A group of five Bulldogs from the Concordia University Track & Field program have been honored for their academic and athletic excellence. The Academic All-District award winners include Rachel Battershell, Zach Bennetts, Jacob Jennings, Erin Mapson and Josie Puelz.
The second day of the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships ended in thrilling fashion for Concordia, which had both of its 4x400 meter relays break school records and qualify for the finals of the event.
Josie Puelz reigned atop the NAIA pole vault world once again while claiming one of four All-America awards won by Bulldogs on Wednesday (May 25). Other All-Americans were hammer throwers Alli Owings, Sarah Ragland and Chris Wren.
Concordia's 2022 outdoor national qualifying field of 35 athletes have combined for 64 career All-America awards. The Bulldogs are bound for Gulf Shores, Ala., where they hope to add to that total during the three-day national meet.
For the 11th time in his career, Ed McLaughlin has been recognized with NAIA Midwest Region Coach of the Year accolades from the USTFCCCA. McLaughlin oversees a women's throws group rated No. 1 nationally in the shot put, hammer and discus.
Concordia Track & Field will travel 35 athletes to the 2022 NAIA outdoor national championship meet set to be held in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 25-27. The women's program has placed top five at each of the past five national meets.
It's been a fruitful final weekend of pre-nationals action for the Bulldogs, who added three new automatic national qualifying marks at the Loper Twilight on Saturday (May 14). That brings the program total to 26 'A' standards this outdoor season.
Concordia Track & Field continues to trend in the right direction as the outdoor national meet draws nearer. The Bulldogs added four 'A' standards at Friday (May 13)'s Concordia Twilight, which also saw Amy Richert improve in the heptathlon.
For their work last week at the GPAC Championships, Matt Beisel has been named the GPAC Women's Coach of the Year and Jordan Koepke was honored with the GPAC Track Performance of the Meet. Fifty-three Bulldogs earned all-conference recognition.
A pair of twilight meets will serve as the last chance opportunities for Concordia Track & Field athletes. The Bulldogs will host the Concordia Twilight Meet on Friday while looking to put more national qualifying marks on the board.
While plenty of All-Americans and GPAC champions have departed, Head Coach Matt Beisel and company are eager to see how the pieces fit together for 2024-25 track teams with the usual lofty aspirations.
She's one of a kind for so many reasons. In five years as a Concordia Bulldog, Josie Puelz not only won five NAIA national titles, she did so with class and that signature smile while living out her Christian faith.
The collegiate journey for Chris Wren culminated with a hammer throw national title. This mountaintop moment was meant to be for Wren, who looks back at his Concordia experience and how it transformed his life.
While feeling the best she ever has physically and mentally, Hastings native Jenna Esch has thrived in her third and final year as a Bulldog. Says Esch, "It’s been really special what I’ve been able to do, especially with this group of people."
On the heels of a fine indoor season, Concordia Track & Field sets its focus upon the 2024 outdoor campaign. The Bulldogs will attempt to build upon the All-America awards won by 15 individuals at the indoor national meet.
The ‘aha moment’ for Zach Zohner occurred during the middle of the 2023 indoor season when he decided he would no longer let the fear of injury monopolize his thoughts. The right mentality set him on a path to a national title.
Energetic and intensely competitive, Rylee Haecker has been described by coaches as "a gamer." Beyond athletics, Haecker is caring and outgoing, is a positive encourager of her teammates and is devout in her faith.
If the Bulldog Early Bird Meet is any indication, Concordia Track & Field is in for a phenomenal 2023-24 indoor season. The Bulldogs enter 2024 expecting to compete with the best of the GPAC and the NAIA once again.
With only a cinder track and no dedicated indoor facilities, Coach John Knight went to work building up the Concordia Cross Country and Track & Field programs. He succeeded in landing some of the top athletes in school history.
In winding down a fifth year of a remarkable collegiate journey, the triple major Rachel Battershell has rediscovered the joy that made her a champion. Nearing the finish line, Battershell reflected on an experience she calls "really special."
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Track & Field