Bulldog Weekly Report (Jan. 10)

By Jacob Knabel on Jan. 10, 2023 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week

NOTE: Athletes were considered for their performances since the most recent BAAM luncheon was held on Dec. 13, 2022.

Female: Sadie Powell, Basketball

Powell, who hails from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, led the Bulldogs to GPAC wins last week over Mount Marty and Dakota Wesleyan while totaling 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals over those two outings. Powell has averaged 15.0 points per game over the last five contests and is averaging 10.9 points and 5.1 rebounds for the season.

Male: Noah Schutte, Basketball

Schutte, a native of Laurel, Neb., continues to star and was named the GPAC Player of the Week on Jan. 3. During the break, Schutte notched 23 points in a matchup with fifth-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University and posted a career high 32 points in the win over Texas Wesleyan University. As part of last week’s action, he put up 21 points and eight rebounds in the victory over Dakota Wesleyan.

Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
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
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.

Concordia Invitational Tournament tickets on sale: Concordia University Nebraska is gearing up to host the 70th Concordia Invitational Tournament, which is set for Jan. 27-28. The event will include the usual women’s and men’s basketball tournaments as well as cheer and dance competitions. Tickets are on sale to the public and can be purchased by visiting the CUNE HomeTown ticketing link HERE. CIT will make its return after being canceled in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID-19. CUNE will be joined at CIT by the Concordias of Ann Arbor, Chicago and Wisconsin. Our CIT tournament page can be found HERE.

Competitive cheer and dance seasons approaching: Competition seasons are fast approaching for the Concordia competitive cheer and dance teams. Head Coach Mandi Maser is in her seventh season leading both programs. Check out the links below for detailed season previews. Dance will get things started on Wednesday with a competition versus College of Saint Mary at halftime of the women’s basketball game on Wednesday. Tipoff of the basketball game is slated for 7 p.m. CT. Both the cheer and dance teams will then be in action on Jan. 18 in conjunction with home basketball games versus Morningside.
--2023 Cheer Season Preview
--2023 Dance Season Preview

Most recent features: During the break in the semester, we continued to provide online content. Click the links below for items recently featured on the web.
--Concordia Athletics chronicles: “Diamond Jim” Affeldt
--Concordia Athletics: top 10 plays of 2022
--Smith Brothers built (different) on family, fitness and chicken and rice

Recapping the fall sports season: Each of the fall sports seasons concluded by early December. Check out the recaps linked below for more detailed information. Some highlights from the fall included the men’s soccer GPAC tournament title, volleyball’s ascension to No. 4 in the national poll and a national qualifying berth for women’s cross country.
--Overall Fall Sports Recap
--Football
--Women’s Soccer
--Men’s Soccer
--Volleyball

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.


Men’s Basketball

·        Due to a schedule adjustment, the Bulldogs wound up playing two games in a three-day stretch last week as they went up against the league’s two South Dakota teams. Concordia fell flat in its 89-64 road loss to Mount Marty on Jan. 5. Two days later, the Bulldogs bounced back behind a monster performance from Gage Smith and won, 78-69, at home over Dakota Wesleyan. Those results mirror the rest of the GPAC, which has been extremely unpredictable from game to game. Despite the frustrating loss at Mount Marty, Concordia remains in the thick of things near the top of the league standings at 7-4 in the GPAC (11-6 overall). Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad sits behind only Morningside (6-2) and Dordt (6-3). For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.

·        Since the last edition of the weekly report, the Bulldogs have stayed busy with a win over Doane, 74-61, on Dec. 15, a loss to No. 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 79-74, on Dec. 20, a win at Texas Wesleyan University, 81-74, on Dec. 28 and a loss at the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma, 76-66, on Dec. 30, prior to last week’s return to conference play. A major development occurred at USAO when Tristan Smith went down with a gruesome injury. Tristan has been sidelined since then and his return this season is in question. In terms of rankings, Concordia was the first team outside of the NAIA top 25 poll released on Dec. 14. The next poll will be unveiled on Wednesday.

·        The Bulldogs unraveled in just about all aspects of the game in the loss to Mount Marty (7-11, 3-7 GPAC). Concordia allowed the Lancers to shoot 56.1 percent (32-for-57) from the floor and surrendered 26 points to star freshman Tash Lunday. On the offensive end, the Bulldogs shot 38.9 percent (21-for-54), went 7-for-29 from 3-point range and struggled from the foul line (15-for-27). Brad Bennett stepped into the starting lineup in Tristan’s absence and paced the team with 22 points. Gage Smith supplied 12 points and six rebounds while Noah Schutte was held to eight points on 2-for-10 shooting from the floor. Concordia has fallen in trips to Yankton, S.D., in back-to-back seasons.

·        It was a much different story when the Bulldogs returned home to host the Tigers (8-8, 4-4 GPAC). Concordia toughened up on the defensive end and limited Dakota Wesleyan to 35.9 percent (23-for-64) shooting from the floor. Individually, Gage Smith starred in posting 25 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals. In supporting roles, Schutte notched 21 points, eight rebounds and two blocks and Bennett produced 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Garrett Seagren chipped in with eight points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists. The Bulldogs made up for 2-for-20 3-point shooting by taking care of the ball (five turnovers) and by scoring in the paint. Concordia has won three straight in the series with DWU.

·        The new-look starting lineup versus Dakota Wesleyan included Schutte and Gage Smith in the frontcourt and a backcourt of Bennett, Payson Gillespie and Seagren. An Omaha native and Westside High School alum, Gillespie started for the first time in his collegiate career. All five starters played at least 30 minutes in the victory. The rotation went nine deep as Limback used Joel Baker, Zac Kulus, Kelly Vyhnalek and Logan Wilson off the bench. It will be a collective effort in trying to make up for the injury to Tristan Smith, who is averaging 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Now averaging 10.3 points, Bennett is shouldering a much heavier load in the backcourt.

·        Gage Smith moved up another rung on the program’s all-time rebound list last week while pushing his career rebound total to 795. He recently moved past the likes of Jon Ziegler (762) and Scott Beck (781). Gage ranks behind only Matt List (928) and Chandler Folkerts (868) for career rebounds. In terms of career scoring, Gage ranks 24th in school history with 1,179 points. The native of Elizabeth, Colo., is in his fifth year in the program and has been part of teams that won GPAC championships in 2019-20 and 2021-22.

·        This week offers a bit of an opportunity for the Bulldogs to catch their breath with no mid-week game. Concordia is gearing up for a trip north to play at ninth-ranked Jamestown (13-3, 5-3 GPAC) at 3:45 p.m. CT on Saturday. Star Mason Walters and the Jimmies had their way with the Bulldogs in a 90-59 blowout in Friedrich Arena on Nov. 22. Jamestown earned some measure of revenge for the three defeats it was handed by Concordia during the 2021-22 season. The Jimmies are 4-2 at home this season.


Women’s Basketball

·        The GPAC grind is back on for the Bulldogs, who shook off a pair of competition losses on the home court of two Sooner Athletic Conference opponents just before New Year’s. Concordia returned to conference play last week and won at Mount Marty, 85-62, on Jan. 5 and then came home to eke out a 59-58 victory over No. 21 Dakota Wesleyan on Jan. 7. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad has moved to 7-4 in GPAC play (9-6 overall) thanks to five straight league wins. The Bulldogs currently reside in fifth place in the conference standings behind Dordt (10-0), Briar Cliff (8-2), Northwestern (7-2) and Jamestown (7-3). For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.

·        The five-game GPAC win streak has featured triumphs over Mount Marty twice, 91-48 and 85-62, Hastings, 70-57, Doane, 72-55, and Dakota Wesleyan, 59-58. The victory over DWU marked the second time this season the Bulldogs have defeated a team ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game. They also won at then No. 25 Morningside on Nov. 30. As usual, Concordia has played a challenging schedule, one that ranks as the fourth toughest in the NAIA, according to Massey Ratings. The six teams that have beaten the Bulldogs are now a combined 80-13. Both foes Concordia lost to on its southern road trip – University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma (14-1) and Texas Wesleyan University (14-1) – stand a good chance to be ranked in the new NAIA poll this week.

·        It was a bit of a ho-hum win at Mount Marty (5-12, 2-9 GPAC). The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never felt seriously challenged. The pressure helped result in 28 Lancer turnovers and the home team went just 6-for-28 (.214) from 3-point range. Three Concordia players scored in double figures: Sadie Powell (18), Megan Belt (14) and Kendal Brigham (12). Eleven Bulldogs registered in the scoring column. That group included Taylor Farrell, who made her first appearance of the season. She nailed a trey in her first shot attempt while making her way back from offseason surgery. Concordia has won each of the past 14 meetings over Mount Marty.

·        Chalk up another down-to-the-wire hair-raiser of a finish in the series between the Bulldogs and Dakota Wesleyan. The Tigers came close to erasing a four-point deficit in the final minute of the game thanks to a trey from Jada Campbell. With 1.7 seconds left on the clock and Concordia leading 59-58, DWU in-bounded from halfcourt. A potential game-winning three from Morgan Edelman came after the buzzer and was waived off. The Bulldogs were able to get it done with defense and grit – they held the Tigers (10-5, 4-5 GPAC) to 34.4 percent shooting from the floor. The top performers for Concordia were Powell (16 points and eight rebounds), Taysha Rushton (15 points, five rebounds and three assists) and Abby Krieser (eight points and four steals). Olson also commended Abby Heemstra for her post defense on Campbell.

·        Consistent offensive production from Powell in recent action has been an important factor for the Bulldogs. Over the past five outings, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native has posted respective scoring totals of 12, 12, 17, 18 and 16 points. The 6-foot third-year player has grown into more of a starring role while improving her scoring averages from 3.2 in 2020-21 to 9.4 in 2021-22 and to 10.9 currently in 2022-23. This season, Powell is also averaging career highs for rebounds (5.1), assists (1.9) and steals (1.4) per game.

·        Concordia may struggle at times to score (70.5 points per game), but it has developed an identity as a scrappy team with guards who can wear opponents out. The well-balanced backcourt includes five players averaging at least 6.6 points per game: Rushton (14.2), Brigham (10.5), Krieser (7.5), Mackenzie Toomey (7.1) and Megan Belt (6.6). Even when the shots don’t fall, the Bulldogs can hang tough because of the way they play defense. The Bulldogs lead the GPAC and rank 25th nationally in turnovers forced per game (21.1). The turnovers lead to some margin for error as Concordia fires off seven more shot attempts per game than its opponents.

·        The GPAC win streak will be put to the test this week by College of Saint Mary (4-12, 1-9 GPAC) and Jamestown (12-4, 7-3 GPAC). The Bulldogs will host the Flames at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday before taking on the Jimmies in North Dakota at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Concordia has won each of the past 20 meetings with CSM. On the other hand, the Bulldogs would like to avenge the 66-49 home defeat it endured at the hands of Jamestown on Nov. 22.


Wrestling

·        A three-week hiatus from competition ended this past Saturday for Concordia Wrestling as 11 Bulldogs represented the program at the Hastings Open. They combined for 11 victories as part of a field that included grapplers from 14 different institutions. Most recently (prior to the Hastings Open), Concordia hosted the Bulldog Duals on Dec. 17 and went 4-0. Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad has competed in five tournaments and owns an overall dual record of 8-1 (3-1 GPAC). For more information on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.

·        Most notably at the Hastings Open, four Bulldogs won multiple matches: Grant Wells (2-2 at 125), Jeaven Scdoris (3-2 at 149), Tommy Wentz (2-0 at 157) and Jose Sanchez (2-2 at 174). Clasen held back the team’s two nationally ranked competitors in No. 17 Creighton Baughman (141) and No. 25 Logan Davidson (197). That put the spotlight on Bulldogs like Wentz, a York College transfer. The Fremont, Neb., native took decisions over Grand View University (Iowa)’s Alex Casarez and the unattached Cameron Graham. As a precaution, Wentz withdrew from the semifinal round and ended his day at 2-0.

·        Each Concordia competitor fell short of claiming place finishes. As stated, several starters did not compete in the tournament. At the heavier weights, Stephen Duffy (184) and Cy Renney (285) notched a win apiece (via pin) at the Hastings Open. Other Bulldogs to enter the fray were Josh Broyles (149), Charles Hutson (157), Garret Moser (174), Torrance Keehn (174) and Teegan Tschampel (184). The Milford High School product Scdoris did his work on the back side of the 149-pound bracket. After a loss by decision, Scdoris took a major decision before adding victories by technical fall and by decision. He was eliminated in round five of the consolation bracket.

·        To recap the Bulldog Duals from Dec. 17, Concordia went 4-0 with wins over Central Methodist University (Mo.), 23-19, Texas Wesleyan University, 33-15, Benedictine College (Kan.), 32-13, and Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 37-12. The stars of the show included the likes of Baughman (141), Logan Davidson (197) and Bryce Karlin (125). Baughman and Davidson both went 4-0 while Karlin went 3-0 with three pins. Baughman’s day featured a victory over NAIA 16th-ranked Dante Lopez of Oklahoma Wesleyan. As for Davidson, he burst onto the scene after playing for the football team in the fall.

·        The season to date has included nine duals five tournaments. At 8-1 in duals, the Bulldogs have already surpassed their win total from 2021-22 when they went 6-6 (3-5 GPAC). The one loss this season came at the hands of then No. 12 Morningside. To this point, 24 Bulldogs have wrestled in at least one match. The following Concordia competitors own at least five wins on the season: Creighton Baughman (13-4), Tommy Wentz (12-6), Grant Wells (10-8), Bryce Karlin (8-4), Stephen Duffy (8-6), Jeaven Scdoris (8-7), Garret Moser (8-8), Issiah Burks (7-8), Thomas Ivey (7-9), Jose Sanchez (7-10), Kobe Lyons (6-2), Torrance Keehn (6-8) and Cy Renney (6-10). The team pins leaders are Karlin, Renney and Wentz with four apiece.

·        The one event on the schedule this week is Friday’s home dual versus fourth-ranked Doane (13-1, 3-0 GPAC). The action is slated to get started at 7 p.m. CT from Friedrich Arena. The Bulldogs will have their hands full with a Tiger team that placed third at the NWCA National Duals this past weekend in Louisville, Ky. In last season’s matchup, Doane defeated Concordia, 39-3, in Crete. The Tigers own GPAC wins this season over Northwestern, 42-3, Briar Cliff, 35-3, and Midland, 50-0.


Track & Field

·        The indoor season got underway prior to the end of the first semester (Dec. 9-10) as the program hosted the Concordia Bulldog Early Bird Meet. The Bulldogs welcomed opposing squads from eight institutions for a two-day meet that included pentathlon and heptathlon competitions. Concordia emerged from the meet with four automatic national qualifying marks, 10 ‘B’ standard national marks and 14 Early Bird event championships. This marks the start of year seven for Head Coach Matt Beisel leading his alma mater. For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.

·        The ‘A’ standards at the Early Bird were delivered by Chase Berry (15’ 7” in the pole vault), Josie Puelz (12’ 6 ¼” in the pole vault), Adrianna Rodencal (8.97 in the 60 meter hurdles) and Chris Wren (61’ 10 ½” in the weight throw). The likes of Berry, Puelz and Wren have combined for 10 career All-America awards. There are always high expectations for Puelz, who has won each of the last four NAIA pole vault national championships. Meanwhile, Rodencal was a highly touted recruit who won four individual state championships her senior year at Lincoln Lutheran High School. Rodencal placed first in each of her three events at the Early Bird.

·        The haul of 10 ‘B’ standard marks came courtesy of the women’s 4x800 meter relay, Jenna Esch in the 600 meters, Abby Gerber in the weight throw, Rylee Haecker in the 1,000 meters, Alli Owings in the weight throw, Hannah Newton in the high jump, Maddie Robinson in the shot put and weight throw, Myles Sadd in the high jump and Abi Wohlgemuth in the weight throw. In her debut outing as a Bulldog, Robinson won the weight throw competition (53’ 11 ¼”) and placed second in the shot put. Of the names mentioned, each of them has prior experience at nationals with the exception of the freshman Sadd.

·        Below is a complete listing of Concordia athletes who possess marks meeting either the ‘A’ or ‘B’ national reporting standard. The tally after the Early Bird meet includes four ‘A’ standards and 10 ‘B’ standards. In addition, Amy Richert currently leads the NAIA in the pentathlon.

o   Women’s 4x800m Relay, B (9:39.96)

o   Chase Berry – Pole Vault, A (15’ 7”)

o   Jenna Esch – 600 Meters, B (1:37.19)

o   Abby Gerber – Weight Throw, B (52’ 1”)

o   Rylee Haecker – 1,000 Meters, B (3:00.01)

o   Hannah Newton – High Jump, B (5’ 4 ½”)

o   Alli Owings – Weight Throw, B (52’ 6”)

o   Josie Puelz – Pole Vault, A (12’ 6 ¼”)

o   Amy Richert – No. 1 in NAIA in pentathlon (3,487)

o   Maddie Robinson – Shot Put, B (42’ 11 ½”); Weight Throw, B (53’ 11 ¼”)

o   Adrianna Rodencal – 60 Hurdles, A (8.97)

o   Myles Sadd – High Jump, B (6’ 7”)

o   Abi Wohlgemuth – Weight Throw, B (53’ 2 ¼”)

o   Chris Wren – Weight Throw, A (61’ 10 ½”)

·        Coach Ed McLaughlin looks to again have a deep crew of weight throwers, as evidenced by the list above. The auto mark is no surprise for Wren, who is a three-time All-American who placed fourth nationally in the weight throw in 2022. On the women’s side, Maddie Robinson will give the group a boost. She was a three-time NAIA All-American during her time at Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) and is using her last season of eligibility. In addition, Gerber is a returning national qualifier from the 2022 indoor season. The top Bulldog in the men’s shot put at the first meet was Darien Semedo, who placed second.

·        As for the relays, not everything has come together just yet. With Freiberg held out, the 4x8 of Haecker, Rhaya Kaschinske, Hannah Beintema and Julie McIntyre placed first in a time of 9:46.64, which converted to a ‘B’ standard. McIntyre was a winner in the 3,000 meters. The women’s top 4x4 featured Esch, Rodencal, Trinity Tuls and Emily Loseke. They combined to run a time of 4:06.26. Meanwhile, Tuls also ran a 59.96 in the open 400 meters (second place). In the men’s 4x4, Colton Meyer ran the anchor after following three freshmen: Liam Fagan, Gage Fries and Kameron Farmer. They ran 3:28.2 and placed second. Meyer ran 50.20 in the open 400 meters (second place).

The Bulldogs took off for the semester break and have been idle since the Early Bird Meet. The indoor season this Friday and Saturday when Bulldog athletes will compete at both the Graduate Classic hosted by the University of Nebraska and the Scott Nisely Memorial Classic hosted by Doane. The next home meet on the slate is the Concordia Polar Dog Invite set for Jan. 21. Beisel and company are excited to host the 2023 GPAC indoor championship meet slated for Feb. 17-18.