SEWARD, Neb. – Courtesy of their performances at the GPAC Championships, three Bulldogs have earned a trip to Vancouver, Wash., for the 2021 NAIA Cross Country National Championships. The meet will get underway Friday morning from the Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course, where Rylee Haecker, Calvin Rohde and Camden Sesna will represent Concordia.
Meet Info – 2021 NAIA Cross Country National Championships
Friday, Nov. 19
Men’s 8K Race – 10:30 a.m. PT (12:30 p.m. CT)
Women’s 5K Race – 11:30 a.m. PT (1:30 p.m. CT)
Awards Ceremony – 1 p.m. PT (3 p.m. CT)
Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course (Vancouver, Wash.)
Live Coverage: Results | Stream
--NOTE: All-America honors are awarded to the top 40 men’s and women’s finishers.
The 2021 national meet will mark the 66th annual event for the men and 42nd annual race for the women. This year’s national championship field is set to include 36 teams and 82 individual qualifiers on the men’s side and 36 teams and 90 individual qualifiers on the women’s side. Head Coach Matt Beisel led the Bulldog women’s program to a team nationals appearance in 2019 when it placed 12th in the NAIA. Meanwhile, Concordia has qualified men’s runners for the NAIA meet for the first time since Ben Sievert in 2014.
2021 Concordia Cross Country National Qualifiers
Rylee Haecker | Davenport, Neb.
· First career cross country national championship appearance.
· Placed seventh at the 2021 GPAC Championships with a 5k time of 19:19.69 and earned All-GPAC accolades.
· Claimed All-America honors in the 1,000 meters and as part of the distance medley relay at the 2021 NAIA indoor track & field national championships.
· Haecker: “There were multiple things to go through my mind (when I qualified for nationals). I was so relieved and overjoyed. God continually shows up through this year and this is just one of the examples. After a rocky start to the year, it is all by God and His strength that I made it to Nationals. God deserves all the glory always … I am most looking forward to racing against other great competitors and honestly going to the west coast in general.”
2021 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight – 19:46.71 (63rd/329)
Morningside Invite – 19:42.15 (7th/53)
Briar Cliff Invite – 18:54.31 (20th/130)
Mount Marty Invite – 19:03.49 (5th/129)
GPAC Championships – 19:19.69 (7th/98)
Calvin Rohde | Reed City, Mich.
· First career cross country national championship appearance.
· Placed 10th at the GPAC Championships with an 8k time of 26:58.46 and earned All-GPAC accolades.
· This past outdoor track season, Rohde garnered all-conference accolades in the steeplechase.
· Rohde: “Before the (conference) race, I knew I had a shot to qualify for the meet if I ran a great race, so during the race I was counting places and making sure I knew where I was. As the race went on, my chances kept looking better and better. At the finish line I knew I had one of the individual qualifying spots. I was obviously excited because I ran and executed a great race, but I was also very thankful for the team around me and the opportunity to run with them … I think I'm most looking forward to running in a pack full of people the entire race (at nationals). There aren't many races where that can happen for the whole race.”
2021 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight (4 miles) – 21:19.90 (75th/344)
Morningside Invite – 26:12.11 (4th/70)
Briar Cliff Invite – 26:31.43 (14th/133)
Mount Marty Invite – 27:09.82 (32nd/141)
GPAC Championships – 26:58.46 (10th/90)
Camden Sesna | Kearney, Neb.
· First career cross country national championship appearance.
· Placed seventh at the GPAC Championships with an 8k time of 26:34.08 and earned All-GPAC accolades.
· Competed at the 2021 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships as part of the distance medley relay; raced to a runner-up finish in the steeplechase at the 2021 GPAC outdoor championships.
· Twice named the GPAC Runner of the Week during the 2021 season (Sept. 22 and Oct. 6).
· Sesna: “When I crossed the line at conference, the first thought that went through my head was that all of the hard work and dedication that I put in over the past few months had paid off. I was so thankful that God had allowed me to perform to the best of my abilities. The second thing that I thought of was where was Calvin at and if he was going to get one of the individual qualifying spots too. When I saw him cross the line and knew that he made it too I was so happy for him – he has worked incredibly hard this year too and deserved this more than anyone! First and foremost, I'm most looking forward to racing against the best runners in the nation and seeing where I match up with them. Secondly, I'm very excited about going all the way out to Washington. The farthest west of Nebraska I have ever been is Colorado, so I'm looking forward to seeing the west coast for the first time.”
2021 meet-by-meet results
Augustana Twilight (4 miles) – 20:44.53 (35th/344)
Briar Cliff Invite – 26:03.30 (9th/133)
Morningside Invite – 25:39.16 (2nd/70)
Mount Marty Invite – 25:55.28 (8th/141)
GPAC Championships – 26:34.08 (7th/90)