SEWARD, Neb. – For the sixth time in seven years, Concordia University Cross Country will open a season at the Augustana Twilight. The 2024 meet will get started with the women’s 5k race at 8:30 p.m. CT on Friday (Sept. 6). The men’s four-mile run is scheduled to get underway at 9 p.m. Both races will take place at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, S.D., home to Augustana University. This will be the start of year nine of Matt Beisel’s tenure as head coach of the Bulldogs.
Augustana Twilight – Friday, Sept. 6
Yankton Trail Park | Sioux Falls, S.D.
-8:30 p.m. – women’s 5k
-9:00 p.m. – men’s 4 mile
-Live Results
-Meet info page (includes course map)
In the official GPAC Cross Country preseason polls released on Aug. 27, Concordia landed at No. 2 on the women’s side and at No. 3 on the men’s side. The Bulldog women’s team checked in at No. 20 in the 2024 NAIA national preseason poll while the men did not receive votes. The 2023 season saw Concordia turn in GPAC place finishes of second on the women’s side and third on the men’s side. The women’s team earned an at-large bid to the NAIA national championship meet and placed 18th in the NAIA while Calvin Rohde (2024 graduate) qualified individually. Kylahn Freiberg paced the women’s team with a 16th-place All-America finish.
At the 2023 Augustana Twilight, the Bulldogs recorded place finishes of ninth out of 29 for the women and 12th out of 32 for the men. The individual leaders were Kylahn Freiberg with a 5k time of 18:30.28 (18th place) and Charlie Hayden with a four-mile time of 21:02.36 (75th place). The Augie Twilight annually features competition from the NAIA and NCAA Division I, II and III levels.
A detailed preview of the 2024 season can be found HERE. Following the Augustana Twilight, the Bulldogs will look forward to the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21. The complete schedule can be viewed HERE.