Concordia Early Bird to kick off track season

By Jacob Knabel on Dec. 10, 2019 in Track & Field

Early Bird Schedule | Live Results

SEWARD, Neb. – For the first time since 2012, a Concordia University track and field season will open up prior to the end of the first semester. The Bulldogs are getting set to host the Concordia Early Bird Meet this Friday and Saturday (Dec. 13-14) inside the Walz Fieldhouse. In addition to Concordia athletes, the field will include competitors from Dakota Wesleyan, Doane, Kansas Wesleyan University, Mount Marty and Southwestern College (Kan.).

The Early Bird will begin with multi-events at 4 p.m. CT on Friday. All five events of the women’s pentathlon will be contested on Friday. Four of seven events in the men’s heptathlon will also take place on day one of the meet. The bulk of the meet will unfold on Saturday.

Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads will enter 2020 with high expectations. In indoor action last season, the Bulldog women won the GPAC title (also won the outdoor conference championship) and placed ninth in the NAIA. The women went on to place fifth at the outdoor national championships. On the men’s side, Concordia placed second in the GPAC and ninth nationally in 2019 indoor competition.

Ten Bulldogs return to the roster who earned All-America honors in either indoor or outdoor track last season. That list includes two-time discus national champion Addie Shaw. On the men’s side, Jacob Cornelio placed as the 2019 national runner up in the weight throw and Cody Williams finished second in the heptathlon. Concordia continues to showcase elite athletes at the top while improving its depth across all event areas.

“We all have high hopes,” Beisel said. “We as coaches have been in this business long enough to know that things don’t always break the way that you want them to, but I think the potential exists for us to be better than last year both in conference and at nationals. It all depends on who stays healthy. It hinges on health and kids performing their best when it’s necessary. Then we see what happens.”

Most opposing teams scheduled to be in town this weekend will not be bringing full rosters with finals week on the horizon for most schools. Alum Jonathon Becker now serves as an assistant coach at Mount Marty after previously working at MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.).

The indoor season will resume for the Bulldogs after New Year’s with Doane’s Scott Nisely Invite and the University of Nebraska’s Graduate Classic both scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 17-18.