Five Bulldogs came through with new automatic national qualifying standards and Lauren Dawson broke the school's race walk record at the Central Nebraska Challenge. The meet also saw five Concordia athletes win event titles.
Seven-time NAIA All-American Rylee Haecker garnered GPAC Track Athlete of the Week honors after winning races in the 1,500 meters and as part of the 4x800 meter relay at the Grand View Viking Relays.
A group made up of mostly distance runners and throwers represented Concordia University Track & Field in the program’s first outdoor meet of the 2023 season. Collectively, the Bulldogs won six event titles at the Grand View Viking Relays.
Outdoor track season has nearly arrived for the Bulldogs, who are coming off indoor GPAC placements of first for the women and third for the men. The dynamics change with a different set of events on tap for outdoor track.
Courtesy of their performances at the 2023 NAIA indoor national meet, 11 Bulldogs have earned All-America awards. The list includes pole vault national champ Josie Puelz and national runners up Kylahn Freiberg and Zach Zohner.
It was a day for underdogs as Kylahn Freiberg and Zach Zohner earned national runner up finishes while starring for the Bulldogs on the final day of the 2023 NAIA indoor national meet. The women placed sixth as a team while the men placed 31st.
Driven by her pursuit of excellence, Josie Puelz has achieved greatness. She won her fifth career NAIA pole vault national title while leading the way for the Bulldogs on Friday (March 3). Erin Mapson also earned a podium finish in the pole vault.
On day one of the NAIA National Championship meet, 13 athletes represented the Bulldogs in Brookings, S.D. Most notably, the Concordia women's 4x4 qualified for the finals as one of three relays to run on Thursday (March 2).
The 2023 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships will wrap up the indoor season for the Bulldogs, who will send 32 athletes to Brookings, S.D. Concordia's field includes 14 past All-Americans.
In conjunction with the NAIA's release of 2023 indoor national qualifiers, Concordia Track & Field has announced its qualifying roster of 32 Bulldogs. They will be headed to Brookings, S.D., for the 2023 national indoor meet March 2-4.
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."