Meet Preview: 2022 NAIA Cross Country National Championships

By Jacob Knabel on Nov. 15, 2022 in Cross Country

SEWARD, Neb. – Eight Bulldogs are gearing up to represent the Concordia University Cross Country programs at the 2022 NAIA Cross Country National Championships. The meet will be held Friday in at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., a location that has never before hosted the national championships. The championship meet will get started with the men’s 8k race at 8:30 a.m. ET followed by the women’s 5k at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Meet Info – 2022 NAIA Cross Country National Championships
Friday, Nov. 18
--Men’s 8K Race – 8:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. CT)
--Women’s 5K Race – 9:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. CT)
--Awards Ceremony – 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT)
--Apalachee Regional Park | Tallahassee, Fla.
--Live Coverage: Results | Stream
--NOTE: All-America honors are awarded to the top 40 men’s and women’s finishers.

The 2022 national meet will mark the 67th annual event for the men and 43rd annual race for the women. This year’s national championship field is set to include 36 teams and 78 individual qualifiers on the men’s side and 36 teams and 80 individual qualifiers on the women’s side. Head Coach Matt Beisel has led the women’s program back to the national meet for the second time during his tenure. The 2019 GPAC championship Bulldogs placed 12th at the NAIA national meet.

2022 Concordia Cross Country National Qualifiers

Hannah Beintema | Bettendorf, Iowa

·        First career cross country national championship appearance.

·        Placed 18th at the 2022 GPAC Championships with a 5k time of 19:50.75.

·        Season best 5k time was 19:31.57 at the Augustana Twilight.

2022 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight – 19:31.57 (64th/313)
Greeno/Dirksen Invite – 19:46.5 (106th/308)
Dean White Invite – 20:09.16 (5th/61)
Dordt Classic – 19:32.45 (26th/153)
Mount Marty Invite – 19:52.33 (32nd/148)
GPAC Championships – 19:50.75 (18th/95)

Keegan Beisel | Seward, Neb.

·        First career cross country national championship appearance.

·        Placed 37th at the 2022 GPAC Championships with a 5k time of 20:44.10.

·        Season best 5k time was 20:09.87 at the Augustana Twilight.

2022 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight – 20:09.87 (105th/313)
Greeno/Dirksen Invite – 20:30.6 (145th/308)
Dean White Invite – 20:38.91 (8th/61)
Dordt Classic – 20:22.26 (52nd/153)
Mount Marty Invite – 20:40.87 (53rd/148)
GPAC Championships – 20:44.10 (37th/95)

Kylahn Freiberg | Nampa, Idaho

·        Second career cross country national championship appearance; placed 33rd at the 2019 NAIA Cross Country National Championships (Vancouver, Wash.) with a 5k time of 18:42.4.

·        Placed eighth at the 2022 GPAC Championships with a 5k time of 19:11.51; previous GPAC placements were second (18:30.48) in 2019, 17th (20:00.14) in 2020 and 30th (20:28.23) in 2021. Freiberg has earned two career All-GPAC awards.

·        Owns three career All-America awards in track and field.

2022 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight – 18:50.33 (28th/313)
Greeno/Dirksen Invite – 19:05.2 (63rd/308)
Dean White Invite – 19:43.94 (2nd/61)
Dordt Classic – 18:41.07 (11th/153)
Mount Marty – DNR
GPAC Championships – 19:11.51 (19:11.51 (8th/95)

Rylee Haecker | Davenport, Neb.

·        Second career cross country national championship appearance; placed 120th at the 2021 NAIA Cross Country National Championships (Vancouver, Wash.) with a 5k time of 19:45.8.

·        Placed 15th at the 2022 GPAC Championships with a 5k time of 19:40.36. Previous GPAC placements were 25th (20:25.86) in 2020 and seventh (19:19.69) in 2021. Haecker has twice earned cross country all-conference accolades.

·        Owns six career All-America awards in track and field.

2022 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight – 19:07.82 (42nd/313)
Greeno/Dirksen Invite – 19:40.07 (98th/308)
Dean White Invite – DNR
Dordt Classic – 18:30.35 (8th/153)
Mount Marty Invite – 18:48.75 (6th/148)
GPAC Championships – 19:40.36 (15th/95)

Rhaya Kaschinske | Fort Wayne, Ind.

·        First career cross country national championship appearance.

·        Placed 20th at the 2022 GPAC Championships with a 5k time of 20:05.03; also placed 29th (20:28.15) at the 2021 conference meet.

·        Season best 5k time was 19:20.12 at the Dordt Classic.

2022 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight – 19:46.46 (80th/313)
Greeno/Dirksen Invite – 19:52.1 (111th/308)
Dean White Invite – 20:32.31 (7th/61)
Dordt Classic – 19:20.12 (21st/153)
Mount Marty Invite – 19:41.34 (25th/148)
GPAC Championships – 20:05.03 (20th/95)

Amie Martin | Arnold, Mo.

·        Second career cross country national championship appearance; placed 132nd at the 2019 NAIA Cross Country National Championships (Vancouver, Wash.) with a 5k time of 19:40.2.

·        Placed 32nd at the 2022 GPAC Championships with a 5k time of 20:35.42; previous GPAC placements were 25th (19:49.40) in 2019, 38th (20:54.95) in 2020 and 31st (20:30.77) in 2021.

·        Season best 5k time was 19:56.92 at the Mount Marty Invite.

2022 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight – 20:54.95 (161st/313)
Greeno/Dirksen Invite – 21:04.1 (177th/308)
Dean White Invite – 21:22.09 (13th/61)
Dordt Classic – 20:25.14 (54th/153)
Mount Marty Invite – 19:56.92 (35th/148)
GPAC Championships – 20:35.42 (32nd/95)

Julie McIntyre | Chicago, Ill.

·        First career cross country national championship appearance.

·        Placed 14th at the 2022 GPAC Championships with a 5k time of 19:33.86 and earned all-conference honors.

·        McIntyre transferred from Trinity Christian College; her husband Michael McIntyre serves as the goalkeeper coach for the Concordia soccer teams.

2022 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight – 19:51.47 (86th/313)
Greeno/Dirksen Invite – 19:44.9 (104th/308)
Dean White Invite – DNR
Dordt Classic – 19:19.26 (20th/153)
Mount Marty Invite – 19:35.08 (20th/148)
GPAC Championships – 19:33.86 (14th/95)

Faith Williamson | O’Neill, Neb. (alternate)

·        First career cross country national championship appearance.

·        Placed 46th at the 2022 GPAC Championships with a 5k time of 21:08.85.

·        Season best 5k time was 20:51.94 at the Dordt Classic.

2022 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight – 21:38.93 (196th/313)
Greeno/Dirksen Invite – DNR
Dean White Invite – 21:37.34 (16th/61)
Dordt Classic – 20:51.94 (74th/153)
Mount Marty Invite – DNR
GPAC Championships – 21:08.85 (46th/95)

Individual Qualifier – Camden Sesna | Kearney, Neb.

·        Second career cross country national championship appearance; placed 116th at the 2021 NAIA Cross Country National Championships (Vancouver, Wash.) with an 8k time of 26:54.7.

·        Placed fifth at the 2022 GPAC Championships with an 8k time of 25:46.15; previous GPAC placements were 27th (26:50.65) in 2019, 40th (29:02.61) in 2020 and seventh (26:34.08) in 2021. Sesna has earned two career All-GPAC cross country awards; he was also twice named the GPAC Runner of the Week in 2022.

·        Has appeared at three NAIA Track & Field National Championship meets.

2022 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight (4 miles) – 20:19.33 (36th/323)
Greeno/Dirksen Invite – 25:22.3 (42nd/318)
Dean White Invite – 25:58.52 (1st/24)
Dordt Classic – 24:46.84 (7th/164)
Mount Marty Invite – 25:46.67 (13th/145)
GPAC Championships – 25:46.15 (5th/84)