Bulldog cross country duo honored again by GPAC
For the second time in the last four weeks, both Concordia senior Sarah Kortze and sophomore Ben Sievert have collected weekly honors from the GPAC, the league announced Wednesday. Kortze received the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week award, while Sievert took the same honor on the men’s side.
Kortze, who also earned NAIA National Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week on Sept. 19, clocked in at 17:48 on the 5K course at the Briar Cliff Invite on Oct. 6 in McCook Lake, S.D. With that time, the Rockford, Ill., native finished second individually among 163 runners and led the Bulldogs to third place among the field of 16 teams.
“Sarah continues to have a fantastic season,” head cross country coach Kregg Einspahr said. “All her work and patience over the past three years is really coming to fruition in her senior year.”
Sievert’s time of 25:14 at the Briar Cliff Invite marked his best performance of the season in the 8K. His time placed him third individually among the 174 competitors and fueled Concordia to a third-place finish out of 14 teams. The Frankemuth, Mich., native also earned GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week honors on Sept. 19 after a stellar race at the Woody Greeno Invite.
“Ben continues to get better every week,” Einspahr said. “He learns quickly from each race and has become a formidable runner in only his second year of college running.”
The 20th-ranked men and the 23rd-ranked women continue their seasons on Oct. 20 at the Mount Marty Invite in Yankton, S.D.