Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Josie Puelz, Track & Field
Puelz, a Lincoln Lutheran alum, won the GPAC pole vault title last week while clearing 13’ 5” for school and GPAC meet records. A three-time GPAC champion and two-time national champion, Puelz helped lead the Bulldogs to their sixth GPAC team title in a row.
Male: Gage Smith, Basketball
Smith, a native of Elizabeth, Colo., was named the GPAC Player of the Week after tallying 36 points and 26 rebounds over last week’s wins over No. 22 Briar Cliff and Dakota Wesleyan. Smith posted 23 points and 17 rebounds in the dramatic victory over Briar Cliff. He is averaging 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds this season.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Feb. 15 – Calvin Rodhe (track & field) / Kendal Brigham (basketball)
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/Dance teams both earn one dual win while hosting Concordia Cheer & Dance Duals: The Concordia University Competitive Cheer and Dance programs welcomed six cheer and five dance teams to the 2022 Concordia Cheer & Dance Duals hosted inside Friedrich Arena this past Saturday (Feb. 19). Each of the squads went through two rounds of performances. In its two duals, Bulldog Cheer fell to Dickinson State University (N.D.) before picking up a win over Waldorf. Head Coach Mandi Maser’s team posted scores of 75.80 and 74.55 on the day. Meanwhile, Concordia Dance placed third in a triangular with Hastings and Missouri Baptist University and then won a dual over College of Saint Mary. The Bulldogs earned scores of 68.25 and 72.90 on the day. Following the competition, Concordia also recognized six cheer/dance seniors: BrookeAnne Duerr, Danielle Larsen, Haleigh Fitzsimmons, Josie Oberdieck, Isabel Sermeno and Naomy Snider. The Bulldogs now look forward to competing at the 2022 GPAC Cheer Championships and GPAC Dance Championships/NAIA Regional Qualifier. The dance competition will begin at 3 p.m. CT from Doane on Friday. Cheer will also take place at Doane and will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday. For more on last week’s competition, check out the recaps linked below.
-Cheer Recap | Dance Recap
Shooting Sports ready to open spring portion of season: There will likely be a lot of emotion surrounding the start of the spring season for Concordia Shooting Sports. The team will compete in an event without Head Coach Scott Moniot for the first time when it takes part in the Lindenwood University Spring Open this Saturday and Sunday in St. Charles, Mo. Moniot was called to be with the Lord on Nov. 20, 2021. In the fall of 2021, the program enjoyed some of its greatest successes to date, winning team championships at the Concordia Bulldog Invitational and Hastings Bronco Invitational while placing second at the conference shoot. Moniot led the Bulldogs to a Prairie Circuit Conference title in 2020. Members of the team plan to wear “Shooting for Scott” t-shirts at this weekend’s competition. For more on Concordia Shooting Sports, click HERE.
Wild finish catches ESPN’s attention: The wild finish to last week’s 74-73 Concordia Men’s Basketball win over Briar Cliff gained national attention. The game-winning play came on a length-of-the-court alley-oop pass from Carter Kent to Tristan Smith, who laid the ball of the glass for two. The play wound up appearing on shows such as SportsCenter, College GameDay and Around The Horn and was written about by Barstool Sports. The final 15 seconds of the game featured three lead changes. For more coverage of the incredible moment, click HERE.
Laune joins Concordia Football staff: Head Coach Patrick Daberkow has his full-time staff in place for the 2022 Concordia Football season. On Feb. 18, the program announced the addition of alum Trent Laune, who has spent the past nine seasons as Defensive Coordinator at two separate NCAA Division III schools. Laune will serve as the Special Teams Coordinator for the Bulldogs. A void existed on the staff after Reggie Corbin took the Offensive Coordinator position at another NAIA school. For more details on Laune, click 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.
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.
Men’s Basketball
· The Bulldogs ride into the postseason following a thrilling finish to the regular season. Everything Concordia needed to happen in order to share the GPAC regular season title, did happen. The Bulldogs pulled off an all-time classic win, 74-73, over No. 22 Briar Cliff on Feb. 16 and then went to the Corn Palace and dominated Dakota Wesleyan, 86-70, on Feb. 19. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad finished the regular season at 22-6 overall and at 15-5 in league play. Concordia tied Briar Cliff for first place in the final GPAC standings. For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· For those who haven’t yet seen the game-winning play versus Briar Cliff, it can be viewed HERE. The Lincoln Journal Star caught up with Tristan Smith last week after his alley-oop layup off an incredible length-of-the-court in-bounds pass from Carter Kent turned a potential heartbreaking defeat into a jubilant victory. That play followed a go-ahead double-clutch 3-point shot made by the Chargers’ Jaden Kleinhesselink with 1.0 second left on the clock. Prior to that, Carter Kent had drained an elbow jumper to put the Bulldogs in front, 72-70. Just barely, Concordia managed to avenge its loss to Briar Cliff from mid-November.
· Not since the 1995-96 season had the program earned a conference regular season championship. At that time, Limback was a player for then Head Coach Grant Schmidt and the Bulldogs competed as a member of the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference. The ’95-96 team went 24-6 overall and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the NAIA coaches’ poll. Since then, Concordia has won three GPAC tournament titles (2003, 2005 and 2020). The 15 GPAC wins in 2021-22 broke the program record for conference wins in a season. The previous standard of 14 was achieved by the 2004-05 and 2020-21 squads.
· Doane’s 63-41 upset of Briar Cliff on Feb. 18 gave the Bulldogs a chance to pull even atop the standings. Concordia took advantage with a fine performance at the Corn Palace over the weekend. The Bulldogs committed only four turnovers, won the rebound battle, 35-27, and shot 46.0 percent from the floor and 50 percent (9-for-18) from beyond the arc. All five starters reached double figures in scoring: Noah Schutte (20), AJ Watson (17), Justin Wiersema (15), Gage Smith (13) and Carter Kent (12). Smith also produced nine rebounds and five assists. The success on the road was a positive sign. Concordia went 5-5 in GPAC road games during the regular season.
· By way of tiebreakers, Briar Cliff was awarded the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament and an automatic berth to the national tournament. The Bulldogs do not yet have an auto bid, but it’s safe to make plans for the opening round of the national tournament. Concordia is a lock thanks to a strong season profile. The Bulldogs remain the GPAC’s highest rated team in both the Massey Ratings (15th) and the official RPI (16th). Concordia has also been a more impressive statistical team than Briar Cliff. It ranks No. 1 in the GPAC within conference games in net efficiency (.114) and in average scoring margin (+7.5).
· In the win over Briar Cliff, Kent totaled 18 points in addition to that pass that had everyone buzzing. That outing pushed Kent to No. 8 on the program’s all-time scoring list as he surpassed former teammate Tanner Shuck (1,579). Entering the week, Kent’s total now sits at 1,607 career points. He’s just one point behind Matt List (1,608) at No. 7 on the list. The Crete High School product has a shot at finishing in the top five with the conference and national tournaments yet to come. Within range are No. 6 Rick Dietze (1,625) and No. 5 Devin Smith (1,659). Also last week, Kent was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree for the third-straight year.
· While his younger brother Tristan got all kinds of love for the game-winning layup, Gage Smith put together a rock solid week. He enjoyed a monster effort versus Briar Cliff: 23 points and 17 rebounds. His combined totals in last week’s two wins were 36 points, 26 rebounds and six assists. Gage actually had two games last season with more than 17 rebounds: 19 versus Manhattan Christian College (Kan.) and 18 versus Northwestern. The native of Elizabeth, Colo., is averaging 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and should be on track for All-GPAC honors again this season.
· As the No. 2 seed in the GPAC tournament, the Bulldogs will host seventh-seeded Morningside (14-11, 11-9 GPAC) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT from Friedrich Arena. The winner will advance to play in the semifinals on Saturday (time TBA) against either third-seeded Northwestern or sixth-seeded Doane. A win on Wednesday for Concordia would guarantee it a home game on Saturday. The championship game will take place next Tuesday (March 1).
Track & Field
· The 2022 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships are in the books. At meet’s conclusion, the Concordia women were circling the track at Doane in celebration of another GPAC title. The Bulldogs took first place while piling up 194.5 points, outdistancing second-place Hastings (163). On the men’s side, Concordia placed fourth with 67 points. The top three GPAC men’s teams were Doane (198), Dordt (177) and Mount Marty (87). Bulldog athletes combined for six GPAC event championships. For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.
· Make that six GPAC championship meet titles in a row for the Bulldog women’s program. The streak began with the 2019 conference indoor meet. If not for the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor season (due to COVID-19), the streak may have hit seven by now. During the run of four-straight GPAC indoor titles, Concordia has recorded respective team point totals of 173.5, 193, 217 and 194.5. The dominance of the women’s program has been impressive after the 2018 Bulldogs turned in GPAC place finishes of fourth for indoor and third for outdoor. Prior to the current streak, the Concordia women’s program had won three conference titles in the GPAC era (2000-present).
· The individual GPAC champions last week were Zach Bennetts (pole vault), Morgan De Jong (weight throw), Rylee Haecker (mile and 1,000 meters), Jordan Koepke (600 meters) and Josie Puelz (pole vault). De Jong and Puelz were repeat GPAC champions while Bennetts, Haecker and Koepke each collected their first career GPAC titles. Puelz came through with a starring performance that saw her break the GPAC meet record and her own school record by clearing 13’ 5.” That vault pushed her to No. 1 on the current NAIA leaderboard.
· Below is a list of the Bulldogs who achieved marks over the seven weekends of indoor 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 22 automatic national qualifying standards, 20 ‘B’ standards and two pentathlon point totals that rank in the top 15 of 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 – A, shot put (44’ 3 ¼”); B, weight throw (51’ 10”)
o Elena Batenhorst – No. 15 in NAIA in pentathlon (3,177)
o Rachel Battershell – A, 400 meters (56.77)
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 (56’ 7 ½”)
o Abigail Gerber – A, weight throw (55’ 9 ¾”); B, shot put (44’)
o Rylee Haecker – A, 1,000 meters (2:56:11); A, 800 meters (2:16.34); B, mile (5:10.18)
o Kylahn Heritage – B, mile (5:10.44)
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’ 5”)
o Sarah Ragland – A, weight throw (57’)
o Amy Richert – No. 2 in NAIA in pentathlon (3,500); A, long jump (18’ 5 ¾”); B, high jump (5’ 5”); B, 60 hurdles (9.14)
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”)
· Two new ‘A’ standards came out of the GPAC Championships. Two-time 400 meter national champion Rachel Battershell broke out with an automatic time of 57.52 (converted to 56.77) on the national list. Battershell placed second in the event behind Northwestern’s Kennedy Kramer. In the women’s shot put, Jordyn Anderson hit the ‘A’ standard with a mark of 44’ 3 ¼.” Teammate Abigail Gerber (44’) was just a few inches shy of that distance and ranks 14th in the NAIA (meaning her mark could become an ‘A’ standard).
· Rylee Haecker has enjoyed a beast of an indoor season. The Davenport, Neb., native was also an All-GPAC honoree and NAIA national qualifier during cross country season. She rose to the occasion last week with two GPAC titles with personal bests in both the mile (5:13.25) and the 1,000 meters (2:58.03). After conversion, Haecker sprang up to No. 4 on the NAIA national list in the 1,000 meters (2:56.11). She was an All-American in that event a year ago. Teammate Kylahn Heritage finished second in the mile. Heritage was the 2021 GPAC indoor 1,000 meter champ.
· On the first day of the GPAC meet, Amy Richert also broke a school record while finishing with 3,479 points in the pentathlon. That total surpassed the previous program standard of 3,410 points by Jessica Deterding in 2019. An all-around fine athlete, Richert (Gresham, Neb.) totaled 20 team points herself while also placing fourth in the high jump, fifth in the long jump and sixth in the 60 hurdles.
· Many other noteworthy performances were turned in at the GPAC Championships. Read a detailed recap of the meet HERE. For those who qualify, the indoor season will continue with the 2022 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships to be staged at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D., March 3-5. The event was also held there in 2019 and 2020 before shifting to Yankton, S.D., in 2021. Official national qualifiers will be announced later this week.
Women’s Basketball
· Had a couple of plays gone differently down the stretch, Concordia could have easily put together another 2-0 week. The Bulldogs held what may have been their final home game of the season on Feb. 16 and suffocated Briar Cliff in a 62-43 win. Then on Feb. 19, Concordia fell, 71-67, at Dakota Wesleyan after it had trailed by 15 points in the first half. The Bulldogs split their seasons series with both the Chargers and Tigers. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad enters the postseason at 16-12 overall (13-9 GPAC). It finished in a tie for fifth in the GPAC regular season standings. For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· Some may be wondering what the prospects are for the Bulldogs in terms of potential at-large selection into the national tournament. Concordia did not receive votes in the most recent NAIA coaches’ poll, but that now has very little (if any at all) bearing on the selection process. More importantly, the Bulldogs landed at No. 6 in the most recent North/Central ARC rankings and sport the No. 36 ranking in the official NAIA RPI. According to the NAIA’s calculations, Concordia has played the NAIA’s fourth most challenging schedule. Using the RPI, the Bulldogs own wins over No. 7 Wayland Baptist (Texas), No. 22 Northwestern, No. 40 Briar Cliff, No. 50 Dakota Wesleyan and No. 52 Dakota State University (S.D.).
· As part of senior night last week, Concordia raced out to a 24-6 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. That’s not to say everything came easy. Both teams struggled offensively over the final three quarters. The Bulldogs managed to hold Briar Cliff to a grand total of 13 baskets (13-for-59) and forced 22 turnovers. Concordia got enough offense from the likes of Taysha Rushton (21 points), Taylor Farrell (11 points) and Sadie Powell (nine points). In what could have been her final career game at Friedrich Arena, Rylee Pauli collected 10 rebounds and tallied five points and one steal.
· Concordia has had Dakota Wesleyan’s number, having won 12 of the previous 14 matchups entering this past weekend’s clash at the Corn Palace. In the latest meeting, the Tigers built a 15-point lead early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs finally took their first lead of the game (65-64) when Rushton banked in a 3-pointer with 3:10 left in the game. However, Concordia ran dry over the final three minutes and DWU capitalized by making 7-of-8 free throw attempts down the stretch. The Bulldogs lost despite having advantages in shooting percentage (39.1 to 36.8) and in turnover margin (plus-eight). The Tigers had the upper hand on the boards, 41-33.
· With Concordia making more liberal use of the press in recent games, the turnover counts have gone up for Bulldog opponents. Over the past four outings, Concordia has forced respective turnover totals of 28, 23, 22 and 19 for an average of 23.0 per game. On the season as a whole, Bulldog foes have averaged 18.1 turnovers per game. Contrary to previous seasons, the Bulldogs rank towards the middle of the pack in the GPAC in steals per game at 7.5. Individually, Pauli and Mackenzie Toomey pace the team with averages of 1.8 thefts per contest (seventh in the GPAC).
· Pauli is the most prominent member of the current senior class (both Abby Aplaca and Mackenzie Koepke have been sidelined all season by injuries). Over four seasons as a Bulldog, Pauli has compiled 608 points, 521 rebounds, 166 steals and 123 assists. Pauli is nearing the program’s top 25 all-time in rebounds and is in the top 30 in steals. Over last week’s action, she hauled in a combined 18 rebounds and swiped four steals. Her 20 points at Dakota Wesleyan equaled a career high. Pauli and Koepke were part of the rotation for the 2018-19 national championship team.
· Rushton should have solidified another First Team All-GPAC selection with the way she closed the regular season. Over the final eight games of the regular season, Rushton averaged 22.4 points per game while shooting 44.9 percent (66-for-147) from the floor and 39.7 percent (29-for-73) from 3-point range. The Midland, Texas, native currently ranks third among GPAC players in scoring average at 18.1. The top two are Doane’s Mak Hatcliff (24.2) and Dordt’s Ashtyn Veerbeek (18.7). With 143 career 3-point field goals, Rushton already ranks No. 12 in program history in that category. She’s pushed her career point total to 934.
· For a change, the Bulldogs will venture on the road for the GPAC quarterfinals. As the No. 6 seed, they will be right back at the Corn Palace to take on third-seeded Dakota Wesleyan (23-7, 15-7 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday. The winner will advance to play in the semifinals on Saturday against either second-seeded Dordt or seventh-seeded Jamestown (time TBA). The championship game will take place next Tuesday (March 1).
Wrestling
· The season is nearing the end following the completion of the 2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships. The event was hosted Feb. 18-19 in Mitchell, S.D., by Dakota Wesleyan and saw the Bulldogs place sixth as a team with 63 points. Seven of the 12 Concordia competitors contributed points to that total with six of them earning place finishes within their respective weight classes. The sixth place GPAC tournament finish followed a tie for sixth in the GPAC regular season dual standings. For more information on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs will send Mario Ybarra (133) and Jacob Telles (285) to the national tournament. Ybarra earned an automatic bid thanks to his GPAC runner up finish at 133. Meanwhile, Telles placed third in the conference at heavyweight spot and was selected by league coaches as a wild card to the national tournament. Both competitors also appeared at the 2021 national tournament (Ybarra will make his third appearance at nationals). Other place finishes were claimed by Issiah Burks (fourth at 165), TJ Huber (fourth at 174), Jose Sanchez (fifth at 165) and Isaac Agabin (sixth at 125). Based on the NAIA national rankings, the GPAC was allocated 20 automatic berths that were handed out after each bracket was finished this past weekend.
· Ybarra, Burks (165), TJ Huber (174) and Telles (285) each began the second day of the GPAC tournament in the semifinals after collecting wins on day one. Ybarra was the only one of the four to advance to the GPAC finals. The Scottsbluff, Neb., native made his way to the title bout by taking decisions over Northwestern’s Manuel Jaramillo and Morningside’s Logan Stumpf. Unfortunately, Ybarra was unable to avenge one of his two losses during the regular season. He lost in the tiebreaker, 6-1, to Taylor Vasquez of Morningside. Both Ybarra and Vasquez receive auto bids to the national tournament.
· The 2021 GPAC heavyweight champion, Telles gave it a good run on day two. He lost a 4-3 GPAC semifinal decision in a near upset of Doane’s Odgerel Batkhishig, ranked as the NAIA’s No. 2 heavyweight. Telles finished the tournament with three victories, including two on Saturday, which came over Jamestown’s Ramiro Varas Macias and Ian Howell. A native of Albuquerque, N.M., Telles leads the team with 20 wins. Through two seasons in the Bulldog singlet, Telles has already racked up 53 career wins.
· Seven of the 12 Bulldogs at the conference tournament registered at least one win. Sanchez notched three victories, including one on day two over Midland’s Kody Hahn, 5-3. After beginning the tournament in the quarterfinals, it took only one win on the weekend for Isaac Agabin to be able to place sixth at 125 pounds. At 174, Hunter Weimer won two matches by decision before being eliminated. The other five wrestlers to represent Concordia in Mitchell were Conner Burrus (141), Jeaven Scdoris (149), Anthony Perez (157), Tavoris Smith (157) and Jovon Howe (184).
· On the season, the following Concordia wrestlers have claimed at least 10 wins: Jacob Telles (20-7), TJ Huber (15-11), Thomas Ivey (14-4), Tavoris Smith (14-18), Mario Ybarra (13-3), Mason Garcia (13-5), Issiah Burks (12-11), Isaac Agabin (12-15) and Conner Burrus (10-9). Collectively, Bulldog grapplers have combined for 28 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.
· The season continues for Ybarra and Telles, who will be headed to Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan., for the 2022 NAIA Wrestling National Championships on March 4-5. Ybarra will be looking to improve upon his seventh-place national finish at 133 pounds last year. Meanwhile, Telles will attempt to earn his first ever wins on the national stage. The national field includes a total of 280 individual qualifiers.
Baseball
· The 2022 season got underway last Tuesday (Feb. 15) and continued over the weekend. The Bulldogs are out to a 5-1 start that includes a doubleheader split at Baker University (Kan.) and single wins over William Woods University (Mo.), University of Saint Mary (Kan.), Viterbo University (Kan.) and William Penn University (Iowa). The latter four games were played at a neutral site in Joplin, Mo. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s program is coming off a 2021 season that saw it sweep GPAC regular season and postseason titles and appear at the NAIA World Series. For more information on Concordia Baseball, click HERE.
· Naturally, expectations are high for this spring. The Bulldogs appeared atop the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll and are currently ranked 18th in the NAIA coaches’ poll. The program has continued to raise the bar under Dupic, who last season moved past 200 career wins as Concordia’s skipper. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, the Bulldogs have won a combined four GPAC championships (three regular season, one tournament) and have appeared at the national tournament three times.
· Over the first six games, Concordia has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 61-15. Leadoff hitter Jayden Adams has picked up where he left off last season while starting 13-for-25 (.520) with 10 runs, four doubles, a home run and eight RBIs. A couple of newcomers have made a positive first impression as Ty Nekoliczak is 7-for-12 with five RBIs and Jaidan Quinn is 8-for-15 with three doubles and five RBIs. As a team, the Bulldogs are hitting .364 with 21 doubles, two homers, a .458 on-base percentage and a .508 slugging percentage. The team’s top sluggers have plenty of time to get going from a home run perspective.
· As for the pitching, Dupic has mixed and matched throughout the early going while using 13 different hurlers so far this season. The top two spots in the starting rotation have been manned by Caden Bugarske and Alex Johnson, who have fired eight shutout innings apiece. Out of the bullpen, Caden Johnson has dominated in tossing six scoreless frames with 12 strikeouts. Through 43 innings of work, the staff owns a 2.51 ERA and has recorded 57 strikeouts. Opposing hitters are batting .222.
· Below is a list of the scores last week. For recaps from each of the games, check out the Concordia Baseball website page linked above.
o Feb. 15 at Baker: lost 3-0, won 7-2.
o Feb. 19 vs. William Woods: won 11-4.
o Feb. 19 vs. Saint Mary: won 21-2
o Feb. 20 vs. Viterbo: won 14-3
o Feb. 20 vs. William Penn: won 8-1.
· Next on the slate for the Bulldogs is a four-game series at College of the Ozarks, set for Saturday and Sunday in Point Lookout, Mo. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday (originally scheduled for Friday-Saturday). In last season’s series, Concordia took three of four from the Bobcats. Those games are the final ones on the slate prior to the team’s spring break trip to Florida from March 5-12.
Softball
· Tatum Edwards made her debut as Head Coach over the past two days while leading the Bulldogs into road doubleheaders with Benedictine College (Kan.) and the University of Saint Mary (Kan.). Concordia split both twin bills, taking the first game at Benedictine and the second contest at Saint Mary. In the early going, Edwards broke in new starters at six of the nine position player openings in the lineup. For more information on Concordia Softball, click HERE.
· Edwards takes over a program that is coming off a national tournament appearance in 2021. Last season’s team went 32-13 overall and advanced to the GPAC Championship Series. The key returners from that squad are All-GPAC honorees in Cailtyn McGarvie (first team), Camry Moore (first team) and Kylee Nixon (honorable mention). The likes of Moore and Nixon helped the Bulldogs to a combined record of 72-27 over the 2019 through 2021 seasons. In the preseason, Concordia landed at No. 4 in the GPAC coaches’ poll.
· Not so surprisingly, Moore has jumped out to a fine start that has seen her go 8-for-15 with four runs and four RBIs at the plate. As a pitcher, she’s fired 13 innings, allowing four earned runs while striking out 15. In the season opener, Moore notched her 40th career pitching win, putting her in sole possession of fourth on the program’s all-time wins list. The only pitchers with more wins are Mindy Evans (83), Nicole Sempek (66) and Michaela Woodward (48). Entering this season, Moore’s career 2.11 ERA ranked No. 2 on the program’s all-time list.
· After four games, four regulars are hitting better than .300: Kylie Shottenkirk (.583; 7-for-12), Moore (.533; 8-for-15), Zoie Isom (.400; 4-for-10) and Nixon (.333; 5-for-15). Nixon has produced two doubles and a triple. A freshman from Lincoln North Star High School, Shottenkirk has made an immediate impact. Not only does she lead the team in batting average, she’s also driven in five runs and has stolen five bases. As a team, the Bulldogs have recorded 15 steals. They are also hitting .267 with five doubles, a triple, a .363 on-base percentage and .328 slugging percentage.
· Edwards became the program’s sixth head coach during the GPAC era. In previous stops as an assistant, Edwards worked at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Purdue University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. As a star Cornhusker student-athlete, Edwards twice earned All-America honors and was named the 2013 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. Edwards’ staff at Concordia includes graduate assistants Bre Hamilton, Tristen Edwards (younger sister) and Alan Moore. The previous three head coaches all had records well above .500 leading the Bulldogs: Shawn Semler (72-27), Todd LaVelle (146-92) and Frank Greene (293-212-1).
· The Bulldogs were originally scheduled to host Mayville State University (N.D.) for a four-game series this Friday and Saturday (first pitch at 4 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday). However, the series was canceled due to cold conditions. As of now, the the Friends Invitational (March 4-5) is next on the schedule. That event precedes a trip to Tucson, Ariz., over spring break.
Tennis
· The spring season has started up for the Bulldogs, whose men’s and women’s teams both competed in two tournaments and two duals back in the fall. Head Coach Cam Long put his squads up against a formidable foe this past weekend as Concordia hosted NCAA Division III Colorado College. The results were a 5-2 defeat for the men and a 7-0 loss for the women. The overall records now stand at 1-2 on the women’s side and 0-3 on the men’s side. For more information on Concordia Tennis, click here: MEN | WOMEN.
· As a refresher, the Bulldogs are coming off 2021 seasons that saw the women share the GPAC regular season title while the men placed second in the conference regular season standings and reached the GPAC tournament final. Those achievements had never before done in program history. In the latest GPAC ratings that were released on Feb. 14, Concordia appeared at No. 2 on the men’s side and at No. 3 on the women’s side. The conference favorites are the Morningside women and Midland men. As for the Bulldogs, the men’s team is much more experienced than the women’s squad. The men’s roster features four prominent seniors.
· The men were defeated by Colorado College despite sweeping through doubles. The victorious doubles combos for Concordia included Eduardo Luzzi and Juan Rabellino at No. 1, Eduardo Rojas and Jack Kitson at No. 2 and Joe Bindl and Jeremiah Berryman at No. 3. The respective scores were 7-6, 6-4 and 6-4. It was a 2-0 day for Kitson, who also outlasted Nate Beerman in a tiebreaker at No. 5 singles. Long’s singles lineup also featured Luzzi at No. 1, Isaac Howes at No. 2, Rojas at No. 3, Shawn Springer at No. 4 and Bindl at No. 6. Springer was involved in a close battle that went to his counterpart, 7-5, 6-4. After dropping the first set, Howes fell in the second, 7-5, in another heated contest. As part of its weekend in Nebraska, Colorado College (2-2) was defeated at Midland on Friday, 5-2.
· The women were not as competitive with the strong Tiger opponent. After losing at Midland, 5-2, on Friday, Colorado College (1-3) rebounded in a big way. The Tigers won every set, including several in convincing fashion. In the matchup at No. 1, the Bulldogs’ Sofia Morales was upended, 6-1, 6-2, by Christina Heffron. The rest of the Concordia singles lineup included Tara Ferrel at No. 2, Tessa Blough at No. 3, Brooke Hosick at No. 4, Megan Hakes at No. 5 and Kylie Freudenburg at No. 6. In doubles, Colorado College gained the upper hand while winning by respective scores of 6-2 at No. 1, 6-0 at No. 2 and 6-2 at No. 3. The Bulldogs went with the same six players in both singles and doubles.
· For an in-depth look at both teams, check out the season previews that were released two weeks ago: men’s preview | women’s preview. Long is in his first season as head coach after previously serving as the top assistant at NCAA Division III Centre College in Dansville, Ky. The Dubuque, Iowa, native played collegiate tennis at Luther College. Long also spent a season assisting Liberty High School (Iowa). He graduated from Luther with a B.A. in Data Science.
· Both teams are scheduled to play twice this week on the same days and against the same opposing schools. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs will be at Grand View University (Iowa) for a first serve at 11 a.m. CT. They will then host Bethany College (Kan.) at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Those Saturday matches will be on the outdoor courts if the weather allows.