ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul department of athletics has announced its 2021-22 CSP Female and Male Athletes of the Year with senior track & field athletes
Arika Robinson and
Jakob Tordsen earning the honors.
The honor awards the top athletic performers among Concordia's student-athletes with criteria focused on, but not limited to, performance in competition. Nominations for the award were solicited from head coaches of each program and voted on by athletic department head coaches, administrators and support staff.
This is the second year in a row and second time ever that the CSP track & field program has swept the female and male honors in the same year since records were kept of the annual honor dating back to 2006-07.
Robinson, a two-time individual high jump national champion in 2021-22, joins
Toni Canfall (2020-21) and Wakpor Ighovojah (2017-18) to become the third female track & field athlete of the year at CSP. Tordsen is the fifth male track & field athlete to earn the honor, joining last year's selection
Marcus Gustaveson,
Benjamin Allen (2018-19), Mike Cullen (2014-15) and Nate Thienes (2012-13).
ARIKA ROBINSON, track & field
(Multi-Event, 5-8, Sr., St. Paul, Minn. / Concordia Academy / Sioux Falls)
NCAA Indoor National Champion – High Jump
NCAA Outdoor National Champion – High Jump
All-America Second Team – Pentathlon (NCAA Indoor) & Heptathlon (NCAA Outdoor)
Five-Time All-American
CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team
"Even a casual observer can grasp the significance of an individual national championship, let alone a double individual national championship. But what makes Arika's story so much more endearing is the journey that has preceded the accolades. She has shown the ability to treat adversity as just another bar to clear or hurdle to push through. From a significant foot injury at indoor conference championships in 2020, getting pulled off the track at the 2020 indoor national meet as the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, to another foot surgery in 2021 to shore up a failed surgery from 2020, Arika has met every obstacle and challenge with the mindset that nothing will stop her from pursuing her dreams. As a coach, it is my belief that teaching, guiding and mentoring our student-athletes on how to pursue dreams and goals in the face of adversity is one of the most important things we can do for them because doing so transcends sport. Arika is a shining example of this and what can be accomplished with the right mix of talent, dedication and mindset."
– head coach Sam Johnson
- 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team
- 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Champion in the high jump
- 2021-22 NCAA Division II Indoor National Champion in the high jump
- 2022 USTFCCCA First Team All-America in the outdoor high jump
- 2022 USTFCCCA Second Team All-America in the heptathlon
- 2021-22 USTFCCCA First Team All-America in the indoor high jump
- 2021-22 USTFCCCA Second Team All-America in the pentathlon
- 2020-21 USTFCCCA Second Team All-America in the indoor high jump
- 2022 USTFCCCA Central Region Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year
- Three-time USTFCCCA All-Region in the high jump
- 2021-22 USTFCCCA All-Region in the pentathlon
- 2022 USTFCCCA All-Region in the heptathlon
- 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team
- Four-time national qualifier in the high jump
- Two-time national qualifier in the multi-event
- 2021-22 NSIC Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year
- 2022 NSIC Outdoor Preseason Athlete of the Year
- Six-time NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence
- Two-time NSIC Champion in the high jump
- 2021-22 NSIC Champion in the pentathlon
- Three-time All-NSIC in the high jump
- Won the heptathlon at the 2022 Drake Relays
- Holds the school record in both the indoor and outdoor high jump
- USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week (3/22/22)
JAKOB TORDSEN, track & field
(Multi-Event, 6-3, 205, Sr., Wausau, Wis. / Wausau West HS)
All-America First Team – decathlon
All-America Second Team – heptathlon
Five-Time NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence
"For many, Jake's performance this season may look like a surprising overnight success story. But for those who have watched more intently and patiently, you can't help but take notice of the persistent development he has shown over the course of his time at CSP. As Jake will remind us, he was the first-year athlete that finished dead-last in the heptathlon at indoor conference championships his freshman season. To say he has come a long way would be an understatement. But it didn't happen overnight and didn't occur without endless amounts of time, energy and focus placed in his offseason training and willingness to really study the 10 events in his training. We knew that Jake's individual events were improving consistently but you really only get a few opportunities each season to put all the events together and contest a combined event discipline. We are so pleased that all of the variables lined up this year and that he is able to be recognized for the time and energy he has given to CSP Athletics."
– head coach Sam Johnson
- 2022 USTFCCCA First Team All-America in the decathlon
- 2012-22 USTFCCCA Second Team All-America in the heptathlon
- 2022 USTFCCCA All-Region in the decathlon
- Two-time All-NSIC in the heptathlon
- Five-time NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence
- Set the school record in the decathlon with 7243 points at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
- Set the school record in the heptathlon with 5279 points at the NSIC Indoor Championships
- Set the school record in the javelin throw with a distance of 190'8" at the Drake Relays
- Won the decathlon at the Drake Relays
- Took fourth in the decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
- Took ninth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships
- Finished second in the heptathlon in the NSIC Indoor Championships
- Won the heptathlon at the SDSU Holiday Open & Multi
- Won the high jump at the Mark Schuck Open & Multi
- Helped the 4x400m relay team to a win in the NSIC & Friends Indoor Challenge
- Tallied 18 top-five finishes in eight different events on the season
