SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – In making its way to a familiar course, Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country came away from the 2026 GPAC Cross Country Championships with place finishes of third on the men’s side and sixth on the women’s side. Junior Vaughn Hendrickson and senior Trey Robertson both earned all-conference finishes for the third straight year in lacking the Bulldog men. Meanwhile, Hope Beck continued a stellar freshman campaign by earning an all-conference medal of her own.
The GPAC Cross Country Championships ventured to Dordt (Sioux Center, Iowa) for the first time since 2019. On the men’s side, Head Coach Matt Beisel’s program has placed in the top three of the GPAC for a fifth year in a row. The race for the men on Saturday was one of the best in school history from an average time standpoint.
“Whatever the outcome, God gets the glory,” Beisel said. “He has chosen each of these young men and women to be here at this time. I did a little bit of the work and was a piece of the process that got them here, but ultimately God said yes to this person and no to another person. We have an incredible culture, and it's all because of Him. His timing is perfect. We always want things to happen a certain way, but God always answers our prayers. We celebrated His gifts to us, our seniors, and a really good day overall.”
While hosting the meet, the Defenders celebrated conference championships for both men and women.
Men’s Summary
Realistically, the Bulldogs entered the weekend believing they could place as high as second. They wound up a mere seven points (69-62) behind rival Doane, the GPAC runner up. The point total for conference champion Dordt (ranked 17th in the NAIA) rested at 45. The top five in the league standings was rounded out by Northwestern (92) and Mount Marty (104). Over the past five years, Concordia has turned in respective GPAC team finishes of second, third, third, third and third.
Said Beisel, “I kept thinking that if we could just put everything together, amazing things could happen. We might have a chance to upset some teams, and we almost did. I told the guys that we needed at least one runner, if not two, under 25 minutes, and we needed our top five under 26 minutes to have a chance (at a national at-large bid). That's something we didn't accomplish last year. This year, we had two guys under 25 minutes, and the next three were under 26. Then our next four guys were within about 12 to 15 seconds of each other, all nearly breaking 26 minutes. You can't ask for much more than that. It was phenomenal.”
The 2024 GPAC individual champion, Vaughn Hendrickson (Fort Wayne, Ind.) has placed in the top four of all three conference meets in his career. His time of 24:54.6 came in roughly 17 seconds off a personal best for an 8K (24:37.2). Hendrickson was also a third-place conference finisher in 2025 and is a two-time national qualifier and 2024 NAIA All-American.
Hendrickson, Aidan Limback (25:19.4) and Trey Robertson (25:28.9) have been regulars at the top of the lineup all season. Limback was one of six Bulldog men to achieve personal bests on Saturday. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native is now a two-time All-GPAC honoree (15th place in ’25). As for Robertson (Wallace, Neb.), he’s placed in the top 16 of the conference in all four years (and was the GPAC runner up in 2024). Robertson’s 8K PR is 24:49.8.
Added Beisel of the seniors, “I'm incredibly proud of them. For some of our seniors, this was their final cross country race after eight-plus years of running. I'm just grateful that I get to be their coach.”
Top Dawgs (8K)
4. Vaughn Hendrickson: 24:54.6
11. Aidan Limback: 25:19.4
14. Trey Robertson: 25:28.9
18. Keith Siek: 25:40.0
25. Justin Sherman: 26:05.5
26. Ransom Watts: 26:06.1
29. Abram Chance: 26:11.0
31. Nolan Engel: 26:17.0
34. Mark Bultemeier: 26:25.5
61. Hector Bonilla: 28:31.6
Sophomore Keith Siek followed Robertson, finishing in 18th place in a personal best of 25:40.0. Siek missed out on all-conference accolades by roughly 10 seconds. The team’s five through nine runners were clustered together: seniors Justin Sherman (26:05.5) and Ransom Watts (26:06.1), sophomore Abram Chance (26:11.0), freshman Nolan Engel (26:17.0) and junior Mark Bultemeier (26:25.5). PR’s were recorded by Sherman, Watts, Engel and Bultemeier. Meanwhile, freshman Hector Bonilla (28:31.6) experienced the conference meet for the first time.
Women’s Summary
Hope Beck and the Dawgs were aiming for a top-three conference placement. However, Concordia’s score of 134 placed it behind NAIA top-ranked Dordt (15), College of Saint Mary (85), No. 25 Doane (92), Northwestern (107) and Morningside (134). Under Beisel, the women’s program won the conference championship as recently as 2019.
Said Beisel, “That was the best team race we've put together. We did a lot of talking two weeks ago about who they needed to run with and what their first 1,000 meters needed to look like, and they did exactly what they were supposed to do. Two meets ago, they went out too slowly. The next meet, they went out way too fast. This time, they got it perfect. I think our girls ran some of their best times of the season. The other teams simply ran faster. That's the reality of it. We have a very, very good conference. We finished fifth last year and sixth this year. We were hoping for third or fourth, and we just weren't quite there … We're coming back very, very loaded next year.”
The rise of several freshmen in 2026 will provide optimism for the program’s future. Beck (Elk River, Minn.) has paced the Bulldogs at all five meets this season with her 6K PR of 22:07.1 coming at the Augustana Invite. Beck rivaled that time on Saturday by clocking in at 22:35.7, good enough for an all-conference medal. She also earned a GPAC Runner of the Week honor this fall. Beck stands a strong chance of receiving an individual bid to the national meet.
Each of Concordia’s top seven runners in Sioux Center were either freshmen or sophomores (top four all freshmen). Macee Ripke was the lone senior to represent the Bulldogs. Beck was trailed by fellow rookies in Amanda Smith (23:10.4), Katie Johnsen (23:16.3) and Rachel Prince (23:35.6). Both Smith and Johnsen clocked new personal bests. The three sophomores that placed fourth through seventh were Ashley Robertson (23:37.0), Izzi Brumbaugh (23:40.7) and Rachel Harris (23:50.2). Both Brumbaugh and Harris also reset their personal standards.
Top Dawgs (6K)
15. Hope Beck: 22:35.7
29. Amanda Smith: 23:10.4
31. Katie Johnsen: 23:16.3
35. Rachel Prince: 23:35.6
37. Ashley Robertson: 23:37.0
39. Izzi Brumbaugh: 23:40.7
42. Rachel Harris: 23:50.2
49. Annaka Schlachter: 24:19.4
51. Macee Ripke: 24:24.5
62. Lydia Edmonds: 25:02.5
The remainder of the team’s conference championship lineup featured junior Annaka Schlachter (24:19.4), the senior Ripke (24:24.5) and junior Lydia Edmonds (25:02.5). A native of Napoleon, Ohio, Ripke transferred to Concordia Nebraska after spending her first two collegiate years at Concordia University Ann Arbor.
NAIA Cross Country National Championships
Official qualifiers for the 2026 NAIA Cross Country National Championships will be announced by the NAIA via a selection show at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The show can be viewed via the NAIA YouTube channel. This year’s national championship meet is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 20 at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash.