Bulldog men finish 21st in NAIA cross country poll

NAIA Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Postseason Poll

NAIA Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Postseason Poll

Following a GPAC championship season and 21st place team finish at the NAIA National Championships on Nov. 17, the Bulldog men’s cross country team concludes the season at No. 21 in the NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll. The NAIA released the poll on Wednesday.

Concordia reached a high water mark in 2012 of 13th in the national rankings with the unveiling of the final regular season poll announced on Nov. 4. Head coach Kregg Einspahr’s men held down the No. 19 spot in the preseason edition and remained rated among the nation’s top 25 teams throughout the entire season. The Bulldogs finished 2011 unranked after missing the national championships.

The women fell just outside of the rankings and are listed as the first team in the “others receiving votes” category. They were ranked 10th in the preseason and jumped as high as ninth in 2012. Led by senior two-time All-American Sarah Kortze, the Bulldog women also appeared in each of the first nine national polls in 2012. Concordia completed the 2011 season ranked No. 17 nationally after a 17th place finish at nationals.

In terms of national championships appearances and overall team finishes, the Bulldogs have one of the NAIA’s top cross country programs for both men and women. Using a formula created by the NAIA Cross Country Coaches Association, Concordia has the top women’s program in the NAIA since 1980 among current members. Meanwhile, the men rank sixth in the NAIA among current programs when applying the same formula to all national championships since 1957.