Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week: Due to the absence of the weekly BAAM meetings, Athletes of the Week will not be announced. BAAM meetings have now been canceled for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year.
News and notes:
Cheer & Dance teams continue competition last week by hosting Hastings/Peru State: Concordia Cheer & Dance is now in the stretch run of the competition season after the program hosted events in the middle of last week. The dance team defeated Hastings, 72.35 to 68.70, in a conference dual. Meanwhile, the cheer squad placed second in a triangular that was scored like this: 1) Hastings – 67.55; 2) Concordia – 66.50; 3) Peru State – 50.15. This marked the fifth competition for both Bulldog teams, which had been coming off second-place finishes at the Concordia Invite on Feb. 13. Head Coach Mandi Maser’s teams are looking forward to hosting Doane in conjunction with basketball on Saturday. For more information on the cheer and dance programs, click the following links: Cheer | Dance.
Spring seasons scheduled to start this weekend: After having scheduled games postponed or canceled this past weekend, the baseball and softball programs will try again this weekend. Head coaches Ryan Dupic and Shawn Semler are still hoping to get their 2021 seasons underway. In GPAC preseason polls, Concordia Baseball landed at No. 1 while Bulldog Softball came in at No. 2. The baseball team is slated to play Saturday and Sunday in Kansas City while softball is scheduled to be at University of Saint Mary (Kan.) on Saturday and at Benedictine College (Kan.) on Sunday. In addition, both tennis teams will play for the first time in the spring season when they take on Sterling College (Kan.) in Hutchison, Kan., on Saturday. Matches will be played inside.
-Baseball Season Preview
-Softball Season Preview
-Tennis Season Previews: Men | Women
2021 Concordia Football Schedule released: The 2021 Concordia Football schedule has been unveiled. The slate opens with a road game at Morningside on Aug. 28 and includes six home games. The conference schedule will be 10 games in length with the addition of Mount Marty. To view the entire schedule, click HERE.
Hohenthaner thriving in role with cheer team: Kaci Hohenthaner had spent her collegiate athletic career focusing on volleyball – until she decided to give cheer a try just over a year ago. After two years on the Concordia Volleyball team, Hohenthaner made the switch to cheer and has been a fixture on the competition floor for Mandi Maser’s program. Hohenthaner helped the volleyball team to a national tournament appearance and now has aided in the rise of Bulldog Cheer. For more on Hohenthaner’s journey, click HERE.
Current fan attendance policy: In accordance with Directed Health Measures released by the state of Nebraska, Concordia continues to allow 50 percent capacity in indoor facilities. Please note that spectators will not be permitted to attend indoor track and field meets (per GPAC policy). For additional details on how to purchase tickets to Bulldog Athletic events, see the paragraph below regarding HomeTown ticketing.
HomeTown Ticketing and Fan protocols for home events: Fans who plan to attend Concordia Athletics home events are advised to read through our protocols HERE. All fans are expected to self-screen and are required to wear masks while viewing contests in either Bulldog Stadium or Walz Arena. Non-family members are welcome to be present on our campus during these contests. Fans are also encouraged to order advance tickets through HomeTown Ticketing. By purchasing tickets online, fans are guaranteed entrance on game days. Concordia is allowing 75 percent capacity in outdoor venues and 50 percent capacity in indoor venues.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its fifth 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 2020-21 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Evan Jones 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 sixth 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
· The pre-championships portion of the 2020-21 indoor schedule is now in the books after the Bulldogs hosted a meet for the fourth time this season. While hosting GPAC rivals Doane, Hastings and Midland at the Concordia Indoor Invite, the Bulldogs produced 11 event championships and junior star Rachel Battershell rose to the top of the nation’s 400 meter list. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads have competed at six total meets this indoor season (all at home or at Doane). For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.
· At the Early Bird meet (Dec. 4-5), Concordia athletes combined for what were classified at the time as nine automatic national marks, nine ‘B’ standard national marks and five marks that met the minimum national standard in the heptathlon/pentathlon. Since that meet, the NAIA announced that the national championships would simply include the top 16 in each event. Bulldogs who are currently in the top 10 nationally (as of Sunday) of their respective events are listed below. There are 30 total marks listed.
o Women’s 4x400 meter relay, 4th (3:54.37)
o Men’s 4x400 meter relay, 5th (3:19.01)
o Women’s 4x800 meter relay, 4th (9:37.74)
o Women’s distance medley relay, 4th (12:24.63)
o Rachel Battershell – 400 meters, 1st (56.44); 600 meters, 5th (1:35.93); 60 hurdles, 9th (8.95)
o Zach Bennetts – pole vault, 6th (15’ 8 ¼”)
o Jamey Broman – long jump, 9th (18’ 5”)
o Morgan De Jong – weight throw, 4th (56’ 10’ ¾”)
o Rylee Haecker – 1,000 meters, 9th (2:59.65)
o Kylahn Heritage – 1,000 meters, 5th (2:58.02); mile, 7th (5:07.57)
o Sarah Lewis – 60 hurdles, 7th (8.88); 400 meters, 9th (57.99)
o Wyatt Loga – high jump, 5th (6’ 9”)
o Emily Loy – pentathlon, 10th (3,188)
o Elle Luehr – shot put, 7th (43’ 9 ¾”)
o Colton Meyer – 400 meters, 10th (48.91); 60 hurdles, 10th (8.17)
o Jacee Pfeifer – 600 meters, 9th (1:36.75)
o Josie Puelz – pole vault, 2nd (13’ 4 ½”)
o Sarah Ragland – weight throw, 5th (55’ ¼”)
o Amy Richert – high jump, 7th (5’ 5 ¼”)
o Xavier Ross – 400 meters, 5th (48.09)
o Katie Severt – long jump, 8th (18’ 7 ¼”)
o Cody Williams – heptathlon, 3rd (5,030); high jump, 5th (6’ 9”)
o Chris Wren – weight throw, 10th (58’ 8 ¾”)
o Zach Zohner – pole vault, 10th (15’ 5”)
· As of the beginning of this week, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has now released three sets of NAIA national computer rankings. Concordia has held its ground throughout the three ratings, landing at No. 2 on the women’s side and No. 4 on the men’s side in each edition. In the most recent event squad rankings, the Bulldogs continued to rank at No. 1 nationally in the men’s pole vault, women’s pole vault, women’s shot put and women’s weight throw. The GPAC is well represented in the NAIA top 25, which includes seven women’s teams and five men’s teams.
· Battershell is now prepping to defend her 2020 GPAC indoor titles in the 60 hurdles and 400 meters. The junior from Wheatland, Wyo., ran a season best 400 meter time of 57.19 at last week’s Concordia Invite. When converted to the national list (56.44), Battershell leapfrogged Dordt’s Emma Bakker (56.67) for the top spot in the NAIA. Battershell also ranks in the top 10 of the NAIA in the 600 meters (fifth) and the 60 hurdles (8.95). Battershell remains the school record holder in the 60 hurdles and 400 meters.
· In addition to Battershell’s win in the 400 meters, ten other Bulldogs claimed a first-place finish at the Concordia Invite: Zach Bennetts (pole vault), Rylee Haecker (mile), Kylahn Heritage (1,000 meters), Cade Kleckner (200 meters), Sarah Lewis (60 hurdles), Amie Martin (3,000 meters), Kennedy Mogul (600 meters), Cora Olson (triple jump), Josie Puelz (pole vault) and Camden Sesna (800 meters). Heritage has won six races this indoor season and is a two-time GPAC Athlete of the Week.
· The pole vault has been a strength for both men and women. The obvious headliner has been Puelz, who has won pole vault competitions in all six indoor meets this season. She has also cleared 13 feet in three-straight meets (something no other female vaulter in school history has ever done). Puelz moved back one spot to second on the national list after Aquinas (Mich.)’s Victoria Faber cleared 13’ 5 ¼” last week. On the men’s side, Zach Bennetts and Zach Zohner both rank amongst the nation’s top 10. Zohner enjoyed a breakthrough last week with a PR of 15’ 5.”
· In other noteworthy efforts at the Concordia Invite, Jacob Jennings ran 50.76 in the 400 meters, Keri Bauer ran 2:23.66 in the 800 meters, Calvin Rohde ran 2:33.67 in the 1,000 meters, Grace Reiman ran 3:08.36 in the 1,000 meters, Grace Reimer leapt 5’ 2 ¼” in the high jump and Jordyn Anderson threw 41’ 5 ¾” in the shot put. Each of those performances represented new personal bests. Solid times were also clocked in the 400 by Christian Van Cleave (51.56) and Henry Reimer (51.87).
· A number of solid performances came out of the throws. Entering the weekend, Concordia boasted the NAIA’s top-rated groups in the women’s weight throw and shot put. Bulldog leaders at the Concordia Invite included Elle Luehr (second in the shot put; 43’ 9 ¼”), Morgan De Jong (fourth in the weight throw; 54’ 4 ½”), Andy Amos (fifth in the shot put; PR of 48’ 11 ½”) and Chris Wren (seventh in the weight throw; 56’ ½”). De Jong and Sarah Ragland rank fourth and fifth, respectively, on the NAIA national weight throw list.
· The 2021 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships will take place Friday and Saturday inside Dordt’s Recreation Center in Sioux Center, Iowa. The meet has not be altered drastically by COVID-19, but spectators will not be allowed (in accordance with GPAC policy). Coaches must submit entries by Wednesday night. The meet schedule can be viewed HERE. On the women’s side, Concordia is seeking its fourth GPAC title in a row having swept conference championships in 2019 before winning the 2020 indoor crown. The Bulldog men last won a GPAC title at the 2015 conference outdoor meet.
Women’s Basketball
· As scheduled, the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs played only once last week. They ended the first half of a 26-4 run and cruised to a 79-64 home victory over Hastings on Feb. 10. Prior to tipoff, Concordia recognized four seniors: Taylor Cockerill, Rebecca Higgins, Emily Jones and Faith Troshynski. The result put the Bulldogs one win away from clinching the No. 2 seed in the GPAC tournament. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad stands at 17-7 overall (16-5 GPAC) with one game remaining in the regular season. For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs dropped from the NAIA coaches’ poll in December after a challenging start to the season. However, Concordia has now appeared in each of the past two top 25 rankings (Jan. 27 and Feb. 10) while continuing to grow. In last week’s poll, the Bulldogs moved up three spots to No. 22. In addition, Concordia is ranked fourth in the North/Central ARC region behind Morningside, University of St. Francis (Ill.) and Dakota State University (S.D.). It should be noted that the coaches’ poll does not decide national tournament at-large bids as it did in the past.
· Last week the Bulldogs took advantage of a struggling Hastings team (6-16, 5-15 GPAC) that is now 2-12 in its last 14 GPAC games. The second quarter (26-6 Concordia scoring advantage) put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs continued their hot 3-point shooting while making 12-of-35 attempts from long range. Three Concordia players hit double figures: Taysha Rushton (17), Taylor Cockerill (15) and Kayla Luebbe (14). Cockerill also swiped four of the team’s 10 steals. The Broncos (1-12 in the last 13 matchups with the Bulldogs) were held to just 27.5 percent shooting.
· Cockerill has the most accolades to her credit among members of the senior class. As the leading scorer on the 2018-19 national championship team, Cockerill was named first team All-GPAC and honorable mention All-America. A couple of her signature individual moments included the 40-point game in the 2018-19 season opener and a 19-point fourth quarter outburst in the second round of the 2019 national tournament. So far this season, Cockerill is averaging 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the floor. She has totaled 1,269 career points, a number that ranks 19th on the program’s all-time list. Due to the injury that sidelined Cockerill last season, this marks her third season playing collegiate basketball. She is a senior academically.
· After the 66-64 loss to then 11th-ranked Morningside on Jan. 16, the Bulldogs stood at a modest 4-4 in home games this season. That record has moved to 8-4 after Concordia has proceeded to collect home victories over Briar Cliff, College of Saint Mary, Dakota Wesleyan and Hastings. If the Bulldogs can end the regular season with a win on Saturday, they will own nearly identical home and away records (9-3 on the road). Concordia went an impressive 8-3 in GPAC regular-season road contests.
· For some programs, it may be unusual to have a freshman producing at the level Rushton has in 2020-21. She’s currently averaging 13.8 points and shooting 34.4 percent from 3-point range. Rushton’s scoring average is similar to what recent stars like Philly Lammers (13.2 in 2016-17) and Quinn Wragge (14.8 in 2015-16) put up in their rookie seasons. Lammers garnered the GPAC Freshman of the Year award while Wragge lost out to Kassidy De Jong for that particular honor. Rushton should also be one of the top candidates for the honor in 2020-21. Rushton has committed only two turnovers over the past four games (96 minutes played).
· Mackenzie Koepke contributes significantly even when she’s not reaching double figures in scoring. The Lincoln Lutheran High School alum is averaging career highs in rebounds (5.2) and blocked shots (1.1) per game. She often fills the stat sheet as she did in last week’s win with six points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Koepke’s scoring averages have been fairly consistent over her three seasons – 6.8, 8.2 and 7.5. She’s knocked down 170 career 3-point field goals (seventh in program history).
· The regular season will conclude on Saturday when Doane (5-19, 3-18 GPAC) will be in town for a 2 p.m. CT tipoff. In this season’s first meeting, the Bulldogs scorched the Tigers with a season high 17 3-point field goals in a 111-52 win in Crete. Concordia has won nine-straight series matchups over Doane. This will be the final game of the season for the Tigers.
Wrestling
· The Bulldogs were idle last week while making preparations for the upcoming GPAC Championships. The previous week provided a final opportunity for Concordia to get some matches under its belt prior to the conference tournament. In the last dual of the 2020-21 season, Concordia fell at home to York College, 28-14, on Feb. 4 (as part of senior night). Two days later, a group of 10 Bulldogs competed at the Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open and totaled 19 wins and three place finishes. To this point in the season, Head Coach Levi Calhoun’s squad has competed in 16 duals (5-11 overall) and five tournaments. For more information on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
· While the Bulldogs have taken some lumps at times this season, they have gotten a glimpse at a potentially bright future. In the dual with York, three of Concordia’s four wins came from freshmen: Jeaven Scdoris (141), TJ Huber (174) and Jacob Telles (285). Scdoris came through with one of the night’s surprises when he upset the Panthers’ Pierce Mederios, the NAIA’s 11th-ranked wrestler at 133. Meanwhile, Huber earned a close 7-5 win by decision over Dereck Samudio and Telles ended the evening with a pin of Ja’Kavion Williams.
· Telles deserves special mention for the incredible rookie season he has enjoyed. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., went 4-2 at the Edmonds Open to run his season win total to 30 (to go against 12 defeats). Ranked 15th nationally in the most recent NAIA heavyweight rankings, Telles leads the team in both wins and pins (13). The fourth-place claim Telles earned at the Edmonds Open marked his fourth tournament place finish of the 2020-21 season.
· Calhoun has referred to Huber as the hardest worker on the team. The Gretna, Neb., native defeated GPAC opponents in Midland’s Jeshua Castillo (pin) and Northwestern’s Tyler Zeimen (major decision) on his way to the 174-pound Edmonds Open championship match. Huber was then upended by Massoma Endene of Iowa Lakes Community College. Like Telles, Huber has been a constant in virtually every tournament and dual and has collected 16 wins this season. Huber also took fourth place at the York Open and third place at the Dakota Wesleyan Open.
· Eight Concordia wrestlers have accumulated 10 or more wins this season: Telles (30-12), Burks (21-8), Scdoris (19-16), Mason Garcia (16-10), Huber (16-18), Mario Ybarra (12-1), Tavoris Smith (12-14) and Jose Sanchez (12-15). Ybarra is ranked fourth in the NAIA at 133 and owns an active 12-match win streak. The native of Scottsbluff, Neb., has not wrestled since the Concordia Bulldog Duals (Dec. 19). In addition to Ybarra’s national ranking, Telles is ranked 15th in the NAIA at 285 and Burks is ranked 20th nationally at 157.
· If things come together heading into the GPAC tournament, the Bulldogs could make some noise. Injuries have played a role in Concordia going 5-11 in duals. Stalwarts like Burks, Gabe Crawford and Ybarra (all team captains) have each been in and out of the lineup due to injuries. Based on last week’s GPAC ratings, Ybarra (133), Burks (157) and Telles (285) would each be favorites to reach the GPAC championship match of their respective weight classes. Crawford and Ybarra both won GPAC titles last season.
· In addition to the win over Jamestown that came on Jan. 30, the Bulldogs own dual victories this season over Dakota Wesleyan, Midland, Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Waldorf University (Iowa). At times this season, the dual lineup has been greatly affected by injuries, as it was for the Concordia Bulldog Duals, a series of three duals at Northwestern and the GPAC Duals. Concordia finished in a tie for fifth place in the GPAC regular-season standings. Former Bulldog head coach Dana Vote led Doane to a conference title.
· Concordia won’t be the favorite at this weekend’s GPAC Championships, where the program has become accustomed to winning. The Bulldogs have won outright or shared GPAC regular-season titles in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2019-20. They also captured conference/regional postseason championships in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020. In the conference ratings released last week, Concordia landed at No. 4 behind Morningside, Briar Cliff and Doane.
· The Bulldogs hope to put together their best wrestling of the season this Friday and Saturday in Fremont, Neb., site of the GPAC Championships. Last season Calhoun guided the Bulldogs to a team conference tournament championship that included individual titles from Crawford, Tanner Farmer and Ybarra. Check back on the wrestling page of our website for more details on the conference tournament as the week goes on.
Men’s Basketball
· The Bulldogs are in the midst of another extended break in the schedule in what continues to be a unique season. Concordia has not played since its 89-77 home win over then 16th-ranked Dakota Wesleyan on Feb. 6. Last week’s scheduled matchup versus Hastings was postponed due to health concerns on the part of the Broncos. It remains a battle for a top four placement in the GPAC. The Bulldogs (15-8, 12-6 GPAC) are tied for fourth place, but are right on the heels of Northwestern (14-5) and Jamestown (14-5). Head Coach Ben Limback’s program placed in a tie for fourth in the 2019-20 GPAC regular season. For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· Other than the one blemish (95-77 loss to No. 9 Morningside), the Bulldogs have been downright dominant at home. They are 9-1 this season when playing inside Friedrich Arena, and only one of those nine wins has come by a single-digit margin – 77-74 over Northwestern. Concordia has controlled the action in GPAC home wins over Midland (82-55), Dordt (82-59), Mount Marty (82-71), Jamestown (81-70), Briar Cliff (81-58) and Dakota Wesleyan (89-77). In their 10 home games, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents, on average, 84.8 to 67.2, while shooting 48.1 percent from the field.
· Limback (249-263 career record) has moved closer to 250 coaching victories. Prior to becoming head coach at his alma mater, Limback guided the program at Concordia University, Ann Arbor for nine seasons and won 115 games (and two CIT championships). Of course the highlight of Limback’s time leading the Bulldogs was last season’s GPAC tournament championship run and berth in the national tournament. The 2019-20 team finished with an overall record of 24-10. The 2016-17 squad (21-10) also reached the 20-win mark.
· It was an absolutely monstrous early February week for Gage Smith, who put up 19 points, 12 rebounds and three assists at Dordt. He proceeded to go off against Dakota Wesleyan, piling up a career high 32 points to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot. The 6-foot-6 junior from Elizabeth, Colo., netted 5-of-9 tries from 3-point range while scorching the Tigers. After those two big-time performances, Smith is now averaging 13.7 points and 9.2 rebounds for the season. He’s also shooting 52.3 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from 3-point range.
· The 32-point outburst for Smith marked the first time a Bulldog has reached 30 points since Brevin Sloup (current graduate assistant) did so in an upset win over Briar Cliff on Jan. 12, 2019. Sloup put up a career high 33 points in that instance. Even Carter Kent and Justin Wiersema have yet to crack 30 points in a single game. Kent and Wiersema own career bests of 29 points in a contest. For those wondering, the school record for most points scored in a single game is 47 by Jon Ziegler on Feb. 17, 2007, vs. the University of Sioux Falls.
· Smith’s big day helped make up for the absence of starter Ryan Holt, who left the game at Dordt with an injury. Klay Uher got the start in Holt’s absence. On a day when seemingly everything was clicking offensively, the inside combo of Uher (six points on 3-for-4 shooting) and Cory Davila (12 points on 5-for-5 shooting) combined to go 8-for-9 from the floor. A 6-foot-7 freshman from Basehor, Kan., Davila’s role is likely to increase in future years. His 12 points were a career high (topping previous best of 10).
· Due to the cancelation of CIT and a bye in the schedule, Concordia had an unusual break of 10 days between games after it defeated Briar Cliff on Jan. 23. Another 10-day layoff will be interrupted this Wednesday night. The Bulldogs hope to come out stronger than they did the last time they found themselves in a similar spot (the result was a 75-69 loss at Dordt after a 10-day break). Despite some of the idle stretches, Concordia is on track to play all 25 regular-season games.
· Wins against Dakota Wesleyan have been difficult to come by in recent years. In fact, Concordia ended a seven-game regular-season series losing streak to the Tigers with the recent victory. Prior to the Feb. 6 matchup, the Bulldogs had not defeated DWU at home since taking down the Tigers, 95-79, on Dec. 3, 2016. Concordia has now won two of the past three meetings with DWU when factoring in the 2020 GPAC tournament title game at the Corn Palace.
· The hope for the Bulldogs is to continue their home success. They will host Hastings (6-17, 2-16 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Earlier this season, Concordia defeated the Broncos, 86-77, in Hastings. The Bulldogs have won each of the past 10 get-togethers with the Broncos. Concordia will conclude the regular season on Saturday when Doane (6-18, 3-16 GPAC) visits for a 4 p.m. tipoff. It will be senior day inside Friedrich Arena.