Midland Posts Strong Results at Concordia Early Bird Meet

SEWARD, Neb. — Midland University was back in action Friday and Saturday at the Concordia Early Bird meet in Seward, Nebraska. The Warriors competed in several events, with many athletes recording personal bests, meet bests, and season-best performances. The meet featured 15 teams, including Great Plains Athletic Conference members Concordia (Neb.), Doane, Morningside, and Mount Marty.

After claiming his first collegiate win in the 60-meter race last Saturday, Isaac Dorn secured another first-place finish (6.87) in the 60-meter prelims on Friday. Following close behind, his brother Isaiah finished second and qualified for the finals with a time of 6.98. Ja'Myri Bernard also qualified for the 60-meter final, recording a personal best of 7.01 and finishing sixth. Bernard's prelim time moves him up to fifth in Midland's school history. In the 60-meter final on Sunday, Isaac placed second (6.86), Isaiah finished third (6.89), and Bernard secured eighth place (7.17).

In the heptathlon, Marcos Riano Aransay finished with a personal best of 7.55 seconds in the 60-meter dash and posted an eighth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.52.

Isaac Dorn also led the field in the 200-meter race, earning his second first-place finish of the weekend with a time of 22.01. Isaiah Dorn finished second (22.15), while Jameson Painter placed ninth (22.77).

Making his season debut, Noah Sherman led the Warriors in the 600-meter race, finishing sixth with a personal best of 1:26.25.

Lucas Hjortkjaer carried momentum from his cross country season into the meet, leading the 1,000-meter race with a time of 2:32.21. Preston Penney also earned a top-10 finish, placing ninth at 3:00.72. In the heptathlon 1,000-meter race, Penney finished fifth with a time of 3:00.78.

Brenden Walton made his 2025 debut in the high jump, clearing 1.74 meters for an eighth-place finish.

In the heptathlon long jump, both Liam McGlynn and Marcos Riano Aransay posted personal bests, finishing ninth (6.03 meters) and 12th (5.97 meters), respectively. McGlynn's performance ranks fourth all-time at Midland, while Riano Aransay moves into sixth. Bennett Meyer also recorded a personal best in the long jump with a distance of 6.15 meters.

In the pole vault, both Midland competitors placed in the top 10. McGlynn cleared 3.95 meters for second place, while Riano Aransay finished 10th at 3.05 meters. In the triple jump, Jonathan Edberg placed seventh with a mark of 13.16 meters.

To close out the meet, the Warriors' 4,000-meter distance medley team — Koen Steenblok, Raheem Richards, Braden Taylor, and Lucas Hjortkjaer — finished first overall in 10:16.68. Their time qualifies them for Nationals and ranks second all-time in Midland school history for the event. In the 4x400-meter relay, Chris Medlock, Noah Sherman, Isaac Dorn, and Isaiah Dorn finished third in 3:23.87, the sixth-fastest 4x400 relay time in school history.

The Warriors return to action after the new year at the Dordt Open in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Jan. 10. The meet is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m.