SEWARD, Neb. – One final meet remains in the regular season as Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country prepares to peak when the stakes are highest. The Bulldogs will have a good idea of where they stand at the conclusion of this Saturday’s Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic co-hosted by Doane and College of Saint Mary. The meet is slated to get underway at 10 a.m. CT from Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb., the same location of the 2025 GPAC Cross Country Championships.
Blazing Tiger Classic – Saturday, Oct. 25
Mahoney State Park | Ashland, Neb.
-10 a.m. – women’s 6k
-10:45 a.m. – men’s 8k
-Live Results
Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads have been idle since the Holiday Inn Express Classic in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Oct. 11. The Bulldogs emerged from the meet at Dordt with place finishes of seventh out of 16 on the men’s side and 14th out of 17 on the women’s side. However, many Concordia athletes turned in personal bests, leaving Beisel encouraged for what’s to come. The individual leaders for the Bulldogs were junior Trey Robertson (22nd place; 8k time of 25:23.97) and sophomore Annaka Schlachter (64th place; 6k time of 23:09.90). Top women’s runner Keeli Green sat out due to sickness. Her absence likely affected the team place finish for the Concordia women.
At the 2024 Blazing Tiger Classic, the Bulldogs placed sixth out of 27 on the men’s side and 12th out of 27 on the women’s side. The event has regularly been loaded with NAIA top 25 teams, as well as many GPAC rivals. The team champions from last year’s event were the College of Idaho men and University of Saint Mary (Kan.) women.
Prior to the Holiday Inn Express Classic, the Concordia men placed fourth out of 25 at the Augustana Twilight, ninth out of 17 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite and fourth out of nine at the Briar Cliff Invite. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs placed eight out of 26 at the Augustana Twilight, eighth out of 16 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite and sixth out of 10 at the Briar Cliff Invite. As a result of her performances, Green earned two GPAC Runner of the Week awards. Robertson also garnered a conference weekly honor following the Augie Twilight.
XCRI: The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association developed a formula that provides an objective, data-driven view of cross country performance throughout the season. The first Cross Country Rating Index (XCRI) became public today (Oct. 22). In the XCRI NAIA ratings, Concordia appears at No. 26 on the women’s side and at No. 37 on the men’s side. The XCRI also ranks runners individually and lists Keeli Green as the NAIA’s No. 6 women’s runner. The full rankings can be found HERE.
Once the Blazing Tiger Classic wraps up, Concordia will have two weeks to prepare for the 2025 GPAC Cross Country Championships. The conference meet will be held at Mahoney State Park on Saturday, Nov. 8.