Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Rylee Haecker, Track & Field
A native of Davenport, Neb., Haecker won the 1,000 meter race at last week’s Polar Dog Invite in an automatic national qualifying time of 2:58.36 (converted to 2:56.44 on the national list). Haecker currently ranks first in the GPAC and No. 3 in the NAIA in the 1,000 meters.
Male: Calvin Rohde, Track & Field
Rohde, who hails from Reed City, Mich., qualified for nationals last week in the 1,000 meters and as part of the team’s distance medley relay. Rohde finished the 1,000 in a first-place time of 2:30.64 (conversion of 2:28.60) and ran a 4:15.12 split in the 1,600 meters for the DMR. Nationally, Rohde ranks No. 4 in the 1,000 while the DMR stands at No. 1.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Jan. 17 – Kylahn Freiberg (track & field) / Garrett Seagren (basketball)
Jan. 10 – Sadie Powell (basketball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
Dec. 13 – Chase Berry (track & field) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Taysha Rushton (basketball)
Dec. 6 – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Gage Smith (basketball)
Nov. 29 – Rylee Ladd (powerlifting) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
Nov. 15 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Federico Simonetti (Soccer)
Nov. 8 – Kylahn Freiberg (cross country) / Kaden Peters (football)
Nov. 1 – Breyer Meeks (shooting sports) / Carlos Orquiz (soccer) / Morgan Nibbe (volleyball)
Oct. 25 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Isaiah Shaddick (soccer)
Oct. 18 – Korrell Koehlmoos (football) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Oct. 11 – Rylee Haecker (cross country) / DJ McGarvie (football)
Oct. 4 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Korrell Koehlmoos (football)
Sept. 27 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Ryan Wokutch (soccer)
Sept. 20 – Tanner Muff (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 13 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Jack Nelson (shooting sports)
Sept. 6 – Camryn Opfer (volleyball) / Camden Sesna (cross country)
Aug. 30 – Federico Simonetti (soccer) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Aug. 23 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball)
2022-23 BAAM Athletes of the Month
December – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Gage Smith (basketball)
November – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball); Noah Schutte (basketball)
October – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball); Korrell Koehlmoos (football); Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
September – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball); Camryn Opfer (volleyball); Camden Sesna (cross country)
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday at 12 p.m. CT inside the Dog House Grill, located in the Janzow Campus Center. The luncheons feature reports from head coaches who are in season at the time. For information on how to join BAAM, click HERE. It is not a requirement to be a BAAM member in order to attend the weekly luncheons.
Concordia Invitational Tournament tickets on sale: Concordia University Nebraska is gearing up to host the 70th Concordia Invitational Tournament, which is set for this Friday and Saturday (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.
Dance makes splash, cheer opens season in home duals versus Morningside: Both the competitive cheer and dance teams hosted Morningside on Jan. 19 in conjunction with home basketball that evening. Head Coach Mandi Maser’s dance squad made a splash by breaking a program school record with a score of 85.9 while outperforming the defending NAIA national champion Mustangs (75.25). Concordia Dance has now defeated two GPAC opponents in duals this season. Meanwhile, Bulldog Cheer (first competition of 2023) also broke the school record with a score of 77.2. Morningside won the dual with its score of 83.1. For more details on last week’s competitions, visit the links below. In this week’s action, Maser’s squad will host Hastings and Mount Marty in a triangular on Wednesday and then will compete against three other Concordias at CIT on Saturday morning. The CIT competition will be held inside Friedrich Arena.
--Cheer Morningside recap
--Dance Morningside recap
CIT represents three-generation experience for Karstens: For the Karsten family, the Concordia Invitational Tournament has spanned three generations. Understandably, the buzz is building as the 70th CIT approaches. Kyle Karsten will return to a CIT at Nebraska for the first time since he played for the Bulldogs. Said Kyle, “Coming back to the Nebraska campus – I’m thrilled. I’m so excited. My wife will be there, and she knows how big of a deal this is for me. I haven’t been back to another CIT in Nebraska since I played. It’s not the same gymnasium we played in, but I’m looking forward to it because I’ve never attended a game in the new gym.” For more on the Karsten family and its history with CIT, check out the feature story linked HERE.
Weightlifting resumes season at Heartland Open; Powerlifting readies for Saturday competition: As a precursor to the Collegiate Weightlifting National Championships in March, the Concordia University Weightlifting team entered seven athletes into action at the Heartland Open on Jan. 21. Five Bulldogs emerged from the open event with titles in a show of continued improvement for the program. The event, hosted by Heartland Strength in Omaha, Neb., featured roughly 70 lifters and marked the third outing of the 2022-23 season for Concordia Weightlifting. Collegiate weightlifting tests each athlete in the disciplines of snatch and clean and jerk. The first-place claims at the Heartland Open came from Mary Berris (49kg), Rylee Kara (92kg) and Sydney Wadsworth (87+kg) on the women’s side and from Evan Fukuhara (81kg) and Mitch Myers (89kg) on the men’s side. A native of Sacramento, Calif., Fukuhara joined the program this semester and competed as a Bulldog for the first time. As for powerlifting, the team will take to the Nebraska State Championships hosted by Midland on Saturday. Action is set to begin at 8 a.m. CT. To recap the season to date for Head Coach Freddie Myles’ programs, check out the Concordia Lifting Sports home page HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its eighth year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on KTMX-FM 104.9 Max Country. The weekly feature can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the Max Country app. Throughout the 2022-23 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Parker Cyza serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene is in his eighth season calling Concordia volleyball.
Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics partnered with PrestoSports for live video and statistical streaming. Live webcast links for away contests are publicized in sport specific releases that preview action for that particular week. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Women’s Basketball
· The Bulldogs are riding high after perhaps their best week of the season in terms of on-court performance. Concordia earned a regular season sweep of Morningside by defeating the Mustangs at home, 74-60, on Jan. 19. Two days later, the Bulldogs picked up their most significant road win of the season with a 65-55 triumph over No. 15 Northwestern on Jan. 21. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad has won eight of its last nine GPAC contests to move to 12-7 overall (10-5 GPAC). Concordia currently resides in fifth place in the GPAC standings behind Dordt (13-1), Briar Cliff (11-3), Jamestown (10-4) and Northwestern (9-4). For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The first official ratings percentage index and ARC rankings for NAIA women’s basketball were released in mid-January. The metrics show the Bulldogs are in strong position for another national tournament appearance (although there is still work to be done). Concordia is ranked 36th in the RPI and has played the 10th strongest schedule in the NAIA. In addition, the Bulldogs are ranked seventh in the North/Central region (as of Jan. 16). Using the RPI, Concordia owns quality wins over the likes of No. 23 Dakota State University, No. 33 Morningside (two), No. 42 Northwestern and No. 59 Dakota Wesleyan. All seven losses have come against top 45 RPI opponents.
· Not since the 2019-20 season had the Bulldogs earned a regular season sweep of Morningside. The latest victory over the Mustangs saw Concordia hold a lead from wire-to-wire, although it got pushed when the visitors made a third quarter run. The key sequence came after Morningside closed within two (48-46) late in the third period. The Bulldogs followed with a 13-1 run that included six points from Sadie Powell. Balance was a theme as Concordia had five players reach double figures in scoring: Abby Heemstra (12), Taysha Rushton (12), Abby Krieser (11), Powell (10) and Kristin Vieselmeyer (10). Krieser (four steals) served as a catalyst defensively as the Bulldogs limited Morningside (13-7, 8-6 GPAC) to 36.2 percent shooting and flustered the Mustangs into 21 turnovers.
· On paper, Concordia was the underdog heading into the road trip to No. 15 Northwestern, but the Bulldogs didn’t play like it. They successfully avenged the 72-56 defeat they endured to the Red Raiders on Dec. 3. In last week’s matchup, Concordia again used a gritty defensive effort in holding Northwestern to nearly 20 points below its season scoring average. The Red Raiders (14-5, 9-4 GPAC) shot only 31.4 percent from the floor and turned it over 21 times. Krieser starred in totaling 12 points, three steals and a blocked shot. Meanwhile, Heemstra and Rushton added 10 points apiece and Powell posted eight points and five rebounds. Eight different Bulldogs recorded at least five points in another team effort.
· On a team that has been decidedly balanced, Krieser has stood out of late. The Lincoln North Star High School product has raised her game on the offensive end and is averaging 12.3 points over the past three contests. Defensively, Krieser just might be one of the best guards in the entire GPAC. She’s averaging 2.1 steals per game (sixth most in the GPAC) and is a major reason why Concordia leads the conference with an average of 20.9 turnovers forced per game. Krieser made the jump into the starting lineup this season after she appeared off the bench in 17 games as a freshman in 2021-22. She’s averaging 8.3 points per game, up from 2.8 points per game last season.
· Rushton is on the verge of moving into the program’s top 20 in terms of all-time scoring. As part of last week’s action, the Midland, Texas, native leapt Teresa Noffke (1,207) for 21st on the list. At 1,218 career points, Rushton now has her sights set on the likes of Amy Scheil (1,244), Tracy Peitz (1,277) and Katie Rich (1,293). An immediate impact player from the day she stepped on campus, Rushton has also totaled 218 rebounds, 216 assists and 131 steals in 79 games as a Bulldog. Rushton is a two-time First Team All-GPAC selection.
· The Bulldogs will get comfortable at home this week as they host Hastings (8-12, 4-10 GPAC) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday before shifting focus on to the 70th Concordia Invitational Tournament. On day one of CIT on Friday, the Bulldogs will take on Concordia University Wisconsin (8-8) at 6 p.m. Saturday’s matchup will depend on Friday’s results. CUNE will play either Concordia University Ann Arbor or Concordia University Chicago (with tipoff at 12 p.m. or 5 p.m.). The Bulldogs have won 30 all-time CIT titles.
Track & Field
· The second of five home indoor meets unfolded last week as the Bulldogs hosted athletes from nine institutions at the Concordia Polar Dog Invite on Jan. 21. The yields for Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads included 17 event titles, five new automatic national qualifying standards and nine fresh ‘B’ standards that were reported to the national list. The results across the board were a clear improvement from the previous week when Concordia competed at the Graduate Classic and the Scott Nisely Memorial Classic. This was the third weekend of official indoor competition. For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.
· Below is a complete listing of Concordia athletes who possess marks meeting either the ‘A’ or ‘B’ national reporting standard. The tally after three weekends of indoor competition includes 12 ‘A’ standards and 19 ‘B’ standards. In addition, four Bulldog pentathletes have eclipsed the minimum national reporting standard of 2,950 points. Amy Richert remains the national leader in the pentathlon.
o Women’s 4x400m Relay, A (3:54.81)
o Women’s 4x800m Relay, B (9:39.96)
o Men’s Distance Medley Relay, A (10:10.06)
o Women’s Distance Medley Relay, A (12:20.68)
o Elena Batenhorst – No. 10 in NAIA in pentathlon (3,022)
o Rachel Battershell – 400 Meters, B (57.64)
o Zach Bennetts – Pole Vault, B (15’ 3”)
o Chase Berry – Pole Vault, A (15’ 7”)
o Erin Boggs – Pole Vault, B (11’ 2 ½”)
o Dagne’ Buck – Weight Throw, B (55’ 7”)
o Mark Cooke – 60 Hurdles, B (8.29)
o Jenna Esch – 600 Meters, B (1:36.86)
o Kylahn Freiberg – Mile, B (5:07.94)
o Abby Gerber – Weight Throw, B (53’ 1 ½”)
o Rylee Haecker – 1,000 Meters, A (2:56.44)
o Brady Klute – Weight Throw, B (55’ 11”)
o Erin Mapson – Pole Vault, A (12’ 2 ½”)
o Colton Meyer – 400 Meters, A (48.57)
o Hannah Newton – High Jump, B (5’ 4 ½”)
o Josi Noble – No. 14 in NAIA in Pentathlon (2,951)
o Alli Owings – Weight Throw, B (52’ 6”)
o Kamryn Pokorney – Weight Throw, B (51’ 11 ¾”)
o Josie Puelz – Pole Vault, A (12’ 9 ½”)
o Joel Rathe – Long Jump, B (23’ ¾”)
o Amy Richert – No. 1 in NAIA in Pentathlon (3,487)
o Maddie Robinson – Shot Put, A (44’ 9”); Weight Throw, B (53’ 11 ¼”)
o Adrianna Rodencal – 60 Hurdles, A (8.89)
o Calvin Rohde – 1,000 Meters, A (2:28.60)
o Myles Sadd – High Jump, B (6’ 7”)
o Isabelle Salters – No. 12 in NAIA in Pentathlon (2,968)
o Darien Semedo – Shot Put, B (51’ 5 ¾”)
o Abi Wohlgemuth – Weight Throw, B (53’ 2 ¼”)
o Chris Wren – Weight Throw, A (62’ 10 ¾”)
o Zach Zohner – Pole Vault, B (15’ 3”)
· The new automatic national qualifiers from last week were the men’s distance medley relay, Rylee Haecker (1,000 meters), Erin Mapson (pole vault), Colton Meyer (400 meters) and Calvin Rohde (1,000 meters). The nine fresh ‘B’ standards were delivered by Erin Boggs (pole vault), Dagne’ Buck (weight throw), Mark Cooke (60 hurdles), Kylahn Freiberg (mile), Brady Klute (weight throw), Kamryn Pokorney (weight throw), Joel Rathe (long jump), Darien Semedo (shot put) and Zach Zohner (pole vault). In addition, improved ‘A’ standards came from the women’s 4x400 meter relay, Adrianna Rodencal (60 hurdles) and Chris Wren (weight throw).
· It was an impressive day for the Reed City, Mich., native Rohde, who clocked an automatic national qualifying time of 2:28.60 (after conversion) in the 1,000 meters and was part of the distance medley relay that also qualified for nationals. In the DMR, Rohde ran a 1,600 meter split of 4:15.12. Rohde ran the final leg of the DMR that also included Camden Sesna, Kameron Farmer and Ethan Ideus. The group was the first men’s DMR in the NAIA this season to qualify for nationals. Concordia now has both its men’s and women’s DMR’s qualified for nationals. Individually, Rohde ranks No. 3 in the NAIA in the 1,000 meters.
· Things are starting to come together for the throws group, which added four new ‘B’ standards at the Polar Dog. Current auto qualifiers are Maddie Robinson in the shot put and Wren in the weight throw. Semedo came up just shy of the ‘A’ mark with his shot put toss of 51’ 5 ¾” (15.69m). The ‘A’ standard is 15.75 meters. Between men and women, the Bulldogs have put seven individuals on the national list (either ‘A’ or ‘B’) marks in the weight throw. Wren ranks No. 5 nationally in the weight throw.
· Concordia expects that it will send multiple pole vaulters to nationals on both the men’s and women’s sides of things. The duo of Josie Puelz and Erin Mapson gives the Bulldogs perhaps the best women’s pole vault combination in the nation. The four-time national champion Puelz continues to sit at No. 2 on the current NAIA pole vault list (season best of 12’ 9 ½”) while Mapson leapt to No. 5 thanks to her clearing 12’ 2 ½” at the Polar Dog Invite. On the men’s side, Chase Berry has qualified for nationals while both Zach Bennetts and Zach Zohner own ‘B’ standards. Erin Boggs also reached the ‘B’ standard on the women’s side.
· The Bulldogs are headed back to Doane this Saturday for the Fred Beile Classic on Saturday. That will be Concordia’s final trip to Doane this indoor season. Upcoming home meets include the Concordia Classic (Feb. 3), the Concordia Invite (Feb. 10) and the GPAC Championships (Feb. 17-18).
Wrestling
· After going six days without a dual or tournament, the Bulldogs returned to action at the Missouri Valley College Invite (Jan. 20-21) in Marshall, Mo., where they were represented by 12 of their top competitors. When the dust settled, Concordia wrestlers had combined for 12 victories and placed 35th (out of 44 teams) with a team point total of 16.5. Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad had been idle since a home dual loss to No. 4 Doane on Jan. 13. The overall dual record stands at 8-2 (3-2 GPAC) with five duals remaining on the 2022-23 schedule. For more information on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
· The obvious highlights from the Missouri Valley Invite were the performances of Creighton Baughman at 141 pounds and Tommy Wentz at 157 pounds. They combined for seven of the team’s 12 wins. Ranked 18th in the NAIA at 141 pounds, Baughman (16-7) rattled off three straight wins to begin his tournament as he advanced to the quarterfinal round. The signature victory came by a 6-0 decision over Ottawa University (Kan.)’s Austin Kolvek in round three. The result meant Baughman avenged an earlier defeat this season. The Papillion, Neb., native missed out on a chance to reach the semifinals when he was pinned by Eastern Oregon University’s Jaxon Morlan in 2:55. On the back side of the bracket, Baughman was narrowly eliminated by a 5-4 decision. He wound up totaling four team points.
· Ranked fourth in the GPAC at 157, Wentz (16-9) has proven to be a major addition as a transfer from York University. The Fremont, Neb., native led Concordia with four wins on the weekend (3.5 team points) while coming up just short of a place finish. Wentz showed a knack for triumphing in close matches and took a major decision over Keiser University (Fla.)’s Brady Ellison, 10-2. Both of Wentz’s losses came at the hands of nationally ranked opponents: No. 19 Brandon Kidd Jr. of Ottawa and No. 24 Hayden Brown of Oklahoma City University.
· Five Concordia grapplers came away with one win apiece at the Missouri Valley Invite: Jeaven Scdoris (149), Tavoris Smith (157), Issiah Burks (165), Jose Sanchez (174) and Logan Davidson (184). Notably, Smith made his 2022-23 season debut and Kyle Sterup, a starting defensive lineman on the Bulldog Football team, appeared in a collegiate wrestling match for the first time in his career. Sterup lost twice while wrestling at 285. Other Concordia competitors to take the mat this weekend were Bryce Karlin (125), Stephen Duffy (184) and Cy Renney (285). Davidson also made the transition to wrestling after playing football in the fall.
· The season to date has included 10 duals and six tournaments. At 8-2 in duals, the Bulldogs have already surpassed their win total from 2021-22 when they went 6-6 (3-5 GPAC). The two losses this season have come at the hands of the two highest rated teams in the GPAC. To this point, 26 Bulldogs have wrestled in at least one match. The following Concordia competitors own at least five wins on the season: Creighton Baughman (16-7), Tommy Wentz (16-9), Grant Wells (10-9), Jeaven Scdoris (9-10), Bryce Karlin (8-7), Stephen Duffy (8-8), Garret Moser (8-9), Issiah Burks (8-11), Jose Sanchez (8-13), Thomas Ivey (7-9), Kobe Lyons (6-2), Torrance Keehn (6-8), Cy Renney (6-13) and Logan Davidson (5-3). The team pins leaders are Karlin, Renney and Wentz with four apiece.
· The Bulldogs remain a perfect 5-0 versus nonconference opponents with wins coming over Bethany College (Kan.), 36-9, Central Methodist University (Mo.), 23-19, Texas Wesleyan University, 33-15, Benedictine College (Kan.), 32-13, and Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 37-12. Inside of league action, Concordia has defeated Midland, 28-17, Hastings, 36-10, and Dakota Wesleyan, 22-17. The losses have come against Morningside, 35-6, and Doane, 44-0. Two more wins would make the 2022-23 squad the fifth in program history to notch at least 10 dual victories in a season. The school record of 13 is held by both the 2015-16 and 2019-20 teams.
· Next up will be a trio of duals set to take place on Saturday at Long Lines Family Rec Center in Sioux City, Iowa. That location will serve as the venue for duals versus Northwestern (3-5, 2-2 GPAC) at 11 a.m., Briar Cliff (2-3, 2-2 GPAC) at 12:30 p.m. and Jamestown (6-9, 3-4 GPAC) at 2 p.m. By day’s end, the Bulldogs will have wrapped up their GPAC dual schedule for 2022-23.
Men’s Basketball
· It was a tough three-day stretch last week as Concordia suffered losses to both No. 20 Morningside and Northwestern. The Bulldogs rallied to make it a nail-biter before falling to the Mustangs, 76-71, inside Friedrich Arena on Jan. 19. Two days later, Concordia struggled mightily and tripped up in Orange City, Iowa, 79-65. Three defeats in a row have left the Bulldogs at 11-9 overall (7-7 GPAC). Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad stands in fifth place in the GPAC while looking up at Morningside (10-2), Jamestown (9-3), Dordt (8-4) and Northwestern (8-4). For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs have some work to do down the stretch if they are going to secure a national tournament berth in back-to-back years and for the third time in four seasons. The NAIA released official ratings percentage index calculations and ARC ratings on Jan. 16. Concordia landed at No. 51 in the RPI while having played the 41st toughest strength of schedule. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were ranked ninth in the North-Central region. According to the RPI, Concordia’s best wins have come over No. 27 Northwestern, No. 28 Dordt. The Bulldogs have also competed closely with No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan University and No. 7 Morningside.
· Concordia won two of three matchups with the Mustangs last season, but Morningside (16-3, 10-2 GPAC) has had the Bulldogs’ number going back several years. In the latest matchup, Concordia found itself down 15 (43-28) early in the second half before snapping out of a lull. Noah Schutte scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half while Brad Bennett posted 17 of his 24 points after halftime. Their exploits helped the Bulldogs get within two (71-69) with just over a minute to play. Unfortunately, Concordia came up empty on its next two possessions and the Mustangs sealed the victory. The Bulldogs shot only 39.0 percent from the floor (4-for-21 from 3-point range). Both Schutte (27 points and 10 rebounds) and Gage Smith (13 points and 13 rebounds) posted double-doubles.
· Concordia found itself down double digits within the first seven minutes of the game in Orange City, Iowa, and never made it competitive. The Red Raiders (15-5, 8-4 GPAC) built a lead as large as 26 points and shot 53.3 percent from the floor. Dillon Carlson led the way with 22 points while making four 3-point field goals. There wasn’t much it could hang its hat on as Concordia even got outrebounded, 37-30. Facing a large deficit, the Bulldogs extended the bench and got nice contributions from Zac Kulus (eight points) and Jaxon Weyand (seven points). Schutte totaled 12 points and seven rebounds and Gage Smith added nine points, six rebounds and five assists.
· The Morningside game was just another example of why Schutte is considered one of the GPAC’s best players. His 27-point outing last week marked the eighth time this season that he’s scored at least 20. Among GPAC players, Schutte ranks seventh in scoring (17.8), ninth in free throw percentage (.789), 10th in field goal percentage (.537), 17th in rebounds per game (5.9) and 22nd in 3-point field goal percentage (.390). In his career, Schutte has totaled 889 points and 358 rebounds in 72 games (49 starts). He was named to the 2022 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship All-Tournament Team.
· Limback used another new starting five last week while inserting Joel Baker into the lineup at Northwestern. Three Bulldogs have started all 20 games this season: Schutte, Gage Smith and Garrett Seagren. Tristan Smith had started the first 15 contests before going down with an injury that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season. Freshman Payson Gillespie started three games in a row heading into the trip to Northwestern. The sharpshooting Brad Bennett has opened nine games in the backcourt and figures to have locked in a spot for the rest of this season. Gage Smith has now started 78 games in his career (124 career games played).
· It will be a monster week of home action as the Bulldogs look forward to hosting Hastings (13-7, 6-6 GPAC) at 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, prior to the 70th Concordia Invitational Tournament on Friday and Saturday. As part of CIT, CUNE will challenge Concordia University Chicago (8-2) at 8 p.m. on Friday. Pending the result, the Bulldogs will play again at either 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. on Saturday versus either Concordia University Ann Arbor or Concordia University Wisconsin. CUNE has won 28 all-time CIT championships.