SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska Cross Country is in the midst of a stretch featuring three straight weekends of action. Fresh off the Augustana Invitational, the Bulldogs are preparing for Saturday morning’s Briar Cliff Invitational. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads will depart from campus early on Saturday, destined for Siouxland Freedom Park in South City, Neb., an unfamiliar course to Concordia. The outing will mark meet No. 3 of the 2026 season.
2026 Briar Cliff Invitational – Saturday, Oct. 3
Freedom Park | South Sioux City, Neb.
-8:30 a.m. – men’s 8k
-9:30 a.m. – women’s 6k
-Live Results
-About Freedom Park: Siouxland Freedom Park is a 55-acre park located south of South Sioux City, Neb., overlooking the Missouri River. The course loops throughout the park and provides slight elevation changes and gradual turns.
An audible was called when the Greeno-Dirksen Invite scheduled for Sept. 19 was canceled. Beisel reacted by adding this past Friday’s Augustana Invitational to the calendar. Concordia turned in place finishes of 10th out of 20 on the women’s side and 11th out of 19 on the men’s side in its return to Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. (the same location of the season opening Augustana Twilight). The races (men’s 8K and women’s 6K) featured athletes from the NAIA and all divisions of the NCAA. For the first time this season, the men ran an 8K and the women ran a 6K.
The top five for the Bulldog men last week were Aidan Limback (25:25.9; 50th), Vaughn Hendrickson (25:48.1; 79th), Trey Robertson (25:53.0; 83rd), Ransom Watts (26:11.4; 102nd) and Keith Siek (26:19.7; 112th). The women’s top five were Hope Beck (22:07.1; 43rd), Ashley Robertson (22:43.4; 77th), Rachel Prince (23:06.8; 92nd), Amanda Smith (23:12.8; 100th) and Katie Johnsen (23:28.4; 116th). Concordia entered the meet having received votes (men and women) in the NAIA national ratings released on Sept. 24.
The month of October features three meets. The Bulldogs are scheduled to compete at the Dordt Holiday Inn Express Classic on Oct. 10 and at the Blazing Tiger Classic on Oct. 24. Championship season arrives in November with the GPAC Championships set for Nov. 7 and the NAIA National Championships locked in for Nov. 20.