Bulldog Weekly Report (Feb. 12)

By Jacob Knabel on Feb. 12, 2019 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Quinn Wragge, Basketball

Wragge, a native of Crofton, Neb., helped lead the top-ranked Bulldogs to wins last week over No. 14 Morningside and No. 5 Dakota Wesleyan. Wragge notched a double-double versus Dakota Wesleyan while totaling 26 points, 18 rebounds and four steals on the week.

Male: Isaac Howes, Tennis

Howes, who hails from Shawnee, Kan., won a pair of singles matches last week as the Concordia men’s tennis team opened up its spring season. Howes played once at No. 4 and once at No. 3 in singles and also went 1-1 at No. 2 doubles while up against opponents from Grand View University and Central College.

Previous Athletes of the Week
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:

Grove, Sloup named Athletes of the Month for January: As voted upon by members of the Bulldog Athletic Association, senior Taylor Grove (track & field) and junior Brevin Sloup (basketball) were named Concordia’s Athletes of the Month for January. For more on the accomplishments of Grove and Sloup, click HERE.

Bulldogs turn in GPAC finishes of sixth in dance, seventh in cheer: The 2019 GPAC Cheer and Dance Championships unfolded on the Hastings College campus on Feb. 9. Head coach Mandi Maser’s squads placed in a tie for sixth in dance (59.17) and seventh in cheer (56.68). The competitions featured seven conference schools in cheer and eight in dance. A week earlier, the Bulldogs hosted the Concordia Invitational, which was the largest cheer and dance event ever hosted on campus. Concordia has also gone up against Doane and Morningside in dual meets. Maser’s teams are captained by junior Annie Pico (Mesa, Ariz.) for cheer and sophomore Kalina Schoenfeld (Carroll, Iowa) for dance. Next up for the Bulldogs is the NAIA North Regional Qualifier in Fremont, Neb., on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Concordia football announces recruiting class of 36 on National Signing Day: As of National Signing Day (Feb. 6), the Concordia University football program had secured pledges from 35 current high school seniors and one transfer. Head coach Patrick Daberkow and his staff have mined near and far while putting the class together. The group pulls from 13 different states with nine hailing from Nebraska. For more details on Bulldog football recruiting, click HERE.

A Nebraska Foundation: Ben and Angie Boldt first met as student workers within the University of Nebraska volleyball program. The experience began a foundation for their relationship and their careers in the sport of volleyball. The Boldts recently completed their first season leading the Concordia volleyball program. Ben and Angie discussed their journeys both personally and professionally and what led them back to their home state. For more on the Boldts, click HERE.

Softball tentatively scheduled to open season this weekend in Kansas: Shawn Semler’s softball teams are tentatively scheduled to open up their season this Friday and Saturday with nonconference action. However, the forecast does not appear favorable for their road venues in Olathe, Kan., and Leavenworth, Kan. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play at MidAmerica Nazarene University on Friday and at University of Saint Mary on Saturday. Changes to the schedule will be announced on the website.

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.

Women’s Basketball

  • All too familiar rivals met at the conclusion of a significant week within the conference for the top-ranked Bulldogs. Concordia went on the road to avenge one of its three losses this season and toppled 14th-ranked Morningside, 69-53, on Feb. 6. The Bulldogs then returned home and earned a regular season sweep of No. 5 Dakota Wesleyan by taking a 79-66 decision inside Walz Arena. Thirteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad has moved to 25-3 overall and to 17-3 in the GPAC (tied with Northwestern for first place). For more information on Concordia women’s basketball, click HERE.
  • While in the process of attempting to win a GPAC regular season title for the third year in a row, the Bulldogs have hit the 25-win mark for the ninth time during Olson’s 13-year tenure. The 2017-18 squad owns the high water mark for wins in a season with 36. That mark equaled the school record first achieved by the 2002-03 squad coached by Todd Voss. Concordia needs five more wins to reach 30 in a season for the fifth time under Olson and for the seventh time in program history.
  • The Bulldogs justifiably remained the No. 1 ranked team in NAIA Division II last week despite their loss at No. 2 Northwestern on Feb. 2. Concordia is also rated No. 1 amongst the entire NAIA field, according to Massey Ratings. Additionally, the computer rating lists the Bulldogs as having played the nation’s most challenging schedule. With last week’s victories over ranked foes, Concordia has now made victims out of 11 top 25 opponents. It has beaten three teams in the current top five: No. 2 Northwestern, No. 4 Southeastern University (Fla.) and No. 5 Dakota Wesleyan (twice).
  • It was a fine week for first team All-American Philly Lammers, who totaled 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 steals over the two wins. The Omaha native has an argument in any debate over the top post player in the NAIA. On the national leaderboard, Lammers ranks seventh in field goal percentage (.576), 12th in steals (2.71) and 33rd in blocks (1.36). Fouling her is also no way to slow her down. Lammers is shooting 79.2 percent from the charity stripe. She does all that damage while playing an average of 21.4 minutes per game.
  • Junior guard Riley Sibbel is somewhat of an unsung hero because she averages a modest 5.3 points per game, but she certainly is not unnoticed by her head coach. The O’Neill, Neb., native is a major reason why the Concordia press has been historically good despite the departures of backcourt gnats Dani Hoppes and Mary Janovich from last season’s team. Sibbel averages 2.68 steals per game for a squad that has flustered opponents into committing 31.3 turnovers per game. Sibbel even dropped in a career high 14 points last week at Morningside.
  • Senior Quinn Wragge’s ascent up the school’s all-time lists continues to be a storyline as the stretch run of the season continues. Currently No. 7 all-time in scoring at 1,690 career points, Wragge could soon catch Stephanie Schilke (1,736) and Lynda Beck (1,720), who rank fifth and sixth, respectively. On the program lists, Wragge also sits seventh in rebounds (785) and 11th in steals (237). She has been a first team All-GPAC honoree each of her first three seasons as a Bulldog.
  • While scoring is not a proper measure of Sibbel’s value, the same could be said about point guard Grace Barry. She put up a combined 13 points last week, but also dished out 13 assists. Then there’s the matter of her ability to take over in crunch time. In the win over Dakota Wesleyan, Barry made two blow byes to the basket for a pair of critical buckets during a 9-0 run that defined the fourth quarter. Nationally, the University of Nebraska-Kearney transfer ranks second in steals (3.54) and third in assists (5.79).
  • Freshman Mackenzie Koepke’s star is rising. Unafraid to pull the trigger from 3-point range no matter the situation, Koepke is also giving opponents fits with her length on the defensive end. She has blocked seven shots over the past four games with a single game high of three versus Dordt. She’s also swiped 46 steals over the first 28 games of this season. The Lincoln Lutheran product ranks second on the team with 48 made 3-point field goals (33.6 percent).
  • This will be the final week of regular season action. The Bulldogs will host College of Saint Mary (2-25, 1-19 GPAC) in the home finale of the regular season at 7 p.m. CST on Wednesday. The Flames’ lone wins this season have come over Nebraska Christian College and Doane. Concordia will then conclude the regular season with a trip to Mount Marty (14-13, 8-13 GPAC) on Saturday. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. from Yankton, S.D.

Track & Field

  • The opening five weeks leading up to the conference championships are in the books for the Concordia track and field programs. During that time, the Bulldogs have already hosted three meets, including last week’s annual Concordia Indoor Invitational. By the time the evening concluded on Feb. 8, head coach Matt Beisel’s men’s and women’s athletes had combined to produce five event championships, five runner-up claims and 12 performances that met the ‘A’ national qualifying standard. Two of the ‘A’ marks were brand new. For more on Concordia track and field, click HERE.
  • Through the first five weeks of the season, Bulldog athletes have now combined for 24 automatic national qualifying marks and 13 ‘B’ standard qualifying marks. Samantha Liermann, Johanna Ragland and Addie Shaw lead the way having locked up spots at nationals in both the shot put and the weight throw. The pole vault crew has shown off impressive depth by piling up seven ‘A’ and four ‘B’ clearances between the men and women. The list below also includes Concordia multi-event athletes with performances that met the minimum standard required to reach the national championships.
    • Men’s 4x400m relay (A, 3:20.04)
    • Women’s 4x400m relay (A, 3:58.50)
    • Men’s 4x800 meter relay (A, 7:51.74)
    • Rachel Battershell – 400 meters (B, 58.65)
    • Zach Bennetts – pole vault (B, 15’ 1”)
    • Dalton Berry – pole vault (B, 15’ 1”)
    • Allie Brooks – pole vault (A, 11’ 6 ½”); high jump (B, 5’ 3 ¾”)
    • Jacob Cornelio – weight throw (A, 64’ 11 ½”)
    • Gavin Davis – 200 meters (A, 22.23)
    • Morgan De Jong – weight throw (A, 53’ 5”)
    • Gavin DeHaai – pole vault (A, 15’ 9”)
    • Jessica Deterding – long jump (A, 18’ 3 ¼”); triple jump (B, 36’ 7 ¾”); No. 11 nationally in pentathlon (3,183)
    • Jodi Fry – shot put (A, 44’ 8”)
    • McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (A, 12’ 2 ½”)
    • Liam Hennessy – shot put (B, 51’ 4 ½”)
    • Mariah Huneke – weight throw (B, 52’ 10 ¼”)
    • Leah Larson – triple jump (A, 38’ 2 ¾”)
    • Samantha Liermann – shot put (A, 47’ ¼”); weight throw (A, 55’ ¾”)
    • Erin Mapson – pole vault (A, 11’ 6 ½”)
    • Nathan Matters – 600 meters (A, 1:21.85)
    • Josiah McAllister – 1,000 meters (A, 2:29.93)
    • Kennedy Mogul – No. 20 nationally in pentathlon (3,030)
    • Tristen Mosier – pole vault (A, 11’ 6 ½”)
    • Jacee Pfeifer – pole vault (A, 11’ 6 ½”); 400 meters (B, 59.15)
    • Tucker Platt – pole vault (B, 15’ 1”)
    • Ben Pratt – high jump (B, 6’ 6 ¼”)
    • Johanna Ragland – shot put (A, 45’ 1 ¾”); weight throw (A, 55’ 9 ¾”)
    • Addie Shaw – shot put (A, 46’ 3 ¼”); weight throw (A, 60’ 6 ¾”)
    • Adrianna Sims – triple jump (B, 37’ ¼”)
    • Sam Sisco – pole vault (B, 15’ 1”)
    • Cody Williams – pole vault (A, 15’ 9”); 60 meter hurdles (B, 8.38); No. 3 nationally in heptathlon (5,096)
  • The latest Bulldogs to add their names to the national qualifying field were the men’s 4x800 meter relay group of Nathan Matters, Thomas Taylor, Christian Van Cleave and Josiah McAllister and Jessica Deterding in the long jump. The Concordia relays have been crushing it this season. Both the Bulldog men’s and women’s 4x4’s sit at No. 5 on the national performance lists (both No. 1 in the GPAC) while the men’s 4x8 burst onto the scene with a time of 7:51.74 that took over the national lead. On its heels is conference rival Dordt (7:52.10). The 7:51.74 time ranks No. 14 on the program’s all-time list.
  • Deterding is blossoming as part of a deep jumps crew on the women’s side. The junior from Eustis, Neb., won the long jump at the Concordia Invite with a personal best of 18’ 3 ¼” that eclipsed the ‘A’ standard in the event. Deterding currently ranks 24th nationally in the long jump. She also has a good shot of making it to the national championships in the pentathlon, an event she currently ranks 11th in nationally with 3,183 points. Deterding owns a ‘B’ standard in the triple jump.
  • The women’s throws group tutored by Ed McLaughlin continues to rank as the nation’s best, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) ratings. At the Concordia Invite, Shaw managed to achieve a season best in the shot put with a toss of 46’ 3 ¼.” On the women’s shot put national leader board, Bulldogs rank fourth (Liermann), sixth (Shaw), 12th (Johanna Ragland) and 14th (Jodi Fry). In the weight throw, Concordia throwers check in at first (Shaw), seventh (Ragland), eighth (Liermann), 13th (Morgan De Jong) and 18th (Mariah Huneke) among national competitors.
  • McKenzie Gravo (pole vault), Rebekah Hinrichs (mile) and Thomas Taylor (800 meters) joined the men’s 4x8 and Deterding as event titlists at the Concordia Invite. Gravo has been a consistent ‘A’ standard performer along with teammate Jacee Pfeifer in the pole vault. Gavin DeHaai placed second in the men’s pole vault (PR of 15’ 9”). Additional runner-up finishes were recorded by Taylor Grove (3,000 meters), Pfeifer, Shaw (weight throw) and Van Cleave (800 meters). Grove finished .01 seconds out of first place in the 3,000. It was the first time this season she failed to win her race.
  • Considering their lofty rankings of No. 2 in the NAIA, the Concordia men’s and women’s teams both expect themselves to place higher than they did at the 2018 GPAC championships – fourth on the men’s side and fifth on the women’s side. The most recent Bulldog indoor conference team titles came in 2014 for the men and 2010 for the women. Liermann is a defending GPAC champion in the shot put. Scott Johnson was also a 2018 indoor GPAC champion in the triple jump. As a freshman in 2016, Gravo swept indoor/outdoor conference titles in the pole vault.
  • GPAC week has arrived. Concordia is getting set to stage the conference indoor championships inside the Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday. The 2019 conference meet will mark the first time the Bulldogs have hosted it since 2015 when Concordia placed second for both men and women. As it stands right now, Bulldog athletes own a combined 43 marks that rank within the top five on the GPAC performance lists. To view the complete conference championship schedule, click HERE.

Wrestling

  • In the only date on last week’s schedule, the Bulldogs had a lot riding on the home finale versus Morningside. Unfortunately, Concordia missed out on a chance to lock up an outright GPAC dual title. A 27-12 loss at the hands of the Mustangs on Feb. 7 meant that the Bulldogs shared the conference championship with Morningside. Both teams posted identical conference records of 7-1. The dual season is now complete for first-year head coach Levi Calhoun’s squad. Concordia went 9-4 overall in duals. For more information on Bulldog wrestling, click HERE.
  • Last week’s result was a departure from the dominance Concordia had displayed in the seven GPAC duals leading up to the clash with the Mustangs. Entering the home finale, the Bulldogs had won 55 of 70 individual matches and had outscored their opponents by a combined total of 258-56. Even with the loss to Morningside, the Bulldogs own a record of 33-4 in GPAC duals over the past five seasons. The 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 squads each went 7-0 within conference duals while winning GPAC championships. While Concordia and Morningside tied for first, Midland (6-2) placed third and Briar Cliff (5-3) and Northwestern (5-3) shared fourth place.
  • Morningside stunned the Walz crowd when Dakota Drenth and Kyle Fowler produced back-to-back pins at 149 and 157, respectively. With three matches remaining on the evening, the Mustangs had sucked all of the drama out of the dual. Morningside had mounted an insurmountable team lead of 24-3. The two pins came over the first five matches were decided by decision. The dual began at 197 pounds, where Caleb Deemer got the Mustangs on the board first.
  • One of six seniors honored in a ceremony prior to the dual, Walker Fisher went out with a 6-5 decision over Nickolas Madsen at 174 pounds. A native of Ashland, Neb., Fisher did not lose a single home match during his collegiate career. His overall four-year record now stands at 52-36. Two other seniors in the Concordia lineup versus Morningside suffered defeats – Kyle Carey (141) and Keanu Tom (157). The senior class also includes Chucky Hedrick, Chris James and Josh Nelsen.
  • Deandre Chery (184) and Michael Stann (285) both saw their unblemished GPAC dual records fall by the wayside. Ranked 10th nationally at the heavyweight position, the pin prone Stann was prevented from going on the offensive in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Phil Rasmussen. That result set the wheels in motion for a Mustang victory. Chery was upended, 6-2, in the final match of the night. He bumped up from his usual 174 weight to wrestle at 184. Chery went 6-1 in GPAC duals while Stann finished at 7-1. The losses could affect their conference seeding. Both were ranked No. 1 in the GPAC at their respective weights.
  • Just before Fisher took the mat, Blake Castillo brought the first real big roar of the night with a pin of Brandon Crews in the 165-pound tussle. Castillo won three of his four matches this season in conference duals. Morningside got out to a 9-0 lead before Alberto Garcia produced an 8-1 victory at 133. The Bulldogs hope that Garcia has found his groove. He’s been limited to 14 matches this season. He has won 12 of them and is a perfect 4-0 against GPAC competition.
  • Now the expectation is that Concordia will outperform its fourth-place conference tournament finish from 2018. Last year’s GPAC championship meet was highlighted by conference titles from Giovanni Castillo (133) and Chery (174). As of the Jan. 22 conference ratings, the Bulldogs sat No. 1 with 11 grapplers ranked in the top six of the GPAC in their respective weight classes. A new set of conference ratings will be posted by the NAIA today (Feb. 12).
  • Northwestern will serve as the host school for Saturday’s GPAC Wrestling Championships. The action is slated to get started at 10 a.m. CST from Orange City, Iowa. Concordia won GPAC/NAIA Qualifier postseason events in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Individual national championship berths will be on the line. Automatic bids are rewarded to each of the individual champions.

 

Men’s Basketball

  • The Bulldogs were greeted with the challenge of going head-to-head last week with a pair of nationally-ranked opponents from within the conference. In action on Feb. 6, Concordia fell by a 79-64 final score at No. 2 Morningside. Then in the 2018-19 home finale, the Bulldogs were beaten by No. 18 Dakota Wesleyan, 68-63, in a game they trailed by 20 points in the second half. The defeats mean that Concordia now hopes to simply hang on to the No. 8 see for the conference tournament. Sixth-year head coach Ben Limback’s squad stands at 14-15 overall and at 6-13 in the GPAC. For more information on Bulldog men’s basketball, click HERE.
  • The point totals for Concordia over the last three games have been 64, 64 and 63, respectively. Things have been a work-in-progress offensively for a team that leans heavily upon Tanner Shuck and Brevin Sloup. For the most part, the Seward High School product Sloup has delivered. Finding additional offensive firepower to support Shuck and Sloup will surely be an offseason focus. Among GPAC squads, the Bulldogs rank ninth in scoring offense (72.6) and 10th in field goal percentage offense (.445).
  • With another season left in 2019-20, Shuck figures to push for a top 10 spot on the program’s all-time scoring list. He moved past Joel Haywood (1,091) for 28th place last week and now has his sights set on Derek Engelbart (1,105) for 27th place. Shuck amassed 1,102 points over his first 90 collegiate games. He has gotten there by nailing 227 3-point field goals. Shuck’s production will be needed if the Bulldogs are to make a run in the conference tournament, assuming they qualify. Shuck put up nine points in both of last week’s outings.
  • Freshman Carter Kent could be the next big point scorer in the future. He played fearlessly at Morningside, where he put up 19 points while netting 4-of-7 attempts from 3-point range. The Crete native is averaging 9.8 points per game. His shooting percentages of 37.5 from the field and 32.0 from 3-point range figure to improve along with the rest of his game. Kent notched a career high of 26 points in the upset of then seventh-ranked Briar Cliff on Jan. 12.
  • Dakota Wesleyan snapped what had been a four-game home win streak for Concordia. During that run, the Bulldogs knocked off Briar Cliff, Midland, Doane and Dordt. Within conference play, the Bulldogs are 5-5 at home and 1-8 on the road. The lone victory away from Walz was an 87-84 decision over Hastings. Concordia will get one more shot at a GPAC road win on Saturday at Mount Marty.
  • “Grow Dawgs” has been the theme this season for the Bulldogs. Limback and company knew this would be a season of growth after returning only two players (Shuck and Sloup) with significant experience. Shuck and Sloup have been joined in the starting lineup by two freshmen (Kent and Justin Wiersema) and transfer Chuol Biel. Because of offseason departures, Concordia was picked by at least two league head coaches to finish in last place in the GPAC.
  • The personnel on the 2018-19 roster has dictated that the Bulldogs play at slower pace this season. That reality has been reflected in the scoring column. Concordia games have averaged a combined total of 147.4 points (including opponent). That’s a marked difference from the 167.5 points averaged in Bulldog contests during the 2016-17 campaign when the team featured seniors Chandler Folkerts and Eli Ziegler. Pace of play had a hand in Dakota Wesleyan scoring nearly 20 points below its season average in last week’s meeting.
  • The regular season finale is up next. The Bulldogs will be at Mount Marty on Saturday for a game now set to tip off at 3:30 p.m. CST from Yankton, S.D. Concordia hopes to avenge a 70-69 home loss to the Lancers, who won on a trey at the buzzer. A victory may be needed for the Bulldogs to lock themselves into the No. 8 seed in the GPAC tournament. The quarterfinals of the conference tournament will take place on Feb. 20.

Tennis

  • The spring seasons are underway for squads coached by Nikita Kostikov on the men’s side and Javier Moreno on the women’s side. Both Bulldog squads began the 2018-19 campaigns back in the fall and competed at the GPAC Invite in September. The women also earned a fall victory over Central College (Iowa). The women’s squad is now 1-1 overall after falling by a 6-3 final score at Grand View University (Iowa) on Feb. 8. The men are also 1-1 following a weekend that included a 5-4 win over Grand View and 7-2 loss at Central. For more information on Concordia tennis: Men | Women.
  • Kostikov arrived in Seward in the middle of the 2017-18 school year, not long after completing his college career as a student-athlete at NCAA Division I Alcorn State University (Miss.). Kostikov was an All-South Western Athletic Conference honoree and moved up to the No. 1 singles and doubles spots in the lineup as his career progressed. Meanwhile, Moreno graduated from Concordia in 2017. The native of Morelia, Mexico, earned four career All-GPAC awards and won 27 singles and 31 doubles matches as a Bulldog.
  • It was the back half of the lineup that lifted the Concordia men to the win at Grand View. The contest actually began with singles action. Ultimately, the team scoring came down to No. 2 doubles and the freshman duo of Isaac Howes and Jack Kitson. Under the pressure of a 4-4 team tie, Howes and Kitson emerged with an 8-6 victory over their Viking counterparts. Concordia was also an 8-2 winner at No. 3 doubles, which featured senior Thomas Greeff and freshman Joseph Bindl. Howes first produced a 6-1, 6-1, win at No. 4 singles over Ryan Kucera. With Bulldogs falling at the Nos. 1 through 3 singles positions, Concordia needed the performances it got from Howes and Jeremy Berryman (No. 5) and Connor Works (No. 6). Berryman won at No. 5, 6-0, 6-0, while Works too his match by the same score.
  • The lineup on Feb. 9 included the same seven individuals who competed at Grand View the previous day. Howes produced the Bulldogs’ lone singles victory. He was able to outlast Josh Phillips, 7-5, 6-7 (8), 10-4, at the No. 3 spot. In doubles action, the pair of Berryman and Luke Zoller at No. 1 earned an 8-6 triumph. Concordia dropped three singles matches in third-set tiebreakers as part of a clash that was closer than the 7-2 team score indicated.
  • Transfer Marlene Maier (a three-year contributor at Alcorn State University) again topped the lineup for the Bulldogs. She fell at No. 1 singles, 6-3, 6-4, to Kristina Khmelevskaia. In doubles, Maier teamed up with Claudia Miranda Viera in an 8-3 defeat. Maier was followed in the singles lineup by Miranda Viera, Kirsten Wagner, Allison Marshall, Lindee Schultz and Angela Bell. Schultz won at No. 5, 7-5, 6-0, over Tina Kajtazovic while Bell took a 6-0, 6-0, decision at No. 6. The other Bulldog victory was delivered by the No. 3 doubles combo of Marshall and Wagner.
  • Both Concordia teams are off from competition this week. They will be back at it on Friday, Feb. 22 when they take on Bethel College (Kan.) at Genesis Health Club in Lincoln. Much of the nonconference season is played indoors until the weather warms up this spring.