ST. PAUL, Minn. - With 80+ athletes on the roster and bevy of talented returners, the Concordia-St. Paul men's and women's track and field teams are primed to once again reach new heights and goals. Here is a look at the team as the whole and some of the possible standout athletes for CSP track and field in 2019.
TEAM OVERVIEWS
In November of 2018, the NSIC released their Preseason Coaches' Poll. The women's team was picked to finish 8th out of 15 NSIC competitors, while the men's squad garnered an 8th place finish in the 11-team poll.
Both the men's and the women's team started the season at the Chuck Petersen Open hosted by Minnesota State. They combined to take home 18 top-10 finishes. The men's teams finished in fourth place while the women's team took seventh place in Mankato.
Nasru Wado set a school record in the the weight throw in the opening meet of the season with a toss of 56' 5.25". On the women's side, Hannah Gustafson stood out with two top-ten finishes in the shot put (5th) and and weight throw (7th).
The teams will make the short trip to the University of Minnesota for the Minnesota Open on January 12th for their next meet. With the meet falling before the spring semester begins, about half of CSP's roster will compete.
Sam Johnson is in his 7th season as the head coach for the Golden Bears and added a full-time assistant to the program in Lina Baker. Baker comes in as the throws coach and the recruiting coordinator, and will help Johnson manage his biggest team in his tenure at CSP.
"Coach Baker has been doing a great job, [and the throws group] has already surpassed [many of their top marks] from last year," Johnson stated. "Some big things are going to come from the those groups."
The addition of Baker to the staff has also been beneficial for more than just the throwing athletes, as her work with recruiting and team organization has allowed Johnson and other coaches to focus more time on the groups that they are coaching. "She's a young coach, and she's showed that she's a career coach and that she wants it," Johnson stated. "She's got a good group of athletes to work with."
The women's team brings back 22 returners while the men's team will bring back 31 athletes from the 2017-18 roster. With a bigger roster and variety of talented returners, Johnson views both the men's and the women's team as having some of the best depth in his time at Concordia. Here is a look at some of the standout athletes to watch for CSP track and field in 2019.
ATHLETES TO WATCH: MEN
The men's team brings back nearly all of their point-scorers from the 2018 NSIC Championships. "We really do have people in every single group that can make an impact at the conference level," Johnson stated. "We're looking to build off that momentum that the cross country group was able to [create] in the fall."
Cross country and track athlete Caleb Troe will bring leadership on and off the track. "He's been great for the cross country team and the distance program as a whole." Johnson stated. "He's really had to [work hard] for everything that he has achieved after not being a highly recruited athlete out of high school."
Troe set six school records for CSP last year, including three indoor and three outdoor marks. The senior long-distance runner has the school record in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races. "Caleb has really developed on the track and cross country course, not only physically, but really has brought a piece of leadership that the men's team has needed this year," Johnson stated.
Another distance runner that has the potential to make an big impact this season is junior Benjamin Allen. "He has all the talent in the world," Johnson stated of the North St. Paul, Minn. native. "Ben is an athlete, that if he gets to the national meet, has a real chance of being an All-American."
Allen was a USTFCCCA All-Region performer in 2018, and broke five school records on the year. He was named All-NSIC in two Indoor events (800m, mile) and one outdoor event (1500m) and collected an eye-popping 25 top five finishes in 2018. "Ben's got foot speed for a middle distance runner that is pretty [rare]," Johnson stated.
In the field events, Nasru Wado and Marcus Gustaveson have potential to break school records this year for throws. Wado already topped the indoor weight throw mark by a significant margin while Gustaveson finished second in the shot put at the Chuck Petersen Open. Gustaveson also earned All-NSIC honors in the shot put in both the indoor and outdoor season, and also broke the discus record last April.
Drew Dockendorf is another name to look out for, especially around championship season. The sophomore pole vaulter won the NSIC conference meet as a true freshman. "He's going to be back this year as an individual with national meet aspirations," Johnson said. Dockendorf holds the school record in the pole vault and was All-NSIC in the event in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2018.
Johnson tabbed Marcus Haskins as new contributor to watch for Concordia. Haskins, a dual-sport athlete, earned All-American honors in football as a cornerback. "He's a really gritty tough competitor when it comes to racing on the track," Johnson stated. "I believe he's got a chance to contribute in a number of individual events and relays." The Cottage Grove, Minn. native could compete in a variety of events according to Johnson, including the 600m, 4x400, 400, and distance medley relays.
"[The men's team] has some high expectations, probably some of the highest expectations for a group since 2015," Johnson reflected. "I think now that we've got some stability and some veterans who have been through those higher expectations a couple of times, they might be a little bit more relaxed and confident in what they are capable of."
ATHLETE'S TO WATCH: WOMEN
The women's team lost two All-Americans in Kalle Burney and Wakpor Rengel (Ighovojah) from the 2017-18 roster, but they will return talent across the board in 2019. "We have the opportunities to score with a lot more different individuals," Johnson stated.
"For the ladies, it's really about the group coming back," the head coach remarked. One athlete that Johnson pointed to that could be a standout performer was sophomore sprinter Toni Canfall. "Toni had a blistering freshman campaign," Johnson stated. The 7th-year coach said that Canfall has goals of qualifying for a national meet in her second year after the her successful rookie season. The Florida native was All-NSIC performer last year in 100m, and and broke the school record in both the 100m and 200m. She also claimed 13 top-five finishes and five wins in 2018.
Johnson also said that the women's team will have strong leadership for the 2019 season. "We've got a couple of well established leaders that are back in the mix this season," the head coach reflected. "Maddy Kunshier and Hannah Gustafson have both been contributors from a performance standpoint since their freshman year. As they've matured in the program, they've really upped their game when it comes to being organizers for our team."
Kunshier is part of a sprints group for the women's team that is strength of the squad, according to Johnson. Gustafson, along with sophomore Tia Donlan, have already seen improvements early in the season with the help of the assistant coach, Baker. Donlan holds the CSP outdoor record in the discus throw while Gustafson broke the record in the outdoor shot put last spring.
Kara Lindberg is another athlete to watch, as she had a breakout campaign in her freshman season in the long distance events for the Golden Bears. She earned 14 top-ten finishes last year and will look to carry over momentum from a strong year on the cross country courses in the the fall of 2018.
While returners will likely provide most of the points for CSP on both the track and the field events, Johnson is excited about the future prospects for some of his rookies. One newcomer to the team that could make an impact is Arika Robinson. "She's got some pedigree, she's got championship type background and we are excited about her," Johnson stated.
LOOKING AHEAD
Starting with the Minnesota Open on January 12th, both teams will be busy with six indoor meets before the NSIC Indoor Championships on February 22nd and 23rd in Mankato, Minnesota. The NCAA Indoor Championship will be held on March 8th and 9th in Pittsburg, Kansas.
After their short trip to Minneapolis this weekend, the team will travel to the South Dakota State before back-to-back meets in Mankato. CSP will then compete in a meet in Maryville, Mo., hosted by Northwest Missouri State. Then men's and women's teams will proceed to split up for meets on on back-to-back days in February at the University of Minnesota before the NSIC Championships. The full schedule can be seen here.
Looking at the program's growth in numbers and the school records that continue to fall at a rapid pace, Johnson is looking forward to continuing to build up his current athletes and future Golden Bears. "From my standpoint as a coach who loves to develop kids and move into bigger and better things in the program, we want to continue to develop the level of the recruit that we are bringing in," the head coach remarked.
Johnson stated that seeing his athletes develop and reach achievements at the end of their careers is one of the most rewarding parts of the job. With roster's full of returning talent and leadership, Concordia-St. Paul's track and field team is primed to collect another set of achievements and continue to knock down school records in 2019.
