Bulldog Weekly Report (April 12, 2016)

By Jacob Knabel on Apr. 12, 2016 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Booster Club Athletes of the Week

Female: Amy Ahlers, Golf / Kali Robb, Track & Field

Ahlers, a native of Albion, Neb., claimed her sixth career tournament victory by shooting a 79 at the College of Saint Mary Spring Invite on April 8. Her effort helped the Bulldogs win the team title over a field of 13 squads at the event. Ahlers tops the team with a season average of 79.4 through nine 2015-16 rounds.

Robb, who hails from Sidney, Neb., took over the NAIA national lead in the shot put with her personal best throw of 47’ 7 ¾” at last week’s Concordia Outdoor Invite. She also put up an automatic national qualifying mark of 172’ 7” in the hammer throw (seventh best in the NAIA). She ranks 12th nationally in the discus (139’ 11”).

Male: Josh Slechta, Track & Field

Slechta, a native of Kennard, Neb., broke the school record previously held by Cody Boellstorff in the hammer throw with his NAIA top-ranked mark of 210’ 10” at the Concordia Outdoor Invite. That throw outdistances the nation’s second-ranked hammer mark by more than 14 feet. Slechta was the 2015 indoor weight throw national champion.

News and notes:

Registration open for Bulldog Golf Classic: The 23rd annual Bulldog Golf Classic is set for Friday, July 22 at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb. Team payment and registration is due by July 8. Teams can be registered by clicking HERE.

Women’s golf set to host GPAC Qualifier No. 3: The Concordia golf program will host a GPAC qualifier for the first time ever when action gets started on Wednesday at GPAC Qualifier No. 3. The first tee times are set for 1 p.m. from Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln. For more on the event, click HERE.

Halfway between Sweet Springs and Concordia, the Oetting brothers: Four brothers, Four Concordia Athletic Hall of Famers. The Oettings helped change the face of Concordia football. For more on their story both on and off the gridiron, click HERE.

Volleyball program reveals 2016 varsity schedule: A year after qualifying for the national tournament for the first time ever, head coach Scott Mattera’s program is set to make its 2016 debut on Aug. 20 as part of Launch Weekend on campus. The Bulldogs will play in front of their home fans a total of 15 times. To view the complete schedule, click HERE.

Coley becomes third thrower to earn national weekly honors in 2016: Senior Stephanie Coley joined juniors Cody Boellstorff and Zach Lurz as the third thrower in 2016 to earn NAIA National Field Athlete of the Week recognition. She received the award on April 6 after winning all three events she competed in at the Bronco Invite on April 2.

Trap & skeet finishes first season: The first season of Concordia trap and skeet concluded at the ACUI Collegiate Clay Target Championships (March 29 – April 3). The Bulldogs placed 22nd out of 28 teams in the Division 3 grouping. Of the eight Concordia shooters to make the trip to San Antonio, Texas, Seth Willard took the distinction of high over all (HOA) by shooting 463/550 for a placement of 119th out of 395 men’s competitors. For more on the event, click HERE.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 4 p.m. CT: New this year is the Bulldog Coaches Show, which runs for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 4 p.m. CT on KOOL 103.5 FM. The show can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the TuneIn Radio app and then searching “KOOL.” Throughout the 2015-16 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests were aired live on Max Country.

Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting http://www.cune.edu/csn at game time. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.

Baseball

  • After dropping a 13-1 nonconference contest versus 16th-ranked York College on April 5, Concordia responded in a big way. The Bulldogs won all four of their GPAC weekend games, posting sweeps of Dordt (15-16, 3-5 GPAC) on the road and Mount Marty (11-20, 2-6 GPAC) at home. At 20-17 overall and 6-2 in conference play, second-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has vaulted into a three-way tie with Midland and Northwestern atop the GPAC. The Bulldogs have rattled off five-straigth conference wins for the first time since 2005. Concordia was picked to finish ninth, according to the preseason coaches’ poll. For more on Bulldog baseball, click HERE.
  • Following a four-hit effort in the loss to York, the Concordia offense muscled up for a combined 47 runs on 45 hits over a dominant weekend. The Bulldogs put up run totals of 14 and 15 at Dordt and then 17 in the game 2 blanking of Mount Marty. They have scored 10 or more runs in a game 12 times this season. Kaleb Geiger’s grand slam in second game versus Mount Marty pushed the team’s season runs total to 290, breaking the program single-season record (289 runs) that had been set in 2015. With an average of 7.9 runs per game, Concordia ranks third among GPAC teams and 24th nationally in that category.
  • Right-handed freshmen pitchers Ben Kruse and Josue Melchor highlighted the sweep of Mount Marty by combining on a seven-inning no hitter in game 1. Kruse, making his second career start, faced the minimum through five innings before walking the leadoff hitter in the sixth. Melchor then retired the next six Lancer batters to sew up the no-hitter and his third save of 2016. The first out of the seventh was recorded when third baseman Casey Berg made a diving snare near the foul line and then fired to first in time. Only two other no-hitters in school history have been documented – Keith Doehrmann in 1979 and Jim Juergensen in 1962.
  • Sunday’s doubleheader is believed to be the first time a Concordia pitching staff has recorded shutouts in both ends of a GPAC twin bill. Dupic used five different hurlers in holding the Lancers to just two hits in 14 innings of play. The back-to-back shutouts allowed the Bulldogs to lower their team ERA from 6.15 to 5.84 by the end of the day. Over the four-game weekend slate, Bulldog starting pitchers combined to throw 23 innings and allow just six earned runs on 18 hits and seven walks.
  • Mark Harris and Cole Jackson made it a boring day for the bullpen at Dordt. They both threw complete games as part of lopsided wins. Harris has tossed two of the staff’s three complete games in 2016. He’s easily been the team’s most consistent starter. He sports a 2.32 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 42.2 innings. Meanwhile, Jackson is 2-3 with a 4.02 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 40.2 innings. Attempting to rediscover his 2015 form, sophomore Taylor Bickel fired four shutout frames versus Mount Marty.
  • First baseman Kaleb Geiger continues to sizzle out of the No. 3 spot in the batting order. He owns team highs for batting average (.388), on-base percentage (.520) and slugging percentage (.694). Over last week’s five games, Geiger went 8-for-18 with a home run, four doubles and seven RBIs. His grand slam versus Mount Marty pelted the scoreboard for his fifth home run of the season. He’s second to cleanup hitter Christian Montero for the team lead in both home runs (6-5) and RBIs (37-34).
  • Johnny May, a sparkplug from Johnston, Iowa, has made his way into the starting lineup as the team’s center fielder. He’s now started each of the last six games with a sterling results. Over that stretch he’s 7-for-14 with a walk-off home run and seven runs scored. The production in 46 at bats has been eye-popping: a .391 average, .472 on-base percentage, .652 slugging percentage, three home runs, 10 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
  • May was one of six native Iowans to start in game 1 of the doubleheader versus Mount Marty. The others were left fielder Jake Adams (Mason City), right fielder Alex Alstott (Fort Dodge), third baseman Casey Berg (Manning), Kruse (Bettendorf) and shortstop Logan Ryan (Johnston). In addition, Montero, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, transferred to Concordia via Iowa Central Community College.
  • The Bulldogs will take a break from conference play on Wednesday with a trip to Grace University (0-16) for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch (one nine-inning game). Concordia then has a significant weekend journey for road doubleheaders at Northwestern (17-17, 6-2 GPAC) on Saturday and at Morningside (29-9, 5-3 GPAC) on Sunday (both at 1 p.m.). Morningside was pegged second and Northwestern fourth in the GPAC preseason poll.

Track and Field

  • For the first and only time this outdoor season, the Bulldogs played the role of host when they put on the annual Concordia Outdoor Invitational on April 9. Athletes from 11 different institutions were represented at the meet. Concordia competitors won a total of eight events and a school record fell in the hammer throw as senior Josh Slechta went well over 200 feet. Zach Lurz also re-set his own school record in the shot put. Members of the 2015 men’s national championship team were also presented with national championship rings during a ceremony at the meet. For more on Bulldog track and field, click HERE.
  • In the first NAIA national computer rankings released last week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the Concordia women checked in at No. 2 while the men were ranked third. Both programs have placed inside the top five at two-straight national meets. The men have received trophies at both the 2015 outdoor championships (national title) and at the 2016 indoor championships (third place).
  • Slechta’s school record hammer throw mark of 210’ 10” was the highlight for another big showing by Concordia throwers at last week’s meet. That measurement eclipsed Cody Boellstorff’s previous program standard of 205’ 8” at the 2015 Wayne State Classic Slechta now leads the NAIA in the hammer by more than 14 feet. Entering the Concordia Invite, Slechta was No. 4 on the school’s all-time hammer throw list with a best of 196’ 3,” which earned him third place in the event at the 2015 national championships.
  • Slechta is one of four Bulldogs currently leading the nation in a throwing event. The other national leaders are Lurz in the men’s shot put, Kali Robb in the women’s shot put and Liz King in the women’s hammer. Concordia’s dominance of the NAIA leaderboard is remarkable with Bulldogs holding down three of the top six spots in the men’s shot put, three of the top four in the women’s shot put, four of the top seven in the women’s discus, three of the top four in the men’s hammer and five of the top seven in the women’s hammer in addition to King’s fourth-place standing in the javelin, an event she won a national title in at the 2014 outdoor championships.
  • While national champions such as Boellstorff, King, Lurz and Slechta grab much of the attention, junior Jan Steinbrueck broke through with her first-ever national qualifying mark in tossing the discus 144’ 5” at the Concordia Invite. Other fresh automatic marks were put forth last week by Kattie Cleveland (discus), Philip Kreutzer (shot put), Nicole Perry (hammer) and Kim Wood (1,500 meters). Wood is the lone runner in the GPAC to own an automatic mark in the 1,500 meters. Her time of 4:38.12 represented a personal best.
  • While junior CJ Muller just missed national qualifying marks in the midst of gusty conditions inside Bulldog Stadium, he posted times in the 200 and 400 meter dashes that both rank inside the top four among GPAC athletes – third in the 400 (49.19) and fourth in the 200 (22.15). He also sits fifth in the 800 meters (1:56.69).
  • Also on the track, the Bulldogs appear to have a deep group of men’s steeplechase runners. Chris Shelton won the event at the Concordia Invite with his time of 9:59 (automatic qualifying time is 9:24). Shelton ranks second among conference runners in the steeplechase while teammates Cameron Moes, Kohlton Gabehart and Taylor Mueller rank sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, on the GPAC leaderboard.
  • Below is the list of 29 automatic national qualifying marks and six ‘B’ standard marks turned in by Bulldog athletes through two outdoor meets. Five fresh automatic marks were recorded at the Concordia Invite.
    • Trey Barnes – shot put (A, 55’ 6 ½”); discus (A, 164’ 11”)
    • Allison Brooks – pole vault (B, 11’ 5 ¾”)
    • Kattie Cleveland – discus (A, 145’ 11”); hammer (A, 181’ 9”)
    • Stephanie Coley – shot put (A, 46’ 1 ½”); discus (A, 149’ 6”); hammer (A, 181’ 11”)
    • McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (A, 11’ 9 ¾”)
    • Liz King – hammer (A, 183’ 9”); javelin (A, 142’ 5”)
    • Philip Kreutzer – shot put (A, 51’ 4 ½”); hammer (A, 177’ 3”)
    • Samantha Liermann – shot put (A, 45’ 7”)
    • Zach Lurz – shot put (A, 59’ 1 ¼”); discus (A, 169’ 1”); hammer (A, 194’ 7”)
    • Sydney Meyer – hammer (A, 175’)
    • Nicole Perry – hammer (A, 165’ 4”)
    • Kali Robb – shot put (A, 47’ 7 ¾”); hammer (A, 172’ 7”); discus (B, 139’ 11”)
    • Jose Rojas – shot put (A, 52’ 9 ½”); discus (A, 162’ 7”); hammer (A, 195’ 2”)
    • Benjamin Schulteis – hammer (B, 167’ 4”)
    • Josh Slechta – discus (A, 163’ 9”); hammer (A, 210’ 10”)
    • Jan Steinbrueck – discus (A, 144’ 5”)
    • Katricia Svoboda – discus (A, 158’); hammer (B, 163’ 6”)
    • Lucas Wiechman – pole vault (A, 15’ 9”); 110 meter hurdles (B, 14.88)
    • Kim Wood – 1,500 meters (A, 4:38.12); 800 meters (B, 2:14.69)
  • Week three of the outdoor season continues with a trip to the University of Nebraska-Kearney Loper Invite on Saturday. The meet gets started with field events at 10:30 a.m. The event schedule can be viewed HERE.

Softball

  • The most hectic week of the season is now in the rear view mirror for the Bulldogs. From April 5 – 10, Concordia played five doubleheaders, including three on the road. The Bulldogs went 7-3 over that 10-game stretch with the three defeats coming by a combined total of four runs. Third-year head coach Todd LaVelle’s squad is now 25-10 overall and 6-4 in the GPAC (tied for third). For more on Concordia softball, click HERE.
  • After a 6-0 start to the week, the Bulldogs tested their mettle against 14th-ranked Morningside and 23rd-ranked Grand View University (Iowa) in a pair of road doubleheaders. Concordia followed a 10-8 game 1 loss at Morningside with a 13-3 run-rule victory over the Mustangs in the capper. It was Morningside’s first GPAC loss of the season. The next day the Bulldogs allowed seventh-inning leads to slip away in both games. The Vikings won them both via walk-offs by identical 5-4 final scores. Concordia has not lost a game by more than three runs all season. Of its 10 losses, five have come by one run and four have been decided by two runs.
  • At the beginning of the week (April 5), the Bulldogs swept Hastings with both contests also of the walk-off variety. It was the end of a stretch in which three-straight Concordia wins came via walk-off hits – all delivered by different individuals (Michaela Woodward, Diana Mendoza and Maddie Fousek). Back on March 6, the Bulldogs also won on a walk-off when Autumn Owens singled in the winning run.
  • Kylie Harpst enjoyed a monster week at the plate, going 15-for-32 (.469) with a home run, three doubles, two triples and eight RBIs over the 10-game slate. In the process, the Lincoln native raised her team high batting average to .423. Harpst singled and doubled during Concordia’s 12-run first inning of game 2 at Morningside. She went 4-for-8 with three RBIs in the twin bill with the Mustangs.
  • The foursome of Harpst, Taylor Huff, Owens and Woodward has made for the nucleus of a potent lineup. All are batting .374 or higher while combining for 19 home runs. Owens provided the big blow of the 12-run first with a grand slam to left field. The third baseman from Henderson, Nev., has team highs in home runs (6), RBIs (35) and slugging percentage (.667). Woodward also cracked a three-run homer in game 2 at Grand View. Among all NAIA softball programs, Concordia ranks eighth in runs per game (7.3), ninth in hits per game (10.2), 13th in slugging percentage (.506) and 14th in batting average (.354).
  • Over the past 21 years, the Concordia softball program has reached the 25-win mark 11 times, including all three seasons under LaVelle (now 86-49 as Bulldog head coach). The school record for most wins in a season is held by the 2005 team that went 36-19 overall. With five more victories, the 2016 Bulldogs would become the sixth team in program history to reach the 30-win plateau.
  • The only league losses suffered by GPAC co-leaders Morningside and Doane, both 9-1 in the GPAC, have come at the hands of Concordia in road doubleheaders for the Bulldogs. Concordia has now defeated two ranked opponents in 2016: No. 14 Morningside and then No. 25 University of Saint Francis (Ill.). Cardinal Stritch University (Wis.) was also receiving votes when the Bulldogs handed it a 9-1, run-rule loss in Tucson, Ariz., on March 11. The highest-ranked opponent beaten by a LaVelle-coached squad was No. 10 Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) on March 10, 2014. It was LaVelle’s first game as a collegiate head coach.
  • Harpst also got solid results last week in the circle. At one point during the 11-0 win over Grace University, she struck out eight-straight hitters. She ended up with a season high 11 strikeouts while allowing just a single hit in a five-inning complete game. Now 11-6, Harpst ranks fourth in the conference for most pitching wins. In the sweep of Peru State College on April 6, Harpst, Woodward and AJ Wygant held the Bobcats to a combined three runs. Wygant threw a seven-inning complete game and earned the win. She was also credited with both wins in the sweep of Hastings.
  • This week’s schedule will allow for a bit of a breather. The Bulldogs resume GPAC action on Wednesday with a short trip to Nebraska Wesleyan (12-10, 4-5 GPAC) for a 5 p.m. doubleheader in Lincoln. The week will conclude with a home doubleheader versus Dakota Wesleyan (25-17, 8-6 GPAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Only three home dates remain on the 2016 schedule.

Golf

  • Both the men’s and women’s golf programs have competed once since this time a week ago. Behind junior Amy Ahlers, the Bulldogs carded a team score of 350 and won the College of Saint Mary Spring Invitational on April 8. On Monday, the Concordia men tied for fourth at GPAC Qualifier No. 3 and moved up a spot to No. 8 on the overall conference leaderboard. Freshman Nolan Zikas paved the way for a 319 team score in the face of typical gusty Nebraska spring conditions. For more on Bulldog golf: MEN | WOMEN.
  • A two-time all-conference performer, Ahlers continues to pad her fine resume. Last week she earned her sixth career tournament win by shooting a seven-over-par 79 (two strokes better than second place) at Miracle Hill in Omaha. Ahlers has placed inside the top 10 in each of the team’s seven events in 2015-16. She owns three first-place finishes on the year and a team best season average of 79.4. She also has turned in Concordia’s four lowest individual rounds in 2015-16, including her career low 71 back on Sept. 18.
  • The team victory was the first in head coach Brett Muller’s five years at Concordia. The Bulldog women broke through after having recorded three second-place and one third-place finish already this season. At the CSM Invite, Concordia bested the field that included 10 other GPAC teams, an additional NAIA school (Peru State College) and one NCAA Division III squad (Buena Vista University). The team score of 350 was slightly higher than the team average (347.5) entering the round.
  • The rest of Concordia’s five-person team in Omaha included Ashlen Pospisil (89), Kayla Krueger (91), Brenna Gnuse (91) and Madison Pitsch (137). Pospisil’s 89 was one stroke off a career low and also one stroke off of a top-10 finish. Meanwhile, Krueger and Gnuse tied for 17th in the field of 82 golfers.
  • Zikas also represented Concordia golf atop the leaderboard. His career best three-over-par 74 put him in a three-way tie for first at GPAC Qualifier No. 3, which was held at Firethorn Golf Club in Lincoln. Zikas double bogeyed his opening hole and then proceeded to record four birdies on the day. The native of La Vista, Neb., is the Bulldogs’ highest-ranked individual after three qualifiers with a cumulative score of 79-79-74–232. He sits in 13th place. As a team, Concordia has a three-round total of 312-316-319–947.
  • Junior Reid Wiebe carded his best GPAC round of 2015-16 by shooting a 75, allowing him to place fourth at the qualifier. Though Wiebe owns the team’s lowest season average (75.5), he had struggled with scores of 84 and 82 at the first two conference qualifiers. Wiebe is now 31st on the overall leaderboard after having sat at 43rd entering Monday. Last season as a sophomore he tied for 16th in the conference.
  • Additional Bulldogs who qualify for the overall leaderboard are sophomores Russell Otten (76-77-84–237; 24th) and Tyler Ehresman (73-80-87–240; 29th). Junior Jared Knoepfel, who did not compete at GPAC No. 1, has carded rounds of 80 and 86 at his two qualifiers. Otten and Zikas have both needed 940 strokes to navigate 12 total rounds in 2015-16 (78.3 average). Wiebe, Otten and Zikas are the three Bulldogs with averages in the 70s.
  • The women are up next for GPAC Qualifier No. 3, which they will host at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln on Wednesday. It will mark the first time the Bulldogs have ever hosted a conference meet. The action is set to get started at 1 p.m. Concordia (354-348–702) sits in fifth place, 24 strokes behind conference leader Mount Marty. Ahlers is sixth on the individual leaderboard with a two-round score of 84-82–166. The next men’s outing will take place April 18-19 at the Briar Cliff University Invite in Dakota Dunes, S.D.

Tennis

  • Since last week’s edition of the weekly report, both tennis squads competed once and both fell by an identical 5-4 score at Doane. The women played in Crete on April 6 while the men ventured to Doane the following day. Second-year head coach Joel Reckewey’s squads now stand at 6-8 overall (0-2 GPAC) on the men’s side and 3-12 overall (1-2 GPAC) on the women’s side. For more information on Bulldog tennis: MEN | WOMEN.
  • Six of the Concordia men’s 14 matches have been decided by 5-4 scores. The Bulldogs are 4-2 in those instances with the wins coming over Southwestern College (Kan.), Tabor College (Kan.), Bethel College (Kan.) and Friends University (Kan.). Between Feb. 19 and March 4, Concordia won three-straight matches by a 5-4 final.
  • Freshman Willy Pardos has been dominant at the No. 1 singles spot through two conference matches. After defeating Morningside’s Pedro Pinassi, 6-2, 6-0, Pardos then topped Doane’s Sebastian Gardefjord, 6-2, 6-2, last week. Pardos has also teamed with Javier Moreno on a 2-0 GPAC record at No. 1 doubles. A native of Pamplona, Spain, Pardos is now 9-4 overall in singles play. He’s come out on top in four of his last five singles bouts.
  • Additional wins for the men at Doane came at No. 5 singles (Gabe Poling) and No. 3 doubles (Poling/Philip Yox). In his freshman season, Greeff owns a singles mark of 5-9. He’s 5-8 in doubles action. Poling has now settled in with Yox as his doubles partner. They are 1-2 at No. 3 doubles as a pair.
  • Pardos is one of five Bulldogs with five or more wins. The others are Poling (8-6), Patricio Esquivel (6-7), Moreno (6-8) and Greeff (5-7). Collectively, Concordia has gone 35-49 in singles play (3-9 in GPAC matches). The Bulldogs are 14-25 in doubles action (3-3 GPAC).
  • The women came up just short of a second-straight GPAC victory. Doane earned the team victory with a tie-breaker win at No. 5 singles with the team score tied, 4-4. Triumphs for Concordia came at No. 1 singles (Annie Horn), No. 3 singles (Katelinn Wurm), No. 6 singles (Kayla Smock) and No. 1 doubles (Horn/Hailey Lemos). Smock is now 2-1 in GPAC singles matches.
  • While trying to find the right combinations, Reckewey has tried 17 different women’s doubles pairs in 2016. The most common tandem has been Horn and Wurm, who have gone 2-8 at No. 1 doubles. No other pair has worked together on more than five doubles matches.
  • The women are now a combined 25-64 in singles action and 10-32 in doubles play. Smock tops the team with five singles wins. Horn (4-9) and Alison Ebel (4-11) own four singles wins apiece.
  • GPAC play continues this week with a pair of conference matches for both the men and women. The women will host Nebraska Wesleyan (7-9, 2-0 GPAC) in a match set for 4 p.m. on Tuesday (April 12). The men will then welcome to Prairie Wolves (7-11, 0-2 GPAC) to Seward for a 4 p.m. battle on Wednesday. Both squads will then travel to Fremont to take on Midland (M: 13-7, 1-0 GPAC | W: 7-9, 2-0 GPAC) for a 4 p.m. start time on Friday. Four conference matches remain on the schedule for both Bulldog tennis programs.