Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athlete of the Week
Male: Calvin Rohde, Track & Field
Rohde, who hails from Reed City, Mich., won the 1,000 meter race at the Concordia Invite in an automatic national qualifying time of 2:31.05 (converted to 2:29:00 on the national list). Rohde also owns an NAIA auto time in the mile this season.
Female: Kendal Brigham, Basketball
A native of Wahoo, Neb., Brigham helped fuel Concordia to road wins last week over Doane and College of Saint Mary. Over the two victories, Brigham totaled 37 points, seven assists and five steals and shot 8-for-11 from 3-point range. Her 19 points at Doane were a career high.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Feb. 8 – Taysha Rushton (basketball) / AJ Watson (basketball)
Feb. 1 – Calvin Rohde (track & field)
Jan. 25 – Calvin Rohde (track & field) / Gage Smith (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
Jan. 18 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
Jan. 11 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Mackenzie Toomey (basketball)
Dec. 14 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Sarah Lewis (track & field)
Dec. 7 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Nov. 30 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Taysha Rushton (basketball)
Nov. 16 – Korrell Koehlmoos (football) / Bree Burtwistle (volleyball)
Nov. 9 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Nov. 2 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
Oct. 26 – Peyton Mitchell (football) / Lexie Kreizel (volleyball)
Oct. 19 – Lane Napier (football) / Kalie Ward (soccer)
Oct. 12 – Caydren Cox (football) / Kalee Wiltfong (volleyball)
Oct. 5 – DJ McGarvie (football) / Sarah Schwacher (shooting sports)
Sept. 28 – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Sept. 21 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Lina Kirst (soccer) / Grace Reiman (cross country) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Sept. 14 – Caydren Cox (football) / Mikeila Martinez (soccer)
Sept. 7 – Drew D’Ercole (golf) / Ivan Yabut (golf) / Erica Heinzerling (volleyball)
Aug. 31 – Martin Herrera (soccer) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
BAAM Athletes of the Month
January – Carter Kent (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
December – Carter Kent (basketball) / Sarah Lewis (track & field)
November – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
October – Lane Napier (football) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
September – Caydren Cox (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
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.
Game/event days on campus: Concordia Athletics continues to welcome fans to its venues for sporting events. Currently, there are no attendance limits. Before visiting road venues involving Bulldog teams, fans should be sure to check the spectator policies on those particular campuses. Other locations may require the use of face coverings. Once again, fans attending varsity sporting events at Concordia are able to purchase advance tickets online via HomeTown Ticketing. Tickets will also be sold on site on the day of events. Should any policies or protocols for fans change, updated information will be available on the athletics fan information page HERE.
Cheer places third, Dance fifth at York College Invitational: A hectic competition season continued last week for Head Coach Mandi Maser’s competitive cheer and dance squads. In action in York, Neb., on Feb. 11, the Bulldogs placed third out of 10 teams in cheer and fifth out of nine teams in dance. The York College Invitational (held inside the Freeman Center) saw Concordia turn in scores of 75.9 in cheer and 70.47 in dance. Those scores either eclipsed or were near season bests for the Bulldogs, who have competed in six competitions in 2022. Based on their meet-by-meet scores, the Concordia cheer and dance teams have enjoyed their best seasons in program history. Maser and company are encouraging fans to attend this Saturday’s Concordia University Duals inside Friedrich Arena. The event is set to get started at 10 a.m. CT.
-Cheer Recap | Dance Recap
Home run records underlie team success for Concordia Baseball: The home run chase within the program has provided a backstory as Concordia Baseball has pushed to unprecedented heights in recent seasons. Entering the 2022 campaign, Keaton Candor and Jesse Garcia are tied for the program’s career home run record with 29 big flies apiece. In addition, Joey Grabanski owns the single-season home run record after he mashed 17 blasts as a freshman in 2021. All three are back to lead what figures to be another powerful offensive lineup this spring. For more on the competitive dynamic between the trio of sluggers, check out a feature piece HERE.
Q&A with Powerlifting Head Coach Freddie Myles: Since his hiring in December, Freddie Myles continues to put his stamp on the newly formed Concordia men’s and women’s powerlifting programs. In a Q&A session, Myles discussed recruiting progress, his own career in powerlifting and what excites him about starting a program from scratch. Check out the Q&A HERE.
Baseball/softball/tennis seasons set to open this week: The Concordia baseball, softball and tennis squads are each gearing up to begin their seasons this week. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s baseball squad had been scheduled to open the season this past weekend with a four-game series at Baker University. However, cold temperatures wiped out the weekend slate. If all goes as planned, Bulldog Baseball will play six games this week, beginning with a doubleheader today (Feb. 15) at Baker in Baldwin City, Kan. Meanwhile, Head Coach Tatum Edwards’ softball team is slated to play at University of Saint Mary (Kan.) on Saturday and at Benedictine College (Kan.) on Sunday. Finally, Head Coach Cam Long’s men’s and women’s tennis squads are gearing up to host Colorado College inside the Fieldhouse at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday. The tennis teams got their 2021-22 campaigns started back in the fall with two tournaments and two duals. For greater detail, check out the season previews linked below.
-2022 Baseball season preview
-2022 Softball season preview
-2022 Tennis season previews: Men | Women
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its seventh 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 2021-22 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 seventh 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. For more details on this change, click HERE. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Track & Field
· Six weekends of indoor regular season meets are in the books as GPAC Championship week has arrived. While hosting their fourth home meet of the 2022 indoor season, the Bulldogs welcomed athletes from 13 different institutions for the Concordia Indoor Invite on Feb. 12. Concordia athletes combined for nine event championships and four fresh automatic national qualifying standards. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads entered last week with national rankings of second on the women’s side and 20th on the men’s side. For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.
· Below is a list of the Bulldogs who achieved marks at the six weekends of meets that were reported to the national leaderboard. It should be noted that several times were converted for the national performance list. The overall program tally on the season includes 20 automatic national qualifying standards, 20 ‘B’ standards and a pentathlon point total that ranks top six in the NAIA.
o Men’s 4x400m relay – B (3:19.18)
o Men’s distance medley relay – A (9:29.48)
o Women’s 4x400m relay – A (3:52.96)
o Women’s 4x800m relay – A (9:29.48)
o Women’s distance medley relay – B (12:28.44)
o Andy Amos – A, weight throw (57’ 10 ½”)
o Jordyn Anderson – B, shot put (43’ 7 ¾”); B, weight throw (51’ 10”)
o Rachel Battershell – B, 400 meters (57.93)
o Keri Bauer – B, 600 meters (1:36.51)
o Zach Bennetts – B, pole vault (15’ 3”)
o Chase Berry – B, pole vault (15’ 3”)
o Dagne’ Buck – B, weight throw (53’ 8 ¼”)
o Olivia Buschow – B, weight throw (52’ 10 ¾”)
o Amira Cummings – A, pole vault (11’ 6 ½”)
o Morgan De Jong – A, weight throw (55’ 10 ½”)
o Abigail Gerber – A, weight throw (55’ 9 ¾”); B, shot put (43’ 3 ¼”)
o Rylee Haecker – A, 1,000 meters (2:56:45); A, 800 meters (2:16.34)
o Kylahn Heritage – B, mile (5:10.75)
o Brady Klute – B, weight throw (55’ 4 ¾”)
o Jordan Koepke – A, 600 meters (1:34.86)
o Sarah Lewis – A, 400 meters (57.34); A, 60 hurdles (8.87)
o Wyatt Loga – A, high jump (6’ 8 ¼”)
o Erin Mapson – A, pole vault (12’ 9 ½”)
o Ben Moll – B, weight throw (53’ 3 ¾”)
o Hannah Newton – B, high jump (5’ 5”)
o Jacee Pfeifer – B, 600 meters (1:36.94)
o Josie Puelz – A, pole vault (13’ 2 ¼”)
o Sarah Ragland – A, weight throw (57’)
o Amy Richert – No. 6 in NAIA in pentathlon (3,407); A, long jump (18’ 5 ¾”); B, high jump (5’ 5”)
o Calvin Rohde – A, mile (4:15.18); A, 1,000 meters (2:29.00); B, 3,000 meters (8:38.77)
o Trinity Tuls – B, 400 meters (58.62)
o Abi Wohlgemuth – B, weight throw (52’ 10 ¼”)
o Chris Wren – A, weight throw (64’ 1 ¾”)
· The fresh ‘A’ standards were turned in last week by Rylee Haecker (800 meters), Jordan Koepke (600 meters), Amy Richert (long jump) and Calvin Rohde (1,000 meters). Meanwhile, new ‘B’ marks were produced by Keri Bauer (600 meters), Zach Bennetts (pole vault), Ben Moll (weight throw), Jacee Pfeifer (600 meters) and Trinity Tuls (400 meters). Haecker and Rohde have been especially impressive on the track with both having clocked ‘A’ standards in two separate individual events and as part of relays. A native of Davenport, Neb., Haecker ranks No. 2 nationally in the 1,000 meters.
· Tutored by Ed McLaughlin, Concordia’s weight throwers are the finest in the NAIA. While some star throwers were held back last week, Abigail Gerber popped off a personal best weight throw of 55’ 9 ¾” and won the competition at the Concordia Invite. The Bulldogs now boast seven of the NAIA’s top seven in the weight throw with Sarah Ragland (57’), Morgan De Jong (55’ 10 ½”) and Gerber sitting third, sixth and seventh, respectively. Factoring in both men and women, Concordia has notched a total of five ‘A’ standards and six ‘B’ standards in the weight throw alone. Chris Wren and Andy Amos own auto marks on the men’s side.
· Erin Mapson was named the GPAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week on Feb. 9 after she had won her third straight pole vault competition in a row. Last week, Mapson went head-to-head with teammate Josie Puelz in a battle for first place. Puelz wound up in first as she and Mapson both cleared 12’ 8 ¼” at the Concordia Invite. On the men’s side, Bennetts became the second Bulldog to clear the ‘B’ standard. That might be good enough for Bennetts and Chase Berry to qualify for nationals. They are currently tied for 11th on the national list. On the women’s side, Puelz and Mapson rank second and third, respectively, in the NAIA.
· The nine Bulldog event champions at the Concordia Invite were Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Bennetts (pole vault), Gerber (weight throw), Haecker (800 meters), Kylahn Heritage (mile), Koepke (600 meters), Puelz (pole vault), Rohde (1,000 meters) and Xavier Ross (400 meters). A two-time national champion, Battershell has spent a portion of the winter fighting her way back from injury. Her converted 400 meter time of 57.93 from the Concordia Invite was just off the ‘A’ standard of 57.63. Also noteworthy, Heritage clocked a season best that improved her ‘B’ standard in the mile.
· It’s GPAC week, which means the women’s program will be aiming for a sixth-straight GPAC title. The current streak of conference championships for the Bulldog women began with the 2019 indoor season and has continued ever since. At the 2021 GPAC indoor meet hosted by Dordt, Concordia emerged with four individual conference titlists: Battershell (400 meters), De Jong (weight throw), Heritage (1,000 meters) and Cody Williams (heptathlon). The Bulldogs also achieved a combined eight conference runner up placements. Counting relays, Battershell has been part of eight GPAC event titles in her impressive career. She’s won the conference 400 meter title three times. The most recent team conference title for the men’s program came at the 2015 GPAC outdoor meet.
· Doane will serve as the host for this weekend’s GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Day one on Friday will feature multi-events before the bulk of the meet unfolds on Saturday. The complete meet schedule can be found HERE. The reigning GPAC indoor champion on the men’s side is Dordt. The conference meet also serves as one last chance to put national qualifying marks on the board. The 2022 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships will take place in Brookings, S.D., March 3-5.
Women’s Basketball
· The Bulldogs accomplished what they set out to do last week – earn much-needed wins at Doane and College of Saint Mary. Concordia rallied from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter for a 74-63 win at Doane on Feb. 9. Three days later, the Bulldogs drained 14 treys while running away from College of Saint Mary, 98-73. Those results keep Concordia in good shape for a potential at-large national tournament berth. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad moved to 15-11 overall and to 12-8 in league play. The Bulldogs are currently in sixth place in the conference with a chance yet to move into the top four. For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The teams situated above the Bulldogs in the GPAC standings include Morningside (18-2), Dordt (15-5), Dakota Wesleyan (14-6), Northwestern (14-6) and Briar Cliff (13-7). A pair of wins this week just might give Concordia a chance at top four conference tournament seed and an opportunity to host in the GPAC quarterfinals on Feb. 23. GPAC tournament home games have basically been like money in the bank for the Bulldogs. Under Olson, Concordia has won 17 GPAC tournament home games in a row. Heading into this season, the Bulldogs have hosted GPAC tournament quarterfinal and semifinal games in each of the past five years.
· For three quarters, last week’s game at Doane was a struggle. Concordia trailed by 13 (40-27) at one point in the third quarter and entered the fourth down 53-46. A full-blown full-court press helped turn the tide and bring energy back to the Bulldogs, who outscored the Tigers, 28-10, over the final 10 minutes. Kendal Brigham shined in pouring in 17 of her career high 19 points in the second half. She also added three of the team’s 15 steals. Brigham and company used the nasty press to force 28 turnovers, making it look like vintage Concordia Women’s Basketball. Taysha Rushton also scored 18 points, Sadie Powell totaled 14 points and four steals and Rylee Pauli grabbed 10 rebounds and two steals.
· The victory at CSM was much less dramatic. A 12-2 run late in the second quarter helped stake the Bulldogs to a 51-37 halftime advantage in Omaha. Rushton and company turned on the jets from there and led by as many as 31 points. The winning formula included 14-of-26 (.538) shooting from beyond the arc and 23 more turnovers forced. Rushton drilled six treys and finished with a game high 22 points. Meanwhile, Brigham completed her tremendous week with 18 points, five assists and two steals. Other double figure scorers were Pauli (13) and Taylor Farrell (12) while Powell posted nine points and seven rebounds. Twelve Bulldogs registered in the scoring column as the program’s series win streak over the Flames moved to 20.
· This was Brigham’s best week in a Concordia uniform. Over the two wins, she totaled 37 points while shooting 13-for-19 from the floor and 8-for-11 from 3-point range. The Wahoo High School product also collected a combined seven assists and five steals. Incredibly, she did all of that damage in a combined 41 minutes of playing time. Her respective point totals of 19 and 18 were the two highest single-game outputs of her collegiate career. The outburst pushed Brigham’s season scoring average to 6.2. She’s also shooting a fine 39.2 percent from beyond the arc.
· Rushton has been on a tear of her own. Over the past six games, she’s scored at least 18 points in each outing and has averaged 23.2 points per contest. Her season point total now stands at 449, which surpasses the 445 she had as a freshman in 2020-21. If the Bulldogs can make a run in the postseason, Rushton just might hit the 1,000-point mark in her second collegiate season. She’s run her career point total to 894. Among GPAC players, Rushton ranks second in 3-point field goals (62) and third in scoring (18.0). The hot streak she’s put together has pushed her season shooting percentages to 39.3 from the floor and 33.0 from beyond the arc. Her 135 career 3-point field goals put her at No. 12 on the program’s all-time list.
· The overall record is a somewhat modest 15-11, but Concordia’s season profile remains in good shape considering it has played the most challenging schedule of any team in the NAIA. Out of conference, the Bulldogs defeated then 13th-ranked Dakota State University (S.D.) as part of the Cattle Classic and went on the road and took out then No. 3 Wayland Baptist University (Texas) on Nov. 27. Inside league play, Concordia has earned quality wins over the likes of Dakota Wesleyan and Northwestern. The RPI released two weeks ago showed the Bulldogs at No. 31 in the NAIA.
· Concordia knows it will be in the GPAC tournament. This final week of the regular season will be about positioning for seeding and hopefully building up the national tournament resume. The Bulldogs will host Briar Cliff (17-10, 13-7 GPAC) at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday before finishing the regular season at Dakota Wesleyan (22-6, 14-6 GPAC) with a 4 p.m. tipoff on Saturday. At halftime of the men’s game on Wednesday, the program will honor its senior class.
Men’s Basketball
· In the only outing of last week, the Bulldogs slipped up, 54-50, in a slugfest at Doane on Feb. 9. The contest was reminiscent of the New Year’s Day clash that resulted in a 60-50 Concordia win at home. The Bulldogs had hoped to extend what was a three-game series win streak over their in-state rival. The loss was a tough blow as it relates to the conference championship race. With two games left, Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad sits at 13-5 in the GPAC (20-6 overall), two games behind first-place Briar Cliff (15-3 GPAC). For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The only path to a share of the conference regular season title now involves the Bulldogs winning twice and Briar Cliff losing twice this week. Though the Chargers slipped up in a nonconference game at Peru State College at the beginning of last week, they took care of business this past weekend by defeating both Hastings and Jamestown at home. Briar Cliff can do no worse than share the GPAC regular season title with Concordia. The Chargers had won the conference regular season championship as recently as the 2016-17 season. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs continue to seek the program’s first regular season crown since the 1995-96 campaign. Should Concordia fall short this regular season, it can aim for winning the GPAC postseason title as it did in 2003, 2005 and 2020.
· The loss in Crete was a frustrating one in that Doane dictated a slower tempo – and the Bulldogs shot only 32.8 percent (19-for-58) from the floor. Those struggles immediately followed a 2-0 week that saw Concordia total exactly 92 points in wins over Midland and Dordt. Gage Smith (17 points and eight rebounds) and Noah Schutte (10 points and 11 rebounds) provided enough production to give the Bulldogs a shot. Sam Scarpelli also knocked down three treys off the bench. Unfortunately, the starting backcourt went a combined 4-for-21 from the floor. Leading scorer Carter Kent was held to three points on 1-for-9 shooting. The Tigers were led by the 19 points apiece from Josiah Gardiner and Alec Oberhauser.
· Close losses on the road are what has put the Bulldogs behind Briar Cliff in the standings. Concordia lost by fair margins at Briar Cliff (65-48 on Nov. 13) and at Northwestern (92-77 on Jan. 22), but the other GPAC road defeats were there for the taking. The Bulldogs lost by two at Morningside (79-77), by three in overtime at Mount Marty (70-67) and by four at Doane (54-50). The home-road splits have been quite drastic. Concordia is 9-0 in GPAC home games but 4-5 in conference road contests. Heading into the week, the Bulldogs have won 16 straight home outings.
· After last week’s game, Concordia dropped to third in the GPAC in scoring average within conference games at 78.7 points per game. Throughout the season, the Bulldogs have analytically been the top team in the GPAC. The official NAIA stats site now includes a metric called “net efficiency,” a measure of combined offensive and defensive prowess. Within GPAC games, Concordia has the highest net efficiency in the league at 0.110. Briar Cliff is close behind at 0.102. The Bulldogs were also the No. 1 team in the GPAC in the most recent RPI released by the NAIA.
· Prior to tipoff on Wednesday inside Friedrich Arena, Coach Limback and the program will recognize the group of four-year players within the program. Super seniors Ryan Holt and Sam Scarpelli will not take part in the festivities after being honored on senior day last year. The fourth-year senior class includes Nick Cito, Carter Kent, Gage Smith, Klay Uher, Justin Wiersema and Tanner Wubbels. Over the past four years, those Bulldogs have helped the program to a combined record of 76-41 with a 2020 GPAC tournament title and national tournament appearance. They aided in piling up 24 wins during the 2019-20 campaign (a highwater mark for wins during Limback’s tenure). Both Kent and Wiersema are members of the program’s 1,000-point club.
· Kent has inched closer to overtaking former teammate Tanner Shuck (1,579 career points) for eighth place on the program’s all-time scoring list. Kent enters the week with 1,577 career points. A big week could also allow him to leapfrog Matt List (1,608) for seventh all-time. Kent put together an impressive month of January that saw him average 19.4 points over seven games. He notched a career high 35 points at Mount Marty on Jan. 5 and then poured in 26 in the win at Jamestown and 25 in the home victory over Morningside. Over his career, Kent has also totaled 400 rebounds, 294 assists, 233 3-point field goals and 109 steals.
· As part of the final week of the regular season, the Bulldogs will host Briar Cliff (19-8, 15-3 GPAC) at 7:45 p.m. CT on Wednesday before heading to the Corn Palace to take on Dakota Wesleyan (12-13, 9-9 GPAC) at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday. Concordia will be looking to complete an undefeated run at home during the regular season, earn a season split with the Chargers and record a season sweep of the Tigers.
Wrestling
· The regular season is in the books for the Bulldogs, who made their final home appearance of the 2021-22 campaign two weeks ago and sent a small group to the Dave Edmonds Sioux City Invitational on Feb. 5 (they were idle last week). In dual action, Concordia defeated York College, 31-9, as part of senior night on Feb. 3. At the Edmonds Open, six Bulldogs combined for seven wins (four via pin) and one place finish. Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad has competed in seven tournaments this season and went 6-6 in duals (3-5 GPAC). For more information on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
· Over the 2021-22 season, the Bulldogs hosted six duals and went 4-2 while claiming wins over Midland, 32-18, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 31-13, Central Baptist College (Ark.), 58-0, and York. The losses were suffered at the hands of Hastings, 29-17, and then No. 15 Marian University (Ind.), 32-11. In a twist to the conference scheduling this season, Concordia wrestled five of its eight GPAC duals in Sioux City, Iowa, with them split between Dec. 1 and Jan. 29. At 3-5 in GPAC duals, the Bulldogs tied for sixth place in the conference.
· What looked to be a competitive dual on paper turned into a dominant win for Concordia in the tussle with York. The Bulldogs got a measure of revenge after being defeated twice by the Panthers last season. In the latest matchup, Concordia won seven matches courtesy of Isaac Agabin (pin; 125), Mario Ybarra (decision; 133), Conner Burrus (technical fall; 141), Issiah Burks (technical fall; 165), TJ Huber (decision; 174), Hunter Weimer (pin; 184) and Jacob Telles (decision; 285). York held back its nationally ranked competitor at 125 and made a series of lineup alterations prior to the dual. The Panthers got three wins by decision, coming at 149, 157 and 197. At 149, Jeaven Scdoris made NAIA sixth-ranked John Fox earn it in a 3-0 decision.
· Barring a decision to return for another season, seniors Issiah Burks and Mario Ybarra have made the final home appearances of their college careers. Both Burks and Ybarra were honored prior to the dual versus York. A native of Scottsbluff, Neb., Ybarra will go down as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in program history. With the victory against York, Ybarra pushed his career win total to 73, a figure that ties him for the fourth most in school history. Not only that, Ybarra is a two-time national qualifier, a 2020 GPAC champion and a 2021 NAIA All-American. He's also been honored as a CoSIDA Academic All-District recipient and an NWCA Scholar All-American for his work in the classroom. Meanwhile, Burks has collected 53 career wins and is a two-time GPAC place finisher.
· On the season, the following Concordia wrestlers have claimed at least 10 wins: Jacob Telles (17-6), Thomas Ivey (14-4), Tavoris Smith (14-16), Mason Garcia (13-5), TJ Huber (13-9), Mario Ybarra (11-2), Isaac Agabin (11-12), Conner Burrus (10-7) and Issiah Burks (10-9). Collectively, Bulldog grapplers have combined for 22 tournament place finishes. Both Burrus (141) and Garcia (197) claimed titles at the York Open. Meanwhile, Ivey (125) and Anthony Perez (165) both placed second at the York Open and Ybarra took second at the open hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
· It’s looking like Telles will wind up leading the team in wins for the second season in a row. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., owns a record of 17-6 with nine pins this season. As a freshman in 2020-21, Telles recorded 33 victories and won the GPAC heavyweight title. Thanks to Burks, Telles and Ybarra, there are three current Bulldogs with at least 50 career wins. Telles became the 17th wrestler in program history to hit the 50-win mark. In addition, Telles is quickly moving up the all-time pins list. His 22 career pins rank behind only Deandre Chery (50), Ken Burkhardt Jr. (43), Alex Stepanek (31) and Kodie Cole (27) on the program’s all-time list.
· The focus last week was simply on preparations for the conference tournament. Concordia hopes to finish above last season’s sixth-place claim at the GPAC Championships. A year ago, Bulldogs who turned in conference place finishes included Brandon Gonzalez (fifth at 149), Burks (sixth at 157), Gabe Crawford (second at 165), Mason Garcia (fifth at 197) and Telles (first at 285). Ybarra missed the tournament due to injury but received an at-large invitation to nationals. Crawford and Telles qualified for nationals with automatic berths based on their GPAC finishes. Concordia has won the GPAC tournament as recently as 2020.
· The season will continue for the 12 wrestlers that Bradbury and his staff choose to enter into the GPAC Championships. Action at the conference tournament in Mitchell, S.D., will begin at 2 p.m. CT on Friday and then resume at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Dakota Wesleyan will serve as this year’s host. National qualifiers will advance to wrestle at the 2022 NAIA Wrestling National Championships in Park City, Kan., March 4-5.