ASHLAND, Neb. – A haul of five individual GPAC All-Conference awards were earned by Bulldogs on Saturday (Nov. 8) at the 2025 GPAC Cross Country Championships at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb. Both Keeli Green and Vaughn Hendrickson made bids for GPAC titles while placing top five amongst their conference competitors. From a team perspective, Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country emerged with place finishes of third on the men’s side and fifth on the women’s side.
In 10 seasons as Head Coach, Matt Beisel has led the two cross country programs to a combined 17 top five GPAC placements. There were aspirations for loftier finishes this weekend, but the Bulldogs felt satisfied that they emptied the tank in pursuit of their goals.
“I came into this meet with a sense of peace about where we’re at with our training and where our mindset and attitude are,” Beisel said. “I think we were as prepared as we could be. Most of our kids are pretty healthy, probably healthier than we’ve been in the last couple years. They went out and ran their hearts out and did their very best. We left nothing on the table. We got outrun in a couple of cases. There are some really good teams in this conference.”
Women’s Summary
The Bulldogs entered the weekend with realistic hopes of placing as high as second at the GPAC Championships. With 123 points in the team standings, Concordia finished behind Dordt (17), Morningside (76), College of Saint Mary (83) and Doane (112) while holding off Northwestern (146) for fifth place. As a program, the Bulldogs have placed in the top five of the GPAC in 25 of the league’s 26 years of existence.
Said Beisel, “I knew Dordt was favored to win and that we were somewhere between second and fifth place. We always want to be top three in the GPAC. I knew we had the potential to do it. Most of our women ran within small distances of their personal bests or course bests. We just got outrun. I’m very proud of them all. Keeli is going to qualify for nationals – it’s not official yet. I’m glad for her. I know she wanted a conference title. She had some really great competition with Dordt and just couldn’t hold onto it in the last 400 meters. I’m very happy with everyone ran. The cool thing is that every one of those girls is returning next year. It’s a great group with some great recruits coming in, so I’m excited about the future.”
The Arlington, Neb., native Green placed third in the GPAC in 2023 and made a strong push for a conference championship on Saturday. She led the 6K race halfway through before ultimately crossing the finish line behind three Dordt competitors. Green’s time of 21:48.15 was just shy of the personal best (21:34.6) she ran two weeks earlier on the same course. Green’s latest performance will send her to the national championships later this month.
Concordia Results | 6K
4. Keeli Green: 21:48.15
27. Annaka Schlachter: 23:37.58
33. Alison Stepanek: 24:13.79
35. Lydia Edmonds: 24:18.56
36. Ashley Robertson: 24:20.38
41. Izzi Brumbaugh: 24:37.47
47. Macee Ripke: 24:55.17
51. Annika Staab: 24:59.60
52. Rachel Harris: 25:03.81
60. Lilly Dall: 25:22.33
Several other Bulldogs were close to personal bests but did not quite reach them. The top seven Concordia runners each placed in the top 50 in the field of 95 GPAC competitors. Green was followed in the lineup by the likes of sophomores Annaka Schlachter (23:37.58), Alison Stepanek (24:13.79) and Lydia Edmonds (24:18.56) and freshman Ashley Robertson (24:20.38). Of the 10 athletes who represented the Bulldogs at the conference meet, nine were either freshmen or sophomores in terms of eligibility.
The six through 10 Concordia finishers on Saturday were freshman Izzi Brumbaugh (24:37.47), junior Macee Ripke (24:55.17), sophomore Annika Staab (24:59.60) and freshmen Rachel Harris (25:03.81) and Lilly Dall (25:22.33).
Men’s Summary
The Bulldogs wound up placing exactly where they were ranked in the conference entering the day. With 65 points in the team standings, Concordia finished within shouting distance of GPAC runner up Dordt (50) and not too far behind GPAC champion Doane (36). There was a wide margin between the Bulldogs and the fourth and fifth place teams, Northwestern (116) and Midland (157). Concordia’s men’s program has placed in the top three of the GPAC for the fourth straight year.
Said Beisel, “Doane has put a great team together. We knew it was going to be hard to beat Doane, but we felt like we had a chance of taking down Dordt. We got close. It doesn’t happen very often to have four in the top 15 and finish third as a team. Trevor Kuncl had the best race of his life with a huge personal best when it mattered the most. I was very happy for him. Abe Chance had a great personal course record. We ran great as a team. We know Vaughn is going to nationals. I have hopes that our guys will get an at-large qualifier and get to go as a team. Whatever happens, He has a plan, and we trust that.”
The GPAC individual champion as a freshman in 2024, Hendrickson led Saturday’s race by .03 seconds at the 5K mark of the 8K jaunt. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native ultimately clocked in at 24:52.77 and placed third behind Dordt’s Truman Johnson (24:45.65) and Doane’s Alvin Keter (24:50.06). Hendrickson’s personal best remains the 24:37.2 he ran last season in an All-America performance at the 2024 NAIA National Championships. Hendrickson has earned his second career GPAC All-Conference award.
Concordia Results | 8K
3. Vaughn Hendrickson: 24:52.77
11. Trey Robertson: 25:25.72
13. Trevor Kuncl: 25:26.77
15. Aidan Limback: 25:30.39
23. Abram Chance: 26:16.42
30. Ransom Watts: 26:40.11
34. Keith Siek: 26:43.78
37. Justin Sherman: 27:01.61
45. Jessup Pederson: 27:21.36
54. Charlie Evans: 28:07.28
Hendrickson was joined with all-conference medals by three teammates in junior Trey Robertson (25:25.72), senior Trevor Kuncl (25:26.77) and junior Aidan Limback (25:30.39). Robertson was also an All-GPAC honoree in 2024. Meanwhile, Kuncl and Limback have collected All-GPAC medals for the first time. The Mullen, Neb., native Kuncl clocked a personal best, outkicking his previous 8K PR of 25:35.5 by nearly 10 seconds. Only Concordia and Doane placed four runners inside the top 15.
Freshman Abram Chance (26:16.42) landed inside the top 25 of the field of 92 GPAC runners. The Bulldogs’ six through 10 finishers were junior Ransom Watts (26:40.11), freshman Keith Siek (26:43.78), junior Justin Sherman (27:01.61), sophomore Jessup Pederson (27:21.36) and freshman Charlie Evans (28:07.28). Kuncl was the lone senior on Concordia’s GPAC championships roster.
NAIA National Championships
Official national qualifiers are scheduled to be released on at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday. For those who qualify, the season will continue with the 2025 NAIA Cross Country National Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 21. Find more details on the national meet HERE.