2023 CSC Cross Country/Track & Field Academic All-District
SEWARD, Neb. – The national leader for number of 2023 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, Concordia University Track & Field can now boast 10 award winners honored by College Sports Communicators (CSC). The organization recognized 10 Bulldogs on Wednesday (May 31) as 2022-23 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Team selections. The full list of Concordia honorees can be found below. Repeat Academic All-District recipients are Rachel Battershell, Zach Bennetts, Erin Mapson and Josie Puelz.
The 2022-23 Academic All-District® Cross Country/Track & Field Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Student-athletes must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in order to be nominated for this award. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA — for each gender.
Women’s Honorees
Rachel Battershell | Wheatland, Wyo.
2x 400-meter NAIA national champion … 3x CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American/All-District (entering 2023) … 13x NAIA All-American … 13 Great Plains Athletic Conference event championships … has led Concordia to nine-straight GPAC team titles and to six NAIA top-five team placements … owns school records in the indoor 400 meters (54.77), indoor 4x400m relay (3:47.39), outdoor 4x100m relay (47.40) and outdoor 4x400m relay (3:47.26) … has appeared at nine national championship meets … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Kylahn Freiberg | Nampa, Idaho
T&F: 2x Great Plains Athletic Conference event champion (indoor 1,000m and outdoor 3,000m) … 4x NAIA All-American … five NAIA national meet appearances … 2023 NAIA indoor 1,000-meter national runner up (2:54.87) … member of seven GPAC championship winning teams … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
XC: 2x GPAC All-Conference … qualified for the NAIA national meet in 2019 and 2022 … helped the 2019 team to a GPAC title while placing as the conference individual runner up … 2019 team also placed 12th nationally … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Rylee Haecker | Davenport, Neb.
T&F: 8x NAIA All-American (five in individual events; three in relays) … 6x Great Plains Athletic Conference event champion … school record holder in the outdoor 1,500 meters (4:33.84) and ranks No. 2 in on the program’s all-time indoor 1,000-meter list (2:53.68) … member of teams that have won six GPAC team championships and have placed in the top five of nationally four times … 2x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
XC: 2x All-GPAC runner; 2x NAIA national qualifier … 2x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Erin Mapson | Lincoln, Neb.
6x NAIA pole vault All-American … 8x NAIA national qualifier … on program all-time lists, ranks No. 3 for the indoor pole vault (12’ 9 ½”) and No. 4 for the outdoor pole vault (12’ 7 ½”) … won one GPAC pole vault title … 2x CoSIDA Academic All-American/All-District (entering 2023) … has helped Concordia to nine-straight GPAC team titles and to six NAIA top-five team placements … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Josie Puelz | Lincoln, Neb.
5x NAIA pole vault national champion (runner up 2023 outdoor) … 7x NAIA pole vault All-American … 6x Great Plains Athletic Conference pole vault champion … 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year award winner … 2x CoSIDA Academic All-American/All-District (entering 2023) … 2021 State College Female Athlete of the Year in the state of Nebraska by the Lincoln Journal Star … owns the GPAC conference meet records for both the indoor and outdoor pole vault and holds school records in the indoor (13’ 4 ½”) and outdoor (13’ 7 ¼”) pole vault … has helped the program to seven GPAC team titles and to five NAIA top-five team placements … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Men’s Honorees
Zach Bennetts | Denton, Neb.
2x NAIA pole vault All-American … 3x Great Plains Athletic Conference pole vault champion … 4x NAIA national qualifier … six career All-GPAC awards … 2022 CoSIDA Academic All-America/All-District … cleared 16’ 1” at the 2023 NAIA indoor national meet and placed seventh … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Joel Rathe | Sterling, Neb.
4x NAIA national qualifier … member of 4x100m relay that won 2021 Great Plains Athletic Conference title … personal best in the long jump is 23’ 9 ½” (No. 3 in school history) … 2x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Calvin Rohde | Reed City, Mich.
T&F: 4x NAIA national qualifier … won two GPAC Athlete of the Week awards in 2023 … nine career all-conference awards … owns personal bests of 3:54.98 in the 1,500 meters, 8:44.80 in the 3,000 meters, 4:12.33 in the mile and 14:42.28 in the 5,000 meters (No. 2 in school history) … 2x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
XC: 2021 NAIA national qualifier … 2x all-conference award winner … helped Concordia place second in the GPAC in 2022 … 2x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Camden Sesna | Kearney, Neb.
T&F: 2022 Great Plains Athletic Conference outdoor 5,000-meter champion … 4x NAIA national qualifier … eight career all-conference awards … owns career bests of 3:54.23 in the 1,500 meters, 8:38.78 in the 3,000 meters, 4:14.88 in the mile and 14:53.88 in the 5,000 meters … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
XC: 2x NAIA national qualifier … 2x all-conference award winner … helped Concordia place second in the GPAC in 2022 … 4x GPAC Runner of the Week … 3x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Zach Zohner | Battle Creek, Neb.
2023 NAIA indoor pole vault national runner up … 2x pole vault All-American … 2023 Great Plains Athletic Conference outdoor pole vault champion … five career all-conference awards … ranks No. 5 on school’s all-time indoor pole vault list with personal best of 16’ 6 ¾” … 2x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on June 28 (women) and June 29 (men).