SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. – In venturing to an unfamiliar trail, Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country outkicked its fellow NAIA competition at Siouxland Freedom Park in South Sioux City, Neb., on Saturday (Oct. 3) morning. When the Briar Cliff Invite concluded, the Bulldogs emerged with place finishes of third for both men and women in a meet that featured 91 runners on the men’s side and 85 runners on the women’s side. The gun went off for the men’s 8K at 8:30 a.m. CT. The women’s 6K followed at 9:30 a.m.
Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads placed in front of all but two NCAA Division I institutions at the meet: Creighton University and South Dakota State University. Compared to Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, S.D., (site of Concordia’s first two meets), Freedom Park proved to be a slower course, characterized by slight elevation changes and gradual turns. For both men and women, the actual race distances wound up being slightly longer than advertised.
Individually, the Bulldogs were led by junior Vaughn Hendrickson on the men’s side and by freshman Hope Beck on the women’s side. Beck and Hendrickson earned top 10 placements along with teammate Trey Robertson.
“I think our top 10 are really beginning to come together,” Beisel said. “It's nice to have more than just a top five with the seventh- and eighth-place runners not far behind. We've got about 12 men and 12 women who are pretty closely grouped. There are also people outside that top 12 who are still finding their footing for one reason or another. With another race or two, I think we could see them make some big improvements. I like the depth we have. That was a problem on the women's side last year. If even one of our top seven had a bad day, it could become an issue. Now, on both sides, we've got multiple people who can step up if one of our top five doesn't have a good day. That's a good place to be right now.”
Men’s Summary
In previous outings, the Concordia men placed sixth out of 33 teams at the Augustana Twilight and 11th out of 19 teams at the Augustana Invite. In the smaller Briar Cliff Invite, the Bulldogs defeated GPAC rivals Hastings (fifth), Morningside (sixth) and Briar Cliff (seventh). Creighton won Saturday’s meet with a total of 36 points and was followed by South Dakota State (48) and Concordia (64).
The 2024 GPAC champion Hendrickson became the third different runner to lead the Bulldogs at a meet this season. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native crossed the finish line in 26:19.5 (best out of all NAIA athletes in the field) at Freedom Park. As a comparison, the Briar Cliff Invite champion, Tommy Murray of Creighton, clocked in at 25:28.7. Among teammates, Hendrickson was followed by usual suspects in the form of seniors Trey Robertson (26:32.4) and Aidan Limback (26:39.2), who placed ninth and 11th, respectively. In rounding out the team’s top five, senior Ransom Watts (27:09.7) and sophomore Keith Siek (27:10.9) finished in just over 27 minutes.
Said Beisel, “On the men's side, I told the guys that SDSU and Creighton would be there. Those were the top teams, and we competed well against the rest of the field on both sides. Bellevue is a good team on the men's side, but our guys beat them pretty comfortably … We had Vaughn and Trey leading the way, with another group of runners not far behind them. Our runners in the fourth through seventh spots were also right there together.”
Top Dawgs | 8K
7. Vaughn Hendrickson: 26:19.5
9. Trey Robertson: 26:32.4
11. Aidan Limback: 26:39.2
18. Ransom Watts: 27:09.7
19. Keith Siek: 27:10.9
22. Justin Sherman: 27:21.1
23. Mark Bultemeier: 27:23.0
25. Abram Chance: 27:33.8
28. Hector Bonilla: 27:48.9
30. Jessup Pederson: 28:00.8
Each of the first Bulldog finishers landed inside the top 30 overall in South Sioux City. The team’s six through 10 runners were senior Justin Sherman (27:21.1), junior Mark Bultemeier (27:23.0), sophomore Abram Chance (27:33.8), freshman Hector Bonilla (27:48.9) and junior Jessup Pederson (28:00.8). At 30 in number, Concordia athletes made up nearly one-third of the entire field at the Briar Cliff Invite.
Women’s Summary
The Concordia women continue to be spearheaded by a talented freshman class. With Hope as their frontrunner once again, the Bulldogs finished the Briar Cliff Invite with 75 team points, narrowly trailing South Dakota State (71). Creighton took first with 47 points. Concordia defeated GPAC rivals Morningside (fourth), Hastings (sixth), Waldorf (seventh) and Dakota Wesleyan (eighth). Morningside had appeared just above the Bulldogs in the most recent NAIA ratings (in the receiving votes category). Previous team finishes for the Bulldogs were 10th out of 28 at the Augustana Twilight and 10th out of 20 at the Augustana Invite.
The Elk River, Minn., native Beck ran 22:07.1 last week in her first ever collegiate 6K. On a slower course, Beck finished Saturday’s race in 23:32.8 and was the fastest runner among GPAC athletes. Beck was followed in the lineup by fellow freshmen in Rachel Prince (24:09.7) and Amanda Smith (24:17.9). The team’s top five included two additional underclassmen in sophomore Ashley Robertson (24:33.1) and freshman Katie Johnsen (24:49.8). The first four Bulldogs each placed inside the top 20 overall.
Said Beisel, “For the women, it was critical from a ratings standpoint that they beat Morningside. That was literally the most important thing. Morningside is ahead of us in the rankings, so the head-to-head result is important, and we got it done. We had to work for it because Morningside is a good team … Hope has been our top runner for three meets in a row. Rachel has also had a really good stretch. Honestly, I could talk about every runner on the team all day because there are so many people worth recognizing.”
Top Dawgs | 6K
6. Hope Beck: 23:32.8
13. Rachel Prince: 24:09.7
16. Amanda Smith: 24:17.9
19. Ashley Robertson: 24:33.1
23. Katie Johnsen: 24:49.8
26. Izzi Brumbaugh: 24:57.9
27. Macee Ripke: 24:59.5
31. Annaka Schlachter: 25:11.9
37. Lotti Hamre: 25:49.4
38. Elle Badstieber: 25:54.0
Sophomore Izzi Brumbaugh led the next five for Concordia as she paced the Freedom Park 6K trail in 24:57.9. Senior Macee Ripke also clocked in just under 25 minutes at 24:59.5. The Bulldogs’ seven through 10 runners were junior Annaka Schlachter (25:11.9) and freshmen Lotti Hamre (25:49.4) and Elle Badstieber (25:54.0). In sum, six of Concordia’s top 10 at the meet were freshmen (each running the 6K for the second time). The Bulldogs were represented by 25 runners on Saturday.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will be in action for a third straight weekend as they look ahead to next Saturday (Oct. 10)’s Dordt Holiday Inn Express Classic. The meet will get underway at 10 a.m. CT from the Dordt campus in Sioux Center, Iowa. Just two more meets remain prior to the 2026 GPAC Championships.
Beisel added in closing, “We had our hardest workout of the season so far this past week. I think everyone came into the meet a little fatigued and sore, but I told them they would still run well, and they did. We'll back off a little next week to get their legs fresher … I'm really proud of how the team competed. The course distance made it difficult to evaluate the times, but we saw a lot of good things from our athletes. We have depth on both sides, our runners are pushing each other, and the team is healthy overall.”