Bulldog Weekly Report (April 2)

By Jacob Knabel on Apr. 2, 2019 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Erin Lokke, Shooting Sports

Lokke, who hails from Saint Francis, Minn., completed her collegiate career this past week at the ACUI National Championships and placed second high over all among female competitors and was the national champion in the category of combined international events. She had the team’s top score in American skeet and super sporting.

Male: Wyatt Hambly, Shooting Sports

Hambly a native of Paso Robles, Calif., starred in his first ever appearance at the ACUI National Championships. He posted the team’s top scores in American skeet, American trap and sporting clays and was No. 2 among Bulldogs overall across all events. He was just short of a perfect score with a 99/100 in American trap.

Previous Athletes of the Week
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:

Shooting sports wraps up season, places fourth at national championships: The 2018-19 season is now in the books for Bulldog shooting sports. This marked the first season as head coach at Concordia for Scott Moniot. His 17 competitors at the ACUI Collegiate Clay Target Championships collaborated on a fourth place high overall all team finish out of 13 squads in the “Division 2” breakdown of the event that took place in San Antonio, Texas, March 25-30. Individually, senior Erin Lokke starred while finishing second HOA among women. Her accomplishments also included a national championship in the category of combined international open events by way of shooting an 86 in international skeet and a 94 in international trap. More details on the event can be found via the shooting sports page of our website HERE.

Season wrap ups: The winter sports seasons for Concordia were officially in the books when the Bulldog women’s basketball team celebrated a national title on March 12. We put a bow on those winter seasons by recapping the highlights and memories from the months just gone by. To relive the winter sport seasons, click on the links below.
-All sports winter recap
-Men’s Basketball season recap
-Women’s Basketball season recap
-Wrestling season recap

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.

Softball

  • Due to another postponement, it was a fairly light week for the Bulldogs. Their lone outing last week resulted in a doubleheader sweep of Doane with Concordia winning by scores of 6-4 and 5-0. The games were played at Crete High School, the former home field of three Crete High alums on the Bulldog roster. Thirteen of Concordia’s 15 games have been played on neutral diamonds. Head coach Shawn Semler’s squad is now 13-3 overall and 2-0 in conference play. For more information on Bulldog softball, click HERE.
  • The active 12-game win streak for Concordia marks the longest for the program since the 2008 squad rattled off 15 victories in a row during a campaign that saw then head coach Frank Greene’s team finish at 31-11 overall (21-3 GPAC). That ’08 squad won the GPAC regular season title by a four-game margin. The current Bulldogs are still working on earning national respect. Last week they did not appear in the official GPAC poll despite being ranked by Massey Ratings as the No. 23 team in the NAIA (No. 1 in the GPAC).
  • The rocky spring weather has failed to slow down the bat of sophomore Tori Homolka, who was named the GPAC Player of the Week on March 26. She continued to sizzle in the doubleheader at Crete, where she went 5-for-8 with three runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and five RBIs. The native of Swanton, Neb., carried Concordia offensively in the first game when she blasted a three-run homer and then a two-run, game-winning home run in the sixth. She’s an incredible 17-for-26 at the plate over the past seven games. That outburst has raised her season batting average to a team high .474. She’s also slugging an otherworldly .877. Homolka has already collected eight doubles, three triples and three home runs this season.
  • While Homolka has been the brightest star with the bat, senior Brittany Woolridge has been especially impressive with her right arm. The native of Tucson, Ariz., fired a three-hit shutout in the second game at Doane. Woolridge has not allowed more than three runs in any of her seven appearances this season. Her record is now a perfect 6-0 to go along with a 1.75 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 29-to-6 over 44 innings. Woolridge is tied for the second best ERA among all GPAC pitchers.
  • Woolridge had only two strikeouts in her complete game performance, but that was just fine with a defense behind her that has been stellar through the season’s first 16 games. The Bulldogs did not commit a single error at Doane. The highlight reel play of the day came from Hhana Haro, who made a diving stop to her left to rob a base hit in the second game. As a team, the Bulldogs rank 10th nationally in fielding percentage (.967). Concordia has done that despite often having lineups that typically change significantly from game one to game two of doubleheaders.
  • It was a homecoming in Crete for Moore, who led the Cardinals to a Class B state championship in 2017 while playing for Crete High School coach Shawn Carr. With Moore and fellow Crete High alums Jamie Lefebure and MacKinsey Schmidt in the lineup for game one, a large crowd flocked to the park. Moore enjoyed a solid day that saw her get the pitching win with a complete game in the opener. She then had two hits and scored a run in the night cap.
  • The numbers have been terrific across the board for the Bulldogs, who rank right near the top of the conference in many key statistical categories. Among GPAC squads, Concordia ranks first in fielding percentage (.967), first in batting average (.322), first in slugging percentage (.497), first in runs per game (6.94), first in lowest pitcher walk rate (0.94/game) and third in ERA (2.54). Individually, Homolka ranks second in the GPAC in batting average.
  • Two others besides Homolka also connected for a home run in the doubleheader at Doane. Jadyn Lindgren drilled a solo homer in game one and Elanna Osthoff delivered a key three-run blast in game two. While the Bulldogs boast a healthy slugging percentage, they have been more of a gap hitting team. They have posted 25 doubles, 12 triples and nine home runs so far this season.
  • At long last, Concordia expects to have home games. It is scheduled to host doubleheaders with Jamestown at 3 p.m. CT on Friday and with Dakota Wesleyan at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Due to a run of wet weather, the Bulldogs postponed home nonconference twin bills they had scheduled with York College and Nebraska Wesleyan University during the month of March.

Baseball

  • Other than some difficulties with scheduling, the start of conference play could not have been scripted much better for the Bulldogs. Concordia is now 8-0 in the GPAC for the first time in program history after winning four times last week inside of conference play. In a doubleheader that took place in Sioux City, Iowa, the Bulldogs took two from Midland, 8-3 and 5-2, on March 27. They then trounced Hastings, 11-0 and 10-0, on March 31. Fifth-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad is now 14-10 overall. For more information on Concordia baseball, click HERE.
  • Prior to this spring, the longest Bulldog unbeaten run to begin conference play during the GPAC era (2000-present) was a 6-0 start in 2005. The ’05 squad went on to place fifth in the conference with a final GPAC mark of 15-9 (three games behind first place Dakota Wesleyan). After the first eight games of conference play, the 2017 GPAC championship Concordia squad sat at 5-3 (started out 0-3). That same team enjoyed a GPAC win streak of nine on its way to a 19-9 conference record.
  • The Bulldog pitching staff did impressive work last week, going 28 innings with no earned runs allowed. With the team’s top four starting pitchers unavailable on March 27, Dupic turned to typical bullpen arms in Lukas Diehm and Jared Schipper as starters in the doubleheader versus Midland. Diehm tossed four innings while getting the win in game one and Schipper fired three frames in game two. Also in the second contest, Ryan Samuelson did fine work out of the ‘pen. He went 3.2 scoreless innings and allowed only one hit and one walk.
  • Lefties Jason Munsch and Sasha Jabusch then completely dominated the Hastings lineup, which has struggled this season to generate runs. Munsch dazzled with a career high 13 strikeouts in a three-hit shutout. Jabusch then covered six scoreless innings, gave up just three hits and struck out 10. In the doubleheader, Bulldog hurlers combined for 25 strikeouts. In terms of ERA, Jabusch (2.20) and Munsch (2.28) have been the team’s most effective starters.
  • The lineup has also been solid. Concordia entered the week ranked No. 1 in the GPAC in runs per game (6.83). The Bulldogs trotted a parade of runners around the base paths against Hastings. In the twin bill, not only did Concordia combine for 21 runs, it recorded 18 hits, 15 walks and seven hit-by-pitches. All of those baserunners bumped the team on-base percentage up to a healthy .405.
  • Senior second baseman Christian Meza is going to go down as an all-time great for the Bulldog baseball program. With a two-run double in game two of the doubleheader at Hastings, Meza put himself alone atop the program’s all-time career doubles list with 45. Additionally, the San Diego native sports school career rankings of third in RBIs (123), fifth in hits (185) and tied for 10th in runs scored (102). In 162 career games, Meza has batted .344 with a .406 on-base percentage and .459 slugging percentage.
  • For much of his career, senior Logan Ryan has been in the shadows of teammates such as Meza. It’s time to give Ryan some love. The native of Johnson, Iowa, put together a fine week while going 5-for-9 with two walks, three hit-by-pitches, a double and eight runs scored in the doubleheaders against Midland and Hastings. He also successfully converted his 10 chances at shortstop. On the year, Ryan is hitting .326 and sports a sterling .466 on-base percentage.
  • Seven regulars are hitting better than .300: Meza (.367), Luciano DePamphilis (.364), Jesse Garcia (.343), Beau Dorman (.326), Ryan (.326), Evan Bohman (.322) and Wade Council (.310). Council is the team leader in RBIs (23) while Keaton Candor and Garcia share a team high for home runs (six). Bohman’s 49 total bases are tops among Bulldogs. Concordia has out-homered its opponents, 25-9, this season.
  • As long as weather allows, this will be a hectic week for the Bulldogs. They are scheduled to be in action today (April 2), Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday against the likes of Briar Cliff, Kansas Wesleyan University and Doane (four-game series), respectively. The twin bills on Wednesday and Sunday are slated to be at Plum Creek Park. Briar Cliff (8-2 GPAC) and Doane (6-4 GPAC) will provide significant challenges within conference play.

Track & Field

  • The outdoor season had been put on hold with the Bulldogs backing out of the Wildcat Classic (March 22-23) hosted by Wayne State. Another schedule adjustment was made when Hastings pushed the Bronco Open from Saturday to this past Sunday (March 31). The season opening meet saw Concordia record three automatic national qualifying marks, six ‘B’ standards and 18 event championships. The meet ended up being small in terms of number of teams and competitors. The bulk of the outdoor campaign will take place during the month of April for head coach Matt Beisel’s squads. For more on Bulldog track and field, click HERE.
  • Beisel and his staff expect to have better overall meets ahead of them, but the first meet of the outdoor season did produce some positives. Throwers Jacob Cornelio (hammer throw), Samantha Liermann (shot put) and Addie Shaw (hammer throw) each secured their spots in the NAIA national championships. In addition, ‘B’ standard national marks were turned in by Jazzy Eickhoff in the javelin, Leah Larson in the triple jump, Liermann in the hammer throw, Erin Mapson in the pole vault, Johanna Ragland in the hammer throw and Carley Weisser in the hammer throw.
  • The indoor season did not go exactly the way that Liermann would have hoped for. The two-time NAIA shot put national champion placed seventh in the shot put at the 2019 NAIA indoor national championships. Considering her track record, Liermann will certainly be considered a contender for another national title. She now ranks No. 1 in the NAIA in the shot put with her mark of 46’ 6” at the Bronco Open. As part of her impressive career, the native of Wisner, Neb., has qualified for nationals seven times and is an eight-time All-American.
  • In the first meet of her college career, freshman Claire Cornell won the long jump by landing in at 18’ 5,” just shy of the ‘B’ standard. Cornell is one of several members of the national champion women’s basketball team that has a chance to make an impact this outdoor season. Cornell put together a terrific high school career at Elm Creek, where set the state long jump record and was the Nebraska all-class long jump champion in each of her final three prep seasons. Another of those women’s basketball players is freshman Mackenzie Koepke, who won the high jump on Sunday with a mark of 5’ 2 ½.”
  • Beisel also liked what he saw from many Concordia runners in the distance crew. Fresh off running a 20-miler two days ago, senior Taylor Grove placed first in the 5,000 meters in a time of 19:34.44. Grove is already qualified for the national championships in the marathon. In the steeplechase, Beisel is trying out some athletes who are unaccustomed to the event. Patrick Schneeberger won the 3,000 meter steeplechase on the men’s side by clocking in at 10:56.29.
  • In addition, top performers on the track for the men such as Nathan Matters (800 meters) and Josiah McAllister (1,500 meters) both turned in a first-place effort on Sunday. Indoor heptathlon All-American Cody Williams jumped a PR of 44’ 10 ¾” in the triple. It was also a solid day for Gavin Davis, who ran 49.59 in the 400 meters (third place) and was part of the winning 4x100 meter relay (43.47). Not previously mentioned event champions were Dalton Berry (pole vault), Rebekah Hinrichs (5,000 meters), Jordan Lorenz (5,000 meters), Kennedy Mogul (400 meter hurdles) and Miranda Rathjen (800 meters).
  • Expectations are high for this spring with the Bulldogs coming off NAIA indoor championships finishes of ninth for both men and women. In addition, the women won the GPAC indoor title while the men were the runners up. The outdoor season has typically played to Concordia’s strengths, primarily due to the added throwing events. Last year Addie Shaw notched the 14th throwing national title for the Bulldogs since the start of the 2014 season. Concordia won team outdoor national titles on the men’s side in 2015 and on the women’s side in 2016.
  • The first home meet of the outdoor season will take place this Friday and Saturday when the Bulldogs put on their annual Concordia Outdoor Invitational. Select events will be staged on Friday with the bulk of the meet taking place Saturday in and around Bulldog Stadium. It will mark the first of three home outdoor meets. For the schedule of events, click HERE.

Golf

  • The spring season has gotten started for both teams. The women hosted the Concordia Spring Invitational last week (March 28) while the men took on Doane in a match play event in Beatrice, Neb., on Sunday. The women placed third out of the 10 teams at the Concordia Invite while the men fell by a 5-3 score to Doane. The women have now played two tournaments this spring while the men began their first one of the spring today (April 2). For more information on Bulldog golf: Men | Women.
  • Despite blustery and cold conditions at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln last week, the women managed to shoot a team season low of 332 on their home course. That put them behind only Morningside (321) and Iowa Western Community College (325). Concordia’s lineup was made up of junior Murphy Sears (78; T-4th), freshmen Kendra Placke (79; 6th), DJ Bokelman (84, T-15th) and Britney Jepsen (91; T-36th) and junior Paighton Barbre (99; T-48th). The team’s previous season best was a 334 in the opening round of the GPAC Championships in the fall.
  • Sears and Placke have pushed each other all season at the top of the lineup. The Concordia Invite marked the second time in 2018-19 that both shot in the 70s in the same round. Together they are responsible for all eight individual rounds this season of 79 or lower. Placke and Sears both own season lows of three-over-par 75. A Seward High School product, Placke possesses the team’s lowest scoring average (80.18) with Sears (85.36) next in line. Meanwhile, Bokelman’s 84 at the Concordia Invite was a career best.
  • The ability to play that well in those conditions was a positive for Sears and company. So too was the fact that it beat a solid in-state program in Bellevue (336) and finished above most of the GPAC competition at the meet, including Northwestern (342), Doane (350), Mount Marty (353), Dordt (362), Midland (369) and Nebraska Wesleyan (380). Concordia’s team season average now stands at 357.0.
  • The Concordia-Doane Cup that took place on Sunday does not officially count towards individual statistics. However, the sixth annual event does count for bragging rights between the two programs. In the 5-3 loss to Doane, the Bulldog pairings of Jayden Neal and Landon Walkenhorst and Nolan Zikas and Jack Williams were winners in alternate shot matches while Zikas and Williams also won their “best ball” match.
  • Named the 2018 David Toms Overcoming Adversity award winner, Zikas entered the spring as the team leader in terms of 18-hole average (73.63). Tylar Samek checks in next with a season scoring average of 75.50. In conference championship rounds, Samek has had the most success. He’s currently tied for sixth (74-70–144). Zikas is tied for 20th (76-74–150).
  • The women have this week off while the men will be busy. The scheduled two-day Blue River Invite is slated to run today and Wednesday (April 2-3) with action moving from Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln on Tuesday to Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln on Wednesday. The men will also be in action at the Bethel College Invitational this Saturday and Sunday with course locations in Hesston, Kan., and Newton, Kan.

Tennis

  • Conference play heated up this past week for both programs with home matches against Hastings (March 27) and Morningside (March 30-31) taking place on campus. The result was a split for the men and women. The men dropped a 6-3 decision to Hastings and then bounced back with an 8-1 victory over Morningside. Things worked out similarly for the women, who fell 5-4 to Hastings and then blanked the Mustangs, 9-0. Head coach David DeSimone’s squads are now 8-4 overall (1-1 GPAC) on the women’s side and 7-5 overall (2-1 GPAC) on the men’s side. For more information on Bulldog tennis: Men | Women.
  • The women just missed out on making a big statement in the match against Hastings. The Broncos are the defending GPAC tournament champions and reached the national tournament in both 2017 and 2018. It represented the only loss suffered by Concordia over its last four matches, which included a pair of victories over NCAA Division III opponents. With six matches remaining in the regular season, the Bulldogs could challenge the school record of 13 wins in a season set last year.
  • Senior Marlene Maier, named the GPAC Player of the Week on March 27, experienced a rare feeling last week against Hastings. Maier had her eight-match singles win streak ended in a 6-2, 6-0, loss to Kelsey Brown of the Broncos. Maier then rebounded with a 6-2, 6-0, victory over Abby Fitzgerald of Morningside. Maier is 10-2 at the No. 1 singles position. Her arrival this season has strengthened the entire lineup, which is one of the conference’s deepest.
  • All the wins against Hastings for the women came from the back half of the lineup. Winners in singles included junior Kirsten Wagner at No. 4, sophomore Allison Marshall at No. 5 and sophomore Angela Bell at No. 6. Bell and junior Lindee Schultz collaborated on an 8-1 triumph at No. 3 doubles. The closest defeat that could have flipped the team score was a 6-4, 7-5, decision at No. 2 singles, where Claudia Miranda Viera gave Kelsey Flaherty a strong push.
  • The Bulldog men have made obvious strides since going 1-4 in conference play last season. The scores, as compared to the 2018 season, are proof of the program’s improvement. A year ago, Concordia was beaten 9-0 by Hastings and 5-4 by Morningside. With seven wins overall, the Bulldogs need only one more to equal the team’s output from the entire 2018 season.
  • The men split the six singles matches with the Broncos, but were unable to recover after dropping all three doubles matches. Winners in singles for the Bulldogs were freshman Isaac Howes at No. 4, senior Conner Works at No. 5 and freshman Jack Kitson at No. 6. All three of them also went on to claim singles wins over their Morningside competitors. Concordia swept all six singles matches from the Mustangs and then got doubles victories from No. 1 Thomas Greeff/Jeremy Berryman and No. 3 Joseph Bindl/Works.
  • Works (8-4) is now the team leader for singles victories. Close behind him are Berryman (7-5) and Howes (7-5). Four Bulldogs each own five doubles wins this season: Greeff (5-5), Howes (5-5), Berryman (5-7) and Kitson (5-7). Collectively, the Concordia men are 39-33 in singles and 17-19 in doubles. As previously mentioned, Maier (10-2) is the singles wins leader on the women’s side. Bell also owns an impressive 7-2 singles mark. In doubles, Marshall (8-3) and Wagner (7-4) have starred. As a team, the Bulldog women are 43-29 in singles and 23-13 in doubles this season.
  • Both squads are scheduled to be in action twice this week. The men will host Doane (7-3, 0-0 GPAC) at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday and then head to NCAA Division II Augustana University (S.D.) on Saturday for a 2 p.m. match. Meanwhile, the women will host Doane (1-7, 0-0 GPAC) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday before traveling to face Northwestern (4-4, 1-0 GPAC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday.