- NAIA National Championships Results
- Meet Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2
- Concordia T&F YouTube
- Photos: @cunebulldogs Instagram
MARION, Ind. – One year ago, junior Adrianna Rodencal walked away from Marion, Ind., without any medals. This time around, the Concordia University, Nebraska Track & Field star was in it to win it. She completed a remarkable junior outdoor season on Friday (May 23) with two hurdles place finishes in the top three while claiming a third All-America award as part of the 4x4 relay on the final day of the 2025 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. There were six Bulldogs who competed on day three of nationals.
The exploits of Rodencal combined with a national runner-up medal in the shot put for senior Abby Gerber yielded an NAIA outdoor nationals finish of ninth place (24 team points) for Head Coach Matt Beisel’s women’s program. Meanwhile, the men’s one team point came courtesy of redshirt freshman Nathan Baldwin in the discus. Six individuals earned NAIA outdoor All-America status while representing Concordia.
“(It’s an) Incredible family,” Beisel said. “These athletes, coaches and staff bring so much joy to my heart. God brought all of us here at this time and blesses these relationships. I just get goosebumps so many times when watching them or talking to them. That’s really what this is all about. Like any meet, we had some disappointments, and we also had some huge highlights. I’m really proud of everybody. That’s my biggest takeaway – the connections. We also have an incredible family support base. So many parents, family members and friends came to support and watch.”
On the national stage, Rodencal ran two hurdles times faster than anyone else has ever run those events in the history of Concordia Women’s Track & Field. A very real contender to take a national title in the 400-meter hurdles, Rodencal gave three-time national champion Hannah Antkoviak of Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) a close battle to the finish. Rodencal crossed the line in 59.28, making her the national runner up to Antkoviak (58.94). Roughly an hour earlier, Rodencal ran 13.54 in the 100 hurdles and placed third. Comparatively, Rodencal’s school records in the hurdles events stand at 13.37 in the 100 and 58.90 in the 400.
Two hours later, Rodencal returned to the track to run the leadoff leg for the Bulldog 4x4. Rodencal teamed up with seniors Trinity Tuls and Isabelle Salters and junior Kayla Kirchner for a time of 3:51.02, good for seventh place. The combination of Rodencal and Tuls was timed at 1:55.45 while Salters (58.72) and Kirchner (56.84) followed with strong splits. The race represented the end of the careers for Salters and Tuls. A native of Columbus, Neb., Tuls has been part of five All-America 4x4s in her collegiate career.
One of the greatest outdoor track seasons ever put forth by a Bulldog is a credit to the determination and focused pursuits of Rodencal and her event coach, Mark Samuels. Throughout the course of the day, Samuels placed three medals over Rodencal. And she’s not done yet.
As her medals clinked together during a post-meet interview Rodencal stated, “I’m so happy. This is something I’ve been dreaming about and talking to Coach about since indoor season. I’m so glad it finally worked. We did everything we needed to do to go from not making finals last year to four-time All-American now. It kind of sounds pretty nice … A lot of it was praying and allowing God to work through me. I’m just glad it turned out to similar ways I was thinking and hoping for. I put a lot of trust in my teammates and coaches.”
As the final thrower in action wearing the baby blues this week, senior Connor Asche came within a foot of a personal best with his second attempt in the shot put on Friday. His toss landed at 52’ 7” for the fifth best mark in the first flight. Ultimately, Asche finished in 19th place. The Geneva, Neb., native also qualified in the hammer and made his third career appearance at a national meet.
A cranky back made life challenging this outdoor season for two-time All-American and two-time GPAC champion Mayson Ostermeyer. The junior from Crofton, Neb., missed on three attempts at 15’ 7” in Friday’s pole vault competition. Seeded No. 2 nationally, a healthy Ostermeyer was capable of making a run at a lofty perch on the podium. He’ll look to get back to full strength heading into his senior campaign.
The Concordia women’s program has placed inside the top 10 nationally for the eighth time in the past 11 NAIA outdoor meets. Both the men’s and women’s squads figure to regroup with high expectations for 2026.
Said Beisel in summing up the season, “We’re going to lose some great seniors. We’ve had some touching goodbyes. That’s how it always is. It brought tears to my eyes talking to Trinity about her experience. It’s this level of emotion that tells you something good happened here. You’re going to miss this. That’s a good thing. We’re going to lose some great kids, but we’re returning some outstanding kids who made a lot of progress this year. We have a class of over 50 coming in with a ton of talent. God keeps blessing us with great people. I’m just very thankful for it all.”
2025 NAIA Outdoor All-Americans
· Nathan Baldwin – Discus (8th | 160’ 10”)
· Abby Gerber – Shot Put (2nd | 49’ 7 ¾”)
· Kayla Kirchner – 4x400-Meter Relay (7th | 3:51.02)
· Adrianna Rodencal – 400-Meter Hurdles (2nd | 59.28); 100-Meter Hurdles (3rd | 13.54); 4x400-Meter Relay (7th | 3:51.02)
· Isabelle Salters – 4x400-Meter Relay (7th | 3:51.02)
· Trinity Tuls – 4x400-Meter Relay (7th | 3:51.02)