Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Martin Herrera, Soccer
Herrera, a native of Quito, Ecuador, won a starting role with the Bulldogs and helped the team to wins last week over York College and Tabor College (Kan.). On the attack, Herrera contributed an assist versus York and notched the game’s first goal against Tabor.
Female: Camryn Opfer, Volleyball
Opfer, who hails from Seward, led sixth-ranked Concordia to wins in two of its three matches during the opening week of the season. Opfer racked up team highs in both kills (32) and digs (36) while hitting .236. She collected 12 kills and 16 digs in the five-set matchup with No. 12 Bellevue.
News and notes:
*The Bulldog Weekly Report is back for the first time since March 23, 2021. The BWR went on hiatus in late March through the end of the academic year due to the intensity of Concordia Athletics events during the spring. The BAAM Athletes of the Week have also returned along with BAAM luncheons, which 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.
New faces in Bulldog Nation: There are many new faces in the Concordia Athletic Department. Below is a list of additions, including staff members who changed positions or were promoted.
-Emilie Ashenbach, Cheer & Dance Assistant Coach/Athletic Department Ticket Coordinator
-Myron Bradbury, Head Wrestling Coach
-Levi Calhoun, Assistant Athletic Director (previously was Head Wrestling Coach)
-Tatum Edwards, Head Softball Coach
-Grady Koch, Assistant Football Coach / Head JV Football Coach
-Cam Long, Head Tennis Coach
-Brittan Murphy, Assistant Athletic Trainer
-Brenna Pfahler, Assistant Athletic Trainer
-Ryan Tegtmeier, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach
Game/event days on campus: Concordia Athletics continues to welcome fans to its venues for sporting events. Currently, there are no attendance limits. However, face coverings will be required at Concordia indoor sporting events beginning Sept. 1. The policy will be continually evaluated. Before visiting road venues involving Bulldog teams, be sure to check the spectator policies on those particular campuses. Other locations may also 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.
Napier ready for one more year with the guys: All-American linebacker Lane Napier is certainly proud of the accomplishments he’s enjoyed on the football field, but he would probably rather talk to you about his teammates. Or maybe the fish he caught over the summer. Quite frankly, Napier just wants to be one of the guys again. That’s why he’s returned to the Concordia Football program for one more season. He’s already broken the GPAC record for most career tackles with 401. For more on Napier, click HERE.
Shooting Sports set to officially begin 2021-22 season on Sept. 11-12: Head Coach Scott Moniot is prepping for his fourth season leading the Concordia Shooting Sports program. This past weekend, Moniot took a group of freshmen to the Fort Hays State Freshman Fall Intercollegiate Shoot. The event serves as a means to introduce freshmen to the collegiate shooting sports scene. Officially, the season will get started Sept. 11-12 at the Fort Hays State Fall Intercollegiate Shoot. For more information on the program, click HERE.
While finishing the 2020-21 season at the ACUI Collegiate Clay Target National Championships (March 25-27), the Bulldogs broke program records in the disciplines of skeet, trap and super sporting. Concordia placed seventh out of 12 teams in a loaded Division 2 grouping at the national championships. From an individual perspective, the highlights included graduate student Erin Lokke (skeet) and freshman Wayne Moore (trap) shooting perfect 100/100 scores. Lokke won the women’s skeet national title while Moore tied for first in trap with five others (lost the tiebreaker for first). Moniot’s program competed in eight separate competitions throughout the 2020-21 season. Some highlights from the fall included a conference championship at the Prairie Circuit Classic, team titles at the Midland Ice Out and the Hastings Invite and a second-place claim at the fifth annual Concordia Bulldog Sporting Invitational. Lokke garnered the individual crown at the conference championships.
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.
Men’s Soccer
· The 2021 season kicked off last week as the Bulldogs had their way with a pair of Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents. While playing at home, Concordia defeated York College, 4-2, on Aug. 25 and then routed Tabor College (Kan.), 4-0, on Aug. 28. The late August contests signaled a return to a more normal fall. Due to schedule restructuring caused by COVID-19, the 2020 slate did not get started until Sept. 9. Head Coach Jason Weides’ program is coming off a 2020-21 campaign that saw it go 10-5-3 overall and place fifth in the GPAC regular season standings. For more information on Concordia Men’s Soccer, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs certainly had the expectation of winning twice last week considering all the pieces they bring back. There are 17 players on the roster who entered this season having started at some point at Concordia. That list includes four returning All-GPAC performers: Iker Casanova (second team), Carlos Orquiz (second team), Federico Simonetti (second team) and Garrett Perry (honorable mention). In a league that could be as strong as ever, the Bulldogs were pegged fourth in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll. The top three in the poll were Morningside, Briar Cliff and Hastings.
· Weides referred to the game with York as a “tale of two halves.” Concordia rattled off four goals in the first half to stake itself to a commanding 4-0 halftime lead. The Bulldogs seemed to take their foot off the gas pedal a bit over the final 45 minutes and settled for a 4-2 victory. The goals came courtesy of Isaiah Shaddick (17’ and 19’), Max Bisinger (35’) and Garrett Perry (36’). In addition, Eli Rhodes earned credit for two assists and Daniel Campbell recorded one assist. Dating back to last season, Shaddick has put away six goals over the past seven games.
· Through two games, Concordia has already had six different goal scorers, including Shaddick and Perry with two apiece. In the victory over Tabor, the goals were delivered by Martin Herrera (8’), Perry (44’), Ryan Wokutch (67’) and Orquiz (76’). A fifth-year member of the program, Perry has run his career goal count to 15. Meanwhile, Shaddick has found the back of the net 12 times as a Bulldog. For a balanced offensive team last season, Shaddick led the way with six goals. On the flip side, Concordia recorded its first clean sheet of the season in the win over Tabor. Callum Goldsmith has gotten the call as the team’s keeper in back-to-back games.
· This week will bring about a pair of nonconference road tests. Concordia is gearing up to play at Grand View University (Iowa) at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday before heading to Salina, Kan., for a matchup with Kansas Wesleyan University at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The Bulldogs also have contests against Benedictine College (Kan.) and Bellevue University looming prior to the start of conference play.
Volleyball
· The season got underway last week as the Bulldogs hosted three opponents inside Friedrich Arena. Sixth-ranked Concordia defeated both Mount Marty (Aug. 25) and Baker University (Kan.) (Aug. 28) in straight sets before dropping a tension-filled five-setter to No. 12 Bellevue University as part of the Bulldog Bash. The defeat snapped a nine-match home win streak for the Bulldogs, who went 10-1 at home last season. At least by early indications, home court could be a bigger advantage this season compared to last when attendance was limited due to COVID-19. For more information on Concordia Volleyball, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs will remain ranked No. 6 in the NAIA until at least Sept. 15, the scheduled date for the next national coaches’ poll. That current rating represents the highest ranking in program history. The bar continues to be raised under the leadership of Head Coach Ben Boldt and Assistant Coach Angie Boldt. Concordia finished the previous two seasons ranked inside the top 15 nationally – 14th in 2019 and eighth in 2020-21. The No. 8 finish last season marked the highest end-of-season ranking in program history. Five of the top eight teams in the latest NAIA poll are from the GPAC.
· The Bulldogs clearly had Mount Marty and Baker overmatched. The set scores were 25-19, 25-12, 25-18 versus Mount Marty and 25-15, 25-18, 25-15 versus Baker. Concordia outhit the Lancers, .352 to .065, and out-attacked the Wildcats, .310 to .141. Through the first three matches, the Bulldogs are hitting .289, which ranks eighth in the NAIA. Last season Concordia ranked 27th nationally with a hitting percentage of .215. So far this season, the Bulldog middles have been especially efficient with Gabi Nordaker and Sara Huss sporting respective hitting percentages of .467 and .413.
· Concordia likely learned the most about itself in the nail-biter with Bellevue. The matchup marked the first meeting between the two programs since 2017. In this past weekend’s contest, the Bulldogs dropped the first two sets before winning the next two and forcing a fifth set it led 13-11. The Bruins recorded the final four points of the match and celebrated their second win already this season over a top 10 ranked opponent. The kill leaders for Concordia were Nordaker (15), Arleigh Costello (14) and Camryn Opfer (12).
· Tara Callahan returned for a fifth year inside the program. With 118 more assists last week, Callahan ran her career total to 3,777. The two-time honorable mention All-American ranked No. 4 among NAIA setters last season with an average of 11.3 assists per set. Callahan landed an eye-popping seven aces in the win over Baker. Callahan has been an instrumental figure in helping the program go from 9-19 in 2017 to back-to-back trips to the final site of the NAIA national tournament.
· A challenging week awaits the Bulldogs, who will play four nationally ranked opponents. Up next, Concordia will head to No. 23 College of Saint Mary (7-1, 0-1 GPAC) for a 7:30 p.m. CT first serve on Wednesday. Then on Friday and Saturday, the Bulldogs will take part in a classic hosted by Bellevue. Concordia will take on No. 19 Oklahoma City University and No. 17 Montana Tech on Friday before closing the week on Saturday against No. 10 University of Providence (Mont.).
Women’s Soccer
· The defending GPAC tournament champions have started up again. The campaign began on Aug. 28 with a 2-1 home victory over Tabor College (Kan.), a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The season opener took place on a sultry Saturday afternoon inside Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs owned a 15-4 advantage in the shot count while controlling possession. For more information on Concordia Women’s Soccer, click HERE.
· The expectation for the program has raised to the point that the Bulldogs are expected to contend for GPAC titles. They have appeared in six of the past seven GPAC tournament championship games and are coming off a 2-1 win over Jamestown in last season’s conference postseason final. From that championship team, the Bulldogs have brought back six All-GPAC performers: Mikeila Martinez (first team), Grace Soenksen (first team), Allee Downing (second team), Madeline Haugen (honorable mention), Cheyenne Smith (honorable mention) and Michaela Twito (honorable mention).
· In the win over Tabor, a goal apiece came from Hannah Haas (32’) and Mikeila Martinez (57’). It marked the first career goal for Haas, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo. Meanwhile, Martinez led the Bulldogs with seven goals last season and has tallied 10 in her career. Concordia may not necessarily have one prolific goal scorer to rely upon, but has several attacking options capable of scoring. The program took on more of a defensive mindset after it graduated 2018 seniors Maria Deeter (14 goals as a senior) and Lauren Martin (school record 16 assists in 2018).
· A fifth-year member of the program, Twito has been a constant for the Bulldogs. She started this past Saturday and the outing marked her 80th career collegiate game. In program history, only three players have appeared in more games: Jeannelle Condame (84), Esther Soenksen (84) and Deeter (81). Jordan McCoy also played in 80 games. Twito has been a key part of both last season’s GPAC tournament title team and the 2017 squad that captured the program’s only GPAC regular season championship. Twito has tallied six goals in her career.
· This week’s schedule also offers up a single game. Concordia is getting set to play tonight (Aug. 31) at Grand View University (Iowa) with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs hope to avenge the 2-1 double overtime defeat they endured at home against the Vikings back in the spring. Grand View is 1-1 with a win over Waldorf University (Iowa) and a loss to Saint Ambrose University (Iowa).
Golf
· The men’s golf season got underway on Monday, which marked day one of the Mount Marty Invite in Yankton, S.D. At the conclusion of day one, the Bulldogs held a seven-stroke lead atop the team standings. Led by freshman Justin Webert, Concordia shot a team score of 304 in the first round. Webert led the individual leaderboard with a one-over-par 72. For more details on the first day of the event, read the recap HERE. Last season Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad placed ninth in the GPAC.
· Meanwhile, the women will get their season started on Thursday with the women’s Mount Marty Invite, to be held at the same two courses the men have played at this week. The Bulldog women placed third in the GPAC last season behind Kendra Placke, a three-time All-GPAC performer. Concordia will be replacing a pair of all-conference honorees from last season’s team.
· For season previews, click the following links: Men | Women.
Football
· The 2021 season will kick off this Saturday when the Bulldogs head to Sioux City, Iowa, to take on No. 3 Morningside. Game time is set for 7 p.m. CT in what will be the lone night game of the season for Concordia. All remaining kickoffs are scheduled for 1 p.m. For more details on Saturday’s matchup, read the game notes HERE.
· Below are links to some additional reading materials on the Bulldogs, ahead of Saturday’s kickoff.
-2021 team season preview
-Feature on Lane Napier
-2021 media guide (PDF)
Cross Country
· Head Coach Matt Beisel’s cross country squads began preseason training a week prior to the start of classes. This past Saturday, the Bulldogs held their annual Blue-White run while pacing the campus course. Concordia is coming off 2020 GPAC place finishes of fourth by the women and sixth by the men. The Bulldogs will officially open the 2021 season on Friday with the Augustana Twilight getting started at 8:30 p.m. CT from Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, S.D.
In the official GPAC ratings posted on the NAIA website (naia.org), Concordia was slotted in at No. 3 on the women’s side and at No. 6 on the men’s side. Beisel and company have trained with a goal of surpassing such expectations. For additional reading, check out the cross country season preview HERE.