BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The Concordia-St Paul men's cross country team was picked to finish 11th in the preseason NSIC men's coaches' poll released by the conference on Monday.

The Golden Bears earned 43 points in the poll, falling nine points behind Winona State in 10th and ahead of Minnesota Crookston in 12th by 24 points. 

After a fifth-place conference finish in 2019, the Golden Bears returned in 2021 with a young group and finished 10th. CSP finished in 11th place last season and returns all five top-runners from that team.

"Our team, once young and inexperienced, has now blossomed with maturity. The leadership mantle falls on our capable juniors and seniors, who drive our success. Our journey to triumph revolves around synchronizing our best efforts on the same day. With a belief in our collective potential, we anticipate substantial growth from September to November, paving the way for reaching new levels as a unified and harmonious team," said head coach Jonathan Breitbarth, who enters his 26th season coaching the Golden Bears.

Matt Krummel was named the athlete to watch for the Golden Bears. Krummel enters his junior season after finishing 29th in the conference and tallied the team's highest finish in any meet at 10th place during his sophomore campaign. 

"Matt, a truly gifted runner, made significant strides last year, showcasing remarkable progress. His dedication to training during the summer and fall paid off with late-season success. As a junior runner, he approaches this season with a newfound maturity. Taking his training to even greater heights, we eagerly look forward to him leading by example and setting the bar high for the team this fall," Breitbarth said.

Matthew Helser returns after finishing 31st at the NSIC conference meet and finishing the season with a PR in the 10k at regionals. Owen Erickson also returns for his junior season after finishing 39th at the conference meet. Emmett Faltesek and James Frigstad come back after finishing 63rd and 110th respectively at conference.

The Golden Bears open the season on Sept. 1 at the Augie Twilight at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The NSIC Championships this year will be hosted by UMary at McDowell Dam in Bismarck, North Dakota.

The three-time defending champions of Augustana were picked first in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll. The Vikings, winners of 12 of the last 13 NSIC Championships, received all 12 first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team) and tallied 144 points. Minnesota State was second with 123 points and Sioux Falls was third with 119 points as they received the other first-place vote.

Augustana's Ryan Hartman was voted the NSIC Preseason Athlete of the Year. He is coming off a second-place NSIC finish, an eighth-place regional finish and a 19th-place finish at nationals. 

This year's NCAA Central Regional will be held Nov. 4 in Joplin, Missouri while the NCAA Championships will also be held in Joplin, Missouri on Nov. 18.

Matt Krummel

• NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence

• Was the highest finisher on the team in the last three races of the season

• Team-high conference finish of 29th place

• Set personal best in 10k at regionals earning 77th place with a time of 31:17.3

• Ran the second-fastest 10k in school history and the fastest by a sophomore

• Highest finish of the season was 10th place in the 8k at the Bob Waxlax Invitational with a time of 25:29.