Concordia Inducts Six Into Hall of Fame

MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/10/22)--Concordia inducted five former standout student-athletes and one administrator into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday as part of the annual Homecoming festivties.   

Former 3-time men’s track and field NCAA All-American John Ault '92, 3-time women’s track and field NCAA All-American Tracy (Berntsen) Beil '95, NCAA All-American, and first-ever women’s golf MIAC champion Kelly Cornell Dorr '92, longtime Concordia Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. James Forde, women’s hockey all-time leading scorer Katie (Jacques) Andan '03 and football MIAC MVP Russ Winkels '86 were all honored as the newest members of the Hall of Fame.

| 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet Archived Video |

Jon Ault '92
John Ault is one of Concordia’s most decorated track and field athletes. The Algonquin, Ill., native was a three-time Indoor All-American in the shot put and weight throw, and was the first Cobber men’s track and field athlete to earn Indoor All-American honors. He owns the school record in the hammer throw and is second all-time in the indoor weight throw. He was a six-time Indoor All-MIAC, and four-time Outdoor All-MIAC honoree.

Under the tutelage of throwing coach Evonne Vaplon, Ault discovered the deep personal motivation needed to succeed in track and field. Although he had already earned All-American honors, it wasn’t until he strived to beat a fierce conference rival head-to-head to win the MIAC weight throw championship that he understood the difference between merely winning compared to becoming a better athlete every day.

Ault completed a master’s degree in information and communication sciences from Ball State University. During his professional career he has been a technology manager and consultant for Accenture, a network solutions manager at Pearson Education, and is currently a principal in technology consulting with Eide Bailly in Fargo. Ault has been a volunteer at his church in West Fargo and has helped with missions for youth and an adult mission trip to Jamaica. He and his wife, Chris (Reiger) ’93, Ault are the parents of two Cobbers, Alison and Erik.

Tracy (Berntsen) Beil '95
A native of Hermantown, Minn., Tracy (Berntsen) Beil was a standout in both athletics and academics during her time at Concordia. In 1995, she won the MIAC 400-meter hurdles and then placed second at NCAA nationals in that event, posting a school record time of 61.72 seconds. Beil was a three-time track All-American and also a three-time Academic All-MIAC honoree, graduating with a degree in mathematics. She still holds the outdoor school record in the 400-meter hurdles.

After two years of teaching and coaching high school, Beil earned a master’s degree in exercise sciences and biomechanics from St. Cloud State University. She then moved to Portland, Ore., where she began work in health research. She is currently a research programs manager for the Kaiser Permanente Evidence-based Practice Center, where she conducts scientific and methodological research to support guidelines for screening and prevention for primary care. She has twice been honored as Top Manager for her work at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

Beil and her husband, Ryan ’94, a Cobber track and basketball athlete, are the parents of two children, Anders and Amalie, who are both members of their college and high school track teams. 

Kelly Cornell Dorr '92
Kelly Cornell Dorr was the first-ever MIAC women’s golf champion when the conference held its inaugural tournament in 1989. She also became the first NCAA All-American in the Cobber golf program by placing fourth in the NCAA Division III National Championship in 1992. The Thief River Falls, Minn., native finished her Cobber career as a two-time MIAC champion.

A standout athlete, Dorr experienced success in three sports at Concordia. She both played and was a student coach in women’s basketball and earned MIAC All- Conference in both tennis and golf. She also earned multiple Academic All-MIAC honors.

Dorr currently teaches physical education at the Princeton, Minn., intermediate school. She has coached boys and girls basketball, golf and tennis, and is currently the boys tennis coach. Dorr coached the Princeton girls tennis team to back-to-back state tournaments, and was named Minnesota State AA girls tennis coach of the year in 2014. As an educator, she has implemented standards-based grading, started a free morning fitness class to help struggling students focus in class, and collects clothes for kids in need that she distributes to students. Dorr and her husband, Brian, are the parents of two daughters, Brianna and Kelsey, who are both standout tennis players.

Dr. James Forde
Dr. James Forde was the Concordia Faculty Athletics Representative to the MIAC from 1992-2002. In that role, he was an enthusiastic advocate for Cobber athletes, and helped promote student-athlete success in the classroom, on the playing fields and courts, and in the community. As Concordia’s Faculty Athletics Representative, he was instrumental in guiding the nominations of many deserving student-athletes for NCAA post-graduate grants, scholarships, and recognition programs.

Above all, Forde is a faithful fan of Cobber athletics, having only missed, by his count, seven home basketball and volleyball games in his years at Concordia. Among his many awards for outstanding teaching and service, he considers the 2015 Golden Cobbs Bucky Burgau Achievement Award as the most meaningful because it was voted on by Cobber student-athletes.

Forde and his wife, Jerilyn, who served as the music department coordinator for 25 years, were also regular recital and concert attendees. Be it through music or athletics, the Fordes have enjoyed many special relationships with students. For many years, Forde was a friendly, insightful speaker for Admissions events, helping incoming students understand what they could gain from their college experience. By any standard, his teaching of mathematics and his steadfast advocacy for students has been inspirational and so wonderfully joyful.

Katie (Jacques) Andan '03
Katie (Jacques) Andan is the all-time leading scorer in the Cobber women’s hockey program. She finished her storied career with 185 points and 111 goals. Her credentials include being second all-time in career assists with 74, while recording 26 game-winning goals during her four-year Cobber career. By all statistics, she is one of the all-time best to ever play MIAC women’s hockey.

A native of the unlikely ice hockey town of Tempe, Ariz., Andan was a three-time All-MIAC honoree, and an integral part of the 2003 squad that holds the program record for most MIAC wins and the highest MIAC finish in a single season.

Andan taught school in Ghana for three years after graduating from Concordia. She and her husband, John ’03, a Cobber track athlete, are the parents of eight-year old twins, a son and a daughter, Ziggy and Zubie, and live in Encinitas, Calif. She has taught fifth grade for the past 17 years in the Encinitas school system. The Andan family spends summers in John’s native country of Ghana, where they maintain a home and spend quality time with friends and family.

Russ Winkels '86
One of the captains of the outstanding 1986 Cobber football team, Russ Winkels was a vital player for an undefeated team in conference play, winning the MIAC Championship and advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA playoffs. A senior safety from Perham, Minn., Winkels was the first Cobber defensive football player to be named league MVP and one of only a handful of defensive players to win the coveted award. Winkels also earned All-America honorable mention honors in 1986. He previously was selected first team MIAC All-Conference in 1985.

Winkels initially became a computer programmer before returning to Perham to work in the public school system. He was district technology coordinator, and as facilities director, he joined the Minnesota Educational Facility Management Association working in the areas of health and safety for Minnesota K-12 schools. In 2021, Winkels was named Minnesota Facilities Management Professional of the Year.

Winkels and wife, Sheila, are the parents of three children, Nicholas, Benjamin and Johanna. The family is active in local sports activities and attend St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Perham. Winkels is an active, long-time member of the Otter Trail Riders club that maintains more than 120 miles of snowmobile trails in Otter Tail County.