Bulldog Weekly Report (April 16)

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Hhana Haro, Softball

Haro, a native of Garden Grove, Calif., went a combined 10-for-20 at the plate over six games last week while adding five runs scored, a double, a home run and nine RBIs. She was named the GPAC Player of the Week. Haro has boosted her season batting average to .415.

Male: Jason Munsch, Baseball

Munsch, who hails from Campbell, Calif., racked up a career high 16 strikeouts (program’s all-time leader for career strikeouts) in a seven-inning complete game win over the weekend versus Jamestown. Munsch is now 4-2 with a 2.21 ERA with 58 strikeouts for the first place Bulldogs

Previous Athletes of the Week
April 9 – Cody Williams (track & field) / Kirsten Wagner (tennis)
April 2 – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Erin Lokke (shooting sports)
MARCH Athletes of the Month: Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Grace Barry (basketball)
March 26 – Jesse Garcia (baseball) / Tori Homolka (softball)
March 17 – Grace Barry (basketball)
March 3 – Alberto Garcia (wrestling) / Jacee Pfeifer (track & field)
FEBRUARY Athletes of the Month: Josiah McAllister (track & field) / Taylor Cockerill (basketball)
Feb. 26 – Wade Council (baseball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Feb. 19 – Josiah McAllister (track & field) / Jacee Pfeifer (track & field)
Feb. 12 – Isaac Howes (tennis) / Quinn Wragge (basketball)
Feb. 5 – Cam Devers (wrestling) / Taylor Cockerill (basketball)
JANUARY Athletes of the Month: Brevin Sloup (basketball) / Taylor Grove (track & field)
Jan. 29 – Mario Ybarra (wrestling) / Taylor Grove (track & field)
Jan. 22 – Michael Stann (wrestling) / Addie Shaw (track & field)
Jan. 15 – Brevin Sloup (basketball) / Leah Larson (track & field)
Jan. 8 – Zack Moistner (wrestling) / Mackenzie Koepke (basketball)
DECEMBER Athletes of the Month: Tanner Shuck (basketball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Dec. 31 – Brevin Sloup (basketball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Dec. 18 – Taylor Cockerill (basketball) / Michael Stann (wrestling)
Dec. 11 – Deandre Chery (wrestling) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Dec. 4 – Tanner Shuck (basketball) / Taylor Grove (track & field)
NOVEMBER Athletes of the Month: Alberto Garcia (wrestling) / Quinn Wragge (basketball)
Nov. 27 – Alberto Garcia (wrestling) / Taylor Grove (cross country) / Quinn Wragge (basketball)
Nov. 13 – Zac Walter (football) / Grace Barry (basketball)
Nov. 6 – Jack Bennett (soccer) / Tori Cera (soccer)
OCTOBER Athletes of the Month: Carlos Ferrer (soccer) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
Oct. 30 – Carlos Ferrer (soccer) / Taylor Cockerill (basketball)
Oct. 23 – Josiah McAllister (cross country) / Jenna Habegger (volleyball)
Oct. 16 – Carlos Ferrer (soccer) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
Oct. 9 – Kordell Glause (football) / Brynn Suddeth (soccer)
Oct. 2 – Zac Walter (football) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
SEPTEMBER Athletes of the Month: Ryan Durdon (football) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
Sept. 25 – Roger de la Villa (soccer) / Erin Lokke (shooting sports)
Sept. 18 – Lane Napier (football) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
Sept. 11 – Ryan Durdon (football) / Marissa Hoerman (volleyball)
Sept. 4 – JP Verissimo (soccer) / Lauren Martin (soccer)
Aug. 28 – Garrett Perry (soccer) / Jenna Habegger (volleyball)

News and notes:

Barry, Hambly voted Concordia’s March Athletes of the Month: As announced on April 10, the Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Month of March are junior Grace Barry of the women’s basketball program and freshman Wyatt Hambly of the shooting sports program. Both Bulldogs earned the monthly awards on the strength of standout performances at national championship events during March. Barry was named the Tournament MVP while leading Concordia to its first-ever women’s basketball national title. Meanwhile, Hambly was the top Bulldog male competitor at the ACUI National Championships, where he posted scores that ranked in the team’s top three in each of six disciplines, including top scores in American skeet (97/100), American trap (99/100) and sporting clays (84/100). For more on their achievements, click HERE.

Mended Bulldogs expect to make big impact on football field this fall: Many position groups were negatively affected this past 2018 Concordia football season by injuries. The good news is that a bevy of key players are on the comeback trail and expecting to play major roles for head coach Patrick Daberkow’s 2019 squad. Four players in that situation, Brady Fitzke, Johnny Johnson, Logan Kreizel and Jonah Weyand, provided details on their progress as spring ball comes to a close. For an update on each of them, click HERE.

Shaw picks up NAIA national award: For the second time in 2019, junior Addie Shaw picked up the NAIA National Women’s Field Athlete of the Week award. Shaw was named the national honoree on April 10 after she turned in the nation’s leading mark in the hammer throw at the Concordia Outdoor Invite. Shaw continues to pace in the NAIA in the hammer while also ranking No. 2 in the discus. The native of Bassett, Neb., is the defending discus national champion.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its fourth 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 2018-19 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Tyler Cavalli 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 fourth season calling Concordia volleyball.

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.

Tennis

• It’s been a nice run for both Bulldog tennis programs, which put together solid results last week as conference play continued. The women’s team has now won five GPAC matches in a row after toppling Midland, 7-2, and Mount Marty, 8-1, last week. Meanwhile, the men have been in action three times since last Tuesday and went 2-1 over that stretch with wins over Mount Marty, 9-0, and NCAA Division III Wartburg College (Iowa), 8-1. All home matches last week took place inside the Fieldhouse due to chilly and windy conditions outside. Head coach David DeSimone’s squads now sport records of 12-4 (5-1 GPAC) on the women’s side and 9-8 (3-3 GPAC) on the men’s side. For more information on Bulldog tennis: Men | Women.
• This season could end up rivaling some of the best in program history for the women’s team. With two regular season matches and the GPAC tournament remaining, Concordia needs two more victories to break the school single season record of 13 victories by the 2017-18 squad that went 13-10 overall. In the GPAC era (2000-present), a Bulldog tennis team has yet to win a conference championship. At least mathematically, the current women’s squad is still alive in the GPAC regular season title race. The only loss suffered by Concordia was a 5-4 decision to Hastings that could have easily went the other way.
• The 2007 through 2011 women’s tennis teams guided by Amy Harms and Mark Lemke (2007 only during the specified time period) also put together some strong conference records with second place claims in both 2007 and 2009. During that five-year run, the Bulldogs went a combined 33-8 in GPAC matches. Harms was named the GPAC Coach of the Year in 2008. The frustration has simply been the inability to get over the hump and capture either a GPAC regular season or postseason title. Last season the Concordia women had their season ended in the GPAC semifinals.
• Since that 5-4 home loss to Hastings on March 27, the Bulldog women have dominated with conference wins by scores of 9-0 over Morningside, 9-0 over Doane, 9-0 over Northwestern, 7-2 over Midland and 8-1 over Mount Marty. Based on the results to date, Hastings, Concordia and College of Saint Mary have established themselves as the clear top three in a league that has eight teams for GPAC women’s tennis.
• It’s also been a nice rebound season for the men, who were coming off four years in a row with either one or two GPAC victories each year. Last season their only conference victory came against Mount Marty. This season Concordia has avenged a 2018 loss to Morningside and also owns a dominant victory over Northwestern, 9-0. In addition, the Bulldogs have now routed two opponents from the American Rivers Conference of NCAA Division III: Nebraska Wesleyan and Wartburg.
• The men’s improvement has been made possible by the experience of the likes of senior Thomas Greeff and junior Luke Zoller at the top of the lineup, coupled with the additions of impact freshmen such as Isaac Howes and Jack Kitson. The Concordia men currently sport cumulative season records of 54-48 in singles and 25-26 in doubles. The individual singles wins leaders are senior Conner Works (11-6), Howes (10-7), sophomore Jeremy Berryman (8-9) and Zoller (8-9). Kitson owns the team’s top doubles mark at 9-8. He’s followed by Zoller (8-9) and Berryman (7-10).
• Senior Marlene Maier was one of six seniors honored on senior day, which took place on April 12. Maier has been a constant at the top of the lineup. She is now 14-2 and has won five matches in a row. Lengthy win streaks are the norm up and down the lineup with junior Angela Bell (seven), sophomore Allison Marshall (seven), junior Kirsten Wagner (six) and sophomore Claudia Miranda Viera (five) each carrying active singles win streaks of five or more. Collectively, the Bulldog women are 65-31 in singles and 34-14 in doubles play.
• The men’s team will be off this week with just one regular season match left on the schedule (April 22 at Baker University). On the other hand, the women will close out GPAC regular season action on Tuesday with a visit to College of Saint Mary (5-6, 2-1 GPAC) for a 4 p.m. CT first serve in Omaha. Concordia will attempt to duplicate the 5-4 victory it earned over the Flames in 2018.

Golf

• The weather cooperated well enough for both teams to be in action on back-to-back days this past Sunday-Monday. Unfortunately for the women, several spring rounds have been wiped out due to inclement weather. They were finally able to compete on April 14 at the Concordia-Mount Marty Cup staged at York Country Club. The result was a 5.5 to 4.5 loss in the head-to-head battle. Meanwhile, the men placed fifth out of eight squads at the Red Raider Cup on April 9 and then finished 10th out of 15 teams at Monday’s 36-hole GPAC Spring Preview. For more information on Bulldog golf: Men | Women.
• The Red Raider Cup hosted by Northwestern was initially scheduled to be a two-day event in Orange City, Iowa, but was shortened to one. The meet featured both a stroke play and match play round at Landsmeer Golf Club. After placing sixth with a score of 302 in stroke play, Concordia then went on to defeat Briar Cliff in the fifth-place match. The Bulldogs defeated the Chargers, 4-1, with wins turned in by senior Nolan Zikas, junior Tylar Samek and sophomores Jayden Neal and Harrison Helmer.
• It was another long day of action on Monday for Zikas and company, who navigated the Dakota Dunes Country Club course that will also serve as the site of next week’s GPAC championships. The Bulldogs shot a two-round total of 328-316–644, which falls below their expectations. The team scoring average over 15 rounds in 2018-19 is now 311.67. The team’s top round this season came back in the fall with a 293 on the second day of the Siouxland Invitational.
• Zikas was again the squad’s top player with his efforts in Dakota Dunes. He shot nine over par (79-74–153) and tied for 12th on the tournament leaderboard. Zikas was just two strokes off of a fifth top 10 finish this 2018-19 season. Five other Bulldogs were also present in Dakota Dunes, S.D. –Samek (84-79–163; T-39th), freshman Jack Williams (79-85–164; T-41st), Neal (86-78–164; T-41st), Helmer (91-93–184; 81st) and freshman Landon Walkenhorst (98-101–199; 87th).
• The collegiate career of Zikas is winding down. A three-time All-GPAC honoree and winner of the 2018 David Toms Overcoming Adversity award, Zikas will go down as an all-time great for the program. He has been the team’s most consistent performer throughout 2018-19 by shooting an average score of 73.67. In 63 career rounds, Zikas carries an average of 75.56. The highlight of his senior year to date was the tournament title he won at the Siouxland Invitational. The La Vista, Neb., native has work to do at the upcoming conference championships to move up from his current standing of tied for 20th.
• The Concordia women came up short in York on Sunday despite a strong showing on the back nine of the event. Muller’s squad trailed 3.5 to 1.5 after the first wave of action. The Bulldogs then made up some ground on the second wave, just not enough to come all the way back. Wins on the second wave were produced by freshmen Britney Jepsen and Kendra Placke and junior Murphy Sears. Concordia had not played at an official meet since hosting the Concordia Spring Invitational on March 28.
• It should be noted that the 332 turned in by the women at the Concordia Invite broke the previous program single round record of 334. Both Sears (78) and Placke (79) placed inside the top 10 on the individual leaderboard while DJ Bokelman carded a career low 84. Through 11 rounds in 2018-19, the Bulldogs have averaged a team score of 357.00. Placke (80.18) and Sears (85.36) have been the team’s top two individuals in terms of 18-hole average.
• The next event on the schedule for both teams is the GPAC Spring Championships. The men’s championships will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday (April 23-24) at Dakota Dunes Country Club. Meanwhile, the women will compete in the conference championships next Friday and Saturday (April 26-27). Both Concordia teams are currently in sixth place in the GPAC.

Baseball

• An unprecedented run of success in conference play continues for the Bulldogs, who own a four-game lead atop the GPAC standings with eight games remaining on the conference regular season slate. Since last Tuesday’s report, Concordia has played three conference doubleheaders, which resulted in splits with Midland and Jamestown and a sweep of Morningside. A 15-0 start within the GPAC gave some cushion that allowed for the Bulldogs to settle for a split here and there. Fifth-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad is now 24-13 overall and 18-2 in the GPAC. For more information on Concordia baseball, click HERE.
• Prior to the program’s GPAC regular season championship season of 2017, the Bulldogs had not won a baseball conference title since 1986. The 2017 team’s school single season record of 19 conference wins is now in jeopardy with the current squad closing in on it. In addition, no GPAC squad (GPAC began in 2000) has ever won more than 20 conference games in a season. The league schedule first expanded to 28 games in 2017. Concordia’s 15-0 start to GPAC play was the longest unbeaten run by a GPAC baseball team since Doane went a perfect 20-0 in 2014.
• From a statistical standpoint, this is the best pitching staff in school history. The starting rotation of Jason Munsch (2.21 ERA), Sasha Jabusch (3.32), Jake Fosgett (3.32) and Tanner Wauhob (4.20) has set the tone for a squad with a 2.07 ERA in conference games. And in rare instances when the starters have not gone deep in games, the bullpen has helped pick up the slack. The bullpen has been paced by the likes of Ryan Samuelson (0.00 ERA) and Dylan DuRee (0.90). In overall team ERA, the Bulldogs rank 32nd nationally (4.11).
• When Munsch is locating pitches, he’s as good as anyone in the conference and perhaps up there with the best pitchers in all of the NAIA. He had the good stuff last week in his start versus Jamestown. The native of Campbell, Calif., recorded a career high 16 strikeouts and was subsequently named the GPAC Pitcher of the Week. The junior lefty boasts an obscene K-rate of 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Munsch has struck out at least six hitters in each of the six starts he’s made in 2019. In addition, his 174 career strikeouts place him No. 1 in program history.
• The ERA listed above for Samuelson is not a typo. The sophomore from Omaha has yet to allow a single run in 15 innings of relief work this season. The tall right-hander came out of the bullpen in game two on Monday and worked four hitless innings against Morningside while earning the win. Opposing hitters are just 6-for-48 (.104) against Samuelson, who could eventually be a candidate to transition to the rotation just as Fosgett did. Furthermore, Samuelson possesses a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 18-to-2.
• The increased temperatures this week helped some of Concordia’s power hitters the chance to drive the ball in ways the wind didn’t allow for in other recent action. None of that has mattered much to senior second baseman Christian Meza. After Monday’s action, Meza’s career hit total stands at 199. With one more knock, he will become just the second player in program history to reach 200 career hits (Zak Goodrich holds the school record with 234 hits). The hits record may be out of his reach, but Meza is already No. 1 in career doubles with 49.
• Wade Council is actually the current team leader in batting average with his .354 clip just edging out Meza (.352) at the moment. Council enjoyed a fine past week at the plate that saw him go a combined 11-for-22 (.500) with seven runs scored, a walk and two RBIs. The most memorable play of the week may have been the one that occurred in the bottom of the 13th of game two versus Jamestown when Council was ruled to be out at home plate. Replays made it appear that Council had avoided the tag in what would have been the game winning run.
• Dupic admitted that the game two win over Morningside Monday may have been his favorite so far this season. The Bulldogs fell behind 4-0 before rallying with the help of the long ball and a couple big RBI hits from Evan Bohman. Beau Dorman got Concordia on the board in the third inning with a solo blast to center. After Bohman’s two-run single tied the game in the fifth, Jesse Garcia followed with a three-run homer to left. An inning later, Keaton Candor added a solo shot for an insurance run. Garcia and Candor are tied for the team lead with seven home runs apiece. The Bulldogs have out-homered their opponents, 30-12, this season.
• This week’s slate continues today (April 16) with a nonconference game at York College (5:30 p.m. CT first pitch). Then it’s back to GPAC play on Thursday and Friday when a four-game set at Northwestern (16-19, 10-9 GPAC) will unfold. The Red Raiders are the defending GPAC regular season and tournament champions. Northwestern has won four games in a row.

Softball

• The “Sioux City Week” is now behind the Bulldogs, who played six times last week in a town called home by Morningside and Briar Cliff. After dropping two at Morningside, Concordia rebounded by sweeping doubleheaders from Briar Cliff and Mount Marty. The Bulldogs and Lancers also went head-to-head in Sioux City due to snow that made fields in South Dakota unplayable. Head coach Shawn Semler’s squad remains a factor in the GPAC title race at 9-3 in the conference (20-6 overall). Ten games remain on the conference schedule. For more information on Concordia softball, click HERE.
• This is an off week for the official conference and national coaches’ polls. In ratings released last week (April 8-9), the Bulldogs began to garner more respect with a No. 2 placement in the GPAC poll and by way of receiving votes in the NAIA national poll. According to Massey Ratings, very little separates the top three teams in the GPAC. Its NAIA national rankings currently list Concordia at 34th, Morningside at 38th and Midland at 40th. The next closest conference team in the national ratings is Mount Marty at 83rd (out of 198 NAIA softball teams).
• After being held to a combined three runs by Morningside pitcher Hallie Misiaszek in 14 innings of action on April 9, the Bulldog bats heated up over the weekend and rattled off a total of 37 runs in the wins over Briar Cliff and Mount Marty. Concordia continues to have a potent offense that averages exactly 7.0 runs per game – No. 1 in the GPAC. The ability to hit for extra bases has been a key factor. Through 26 games, the Bulldogs have notched 43 doubles, 15 triples and 15 home runs while slugging .495 (just behind Morningside for the conference lead).
• It was a monster week for reigning GPAC Player of the Year Hhana Haro. Over the six games last week, the slugging third baseman went 10-for-20 with five runs scored, a double, a home run, two walks and nine RBIs. Haro is now riding a nine-game hitting streak that has raised her batting average from .339 to .415 (second on the team). Haro is also slugging .634 and has four home runs and 28 RBIs on the season. Haro’s home run leading off the sixth inning of game two at Mount Marty broke a 2-2 tie at the time.
• Haro and teammate Tori Homolka could both be candidates for the 2019 GPAC Player of the Year award. Homolka has been on a season long tear that continued last week. The most impressive aspect of the breakout campaign for the Swanton, Neb., native has been her extra base power. She is slugging .787 on the strength of 10 doubles, four triples and five home runs (all team highs). Last week Homolka homered twice (including a grand slam) and tripled.
• This lineup gets even scarier if freshman Camry Moore can replicate the power she showed in game two of the doubleheader at Briar Cliff. The Crete High School product connected for the first two home runs of her career. It seemed to only be a matter of time before the 5-foot-11 Moore began driving the ball. She is now hitting .366 (26-for-71) this season. In the circle, Moore tossed an eight-inning complete game in a 5-1 victory at Mount Marty. Her ERA went down to 3.16.
• The combo of Moore and senior Brittany Woolridge has succeeded with astonishing control. The duo has combined to throw 151.1 innings with a grand total of 22 walks allowed. Moore has surrendered just six free passes in 79.2 innings. Among qualified pitchers, Moore actually ranks No. 2 nationally for fewest walks per game (0.50). As a staff, Concordia ranks No. 2 in the NAIA in that same statistic with an average of 0.92 walks issued per game.
• While sharing time at second base (13 starts), freshman Kylee Nixon has been incredibly productive. She put together a 3-for-4 performance in the final game of the weekend and raised her season batting average to .463 (19-for-41). In those 41 at bats, the York High School product has also collected five doubles, two home runs and 14 RBIs. It’s safe to say that Moore and Nixon give the Bulldogs two of the conference’s top freshmen hitters.
• This week is proving time for Concordia, which will be at Midland (20-6, 10-2 GPAC) for a 3 p.m. CT doubleheader today (April 16). The Warriors have actually dropped two of three since starting out 9-0 in conference action. The Bulldogs will then close the week on Saturday with a trip to Hastings (10-20, 2-10 GPAC) for a 1 p.m. twin bill. By this week’s conclusion, Concordia will have just six games remaining on the regular season slate.

Track & Field

• The Bulldogs are now in week four of their outdoor season after competing at the NAIA Midwest Quad hosted by Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 13. Concordia did not travel the entire roster, but many Bulldogs who made the trip managed to claim event titles in a small field that included athletes from Grand View, St. Ambrose University and Waldorf University. One major highlight was produced by Cody Williams, who added his name to the national qualifying field in the pole vault. For more on Concordia track and field, click HERE.
• Through the first three meets of the outdoor season, Bulldogs athletes have totaled 14 automatic national qualifying marks and 13 ‘B’ standard marks (see list below). Of the 27 marks put on the national board, 14 have been achieved by throwers. Familiar names in Samantha Liermann and Addie Shaw lead the way with two automatic marks apiece. Williams now has one ‘A’ mark and two ‘B’ marks.
  • Evan Asche – marathon (A, 1:13:30 in half)
  • Allie Brooks – pole vault (B, 11’ 5 ¾”)
  • Jacob Cornelio – hammer throw (A, 195’)
  • Claire Cornell – long jump (A, 18’ 10 ¾”)
  • Jazzy Eickhoff – javelin (B, 131’)
  • McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (A, 12’ 1 ½”)
  • Taylor Grove – marathon (A, 1:25:04 in half)
  • Liam Hennessy – shot put (B, 51’ 3 ½”); hammer throw (B, 172’)
  • Mackenzie Koepke – high jump (A, 5’ 5 ¾”)
  • Leah Larson – triple jump (B, 38’ ¾”)
  • Wyatt Lehr – marathon (B, 1:14:12 in half)
  • Samantha Liermann – shot put (A, 46’ 7 ¼”); hammer throw (A, 177’ 10”)
  • Erin Mapson – pole vault (A, 11’ 9 ¾”)
  • Tristen Mosier – pole vault (A, 11’ 9 ¾”)
  • Renato Oyarzun – hammer throw (B, 166’ 9”)
  • Johanna Ragland – hammer throw (B, 164’ 2”)
  • Ryan Sanchez – hammer throw (A, 175’ 4”)
  • Adrianna Shaw – hammer throw (A, 183’ 4”); discus (A, 154’ 9”); shot put (B, 43’ 1 ¾”)
  • Carley Weisser – discus (B, 142’ 2”); hammer throw (B, 162’ 2”)
  • Cody Williams – pole vault (A, 15’ 7”); 110 meter hurdles (B, 14.80); pole vault (B, 15’ 3”)
• The national leaderboard is a clear indication of the strength the Bulldogs possess in women’s field events. The volume of high ranking national marks in those areas moved the Concordia women all the way up to No. 2 in the NAIA national ratings released on April 10 by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. On the NAIA women’s national leaderboard, the Bulldogs boast 14 top 10 marks: McKenzie Gravo (No. 2 in pole vault), Addie Shaw (No. 1 in hammer; No. 2 in discus), Samantha Liermann (No. 4 in shot put; No. 5 in hammer), Taylor Grove (No. 6 in half marathon), Erin Mapson (No. 6 in pole vault), Tristen Mosier (No. 6 in pole vault), Carley Weisser (No. 6 in discus), Claire Cornell (No. 8 in long jump), Morgan De Jong (No. 8 in discus), Jazzy Eickhoff (No. 8 in javelin), Mackenzie Koepke (No. 8 in high jump) and Leah Larson (No. 10 in triple jump).
• A good number of throwers again eclipsed ‘A’ standards while in action in Des Moines with Jacob Cornelio (191’ 10”), Liermann (171’ 10”) and Shaw (168’ 11”) all doing so in the hammer throw, Liermann (45’ ½”) hitting the mark in the shot put and Shaw (151’ 11”) reaching it in the discus. Junior Liam Hennessy wasn’t too far off in both the hammer and shot put. Meanwhile, junior Jerod Peters put forth three personal bests and Eickhoff was a winner in the javelin (130’ 1”) with another ‘B’ mark.
• A majority of Concordia’s distance runners were held out of the meet, but head coach Matt Beisel liked what he saw from the three women who ran the 5,000 meters: freshman Abi DeLoach (19:24.53), junior Hannah Rebmann (19:41.76) and freshman Sydney Clark (20:09.95). DeLoach’s time was a personal best by roughly 20 seconds. Elsewhere on the track, the Bulldog women’s 4x800 meter relay of Miranda Rathjen, Rebekah Hinrichs, Tori Beran and Alyssa Fye finished in a solid time of 9:44.75. On the men’s side of things, senior Josiah McAllister clocked in at 1:57.35 in the 800 meters (second place). Freshman Gavin Davis bested a field of 19 in the 400 meters (50.26).
• Williams is one of the stars of a talented group of pole vaulters for both men and women. Some of whom are still waiting to break out this outdoor season. Williams (fifth), Mapson (fourth) and Jacee Pfeifer (tied-fifth) were all All-Americans at the NAIA indoor national championships. As it stands currently, Williams is the lone Bulldog qualified for outdoor nationals in the pole vault while Gravo, Mapson and Mosier have booked their tickets to nationals on the women’s side. Concordia is responsible for three of the eight automatic marks in the NAIA in the women’s pole vault.
• It’s been a bit of a slow start for the Bulldog relay teams. Concordia held back most of its relays at the cold and windy NAIA Midwest Quad meet, although the aforementioned women’s 4x800 meter relay was able to compete this past weekend. At the indoor national championships, the Bulldogs qualified men’s 4x4 and 4x8 and relays and a women’s 4x4. The men’s 4x8 and women’s 4x4 were All-America finishers. Concordia is still looking to post ‘A’ / ‘B’ standards in the relays for outdoor.
• For most Bulldog athletes, the Jim Dutcher Invited hosted by Doane this coming Friday and Saturday is up next. Select Concordia competitors will also appear at the University of Kansas Relays this week. Meets like the Kansas Relays and the upcoming Drake Relays (April 25-27) provide the Bulldogs opportunities to go up against competition from the NCAA Division I level. The goal is for both teams to be peaking by the time the GPAC championships roll around (May 3-4).