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SEWARD, Neb. – Unseasonably cold temperatures resulted in a condensed Concordia Outdoor Invite that included athletes from 11 institutions. The field of competitors braved consistent wind gusts as part of a meet that spanned roughly eight hours long with the throws alone on Saturday (April 5). As darkness set upon Bulldog Stadium and the throwing fields on the northeast corner of campus, members of the Concordia University, Nebraska Track & Field team had combined for 12 event championships.
While the Concordia Invite wasn’t what Head Coach Matt Beisel and his staff had originally envisioned, the meet allowed for progress to be made across a number of event areas.
“We have had to make significant changes to this meet several times the last few years because of weather,” Beisel said. “It ended up better than the projections were, but we all agreed it was wise not to run the sprints or hurdles. We don’t like the fact that they missed another opportunity to compete. On the other hand, we were able to have a mini distance carnival with some good competition and had some really good results in spite of the wind.”
Beisel also broke down a slew of strong performances in the field events, which made up the bulk of the meet. It was a fine day for senior Abby Gerber, who emerged with wins in the discus (138’ 2”), hammer throw (163’ 7”) and shot put (47’ 3”) (fields for throws were split between NCAA/NJCAA and NAIA). Gerber’s toss in the shot put represented a season best and an NAIA automatic national qualifying mark. Other Concordia Invite champions in the throws were Connor Asche in the men’s hammer (175’ 10”) and Nathan Baldwin in the men’s discus (156’ 4”).
In other event areas, Concordia first-place claims were made by Lucas Corwin in the men’s 800 meters (2:00.55), Luke Hammang in the 5,000-meter race walk (25:50.36), Ellie Jander in the women’s 5,000 meters (19:41.89), Adysen McCarter in the triple jump (38’ 1 ½”), Mayson Ostermeyer in the pole vault (15’ 9 ¼”), Trey Robertson in the men’s 5,000 meters (15:12.82) and Trinity Tuls in the 800 meters (2:17.83). Due to the conditions, there were only four different running events that took place on Saturday afternoon.
Robertson’s win was particularly exciting in that he held off Bellevue’s Xavier Mallow (15:12.82) in a photo finish. Normally a 400-meter runner, Tuls gave the 800 a try and put forth a time that got Beisel’s attention. As for Hammang, his efforts in the race walk resulted in a new NAIA ‘B’ standard. In the 1,500 meters, Concordia’s top competitors were Trevor Kuncl (4:09.09; second place) on the men’s side and Hannah Beintema (5:19.60; fourth place) on the women’s side.
Said Beisel, “Trinity running 2:17 and winning the 800 was a big highlight. Another highlight that I saw was Trey Robertson and a Bellevue guy raced the last 150-to-200 meters, neck-and-neck to the finish. Trey ran one of the best races of his life. That was fun … I tried to be out with the throws a lot today until the running events got going. They are a lot of fun to talk to. Abby Gerber had a big day.” Beisel also made mention of strong efforts in the jumps from standouts such as McCarter, Josi Noble, Kiki Nyanok and Aaron Spivey.
McCarter earned a meet title while following up her school record in the triple jump a week earlier. She was backed in the triple jump by Noble, who landed at 37’ ½” on Saturday. Spivey jumped 44’ 11” (second place) in the men’s triple. Meanwhile, Nyanok went 18’ 3 ¾” in the long jump. In that same event, star hurdler Adrianna Rodencal placed third at 17’ 9.” The team’s top high jumpers were Addie Reimer (5’ 3 ¼”) on the women’s side and Jaxon Lipker (6’ 1 ¼”) on the men’s side. All the jumps took place inside the Fieldhouse in avoidance of the wind.
The pole vault also took place indoors. The current NAIA leader, Ostermeyer won the competition by two-and-a-half feet. On the women’s side of the vault, Lillee Richard topped the Bulldogs by clearing 10’ 6 ¼.”
All four throws events played out to their completion on Saturday. The extravaganza began right at noon with Baldwin winning in the discus. The throws competitions were filled with Bulldogs as exemplified by the men’s hammer, which included Concordia athletes in each of the top six places (in the NAIA competition). Josiah Edwards placed as the runner up to Asche in the event. In the javelin, the Bulldogs were paced by the likes of Matthew Boyer (191’ 3”) for men and Gretchen Stottlemyre (118’) for women. Baldwin wrapped up the men’s throws by finishing second in the shot put.
Concordia Invite Event Champions
· Connor Asche – NAIA Hammer Throw (175’ 10”)
· Nathan Baldwin – NAIA Discus (156’ 4”)
· Lucas Corwin – 800 Meters (2:00.55)
· Abby Gerber – NAIA Hammer Throw (163’ 7”); NAIA Discus (138’ 2”); NAIA Shot Put (47’ 3”)
· Luke Hammang – 5,000-Meter Race Walk (25:50.36)
· Ellie Jander – 5,000 Meters (19:41.89)
· Adysen McCarter – Triple Jump (38’ 1 ½”)
· Mayson Ostermeyer – Pole Vault (15’ 9 ¼”)
· Trey Robertson – 5,000 Meters (15:12.82)
· Trinity Tuls – 800 Meters (2:17.83)
Said Beisel in summary, “Our kids were ready for competition. They went out and did what they normally do. They had fun with each other and when it came time to get serious, they got serious and did the best they could. I’m proud of them and thankful for our coaches, parents and alumni. I’m excited about what the rest of the season holds.”
The season will resume next Saturday (April 12) with the Hastings College Bronco Invite. The first action is scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m. CT from the Jack Osborne Track Complex in Hastings.