2002 Bulldog Cross Country

Cross country opens Saturday at Lincoln

An open Blue-White meet on Sept. 14 provided the Concordia cross country teams with their first race under meet conditions.

“We have some young freshman runners that ran well,” Coach Kregg Einspahr said. “We have been training strenuously and probably need some rest.” He pointed to some positives aspects, including good races by Melissa Weeder and Matt Luevano. “Overall,” he said, “we have quite a ways to go yet.”

It was 68 degrees for the run with a heavy overcast.

The women’s results and times: Molly Engel, 19:52; Suzanne Weeder Einspahr, 19:57; Sara Schuelke, 20:06; Kelly Waterman, 20:11; Jennifer Nikkila, 20:24; Melissa Weeder, 20:33; Angela Matthews, 20:42; Laura Deen, 20:53; Micah Dubbs, 21:14; Julie Gaebel, 21:31; Jenny Henderson, 22:13; Michelle Quinlan, 22:17; Tanya Kanengieter, 22:25; Lacey Darien, 22:38; Catherine Wenzlick, 25:05; Stacey Hain, 25:05.

On the men’s side: Curtis Wilson, 27:02; Jeremy Koch, 27:11; Genta Terashima, 27:48; Matt Haden, 27:55; Mark Heider, 28:08; Nick Bartlett, 28:27; Matt Luevano, 28:39; Brian Greeves, 28:55; George Schroll, 29:12, Chris Rolland, 29:33; Brett Kapels , 29:55; Jordan Duncan, 30:13; Isaac Wagner, 30:40; Matt Buns, 30:44; Gregg Schroll, 33:22

Bulldog women 2nd, men 5th at Woody Greeno

The Concordia women turned in a second-place finish among 21 college division entries on Sept. 21 at the Woody Greeno Invitational at Pioneer Park in Lincoln.

The men's team was fifth among 25 schools.

The report of results was delayed until Sunday because of a a failure of electronic timing equipment.

"We did pretty well," Coach Kregg Einspahr said.

Molly Engel was the top women's runner with a time of 23:13.14 good for 14th place, followed next by Jennifer Nikkila at 23:18.19. They were followed by Kelly Waterman, 23:28.43; Sara Schuelke, 23:36.45; Micah Dubbs, 24:20.50; Melissa Weeder, 24:45.96; Julie Gaebel, 25:12.07; Michelle Quinlan, 25:48.33; Tanya Kanengieter, 26:02.95; Lacey Daruebm 26:10.77; and Emily Ronning, 27:02.15.

The women's team trailed only Wartburg while finishing ahead of four GPAC rivals.

Curtis Wilson's 26:07.19 was 16th in the men's division while Jeremy Koch was 23rd with a time of 26:32.21. At 36th place was Nick Bartlett at 26:51.81, followed by Mark Heider at 27:14.88; Matt Haden, 27:27.06; George Schroll, 27:54.46; Matt Luevano, 27:59.53; Brett Kapels, 28:24.76; Andrew Walquist, 28:26.46; Chris Rolland, 28:26.48; Brian Greeves, 28:59.10; Isaac Wagner, 29:19.34; Jordan Duncan, 29:34.41; Matt Buns, 30:46.57; and Greg Schroll, 31:14.88.

The Bulldogs were five points ahead of Nebraska Wesleyan in the final results while six other GPAC schools followed among 25 teams. Ahead of the Bulldogs were Truman State, Wartburg, Central Missouri and Central Methodist.

Runners dominate Sioux Falls Invitational

Both the men's and women's cross country teams dominated the Sioux Falls Invitational on Sept. 28 with 40-point margins over the runners-up. The men swept the 1-2-3 finishes with sophomore Curtis Wilson's 27:11 taking the No. 1 spot. The women were 1-2-3-4 with Molly Engel's 18:57 the top time for the meet.

On the men's side, Jeremy Koch was only six seconds behind Wilson with Nick Bartlett next at 27:28, followed by Mark Heider (5th) 27:49 and Matt Haden's 28:08. Brian Greeves finished at 28:29 and Andrew Walquist at 28:37.

Kelly Waterman was second to Engel at 19:01, followed by Sara Schuelke (3rd) at 19:13 and Jennifer Nikkila (4th) at 19:20 and Micah Dubbs (7th) at 19:36. Angela Matthews finished in 19:50 and Michelle Quinlan in 20:02.

Sioux Falls was the runner up in both divisions. Dordt was third among the women runners, followed by Northwestern, Mount Marty, Northern State, Briar Cliff, Dakota Wesleyan and Midland Lutheran. On the men's side, Dakota Wesleyan was third, followed by South Dakota Mines, Briar Cliff, Northern State, Northwestern, Dordt, Midland Lutheran and Mount Marty.

Concordia outruns Hastings in Oct. 5 dual

Concordia runners outraced Hastings on Oct. 5 at the Hastings Invitational at Brickyard Park. Eight of the top 10 male runners were Bulldogs while seven of the top 10 in the women's race were from Concordia. Kansas Wesleyan also entered a few runners in the competition.

Taking the first four places in the men's 8K race were Curtis Wilson, 27:12; Nick Bartlett, 27:28; Jeremy Koch, 27:41; and Mark Heider, 27:51. Following were Matt Haden, sixth, 28:05; Matt Luevano, seventh, 28:11; Andrew Walquist, ninth, 28:23; Chris Rolland, 10th, 28:36; Brian Greeves, 14th, 29:07; Brett Kapels, 15th, 29:17; George Schroll, 18th, 29:26; Jordan Duncan, 21st, 30:49; Isaac Wagner, 22nd, 31:26; Matt Buns, 23rd, 31:57; and Greg Schroll, 25th, 33:47.

On the women's side, Molly Engel came in first in the 5K run at 19:34 with Sara Schuelke runner-up at 19:36. Others from Concordia included Kelly Waterman, fourth, 19:48; Jennifer Nikkila, fifth, 19:54; Michelle Quinlan, seventh, 20:20; Angela Matthews, eighth, 20:29; Micah Dubbs, 10th, 20:39; Julie Gaebel, 12th, 20:45; Melissa Weeder, 13th, 20:57; Laura Deen, 14th, 21:00; Jenny Henderson, 15th, 21:02; Lacey Darien, 17th, 21:19; Tanya Kanengieter, 18th, 21:45; and Emily Ronning, 21st, 21:59.

Bulldogs win own invitational; NAIA rates women #4, men #8

The Concordia cross country teams will be taking a week off from competition before traveling to Yankton, S.D., on Oct. 26 for the Mount Marty Invitational. The 10 a.m. meet will feature many of the top men’s and women’s teams in the region as the Bulldogs attempt to reach a peak for the GPAC championship run on Nov. 2 at Sioux Falls, S.D.

The NAIA in its Oct. 11 ratings placed the Concordia women at No. 4 and the men at No. 8.

The Concordia men’s team with 23 points topped the Concordia Invitational on Saturday morning They finished ahead of Doane (51), Graceland (75) and Hastings (84). Sam Malmberg of Doane had the best time at 25:55, followed by Nick Bartlett (26:02) and Curtis Wilson (26:03) of Concordia, Zack Reeves of Doane at 26:12 and Bulldog Mark Heider at 26:24.

“Our men put together a very good race,” Coach Kregg Einspahr said. “We made some improvements from a team standpoint, particularly with our runners at No. 3 through No. 7.” Heider and Matt Haden had very good races, he said, and freshman Andrew Walquist continues to make big improvements after being injured the first three weeks of school.

Other Concordia times included Haden 26:29; Jeremy Koch 26:31; Walquist 26:59; Matt Luevano 27:20; Christopher Rolland 27:21; George Schroll 27:42; Brian Greeves 27:54; Brett Kapels 28:13; Isaac Wagner 29:25; Matt Buns 30:09; Greg Schroll 30:11.

The women’s team with 33 points defeated Doane and Hastings. Doane came in with 43 points and Hastings 52. The top two finishers were Brittany Price (18:43) and Melissa Joel (18:52) of Doane. Nicole DeRoin of Hastings placed third with 19:02.

Molly Engel at fourth was the top Bulldog runner at 19:07, followed by Jennifer Nikkila at 19:14. Hastings was No. 11 in the latest NAIA ratings and Doane No. 15.

“Our women had a good race,” Einspahr said about the homecoming event, “particularly from our runners at the No. 4 through No. 8 positions. Freshman Micah Dubbs continues to improve and we had a very good finish with our depth coming through.”

Other Concordia times included Kelly Waterman 19:21; Sara Schuelke 19:43; Micah Dubbs 20:00; Julie Gaebel 20:05; Michelle Quinlan 20:06; Angela Matthews 20:07; Laura Deen 20:22; Melissa Weeder 20:38; Jennifer Henderson 21:11; Tanya Kanengieter 21:25; Lacey Darien 21:36; Jody Garrett 21:54; Emily Ronning 22:35.

Women 3rd, men 5th at Mount Marty

The Concordia women's cross country team finished in third place and men in fifth place among top competition at the Mount Marty Invitational in Yankton, S.D., on Oct. 26.

The women followed the University of South Dakota, an NCAA Division II school, and Black Hills State, rated No. 3 in the NAIA.

Sara Schuelke had the top time of 18:47.39, followed by Kelly Waterman, 18:52.21; Jennifer Nikkila, 18:59.31; Micah Dubbs, 19:15.78; Molly Engel, 19:31.43; Julie Gaebel, 19:50.94; Laura Deen, 19:59.34; Angela Matthews, 20:02.99; Lacey Darien, 20:04.03; Melissa Weeder, 20:14.02; Jenny Henderson, 20:15.03; Michelle Quinlan, 20:28.74; Tanya Kanengieter, 20:55.04.

They finished one place ahead of Doane and also scored better than Northwestern, Dana, Mount Marty, Briar Cliff, Dakota Wesleyan and Midland Lutheran, other GPAC schools.

The men finished behind the University of South Dakota, Minot State, the No. NAIA team, Mid America Nazarene, NAIA No.7, and Black Hills State, NAIA No. 12.

Nick Bartlett, 18th at 26:00.31, was the top Bulldog runner. Other finishes included Mark Heider, 24th at 26:15.94, and Curtis Wilson, 25th at 26:17.89. Andrew Walquist ran the 8,000 meters in 26:39.33, Chris Rolland, 26:45.06; Matt Haden, 26:06.54; Jeremy Koch, 27"21.95; Matt Luevano, 27:35.91; George Schroll, 27:43.10; Brett Kapels, 27:57.92; and Isaac Wagner, 28:47.25.

Women win GPAC championship, men place 2nd

Concordia women's finishes:

1. Molly Engel, 18:36.14; 3. Jennifer Nikkila, 18:47.96; 7. Sara Schuelke, 19:09.29; 8. Kelly Waterman, 19:10.86; 11. Micah Dubbs, 19:32.45; 12. Michelle Quinlan, 19:36.41; 15. Angela Matthews, 19:52.93; 21. Julie Gaebel, 20:11.73; 26. Laura Deen, 20:17.18; 33. Melissa Weeder, 20:29.93

Concordia men's finishes:

7. Nick Bartlett, 25:45.76; 9. Curtis Wilson, 25:54.85; 18. Mark Heider, 26:31.09; 20. Andrew Walquist, 26:36.25; 23. Matt Haden, 26:39.32; 26. Chris Rolland, 26:41.71; 30. Jeremy Koch, 26:57.84; 35. Matt Luevano, 27:11.21; 50. George Schroll, 27:46.91; 54. Brett Kapels, 27:59.95

Molly Engel won the individual title as Concordia claimed five other top-12 finishes to capture the Great Plains Athletic Conference women’s cross-country championship in the slush on Nov. 2 at Sioux Falls, S.D.

“It was as fine of a team performance as I have seen from our cross country teams over the past 10 years,” Coach Kregg Einspahr said.

On the men's side, Concordia was the runner-up to Nebraska Wesleyan. Sophomore Nick Bartlett was in seventh place for the Bulldogs with a time of 25:45.76 and freshman Curtis Wilson was ninth at 25:54.85.

The attention of the Bulldog runners now turns to the NAIA Region IV meet in Lincoln on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Pioneer Park. At that meet, teams and individuals can earn berths for the national championship that will be Nov. 23 in Kenosha, Wis.

“We will need to have strong races,” Einspahr said. “Southwestern College (Winfield, Kan.) has an outstanding men’s team. Our men edged them last year at the regional meet by just one point and it looks to be a battle again this year.”

The Concordia women ended up with 30 points at the GPAC meet. Doane was second with 64, Nebraska Wesleyan third at 75 and Hastings College fourth at 94. The women's race featured three teams ranked in the NAIA's top 25 -- No. 4 Concordia, No. 10 Doane, and No. 13 Hastings.

“What is particularly impressive is that we had so many young runners step up and do well,” the coach said. “Out of our top 14 women runners, 13 are freshman or sophomores. Jennifer Nikkila and Molly Engel had tremendous races.”

Engel, a Columbus, Neb., sophomore, made the move to the lead with a mile to go in the 5,000-meter race to finish in 18:36.14. Nikkila, her roommate, joined her in front for a time before falling back and taking third behind Melissa Joel of Doane with a time of 18:47.96. Sara Schuelke, a senior, was seventh for Concordia at 19:09.29; Kelly Waterman eighth at 19:10.86; Micah Dubbs 11th at 19:32.45 and Michelle Quinlan 12th at 19:36.41.

Other Concordia finishes included: 15. Angela Matthews, 19:52.93; 21. Julie Gaebel, 20:11.73; 26. Laura Deen, 20:17.18; 33; and Melissa Weeder, 20:29.93.

Dana's Derek Fey won the men’s 8,000-meter race. The NWU team total was 22 while Concordia had 71, Dana 87 and Sioux Falls 132.

Other Bulldog men’s performances included: 18. Mark Heider, 26:31.09; 20. Andrew Walquist, 26:36.25; 23. Matt Haden, 26:39.32; 26. Chris Rolland, 26:41.71; 30. Jeremy Koch, 26:57.84; 35. Matt Luevano, 27:11.21; 50. George Schroll, 27:46.91; 54. Brett Kapels, 27:59.95.

The course at Spencer Park was covered in a combination of snow, ice and slush, but the sun was out and it was not extremely cold. "It wasn't too bad," Engel told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. "We had our long spikes (three-eighths inch) in. It felt really nice." Engel won the Sioux Falls Invitational on the same course in late September.

Both men, women teams top NAIA Region 4 races

The Concordia men's and women's cross country teams were the best in the NAIA Region 4 races held the morning of Nov. 9 at Pioneer Park in Lincoln.

Four of the Bulldog women runners finished in the top 10 with Molly Engel fifth at 19:08. Jennifer Nikkila was seventh, Sara Schuelke ninth and Michelle Quinlan 10th. There were 121 runners competing.

On the men's side Nick Bartlett was sixth at 26:26 and Curtis Wilson seventh among the 148 runners.

Women's team scoring:

Concordia 39, Doane 65, Hastings 99, Dordt College 130, U. of Sioux Falls 130, North¬ western (Iowa) College 146, Southwestern (Kan.) 203, Park University 213, Briar Cliff 256, Tabor Col¬ lege 269, Dana College 291, Sterling College 335, York College 360, Haskell Indian Nations 385.

Individual leaders

(5,000 meters): 1, Natalie Flynn Christensen, CSM, 18:45. 2, Melissa Joel, Doane, 19:03. 3, Brittany Price, Doane, 19:05. 4, Nicole DeRoin, Hastings, 19:07. 5, Molly Engel, Concor¬ dia, 19:08. 6, Cassie Helmer, Southwestern, 19:09. 7, Jennifer Nikkila, Concordia, 19:25. 8, Becky Demarest, Dordt, 19:26. 9, Sara Schuelke, Concordia, 19:27. 10, Michelle Quinlan, Concordia, 19:32. Other Concordia placings included Kelly Waterman, 13th, 19:46.77; Micah Dubbs, 15th, 20:08.29; Julie Gaebel, 22nd, 20:23.37; Angela Matthews, 24th, 20:30.32; Melissa Weeder, 26th, 20:33.84; Laura Deen, 27th, 20:34.70; Lacey Darien, 30th, 20:41.19; Jennifer Henderson 57th, 21:45.13; Tanya Kanengieter, 64th, 21:58.54; Emily Ronning, 74th, 22:24.41.

Men's team scoring:

Concordia 53, Southwestern 65, Dana 109, Doane 126, U. of Sioux Falls 145, Dakota Wesleyan 171, Hastings 193, Dordt College 222, Park University 246, Friends University 285, Briar Cliff 309, Northwestern 310, Ottawa University 319, McPherson College 361, Haskell Indian Nations 429, York College 430.

Individual leaders

(8,000 meters) - 1, Mobior Atem, Park, 25:45. 2, Nathanael Wheately, Southwestern, 25:47. 3, Derek Fey, Dana, 26:05. 4, Alan King, Dakota Wesleyan, 26:16. 5, Sam Malmberg, Doane, 26:23. 6, Nick Bartlett, Concordia, 26:26. 7, Curtis Wilson, Concordia, 26:28. 8, Warren Bergquist, Southwestern, 26:32. 9, Zack Reeves, Doane, 26:37. 10, Garry Clark, Dana, 26:45. Other Concordia runners included Matt Haden, 12th, 26:58.31; Mark Heider, 13th, 26:58.78; Matt Luevano, 15th, 27:17.10; Andrew Walquist, 16th, 27:17.57; Chris Rolland, 17th, 27:17.97; George Schroll, 38th, 28:02.01; Brian Greeves, 42nd, 28:08.71; Brett Kapels, 51st, 28:29.34; Issac Wagner 124th, 31:24.56; Jordan Duncan, 140th, 33:00.44.