SEWARD, Neb. – A new season of Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country will open with the Augustana Twilight for the seventh time in eight years. The unique night meet is scheduled to get started with the women’s 5k race at 8:30 p.m. CT on Friday. The men’s four-mile race will follow at 9 p.m. The rare night meet is known for having a lively atmosphere including music played over speakers. Additional meet info can be found below. The Augustana Twilight annually pulls in runners across many divisions of collegiate athletics.
2025 Augustana Twilight – Friday, Sept. 5
Yankton Trail Park | Sioux Falls, S.D.
-8:30 p.m. – women’s 5k
-9:00 p.m. – men’s 4 mile
-Live Results
-Meet info page (includes course map)
Head Coach Matt Beisel enters his 10th season leading the Bulldog Cross Country programs. This past 2024 season, Concordia turned in GPAC place finishes of third on the men’s side and fourth on the women’s side (which is exactly where the two Bulldog teams appeared in the 2025 GPAC preseason coaches’ polls). The Bulldogs bring back each of their individual NAIA national qualifiers from last season: GPAC champion and All-American Vaughn Hendrickson along with Trey Robertson and Keegan Beisel. Each of whom placed inside the top of the 2024 GPAC Championships. The standing goal for Concordia is to qualify both teams for the national meet in the same year.
At the 2024 Augustana Twilight, the Bulldogs placed seventh out of 20 teams on the women’s side and eighth out of 28 teams on the men’s side. Individually, the top four for the women were bunched together as Hannah Beintema, Keegan Beisel, Annika Staab and Rhaya Kaschinske led the way with each finishing between 57th and 61st place while running the 5k in 19:05 or faster. On the men’s side, three Bulldogs placed in the top 50: Trey Robertson (29th), Trevor Kuncl (45th) and Vaughn Hendrickson (47th). All three crossed the finish line of the four-miler in less than 20 minutes.
A detailed 2024 season preview can be found HERE. Following the Augustana Twilight, the Bulldogs will look forward to the Greeno-Dirksen Invite on Saturday, Sept. 20. The complete schedule can be viewed HERE.