2015 Cross Country schedule/results
2015 Cross Country roster
SEASON PREVIEW: 2015 Concordia cross country
By Taylor Mueller, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
MEN
Head Coach: Kregg Einspahr (24th year)
2014 Finish: 5th in GPAC
Key Returners: Kohlton Gabehart, Taylor Mueller, Jordan Potrzeba, Chris Shelton, Patrick Wortmann
Key Losses: Josh Allwardt, Ben Sievert
2014 GPAC All-Conference: Ben Sievert
WOMEN
Head Coach: Kregg Einspahr (24th year)
2014 Finish: 4th in GPAC
Key Returners: Megan Burma, Haley Harpham, Elizabeth Rasmussen, Emily Sievert, Jordyn Sturms, Lauren Wilcox, Kim Wood
Key Losses: Erika Schroeder, Reneee Williams
2014 GPAC All-Conference: Kim Wood
Outlook
Most people don’t understand why they do what they do. In fact more often than not, the sanity of someone who would put him or herself through immense amounts of discomfort for the sake of competing in a race – is questioned.
Sometimes, they don’t even understand what they’re doing themselves.
Regardless of any long-unanswered questions, the men’s and women’s cross country programs are not wasting any time in preparing for the official start of the cross country season as well as a hopeful run at the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship.
Entering into his 24th season as head coach for the Concordia cross country programs, Kregg Einspahr will once again field new faces and returning runners to go along with several unanswered questions and an adapted system of training to best prepare the Bulldog harriers.
Following a disappointing fifth place finish at the GPAC championships a season ago, the largest of the looming questions concerns the men’s squad who graduated their three-time All-American leader and standout runner Ben Sievert.
The leadership roles will be picked up by lone seniors Jordan Potrzeba and Taylor Mueller, who will look to emerge as front-runners for the Bulldogs. They will not be without a strong nucleus, however, as the men’s squad returns junior Chris Shelton and sophomores Kholton Gabehart and Patrick Wortmann. A handful of talented freshmen will also provide a boost, as Thomas Taylor, Evan Asche and Cameron Moes have sprung onto the scene and left little doubt that they will contribute significantly to the Bulldog cause.
“We have a fair number of guys back,” Einspahr said. “I think we’ll be a little bit short on depth compared to other years. Taylor Mueller is recovering from some injury problems from over the summer and is really running well. Jordan Potrzeba finished the outdoor track season extremely well and on a very high note. He will improve a lot. Those guys are really going to help us out. Chris Shelton has had a good summer. He also had a very good end to his track season. We’ll have some guys coming back that have experience. Pat Wortmann should be improved. Last year was his first season of cross country and I expect him to be a contributor.
“Overall I think we have a solid core coming back,” Einspahr said. “I do think we have a couple freshmen guys who are pretty talented runners who might be able to be in our top five and give us a big boost. We really need that on the men’s side in particular.”
Potrzeba spoke highly of the freshman runners, who have already begun to show their grit, determination, and confidence.
“We have four new freshmen this year and right now Thomas and Evan are running really strong,” Potrzeba said. “They’ve actually been leading a lot of our runs. They come from great class A programs, so they’re very experienced in the pace we’re running at. They understand the expectations and it’s great to have them as part of the team. They will definitely help us reach our goals this year.”
Potrzeba noted his confidence in the returning Concordia runners who will provide a solid supporting cast for the men’s squad.
“They’ve definitely improved,” Potrzeba said. “Chris had a little bit of a (sickness) that sidelined him during the summer, so he’s kind of working through it and Taylor’s coming back from an injury but he’s running great and so is Kholton. Pat is working through a little bit of an injury but these guys are definitely working just as hard.”
The men’s squad garnered 23 points in the national preseason poll, listing them as the sixth team outside the top 25 to receive votes. GPAC rivals Morningside College, Northwestern University and Dordt College each earned spots in the top 25 and will provide the bulk of the competition for the Bulldogs.
For Potrzeba, the strength of the GPAC is not unfamiliar. After failing to meet the expectations of finishing amongst the top teams at the GPAC championships last year, Potrzeba is determined to avenge the disappointments of a bitter ending to the 2014 season.
“Not qualifying (for nationals) last year…as a team…was a huge disappointment,” Potrzeba said. “Finishing fifth in the GPAC for cross country is never acceptable… as we have high standards, as all the Concordia sports teams do. We embrace the challenge and we’re going to go after it.”
The 2015 cross country season will hold nothing less than a tough road for the Bulldogs as they battle with the rest of the conference for superiority. When stating the general goals of the team, Potrzeba was hopeful, but remained cautiously realistic.
“We want to get third in the GPAC,” Potrzeba said. “Obviously we want to win it, but we understand that teams like Morningside, Northwestern, and Dordt – they’re going to be tough to beat. There are up and coming teams like Midland that have recruits coming in that have had a lot of success in high school. Maybe, we can get a wild card berth if we don’t win the GPAC to get into nationals.”
In his fourth and final season, the experienced and battle-tested Potrzeba knows that a fair amount of the leadership responsibilities will fall on his shoulders, but admitted that the leading role is not his own.
“Taylor and I definitely feel the leadership (role),” Potrzeba said. “We’re the only two seniors and so we feel that we really gotta step up our running. Yeah, Ben was a big loss, but it’s still a team sport. I usually don’t lead vocally or with words, I usually lead through actions. With Ben going out early in the track season, it pushed me to step up into that role. I’m all for it. I’ll take full responsibility and do whatever I can to help the team.”
On the women’s side, Einspahr is hopeful that a slew of experienced returnees as well as a few newcomers will carry the Bulldogs to substantial success. Concordia returns seven of their top nine runners from a season ago, and with front runners Emily Sievert and Kim Wood back, the women’s squad is poised to contend with the top teams in the GPAC.
“I think Emily Sievert improved a lot after cross country season last year and showed a lot of progress during indoor and outdoor track,” Einspahr said. “She was actually our number three runner at the conference championships. Another year of experience and more confidence is a big factor for her. I expect her to be a real legitimate frontrunner this year. We were really looking for a frontrunner last year and Emily has the talent to do that. It’s just difficult to do when you’re a freshman and new to the whole college experience.
“I would suspect that Kim Wood will be improved,” Einspahr said. “She gets better every year. Obviously she’s got great foot speed and I think her overall strength will be improved so she will be effective in the 5K which is a bit on the long side for her. Many of the other girls we have coming back should be improved like Megan Burma. I’m expecting that Elizabeth Rasmussen and Jordyn Sturms will be much better. Both had not run cross country in high school. I think the experience last year will be really impactful for them.”
With plenty of talent returning, Einspahr sees a bright potential for the women’s squad and noted that some national attention could very well be in the mix for a team that finished one spot outside of the top 25 in the NAIA preseason rankings. GPAC rivals Dordt and Hastings each earned spots in the top 25.
“They have some potential to be a good team this year and maybe get back to the NAIA top 20,” Einspahr said of his women’s team. “I’m hoping we can compete in the top three of the conference. I do expect it to be an improved team this year.”
For Wood, the transition to becoming a collegiate distance runner has not always been easy. Admitting that cross country has provided some challenges for her, Wood noted that improving her mental attitude towards the sport paid dividends towards her success.
“I feel like I was able to get in the zone and I was able to focus all three miles of the race, Wood said. “I think that’s a huge component of cross country; just staying focused and being willing to push through, especially that middle mile, making your body keep working when it wants to quit.
Of course, a strong finish in the 2015 outdoor track and field season may very well provide some positive momentum for Wood moving forward as well.
“It’s a big boost for me,” Wood said of her finish in the 2015 track season. “Cross country hasn’t always been my strong suite, so I’m hoping to come into this season as strong as I ended last season and just keep building from there.”
Wood is not the only one who will be looking to take steps forward after success in running a season ago. Wood noted that several runners are showing promise in the early stages of the season.
“Jordyn Sturms and Beth Rassmussen did a great job last year and they’re looking really strong this year,” Wood said. “We also have some other runners who are new to cross country this year. I think it’s a lot of words of encouragement and support is what those runners need. That’s what I needed when I was a freshman. That really helps build them up and keeps us going.”
When race day comes around, Wood will likely be joined amongst the front runners by her counterpart Sievert, of whom Wood spoke highly.
“Emily is a really hard worker and she is a really great teammate,” Wood said. “I think the reason she does so well is because she pushes herself so hard, she gives it her best every time, and she’s very mentally tough. She’s a tough cookie, so she does really well and just pushes herself every single time.”
Nearly every single member of the cross country programs will turn to the track at the close of the cross country season. With Concordia’s first ever national championship in hand, both Wood and Potrzeba shared the feelings of excitement in contributing to the on-going success of Bulldog athletics.
“It’s a good feeling to know that we’ve had success and to keep working at it and to do it for God’s glory,” Wood said. “It’s really cool to be a part of that also.”
“That’s what you dream of when you come here,” Potrzeba said. “That’s partly why I wanted to come here right out of high school. You get that thrill of going to a competitive college (like) Concordia where they want to win, but they want to do it through Christ, and to accomplish these things is just phenomenal. It’s a goal but at the same time we’re just focused on each other and doing our best and it kind of takes care of itself.”
For Wood, there is still unfinished business to attend to in her final season and goals yet to be reached after seeing her team finish fourth in the GPAC a season ago.
“Individually, I’d just like to really crush some (personal records), just go out there and give it my all… try to drop my time and make it to nationals. For the team, I think it would be really good if we could finish in the top three at conference or even higher; that would be great. It would be really cool if we could make it (to nationals), but we’ll see.”
When it is all said and done, accumulating thousands of miles over a four year career will certainly add up. Soreness and fatigue are the daily norm for any distance runner. Injuries constantly lurk around the corner for runners who pound the pavement and gravel roads with the same, repetitive, forceful motion each step of the way. Running for miles and miles without end may not seem like an ideal way to spend an afternoon, nor does completing a morning run before the sun comes up.
But perhaps it is this way of life that brings the distance runners together. It may not seem like an opportune way to go about one’s day, but for the Concordia cross country teams, it is worth every stride and any questions regarding their sanity are disregarded.
“You don’t do it alone,” Potrzeba said. “I love the team atmosphere. I have great teammates all around me who make it fun. We do fun things; we hang out with each other. The running is painful, but having someone to do it with makes it worth it.”
Women’s cross country returns to NAIA top 25
SEWARD, Neb. – Three days away from officially opening the season, the Concordia University women’s cross country team has returned to the national top 25 rankings. Head coach Kregg Einspahr’s Bulldogs checked in at No. 21 in the NAIA Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, released on Wednesday.
A perennial power on the conference and national scales, Concordia women’s cross country put together three-straight national runner-up finishes from 2000-02 and then did the same in 2004. From 1994 to 2009, the Bulldogs finished inside the top 20 at the national championships each season. Einspahr has led the program to five GPAC/NIAC conference titles since becoming head coach in 1992.
In the national polls, Bulldog women’s cross country has appeared as high as No. 1. Concordia rose to the top spot in the final poll of 2004, a season in which Bulldog runners claimed each of the top six spots at the GPAC championships. Between 1999 and 2009, Concordia received a national ranking in 104 out of 105 polls. In a seven-year stretch from 1999 to 2005, the Bulldogs appeared in the top five at least once each season. They were ranked third or higher at one point each season from 1999 to 2004.
This year’s squad features many familiar faces back from the 2014 group that placed fourth in the GPAC. Senior Kim Wood will attempt to build upon an all-conference season as a junior. Sophomore Emily Sievert also returns after running as the team’s No. 1 for much of her freshman season.
Both Concordia men’s and women’s teams will be in action on Saturday at the Woody Greeno Invite held at Pioneer Park in Lincoln, Neb.
No. 21 Concordia women start strong at season-opening Woody Greeno Invite
By Taylor Mueller, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
LINCOLN, Neb. – The Concordia University cross country teams opened up their 2015 seasons on the hilly course at the annual Woody Greeno Invite in Lincoln, Neb. The women placed fourth out of 14 teams in the college division while the men finished in 13th among 15 teams in the college division.
It was an impressive day for the women who backed their 21st national ranking. Senior Kim Wood led the way for the Bulldogs with a 15th-place finish and a time of 23:42. Sophomore Jordyn Sturms was on her heals, placing 16th in 23:44. Sophomore Emily Sievert took 27th in 24:26 while junior Elizabeth Rasmussen and senior Megan Burma rounded out the top five in 24:53 and 25:10, respectively.
“I thought the women ran with some confidence,” head coach Kregg Einspahr said. “They got out well. We had a real good race from Kim Wood and Jordyn Sturms. We have a fairly young team considering that a number of our top six runners have only been running college cross country for a year prior to this season. We have some really encouraging things there. We’ll get a lot better as the season goes along. Later on this season I think the 5K will be a little bit better for us. I’m very pleased with how the women did. They had a very good day today. It was a good start for us.”
It certainly was a break out performance for Sturms, a native of Denver, Colo. The sophomore came through with one of the best performances of her young career and showed significant promise for a bright season ahead of her.
“She was moving up through the race,” Einspahr said. “She’s a competitor, we saw that last year, especially towards the end of the season. We saw that at the conference meet. She does a nice job of knowing how to pace herself and moving up through the race. She’s got some really good physical tools to work with and will have a really great season ahead of her.”
The men’s squad struggled to put together a strong team performance, placing just one runner within the top 25. Senior Jordan Potrzeba placed 25th with a time of 27:05. Senior Taylor Mueller finished in 28:07. Freshmen Thomas Taylor and Evan Asche raced to times of 28:21 and 28:46, respectively, while junior Chris Shelton finished in 28:51 to complete the top five for Concordia.
Though it was not the start that any of the men’s team members were hoping for, Einspahr explained a few components that need sharpening and remained optimistic concerning what lies ahead for the men’s team.
“We’re trying to figure out what we are as a team,” Einspahr said. “We’ve got some young guys. We’ve got some guys being really good leaders with Taylor Mueller and Jordan Potrzeba. We need to get better as the season goes along. We had quite a few freshmen running in the race today in that top eight group. We’ll need to get better position earlier in the race later in the season if they’re going to do well at the conference meet. I think we’ll continue to improve and get a lot better. It’s kind of a young team right now. We have one or two guys who are coming off a little bit of a sickness. I was reasonably pleased with our start. It was real good competition today. We got something in to see where we’re at and we know what we need to work on.”
With three freshmen competing in the top eight, Einspahr explained that considering it to be their first collegiate race on an 8,000 meter course as opposed to a 5,000 meter course, the freshmen fared well.
“I think Thomas Taylor and Evan Asche did a really nice job hanging in there in the middle of the race where it gets tougher,” Einspahr said. “They’re accustomed to a 5k race and they had that extra 3k or almost two miles to the race. When you get past that 5k, sometimes freshmen tend to fade a little bit so I thought they did a really nice job of hanging in there and it was a good start for them. Cameron Moes has a lot of talent and a good future ahead of him. It’s just a lot of an adjustment coming from a smaller school. I’m optimistic that we’re going to get better as the season goes along.”
The Bulldogs will head to the Griak Invite in St. Paul, Minn., next Saturday (Sept. 26). The meet will feature another challenging course as Concordia will go up against numerous top-tier programs from across the country.
Bulldog cross country compete at Roy Griak Invitational
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Hot weather and a challenging course could not slow the Concordia Bulldogs as the competed in the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, MN. The Concordia women continued to impress, placing 11th of 37 teams in the Maroon II race while the men’s squad took a positive step forward, placing 24th of 37 teams.
Sophomore Emily Sievert, seemingly back to full health after wrestling with sickness, emerged as the front runner for the Bulldogs, placing 40th overall in 24:26. Sophomore Jordyn Sturms continued her strong, early-season push with a time of 24:33 to take 50th place. Not far behind was senior Kim Wood in 24:40 and a 57th place finish. Sophomore Lauren Wilcox and senior Megan Burma rounded out the top five with times of 25:31 and 25:34 respectively.
“We had three gals who ran real well up front,” head coach Kregg Einspahr said. “We still need to get out and have a little bit better of a front runner, but having those three gals up in the top 65 runners really helped a lot. We had a big gap between our three and four but we have about three, four, five girls who can fill in that spot for us. We just need to close that up a little bit better. I think smaller races, a little more confidence, and moving to a 5K distance is really going to help us a lot.
“We had a really good meet today, so I’m really happy with that,” Einspahr said. “It was good competition. It was nice to finish right behind Dordt. There were a lot of good teams in there; that was a good division two race. We looked pretty good, I thought overall. We improved over last week, ran better, and that’s the idea; improve all season long and I think we’re going to.”
On the men’s side, senior Jordan Potrzeba ran a strong collective race, maintaining solid position and steadily making his way up through the 8,000 meter race. Potrzeba finished in 27:30 to place 48th overall. Sophomore Kholton Gabehart came through with a solid performance, edging out freshman teammate Thomas Taylor at the tape in 28:48 and 28:49 respectively. Senior Taylor Mueller finished in 29:01 while junior Chris Shelton rounded out the top five in 29:45.
“We ran a better race today than we did last week, so I think we made some big improvements,” Einspahr said. “We looked a lot better. We competed a lot better. The times weren’t very good, but the course as a whole was a little on the slow side today, for whatever reason. The course was pretty soft. There’s been a little bit of rain lately and it was warm too. All the teams ran a little bit slower, I noticed. But competitively I thought we had a lot better race. Kholton Gabehart and Jordan Potrzeba ran a lot better today. Thomas Taylor had a really good day. We’ll come around and get a little bit better. It’s tough to do back to back with a five mile race and a long trip as well. I thought we had a great meet and outstanding competition. We looked a lot better.”
The Bulldogs will have two intensified weeks of training as they prepare for the Briar Cliff Invite at McCook Lake in S.D. on Sat. Oct. 10.
Bulldog women place fifth, men eighth at Briar Cliff Invite
By Taylor Muller, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
McCOOK LAKE, S.D – A flat and fast course along with strong competition from numerous rival GPAC schools provided an excellent opportunity for the Concordia Bulldogs to take another positive step forward on Saturday as they competed in the Briar Cliff University Invitational at McCook Lake, S.D. The Concordia women placed fifth out of 15 teams while the men finished eighth amongst a field of 16 squads.
Just five points behind Doane, the 20th-ranked Bulldog women were paced by a strong front-running trio of senior Kim Wood (12th, 18:11) and sophomores Emily Sievert (13th, 18:12) and Jordyn Sturms (15th, 18:14). Sophomore Beth Rasmussen was next in 19:10, followed closely by senior Megan Burma in 19:18.
“We had some bright spots, our top three gals ran very well,” head coach Kregg Einspahr said. “They did a nice job of working together in the last mile. Kim Wood got out well and Emily Sievert and Jordyn Sturms ran right behind her and then they kind of grouped up with a mile to go and did a nice job of running together that last mile. Those three gals make a pretty tough trio and give us nice firepower up front.”
With a strong front-running core that has been solidly consistent all season long, Einspahr emphasized the need for closure between the fourth through eight place runners.
“We have a big gap between number three and four, five and six so that group really needs to close that gap up and do a better job of finishing the last mile,” Einspahr said. “We got passed in some of those spots in the last half mile. If we’re going to be a good team we need to finish the race off better.”
The Briar Cliff Invitational was the first 5,000 meter race of the season for the women. Though 5,000 meters is typical, the difference in distance was another quirk for the Bulldogs to adapt to.
“We’re adjusting a little bit to the 5k race now so it’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve to adjust back to the race and finishing a little quicker than what we’ve experienced the last couple outings,” Einspahr said. “We had a good outing. We had some big improvements. Kelsey Crymble had a really fine race today. She’s coming around and should develop into a real good runner down the road. I thought it was a good race but we want to continue to improve and finish better in the races coming up.”
The men’s squad took positive strides of their own, improving yet again on their performance from two weeks ago.
Senior Jordan Potrzeba adjusted his racing strategy, beginning with a solid first mile that earned him solid position early in the race. Though the difference was slight, it paid dividends for the senior out of Hastings, Neb., who raced to a 13th place finish in 25:57.
“Jordan Potrzeba did a good job running as a number one runner for us today,” Einspahr said. “He got out well and held that place, in fact he moved up the last two miles.”
Senior Taylor Mueller was next for the Bulldogs in 26:47. Sophomore Kholton Gabehart placed third for the Bulldogs in 27:11. Freshman Thomas Taylor was on his heels in 27:17 and junior Chris Shelton rounded out the top five in 27:27.
“We had some improvements really up and down the board,” Einspahr said. “It was an easier course and that may have just helped. Some of our runners are on the younger side yet so this course may have been in their favor.”
As the season progresses towards the homestretch, Einsphar expressed his pleasure in the positive steps his men’s squad has taken, yet explained that there is yet work to be done.
“We had some good improvements,” Einspahr said. “Chris Shelton ran a better race. I continue to be pleased with Thomas Taylor and Evan Asche who are freshmen. Taylor Mueller had a better race today and ran tougher in the middle of the race. We had some good things happen today. We’ve improved each race since the start of the season on the men’s side and that’s good to see. We have some things to work on, but overall it was a good day for us.”
Women place fourth, men fifth at Mount Marty Invite
By Taylor Mueller, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
YANKTON, S.D. – The men’s and women’s cross country squads wrapped up the regular season with numerous strong performances in Yankton, S.D., where the Bulldog women placed fourth and the men fifth at Saturday’s Mount Marty Invite.
Senior Kim Wood led the way for the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs with a superb performance, establishing herself as a front runner and maintaining her position throughout the race. Wood placed fourth overall in 18:39.
“Kim Wood ran really well,” head coach Kregg Einspahr said. “She got out well, ran from the front, it was probably the best race of her career. She really put it on the line.”
Sophomores Jordyn Sturms and Emily Sievert followed suite with strong performances of their own. Sturms raced to an 11th place finish in 18:59 with Sievert on her heels in 19:00 and a 12th place finish.
“We had solid races from Jordyn Sturms and Emily Sievert,” Einspahr said. “We still have a lot of work to do to try to improve our positioning from the four, five and six spots.”
Rounding out the top five were sophomores Elizabeth Rasmussen in 19:57 and Lauren Wilcox in 20:11.
Despite the Bulldogs’ efforts, the day did not come without frustrations as Concordia dropped its first meet to a key conference rival. With the conference meet just two weeks away, Einspahr stressed the importance of finishing the season strong as the Bulldogs prepare to head into a loaded field at the conference meet.
“Overall it was a good day today,” Einspahr said. “It was disappointing to get beat by Morningside for the first time of the season. We have a good team overall, it will be interesting to see what we can do at the conference meet. It is awful close, I think, for the team race. It’s very close for five or six teams in the conference right now. Dordt is the favorite I suppose, but they’re not as strong as they have been in the past. Dordt, Morningside, Concordia and Hastings are all right in the mix of things. It’ll be very interesting at the conference meet. There are a lot of very comparable and competitive teams.”
On the men’s side, Jordan Potrzeba came through with a monster performance, leading the Bulldogs with a third place finish in 26:07.
“Jordan Potrzeba had a tremendous race,” Einspahr said. “I think that was maybe the best race of his career. He did a good job of getting good positon early and then moving up through the race to finish as high as he did.”
Senior Taylor Mueller continued to improve, finishing 17th in 26:44. Freshman Thomas Taylor took 26th overall in 27:10 while sophomore Patrick Wortmann wasn’t far behind in 27:23.01. Wortmann edged out teammate Sophomore Kohlton Gabehart who placed fifth for the team in 27:23.58.
“That’s the best men’s race we’ve had and we’re getting better every race,” Einspahr said. “We had some outstanding races. Taylor Mueller had a good race. He was very strong and ran tough in the middle of the race today. Patrick Wortmann is just a sophomore and did not run cross country in high school and had his best race of his career. Cameron Moes, a freshman is figuring things out and had a tremendous race today. Kohlton Gabehart continues to run well. Overall I was very pleased with our men’s team and how we raced today."
The men’s and women’s squads will have two weeks to prepare for the GPAC meet to be held at Doane College on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Unlikely contributors make women's cross country a national contender
Concordia women’s cross country has again become a mainstay among the NAIA’s top-ranked squads. The 2015 Bulldogs have made six appearances in the national poll, and they’ve done it in a manner atypical compared to the 17 women’s teams head coach Kregg Einspahr has steered to top 25 NAIA finishes during his first 23 years at the helm of the program.
At its most recent outing, the Mount Marty Invite on Oct. 24, Concordia’s top four placers consisted of three runners who did not compete in a single high school cross country meet. Two of the three began their Bulldog careers as volleyball players and the other was known much more for her prowess in middle distances on the track.
“I would say it is fairly unusual,” Einspahr said of the make-up of his group of frontrunners. “I can’t think of a team that was as good as this one that had three of the top five or six that did not run cross country in high school. Most of the national runner-up teams or top 10 women’s teams that we’ve had were made up of girls that ran cross country in high school.”
Senior Kim Wood, a 2014 cross country all-GPAC performer and 1,000-meter All-American, is the ring leader. She may not have hit the trails at Greeley-Wolbach High School, but she’s now one of the GPAC’s top runners. Meanwhile, sophomores Beth Rasmussen and Jordyn Sturms traded in volleyball spandex for running shoes.
The transition has been impressively smooth for all three. For Wood it wasn’t just about getting accustomed to 50 to 60 mile weeks, it was learning how to compete from a mental standpoint. She’s cleared that hurdle and has been the team’s top runner in three of four meets this season.
“Running is a very mental sport and keeping a competitive mentality has been my biggest challenge in cross country,” Wood said. “Both having confidence in my ability and keeping competitive have had a huge impact in my race performance throughout the last four years. Learning to have confidence and to be tough on the course has helped me out as a competitive runner and has shown in the last year.”
Einspahr realized early on that Wood had the ability to be his team’s No. 1 runner. Owner of numerous coach of the year awards, Einspahr sought Wood as both a track and cross country athlete out of high school.
“I don’t know if she knew right away or not, but I did,” Einspahr said. “I had my suspicions that we could try her in longer distances. That certainly worked for her. A lot of it is mental. In Kim’s case it’s taken a little while for her to be able to focus for that long of a race. That’s a process. That doesn’t happen overnight.”
Sturms, a native of Parker, Colo., got recruited along with Rasmussen by Concordia head volleyball coach Scott Mattera. Sturms has been an especially quick adapter, placing 24th in the conference last season in her first year competing in cross country. This past week, the 5-foot-10 long strider finished 12th out of 145 runners at the Mount Marty Invite. In the same 5K race, Rasmussen placed 39th, fourth among Bulldogs.
Because they both made similar transitions from volleyball to cross country after arriving in the same recruiting class, Sturms and Rasmussen share a bond that’s helped both become better runners.
“Beth has been my closest friend since freshman year,” Sturms said. “We've been through a lot together especially with us both making the switch. She is the one I lean on during those days that are just physically and mentally tough. It's tough love: She has pushed me and helped me to grow through these years. I would not be who I am today without her.”
Close bonds and a can-do attitude have been key to Concordia’s successful group of frontrunners, which also includes standout sophomore Emily Sievert. The team’s attitude can be summed up by Wood, who might actually run off a cliff if instructed to do so. “Whatever Coach says, I'll run,” says the Greeley native
There is precedent for what the likes of Rasmussen, Sturms and Wood have done. Former star Bulldog runner Zach Meineke captured a pair of GPAC titles despite not having run high school cross country. Says Einspahr, “We’ve had a lot of success with it. Typically if you find good athletes you can turn them into good runners.”
Wood has set a positive example for Rasmussen and Sturms. In turn, Wood has taken notice of how her two teammates have risen near the top of the Bulldog heap.
“Beth and Jordyn both have incredibly competitive spirits and I think this has been a firm foundation of success for the two of them,” Wood said. “Anyone can run, but not everyone can run fast. Their competitive mentality translates into mental toughness which is a formula for success in cross country.”
A run to the national championships would be particularly satisfying for a group that did not necessarily have that expectation placed upon it prior to the season. Einspahr believes the Bulldogs will need to outpace both No. 19 Doane and No. 23 Morningside at the GPAC championships on Nov. 7 to have a shot at an invitation to the national stage. It’s doable. Concordia finished ahead of Morningside and just five points behind Doane at the Briar Cliff Invite on Oct. 10.
Considering the progress made in just a short time by the Bulldogs, it would be foolish to count them out. Already proud to be part of the team, Sturms would be elated to help Concordia to the national championships.
“I think it would be amazing,” Sturms said. “It's a special, hard working group of girls. Coach believes in us and the team has such drive. It would be an amazing accomplishment and opportunity. We've been training hard and improving. It'd be a great way to end the season.”
Sturms and company have just over a week to prep for the GPAC championships set to be hosted by Doane College on Nov. 7.
Potrzeba, Wood punch tickets to nationals; Bulldogs place fourth, fifth at GPAC meet
By Taylor Mueller, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
CRETE, Neb. – Jordan Potrzeba and Kim Wood again served as frontrunners for head coach Kregg Einspahr’s squads in leading fourth-place and fifth-place GPAC championships finishes, respectively, for the Concordia University men’s and women’s cross country teams. With top-10 individual finishes on the course in Crete, Neb., on Saturday morning, Potrzeba and Wood claimed berths to the NAIA national championships later this month.
Wood led the Bulldog charge one last time with her 10th-place overall finish in 19:00.55 while sophomore Emily Sievert finished on her heels in 19:00.72 in 11th place. Wood qualified for the national meet with her performance though it is yet to be determined if Sievert will join her on the trip to Charlotte, NC. Sophomore Jordyn Sturms finished in 14th place overall with a time of 19:09. Wood, Sievert and Sturms garnered all-conference honors with their performances. Sophomore Beth Rasmussen and freshman Taylor Grove rounded out the top five with their finishes of 20:00 and 20:03, respectively.
With high hopes of perhaps earning a spot in the national meet pending their performance at the conference meet, the women fell short of their goal, taking fifth place as a team.
“We would have liked to have finished a little higher in the conference standings, but we knew that there were about five or six very comparable teams going into the conference meet,” Einspahr said. “Overall I thought we had a really good day today. It was great competition. I thought our top three gals did a really nice job. They had very good races to finish top fifteen in the conference, so overall we ran really well, particularly with our top three runners. We still had almost a minute gap between our three runner and our number four runner. That’s what really hurt us today. We didn’t have anyone to plug in and fill in those middle areas. That gap between our three and four, all season long we’ve been struggling with that. Today was no different. We tried, tried, tried and talked about that and we couldn’t close that gap up.”
“Those top three gals did a nice job and overall, all I have to say are good things to say about the women’s team,” Einspahr said. “They were very coachable and worked hard all season. I thought they had a really good race today. I’m very happy with how they ran.”
Despite her substantial effort, Wood expressed a bit of discontentment in her performance, acknowledging that she did not do as well as she would have liked.
“I didn’t feel the best about my race today,” Wood said. “I felt like in the middle of the race between one and a half to two and a half miles, I let people get in front of me which is really disappointing because we’ve been working hard on that this season, not to let people pass you in the middle part of the race where it gets tough. I let that happen so it’s a little disappointing. I wasn’t completely satisfied with my race but it’s still an improvement from last year.”
Despite her disappointments, Wood expressed her excitement regarding the upcoming race, which will be the last of her stellar four-year career.
“I’m super happy,” Wood said. “It’s taken me four years to get there and finally I have done it so it’s just a really good feeling. And especially as a senior, my season hasn’t ended yet and I can prolong it just a little, so that’s good. It’s good to know that I have one more race and I can go out with a bang.”
With numerous runners set to return to the Concordia program, Einspahr expressed optimism for what the future may hold.
“We had a lot of young runners on the team and that bodes well for the future,” Einspahr said. “Out of our top nine runners, we will only lose one runner, so that’s very promising for the future so we have a lot to look forward to.”
The men’s squad pieced together their best performance of the season. Having improved significantly each race along the way, the men capped the season with numerous strong performances and improvements.
Senior Jordan Potrzeba was nothing short of exceptional, finishing in sixth place overall with a time of 26:18. Potrzeba will be boarding the plane to Charlotte for the national meet to go along with his all-conference honors.
“It feels pretty great,” Potrzeba said of once again earning his way to the national meet. “It’s always been a goal. I set it early in the summer after the track season. I wanted to go to nationals and I wanted to go to nationals with the team. Hopefully we get an at-large berth. I was determined that I was going to make it. I trained as hard as I could, listened to my coaches and ran with my teammates. I couldn’t do it without them. They helped me prepare for this moment.”
Potrzeba explained his plan and goals going into the conference meet as well as the immense feelings of pride he had for his fellow teammates following their performance.
“My game plan was to beat Dordt, Doane and Northwestern’s top guys,” Potrzeba said. “If I could do that, I could give our team a chance to do really well. I knew that if we got good position that would fare us pretty well. We went out hard as a team, we got great position and had our best race of the year. I just held it and didn’t give up. There’s no quit in us and that’s what I saw today from us. I’m so proud of us.”
Senior Taylor Mueller finished in 25th place overall with a time of 27:11, followed closely by emerging junior Chris Shelton who took 27th in 27:13. Freshman Cameron Moes broke out with his best race of the season, placing fourth for the Bulldogs with a time of 27:29 while freshman Thomas Taylor took fifth for Concordia in 27:30.
“The guys ran lights out today,” Einspahr said. “They really ran well. They beat a team in Dordt… who was receiving votes and has been rated this season. Just tremendous races from the whole team I thought. We finished fourth, especially considering that our first meet out we finished 13th of 15 teams. We improved every meet all season. This was by far our best meet. We went out and got good position very aggressively. The guys managed to work together early on in the race, even in later parts of the race they still worked together. They held their spots real well.
“Cameron Moes really came through with a good race today,” Einspahr said. “I think that was his first meet of the year that he’s run in our top five group. He really came through with a nice race and really competed well. Chris Shelton had his best race by far this season. Of course Jordan Potrzeba has been improving all season and has been looking like a real good front runner for us. He came through with an excellent race and finish. That was a nice team effort and we’ve had really great team leadership from Jordan and Taylor Mueller as seniors. I’m extremely pleased with the guys’ race today. They ran well.”
As Potrzeba gears up for a couple more weeks of training before his cross country finale, he explained that he is taking every day one step at a time and is careful not to get too far ahead of himself.
“When nationals gets here, I’ll prep for it like I have these other races. I’m still going to work hard as I always have. I wasn’t really thinking too much about nationals. I was just focused on getting to this point and this meet in the season.”
The national meet will be on Saturday, Nov. 21 in Charlotte, N.C.
Three Bulldogs officially named cross country national qualifiers
SEWARD, Neb. – Thanks to their performances at last week’s GPAC championships, a trio of Bulldogs have officially been named national qualifiers, as announced by the NAIA on Monday. Seniors Jordan Potrzeba and Kim Wood and sophomore Emily Sievert will be part of the field at the 2015 NAIA Cross Country National Championships, which are set to take place on Saturday, Nov. 21 at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C.
The 60th annual men’s event will include 36 teams and 85 additional individuals. The 36th annual women’s race will be comprised of 36 teams plus another 82 individual qualifiers.
Potrzeba, a native of Hastings, Neb., will make his third career appearance on the national stage after placing sixth at the GPAC championships hosted by Doane. In his previous races at the national championships, Potrzeba has turned in finishes of 272nd (2012) and 212th (2013). He was a member of the 2012 GPAC championship team that placed 21st at the national championships. Porzeba is a two-time all-conference performer in cross country.
Both Wood and Sievert will run at the national championships for the first time in their careers. Wood placed 10th at the GPAC meet on the way to earning her second-consecutive cross country all-conference award. The Greeley, Neb., native is a four-time All-American in track and field. Meanwhile, Sievert finished right behind Wood at the conference championships, checking in at No. 11 for all-conference recognition of her own. Sievert was an indoor track national qualifier last year in both the 3,000 and 5,000 meter events. Emily is the sister of Ben, who made four-straight national championships appearances (2011-14) with an All-America finish in 2013.
Both Bulldog squads were listed among others receiving votes coaches’ polls released on Sunday.
Four Bulldogs officially named all-GPAC
SEWARD, Neb. – Based on their performances at last week’s GPAC championships, four Bulldogs were officially bestowed with all-conference recognition on Wednesday. Concordia’s 2015 group of honorees includes repeat all-GPAC performers in seniors Jordan Potrzeba and Kim Wood and first-time award winners in sophomore Emily Sievert and Jordyn Sturms.
Potrzeba, also a 2013 all-conference runner, finished sixth at the GPAC championships in a time of 26:18.36. The native of Hastings, Neb., had previously turned in conference finishes of 22nd (2014), ninth (2013) and 26th (2012). Potrzeba was a member of the 2012 GPAC championship team that finished 21st at the national championships. Potrzeba will make his third career appearance at nationals, having recorded finishes of 272nd (2012) and 212th (2013) in previous outings on the grand stage.
Like Potrzeba, Wood put together her best career GPAC championship performance, finishing last week’s 5K race in 19:00.55 (10th place) on the way to earning all-conference accolades for the second-straight year. Wood’s previous GPAC finishes were 12th (2014), 40th (2013) and 29th (2012). Wood is now set to make her first appearance at the cross country national championships. She is a four-time All-American in track and field.
Following behind Wood was Sievert in 19:00.72 (11th) and Sturms in 19:09.39 (14th). The 2015 GPAC race marked the first time Concordia has had three all-conference women’s runners since 2009 when Emilie Bourret, Alicia Marteney and Jena Schwalenberg each finished inside the top 15. In 2012, Sarah Kortze and Schwalenberg checked in at Nos. 1 and 2 at the conference race.
Potrzeba, Sievert and Wood all earned berths in the 2015 NAIA Cross Country National Championships, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 21 at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C. The men’s race is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. with the women to follow at 11:30 a.m. For more information on the championships, click HERE.
Potrzeba, Wood complete cross country careers at national championships
By Taylor Mueller, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three Concordia Bulldogs made the cross country trip to Charlotte, N.C., to compete at the 2015 NAIA Cross Country National Championships. For two of the athletes, it was the final cross country race of their collegiate careers.
Senior Kim Wood crossed the finish line in 19:08 to finish in 120th place among 321 runners. Sophomore Emily Sievert placed 129th in 19:27. Wood placed 10th among GPAC finishers while Sievert was 13th against GPAC competition.
“It was definitely a learning experience,” said Sievert who competed in her first NAIA championship race. “I didn’t get out hard enough in the first mile which made it difficult to finish in a good position, but it was a fun race and something to learn from for the next time around.”
Senior and lone male Bulldog Jordan Potrzeba took 96th place out of 326 total runners. Potrzeba finished in 26:15 and placed third among GPAC finishers.
Both of head coach Kregg Einspahr’s teams finished the season listed among others receiving votes in the national poll.
Eight Concordia runners earn Scholar-Athlete recognition
SEWARD, Neb. – A total of eight Concordia University cross country student-athletes garnered 2015 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, as announced by the NAIA on Friday. Four of the scholar-athletes are repeat winners: seniors Michaela Curran, Taylor Mueller, Lauren Pankow and Kim Wood. The other four are first-time award winners: juniors Ashley Canfield, Christian Egger, Beth Rasmussen and Angela Steinbacher.
In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status. A total of 354 cross country student-athletes across the nation were named scholar-athletes by the NAIA.
Concordia University ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 1,222 and counting. The 2014-15 season culminated with GPAC-leading totals of 94 Bulldog scholar-athletes and 17 NAIA Scholar-Teams. During the 2013-14 academic year, Concordia garnered 101 Scholar-Athlete honorees (most in the NAIA) and 17 NAIA Scholar-Teams (tied for fourth nationally).
Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university located in Seward, Neb., that currently serves over 2,200 students. Concordia offers more than 50 professional and liberal arts programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world.
2015 men’s cross country Scholar-Athletes
Christian Egger | Jr. | Galva, Iowa
Taylor Mueller | Sr. | Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2015 women’s cross country Scholar-Athletes
Ashley Canfield | Jr. | Crete, Neb.
Michaela Curran | Sr. | Wahoo, Neb.
Lauren Pankow | Sr. | Milwaukee, Wis.
Beth Rasmussen | Jr. | Omaha, Neb.
Angela Steinbacher | Jr. | St. Charles, Mo.
Kim Wood | Sr. | Greeley, Neb.