LINCOLN, Neb. – In the final larger scale meet prior to the GPAC Championships, several Concordia University Track & Field athletes took to Woody Greeno Track for the Prairie Wolf Invite hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan on Thursday (April 22). Most significantly, Bethany Shaw notched a fresh automatic national qualifying mark in the hammer throw while Dagne’ Buck outdistanced his previous personal best by more than five feet in the hammer.
A number of elite athletes from Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads are looking forward to the Drake Relays over the next couple of days. However, the Prairie Wolf Invite served as an important lead-up to the conference championships for the Bulldogs, who came away with five event titles on Thursday.
The national qualifying list for the women’s throws continues to grow with Bethany Shaw’s performance. Her winning hammer throw mark at the Prairie Wolf Invite measured in at 166’ 6.” The Concordia women have qualified six individuals in the discus, four in the shot put, three in the hammer and one in the javelin. Also on Thursday, Sarah Huss won the discus competition and Jordyn Anderson took first in the shot put. Huss, Shaw and Morgan De Jong went 1-2-3 in the women’s discus.
Buck placed second on the men’s side of the hammer with his PR of 179’ 11.” His previous best was 174’ 11.” The Bulldog men have qualified three athletes for nationals in the hammer (including NAIA national leader Jacob Cornelio and Chris Wren). In addition, Ben Moll hit the provisional mark in the hammer with his throw of 171’ 7” on Thursday.
Additional event champions included Mackenzie Koepke in the high jump and Amy Richert in the long jump. A couple of noteworthy efforts on the men’s side saw Joel Rathe place second in the 100 meter dash (11.04) and Calvin Rohde place third in the 800 meters (1:58.48).
The Bulldogs will end the week with select athletes competing at the Drake Relays on Friday and Saturday. A list of competitors and meet info can be found HERE.
Prairie Wolf Invite titles
· Jordyn Anderson – Shot Put (43’ 7”)
· Sarah Huss – Discus (140’)
· Mackenzie Koepke – High Jump (5’ 1 ¾”)
· Amy Richert – Long Jump (18’ 2 ½”)
· Bethany Shaw – Hammer (166’ 6”)