of the Bulldog men’s 4x400 meter relay that last week finished in a national qualifying time of 3:20.04, good for first in the GPAC and fourth in the NAIA. McAllister is also currently listed at fifth in the mile on the GPAC list.
Williams is just beginning to reach his vast potential as a sophomore. A 2018 All-American in the heptathlon, the Imperial, Neb., native moved himself to No. 2 on the current NAIA list in the event by totaling 5,096 points in the event at the Concordia Classic. In the field competitions of the heptathlon, Williams took first at the Concordia Classic in the shot put, long jump, pole vault and high jump. In the pole vault, Williams cleared 15’ 9” and automatically qualified for nationals. He also ranks No. 1 in the GPAC in the 60 meter hurdles.
The Bulldogs will be back in action this weekend at the Sevigne Husker Invite (Feb. 1-2) and at the Fred Beile Invite (Feb. 2) hosted by Doane.
2019 GPAC athletes of the week
Jan. 30 – Taylor Grove (track); Josiah McAllister (track); Cody Williams (field)
Jan. 23 – Nathan Matters (track); *Addie Shaw (field)
Jan. 16 – Josiah McAllister (track)
*NAIA National Athlete of the Week
Calm demeanored Larson sets example, standard of excellence
Jan. 31, 2019
Quietly, senior Leah Larson has gone about rising to the top of the all-time indoor triple jump list for a Concordia University track and field program well established on the national front. Larson wasn’t someone making a lot of noise or bringing attention to herself on Jan. 12 when she reached a mark that may have seemed far out of her grasp just a few years ago.
Asked about the new school record a week after the accomplishment, Larson had only a few words to say. “It was awesome – and my coach was happy about it, too.” Understated and to the point. That’s Larson, and there’s really nothing wrong about it.
“It’s a great quality to have in an athlete,” said jumps coach Wayne Earney. “Because the highs aren’t too high and the lows aren’t too low. She’s very even keeled. I’m that way too. It’s nice to have an upperclassman who is that calming presence because we have a really talented group of young women that are going to challenge her record in the future. It’s nice to have a great quality young woman like her.”
In her very first meet as a freshman in 2016, Larson turned in a triple jump mark of 34’ 8 ½.” Three years later the Norfolk, Neb., native’s record measures in at roughly three-and-a-half feet longer (38’ 2 ¾”). That mark puts her at No. 3 in the nation and in a position she’s never been before. Larson broke through as a junior by making it to the national championships for both the indoor and outdoor seasons, but she’s now on a new level.
No doubt Larson had some potential coming out of Norfolk High School, where she qualified for the state championships and recorded state triple jump placements of fourth as a junior and fifth as a senior. She also helped the Panthers to a state runner up finish in basketball her senior season. Those achievements were just a start.
“I’ve been working at it my whole college career,” Larson said of her steady improvement in the triple jump. “I thought it was possible (to break the record) when Coach Earney got here. He put it in my head that I was capable of doing things that were beyond what I thought. He pushed us all to be better.”
While Earney has pushed Larson to greater heights, so too has her younger brother. It turns out Leah is not the only athlete in the family. Now a sophomore at the University of South Dakota, Travis Larson is a high jumper for the Coyotes. As a freshman last season, he was a fourth place finisher in the high jump at the Summit League Championships. In his high school senior basketball season, Larson aided Norfolk on its way to a state title.
Leah has had the advantage of having a brother to motivate and work alongside her during Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. Said Leah, “We’re both super supportive of each other. We talk after every meet in our family group message. We keep up with each other pretty well.”
In some ways, it’s a challenge for anyone to keep up with what Larson is doing. She’s living out the type of athletic career path that all coaches would want for their athletes. Larson is maximizing her potential in her last go-round. She knows that talented underclassmen teammates will be gunning for her record, which Earney expects to be broken yet again by Larson this season.
She may have been off the national radar in her events as a freshman and sophomore, but things have changed through her focused determination and through the faith she has put in Earney to help lead her to this point.
“She’s been awesome to work with,” Earney said. “She’s kind of like a sponge. She’s taken everything that I’ve said and trusted it. I’ve been telling her for a year-and-a-half that she could jump as far as she’s jumping now. I think she can still go farther. It’s been pretty exciting.”
For most of her life, Larson has been in athletic competition. Her father Kent coached the three siblings (including Thomas) during their youthful days. Basketball was often the game. A 2015 article that appeared in the Norfolk Daily News detailed how regularly the Larsons could be found dribbling and shooting a basketball in the driveway of their home. It’s a family that is well established in the Norfolk community with Kent and his wife Karen having also graduated from Norfolk High School.
Leah calls her father and her high school event coach as two of her biggest early influences that have helped her reach her current level of success as an athlete. Kent is surely proud of how Leah has transformed into one of the NAIA’s top triple jumpers – but that’s just a small part of the larger picture. Said Kent of his children back in 2015, “They’re even better kids. That’s the best thing that people have ever told me. They’re even better kids. It’s a dream come true.”
In that sense, dreams have come true. Larson is a role model who Earney can hold up as an example for younger, aspiring student-athletes.
There are other dreams Leah is reaching for. She wants to crack 12 meters in the triple jump (which is pushing 40 feet) and she certainly won’t rule out the possibility of winning a team national title as the Concordia women did at the 2016 outdoor national championships.
A three-sport athlete at Norfolk High, Larson was recruited to Concordia by Nick Mann, a former assistant on the track staff. The circumstances may have changed a bit, but Larson seems to be just fine with how things have worked out. She has blossomed while working with Earney.
Says Earney, “I really enjoy coaching her and to see what she has achieved is awesome.”
Lofty national rankings a reflection of tremendous start to 2019
Jan. 31, 2019
It’s not that Concordia University track and field really went anywhere, it’s just that the 2015 and 2016 seasons changed the game. Those team national championship campaigns blew the top off of what many may have believed to be the ceiling for the program. The red banners hanging from the east wall of the Fieldhouse serve as a constant reminder of what is possible.
In an interview on Wednesday, school triple jump record holder Leah Larson did not shy away from discussing the women’s team’s potential to win another championship. Clearly head coach Matt Beisel’s squads have reason to be confident considering they have combined to compile 21 automatic national qualifying marks and 11 ‘B’ standards through the first three weeks of the indoor season.
“We saw the potential for this last season,” Beisel said of the early success. “I’ve said I thought our girls could be a top three team nationally looking at who’s coming back and what our freshmen are able to do. I’m not as surprised by the women. The guys are a pleasant surprise to me because last year we tied for 42nd at indoor nationals and tied for 69th at outdoor nationals. In the preseason I would have been happy with top 25 or top 30. I felt like we were going to be better. All of the sudden we’re having some things happen where we’re performing really well.”
The computer ratings put out by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) are a reflection of the splash the Bulldogs have made so far. In the latest set of NAIA national rankings announced on Wednesday (Jan. 30), Concordia came in at No. 2 for both men and women. On both sides, the Bulldogs are sandwiched in between Indiana Tech at No. 1 and conference rival Doane at No. 3.
The popular sentiment among coaches is that any ratings put out in the middle of the season are mostly meaningless. But perhaps this is a signal that Concordia is ready to get back into title contention after a coaching change and a roster transformation. In terms of sheer roster quantity, the program has never been this big. However, it’s the quality of roster depth that makes the Bulldogs a national player.
“It’s something that generates excitement within our team and the community that supports our team,” Beisel said of the No. 2 national rankings. “It’s fun to be able to talk with the kids we’re recruiting right now about where our team is at. A lot can happen though. You can never count on anything, but there’s an enthusiasm and excitement that has really been catching on over the last couple of weeks.”
There is further data to illustrate what has been brewing since the calendar flipped to 2019. The USTFCCCA also breaks down the NAIA and each level of the NCAA by event groupings. Among NAIA programs, the Concordia women boast No. 1 national rankings in the events of pole vault, triple jump, shot put and weight throw. Impressively, the Bulldog women’s pole vault crew has already qualified five individuals for the national championships. The squad also features two-time shot put national champion Samantha Liermann and the current weight throw national leader in Addie Shaw (2018 discus national champ).
While the men are not No. 1 currently in any event groupings, they do have the NAIA leader in the 1,000 meters in Josiah McAllister and boast a bevy of other highly rated competitors. Budding sophomore Cody Williams vaulted all the way to No. 2 in the NAIA in the heptathlon courtesy of his efforts at the Concordia Classic, two-time All-American Jacob Cornelio is No. 4 in the weight throw and the 4x400 meter relay group, anchored by McAllister, also sits fourth nationally. The men also have a deep pole vault core led by the likes of Williams and Gavin DeHaai.
How all of this translates to the GPAC and NAIA national championships is yet to be determined. It’s far from uncommon for athletes to outperform or underperform at the season’s most significant events. In recent years, the Concordia track and field programs have made a habit of excelling at the national level. ‘Everyone’ in the NAIA knows about the Bulldog throws program (14 individual throws national titles since 2014) under assistant coach Ed McLaughlin.
The aim is to keep that throws program on that level and elevate other areas. To this point, the work done by the staff of Beisel, McLaughlin, Mark Samuels, Wayne Earney and Jason Berry and the large roster of athletes is paying off.
Says Beisel, “There’s a dawning comprehension of what could be with our men and our women – not just at nationals but within conference. It’s fun to hope and to dream, but we still have to do the work. It’s going to take everyone doing their part and performing when it matters to accomplish our goals.”
De Jong breaks through in weight throw; Bulldogs blaze track at UNL
Feb. 2, 2019
CRETE / LINCOLN, Neb. – Members of the NAIA second-ranked Concordia University track and field programs convened this weekend upon both the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational (Feb. 1-2) hosted by the University of Nebraska and the Fred Beile Classic (Feb. 2) hosted by Doane. By the time the dust settled, Abi DeLoach (5,000 meters) and McKenzie Gravo (pole vault) emerged as Beile Classic event champions and a school relay record was nearly broken.
This is week four of the indoor season for head coach Matt Beisel’s squads, which have made a big splash on the national scene. The Bulldogs entered the day with 21 combined automatic national qualifying marks. On Saturday, Morgan De Jong added her name to the qualifying field in the weight throw.
“Almost everyone who ran at UNL had personal bests,” Beisel said. “I was really proud of how they competed. The only downside was that the conversions from a banked track to a flat track prevented us from moving up in the rankings. There were more good takeaways than bad.”
The women’s 4x400 meter relay group went to the Devaney Center for the Husker Invite with a school record on its mind. The Bulldogs would have set a new standard if not for being disqualified. The quartet of Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Jacee Pfeifer finished in 3:53.03. Because of the disqualification, the school record of 3:57.93 achieved in 2009 still stands.
Said Beisel, “It’s a tough learning experience. At least those kids know they can do it, and that’s a big confidence booster. I’m sure the girls are disappointed but they know they can do it. Now we’re looking at a potential All-American and even national champion 4x4 if they run their best.”
Sixteen total Concordia athletes made their way to the Devaney Center over the two-day meet. The result was a plethora of personal bests. Even with the conversions due to the banked track at Nebraska, senior Nathan Matters managed to improve upon an existing ‘A’ standard in the 600 meters. He clocked in at 1:20.64 (which converted to 1:21.85 on the NAIA performance list). Matters placed fourth in the event while finishing in front of runners from the likes of Illinois, Lipscomb, Maryland and Nebraska.
Also on the track, Josiah McAllister (mile) and Thomas Taylor (800 meters) both galloped to times that rank them among the top 20 nationally, even after conversions. McAllister and Matters teamed up with Gavin Davis and Xavier Ross for a time of 3:20.13 in the 4x400 meter relay at the Devaney Center. In addition, Davis ran well in the 400 meters, finishing in 49.36 (13th out of 38 competitors).
On the women’s side, Pfeifer (58.58), Battersell (58.83) and Lewis (59.84) each ran under 60 seconds in the open 400 in Lincoln. In the mile, Rebekah Hinrichs posted a new personal best of 5:19.27. Elsewhere, Emily Loy threw out a time of 9.31 in the 60 meter hurdles. DeLoach’s winning time in the 5,000 registered at 19:55.79.
Gravo has now moved to the top of the heap among Bulldog women’s pole vaulters after clearing a season best of 12’ 2 ½” to best the field at the Beile Classic. Based on the NAIA leaderboard going into the weekend, that figure would rank No. 2 nationally. Allie Brooks (11’ 2 ½”) and Erin Mapson (11’ 2 ½”) finished second and fourth, respectively, in the pole vault competition. On the men’s side, Dalton Berry cleared a ‘B’ standard of 15’ 1.”
In the throws, senior Samantha Liermann bumped up her season best in the weight throw to 55’ ¾” while in action at the Husker Invite. Liermann is still working on finding the touch that has made her a two-time national champ in the shot put. She placed sixth in the event, just behind teammate Addie Shaw, at the Beile Classic. Shaw was a third place finisher in the weight throw (57’ 7”) in front of De Jong’s new ‘A’ standard of 53’ 5” in Crete. On the men’s side, Jacob Cornelio again hit the ‘A’ standard in the weight throw and Liam Hennessy was just shy of an ‘A’ mark in the shot put (51’ 4 ½”).
Leader of a women’s triple jump group rated No. 1 in the NAIA, school record holder Leah Larson jumped 37’ 7 ¾” on Saturday and placed second. Adrianna Sims and Jessica Deterding placed seventh and eighth, respectively. Also in the jumps, Ben Pratt equaled his personal best ‘B’ standard high jump.
The Bulldogs now prep for their final meet leading up the GPAC championships. They will host the Concordia Invite next Friday (Feb. 8) inside the Fieldhouse. It will mark the third home event of the 2019 indoor season for the Bulldogs.
Meet preview: Concordia Invite to feature 14 teams
Feb. 5, 2019
Meet Schedule | PDF
SEWARD, Neb. – The final week prior to the conference championships has already arrived for the Concordia University track and field program. The Bulldogs are readying to host their third meet in five weeks of 2019 indoor action. The annual Concordia University Indoor Invitational is slated to get started inside the Fieldhouse at 2 p.m. CST on Friday. Concordia will welcome athletes representing 13 institutions to Seward (see list below).
Competing institutions at Concordia Invite
Bethel College (Kan.)
Concordia University
Doane University
Fort Hays State University
Hastings College
University of Jamestown
McPherson College
Midland University
Morningside College
College of Saint Mary
Sterling College
Tabor College
York College
Wayne State College
Head coach Matt Beisel’s program has also hosted the Polar Dog Invite (Jan. 19) and the Concordia Classic (Jan. 24-25). The meet on Friday can be viewed live via the Concordia Sports Network (select events will be shown). Live results can be followed HERE.
A week out from the GPAC Championships, Bulldog athletes have combined for 22 automatic national qualifying marks and 13 ‘B’ standard qualifying marks through the opening four weeks of the indoor season. Samantha Liermann, Johanna Ragland and Addie Shaw have each qualified for nationals in both the shot put and weight throw. According to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) ratings, the Concordia women possess top event groups in the pole vault, triple jump, shot put and weight throw. Morgan De Jong became the latest throwing national qualifier by tossing the weight throw 53’ 5” at the Beile Classic.
The USTFCCCA team ratings are a reflection of the impressive start to the semester for Concordia track and field. Last week both the Bulldog men and women appeared at No. 2 nationally, sandwiched between No. 1 Indiana Tech and rival Doane at No. 3. Those ratings are boosted by a pole vault crew that has combined for seven ‘A’ and four ‘B’ standards between men and women. McKenzie Gravo is up to No. 3 nationally in the pole vault. The men did not possess a top-rated event group, but senior Josiah McAllister continues to pace the NAIA in the 1,000 meters.
If you take into account only the top 10 in each event among GPAC competitors, the Bulldogs appear a total of 77 times between the men’s and women’s teams. Concordia athletes with top conference marks include the men’s 4x400 meter relay, the women’s 4x400 meter relay, Gravo (pole vault), Taylor Grove (3,000 meters; 5,000 meters), Rebekah Hinrichs (1,000 meters; one mile), McAllister (1,000 meters; one mile), Shaw (weight throw) and Cody Williams (heptathlon). The women’s 4x4 would have broken the school record last week, but was disqualified from the race.
In front of the home fans, Concordia will be pushed by solid competition on Friday. Six GPAC rivals will be on hand, including highly rated Doane, Hastings (No. 8 women | No. 22 men), Midland (No. 32 men) and Morningside (No. 26 men). Doane has the national leader in the women’s high jump (Alexis Dale).
The GPAC Championships will take place Feb. 15-16 inside the Fieldhouse. It will mark the first time the Bulldogs have hosted the indoor conference championships since 2015. Concordia finished second in the conference for both men and women at that particular GPAC meet.
Deterding, men's 4x8 book trips to nationals in lead up to GPAC meet
Feb. 8, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – A week out from the 2019 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, the NAIA second-ranked Concordia University track and field teams hosted their third meet of the season while putting on the annual Concordia Indoor Invitational on Friday (Feb. 8). Athletes from 14 different institutions converged upon the Fieldhouse for a meet that lasted more than seven hours.
By night’s end, head coach Matt Beisel’s men’s and women’s athletes had combined to produce five event championships, five runner-up claims and a total of 12 performances that met the ‘A’ national qualifying standard. Two of those ‘A’ marks were brand new.
One of the new automatic marks came very early in the meet. The Concordia Invite, to put it simply, saw the Bulldogs continue a season long theme of cleaning up in the relays. A men’s 4x800 meter relay group of Nathan Matters, Thomas Taylor, Christian Van Cleave and Josiah McAllister galloped to a time of 7:51.74 to break a meet record and take over the NAIA national lead by .36 seconds. That time also ranks No. 14 on the men’s program’s all-time list.
“All of them have been running really well in open events,” Beisel said. “We knew we had the pieces. We just hadn’t run all of those guys together at once so this was the time to do it. They all ran really well.”
Already in good shape to reach the national meet in the pentathlon, Deterding had entered the day not even on the national radar in the long jump. That changed when she landed a mark of 18’ 3 ¼” on her third try of the competition. Owner of a top 10 national point total in the pentathlon, Deterding has moved into the top 20 of the NAIA in the long jump.
“I didn’t think it was real at first because I was three centimeters away from it on the previous jump,” Deterding said. “I knew I had it in me. My warmups were feeling good. I didn’t really know what to expect. Coach Earney was really happy and everyone else was, but it didn’t seem real yet.”
In the men’s pole vault, junior Gavin DeHaai may end up pushing for an All-America award. He elevated his game on Friday by clearing a personal best of 15’ 9.” DeHaai is now equal with Cody Williams as the high men on the totem pole for a group of vaulters with two ‘A’ and four ‘B’ national qualifying standards on the men’s side. The transfer from the University of Sioux Falls knows he has to be at his best just to hang with his own teammates.
“It was pretty great,” DeHaai said of the PR. “Just to be able to get in good shape before conference next week and have my teammates around me cheering me on was great. (The number of national qualifiers) speaks highly of our coach and our work ethic. It drives me every day. There is not a day that you can take off. You have guys on your heels.”
After winning her first four races this season, senior distance standout Taylor Grove finally got edged out on the track. She finished .01 seconds out of first place while clocking in at 11:02.04 in the 3,000 meters. Grove remains the GPAC leader in the 3,000 and 5,000 meter races. Her main goal in this particular race was to help bring along teammates Abbi DeLoach and Hannah Rebmann, who placed third and fourth, respectively.
McKenzie Gravo (pole vault), Rebekah Hinrichs (mile) and Thomas Taylor (800 meters) joined the men’s 4x8 and Deterding as event titlists at the Concordia Invite. Gravo has been a consistent ‘A’ standard performer along with teammate Jacee Pfeifer in the pole vault. DeHaai placed second in the men’s pole vault. Additional runner-up finishes were recorded by Grove, Pfeifer, Addie Shaw (weight throw) and Christian Van Cleave (800 meters).
Concordia’s top nationally rated women’s throws group continues to do what it does. They achieved three ‘A’ standards in the shot put and two more in the weight throw. Shaw’s mark of 46’ 3 ¼” in the shot put represented a season best. Elsewhere in the field events, Leah Larson again eclipsed an ‘A’ standard in the triple jump.
In the women’s 400 meters, both Rachel Battershell (58.65) and Pfeifer (59.15) clocked personal bests. Battershell is ranked 11th nationally in the event.
The most significant action of the 2019 indoor season is yet to come. The Bulldogs will host next week’s GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships (Feb. 15-16) inside the Fieldhouse. The most recent indoor conference titles for the Bulldogs occurred in 2014 on the men’s side and 2010 on the women’s side. To view the meet schedule, click HERE.
“Every team has its ups and downs,” Beisel said. “We’ve had a lot of great things happen. We’re set up for a very good conference meet. I think our women have a shot at winning conference and our men are going to be in a battle near the top. If we put all the pieces together, you never know what’s going to happen. I believe in our kids. They are competitors and they want it badly. God continues to bless us.”
Meet preview: 2019 GPAC indoor championships
Feb. 11, 2019
GPAC meet info | GPAC performance list | Event schedule
Live coverage: Video | Results
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University track and field programs enter GPAC week with credible championship aspirations. The Bulldogs are getting set to host the conference indoor championships for the first time since 2015. The 2019 event will get started on Friday afternoon with the men’s heptathlon and the women’s pentathlon. The bulk of the meet will unfold on Saturday inside the Fieldhouse.
The Concordia Sports Network will live stream the meet starting on Saturday. Additional live video coverage can be found via the Concordia track and field program’s YouTube channel.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s programs are coming off of 2018 GPAC indoor championships finishes of fourth on the men’s side and fifth on the women’s side. At the 2018 conference outdoor meet, Concordia placed third on the women’s side and sixth on the men’s side.
“Every team has its ups and downs,” Beisel said following last week’s Concordia Indoor Invite. “We’ve had a lot of great things happen. We’re set up for a very good conference meet. I think our women have a shot at winning conference and our men are going to be in a battle near the top. If we put all the pieces together, you never know what’s going to happen. I believe in our kids. They are competitors and they want it badly. God continues to bless us.”
Both teams have made significant progress since last season. In last week’s release of the NAIA national ratings by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the Bulldogs remained at No. 2 for both men and women. Through five weeks of indoor competition, Concordia athletes have combined for 24 automatic national qualifying marks and 13 ‘B’ standard qualifying marks. On the GPAC leaderboard, the Bulldogs boast 79 marks that rank in the top 10 of conference event groupings.
While Doane has often had a stranglehold on the top spot in the conference, Concordia’s women may actually be the favorite heading into the weekend. According to the USTFCCCA, the Bulldog women have the nation’s top event groups in the pole vault, shot put and weight throw. Senior Sam Liermann has hopes of extending her active string of three-straight GPAC titles in the shot put. In the pole vault, Allie Brooks and McKenzie Gravo own three combined conference titles to their credit. Gravo swept indoor and outdoor pole vault titles as a freshman in 2016. Taylor Grove is the defending GPAC outdoor champion in the 10,000 meters.
Says junior Jessica Deterding, who turned in a fresh ‘A’ standard last week in the long jump, “I think the goal going into any conference meet is to try to win a conference championship so we can get that checked off. It’s a big deal for conference. We’ve put in extra work and the team has really shown it this year in our national marks. It just makes everyone excited and ready to see what we can do.”
On the women’s side, Concordia has the GPAC top seeds in the 4x400 meter relay, Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Gravo (pole vault), Grove (3,000 meters; 5,000 meters), Rebekah Hinrichs (mile) and Addie Shaw (weight throw). The GPAC performance list is a reflection of a team with much more ability on the track. The women’s 4x4 (featuring three freshmen) could make a run at a new school record and push for an NAIA top time on Saturday.
The men are also looking at a climb back up the conference ladder. Bulldog men with past GPAC event titles include Nathan Matters (twice in the 4x4), Josiah McAllister (4x4) and Cody Williams (2018 outdoor decathlon). Current GPAC top seeds include the 4x00 and 4x800 meter relays, McAllister (1,000 meters; mile) and Williams (heptathlon). The men’s 4x8 is fresh off turning in a NAIA best time of 7:51.74 at last week’s Concordia Invite. The group included Matters, Thomas Taylor, Christian Van Cleave and McAllister.
In the pole vault, junior Gavin DeHaai is the leader for a deep crew that has compiled two ‘A’ and four ‘B’ marks. All six vaulters responsible for those marks are capable of claiming All-GPAC honors.
“We’ll come ready to go,” DeHaai said. “As far as goals, we just stay hungry. We’re always jumping for that next bar. We take it one bar at a time. I think it’s really important to stay level headed and keep our focus on high spirits and a positive attitude with God at the center.”
The GPAC is arguably the top conference for track and field in the entire NAIA. According to the USTFCCCA ratings released last week, the conference boasts five men’s and four women’s teams in the national top 25. Dakota Wesleyan (No. 15 women; No. 21 men) has become a factor under first-year head coach Zach Lurz, a four-time shot put national champion during his career as a Bulldog. Concordia, Doane, Hastings and Dakota Wesleyan each rank in the top 25 nationally for both men and women.
The 2019 NAIA Indoor National Championships are set to take place Feb. 28 – March 2 at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D. For more information on the national championships, click HERE.
Concordia all-time conference titles
MEN – indoor: 2014 | outdoor: 2014, 2015
WOMEN – indoor: 2010 | outdoor: 1998, 2010, 2012
Concordia all-time conference runner-up finishes
MEN – indoor: 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 | outdoor: 2002, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017
WOMEN – indoor: 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 | outdoor: 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Current Bulldogs with GPAC titles
Allie Brooks (2017 indoor pole vault)
McKenzie Gravo (2016 indoor pole vault; 2016 outdoor pole vault)
Taylor Grove (2018 outdoor 10,000 meters)
Sam Liermann (2017 outdoor shot put; 2018 indoor shot put; 2018 outdoor shot put)
Nathan Matters (2017 indoor 4x400m relay; 2017 outdoor 4x400m relay)
Josiah McAllister (2017 outdoor 4x400m relay)
Cody Williams (2018 outdoor decathlon)
GPAC teams in the USTFCCCA NAIA rankings
*Rankings from Feb. 6
MEN
2. Concordia
4. Doane
10. Dordt
18. Hastings
21. Dakota Wesleyan
28. Morningside
30. Midland
38. Northwestern
44. Mount Marty
92. Briar Cliff
WOMEN
2. Concordia
3. Doane
8. Hastings
15. Dakota Wesleyan
53. Briar Cliff
63. Mount Marty
66. Dordt
69. Morningside
77. Northwestern
95. Midland
Deterding breaks school record; Williams tops GPAC heptathlon leaderboard
Feb. 15, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Junior Jessica Deterding and sophomore Cody Williams began action Friday afternoon (Feb. 15) at the 2019 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships hopeful of making runs at conference championships in the multi events. Ultimately a GPAC runner-up finisher, Deterding narrowly bested a school record in the pentathlon by the time she dropped to the track after completing the 800 meters. Meanwhile, Williams sits atop the conference in the heptathlon with four events in the books.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads both entered the meet ranked third in the NAIA, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Deterding put eight team points on the board for a women’s squad expected to challenge Doane’s reign at No. 1. The Bulldogs are serving as the host of the championship meet.
Deterding’s bid at a school record came down to the wire. In the final event, the 800 meters, the native of Eustis, Neb., needed to run under 2:30 to topple the program standard point total of 3,401 set in 2014 by Lydia Pomerenke. Deterding clocked in at 2:29.97. She did – by a whisker.
“I didn’t actually want the coaches to tell me what I needed to run because I get so nervous before it,” Deterding said. “So (Coach Wayne) Earney came up before it just said I needed to run under a 2:30 and left it at that. I had a good pacer with the Dordt girl. It was nice I didn’t have to come out and lead it. She set me up for a really good race and I was able to accomplish it.”
Deterding and freshman Kaylee Boyle were Concordia’s lone competitors in the pentathlon. Broken down by event, Deterding posted finishes of first in the long jump (18’ 1”), first in the shot put (35’ 8”), second in the 800 meters (2:29.97), third in the 60 meter hurdles (9.51) and fourth in the high jump (4’ 11”). Those series of performances moved Deterding up from her fourth-place GPAC finish in the pentathlon in 2018 (3,138 points).
Deterding began the meet with her career best sitting at 3,183 points. She knew she was capable of breaking the school record.
“It started off the hurdles and they go well it sets up your day,” Deterding said. “I knew the school record was in range this year but I don’t know if it was possible yet. It’s just exciting to see the work lead to a good result and set our team up well for the rest of the conference championship.”
Williams is the favorite in the heptathlon. He leads second place Levi Sudbeck of Doane, 2,852 to 2,713, points, heading into Saturday. Williams is in good position to unseat Sudbeck, the 2018 GPAC heptathlon champion. A native of Imperial, Neb., took first in the long jump (22’ 11 ¼”), second in the high jump (6’ 6 ¼”), third in the 60 meter dash (7.38) and fifth in the shot put (33’ 4”). The 60 meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meter run will unfold on Saturday. Bulldogs in freshmen Zack Gentry (10th place) and Rees Lyon (11th place) are also competitors in the heptathlon.
The heptathlon will pick back up at 9 a.m. CST from the Fieldhouse. Field events will follow at 12 p.m. and running events will get started at 2 p.m. View the links below for coverage.
Event Schedule
Concordia Sports Network Live Stream
YouTube Live Stream (multi events)
Live Results
Women's GPAC track title returns to Seward
Feb. 17, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Believe it or not, the Concordia University women’s track and field program had won a team national title most recently than it had hoisted a GPAC championship trophy. That’s no longer true after the conclusion of the 2019 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, which took place Friday and Saturday (Feb. 15-16) inside the Walz Fieldhouse. The Bulldog women racked up 173.5 team points while running away with first place. Meanwhile, Concordia finished second on the men’s side with 116.5 points.
By the end of a long championship hunt, head coach Matt Beisel’s squads had combined to produce seven GPAC event titles, four fresh automatic national qualifying standards and two new school records. It was a weekend to remember.
“God blesses them and allows them to do their best and we’ll take what we get,” Beisel said. “I’m very grateful and so proud of these athletes and coaches. It’s never guaranteed. Just piece by piece it got started with Jessica Deterding killing it and setting a school record in the pentathlon. That kind of got the snow ball rolling. I think there was a lot of energy and enthusiasm from the very beginning today. It was some awesome stuff.”
It was an especially sweet result for a women’s senior class headlined by two-time shot put national champion Samantha Liermann. Several of those seniors tasted an NAIA outdoor national title in 2016, but none of them had won a team conference title – until now. The women’s bid at ending Doane’s reign was bolstered by event championships from the women’s 4x400 meter relay, Allie Brooks (pole vault) and Taylor Grove (3,000 meters).
Brooks and the pole vault crew were a massive contributor to the team scoring. Brooks (12’ 2 ½”), Erin Mapson (12’ 2 ½”) and Jacee Pfeifer (11’ 10 ½”) each jumped season bests and placed 1-2-3 in the event. Combine that with a sixth-place claim by Tristen Mosier and the group totaled 26.5 team points. Meanwhile in the throws, Addie Shaw (second in shot put; third in weight throw) and company posted a collective total of 33 team points between the shot put and weight throw.
For Brooks, it marked her second career GPAC title in the pole vault.
“It was not easy for sure,” Brooks said of her road back to a title after redshirting during 2018. “You completely get out of the swing of things and then have to try and get back into it. It feels really good to be over 12 feet again.”
The women’s 4x4 put an exclamation mark on the night by blazing to a school record of 3:57.55. The group includes three freshmen in Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis and Jacee Pfeifer, in addition to senior Jamie Nikodym. Battershell and Pfeifer are already big time. Both rookie standouts also eclipsed ‘A’ standard times in the open 400 on Saturday, placing second and third, respectively, in the event. Pfeifer scored points in three individual events in addition to running the fastest leg of the 4x4.
Not only did Deterding break the school record in the pentathlon, she placed third in the open long jump and sixth in the triple jump. Another 13 team points came from Rebekah Hinrichs (1,000 meters and mile).
If he wasn’t already an established star, sophomore Cody Williams is one now. He helped the set the tone for the day by wrapping up a GPAC title in the heptathlon. He cleared 16’ 1” in the pole vault portion of the heptathlon for a new personal best that gave him a commanding lead. Williams finished with 5,213 points, which unofficially makes him the national leader in the heptathlon.
The men also got GPAC titles from Jacob Cornelio (weight throw), Josiah McAllister (1,000 meters) and Thomas Taylor (800 meters). Cornelio had entered the meet ranked third in the GPAC in the weight throw, but managed to pop off two throws that both outdistanced his previous personal best. His winning toss came in at 65’ 11 ½.”
For McAllister and Taylor, the wins on the track marked their first career GPAC titles in individual events. Said McAllister, “It definitely felt good. My earlier race didn’t go quite as we hoped so it felt good to get back out on the track, earn it back and take home the conference title and get those all important points for our team.”
The men’s 4x4 again hit the ‘A’ standard but settled for third place in an impressive field that saw four relay teams run under 3:20. One of the legs of that 4x4, Gavin Davis made himself a new qualifier in the 400 meters (49.48) with a second place finish. Davis also placed third in the 200 meters (22.23).
As one of four Bulldogs to hit the ‘A’ standard in the women’s weight throw, Carley Weisser is a fresh qualifier for the national championships. She placed seventh in the event. Coach Ed McLaughlin’s women’s throws crew now has four automatic qualifiers in the shot put and five in the weight throw.
The conference team title marked the fifth in program history for the women. Doane had a stranglehold on the top spot having won each of the women’s indoor titles since Concordia took one home in 2010.
Said Grove, “It’s a really special moment, especially with being a senior. I know it’s been a while for Concordia. Getting to do it at home on our own track was a pretty cool moment and definitely fun to celebrate with the team.”
Next up for qualifying athletes is the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. The national meet will be staged at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D., Feb. 28 – March 2. Official national qualifiers will be announced by the NAIA next week.
2019 GPAC Champions
- Women’s 4x400 meter relay (Battershell, Lewis, Nikodym, Pfeifer)
- Allie Brooks (pole vault)
- Jacob Cornelio (weight throw)
- Taylor Grove (3,000 meters)
- Josiah McAllister (1,000 meters)
- Thomas Taylor (800 meters)
- Cody Williams (heptathlon)
Forty-nine Bulldogs named All-GPAC; Beisel, Williams earn major awards
Feb. 21, 2019
GPAC Track & Field All-Conference
SEWARD, Neb. – A total of 49 Concordia University men’s and women’s track and field athletes have officially been recognized as All-GPAC honorees courtesy of their performances at the 2019 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships (Feb. 15-16). On Thursday (Feb. 21), the conference also released its special awards for the 2019 indoor season.
After guiding the women’s team to the fifth conference title in program history, Matt Beisel has been named the 2019 Jim McMahon Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Women’s Coach of the Year. Meanwhile, sophomore Cody Williams was voted the recipient of the Men’s Field Performance of the Meet for his work in the heptathlon. Beisel is the first Bulldog leader to earn the women’s indoor conference coach of the year award since Kregg Einspahr did so in 2010 when he also presided over a GPAC championship squad. Concordia has taken the Men’s Field Performance of the Meet award for indoor in two of the past three years with Lucas Wiechman also raking in that honor in 2017.
The list of Concordia all-conference honorees includes 27 women and 22 men. While the women placed first at the GPAC championships with 173.5 points, the men finished as the runner up with 116.5 points. For the championship women’s team, freshman Jacee Pfeifer led the way by placing in four events (18.5 team points). She helped the women’s 4x400 meter relay break a school record by finishing in a first-place time of 3:57.55. Junior Jessica Deterding also broke a program record in the pentathlon (3,410 points). Allie Brooks (pole vault) and Taylor Grove (3,000 meters) joined the 4x4 as conference event champions.
On the men’s side, the Bulldogs seized four GPAC event titles: Jacob Cornelio in the weight throw, Josiah McAllister in the 1,000 meters, Thomas Taylor in the 800 meters and Williams in the heptathlon. McAllister racked up 18 team points via his win in the 1,000 and runner-up claim in the mile. Gavin Davis and Williams were both place finishers in three different events. In the process of winning the heptathlon, Williams moved to No. 1 on the NAIA national list in the event.
For national qualifiers, the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships are up next. The event will be held at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D., Feb. 28 – March 2.
2019 GPAC Indoor All-Conference
MEN
- Brayden Adams – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Taylor Beck – triple jump (5th)
- Dalton Berry – pole vault (7th)
- Jacob Cornelio – weight throw (1st)
- Gavin Davis – 400 meters (2nd); 200 meters (3rd); 4x400 meter relay (3rd)
- Gavin DeHaai – pole vault (4th)
- Samuel Ferguson – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Liam Hennessy – shot put (5th)
- Angelo Hurtado – 60 meter hurdles (7th)
- Michael Leapley – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Jordan Lorenz – 5,000 meters (6th)
- Rees Lyon – heptathlon (7th)
- Nathan Matters – 600 meters (3rd); 4x400 meter relay (3rd)
- Josiah McAllister – 1,000 meters (1st); mile (2nd)
- Tucker Platt – pole vault (8th)
- Ben Pratt – high jump (3rd)
- Henry Reimer – 4x400 meter relay (3rd)
- JP Reynolds – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Xavier Ross – 4x400 meter relay (3rd); 400 meters (7th)
- Thomas Taylor – 800 meters (1st)
- Christian Van Cleave – 800 meters (4th)
- Cody Williams – heptathlon (1st); 60 meter hurdles (8th); long jump (8th)
WOMEN
- Rachel Battershell – 4x400 meter relay (1st); 400 meters (2nd); 200 meters (3rd)
- Tori Beran – 600 meters (6th)
- Alia Brand – 4x800 meter relay (5th)
- Jamey Broman – long jump (8th)
- Allie Brooks – pole vault (1st)
- Lydia Cook – 4x800 meter relay (5th)
- Morgan De Jong – weight throw (8th)
- Jessica Deterding – pentathlon (2nd); long jump (3rd); triple jump (6th)
- Jodi Fry – shot put (7th)
- Alyssa Fye – mile (6th)
- Taylor Grove – 3,000 meters (1st); 5,000 meters (3rd)
- Rebekah Hinrichs – mile (2nd); 1,000 meters (4th)
- Leah Larson – triple jump (5th)
- Sarah Lewis – 4x400 meter relay (1st); 400 meters (5th); 60 meter hurdles (6th)
- Sam Liermann – shot put (4th); weight throw (5th)
- Erin Mapson – pole vault (2nd)
- Tristen Mosier – pole vault (6th)
- Hannah Mulligan – 60 meters (8th)
- Jamie Nikodym – 4x400 meter relay (1st); 400 meters (7th)
- Cora Olson – 60 meters (7th)
- Jacee Pfeifer – 4x400 meter relay (1st); 400 meters (3rd); pole vault (3rd); 200 meters (5th)
- Johanna Ragland – weight throw (4th)
- Miranda Rathjen – 4x800 meter relay (5th); 600 meters (8th)
- Hannah Rebmann – 3,000 meters (6th); 5,000 meters (6th)
- Addie Shaw – shot put (2nd); weight throw (3rd)
- Kailey Weichel – 4x800 meter relay (5th)
- Carley Weisser – weight throw (7th)
Proud no matter what: historic 4x4 just getting warmed up
Feb. 21, 2019
Redshirt freshman Jacee Pfeifer admits to having nerves before competing in her first conference meet last week. One would have to imagine Pfeifer had similar emotions festering before she and her teammates took the track at the University of Nebraska’s Devaney Center in Lincoln on Feb. 2. A quartet of Bulldogs was surrounded by athletes from NCAA Division I schools of such prestigious conferences as the Big Ten and Big 12.
Instead of backing down or running scared, Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Pfeifer blazed around the track in a time of 3:53.03 in the 4x400 meter relay. Unfortunately, the group was disqualified, but the performance was proof that this relay had something special brewing.
Recalls Nikodym, “Before we ran at UNL, Rachel told us, ‘Proud of you guys no matter what’ – and that quote has kind of become a new battle cry for our 4x400 team. We are so proud of what we accomplished there even if it didn’t really count. We were able to take that pride and confidence in those times and carry it with us into all of our practices and training leading up to conference.”
A couple of weeks prior to the performance at Nebraska, the 4x4 had already broken through with an automatic national qualifying time at the Polar Dog Invite. The bummer in regards to the disqualification at UNL was that the time would have set a new school record. The Bulldogs got over it. With another chance at the GPAC championships on Feb. 16, the group galloped to a conference title winning time of 3:57.55. This one counted – and it eclipsed the previous program standard.
There was a moment of joy and shared celebration for one of the NAIA’s top five rated 4x4’s. Nikodym’s first move was to make sure her teammates knew how proud she was for them. It didn’t take long for each one of them to also begin thinking about the next big thing. They can do better than this.
“As soon as I saw the time, I knew we got it,” Battershell said. “We each knew we had it in us, especially after the UNL meet. I think we all recognized what we did, but we all know we can run a faster time. We are ready for the next opportunity to run – and we are going to bring it.”
It’s not just the school record that makes this group unique and special. In separate interview requests, each one of the four made mention of the role of faith in their successes and how they have been blessed by God in their endeavors. Nikodym takes inspiration from a poster inside the locker room that reads, “I give glory up to God and He rains the blessings down on me.”
Said Lewis, “It’s the support from teammates and the will of God that really helps us run our best.” Added Battershell, “It’s all for God’s glory.” Additionally, Pfeifer said that “I thank God that He has placed me here at Concordia.”
There’s another twist to the dynamic. Three of the four 4x4 members are just freshmen: Battershell, Lewis and Pfeifer. Nikodym is a senior and by far the most experienced. The youth of the group means that this something special is built to last well into the future. The present is already quite bright. In the open 400 meters at the GPAC championships, all four placed in the top seven with Battershell and Pfeifer achieving ‘A’ standard automatic national qualifying times.
They may be just rookies, but it was clear that Battershell, Lewis and Pfeifer would team up to make a formidable 4x4. Battershell, of Wheatland, Wyo., is the lone non-Nebraska native of the bunch. Lewis (Mason City), Nikodym (Red Cloud) and Pfeifer (Holdrege) are all from in-state. Nikodym is thankful to be an integral part of the 4x4. In some ways, she says it has refreshed her this indoor season.
“It’s been remarkable,” said Nikodym of being the veteran leader of the 4x4. “Jacee, Rachel and Sarah all bring very different and equally awesome perspectives to the group. They are a huge burst of energy and enthusiasm to our whole team and give running a new perspective. They have reminded me the reasons that I fell in love with track and especially the Concordia team in the first place.”
There is plenty more that can be accomplished, both in their individual events and as a unit. It’s unprecedented for a group this young to be this good. Consider the 4x4 that formerly held the school indoor record. It was made up of two seniors, a junior and a sophomore. That very same collection of runners (Emily Wolters, Katie Swanson, Charista Zehnder and Bethany Sutton) put together an eye popping 4x4 time of 3:49.27 in outdoor, which remains a school record.
But it’s not safe. Not with this group around. To be frank, it may take a time near 3:50 in order to compete for a national title next week or sometime down the road.
Said Pfeifer, “I am absolutely ecstatic to see what we can accomplish as a 4x4 team and as a team as a whole. After we ran 3:53 at the UNL Invite I think that really gave us the confidence boost we needed going into nationals. I think we can run even faster. We just have to use that confidence and compete like we know we can.”
It's incredible how closely their comments resemble each other’s. It’s safe to say they’re on the same page, united by their faith and common goals. Says Lewis, “The best thing about being a Bulldog at Concordia is my teammates and my coaching staff. They have all pushed me to go farther than I thought I ever could.”
Battershell echoes what she said as the group stood there waiting for their moment inside the Devaney Center. She will take the same approach next week at the national championships in Brookings, S.D. “Regardless of the outcome, we are so blessed,” she says.
Blessed to win a team GPAC title. Blessed to be together. Blessed to be at Concordia. Blessed by God. It all combines to give them great confidence as indoor season comes to a close. Battershell has one more thing: “God willing, that record won’t stand for long.”
The Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings will put the 4x4 back underneath the spotlight at the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. For at least four Bulldogs, there will be pride – no matter what.
Beisel, McLaughlin recognized by USTFCCCA with regional awards
Feb. 22, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Instrumental in helping the Concordia University women’s track and field program to a GPAC indoor title, head coach Matt Beisel and assistant coach Ed McLaughlin have been recognized appropriately by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). On Thursday (Feb. 21), the organization named Beisel the NAIA Midwest Region Women’s Coach of the Year and McLaughlin the NAIA Midwest Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
Beisel was also named the Jim McMahon-Hauff Mid America Sports/GPAC Women’s Coach of the Year on Thursday. The women’s team is currently ranked No. 3 in the NAIA by the USTFCCCA. Concordia’s women’s team will take 17 athletes to next week’s NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. The group includes the national leader, Addie Shaw, in the weight throw. Shaw and company have combined to produce 19 ‘A’ and six ‘B’ standard national qualifying marks this season. Conference event championships were achieved by the women’s 4x400 meter relay, Allie Brooks (pole vault) and Taylor Grove (3,000 meters).
McLaughlin oversees another top notch throws group headlined by Shaw and two-time shot put national champion Samantha Liermann. A 22-year coaching veteran, McLaughlin has cleaned up awards from the USTFCCCA in recent seasons. Since the beginning of 2016, McLaughlin has raked in a total of 11 USTFCCCA coaching awards (four national and seven regional). The 2019 Concordia female throwers currently rank No. 1 in the NAIA in both the shot put and weight throw with five qualified in the weight throw and four in the shot put. Throwers contributed 33 team points to the GPAC title at last week’s conference meet.
McLaughlin USTFCCCA awards
- 2019 NAIA Midwest Region Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2017 NAIA National Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2017 NAIA Midwest Region Men’s and Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA National Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA National Men’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA Midwest Region Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA Midwest Region Men’s and Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
The 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships will unfold Feb. 28 – March 2 inside the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D.
Thirty Bulldogs bound for Brookings
Feb. 22, 2019
NAIA National Qualifiers: Men | Women
SEWARD, Neb. – In conjunction with the NAIA release of official national qualifiers, the Concordia University track and field programs have announced their list 30 Bulldogs who will make next week’s journey to the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. The event will run Feb. 28 – March 2 at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D. The field is much more Bulldog-laden than 2018 when Concordia brought 17 athletes to the indoor championships in Pittsburg, Kan.
According to the latest NAIA national ratings released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, head coach Matt Beisel’s squads remain at No. 3 for both men and women. The Bulldogs are fresh off a GPAC team title on the women’s side and a conference runner-up finish on the men’s side.
The group of 17 women’s national qualifiers will compete in 23 events at the national championships. Senior Sam Liermann, a two-time shot put national champion, boasts the most experience on this stage, having qualified for the national championships for the seventh time in her career. Fellow thrower Addie Shaw, the 2018 discus national champ, is headed to nationals for the sixth time. In the pole vault, junior McKenzie Gravo will take aim at her fourth All-America award in five trips to nationals.
On the men’s side, Concordia has flooded the field with a pair of relays, including the NAIA’s top rated 4x800 meter relay. Both Jacob Cornelio (weight throw) and Cody Williams (heptathlon) are returning All-Americans from the 2018 indoor national championships. Cornelio and senior Josiah McAllister lead the way with three previous experiences at national meets. The group of 13 men’s national qualifiers expects to make a significant move up the ladder nationally after placing in a tie for 42nd at the 2018 indoor national championships.
The list of Bulldogs making their first career appearances at a national meet is a long one. It includes Gavin Davis, Gavin DeHaai, Liam Hennessy, Kenny Paetow, Ben Pratt, Henry Reimer and Xavier Ross on the men’s side and Rachel Battershell, Morgan De Jong, Sarah Lewis, Erin Mapson, Jacee Pfeifer and Adrianna Sims on the women’s side.
The Bulldog track and field programs have put together an impressive run of success at the national championships. The men enjoyed a streak of six-straight national meets with top-five finishes (2015 through 2017 indoor/outdoor seasons). Meanwhile, the women have placed 13th or better at each of the past six indoor national championships. Both programs reached the highest of highs recently with a team outdoor national title for the men in 2015 and then another for the women in 2016.
Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video streaming company, will be broadcasting all sessions of the national championships. Packages can be purchased for $14.95. For more information, click here.
2019 Concordia indoor national qualifiers
(Current national ranking in parentheses)
*2018 NAIA indoor national qualifier
MEN
- *Jacob Cornelio, junior
-Weight throw (4th, 65’ 11 ½”) - Gavin Davis, freshman
-4x400 meter relay (7th, 3:19.45)
-400 meters (20th, 49.48) - Gavin DeHaai, junior
-Pole vault (10th, 15’ 9”) - Liam Hennessy, junior
-Shot put (19th, 51’ 4 ½”) - Nathan Matters, senior
-4x800 meter relay (1st, 7:51.74)
-600 meters (9th, 1:21.65) - *Josiah McAllister, senior
-1,000 meters (1st, 2:29.93)
-4x800 meter relay (1st, 7:51.74) - Kenny Paetow, sophomore
-4x400 meter relay (7th, 3:19.45) - Ben Pratt, sophomore
-High jump (32nd, 6’ 6 ¼”) - Henry Reimer, sophomore
-4x400 meter relay (7th, 3:19.45) - Xavier Ross, freshman
-4x400 meter relay (7th, 3:19.45) - Thomas Taylor, senior
-4x800 meter relay (1st, 7:51.74) - Christian Van Cleave, sophomore
-4x800 meter relay (1st, 7:51.74) - *Cody Williams, sophomore
-Heptathlon (1st, 5213)
-Pole vault (6th, 16’ ¾”)
WOMEN
- Rachel Battershell, freshman
-4x400 meter relay (4th, 3:57.55)
-400 meters (10th, 57.83) - Allie Brooks, junior
-Pole vault (4th, 12’ 2 ½”)
-High jump (22nd, 5’ 3 ¾”) - Morgan De Jong, sophomore
-Weight throw (16th, 53’ 5”) - Jessica Deterding, junior
-Pentathlon (6th, 3410)
-Triple Jump (22nd, 37’ 2 ½”)
-Long jump (27th, 18’ 3 ¼”) - *Jodi Fry, sophomore
-Shot put (15th, 44’ 11 ¾”) - *McKenzie Gravo, junior
-Pole vault (4th, 12’ 2 ½”) - Leah Larson, senior
-Triple jump (10th, 38’ 2 ¾”) - Sarah Lewis, freshman
-4x400 meter relay (4th, 3:57.55) - *Sam Liermann, senior
-Shot put (5th, 47’ ¼”)
-Weight throw (9th, 55’ 5”) - Erin Mapson, freshman
-Pole vault (4th, 12’ 2 ½”) - Tristen Mosier, junior
-Pole vault (14th, 11’ 6 ½”) - Jamie Nikodym, senior
-4x400 meter relay (4th, 3:57.55) - Jacee Pfeifer, freshman
-4x400 meter relay (4th, 3:57.55)
-Pole vault (10th, 11’ 10 ½”)
-400 meters (14th, 58.14) - *Johanna Ragland, senior
-Weight throw (8th, 55’ 11 ¼”)
-Shot put (14th, 45’ 1 ¾”) - *Addie Shaw, junior
-Weight throw (1st, 60’ 6 ¾”)
-Shot put (6th, 46’ 8 ¼”) - Adrianna Sims, freshman
-Triple jump (25th, 37’ ¼”) - Carley Weisser, senior
-Weight throw (14th, 54’ ½”)
Meet preview: Bulldogs enter NAIA indoor championships ranked No. 3
Feb. 26, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Nationals week has arrived for the 983 student-athletes across the country who were announced as qualifiers by the NAIA. The 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships will unfold this Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 28 – March 2) inside the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D. Dakota State University will serve as the meet host. The event schedule can be viewed HERE.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s men’s and women’s programs will travel 30 athletes to the indoor national championships (complete list below). The qualifying group of Concordia athletes combines for 45 previous national championships appearances, 21 All-America awards and three individual national titles. In addition, Allie Brooks, McKenzie Gravo and Sam Liermann were all national qualifiers on the 2016 Bulldog NAIA outdoor national championship women’s team. Concordia’s 30 qualifiers includes 17 women and 13 men.
The prospects for improved team national finishes as compared to a year ago appear bright. The Bulldogs enter the meet ranked No. 3 in the NAIA for both men and women, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Concordia again appears to possess the heavy hitters at the top of event groups that it takes to put up big points on a national level. On the women’s side, it boasts NAIA No. 1 rated event squads in the pole vault, shot put and weight throw. The following Bulldogs currently rank No. 1 nationally in an event: the men’s 4x800 meter relay, Josiah McAllister (1,000 meters), Adrianna Shaw (weight throw) and Cody Williams (heptathlon).
The most experienced Bulldog in a national championship setting is Liermann, who is getting ready to compete at a national meet for the seventh time in her career. The Wisner, Neb., native is a two-time NAIA shot put national titlist and was the 2018 outdoor shot put national runner up. Liermann and teammate Addie Shaw form an elite one-two punch in the women’s throws. In her last appearance on the national stage, Shaw won the outdoor discus title. She was also the 2017 NAIA indoor shot put national runner up behind Liermann.
Both GPAC champions, Williams (heptathlon) and Jacob Cornelio (weight throw) are two of the biggest headliners on the men’s side. Williams placed seventh nationally and was an All-American in the heptathlon a year ago. Meanwhile, Cornelio has his sights set on moving up the podium. In 2018, he recorded a weight throw finish of seventh in indoor and a hammer throw finish of eighth in outdoor at national championships. Cornelio is currently ranked No. 4 in the NAIA in the weight throw.
Thirteen of the 30 Bulldogs headed to Brookings will be making their first appearances at a national championship meet. That group features seven freshmen, including Jacee Pfeifer, who will be competing in three separate events this weekend. Pfeifer teams up with two other freshmen (Rachel Battershell and Sarah Lewis) and senior Jamie Nikodym on a 4x400 meter relay that owns the school’s indoor record. Pfeifer is also one of five Concordia women who will compete in the pole vault on Friday.
The Bulldogs have a recent history of exceeding seed marks at the national championships. Both programs have captured a team national title since 2015 and the men put together a run of six national meets in a row (2015 through 2017) with top five finishes. On the women’s side, Concordia has gone five years running without a single national team finish lower than 12th.
Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video streaming company, will be broadcasting all sessions of the national championships. Packages can be purchased for $14.95. For more information, click here.
2019 Concordia indoor national qualifiers
Rachel Battershell, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
Allie Brooks, Junior (fifth trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Jacob Cornelio, Junior (fourth trip to nationals; two All-America awards)
Gavin Davis, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
Morgan De Jong, Sophomore (first trip to nationals)
Gavin DeHaai, Junior (first trip to nationals)
Jessica Deterding, Junior (second trip to nationals)
Jodi Fry, Sophomore (second trip to nationals)
McKenzie Gravo, Junior (fifth trip to nationals; three All-America awards)
Liam Hennessy, Junior (first trip to nationals)
Leah Larson, Senior (third trip to nationals)
Sarah Lewis, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
Sam Liermann, Senior (seventh trip to nationals; seven All-America awards; two-time shot put national champ)
Erin Mapson, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
Nathan Matters, Senior (fifth trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Josiah McAllister, Senior (fourth trip to nationals)
Tristen Mosier, Junior (second trip to nationals)
Jamie Nikodym, Senior (second trip to nationals)
Kenny Paetow, Sophomore (first trip to nationals)
Jacee Pfeifer, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
Ben Pratt, Sophomore (first trip to nationals)
Johanna Ragland, Senior (fifth trip to nationals; two All-America awards)
Henry Reimer, Sophomore (first trip to nationals)
Xavier Ross, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
Addie Shaw, Junior (fifth trip to nationals; three All-America awards; 2018 discus national champ)
Adrianna Sims, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
Thomas Taylor, Senior (third trip to nationals)
Christian Van Cleave, Sophomore (second trip to nationals)
Carley Weisser, Senior (third trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Cody Williams, Sophomore (third trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Concordia indoor national finishes since 2000
2018: M – 42nd | W – 9th
2017: M – 2nd | W – 7th
2016: M – 3rd | W – 5th
2015: M – 5th | W – 11th
2014: M – 17th | W – 11th
2013: M – 27th | W – 13th
2012: M – 38th | W – 29th
2011: M – 7th | W – 26th
2010: M – 15th | W – 12th
2009: M – 12th | W – 11th
2008: M – 7th | W – 14th
2007: M – 19th | W – 36th
2006: M – 5th | W – 29th
2005: M – 26th | W – 15th
2004: M – 7th | W – 27th
2003: M – 5th | W – 9th
2002: M – 20th | W – 8th
2001: M – 12th | W – 21st
2000: M – 2nd | W – 12th
Concordia outdoor national finishes since 2005
2018: M – 69th | W – 12th
2017: M – 5th | W – 6th
2016: M – 2nd | W – 1st
2015: M – 1st | W – 5th
2014: M – 11th | W – 9th
2013: M – 42nd | W – 20th
2012: M – 57th | W – 15th
2011: M – 11th | W – 57th
2010: M – 24th | W – 14th
2009: M – 7th | W – 19th
2008: M – 11th | W – 29th
2007: M – 15th | W – 24th
2006: M – 7th | W – 28th
2005: M – 13th | W – 17th
Women's 4x4 breaks own school record on day one of indoor nationals
Feb. 28, 2019
BROOKINGS, S.D. – There were some ups and some downs on the opening day of the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships for the Concordia University track and field teams. Fourteen Bulldogs took to the national stage on Thursday (Feb. 28) as the 54th annual men’s and 39th annual women’s event got started from the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex on the campus of South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads entered the three-day meet with hopes on the heels of a GPAC indoor title for the women and conference runner-up finish for the men. In the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) ratings, the Bulldogs sport national ratings of third on the women’s side and seventh on the men’s side.
The highlight of the day on Friday came courtesy of another big-time performance from the Concordia women’s 4x400 meter relay. The star-laden group already owned the school record (previously 3:57.55) and crushed it by clocking in at 3:51.80 in Brookings. The quartet of Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Jacee Pfeifer won heat 2 of the preliminaries and placed third overall. The finals of the event will take place at 4:55 p.m. on Saturday.
The Bulldogs also qualified their men’s 4x800 meter relay for the finals, which will run off at 5:35 p.m. on Friday. The group of Nathan Matters, Thomas Taylor, Christian Van Cleave and Josiah McAllister galloped to a season best by more than five seconds. Due to a series of lightning fast relays, that time Concordia sixth. The Bulldog foursome entered the meet ranked No. 1 in the NAIA.
The only Concordia relay to fall short of reaching the finals was the men’s 4x400 meter squad. That group consisted of Gavin Davis, Xavier Ross, Henry Reimer and Kenny Paetow. Each of those four athletes were making their first career appearances at a national meet. They placed 16th in the prelims with a time of 3:20.26.
Currently sitting sixth in the heptathlon, sophomore Cody Williams appears to be on track for an All-America finish for the second year in a row. The native of Imperial, Neb., got his day started with a personal best in the 60 meters. Unfortunately, a slip up in the high jump may have cost Williams a chance of fighting for a national title. The good news is that Williams will play to his strengths in the final three events of the heptathlon on Friday (60 meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meters).
Junior Jessica Deterding also opened up with a PR, this one coming in the 60 meter hurdles as part of the pentathlon. She then experienced her own struggles in the high jump. Due to a low point total in that event, Deterding did not even compete in the 800 meters in order to conserve herself for the triple jump and long jump that are yet to come.
Twenty-one Bulldogs are slated to be in action on Friday. The meet will resume with the heptathlon at 10 a.m.
Concordia Friday schedule
- 10 a.m. – Men’s Heptathlon (Cody Williams)
- 12 p.m. – Men’s Weight Throw (Jacob Cornelio)
- 1 p.m. – Women’s Long Jump (Jessica Deterding)
- 1:05 p.m. – Women’s 400 Meters (Rachel Battershell, Jacee Pfeifer)
- 1:25 p.m. – Men’s 400 Meters (Gavin Davis)
- 2 p.m. – Men’s High Jump (Ben Pratt)
- 2:05 p.m. – Men’s 600 Meters (Nathan Matters)
- 3 p.m. – Women’s Pole Vault (Allie Brooks, McKenzie Gravo, Erin Mapson, Tristen Mosier, Jacee Pfeifer)
- 3 p.m. – Women’s Weight Throw (Morgan De Jong, Sam Liermann, Johanna Ragland, Addie Shaw, Carley Weisser)
- 3:30 p.m. – Men’s 1,000 Meters (Josiah McAllister)
- 5:35 p.m. – Men’s 4x800 Meter Relay (Nathan Matters, Thomas Taylor, Christian Van Cleave, Josiah McAllister)
Cornelio, Williams notch national runner up finishes
Mar. 1, 2019
BROOKINGS, S.D. – Junior Jacob Cornelio and sophomore Cody Williams continue to validate their statuses as rising stars for the Concordia University track and field programs. Both Bulldogs notched NAIA national runner up finishes while competing on day two (March 1) of the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. Nearly 1,000 athletes have descended upon the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D., for the three-day meet.
By the end of the day, head coach Matt Beisel’s squads had produced All-America awards in five events with a total of nine Concordia athletes earning plaques for top-eight finishes. Twenty-one Bulldogs competed on Friday. With one day left in Brookings, the Bulldogs are sitting in second place on the men’s side (19 points) and fourth place on the women’s side (13.5 points).
“I’m mostly pleased with what happened,” Beisel said. “Every coach you talk to can say the same thing (in regards to ups and downs). It’s a big stage and a lot can happen. I’m overall happy with today and excited about tomorrow. Cody went from seventh place last year to second and I think he learned a lot. We’re in a good place to be.”
Williams recovered nicely after having a tough go in the high jump on Friday. The Imperial, Neb., native made a push for a national title in the heptathlon by scoring big in the 60 meter hurdles and pole vault. Those performances vaulted him all the way up to second after he sat in sixth at the conclusion of Thursday’s action. Williams wound up with 5,231 points, 42 points behind national champion Levi Sudbeck of Doane.
The upward trajectory of Cornelio is a continuing theme. Cornelio nearly matched his personal best of more than 65 feet while moving up significantly from his All-America claim from a year ago. He’s the leader of the men’s throws group and the next in an impressive line of All-Americans.
“It was great. I came in fourth overall and had a really good throw,” Cornelio said. “It landed me second. It was a great opportunity – a great, great feeling.”
The Bulldogs were busy in the women’s pole vault. All five Concordia competitors cleared bars while stating a case as the top even group in the nation. In the end, Erin Mapson placed fourth (3.67 meters) and Jacee Pfeifer (3.50 meters) tied for fifth. Three other Bulldogs placed: McKenzie Gravo (10th), Tristen Mosier (14th) and Allie Brooks (16th).
A native of Holdrege, Neb., Pfeifer also competed in the 400 meters on Friday, along with fellow freshman Rachel Battershell. Pfeifer placed 18th (58.76) and Battershell 11th (57.28). Those are also two of the stars of the women’s 4x400 meter relay that broke its own school record on Thursday.
“Having four other girls in the vault here was amazing,” Pfeifer said after Friday’s conclusion. “We just banded together as a team. It was great to get to compete with them one more time in indoor. It just excites us for outdoor to see what we can do.”
A 2018 discus national champion, Addie Shaw entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the NAIA in the weight throw. She acquitted herself well on Friday by unleashing a toss of nearly 18 meters. She placed fourth while earning the fourth All-America award of her career. Concordia had five competitors in the women’s weight throw, including Samantha Liermann, a two-time shot put national champion.
The day ended for the Bulldogs with the men’s 4x800 meter relay, which had qualified for the finals a day earlier by clocking in at 7:46.59. The quartet then placed sixth in the finals on Friday, this time running the race in 7:51.49. That made All-Americans out of Nathan Matters, Christian Van Cleave, Thomas Taylor and Josiah McAllister.
This is the last hurrah for the senior McAllister as far as indoor national championships go. The native of Atkinson, Neb., has guaranteed a spot on the podium in the 1,000 meters by checking in at No. 4 in the preliminary round. He put up a personal best of 2:29.58. In the 600, Matters placed 10th in a time of 1:20.76 in another solid performance.
Concordia also had athletes in the men’s 400 meters (Gavin Davis), the men’s high jump (Ben Pratt) and the women’s long jump (Jessica Deterding). Pratt cleared 1.94 meters and Davis ran a time of 49.58.
Day three will of the national championships will resume at 10 a.m. on Saturday from the Sanford Jackrabbit Complex. Sixteen Bulldogs are scheduled to be in action.
2019 Concordia All-Americans
- Jacob Cornelio – weight throw (2nd)
- Erin Mapson – pole vault (4th)
- Nathan Matters – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
- Josiah McAllister – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
- Jacee Pfeifer – pole vault (T-5th)
- Addie Shaw – weight throw (4th)
- Thomas Taylor – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
- Christian Van Cleave – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
- Cody Williams – heptathlon (2nd)
Concordia Saturday schedule
- 10 a.m. – Women’s Triple Jump (Jessica Deterding, Leah Larson, Adrianna Sims)
- 10 a.m. – Women’s Shot Put (Jodi Fry, Sam Liermann, Johanna Ragland, Addie Shaw)
- 1 p.m. – Men’s Shot Put (Liam Hennessy)
- 1:15 p.m. – Men’s Pole Vault (Gavin DeHaai, Cody Williams)
- 1:30 p.m. – Women’s High Jump (Allie Brooks)
- 2:35 p.m. – Men’s 1,000 Meters (Josiah McAllister)
- 4:55 p.m. – Women’s 4x400 Meter Relay (Battershell, Lewis, Nikodym, Pfeifer)
Bulldogs claim top 10 NAIA indoor national finishes
Mar. 2, 2019
BROOKINGS, S.D. – Ranked as a top 10 team all season, the Concordia University track and field squads reaffirmed their status as elite programs on the NAIA scene. Five more All-America performances came from Bulldog competitors on the final day (March 2) of the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. Those efforts helped lift Concordia to finishes of ninth place for both men and women. The men scored 28 points while the women totaled 23.5.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s teams emerged with 14 athletes claiming at least one All-America plaque. The latest All-Americans on Saturday were the women’s 4x400 meter relay, Leah Larson in the triple jump, Samantha Liermann in the shot put, Josiah McAllister in the 1,000 meters and Cody Williams in the pole vault.
“It’s one of those things where you know something more could happen,” Beisel said immediately following the meet. “We had some things that didn’t go our way and we also had some really awesome things happen. I’m really happy any time we’re in the top 10 at the national championship. To have both our men and women finish there is outstanding. The fact our men were tied for 42nd at indoor nationals last year and finished where they did this year is icing on the cake. At the same time, there’s more that we can do.”
The meet ended on a positive with the women’s 4x4 of Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Jacee Pfeifer placing third in a time of 3:52.63, not too far off the school record of 3:51.80 it delivered in the preliminaries on Thursday. When Beisel says there is more that his teams can do, he can certainly point at this group. Three of the four in the relay are just freshmen, meaning a run at a national title isn’t out of the realm of possibility in the future.
The young pups took to the national stage rather well. It’s an obvious plus to have two open 400 meter national qualifiers in the quartet in Battershell and Pfeifer. Battershell ran a personal best in the 400 on Friday.
“We all know that we can count on each other,” Battershell said. “And we know that everything we have and every time we run, it’s a gift from God. That definitely brings us together, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in the future.”
Williams wound up with nearly half of the team point total all by himself. He put 12 points on the board via his national runner up finish in the heptathlon and his fifth-place claim in the pole vault, which was contested on Saturday. The native of Imperial, Neb., cleared 16’ ¾” in another step forward for the budding star. Also in the pole vault, Gavin DeHaai cleared one bar (4.50 meters), but placed 21st.
In the finals of the 1,000 meters, McAllister completed his indoor career in style. He again clocked in at under 2:30 while claiming fourth place and five team points. In doing so, McAllister picked up his second All-America plaque of the weekend. He also earned one as the anchor leg for the 4x800 meter relay.
“This team has meant so much to me,” McAllister said. “The stuff that happens on the track is wonderful, but those friendships and those relationships that you build through Christ with your teammates is more special. The relationships built with the guys on the 4x8 are going to last for years to come. It’s your teammates that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life.”
Larson also came through with a memorable performance in her final indoor national championship meet. While making her third career appearance at nationals, Larson earned her first ever All-America award. She placed seventh with a triple jump of exactly 38 feet. Larson is the school record holder in the indoor triple jump. Teammates Jessica Deterding and Adrianna Sims were also qualifiers in the event.
In the women’s shot put, things did not turn out as well as hoped from Concordia’s perspective. Four Bulldogs competed in the event. The defending NAIA indoor shot put national champion, Liermann got on the podium with a seventh-place finish (46’ 1 ½”). Unfortunately, she was the lone Concordia thrower to make the finals. Liermann was joined in the event by teammates Jodi Fry (12th), Addie Shaw (16th) and Johanna Ragland (20th). On the men’s side, Liam Hennessy threw 49’ 10” and placed 18th.
It all added up to an overall solid weekend, but there is still a feeling that some opportunities for point scoring were missed. It should make the Bulldogs hungrier to get back after it for outdoor season.
“I feel like what we’re doing is working and I’m excited to see what outdoor brings,” Beisel said. “We had a lot of events in outdoor that we can’t do indoor that we’re really good at. I’m happy, but not satisfied with what we did in indoor. We did have some amazing things happen this season.”
2019 Concordia All-Americans
- Rachel Battershell – 4x400 meter relay (3rd)
- Jacob Cornelio – weight throw (2nd)
- Leah Larson – triple jump (7th)
- Sarah Lewis – 4x400 meter relay (3rd)
- Samantha Liermann – shot put (7th)
- Erin Mapson – pole vault (4th)
- Nathan Matters – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
- Josiah McAllister – 1,000 meters (4th); 4x800 meter relay (6th)
- Jamie Nikodym – 4x400 meter relay (3rd)
- Jacee Pfeifer – 4x400 meter relay (3rd); pole vault (T-5th)
- Addie Shaw – weight throw (4th)
- Thomas Taylor – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
- Christian Van Cleave – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
- Cody Williams – heptathlon (2nd); pole vault (5th)
McLaughlin named a national coach of the year by USTFCCCA
Mar. 7, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Chosen by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as NAIA Midwest Region Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year, Concordia University’s Ed McLaughlin was then tabbed the NAIA National Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year on Wednesday (March 6). This marks the fifth national coaching award McLaughlin has earned since the beginning of the 2016 track and field seasons.
McLaughlin oversees another top notch throws group headlined by junior Addie Shaw (2018 discus national champ) and two-time shot put national champion in senior Samantha Liermann. A 22-year coaching veteran, McLaughlin has cleaned up awards from the USTFCCCA in recent seasons. Since the beginning of 2016, McLaughlin has raked in a total of 12 USTFCCCA coaching awards (five national and seven regional). The 2019 Concordia female throwers were responsible for a total of nine national qualifications (five in the weight throw, four in the shot put). Liermann (shot put) and Shaw (weight throw) emerged as All-Americans. Throwers also contributed 33 team points to the GPAC title at the conference championships. The USTFCCCA rated the Bulldogs as having the No. 1 event groups in the NAIA in both the women’s shot put and weight throw.
McLaughlin USTFCCCA awards
- 2019 NAIA National Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2019 NAIA Midwest Region Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2017 NAIA National Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2017 NAIA Midwest Region Men’s and Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA National Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA National Men’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA Midwest Region Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA Midwest Region Men’s and Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
Season preview: 2019 Concordia outdoor track & field
Mar. 26, 2019
MEN
Head coach: Matt Beisel (3rd year)
2018 indoor finishes: T-4th (GPAC); T-42nd (NAIA)
2018 outdoor finishes: 6th (GPAC); T-69th (NAIA)
2019 indoor finishes: 2nd (GPAC); 9th (NAIA)
2019 indoor All-Americans: Jacob Cornelio (weight throw); Nathan Matters (4x800 meter relay); Josiah McAllister (1,000 meters; 4x800 meter relay); Thomas Taylor (4x800 meter relay); Christian Van Cleave (4x800 meter relay); Cody Williams (heptathlon; pole vault).
2018 outdoor All-Americans returning: Jacob Cornelio (hammer throw).
2018 outdoor All-Americans lost: None.
WOMEN
Head coach: Matt Beisel (3rd year)
2018 indoor finishes: 5th (GPAC); 9th (NAIA)
2018 outdoor finishes: 3rd (GPAC); T-12th (NAIA)
2019 indoor finishes: 1st (GPAC); 9th (NAIA)
2019 indoor All-Americans: Rachel Battershell (4x400 meter relay); Leah Larson (triple jump); Sarah Lewis (4x400 meter relay); Samantha Liermann (shot put); Erin Mapson (pole vault); Jamie Nikodym (4x400 meter relay); Jacee Pfeifer (4x400 meter relay; pole vault); Addie Shaw (weight throw).
2018 outdoor All-Americans returning: Samantha Liermann (shot put); Johanna Ragland (hammer throw); Addie Shaw (*discus); Carley Weisser (discus).
2018 outdoor All-Americans lost: None.
*National champion
Concordia all-time conference titles
MEN – indoor: 2014 | outdoor: 2014, 2015
WOMEN – indoor: 2010, 2019 | outdoor: 1998, 2010, 2012
Concordia all-time conference runner-up finishes
MEN – indoor: 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 | outdoor: 2002, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017
WOMEN – indoor: 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 | outdoor: 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Outlook
There’s momentum heading into the outdoor season for the Concordia University track and field squads, which enjoyed memorable runs throughout the indoor campaign. The women celebrated their first GPAC indoor title in nearly a decade and then recorded the program’s 10th top 12 finish in a row at a national meet. Meanwhile, the men placed as the conference runner up and returned to elite status nationally by finishing ninth at the NAIA indoor national championships.
The potential exists for even loftier attainment this spring for programs that are antsy to get the outdoor season started. It was put on hold after the Bulldogs made the decision to back out of the Wildcat Classic (Wayne State College) this past weekend due to poor travel conditions caused by flooding in Nebraska.
Now it’s go time. Says head coach Matt Beisel, “We think we can be better going into outdoor. We have a lot of things that come into play that we weren’t able to do indoors. We have so many wonderful kids who are going to be contributors. We’ll see what unfolds.”
The additional throwing events in outdoor has been a factor that has typically played to the strengths of Concordia track and field, which won both of its national titles in outdoor – 2015 on the men’s side and 2016 on the women’s side. Named the 2019 NAIA Women’s Indoor National Assistant Coach of the Year, Ed McLaughlin leads another deep group of throwers that added an individual national title with Addie Shaw in the discus last year. Additionally, senior Samantha Liermann will have her last go-round on the college level. She is a two-time shot put national champion.
On the men’s side, Jacob Cornelio is the headliner and one of the program’s most well-respected leaders. He is coming off a national runner up finish in the weight throw in indoor. The native of Elk Grove, Calif., is still working towards reaching his vast potential. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for him to be the next in a long line of Bulldog throws national champions.
“Jacob Cornelio is a fantastic leader,” Beisel said. “He was nominated as one of our team captains and has been a great leader in a lot of different ways, both for his event group and also for the entire team. He’s a guy you can rely on. When he came here he was in the shadow of guys like (national champions) Cody Boellstorff and Zach Lurz. I think he learned a lot from those guys what the level of expectation is here. He’s obviously worked hard and it’s really paying off.”
The strengthening of the roster in other event areas played a big role in Concordia moving up the ladder in the GPAC indoor championship race. The Bulldogs emerged from the 2019 conference indoor meet with GPAC titles in six different events: women’s 4x400 meter relay, Allie Brooks (pole vault), Cornelio (weight throw), Taylor Grove (3,000 meters), Josiah McAllister (1,000 meters), Thomas Taylor (800 meters) and Cody Williams (heptathlon).
The ceiling is exceptionally high for the women’s team when it comes to prospects at the national level. The ninth-place indoor national finish was nothing to sneeze at, but the Bulldogs believe they left had the ability to put more points on the board. One of the highlights of the NAIA indoor meet was another school record breaking performance by the women’s 4x400 meter relay of Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Jacee Pfeifer. Three of the four are just freshmen. Pfeifer was the team’s top performer at the GPAC championships with the 18.5 team points she contributed.
Additional records were broken during the indoor season by Jessica Deterding (pentathlon) and Leah Larson (triple jump) on the women’s side. While the women’s throws group is obviously a deep one (four 2018 All-Americans), so too is the pole vault. That event area qualified five athletes for the indoor national championships, including All-Americans in Erin Mapson and Pfeifer, as well as Brooks, McKenzie Gravo and Tristen Mosier.
The increased number of throwing events will help – along with the roster additions of athletes who competed for the national championship women’s basketball team. Foremost among that group is freshman Claire Cornell, a decorated performer at Elm Creek High School, where she was the Nebraska all class long jump champion in each of her final three years as a prep. The plan is to try her out in the heptathlon in order to take advantage of her overall athleticism.
The presence of Cornell along with sophomore Cody Williams gives Concordia a potential multi-event national champion for both women and men. Williams was a national runner up in the heptathlon in indoor and continues to skyrocket as a rising star.
Says Beisel, “Cody has so many abilities and he continues to grow in maturity and leadership. When he came here he seemed like a good fit for the multis. He’s had early success being an All-American as a freshman and he’s got more in the tank.”
Cornelio and Williams are two elite level athletes for the men. Josiah McAllister has also made a big leap in his senior year. He was an indoor All-American in both the 1,000 meters and as part of the 4x800 meter relay. The men figure to have strong relay teams once again to go with a pole vault group that is on the rise. Williams and Gavin DeHaai were indoor pole vault national qualifiers and several of their teammates narrowly missed the mark.
Before the outdoor season even officially gets underway, Grove and fellow senior Evan Asche have already locked up spots to the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala. They both qualified for the marathon courtesy of their performances at the Warrior Half Marathon back on Dec. 2. Grove (2018 GPAC 10,000 meter titlist) is one of three reigning GPAC outdoor champions on the Concordia roster. The other two are Liermann (shot put) and Williams (decathlon).
Due to expected inclement weather this Saturday, Hastings moved its Bronco Open to Sunday (March 31). The event is slated to get underway at 10 a.m. CT. The Bulldogs are scheduled to host three meets this outdoor season: the Concordia Outdoor Invite (April 5-6), the Concordia Blizzard Buster (April 27) and the Concordia Twilight (May 10). Mount Marty will serve as the host of the GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 3-4). The season will conclude May 23-25 with the national championships in Gulf Shores.
Three Bulldogs secure national championship spots as outdoor season opens
Mar. 31, 2019
HASTINGS, Neb. – The start of the 2019 outdoor track and field season waited until the final day of March. On the heels of top 10 NAIA national finishes at the indoor championship meet, the Bulldogs returned to action on Sunday (March 31) and racked up 18 event titles at the Bronco Open in Hastings, Neb. Throwers Jacob Cornelio, Samantha Liermann and Addie Shaw each secured spots in the NAIA outdoor national championships with their performances.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads entered the outdoor season with high expectations. The women may even be the conference favorite after winning the GPAC indoor title. The takeaway from Sunday is that there is plenty of room for improvement moving forward.
“With seven weeks of outdoor practice without a meet for most of our kids, I think it was an all right day,” Beisel said. “I think everyone walked away from that meet wanting more, and that’s not a bad thing with our home meet coming up next week. Our home meets are where we tend to really step up and perform well. We’re not content with today so there should be a determination to come back and hit it even harder.”
A national runner up in the weight throw this past indoor season, junior Jacob Cornelio is an established star and captain of the team. He got on the board with an ‘A’ standard of 194 feet for a second place claim in the hammer throw. On the women’s side, defending discus national champion Shaw turned in a personal best of 172’ 3” to top the field of competitors in the hammer throw. A two-time shot put national champion, Liermann whirled a shot put mark of 46’ 6” in another winning effort. Based on the NAIA national leaderboard entering the day, Liermann is now No. 1 in the nation in the event.
In the first meet of her college career, freshman Claire Cornell won the long jump by landing in at 18’ 5,” just shy of the ‘B’ standard. Cornell is one of several members of the national champion women’s basketball team that has a chance to make an impact this outdoor season. Another in that category is freshman Mackenzie Koepke, who won the high jump on Sunday with a mark of 5’ 2 ½.”
In addition to the three automatic marks recorded in the throws, Bulldog athletes combined for six ‘B’ standards: Jazzy Eickhoff in the javelin, Leah Larson in the triple jump, Liermann in the hammer throw, Erin Mapson in the pole vault, Johanna Ragland in the hammer throw and Carley Weisser in the hammer throw. Eickhoff, Larson and Mapson were all winners in their respective events.
Beisel also liked what he saw from many Concordia runners in the distance crew. Fresh off running a 20-miler two days ago, senior Taylor Grove placed first in the 5,000 meters in a time of 19:34.44. Grove is already qualified for the national championships in the marathon. In the steeplechase, Beisel is trying out some athletes who are unaccustomed to the event. Patrick Schneeberger won the 3,000 meter steeplechase on the men’s side by clocking in at 10:56.29.
In addition, top performers on the track for the men such as Nathan Matters (800 meters) and Josiah McAllister (1,500 meters) both turned in a first-place effort on Sunday. Indoor heptathlon All-American Cody Williams jumped a PR of 44’ 10 ¾” in the triple. It was also a solid day for Gavin Davis, who ran 49.59 in the 400 meters (third place) and was part of the winning 4x100 meter relay (43.47).
Not previously mentioned event champions were Dalton Berry (pole vault), Rebekah Hinrichs (5,000 meters), Jordan Lorenz (5,000 meters), Kennedy Mogul (400 meter hurdles) and Miranda Rathjen (800 meters).
The Bulldogs will host a meet for the first time this outdoor season when the Concordia Outdoor Invite takes place Friday and Saturday (April 5-6) in and around Bulldog Stadium. Only a select few events will go off on Friday. The meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
Liermann pulls in GPAC weekly award via NAIA's top shot put mark
Apr. 3, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – A strong start to the outdoor season has resulted in senior Samantha Liermann being named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week, as announced by the league on Wednesday (April 3). This marks the first weekly award for Liermann in 2019. The Concordia University track and field programs combined for six GPAC athlete of the week awards during the 2019 indoor season.
A two-time shot put national champion, Liermann may have one more run at a title left in her. She is now ranked No. 1 in the NAIA in the shot put after her toss of 46’ 6” at the Bronco Invite this past Sunday. The native of Wisner, Neb., bested the field of 22 athletes at the meet. Liermann also put up a ‘B’ standard in the hammer throw with a mark of 164’ 3.” She also notched a mark of 132’ 11” in the discus. Liermann is an eight-time All-American and a three-time GPAC champion in the shot put.
Liermann will be in action again this weekend with the Concordia Outdoor Invitational this Friday and Saturday. The meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
2019 GPAC athletes of the week
April 3 – Samantha Liermann (field)
Jan. 30 – Taylor Grove (track); Josiah McAllister (track); Cody Williams (field)
Jan. 23 – Nathan Matters (track); *Addie Shaw (field)
Jan. 16 – Josiah McAllister (track)
*NAIA National Athlete of the Week
Bulldogs to host annual Concordia Invite Friday and Saturday
Apr. 3, 2019
Concordia Invite Schedule | PDF
SEWARD, Neb. – The outdoor season will heat up this weekend for the Concordia University track and field squads, which are set to host their first home meet of the spring. The annual Concordia Outdoor Invitational will get started Friday afternoon and then pick up with the bulk of the meet on Saturday. The only events that will take place on Friday are the hammer throw, javelin and 10,000 meter runs.
The Concordia Invite field will include athletes from six NAIA institutions and one NCAA Division II and one NCAA Division III school. Live results will be available via Black Squirrel Timing: https://www.blacksquirreltiming.com/.
Concordia Invite Field
Concordia University
Doane University
Grand View University
Hastings College
Midland University
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Wayne State College
York College.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads opened the outdoor season last week at the Bronco Invite hosted by Hastings on March 31. The result was a combined three automatic national qualifying marks (all in throwing events), six ‘B’ standards and 18 event championships. The ‘A’ marks were turned in by Jacob Cornelio (hammer throw), Samantha Liermann (shot put) and Addie Shaw (hammer throw). A two-time shot put national champion, last outdoor season Liermann broke the school’s shot put record with a runner up claim in the national championships. Meanwhile, Shaw is the returning discus national champion.
The first set of 2019 NAIA outdoor national rankings were released today (April 3) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The national ratings figure to change over the coming weeks, but the Bulldogs are currently fourth on the women’s side and No. 57 on the men’s side. Both Concordia squads have high hopes from a national perspective after placing ninth at the NAIA indoor championships for men and women. The women are coming off a GPAC indoor title while the men placed as the runner up. Defending 2018 GPAC outdoor champions include Taylor Grove (10,000 meters), Liermann (shot put) and Cody Williams (decathlon).
In addition to the three automatic marks recorded in the throws this past Sunday, Bulldog athletes combined for six ‘B’ standards: Jazzy Eickhoff in the javelin, Leah Larson in the triple jump, Liermann in the hammer throw, Erin Mapson in the pole vault, Johanna Ragland in the hammer throw and Carley Weisser in the hammer throw. The increased number of throwing events in the outdoor season has typically played to Concordia’s strengths. It will also help having some additional athletes join the team for outdoor, such as freshmen Claire Cornell, also a member of the basketball team. Cornell won the long jump competition at the Bronco Invite with a mark just below the ‘B’ standard.
The outdoor season will continue next Saturday (April 13) with the Grand View University Quad in Des Moines, Iowa. The next Bulldog home event on the schedule is the Concordia Blizzard Buster (April 27).
Bulldogs clean up in women's field events at annual Concordia Invite
Apr. 6, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Athletes from eight institutions were on hand over the course of the two-day Concordia Outdoor Invitational that unfolded Friday and Saturday (April 5-6) in and around Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs were particularly impressive in the women’s field events, which combined for seven fresh automatic national qualifying marks. Eleven total ‘A’ qualifying standards were achieved by Concordia in what was its second outdoor meet of the season.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads also notched six event titles on a sunny and warm spring day in Seward.
“Our kids went into the home meet with a lot of intensity and enthusiasm,” Beisel said. “They were really pulling for each other and we had lots of fans here. It was a beautiful day to put up some good marks. I feel like we’re off to a good start for the season. There were a lot of areas where our athletes probably wanted to do better – and I think that will come.”
Anyone who has followed Bulldog track and field is aware of the exploits of the likes of throwing national champions Samantha Liermann and Addie Shaw. It’s also time to get familiar with freshmen like Claire Cornell and Mackenzie Koepke. A product of Elm Creek High School (Neb.), Cornell entered Concordia with plenty of accolades already to her credit. She’s now a national qualifier in the long jump after turning in a personal best of 18’ 10 ¾” in a first place performance on Saturday. That mark was the third best long jump in school history.
A teammate of Cornell’s in both track and basketball, Koepke may someday eclipse the school record in the high jump. The Lincoln Lutheran High School product cleared 5’ 5 ¾” for an automatic national qualifying mark that is not far off the program standard of 5’ 6” that has stood since 1986.
Things went much better in the women’s pole vault as compared to a week ago. Junior McKenzie Gravo won the completion by vaulting 12’ 1 ½.” Gravo qualified for nationals and so too did teammates in Tristen Mosier (11’ 9 ¾”) and Erin Mapson (11’ 9 ¾”). Seven Bulldogs competed in an event that is one of the team’s biggest areas of strength.
Liermann and Shaw are incredibly reliable high-end performers. Liermann entered the weekend leading the NAIA in the shot put. She put up a new automatic mark in the hammer throw (177’ 10”) and improved in the shot put (46’ 7 ¼”) on Saturday. Meanwhile, Shaw won the hammer throw (183’ 4”) competition and locked in a spot at nationals in the discus (154’ 9”). Shaw will have the opportunity to defend her national title in the discus.
On the men’s side of the throws, All-American Jacob Cornelio bumped up his hammer throw mark (195’) while placing fifth at the Concordia Invite. Teammate Ryan Sanchez broke through with a mark of 175’ 4” in the hammer and booked his first ever trip to a national championship meet.
In addition to the aforementioned first place claims from Cornell, Gravo, Koepke and Shaw, additional winning efforts were delivered by Jazzy Eickhoff in the javelin and Cody Williams in the 110 meter hurdles. Williams continues to star as a do-it-all athlete. He competed in five different events this weekend. Williams cleared a ‘B’ standard in the pole vault.
Things are still coming along on the track. The day ended with the Concordia men’s 4x400 meter relay of Gavin Davis, Xavier Ross, Josiah McAllister and Nathan Matters running a time of 3:17.72 (second place), just .02 seconds from the ‘B’ standard. The women’s 400 meter hurdles looks to be a strength. In that event, Kennedy Mogul, Jamie Nikodym and Tori Beran placed second through fourth.
Bulldogs flooded the field in the 10,000 meter races that were set off on Friday. On the women’s side, Hannah Rebmann led the way with a runner up finish (42:47.14) and Jordan Lorenz placed third on the men’s side (34:26.32). Also in the distance races, Beisel continues to bring along his athletes in the steeplechase, which has been paced by Jacy Johnston for the women and Patrick Schneeberger for the men.
Concordia will return to action next Saturday (April 13) with the Grand View University Quad in Des Moines, Iowa. The meet is slated to get underway at 11 a.m. CT.
UPDATE: Shaw rewarded with NAIA National honor
Apr. 10, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – A climb up the national leaderboards has resulted in another honor that adds to an impressive career for junior Addie Shaw. On Wednesday (April 10), the conference tabbed Shaw as the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Field Athlete of the Week and the NAIA selected her as the National Women's Field Athlete of the Week. Shaw is the second Concordia thrower in a row to rake in the GPAC award. Senior Samantha Liermann picked up the same conference honor last week. During the 2019 indoor/outdoor seasons, Bulldogs have combined for eight GPAC weekly track and field awards.
Shaw is again establishing herself as one of the nation’s top throwers. At the Concordia Outdoor Invitational, Shaw shattered her previous personal best in the hammer throw with a mark of 183’ 4” that ranks No. 1 in the NAIA. The defending discus national champion is also No. 2 nationally in the discus with her mark of 154’ 9” turned in last week. Lastly, the Bassett, Neb., native also owns a ‘B’ standard in the shot put (43’ 1 ¾”).
Shaw was an All-American this past indoor season in the weight throw with a fourth place claim at the national championships. Back in January, Shaw earned an NAIA National Field Athlete of the Week honor.
Outdoor action will continue on Saturday at the Grand View University Quad in Des Moines, Iowa. It will be the third meet of the outdoor season for Shaw and company.
2019 GPAC athletes of the week
April 10 – *Addie Shaw (field)
April 3 – Samantha Liermann (field)
Jan. 30 – Taylor Grove (track); Josiah McAllister (track); Cody Williams (field)
Jan. 23 – Nathan Matters (track); *Addie Shaw (field)
Jan. 16 – Josiah McAllister (track)
*NAIA National Athlete of the Week
Concordia women jump to No. 2 in NAIA ratings
Apr. 12, 2019
USTFCCCA NAIA Track & Field Ratings
SEWARD, Neb. – The 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships are still roughly six weeks away, but the Concordia University women’s squad is showing strong indications that it can be a heavy hitter on the national stage. In the NAIA ratings released on Wednesday (April 10) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the Bulldog women checked in at No. 2. Meanwhile, the men were rated 31st, a big jump from 57th the previous week.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads are coming off NAIA indoor national finishes of ninth for both men and women. The outdoor national championships are set to take place May 23-25 at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala.
From the USTFCCCA release:
Concordia (Neb.) moved up to No. 2, its best ranking of the season. It was a huge weekend for the Bulldogs in field events, as they now have eight efforts ranked in the top-6 nationally. Four of those are in the top-3 with Adrianna Shaw highly ranked in the discus (second) and hammer (first), McKenzie Gravo listed second in the pole vault and Samantha Liermann billed third in the shot put.
Based on how things stand now, 11 Bulldogs have already guaranteed their spots at the national meet. In particular, Concordia’s women have cleaned up in the field events. As mentioned by the USTFCCCA, Shaw ranks among the NAIA’s best in multiple events. Her big personal best last week in the hammer throw led to her being named the NAIA National Field Athlete of the Week. Shaw is the reigning discus national champion. Coach Ed McLaughlin has overseen 14 individual throwing national titles since the start of the 2014 seasons.
The Bulldogs have also gotten a boost from the additions this outdoor season of members of the national champion women’s basketball team. The headliners among them are freshmen Claire Cornell and Mackenzie Koepke, both of whom were state champions as Nebraska preps. Both young up-and-comers qualified for nationals at last week’s Concordia Invite. Cornell won the long jump with a mark of 18’ 10 ¾” (third best in school history) while Koepke placed second in the high jump by clearing 5’ 5 ¾” (second best in school history). Koepke is not far off the school record of 5’ 6.”
On the men’s side, junior Jacob Cornelio is especially noteworthy with his hammer throw mark of 195’ that sits No. 4 on the NAIA national list. Other Bulldog men qualified for nationals are Evan Asche (marathon) and Ryan Sanchez (hammer throw). Concordia has many others capable of putting up national qualifying marks as the outdoor season progresses. The Bulldogs have not yet had a meet with multi events.
The outdoor season has been historically good to Concordia track and field. The program captured back-to-back national titles in recent years with the men claiming the school’s first-ever team national championship, in any sport, in 2015. The women then did the same in 2016 (men were runners up). The most recent outdoor GPAC titles for Concordia were 2015 on the men’s side and 2012 on the women’s side.
The Bulldogs will be headed to Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday for the Grand View University Quad. The first action is set to get started at 11 a.m. CT.
Williams adds name to national qualifying field at Midwest Quad
Apr. 13, 2019
DES MOINES, Iowa – A large portion of the Concordia University track and field teams made the journey early on Saturday morning (April 13) destined for the NAIA Midwest Quad hosted by Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. A week after hosting in sunny and mild conditions, the cold returned to the Midwest, where the Bulldogs competed against fellow NAIA competition in Grand View, St. Ambrose University and Waldorf University.
In the smaller meet, head coach Matt Beisel’s squads emerged with plenty of event titles while sophomore Cody Williams turned in a fresh automatic national qualifying clearance in the pole vault. Senior Leah Larson was not far off an ‘A’ standard of her own in the triple jump. Concordia came away from this meeting knowing it has more in the tank.
“We made a big push going into our home meet last week,” Beisel said. “There are always emotional ups and downs throughout the season. We were able to get some work done today. At this point, getting a meet in for skill intensive events and staying in that competitive mode is important mental preparation. It’s really about preparing ourselves for where we need to be when the conference meet rolls around.”
It was only a matter of time before Williams qualified for nationals in the pole vault. He won the competition on Saturday by clearing 15’ 7.” No one else came within a foot of that height in a field that was made up of mostly Bulldog competitors. On the women’s side of the pole vault, junior Allie Brooks achieved a ‘B’ standard (11’ 5 ¾”) and was the event titlist.
Now ranked No. 2 in the NAIA by the USTFCCCA, the Concordia women continue to show off a deep group of jumpers. Larson took first in the triple jump by landing at 38’ ¾,” which put her on the board with a ‘B’ standard. Freshman Claire Cornell (qualified for nationals in the long jump) did not compete today, but two other rookies in Cora Olson (17’ 8 ¾”) and Jamey Broman (17’ 7 ½”) managed to record personal bests in the long jump.
A good number of throwers also again eclipsed ‘A’ standards with Jacob Cornelio (191’ 10”), Samantha Liermann (171’ 10”) and Addie Shaw (168’ 11”) all doing so in the hammer throw, Liermann (45’ ½”) hitting the mark in the shot put and Shaw (151’ 11”) reaching it in the discus. Junior Liam Hennessy wasn’t too far off in both the hammer and shot put. Meanwhile, junior Jerod Peters put forth three personal bests and senior Jazzy Eickhoff was a winner in the javelin (130’ 1”) with another ‘B’ mark.
A majority of Concordia’s distance runners were held out of the meet, but Beisel liked what he saw from the three women who ran the 5,000 meters: freshman Abi DeLoach (19:24.53), junior Hannah Rebmann (19:41.76) and freshman Sydney Clark (20:09.95). DeLoach’s time was a personal best by roughly 20 seconds. Elsewhere on the track, the Bulldog women’s 4x800 meter relay of Miranda Rathjen, Rebekah Hinrichs, Tori Beran and Alyssa Fye finished in a solid time of 9:44.75.
On the men’s side of things, senior Josiah McAllister clocked in at 1:57.35 in the 800 meters (second place). Freshman Gavin Davis bested a field of 19 in the 400 meters (50.26).
For most Bulldog athletes, the Jim Dutcher Invited hosted by Doane this coming Friday and Saturday (April 19-20) is up next. Select Concordia competitors will also appear at the University of Kansas Relays this week.
Hennessy punches ticket to nationals at Kansas Relays
Apr. 18, 2019
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Eight Bulldogs represented the Concordia University track and field teams in the hammer throw competitions at the Kansas Relays on Thursday (April 18). Jacob Cornelio (fifth), Johanna Ragland (fourth) and Addie Shaw (fifth) each turned in top five place finishes while Liam Hennessy broke out with a fresh automatic national qualifying mark in the hammer.
Head coach Matt Beisel is hopeful of adding more national qualifying marks as the Easter weekend progresses. The Bulldogs will also be in action on Friday and Saturday.
On the men’s side of things, Hennessy landed the hammer at 175’ 3” while eclipsing the ‘A’ standard and achieving a personal best. He placed 10th out of the 25 competitors in the event. Meanwhile, Cornelio’s mark registered at 191’ 3.” Ryan Sanchez (168’ 10”; 13th) and Renato Oyarzun (163’ 1”; 19th) also competed in the hammer throw.
Ragland just did eclipse an ‘A’ standard in the hammer with her toss measuring in at 165’ 3.” Shaw fell in line just behind her at 163’ 2.” Samantha Liermann (154’ 9”) and Carley Weisser (152’ 11”) placed ninth and 10th, respectively, at the Kansas Relays.
Most Concordia athletes will be in Crete for the Jim Dutcher Memorial Classic, which will run off on Friday and Saturday. The meet will include multi-events starting with the decathlon 100 meter dash at 12 p.m. CT on Friday. View the meet schedule HERE.
Eickhoff hits 'A' standard; Bulldogs claim two event titles
Apr. 19, 2019
CRETE, Neb. – This is being viewed as a pivotal meet for the Concordia University track and field squads, which have precious few opportunities remaining before the GPAC Outdoor Championships get started in two weeks. On the first of two days at the Jim Dutcher Memorial Classic hosted by Doane, the Bulldogs won a pair of event titles and got a fresh automatic national qualifying mark from senior Jazzy Eickhoff in the javelin.
Head coach Matt Beisel expected this to be a meet that would help push his athletes. The Dutcher Memorial features other top conference competition such as Doane, Hastings and Midland as well as NCAA Division II Wayne State College and NCAA Division III athletes from Central College and Nebraska Wesleyan.
Eickhoff narrowly missed out on hitting the ‘A’ standard in the javelin at previous meets, so it came as little surprise when she landed a toss of 134’ 1” in the javelin (third place) on Friday. That mark is just barely shy of her personal best (134’ 5”). She joins Liam Hennessy (hammer throw) and Johanna Ragland (hammer throw) as fellow throwers to pick up new ‘A’ marks this week. In the hammer throw in Crete, Ryan Sanchez also managed to eclipse the automatic mark once again (175’).
The men’s 4x800 meter relay of Nathan Matters, Christian Van Cleave, Thomas Taylor and Josiah McAllister made a run at an automatic time. The group finished in 7:45.73, good for first place and a ‘B’ standard that would rank No. 4 in the NAIA based on the national leaderboard entering the day. Concordia placed second on the women’s side of the 4x8 with a time of 9:46.70 produced by the quartet of Miranda Rathjen, Rebekah Hinrichs, Tori Beran and Alyssa Fye.
Another event title was delivered by Jordan Lorenz, who ran a time of 16:20.24 in the 5,000 meters. Teammates Wyatt Lehr (16:28.59) and Evan Asche (16:45.21) placed third and fourth, respectively. Bulldogs also made up most of the field in the women’s 5000. Erin Lindeman (21:19.72) placed second.
This marked the first meet of the season that allowed Concordia to showcase some of its multi-event competitors. School record holder in the indoor pentathlon, Jessica Deterding is currently sitting second in the heptathlon (2,692 points) with four events in the books. Five of her teammates are also taking part in the heptathlon. In the men’s decathlon, Rees Lyon is in fifth place (2,677 points) with half of the events left to be contested on Saturday.
The Dutcher Memorial will resume on Saturday with the first action starting up at 10 a.m. CT as the multi-events pick back up. Field events will get going at 11 a.m. and running events are scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. The meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
Deterding breaks school record in overall successful meet for Bulldogs
Apr. 20, 2019
CRETE, Neb. – A school record was rewritten and six new automatic national qualifying marks were turned in over a successful weekend for the Concordia University track and field squads. A group of throwers appeared Thursday (April 18) at the University of Kansas Relays while most Bulldog athletes focused on the Jim Dutcher Memorial Classic hosted by Doane on Friday and Saturday (April 19-20).
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads entered the weekend with NAIA national rankings of second for the women and 29th for the men. Concordia certainly had the look of a national threat over the past few days.
“We got what we needed,” Beisel said. “Coming in I’ve been saying a lot of prayers. We needed a meet that we could really hit hard and make some big gains. We got what we were hoping for in almost every event area. We had a lot of huge personal best that will also help us at conference. Today should move us up in the rankings on the guys’ side and solidify the women. It was beautiful weather and that helped everything click.”
Eustis, Neb., native Jessica Deterding has risen to star status as a junior. She already owned the program indoor record in the pentathlon. By day’s end in Crete, Neb., Deterding pushed her name to the top of the school leaderboard in the heptathlon by accumulating 4,707 points, toppling the previous program standard of 4,671 by Lydia Pomerenke. As part of the heptathlon competition, Deterding narrowly missed a ‘B’ mark in the long jump by landing at 18’ 4 ½.” At the moment, Deterding ranks No. 2 nationally in the heptathlon.
It was a fruitful weekend in the throws with Jazzy Eickhoff (javelin), Liam Hennessy (hammer throw), Johanna Ragland (hammer throw), Bethany Shaw (discus) and Carley Weisser (discus) each turning in fresh ‘A’ standards. In addition, Samantha Liermann won the shot put competition at the Dutcher Memorial with a season best of 48’ 10 ¼” that moved her up to No. 2 on the national list. Also in the shot put, Ragland hit a ‘B’ mark (43’ 9 ¼”). Concordia throwers have combined for 11 automatic national qualifying marks this outdoor season.
One of the NAIA’s top all-around athletes, sophomore Cody Williams is now a national qualifier in the high jump after he cleared 6’ 9 ¾” (second place) at the Dutcher Memorial. The school record is 6’ 10” by David Fiala in 1997. In addition to the breakthrough in the high jump, Williams won the pole vault title on Saturday by again eclipsing 15’ 7” and also equaled his ‘B’ time in the 110 meter hurdles (14.80).
On the women’s side of the pole vault, Erin Mapson was an event champion with a clearance of 12’ 5 ½” (meet record) that now puts her at No. 1 in the NAIA. Mapson moved herself to the top of the heap for a Concordia women’s pole vault crew that has also qualified McKenzie Gravo and Tristen Mosier for nationals. For the men, Sam Sisco put a PR of 15’ 3” (‘B’ mark) on the board.
When the dust settled, the Bulldogs captured 10 event titles at the Dutcher Memorial. Not previously mentioned event winners were the men’s 4x800 meter relay, Rebekah Hinrichs (1,500 meters), Jacy Johnston (steeplechase), Sarah Lewis (400 hurdles), Jordan Lorenz (5,000 meters) and Josiah McAllister (800 meters). The men’s 4x8 achieved a ‘B’ standard that currently sits No. 4 nationally. It was a fine day for Lewis, who ran 1:05.43 in the 400 hurdles and 15.34 in the 100 hurdles (third place).
There were many other noteworthy performances throughout the weekend. Xavier Ross ran a time of 49.25 in the 400 meters (third place), Hannah Mulligan continues to progress in the sprints (ran 12.67 in the 100 and 26.68 in the 200), Cora Olson broke out a PR in the long jump (18’ 1 ¾”) and Kennedy Mogul (4,172 points), Emily Loy (4,100 points) and Claire Cornell (4,048 points) met the minimum national qualifying standard in the heptathlon. In the 1,500 meters, Alyssa Fye was just behind Hinrichs with a personal best of 5:06.27.
A series of meets next week will have Bulldog athletes scattered in different places. Concordia will have entries at the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, and will be at Nebraska Wesleyan for an invite on Thursday. Then on Saturday (April 27), the Bulldogs will host the Concordia Blizzard Buster. The meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
Added Beisel, “As head coach, I have been praying daily for our athletes to be healthy and to be able to achieve their goals. God answered with a lot of yeses this weekend.”
Bulldogs set to compete at three meets this week
Apr. 23, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Athletes from the Concordia University track and field squads will represent the program at three separate meets over the course of this week, which is the final one before the 2019 GPAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships (May 3-4). In other words, this will be the last opportunity to jockey for spots at the conference meet. The Bulldogs will stage their own Concordia Blizzard Buster meet on Saturday.
This Week
Thursday, April 25 – Prairie Wolf Outdoor Invitational (Lincoln, Neb.)
-Event Schedule
Friday, April 26 – Drake Relays (Des Moines, Iowa)
-Event Schedule | Live Results
Saturday, April 27 – Concordia Blizzard Buster (Seward, Neb.)
-Event Schedule | Live Results
Both the Prairie Wolf Invite and the Blizzard Buster are typically smaller in scale meets than the one Concordia hosted April 5-6 when athletes from eight institutions made a visit to Seward. Invitees to this year’s Blizzard Buster include GPAC foes in Dakota Wesleyan, Doane and Hastings and NCAA Division II Wayne State College. At the second home meet of the outdoor season, field events will get started at 12 p.m. with running events to get going at 5 p.m.
Prior to the Blizzard Buster, four Bulldog relays will circle the blue oval at the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. Concordia has entered men’s and women’s 4x400 and 4x800 meter relays in hopes of adding some automatic national qualifying times to the board (see relay teams below). As it stands right now, the only Bulldog relay to hit an ‘A’ or ‘B’ national standard is the men’s 4x8, which owns a ‘B’ time (7:45.73). Drake is where things could come together. This will be the first time this outdoor season that Concordia has run its top competitors for a talented women’s 4x4 that broke the indoor school record and claimed All-America honors this past indoor season.
Drake Relays entrants
Women’s 4x800m Relay – Friday, 8:50 a.m.
Miranda Rathjen – Leg 1
Rebekah Hinrichs – Leg 2
Tori Beran – Leg 3
Alyssa Fye – Leg 4
Men’s 4x800m Relay – Friday, 9:04 a.m.
Nathan Matters – Leg 1
Christian Van Cleave – Leg 2
Thomas Taylor – Leg 3
Josiah McAllister – Leg 4
Women’s 4x400m Relay – Friday, 2:59 p.m.
Rachel Battershell – Leg 1
Sarah Lewis – Leg 2
Jamie Nikodym – Leg 3
Jacee Pfeifer – Leg 4
Men’s 4x400m Relay – Friday, 3:22 p.m.
Gavin Davis – Leg 1
Xavier Ross – Leg 2
Josiah McAllister – Leg 3
Nathan Matters – Leg 4
Head coach Matt Beisel would likely be happy with a weekend that resembled the one that just finished. Over separate efforts at the Kansas Relays and Jim Dutcher Memorial Classic, the Bulldogs came away with six new automatic national qualifying marks (now 20 this season to date between men and women combined), 10 event titles and a new school record. The program record was produced by junior Jessica Deterding, who is now the standard bearer in the heptathlon (4,707 points). She eclipsed the former school record owned by Lydia Pomerenke.
Deterding and the women’s team continue to solidify themselves as an elite team nationally. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 2 in the NAIA by the USTFCCCA prior to last week. They did nothing to hurt themselves. In fact, freshman Erin Mapson moved to No. 1 in the pole vault, senior Samantha Liermann jumped up to No. 2 in the shot put and Deterding is now third in the heptathlon on the national lists. In addition, junior Addie Shaw remains atop the NAIA in the hammer throw and is No. 2 in the discus.
On the men’s side, Concordia expects to move up from its ranking of No. 29 that was unveiled on April 17. Sophomore Cody Williams was the headliner last week while achieving a personal best and fresh ‘A’ standard in the high jump (6’ 9 ¾”) and a first-place claim in the pole vault. Liam Hennessy was also a new qualifier in the hammer throw.
The GPAC championships will be hosted by Mount Marty in Yankton, S.D., next week. The Bulldogs placed first on the women’s side and second on the men’s side at the 2019 GPAC indoor championships.
Bulldogs improve national marks in field events at Prairie Wolf Invite
Apr. 25, 2019
LINCOLN, Neb. – Seven Bulldogs either turned in new or improved ‘A’ or ‘B’ standard qualifying marks while in action at the Prairie Wolf Outdoor Invitational hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan University on Thursday (April 25). The Concordia University track and field squads (ranked No. 2 for women and No. 14 for men in the NAIA national ratings) were joined at the meet by athletes from other Nebraska institutions such as Bellevue, Doane, Midland, Nebraska Wesleyan and the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
The biggest revelation for head coach Matt Beisel’s program was the new automatic national qualifying mark unleashed in the hammer throw (166’ 9”) by senior Carley Weisser. In the discus, both junior Jacob Cornelio (158’) and senior Samantha Liermann (140’ 8”) notched fresh ‘B’ marks. In the shot put, juniors Liam Hennessy (51’ 9 ¾”) and Addie Shaw (44’ 2 ¾”) came within an eyelash of automatic national qualifying tosses in season best performances.
The women’s pole vault crew also got some good work in. Junior McKenzie Gravo achieved a season best and won the event by clearing 12’ 2 ¾.” That mark currently puts her alone at No. 3 on the NAIA national leaderboard. In addition, junior Allie Brooks is getting closer to the ‘A’ standard in the pole vault. She vaulted a season best of 11’ 7” and placed third at the Prairie Wolf Invite. In the men’s pole vault, Cody Williams again went over 15’ 7” (third place).
In the 100 meter hurdles, sophomore Kennedy Mogul was also an event titlist. The York, Neb., native clocked in at 15.31 in the finals to beat out a field of eight competitors. Additionally, Mogul placed second in the 400 meter hurdles, clocking in at 1:05.64. In the 100 meter dash, Cora Olson (12.58) and Emily Loy (12.84) placed third and fourth, respectively. On the men’s side, sophomore Henry Reimer came up with a break through personal best of 55.67 in the 400 hurdles. Sophomore Jeremiah Reeser produced notable efforts in the 200 meters (22.89; 2nd place) and in the long jump (21’ 11 ¾”; 6th place).
Four Concordia relays are getting set to run at the Drake Relays on Friday. More information about that can be found HERE. The Bulldogs will also host the Blizzard Buster meet on Saturday. Find the meet schedule HERE.
Women's 4x4 clocks national qualifying time at Drake Relays
Apr. 26, 2019
DES MOINES, Iowa – In its first time running together this outdoor season, the same women’s 4x400 meter relay group that broke a school indoor record locked up another trip to the national championships. The work of that quartet was the highlight of the day for four Concordia University track and field relays that circled the blue oval at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday (April 26).
The ‘A’ team is back. Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Jacee Pfeifer clocked in at 3:54.44 to come in under the ‘A’ standard time. The group placed 16th out of the 28 relays in its category. That some four athletes collaborated on third-place All-America finish at the NAIA indoor national championships with a time of 3:51.80, a new school standard.
The men’s 4x4 of Gavin Davis, Xavier Ross, Josiah McAllister and Nathan Matters recorded a time of 3:17.24, which would have met a ‘B’ national standard. However, the group was disqualified.
Saturday will be a more action packed day for the Bulldogs, who will host the Concordia Blizzard Buster. Please note that the schedule of events has been altered. An updated meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
Concordia at the Drake Relays (April 26)
Women’s 4x400 meter relay – 3:54.44 (16th of 28)
Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym, Jacee Pfeifer
Men’s 4x400 meter relay – 3:17.24 (DQ)
Gavin Davis, Xavier Ross, Josiah McAllister, Nathan Matters
Women’s 4x800 meter relay – 9:58.52 (16th of 17)
Miranda Rathjen, Rebekah Hinrichs, Tori Beran, Alyssa Fye
Men’s 4x800 meter relay – 7:51.80 (9th of 17)
Nathan Matters, Thomas Taylor, Christian Van Cleave, Josiah McAllister
Larson turns in new 'A' mark, Bulldogs prep for GPAC with Blizzard Buster
Apr. 28, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – There were no blizzards to worry about on Saturday (April 27), but Concordia University track and field athletes did have to bust through strong wind gusts on a chilly day at the Blizzard Buster meet hosted by the Bulldogs. Due to the cold, some athletes in running events were pulled from the field. However, Concordia senior Leah Larson managed a new personal best and automatic national qualifying mark in the triple jump as one of the day’s highlights.
Opposing competitors included athletes from Dakota Wesleyan, Doane, Hastings and NCAA Division II Wayne State College at the Blizzard Buster. Head coach Matt Beisel had certainly hoped for more favorable weather conditions, but there’s still an overall positive feeling within the Bulldog programs. Concordia entered the meet with NAIA national rankings of second on the women’s side and 14th on the men’s side.
An indoor All-American and school record holder in the indoor triple jump, Larson had been coming up just shy of the ‘A’ standard throughout this outdoor season. She broke through with a PR of 38’ 3 ½” on Saturday that will send her to Alabama for the second year in a row. In the long jump, junior Jessica Deterding just missed an automatic mark by landing in at 18’ 9.” That mark puts her No. 10 on the NAIA national list. Deterding also achieved a season best of 36’ 1 ½” in the triple.
A couple of throwers improved existing ‘A’ or ‘B’ standards at the Blizzard Buster. In the discus, Carley Weisser threw 150’ 3” (No. 5 nationally) and Samantha Liermann increased her ‘B’ mark to 141’ 9.” Concordia throwers have combined for 11 automatic national qualifying marks so far this season. The 2018 NAIA discus national champion, Addie Shaw again eclipsed the ‘A’ standard in the discus.
Some other significant happenings at the Blizzard Buster were a little bit more under the radar. The meet was the first chance for some Bulldogs to put times/marks on the board that would ensure a spot at next week’s conference championships. For instance, freshmen Rachel Battershell (26.36 in the 200 meters) and Jacee Pfeifer (10’ in the pole vault) were able to do enough to give them a shot in the conference meet. Both standouts have battled through injuries this spring.
On the men’s side of the pole vault, Sam Sisco again cleared the ‘B’ standard of 15’ 3.” He beat out a large group of teammates in the competition. Gavin DeHaai eclipsed 14’ 9.” Cody Williams did not compete in the pole vault, but he did post marks of 22’ 11 ¾” in the long jump (personal best and No. 2 in the GPAC) and 6’ 5 ½” in the high jump.
One other performance of particular note was a 15.24 run by freshman Sarah Lewis in the 100 meter hurdles. She is currently sitting sixth in the GPAC with that time.
The Blizzard Buster was the culmination of a week that also saw Bulldogs compete at the Prairie Wolf Outdoor Invitational (April 25) and at the prestigious Drake Relays (April 26). At the Drake Relays, Concordia clocked a new automatic national qualifying time in the women’s 4x400 meter relay. Meanwhile, Weisser earned a fresh ‘A’ standard in the hammer throw at the Prairie Wolf Invite.
Next up are the 2019 GPAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The meet will be hosted by Mount Marty in Yankton, S.D., next Friday and Saturday (May 3-4). More details about the conference meet can be found HERE.
Highly rated Bulldogs among GPAC favorites
May. 1, 2019
GPAC Performance List | Event Schedule | Live Results | Heat Sheets
SEWARD, Neb. – Championship season is here for the Concordia University track and field squads, which have made it through the April grind of the outdoor season. To be sure, it has been an impressive outdoor season to date with Bulldog athletes combining for 23 automatic national qualifying marks and 13 ‘B’ standard marks through five weeks of competition. Those efforts have resulted in current lofty NAIA national ratings of third on the women’s side and 18th on the men’s side.
Now head coach Matt Beisel’s squads will attempt to prove they deserve mention among the nation’s elite with the most significant meets up next. The 2019 GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships will unfold this Friday and Saturday in Yankton, S.D., where Mount Marty will serve as the host.
Expectations are high for Concordia, which hosted the 2019 GPAC indoor meet and came away with a women’s conference title and a men’s conference runner up claim.
“I think we’re in a good position,” Beisel said at Tuesday’s Bulldog Athletic Association Member Luncheon. “Our women right now are projected to win. If you look at some of the top teams that we compete against, they haven’t had their best days yet. We know that if they have good days it can turn the tables. We have to have all the pieces functioning well.
“On the guys’ side, Doane has been pretty dominant. Our men look to be in a dogfight for those top few spots and it could go anyway. If we could get a top-two finish, we would be pretty pleased.”
The bulldog women broke a nine-year drought in regards to GPAC indoor titles. Now they aim to capture their first conference outdoor championship since 2012. On the current GPAC performance lists, Concordia owns No. 1 rankings courtesy of the women’s 4x400 meter relay, Erin Mapson (pole vault) and Addie Shaw (hammer throw). Defending conference champions from the 2018 outdoor season include Taylor Grove (10,000 meters) and Samantha Liermann (shot put).
With Liermann and Shaw leading the way, the Bulldogs possess the potential to score plenty of points in the throws. They could also come away with a nice haul in the women’s pole vault. Allie Brooks and McKenzie Gravo have combined to win four GPAC pole vault titles (two apiece) in their careers. Not only does Mapson top the GPAC leaderboard at the moment, Gravo is second, Tristen Mosier is tied for fourth and Brooks is sixth. Jacee Pfeifer is also more than capable of making a run at big point finish.
The women are also strong in the jumps with Claire Cornell and Jessica Deterding sitting second and third, respectively, on the GPAC long jump leaderboard. Concordia has a national qualifier in the long jump (Cornell), high jump (Mackenzie Koepke) and triple jump (Leah Larson). Deterding also ranks second in the GPAC in the heptathlon with her school record point total (4,707). In the 400 hurdles, Sarah Lewis (third) and Kennedy Mogul (fifth) are both in the top five of the conference.
On the men’s side, the Bulldogs know they will have to be at their best in order to push conference favorite Doane. The men’s GPAC runner up finish this past indoor season was made possible in part by conference event titles from Jacob Cornelio (weight throw), Josiah McAllister (1,000 meters), Thomas Taylor (800 meters) and Cody Williams (heptathlon). Williams is the defending GPAC champ in the outdoor decathlon, but he will focus on a variety of open events this time around. Impressively, Williams ranks in the top three of the GPAC in five separate events, including second in the high jump, pole vault and long jump.
The pole vault could also be a source of major point scoring for the men, who have five of the top 11 in the GPAC as it stands right now. Sam Sisco (‘B’ mark of 15’ 3”) and others such as Zach Bennetts, Gavin DeHaai and Tucker Platt are still aiming for automatic clearances that could send them to nationals. In the throws, Cornelio (second in GPAC in hammer) is the obvious headliner with the likes of Liam Hennessy and Ryan Sanchez also capable of making an impact.
Following the GPAC championships, the Concordia Twilight Meet on Friday, May 10 will serve as a last chance opportunity for those still seeking national qualifying marks and for others attempting to improve existing marks. The 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will then take place in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 23-25.
Concordia all-time conference titles
MEN – indoor: 2014 | outdoor: 2014, 2015
WOMEN – indoor: 2010, 2019 | outdoor: 1998, 2010, 2012
Concordia all-time conference runner-up finishes
MEN – indoor: 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 | outdoor: 2002, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017
WOMEN – indoor: 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 | outdoor: 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Current Bulldogs with GPAC titles
Rachel Battershell (2019 indoor 4x400m relay)
Allie Brooks (2017 indoor pole vault; 2019 indoor pole vault)
Jacob Cornelio (2019 indoor weight throw)
McKenzie Gravo (2016 indoor pole vault; 2016 outdoor pole vault)
Taylor Grove (2018 outdoor 10,000 meters; 2019 indoor 3,000 meters)
Sarah Lewis (2019 indoor 4x400m relay)
Samantha Liermann (2017 outdoor shot put; 2018 indoor shot put; 2018 outdoor shot put)
Nathan Matters (2017 indoor 4x400m relay; 2017 outdoor 4x400m relay)
Josiah McAllister (2017 outdoor 4x400m relay; 2019 indoor 1,000 meters)
Jamie Nikodym (2019 indoor 4x400m relay)
Jacee Pfeifer (2019 indoor 4x400m relay)
Thomas Taylor (2019 indoor 800 meters)
Cody Williams (2018 outdoor decathlon; 2019 indoor heptathlon)
GPAC teams in the USTFCCCA NAIA rankings
*Rankings from May 1
Men
9 – Doane
15 – Midland
18 – Concordia
22 – Dordt
24 – Hastings
42 – Dakota Wesleyan
47 – Mount Marty
48 – Northwestern
71 – Morningside
119 – Briar Cliff
140 – Jamestown
Women
3 – Concordia
5 – Doane
9 – Hastings
21 – Dakota Wesleyan
30 – Dordt
37 – Morningside
65 – Northwestern
92 – Jamestown
110 – Midland
Cornelio, Mapson earn GPAC titles on meet's first day
May. 4, 2019
YANKTON, S.D. – The rhythm of the day was broken up by a lengthy lightning delay, but freshman Erin Mapson made the most of it by capturing the first GPAC title of her career young career while representing Concordia University track and field. On the men’s side, junior Jacob Cornelio also came with a conference championship in the hammer throw on day one of the 2019 GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted in Yankton, S.D., by Mount Marty.
With day one in the books, head coach Matt Beisel’s squads sit in first place on the women’s side with 56.5 points (five events scored) and third place on the men’s side with 23 points (four events scored).
On paper, the women’s pole vault projected to be a fruitful event. With Mapson leading the way, the Bulldogs made a nice haul of 24.5 team points from their vaulters. In addition to Mapson placing first (12’ 1 ½”), McKenzie Gravo finished second, Jacee Pfeifer fifth, Allie Brooks seventh and Tristen Mosier eighth. Mapson becomes the third Concordia vaulter among the aforementioned group to claim a conference pole vault title.
Also a GPAC indoor champion in the weight throw, Cornelio collected the first GPAC outdoor championship of his career with his personal best hammer throw of 202’ 5,” which makes him the fourth athlete in program history to break 200 feet in the event.
The Bulldog women also added 17 points in the long jump via places finishes of second by Jessica Deterding, third by Claire Cornell and sixth by Jamey Broman. In addition, Deterding is in competition in the heptathlon this weekend. Deterding and Kennedy Mogul began the day with personal bests in the 100 meter hurdles. With four of seven events finished in the heptathlon, Deterding is in fourth place (2,727 points).
Concordia also had two additional runners up with Jazzy Eickhoff throwing 126’ 1” in the javelin and with the men’s 4x800 meter relay running an automatic national qualifying time of 7:38.73. That time actually came in under the previous GPAC meet record (7:39.31). The Bulldog men’s 4x8 featured Nathan Matters, Christian Van Cleave, Thomas Taylor and Josiah McAllister. They finished just behind Dordt (7:37.92) for first place.
The 10,000 meter races ran especially late due to the delay. Concordia’s Jordan Lorenz placed fourth (33:14.40) on the men’s side while Hannah Rebmann finished sixth (40:50.13) on the women’s side. The Bulldog women’s 4x800 meter relay placed fifth in a time of 9:24.90, which met the ‘B’ standard. The group included Miranda Rathjen, Rebekah Hinrichs, Tori Beran and Alyssa Fye.
Other events that were scheduled for Friday but did not have results reported were the men’s pole vault, women’s hammer throw and men’s long jump. Each of these events were pushed back a day due to weather related issues.
The meet will pick up on Saturday with multi events getting started at 9 a.m. CT. For additional meet information, including live results, click HERE.
Concordia women complete sweep of GPAC titles; Williams stars
May. 4, 2019
YANKTON, S.D. – Behind four individual GPAC titlists, the Concordia University women’s track and field squad completed a 2019 sweep of indoor/outdoor team conference championships. Senior Samantha Liermann broke the GPAC shot put meet record while helping the Bulldogs rack up 200 team points. Meanwhile, Cody Williams collected Outstanding Athlete of the Meet honors for a Concordia men’s team that placed third in the conference (101.5 points).
The women are GPAC outdoor champions for the first time since 2012. Head coach Matt Beisel’s men’s team also placed as the conference runner up during indoor season.
“Even after the three hours on the bus ride, I’m euphoric still,” Beisel said upon the teams’ return to campus. “You can’t wipe a smile off my face. I’m so proud of these teams, our athletes and our coaches. I’m just so glad to be associated with a program like this.
“A lot of coaches came up to me after the meet and commented on how our women have so much depth in every single event. It’s not just one event where we shine. That’s something we have worked really hard with in recruiting. The guys are still getting there, and it’s going to happen.”
Freshman Erin Mapson got the Bulldogs off to a good start on Friday by capturing the pole vault GPAC title for an event group that contributed 24.5 points. Then on Saturday, event titles were delivered by Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Liermann and Addie Shaw (discus). The defending NAIA discus national champ, Shaw headlined a discus group that produced 23 team points. Shaw also posted a third-place finish in the hammer throw, another prosperous event (17 team points) that featured a runner up claim by Johanna Ragland.
Williams follows in the footsteps of other recent Bulldog men to earn GPAC Outstanding Athlete of the Meet honors, such as Zach Lurz and Lucas Wiechman. Concordia opted not to enter the Imperial, Neb., native into the decathlon this outdoor season. However, Williams did compete in five open events this weekend with terrific results that included conference titles in the 110 meter hurdles (14.88) and the long jump (23’ 7 ¼”) and place finishes of second in the high jump (6’ 7 ½”) and third in the triple jump (45’ 1 ¾”). All of that comes out to 34 team points from Williams himself.
“Cody’s an outstanding athlete,” Beisel said. “He told us last summer actually that he wasn’t sure he wanted to do the decathlon because it kind of wears him out. He said he just wanted to do individual events, which he does a lot of them really well. It was pretty cool. I’m really proud of him for all that he’s done for our team.”
Conference and national titles in the throws are certainly nothing new for Concordia. Liermann is one of the most accomplished throwers in school history. Her GPAC meet record came in at 50’ 6 ¼,” just shy of her own outdoor school record. In the discus, Shaw beat out the competition with her mark of 153’ 10.” Johanna Ragland made a run at a title of her own in the hammer with her toss of 175” coming one foot short of the GPAC champion. A day earlier, Jacob Cornelio won the men’s hammer throw title with a personal best (202’ 5”).
Battershell also emerged with a first-place finish while clocking in at 57.93 in the 400 meters. Battershell has been a key part of a women’s 4x400 meter relay that broke the program’s indoor school record. Battershell and the 4x4 that included Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Jacee Pfeifer placed third on Saturday by finishing in 3:57.55. The meet wrapped up with the Concordia men’s 4x4 also placing third in a ‘B’ standard time of 3:16.02. The group was made up of Gavin Davis, Xavier Ross, Josiah McAllister and Nathan Matters.
Up and down the roster, the Bulldog women seemed to meet or exceed expectations. Beisel mentioned event groupings such as the steeplechase (Jacy Johnston – fourth place), 1,500 meters and 100 hurdles as examples of ones that outperformed projections. The 100 hurdles concluded with Lewis in second place and Kennedy Mogul (fifth) and Nikodym (sixth) also turning in all-conference place finishes. In addition, Mogul placed eighth in the heptathlon, an event in which Jessica Deterding led the Bulldogs by earning third place (4,397 points). Rebekah Hinrichs was the 1,500 meter runner up while Tori Beran notched third place in the 400 hurdles. In the long jump, Deterding placed second with teammate Claire Cornell right behind her in third. Another jumps national qualifier, Leah Larson placed third in the triple jump.
Noteworthy on the men’s side, Gavin DeHaai broke out with a fresh automatic national qualifying clearance in the pole vault (15’ 7”) and placed second and McAllister clocked a ‘B’ standard and placed fourth in the 800 meters (1:53.58). McAllister was part of a 4x8 that blazed to an automatic national qualifying time of 7:38.73 on Friday.
It was an overall satisfying meet from a Concordia perspective. Winning conference titles will never get old. Said Beisel, “The momentum kept building throughout the meet. There was a certain point where you realized there was no way our women could not win. But being able to get through the 4x4 and realize we did it was a great moment. I’ve spent so much time praying for these athletes.”
Two meets remain on the 2019 outdoor schedule. The Bulldogs will host one more time this spring when the Concordia Twilight Meet is held next Friday (May 10) on campus. The meet schedule can be viewed HERE. The season will conclude May 23-25 at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala.
2019 Concordia GPAC Outdoor Champions
- Rachel Battershell (400 meters)
- Jacob Cornelio (hammer throw)
- Samantha Liermann (shot put)
- Erin Mapson (pole vault)
- Addie Shaw (discus)
- Cody Williams (long jump; 110 hurdles)
Twilight Meet to wrap up pre-nationals schedule
May. 8, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – One meet remains on the 2019 outdoor schedule prior to the upcoming NAIA national championships. The Bulldogs are getting ready to host the Concordia Twilight Meet on Friday. Athletes from a hodgepodge of schools will be on hand in Seward as competitors take one more shot at national qualifying marks. NAIA leagues expected to be represented are the Heart of America Athletic Conference, the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and the GPAC, of course.
Live results will be available HERE courtesy of the Black Squirrel Timing Company. The first events are scheduled to go off at 2 p.m. when field events get underway. The meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
Twilight Meet Teams
Avila University
Baker University
Benedictine College
Briar Cliff University
Central Methodist University
Chadron State College
Concordia University
Doane University
Friends University
Graceland University
Grand View University
Hastings College
University of Jamestown
Midland University
Morningside College
University of Nebraska-Kearney
Tabor College
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads are coming off a GPAC outdoor championship meet that saw the women place first and the men take third. Conference individual titles were claimed by Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Jacob Cornelio (hammer throw), Samantha Liermann (shot put), Erin Mapson (pole vault), Addie Shaw (discus) and Cody Williams (long jump, 110 hurdles). Williams reeled in the GPAC Outstanding Athlete of the Meet award after he racked up 34 team points by himself. Collectively, the Bulldogs have totaled 25 automatic national qualifying marks and 16 ‘B’ standards over six weeks of outdoor competition.
In the latest NAIA national rankings just announced on Wednesday (May 8) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), Concordia came in at No. 3 on the women’s side and No. 11 on the men’s side. The men jumped up seven spots from the previous week while the women have been a fixture inside the top five all season. The lofty rankings are attributed in part to 10 event rankings in the top five nationally: men’s 4x800 meter relay (fifth), Cornelio (No. 3 in hammer), Jessica Deterding (No. 3 in heptathlon), McKenzie Gravo (No. 5 in pole vault), Liermann (No. 1 in shot put), Mapson (No. 2 in pole vault), Shaw (No. 3 in discus; No. 3 in hammer), Carley Weisser (No. 5 in discus) and Williams (No. 5 in high jump).
The Twilight Meet is typically a bit more laid back than other meets that land during the heart of the season. Although a large number of institutions will be represented, the entry list will be light for a number of events. Most Bulldog entrants will be athletes who have qualified for the national championships. Thus, this will provide one more opportunity to jockey for higher perches on the NAIA national lists.
The 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will be held in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 23-25. More information on the meet can be found HERE. Gulf Shores is currently signed up to be the outdoor host through at least 2021.
All-GPAC: Cornelio, Williams, Beisel pick up major conference awards
May. 9, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Junior Jacob Cornelio, sophomore Cody Williams and head coach Matt Beisel were honored with major conference awards on Thursday (May 9), as announced by the GPAC. In addition, 47 Concordia University athletes earned all-conference recognition in one or more events courtesy of their performances last week at the 2019 GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Yankton, S.D. Beisel’s squads placed first on the women’s side and third on the men’s side at the GPAC championships.
As the leading point scorer among GPAC men’s athletes at the conference meet, Williams was tabbed the Hauff Mid-America Sports GPAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Outstanding Athlete of the Year. Beisel was voted the Jim McMahon/Hauff Mid-America Sports GPAC Women’s Coach of the Year (earned the same award for indoor season). Finally, Cornelio was recognized with the Men’s Field Performance of the Meet for his personal best hammer throw of 202’ 5,” for a first-place claim. On the national scale, Beisel’s squads are ranked third in the NAIA on the women’s side and 11th on the men’s side.
Conference individual titles were claimed by Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Cornelio (hammer throw), Samantha Liermann (shot put), Erin Mapson (pole vault), Addie Shaw (discus) and Williams (long jump, 110 hurdles). Concordia athletes also combined for nine GPAC runner-up claims. The women completed a sweep of GPAC indoor/outdoor titles while the men followed up a second-place indoor finish with the third-place outdoor finish.
Williams is the fourth Bulldog male since 2011 to earn GPAC Outdoor Athlete of the Year accolades. The previous three were Lucas Wiechman (2017), Zach Lurz (2014) and Dana Schmidt (2011). Williams racked up 34 team points by way of conference titles in the 110 meter hurdles (14.88) and the long jump (23’ 7 ¼”) and place finishes of second in the high jump (6’ 7 ½”) and third in the triple jump (45’ 1 ¾”). Williams is an automatic national qualifier in the high jump and pole vault.
The depth of the women’s roster is made clear by its 29 all-conference athletes. Shaw led the way with 21 team points via her GPAC title in the discus in addition to place finishes of third in the hammer and fourth in the shot put. Liermann, who broke the GPAC meet record in the shot put, also placed top six in the same three events as Shaw did. Other Bulldogs to earn all-conference honors in three or more events included Battershell, Nathan Matters, Josiah McAllister Jamie Nikodym, Jacee Pfeifer and Williams.
Next up for the Bulldogs is Friday’s Concordia Twilight Meet. The season will then conclude with the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 23-25.
2019 GPAC Outdoor All-Conference
MEN (18)
- Taylor Beck – triple jump (6th)
- Zach Bennetts – pole vault (7th)
- Jacob Cornelio – hammer (1st)
- Gavin Davis – 4x400m relay (3rd); 400 meters (5th)
- Gavin DeHaai – pole vault (2nd)
- Liam Hennessy – discus (6th)
- Jordan Lorenz – 10,000 meters (4th)
- Rees Lyon – decathlon (8th)
- Nathan Matters – 4x800m relay (2nd); 4x400m relay (3rd); 800 meters (7th)
- Josiah McAllister – 4x800m relay (2nd); 4x400m relay (3rd); 800 meters (4th)
- Jerod Peters – shot put (7th)
- Ben Pratt – high jump (7th)
- Henry Reimer – 400 hurdles (7th)
- Xavier Ross – 4x400m relay (3rd); 400 meters (8th)
- Sam Sisco – pole vault (6th)
- Thomas Taylor – 4x800m relay (2nd)
- Christian Van Cleave – 4x800m relay (2nd); 1,500 meters (7th)
- Cody Williams – 110 hurdles (1st); long jump (1st); high jump (2nd); triple jump (3rd)
WOMEN (29)
- Rachel Battershell – 400 meters (1st); 4x400m relay (3rd); 200 meters (8th)
- Tori Beran – 400 hurdles (3rd)
- Jamey Broman –long jump (6th)
- Allie Brooks – pole vault (7th)
- Lydia Cook – steeplechase (5th)
- Claire Cornell – long jump (3rd)
- Morgan De Jong – discus (8th)
- Jessica Deterding – long jump (2nd); heptathlon (3rd)
- Jazzy Eickhoff – javelin (2nd)
- Alyssa Fye – 1,500 meters (7th)
- McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (2nd)
- Taylor Grove – 5,000 meters (7th)
- Rebekah Hinrichs – 1,500 meters (2nd)
- Jacy Johnston – steeplechase (4th)
- Mackenzie Koepke – high jump (3rd)
- Leah Larson – triple jump (3rd)
- Sarah Lewis – 100 hurdles (2nd); 4x400m relay (3rd)
- Samantha Liermann – shot put (1st); discus (5th); hammer (6th)
- Elle Luehr – shot put (8th)
- Erin Mapson – pole vault (1st)
- Kennedy Mogul – 100 hurdles (5th); heptathlon (8th)
- Tristen Mosier – pole vault (8th)
- Jamie Nikodym – 4x400m relay (3rd); 100 hurdles (6th); 400 hurdles (7th)
- Jacee Pfeifer – 4x400m relay (3rd); 400 meters (5th); pole vault (5th)
- Addie Shaw – discus (1st); hammer (3rd); shot put (4th)
- Bethany Shaw – discus (6th)
- Johanna Ragland – hammer (2nd)
- Hannah Rebmann – 10,000 meters (6th)
- Carley Weisser – discus (4th)
Three Bulldogs add new 'A' standards in Twilight spotlight
May. 10, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – A trio of new automatic national qualifying marks poured in on Friday as the Bulldog track and field program ran off the Concordia Twilight Meet, which serves as a last chance opportunity for hopeful qualifiers. Samantha Liermann, Sarah Ragland and Sam Sisco made the most of it by each turning in new ‘A’ standards. Eighteen different institutions were represented at the meet, which played out in and around Bulldog Stadium amidst sunny and pleasant weather conditions.
This was the third and final home meet of the outdoor season for Beisel’s squads, which also hosted the Concordia Invite (April 5-6) and the Concordia Blizzard Buster (April 27).
“I was very satisfied with the weather, which was great after the bad weather we’ve had this spring,” Beisel said. “Any time we hit new ‘A’ marks and kids know they now get to travel and compete at nationals is always a highlight for me. I love how our kids will throw the best throws, jump the best jumps and run the best runs of their lives and still be disappointed because they didn’t hit the ‘A’ standard. That’s what makes our teams great – that culture of super high expectations that our kids always have.”
A roar rang up from the pole vault pit when Sisco cleared 15’ 7” in the pole vault and booked his trip to the national meet. He joins fellow Bulldogs Gavin DeHaai and Cody Williams with automatic standards in the vault. Sisco ended up in second place at the Twilight Meet. It was an overall good day for the men’s pole vault, which also had Tucker Platt (15’ 3”) and Zach Bennetts (15’ 3”) clear the ‘B’ standard for the first time this season. On the women’s side of the pole vault, freshman Erin Mapson (11’ 9 ¾”) was also took second place while again clearing an ‘A’ mark.
Fresh off a GPAC title in the shot put, Liermann is now an automatic national qualifier in three throwing events after she whirled the discus 148 feet – more than six feet better than her previous season best. Not only that, teammate Addie Shaw improved in the discus and won the competition with a toss of 158’ 11” that currently ranks No. 1 in the NAIA. Moving to the women’s hammer, the Ragland sisters starred. Johanna placed second with a throw of 174’ 10” while Sarah qualified for nationals for the first time in her career by way of her mark of 167’ 6.” Finally, Jazzy Eickhoff won the javelin competition (128’ 1”).
The men’s throw group also made some waves. Fresh ‘B’ standards came from Dagne’ Buck (167’ 3” in hammer), Bret Keeler (166’ 8”) and Jerod Peters (50’ 9 ¼” in the shot put and 167’ 5” in hammer). Also in the hammer, Renato Oyarzun posted a PR of 171’ 7.”
The highlight of the meet on the track was produced by freshman Sarah Lewis, who achieved a ‘B’ standard in the 400 meter hurdles by clocking in with a first-place time of 1:04.42. In addition, several Concordia men delivered solid results in the 800 meters with senior Josiah McAllister’s ‘B’ time of 1:53.78 leading the way. McAllister (third), Thomas Taylor (fourth) and Nathan Matters (eighth) placed in the top 10 of an 800 meter competition that had three heats with 23 total runners. In that same race, freshman Brayden Adams broke the two-minute barrier for the first time in his career.
The Bulldogs entered only one relay into Friday’s meet. The women’s 4x4 clocked a ‘B’ time of 3:56.46 despite a botched handoff. The group included Rachel Battershell, Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Jacee Pfeifer. Entering the day, the Concordia women’s 4x4 ranked 12th nationally with an automatic qualifying time of 3:54.44 that came at the Drake Relays.
The only thing left this outdoor season are the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships held in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 23-25. The NAIA will officially announce the qualifying field next Friday (May 17). With the three additional automatic qualifiers at the Twilight Meet, Concordia athletes have now combined for 28 ‘A’ standards this outdoor season.
Williams' non-stop engine powers championship drive
May. 12, 2019
It was something of a chance encounter when Cody Williams first met Concordia University track and field and cross country head coach Matt Beisel. The location was Chase County High School, roughly 275 miles west of Seward and just off the boarder of Colorado. Beisel had ventured to Imperial, Nebraska, for recruiting purposes, but it had not been to meet up with Williams.
Upon seeing him for the first time, it would have been difficult for Beisel to ignore Williams, who has always had the look of athlete. Tall, slender and a budding athlete already, Williams was going to be a prized recruit for any track and field program that could land his services.
“I didn’t know anything about him,” Beisel said of that first meeting. “It was my first year coaching here and I was still trying to wrap my brain around who’s who in Nebraska. I didn’t know then that he was the high jumper and athlete that he was. I went out there to sign a friend of his and as I was leaving the school, I bumped into Cody. He just happened to be walking in the front door to go play basketball. Here was this big tall guy. I said hi to him. He and the friend he was with asked what I was here for and I told them. I remember he had a really strong handshake. Later on he texted me and said he was really interested in our school.”
By that point, Williams had made the mental leap in terms of what he wanted to do next. It took some time before he realized college athletics were right for him. As someone with an interest in motorsports and one who is unafraid of getting his hands dirty, Williams aspired to be a diesel mechanic.
Eventually, Williams realized he would rather spend the next several years as a student-athlete leaping hurdles and high jumping as opposed to rebuilding large engines. Says Williams, “I wasn’t interested in sports in college. I was going to be a diesel mechanic. Then I saw friends who were competing in college and it got me fired up to keep doing track. I took a visit to Concordia in the fall when the leaves were changing and I loved everything. It was a really pretty time. I loved the coaches and decided Concordia was where I was going to go.”
Williams says he also received recruiting interest from Doane and the University of Nebraska-Kearney. It makes sense that interest started streaming in as Williams got better and better. He credits high school coach Carl Zuege with helping grow his passion as a competitor. An injured shoulder as a sophomore was a minor blip. Williams broke the school long jump record as a junior. Then as a senior, he eclipsed his own long jump standard and rewrote the Chase County high jump record.
Beisel was learning what a find he had come across. Said Beisel, “I went out to see him in Mitchell, Nebraska, because I wanted to see this guy in action. He went to state in the high jump, the triple jump, the hurdles and the long jump. He jumped PR’s in most of those. I got to watch him again at state so we knew we had a good one right off the bat.”
Williams has more than met expectations. He again flashed his all-around athletic ability at the recent GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships by racking up 34 team points, a tally that led to him being named the GPAC Outstanding Athlete of the Meet and the GPAC Athlete of the Year. He captured GPAC titles in the 110 meter hurdles and long jump and turned in place finishes of second in the high jump and third in the triple jump.
Again, he’s only a sophomore – with four individual GPAC titles and three All-America awards to his credit. There certainly was a period of adjustment to the rigors of college training, but it wasn’t something Williams couldn’t handle.
“Coming in to Concordia I was pretty confident,” Williams said. “I was really excited about going into my freshman year and then by October I was already wiped out. The toughest thing was the mental part of it. I’m someone who gets injured easily and so I was always having my ankles and shins taped up. Sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated until you see the work pay off with the progress you make.”
The progress began back in grade school. Once Williams began high school, his mother (quite athletic herself) told him he either had to be involved in sports or find a job. Williams chose sports of course. The small town boy had big time game. He even dunked a basketball as early as his sophomore year. All the while, Coach Zuege continued to push him.
The work over time combined with his God given abilities have put Williams on a course to be one of the all-time greats for a storied track and field program at Concordia. He also realizes he’s not Superman. Williams decided along with the coaching staff not to compete in the decathlon this outdoor season. It made him fresher and it showed over the past couple of months. Williams keeps improving across the board. Next indoor season he’ll take another run at a national title in the heptathlon.
“It’s nice to look back at the grind and seeing the progression I’ve made as an athlete,” Williams said. “I also want to keep being a better leader and teammate. My goal is for us to be the best team in the GPAC like the girls this year. I want to get our men’s team to that point. I want the conference title as much as anyone else does. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Whatever it takes means that some school records are bound to fall as Williams continues to reach his full potential. A graphic design major, Williams could still become a diesel mechanic if he so desires. For now, life as a student-athlete is enough of a commitment. Anything else would take energy and focus away from his determination to reach even greater heights.
Beisel, McLaughlin honored with regional coaching awards by USTFCCCA
May. 16, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – For their work in leading the Concordia University women’s track and field program to a GPAC outdoor conference title, head coach Matt Beisel and assistant coach Ed McLaughlin were both honored on Thursday (May 16) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The coaches organization named Beisel the NAIA Midwest Region Women’s Coach of the Year and McLaughlin the NAIA Midwest Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Both coaches also collected the same accolades this past indoor season.
Beisel has helped guide the Concordia women back to conference championship glory. The Bulldogs completed a sweep of women’s GPAC indoor/outdoor championships in 2019, marking the first time the program has achieved that feat since 2010. Concordia rose to the top of the conference with GPAC outdoor event titles from Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Samantha Liermann (shot put), Erin Mapson (pole vault) and Addie Shaw (discus). Currently, the Bulldog women are ranked third in the NAIA heading into the outdoor national championships next week. They will take 23 qualifiers to the meet in Gulf Shores, Ala.
McLaughlin continues to clean up assistant coaching awards while overseeing a throws program that has claimed 14 individual national titles since 2014. This marks McLaughlin’s 13th USTFCCCA coaching award since the organization began its awards program in 2016. This 2019 outdoor season, the Concordia women boast the No. 1 throws groups, according to the USTFCCCA, in the shot put, discus and hammer. GPAC champions Liermann (GPAC outdoor meet record in the shot put) and Shaw currently lead the NAIA in the shot put and discus, respectively. The Bulldogs will take seven female throwers to the NAIA outdoor national championships.
The 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will take place at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 23-25.
Thirty-eight Bulldogs named qualifiers for outdoor nationals
May. 17, 2019
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”)
Meet preview: Bulldogs prepare to make splash in Gulf Shores
May. 20, 2019
LINKS:
Live Results | Live Video | Event Schedule
SEWARD, Neb. – Along with staff members, the 38 Concordia University track and field qualifying athletes left by bus early Monday (May 20) morning as they began their journey to the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. For the sixth year in a row, the event will be staged at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala. This year’s meet will play out Thursday through Saturday in a town that teems with life every Memorial Day Weekend.
Head coach Matt Beisel will oversee an impressive group of beachgoers that includes 17 past All-Americans. Featured among them is two-time shot put national champion Samantha Liermann and defending discus national champion Addie Shaw. The 23 national entrants tops all NAIA squads for the Bulldog women, who are currently ranked third in the NAIA by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Meanwhile, the Concordia men are ranked 16th in the NAIA and expect to finish dramatically higher than they did one year ago (tied for 69th).
Gulf Shores has been a site for many Bulldog celebrations, which were the result of team national titles in 2015 (men) and 2016 (women). In addition, assistant coach Ed McLaughlin has been the mastermind behind a throws group that has claimed 14 individual national titles since the beginning of the 2014 track seasons. The question is: who’s next? Eleven Concordia throwers will be in action this weekend. Both Liermann (shot put) and Shaw (discus) will enter the meet with No. 1 national seed marks. Meanwhile, Jacob Cornelio is a contender in the men’s hammer throw and is coming off an indoor national runner up claim in the weight throw.
Considering the large number of entrants and current lofty national rating, some may be wondering what the prospects are for the Bulldog women to win another team national title. Beisel admits that a good number of things would have to swing Concordia’s way for that to happen, but the program does boast No. 1 event national ratings in the in the pole vault, shot put, discus, hammer and heptathlon. The men also rank No. 1 in the pole vault. Between men and women, seven Bulldog pole vaulters will compete in Alabama. The highest rated among them is GPAC champion Erin Mapson, currently No. 2 on the NAIA national list.
Concordia’s qualifying field includes 13 seniors who will be competing at the collegiate level for the final time and 10 first-time national qualifiers. The list of first-timers includes Claire Cornell and Mackenzie Koepke, who understand what a national championship event is like having helped the women’s basketball team win a title. Of the 13 seniors, eight have been past All-Americans: Leah Larson, Liermann, Nathan Matters, Josiah McAllister, Jamie Nikodym, Johanna Ragland, Thomas Taylor and Carley Weisser.
Indoor national runner up in the heptathlon, star sophomore Cody Williams elected to focus on open events this outdoor season. The GPAC Men’s Athlete of the Year is entered into three events at nationals: pole vault, high jump and long jump. Junior Jessica Deterding will be the lone Bulldog athlete in the multi-events. School record holder for both the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon, Deterding just might push for a national title.
In order to beat the muggy southern heat, the marathon will take place early on Saturday morning. Seniors Evan Asche and Taylor Grove will both represent Concordia on the 26.2-mile trek. A large portion of Bulldog running will take place in the relays with the Bulldogs competing in the 4x4’s and 4x8’s for both men and women. On the national list, Concordia’s most highly regarded relay is the men’s 4x8 that sits fifth in the NAIA. In addition, the women’s 4x4 (indoor school record holder) has the potential to finish in All-America territory despite currently ranking 14th in the NAIA.
The first Bulldog athletes to jump into action will be the five qualifiers in the women’s hammer throw set to begin at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday. Twenty-two Concordia athletes are scheduled to compete on the first day of the national championship meet. According to the NAIA, 127 institutions will be represented on the men’s side and 116 schools will be represented on the women’s side.
2019 Concordia outdoor national qualifiers
Evan Asche, Senior (first trip to nationals)
Rachel Battershell, Freshman (second trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Tori Beran, Senior (third trip to nationals)
Jacob Cornelio, Junior (fifth trip to nationals; three All-America awards)
Claire Cornell, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
Gavin DeHaai, Junior (second trip to nationals)
Jessica Deterding, Junior (third trip to nationals)
Jazzy Eickhoff, Senior (first trip to nationals)
Alyssa Fye, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
McKenzie Gravo, Junior (sixth trip to nationals; three All-America awards)
Taylor Grove, Senior (third trip to nationals)
Liam Hennessy, Junior (second trip to nationals)
Rebekah Hinrichs, Junior (first trip to nationals)
Mackenzie Koepke, Freshman (first trip to nationals)
Leah Larson, Senior (fourth trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Michael Leapley, Junior (second trip to nationals)
Sarah Lewis, Freshman (second trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Sam Liermann, Senior (eighth trip to nationals; eight All-America awards; two-time shot put national champ)
Erin Mapson, Freshman (second trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Nathan Matters, Senior (sixth trip to nationals; two All-America awards)
Josiah McAllister, Senior (fifth trip to nationals; two All-America awards)
Tristen Mosier, Junior (third trip to nationals)
Jerod Peters, Junior (first trip to nationals)
Jamie Nikodym, Senior (third trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Jacee Pfeifer, Freshman (second trip to nationals; two All-America awards)
Johanna Ragland, Senior (sixth trip to nationals; two All-America awards)
Sarah Ragland, Sophomore (first trip to nationals)
Miranda Rathjen, Junior (third trip to nationals)
Henry Reimer, Sophomore (second trip to nationals)
Xavier Ross, Freshman (second trip to nationals)
Ryan Sanchez, Senior (first trip to nationals)
Addie Shaw, Junior (sixth trip to nationals; four All-America awards; 2018 discus national champ)
Bethany Shaw, Junior (third trip to nationals)
Sam Sisco, Sophomore (first trip to nationals)
Thomas Taylor, Senior (fourth trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Christian Van Cleave, Sophomore (third trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Carley Weisser, Senior (fourth trip to nationals; one All-America award)
Cody Williams, Sophomore (fourth trip to nationals; three All-America awards)
Concordia indoor national finishes since 2000
2019: M – 9th | W – 9th
2018: M – 42nd | W – 9th
2017: M – 2nd | W – 7th
2016: M – 3rd | W – 5th
2015: M – 5th | W – 11th
2014: M – 17th | W – 11th
2013: M – 27th | W – 13th
2012: M – 38th | W – 29th
2011: M – 7th | W – 26th
2010: M – 15th | W – 12th
2009: M – 12th | W – 11th
2008: M – 7th | W – 14th
2007: M – 19th | W – 36th
2006: M – 5th | W – 29th
2005: M – 26th | W – 15th
2004: M – 7th | W – 27th
2003: M – 5th | W – 9th
2002: M – 20th | W – 8th
2001: M – 12th | W – 21st
2000: M – 2nd | W – 12th
Concordia outdoor national finishes since 2005
2018: M – 69th | W – 12th
2017: M – 5th | W – 6th
2016: M – 2nd | W – 1st
2015: M – 1st | W – 5th
2014: M – 11th | W – 9th
2013: M – 42nd | W – 20th
2012: M – 57th | W – 15th
2011: M – 11th | W – 57th
2010: M – 24th | W – 14th
2009: M – 7th | W – 19th
2008: M – 11th | W – 29th
2007: M – 15th | W – 24th
2006: M – 7th | W – 28th
2005: M – 13th | W – 17th
Cornell, Koepke back on national stage in banner year
May. 20, 2019
The last time Claire Cornell and Mackenzie Koepke appeared at a national championship event, they celebrated alongside their women’s basketball teammates, engulfed by confetti in one of those surreal moments that very few athletes ever experience. Three years after the Concordia track and field program claimed the first women’s team national title in school history, the women’s basketball program finally reached that same mountain top.
And to think, Cornell and Koepke are just freshmen, both with bright futures as members of the basketball and track programs. The present is already quite good for two athletes bound for another national showcase. Not only did Cornell and Koepke play for a national champion basketball team, they are national qualifiers for a women’s track team ranked No. 3 in the NAIA.
Says Cornell, “I couldn’t ask for a better group of athletes for both sports to represent Concordia with. It’s been an absolute blast on both spectrums and to see that everyone works just as hard as the next person, makes for an exciting journey.”
Accomplished high school performers in the state of Nebraska, Cornell (long jump) and Koepke (high jump) are on their way to Gulf Shores, Ala., for the NAIA outdoor national championship meet. Cornell will compete on Thursday while Koepke will have to wait until Saturday to display her talents. After finishing basketball, Cornell and Koepke made the transition to track with impressive results. On the school’s all-time outdoor lists, Koepke is No. 2 in the high jump (5’ 5 ¾”) while Cornell is No. 3 in the long jump (18’ 10 ¾”).
An alum of Lincoln Lutheran High School (which just won a girls’ state title in track), Koepke is a sniper on the court with a 6-foot-1 frame that allows her to rearrange shots and passes. If there is one photo that illustrates Koepke’s athleticism, it’s the one that appeared on the GPAC website on March 11 that showed Koepke skying incredibly high to block the shot of a Northwestern player. Even with that natural athleticism, Koepke has had to adjust to the rigors that come with being a college student-athlete.
“I think the biggest adjustment has been the training and the different types of workouts we do that focus on specific muscle groups,” Koepke said. “For high jump specifically we do a lot of plyometrics and work on being more explosive and not as much running compared to other events. In basketball, a lot of our conditioning comes from drills we do in practice.”
A former three-time all-class state long jump champion and Nebraska state record holder for Elm Creek High School, Cornell expressed similar comments on the demands of shifting from basketball to track. Added Cornell, “The training is a huge difference from basketball lifting of heavy sets to track where you focus on your certain muscle groups for the events you compete in. It does a lot on the body at first until you get used to it.”
Of course, Cornell and Koepke are taking on a load that isn’t without precedent. In recent years, Trey Barnes earned All-America honors for the Bulldogs in both football and track (shot put). Within the GPAC itself, Northwestern’s Kassidy De Jong will be running on a Red Raider 4x800 meter relay team at nationals this weekend, not long after playing against Concordia in the basketball national semifinals.
The unique aspect of this dynamic for Cornell and Koepke is their opportunity to contribute to two elite teams in two separate sports. They went from winning GPAC and national championships in basketball to helping the track team seize the conference outdoor title and potentially a team trophy finish this weekend in Alabama. Cornell says she’s trying to soak it all in and not take it for granted. Both seem to have an awareness of their unique and historic place in time at Concordia.
“It has been an amazing opportunity to work with coaches who care about their athletes and just want to see them succeed,” Koepke said. “Coach (Drew) Olson, Coach (Wayne) Earney and Coach (Matt) Beisel have all put in time to help me become a better competitor in these sports. I am so lucky to be able to attend a school where the administration, the faculty, the students and the community support athletics at Concordia.”
Cornell also lavishes praise upon those who surround her, saying, “I still have a ways to go, but there’s three more years for that. I’m just extremely proud of how quick I have been able to improve my jumps in such a short amount of time. The coaches have been very helpful with the short transitions and have trained me very wisely because of that, so a lot of credit goes to them as well.”
When the action gets going in Alabama, Cornell and Koepke will already have a level of understanding of what it feels like to compete against the best in the NAIA. Koepke points out that track can sometimes create more inner pressure because of the individualized nature of the sport. Mental and physical preparation has been a bit different for this weekend, but Cornell and Koepke are two freshmen who have proven to belong on elite teams.
Could there be more team national title celebrations to come for Cornell and Koepke? It’s not out of question at Concordia, where three big, red national championship banners already reside.
Five Bulldogs claim All-America awards on day one of NAIA meet
May. 23, 2019
GULF SHORES, Ala. – Twenty-two Bulldogs represented the Concordia University track and field programs on day one of the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, which are staged in the sultry beach town of Gulf Shores, Ala. In Thursday (May 23) action, Concordia emerged with five All-America awards and advanced its men’s 4x800 meter relay to the finals of the event. The Bulldogs entered the national meet with NAIA rankings of third for women and 22nd for men.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squad will enter the second day having totaled 12 points on the women’s side (tied for fourth place) and three points on the men’s side (tied for 14th place). Only five events for women and three events for men have been scored (out of 25).
In some cases, the Bulldogs came up shy of their national seed markings, but it was an overall solid day with familiar stars such as junior throwers Jacob Cornelio and Addie Shaw adding to their already impressive résumés. An indoor national runner up in the weight throw, Cornelio placed sixth in the hammer throw on Thursday with his toss of 196’ 4.” It netted him his fourth career All-America honor. Also in the men’s hammer throw, junior Liam Hennessy reached the finals and placed ninth (178’ 8”). In his first appearance at nationals, senior Ryan Sanchez finished 22nd (166’ 7”).
On the women’s side of the hammer, senior Johanna Ragland paced the team’s five entrants with a fifth-place claim (173’ 11”), good for her third career All-America honor. Johanna was joined in the finals by her younger sister Sarah, who placed ninth (165’ 3”). Shaw placed seventh (166’ 10”) while seniors Samantha Liermann (17th; 158’ 10”) and Carley Weisser (19th; 157’ 1”) came up short of reaching the finals.
In unique circumstances, two sets of sisters competed in the finals of the women’s hammer throw. The Raglands were accompanied by sisters from St. Francis (Ill.).
“That was so exciting,” Johanna said of competing alongside her sister. “I’m so proud of her that she made it and she got to be in the finals. I can’t wait to see what she does in the next few years.”
Ranked No. 1 nationally as an event group, the Concordia women’s pole vault crew notched two All-America honors from its three qualifiers. In completing a stellar freshman season, Erin Mapson placed fourth with a clearance of 12’ 1 ½.” Mapson earned All-America accolades for both indoor and outdoor and was the GPAC outdoor champion. Within that same event squad, junior Tristen Mosier took eighth place in capturing her first career All-America plaque. Lastly, junior McKenzie Gravo cleared 11’ 5 ¾” (tied for 10th) while fighting a bum ankle.
“I’m just really grateful to be given the opportunity,” Mapson said. “I didn’t even know I was going to pole vault until I was a junior in high school so just to be at this meet is amazing. I’ve had an amazing coach (Jason Berry) to help me along as well as great teammates. It’s awesome.”
The day concluded with the Bulldog men’s 4x8 taking the track. The quartet included Nathan Matters, Christian Van Cleave, Thomas Taylor and Josiah McAllister. The group glided to a first-place finish in its head (fifth overall) with a time of 7:43.13. As the final leg, McAllister coasted to the finish line knowing a spot in Friday’s finals had been secured. In the women’s 4x8, Miranda Rathjen, Rebekah Hinrichs, Tori Beran and Alyssa Fye finished in 9:34.53. The group not advance to the finals.
Elsewhere in field events, senior Jazzy Eickhoff placed 11th in the javelin (133’ 10”) while junior Jessica Deterding (24th; 17’ 4 ¼”) and freshman Claire Cornell (26th; 17’ 3 ¼”) took aim in the long jump. Deterding is also a competitor in the heptathlon. With four events completed in the heptathlon, Deterding stands in 12th place with 2,680 points.
The second day of the national championships will get started at 10 a.m. CT when multi-events resume. 17 Bulldogs are scheduled to be in action on Friday. Liermann will attempt to add to her eight All-America awards and two national titles in the shot put.
2019 Concordia Outdoor All-Americans
- Jacob Cornelio – hammer throw (6th)
- Erin Mapson – pole vault (4th)
- Tristen Mosier – pole vault (8th)
- Johanna Ragland – hammer throw (5th)
- Addie Shaw – hammer throw (7th)
Concordia athletes competing on Friday
10:30 a.m. – Heptathlon (Jessica Deterding)
1 p.m. – Women’s Shot Put (Samantha Liermann, Johanna Ragland, Adrianna Shaw)
1 p.m. – Men’s Long Jump (Cody Williams)
4:30 p.m. – Men’s High Jump (Cody Williams)
5:30 p.m. – Women’s Triple Jump (Leah Larson)
5:50 p.m. – Men’s 4x800 meter relay (Nathan Matters, Christian Van Cleave, Thomas Taylor, Josiah McAllister)
7:45 p.m. – Women’s 4x400 meter relay (Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym, Jacee Pfeifer)
8:15 p.m. – Men’s 4x400 meter relay (Xavier Ross, Nathan Matters, Josiah McAllister, Henry Reimer)
Bulldogs rake in 29 track NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards
May. 24, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – A large haul of 29 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards streamed in for the Concordia University track and field programs on Friday (May 24), as announced by the NAIA. The 20 women’s Scholar-Athletes ranks was one off the national lead among women’s track and field squads. The complete list of Bulldog Scholar-Athletes (shown at bottom) includes 13 seniors and 16 juniors.
The list features 2017-18 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in Samantha Liermann (2019 outdoor shot put national champion) and Josiah McAllister. Liermann is the reigning Google Cloud Academic All-American® of the Year in the sport of track and field.
In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended two full years as a non-transfer or one full year as a transfer. A total of 341 men’s track and field student-athletes and 516 women’s track and field student-athletes across the nation were named 2019 Scholar-Athletes by the NAIA.
Concordia University ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 1,462 and counting. The Bulldogs have been a regular national leader for both scholar-athletes and scholar-teams and are coming off a 2017-18 academic year that resulted in 77 more scholar-athletes and 20 scholar-teams (third most in the nation). Also in 2017-18, seven Bulldog student-athletes garnered both CoSIDA Academic All-District and CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades.
2019 NAIA Scholar-Athletes
Evan Asche, Sr. | Omaha, Neb. | Art Education
Lilly Barrientos, Jr. | El Paso, Texas | Graphic Design
Taylor Beck, Jr. | Central City, Neb. | Business Administration
McKayla Besel, Sr. | Broomfield, Colo. | Exercise Science
Gavin DeHaai, Jr. | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Business Administration
Casey Eberth, Sr. | Basehor, Kan. | Elementary Education
Taylor Grove, Sr. | Billings, Mont. | Art Education
Paul Hammes, Jr. | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Biology/Physics/Mathematics
Rebekah Hinrichs, Jr. | Gladstone, Mo. | Communication Studies/Marketing/Graphic Design
Sophia Hoelz, Jr. | Jackson, Wis. | Psychology/Behavioral Science
Mariah Huneke, Jr. | Sabetha, Kan. | Pre-Optometry; Biology
Jacy Johnston, Sr. | Westmoreland, Kan. | Secondary Education/Business Administration
Michael Leapley, Jr. | Milwaukee, Wis. | DCE/Secondary Education
Samantha Liermann, Sr. | Wisner, Neb. | Recreation & Sport Studies/Business Administration
Nathan Matters, Sr. | Overland Park, Kan. | Criminal Justice
Josiah McAllister, Sr. | Atkinson, Neb. | Pre-Medicine
Amy Migl, Jr. | Parker, Colo. | Business Administration/Marketing
Tristen Mosier, Jr. | Schickley, Neb. | Pre-Physical Therapy; Exercise Science/Biology/Psychology
Jamie Nikodym, Sr. | Red Cloud, Neb. | Early Childhood Education
Abby Protzman, Sr. | Norfolk, Neb. | Business Administration/Communication
Ben Pratt, Jr. | Greeley, Colo. | Physics
Johanna Ragland, Sr. | Rocky River, Ohio | Secondary Education
Miranda Rathjen, Jr. | Osceola, Neb. | Elementary Education
Jill Schroeder, Sr. | Davenport, Neb. | Pre-Dental Hygiene
Bethany Shaw, Jr. | Kearney, Neb. | Elementary Education
Miranda Unverferth, Jr. | Raymond, Neb. | Christian Education Leadership/Behavioral Science
Chris Warneke, Jr. | Hastings, Neb. | Pre-Seminary; Communication Studies
Carley Weisser, Sr. | Scotland, S.D. | Elementary Education
Emily Wetzel, Jr. | Kansas City, Kan. | Psychology/Behavioral Science
Liermann reclaims NAIA shot put crown; men's 4x8 grabs All-America honors
May. 24, 2019
GULF SHORES, Ala. – The setbacks that senior Samantha Liermann has overcome makes these moments all the more sweet. Having battled through four surgeries in the past three years, Liermann is back on top. She claimed her third career shot put national title on Friday (May 24) as part of a six All-America plaque day for the Concordia University track and field squads. Those performances occurred on the second of three days at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in steamy Gulf Shores, Ala.
With one day to go, head coach Matt Beisel’s squads have accumulated 23 points on the women’s side (second place) and eight points on the men’s side (tied for 16th). The last day of the meet is when the majority of running events are finalized. To this point, nine of the 24 men’s events have been scored and 10 of the 24 women’s events have been tabulated.
“We had some outstanding things happen today,” Beisel said. “I am very proud of our team. Obviously a highlight was Samantha’s national championship in the shot put. The leadership of our seniors continues to show itself in every aspect even as they finish up their careers with Concordia. I’m excited about tomorrow and am ready to see some more good things happen.”
Liermann has clearly cemented herself as a legend within a throws program that has now claimed 15 individual national titles since the beginning of the 2014 seasons. Also a shot put national champion in 2017 outdoor and 2018 indoor, Liermann now owns the most NAIA titles ever for a Concordia female thrower and sits behind only Zach Lurz and Cody Boellstorff (four apiece) in school throws history. Liermann’s winning toss on Friday measured in at 50’ 5 ¼,” just a few inches off her program record.
This title may have been the most emotional one of the three for Liermann, who is making the most of the final weekend of her collegiate career. Surgery back in August wiped out much of her prep time for indoor season. The results during indoor were below Liermann’s high standards. Yes, there were tears of joy on this hot and muggy afternoon.
“It’s been about getting in the right mind frame,” Liermann said. “Yeah I have a setback, but I can overcome it. This just proves it. Indoor was tough because I was still recovering (from surgery). In that transition from indoor to outdoor, more things started to click and I was able to trust my body more … there’s no other feeling like (being a national champion).”
Liermann was joined in the shot put competition by teammates in senior Johanna Ragland and junior Addie Shaw. Ragland added her second All-America honor of the meet by placing eighth in the shot put (45’ 9 ¼”). The nation’s leader in the discus, Shaw placed 15th (42’ 10 ¼”) in the shot put.
A day after winning its heat in the preliminaries, the Bulldog men’s 4x800 meter relay galloped to a fourth-place finish in the finals. The group that featured Nathan Matters, Christian Van Cleave, Thomas Taylor and Josiah McAllister clocked in at 7:37.49. The top split was turned in by Taylor, who ran his 800 meters in 1:52.63. All four ran 1:55.26 or better. That same quartet placed sixth in the 4x8 at the 2019 NAIA indoor championships. Three of the four (Matters, McAllister and Van Cleave) also ran later that evening in the 4x4, along with Xavier Ross, finishing in 3:17.11 (did not make finals).
Matters has been a four-year staple along with McAllister for Concordia relay teams. Said Matters, “It’s very satisfying (to be an All-American). The 4x8 group – the whole mid-distance group – puts in a lot of work starting in August all through now. So you have to give credit to everybody for pushing each other. Hard work pays off in the end.”
A national seeding of 14th did not indicate the type of potential contained within the Concordia women’s 4x400 meter relay that owns the school indoor record. The group that includes Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Jacee Pfeifer blazed to a season best time of 3:50.82 for a season best. By way of finishing second in their preliminary heat, the Bulldogs automatically qualified for Saturday’s finals. That same crew placed third in the NAIA indoor 4x4.
It was an afternoon of jumping for sophomore Cody Williams, the GPAC Outdoor Athlete of the Year. Williams placed 14th in the high jump (6’ 7 ½”) and 15th in the long jump (22’ 9 ¼”). Winner of two All-America awards at the 2019 NAIA indoor meet, Williams will have one more shot for an All-America honor this weekend with the pole vault coming up on Saturday.
Junior Jessica Deterding wrapped up her weekend in the heptathlon early on Friday. Unfortunately, the Eustis, Neb., native fell just short of All-America honors while placing ninth (4,607 points). Deterding had made a bid for a top-eight finish after she had been in 12th after day one. In the triple jump, Leah Larson placed 15th with a mark of 37’ 11 ¼.” Larson had hoped for a repeat of indoor when she earned the first All-America award of her career.
The final day of the national championship meet will get started early with the marathon running off at 6 a.m. CT on Saturday. Fourteen Bulldogs will be in action as the meet wraps up.
2019 Concordia Outdoor All-Americans
- Jacob Cornelio – hammer throw (6th)
- Samantha Liermann – shot put (1st)
- Nathan Matters – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Erin Mapson – pole vault (4th)
- Josiah McAllister – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Tristen Mosier – pole vault (8th)
- Johanna Ragland – hammer throw (5th); shot put (8th)
- Addie Shaw – hammer throw (7th)
- Thomas Taylor – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Christian Van Cleave – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
Concordia athletes competing on Saturday
6 a.m. – Marathon (Evan Asche, Taylor Grove)
1 p.m. – Men’s Shot Put (Jerod Peters)
1 p.m. – Men’s Pole Vault (Gavin DeHaai, Sam Sisco, Cody Williams)
2 p.m. – Women’s Discus (Sam Liermann, Addie Shaw, Bethany Shaw, Carley Weisser)
2 p.m. – Women's High Jump (Mackenzie Koepke)
6:15 p.m. – Women’s 4x400 Meter Relay (Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym, Jacee Pfeifer)
Shaw defends discus title; 16 Bulldogs emerge with All-America awards
May. 25, 2019
GULF SHORES, Ala. – For the second day in a row, a Bulldog thrower received an ice bath from teammates in celebration of a national title. Junior Addie Shaw successfully defended her NAIA title in the discus, an event that helped the Concordia University women’s track and field team place fifth nationally at the 2019 outdoor championship meet. The three-day bonanza lasted Thursday through Saturday in muggy Gulf Shores, Ala., where the best of the NAIA gathered.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads put up 44 points on the women’s side and 9.5 points on the men’s side (31st place). Those results followed ninth place claims at the NAIA indoor championships for both the men and women. A total of 16 Bulldogs came away from the outdoor meet with All-America awards in one or more events.
“It’s so hard to describe (the excitement when an athlete wins a national title),” Beisel said. “Anyone who’s been there knows that when you have state champions as a high school coach – but this is a national champion. To have Samantha Liermann get a third national championship and for Addie Shaw to kill it made me super happy for both of them.
“We’re top five in the nation and just six points out of fourth place, which is a trophy. A lot of things had to come together to do it. I want a championship and we’re taking steps towards that … Our guys are maybe a year behind our girls as far as development. Again, I’m super proud. We had so many All-Americans on the guys’ side.”
The already strong national reputation for the Bulldog throws program under Ed McLaughlin continues to expand. With national titles delivered this weekend by Samantha Liermann in the shot put and Shaw in the discus, Concordia throwers have now totaled 16 individual national championships over the past six seasons. It took some time for Shaw to embrace it, but she’s come around on the discus. It’s clearly become her top event.
Last year Shaw was somewhat of a surprise national titlist. This year she entered the meet at No. 1 nationally in the event and had the target on her back. With a clear advantage in the finals of the discus, Shaw popped off a throw of more than 154’ ½” while besting a field loaded with GPAC competitors.
“(High) expectation is definitely a factor,” Shaw said. “I came in with a little bit of nerves for the weekend, but it was calming (when the meet got started). Everyone is trying to beat me. I’m not trying to chase anyone else’s mark. That helped the nerves a lot this weekend … No. 2 feels just as great as the first time.”
The discus brought in 18 team points for the women with Liermann placing fourth (144’ 5”) and senior Carley Weisser finishing sixth (142’ 5”). It was a major breakthrough for Liermann, who has made her mark nationally mostly with what she’s done in the shot put. Liermann finished her collegiate career with 10 All-America awards. Meanwhile, Weisser collected the second All-America plaque of her career.
The lone Concordia men’s All-America award of the day was produced by junior Gavin DeHaai, who was making the second national championship appearance of his career. DeHaai managed to brush off an injury that plagued him for much of the outdoor season to achieve an outdoor personal best clearance of 15’ 9” in the pole vault (tied for seventh place). Sophomores Cody Williams and clear Sam Sisco were able to clear 15’ 3,” but unfortunately missed on their attempts at higher bars.
DeHaai is another story of triumph over adversity. Said DeHaai, “Coming off an injury indoor and into outdoor was really hard just keeping your mind in it. It was more of a mental battle than a physical one. Our coaches just said to trust the process. We have a great training staff and had a lot of things go our way.”
The meet concluded from a Bulldog perspective when the women’s 4x400 meter relay crossed the finish line in sixth place in the finals of the event. Rachel Battershell, Sarah Lewis, Jamie Nikodym and Jacee Pfeifer teamed up on a finals time of 3:52.15. That same group owns the school record in the indoor 4x4 and also earned All-America status for indoor.
It was no small feat just to complete the marathon amidst the heat that has settled this Memorial Day weekend in Gulf Shores. A three-time national qualifier in the marathon, senior Taylor Grove persevered through aches and pains this outdoor season and completed the 26.2-mile trek while placing 16th in a time of 3:34:25.83. That figure was three minutes shy of Grove’s time from the previous year when she finished 17th. Evan Asche also qualified in the marathon. He made it through 19 miles before calling it a day.
Elsewhere in Saturday field events, Jerod Peters placed 19th in the shot put (49’ 4 ¼”) while Mackenzie Koepke checked in at No. 23 in the high jump (5’ 4 ½”). Both athletes were making the first appearances of their careers on the national stage.
Bulldog athletes and coaches are pleased with the progress made in 2019, but this is a program that will never simply settle. Says Beisel, “National championships are always the goal. It’s a yearlong, daily effort on the recruiting front and developing our athletes not just as athletes, but as people, and building relationships and trust with them. I just ask God to keep our kids healthy and continue to bless us.”
2019 Concordia Outdoor All-Americans
- Rachel Battershell – 4x400 meter relay (6th)
- Jacob Cornelio – hammer throw (6th)
- Gavin DeHaai – pole vault (7th)
- Sarah Lewis – 4x400 meter relay (6th)
- Samantha Liermann – shot put (1st); discus (4th)
- Erin Mapson – pole vault (4th)
- Nathan Matters – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Josiah McAllister – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Tristen Mosier – pole vault (8th)
- Jamie Nikodym – 4x400 meter relay (6th)
- Jacee Pfeifer – 4x400 meter relay (6th)
- Johanna Ragland – hammer throw (5th); shot put (8th)
- Addie Shaw – discus (1st); hammer throw (7th)
- Thomas Taylor – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Christian Van Cleave – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
- Carley Weisser – discus (6th)
Eighteen Bulldogs earn All-America awards in 2019
May. 28, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Factoring in both indoor and outdoor, 18 Concordia University track and field athletes earned NAIA All-America honors in 2019. Twelve of those award winners were All-Americans in indoor and outdoor. The list includes 2019 outdoor national champions Samantha Liermann (shot put) and Addie Shaw (discus). The complete group of 2019 All-Americans can be viewed below.
Together, the athletes that collected plaques helped the Bulldogs to 2019 national championships place finishes of ninth (indoor) and fifth (outdoor) on the women’s side and ninth (indoor) and 31st (outdoor) on the men’s side. The fifth-place outdoor claim for the women was its highest since the program captured a team national title in 2016.
The 2019 team leaders for total All-America awards all recorded three top-eight national finishes in 2019: Liermann, Josiah McAllister, Jacee Pfeifer and Shaw. Liermann and Shaw have been major contributors to a throws group that has now seized 16 individual national titles since the start of 2014. Liermann and Shaw are two of five Concordia throwers all-time with multiple national championships.
Eleven of this year’s Concordia All-America awards came in the throws. Pole vaulters were responsible for six All-America honors while the Bulldog women’s 4x400 meter and men’s 4x800 meter relays were All-Americans for both indoor and outdoor.
2019 Concordia All-Americans
Rachel Battershell
INDOOR – 4x400 meter relay (3rd)
OUTDOOR – 4x400 meter relay (6th)
Jacob Cornelio
INDOOR – weight throw (2nd)
OUTDOOR – hammer throw (6th)
Gavin DeHaai
OUTDOOR – pole vault (7th)
Leah Larson
INDOOR – triple jump (7th)
Sarah Lewis
INDOOR – 4x400 meter relay (3rd)
OUTDOOR – 4x400 meter relay (6th)
Samantha Liermann
INDOOR – shot put (7th)
OUTDOOR – shot put (1st); discus (4th)
Erin Mapson
INDOOR – pole vault (4th)
OUTDOOR – pole vault (4th)
Nathan Matters
INDOOR – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
OUTDOOR – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
Josiah McAllister
INDOOR – 1,000 meters (4th); 4x800 meter relay (6th)
OUTDOOR – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
Tristen Mosier
OUTDOOR – pole vault (8th)
Jamie Nikodym
INDOOR – 4x400 meter relay (3rd)
OUTDOOR – 4x400 meter relay (6th)
Jacee Pfeifer
INDOOR – 4x400 meter relay (3rd); pole vault (T-5th)
OUTDOOR – 4x400 meter relay (6th)
Johanna Ragland
OUTDOOR – hammer throw (5th); shot put (8th)
Addie Shaw
INDOOR – weight throw (4th)
OUTDOOR – discus (1st); hammer throw (7th)
Thomas Taylor
INDOOR – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
OUTDOOR – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
Christian Van Cleave
INDOOR – 4x800 meter relay (6th)
OUTDOOR – 4x800 meter relay (4th)
Carley Weisser
OUTDOOR – discus (6th)
Cody Williams
INDOOR – heptathlon (2nd); pole vault (5th)
Liermann, McAllister named Academic All-District by CoSIDA
May. 28, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – A pair of All-Americans from the Concordia University track & field teams have garnered additional 2019 honors, as announced by College of Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Tuesday (May 28). Both Samantha Liermann and Josiah McAllister were named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams of NAIA District 3. Liermann and McAllister graduated from Concordia this May with nearly spotless grade point averages.
The CoSIDA Academic All-Distrct® Men’s and Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Teams have been released to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. For more information about the Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit http://cosida.com. District 3 includes the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Liermann is fresh off the third NAIA shot put national title of her career. A native of Wisner, Neb., Liermann has piled up three Academic All-District awards, two Academic All-America awards and was named the recipient of the 2017-18 Google Cloud Academic All-America® of the Year honor for track and field. Not only a three-time national champ, Liermann has also captured 10 career All-America honors and four GPAC titles. She was a member of the 2016 Concordia squad that won the NAIA outdoor national title.
A 2019 graduate like Liermann, McAllister made six trips to national championship meets and raked in three All-America awards during his four-year career as a Bulldog. A CoSIDA Academic All-America choice last year, McAllister starred for the 2017 men’s 4x400 meter relay that won a GPAC title and raced to a 2019 GPAC indoor title in the 1,000 meters. As a senior, McAllister helped 4x400 meter relays to All-America honors in both indoor and outdoor.
Men’s and Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Google Cloud Academic All-America® Teams are scheduled to be announced on June 24. As all-district choices, Liermann and McAllister are automatically placed on the All-America ballot.
Concordia 2018-19 Academic All-All-District® Honorees
Lindsey Carley, Women's Soccer
*Maria Deeter, Women’s Soccer
Philly Lammers, Women’s Basketball
Samantha Liermann, Track & Field
Josiah McAllister, Track & Field
Tanner Shuck, Men’s Basketball
Zac Walter, Football
Luke Zoller, Men’s Tennis
*CoSIDA Academic All-American
McLaughlin named national assistant coach of the year for sixth time
May. 29, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Just a few days after celebrating individual national titles for two athletes, Ed McLaughlin has been named the NAIA National Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Wednesday (May 29)’s announcement marks the sixth career national assistant coach of the year award earned by McLaughlin. In 2019, McLaughlin has swept national women’s assistant indoor/outdoor honors. The USTFCCCA began recognizing coaches and athletes of the year in 2016.
In addition to six national coaching honors, McLaughlin has collected eight career USTFCCCA regional coach of the year awards. The 22-year coaching veteran has helped the Concordia track and field programs win two team NAIA national titles while being recognized as one of the nation’s top throws coaches. At last week’s NAIA outdoor championship meet, Samantha Liermann (shot put) and Addie Shaw (discus) became the program’s 15th and 16th throws national champions since 2014 under McLaughlin’s guidance. The 2019 group of throwers were instrumental in a Bulldog women’s sweep of GPAC indoor/outdoor team championships.
Liermann and Shaw have combined for five career individual national titles. In last week’s action in Gulf Shores, Ala., throwers were responsible for 35 of 44 team points for a Concordia women’s squad that placed fifth nationally. Broken down point totals per event, 18 came in the discus, 11 in the shot put and six in the hammer. Women’s throws All-Americans included Liermann (shot put; discus) and Shaw (discus; hammer) in addition to Johanna Ragland (hammer; shot put) and Carley Weisser (discus). Liermann and Shaw were also GPAC champions.
McLaughlin USTFCCCA awards
- 2019 NAIA National Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2019 NAIA Midwest Region Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2019 NAIA National Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2017 NAIA National Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2017 NAIA Midwest Region Men’s and Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA National Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA National Men’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA Midwest Region Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2016 NAIA Midwest Region Men’s and Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year
Throwing national champions under McLaughlin
2014 Outdoor – Liz King (Javelin)
2015 Indoor – Zach Lurz (Shot Put)
2015 Indoor – Josh Slechta (Weight Throw)
2015 Outdoor – Cody Boellstorff (Hammer Throw)
2016 Indoor – Cody Boellstorff (Weight Throw)
2016 Indoor – Zach Lurz (Shot Put)
2016 Outdoor – Liz King (Hammer Throw)
2016 Outdoor – Zach Lurz (Shot Put)
2017 Indoor – Cody Boellstorff (Weight Throw)
2017 Indoor – Zach Lurz (Shot Put)
2017 Outdoor – Cody Boellstorff (Hammer Throw)
2017 Outdoor – Samantha Liermann (Shot Put)
2018 Indoor – Samantha Liermann (Shot Put)
2018 Outdoor – Adrianna Shaw (Discus)
2019 Outdoor – Samantha Liermann (Shot Put)
2019 Outdoor – Adrianna Shaw (Discus)
The untold story of a national champ's struggles and eventual triumph
Jun. 6, 2019
We call this an “untold story” because for quite some time, Samantha “Sam” Liermann chose to keep her struggles mostly between herself, her coach and those closest to her. Even as Liermann stood on the All-American podium inside the Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D., on March 2, she wondered if she would ever be the same.
She had just placed seventh in the shot put at the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. By most standards, that’s a success. But Liermann had established a different, loftier standard for herself. Plus she felt like she had unfinished business from the 2018 outdoor national meet. That business remained on the table.
Concordia throws coach Ed McLaughlin had a front row seat for everything that had transpired in Liermann’s life since June 2018. Says McLaughlin, “It was frustrating for me and for her to have people on the outside be like, ‘Geez, Sam’s really falling off.’ I heard those things at times. ‘What’s going on with Sam?’ She didn’t want to tell people so I didn’t really say much. I just told them she was hurt.”
Standard of excellence
To put it simply, Sam Liermann expects to beat everybody else in the shot put. The transfer from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln wasted little time making a big impact after becoming a Bulldog. Her first season of competition at Concordia came in 2016 when she earned indoor and outdoor shot put All-America honors. Her decision to transfer seemed to be immediately validated when she enjoyed a rare opportunity to contribute to a team national title as she did at the 2016 NAIA outdoor national championships.
From an individual perspective, things kept getting better for Liermann. She reached the top of the mountain in 2017 when she swept outdoor GPAC and NAIA national titles in the shot put. Said Liermann at the time, “I kind of had an idea that I could do it. I just didn’t know. I definitely didn’t think this year would be the year with coming off surgery earlier in the year. I didn’t expect it this year, but I thought it was possible – and I wanted it.”
With a quiet confidence, the native of Wisner, Neb., became another in a long line of throwing stars tutored by McLaughlin. Liermann continued on her path to greatness by locking down GPAC indoor and outdoor shot put titles in 2018. She captured another NAIA title at the 2018 indoor national meet before finishing as the runner up at the 2018 NAIA outdoor meet, where Liermann was dethroned in Gulf Shores, Ala., in controversial fashion.
That did not sit well with Liermann, then a redshirt junior with one more year of eligibility remaining. She basically vowed not to allow herself to finish second again. There was just one problem. Liermann knew she faced an upcoming offseason hurdle. She thought it would be one she could easily brush aside as a mere speedbump.
That’s not the way things happened. Liermann would be tested in ways she never had before. In this case, it wasn’t just about sports. Her own personal health was at stake.
Liermann fought back valiantly just to be able to be ready to compete this past Jan. 12 at the Ward Haylett Invite hosted by Doane. She placed fourth in the shot put at that meet while a shadow of her former self. Liermann was still good at her craft, she just wasn’t great at that point.
Said McLaughlin, “She was a two-time national champion who wasn’t even winning the Concordia Invite. There were things like that. We were always used to Sam being No. 1 or No. 2. During that time we would wonder if Sam was going to make the final. Even when she was a freshman that was never a problem.”
The scare
By the time the calendar flipped to 2019, Sam Liermann had moved past one big scare. Just after completing the 2018 track season, she underwent surgery that she believed would be a fairly minor one. Liermann held dealt with past operations and had emerged just as strong – like in the fall of 2016 when she had surgery to repair the labrum in her throwing shoulder. Less than a year later she claimed her first national title.
But in June of 2018, Liermann faced a different type of scare. Explained Liermann nearly a year later, “I had a cist on my liver. My doctor wanted to go in and just drain the cist in June. It was the size of a softball so it was pushing against my kidneys and just giving me a lot of pain. I had been dealing with that pretty much all of my junior year. A doctor said we should probably look at this. So he went in then in June and did laparoscopic surgery. He was just going to drain it.”
With good fortune, that would have been the end of it. With a clean bill of health at that stage, Liermann may have remained right on schedule to begin her regular conditioning and throwing regimen once the fall rolled around. A follow-up biopsy revealed some troubling news.
Continued Liermann, “The cells were abnormal so my doctor was really concerned. Abnormal cells can lead to cancer. He didn’t want to just leave me with the possibility of getting liver cancer in the future. We decided that it would be better long-term to have a liver resection. That’s what they did in August. All the way across my stomach I have a big scar. It’s kind of like a C-section, but higher. I think they took about a fourth of my liver. All of my ab muscles were cut through. Even sitting up in bed was painful.”
There was that “C” word being floated about in front of Liermann. Thankfully none of her cells were cancerous, but these developments were plenty enough to put things into perspective. It’s the type of moment that makes sports seem very insignificant and when you want to bring God just a little bit closer to you.
Liermann certainly would have appreciated some prayers at that point in her life. The August surgery forced Liermann to spend roughly 10 days in the hospital. She left the hospital just a few days before the school year began. Clearly it would be a while before she could start throwing again. Says Liermann, “It all happened pretty quickly.”
Over the next several months, Liermann would have to re-learn how to make her body contort in effort to launch the types of throws that made her a champion. She would have to figure out when she could push herself and when she had to pull back. McLaughlin would be there to tell her, “Don’t be dumb.”
Sam’s triumphant return to the top
Not all stories finish with a happy ending. This one ends with tears of joy. In May 2019, Sam Liermann was back. After breaking the GPAC outdoor meet record in the shot put, Liermann celebrated her third career national title on May 24. What a moment it was.
Says Liermann, “I remember crying a lot afterwards because I was so happy. It was worth it. Going through an injury and surgery there are definitely days where you wonder if it’s worth it – all that pain and stuff. To walk away on top, it’s definitely worth it.”
Liermann actually uncorked two separate throws that were both better than all other tosses by any of the opposing competitors at the national championships. After most every throw, Liermann moves in McLaughlin’s direction and the two discuss what went right and what went wrong. In one of these instances, McLaughlin had little in the way of coaching advice to give. He was mostly just proud. The short conversation went something like this …
McLaughlin: I don’t know about you, but I’m about to throw up.
Liermann: Seriously Coach? … You’re kind of shaking.
McLaughlin: Yeah, I’m shaking. That’s a big toss.
The national title winning mark came in at 50’ 5 ¼,” not far off Liermann’s own school record. When the finals had ended and Liermann had remained on top, the emotions of the moment were evident. Sam’s parents, Doug and Joan, would not have missed it. Sam first hugged McLaughlin and her nearby teammates and friends. Soon after she was mobbed by members of her family. In hot muggy conditions in Alabama, the ensuing showers of ice water courtesy of her teammates felt quite good and further symbolized the magnitude of what occurred.
It was especially emotional for those who knew what it took for Sam to reclaim her shot put title. This one was perhaps even more special than the first two. Between indoor and outdoor, Sam began to find her form once again, slowly but surely.
“Last year we went into (outdoor nationals) thinking she was going to win it,” McLaughlin said. “This year we went in knowing she was leading it but knowing she had dealt with so many things. When she hit her big throw and nobody passed her up on the last round and she hit another big throw - I don’t know how she felt about it. I know she was so elated. I was so extremely happy for her with all the work she’s put in and all the time she’s put into it.”
It took much longer than had hoped to produce championship results, but Liermann showed the heart of a champion throughout the process. The final career tally for Liermann now shows 10 All-America awards, four GPAC titles and three national titles. Not only that, she’s earned impeccable marks in the classroom.
All that is made even more impressive when considering Liermann persevered through four surgeries during her collegiate career. She was determined not to lose her senior year. Says Liermann, “At conference was really when it shifted to, ‘I’m going to win this whole thing. I’m not going to let anyone stop me.’ I got to a point where I felt like if I wanted it bad enough I was going to win a national title.”
That attitude has earned Liermann the recognition she has garnered, like from strangers at the local Walmart or from customers when she previously worked at the Fast Mart in Seward. Undeterred by the obstacles, Liermann went out a winner. Through her perseverance, Liermann has reserved a place amongst all-time Bulldog throwing greats.
Liermann, McAllister named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of the Year
Jun. 24, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – Now Concordia graduates, Samantha Liermann and Josiah McAllister have earned the highest of honors awarded by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The organization announced on Monday (June 24) that Liermann has been named the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for NAIA women’s track and field and McAllister has been tabbed the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for NAIA men’s track and field. Liermann took home the same award in 2018.
The CoSIDA Academic All-America® Men’s and Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Teams have been released to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. For more information about the Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit http://cosida.com.
Liermann captured the third NAIA shot put national title of her career this past May. A native of Wisner, Neb., Liermann has piled up three Academic All-District awards, three Academic All-America awards and has been named the recipient of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 Google Cloud Academic All-America® of the Year honor for track and field. Not only a three-time national champ, Liermann has also earned 10 career All-America honors, four GPAC titles, 14 all-conference awards and two NAIA shot put national runner up claims. She was a member of the 2016 Concordia squad that won the NAIA outdoor national title. Liermann is the school record holder in the indoor and outdoor shot put.
A 2019 graduate like Liermann, McAllister made six trips to national championship meets and raked in three All-America awards during his four-year career as a Bulldog. A CoSIDA Academic All-America choice last year, McAllister starred for the 2017 men’s 4x400 meter relay that won a GPAC title and then two years later raced to a 2019 GPAC indoor title in the 1,000 meters. As a senior, McAllister helped 4x400 meter relays to All-America honors in both indoor and outdoor.
While at Concordia, Liermann studied recreation and sport studies and business administration. Meanwhile, McAllister earned a degree in biology (minor in chemistry) as part of a pre-medicine track.
As All-America of the Year choices, Liermann and McAllister are automatically placed on the ballot for consideration for the 2018-19 overall Academic All-America Team Member of the Year across all 12 CoSIDA All-America sport programs within the NAIA.
Concordia 2018-19 Academic All-All-District® Honorees
Lindsey Carley, Women’s Soccer
*Maria Deeter, Women’s Soccer
Philly Lammers, Women’s Basketball
*Samantha Liermann, Track & Field
*Josiah McAllister, Track & Field
Tanner Shuck, Men’s Basketball
Zac Walter, Football
Luke Zoller, Men’s Tennis
*CoSIDA Academic All-American
Cornelio, Liermann nab major awards; Bulldogs top nation in all-academic honors
Jul. 22, 2019
SEWARD, Neb. – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced both team and individual honorees for its 2019 all-academic awards on Monday (July 22). The result was a major haul for the Concordia University track and field teams. Most notably, junior Jacob Cornelio was named the 2019 NAIA Scholar Athlete of the Year in the category of men’s indoor field while senior Samantha Liermann was tabbed the 2019 NAIA Scholar Athlete of the Year under the heading of women’s outdoor field.
In addition, Cornelio and Liermann were two of 39 Bulldog athletes (24 women, 15 men) recognized as 2019 USTFCCCA All-Academic award recipients (complete list at bottom). Concordia led all NAIA schools for highest number of men’s and women’s all-academic honorees. Both the Bulldog men’s and women’s track squads were tagged as 2019 USTFCCA All-Academic Teams.
To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, student-athletes must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.30, must have achieved an ‘A’ or ‘B’ standard in a championship event and must have completed at least two semesters at the certifying institution.
The collegiate career of Liermann (Wisner, Neb.) ended in thrilling fashion with her capturing the third NAIA shot put national title of her career while competing in her final college meet. Over her four years as a Bulldog, Liermann was a major factor in the 2016 NAIA outdoor team national title and a sweep of 2019 GPAC team championships. Recently named the 2018-19 Concordia Senior Female Athlete of the Year, Liermann also twice achieved Academic All-American of the Year accolades from CoSIDA while claiming 10 All-America awards and four individual GPAC titles in her career. Liermann graduated from Concordia as the program record holder in both the indoor and outdoor shot put.
Cornelio has one season remaining in his stellar collegiate run. The native of Elk Grove, Calif., ran his career All-America total to four in 2019 by finishing as the NAIA national runner up in the weight throw and with a sixth-place claim in the hammer throw. Cornelio also claimed 2019 individual GPAC titles in the weight throw and hammer throw. Cornelio was honored with the GPAC Men’s Field Performance of the Meet award for his efforts in the hammer throw at the conference outdoor championships.
2019 Concordia USTFCCCA All-Academic award winners
Evan Asche
Rachel Battershell
Zach Bennetts
Tori Beran
Allison Brooks
Jacob Cornelio
Morgan De Jong
Gavin DeHaai
Alyssa Fye
McKenzie Gravo
Taylor Grove
Rebekah Hinrichs
Mariah Huneke
Michael Leapley
Sarah Lewis
Samantha Liermann
Emily Loy
Erin Mapson
Nathan Matters
Josiah McAllister
Kennedy Mogul
Tristen Mosier
Jamie Nikodym
Renato Oyarzun
Kenny Paetow
Jacee Pfeifer
Tucker Platt
Ben Pratt
Johanna Ragland
Sarah Ragland
Miranda Rathjen
Henry Reimer
Xavier Ross
Adrianna Shaw
Bethany Shaw
Adrianna Sims
Sam Sisco
Christian Van Cleave
Carley Weiser