Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Matthew Boyer, Track & Field
Boyer, a sophomore from Jefferson City, Mo., popped off a personal best of 201’ 6” in the javelin at the USD Challenge and moved to No. 2 on the program’s all-time list in that event. As part of the meet, Boyer also threw 154’ 3” in the discus. Boyer ranks No. 1 in the GPAC in the javelin.
Female: Rylee Ladd, Powerlifting
A sophomore from Chetek, Wis., Ladd stormed the national scene last week while setting a new female American collegiate bench press record of 92.5 kg (204 pounds). Ladd placed as the national runner up in the 52kg weight class with a total of 370kg at the 2024 Collegiate National Championships.
2023-24 BAAM Athletes of the Month
March – Jessie Ciezki (shooting sports) / Zach Zohner (track & field)
February – Jaidan Quinn (baseball) / Mackenzie Toomey (basketball)
January – Kendal Brigham (basketball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
December – Evan Fukuhara (weightlifting) / Hayley Miles (track & field)
November – Creighton Baughman (wrestling) / Abby Krieser (basketball)
October – Becca Gebhardt (volleyball) / DJ McGarvie (football)
September – Austin Jablonski (football) / Ashley Keck (volleyball)
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
April 9 – Joey Grabanski (baseball) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
April 2 – Kylahn Freiberg (track & field) / Jaidan Quinn (baseball)
March 26 – Jessie Ciezki (shooting sports) / Carson Fehlhafer (track & field)
March 19 – Megan Eurich (softball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
March 12 – Megan Eurich (softball) / Zach Zohner (track & field)
Feb. 27 – Jaidan Quinn (baseball) / Mackenzie Toomey (basketball)
Feb. 20 – Jenna Esch (track & field) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
Feb. 13 – Brad Bennett (basketball) / Jenna Esch (track & field)
Feb. 6 – Barret Brandt (wrestling) / Kylahn Freiberg (track & field)
Jan. 30 – Kendal Brigham (basketball) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
Jan. 23 – Kylahn Freiberg (track & field) / Zach Zohner (track & field)
Jan. 16 – Kendal Brigham (basketball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
Jan. 9 – Abby Heemstra (basketball) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
Dec. 12 – Evan Fukuhara (weightlifting) / Hayley Miles (track & field)
Dec. 5 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Nov. 28 – Creighton Baughman (wrestling) / Kylahn Freiberg (cross country) / Abby Krieser (basketball)
Nov. 14 – Austin Jablonski (football) / Maddie Paulsen (volleyball)
Nov. 7 – Sara Huss (volleyball) / Kyle Sterup (football)
Oct. 31 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Michael Owens (soccer)
Oct. 24 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Julie McIntyre (cross country) / Michael Owens (soccer)
Oct. 17 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / DJ McGarvie (football)
Oct. 10 – Rylee Ladd (powerlifting) / Jack Nelson (shooting sports) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball) / D’Andre Williams (soccer)
Oct. 3 – Austin Jablonski (football) / Grace Soenksen (soccer)
Sept. 26 – Ashley Keck (volleyball) / Mason Ward (shooting sports)
Sept. 19 – Savannah Andrews (soccer) / Carter Hinman (soccer)
Sept. 12 – Katie Welker (shooting sports) / Devin Zeigler (football)
Sept. 5 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Carter Hinman (soccer)
Aug. 29 – Isaiah Shaddick (soccer) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday at 12 p.m. CT inside the Dog House Grill, located in the Janzow Campus Center. The luncheons feature reports from head coaches who are in season at the time. For information on how to join BAAM, click HERE. It is not a requirement to be a BAAM member in order to attend the weekly luncheons.
Powerlifting earns top-20 national team finishes at 2024 Collegiate National Championships: The massive improvement of Concordia University Powerlifting from year one to year two as a program was on full display this past week in the Atlanta area, where 17 Bulldogs competed at the 2024 USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championships. From a team perspective, Concordia placed ninth out of 109 teams on the women’s side and 19th out of 110 teams on the men’s side. Most impressively from an individual standpoint, sophomore Rylee Ladd broke the women’s American collegiate bench press record with a lift of 92.5 kg (204 pounds). Ladd placed as the national runner up in the 52 kg weight class. In addition, Will Peterson earned a podium finish by placing fifth at 140 kg. In terms of sheer place finishes, the next best Concordia competitors were Teya Badger (ninth at 100kg), Kenzie Houser (14th at 56kg), Jack Hedke (17th at 125kg) and Taylor Meyer (26th at 60kg). For a complete recap of the national championships, click HERE.
Concordia Athletics finishes winter at No. 16 in NAIA Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings: With fall and winter sports in the books for the 2023-24 athletic year, Concordia Athletics landed at No. 16 in the updated NAIA Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings, released on April 4. The Bulldogs also ranked No. 1 among GPAC schools. So far in 2023-24, Concordia has won GPAC championships in the sports of men’s basketball, women’s indoor track & field and volleyball. The athletic department has sent athletes to national championship events in the following sports: men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, shooting sports, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling. The 2023-24 NAIA Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings can be viewed HERE.
Fukuhara’s journey as first-ever Concordia weightlifting national champion: In a span of just over 13 months, Evan Fukuhara went from choosing Concordia University, Nebraska, sight unseen, to posing atop the collegiate national championship podium in Columbus, Ohio. Five years (so far) of dedication to the craft led up to this moment for the native Californian, who is making himself into a big name when it comes to the world of USA Weightlifting. Standing at 5-foot-5 and weighing in at 67 kilograms (or just under 150 pounds), Fukuhara is a mass of explosiveness. In addition to winning the 67kg national title, Fukuhara captured a championship at the North American Open Finals as part of an impressive 2023-24 sophomore season. For an extended look at Fukuhara’s journey, click HERE.
Shooting Sports officially closes out 2023-24 season at Concordia International shoot: A few weeks following the 2024 ACUI National Championships, ten Bulldogs from the Concordia Shooting Sports program competed at the Concordia Bulldog International Tournament held at Heartland Public Shooting Park in Grand Island, Neb., April 13-14. Most significantly, senior Sam Blevins and sophomore Kaylee Hinton won bunker titles as part of the small-scale event. There were 12 total competitors who tested themselves in the disciplines of bunker and international skeet. For additional details on the event, click HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its ninth year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on KTMX-FM 104.9 Max Country. The weekly feature can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the Max Country app. Throughout the 2023-24 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Parker Cyza serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene is in his ninth season calling Concordia volleyball. The Max Country broadcast schedule for the fall semester of 2023 can be found HERE.
Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning this 2023-24 academic year, Concordia Athletics has partnered with Hudl/BlueFrame for live video streaming. Live webcast links for away contests are publicized in sport specific releases that preview action for that particular week. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Golf
· Most recent action (men):
o Shot 301-312-315–928 (12th out of 15) at the Midwest Spring National Invite on April 8-9.
o ‘A’ team shot 315-316–631 (5th out of 8) at the Howl at the Hill on April 14-15.
· Most recent action (women):
o Shot 372 (3rd out of 8) at the College of Saint Mary Invite on April 11.
o Shot 347 (T-3rd out of 10) on first day of Kaitlyn Erickson Invite on April 15.
· Men’s Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: Since last week’s report, the men’s team wrapped up action at the Midwest Spring National Invite (placed 12th) and competed early this week at the Howl at the Hill (placed fifth) hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan University. Drew D’Ercole emerged as the team’s top place finisher at both events (11th at the Midwest Spring National Invite and 13th at the Howl at the Hill). The Papillion, Neb., native has placed inside the top 20 in eight of 10 events this season. On the season, D’Ercole leads the team with a 74.5 scoring average, followed by Justin Webert (76.0).
· Women’s Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: Head Coach Brett Muller’s women’s team placed third at last week’s College of Saint Mary Spring Invite behind two top-10 individuals: Emery Custer (fourth) and Logan Eschliman (eighth). To begin this week, the Bulldogs carded a spring low total of 347 at the Kaitlyn Erickson Invite on Monday as senior Mya Nurse turned in a season low of 83 (three strokes shy of her career low). Custer (84) and Jennifer Gillotti (89) also shot scores below 90. The Bulldogs entered day two of the Erickson Invite tied for third place in the team standings. Entering the event, Custer paced the team with a season scoring average of 86.3 The 2024 GPAC Championships will be up next once the Erickson Invite is in the books.
· This week:
o Men: Idle until the Bulldog-Tiger Cup on April 25.
o Women: Will finish Kaitlyn Erickson Invite (April 15-16) before looking ahead to the 2024 GPAC Championships (April 22-23) in Spencer, Iowa.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
· Current men’s record: 7-11, 1-3 GPAC.
· Current women’s record: 9-6, 4-1 GPAC.
· Recent action – Men:
o Lost at Doane, 6-1, on April 10.
o Won vs. Wartburg, 4-3, on April 13.
· Recent action – Women:
o Won at Doane, 6-1, on April 9.
o Won vs. College of Saint Mary, 5-2, on April 15.
· Links: Men’s 2024 Schedule | Men’s 2024 Roster | Women’s 2024 Schedule | Women’s 2024 Roster.
· Notable: The GPAC win streak has reached three for Head Coach Lisa Hart’s women’s team following wins the past week over Doane and College of Saint Mary. At 4-1 in league play, the Bulldogs stand behind only Morningside (5-0) and Midland (4-0) atop the GPAC standings. In the action with Doane and CSM, Concordia swept through doubles. In the win at Doane, singles victories came from Chakira Derman at No. 2, Alana Lopez Pagan at No. 3, Tessa Blough at No. 4, Alexa Richert at No. 5 and Kylie Freudenburg at No. 6. In the win over CSM, singles wins were supplied by Derman at No. 2, Lopez Pagan at No. 3, Brooke Hosick at No. 4 and Freudenburg at No. 6. On the men’s side, the Bulldogs fell at Doane before earning a nonconference win over NCAA Division III Wartburg College (Iowa). The lone team point at Doane came via Santiago Abadia’s victory at No. 3 singles. Against Wartburg, Concordia won two of three doubles matches and got singles wins from Hugo Fuentes at No. 1, Abadia at No. 3 and Michael Bedrosian at No. 4. This will be the final week of the regular season for GPAC tennis. On both sides, the Bulldogs are set to host Midland before playing at Hastings on Saturday. The program will celebrate its one senior, Luke Johnson, on Tuesday (April 16).
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Tennis homepages here: MEN | WOMEN.
· This week – Men:
o Tuesday, April 16 vs. Midland, 4:30 p.m. (senior day)
o Saturday, April 20 at Hastings, 11 a.m.
· This week – Women:
o Wednesday, April 17 vs. Midland, 4:30 p.m.
o Saturday, April 20 at Hastings, 11 a.m.
Softball
· Current record: 17-21, 7-7 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Jamestown, 4-3, on April 12.
o Won vs. Jamestown, 11-3 (5 inn.), on April 12.
o Won vs. Dakota Wesleyan, 12-11 (10 inn.), on April 13.
o Won vs. Dakota Wesleyan, 8-5, on April 13.
o Won vs. College of Saint Mary, 10-5, on April 15.
o Lost vs. College of Saint Mary, 9-5 (6 inn.) on April 15.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad nearly ran the table in a six-game homestand that included doubleheaders with Jamestown, Dakota Wesleyan and College of Saint Mary. A thunderstorm cut short game two of the doubleheader with CSM and prevented the Bulldogs from a potential late-game rally. Most encouraging during the six-game stretch was the offensive production. During the 5-1 homestand, Concordia batted .365 with 50 runs scored as a team. Four Bulldogs hit .400 or better over that stretch: Julia Van Wey (10-for-21; .476), Aubriana Krieser (10-for-22; .455), Laycee Josoff (7-for-16; .438) and Delanie Voshell (8-for-20, .400). In addition, Kylie Shottenkirk homered twice in Monday’s twin bill with CSM. Van Wey was named the GPAC Player of the Week on Tuesday thanks to her red-hot weekend. Van Wey was one of three seniors, along with Taylor Glause and Creighton Taylor, honored between games versus Dakota Wesleyan. The string of victories has pushed the Bulldogs into a tie for sixth place in the GPAC standings. It will be a pivotal road trip this weekend as Concordia preps to play Briar Clif on Friday and Mount Marty on Saturday. Only eight games remain on the 2024 regular season slate. The goal now is to ensure Concordia qualifies for the eight-team GPAC tournament that begins on May 1.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Softball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Friday, April 19 at Briar Cliff (17-16, 5-7 GPAC), 3 p.m. DH.
o Saturday, April 20 at Mount Marty (17-17, 8-6 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH.
Baseball
· Current record: 29-12, 13-7 GPAC; ranked No. 15 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won at Morningside, 13-11, on April 13.
o Lost at Morningside, 8-5, on April 13.
o Lost at Morningside, 14-12, on April 14.
o Lost at Morningside, 11-9, on April 14.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Joey Grabanski made national headlines this past weekend as he became the NAIA’s all-time home run leader. A breakdown of his career exploits can be found HERE. In game one of the series at Morningside, Grabanski homered twice, bringing his career count to 78 for a new NAIA record. The previous standard of 77 was held by Azusa Pacific’s Brice Cutspec. Grabanski was named the GPAC Player of the Week on Tuesday. Unfortunately, Concordia went 1-3 at Morningside while struggling from a pitching and defense perspective. The team’s leading hitter during the series was Jay Adams, who went 9-for-15 (.600) with six runs, a double, a home run and five RBIs. Brad Hallock also homered twice over the weekend. With the three defeats, the Bulldogs slipped into a three-way tie for second place (along with Briar Cliff and Morningside) in the GPAC standings. Concordia now sits two games behind Doane (15-5). Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad will look to regroup this week as it visits Jamestown on Friday before hosting Hastings on Sunday.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Baseball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Friday, April 19 at Jamestown (25-13, 11-9 GPAC), 2 p.m. DH.
o Sunday, April 21 vs. Hastings (12-30, 3-17 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH.
Track & Field
· Current NAIA National Rankings (According to USTFCCCA) – Men 12th; Women 11th (April 10).
· Most recent meet:
o South Dakota Track & Field Challenge on April 13.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS NAIA outdoor qualifying list
· Notable: The third full-scale meet of the 2024 outdoor season came in the form of the University of South Dakota Challenge this past Saturday. Bulldog athletes combined for five event championships and five runner-up claims while up against the likes of NCAA Division I opposition USD and South Dakota State University, as well as GPAC rival Dordt. Several top-flight Concordia athletes improved upon existing automatic national qualifying standards, including Matthew Boyer (201’ 6” in the javelin), Jenna Esch (56.37 in the 400 meters), Abigial Gerber (47’ 2 ¼” in the shot put), Darien Semedo (53’ 9 ¾” in the shot put and 185’ 2” in the hammer) and Zach Zohner (17’ in the pole vault). The event titlists were Boyer (javelin), Kylahn Freiberg (5,000 meters), Calvin Rohde (5,000 meters), Gretchen Stottlemyre (javelin) and Chris Wren (hammer). In the women’s triple jump, Josi Noble (38’ 1 ½”) came through with a personal best that was .08 meters shy of the ‘A’ standard. In the men’s hammer, Connor Asche and Austen Rozelle continue to flirt with the NAIA auto mark while holding down ‘B’ standards. Zohner, the NAIA indoor pole vault national champion, leads the NAIA with his outdoor PR of 17 feet. He became the fifth Bulldog in program history to hit 17 feet in the outdoor vault. Only two more weekends of competition are left prior to the 2024 GPAC Outdoor Championships. Up next will be this week’s Jim Dutcher Memorial Classic hosted by Doane.
· Keep up with Concordia Track & Field throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons by visiting the team’s homepage HERE.
· Up next:
o Jim Dutcher Memorial Classic hosted by Doane Thursday through Saturday (April 18-20).