Bulldog Athletics Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: JJ Jones, Basketball
A junior from Omaha, Neb., Jones posted 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting and swiped two steals in 10th-ranked Concordia’s 111-43 road win over Waldorf. Jones is averaging 7.5 points per game this season. She is a Criminal Justice major.
Male: Hayden Kluthe, Track & Field
A junior from Ord, Neb., Kluthe broke the school record in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.04 (an NAIA B standard) at the Concordia Classic. Kluthe also helped the 4x400-meter relay to a season best time of 3:23.12. He is studying Exercise Science.
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Month
December – Brooks Kissinger (basketball) / Adysen McCarter (track & field)
November – Ava Greene (volleyball) / Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
October – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Adam Van Cleave (football)
September – Carson Fehlhafer (football) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Week
Jan. 27 – Zac Kulus (basketball); Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
Jan. 20 – Hayden Kluthe (track & field); Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
Jan. 13 – Cole Price (wrestling); Ayla Roth (women’s basketball)
Dec. 16 – Jonny Jurchen (track & field); Adysen McCarter (track & field)
Dec. 9 – Ashley Keck (volleyball); Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
Dec. 2 – Brooks Kissinger (basketball); Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Nov. 18 – Oliver Benson (soccer); Braxtyn Koch (football); Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Nov. 11 – Ava Greene (volleyball); Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
Nov. 4 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer); Hugo Garrote (soccer)
Oct. 28 – Keeli Green (cross country); Vaughn Hendrickson (cross country)
Oct. 21 – Addie Kirkegaard (volleyball) / Taylor Slaymaker (soccer); Adam Van Cleave (football)
Oct. 14 – Oliver Benson (soccer); Kierstynn Garner (soccer)
Oct. 7 – Carlos Collazo (football); Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 30 – Hugo Fuentes & Nick Velders (tennis) / Peyton Atwood (football); Sadie Mares (soccer)
Sept. 23 – Oliver Balazs (soccer); Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 16 – Carson Fehlhafer (football); Ella Waters (volleyball)
Sept. 9 – Sam Blevins (shooting sports); Molli Martin (volleyball)
Sept. 2 – Emery Custer (golf); Slade Leicht (soccer)
Aug. 26 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer); Ashley Keck (volleyball); Sean Stratman (soccer)
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday (when classes are in session) 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.
Basketball programs to honor all-time All-Americans on Saturday: As part of Saturday’s home doubleheader versus Morningside, the basketball programs will honor their all-time All-Americans. The program record books include a total of 24 women’s basketball All-Americans and 23 men’s basketball All-Americans. We provided notes on each of them and their collegiate accomplishments in an article that can be found HERE. A number of those All-Americans plan to be in attendance on Saturday.
Spring sport season previews: Women’s Tennis was the first of Concordia’s spring sports to get going with official competition this semester. The Baseball and Softball programs will soon follow with their opening days. Check out season preview articles linked below for a detailed look at squads guided by coaches Brock Culler, Ryan Dupic and Lisa Hart.
SEASON PREVIEWS:
--Baseball
--Softball
--Men’s Tennis
--Women’s Tennis
This week’s spring sport schedule: It’s full go this week for many of Concordia’s spring sport teams. Below is a summary of what is slated for this week for squads coached by Brock Culler, Ryan Dupic and Lisa Hart.
--Baseball: Slated to play four games in Oklahoma City, Feb. 7-8. Concordia will place twice against both Bellevue University and Oklahoma City University. View the baseball schedule HERE.
--Softball: Scheduled for six games from Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 5-7) at the Southern Collegiate Sports – NAIA Softball Invitational in Mesquite, Texas. The Texas swing includes a matchup with No. 2 Oklahoma City University. For full details, view the softball schedule HERE.
--M/W Tennis: Both tennis squads will welcome Sterling College (Kan.) to the Fieldhouse on Saturday. First serve is set for 10 a.m. CT. Check out the full tennis schedules here: MEN | WOMEN.
Powerlifting resumes action with Nebraska State Powerlifting Meet: Five Bulldogs represented Concordia Powerlifting at 2026 USA Powerlifting Nebraska State Championship held in Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Most notably, junior Will Peterson won the junior division title at 140 kilograms. Meanwhile, Pryce Ostermeier and Hunter Powers placed second and third, respectively, in the 82.5 kg weight class. The outing represented the first of the second semester for either powerlifting or weightlifting. As for weightlifting, the program will host the CUNE Weightlifting Open on Feb. 28. Both squads will compete at national championship events in mid-April with the locations being Kenner, La., for powerlifting and Salt Lake City, Utah, for weightlifting.
Damrow, Garner, Keck named First Team Academic All-Americans: Three Bulldogs were named 2025 First Team Academic All-Americans by College Sports Communicators over the past several weeks. The award winners are Brevin Damrow of football, Kierstynn Garner of women’s soccer and Ashley Keck of volleyball. A total of 21 Concordia student-athletes also received Academic All-District accolades from CSC from the sports of football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball. Last week, the athletic communications office released on profile on Keck. That feature can be read HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show has returned for an 11th year. 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 2025-26 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, basketball and volleyball. In addition, Eric Allgood will call select volleyball matches in place of Cyza.
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 with the 2023-24 academic year, Concordia Athletics began a partnership with Hudl for live video 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 via the Hudl account. For select JV streams, check out that specific sport’s Facebook page.
Indoor Track & Field
· Number of 2025-26 Meets: 5.
· Last week:
o Hosted the Concordia Classic on Jan. 30-31.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS Performance Lists
· Notable: Home meet No. 3 of the indoor season was a marathon affair. Fifteen institutions were represented at the Concordia Classic, which was highlighted by a series of new standards set on the track. Junior Hayden Kluthe broke the men’s school record in the 60-meter hurdles (8.04), senior Adrianna Rodencal set a new women’s 60-meter hurdles Fieldhouse standard (8.43) and freshman Avery Eaves sprinted his way to the fastest nonconverted 60-meter dash time (6.90) in the history of Concordia Track & Field. Concordia Classic event championships were won by Eaves, Kluthe, Rodencal, Keith Siek (1,000 meters) and Thomas Thomas (unseeded weight throw). In the 3,000-meter racewalk, Jonny Jurchen (12:44.17) and Jack Habegger (13:33.52) both repeated NAIA auto times – with Habegger clocking a personal best. The fresh B standards were turned in by Kluthe and Nathan Baldwin in the weight throw. From a team perspective, Head Coach Matt Beisel’s men’s and women’s squads both checked in at No. 10 in the NAIA national ratings released last week by the USTFCCCA. The coaches’ association will release another set of ratings each Wednesday through the remainder of the indoor season. The Bulldogs will venture away from home this weekend for the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational and for the Fred Beile Classic hosted by Doane. The final home meet of the indoor season will be the Concordia Invitational on Feb. 14.
· For additional news and notes on the track & field programs, click HERE.
· This week:
o Friday/Saturday, Feb. 6-7 – Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.
o Saturday, Feb. 7 – Fred Beile Classic at Doane.
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 17-5, 12-4 GPAC; ranked No. 10 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Bye on Jan. 28.
o Won at Waldorf, 111-43, on Jan. 31.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Following a bye in the middle of last week, Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad had no trouble with this past Saturday’s road trip to Waldorf. The Bulldogs trounced the Warriors, 111-43, while forcing 34 turnovers and shooting 51.2 percent (44-for-86) from the field. Five Concordia players reached double figures in scoring: JJ Jones (14), Abbie Kromarek (13), Sammy Leu (11), Makynna Robbins (10) and Kristin Vieselmeyer (10). It marked the team’s third 100-point outing of the season. In addition, Bree Bunting posted six assists and five steals. At 12-4 in league play, the Bulldogs reside in third place in the league standings behind only Dordt (15-1) and Dakota Wesleyan (15-2). Vieselmeyer (887 career points) is creeping up on 900 career points with six games remaining in the regular season. On the season, four Concordia players are averaging at least eight points: Vieselmeyer (11.5), Ayla Roth (10.1), Bunting (9.4) and Leu (8.2). The Bulldogs will get back to playing twice this week as they travel to Doane and then host Morningside. As part of Saturday’s festivities, Concordia will pay tribute to the program’s all-time All-Americans, several of whom are expected to be in attendance.
· For additional news and notes on the women’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Feb. 4 at Doane (10-11, 8-9), 6 p.m.
o Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. Morningside (13-10, 8-9), 4 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 15-8, 9-6 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Bye on Jan. 28.
o Won at Waldorf, 96-89 OT), on Jan. 31.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The road has been perilous of late for the Bulldogs, who were tripped up last week by Waldorf, 96-89, in overtime. Concordia rallied from a 14-point second half deficit and nearly won in regulation before finding itself in the extra session. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures: Brooks Kissinger (28), Dane Jacobsen (18), Logan Wilson (18) and Jaxon Stueve (10). The loss followed a Wednesday bye. Kissinger reached the 20-point mark for the 16th time this season. At 9-6 in league play, Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad sits tied for fourth place behind Morningside (14-1), Northwestern (10-5) and Mount Marty (10-6). As part of an up and down season, Concordia has twice defeated the Red Raiders but has also lost to the two bottom teams in the GPAC standings, Hastings and Waldorf. As a positive to last week, Tate Odvody appeared in a game for the first time since mid-December. In addition, Kissinger was recently featured in a segment by 10/11 TV out of Lincoln. That feature can be found HERE. The Bulldogs will look to rebound this week as they travel to Doane and then host Morningside. As part of Saturday’s hoops doubleheader, Concordia will recognize its past All-Americans.
· For additional news and notes on the men’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Feb. 4 at Doane (11-12, 5-10 GPAC), 7:45 p.m.
o Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. Morningside (17-5, 14-1 GPAC), 5:45 p.m.
Cheer / Dance
· Cheer Season Scoring Average: 55.98
· Dance Season Scoring Average: 85.50
· Last week:
o Cheer:
§ Placed 7th/7 (60.16) at the Kansas Wesleyan Invite on Jan. 30.
o Dance:
§ Placed 3rd/9 (87.7) at the Kansas Wesleyan Invite on Jan. 30.
· Cheer Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster
· Dance Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: The second invite of the 2026 season took the Bulldogs to Salina, Kan., where the Coyote Classic took place. Head Coach Mandi Maser’s dance team placed third out of nine teams with a school record score of 87.7. Meanwhile, Head Coach Emilie Ashenbach’s squad placed seventh with a score of 60.16, a significant improvement from the previous weekend at the Dordt Invite. It’s been a strong start for Concordia Dance, which has posted scores of 83.6 or better in each of its three routines this season. Maser’s squad, led by senior captains Taylor Larsen and Elise O’Neill, also placed third at the Dordt Invite and owns a season average of 85.5. The 87.7 eclipsed the previous school standard of 86.0 achieved in the finals of the 2025 GPAC Championships. As for cheer, the team hopes to reach full strength this weekend. Six athletes represented the Bulldogs at the Coyote Classic with senior Ara Maxwell jumping into action for a young group. This weekend will be the most hectic stretch of the season as Concordia competes at the York Crown Classic on Friday before hosting the Concordia Invitational on Saturday.
· For additional news and notes on cheer and dance programs, click the following links: Cheer | Dance.
· This week:
o Friday, Feb. 6 at the York Invitational, 2 p.m.
o Saturday, Feb. 7 – Bulldogs host the Concordia Invitational, 9:30 a.m.
Wrestling
· Current dual record: 5-1, 4-1 GPAC; No. 16 in NAIA ratings.
· Last week:
o Competed at the Sioux City Open on Jan. 31.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA National Rankings
· Notable: A young group of Bulldogs competed at the Sioux City Open in North Sioux City, S.D., this past Saturday. The yields were 15 combined wins, including three apiece from Gabe Lujan (125) and Simon Arredondo (165). A trio of Bulldogs came away with two wins each: Trowbridge (2-2 at 125), Aaron Wilson (2-2 at 157) and Ramon Arredondo (2-2 at 184). Concordia filled up the 157- and 184-pound weight classes with three wrestlers apiece. One win each was notched by Braysen Salinas (149), Blaine Boehmer (184) and Chason Turner (184). Late last week, the NAIA unveiled a fresh set of national ratings. Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad jumped to No. 16 as a team. From individual perspective, six Concordia wrestlers are ranked nationally: Paul Ruff (No. 9 at 133), Hagen Heistand (No. 9 at 157), Cole Price (No. 17 at 165), Barret Brandt (No. 14 at 184), Torrance Keehn (No. 22 at 197) and Gabe Kant (No. 11 at 285). Many of the top Bulldogs figure to be back in action this Saturday as Concordia competes at GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 hosted by Doane. The Bulldogs are slated to dual Northwestern, Morningside and Dakota Wesleyan. Concordia will enter the weekend with a 4-1 conference mark.
· For additional news and notes on the wrestling program, click HERE.
· This week – GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 at Doane:
o Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. Northwestern, 11 a.m.
o Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. Morningside, 2 p.m.
o Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. Dakota Wesleyan, 3:30 p.m.