Bulldog Weekly Report (Feb. 28)

By Jacob Knabel on Feb. 28, 2017 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Javier Moreno, Tennis

Moreno, a senior who hails from Morelia, Mexico, went 2-0 at both No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles while helping lead the Bulldogs to team victories over Ottawa University and Tabor College last week. Moreno has been a starter all four years, twice earning All-GPAC recognition.

Female: Dani Andersen, Basketball

Andersen, a Lincoln native, has been tearing it up from long range over the past three games, during which she’s made 11-of-19 shots from beyond the arc. In GPAC postseason play last week, Andersen totaled 19 points in the win over Midland and 12 in the victory over Northwestern.

Wiechman’s path to greatness: Senior Lucas Wiechman went from nearly attending a different school to becoming the national leader in the heptathlon. A GPAC champion in three individual events and as part of a relay team this indoor season, Wiechman is one of the top all-around athletes in the nation. For more on the native of Pilger, Neb., click HERE.

Francisco carried by ‘God’s will’: Ceron Francisco has gone from a fascination – largely because of his stature and physical appearance separated him – to an obvious fan favorite and to one of the most respected student-athletes at Concordia. Says Francisco, “I always say God’s will is what’s been carrying me.” For more on the GPAC wrestler of the year and national tournament bound Bulldog, click HERE.

Dance and cheer complete competition seasons: Head coach Mandi Maser’s dance and cheer squads finished their competition seasons last week at the NAIA Northwest Cheer and Dance Regional hosted by Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. With a total score of 56.42, the dance team placed seventh among the 10 teams. The cheer team garnered a score of 51.38 and placed 10th among the 11 squads that competed. Both teams also went 1-1 in their two dual meets that were held this winter.

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.
--On Monday (Feb. 27), Folkerts garnered another significant honor. He was selected for the men’s Academic All-America® of the Year award by College Sports Information Directors of America. Folkerts has been named a CoSIDA Academic All-American three years in a row.

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.

Women’s Basketball

  • The thrill ride continues into the GPAC tournament championship game for second-ranked Concordia. Last week the Bulldogs cruised through the first two rounds, defeating Midland, 88-69, in the quarterfinals and then Northwestern, 88-51, in the semifinals. Eleventh-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad moved to 30-2 overall and will host the GPAC championship game for the second time in six years. For more information on Concordia women’s basketball, click HERE.
  • The Bulldogs have reached the 30-win mark for the third time under Olson and for the fifth time in program history. Each of the 30-win seasons have come since 2002-03. The top five winningest teams in school annals are 2002-03 (36-2), 20014-15 (35-3), 2011-12 (34-3), 2004-05 (31-5) and 2016-17 (30-2). Concordia would have to win out to equal the program record 36 wins produced by the athletic hall of fame ’02-03 squad that reached the national semifinals. The 2011-12 group is the only team in school history to win both GPAC regular-season and tournament championships.
  • It was a monster week for freshman Philly Lammers. The Omaha native failed to reach double figures in scoring in the final four games of the regular season, but she was back to her dominant self once the postseason began. She totaled 37 points, 13 rebounds, five blocked shots and five steals during the GPAC quarterfinal and semifinal wins. Lammers tops the team in scoring (13.1), rebounding (6.8), blocks (1.22) and field goal percentage (.583).
  • There’s more bad news for Concordia opponents. Two of the team’s top perimeter shooters – Dani Andersen and Brenleigh Daum – are heating up. In postseason play, Andersen is 8-for-16 from 3-point range and has averaged 15.5 points. Daum has knocked down 4-of-8 shots from long range in the conference tournament. Over the last three games, Daum has gone 8-for-13 from beyond the arc while averaging 9.3 points.
  • The Bulldogs have a shot at forcing 1,000 turnovers for the second time in three years. Midland did a respectable job in turning it over 19 times inside Walz Arena on Feb. 22, but Northwestern gave it away 15 times in the first quarter alone and finished with 34 turnovers. Concordia opponents have committed a total of 860 turnovers for an average of 26.9 per game. The Bulldogs rank fifth nationally in turnover margin (plus-9.1).
  • Olson is seeking his sixth career GPAC title as head coach at Concordia. He led his teams to regular-season championships in 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2016-17. He has also captured conference tournament crowns in 2012 and 2015. The 2011-12 squad also hosted the GPAC championship game, which resulted in a 73-66 Bulldog win over Morningside.
  • No team in program history has ever dominated in the manner that this team has. Concordia has won 22 times by margins of 20 points or more. Only twice have the Bulldogs won by a single-digit number. Their scoring margin of plus-25.6 ranks No. 4 among all NAIA Division II teams. By comparison, the 2014-15 squad won by 10 or more 26 times in 38 games. Seventeen of those wins came by 20 or more points.
  • Junior guard Mary Janovich sat out the regular-season finale versus Dordt and then the GPAC quarterfinal game. She returned to the starting lineup against Northwestern, though her minutes were limited to 19. She totaled four points and had a steal. On the year, Janovich is averaging 11.2 points, 3.1 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals. She sports shooting percentages of 53.0 from the field, 44.8 from the 3-point range and 79.7 from the free throw line.
  • The stage is set for the third meeting of the season between Concordia and ninth-ranked Dakota Wesleyan (26-5), the No. 2 seed in the GPAC bracket. The championship game is a rematch of the Feb. 12 matchup that resulted in the Bulldogs’ only conference loss all season. The two sides also met in Seward on Dec. 3 when Concordia held off the then No. 1-ranked Tigers, 85-82. Both teams have earned automatic bids to the national tournament, which begins March 8 in Sioux City, Iowa. The complete national tournament bracket will be unveiled on Wednesday.

Men’s Basketball

  • Concordia’s late season run finally ran out of steam last week when its season ended at Dakota Wesleyan in the GPAC tournament quarterfinals for the third year in a row. The third-seeded Tigers defeated the sixth-seeded Bulldogs, 98-90, on Feb. 22. Having entered the postseason as a team receiving votes in the national poll, fourth-year head coach Ben Limback’s squad needed to make some noise in the league tournament to give itself a shot at qualifying for the national tournament. Instead, Concordia ended the campaign at 21-10 overall. For more information on Bulldog men’s basketball, click HERE.
  • Concordia played at a national tournament level throughout the second half of the season. Following a 93-89 home overtime loss to then sixth-ranked Northwestern, the Bulldogs sat at 7-6 overall and at 2-5 in the GPAC. They closed the season by winning 14 of 18 games overall and eight of 11 inside the conference. That 18-game stretch included road victories over three ranked opponents: No. 7 Dakota Wesleyan, No. 21 Saint Thomas University (Fla.) and No. 22 Florida Memorial University. Concordia also knocked off eventual GPAC regular-season champion Briar Cliff at home, 87-79, and dominated CIT with two triumphs, both by margins greater than 20 points.
  • Last week marked the end of the line for Chandler Folkerts and three other seniors on the 2016-17 roster. Folkerts will go down as one of the greatest players in program history. The Milford native completed his career with all-time school rankings of second in rebounds (868), third in scoring (1,963) and fourth in blocked shots (142). As a senior, Folkerts averaged 18.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 68.6 percent from the field (No. 2 in NAIA Division II). Over his four years, Folkerts played in all 121 games, making 120 starts.
  • The Bulldogs rode one of the nation’s most efficient offenses to their most wins in a single season since the 2004-05 national runner up team went 32-6 overall, setting a school record for wins. This year’s squad boasts national rankings of first in field goal percentage (.528), third in 3-point field goal percentage (.414) and fifth in free throw percentage (.777). The 2016-17 Concordia group broke a school record for scoring average. Its 88.7 average narrowly surpassed the 1993-94 team (88.6) for No. 1 on the list. Five teams in school history have now averaged more than 85.0 points in a season: 2016-17 (88.7), 1993-94 (88.6), 1990-91 (86.4), 2015-16 (85.8) and 1995-96 (85.1).
  • The second most accomplished among the seniors is guard Eli Ziegler, a native of Littleton, Colo. This season he topped the Bulldogs in minutes played (1,007; 32.5 average) while enjoying his best year. He set personal career highs for scoring (16.5), assists (3.9), rebounds (2.8), steals (1.0) and shooting percentage (.482). His career scoring total of 1,194 points puts him 19th on the program’s all-time list. Ziegler also cracked the top 10 for assists with 273. He played in 119 games over the past four years, missing only two contests in his career.
  • Though three senior starters (Seth Curran, Folkerts and Ziegler) will depart, the 2017-18 season shows promise based on the way the team’s underclassmen took off during the second half of the season. Over the final eight games, freshman Clay Reimers averaged 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 75.9 percent (41-for-54) from the field. Fellow freshman Jake Hornick played 31 minutes in last week’s GPAC quarterfinal and totaled 14 points and six rebounds. Among the rookies, Grand Island native Tanner Shuck led the way with a season scoring average of 10.2. He shot 46.3 percent from beyond the arc (15th best in NAIA Division II).
  • Unfortunately, Concordia’s postseason drought continues. The program has gone eight-consecutive seasons without winning a conference tournament game. The last Bulldog team to win in the postseason was the 2008-09 squad that lost in the GPAC championship tilt at Dakota Wesleyan. Concordia has lost each of its last seven conference tournament games.
  • The Bulldogs played a total of 11 games against teams that owned national rankings at the time of tipoff. Concordia won five of those contests. That total does not include the Jan. 4 victory over Briar Cliff, which was receiving votes at that time. The Chargers have since vaulted up to No. 12 in the national rankings. Of the six losses to top 25 opponents, three came by margins of five points or less.
  • After four years, Limback’s four-year Bulldog coaching record sits at 63-58. His teams have steadily gotten better, going from 8-21 in 2013-14 to 16-15 in 2014-15 to 18-12 in 2015-16 to 21-10 this past season. The 21 wins a are a high water mark for Limback, who also spent nine seasons leading the Concordia University, Ann Arbor men’s basketball program.

Baseball

  • The 2017 season opened up last weekend with a four-game series at Bethany College (Kan.). Three of those contests were decided by a single run. After beginning the series with a 5-4 victory in 12 innings, the Bulldogs fell by scores of 6-5, 18-6 and 5-4 over the final three games. Picked to finish third in the GPAC preseason poll, Concordia is coming off a 2016 season in which it broke the school record win total by going 28-27 overall. Third-year head coach Ryan Dupic went 54-45 over his first two seasons leading the program. For more information on the Bulldog baseball program, click HERE.
  • Dupic employed the same top four hitters for all four games at Bethany. That group consisted of leadoff hitter and third baseman Casey Berg followed by right fielder Christian Montero, first baseman Kaleb Geiger and designated hitter Jason Galeano. Concordia has high hopes for what it can accomplish at the plate. Last season the Bulldogs broke school records for runs scored (395) and home runs (38) in a single season. Both Geiger and Montero were named first team all-conference.
  • Dupic is expecting his pitching staff to improve upon the 6.12 ERA that is posted in 2016. The presence of freshman righty Nick Little provides reason for optimism. The native of Lithia, Fla., got the ball in game one of the season and tossed eight masterful innings. He allowed only two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four. Little moved to the top of the rotation that also includes senior lefty Josh Prater, who took a string of 20.2 scoreless innings in a row into this season. That streak was snapped in the first inning of game 2 of the season-opening doubleheader.
  • Geiger got on the board with his first home run of the campaign. He blasted a two-run shot in the top of the fourth in the season opener. The native of Sedalia, Colo., topped the team with a .605 slugging percentage as a sophomore in 2016. In his third season as a starter, Geiger has nine home runs, 24 doubles and three triples in his 97 career collegiate games. The slugging first baseman is also difficult to strike out. He’s gone down on strikes only 32 times in 325 career at bats.
  • Catcher Ryan Fesmire rapped out four singles in a 4-for-6 performance in the opening game of the season. His weekend also included a hit by pitch and a sacrifice bunt. The native of Firestone, Colo., is one of the most experienced players on the roster having played in 98 games since the start of the 2014 campaign. Fesmire is a career .277 hitters.
  • Dupic used 13 different pitchers to navigate 31 innings of work at Bethany. Other than Little, freshman Wade Council put forth the best statistical effort. Council relieved Little and fired the final four frames of the 12-inning game. Council gave up four hits and four walks, but limited the damage to two unearned runs while picking up his first career win. Council also struck out four.
  • In the opening weekend, Concordia hitters batted .230 with an on-base percentage of .333 and slugging percentage of .349. Three of the team’s eight doubles came off the bat of Montero. Geiger was the only Bulldog to homer at Bethany. He also paced Concordia with four RBIs. Meanwhile, Concordia pitchers put up an ERA of 6.68 and 25 strikeouts in 31 innings. The Swedes (13-5) hit .285 and hit three home runs over the course of the four-game series.
  • The Bulldogs are getting set to leave Nebraska for a trip to the annual Tucson Invitational. From March 4 – 10, Concordia is scheduled to play 10 games in Tucson, Ariz. Up first is Saturday’s doubleheader with Grand View University (Iowa). First pitch is set for 4 p.m. The Bulldogs will also play future GPAC member University of Jamestown (N.D.) on Sunday.

Softball

  • Exactly two weeks after opening the season at the Cowtown Classic (Feb. 10-11) in Fort Worth, Texas, Concordia returned to action against two institutions from the state of Kansas. In contests that took place Feb. 25-26, the Bulldogs split doubleheaders at the University of Saint Mary and at Baker University. Fourth-year head coach Todd LaVelle’s squad is now 6-3 overall this season. For more information on the Concordia softball program, click HERE.
  • Only No. 9 Morningside (8-1) and Doane (7-2) have more wins than Concordia, among GPAC rivals. At the Cowtown Classic, the Bulldogs picked up wins over Bethel College (Kan.), Sterling College (Kan.), Oklahoma Wesleyan University and William Penn University. LaVelle (97-60) needs three more wins to reach 100 during his collegiate coaching career. He also put together a record of 171-91 during his run as head coach at Lincoln North Star High School.
  • Junior Michaela Woodward is off to a sterling start in the circle. She’s given up only seven earned runs in 28 innings, giving her a 1.75 ERA. She’s 3-1 in her four starts – all complete games. She allowed just two earned runs and 10 hits over 14 innings this past weekend. She scattered seven hits and a walk in a shutout of Saint Mary on Feb. 25. In her career, Woodward is 34-20 with a 4.52 ERA in 371.2 innings.
  • Through nine games, center fielder Megan Ruppert possesses the team’s highest batting average (.400). She has at least one hit in eight games and will bring a six-game hitting streak into action this weekend in Tucson. A transfer from McCook Community College, Ruppert has three doubles, a triple, eight runs scored and an RBI so far this season.
  • Senior Kylie Harpst has been solid as the No. 2 pitcher. She has made three starts and has allowed six earned runs in 16.2 innings (2.52 ERA). She’s 1-1 with 16 strikeouts and a save over her four appearances. A transfer from NCAA Division II Pittsburg State University, Harpst owns a career ERA of 3.24 and a 14-12 record in 138.1 innings. She’s also a career .380 hitter as a Bulldog.
  • Five players have started all nine games this season: Harpst, Leah Kalkwarf, Jamie Lefebure, Autumn Owens and Ruppert. Five different pitchers have toed the rubber for Concordia. In addition to Harpst and Woodward, Baily Clear (one appearance), Delaney Nance (two appearances) and AJ Wygant (two appearances) have seen action in the circle in 2017. Harpst and Woodward have combined to throw 44.2 of 61 innings.
  • Over the weekend, Owens connected on her second home run of the season, pushing her career total to 15, most of any active Concordia player. Last season she equaled a school single-season record with nine home runs during a first team all-conference sophomore campaign. The powerful third baseman slugged .692 with 14 doubles, a triple, 99 total bases and 45 RBIs in 2016. In her career, Owens is batting .346 and slugging .614 over 254 at bats.
  • The Bulldogs will soon be taking off for the annual Tucson Invitational. Concordia is scheduled to play nine games from March 5 – 10. On their first day of action, the Bulldogs will play Hiram College (Ohio) and Madonna University (Mich.). Under LaVelle, Concordia has gone 25-5 when playing in Tucson. Last season the Bulldogs went 9-1 during their 10-game run at the Tucson Invitational.

Wrestling

  • Concordia has been idle since winning the NAIA North Qualifier/GPAC tournament title on Feb. 18. First-year head coach Andrew Nicola’s squad finished 2016-17 with dual records of 11-4 overall and 7-0 in the GPAC. Two Bulldogs won regional titles at the qualifying event hosted by Doane. For more information on the Concordia wrestling program, click HERE.
  • Last week the conference announced All-GPAC teams. Seven Bulldogs earned some form of all-conference recognition and Nicola garnered coach of the year honors. Senior heavyweight Ceron Francisco was named the GPAC wrestler of the year and was one of four Bulldogs chosen as first team all-conference selections, joining Ken Burkhardt Jr. (197), Kirk Kaliszewski (165) and Josh Nelsen (184). Alexander Reimers (197) received second team accolades and DJ McIntyre (285) and Dmitri Smith were awarded honorable mention.
  • The GPAC wrestler of the year honor has gone to a Bulldog four years in a row. Francisco is the latest in a line that includes Emilio Rivera (2013-14), Enrique Barajas (2014-15) and Andrew Schulte (2015-16). Francisco will enter the national tournament with a record of 23-2 following his NAIA North Qualifier championship. The native of Fayetteville, N.C., was a perfect 9-0 against conference opponents. At 97-52 in his career, Francisco is three wins away from becoming the program’s second competitor ever to reach 100 victories.
  • 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), Nelsen (184, 3rd) and Reimers (197, 3rd). In addition, 125-pounder Dmitri Smith, 133-pounder Kodie Cole and 285-pounder DJ McIntyre received wild card invitations and Kodie Cole, bringing Concordia’s national tournament roster to nine.
  • 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
  • The season will conclude this weekend at the 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, which will be held at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan., on Friday and Saturday. Concordia has placed in the top 25 three-straight years (eighth in 2016, 12th in 2015 and 22nd in 2014). Among current Bulldogs, three have been All-Americans in the past: Burkhardt Jr. (2015 and 2016), Cole (2015 and 2016) and Francisco (2015). For more information on the national championships, click HERE.

Track & Field

  • Both teams had this past week off from competition after finishes of second (men) and fourth (women) at the GPAC indoor championships in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Feb. 17-18. In the most recent national ratings released by the USTFCCCA, the Concordia men were ranked fourth and the women ninth. For more on information on Bulldog track and field, click HERE.
  • Head coach Matt Beisel will travel a total of 19 athletes to this week’s indoor national championship meet. They have a combined 42 All-America awards and five national titles among them. Zach Lurz (three) and Cody Boellstorff (two) have both won multiple national championships in their distinguished careers. The men have placed inside the top five in each of the last two indoor national meets. The women placed fifth at last year’s indoor national championships. GPAC champion in the shot put, Lurz has 11 total All-America honors in his career. Lurz is one of five Bulldogs with five or more career All-America plaques. The others are Kali Robb (seven), Lucas Wiechman (six), Boellstorff (five) and CJ Muller (five).
  • 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. He was also named the GPAC Most Outstanding Athlete of the Year and was recognized with the GPAC Men’s Field Performance of the Meet for his efforts in the heptathlon. Wiechman was a 2016 indoor All-American in both the heptathlon and the pole vault.
  • 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)
  • The 2017 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships will get underway on Thursday at David E. Walker Track at Gentry Field in Johnson City, Tenn. The three-day meet will conclude on Saturday. For more information on the national championships, click HERE.

Tennis

  • Both Bulldog teams were in action in Lincoln, Neb., over the weekend. It was a fruitful weekend for the Concordia men, who defeated Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference members Ottawa University and Tabor College, both by scores of 6-3. Meanwhile, the Bulldog women dropped matches against those same two institutions. Third-year head coach Joel Reckewey’s squads stand at 2-5 on the men’s side and 0-7 on the women’s side. For more on the Concordia tennis programs: MEN | WOMEN.
  • Reckewey has gotten fine work from sophomore Gabe Poling, who is now 6-0 in singles matches this season. The Chillicothe, Mo., native has played four times at No. 4 and twice at No. 5. Poling went 12-7 last season as a freshman and is now 18-7 in his career as a Bulldog. Last week Poling also teamed up with Javier Moreno for two victories at No. 2 doubles. Moreno matched Poling by going 2-0 last week at the No. 3 singles spot.
  • Through seven matches, the Bulldog men are a combined 17-25 in singles play and 6-15 in doubles. Meanwhile, the women are 9-33 in singles and 2-19 in doubles. Both the men and women have suffered a loss by a 5-4 score this season.
  • In contested matches, the women got a win from freshman Kirsten Wagner at No. 5 versus Ottawa and one from junior Annie Horn at No. 2 against Tabor. Horn (3-4) is the team leader with three singles victories on the year. Kayla Smock (2-4) and Wagner (2-5) both own two singles wins.
  • The men’s and women’s teams will both host Kansas Wesleyan University at 10 a.m. CT on Friday and then Bethel College (Kan.) at 12 p.m. on Saturday. Those matches will take place inside the Walz Fieldhouse.  The men will also hit the road on Sunday and play at Hesston College in Hesston, Kan. First serve is set for 1 p.m.