SEWARD, Neb. – Following a week off from competition, the Concordia Cross Country teams will return to action this Saturday at the Holiday Inn Express Classic hosted by Dordt. The women’s 5k race is set to get underway at 10 a.m. CT from Sioux Center, Iowa, with the men to follow shortly afterwards. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads will go up against conference favorite Dordt for the first time in 2022. In the most recent NAIA national polls, the Bulldog women were ranked 17th while the men were receiving votes. A new national poll is scheduled to be released on Thursday (Oct. 6).
Holiday Inn Express Classic – Saturday, Oct. 8
Dordt on-campus course | Sioux Center, Iowa
--10 a.m. – women’s 5k
--10:45 a.m. – men’s 8k
--Course Map
--Live Coverage: Results | Dordt Media Network
It's been a strong first three meets this season for both the Concordia men and women. Top runners Kylahn Freiberg and Camden Sesna have raked in two GPAC Runner of the Week awards apiece. A fourth-year member of the program from Kearney, Neb., Sesna was recognized on Wednesday as the Bulldog Athletic Association Member Men’s Athlete of the Month for September. He’s led the Bulldogs at each of the team’s first three meets while recording place finishes of 36th/323 (20:19.33 in the four mile) at the Augustana Twilight, 42nd/318 (25:22.3 in 8k) at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite and 1st/24 (25:58.52 in 8k) at the Dean White Invite.
New GPAC ratings were unveiled on NAIA.org on Monday. Currently, Concordia is ranked second in the conference on the women’s side and third on the men’s side. Over the season’s first three meets, the women’s team has turned in place finishes of ninth out of 28 at the Augustana Twilight, third out of 19 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite and first out of five at the Dean White Invite. On the men’s side, the Bulldogs placed 12th out of 32 teams at the Augustana Twilight, sixth out of 21 teams at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite and second out of two at the Dean White Invite.
Following the Holiday Inn Express Classic, Concordia will have just one more meet left, the Mount Marty Invite on Oct. 22, prior to the conference championships on Nov. 5. The Bulldogs have hopes of qualifying both teams for the NAIA Cross Country National Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 18.