SEWARD, Neb. – One meet remains on the 2019 outdoor schedule prior to the upcoming NAIA national championships. The Bulldogs are getting ready to host the Concordia Twilight Meet on Friday. Athletes from a hodgepodge of schools will be on hand in Seward as competitors take one more shot at national qualifying marks. NAIA leagues expected to be represented are the Heart of America Athletic Conference, the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and the GPAC, of course.
Live results will be available HERE courtesy of the Black Squirrel Timing Company. The first events are scheduled to go off at 2 p.m. when field events get underway. The meet schedule can be viewed HERE.
Twilight Meet Teams
Avila University
Baker University
Benedictine College
Briar Cliff University
Central Methodist University
Chadron State College
Concordia University
Doane University
Friends University
Graceland University
Grand View University
Hastings College
University of Jamestown
Midland University
Morningside College
University of Nebraska-Kearney
Tabor College
Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads are coming off a GPAC outdoor championship meet that saw the women place first and the men take third. Conference individual titles were claimed by Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Jacob Cornelio (hammer throw), Samantha Liermann (shot put), Erin Mapson (pole vault), Addie Shaw (discus) and Cody Williams (long jump, 110 hurdles). Williams reeled in the GPAC Outstanding Athlete of the Meet award after he racked up 34 team points by himself. Collectively, the Bulldogs have totaled 25 automatic national qualifying marks and 16 ‘B’ standards over six weeks of outdoor competition.
In the latest NAIA national rankings just announced on Wednesday (May 8) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), Concordia came in at No. 3 on the women’s side and No. 11 on the men’s side. The men jumped up seven spots from the previous week while the women have been a fixture inside the top five all season. The lofty rankings are attributed in part to 10 event rankings in the top five nationally: men’s 4x800 meter relay (fifth), Cornelio (No. 3 in hammer), Jessica Deterding (No. 3 in heptathlon), McKenzie Gravo (No. 5 in pole vault), Liermann (No. 1 in shot put), Mapson (No. 2 in pole vault), Shaw (No. 3 in discus; No. 3 in hammer), Carley Weisser (No. 5 in discus) and Williams (No. 5 in high jump).
The Twilight Meet is typically a bit more laid back than other meets that land during the heart of the season. Although a large number of institutions will be represented, the entry list will be light for a number of events. Most Bulldog entrants will be athletes who have qualified for the national championships. Thus, this will provide one more opportunity to jockey for higher perches on the NAIA national lists.
The 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will be held in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 23-25. More information on the meet can be found HERE. Gulf Shores is currently signed up to be the outdoor host through at least 2021.