SEWARD, Neb. – For their performances at the 2022 GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, 53 Bulldogs were recognized as all-conference athletes in one or more events. All-GPAC awards are handed out to the top eight place finishers in individual events and to athletes who contribute to relays that place within the top three at the conference championships. Honors for the 2022 GPAC outdoor track season were officially announced by the conference on Thursday (May 12).
At last week’s conference outdoor meet, Concordia placed first on the women’s side and third on the men’s side. On the heels of a seventh-straight GPAC title for the women’s program, Head Coach Matt Beisel has been named the 2022 Jim McMahon GPAC Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year. Beisel has been selected as the GPAC Coach of the Year seven times for track and field and once for cross country. The 2022 Bulldog women’s outdoor team landed 34 athletes on the all-conference list (shown below) while racking up 216 points at the GPAC meet.
A standout amongst the all-conference athletes, freshman Jordan Koepke broke school and GPAC meet records with her time of 59.90 in the 400 meter hurdles. Due to that effort, the Gulf Breeze, Fla., native was honored with the 2022 GPAC Outdoor Women’s Track Performance of the Meet award. Koepke also helped the women’s 4x400 meter relay break the school record (3:48.93) and placed fourth with a personal best and automatic national qualifying time in the 100 meter hurdles. Koepke currently ranks second nationally in the 400 hurdles.
In addition to Koepke in the 400 hurdles, individual GPAC titles were won last week by the following Bulldogs: Keri Bauer (800 meters), Zach Bennetts (pole vault), Rylee Haecker (1,500 meters), Josie Puelz (pole vault), Sarah Ragland (hammer throw) and Camden Sesna (5,000 meters). Puelz claimed her fourth career GPAC pole vault title and Coach Jason Berry’s pole vaulters effectively swept 2022 conference men’s and women's pole vault championships for indoor and outdoor.
Twenty-one Bulldogs garnered all-conference accolades in multiple events. Excluding relays, the top individual point scorer for the GPAC championship women’s team was Koepke with 15. Cora Olson was close behind with 14 on the strength of a second-place finish in the triple jump. Sesna paced the men’s team and wound up with 18 points while placing first in the 5,000 and second in the 1,500 meters.
Before focusing on the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, the Bulldogs will host the Concordia Twilight on Friday and then travel to the Loper Twilight hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday.
2022 GPAC Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference Award Winners
WOMEN
· Brittney Aitken – 200 meters (3rd); 100 meters (5th)
· Jordyn Anderson – shot put (6th)
· Rachel Battershell – 400 meters (2nd)
· Keri Bauer – 800 meters (1st); 4x400m relay (2nd)
· Erin Boggs – pole vault (7th)
· Kaylee Boyle – heptathlon (6th); 100 hurdles (8th)
· Olivia Buschow – discus (6th)
· Amira Cummings – pole vault (3rd)
· Morgan De Jong – hammer (3rd)
· Gabby Diamond – triple jump (6th)
· Jenna Esch – 4x400m relay (2nd); 400 meters (3rd)
· Mackenzie Ferrel – hammer (6th)
· Abby Gerber – shot put (8th)
· Rylee Haecker – 1,500 meters (1st); 800 meters (7th)
· Kylahn Heritage – 1,500 meters (2nd); 5,000 meters (3rd)
· Sara Huss – discus (3rd)
· Rhaya Kaschinske – 1,500 meters (7th)
· Jordan Koepke – 400 hurdles (1st); 4x400m relay (2nd); 100 hurdles (4th)
· Sarah Lewis – 4x400m relay (2nd); 100 hurdles (3rd); 400 hurdles (3rd)
· Hanna Newton – high jump (8th)
· Cora Olson – triple jump (2nd); 100 meters (6th); 200 meters (6th)
· Alli Owings – discus (7th); hammer (7th)
· Erin Painter – discus (2nd)
· Jacee Pfeifer – 400 meters (7th)
· Kamryn Pokorney – shot put (7th)
· Josie Puelz – pole vault (1st)
· Sarah Ragland – hammer (1st)
· Sydney Reichert – pole vault (7th)
· Grace Reiman – 3,000m steeplechase (8th)
· Amy Richert – heptathlon (5th); high jump (6th)
· Kaia Richmond – 3,000m steeplechase (6th)
· Taber Schmidt – 200 meters (8th)
· Katie Severt – long jump (4th); triple jump (4th)
· Trinity Tuls – 400 meters (4th)
MEN
· Logan Adam – javelin (7th)
· Andy Amos – hammer (5th); shot put (6th)
· Zach Bennetts – pole vault (1st)
· Dagne’ Buck – hammer (6th)
· Jacob Jennings – 4x400m relay (3rd); 100 meters (8th); 400 meters (8th)
· Cade Kleckner – 100 meters (2nd); 200 meters (2nd); 4x400m relay (3rd)
· Wyatt Loga – high jump (5th)
· Colton Meyer – 4x400m relay (3rd)
· Ben Moll – discus (7th); hammer (7th)
· Nathan Pennekamp – 3,000m steeplechase (7th)
· Joel Rathe – long jump (2nd); 100 meters (6th)
· Calvin Rohde – 1,500 meters (3rd); 5,000 meters (6th)
· Xavier Ross – 4x400m relay (3rd); 400 meters (4th)
· Austen Rozelle – discus (5th)
· Darien Semedo – shot put (7th)
· Camden Sesna – 5,000 meters (1st); 1,500 meters (2nd)
· Josh Taylor – javelin (6th)
· Chris Wren – hammer (2nd); discus (8th)
· Zach Zohner – pole vault (3rd)