Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Noah Schutte, Basketball
A third-year player from Laurel, Neb., Schutte led the Bulldogs to an 85-79 win in last week’s lone outing. He tallied 27 points and 10 rebounds while becoming the 34th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points. Schutte is averaging a team high 18.7 points per game this season.
Female: Taysha Rushton, Basketball
A native of Midland, Texas, Rushton kept up her hot shooting last week while totaling 41 points in road wins over Doane and College of Saint Mary. For the week, Rushton shot 13-for-20 (.650) from the floor and 10-fo-15 (.667) from 3-point range. She’s averaging 14.7 points per game on the season.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Feb. 7 – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Calvin Rohde (track & field)
Jan. 31 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Jan. 24 – Rylee Haecker (track & field) / Calvin Rohde (track & field)
Jan. 17 – Kylahn Freiberg (track & field) / Garrett Seagren (basketball)
Jan. 10 – Sadie Powell (basketball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
Dec. 13 – Chase Berry (track & field) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Taysha Rushton (basketball)
Dec. 6 – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Gage Smith (basketball)
Nov. 29 – Rylee Ladd (powerlifting) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
Nov. 15 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Federico Simonetti (Soccer)
Nov. 8 – Kylahn Freiberg (cross country) / Kaden Peters (football)
Nov. 1 – Breyer Meeks (shooting sports) / Carlos Orquiz (soccer) / Morgan Nibbe (volleyball)
Oct. 25 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Isaiah Shaddick (soccer)
Oct. 18 – Korrell Koehlmoos (football) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Oct. 11 – Rylee Haecker (cross country) / DJ McGarvie (football)
Oct. 4 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Korrell Koehlmoos (football)
Sept. 27 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Ryan Wokutch (soccer)
Sept. 20 – Tanner Muff (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 13 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Jack Nelson (shooting sports)
Sept. 6 – Camryn Opfer (volleyball) / Camden Sesna (cross country)
Aug. 30 – Federico Simonetti (soccer) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Aug. 23 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball)
2022-23 BAAM Athletes of the Month
January – Rylee Haecker (track & field) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
December – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Gage Smith (basketball)
November – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball); Noah Schutte (basketball)
October – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball); Korrell Koehlmoos (football); Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
September – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball); Camryn Opfer (volleyball); Camden Sesna (cross country)
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons 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. 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.
Dance goes 2-0, Cheer 1-1 while hosting duals event: It was a significant weekend of competition Concordia Competitive Cheer & Dance as the Bulldogs competed in the York University Crown Classic (Feb. 10) and their own Concordia Day of Duals (Feb. 11). Starting with the Crown Classic, Bulldog Dance placed in a tie for fourth out of 14 squads while Concordia Cheer placed fourth out of 15 teams. Then at the Day of Duals, which featured squads from 18 different NAIA institutions, Head Coach Mandi Maser’s dance team went 2-0 (wins over Northwestern and William Penn) while cheer went 1-1 (loss to Kansas Wesleyan and a win over Columbia). Dance posted respective scores last week of 80.33, 79 and 82.95 while cheer turned in scores of 82.03, 72.45 and 79.7. Between dance (eight) and cheer (seven), Concordia has been judged in a total of 15 competitions. For recaps of last week’s action, check the homepages linked below for both sports.
--Cheer Homepage
--Dance Homepage
Softball set to open season this weekend in Kansas City: Game week is here for Concordia Softball, which will be headed to the Kansas City NAIA Softball Invite for action this Saturday and Sunday. The opponents will be MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), Missouri Valley College, Baker University (Kan.) and Benedictine College (Kan.). Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad was pegged eighth in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll. Culler is entering his first season leading the program, which is coming off a 23-24 overall record in 2022. For a closer look at the ’23 softball team, click the links below for a season preview and for a feature on two-time First Team All-GPAC outfielder Caitlyn McGarvie.
--2023 Softball Season Preview
--Caitlyn McGarvie Feature Story
Tennis resumes 2022-23 seasons with home losses to Barton: The 2022-23 seasons have resumed for the Concordia men’s and women’s tennis teams. Head Coach Cam Long’s program had scheduled home matches on Feb. 11 versus Grand View University (Iowa) postponed. As a result, the Bulldogs waited until Monday to get things going again. They hosted Barton Community College of North Bend, Kan. The results were wins for the Cougars by scores of 5-2 on the men’s side and 7-0 on the women’s side. Both Concordia teams are 1-3 overall after factoring in the dual matches that took place during the fall. The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday by taking on Pratt Community College in a contest to be played at Genesis Health Club in Lincoln, Neb., at 1:45 p.m. CT. For a closer look at both Concordia Tennis squads, check out the season preview links below.
--Concordia Men’s Tennis
--Concordia Women’s Tennis
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its eighth 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 2022-23 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 eighth 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. 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.
Women’s Basketball
· The Bulldogs cleaned up last week in a couple of road trips to in-state GPAC opponents. Concordia won on the home floor of Doane, 92-80, on Feb. 8 and then took care of College of Saint Mary, 99-76, in Omaha on Feb. 11. The Bulldogs are an impressive 12-2 over their last 14 GPAC outings and have moved to 18-8 overall (14-6 GPAC). While Dordt (19-1 GPAC) has clinched the conference regular season title and No. 1 seed, Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad could still finish as high as second in the conference. It sits one game behind both Briar Cliff (15-5) and Jamestown (15-5). For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· In the process of defeating Doane and College of Saint Mary last week, the Bulldogs went a perfect 9-0 against in-state opponents this regular season. That mark includes regular season sweeps of College of Saint Mary, Doane, Hastings and Midland and a nonconference victory over Bellevue. Dating back to last season, Concordia has won 12 contests in a row against Nebraska foes. The average margin of victory in 2022-23 versus in-state foes has been 20.1 points. Also last week, the Bulldogs extended series win streaks to 22 over College of Saint Mary and to 14 over Doane.
· Taysha Rushton and Abby Krieser were the ringleaders in the win at Doane (13-13, 7-13 GPAC). Concordia found itself trailing at halftime, 46-36, before getting white hot during a third quarter that saw it outscore the Tigers, 33-17. Rushton finished with a game high 27 points on the strength of 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. In addition, Krieser came through with a new career high of 23 points and went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Bulldogs drained 15-of-32 (.469) shots from 3-point range and went a healthy 15-for-18 (.833) from the foul line. Two other Concordia players reached double figures: Kendal Brigham (12) and Sadie Powell (10). Another player who has grown considerably, Brigham dished out eight assists and had only one turnover in 30 minutes of action. Off the bench, Mackenzie Koepke contributed six points and eight rebounds.
· Lincoln Southeast High School alum Mackenzie Toomey enjoyed one of her better games this season while totaling 16 points, four assists and three steals in the comfortable win at College of Saint Mary (5-21, 2-18 GPAC). Toomey made all six of her shot attempts from the floor (two from 3-point range) and both of her free throw tries. The Bulldogs again shot the ball well, going 15-for-28 (.536) from beyond the arc and shooting 54.5 percent (36-for-66) overall. A competitive first quarter (25-22 Concordia lead) gave way to a blowout as the visitors pushed the lead to as many as 30 points. Toomey was joined in double figures by Powell (14), Rushton (14) and Brigham (10). Eleven Bulldogs posted at least five points and eight players made at least one 3-point field goal.
· The last four games have been especially impressive for Rushton, who leads the team with an average of 14.7 points per game. Over the last two weeks, the Midland, Texas, native has averaged 21.0 points per game while making 27-of-42 (.643) shots from the floor, 17-of-25 (.680) attempts from 3-point range and 13-of-14 (.929) tries from the foul line. Nationally, Rushton ranks 17th in both made 3-point field goals (65) and 3-point field goal percentage (.439) on the season. An NAIA Honorable Mention All-American last season, Rushton has produced collegiate career totals of 1,342 points, 242 rebounds, 237 assists and 141 steals in 86 games.
· The offensive efficiency numbers are also on the rise from a team perspective. Concordia went a sizzling 30-for-60 (.500) from 3-point range last week, raising the team’s 3-point percentage to 35.0 for the season. Nationally, the Bulldogs rank fourth in 3-point field goals made per game (10.3), fourth in 3-point field goal attempts per game (29.5) and 15th in 3-point percentage. In addition, Concordia has shot 78.2 percent from the foul line, which ranks No. 3 in the NAIA. The Bulldogs’ top 3-point shooters from a percentage standpoint are Rushton (.439), Brigham (.417), Megan Belt (.352), Powell (.346) and Krieser (.342).
· The program will honor its lone senior, Taylor Farrell, on Wednesday night. Farrell is the only fourth-year player on the roster. Now in her fifth season in the program, Koepke took part in senior day festivities a year ago. As for Farrell, she’s played in 88 career games and has totaled 579 points while making 118-of-305 (.387) 3-point attempts as a Bulldog. Unfortunately, Farrell was slowed to begin this season due to an injury she suffered late in the 2021-22 campaign. One of Farrell’s finest moments on the court came at the 2021 national tournament when she tallied 14 points (3-for-4 from 3-point range) in a 71-54 come-from-behind win over Loyola University New Orleans. That victory sent Concordia to the national tournament final site in Sioux City, Iowa.
· This is the final week of regular season play. The Bulldogs will be jockeying for standings position while hosting No. 23 Briar Cliff (19-7, 15-5 GPAC) at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Concordia will then travel to play Dakota Wesleyan (19-7, 13-7 GPAC) at the Corn Palace at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Bulldogs dropped the season’s first meeting with the Chargers, 76-65, and narrowly defeated the Tigers, 59-58, at home. Pairings for the GPAC tournament will be announced on Saturday when all conference games are completed. The conference tourney will get started with the quarterfinal round on Feb. 22.
Men’s Basketball
· It was a one-game week for the Bulldogs, who enjoyed this past Saturday off from game action. In the matchup at Doane on Feb. 8, Concordia made the plays down the stretch to pull out an 85-79 victory, earning a season sweep of the Tigers. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad can no longer earn a top four seed for the GPAC tournament, but it can try to lock up the No. 5 spot this week. The Bulldogs stand at 16-10 overall (10-8 GPAC) and are looking up at Jamestown (15-4), Dordt (13-5), Morningside (13-5) and Northwestern (12-6) in the league standings. For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· It would appear that the Bulldogs still have a shot at earning an at-large national tournament bid (provided they come up short of winning the GPAC tournament). Concordia likely needs to win twice this week and then perhaps reach at least the conference semifinals, in order to strengthen its profile. One factor working in the Bulldogs’ favor is a solid strength of schedule ranking of 33rd (as of late January). Concordia landed at No. 49 in the official RPI released by the NAIA on Jan. 29. Last season, three at-large berths were awarded to GPAC teams. Concordia and Briar Cliff were the automatic qualifiers while Dordt, Jamestown and Northwestern gained entry via at-large selection. Official national qualifiers for the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship tournament are scheduled to be announced at 7 p.m. CT on March 2.
· It always seems to come down to the wire when Concordia makes a visit to the Haddix Center in Crete. In last week’s clash, the Bulldogs saw a 10-point lead transition into a nine-point deficit before the contest became a white-knuckler down the stretch. During the game defining push, Noah Schutte and Garrett Seagren combined to score 20 of the team’s 22 points while giving Concordia an 80-77 with just over a minute to play. The Bulldogs held Doane (10-16, 7-11 GPAC) to one basket the rest of the way and sealed the win by making 5-of-6 free throw tries in the final 30 seconds. As part of the victory, Schutte became the 34th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. He finished the game with 27 points and 10 rebounds while going 11-for-17 from the floor. Seagren backed him up with 20 points and three steals while Brad Bennett (16) and Gage Smith (12) also hit double figures. Concordia shot an impressive 62.5 percent (35-for-56) as a team.
· Schutte’s career point total now stands at 1,021. He’s the second Bulldog this season to eclipse 1,000 points, joining teammate Gage Smith (1,297). Eight other Concordia players have hit that mark during Limback’s tenure that began with the 2013-14 campaign: Chandler Folkerts (1,963), Carter Kent (1,699), Tanner Shuck (1,579), Justin Wiersema (1,276), Brevin Sloup (1,246), Eli Ziegler (1,194), Robby Thomas (1,170) and Joel Haywood (1,091). As for Schutte, he has also produced 407 rebounds while making 369-of-670 shots (.551) from the floor in his career. Schutte enters this week having scored at least 19 points in six-straight games.
· While Gage Smith ranks 18th on the program’s all-time scoring list, he’s on the verge of cracking the top two in rebounding. The Elizabeth, Colo., native enters this week with 865 career rebounds to his credit. On the program’s career list, that total stands behind only Matt List (928) and Chandler Folkerts (868). It’s true that Gage Smith has had the benefit of a fifth year of college basketball, but he played limited minutes as a freshman in 2018-19 when he snared 25 rebounds. His respective year-by-year rebound totals since then have been 117, 238, 254 and 231. In addition, Gage has climbed to No. 15 on the all-time assists list with 260.
· The offensive game of Seagren has taken off during the second half of the season. Since the middle of January, the Oakland, Neb., native has reset his career high scoring total twice. Notably, he scored 18 at Jamestown on Jan. 14, poured in 22 at Midland on Feb. 1 and then racked up 20 last week at Doane. Over the past month, Seagren’s scoring average has gone from 4.1 to 6.4 currently. In addition, the 6-foot-2 transfer from Chaminade University routinely draws the opposing team’s top backcourt scorer on the defensive end. Seagren, Schutte and Gage Smith are the three players who have started all 26 games this season.
· At least one win this week would clinch an above .500 conference mark for the fourth season in a row. Since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, Concordia has gone a combined 51-27 in GPAC regular season play. Now in year 10 of his head coaching tenure with the Bulldogs, Limback owns a record of 98-96 in GPAC regular season games. Major highlights during that time have come in the form of GPAC tournament championships in 2020 and 2022 and a conference regular season crown in 2021-22. The program’s history includes four GPAC tournament titles, including two that came under Grant Schmidt (2003 and 2005). The GPAC’s first season of basketball was 2000-01.
· This will be the final week of the regular season. The Bulldogs will attempt to finish it off strong while hosting Briar Cliff (13-12, 7-11 GPAC) at 7:45 p.m. CT on Wednesday before traveling to the Corn Palace to take on Dakota Wesleyan (12-14, 8-10 GPAC) at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday. Concordia defeated both foes earlier this season – 78-58 at Briar Cliff (Nov. 12) and 78-69 versus Dakota Wesleyan (Jan. 7). Pairings for the GPAC tournament will be released on Saturday after all conference games are in the books. The Bulldogs will be on the road for the quarterfinals on Feb. 22.
Track & Field
· As part of the sixth weekend of indoor competition this 2023 season, the Bulldogs hosted a field of 10 teams at the Concordia Invite on Feb. 10. Concordia athletes emerged with five new automatic national qualifying marks, four fresh ‘B’ standards and 10 Concordia Invite event championships. The new auto marks came courtesy of Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Dagne’ Buck (weight throw), Jenna Esch (600 meters), Hannah Newton (high jump) and Camden Sesna (mile). In addition, Adrianna Rodencal broke her own school record in the 60 meter hurdles. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s program has hosted four home meets this indoor season. For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.
· Below is a complete listing of Concordia athletes who possess marks meeting either the ‘A’ or ‘B’ national reporting standard. The tally after six weekends of indoor competition includes 25 ‘A’ standards and 25 ‘B’ standards. In addition, four Bulldog pentathletes have eclipsed the minimum national reporting standard of 2,950 points. Amy Richert currently ranks No. 4 nationally in the pentathlon.
o Women’s 4x400m Relay, A (3:54.81)
o Women’s 4x800m Relay, B (9:39.96)
o Men’s Distance Medley Relay, A (10:10.06)
o Women’s Distance Medley Relay, A (12:20.68)
o Elena Batenhorst – No. 19 in NAIA in pentathlon (3,022)
o Rachel Battershell – 60 Hurdles, A (8.94); 400 Meters, A (57.06)
o Zach Bennetts – Pole Vault, A (15’ 11”)
o Chase Berry – Pole Vault, A (15’ 7”)
o Erin Boggs – Pole Vault, A (11’ 6 ½”)
o Dagne’ Buck – Weight Throw, A (57’ 7 ¾”)
o Mark Cooke – 60 Hurdles, B (8.29)
o Amira Cummings – Pole Vault, A (11’ 6 ½”)
o Josiah Edwards – Weight Throw, B (54’)
o Jenna Esch – 600 Meters, A (1:35.92); 400 Meters, B (58.62)
o Kylahn Freiberg – 1,000 Meters, B (3:01.65); Mile, B (5:07.94); 3,000 Meters, B (10:24.45)
o Abby Gerber – Weight Throw, B (53’ 1 ½”)
o Rylee Haecker – 1,000 Meters, A (2:56.44); Mile, B (5:06.10)
o Brady Klute – Weight Throw, B (55’ 11”)
o Jordan Koepke – 600 Meters, B (1:36.52)
o Wyatt Loga – High Jump, B (6’ 7”)
o Erin Mapson – Pole Vault, A (12’ 4 ½”)
o Colton Meyer – 400 Meters, A (48.57)
o Ben Moll – Weight Throw, B (53’ 5”)
o Hannah Newton – High Jump, A (5’ 5 ¾”)
o Josi Noble – No. 25 in NAIA in Pentathlon (2,951)
o Alli Owings – Weight Throw, B (52’ 6”)
o Kamryn Pokorney – Weight Throw, B (52’ 1 ¼”); Shot Put, B (43’ ¼”)
o Josie Puelz – Pole Vault, A (13’ ¼”)
o Joel Rathe – Long Jump, B (23’ 2 ¾”)
o Amy Richert – No. 4 in NAIA in Pentathlon (3,487); High Jump, B (5’ 4 ½”); 60 Hurdles, B (9.07)
o Maddie Robinson – Shot Put, A (44’ 9”); Weight Throw, A (54’ 3 ¼”)
o Adrianna Rodencal – 60 Hurdles, A (8.76); 200 Meters, B (25.38)
o Calvin Rohde – 1,000 Meters, A (2:27.16); Mile, A (4:12.33)
o Myles Sadd – High Jump, B (6’ 7”)
o Isabelle Salters – No. 23 in NAIA in Pentathlon (2,968)
o Darien Semedo – Shot Put, B (51’ 5 ¾”); Weight Throw, B (55’ 3 ½”)
o Camden Sesna – Mile, A (4:14.52)
o Kayla Svoboda – Pole Vault, A (11’ 6 ½”)
o Trinity Tuls – 400 Meters, B (58.11)
o Abi Wohlgemuth – Weight Throw, B (53’ 2 ¼”)
o Chris Wren – Weight Throw, A (62’ 10 ¾”)
o Zach Zohner – Pole Vault, A (15’ 7”)
· It’s been quite a debut college season for the freshman Rodencal, a Lincoln Lutheran High School alum. She reset her own school record in the 60 hurdles last week by clocking a time of 8.76 in the finals. Rodencal was the Concordia Invite champion in both the 60 hurdles and the 200 meters (25.38). Her 200 meter time was a personal best and hit the ‘B’ standard. On the GPAC performance lists, Rodencal ranks first in the 60 hurdles, second in the 200 meters and fourth in the 60 meters (7.92).
· The performance in the mile for Sesna was particularly impressive when considering his training has been limited in recent weeks due to a nagging injury. The Kearney, Neb., native shook off the struggles to run a Concordia Invite first-place time of 4:17.76 (converted to 4:14.52 on the national list. Overall, it’s been a strong indoor season for Beisel’s middle distance and distance crews. Calvin Rohde is automatically qualified for nationals in the 1,000 meters and the mile, Rylee Haecker is qualified in the 1,000 meters and Kylahn Freiberg has run three separate ‘B’ standards, including a new one last week in the 1,000 meters.
· Additional event winners last week were Battershell (400 meters), Hannah Beintema (mile), Jenna Esch (600 meters), Freiberg (1,000 meters), Hannah Newton (high jump), Kellie Rhodes (long jump) and Aaron Spivey (triple jump). A 10-time NAIA All-American, Battershell was able to hit the ‘A’ standard in the 400 meters. She is also qualified for nationals in the 60 hurdles and as part of the 4x400 meter relay. Esch broke through with an ‘A’ standard in the 600 meters with teammate Jordan Koepke just behind her with a ‘B.’
· Buck stood out last week as the breakthrough performer from a throws perspective. He punched his ticket to Brookings, S.D., thanks to a personal best toss of 57’ 7 ¾” in the weight throw. The top five athletes in the event all hit the ‘A’ standard, including Concordia’s Chris Wren, who placed third (60’ 3”). The deep field of Bulldog men’s weight throwers also turned in three ‘B’ standards, courtesy of Darien Semedo, Brady Klute and Ben Moll. On the women’s side, Maddie Robinson achieved another ‘A’ standard (54’ 3 ¼”; sixth place) and teammate Abi Wohlgemuth hit the ‘B.’ The top Concordia competitors in the shot put were Semedo (49’ 2 ½”; fourth place) and Kamryn Pokorney (43’ ¼”; fifth place).
· Since it’s GPAC week, it’s worth having a look at the conference performance lists. Heading into the weekend, the following Bulldogs own marks that pace the conference: women’s 4x400 meter relay, women’s distance medley relay, Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Zach Bennetts (pole vault), Rylee Haecker (1,000 meters and mile), Hannah Newton (high jump), Josie Puelz (pole vault) and Adrianna Rodencal (60 hurdles). A host of other Concordia athletes are also rated in the top five of the GPAC. The women’s program will carry a streak of having won seven straight GPAC titles into this weekend’s meet. Meanwhile, the men’s program last won a GPAC title at the 2015 outdoor conference meet.
· The conference meet will run Friday and Saturday inside the Walz Fieldhouse on the Concordia campus. This will mark the first time the GPAC indoor meet has been held in Seward since 2019. Last year, the Bulldogs came away with GPAC indoor placements of first on the women’s side and fourth on the men’s side in action held at Doane. The action that takes place this Friday will be solely the heptathlon and pentathlon. The GPAC meet will pick up in intensity on Saturday. The full schedule can be found HERE.
Wrestling
· The most significant portion of the season is just ahead for the Bulldogs, who are finished with duals following a triangular with Colby Community College and York University that took place on Feb. 2. Concordia celebrated its senior class by trouncing the Trojans, 49-4, and the Panthers, 44-6. The team has been idle since the period of Feb. 2-4. The Bulldogs did not lose to any of their nonconference opponents and finished the dual slate at 13-2 overall (6-2 GPAC). Head Coach Chase Clasen also entered a handful of competitors into the Dave Edmonds Invitational in Sioux City, Iowa, on Feb. 4. Concordia placed third in the GPAC regular season standings. For more information on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
· Notching win No. 13 was particularly impressive considering it equaled the program record for dual victories in a single season. The 2022-23 Bulldogs have pulled even with the 2015-16 (13-4) and 2019-20 (13-2) teams for the school record. Two other Concordia squads cracked double digits: the 2016-17 (11-4) and 1970-71 (10-3) editions. Over the past 10 seasons, the Bulldogs have finished at .500 or better nine times. During that stretch, the Bulldogs won GPAC dual championships in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2019-20. By that measure, Concordia was the dominant team in the GPAC – and the goal is to get back to that standard.
· The Bulldogs triumphed in 17 of the 20 matches in the home duals versus Colby/York. Concordia put an exclamation mark on the night by collecting eight pins. At 125 pounds, Bryce Karlin helped set the tone for the evening by pinning his opponent from Colby in 2:05. The pins became contagious as the Trojans were victimized by additional falls from Jeaven Scdoris (149), Tavoris Smith (157), Stephen Duffy (184), Logan Davidson (197) and Cy Renney (285). Meanwhile, Creighton Baughman (141) and Issiah Burks (165) won by technical fall and Jose Sanchez (174) pulled out a 9-6 decision. The seniors honored prior to the duals were Sanchez, Smith and Brandon Gonzalez.
· The lone nationally ranked grapplers in the lineup are Baughman (16th at 141) and Davidson (25th at 184), but Concordia has shown it’s a particularly tough out 125 through heavyweight. Baughman polished off a cruise-control type of night with a first period fall of York’s Andy Garza. The Panthers did manage to hang in there early on with the help of a win by decision apiece from Harley Williamson (133) and John Fox (157). It was all Bulldogs from there with Renney adding an exclamation point by nailing his heavyweight counterpart to the mat in just 1:04. In a unique matchup, Tommy Wentz went up against his former school and was defeated, 6-1, by Fox.
· The season to date has included 15 duals and seven tournaments. At 13-2 in duals, the Bulldogs far surpassed their win total from 2021-22 when they went 6-6 (3-5 GPAC). The two losses this season have come at the hands of the two highest rated teams in the GPAC. To this point, 26 Bulldogs have wrestled in at least one match. The following Concordia competitors own at least five wins on the season: Creighton Baughman (21-7), Tommy Wentz (18-10), Stephen Duffy (13-8), Issiah Burks (13-11), Bryce Karlin (12-8), Jose Sanchez (12-14), Grant Wells (11-13), Garret Moser (11-11), Jeaven Scdoris (11-13), Logan Davidson (9-4), Cy Renney (8-16), Thomas Ivey (7-9), Kobe Lyons (6-2) and Torrance Keehn (6-8). Karlin paces the team with nine pins, followed by Baughman, Duffy and Renney with six apiece.
· The Bulldogs have been in the process of gearing up for the GPAC Championships slated for this Friday and Saturday on the Doane campus in Crete, Neb. Each conference school is allowed to enter 12 wrestlers into the GPAC tournament. Concordia is hoping to improve upon last season’s GPAC Championships placement of sixth. In addition, individual berths to the national tournament will be on the line. In program history, the Bulldogs have won four GPAC/NAIA Region postseason championships (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020). Most noteworthy among current Concordia wrestlers, Burks (fourth at 165) and Sanchez (fifth at 165) were both place finishers at the 2022 GPAC tournament.
Baseball
· The 2023 season got underway over the weekend in Oklahoma City, Okla., where the 21st-ranked Bulldogs took on two highly ranked opponents. Concordia went 0-3 while enduring losses by scores of 6-5 and 22-12 to No. 11 Oklahoma City University and by a score of 18-10 to No. 5 Bellevue University. It was the start of a schedule that may be the most challenging one ever faced by the Bulldog Baseball program. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s group is coming off a 2022 season that saw it win 40 games, capture the GPAC tournament title and come within one win of reaching the NAIA World Series. For more on the Concordia Baseball program, click HERE.
· The season opener was one the Bulldogs felt like they let get away. In a contest scheduled for seven innings, the Bulldogs took a 4-1 lead in the top of the eighth with the help of Joey Grabanski’s two-run homer. After the Stars knotted things up, 4-4, in the bottom half, Concordia regained the lead in the ninth on Jaidan Quinn’s solo blast only to watch Trent Kiraly deliver a walk-off RBI single to complete a comeback win for Oklahoma City. The next day’s matchup with Oklahoma City was a rout in favor of the Stars, who pounded away with 23 hits.
· Grabanski was the clear star of the weekend from the Bulldogs’ perspective. Concordia lost this past Sunday despite the native of Grand Forks, N.D., going 5-for-5 with three home runs and nine RBIs in what ended in a seven-inning affair. On the weekend, Grabanski went 7-for-13 with six runs scored, five home runs and 12 RBIs. The terrific start moved Grabanski to No. 2 on the program’s all-time home run list with 40. He’s now seven behind former teammate Keaton Candor on that list. In addition, Grabanski became the sixth player in program history to go deep three times in one game. Teammates Jay Adams and Jesse Garcia have also accomplished that feat.
· With the help of Grabanski’s five blasts, the Bulldogs totaled eight homers for the weekend. One apiece came from Garcia, Teyt Johnson and Jaidan Quinn. Concordia expects to leave the yard plenty of times in 2023 after the ’22 squad reset the school standard with 113 homers (third most in the NAIA). There were no new faces in the Bulldog lineup, which is stacked with all-conference players, including 2022 first teamers in Adams, Grabanski and Quinn. Another strong performer over the weekend, shortstop Ty Nekoliczak went 5-for-8 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch for a .727 on base percentage.
· There will be better days ahead for the pitching staff, which got tagged for 42 hits and 46 runs in 20.2 innings in Oklahoma City. The most effective hurler was Alex Johnson, who fired four shutout innings and recorded six strikeouts in the season opener. Once things settle in, Dupic expects to have a better staff than the one last year that finished with a team ERA of 4.47. Alex Johnson and Caden Johnson were both first team all-conference selections last season. There are also high hopes for Johnston, Iowa, native Frankie Cresta, who made his Concordia debut on Sunday.
The Bulldogs will have some time this week to fine-tune the pitching staff as they prepare for a weekend in Joplin, Mo. While there, Concordia will take on the likes of Columbia College (Mo.), No. 14 Central Methodist University (Mo.), William Penn University (Iowa) and University of Saint Mary (Kan.). Saturday’s games will be played at Joplin High School before action shifts to Redden Stadium on Sunday.