Bulldog Weekly Report (Feb. 21)

By Jacob Knabel on Feb. 21, 2017 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Erin Vieselmeyer, Basketball

Vieselmeyer, who hails from Holyoke, Colo., racked up 14 points while going 4-for-4 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line in last week’s 60-46 win at No. 10 Hastings. For the week, she averaged 10.0 points for the GPAC champion Bulldogs.

Male: Lucas Wiechman, Track & Field

Wiechman, a native of Pilger, Neb., garnered GPAC Men’s Most Outstanding Athlete of the Meet honors at the conference indoor championships while winning three individuals events (55 hurdles, heptathlon, pole vault) and another one as part of the 4x400 meter relay. He is the national leader in the heptathlon.

The Chanimal defined by greatness in all aspects: Chandler Folkerts is one of the all-time greats when it comes to Concordia men’s basketball, but it’s not just because he’s a star on the court. Says President Brian Friedrich of Chandler, “He is the young man every parent wants as a son.” Now nearing the No. 3 spot on the program’s all-time scoring list, The Chanimal is more than just a basketball player. Read his story HERE.

Baseball/softball in action this weekend: Both the Concordia baseball and softball teams will be headed to Kansas this weekend for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. Third-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad, picked third in the GPAC preseason poll, opens 2017 with a four-game series at Bethany College. Saturday and Sunday twin bills in Lindsborg, Kan., are set to start at 1 p.m. CT. Meanwhile, fourth-year head coach Todd LaVelle’s team will be at the University of Saint Mary on Saturday and then play at Baker University on Sunday. The softball doubleheaders are also slated for 1 p.m. start times.

Baseball primed for successful 2017 season: The Concordia baseball team was picked by league coaches to finish third in the GPAC. Said head coach Ryan Dupic, “We’re more talented. I think we have a chance to be better on the field. Our players have high expectations this year. We’re excited to go give it a shot.” For a preview of what’s to come in 2017, click HERE.

How to purchase Cultivating Men of Faith and Character: The book, Cultivating Men of Faith and Character: The History of Concordia Nebraska Football, remains available for purchase online HERE. For more than 90 years, the Concordia football program has cultivated men of faith and character. This journey through the program’s entire history takes a narrative, coach-by-coach approach in bringing back to life the memorable plays, players and moments in Bulldog football history. Win or lose, Christian character has guided a storied football tradition in Seward, home to the “college in the cornfield.”

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 6 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is in its second year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 6 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 TuneIn Radio app and searching “Max Country.” Throughout the 2016-17 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country.

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.

Men’s Basketball

  • Following up their 109-106 overtime win at No. 7 Dakota Wesleyan on Feb. 12, the Bulldogs made this past week drama free. They went on the road and buried Hastings, 90-69, on Feb. 15. Three days later, while celebrating senior day, Concordia drubbed Dordt, 99-71, inside Walz Arena. Fourth-year head coach Ben Limback’s surging squad has won nine of its last 10 games and finished the regular season with records of 21-9 overall and 10-8 in conference play (tied for fifth). The Bulldogs will be the No. 6 seed in this week’s GPAC tournament. For more information on Concordia men’s basketball, click HERE.
  • Not only are the 21 wins a high water mark in the coaching career of Limback, they are also the most for the program since the 2004-05 national runner up team went 32-6, setting the school record for most victories in a season. The Bulldogs have trended upward each season under the direction of Limback, who also spent nine seasons leading Concordia-Ann Arbor men’s hoops. Over the past four seasons, Concordia has gone from 8-21 to 16-15 to 18-12 to 21-9 this season.
  • The Bulldogs are in the midst of their best stretch of play in quite some time. Concordia has been an efficient offensive team all season, but it even took it up a notch last week. It torched Hastings with 60.9 percent shooting (28-for-46) and then shot 57.8 percent (37-for-64) in the win over Dordt. From 3-point range, the Bulldogs went a combined 20-for-43 (.465). Among all NAIA Division II teams, they rank No. 1 in field goal percentage (.530) and No. 2 in 3-point field goal percentage (.418).
  • Concordia’s national tournament hopes are likely dependent upon it earning an automatic bid. The GPAC receives two automatic national tournament berths. One of those has already been locked up by Briar Cliff, the conference regular-season champion. The other one will go to the GPAC tournament winner. Should that be Briar Cliff, then the tournament runner up would be awarded the automatic bid. Though the Bulldogs have not made a top 25 appearance yet this season, but they are making a strong case late in the season. Their resume includes two wins over Dakota Wesleyan, one over Briar Cliff and solid out-of-league triumphs over then nationally-ranked teams in Florida Memorial University, Saint Thomas University (Fla.) and York College.
  • Chandler Folkerts is the backbone of the four-member senior class that played at Walz Arena last week for the final time. On the program’s all-time lists, Folkerts ranks second in rebounds (858), fourth in scoring (1,949) and fourth in blocked shots (142). The Milford native is on the cusp of passing John Puelz (1,955) for third in scoring. Based on his season scoring average of 18.4 points, Folkerts would need to play three more games to reach 2,000 career points.
  • Fellow senior Eli Ziegler has also been moving his way up on the all-time lists. Last week he passed Limback (1,158) and former teammate Robby Thomas (1,170) for No. 19 on the program’s scoring list. Now at 1,179 career points, Ziegler is enjoying a career year that has seen him average 16.6 points per game. Ziegler needs five more treys to become only the fourth player in program history to knock down 100 triples in a single season. His career 3-point percentage is an impressive 43.1.
  • Rim rattling freshman Clay Reimers has been on a tear off the bench. He only needed 31 minutes of action last week to pile up a combined 21 points and 14 rebounds. Over the last seven games, Reimers has averaged 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds. During that same stretch, the Lincoln East High School product has gone 38-for-50 (.760) from the floor. His surge has elevated his season averages to 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. He has seen action in all 30 games.
  • Concordia will attempt to end a drought of seven-straight seasons without a win in the conference tournament. The Bulldogs have lost six-consecutive postseason games dating back to 2008-09. The ’08-09 team made a run to the GPAC tournament championship game and fell at Dakota Wesleyan, 83-64. Concordia has also seen its season end at the Corn Palace in Mitchell two years running.
  • The Bulldogs will get another shot at Dakota Wesleyan (23-6, 13-5 GPAC) in the GPAC quarterfinals on Wednesday. Game time from the Corn Palace is set for 8 p.m. CT. Concordia defeated the Tigers, 95-79, in Seward on Dec. 3 and then outlasted them, 109-106, in an overtime classic in Mitchell on Feb. 12. Wednesday’s winner will advance to play either second-seeded Northwestern or seventh-seeded Hastings in the semifinals on Saturday.

Wrestling

  • For the second time in the span of week and a half, Concordia celebration a team championship. The Bulldogs held off strong pushes from Morningside and Midland and captured the NAIA North Qualifier/GPAC tournament title for the third year in a row. First-year head coach Andrew Nicola’s squad was led by NAIA North Qualifier individual champions in 165-pounder Kirk Kaliszewski and 285-pounder Ceron Francisco. Concordia totaled 132.5 team points – 10 more than second place Morningside – during the event hosted by Doane on Feb. 18. For more information on the Bulldog wrestling program, click HERE.
  • Concordia has established a regional dynasty. It has won 21-consecutive GPAC duals while going unbeaten in conference action in each of the past three years. During that string, it has outscored opponents by a combined total of 702-186 and has won 159 out of 210 individual bouts. The Bulldogs last lost a conference dual on Feb. 13, 2014. They have a roster that’s adaptable to both dual and tournament formats, proving that again this year with a sweep of GPAC titles.
  • Francisco is now a back-to-back 285-pound NAIA North champion. He cruised through the bracket with pins in his first two bouts. He then majored 11th-ranked Brian Ervin of Briar Cliff, 13-2. In the championship bout, Francisco defeated Midland’s No. 13 James Jones, 9-5. Francisco improved his season record to 23-2 and his career mark to 97-52. Over the last three seasons, his record is 84-34. A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Francisco is a two-time first team all-conference honoree and was an All-American in 2015.
  • Kaliszewski has come on like gang busters in his first season as a Bulldog. The transfer from Palomar College (Calif.) will carry an eight-match win streak into the national championships. In his title bout, he defeated Morningside’s Derik Bailey, 3-2. That win clinched the team tournament title for Concordia. Kaliszewski went 23-11 last season at Palomar College.
  • The 197-pound championship match came down to Ken Burkhardt Jr. and Luis Rivera-Santiago in a battle of the conference’s highest rated grapplers in their weight class. Burkhardt Jr. and Rivera-Santiago had met twice this season, with both competitors winning once. Rivera-Santiago got the upper hand this time around in a 5-3 decision. Burkhardt Jr. is now 33-8 on the year (ties personal high for wins in a season). The winningest wrestler in program history, Burkhardt Jr. owns a career mark of 119-56, two All-America plaques and two NAIA North runner up finishes.
  • Six Bulldogs earned automatic berths to the national championships courtesy of top-three regional finishes: Francisco (285; 1st), Kaliszewski (165, 1st), Burkhardt Jr. (197, 2nd), Foster Bunce (141, 3rd), Josh Nelsen (184, 3rd) and Alexander Reimers (197, 3rd). In addition, 125-pounder Dmitri Smith and 285-pounder DJ McIntyre received wild card invitations to nationals, brining Concordia’s national qualifying roster to eight. That number could grow should Kodie Cole (133) and/or Jon Lado (157) be added to the field through the NAIA selection process.
  • Seventeen Bulldogs have piled up at least 10 wins this season (see list below). Concordia is topped by the 33 from Burkhardt Jr. Francisco (23-2) boasts the team’s top winning percentage. Burkhardt Jr. has placed at all six tournaments that he has competed in. He took first at both the Doane and Grand View Opens, second at the NAIA North Qualifier, third at the Missouri Valley Invite, fourth at the Dakota Wesleyan Open and sixth at the UNK Open. Francisco (three), Burkhardt Jr. (two), Nate Bennett (one) and Kaliszewski (one) have each won at least one tournament title.
    • Ken Burkhardt Jr. (197): 33-8
    • Ceron Francisco (285): 23-2
    • Josh Nelsen (184): 21-17
    • Kodie Cole (133): 19-12
    • Kirk Kaliszewski (165): 19-14
    • Alexander Reimers (197): 19-14
    • DJ McIntyre (285): 17-10
    • Dmitri Smith (125): 16-10
    • Jon Lado (157): 16-11
    • Kolton Larsen (157): 16-12
    • Foster Bunce (149): 14-9
    • Gabe Crawford (157): 13-10
    • Walker Fisher (174): 13-16
    • Deandre Chery (174): 12-12
    • Darrin Miller (174): 12-12
    • Cooper Bailey (133): 11-10
    • Kyle Carey (141): 10-13
  • Now Nicola will prep his team for the national championships. The grand event will take place at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan., March 3-4. The Bulldogs have turned in three-straight top 25 national finishes: eighth in 2016, 12th in 2015 and 22nd in 2014. The eighth-place national finish is the highest ever for the program.

Track & Field

  • The top 10 nationally-ranked Bulldog squads produced a total of nine conference titles and 54 personal bests while competing at the 2017 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships hosted in Sioux Center, Iowa, by Dordt. The Concordia men totaled 150.5 points and finished as the conference runner up. Meanwhile, the women placed fourth with 103.5 points. Now all that’s left in the indoor season for head coach Matt Beisel’s teams are the national championships next week. For more on information on Bulldog track and field, click HERE.
  • Since the GPAC formed in 2000, Concordia track and field has produced a combined six conference titles – three apiece for the men and women. The Bulldog men swept GPAC championships during the 2014 indoor/outdoor seasons. Concordia has consistently finished towards the top. It also has 24 GPAC runner up finishes in program history.
  • Senior Lucas Wiechman stole the spotlight at the conference meet by winning three individual events (55 meter hurdles, heptathlon and pole vault) and another as part of the 4x400 meter relay. He also placed fourth in the long jump with a personal best. Factoring in each of these events, Wiechman accounted for 45 team points. That total allowed him to earn the GPAC Men’s Most Outstanding Athlete of the Meet award. Wiechman was a 2016 indoor All-American in both the heptathlon and the pole vault.
  • The run of success in the women’s pole vault continues for Concordia, which has won the event at each of the last six GPAC championship meets. The latest titlist is sophomore Allie Brooks, who cleared 12’ 4 ¾” while topping the second place finisher by nearly a foot. The string of Bulldog GPAC champions in the pole vault includes McKenzie Gravo (2016 indoor/outdoor), Cassie Starks (2015 indoor/outdoor) and Shelby Yelden (2014 outdoor). Gravo was an All-American last season. Brooks is currently ranked No. 2 on the national pole vault list (12’ 10 ¾”).
  • Throwers again cleaned up for Concordia, winning three of the four events and totaling 12 all-conference place finishes. The GPAC titlists were Cody Boellstorff (weight throw), Zach Lurz (shot put) and Kali Robb (shot put). Boellstorff has now won back-to-back GPAC weight throw titles and Lurz has collected five career GPAC championships in the shot put. Robb owns three career conference championships. A seventh-place finisher, sophomore Johanna Ragland qualified for nationals for the first time with her throw of 44’ 2” in the shot put.
  • Senior CJ Muller again turned in highlight performances on the track. He contributed a combined 18 team points from his conference title in the 600 meters and his runner up claim in the 800. He also teamed up with Wiechman, Nathan Matters and Ryan Olson on a winning time of 3:21.82 in the 4x4. Muller is a returning All-American in the 600, an event he ranks third nationally in. Also in the 600, Matters qualified for nationals by finishing in 1:21.47.
  • Below is the list of 19 automatic national qualifying marks and the nine ‘B’ standard qualifying marks recorded by Concordia athletes through the first five weeks of the 2017 indoor season. Of the 19 auto marks, 10 have been produced by throwers. Another five have come in additional field events. Wiechman continues to lead the nation in the heptathlon.
    • Men’s 4x400m relay (A, 3:20.37)
    • Cody Boellstorff: weight throw (A, 67’ 2 ¼”); shot put (B, 50’ 5 ½”)
    • Allie Brooks: high jump (A, 5’ 7”); pole vault (A, 12’ 10 ¾”)
    • Jasmine Eickhoff: shot put (B, 42’ 5 ½”)
    • Jacy Embray: shot put (B, 43’ 5 ¼”)
    • Ben Hulett: 60 meter hurdles (B, 8.28)
    • Scott Johnson: long jump (A, 23’ 5 ½”)
    • Philip Kruetzer: weight throw (A, 58’ 11 ¼”); shot put (B, 50’ 5 ½”)
    • Samantha Liermann: shot put (A, 45’ 3”)
    • Zach Lurz: shot put (A, 58’ 1”); weight throw (A, 62’ 1 ¾”)
    • Nathan Matters: 600 meters (A, 1:21.47)
    • Sydney Meyer: weight throw (A, 57’ 5 ¾”)
    • CJ Muller: 600 meters (A, 1:20.07); 800 meters (B, 1:56.16); 400 meters (B, 49.84)
    • Johanna Ragland: shot put (A, 44’ 2”)
    • Tyrell Reichert: pole vault (A, 15’ 5”)
    • Kali Robb: shot put (A, 46’ 9 ½”); weight throw (A, 59’ 4”)
    • Adrianna Shaw: shot put (A, 47’ ¼”)
    • Tricia Svoboda: weight throw (B, 52’ 3 ¾”)
    • Marti Vlasin: 600 meters (B, 1:38.66)
    • Lucas Wiechman: 60 meter hurdles (A, 8.18); pole vault (A, 16’ 4 ¾”); heptathlon (5,073)
  • Beisel’s squads have a break in the schedule now until the 2017 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships take place at David E. Walker Track at Gentry Field in Johnson City, Tenn., March 2-4. Concordia is coming off of 2016 indoor nationals finishes of third on the men’s side and fifth on the men’s side. For more information on the national championships, click HERE.

Women’s Basketball

  • Second-ranked Concordia responded to its first loss since late October by rattling off wins over No. 10 Hastings, 60-46, and Dordt, 90-55, during last week’s action. Eleventh-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad ended the regular season with records of 28-2 overall and 19-1 in the GPAC. Concordia finished a full four games in front of runner up Dakota Wesleyan (15-5) in the race atop the conference standings. For more information on Bulldog women’s basketball, click HERE.
  • The 19 GPAC victories are a school record for most conference wins in a single season. Olson guided the 2011-12 and 20-14-15 teams to 18-2 league records. The only team in program history ever to go unbeaten in conference play was the 2002-03 group that went 16-0 during the GPAC regular season. Olson’s career record in conference regular-season play now stands at an impressive 155-58 (.728) after wrapping up his fifth GPAC title (three regular season, two tournament).
  • The six-member senior class is made up of role players who have helped the program to considerable success since arriving in 2013-14. Over the past four seasons, Concordia has a combined record of 110-23 with two GPAC regular-season titles, one conference tournament championship, four national tournament appearances and a national runner up finish in 2015. The seniors have gone 54-5 at home in their careers. Additionally, they have played for Bulldog teams that have held national rankings in every single game the last four years.
  • The 28 overall wins tie for the third most in a single season during Olson’s tenure. The 2014-15 national runner up produced an Olson-era best mark of 35-3, one win better than the 2011-12 national semifinalist group that went 34-3. The 2002-03 team remains the program record holder thanks to its 36-2 campaign that also ended in the national semifinals. Since the start of the 2001-02 season, the Bulldogs have won 28 or more games eight times.
  • Concordia has now defeated eight opponents that carried national rankings at the time of the game. Those wins have come over No. 1 Dakota Wesleyan, No. 8 College of the Ozarks (Mo.), No. 9/10 Hastings (twice), No. 9/11 Morningside (twice), No. 17 Indiana Tech and No. 25 Haskell Indian Nations University (Kan.). The Bulldogs own another six wins over squads that were listed as receiving votes when play was contested.
  • Concordia played exceptional defense last week, limiting Hastings and Dordt to a combined shooting percentage of 28.4 (33-for-116). The Bulldogs also forced a combined 50 turnovers, bringing their opponents’ season turnover total to 807 (26.9 per game). Concordia has now moved up to No. 8 nationally in field goal percentage defense (.356). Its 16.0 steals per game ranks third best among all NAIA Division II teams.
  • Sophomore Quinn Wragge was the lone Bulldog to reach double figures in scoring in both of last week’s contests. Wragge scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in 28 minutes of action at Hastings. With Concordia running away from Dordt in the second half of the game, no Bulldog played more than 16 minutes. Wragge still managed 10 points and six rebounds in 14 minutes of court time. Wragge’s 816 career points are second most on the current roster behind only Mary Janovich (853).
  • Dani Andersen and Brenleigh Daum heated up over the weekend. Andersen went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, on her way to 11 points versus Dordt. Daum made her first four 3-point attempts before finally missing a perimeter shot. She equaled a season high with 14 points against Dordt. Andersen bumped her season 3-point percentage to 33.7 while Daum raised hers to 33.0.
  • Now Concordia will aim for its second GPAC tournament title in three years and fourth in program history. As the top seed, the Bulldogs will host Midland (15-14, 7-13 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Concordia has twice beaten the Warriors handily this season. The final scores were 89-50 in Fremont and 95-38 in Seward. Wednesday’s winner will advance to the semifinals and take on either fourth-seeded Hastings or fifth-seeded Northwestern on Saturday.

Tennis

  • Both Bulldog teams continue to seek their first wins of the 2017 season. In neutral matches that took place in Fremont, Neb., the Concordia men and women both fell by 9-0 scores at the hands of Southwestern College (Kan.) on Feb. 17. The next day, the Bulldog women came up just short of victory in a 5-4 home loss to College of Saint Benedict (Minn.). Both of third-year head coach Joel Reckewey’s squads stand at 0-5 overall. For more on the Concordia tennis programs: MEN | WOMEN.
  • In the contest versus Saint Benedict, the Bulldogs got wins from Annie Horn (No. 2 singles), Katie Hertz (No. 4 singles), Kayla Smock (No. 6 singles) and from the doubles pair of Horn and Kirsten Wagner at No. 1. Horn and Smock are both 2-3 in singles action. The play of Horn and Wagner allowed Concordia to pick up its first doubles win of the season.
  • Through five matches, the Bulldog men are a combined 9-21 in singles play and 2-13 in doubles. Meanwhile, the women are 6-24 in singles and 1-14 in doubles. Both the men and women have suffered a loss by a 5-4 score this season. Sophomore Gabe Poling (4-0) has nearly half of the men’s singles wins.
  • This week’s slate includes two men’s matches and two women’s contests. The men will play Ottawa University (Kan.) inside the Abbott Sports Complex in Lincoln at 2 p.m. CT on Friday. They will be back at the same facility to challenge Tabor College (Kan.) at 12 p.m. the following day. The women will also go head-to-head with Ottawa on Friday (6 p.m.) and Tabor on Saturday.