Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Alli Owings, Track & Field
A sophomore from Imperial, Neb., Owings broke through with a personal best discus throw of 156’ 8” and placed second at last week’s Dutcher Classic. That mark puts Owings at No. 1 in the GPAC and sixth nationally. Owings has also produced ‘B’ standard marks in the hammer and shot put this season.
Male: Cade Kleckner, Track & Field
A senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., Cade Kleckner set a new program standard in the 200 meters last week while running an automatic national qualifying time of 21.30 (broke a school record that stood for 25 years). Kleckner also ran a 10.69 100 meters and helped the 4x100 meter relay to a time of 41.81 at the Dutcher Classic.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
April 19 – Chase Berry (track & field) / Kendra Placke (golf)
April 12 – Chris Wren (track & field) / Kylahn Heritage (track & field)
April 5 – Jaidan Quinn (baseball) / Sara Huss (track & field)
March 29 – Alec Blakestad (baseball) / Eduardo Luzzi (tennis) / Jerzi Rowe (softball)
March 22 – Joey Grabanski (baseball) / Noah Schutte (basketball) / Camry Moore (softball)
March 15 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Josie Puelz (track & field)
March 1 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Shelby Timmerman (cheer)
Feb. 22 – Gage Smith (basketball) / Josie Puelz (track & field)
Feb. 15 – Calvin Rodhe (track & field) / Kendal Brigham (basketball)
Feb. 8 – Taysha Rushton (basketball) / AJ Watson (basketball)
Feb. 1 – Calvin Rohde (track & field)
Jan. 25 – Calvin Rohde (track & field) / Gage Smith (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
Jan. 18 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
Jan. 11 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Mackenzie Toomey (basketball)
Dec. 14 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Sarah Lewis (track & field)
Dec. 7 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Nov. 30 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Taysha Rushton (basketball)
Nov. 16 – Korrell Koehlmoos (football) / Bree Burtwistle (volleyball)
Nov. 9 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Nov. 2 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
Oct. 26 – Peyton Mitchell (football) / Lexie Kreizel (volleyball)
Oct. 19 – Lane Napier (football) / Kalie Ward (soccer)
Oct. 12 – Caydren Cox (football) / Kalee Wiltfong (volleyball)
Oct. 5 – DJ McGarvie (football) / Sarah Schwacher (shooting sports)
Sept. 28 – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Sept. 21 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Lina Kirst (soccer) / Grace Reiman (cross country) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Sept. 14 – Caydren Cox (football) / Mikeila Martinez (soccer)
Sept. 7 – Drew D’Ercole (golf) / Ivan Yabut (golf) / Erica Heinzerling (volleyball)
Aug. 31 – Martin Herrera (soccer) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
BAAM Athletes of the Month
March – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Camry Moore (softball) / Josie Puelz (track & field)
February – Gage Smith (basketball) / Josie Puelz (track & field)
January – Carter Kent (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
December – Carter Kent (basketball) / Sarah Lewis (track & field)
November – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
October – Lane Napier (football) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
September – Caydren Cox (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday at 12 p.m. CT inside the Dog House Grill, located in the Janzow Campus Center. The luncheons feature reports from head coaches who are in season at the time.
Game/event days on campus: Concordia Athletics continues to welcome fans to its venues for sporting events. Currently, there are no attendance limits. Before visiting road venues involving Bulldog teams, fans should be sure to check the spectator policies on those particular campuses. Other locations may require the use of face coverings. Once again, fans attending varsity sporting events at Concordia are able to purchase advance tickets online via HomeTown Ticketing. Tickets will also be sold on site on the day of events. Should any policies or protocols for fans change, updated information will be available on the athletics fan information page HERE.
Concordia announces two new head coaches: Early last week, Concordia University announced the hirings of two new head coaches: Chase Clasen for Wrestling and Dylan Owens for Shooting Sports. Both are recent college graduates who have been identified as rising stars within the coaching profession. Clasen was an All-American at Chadron State College and most recently served as head coach at North Idaho College (NJCCA). Owens won a national title as a student-athlete at Bethel University (Tenn.) and has been highly immersed within the world of collegiate shooting sports. Releases on both can be found below.
--Chase Clasen, Wrestling
--Dylan Owens, Shooting Sports
Kent named captain of Omaha World-Herald’s All-Midlands Team: For the second year in a row, a Bulldog was named the captain of the Omaha World-Herald’s All-Midlands Team, which recognizes the top players at NAIA and NCAA Division III institutions within the state of Nebraska. Carter Kent took the top honor in 2022 after Justin Wiersema garnered the same award in 2021. In addition, Gage Smith joined Kent on the five-member All-Midlands Team and Wiersema, Noah Schutte and AJ Watson were chosen as honorable mention selections. On the women’s side, Concordia was represented by star guard Taysha Rushton. Teammates Rylee Pauli, Sadie Powell and Mackenzie Toomey were recognized as Midlands honorable mention. For more on the awards, check the links below.
-MBB All-Midlands Team
-WBB All-Midlands Team
Fifth-year Buckallew shares story of triumph over tribulation: Two seasons wiped out by injury and the self-doubt that creeped in provided Nathan Buckallew with plenty of adversity. The fifth-year Bulldog overcame it when things clicked mentally. A conversation with Head Coach Ryan Dupic helped trigger a new way of thinking for Buckallew. The success that followed was a byproduct of an improved mental game. Said Buckallew, "I realized that I don’t have to earn or achieve anything. I know that Jesus is going to love me the way that I am.” For more on Buckallew’s journey, click HERE.
Rylee reflections on four years of Concordia Women’s Basketball: A Millard South High School alum and a soon-to-be Concordia University alum, Rylee Pauli can provide a unique perspective on Bulldog Women’s Basketball. A four-year varsity player whose role increased with each successive season, Pauli exemplified what Head Coach Drew Olson looks for in student-athletes. She may have been undersized in the post, but Pauli’s relentless effort and grit helped make up for it. Said Pauli, “I had a great four years.” To read her reflections, click HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its seventh 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 2021-22 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Parker Cyza serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene is in his seventh season calling Concordia volleyball.
Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics partnered with PrestoSports for live video and statistical streaming. For more details on this change, click HERE. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Softball
· After a stretch of nine-straight days without a game, the Bulldogs returned to action last week while attempting to improve their positioning for a spot in the eight-team GPAC tournament. Concordia swept a doubleheader at Briar Cliff, winning by scores of 5-1 and 7-2, before falling twice at Mount Marty, by finals of 7-6 and 10-7. Entering the week, Concordia is situated in seventh place in the GPAC with two games left in the regular season. Head Coach Tatum Edwards’ squad stands at 21-21 overall (9-11 GPAC). For more information on Concordia Softball, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs are hopeful of qualifying for the conference tournament for the 19th time in 20 seasons since the GPAC was formed beginning with the 2000-01 academic year. Complete pairings for the 2022 GPAC tournament will be set by the end of the week when all conference regular season games have been completed. Concordia could potentially lock itself into the postseason after tonight’s action. A pair of wins at Hastings would put the Bulldogs at .500 in league play, a marker that has historically been plenty good enough to place top eight in the GPAC. The only time Concordia missed out on the GPAC tournament (2013), it went 8-12 in the GPAC.
· The Bulldogs may have played their best ball yet this season in the sweep at Briar Cliff. One of the keys was getting quality pitching in both ends of the twin bill. Camry Moore threw yet another seven-inning complete game and allowed only one run on four hits (no walks) while striking out five. In game two, Jerzi Rowe took the ball and also fired a seven-inning complete game. She surrendered just one earned run on nine hits and six walks to go along with six strikeouts. At the plate, five Concordia players collected at least three hits over the doubleheader: Taylor Glause (4-for-6), Caitlin McGarvie (4-for-6), Grace Boganowski (3-for-6), Kylie Shottenkirk (3-for-6) and Julia Van Wey (3-for-8).
· Even in defeat at Mount Marty, the Bulldogs acquitted themselves well. The Lancer offense was just a bit better. Concordia managed a combined 22 hits in the twin bill. Moore went 4-for-7 with a triple and four RBIs while Kylee Nixon emerged with the 10th home run of her career. As part of her big weekend, McGarvie went 3-for-5 with two runs and a walk. Three others also notched three hits on the day: Boganowski, Zoie Isom and Van Wey. Uncharacteristically, Moore allowed a season high seven earned runs in game one. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game two before Mount Marty (26-10, 14-4 GPAC) roared back with four runs in the second and five in the fourth.
· Boganowski has answered the call while taking on an increased role. She’s started at shortstop in each of the last six games and has recorded at least one hit in five-straight contests. Over that five-game stretch, the Omaha native has gone a combined 7-for-17 (.412) with two doubles, three triples and six RBIs. This is the most consistent playing time Boganowski has seen in her young collegiate career. Last season she appeared in 13 games and had nine at bats. She’s tied for the team lead this season with three triples.
· Consider this the weekly update on Moore’s career totals. Following last week’s action, she now owns school all-time offensive rankings of third in RBIs (120), fifth in runs scored (119), sixth in batting average (.388), seventh in home runs (14), ninth in hits (166) and 10th in doubles (31). As a pitcher, Moore’s program career rankings are second in ERA (2.00), third in wins (52), sixth in strikeouts (336) and sixth in innings pitched (478.2). Eight more RBIs would put Moore at No. 2 on the list. It’s worth noting that her 2020 season was limited to only 14 games due to the COVID-19 shutdown.
· A Lincoln North Star High School alum, McGarvie is enjoying an even better season than the one she had in 2021 when she was named First Team All-GPAC. The Valparaiso, Neb., native has collected at least one hit in 10 of the last 11 games while raising her season batting average to .361. McGarvie also sports a robust on-base percentage of .449. In addition, she’s the team leader with 13 stolen bases. A constant in the lineup, McGarvie is one of five Bulldogs who have started at least 40 games this season.
· Concordia will finish the regular season tonight at Hastings (19-22, 5-11 GPAC) with a 5 p.m. CT doubleheader. A couple Bulldog victories would go a long way towards ensuring a spot in the postseason. Concordia would be happy to duplicate last season’s results when it twice defeated the Broncos by the run rule. Conference tournament pod play will run May 4-5 with the GPAC Championship Series set for May 7.
Golf
· The 2021-22 season is winding down for Concordia Golf. The women are finishing up the conference championships today (April 26) at Norfolk Country Club in Norfolk, Neb. Meanwhile, the men’s season has concluded as the Bulldogs placed sixth in a conference tournament that wound up being cut off after 54 holes. High winds in Vermillion, S.D., wiped out the scheduled fourth round on April 23. As for the women, they entered their fourth round sitting in a tie for seventh place in the GPAC standings. For more information on the Concordia Golf programs, click here: MEN | WOMEN.
· The men’s team moved up from ninth place last season and placed sixth in the GPAC in 2021-22 while shooting a three-round conference total of 298-308-313–919. Had the final round been played, it’s possible the Bulldogs could have climbed as high as fourth as they were four strokes behind Northwestern (915) and nine behind Doane (910). Individually, Ivan Yabut tied for fifth place while shooting a score of 71-74-74–219 (+3). His conference placement is the best ever for a Concordia men’s golfer during the GPAC era. Other top 10 performances during Head Coach Brett Muller’s tenure included claims of ninth by Nolan Zikas in 2015-16 and eighth by Shawn Rodehorst in 2012-13.
· Next best for the Bulldogs on the 2021-22 GPAC leaderboard was freshman Justin Webert, who shot 81-72-78–231 and placed in a tie for 22nd (out of 44 competitors who played all three rounds). Others who qualified for the overall leaderboard were Drew D’Ercole (77-82-78–237; T-34th) and Jake Hagerbaumer (76-84-84–244; T-37th). The final spot in the lineup this past weekend was held down by Jacob Woodmancy, who shot an 83 on April 22. Jack Williams also competed in the two fall conference rounds and shot 74-80–154.
· The Concordia men wound up breaking the program record for lowest single-season scoring average. The 2021-22 team averaged 305.1 over 19 rounds (nine events) throughout the fall and spring. The previous program standard was 306.9 by the 2017-18 squad led by Zikas. As for Yabut, he finished the season with a team low scoring average of 74.9. Five other Bulldogs averaged scores in the 70s: D’Ercole (75.8), Webert (77.1), Williams (77.9), Hagerbaumer (78.7) and Woodmancy (79.9).
· The seventh place GPAC positioning for the women’s team entering Tuesday’s round is exactly where it sat after two rounds in the fall. Concordia shot a 365 on Monday and has carded a three-round total of 351-353-365–1,069. The teams currently situated above the Bulldogs are Morningside (947), Dakota Wesleyan (1,031), Briar Cliff (1,039), Mount Marty (1,055), Dordt (1,063) and Jamestown (1,063). Concordia is tied with College of Saint Mary in seventh place. The Bulldogs are 14 strokes out of fourth.
· Standout Kendra Placke, winner of back-to-back GPAC Golfer of the Week awards, moved from fifth place after the fall into a tie for third in the conference heading into the final round. Placke shot a 12-over-par 84 on Monday and is now 10 strokes behind conference leader Sofia Castelan (74-76-78–228). Placke has shot a three-round conference score of 80-74-84–238. Only two golfers in the field carded a lower score than Placke on Monday. While Placke is tied for third, Lauren Havlat is tied for 22nd (86-87-94–267), Logan Eschliman sits 39th (93-90-100–283), Mya Nurse is 40th (92-102-91–285) and Emily Jensen resides in 44th (97-102-96–295).
· The varsity season is over for the men’s team, although there is a junior varsity event coming up Friday with the Union College Tournament at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln. By the end of the today (April 26), the season will also be over for the women. Placke will have to overcome a 10-stroke deficit if she is to win the GPAC title and earn an individual bid to the national tournament. The NAIA Golf National Championships are coming up later this month.
Tennis
· The regular season has concluded for Concordia Tennis. As part of last week’s action, both the men and women hosted NCAA Division III Nebraska Wesleyan University while also finishing matches with Doane that were suspended on April 12. The results for the men were a 7-0 rout of Nebraska Wesleyan and a 5-2 loss at Doane. Meanwhile, the women dropped a 6-1 decision at Doane and then defeated the Prairie Wolves, 5-2. Those results leave Head Coach Cam Long’s squads with records of 8-8 overall (4-2 GPAC) on the men’s side and 6-10 (3-4 GPAC) on the women’s side. For more information on Concordia Tennis, click here: MEN | WOMEN.
· The senior class of four members for the men’s team has made a considerable impact on the program. That group features Jeremiah Berryman, Joe Bindl, Isaac Howes and Jack Kitson. The quartet has combined for 106 career singles wins in dual matches. Howes leads the group with 35 career wins while followed by Berryman (31), Bindl (23) and Kitson (17). From a team perspective, the Bulldogs have gone a combined 34-28 overall and 12-6 in GPAC matches since the start of the 2019 season. They helped take the program to unchartered waters last spring when Concordia made its first-ever appearance in the GPAC tournament championship match.
· The Bulldogs polished off Nebraska Wesleyan in less than two hours on Senior Day, which took place on April 20. Concordia won every singles and doubles match. All doubles matches were decided by 6-3 scores and were won by Eduardo Luzzi and Juan Rabellino at No. 1, Kitson and Shawn Springer at No. 2 and Berryman and Howes at No. 3. No tiebreakers or third sets were necessary in singles. Howes took care of his counterpart at No. 1, 6-2, 6-4. The rest of the singles victors for the Bulldogs were Springer at No. 2, Bindl at No. 3, Eduardo Rojas at No. 4, Manuel Rodriguez at No. 5 and Luke Johnson at No. 6. Rodriguez dominated with a perfect result of 6-0, 6-0.
· Concordia knew it was going to be a challenge to rally back and beat Doane. Shawn Springer managed to pull out a victory in three sets (5-7, 6-3, 6-2) at No. 2 singles. Entering the day, Doane had already claimed wins at the Nos. 1 and 3 singles spots. With the team scored tied 2-2 after Springer’s win, the Tigers clinched the team victory by taking decisions at the Nos. 4 and 5 positions. Kitson came up short in a tiebreaker in the second set. In addition, Doane won a third-set tiebreaker at the No. 6 spot. The loss means the Bulldogs will be the No. 3 seed in the GPAC tournament.
· Collectively, the Concordia men have gone a combined 30-18 in doubles and 50-46 in singles matches. Six Bulldogs have collected at least five singles wins: Isaac Howes (8-8), Joe Bindl (7-8), Shawn Springer (7-7), Manuel Rodriguez (6-0), Juan Rabellino (5-4) and Eduardo Rojas (5-7). The most successful doubles combo has been Luzzi and Rabellino, who have gone 7-3 as partners.
· Despite the team loss at Doane for the Concordia women, Sofia Morales starred while winning matches at No. 1 singles and doubles. She won at No. 1 singles, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, over the Tigers’ Ava Macke. Morales also teamed up with Tessa Blough on a 6-3 triumph at No. 1 doubles. However, Doane had its way in all other matches. The Tigers won a third-set tiebreaker at No. 6 singles and eked out a close one at No. 5 singles. Doane improved to 5-1 in the GPAC at the time. Despite the defeat, the Bulldogs have clinched a spot in the GPAC tournament.
· The women’s team celebrated its lone senior, Megan Hakes (Erie, Colo.) prior to the home match with Nebraska Wesleyan on April 21. Hakes proceeded to earn a win at No. 4 singles and help the Bulldogs to a 5-2 victory over the Prairie Wolves. The team outcome came down to the final two singles matches on the court – No. 1 and No. 6. With Concordia leading 3-2, freshman Kylie Freudenburg ran away with the second set and won, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 6 and ensured a Bulldog win. For good measure, Morales eked out the win at No. 1, taking a 10-point tiebreaker over Brooke Sailer. The win marked Morales’ 10th of the season.
· Collectively, the Bulldog women have gone 39-57 in singles and 21-27 in doubles matches this season. Morales finished conference play at 6-1 in GPAC singles matches (all at No. 1). Morales also leads the team with 10 wins overall. Three of her teammates have at least five wins: Hakes (6-6), Ferrel (6-10) and Tessa Blough (5-11). In doubles, Morales and Blough have combined to go 6-5 while Brooke Hosick and Julia Phillips are 5-5 as partners.
· The 2022 GPAC Tennis Championships will be held Friday and Saturday at Fremont High School in Fremont, Neb. As of the middle of the day on Tuesday (April 26), the GPAC had not released official pairings. Unofficially, the Concordia men will be the No. 3 seed and play sixth-seeded Northwestern in the quarterfinals on Friday. Meanwhile, the fifth-seeded Bulldog women will take on fourth-seeded College of Saint Mary in the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will take place on Friday with the championship matches occurring on Saturday.
Track & Field
· The fifth weekend of outdoor competition saw competitors at Doane’s Jim Dutcher Memorial Classic fight through significant wind gusts over three days (April 21-23) of action. The Bulldogs emerged from the meet with a school record, four fresh automatic national qualifying standards and eight event championships. Cade Kleckner broke the program 200 meter standard that had stood since 1997. This week will be the final one prior to the GPAC Championships for Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads. For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.
· Below is a listing of marks produced by Bulldogs that have been reported to the national leaderboard. The 2022 outdoor season tally to date includes 15 ‘A’ standards and 14 ‘B’ standards. New ‘A’ standards were turned in last week by Kleckner (200 meters), Sarah Lewis (100 hurdles), Alli Owings (discus) and Erin Painter (discus).
o Women’s 4x400m relay – A (3:53.07)
o Women’s 4x800m relay – A (9:18.80)
o Men’s 4x100m relay – B (41.61)
o Women’s 4x100m relay – B (48.19)
o Andy Amos – B, hammer (182’ 6”)
o Jordyn Anderson – B, shot put (43’ 5 ¼”)
o Zach Bennetts – B, pole vault (15’ 5”)
o Chase Berry – A, pole vault (15’ 9”)
o Olivia Buschow – B, discus (141’ 6”)
o Morgan De Jong – A, hammer (176’ 4”)
o Mackenzie Ferrel – B, hammer (164’ 4”)
o Abby Gerber – B, hammer (159’ 11”)
o Rylee Haecker – B, 1,500 meters (4:42.36)
o Sara Huss – A, discus (152’ 7”)
o Cade Kleckner – A, 200 meters (21.30)
o Jordan Koepke – A, 400 hurdles (1:02.82); B, 100 hurdles (14.63)
o Sarah Lewis – A, 400 hurdles (1:02.70); A, 100 hurdles (14.53)
o Erin Mapson – A, pole vault (11’ 11 ¾”)
o Alli Owings – A, discus (156’ 8”); B, shot put (43’ 1 ¾”); B, hammer (163’ 10”)
o Erin Painter – A, discus (150’ 3”); B, hammer (161’ 2”)
o Kamryn Pokorney – B, shot put (43’ 1 ¾”)
o Josie Puelz – A, pole vault (13’ 5 ¼”)
o Sarah Ragland – A, hammer (175’ 5”)
o Amy Richert – No. 17 nationally in the heptathlon (4,163)
o Chris Wren – A, hammer (194’ 5”)
· A 200 meter national qualifier last season, Kleckner blazed to a time of 21.30 on April 23 while placing second at the Dutcher Classic. A week earlier, the native of Colorado Springs, Colo., clocked a time of 21.47 at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. His latest performance broke the previous school outdoor standard of 21.34 by Frank Wilson back in 1997. Kleckner also moved up to No. 3 on the program’s all-time 100 meter list with his time of 10.69 at the Dutcher Classic. Finally, he was part of a 4x100 meter relay group that was just shy of a season best at 41.81.
· It was a fruitful weekend for the women’s discus crew. In the event, Bulldogs Alli Owings (156’ 8”), Sara Huss (152’ 7”) and Erin Painter (150’ 3”) placed second through fourth while each eclipsing the ‘A’ standard. Other noteworthy efforts from the throws group as a whole included a meet title in the hammer throw for Sarah Ragland (166’ 9”) and a fresh ‘B’ mark in the shot put by Kamryn Pokorney. Painter also produced a ‘B’ mark in the hammer. On the men’s side, Chris Wren placed fifth in the hammer with a toss just shy of the ‘A’ standard. He entered the weekend ranked eighth nationally in the hammer. The team’s top men’s discus thrower was Ben Moll, who placed ninth (148’ 5”).
· The list of Concordia event champions at the Dutcher Memorial included the women’s 4x100 meter relay (48:19), Rachel Battershell in the 400 meters (58.91), Rylee Haecker in the 1,500 meters (4:49.76), Josie Puelz (13’ 1 ½”) in the pole vault, Ragland in the hammer, Joel Rathe in the long jump (22’ 2 ½”), Kaia Richmond in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (12:44.16) and Xavier Ross in the 400 meters (48.76). For the second week in a row, Puelz went over 13 feet while continuing to lead the nation in the pole vault. Battershell was one of four Bulldogs to finish the 400 meters in under a minute.
· The Concordia women appeared at No. 4 in last week’s NAIA national ratings index released by the USTFCCCA. In other words, the Bulldogs expect to be in the running once again for a team national trophy. Concordia placed third nationally this past indoor season. As one example of the team’s impressive depth, six different Bulldogs have earned GPAC Athlete of the Week awards during the 2022 indoor/outdoor seasons: Sarah Lewis (Dec. 15), Morgan De Jong (Jan. 19), Sarah Ragland (Feb. 2), Erin Mapson (Feb. 9), Josie Puelz (April 6) and Jordan Koepke (April 20).
· In the most recent event squad rankings calculated by the USTFCCCA, Concordia ranked No. 1 nationally in the following event groupings: men’s hammer, women’s pole vault, women’s shot put and women’s hammer. The Bulldogs were also No. 2 in the women’s discus and could rise to No. 1 after this past week’s results. Owings (sixth), Huss (seventh) and Painter (ninth) are all sitting in the top 10 nationally in the discus. While Puelz leads the NAIA in the pole vault, the next highest rating for any Concordia event is the women’s 4x800 meter relay, which is holding down the No. 3 spot (9:18.80) in the NAIA.
· The opportunities for national qualifying marks are starting to dwindle. As part of this week’s action, select Bulldogs will be at the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, this Thursday through Saturday. Concordia will also be heavily represented at the Prairie Wolf Invite hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan on Thursday. The meet information page for the Drake Relays can be found HERE. The GPAC Championships are coming up May 6-7 and will take place at Doane.
Baseball
· As part of a blustery weekend of action, the Bulldogs took care of business at Dordt and swept the four-game series in Sioux Center, Iowa. Concordia won by scores of 3-2, 15-3, 9-2 and 14-5. Over the four games, the Bulldogs outscored the Defenders by a combined total of 41-12 while outhomering them, 12-4. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has strung together six-straight wins while moving to 29-12-1 overall and to 18-6 in GPAC play. A conference regular season title may not be in play, but Concordia can still shoot for the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and earn another opportunity to host a four-team postseason pod. For more information on Concordia Baseball, click HERE.
· At the top of the league standings, Doane (22-2 GPAC) swept a four-game series from Hastings this past weekend and has clinched at least a share of the GPAC regular season title. The Tigers just need one more win – or one Bulldog loss – to win the league outright. As part of this final week of the regular season, Doane will host a doubleheader each with Mount Marty and Midland. Meanwhile, Concordia will play four games at Briar Cliff. The main goal for the Bulldogs this week is simply to remain in front of Mount Marty (14-8 GPAC) for second place in the final standings.
· With one more victory, Concordia will reach 30 overall wins for the fourth time in seven full seasons during Dupic’s tenure (the 2020 campaign was limited to 21 games due to the COVID-19 shutdown). In each of those seven seasons, the Bulldogs have at least hit the 25-win mark. Prior to Dupic’s arrival, Concordia had reached 25 wins only once in program history. Overall, Dupic sports a career coaching record of 231-140-1. He’s gone 115-61 within conference play. The resume also includes four total GPAC championships (three regular season, one postseason), three national tournaments and an NAIA World Series appearance.
· Over last week’s four games, the Bulldogs were able to use the strong winds to their advantage. Six different Concordia hitters contributed to the home run total of 12 at Dordt: Keaton Candor (four), Joey Grabanski (three), Tanner Tompkins (two), Jay Adams (one), Ben Berg (one) and Jakob Faulk (one). Jesse Garcia did not leave the yard, but he did collect four doubles throughout the series. Candor and Grabanski drove in nine runs apiece and Tompkins notched eight RBIs. In the third game of the series, Tompkins connected for both a grand slam and a three-run homer. The team home run total has crept up to 77 – 13 away from the school record set by the 2021 squad.
· Candor is now the program career record holder in another category. The native of Merrill, Iowa, passed Zak Goodrich (152 runs) on the career runs scored list last week and now has 155 runs. Candor also owns program career records for games played (207), home runs (41), RBIs (173) and walks (102). On the season, Candor has notched 12 home runs and 45 RBIs while approaching the career highs he posted last season – 13 home runs and 50 RBIs. In last week’s series, Candor went 7-for-16 (.438) with five runs, a double, four home runs and nine RBIs.
· The home run chase within the team has heated up. Adams, Candor, Grabanski and Jaidan Quinn have each homered 12 times in 2022 while sharing the team lead. Perhaps one or more of those four will make a run at Grabanski’s school single-season home run record of 17 if the Bulldogs can make another postseason run. The top three home run hitters in program history are all on the current roster: Candor (41), Garcia (34) and Grabanski (29). From 2002 until 2021, Jarrod Pimentel had held the school career home run record with 27. Additionally, four players on the current roster have more than 100 career RBIs: Candor (173), Garcia (135), Grabanski (106) and Adams (103).
· The offense gets a lot of well-deserved attention for the gaudy numbers it puts up, but the pitching staff has also rounded into form during the active six-game win streak. No pitcher has been more consistent than Alex Johnson, who has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his 10 starts this season. In his outing at Dordt, Johnson went 6.1 innings and surrendered one earned run on five hits and three walks while racking up 11 strikeouts. Johnson is 6-0 with a 1.64 ERA this season. Overall last week, Concordia’s pitching staff logged 30 innings, posted a 2.70 ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio of 43-to-7.
· While Johnson has been the ace, the Bulldogs have established a clear four-man starting rotation that also includes Caden Johnson (5-1, 3.33 ERA), Caden Bugarske (6-3, 4.67 ERA) and Christian Gutierrez (5-1, 5.05 ERA). In game one of the series at Dordt, Gutierrez went up against Defender ace Gyeongju Kim and came away with the win. Gutierrez threw a seven-inning complete game and allowed two runs on five hits (no walks) while striking out nine. Concordia had just two hits in the game but made them count – Garcia two-run double and Grabanski home run. Bulldog pitchers have allowed a combined total of 14 runs over the past six games.
Concordia hopes for another successful weekend in northwest Iowa. The Bulldogs will play a doubleheader at Briar Cliff beginning at 1 p.m. CT on Friday and then will play a 12 p.m. twin bill at Briar Cliff on Saturday as the regular season wraps up. The Chargers (25-15, 13-9 GPAC) have put together a solid season while led by star Cam Riemer (.347 BA, 11 HR, .729 SLG). GPAC tournament pod play will run May 5-7 with the championship game slated for May 10.