Bulldog Weekly Report (April 25)

By Jacob Knabel on Apr. 25, 2017 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Sydney Meyer, Track & Field

Meyer, a native of Campbell, Neb., won the javelin competition at the Dutcher Memorial with an automatic national qualifying throw of 134’ 6” (10th best in the nation). Meyer also took seventh place while competing in the hammer throw at last week’s Kansas Relays. She ranks third in the nation in the hammer.

Male: Gabe Poling, Tennis

Poling, who hails from Chillicothe, Mo., won his sixth-straight singles match and improved his overall record to 15-2 this season. In a 5-4 win over Wartburg College (Iowa), Poling defeated Sam Nettleton, 6-3, 6-2, at the No. 4 singles spot. Poling is 11-7 in doubles matches.

Football wraps up spring with public scrimmage: The Concordia football program completed the spring practice season last Friday with a scrimmage that was made accessible to the public. The Bulldogs underwent change this offseason with the promotion of Patrick Daberkow to head coach. In the spring scrimmage, the Bulldog defense again looked stout despite the loss of eight starters. For a complete breakdown on the spring, click HERE.

Senior Six headlines impressive group of four-year athletes for Concordia track: An unprecedented period of national success for Concordia track and field has been led by the current group of seniors, including national titlists such as Cody Boelllstorff, Zach Lurz and Lucas Wiechman. The Bulldog men have finished inside the top five of five-straight national championship meets. We detailed the exploits of the senior group HERE.

Find Bulldog gear at BulldogFanShop.com: BulldogFanShop.com is the official marketplace for Concordia Bulldogs athletic gear. For sale are many types of clothing apparel as well as drinkware, decals, collectibles and other accessories.

How to purchase Cultivating Men of Faith and Character: The book, Cultivating Men of Faith and Character: The History of Concordia Nebraska Football, remains available for purchase online HERE. For more than 90 years, the Concordia football program has cultivated men of faith and character. This journey through the program’s entire history takes a narrative, coach-by-coach approach in bringing back to life the memorable plays, players and moments in Bulldog football history. Win or lose, Christian character has guided a storied football tradition in Seward, home to the “college in the cornfield.”

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 6 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is in its second year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 6 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 TuneIn Radio app and searching “Max Country.” Throughout the 2016-17 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be 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.

Tennis

  • It was a perfect week for Bulldog tennis with the men’s and women’s teams both going 2-0 over the weekend. The men went outside of conference play and defeated NCAA Division III foes Wartburg College (Iowa), 5-4, and Buena Vista University (Iowa), 7-2, on April 22. Meanwhile, the women toppled GPAC rivals Midland, 5-4, and Northwestern, 7-2, as part of their late season push. Third-year head coach Joel Reckewey’s men’s squad is 9-10 overall and 2-2 in conference play (third). The women are now 8-11 and 3-3 in the GPAC (fourth). For more on the Concordia tennis programs: MEN | WOMEN.
  • Two of the GPAC’s hottest tennis teams reside in Seward. The active four-match win streak sported by the Bulldog men ranks as the longest active run of success among the six conference men’s tennis programs. On the women’s side, Concordia owns a three-match win streak, second in the GPAC only to first-place Hastings.
  • Both Bulldog teams have experienced plenty of nailbiters throughout the spring. The women recently went through a stretch in which four of six matches were decided by 5-4 final scores. They have gone 2-4 in six total matches this season that ended 5-4. On the men’s side, Concordia is 3-3 in matches with 5-4 final scores.
  • Junior Annie Horn just keeps on winning. She’s now run her singles winning streak to 11 after claiming victories last week over Whitney Schutt of Midland and Zoe Holscher of Northwestern. Horn has not dropped a singles match since a defeat against an opponent from Ottawa University (Kan.) on Feb. 24. At 13-4 overall, Horn tops Concordia in wins. She’s 5-0 against conference opponents while holding down the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Horn and doubles partner Kirsten Wagner also share the team lead for doubles wins (9-8).
  • No player in either program possesses more wins than does Gabe Poling, who now stands at 15-2 overall. He’s also undefeated in GPAC play (4-0) and owns a six-match win streak. Last week, Poling played against Wartburg only, coming through with a 6-3, 6-2 singles victory over Sam Nettleton. Poling has not lost since March 7 at Bethany.
  • Collectively, the men have produced records of 59-55 in singles and 25-32 in doubles. Meanwhile, the women have gone 57-57 in singles and 25-32 in doubles. Besides Poling, three other men have at least eight wins: Thomas Greeff (10-9), Lucas Zoller (9-9) and Javier Moreno (8-7). Following behind Horn’s 13 wins on the women’s side are the likes of Katie Hertz (9-9), Wagner (8-8) and Kayla Smock (7-8).
  • Both teams are set to close out the regular season this week. The men will play Hastings (8-8, 4-0 GPAC) at Abbott Sports Complex in Lincoln at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday (April 25). The women will then welcome the Broncos (5-7, 5-0 GPAC) to town for another 4 p.m. first serve on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will be at the GPAC tournament in Fremont, Neb., May 5-6.

Track & Field

  • Bulldog athletes participated in three different meets as part of last week’s action: the Kansas Relays, the Sioux City Relays and the Jim Dutcher Memorial Classic hosted by Doane. Including all three meets, Concordia athletes eclipsed automatic national qualifying standards 19 times. At the Dutcher Memorial, Bulldog athletes combined for eight event titles. For more information on Concordia track and field, click HERE.
  • Based on the current national rankings, Concordia boasts two of the top four female pole vaulters in the nation. Sophomores Allie Brooks and McKenzie Gravo both eclipsed 12’ 8” while competing at the Sioux City Relays on April 21. That mark represented a personal best for Gravo, a two-time GPAC champion and All-American. Only three pole vaulters in the conference have even come near the 12-foot mark. Brooks and Gravo now rank at the Nos. 1 and 2 spots on the program’s all-time list for the women’s pole vault.
  • Two fresh automatic qualifying marks were produced last week by the Bulldogs, courtesy of Cody Boellstorff in the discus and Sydney Meyer in the javelin. Seventeen Concordia athletes have qualified individually and will make the journey to Gulf Shores, Ala., in late May.
  • Concordia’s national qualifying list includes 26 automatic marks and eight ‘B’ standard marks. Both Zach Lurz and Kali Robb lead the field with three automatic national throwing marks apiece. Two ‘A’ marks are owned by Boellstorff, Philip Kreutzer, Meyer, Tricia Svoboda and Lucas Wiechman. This list does not include multi event athletes. On the national list in the decathlon, Jake Rodgers is ranked 15th (5,944) and Thomas Matik checks in at No. 17 (5,859). In the heptathlon, Jessica Deterding appears at No. 14 (4,176) and Anna Beune at No. 25 (3,895).
    • Cody Boellstorff – hammer throw (A, 216’ 6”); discus (A, 162’ 1”); shot put (B, 50’ 8”)
    • Allie Brooks – pole vault (A, 12’ 8 ¾”)
    • Jacob Cornelio – hammer throw (A, 180’ 9”); discus (B, 158’ 4”)
    • Jacy Embray – discus (A, 142’ 10”)
    • McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (A, 12’ 8”)
    • Taylor Grove – half marathon (A, 1:29:28)
    • Ben Hulett – 110 meter hurdles (B, 14.85)
    • Philip Kreutzer – hammer throw (A, 185’ 11”); shot put (A, 52’)
    • Samantha Liermann – shot put (A, 46’ 8 ¾”); hammer throw (B, 164’ 8”)
    • Zach Lurz – shot put (A, 57’ 6 ½”); hammer throw (A, 206’ 6”); discus (A, 179’ 9”)
    • Sydney Meyer – hammer throw (A, 179’ 3”); javelin (A, 134’ 6”)
    • CJ Muller – 800 meters (A, 1:51.40)
    • Amy Migl – discus (B, 139’ 4”)
    • Johanna Ragland – hammer throw (B, 158’ 6”)
    • Tyrell Reichert – pole vault (A, 15’ 5”)
    • Kali Robb – shot put (A, 48’ ¾”); discus (A, 143’ 8”); hammer throw (A, 190’ 5”)
    • Adrianna Shaw – shot put (A, 45’ 1 ½”); hammer throw (B, 158’ 2”)
    • Carley Skorepa – discus (B, 140’ 9”)
    • Jan Steinbrueck – discus (A, 147’ 4”)
    • Tricia Svoboda – discus (A, 158’ 4”); hammer (A, 171’ 8”); javelin (B, 132’ 6”)
    • Lucas Wiechman – 110 hurdles (A, 14.43); pole vault (A, 16’ 7 ¼”); 400 hurdles (B, 54.17)
  • For Concordia multi-event athletes, the Dutcher Memorial provided the first opportunity of the season to compete. Rodgers and Matik placed third and fourth, respectively, in the decathlon. On the women’s side, Deterding, Beune, Sophia Hoelz and McKayla Besel finished second, fifth, eighth and ninth, respectively, in the heptathlon. The indoor heptathlon national champ, Wiechman plans to compete in the decathlon this week at the Drake Relays.
  • Event winners at the Dutcher Memorial included the women’s 4x400 meter relay, Brooks (pole vault), Taylor Grove (5,000 meters), Lurz (hammer throw), Meyer (javelin), Taylor Mueller (steeplechase), Svoboda (hammer throw) and Wiechman (110 meter hurdles). In addition, Boellstorff topped a loaded field in the hammer throw at the Kansas Relays.
  • On the track, CJ Muller ran both a 200 (22.48) and a 400 (49.18). In the 110 meter hurdles, Ben Hulett creeped closer to the automatic time by clocking in at 14.85. Hulett placed second in the 400 meter hurdles and third in the 110 meter hurdles.
  • The prestigious Drake Relays highlight this week’s schedule. Concordia athletes will be in Des Moines, Iowa, for the annual event Thursday through Saturday. Many Bulldog athletes will also compete at the Prairie Wolf Invitational hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan on Thursday. The Prairie Wolf Invite event schedule can be viewed HERE.

Golf

  • The end is near for the 2016-17 Concordia golf season. Both teams were in action at the beginning of last week in what were their final outings before the GPAC Spring Championships. On the men’s side, the Bulldogs competed in a match play tournament hosted by Northwestern (April 17-18). Concordia finished in seventh place, salvaging the event with a 5-0 win over Dordt following losses to Midland and Dordt on the first day of the event. Meanwhile, the women have been idle since placing third at the Kaitlyn Erickson Invite hosted by Doane on April 18. For more information on the Concordia golf programs: MEN | WOMEN.
  • At the time this report was published, the Bulldog men were in the midst of finishing the second and final day of the GPAC Spring Championships. Concordia had a rough go while navigating windy conditions at Woodland Hills Golf Club in Eagle, Neb., on Monday. After three rounds complete, the Bulldogs have moved back to seventh place (300-343-324–967) in the conference standings. The 343 they turned in in Monday’s first round was a season high.
  • Freshman Tylar Samek handled the conditions the best, carding rounds of 81 and 77 on Monday. He’s still within range of an all-conference finish (top 10 are automatic). He’s currently tied for 13th with a cumulative score of 73-83-79–235. The three other Bulldogs that qualify on the overall leaderboard are Nolan Zikas (76-91-79–246, T-27th), Jared Knoepfel (84-82-85–251, T-30th) and Russell Otten (77-92-85-254, 36th). Tyler Ehresman joined the fray on Monday and turned an 87-81–168.
  • The women have made significant strides this spring. The 363 they cared last week marked their third lowest single-round total of the entire 2016-17 campaign. Additionally, the third-place finish was a season best. After 12 total rounds this academic year, the Bulldogs sport a season average of 378.8. They equaled a season best of 361 during the second round of the Bent Tree Showcase on April 3.
  • The headlining performer in the program is Amy Ahlers, of course. Last week she was named the GPAC golfer of the week for the seventh time in her career. That honor came after she tied her own single-round school record by shooting a one-under-par 71 in a first-place finish at the Morningside Invite. Ahlers is 8-for-8 this season in terms of placing inside the top 10 of events. Her season average of 80.67 would also break her own program record should it hold up. Ahlers will aim for a fourth-straight all-GPAC finish.
  • Ahlers carded an eight-over-par 80 at the Erickson Invite, placing her sixth. Like usual, freshman Murphy Sears fell in next in line with an 87 that equaled her season average. That effort placed her in a tie for 14th place out of 53 individuals. The rest of Concordia’s five-member team included sophomore Madison Pitsch (97, T-24th), freshman Payton DeMers-Sahling (99, T-28th) and junior Lauren Sperry (103, T-36th). Competing individually, freshman Paighton Barbre finished with a 102.
  • The men’s season will conclude today (April 25) while the women will take the course this weekend (April 28-29) for their own GPAC Spring Championships, which will also feature a total of 54 holes. The women’s event will be held at Quail Run Golf Course in Columbus, Neb. The Concordia women are in ninth place (386) out of 11 teams. Ahlers is tied for sixth (83) and six shots back of the lead.

Softball

  • It was a relatively light week for the Bulldogs, who won three of four conference games while playing a doubleheader at Midland and then another versus Mount Marty. Concordia dominated the Warriors, taking two by a combined total of 18-3, before splitting with the Lancers. The second-place Bulldogs now stand at 29-11 overall and at 11-5 in conference play. For more information on the Bulldog softball program, click HERE.
  • The game 2 loss to Mount Marty ended an eight-game winning streak for Concordia. It was the third longest win streak during head coach Todd LaVelle’s four seasons leading the program. The 2016 squad put together a 10-game early season victory streak. Two years earlier, the 2014 Bulldogs opened up the season with nine-consecutive triumphs. This year’s edition also won six games in a row in late March. Concordia is 16-4 since March 21.
  • The hottest bat in the lineup has been the one swung by sophomore Leah Kalkwarf. Her own hitting streak, which reached 12 games, also ended with the game 2 loss to Mount Marty. Even so, her last 13 games have been impressive. During that time, she’s gone 21-for-40 (.525) with 14 runs scored, 13 RBIs, 10 doubles, a triple and a home run. Her batting average has soared from .276 to .354. Her 31 RBIs this season rank second on the team behind Autumn Owens (34).
  • The Bulldogs are now one win away from reaching 30 in a season for the seventh time in program history. The high water mark during LaVelle’s tenure was 32 victories by the 2014 national qualifying squad. Since then, Concordia posted 29 wins in 2015 and exactly 30 in 2016. The school record of 36 wins (2005) is still within reach if the Bulldogs can finish the regular season strong and then make a postseason run.
  • Catcher/third baseman Autumn Owens continues to serve as the team’s most potent home run hitter. She delivered her eighth home run of the season last week at Midland. Owens is now one home run shy of the school single-season record she shares with Clarissa Eloge, who hammered nine big flies in both 2009 and 2010. In her fine career, Owens has batted .353 with 21 home runs, 96 RBIs and a .624 slugging percentage in 130 games. She currently ranks third among GPAC players in home runs this season.
  • Michaela Woodward enjoyed another solid week in the circle, going 14 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits and seven walks to go along with 12 strikeouts. Woodward picked up a win in both doubleheaders, improving her season record to 15-7. In 485.1 career innings, Woodward has gone 46-26 with a 4.21 ERA and 313 strikeouts.
  • The 2017 Bulldogs possess perhaps the best offensive lineup during LaVelle’s time at Concordia. Among GPAC teams, the Bulldogs rank second in batting average (.323), second in runs per game (6.2), second in triples per game (0.3), third in slugging percentage (.459), third in hits per game (9.1), third in doubles per game (1.7) and fourth in home runs per game (0.5).
  • The Bulldogs are taking aim at their highest conference finish in nearly a decade. While it may be too late to catch Morningside for first place, Concordia has a realistic chance to place second for the first time since the 2009 squad tied for a runner up finish. Not since the 2008 season has the program captured a GPAC regular-season title. LaVelle’s 2015 team won the GPAC tournament championship.
  • The regular season will conclude this week with a trio of doubleheaders. The Bulldogs will host College of Saint Mary (16-16, 9-7) at 5 p.m. CT on Wednesday (senior day) and then welcome Bethany College (Kan.) (19-28) at 4 p.m. on Thursday. In a twin bill to close the regular season, Concordia will be at Dordt (16-17, 9-7 GPAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

 

Baseball

  • Each of last week’s three doubleheaders resulted in a 3-3 run as Concordia opened up an eight-game home stand that will carry on into this week. After splitting a doubleheader with Midland, the Bulldogs also split a weekend four-game set with Briar Cliff. Third-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad is 7-7 at home this season. Concordia now stands at 25-18 overall and at 14-8 in the GPAC (one game behind first-place Midland). For more information on the Bulldog baseball program, click HERE.
  • The bar continues to be raised under Dupic. He has overseen the winningest three-year period in school history. Since he took over before the 2015 season, Concordia has a combined record of 79-63. This year’s squad needs four more victories to break the program’s single-season wins record set last season when the Bulldogs went 28-27 overall. The year before, the Bulldogs set a new standard for the time by going 26-18. The program record for conference wins was 15 by the 2005 team.
  • One individual school record fell last week when Christian Montero doubled twice in the opening game of Sunday’s doubleheader sweep of Briar Cliff. Montero now has 18 doubles for the year, moving him past the previous standard of 17 doubles by Zak Goodrich in 2010. Teammate Kaleb Geiger (16 doubles) is right on Montero’s heels. Overall this season, Montero is batting .290 with five home runs and 23 RBIs.
  • Dupic’s pitching staff showed strong last week, particularly over the final five games. During that stretch, Bulldog hurlers allowed only 11 combined runs. In a 10-0 victory over Midland, freshman lefty Jason Munsch fired six shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out nine. Munsch has not allowed a single run over his last three starts, totaling 20 innings. He’s punched out 24 hitters during that stretch.
  • Munsch has been one of the stars of a rotation that includes three pitchers with sub-3.00 ERAs. No. 1 on the list is senior Josh Prater (4-3, 2.33 ERA) followed by Munsch (5-1, 2.36 ERA) and Wade Council (5-1, 2.59 ERA). Largely because of their work, Concordia ranks third among GPAC squads in team ERA.
  • A consistent force at the top of the lineup, Casey Berg is nearing a school record of his own. His 46 runs scored put him two behind the current program standard of 48 (accomplished by Geiger in 2016 and Goodrich in 2010). Berg has been an on-base machine (.470 OBP) and also leads the team in home runs (seven). The native of Carroll, Iowa, is hitting .364 with another team high of 91 total bases.
  • The Sunday doubleheader with Briar Cliff marked the first time this season that second baseman Christian Meza batted third in the lineup. He delivered with the game-winning, walk-off sacrifice fly in game 1 and then added two hits and two RBIs in game 2. Meza is hitting .344 with 12 doubles and 32 RBIs.
  • Under Dupic, the program has been shooting up the conference standings. The Bulldogs have gone from ninth in 2015 to fourth in 2016 to tied for second so far in 2017. The most recent conference title for the program came in 1986. A year ago, Concordia came up one win short of advancing to the GPAC tournament championship game.
  • Six games are left on the conference regular-season schedule. Up next is tonight’s (April 25) doubleheader with Hastings (24-18, 13-9 GPAC) in a crucial meeting between teams sitting in the top four of the conference standings. The action will get underway at 5 p.m. CT. The regular season will conclude this weekend with a four-game series at Dakota Wesleyan (16-24, 11-11 GPAC) with 1 p.m. doubleheaders in Mitchell, S.D., on Friday and Saturday. The Bulldogs control their own destiny in regards to at least a share of the conference regular-season title.