Bulldog Weekly Report (Feb. 13)

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: McKenzie Gravo, Track & Field

Gravo, a native of Henderson, Nev., set a new indoor personal best by clearing 12’ 6 ¼” for an event title at last week’s Concordia Indoor Invitational. A two-time GPAC champion, Gravo ranks second nationally in the pole vault. She has earned three All-America awards in her career.

Male: Jerry Stepps III, Wrestling

Stepps III, who hails from St. Louis, Mo., completed a perfect 8-0 dual season last week with a 12-10 victory over Morningside’s Devin Phaly, avenging a loss that occurred earlier this season. Stepps III became the team’s starter at 125 pounds in 2017-18 after wrestling a total of 43 matches over his first three collegiate seasons.

Previous athletes of the week
Feb. 6 – Michael Duffy (wrestling) / Colby Duvel (basketball)
January Athletes of the Month: Kyle Pierce (basketball) / Dani Hoppes (basketball)
Jan. 30 – Kyle Pierce (basketball) / Anna Baack (track & field)
Jan. 23 – Jacob Cornelio (track & field) / Dani Hoppes (basketball)
Jan. 16 – Josiah McAllister (track & field) / Brenleigh Daum (basketball)
Jan. 9 – Jared Woods (wrestling) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
December Athletes of the Month: Cordell Gillingham (basketball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Dec. 12 – Cordell Gillingham (basketball) / Taylor Cockerill (basketball)
Dec. 5 – Brevin Sloup (basketball) / Sydney Feller (basketball)
November Athletes of the Month: Tarence Roby (football) / Quinn Wragge (basketball)
Nov. 28 – Jake Hornick (basketball) / Quinn Wragge (basketball)
Nov. 14 – Cameron Devers (wrestling) / Jeannelle Condame (soccer)
Nov. 7 – Tarence Roby (football) / Emily Deschaine (cross country)
October Athletes of the Month: Ryan Durdon (football) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Oct. 31 – Ryan Durdon (football) / Kaitlyn Radebaugh (soccer)
Oct. 24 – Marcelo Hernandez (soccer) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Oct. 17 – Carlos Ferrer (soccer) and Grady Koch (football) / Sami Birmingham (soccer)
Oct. 10 – Micah Lehenbauer (soccer) / Kaitlyn Radebaugh (soccer)
Oct. 3 – Micah Lehenbauer (soccer) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
September Athletes of the Month: Tarence Roby (football) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Sept. 26 – Kordell Glause (football) / Emily Deschaine (cross country)
Sept. 19 – Lewis Rathbone (soccer) / Victoria Cera (soccer)
Sept. 12 – Tarence Roby (football) / Murphy Sears (golf)
Sept. 5 – Jack Bennett (soccer) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)

News and notes:

Football pulls at 44 recruits at National Signing Day benchmark: While not yet finished, the Concordia football staff announced it had pulled in 44 either signed or committed class of 2018 recruits by the time National Signing Day (Feb. 7) arrived last week. Ten different states are represented in the class, which includes 12 native Nebraskans. For more details on football recruiting, click HERE.

Dance and cheer competes at GPAC Championships: On Feb. 10, Hastings College served as host for the 2018 GPAC Cheer and Dance Championships. Second-year head coach Mandi Maser’s squads completed the competition with finishes of fourth (out of seven) in cheer and eighth (out of nine) in dance. e Concordia dance team had already beaten conference foes Dordt, Jamestown and Northwestern in earlier competitions this season. On the other hand, the Bulldog cheer squad was coming off a dual victory over Northwestern a week earlier. Though both programs appear regularly at many Concordia home sporting events, their competition seasons officially began on Jan. 20. The cheer squads are captained by junior Kennedy Garner and senior Kathie Nguyen. Junior Neleigh Lehr serves as captain for Bulldog dance.

LaVelle’s softball team set to open season this weekend: The 2018 softball season is set to officially get started on Saturday with a doubleheader at Tabor College (12 p.m.). The Bulldogs are also scheduled to play twice at Kansas Wesleyan on Sunday (12 p.m.). Fifth-year head coach Todd LaVelle’s squad was picked second in the GPAC coaches’ preseason poll. The team’s headlining returner is junior second baseman Leah Kalkwarf, a first team all-conference performer in 2017. For a complete season preview, click HERE.

Alum Lambrecht follows good friend Scott Frost to Nebraska: A 1997 Concordia graduate, Gerrod Lambrecht has the opportunity of a lifetime as Chief of Staff for the University of Nebraska football program. A three-time all-conference center during his playing days for the Bulldogs, Lambrecht also served Husker head football coach Scott Frost on his staff at the University of Central Florida. For more on Lambrecht’s career path, click HERE.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its third 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 2017-18 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 again calling volleyball action.

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

• For the fifth time in program history, the Concordia women’s basketball team has captured at least a share of the GPAC regular-season title (GPAC first began in 2000). The Bulldogs ensured themselves a piece of the pie by last week winning twice in Sioux City, Iowa, 106-67 over Briar Cliff and 88-80 over 15th-ranked Morningside. Twelfth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad has moved to 27-1 overall and to 17-1 in GPAC play. Entering the final week of the regular season, first-place Concordia owns a two-game lead over Dakota Wesleyan (15-3 GPAC) and Northwestern (15-3 GPAC) atop the league standings. For more information on Bulldog women’s basketball, click HERE.
• After holding the No. 1 national ranking in NAIA Division II women’s basketball for nearly a month, Concordia slipped one spot to No. 2 in the national poll released last week (Feb. 6). The debate over No. 1 involved undefeated Southeastern University (Fla.) (25-0), a member of The Sun Conference, and the Bulldogs. The Fire have mopped the floor in a much weaker league than the GPAC, winning by an average margin of 34.3 points per game. In terms of quality wins, Concordia has a much more impressive résumé having claimed 11 victories over teams that appeared in last week’s top 25. On the other hand, the Fire own just two wins over current nationally-ranked squads. The one strike against the Bulldogs is their upset loss at Midland on Jan. 31.
• Regardless of rankings, Concordia has accomplished a great deal with the postseason yet to come. The 2017-18 team now joins the 2002-03, 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2016-17 editions as Bulldog squads to earn at least a share of a GPAC regular-season title. Olson has been the head coach for four of those five championship seasons (Todd Voss coached the 2002-03 group). The program has also seized GPAC tournament crowns in 2005, 2012, 2015 and 2017. Not since the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons (Mark Lemke served as head coach) had the women’s basketball program won back-to-back regular-season titles.
• Senior Brenleigh Daum is making a late push to join current teammates Dani Hoppes, Mary Janovich and Quinn Wragge as players to reach 1,000 career points. Daum is averaging a career best 9.7 points per outing. After piling up 21 points at Briar Cliff and 11 at Morningside, the McCook, Neb., native now stands at 911 career points. At this point, the Bulldogs are guaranteed four more games (two regular season, one GPAC tournament, one national tournament), but could play a maximum of 10 contests the rest of the way should they continue to advance in postseason play. At her current rate, Daum will need exactly 10 games to reach 1,000.
• The absence of Mary Janovich (attended brother’s wedding) at Morningside meant increased minutes for the likes of Sydney Feller (29) and Taylor Cockerill (26). It was an ultra-productive week off the bench for Cockerill, who put up 13 points, three assists and two steals in 16 minutes at Briar Cliff and 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 26 minutes at Morningside. On a team with many weapons, Cockerill is one of six Bulldogs averaging 9.7 points or more. Meanwhile, Olson praised Feller for her ability to guard on the perimeter or in the post after the win at Morningside.
• On Wednesday night, the program will honor a senior class that has produced many thrilling moments. Of the four seniors, Daum and Janovich are the only ones to have played all four years at the varsity level. Feller has played three while Hoppes has played two since transferring from Midland. Over the past four seasons, Concordia owns an eye-popping overall record of 118-17 with four total conference championships and two national semifinal appearances. Currently, there have been only two other four-year periods of loftier win totals in program history – 123 from 2001-05 and 119 from 2011-15.
• This is another season where many of the team’s individual per-game averages fail to stand out because of the balance. A 2016-17 second team All-American and arguably the top post player in the nation, Lammers has played only 22.6 minutes per game due to the team’s many blowout wins and because of its fast-paced style. Lammers is averaging 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, not far off her averages of 13.2 points and 7.0 rebounds as a freshman. Lammers is one of nine players in Olson’s primary rotation. All nine of those players average more than 15 minutes per game.
• Speaking of Lammers, she is on a fast track to soar up the program’s all-time rankings. Still in the midst of her sophomore campaign, the Omaha native is just 12 rebounds away from 500, which would put her on a pace to become just the third player in school history to track down 1,000 rebounds in a career. She also has an outside shot at getting to 1,000 points this season. She currently stands at 843 points.
• By week’s end, Concordia expects to have wrapped up an outright GPAC regular-season title for the second year in a row. The Bulldogs can make it a reality by defeating Doane (7-19, 2-16 GPAC) on Wednesday (6 p.m. tipoff at Walz). Concordia will then finish the regular by hosting No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan (24-4, 15-3 GPAC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Bulldogs will put their 31-game home win streak on the line. Wednesday will be senior day.

Track & Field

• It’s GPAC week for the track and field programs, which competed in five meets this indoor season leading up to the conference meet. Last week the Bulldogs hosted for the third time in 2018 while putting on the Concordia Indoor Invitational. The meet featured athletes from 10 different institutions, including four GPAC schools. Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads produced two event titles, four runner-up finishes and added a fresh automatic national qualifying mark. For more information on Concordia track and field, click HERE.
• The breakthrough national qualifying mark came from senior Scott Johnson, who took advantage of one of his final opportunities to lock up a spot at the national meet. A 2017 indoor national qualifier in the long jump, the Kansas City, Kan., native qualified this time in the triple jump with a personal best mark of 46’ 7 ½,” placing him third at the Concordia Invite. Johnson also turned in a runner-up finish in the long jump with a mark of 22’ 7 ¼.”
• Ben Hulett finished 0.01 seconds off the automatic national qualifying time while turning in a PR of 8.28 in the 60-meter hurdles at the Concordia Invite. The native of Gary, Ind., has continued to move closer to the 8.27 time needed to secure a spot at nationals. His current time could still become an ‘A’ standard based on the national list. Hulett is now sitting 11th in the NAIA in the hurdles. He is also second among GPAC competitors in the event.
• After winning the outdoor shot put national title in 2017, junior Sam Liermann has a chance to compete for another championship this indoor season. With an indoor personal best of 48’ ¾” at the Concordia Invite, Liermann pushed herself to No. 2 on the national list behind only Chanel Roberts (48’ 2”) of Union (Ky.). Liermann, whose goal it is to push 50 feet in the shot put, came up one inch short of Stephanie Coley’s indoor shot put school record of 48’ 1 ¾.” The competition for the GPAC women’s shot put title will be almost as fierce as the one for nationals. Liermann will also have to hold off teammates who appear at No. 5 (Adrianna Shaw), No. 9 (Johanna Ragland), No. 12 (Jazzy Eickhoff) and No. 17 (Jodi Fry) on the national shot put list.
• A two-time GPAC champion, McKenzie Gravo will enter this week’s conference championships as a favorite in the pole vault. She cleared a personal best of 12’ 6 ¼” and gave solid attempts at a school record height while winning the Concordia Invite competition. Gravo has moved into a tie for second on the NAIA national list.
• Any conversation about the men’s throws group starts with sophomore Jacob Cornelio. On Saturday, he bumped up his personal best in the weight throw by more than three feet, checking in at 59’ 7 ½.” That toss pushed Cornelio to No. 7 on the national list. In a conference loaded with star throwers, Cornelio ranks fifth among GPAC competitors in the weight throw.
• On the track, Blake Becher (7.01 in 60 meters), Josiah McAllister (4:25.37 in mile) and Thomas Taylor (1:57.63 in 800 meters) all placed second in their respective events. On the women’s side of the jumps, both Leah Larson (triple) and Kara Stark (high) continue to try to chase down national qualifying marks that have narrowly eluded them to this point in the season. Additionally, Beisel made special mention of freshman Tucker Platt, who has improved tremendously in the pole vault. He jumped 14’ 11” at the Concordia Invite.
• The program’s count for total number of automatic national qualifying marks jumped up to 11 (see list below). Concordia athletes have also put eight ‘B’ standard marks on the board. Liermann (shot put and weight throw) and Shaw (shot put and weight throw) are the lone Bulldogs to be qualified in multiple events. Already a qualifier in the high jump, Cody Williams (Imperial, Neb.), ranks seventh nationally in the heptathlon.
  • Men’s distance medley – B (10:25.56)
  • Anna Baack – A; pole vault (11’ 6 ½”)
  • Blake Becher – ranked 27th in the heptathlon (4,314)
  • Simon Brummond – B; pole vault (15’ 1”)
  • Jacob Cornelio – A; weight throw (59’ 7 ½”)
  • Jessica Deterding – ranked 18th in the pentathlon (3,020)
  • Jazzy Eickhoff – A; shot put (44’ 10 ¾”)
  • Jodi Fry – B; shot put (44’ 9 ¾”)
  • McKenzie Gravo – A; pole vault (12’ 6 ¼”)
  • Ben Hulett – B; 60 hurdles (8.28)
  • Scott Johnson – A; triple jump (46’ 7 ½”)
  • Leah Larson – B; triple jump (36’ 11”)
  • Samantha Liermann – A; shot put (48’ ¾”); A; weight throw (54’ 9 ½”)
  • Josiah McAllister – B; 1,000 meters (2:33.58)
  • Johanna Ragland – A; shot put (45’ 1 ½”)
  • Tyrell Reichert – B; pole vault (15’ 1”)
  • Adrianna Shaw – A; shot put (47’ 1 ¾”); A; weight throw (54’ 3 ¾”)
  • Kara Stark – B; high jump (5’ 5”)
  • Cody Williams – A; high jump (6’ 7”); ranked seventh in the heptathlon (4,723)
• The GPAC indoor championships will unfold Friday and Saturday inside Fuhrer Fieldhouse on the Doane campus. Additional details on the meet can be found via the GPAC website HERE. Based on the NAIA computer ratings released last week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the Bulldogs are projected to finish fourth in the GPAC for both men and women. The program’s most recent conference championship was a men’s outdoor title in 2015.

Wrestling

• Tournament time has arrived for NAIA wrestling programs around the country. Last week the Bulldogs wrapped up their dual schedule with a 22-11 loss at No. 19 Morningside on Feb. 8. The dual had significant ramifications in regards to the conference standings. Instead of pulling into a tie for second, Concordia dropped back to fifth place in the final GPAC standings. Second-year head coach Andrew Nicola’s squad went 8-8 overall and 5-3 in conference duals in 2017-18. For more information on Bulldog wrestling, click HERE.
• One of the highlights of this entire season to date has been the emergence of senior Jerry Stepps III at 125 pounds. The native of St. Louis, Mo., completed a perfect 8-0 run in GPAC duals this season by eking out a 12-10 win over Devin Phaly, who entered last week ranked one spot above Stepps III in the GPAC ratings. Stepps III had a record of 1-6 in his first seven matches this season with that seventh match being a loss by major decision to Phaly. Not only did Stepps III get avenge a loss, he did it while wrestling with a heavy heart. Just before the dual got started, he learned that his grandmother had passed away.
• Cam Devers added just a bit of separation last week as the team’s wins leader. Entering the week, 12 Bulldogs owned 10 or more victories: Devers (24-7), Josh Nelsen (22-13), Deandre Chery (21-13), Darrin Miller (21-15), Walker Fisher (20-9), Stepps III (17-15), Cody Lambert (16-16), Jared Woods (16-15), Tyler Jorgensen (15-13), Chris Kimball (13-16), Blake Castillo (12-11) and Jon Lado (10-5). A sophomore from Miami Gardens, Fla., Chery pushed his team high pin count to 12 with one at the GPAC Duals back on Jan. 27.
• Last week’s team dual loss could have easily swung the other way. Six matches were decided by either one or two points. In those instances, Stepps III was the lone Bulldog to come out on top. Ranked third nationally at 133, Castillo fell, 4-3. Woods dropped a 3-2 decision at 157. Keanu Tom lost, 8-6, at 165. Fisher was edged out, 3-2, at 174. Finally, Nelsen endured a 6-4 defeat at 197. Had two of those matches gone in Concordia’s favor, the Bulldogs would have earned a 17-16 team win.
• Though Devers hasn’t gotten much love in the rankings, he continues to stack wins. He dominated Morningside’s Maren Cahill to the tune of an 18-3 victory by technical fall to push his team best victory total to 24. A native of Holly Springs, N.C., Devers has made a big jump from his 2016-17 freshman season when he went 8-11 overall. In GPAC duals this season, Devers won five of his seven bouts.
• While Concordia fell short of its goal to win a fourth-straight GPAC dual title, it will now take its shot at repeating as GPAC tournament champs. The Bulldogs won GPAC/NAIA North Qualifier titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The 2015 event included 14 teams. Then in 2016, it was shrunk to include only GPAC members. In a tight race at last year’s GPAC tournament, Ceron Francisco (285) and Kirk Kaliszewski (165) won titles in their respective weight classes to help Concordia (132.5 points) fend off second place Morningside (122.5) by a 10-point margin.
• Based on the GPAC individual rankings released on Feb. 5, Castillo (first at 133) and Chery (second at 174) are seeded as finalists in their weight classes. Others like Nelsen (third at 184), Stepps III (fourth at 125), Kimball (fourth at 141), Lado (fourth at 165) and Fisher (fourth at 174) are not far off.
• The conference championships are set to get started at 9 a.m. on Saturday inside Lynn Farrell Arena on the Hastings campus. Each GPAC wrestling program can enter 12 individuals into the event. Automatic national tournament berths will be on the line.

Tennis

• The spring seasons opened up last week for fourth-year head coach Joel Reckewey’s squads. After the men dropped a 6-3 home match versus Baker University on Feb. 9, both teams responded with victories by identical 5-4 scores over Grand View University on Feb. 10. Factoring the few matches that were contested back in the fall, Reckewey’s teams carry records of 3-1 on the women’s side and 2-1 on the men’s side. For more on Concordia tennis, click the following links: men | women.
• The only blemish on the women’s record was a 7-2 loss to NCAA Division II Fort Hays State University on Sept. 22. The victories have come over Kansas Wesleyan University, 6-3, Nebraska Wesleyan, 8-1, and now Grand View. The fortunes of the program have changed considerably from the start of last season when the Bulldogs dropped their first seven matches of the season. In defeating Grand View last week, Concordia avenged a 6-3 loss at Grand View that occurred in February 2017.
• The early results also show a men’s team that is improved over last year. Both Bulldog men’s wins have come against teams it suffered defeats to in 2017 – Kansas Wesleyan and Grand View. It took Concordia until Feb. 25 before it claimed its second win of the year in 2017. Last year’s squad started out 0-5 before winning five of its next six contests.
• The Bulldog women made up for the absence of senior Annie Horn last week by excelling in the back half of their singles lineup. No. 4 Alison Ebel, No. 5 Kirsten Wagner and No. 6 Kayla Smock each turned in victories. Ebel and Smock were also victorious as part of the team’s doubles efforts versus Grand View. Ebel teamed up with Katelinn Wurm at No. 2 while Smock paired with Allison Marshall at No. 3.
• Through four matches, the women’s team is led by Wagner (3-1) for the team singles wins lead. Wagner has played all four times at the No. 5 position. Ebel (2-1) and Horn (2-1) come in next with two wins apiece. In doubles, Wurm and Lindee Schultz were a perfect 2-0 in matches that took place in the fall. Collectively, Concordia has gone 14-10 in singles and 7-5 in doubles play.
• In the men’s win over Grand View, Jeremy Berryman, Josh Miller and Lucas Zoller each won their singles and doubles matches. Berryman teamed with Zoller on an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles while Miller combined with Gio De Moraes on a 9-8 (7-5) nailbiter. Zoller also had to gut out a tiebreaker at No. 3 singles to ensure that the Bulldogs came out on top. In the loss to Baker, Thomas Greeff (No. 2 singles) was the lone Concordia individual to pick up a win in a contested match. The Wildcats forfeited at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles.
• Through three matches, Miller (2-0), Berryman (2-1) and Zoller (2-1) share the team lead for most singles wins. Reckewey has already tried six different doubles combinations with the pairs of Berryman/Zoller, Berryman/Gio De Moraes and De Moraes/Miller picking up one win each. Collectively, the Bulldogs have gone 9-9 in singles and 4-5 in doubles action.
• Both teams will be in action on one day this week. The women will make their first home appearance of 2018 when they host Baker at 4 p.m. on Friday. Then on Saturday, the men will make their way to Pella, Iowa, for matches against NCAA Division III foes, Knox College (12 p.m.) and Central College (3 p.m.).

Men’s Basketball

• The Bulldogs are still searching for their first win in the month of February, which has greeted them with three opponents ranked inside or near the top 10 of the national rankings. In brutally challenging week on the road, Concordia fell at No. 7 Briar Cliff, 84-58, and at No. 10 Morningside, 86-68. The Chargers (13-4 GPAC) and Mustangs (13-4 GPAC) remain deadlocked for first place in the league standings. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have dropped back into a tie for sixth place in the GPAC. Fifth-year head coach Ben Limback’s squad has slipped to 16-11 overall and to 7-9 in conference play. For more information on Concordia men’s basketball, click HERE.
• The Bulldogs remain comfortably in the picture in terms of qualifying for the eight-team GPAC tournament. However, only one scenario remains that would allow Concordia to host in the quarterfinals. That scenario requires the Bulldogs to win their final two games of the regular season and then hope for a three-way fourth-place tie with Dakota Wesleyan and Hastings. If Concordia and the two aforementioned teams all stand at 9-9 in conference play by this week’s end, the Bulldogs would win the tiebreaker based on a 3-1 record versus Dakota Wesleyan/Hastings.
• Concordia could use a good week of home cooking considering the bad taste that lingers from last week’s action. In the loss at Briar Cliff, the Bulldogs were victimized by the three-ball. The Chargers nailed 18 treys in a game that was non-competitive from start to finish. Three days later at Morningside, Concordia struggled in the paint, where it was outscored 40-18. Offensively, the Bulldogs made only 13 field goals inside the arc and were limited to four free throw attempts. Offensive consistency has been difficult to come by for a team that sports a respectable season field goal percentage of 47.8 (27th nationally).
• One of the team’s most reliable sources of offense recently has been sophomore guard Cordell Gillingham who last week totaled 25 points while making 10-of-15 shots from the field. Gillingham made each of his first five attempts in the loss at Morningside. He has now reached double figures in scoring in five of the past seven games. The native of Greeley, Colo., put up 10 or more only four times in the season’s first 20 outings. Over the last seven games, Gillingham has boosted his season scoring average from 7.2 to 8.6.
• There will be just one senior to honor at Saturday’s senior day ceremony. A transfer from Northeastern Junior College, senior Kyle Pierce has ramped up his production in his third and final season as a Bulldog. After serving in a more limited role the previous two seasons, Pierce has gotten big minutes as a starter in 2017-18. He’s responded by averaging 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while also posting solid shooting percentages. Pierce has played in 75 games since transferring to Concordia.
• The Bulldogs learned how difficult it can be to win GPAC road games throughout this season. They went 3-6 in those outings with the victories coming over Dordt, Doane and Hastings. The victory at Doane ended with a Gillingham game-winning buzzer beater in overtime. Since then, away victories have mostly dried up, with the exception being a 93-83 win at Hastings on Jan. 24 in what was arguably Concordia’s best road performance of the 2017-18 season.
• The Bulldogs must win both contests this week to make it three years in a row with a .500 or better GPAC record. Concordia will welcome Doane (13-15, 7-9 GPAC) to Walz Arena for an 8 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday. The regular season will then end on Saturday when No. 17 Dakota Wesleyan (19-9, 9-7 GPAC) visits Seward for a 4 p.m. contest. The Bulldogs are seeking a season sweep of Doane for the second time in three seasons.