Women's Results, Men's Results
Concordia University, Nebraska's Zach Meineke was the individual medalist Saturday at the 2009 Great Plains Athletic Conference Men's Cross Country Championships in Fremont, Neb. Teammate David Goeglein finished six seconds later, taking second. Three more Bulldogs were among the top ten runners, leaving no doubt that Concordia was heading toward a decisive conference title victory. Nebraska Wesleyan University was the conference runner-up and Doane College took third.
"This is probably the finest performance from a Concordia men's team ever," said Kregg Einspahr, head coach for Concordia. "What they've done is quite a feat. This is a good conference." Einspahr credited the juniors and seniors on the team for giving the squad the maturity to handle difficult competition.
With the win, Meineke is now a two-time GPAC champion. In all, seven Concordia runners on the men's squad placed in the top fifteen, thereby earning all-conference honors: Meineke, Goeglein, Dana Schmidt, Tyson Billings, Jon Grotefendt, Colin Morrissey and Luka Thor.
The Bulldogs, currently ranked No. 4 in the NAIA Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25, now look forward to a trip to the NAIA national championship race held Nov. 21 in Vancouver, Wash.
Einspahr expects the Bulldogs to live up to their ranking. "I think our men can be in the top-five finishers at the national meet and compete for the national championship,” said Einspahr.
The Concordia women's cross country team placed second at the GPAC championship meet. Bulldog runners Jena Schwalenberg, Alicia Marteney, and Emilie Bourret earned all-conference honors with individual finishes of third, 12th and 15th respectively.
"Our women came out and ran very well," said Einspahr, cross country coach for Concordia. "We had some gals who really stepped up."
The Nebraska Wesleyan University women's squad took first comfortably with 29 points. Concordia, with a point total of 64, was followed by Morningside College with 81 points.
The Bulldogs are now ranked No. 9 in the NAIA Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Concordia's second-place team finish on Saturday qualifies it for a trip to the NAIA national championships.
"We have a very young women's team," said Einspahr, "but we have had excellent depth all season. We have a chance to be in the top 15 in the nation."
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