Bulldog Weekly Report (Dec. 10)

By Jacob Knabel on Dec. 10, 2019 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Emmie Noyd, Volleyball

A senior from Shelby, Neb., Emmie Noyd served as a driving force in Concordia’s advancement to the round of 16 at the national tournament. While at the tournament, Noyd totaled 57 kills and 16 blocks and was subsequently named an NAIA Third Team All-American.

Male: Issiah Burks, Wrestling

A sophomore from Hemet, Calif., Issiah Burks recorded Concordia’s most dominant win of last week’s dual at Morningside when he defeated his opponent by technical fall. Burks then went on to claim a pair of wins, both by pin, at the Doane University Open over the weekend.

2019-20 BAAM Athletes of the Week
Dec. 3 – Mario Ybarra (wrestling) / Kylahn Heritage (cross country)
Nov. 19 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Kara Stark (volleyball)
Nov. 12 – Mario Ybarra (wrestling) / Kylahn Heritage (cross country)
Nov. 5 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Delani Fahey (basketball)
Oct. 29 – Brevin Sloup (basketball) / Kylahn Heritage (cross country)
Oct. 22 – Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
Oct. 15 – Lane Napier (football) / Marissa Hoerman (volleyball)
Oct. 8 – Caleb Goldsmith (soccer) / Tara Callahan (volleyball)
Oct. 1 – AJ Jenkins (football) / Rebekah Hinrichs (cross country)
Sept. 24 – Derek Tachovsky (football) / Kendra Placke (golf)
Sept. 17 – Moises Jacobo (soccer) / Kara Stark (volleyball)
Sept. 10 – Carlos Orquiz (soccer) / Amie Martin (cross country)
Sept. 3 – Eduardo Alba (soccer) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)

2019-20 BAAM Athletes of the Month
October – Tara Callahan (volleyball) / Lane Napier (football)
September – Derek Tachovsky (football) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)

News and notes:

Indoor track and field begins this week: The official start of the 2019-20 indoor track and field season will be this Friday and Saturday when the Bulldogs host the Concordia Early Bird Meet. The meet schedule can be viewed HERE. Five Concordia runners also competed at last week’s Midland Half Marathon in Fremont, Neb., where Wyatt Lehr (1:14:58), Nick Zadar (1:27:46), Zach Potratz (1:28:54), Abi DeLoach (1:39:14) and Hannah Rebmann (1:45:14) all finished the race. Head coach Matt Beisel’s track programs turned in 2019 indoor GPAC finishes of first on the women’s side and second on the men’s side and NAIA national finishes of ninth for both men and women.

Callahan, Opfer and Noyd honored by AVCA: The America Volleyball Coaches Association announced its all-region teams on Dec. 5. Senior middle blocker Emmie Noyd and junior setter Tara Callahan landed on the 14-member All-West Central Region team while freshman outside hitter Camryn Opfer was chosen as the Region Freshman of the Year. All three Bulldog honorees were also chosen as all-conference selections. For further details on the AVCA accolades, click HERE.

Napier tabbed honorable mention All-America by AFCA: The American Football Coaches Association has honored Concordia linebacker Lane Napier for the second year in a row. The junior from David City, Neb., has been named an honorable mention All-American by the AFCA. The organization bestowed the same award upon Napier last season. He has led the GPAC in tackles in each of his first three seasons. For more on Napier, click HERE.

Wiltfong family a Bulldog family: Freshman Kalee Wiltfong had plenty of support from her family throughout the 2019 volleyball season. Her older brother and former quarterback Riley Wiltfong was on hand in Sioux City last week to watch Kalee and her team advance to the round of 16. Said Riley, “It’s been a blast. It gives us a reason to come back on campus. It’s been awesome to see what Ben and Angie have done with the program.” For more on the Wiltfongs, click HERE.

Women’s soccer season-in-review: Concordia women’s soccer experienced some early challenges in 2019 with a coaching change and a gauntlet of a nonconference schedule. Eventually, head coach Chris Luther’s squad settled in and managed to place sixth in the GPAC. Along the ride, there was a memorable golden goal from Michaela Twito, continued stellar play from star Tori Cera and an impactful weekend with Fritz & Friends. For a wrap up of the 2019 season, click 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 https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics is partnering 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.

Volleyball

  • The 2019 season spilled over into the month of December – a sign of a healthy campaign. It finally ended on Dec. 6 with the 15th-ranked Bulldogs falling in three close sets to No. 4 Missouri Baptist University in the round of 16 at the NAIA Volleyball National Championship in Sioux City. Never before had the program reached the final site of the national tournament. The accomplished happened in just the second season with the program for coaches Ben and Angie Boldt. Concordia closed the year with an overall record of 25-8. For more on Bulldog volleyball, click HERE.
  • Concordia won at the national tournament for the first time ever when it opened up the event with a four-set victory (25-16, 22-25, 25-14, 25-18) over 19th-ranked Montana Tech on Dec. 3. The Bulldogs then improved to 2-0 in pool play at the time with a straight-sets triumph (25-15, 25-18, 25-18) over the University of Saint Mary (Kan.). Concordia finished pool play with a five-set loss (25-18, 25-20, 18-25, 14-25, 15-12) at the hands of third-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University. Those results made the Bulldogs the No. 1 seed out of Pool C and put them in the round of 16. That’s when they suffered a straight-sets loss (25-23, 25-22, 25-23) to Missouri Baptist.
  • The turnaround has been rather impressive for the program. After reaching the opening round of the national tournament in 2015, Concordia slipped to 15-19 in 2016 and then 9-19 in 2017. In Ben Boldt’s first year as head coach, the Bulldogs improved to 15-12 but struggled to get over the hump against the top teams in the GPAC. At that point it would have been difficult to foresee Concordia being one of the last 16 teams left standing in 2019. It was picked eighth in the GPAC preseason poll and still didn’t crack the NAIA top 25 until Oct. 23.
  • Star senior middle blocker Emmie Noyd had a big hand in the two victories at the national tournament. In those matches, Noyd posted a combined 37 kills on 59 swings and had nine blocks. Her 21 kills versus Saint Mary were a season high. With 57 kills for the tournament, Noyd broke 400 for the season with exactly 403. That total makes her the first Bulldog with 400 or more kills in a campaign since Katie Werner had 439 in 2007. With a couple more matches, Noyd may have pushed for 1,000 career kills. She wound up with 973 to go along with 376 career blocks.
  • Concordia displayed its typical balance while at the national tournament. While Noyd led the way with 57 kills, Kara Stark had 44, Camryn Opfer had 36, Kalee Wiltfong had 35 and Arleigh Costello had 22. Each of the aforementioned players posted more than 200 kills for the season: Noyd (403), Opfer (316), Stark (293), Wiltfong (275) and Costello (213). They were facilitated by setter Tara Callahan, who notched 164 assists at the national tournament and 1,299 for the season.
  • The statistics are certainly a reflection of an improved team. A closer look reveals how the Bulldogs won 10 more matches than they had in 2018. The ’18 squad averaged 12.37 kills per set and hit .201 while allowing its opponents 12.72 kills per set and a .189 hitting percentage. In 2019, Concordia averaged 13.52 kills per set and hit .233 while its opponents averaged 10.80 kills per set and hit .157. Nationally, the Bulldogs ranked 14th in hitting percentage and 17th in kills per set.
  • Suddenly the idea that Concordia can compete to win a national championship does not seem so far from reality. Based on the final regular-season poll released on Nov. 18, the Bulldogs were able to claim wins over ranked foes in No. 14 Corban (Ore.), No. 19 Montana Tech, No. 20 College of Saint Mary (twice) and No. 25 Midland. The next step will be close the deal against the best of the best. Consider that Concordia dropped two sets by two points at No. 2 Northwestern, fell twice in five sets against national semifinalist Jamestown, lost in five sets to third-ranked Indiana Wesleyan and was within three points of No. 4 Missouri Baptist in all three sets.
  • The Bulldogs won’t come out of nowhere in 2020 like they seemingly did in 2019. The expectations will be higher despite the loss of the senior class that features Noyd. Concordia will almost certainly be ranked next preseason with a lot of firepower back in the fold. Callahan’s presence means it will have one of the nation’s top setters and Opfer and Wiltfong could take off as sophomores. More depth in the middle could result in moving Wiltfong to a pin position. In the back row, steady libero Marissa Hoerman will be a 2020 senior.

Women’s Basketball

  • This is shaping up as another special season for the top-ranked Bulldogs, who pulverized two more GPAC opponents last week. Concordia has found a groove, even without the services of star off guard Taylor Cockerill. In recent action, the Bulldogs blew away Doane, 110-47, on Dec. 4 and then steamrolled No. 13 Dakota Wesleyan over the final three quarters in a 100-72 win on Dec. 7. Fourteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad remains undefeated at 9-0 (5-0 GPAC). For more information on Concordia women’s basketball, click HERE.
  • The Bulldogs simply had Doane outclassed. The Tigers committed 40 turnovers and went just 4-for-20 from the field in the first half. By halftime, the game had already been decided with Concordia leading 53-10. Doane managed a grand total of five points in the first quarter and five in the second quarter. All-American Philly Lammers needed only 15 minutes to pile up 20 points and seven rebounds while going 10-for-16 from the floor. Off the bench, Elsie Aslesen put home a career high 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
  • The Bulldogs faced by far their largest deficit this season when they found themselves trailing 25-8 near the end of the first quarter versus fierce rival Dakota Wesleyan. The Bulldogs never panicked and outscored the Tigers, 88-45, over the final three periods. A good DWU team including stars Sarah Carr and Kynedi Cheeseman had no answers for Concordia’s press, which helped cause 41 more turnovers (Concordia committed only 15). Point guard Grace Barry put up 18 points and five assists.
  • Olson has put together plenty of elite teams in Seward, but none of them have put together such consistent scoring outbursts like this one. The Bulldogs have reached 100 points in seven of nine games and also put up 93 in another outing. Concordia is averaging 104.8 points per game, a figure that would shatter the school single-season record of 87.1 by the 2017-18 national runner up team. This year’s team shooting percentage of 48.3 is also considerably more efficient than the 44.9 percent clip posted by the 2017-18 group.
  • Lammers is better than she’s ever been. The numbers she’s putting up are especially impressive when considering she’s not even averaging 20 minutes played per game (19.9). The Millard West High School product is averaging 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. From a career perspective, Lammers is the only player in program history to amass 1,700+ points, 850+ rebounds, 300+ steals and 150+ blocks for a career. With 1,703 career points, Lammers needs 352 more to surpass Bailey Morris (2,054) as the program’s all-time leading scorer.
  • Grace Barry is amazing. She sets the tone for everything Concordia wants to do on both ends of the floor. She has been averaging slightly more minutes than Lammers at 20.1 per game (most on the team). The Lincoln East High School graduate averages 12.6 points and leads the team in assists (6.11) and steals (3.56). The 2019 national tournament MVP has been the pillar of consistency with at least 10 points in all but one game this season. She also has at least two steals in every game.
  • It may sound strange, but the Bulldogs have yet to play a true road game this season (other than the 81-65 exhibition win at Metropolitan State University of Denver and the 85-83 double overtime exhibition loss at Creighton University). To this point, Concordia has cleaned up at Walz Arena (7-0) with each of its home victories coming by margins of at least 23 points. The Bulldogs are a staggering 58-1 over their last 59 home games. The only loss during that stretch came last season against Morningside.
  • The national leaderboards are a true reflection of this team’s dominance. Among NAIA Division II teams, the Bulldogs rank first in steals per game (25.9), first in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.46), first in scoring margin (+49.0), first in turnover margin (+19.4), second in scoring offense (104.8), second in field goal percentage offense (.483), third in field goal percentage defense (.322), third in 3-point field goals per game (12.4), sixth in blocks per game (4.7) and seventh in scoring defense (55.8).
  • This week will bring about Concordia’s first GPAC road challenges. The Bulldogs will be at No. 8 Morningside (8-2, 5-1 GPAC) at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday for a makeup contest. They will then head to Mount Marty (6-4, 2-4 GPAC) on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff in Yankton, S.D. Concordia has won each GPAC game thus far by at least 23 points.

Wrestling

  • After being idle during the week of Thanksgiving, the 19th-ranked Bulldogs returned to action on Dec. 5 and earned a 23-16 GPAC dual victory over Morningside in a meeting that took place in Sioux City, Iowa. Thirteen Concordia grapplers also competed at the Doane University Open on Dec. 7. Two Bulldogs emerged from Crete with place finishes. Second-year head coach Levi Calhoun’s squad is 2-0 in conference duals having also beaten Northwestern. For more information on Concordia wrestling, click HERE.
  • In topping the Mustangs, the Bulldogs got some revenge in what was a battle between last season’s co-GPAC regular-season champions. Morningside ruined Concordia’s shot at a perfect GPAC dual record in 2018-19 when the Mustangs won at Walz Arena, 27-12, on Feb. 7, 2019. The dual last week was not decided until the very last match, which was the 184-pound tussle between Darrin Miller and Elijah Dirkx. With the Bulldogs leading the team score 20-17, Miller held off Dirkx in overtime, 5-3.
  • Concordia ended up claiming six of the 10 bouts at Morningside, where the dual got started at 197 pounds. Other winners for the Bulldogs included Maria Ybarra at 125 (forfeit), Chris Kimball at 141 (decision), Cameron Devers at 149 (decision), Issiah Burks at 165 (technical fall) and Deandre Chery at 174 (decision). One of the more anticipated matches of the evening occurred at heavyweight where eighth-ranked Phil Rasmussen of the Mustangs topped No. 14 Michael Stann in overtime. They are the top two rated heavyweights in the GPAC.
  • It remains early in the GPAC regular-season race. Hastings and Jamestown still have yet to wrestle within conference. Concordia and Briar Cliff are the lone two GPAC squads with 2-0 league marks (Doane is 1-0). Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Bulldogs are 35-4 in conference duals. That stretch included three-straight seasons of 7-0 GPAC dual records from 2014-15 through 2016-17. The run also has included four GPAC regular-season titles and three GPAC/NAIA North Qualifier championships.
  • At 10-3 overall, Ybarra is the current team wins leader. Kimball (8-3) is next in line with eight wins. Ybarra earned place finishes at both the Dakota Wesleyan Open (third) and the Younes Hospitality Open (fifth). Other place finishers at the Dakota Wesleyan Open were Kimball (third at 141) and Zack Moistner (fifth at 133). The two Concordia place finishers at the Doane Open were Blake Castillo (fourth at 174) and Jason Watkins (second at 184).
  • The 13 Bulldogs who took the mats at Doane combined for 25 wins and 10 pins in addition to the two place finishes. A native of Palmer, Alaska, Watkins made his way to the final at 184 by taking out foes from fellow GPAC schools. He defeated Joseph Felix of Hastings by technical fall (16-1) and then Jesus Maganda of Doane by decision (8-3). He was upended in the 184-pound final, 9-6, by Luke Jenness of Northwestern. Prior to the Doane Open, Watkins’ only other outing this season was in Kearney, Neb., where he went 2-2.
  • Other Bulldogs to advance to at the semifinal rounds at Doane were seniors Deandre Chery (174), Darrin Miller (184) and Demetrius Miller (285). Demetrius Miller put together some of the finest wrestling of his career. He toppled Grand View University (Iowa)’s Gary Whitaker in the quarterfinals and his two losses came by margins of two and one points, respectively. Chery was prevented from advancing to the 174-pound title match by Zach Lee of Grand View. Chery recorded two wins and a pin on his day. Prior to last week, Chery had not wrestled since winning by decision in the dual versus Northwestern on Nov. 15.
  • The only outing on this week’s schedule is Friday’s home dual with Midland (0-3, 0-1 GPAC). The action is set to get started at 7 p.m. CT from Walz Arena. So far this season, the Warriors have suffered losses to Jamestown, 48-3, York College, 42-12, and Doane, 38-13. Last season the Bulldogs won in Fremont, 21-17, as part of a 7-0 start in GPAC duals.

Men’s Basketball

  • The Bulldogs finally got back to action last week after being idle during the week of Thanksgiving. Concordia managed to hold off Doane in an 83-77 double overtime decision on Dec. 4 before allowing sixth-ranked Dakota Wesleyan to pull away in a 77-57 loss on Dec. 7. That was it for pre-Christmas home contests. Head coach Ben Limback’s squad is now 7-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play. For more information on Bulldog men’s basketball, click HERE.
  • It would have been a tough one to swallow had Concordia not managed to pull off the victory over Doane. The Bulldogs led the game by 18 points with less than 8:30 minutes to play. The Tigers roared back to outscore Concordia 26-8 the rest of regulation to force the overtime. The Bulldogs then had to rally in the first extra session. They trailed 71-66 but evened up with the help of a trey from Sam Scarpelli and a basket by Justin Wiersema. Chuol Biel then had four critical points down the stretch of overtime No. 2. Carter Kent led the team with 22 points for the game.
  • The shooting percentages told the story in the Saturday matchup with Dakota Wesleyan. The Tigers shot 56.9 percent from the floor while Concordia shot only 36.1 percent. The Bulldogs were especially ice cold from 3-point range, where they went 6-for-32 (.188). After sitting out the game against Doane, Brevin Sloup returned to the lineup versus DWU. He led the team with 12 points, but went 0-for-9 on 3-point attempts. On the other side, Nick Harden poured in 25 points.
  • More of a perimeter-oriented offense, Concordia could really use a heating up period from long range. The Bulldogs began this season with a bang. They made 19-for-42 (.452) shots from beyond the arc in the 93-60 stomping of Dakota State University (S.D.) on Oct. 25. Since then, Concordia is shooting only 30.4 percent (70-for-230) on 3-point attempts. That percentage is likely to increase considering, Kent (.340), Tanner Shuck (.315) and Sloup (.318) are each carrying 3-point shooting percentages below their capabilities.
  • On the plus side, Concordia has found recent success against Doane, winning five of the past six matchups. Two of those have gone to overtime. On Jan. 3, 2018, the Bulldogs broke the Tigers’ hearts with a buzzer beater in a 79-77 overtime win in Crete. After falling at Doane last season, Concordia rebounded and defeated the Tigers in Seward, 70-53, in the second regular-season meeting. Conversely, Dakota Wesleyan has topped the Bulldogs six-straight times.
  • Considering the depth of the GPAC this season, off nights will often result in losses like the one that took place over the weekend. Mount Marty (12-2 overall) has been the biggest surprise in the league and is likely to be nationally ranked when this week’s poll is released. Based on the Massey Ratings of NAIA Division II squads, current national top 25 teams in the GPAC are: No. 1 Morningside, No. 7 Dakota Wesleyan, No. 11 Northwestern, No. 12 Mount Marty, No. 20 Dordt and No. 25 Jamestown. Concordia is a little ways back at No. 33.
  • The 77 points allowed in both of last week’s games represented a season high for Bulldog opponents. However, Doane had only 60 points in regulation. From a defensive standpoint, Concordia still ranks solidly among its competition. Nationally, the Bulldogs rank 10th in scoring defense (67.7) and 34th in field goal percentage defense (.418). Concordia held Doane to 37.7 percent shooting before Dakota Wesleyan shot a stellar 56.9 percent from the floor. Possession-based data is not available, but the Bulldogs are not playing at a particularly fast pace.
  • Off the bench, freshman AJ Watson has been a nice source of instant offense. He played 19 minutes versus Dakota Wesleyan and notched seven points. He has made 10-of-19 shots from 3-point range on the season and is averaging 7.0 points per game. He had 14 points in the win over Midland and 15 points in the victory over Nebraska Christian College.
  • This week will be a real bear with Concordia going on the road within GPAC play for the first time. In a makeup game, the Bulldogs will be at No. 2 Morningside (10-0, 5-0 GPAC) for an 8 p.m. CT battle on Wednesday. They will then be at Mount Marty (12-2, 5-1 GPAC) for a 4 p.m. matchup on Saturday. The Lancers will likely have a top 25 ranking next to their name after this week’s poll is released. The games this week will be the final ones before the Hawaii trip prior to Christmas.