Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Adrianna Rodencal, Track & Field
Rodencal, who hails from Lincoln, earned GPAC Athlete of the Meet honors last week as she won conference indoor meet titles in the 60 hurdles and 200 meters and placed second in the 60 meter dash. Her efforts helped lead the Bulldogs to another team GPAC championship. As just a freshman, Rodencal owns the school 60 hurdles record.
Male: Issiah Burks, Wrestling
A graduate student from Hemet, Calif., Burks emerged as one of the major stories of the GPAC tournament in claiming the 165-pound title after entering as the No. 5 seed. Burks went 4-0 at the conference championships and defeated No. 12 Caleb Connor of Morningside and No. 19 Garrett Arment of Briar Cliff. Burks has qualified for nationals.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Feb. 14 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Taysha Rushton (basketball)
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.
Cheer places second, Dance fourth at Dordt Invite: Competition continued this past weekend as the Concordia Competitive Cheer & Dance teams traveled to Sioux Center, Iowa, for the Dordt Invite. Concordia Cheer placed second out of six teams with a school record score of 82.38. Meanwhile, Bulldog Dance placed fourth out of nine squads with a score of 84.23. Between cheer and dance, Head Coach Mandi Maser’s squads have taken the floor for 15 countable performances (eight for dance and seven for cheer) this season. On the current NAIA national leaderboards, Concordia ranks No. 12 in dance (81.55) and No. 30 in cheer (76.97) in terms of average score. Those complete leaderboards can be viewed on the NAIA’s official website. Next up will be the GPAC Championships/NAIA Regional Qualifier hosted by Doane this Friday and Saturday. More details are available via GPACsports.com. In addition, more information on the Concordia Cheer and Dance teams can be found by clicking the links below.
--Cheer Homepage
--Dance Homepage
Tennis teams take on Pratt CC as spring season continues: Head Coach Cam Long’s tennis teams continued spring action this past weekend at Grundy Tennis Center in Kearney, Neb. While up against Pratt Community College, the Concordia women earned a 4-3 win while the men fell by a 6-1 decision. Both teams had also been defeated at home by Barton Community College early last week. In the women’s win over Pratt, freshman Ella Dean starred with wins at both No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles (in tandem with Gabrielle Heiser). Brooke Hosick (No. 5) and Kylie Freudenburg (No. 6) also picked up singles wins in allowing the Bulldogs to eke out the team victory. On the men’s side, Manuel Rodriguez kept Concordia from being blanked thanks to his win at No. 6 singles. On the season, Long’s squads sport records of 2-3 on the women’s side and 1-4 on the men’s side. Both teams are looking forward to playing Tabor College (Kan.) and William Woods University (Mo.) in Fulton, Mo., on Saturday. Those matches will wrap up the February slate.
--Concordia Men’s Tennis
--Concordia Women’s Tennis
Burtwistle, Opfer announce return for 2023 volleyball season: The Concordia Volleyball program got some good news late in the calendar year 2022 when Bree Burtwistle and Camryn Opfer informed coaches and teammates that they would return in 2023 and use their “COVID year” of eligibility. This past season, Opfer was named a Second Team All-American and Burtwistle garnered Honorable Mention All-America status. They helped lead the Bulldogs to a national ranking as high as No. 4 in the NAIA coaches’ poll and a final overall record of 25-6. For more details on their decisions, check out this featured story linked HERE.
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.
Wrestling
· The 2022-23 season reached the conference tournament this past weekend as 12 Bulldogs put themselves up against the best the GPAC has to offer. Concordia piled up 110 team points and placed behind only Morningside (184) and Doane (175) atop the GPAC. The yields included nine place finishes, five semifinalists, four automatic bids to the national tournament, two runners up and one conference champion. It’s been a strong bounce-back season for Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad, which also placed third in the GPAC during the regular season and equaled a program record for dual wins in a campaign. For more information on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
· The GPAC tournament place finishes were recorded by Creighton Baughman (second at 141), Issiah Burks (first at 165), Logan Davidson (third at 184), Stephen Duffy (fourth at 184), Bryce Karlin (fifth at 125), Garret Moser (sixth at 174), Jeaven Scdoris (fourth at 149), Tavoris Smith (second at 157) and Tommy Wentz (fifth at 157). Each of those nine Bulldogs won at least two matches and each contributed at least 7.0 points towards the team total. Baughman, Burks, Davidson and Smith garnered automatic bids to nationals based on allocations awarded to the GPAC when factoring in the national rankings.
· Burks emerged as one of the biggest stories of the entire tournament. Seeded fifth at 165, the Hemet, Calif., native blazed through the bracket with a 4-0 mark that featured two pins (both in the first period) and a major decision. Most significantly, Burks upset the conference’s top seeded, Caleb Connor of Morningside (ranked No. 12 in the NAIA), by an 11-4 decision in the semifinals. Burks then pinned Dakota Wesleyan’s Kaleb Bigelow in the championship bout after just 1:15 had elapsed. In the process of going 4-0 over the weekend, Burks pushed his career win total to 76 and now ranks tied for fourth in school history in that category.
· The NAIA national tournament will be a new experience for each of Concordia’s four auto qualifiers. Baughman is a two-time All-American at the JUCO level and hopes to reach the stand at NAIA nationals in March. The Papillion, Neb., native reached the finals at 141 pounds with three-straight wins during which he did not allow a single offensive point. By tournament’s end, Baughman ran his season record to 24-8. He ultimately fell by major decision in the finals while up against Doane’s Baagii Boldmaa. Davidson won the third-place match over Duffy to notch the automatic bid and Smith fought back on the back side at 157 with three wins to end his tournament. Smith claimed true second place.
· Through the season to date, nine Bulldogs have notched double digit win totals: Creighton Baughman (24-8), Tommy Wentz (20-12), Issiah Burks (17-11), Stephen Duffy (15-10), Bryce Karlin (14-10), Jeaven Scdoris (14-15), Garret Moser (13-14), Jose Sanchez (12-16) and Grant Wells (11-15). Karlin paces the team with 10 pins while Baughman has seven and Duffy and Cy Renney have collected six pins apiece. Entering the GPAC tournament, Baugham (16th at 141) and Davidson (25th at 184) were ranked nationally.
· Next up will be the 2023 NAIA Wrestling National Championships held in Wichita, Kan., March 3-4. Hartman Arena will serve as the location for the national tournament for the fourth year in a row. Concordia owned a streak of eight-straight years with at least one All-American before that run ended in 2022. The program’s most recent All-American was Mario Ybarra in 2021.
Track & Field
· The 2023 GPAC indoor championships are in the books following an intense weekend competition inside the Walz Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs celebrated a team championship on the women’s side as they piled up 241.5 points. Meanwhile, the men placed third in the conference with 100.5 points. The Bulldogs claimed a total of 10 event conference titles, including two apiece from Rylee Haecker and Adrianna Rodencal. The men’s team title was claimed by Dordt. All that’s left now this indoor season for Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads are the national championships. For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.
· GPAC event titles were won by the Bulldog women’s 4x400 meter relay, Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Zach Bennetts (pole vault), Lauren Dawson (race walk), Rylee Haecker (mile and 1,000 meters), Josie Puelz (pole vault), Amy Richert (pentathlon) and Adrianna Rodencal (60 hurdles and 200 meters). Runners up included the men’s 4x400 and 4x800 meter relays, Jenna Esch (800 meters), Kylahn Freiberg (1,000 meters), Erin Mapson (pole vault), Josi Noble (triple jump), Joel Rathe (long jump), Richert (long jump), Rodencal (60 meters), Aaron Spivey (triple jump) and Zach Zohner (pole vault). Haecker accomplished the GPAC championship double in the mile and 1,000 meters for a second year in a row.
· Below is a complete listing of Concordia athletes who possess marks meeting either the ‘A’ or ‘B’ national reporting standard. The tally through the end of the GPAC Championships includes 27 ‘A’ standards and 25 ‘B’ standards. In addition, five 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 (3:53.49)
o Men’s 4x400m Relay, B (3:18.91)
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. 18 in NAIA in pentathlon (3,124)
o Rachel Battershell – 60 Hurdles, A (8.94); 400 Meters, A (57.06)
o Zach Bennetts – Pole Vault, A (16’ 2 ¾”)
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 (8.28)
o Amira Cummings – Pole Vault, A (11’ 6 ½”)
o Josiah Edwards – Weight Throw, B (55’ 9 ¼”)
o Jenna Esch – 600 Meters, A (1:35.40); 400 Meters, B (58.62)
o Kylahn Freiberg – 1,000 Meters, B (2:59.90); Mile, B (5:07.94); 3,000 Meters, B (10:24.45)
o Abby Gerber – Shot Put, A (44’ 6 ¾”); 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’ 6 ¼”)
o Colton Meyer – 400 Meters, A (48.45)
o Ben Moll – Weight Throw, B (53’ 5”)
o Hannah Newton – High Jump, A (5’ 5 ¾”)
o Josi Noble – No. 23 in NAIA in Pentathlon (3,006)
o Alli Owings – Weight Throw, B (52’ 6”)
o Kamryn Pokorney – Weight Throw, B (53’ 6 ¼”); Shot Put, B (43’ ¼”)
o Josie Puelz – Pole Vault, A (13’ ¼”)
o Joel Rathe – Long Jump, B (23’ 6 ¼”)
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 (55’ 11”)
o Adrianna Rodencal – 60 Hurdles, A (8.72); 200 Meters, B (25.37)
o Calvin Rohde – 1,000 Meters, A (2:27.16); Mile, A (4:12.33)
o Austen Rozelle – Weight Throw, B (54’ 4”)
o Myles Sadd – High Jump, B (6’ 7”)
o Isabelle Salters – No. 28 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 Amanda Steinke – No. 22 in NAIA in Pentathlon (3,008)
o Kayla Svoboda – Pole Vault, A (11’ 6 ½”)
o Trinity Tuls – 400 Meters, B (58.11)
o Abi Wohlgemuth – Weight Throw, B (53’ 5 ¾”)
o Chris Wren – Weight Throw, A (62’ 10 ¾”)
o Zach Zohner – Pole Vault, A (15’ 11”)
· Rodencal has enjoyed an incredible freshman indoor season that saw her earn GPAC Athlete of the Meet recognition last week. Rodencal scored 28 team points via her first-place finishes in the 60 hurdles and 200 meters and second-place claim in the 60 meters. The Lincoln Lutheran High School alum again broke her own record in the 60 hurdles by running a GPAC finals time of 8.72 (second fastest in conference meet history). She’s the first Bulldog to earn GPAC Athlete of the Meet recognition since Rachel Battershell at the 2020 indoor meet. Rodencal currently ranks 14th on the NAIA national list in the 60 hurdles.
· The pole vault crew came away with big points at the conference meet. Not only did Bennetts and Puelz make for a sweep of the titles, the group combined for 32 points on the women’s side and 28 points on the men’s side. Bennetts cleared a personal best of 16’ 2 ¾” while Zohner also turned in a new PR of 15’ 11.” Puelz has won five career GPAC pole vault titles (and is the conference meet record holder in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault) while Bennetts has now claimed three-straight pole vault championships on the men’s side. Concordia has qualified a total of eight vaulters for nationals (five women and three men).
· There were two new automatic national qualifying standards that came out of the GPAC meet for the Bulldogs. Abby Gerber popped off a toss of 44’ 6 ¾” in the shot put and placed third while qualifying for nationals. In addition, Joel Rathe broke loose with a personal best long jump of 23’ 6 ¼” (second place) that punched his ticket to Brookings, S.D. On the track, the men’s 4x4 clocked a new ‘B’ standard (3:18.91 c) that ranks No. 17 on the national list. Several Concordia athletes improved existing ‘A’ standards, such as Rodencal in the 60 hurdles.
· The streak of GPAC championships has now reached eight for the women’s program. That run began when Concordia hosted the 2019 conference indoor meet. The streak would most likely be at nine if not for the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor season due to COVID-19. The 241.5 points scored by the Bulldogs at the 2023 indoor meet are a program best during its active run of five-straight conference indoor championships. The previous point totals were 173.5 in 2019, 193 in 2020, 217 in 2021 and 194.5 in 2022.
· For those who qualify, the indoor season will continue with the 2023 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships set for March 2-4 in Brookings, S.D. Official qualifiers will be announced later this week by the NAIA. More information on the national championship meet can be found HERE. Brookings has hosted the meet in three of the past four years (Yankton, S.D., held it in 2021).
Men’s Basketball
· It was one up and one down last week as the Bulldogs completed the regular season. A second half explosion allowed Concordia to run away from Briar Cliff in an 85-56 home win on Feb. 15. Three days later, the Bulldogs let a double-digit lead slip away in a 75-72 loss to Dakota Wesleyan at the Corn Palace. Those results leave Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad at 17-11 overall (11-9 GPAC). Concordia will head into the GPAC tournament as the conference’s No. 5 seed. For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs finished the regular season two games behind Northwestern for a possible chance to host a GPAC tournament quarterfinal game. The top four in the standings are Jamestown (15-5), Morningside (15-5), Dordt (14-6) and Northwestern (13-7). The Jimmies have earned one of the league’s two automatic berths to nationals by way of grabbing the No. 1 seed. The other auto bid will go to the GPAC tournament champion (or the No. 2 team in the regular season if Jamestown wins the tournament title). Unless Concordia can win the GPAC tournament, it will likely be sweating out the NAIA selection show on March 2. The Bulldogs are considered a bubble team in terms of the national tournament. They own an RPI of 55 and a strength of schedule rank of 51st.
· It was a game of runs against Briar Cliff in what was likely the final home game of the 2022-23 season. In the first half, the Bulldogs mounted a 19-0 run that was then followed by a 21-2 spurt for the Chargers. The two sides were deadlocked at the half, 30-30, but that’s when Concordia got hot. Its 35-3 run left Briar Cliff in the dust. The Bulldogs shot 54.5 percent (36-for-66) overall and drained 12 treys. Gage Smith was the star of the show in amassing 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Meanwhile, Noah Schutte added 16 points and seven rebounds and two other Concordia players reached double figures: Brad Bennett (16) and Garrett Seagren (10). The Bulldogs earned a regular season sweep of the Chargers (14-13, 8-12 GPAC).
· The loss at Dakota Wesleyan hurts Concordia’s at-large chances and felt like on that got away. The Bulldogs had led by 13 (51-38) when Schutte made a layup at the 14:21 mark of the second half. A 10-1 Tiger run that came soon after that made it a nail-biter down the stretch. DWU canned 7-of-8 free throw tries in the final 1:39 and kept Concordia from making the big shot. The Tigers were able to overcome a career high 36 points from Schutte, who went 13-for-25 from the floor and grabbed 13 rebounds. Jaxon Weyand turned in a career high of his own with 16 points on 6-for-13 shooting. There wasn’t much other offense for the Bulldogs, who shot 39.4 percent for the game. Kallan Herman led DWU (13-15, 9-11 GPAC) with 23 points.
· Schutte’s 36 points surpassed his previous career high of 32 in the 81-74 win at Texas Wesleyan University on Dec. 28. The 36 points were also the most in a single game for any Concordia player since Chandler Folkerts totaled 37 in a win at Dakota Wesleyan on Feb. 12, 2017. Among GPAC players, Schutte ranks seventh in scoring (19.3), ninth in rebounding (6.7), ninth in field goal percentage (.547), ninth in free throw percentage (.779) and 10th in 3-point field goal percentage (.420). Without a doubt the team’s No. 1 scoring option, Schutte has piled up 539 total points this season, up from the 485 he recorded in 2021-22.
· In the win over Briar Cliff, Gage Smith leapt Chandler Folkerts and moved to No. 2 on the program’s all-time rebound list. Smith’s rebound total now rests at 880, ranking him behind only Matt List (928). Folkerts grabbed 868 boards in his career. Gage also owns current program all-time rankings of 14th in assists (269) and 18th in scoring (1,327). The Elizabeth, Colo., native has played in 132 games since arriving with the start of the fall semester of 2018. Gage has played on two separate teams that won GPAC championships – the 2019-20 and 2021-22 editions.
· The Bulldogs have won two of the past three GPAC tournaments and would love to make it three out of four. Concordia will have to start by knocking off fourth-seeded Northwestern (20-8, 13-7 GPAC) on Wednesday. Tipoff for the GPAC quarterfinal matchup is set for 7 p.m. CT in Orange City, Iowa. The home team won both meetings during the regular season. The Concordia/Northwestern winner will advance to the semifinals and will play either top-seeded Jamestown or eighth-seeded Hastings. The championship game is set for next Tuesday (Feb. 28). The complete pairings can be found HERE.
Women’s Basketball
· The Bulldogs went 0-2 during a defensive grinder of a week that included matchups with two of the GPAC’s best defensive teams in No. 23 Briar Cliff and Dakota Wesleyan. Concordia was defeated by Briar Cliff at home, 56-51, and then by Dakota Wesleyan on the road, 61-54. The Bulldogs had a lead in the fourth quarter of both games. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad slipped to 18-10 overall (14-8 GPAC) and into a tie for fifth place in the final GPAC standings. In other words, Concordia will be on the road for the conference tournament quarterfinals. For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· A win this past weekend would have given the Bulldogs the No. 4 seed. Instead, they tied for fifth in the conference along with Northwestern (14-8). The top four in the standings are Dordt (20-2), Briar Cliff (17-5), Jamestown (16-6) and Dakota Wesleyan (15-7). This is about the time of year when observers of the league begin to wonder how many teams the GPAC may qualify for the national tournament. Should Concordia fall short of an automatic bid via a conference tournament title, it would be in good shape for an at-large berth. In the NAIA’s official metrics, the Bulldogs appear at No. 32 in the RPI and have played the nation’s 25th toughest schedule. Last season, the GPAC was rewarded with two auto qualifiers (Morningside and DWU) and four at-large selections (Briar Cliff, Concordia, Dordt and Northwestern).
· The Bulldogs held the lead for the majority of their matchup with the Chargers (21-7, 17-5 GPAC), who rely heavily on their starting five. Both teams shot below 33 percent overall – 32.1 percent for Concordia and 29.5 percent for Briar Cliff. Star performer Konnor Sudmann made a major difference for the visitors as she racked up 27 points and poured in several clutch baskets during crunch time. The Bulldogs had only one double figure scorer: Abby Krieser, who notched 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting. It was a solid outing for Abby Heemstra, who notched nine points and eight rebounds. The Chargers emerged with a regular season sweep of Concordia.
· The game at Dakota Wesleyan had plenty of statistical similarities as both teams also shot low percentages from the floor – 35.1 percent for the Bulldogs and 34.5 percent for the Tigers. In a tough environment, Concordia followed the lead of Kendal Brigham (team high 15 points) and stormed back from a 14-point deficit to take a one-point lead (53-52) with 4:25 left in the game. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs did not make another field goal the rest of the way and DWU ended the contest on a 9-1 run. The standout inside combo of Jada Campbell (22 points and 10 rebounds) and Matti Reiner (15 points and two blocks) played a pivotal role in the outcome. The Tigers (21-7, 15-7 GPAC) managed to split the regular season series and outrebounded Concordia, 43-32.
· As part of the home finale against Briar Cliff, the Bulldogs honored their lone fourth-year senior, Taylor “Willy” Farrell. Part of the rotation immediately as a freshman when she arrived in the fall of 2019, Farrell has faced her share of adversity in the form of family tragedy and injuries. Said Olson of Farrell, “The three things that stand out most to me about Willy is her thoughtfulness, resiliency and fun personality ... Willy has had to endure a lot of things in her four years. I am so proud and impressed with how she has handled it all. Her faith has not wavered.” Farrell got the start on senior day and knocked down a trey. In her career, Farrell has totaled 582 points and 119 3-point field goals in 90 games.
· Taysha Rushton leads the team in scoring with an average of 14.3 points per game (1,358 career points). The next three highest scoring averages on the team are remarkably similar: Brigham (9.9), Krieser (9.8) and Sadie Powell (9.7). Brigham has come off the bench for all 28 games this season, but she’s like having a sixth starter in terms of the minutes she’s played (24.0 per game). The Wahoo, Neb., native excels in all areas thanks to her athleticism, quickness and shooting ability. Brigham sports strong shooting percentages across the board: 45.1 from the floor, 42.2 from 3-point range and 76.4 from the foul line. As a team, the Bulldogs rank fourth nationally in free throw percentage (.771).
· The postseason starts now as Concordia looks forward to the trek north (which started on Monday) for a GPAC quarterfinal clash with third-seeded Jamestown (21-7, 16-6 GPAC) at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday (originally scheduled for Wednesday). The Jimmies swept the two regular season matchups, winning by scores of 66-49 in Seward and 79-72 in North Dakota. The Concordia/Jamestown winner will advance to the GPAC semifinals on Saturday and will take on either second-seeded Briar Cliff or seventh-seeded Morningside. The championship game will be held next Tuesday (Feb. 28). For a look at the complete pairings, click HERE.
Baseball
· A strong weekend (Feb. 18-19) in Joplin, Mo., saw the 21st-ranked Bulldogs win three of four games while up against nonconference foes. Following a 7-6 loss to Columbia College (Mo.), Concordia rattled off three-straight victories in defeating No. 14 Central Methodist University, 5-3, William Penn University (Iowa), 1-0, and University of Saint Mary (Kan.), 9-1. Those results pushed Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad to 3-4 overall. Each of the first five games came against teams that were either ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll. For more on the Concordia Baseball program, click HERE.
· The game with Central Methodist was a rematch from the 2022 NAIA National Championship Opening Round won by the Bulldogs, 10-3. The meeting last week was tied, 3-3, after six innings. Joey Grabanski (named the NAIA Ball Player of the Week last week) broke the tie with an RBI double as Concordia went on to win. The Bulldogs got strong pitching from Alex Johnson and Kellen Ingram in the win. Then on Sunday, the pitching was even better as Frankie Cresta fired a seven-inning, three-hit shutout against William Penn. In the weekend finale, Caden Johnson (four innings), Caden Bugarske (two innings) and Jacob Lycan (one inning) combined to limit Saint Mary to one run. Multiple hits were registered by Jay Adams (three), Joey Grabanski (two) and Michael Welch (two). Jaidan Quinn drove in the only run of the game versus William Penn with a sac fly.
· Recaps from this past weekend can be found HERE for Feb. 18 and HERE for Feb. 19. A notable development from the weekend involved Jesse Garcia becoming the fourth player in program history to reach 200 career hits. His total now stands at 202. Other Bulldogs to achieve that feat were Zak Goodrich (234), Keaton Candor (233) and Christian Meza (216). In addition, Jay Adams is hot on the trail. He enters the week with 192 career hits. Garcia ranks near the top of most key all-time statistical categories. He’s notched 39 homers and 155 RBIs in 188 games as a Bulldog.
· Next on the slate is a four-game series with Culver-Stockton College on Saturday and Sunday Doubleheaders on both days are scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. CT from LaRoche Complex in Fort Scott, Kan. Those four games will precede the spring break journey to Florida. The Wildcats of Canton, Mo., entered this week at 4-6 overall.
Softball
· The 2023 season kicked off with the 2023 Kansas City NAIA Softball Invite held in Shawnee, Kan. During the two-day stay in the KC area, the Bulldogs took on four teams from the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The invite saw Concordia defeat Missouri Valley College, 6-3, and Benedictine College (Kan.), 5-2, while dropping games at the hands of MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 11-6, and to Baker University (Kan.). The weekend marked the official collegiate head coaching debut for Brock Culler, formerly the head coach at Grand Island Central Catholic High School. For more on the Concordia Baseball program, click HERE.
· One of the major stories of the opening weekend for the Bulldogs was the pitching of sophomore Megan Eurich of Gretna, Neb. She tossed two seven-inning complete games and was the winning pitcher in both victories. For the weekend, she allowed five runs on 15 hits and two walks while striking out 12 batters. Veteran lefty Jerzi Rowe started in the circle for the other two games while Brooke Townsend appeared twice in relief. Culler expects to rely on several pitchers to get the job done after the departure of all-conference hurler Camry Moore.
· Sixteen players also saw action this past weekend as position players/substitutes. Four Bulldogs emerged with at least four hits at the invite: Hanna Bowers (5-for-11), Zoie Isom (4-for-12), Kylie Shottenkirk (4-for-12) and Taylor Glause (4-for-14). The returning starting catcher, Glause drove in four runs on Sunday and produced a pair of doubles as part of her weekend. Isom also knocked in four runs while Shottenkirk scored a team high five runs. Returning First Team All-GPAC outfielder Caitlyn McGarvie did not play on Sunday, but she’s expected back this weekend. For game recaps from the weekend, click the following links: Feb. 18 | Feb. 19.
Another trip to Kansas awaits Concordia this weekend. The Bulldogs will play a 1 p.m. CT doubleheader at the University of Saint Mary (Kan.) on Saturday and will then be at Benedictine for a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday. USM is a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. Those two doubleheaders will wrap up the slate for the month of February.