Bulldog Athletics Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Nick Velders, Tennis
A senior from Gelderland, The Netherlands, Nick Velders improved his season singles record to a spotless 19-0 as part of conference tournament action last week (1-0 singles / 1-1 doubles for the week). Velders helped push the Bulldogs to the championship match (lost to Morningside) for a second straight year. Velders is an Exercise Science major.
Female: Taryn Ganstrom, Softball
A senior from Seneca, Kan., Taryn Ganstrom batted .455 (5-for-11) in the final week of the regular season, spurring the Bulldogs to a 3-0 record. Ganstrom hit for the cycle in Concordia’s game two win over Doane. On the season, Ganstrom is hitting .354 with a .554 slugging percentage. Ganstrom will soon graduate with her degree in Exercise Science.
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Month
March – Nick Velders (tennis) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
February – Jonny Jurchen (track & field) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
January – Hayden Kluthe (track & field) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
December – Brooks Kissinger (basketball) / Adysen McCarter (track & field)
November – Ava Greene (volleyball) / Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
October – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Adam Van Cleave (football)
September – Carson Fehlhafer (football) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Week
April 21 – Alex Johnson (baseball); Laycee Josoff (softball); Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
April 14 – Taylor Hedke (lifting); Alex Johnson (baseball); Kaiden Mima (lifting)
April 7 – Kaylei Denison (softball); Vaughn Hendrickson (track & field)
March 31 – Daniel Caballeros (men’s tennis); Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
March 24 – Nick Velders (men’s tennis); Katie Welker (shooting sports)
March 17 – Ben Chisholm (men’s tennis); Taylor Larsen (dance)
March 3 – Raelyn Kelty (women’s basketball); Brooks Kissinger (men’s basketball)
Feb. 24 – Adysen McCarter (track & field); Cal Price (wrestling)
Feb. 17 – Mary Beth Hart (softball); Jonny Jurchen (track & field)
Feb. 10 – Gabe Lujan (wrestling); Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
Feb. 3 – JJ Jones (basketball); Hayden Kluthe (track & field)
Jan. 27 – Zac Kulus (basketball); Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
Jan. 20 – Hayden Kluthe (track & field); Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
Jan. 13 – Cole Price (wrestling); Ayla Roth (women’s basketball)
Dec. 16 – Jonny Jurchen (track & field); Adysen McCarter (track & field)
Dec. 9 – Ashley Keck (volleyball); Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
Dec. 2 – Brooks Kissinger (basketball); Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Nov. 18 – Oliver Benson (soccer); Braxtyn Koch (football); Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Nov. 11 – Ava Greene (volleyball); Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
Nov. 4 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer); Hugo Garrote (soccer)
Oct. 28 – Keeli Green (cross country); Vaughn Hendrickson (cross country)
Oct. 21 – Addie Kirkegaard (volleyball) / Taylor Slaymaker (soccer); Adam Van Cleave (football)
Oct. 14 – Oliver Benson (soccer); Kierstynn Garner (soccer)
Oct. 7 – Carlos Collazo (football); Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 30 – Hugo Fuentes & Nick Velders (tennis) / Peyton Atwood (football); Sadie Mares (soccer)
Sept. 23 – Oliver Balazs (soccer); Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 16 – Carson Fehlhafer (football); Ella Waters (volleyball)
Sept. 9 – Sam Blevins (shooting sports); Molli Martin (volleyball)
Sept. 2 – Emery Custer (golf); Slade Leicht (soccer)
Aug. 26 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer); Ashley Keck (volleyball); Sean Stratman (soccer)
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday (when classes are in session) 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. For information on how to join BAAM, click HERE. It is not a requirement to be a BAAM member in order to attend the weekly luncheons.
Spring GPAC Tournament/Championship season: GPAC Championship season has arrived for spring sports. The schedule for those championships and tournaments is listed below. Men’s golf was the first to get underway with tennis following soon after. For specific GPAC tournament schedules, see the sport-specific schedule pages. This week includes GPAC Championships for women’s golf, baseball, softball and outdoor track & field.
--Men’s Golf: April 20-21 (Dakota Dunes, S.D.) | Concordia placed 11th.
--Women’s Tennis: April 23, 25 (Omaha, Neb.) | Concordia placed as the runner up.
--Men’s Tennis: April 24-25 (Omaha, Neb.) | Concordia placed as the runner up.
--Women’s Golf: April 27-28 (Dakota Dunes, S.D.)
--Baseball: April 29-May 1, May 4 (top two seeds host pods)
--Softball: April 29-30, May 2 (top two seeds host pods)
--Outdoor Track & Field: May 1-2 (Fremont, Neb.)
Powerlifting, Weightlifting National Championships result in top 10 team finishes: Between the powerlifting and weightlifting programs, Concordia combined for five top 10 national team placements in action that took place April 9-12. In powerlifting the Bulldogs placed fifth on the women’s side and sixth on the men’s side in Kenner, La. In simultaneous competition staged in Salt Lake City, Utah, Concordia Weightlifting earned placements of third for co-ed, fifth for men and eighth for women. The individual medalists in powerlifting were Teya Badger (third), Dax Davis (fourth), Taylor Hedke (second), Wyatt Hosick (third) and Will Peterson (second). In weightlifting, Kaiden Mima starred as a back-to-back national champion while setting new American University standards across the board. He was joined with medalist honors by teammates Evan Fukuhara (second), Taylor Hedke (fourth) and Enzo Mancini (fourth). Impressively, Hedke garnered All-America honors on back-to-back days in different sports in different regions of the country. The national championships wrapped up the 2025-26 competition seasons for Head Coach Freddie Myles’ Bulldogs. This was the fourth year of competition in the young history of the two lifting sports programs.
--For additional details on the two programs (and for national championship recaps), check out the following links: Powerlifting | Weightlifting.
Profiling standout Concordia student-athletes: Concordia Athletic Communications frequently highlights student-athletes and their unique stories. In the most recent features, the journeys of Taylor Hedke (lifting sports) and Nick Velders (tennis) were detailed in feature pieces. Check out the links below for feature articles.
--Taylor Hedke
--Nick Velders
--Gideon Stark
--WBB: ‘Press’
--Ashley Keck
--Taylor Larsen
--Mariana Molano
--Men’s Tennis Seniors
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show has returned for an 11th year. 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 2025-26 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, basketball and volleyball. In addition, Eric Allgood will call select volleyball matches in place of Cyza.
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 with the 2023-24 academic year, Concordia Athletics began a partnership with Hudl for live video streaming. Live webcast links for away contests are publicized in sport specific releases that preview action for that particular week. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted via the Hudl account. For select JV streams, check out that specific sport’s Facebook page.
Tennis
· Current records: men – 17-5, 4-1 GPAC | women – 16-6, 6-1 GPAC.
· Most recent (GPAC Tournament in Omaha):
o W – Won vs. Doane, 4-0, on April 23 | GPAC Semifinals.
o W – Lost vs. No. 16 Morningside, 4-1, on April 25 | GPAC Championship.
o M – Won vs. Doane, 4-0, on April 24 | GPAC Semifinals.
o M – Lost vs. No. 14 Morningside, 4-0, on April 25 | GPAC Championship.
· Men’s Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Women’s Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: For the second year in a row, Head Coach Lisa Hart guided both of her squads to the finals of the GPAC Tournament. The results were similar for the men and women, which both earned 4-0 wins over Doane in the GPAC semifinals before falling at the hands of nationally ranked Morningside (14th men / 16th women). All action took place in Omaha. The women were up first and fell, 4-1, in the championship match. The men then lost by a 4-0 score. In the women’s semifinal match, the Bulldogs earned the doubles point with wins at the Nos. 2 and 3 spots. Concordia then triumphed in singles thanks to victories by Alana Lopez Pagan at No. 4, Alexa Richert at No. 5 and Nina Milic at No. 6. In the championship versus Morningside, Chakira Derman got the Bulldogs on the board with a win at No. 2 singles. On the men’s side, Concordia swept past the Tigers in doubles and then clinched the match via singles wins from Nick Velders at No. 2, Leo Lopez at No. 4 and Ben Chisholm at No. 5. In the championship, Velders won the first set in his match but wasn’t able to finish before the Mustangs sewed up the title with four team points. The 2025-26 seasons for Concordia Tennis may be finished, pending the NAIA national qualifier announcements later today (April 28). The men’s team has collected a school record 17 wins while the women (16 wins) were one win shy of the standard set by the 2024-25 GPAC tournament championship squad. Individually, Velders is a remarkable 19-0 in singles (dual matches) as a senior and owns a sparkling 38-2 career record. Meanwhile, Mariana Molano completed her career with 50 singles wins, a program record. The outlook appears bright for Hart’s programs heading into 2026-27.
· For additional news and notes on the tennis programs, click the following links: Men | Women.
· Up next:
o The NAIA Selection Show for tennis is scheduled to air at 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday, April 28.
Golf
· Most recent completed event:
o Men – Placed 11th/11 (325-324-322–971) at the 2026 GPAC Championships on April 20-21.
o Women – Placed 11th/15 (327-327–654) at the Wayne State Wildcat Classic on April 13-14.
· Men’s Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Women’s Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The season has concluded on for the Concordia men, who placed 11th at the GPAC Championships that wrapped up on April 21. The Bulldogs shot 325-324-322–971 for the tournament, which was held at Dakota Dunes Country Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D. Four Concordia competitors played all three rounds and qualified for the individual leaderboard: freshman Calvin Zabloudil (78-79-77–234; T-25th), senior Jake Richmond (81-82-77–240; T-36th), junior Jude Elgert (83-79-83–245) and freshman Logan Krabbenhoft (83-84-85–252; 48th). The GPAC Championships marked the end of the collegiate careers of Richmond and Brock Rogers. Richmond paced the team this season with an 18-hole scoring average of 77.4. The team’s scoring average settled at 314.6. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs sat in fourth place after 27 holes were played at the GPAC Championships in Dakota Dunes on Monday. Concordia stood at +87 (353-170–523) heading into Tuesday. It trailed Morningside (+40), Doane (+61) and College of Saint Mary (+67). Senior Emery Custer sat tied for 11th place (+16) halfway through the tournament. The event was split into 27 holes on both days due to the weather patterns. The GPAC Championships resumed on Tuesday morning. Check the women’s golf homepage for a complete recap.
· This week:
o W – Monday-Tuesday, April 27-28 at 2026 GPAC Championships (Dakota Dunes CC).
Softball
· Current record: 22-18, 11-10 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Doane, 9-0 (5 inn.), on April 22.
o Won vs. Doane, 12-4 (6 inn.), on April 22.
o Won vs. College of Saint Mary, 9-1 (5 inn.), on April 25.
o Game 2 No Contest vs. College of Saint Mary on April 25 (suspended in 7th inning).
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Polls
· Notable: Officially, Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad went 3-0 in the final week of the regular season. All three of the victories came at home by the run rule as the Bulldogs pummeled Doane, 9-0 (5 inn.) and 12-4 (6 inn.), and College of Saint Mary, 9-1 (5 inn.). Game two of the scheduled doubleheader with CSM was suspended due to inclement weather in the top of the seventh (3-3 tie) and declared a ‘no contest.’ Over the three official games, Concordia hammered out 42 hits, including nine that went for extra bases. Five different Bulldogs notched at least five hits for the week: Tobi Topp (6-for-9), Mary Beth Hart (6-for-11), Keira Farritor (6-for-11), Aubriana Krieser (5-for-8) and Taryn Ganstrom (5-for-11). Especially noteworthy, Ganstrom hit for the cycle (in reverse order) in game two versus Doane. A home run apiece was slugged by Farritor, Ganstrom, Josoff and Topp. After the win over CSM, Concordia honored its seven seniors: Addy Dean, Taryn Ganstrom, Emma Kirby, Isabella Wolter, Aubrey Wright and Grace Zaugg. With an 11-10 GPAC record, the Bulldogs earned the No. 6 seed for this week’s GPAC tournament. Concordia will be headed to the Dordt Bracket for double-elimination pod play. The official pairings are linked below. In program history, the Bulldogs have won two GPAC tournament titles (2007 and 2015). A conference postseason championship will be required for Concordia to qualify for the national tournament. The first opponent in the postseason will be Morningside.
· For additional news and notes on the softball program, click HERE.
· This week (all games in Sioux Center, Iowa) | GPAC Tournament (view bracket):
o Wednesday, April 29 vs. Morningside (26-16, 17-5 GPAC), 2 p.m.
o Wednesday, April 29 vs. Dordt (37-10, 18-4 GPAC)/Briar Cliff (20-26, 10-12 GPAC), 4 p.m. or 6 p.m.
o Thursday, April 30 vs. TBD, Time TBD
o Saturday, May 2 vs. TBD, Times TBD (GPAC Championship Series – if Dordt Bracket champion).
Baseball
· Current record: 34-15, 22-6 GPAC; receiving votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won at Morningside, 6-4, on April 23.
o Won at Morningside, 6-0, on April 23.
o Lost at Hastings, 3-1, on April 25.
o Won at Hastings, 11-0 (5 inn.), on April 26.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Polls
· Notable: The final week of the regular season saw the Bulldogs go 3-1 with a doubleheader sweep at Morningside and a split at Hastings. The results left Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad in second place in the final league standings. The two wins at Morningside were headlined by the play of Luke Wilson (three home runs) and pitchers Alex Johnson and Micah Sweeton. Johnson won all seven of his starts within league play. Meanwhile, Sweeton fired a seven-inning shutout with a career-high 14 strikeouts. Two of Wilson’s homers came in the second game. He was part of a stretch that featured back-to-back-to-back home runs (Bronx Lewis, Jake Watson and then Wilson). With the game one loss at Hastings, Concordia fell out of contention for a possible GPAC regular season title. The Bulldogs bounced back the next day to claim an 11-0, five-inning throttling of the Broncos. Lewis collected three hits in the win and Watson (three RBIs) and Jake Tyler (four RBIs) enjoyed strong performances of their own. This past Saturday, Watson became the program record holder for putouts in a single season with 399. As the league’s No. 2 seed, Concordia will host conference tournament action for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. During Dupic’s tenure, the Bulldogs have won a combined eight GPAC championships with the most recent tournament title coming in 2024. Entering the week, Dupic sits one win away from 400 for his career. He is the winningest coach in program history.
· For additional news and notes on the baseball program, click HERE.
· This week (all games at Sherman Field in Lincoln) | GPAC Tournament (view bracket):
o Wednesday, April 29 vs. Mount Marty (19-29, 10-18 GPAC), 6 p.m.
o Thursday, April 30 vs. Morningside (33-16, 21-7 GPAC)/DWU (19-26, 10-18 GPAC), Time TBD.
o Friday, May 1 vs. TBD, Time TBD.
o Monday, May 4 – GPAC Championship Game (if Concordia Bracket champion), Time will be 3 p.m. (no lights) or 6 p.m. (lights).
Outdoor Track & Field
· Weekends of outdoor competition: 5.
· Last week:
o Competed at the Drake Relays (April 23-25) and Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolf Invite (April 24).
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS Performance Lists
· Notable: Bulldog athletes were in action over three days last week with representation at the Drake Relays and Prairie Wolf Invite hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan. The most significant developments from the Prairie Wolf Invite came from the hammer throw with both Nathan Baldwin (196’ 7”) and Harper Boche (178’ 9”) both throwing personal bests that secured spots at the NAIA National Championships. At the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, a fresh NAIA B standard was produced by the women’s 4x400-meter relay, which ran a season best time of 3:49.19. The relay was made up of Adysen McCarter, Adrianna Rodencal, Tayden Kirchner and Kayla Kirchner. It was an especially hectic Friday (April 24) for Rodencal, who ran three relays and two hurdles events. The national champion wound up placing fifth in the 400 hurdles (59.09) and sixth in the 100 hurdles (13.69) while going up against fields loaded with NCAA Division I competition. In the javelin, both Matthew Boyer (201’ 6”) and Emry Gutz (193’ 4”) turned in strong marks. At the Prairie Wolf Invite, both Boche (hammer) and Keith Siek (1:55.93 in the 800 meters) were event champions. The focus for Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads is now squarely upon the GPAC Outdoor Championships, which will run Friday and Saturday at Midland. Both Concordia teams placed third in the GPAC at the 2026 conference indoor meet hosted by Dordt.
· For additional news and notes on the track & field programs, click HERE.
· This week:
o Friday-Saturday, May 1-2 at the 2026 GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Midland | View meet schedule HERE.