ASHLAND, Neb. – A combined 19 teams arrived in Ashland, Neb., on Saturday (Oct. 24) morning carrying NAIA top 25 rankings or “receiving votes” status. While putting itself to the test against the loaded field at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic, Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country came away with place finishes of 12th out of 27 on the men’s side and 11th out of 28 on the women’s side. The opposition included GPAC rivals, as well as NAIA foes from outside the Midwest (and two teams coached by Bulldog alums).
The outing marked meet No. 5 of the 2026 season for Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads, both of which were hungry to compete favorably against ranked competition. The Bulldog women received votes in the most recent NAIA ratings. Both sides have work to do in their quest to become national qualifiers in November.
Individually, the top Dawgs on Saturday at Mahoney State Park were senior Trey Robertson and freshman Hope Beck. The men’s 8K race preceded the women’s 6K.
“Our goal today was to finish in the top 10 and beat one or two ranked teams,” Beisel said. “Unfortunately, we got close but weren't able to accomplish that. We finished 11th on the women's side and 12th on the men's side against a lot of good teams. Still, we had bigger goals, expectations and hopes for ourselves.
“The athletes ran their hearts out. I told them afterward that they gave their best effort. There wasn't a single person I saw who wasn't going after people, fighting and competing. We just got outrun today. We have two weeks to continue preparing for conference, and some of our seniors are still very optimistic about what we can accomplish there.”
Men’s Summary
While rubbing elbows with some of the top NAIA competition across the region and beyond, the Bulldogs placed 12th with a team score of 295. Among GPAC squads in the Blazing Tiger field, Concordia finished third, behind 19th-ranked Dordt (third; 119) and Doane (seventh; 208). The Bulldogs defeated conference rivals Northwestern (13th; 297), Midland (18th; 526), Hastings (22nd; 642) and Briar Cliff (26th; 801), in addition to John Brown University (RV). Three NAIA top 25 teams were included in the field, led by Blazing Tiger champion Southern Oregon University.
Said Beisel, “We started out around fifth place and then dropped back. Trey Robertson did fantastic. I think it was his best race of the season from a lot of perspectives, especially considering he's been dealing with some health issues. I was really happy he was able to get out there … Keith Siek had a very strong race and came in right there with our No. 2 runner (Aidan Limback).
“It's encouraging to see guys step up, especially when some of our usual top runners don't have their best day. We have two weeks to get ready for conference, and we're going to do everything we can to prepare both teams and see what we can accomplish.”
In pacing Concordia, Trey Robertson ran a season best 8K time of 25:44.6 on the Mahoney State Park trail and finished in 25th place. It marked the second time this season that Robertson has emerged as the top performer in the Bulldog lineup. The Wallace, Neb., native shaved roughly eight seconds off his 8K time from the Holiday Inn Express Classic two weeks earlier.
Five of Robertson’s teammates also placed inside the top 100 out of more than 400 competitors. Robertson was followed by senior Aidan Limback (26:18.3), sophomores Keith Siek (26:18.9) and Abram Chance (26:56.6), freshman Nolan Engel (26:57.4) and junior Vaughn Hendrickson (26:58.0). The Lincoln Christian High School product Engel took a major leap forward in slashing more than two minutes off his time from two weeks ago. A past All-American and GPAC champion, Hendrickson was Concordia’s top runner at the previous two outings. Beisel made special mention of Engel, who has worked through injuries in his first collegiate season.
Top Dawgs | 8K
25. Trey Robertson: 25:44.6
60. Aidan Limback: 26:18.3
62. Keith Siek: 26:18.9
94. Abram Chance: 26:56.6
98. Nolan Engel: 26:57.4
99. Vaughn Hendrickson: 26:58.0
109. Hector Bonilla: 27:06.6
129. Justin Sherman: 27:24.2
132. Mark Bultemeier: 27:26.2
135. Ransom Watts: 27:28.2
The remainder of the Bulldog top 10 on Saturday featured freshman Hector Bonilla (27:06.6), senior Justin Sherman (27:24.2), junior Mark Bultemeier (27:26.2) and senior Ransom Watts (27:28.2). Concordia was represented by 28 men’s runners at the meet. Twelve of them placed in the top half of the individual leaderboard.
Women’s Summary
The meet was particularly loaded on the women’s side as seven squads entered the competition boasting NAIA top 25 rankings. A “receiving votes” team, the Bulldogs managed to beat out No. 23 Southern Oregon University in the process of landing in 11th place. Nine of the 10 teams that placed above Concordia were either ranked or receiving votes. Among GPAC teams, the Bulldogs (286 team points) placed behind top-ranked Dordt (first; 104), No. 17 Doane (seventh; 205), No. 15 CSM (ninth; 243) and Northwestern (10th; 282) while finishing ahead of Morningside (15th; 426), Hastings (19th; 544), Midland (26th; 654) and Dakota Wesleyan (27th; 701).
Said Beisel, “I was really pleased with the women going out very hard, as I asked them to do. We came through the first 1,000 meters in second place, but we couldn't maintain that pace and dropped back to 10th at the 5,000-meter mark. Northwestern ended up beating us by a few points in that final 1,000 meters.
“Hope continues to be our No. 1 and is a fantastic young woman. Rachel Prince had a very good day, and Katie Johnsen did well, too. I told those two they needed to stay with Hope as long as they could, and they did. Another big breakthrough was Izzi Brumbaugh, who was right in the mix with Amanda Smith. Ashley (Robertson), Macee (Ripke) and Annaka (Schlachter) also ran really well. I could keep naming names.”
A rookie out of Elk River, Minn., Beck has set the standard for Concordia at every meet this season. Her 6K time of 23:32.3 on Saturday put her in a similar range as her performances from the Briar Cliff Invite and the Holiday Inn Express Classic from previous weeks. She placed 41st overall out of 335 runners at the Blazing Tiger Classic. Beck’s career best remains the 22:07.1 she ran at the Augustana Invite.
Beck and the freshman class have produced consistently stellar results throughout the fall. Beck was followed in the lineup by freshmen Rachel Prince (23:54.0) and Katie Johnsen (23:55.5), both of whom have clocked in below 24 minutes multiple times this season. Each of the team’s first six finishers placed in the top 100 overall, including sophomore Izzi Brumbaugh (24:01.9), freshman Amanda Smith (24:26.0) and sophomore Ashley Robertson (23:34.4). In making a leap as a second-year Bulldog, Brumbaugh continues to hover around the 24-minute mark.
Top Dawgs | 6K
41. Hope Beck: 23:32.3
56. Rachel Prince: 23:54.0
58. Katie Johnsen: 23:55.5
62. Izzi Brumbaugh: 24:01.9
84. Amanda Smith: 24:26.0
91. Ashley Robertson: 24:34.4
105. Macee Ripke: 24:50.5
112. Annaka Schlachter: 24:53.7
117. Rachel Harris: 24:57.6
145. Lydia Edmonds: 25:26.3
Coming in six through 10 for Concordia in Ashland were senior Macee Ripke (24:50.5), junior Annaka Schlachter (24:53.7), sophomore Rachel Harris (24:57.6) and junior Lydia Edmonds (25:26.3). There were 24 Bulldogs who completed the 6K race. Amongst that group, 16 placed inside the top 200.
Up Next
The 2026 GPAC Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday Nov. 7. Dordt will host the championship meet on its campus in Sioux Center, Iowa. The Defenders most recently hosted the conference championships in 2019.
Additional thoughts from Coach Beisel
On the seniors: “One of the big stories today was the number of senior men we had, along with three senior women. Landri Loos is included in that group. These athletes have contributed so much to this program, and I'm so grateful that God brought them here and that I've had the opportunity to coach them over these four years. A few may advance to the conference meet. I haven't made final decisions yet, but I was able to give them all hugs today and thank them and their parents for everything they've done. Some athletes finished their cross country seasons today and know they're done. They'll take a little breather, and then we'll gear up for track.”
Final thoughts: “When things don't go the way we want, I think a lot of us are tempted to say, ‘Okay, God, we're giving this to You. We're faithful, so why isn't it happening?’ Sometimes we forget that what God really wants is a relationship with us. He uses the ups and downs of life, whether in running or anything else, to uniquely prepare each of us to serve others better in His name. We don't have the long-term perspective that God does. I told the team that my hope and prayer is that, whether individually or as teams, we're able to be a powerful witness for Christ. We don't always see how that plays out, but that was my hope and prayer for today.”