Coaching staff

Dr. Kregg Einspahr enters his 19th season as Head Coach for the Concordia University Men’s and Women’s Track & Field and Cross Country programs in 2010-11.  During his career, his teams have consistently been at the top of the Great Plains Athletic Conference and NAIA National standings. 

2009-10 was another successful year for Coach Einspahr and his teams.  His 2009 men’s cross country team was GPAC Champion and NAIA National Champion Runner-up.  Over the past 10 years, Einspahr’s teams have been NAIA National Champion Runner-up six times in track or cross country.  The 2009 women’s cross country team finished in the top 20 at Nationals for the 16th straight year.  The 2010 women’s indoor track & field team was GPAC Champion, snapping a 19-year run by Doane atop the conference.  The women’s outdoor track & field team also won the conference championship, splitting the title with Doane.  

Dr. Einspahr has been named conference or regional Coach-of-the-Year for track or cross country more than 25 times during his career at Concordia.  Most recently, he was named 2008 and 2009 GPAC Men’s Cross Country Coach-of-the-Year, 2009 and 2010 GPAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Coach-of-the-Year, 2009 GPAC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach-of-the-Year and 2009 and 2010 GPAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach-of-the-Year.  The United State Track Coaches Association named Einspahr as NAIA National Women’s Cross Country Coach-of-the-Year in the fall of 1999.   

A 1982 graduate of Concordia, Einspahr continued his education at the University of Nebraska where he earned his master’s degree in Biology in 1985.  He received a doctorate degree (PhD) in Biochemistry and Physiology from the University of Texas in 1988.  Einspahr also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Immunology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  In addition to coaching, he serves as a professor of biology at Concordia.

While competing at Concordia, he was a six-time NAIA national champion, winning the indoor mile once and the indoor two mile twice.  In the steeplechase, he was a three-time National Champion and at the time, had the NAIA National record (since broken) in all three events. He also ran professionally and was ranked in the United States and world while competing in three Olympic trials.

Dr. Einspahr’s teams are known not only for their competitiveness, but also for their work in the classroom.  In 2009 and 2010, the Concordia Track & Field Teams had more NAIA Scholar-Athletes (Academic All-Americans) than any school in the conference or national association. 

Kregg and his wife, Suzanne, reside in Seward with their son, Jackson.  Kregg enjoys biking, hiking, fishing, reading, and gardening.

Contact Coach Einspahr

• 402-643-7333 (office) • Kregg.Einspahr@cune.edu

Ed McLaughlin enters his 14th year as a member of the Concordia University track and field coaching staff in 2010-11, serving as an assistant coach and working with the throwers.

McLaughlin has coached 40 National qualifiers, 29 All-Americans, seven National Champion Runner-ups and 15 GPAC Champions.  In addition, 17 school records have been broken in the throws during McLaughlin’s time at Concordia. 

McLaughlin was a four-year letter winner in both football and track at Concordia.  He was the NIAC shot put champion in 1996, a six-time competitor in the NAIA Championship meet and he broke the school record in discus as a freshman. 

In football, McLaughlin played on the offensive line and earned All-NIAC honors twice for the Bulldogs.  He also was a two-time All-Nebraska selection and earned NAIA Honorable Mention honors in 1996. 

McLaughlin completed his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Biology at Concordia University in 1998.  He resides in Lincoln.          

Contact Coach McLaughlin

• 402-643-7397 (office) • ed.mclaughlin3@cune.edu

Mark Samuels enters his fourth season as an assistant coach for the Concordia University track and field program in 2010-11.  Samuels works primarily with sprints, hurdles and pole vault. 

Mark has coached 24 National Qualifiers, seven NAIA All-Americans and seven GPAC Champions during his time at Concordia.  He coached the 2002 NAIA Indoor Pole Vault National Runner-Up.  He also coached the 2009 GPAC Indoor and Outdoor Women’s Athlete-of-the-Year as well as the 2010 GPAC Indoor Women's Athlete-of-the-Year. 

Samuels competed at Concordia from 2001-04.  He was a four-time NAIA All-American and a four-time GPAC Champion.  Samuels was the 2002 National Runner-Up in the 400 meter dash at the Indoor National Meet.  For his efforts, Samuels was named 2002 GPAC Indoor Men’s Athlete-of-the-Year.  He holds five school records including individual indoor records in the 200 meter dash and 400 meter dash.  He was also a member of record setting 4 x 400 meter relay teams in both indoor and outdoor seasons.

Coach Samuels resides in Seward with his wife Kari, who is also a member of the track and field coaching staff at Concordia. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, cycling, and running.

Contact Coach Samuels

• 402-643-7489 (office) • Mark.Samuels@cune.edu

Bio coming soon 

Jason Berry has helped with the Concordia Track and Field program for many years, working primarily with pole vault. 

Berry attended Concordia University from 1989-94.  He was a three-time Conference Champion and a two-time District 11 Champion in the pole vault.  He qualified for Nationals twice and earned Booster Club Athlete-of-the-Week honors three times during the 1993 season. 

From 1995-98, Berry was an assistant coach at Illinois Wesleyan University.  During that time, he helped with the pole vault and decathlon.  He coached six NCAA DIII National Qualifiers and three DIII All-Americans in the pole vault.  He also coached one DIII National Qualifier in the decathlon during his career at Illinois Wesleyan. 

From 1999-2007, Jason was a volunteer assistant coach and meet official at Concordia University.  During those years, Berry helped coach seven NAIA National Champions and over a dozen All-Americans and Conference Champions. 

Since 2001, Berry has been a volunteer pole vault coach at Seward High School.  He’s coached 10 State Qualifiers and five State Medalists during that time. 

Since returning to Concordia in 2008, Jason has helped coach 12 NAIA National Qualifiers and three NAIA All-Americans.  Berry has also helped with the Concordia University Pole Vault Camps since 1999. 

Berry lives in Seward with his wife Julie and three sons; Cole, Dalton and Chase.