Bulldog Weekly Report (April 9)

By Jacob Knabel on Apr. 9, 2019 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Cody Williams, Track & Field

Williams, a sophomore from Imperial, Neb., put two ‘B’ standard national qualifying marks on the board last week at the Concordia Invite. He won the 110 meter hurdle competition in a time of 14.80 and was second in the pole vault (15’ 3”). He also placed fifth in the triple jump (43’ 3”).

Female: Kirsten Wagner, Tennis

Wagner, who hails from York, Neb., went 2-0 in both singles and doubles last week as the Bulldogs earned 9-0 wins over Doane and Northwestern in conference play. Wagner managed to win two battles at No. 3 singles that went to tiebreakers. She owns season records of 7-7 in singles and 9-4 in doubles.

Previous Athletes of the Week
April 2 – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Erin Lokke (shooting sports)
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:

GPAC Pitcher of the Week Fosgett rolling with fastball-curveball combo: Jake Fosgett garnered very little recruiting attention out of Carlsbad, Calif., but his curveball immediately caught the attention of head baseball coach Ryan Dupic. The move to Concordia has been mutually beneficial for Fosgett and the Bulldogs. Fosgett was just named the GPAC Pitcher of the Week after two more winning performances last week. Read more about how Fosgett landed at Concordia and the key to his successes HERE.

Lokke to compete at ISSF World Cup: Senior Erin Lokke has completed her collegiate career for the shooting sports program, but she continues to have aspirations beyond collegiate athletics. This week Lokke will represent the United States at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in the city of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates (eastern region of Abu Dhabi). Lokke will compete in skeet on the international stage. More information about the event can be found HERE.

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.

Baseball

  • Concordia is in the midst of a run never before put together in the program’s history. The unbeaten ride within conference play carries into this week after the Bulldogs went 6-0 last week against the likes of Briar Cliff and Doane. Concordia took two on the home field of Briar Cliff and then swept a four-game weekend series from Doane. Those results have moved fifth-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad to a spotless 14-0 in conference play (20-10 overall). The closest team behind the first place Bulldogs is Jamestown (12-4 GPAC). For more information on Concordia baseball, click HERE.
  • The 14-0 GPAC record ranks as one of the longest unbeaten conference streaks for a GPAC squad during the league’s history (2000-present). The Bulldogs still have a ways to go to match what the 2014 Doane team did when it went a perfect 20-0 in the GPAC. The league schedule has since expanded to 28 games. Concordia won an outright GPAC title in 2017 with a 19-9 league record (started 0-3 in the conference). Since the start of 2017, the Bulldogs are a combined 46-22 in GPAC games. The 2017 team was the program’s first conference champion in 31 years (1986 NIAC champions).
  • Pitching and timely hitting was the key to success last week. The pitching staff has been on an incredible roll. After action in Tucson, Ariz., on March 9, the team’s ERA stood at 6.62. It is now a GPAC best 4.19. Concordia has gone 10 games in a row without surrendering more than three earned runs in any single contest. The staff went 47 straight innings without letting in an earned run over action versus Hastings, Briar Cliff and Doane. That string included four shutout wins in a row.
  • At times, junior Jake Fosgett has looked untouchable. Consider the numbers over his last four starts (all complete game wins): 28 innings, 14 hits allowed, six walks, four earned runs and a whopping 40 strikeouts. The K rate is a result of Fosgett’s devastating fastball-curveball combination. The native of Carlsbad, Calif., sports a strikeout per nine innings figure of 13.5. If Fosgett continues at his recent pace, he may even rival the eye-popping strikeout/nine innings rate of 15.2 produced last season by Cade Moring, who baffled hitters with a nasty slider. Fosgett now owns a 5-1 record.
  • Fosgett is not the only member of the pitching staff that has been spinning the ball well. Fosgett is a key cog in a four-man rotation that also features juniors Sasha Jabusch and Jason Munsch and senior Tanner Wauhob. Fosgett and Wauhob both made two starts last week with stellar results. Wauhob picked up two wins while allowing just one run over 15 innings of work. Jabusch and Munsch were both solid in their starts at Doane on April 6. Munsch allowed one earned run in six innings while Jabusch surrendered two earned runs in 6.2 innings.
  • At least one bullet point is reserved weekly to update the progress of standout senior second baseman Christian Meza, one of the program’s all-time greats. He continues to make winning plays. He drilled a three-run homer in the first game of the series at Doane and also made a key defensive play in which he threw behind a runner for an out in the final game of the series. On the program all-time lists, Meza currently ranks No. 1 in doubles (46), third in hits (191), third in RBIs (129) and eighth in runs scored (106).
  • Because of the fine work done by the starting rotation last week, Dupic used only one pitcher out of the bullpen over the six wins. That one reliever was senior Dylan DuRee, who has been extremely valuable at the back end of the bullpen. He earned credit for saves in both games of the doubleheader at Doane, throwing a combined 3.1 innings in those games. Among bullpen arms, DuRee has been counted upon the most with eight appearances and 13 innings of usage. His ERA stands at 1.38 to go along with 16 strikeouts. He has four saves.
  • In conference play, Concordia’s dominance is displayed in numbers that go beyond the 14-0 record. In GPAC games, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a combined total of 88-25. The team ERA in conference play stands at 1.47. Jabusch (1.33), Munsch (1.35), Fosgett (1.71) and Wauhob (2.25) all sport ERA’s of 2.25 or lower in GPAC play. The team’s leading hitter in GPAC action has been Meza, who is batting .380 with five doubles, two home runs and 15 RBIs in 14 conference games.
  • The perfect GPAC record will be put to the test today (April 9) in Fremont with a doubleheader at Midland (14-17, 7-7 GPAC). First pitch is set for 4 p.m. CT. Concordia is also getting ready to host York College (18-13) in a single game on Wednesday and then Morningside (19-10, 9-6 GPAC) on Friday and Jamestown (22-10, 12-4 GPAC) on Saturday. This week will go a long way towards deciding whether the Bulldogs will ultimately reign supreme in the GPAC.

Softball

  • Concordia finally had the opportunity to stage home games last week as Jamestown and Dakota Wesleyan made their way south to Plum Creek Park for doubleheaders that took place on April 5 and 6. After a rough go in an 11-1 (six innings) loss to Jamestown in the opening game of the weekend, the Bulldogs recovered to win the next three. They defeated the Jimmies 12-7 and then cruised past the Tigers by scores of 8-0 and 10-2 (both in five innings). The 3-1 week leaves head coach Shawn Semler’s squad at 16-4 overall and at 5-1 in the GPAC (second place). For more information on Concordia softball, click HERE.
  • The loss in game one of the doubleheader versus Jamestown snapped a 12-game win streak, which marked the longest streak for the program since winning 15 in a row in 2008. Even with that defeat, the Bulldogs remain on an impressive run during which they have triumphed in 15 of their last 16. Concordia and Midland (active 13-game win streak) are the two hottest teams in the conference and happen to currently reside in the top two spots in the GPAC standings.
  • This just might be the week the Bulldogs begin garnering some votes in the NAIA national coaches’ poll. Concordia was surprisingly left out of the top five of the official GPAC rankings released on March 26. In the latest Massey Ratings, the Bulldogs rank No. 2 in the conference (behind Midland) and No. 29 nationally. Concordia last received votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll was in the 2018 preseason poll. It also generated national votes in mid-April of 2017.
  • Junior Savannah Robertson, a transfer from Northeast Community College, has been coming on strong. She got the started in right field in the final three games of the home stand and capitalized by going a combined 6-for-9 with four runs, two doubles, a triple, a walk and six RBIs in those contests. The weekend of hot hitting pushed Robertson’s season batting average to .379. While at Northeast, the native of Columbus, Neb., hit .471.
  • It was also a fine weekend for reigning GPAC Player of the Year Hhana Haro, who especially burned Dakota Wesleyan pitching. In that doubleheader, the Garden Grove, Calif., native went 5-for-6 with three runs, a double, a walk and two RBIs. Haro is now hitting .387 with five doubles, three home runs and 19 RBIs this season. Through her first 61 collegiate games, Haro has already collected 100 hits. She has slugged .708 with 25 doubles in 216 career at bats.
  • Sophomore Tori Homolka has been so good this season that a 6-for-14 (.429) weekend at the plate actually lowered her season batting average (from .474 to .465). Homolka’s best game of the weekend was a 3-for-5 performance that included a double and three RBIs in the win over Jamestown. Among GPAC players, Homolka ranks first in hits per game (1.65), first in slugging percentage (.817) and second in batting average (.465).
  • After a tough two games against Jamestown, the pitching duo of Camry Moore and Brittany Woolridge tightened things up versus Dakota Wesleyan. The Crete High School product Moore notched the first shutout of her college career by going five innings in the run-rule shortened game. She allowed only two hits (no walks) and struck out three. Then in the second game versus DWU, Woolridge moved to 8-0 while racking up a season high nine strikeouts. Woolridge has won each of her last four starts.
  • Two Bulldogs made their first career varsity appearances over the weekend: freshmen Dawn Pettyjohn and Taylor Zehendner. A native of Pleasanton, Neb., Zehendner made the most of her pinch hit opportunity in game one versus Dakota Wesleyan. She placed a double down the right field line that cleared the bases and enacted the eight-run rule. Meanwhile, Pettyjohn was used a pinch runner and scored twice.
  • Three road doubleheaders within the GPAC are scheduled this week: at Morningside (15-6, 8-2 GPAC) on Tuesday, at Briar Cliff (7-18, 2-8 GPAC) on Friday and at Mount Marty (17-17, 8-6 GPAC) on Saturday. It’s a significant week considering six league games make up exactly 30 percent of the conference schedule (20 games). The Mustangs shared the 2018 GPAC regular season title with Midland.

Track & Field

  • The first home meet of the 2019 outdoor season is in the books for the Bulldogs, who hosted the annual Concordia Outdoor Invitational this past weekend. Bulldog athletes combined to hit 11 automatic national qualifying standards and win five event titles. The meet featured competitors from eight different institutions and took place on April 5-6. It was just the second meet of the outdoor season for head coach Matt Beisel’s squads. For more on Concordia track and field, click HERE.
  • Through the first two meets of the outdoor season, Bulldogs athletes have totaled 13 automatic national qualifying marks and 12 ‘B’ standard marks (see list below). Of the 25 marks put on the national board, 14 have been achieved by throwers. Familiar names in Samantha Liermann and Addie Shaw lead the way with two automatic marks apiece.
    • Evan Asche – marathon (A, 1:13:30 in half)
    • Jacob Cornelio – hammer throw (A, 195’)
    • Claire Cornell – long jump (A, 18’ 10 ¾”)
    • Jazzy Eickhoff – javelin (B, 131’)
    • McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (A, 12’ 1 ½”)
    • Taylor Grove – marathon (A, 1:25:04 in half)
    • Liam Hennessy – shot put (B, 50’ 2 ½”); hammer throw (B, 172’)
    • Mackenzie Koepke – high jump (A, 5’ 5 ¾”)
    • Leah Larson – triple jump (B, 37’ 6”)
    • Wyatt Lehr – marathon (B, 1:14:12 in half)
    • Samantha Liermann – shot put (A, 46’ 7 ¼”); hammer throw (A, 177’ 10”)
    • Erin Mapson – pole vault (A, 11’ 9 ¾”)
    • Tristen Mosier – pole vault (A, 11’ 9 ¾”)
    • Renato Oyarzun – hammer throw (B, 166’ 9”)
    • Johanna Ragland – hammer throw (B, 164’ 2”)
    • Ryan Sanchez – hammer throw (A, 175’ 4”)
    • Adrianna Shaw – hammer throw (A, 183’ 4”); discus (A, 154’ 9”); shot put (B, 43’ 1 ¾”)
    • Carley Weisser – discus (B, 142’ 2”); hammer throw (B, 162’ 2”)
    • Cody Williams – 110 meter hurdles (B, 14.80); pole vault (B, 15’ 3”)
  • Shaw has raced out to a great start in the outdoor season. Last week at the Concordia Invite, Shaw whirled a personal best in the hammer throw of 183’ 4” for a first place finish (previous PR was 169’ 5”). Shaw now ranks No. 1 in the NAIA in the event. In addition, the junior from Bassett, Neb., ranks second nationally in the discus (154’ 9”), an event she won the national title in a year ago. It’s also reasonable to expect that Shaw will eventually push her ‘B’ mark in the shot put to an ‘A.’
  • In addition to Shaw’s two top two national marks, the Concordia women also boast top 10 NAIA marks courtesy of McKenzie Gravo in the pole vault (No. 2), Liermann in the shot put (No. 3) and hammer throw (No. 5), Claire Cornell in the long jump (No. 6), Mackenzie Koepke in the high jump (No. 4), Erin Mapson and Tristen Mosier in the pole vault (tied for No. 6), Carley Weisser in the discus (No. 6), Jazzy Eickhoff in the javelin (No. 8) and Johanna Ragland in the hammer throw (No. 9).
  • The wealth of lofty national event ratings allowed the women to check in at No. 4 in the first 2019 U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NAIA national ratings released last week. The men were rated 57th. There is plenty of time for those ratings to change dramatically as the outdoor season heats up. Both Bulldog squads placed ninth at the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. Considering their marks to this point, the Concordia women seem likely to enter the outdoor national championship meet with a top five NAIA ranking.
  • It’s already become clear that additions to the outdoor roster in dual sport athletes Claire Cornell and Mackenzie Koepke are major factors for this team. Cornell has the potential to do big things after a terrific prep career at Elm Creek High School. Her long jump of 18’ 10 ¾” won the Concordia Invite competition and was a personal best (No. 3 in school history). Meanwhile, Koepke figures to challenge for a school record in the high jump. Her mark of 5’ 5 ¾” is not far off the program standard of 5’ 6” achieved by Bonnie Jelinek in 1986.
  • Not so shockingly, Jacob Cornelio and Cody Williams have continued to be the standouts on the men’s side. Cornelio is one of the nation’s top hammer throwers, currently sitting No. 4 nationally in the event (195’). Meanwhile, Williams put two ‘B’ standards on the board at the Concordia Invite with his efforts in the pole vault and 110 meter hurdles. Williams could make another run at multi-event national title (runner up in the indoor heptathlon). He has not had a chance to compete in a decathlon yet this outdoor season.
  • The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday at the Grand View University Quad in Des Moines, Iowa. The first events are set to run off at 11 a.m. CT. Two more home meets remain on the docket: the Concordia Blizzard Buster (April 27) and the Concordia Twilight Meet (May 10).

Golf

  • It’s been a busy past week for the men’s program, which is also in action today (April 9) in a match play event. In recent action, the Concordia men placed 11th out of 19 teams at the Blue River Invite (April 2-3) and then 13th out of 19 teams at the Bethel Spring Invitational (April 6-7). Those were the first official tournaments of the spring for the men. Meanwhile, the women have been idle since placing third out of 10 teams at their own Concordia Spring Invitational on March 28. The GPAC championships are less than three weeks away for both of head coach Brett Muller’s programs. For more information on Bulldog golf: Men | Women.
  • At least so far, the men are still working on getting five players to click at the same time. They have turned in team rounds of 332, 310, 306 and 323, respectively, this spring. Over 12 rounds throughout the 2018-19 season, Concordia has averaged a score of 310.75. The Bulldogs have played in five separate 36-hole events. In those instances, they have carded cumulative two-round totals of 595, 609, 640, 642 and 629, respectively.
  • Reliable senior Nolan Zikas has posted the team’s lowest score in all four rounds this spring. He has carded scores of 74, 75, 71 and 74 for a spring average of 73.5. Zikas placed seventh individually at both the Blue River Invite and the Bethel Invite in fields of 100 or more golfers. Zikas owns four top 10 tournament finishes this season. He was the champion of the two-day Siouxland Invitational back in the fall. The La Vista, Neb., native is a three-time all-conference award winner.
  • The largest improvement from day one to day two at the Blue River Invite, among those in the lineup, was shown by freshman Jack Williams, who shot a two-round score of 91-79–170 (73rd). He was the No. 4 golfer on the team with sophomore Jayden Neal (84-76–160; T-43rd) and junior Tylar Samek (85-80–165; T-61st) checking in after Zikas. Sophomore Harrison Helmer (89-84–173; T-83rd) rounded out the lineup. Three other Bulldogs competed individually: freshmen Landon Walkenhorst (90-88–178; T-93rd) and Nathan Auffut (102-87–189; 102nd) and senior Grant Suchanek (97-dnc).
  • Perhaps Williams will be able to push Zikas at the top moving forward. The second semester addition to the roster carded a 77 in Sunday’s round and moved up to a tie for 56th on the Bethel Invite individual leaderboard (82-77–159). The rest of the team’s lineup included Samek (77-83–160; T-58th) and Neal (76-95–171; T-83rd) and Helmer (84-89–173; 90th). Three Bulldogs competed as individuals: Suchanek (89-86–175; 92nd), Walkenhorst (88-94–182; 93rd) and Auffut (104-107–211; 98th).
  • In terms of season average in 2018-19, the top five for the men currently are Zikas (73.58), Samek (77.42), Neal (82.18), Williams (82.25) and Helmer (86.70). Zikas and Samek are the only two Bulldogs to have competed in each of the team’s 12 rounds this academic year. Samek is tied for sixth (74-70–144) in the GPAC heading into the spring portion of the conference championships.
  • The women put forward encouraging results at the Concordia Spring Invite, which saw them card a season low of 332 while persevering through cold and blustery conditions at Highlands Golf Course on that particular day. Murphy Sears (78) and Kendra Placke (79) both placed inside the top 10 of a tournament with 62 golfers. Placke owns the team’s top scoring average at 80.18. She has six top 10 tournament finishes in seven events.
  • The men are in action today at a match play event hosted by Northwestern at Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City, Iowa. The Bulldog men will also play 36 holes this coming Monday (April 15) in a GPAC preview meet in Dakota Dunes, S.D. The women were scheduled to play Thursday at the Kaitlyn Erickson Invitational Lincoln, but the event was canceled due to expected inclement weather. The Concordia-Mount Marty Cup was also affected by weather. It has been moved from Friday to Sunday with a 1 p.m. CT start from York Country Club in York, Neb.

Tennis

  • Both squads were in action twice last week – once at home and once on the road. The women are rolling along with three wins in a row, each by 9-0 scores. Last week they blanked both Doane and Northwestern in an impressive stretch of GPAC play. On the down side, the men fell while up against Doane, 8-1, and then dropped a 7-0 decision at NCAA Division II Augustana University (S.D.). Head coach David DeSimone’s squads are now 10-4 overall (3-1 GPAC) on the women’s side and 7-7 overall (2-2 GPAC) on the men’s side. For more information on Bulldog tennis: Men | Women.
  • Since a 5-4 loss to Hastings on March 27, the Concordia women have gone on a tear with 9-0 wins over Morningside, Doane and Northwestern. A share of the GPAC title is not out of the question with three conference matches still left on the schedule, but it will likely require the Bulldogs to win out. In the latest official GPAC poll unveiled by the NAIA on Monday, Concordia checked in at No. 3 behind College of Saint Mary and Hastings. The Bulldogs will take on the Flames in Omaha on April 16.
  • As made obvious by the scores, the women have been stacking wins up and down the lineup. At the No. 1 singles spot, Marlene Maier breezed past her counterparts from Doane and Northwestern, winning by scores of 6-0, 6-0, and 6-0, 6-1, respectively. Those results put Maier at 12-2 in singles this season. In recent seasons, the most singles victories by a Bulldog was 15 from Annie Horn in 2017. Maier is a native of Uppsala, Sweden, and a transfer from Alcorn State University.
  • Concordia is much more than one player. At the No. 5/6 singles spots, sophomore Angela Bell has been cleaning up. She is 5-1 when playing at No. 5 and 4-1 at No. 6. Last week Bell played at the No. 5 position and earned wins by scores of 6-3, 6-3, and 6-2, 6-2. She also teamed up with junior Lindee Schultz on doubles wins by finals of 8-1 and 8-1. Bell has moved her season records to 9-2 in singles and 7-2 in doubles. Her nine singles wins are second only Maier for a team high.
  • As a team, the women have produced combined records of 55-29 in singles and 29-13 in doubles. In terms of individual singles wins leaders, Maier (12-2) and Bell (9-2) are followed by junior Kirsten Wagner (7-7), Allison Marshall (7-7), Katelinn Wurm (5-4) and Claudia Miranda Viera (5-5). In doubles, the team leaders are Marshall (10-3), Wagner (9-4), Bell (7-2), Schultz (7-2), Miranda Viera (7-4) and Maier (7-6).
  • On the other hand, the men came out victorious in only one position in both the Doane and Augustana matches. The two wins came from No. 2 doubles, where junior Luke Zoller and freshman Jack Kitson teamed up. They took a 9-8 decision against Doane and then a 6-4 triumph at Augustana. Although they won at No. 2 doubles against Augustana, it did not produce a team point due to NCAA Division I and II rules that award a single team point for doubles play.
  • Collectively, the men are 39-45 in singles and 9-23 in doubles through 14 matches this season. Individually, the team singles leaders are senior Conner Works (8-6), sophomore Jeremy Berryman (7-7) and freshman Isaac Howes (7-7). The top doubles performers are Kitson (7-7), Zoller (6-8), Howes (5-5), senior Thomas Greeff (5-7) and Berryman (5-9).
  • The men have a busy upcoming stretch. It starts today (April 9) with a match at Midland that was originally scheduled to be played Wednesday. The Bulldogs will also host Mount Marty at 4 p.m. on Friday and NCAA Division III Wartburg College (Iowa) at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The women will also head to Midland on Tuesday before welcoming Mount Marty to town on Friday (4 p.m. first serve).