SEWARD, Neb. – The lone meet staged at Bulldog Stadium in 2016 is set to run throughout the day on Saturday. The annual Concordia Outdoor Invitational will get started at 11 a.m. CT with throwing events. Running events will begin at 12 p.m. CT. For the event schedule, click HERE.
The Concordia Sports Network will provide a live webcast of select events during the entirety of the meet. It can be accessed at meet time HERE.
The event will mark the second week of the outdoor season for 24th-year head coach Kregg Einspahr’s programs. Last week at the Bronco Invite hosted by Hastings, a group of 14 Bulldogs combined for 24 automatic national qualifying marks. Twenty-two of them came from throwers, including three apiece from NAIA National Field Athlete of the Week Stephanie Coley, Zach Lurz and Jose Rojas. Thanks to their efforts, the Concordia women are ranked second and the men third in the first outdoor computer ratings released on Wednesday by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Among current Bulldogs, senior Liz King is the only one who currently owns a Bulldog Stadium record. Her mark of 166’ 11” remains the top javelin toss ever on the Concordia campus. She was the 2014 NAIA javelin national champion and has already qualified for the 2016 national championships in the hammer and javelin.
The top-three GPAC finishers at the 2016 indoor conference meet (Doane, Concordia and Nebraska Wesleyan) are all set to compete on Saturday. The field includes a pair of nationally-ranked men’s teams (No. 3 Concordia and No. 11 Doane) and three top-25 women’s teams (No. 2 Concordia, No. 3 Doane and No. 17 Hastings). Athletes from NCAA Division I Creighton University and NCAA Division II Wayne State College will also be present.
At the 2015 Concordia Outdoor Invite, Concordia’s Cassie Starks cleared 12’ 6 ¼” in the pole vault for an outdoor school record that still stands. Starks was one of 12 Bulldogs to claim event titles at the meet. In addition, Trey Barnes ripped off a personal best of 165’ 3” in the discus as part of another strong day for Concordia throwers.
Competing teams at Concordia Outdoor Invite
*National rankings via USTFCCCA
MEN
No. 3 Concordia University
Creighton University
No. 11 Doane College
Grand View University
Hastings College
Midland University
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Southwestern CC
Sterling College
Wayne State College
York College
WOMEN
No. 2 Concordia University
Creighton University
No. 3 Doane College
Grand View University
No. 17 Hastings College
Midland University
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Southwestern CC
Sterling College
Wayne State College
York College