Fifty-two Bulldogs officially receive GPAC track all-conference laurels

By on May. 8, 2014 in Track & Field

Fifty-two Bulldogs officially receive GPAC track all-conference laurels

GPAC release

SEWARD, Neb. – A combined total of 52 Concordia men’s and women’s track and field athletes were officially recognized on Thursday as all-conference honorees based on their performances at the 2014 GPAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships (May 2-3). The top eight individual finishers and the top three relays in each event at the conference meet claim all-conference laurels (see Concordia list below).

The program also received several prestigious individual awards. Zach Lurz earned Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year recognition after tallying more team points than any other men’s performer at the GPAC championships. In addition, senior Carson Farr and Liz King both hauled in “Top Performance of the Meet” honors and head coach Kregg Einspahr was named the men’s GPAC outdoor track and field coach of the year. Read more about these honors HERE.

The conference champion Bulldog men came through with 39 all-conference performances from 26 different individuals, including GPAC titlists , including GPAC titlists Zach Lurz (discus and shot put), John Cartier (200 meters), Carson Farr (pole vault), Ben Hinckfoot (400 meter hurdles) and Lucas Wiechman (decathlon). Of the 26 honorees, 15 were all-conference in two or more events. Concordia’s men scored points in 17 of the 22 events at the GPAC championships.

On the women’s side, another 26 athletes were named all-conference (35 total all-conference efforts), including first-place finishers Liz King (javelin), Jamie Crouse (hammer throw), Kim Wood (1,500 meter run) and Shelby Yelden (pole vault). The Bulldog women scored in 14 of 22 events. A total of nine were all-conference recipients in two events.

The following Concordia athletes were all-conference in three or more different events: Jonathon Becker, Cartier, Garrett Golke, Zach Lurz, CJ Muller, Jena Schwalenberg and Sara Simmons.

King broke her own school record as well as the GPAC meet record with her javelin toss of 157’ 8” at the conference championships. School records were also broken by the Concordia men’s 4x100 meter relay (41.48) and by Sara Simmons in the heptathlon (4,617 points).

In addition, Kregg Einspahr was named Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year after guiding the program to the first GPAC outdoor title in school history. Einspahr also earned conference indoor coach of the year recognition earlier this year.

MEN (26)

  • Jonathon Becker (second in 110 meter hurdles; second in 400 meter hurdles; third in 4x400 meter relay)
  • Beau Billings (seventh in 3,000 meter steeplechase)
  • Cody Boellstorff (second in hammer throw; sixth in shot put)
  • Brock Braniff (eighth in hammer throw)
  • Trevor Bresson (fifth in 400 meter hurdles)
  • Travis Brown (eighth in triple jump)
  • John Cartier (first in 200 meter dash; second in 400 meter dash; third in 4x100 meter relay; third in 4x400 meter relay)
  • Brandon Cook (third in decathlon)
  • Trey Farmer (fourth in hammer throw; fifth in shot put)
  • Carson Farr (first in pole vault)
  • Garrett Golke (third in 4x100 meter relay; seventh in 200 meter dash; eighth in 100 meter dash)
  • Alex Heiden (third in 4x400 meter relay)
  • Ben Hinckfoot (first in 400 meter hurdles; fourth in 110 meter hurdles)
  • Thomas Hinrichs (seventh in 400 meter hurdles)
  • Hayden Hohnholt (third in 3,000 meter steeplechase)
  • Jacob Kettner (fourth in triple jump)
  • Philip Kreutzer (seventh in shot put)
  • Jordan Larrington (seventh in hammer throw)
  • Zach Lurz (first in shot put; first in discus; third in hammer throw)
  • CJ Muller (third in 400 meter dash; third in 4x400 meter relay; fifth in 200 meter dash)
  • Tai Pleasant (third in 4x100 meter relay; fourth in 100 meter dash)
  • Brandon Ramos (second in decathlon)
  • Ben Sievert (third in 1,500 meter run; fifth in 5,000 meter run)
  • Josh Slechta (fifth in javelin; seventh in discus)
  • Noah Smith (third in 100 meter dash; third in 4x100 meter relay)
  • Lucas Wiechman (first in decathlon; fourth in pole vault)

WOMEN (26)

  • Kierstyn Besel (eighth in heptathlon)
  • Ashley Canfield (sixth in 10,000 meter run)
  • Kattie Cleveland (fifth in discus)
  • Stephanie Coley (second in shot put; seventh in discus)
  • Jamie Crouse (first in hammer throw)
  • Alayna Daberkow (fifth in 400 meter hurdles)
  • Brittany Erdmann (sixth in discus; seventh in shot put)
  • Kellie Fegter (fifth in pole vault)
  • Paige Getz (sixth in heptathlon)
  • Montana Hayes (seventh in heptathlon)
  • Shelby Hohnholt (eighth in 10,000 meter run)
  • Liz King (first in javelin)
  • Nicole Perry (eighth in hammer throw)
  • Lydia Pomerenke (third in heptathlon; seventh in javelin)
  • Kali Robb (fifth in shot put; sixth in hammer throw)
  • Erika Schroeder (third in 4x800 meter relay; fifth in 3,000 meter steeplechase)
  • Jena Schwalenberg (third in 4x800 meter relay; sixth in 1,500 meter run; sixth in 5,000 meter run)
  • Katelyn Shoup (third in triple jump)
  • Sara Simmons (second in heptathlon; fifth in 100 meter hurdles; eighth in javelin)
  • Shelby Stolze (eighth in 400 meter hurdles)
  • Katricia Svoboda (fourth in javelin; eighth in discus)
  • Marti Vlasin (third in 4x800 meter relay)
  • Jenean Williams (third in 4x800 meter relay; eighth in 1,500 meter run)
  • Renee Williams (fourth in 3,000 meter steeplechase; seventh in 5,000 meter run)
  • Kim Wood (first in 1,500 meter run)
  • Shelby Yelden (first in pole vault)