LINCOLN, Neb. – For a second straight outing to begin the 2025, the Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country squads rubbed elbows with runners from all divisions of collegiate running. Once again, Keeli Green and Trey Robertson led their respective sides while pushing the Bulldogs top 10 placements in the Gold Division of the annual Greeno/Dirksen Invitational co-hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Wesleyan University. Concordia emerged from Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln with overall place finishes of 14th out of 23 on the men’s side (ninth out of 17 in the Gold Division) and 14th out of 22 on the women’s side (eighth out of 16 in the Gold Division).
The results were a solid follow up to the season opening Augustana Twilight two weeks earlier. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s programs were represented on Saturday (Sept. 20) by 31 men’s and 17 women’s athletes.
“I thought we ran really competitively and really well,” Beisel said. “We didn’t put all the pieces together, but a lot of things came through that looked good. Individuals within our top eight had amazing races and then there were some that just fell off. Some of the freshmen could feel the strength training affecting them. There are things we need to tweak and work on. I feel like we’re in a really good place. The team that we want to beat – Doane, Morningside and College of Siant Mary – those are the ones that we were right there with. We got a little bit of what we wanted, not everything. That leaves us hungry.”
Men’s Summary
The Bulldogs built upon their fourth-place claim at the Augustana Twilight by competing well against their GPAC and NAIA competition at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite. In the Gold Division standings, Concordia placed third amongst NAIA squads behind only 10th-ranked University of Saint Mary (Kan.) (third) and 14th-ranked Doane (fifth). With 223 points, Concordia placed in front of Bellevue (11th), Morningside (14th) and Midland (15th). It also beat out in-state Wayne State College (12th).
Said Beisel, “Both Trey and Vaughn had little things that happened on runs that we are working to fix. I think we’re making progress with it. Trey stepped in a soft spot today, and it really bugged him. He’s not really satisfied with how the race went. I love his level of expectation. We’re going to get there. Vaughn seems to be 100 percent back. We had a really good first four and five and then our six, seven, eight and nine were all fighting really hard. It’s a matter of continuing to follow the training and take care of ourselves.”
Top Dawgs | 8K (place finish from Gold Division)
15. Trey Robertson: 25:42.04
51. Aidan Limback: 26:24.69
62. Vaughn Hendrickson: 26:45.97
68. Ransom Watts: 26:51.47
71. Trevor Kuncl: 26:53.94
81. Justin Sherman: 27:05.23
84. Abram Chance: 27:11.33
96. Keith Siek: 27:36.10
119. Jessup Pederson: 27:57.47
123. Ethan Sholey: 28:02.61
Named GPAC Runner of the Week on Sept. 10, Robertson crossed the finish line with an 8k time of 25:42.04, putting him in 15th place in the Gold Division and in 41st overall in the field of 315 runners. The rest of the Bulldog top five also clocked times south of 27 minutes on a course that proved slower as compared to the Augie Twilight. Robertson was followed in the lineup by junior Aidan Limback (26:24.69), sophomore Vaughn Hendrickson (26:45.97), junior Ransom Watts (26:51.47) and senior Trevor Kuncl (26:53.94). Each of those five runners placed in the top 75 of the Gold Division.
Said Robertson of the Greeno/Dirksen Invite, “I love the atmosphere. There’s something about these races. There’s tons of people watching and tons of people cheering. It’s tons of fun to come out here and listen to all of it and take it all in. It’s nice to see the competition and see where we stack up to other NAIA and Division II and Division I schools. There are really good runners here. It’s nice to be able to pace off them and see what you can do.”
Six through 10 in the Concordia pecking order included junior Justin Sherman (27:05.23), freshmen Abram Chance (27:11.33) and Keith Siek (27:36.10) and sophomores Jessup Pederson (27:57.47) and Ethan Sholey (28:02.61). Seven of the top 10 for the Bulldogs also were among the team’s top 10 at the Augie Twilight. The newcomers to the top 10 this weekend were Siek, Pederson and Sholey.
Women’s Summary
Spurred by Keeli Green, Concordia placed right in the middle of the Gold Division pack. GPAC rivals Morningside (fifth) and College of Saint Mary (sixth) managed to outkick the Bulldogs. On a positive note, Concordia placed in front of Doane (10th) and Midland (16th) and defeated additional in-state foes in Nebraska Wesleyan (ninth), Wayne State (14th) and Bellevue (15th).
Said Beisel, “Keeli got out really strong and was sitting third at the first mile at about where we want her to be – a 5:30 or 5:35 pace. She kind of hit a wall. She had been out of training for a while. She ran really well in spite of everything. She led us out strong. That’s a big part of why our team did so well. Then we had a good group of girls behind her. Annaka Schlachter is really coming on strong. She had a really intense and gutsy, focused race. There were a lot of other good things I saw too.”
Top Dawgs | 5k (place finish from Gold Division)
9. Keeli Green: 18:21.78
47. Annaka Schlachter: 19:56.65
72. Ashley Robertson: 20.28.14
74. Macee Ripke: 20:31.16
77. Alison Stepanek: 20:35.53
83. Lilly Dall: 20:47.30
86. Izzi Brumbaugh: 20:54.52
93. Lydia Edmonds: 21:01.33
100. Rachel Harris: 21:16.21
107. Claire Beikmann: 21:48.68
An Arlington, Neb., native, Green is showing she can compete on any level of college cross country. Two weeks after placing fourth at the Augustana Twilight, Green finished 16th overall (ninth in the Gold Division) out of 231 total runners in the field. Green even placed above each of the five UNL runners at the meet. Her 5k time came in at 18:21.78, putting her third among NAIA runners at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite. Next in line, sophomore Annaka Schlachter placed in the top 50 of the Gold Division by running under 20 minutes (19:56.65). The top five was rounded out by freshman Ashley Robertson (20:28.14), Concordia Ann Arbor transfer Macee Ripke (20:31.16) and sophomore Alison Stepanek (20:35.53).
Afterwards, Green felt emotional when looking back at how she’s reached this point. Said Green, “It means so much to me. If I get emotional, I get emotional. I worked really, really hard to get here. Having the success shows how much I’ve worked and how much I’ve been through. I’m really proud of myself and I’m so happy that I have my team around me and my coach standing by my side. I have a lot of people behind the scenes working with me and watching me succeed and being happy for me. It means a lot.”
Freshmen held down the Nos. 6 and 7 spots in the lineup thanks to the efforts of Lilly Dall (20:47.30) and Izzi Brumbaugh (20:54.52). The rest of the top 10 featured sophomore Lydia Edmonds (21:01.33), freshman Rachel Harris (21:16.21) and junior Claire Beikmann (21:48.68). The team’s top 10 were the same (in slightly different order) as the Augustana Twilight.
Up Next
The season will resume on Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Briar Cliff Invite. The meet will be staged at Adams Homestead & Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, S.D.