Bulldog Athletics Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Brooks Kissinger, Basketball
A junior from Ashland, Neb., Brooks Kissinger totaled a combined 44 points (17-for-26 shooting), 12 rebounds, nine assists and two steals as the 24th-ranked Bulldogs toppled Doane and Dakota Wesleyan at home last week. A Business Administration major, Kissinger is averaging 19.6 points and 6.9 rebounds this season.
Female: Ashley Keck, Volleyball
A senior from Kearney, Neb., Ashley Keck led Concordia Volleyball to its first ever national tournament semifinal advancement as a do-it-all outside hitter. In four matches over the past week at the final site of the national tournament, Keck totaled 80 kills and 80 digs. Now No. 4 on the program’s all-time kills list (1,460), Keck is a Business Administration major.
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Month
October – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Adam Van Cleave (football)
September – Carson Fehlhafer (football) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Week
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.
Fall Sports GPAC All-Conference award winners: Fall sports are nearly complete for Concordia Athletics. Over recent weeks, a total of 42 Bulldogs earned GPAC All-Conference awards across the sports of cross country, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball. To view all-conference honorees by sport, follow the links below.
2025 GPAC All-Conference:
• Cross Country
• Football
• Men’s Soccer
• Women’s Soccer
• Volleyball
Weightlifting resumes competition with four top-three place finishers at Virus Weightlifting Finals: Ten Bulldogs made their way to Daytona Beach, Fla., for the 2025 Virus Weightlifting Finals, an event that showcased hundreds of lifters from a wide range of age groups. Following action that unfolded from Dec. 4-7, Kaiden Mima emerged as a national champion and was one of four Concordia University, Nebraska Weightlifting athletes to earn top three place finishes within the under 20 division. In another major highlight, the Bulldog men placed fifth as a team in open division competition. The other top-three place finishers for Concordia (in the junior division) were Enzo Mancini (second at 94 kg), Abigail Nelson (third at 53 kg) and Marcus Sweet (third at 79 kg). A full recap from the event can be found HERE. Head Coach Freddie Myles’ weightlifting and powerlifting programs will resume their seasons in the second semester. Both teams competed twice during the fall semester.
Fall seasons-in-review: Fall sport season-in-review articles have begun to roll out on the Concordia Athletics website. Follow the links below for detailed season recaps. The final GPAC regular season place finishes by sport were second for women’s soccer, second for volleyball, third for men’s cross country, third for football, third for men’s soccer and fifth for women’s cross country.
• Football
• Women’s Soccer
• Men’s Soccer (coming soon)
• Volleyball (coming soon)
Indoor track & field season opens with Bulldog Early Bird Meet on Friday-Saturday: The 2025-26 indoor track & field season will get underway on Dec. 12-13 with the Bulldog Early Bird Meet inside the Walz Fieldhouse. The Early Bird will be one of four home meets hosted by Concordia this indoor season. This will be Head Coach Matt Beisel’s 10th season at the helm of Bulldog Track & Field. For a 2025-26 indoor season preview, click HERE.
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.
Volleyball
· Final record: 28-4, 15-1 GPAC; seeded No. 3 at the NAIA National Championships.
· NAIA National Championship Final Site:
o Pool Play – Won vs. No. 22 Dakota Wesleyan, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-9, on Dec. 3.
o Pool Play – Won vs. No. 14 The Master’s, 25-22, 16-25, 25-23, 27-25, on Dec. 5.
o Quarterfinals – Won vs. No. 6 Providence, 25-20, 25-22, 15-25, 25-27, 15-12, on Dec. 6.
o Semifinals – Lost vs. No. 2 Northwestern, 25-23, 25-13, 25-9, on Dec. 9.
· Links: 2025 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The 2025 Bulldogs will forever hold the distinction of being the program’s first team to reach the NAIA National Championship semifinals. In action at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, over the past week, No. 3 Concordia earned wins over No. 22 Dakota Wesleyan (five sets), No. 14 The Master’s University (four sets) and No. 6 University of Providence (five sets). The Bulldogs then ran into a familiar foe in No. 2 Northwestern and fell in three sets, ending a historic journey. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad concluded the ’25 campaign at 28-4 overall for the most wins by a Concordia Volleyball team since 1996. The All-American Ashley Keck put together a terrific tournament that saw her collect 80 kills and 80 digs and hit .209 as a do-it-all outside hitter (over the four final site matches). Other kills leaders in Sioux City were Kya Scott (46) and Ella Waters (43). Additional statistical leaders at the final site were Savannah Shelburne in assists (98), Clara Evert and Shandy Faalii in aces (three) and Waters in blocks (19). Over the past four years, the seniors have helped the program to a four-year record of 105-18 for the winningest four-year stretch in program history, by percentage. Also at the final site, Boldt became the winningest coach in program history with 82 career wins. The Bulldogs will now shift to offseason mode. Preparation for the 2026 season will begin once the second semester starts in January.
· For a feature on the volleyball senior class, click HERE.
· For additional news and notes on Concordia Volleyball, check out the team’s homepage HERE.
Wrestling
· Current dual record: 3-1, 3-1 GPAC; receiving votes in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Competed at Doane Conner Oppenheimer Open on Dec. 6.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA National Rankings
· Notable: Tournament action resumed this past Saturday as 15 Bulldogs represented Concordia Wrestling at the Conner Oppenheimer Open hosted by Doane. Most notably, Cole Price placed third at 165 pounds and Gabe Kant placed fourth at heavyweight. Among Price’s five contested wins were four that came with bonus points (three pins and a technical fall). Price then won by decision, 6-0, over Arizona Christian’s Nicholas Pina in the third-place match. Ranked No. 19 in the NAIA at heavyweight, Kant earned three pins while faced with a challenging bracket. Kant pinned the NAIA’s No. 5 heavyweight in the quarterfinals and eventually lost to NAIA No. 3 in the third-place match. In other highlights, Hunter Weimer went 3-1 at 174 and Gabe Lujan posted four wins at 125. Twelve of the 15 Bulldogs recorded at least one win at the tournament, which featured open and amateur divisions. Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad has finished first semester competition. The season to date has included four tournaments and four duals. Concordia stands at 3-1 in duals. The next event on the schedule will take place on Jan. 8 when the Bulldogs host a triangular of duals with Friends University (Kan.) and Midland.
· For additional news and notes on the wrestling program, click HERE.
· Up next:
o Thursday, Jan. 8 dual triangular with Friends / Midland (dual times are 5, 6:30 and 8 p.m.).
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 9-1, 5-1 GPAC; ranked No. 9 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Doane, 89-59, on Dec. 3.
o Lost vs. No. 14 Dakota Wesleyan, 59-56, on Dec. 6.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: A blowout win over Doane was followed by the season’s first loss for the ninth-ranked Bulldogs, who spent all of last week at home. In the victory over Doane, Concordia used a 29-7 scoring advantage in the second quarter to run away with what amounted to an 89-59 final margin. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures: Abbie Kromarek (15), Sammy Leu (11), Makynna Robbins (11) and Ayla Roth (10). The Bulldog pressure led to 28 Tiger turnovers. Additionally, perimeter scoring helped widen the gap as Concordia went 16-for-40 from 3-point range. Leu drained three treys and added five assists and four steals to her stat line. Three days later, the shots weren’t falling against a stingy Dakota Wesleyan squad, which entered the game ranked No. 14 in the NAIA coaches’ poll. The Bulldogs shot a meager 27.7 percent (18-for-65) in their first defeat of 2025-26. Despite those struggles, they nearly came all the way back from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit. Savi Butterfield was the team’s only double-figure scorer with 10 points. Concordia was also outrebounded, 57-36, and surrendered 19 points and 10 rebounds to Emma Yost. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad will look to shake off that defeat while going on the road twice this week. The Bulldogs will be at Midland on Wednesday before a showdown at No. 1 Dordt on Saturday.
· For additional news and notes on the women’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Midland (1-9, 1-5 GPAC), 6 p.m.
o Saturday, Dec. 13 at No. 1 Dordt (8-1, 4-1 GPAC), 2 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 8-2, 5-0 GPAC; ranked No. 24 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Doane, 90-59, on Dec. 3.
o Won vs. Dakota Wesleyan, 103-71, on Dec. 6.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The winning streak has stretched to seven after Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad took care of business last week with home routs of Doane, 90-59, and Dakota Wesleyan, 103-71. It remains early, but the 24th-ranked Bulldogs now stand alone atop the GPAC standings with a 5-0 league mark. Concordia continues to be paced by budding star guard Brooks Kissinger, who went for 24 points versus Doane and then 20 more versus Dakota Wesleyan. The Ashland, Neb., native was an efficient 17-for-26 (.654) from the floor for the week. Other double-figure scorers in the win over Doane were Tate Odvody (14) and Jaxon Stueve (12). In the pummeling of DWU, all five starters hit double figures: Kissinger (20), Zac Kulus (19), Stueve (15), Dane Jacobsen (12) and Logan Wilson (11). For the week, the Bulldogs shot 55.7 percent (68-for-122) from the field and 43.8 percent (28-for-64) from beyond the arc. The win over Dakota Wesleyan marked the second time this season that the Bulldogs have reached the century mark. In conference games only, Concordia is outscoring its opponents by an average of 90.0 to 69.0. Kissinger is averaging 21.4 points in conference play. The unbeaten GPAC record will be tested this week in road trips to Midland and Dordt. Once this week is in the books, GPAC play will be put on hold until after New Year’s Day.
· For additional news and notes on the men’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Midland (5-5, 3-2 GPAC), 7:45 p.m.
o Saturday, Dec. 13 at Dordt (5-6, 2-3 GPAC), 3:45 p.m.