Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week: Due to the absence of the weekly BAAM meetings, Athletes of the Week will not be announced. BAAM meetings have now been canceled for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year.
News and notes:
Cheer and dance teams continue improvement at Friends Day of Duals: The results since the Concordia Cheer and Dance programs began their seasons on Jan. 13 have been positive. Head Coach Mandi Maser’s squads continued to increase their scores while competing on Jan. 23 at the Friends University Day of Duals in Wichita, Kan. The dance team came away with a runner up trophy with a combined score of 153.34 over its two performances. Meanwhile, the cheer squad placed third with a total score of 153.20. The Bulldogs competed against rival Hastings and a field made up mostly of Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference teams. Concordia Cheer looks forward to hosting College of Saint Mary on Thursday, in conjunction with the women’s basketball game (tipoff at 7 p.m. CT). The competition will take place at halftime. Meanwhile the dance team has this week off from competition. Coming up on the horizon is the Concordia Cheer & Dance Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 6. For more information on the cheer and dance programs, click the following links: Cheer | Dance.
Passion, nonstop motor make Wiersema one of GPAC’s best: Justin Wiersema’s game has taken off since his arrival on campus as a freshman in 2018-19. The native of Loveland, Colo., features a nonstop motor that has helped him flourish and become one of the top basketball players in the GPAC. Said Coach Ben Limback, “He’s a tremendously gifted athlete with an extreme motor. As you get to know Justin you can tell there’s more to him than basketball. He loves his family and he’s strong in his faith.” For a feature profile on Wiersema, click HERE.
De Jong earns national award: For her work at the Nisely Memorial Classic on Jan. 16, senior Morgan De Jong (track & field athlete) was named both the GPAC and NAIA National Field Athlete of the Week. At the time of the announcement, De Jong ranked No. 1 nationally in the weight throw. The native of Orange City, Iowa, earned All-America honors in that same event last year. In addition, sophomore Kylahn Heritage was named the GPAC Track Athlete of the Week.
Update to fan attendance policy (enacted in late December): As of late December 2020, the fan attendance policy regarding indoor sporting events has changed at CUNE. In accordance with Directed Health Measures released by the state of Nebraska, Concordia has increased fan attendance in indoor facilities to 50 percent capacity. Please note that spectators will not be permitted to attend indoor track and field meets (per GPAC policy). For additional details on how to purchase tickets to Bulldog Athletic events, see the paragraph below regarding HomeTown ticketing.
HomeTown Ticketing and Fan protocols for home events: Fans who plan to attend Concordia Athletics home events are advised to read through our protocols HERE. All fans are expected to self-screen and are required to wear masks while viewing contests in either Bulldog Stadium or Walz Arena. Non-family members are welcome to be present on our campus during these contests. Fans are also encouraged to order advance tickets through HomeTown Ticketing. By purchasing tickets online, fans are guaranteed entrance on game days. Concordia is allowing 75 percent capacity in outdoor venues and 50 percent capacity in indoor venues.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its fifth 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 2020-21 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Evan Jones 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 sixth season calling Concordia volleyball.
Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics partnered with PrestoSports for live video and statistical streaming. For more details on this change, click HERE. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Women’s Basketball
· In a light week of game action, the Bulldogs hosted Briar Cliff on Jan. 23. Concordia entered the matchup hoping to avenge a 69-59 loss in Sioux City, Iowa, that occurred on Dec. 5. Behind a big game from freshman Taysha Rushton, the Bulldogs accomplished that objective by securing a 65-59 victory. They held the Chargers to just 33.8 percent shooting. At least for now, the win puts Concordia alone in second place in the GPAC standings. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad stands at 13-7 overall (12-5 GPAC). For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· Morningside (15-1 GPAC) has a full four-game lead in the loss column on Concordia and Northwestern (11-5) atop the league standings. There will be plenty of competition for that No. 2 spot. Close behind Concordia and Northwestern are Briar Cliff (11-6), Dordt (11-6), Jamestown (9-6) and Dakota Wesleyan (9-6). The ability to separate from the pack will be important in terms of potentially qualifying for the national tournament. It was recently announced that the national qualifying field has been cut from 64 to 48. As it stands now, the GPAC does not appear to be in line to garner a large number of at-large bids.
· The Bulldogs entered last week with a surprisingly mediocre home record of 4-4 (after going a combined 63-1 at home the previous four seasons). However, the win over Briar Cliff could be the start of a nice run at home to complete the regular season. Concordia has home games left with College of Saint Mary (Jan. 28), Dakota Wesleyan (Feb. 6), Hastings (Feb. 10) and Doane (Feb. 20). It should also be noted that three of the four home defeats have come against teams currently ranked in the NAIA top 25: No. 7 Carroll College (Mont.), No. 11 Morningside and No. 24 Dakota State University (S.D.).
· Rushton continues to show star potential – and she’s already a big impact player in her first collegiate season. In the win over Briar Cliff, Rushton made 5-of-7 shots from 3-point range on her way to 20 points. The outburst marked the fourth 20-point performance this season for Rushton, a native of Lubbock, Texas. Among GPAC players, Rushton ranks fourth for number of made 3-point field goals per game (2.15) and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (.347). When factoring conference games only, Rushton has shot 39.4 percent from beyond the arc.
· As a team, the Bulldogs shot 42.9 percent from the floor versus Briar Cliff. Concordia is 8-2 this season when it shoots better than 40 percent. The only two losses in those instances came in road games at Morningside and at Dakota Wesleyan. The Briar Cliff contest also marked the ninth time this season that the Bulldogs have knocked down at least 10 treys in a game (7-2 in such outings). Concordia has shot a much higher volume of 3-point attempts (199-for-622) as compared to its opponents (155-for-494).
· Taylor Cockerill added 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in the victory over Briar Cliff while pushing her career scoring total to 1,218. She moved up another rung to 20th on the program’s all-time scoring list while passing Teresa Noffke (1,207). Also in the 1,200s on the list are Katie Rich (1,293), Tracy Peitz (1,277) and Amy Scheil (1,244). Cockerill has not cracked the top 20 of the rebounding list, but her 430 career rebounds are evidence of her being an exceptional rebounder out of the backcourt.
· Former Concordia University, Portland starter Abby Aplaca made her Bulldog debut against Briar Cliff. The native of Waipahu, Hawaii, saw 16 minutes of action and notched five points and two rebounds. Aplaca started all 28 games and averaged 6.3 points during the 2019-20 season at Concordia-Portland. She then transferred after the school abruptly shut down. Aplaca and Chaise Pfanstiel (Northwest Missouri State University) both joined the Bulldogs at the semester.
· Concordia will also play just once this week. It will host College of Saint Mary (2-13, 1-11 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday. In the first meeting (in Omaha), the Bulldogs trounced the Flames, 99-47, on Nov. 24. Concordia is 13-0 against CSM since the Flames joined the GPAC prior to the 2015-16 season. The Bulldogs will have the weekend off due to the cancellation of the Concordia Invitational Tournament.
Men’s Basketball
· The Bulldogs waited a week before having the opportunity to shake off a loss to 15th-ranked Morningside. Concordia took it out on Briar Cliff on Jan. 23 while earning an 81-58 home rout of the Chargers. The Bulldogs shot 55.0 percent from the field and limited Briar Cliff to 33.0 percent shooting. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad remains in the hunt as a top four team in the league. Concordia is currently in fourth place (14-7, 11-5 GPAC) in a tightly bunched league. For more information on Bulldog Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· Concordia has hopes of earning a top four seed and a GPAC tournament quarterfinal home game for the second year in a row. There is still plenty of time to sort things out in a balanced league with plenty of parity. The Mustangs (13-2 GPAC) have won seven games in a row to move back up to the top of the league standings. Five teams have between three and six GPAC losses: Dakota Wesleyan (10-3), Jamestown (10-4), Concordia (11-5), Northwestern (10-5) and Dordt (10-6).
· After struggling to contain the perimeter shooting of Morningside a week earlier, Concordia faced another challenge while up against a Charger squad that entered the game ranked No. 1 in the GPAC in terms of 3-point field goals per game. The Bulldogs answered the call on the defensive end in allowing Briar Cliff to go just 6-for-29 from 3-point range. It was a stark contrast to the first meeting in Sioux City, Iowa, that saw the Chargers knock down 18 treys. Concordia ranks sixth in the GPAC in overall field goal percentage defense (.449).
· When he’s on, Carter Kent can be really on. The Crete, Neb., native effectively bounced back by making 9-for-14 shots from the floor (6-for-8 from 3-point range) on his way to 24 points against Briar Cliff. It marked the 12th career game of 20 or more points for Kent, who poured in a career high 29 in the win at Mount Marty on Jan. 13. Last week’s explosion helped move Kent’s season field goal percentages to 39.0 from the floor and 31.5 from 3-point range. Kent is averaging a career best 15.2 points per game and has pushed his career point total to 1,071. Star backcourt teammate Justin Wiersema scored 13 points versus Briar Cliff while extending his streak of consecutive games with 10 or more points to 23.
· Only the league’s two most dominant big men – Jamestown’s Mason Walters and Morningside’s Trey Brown – rank above Gage Smith on the GPAC double-doubles leaderboard. Smith collected his seventh double-double by notching 17 points and 10 rebounds versus Briar Cliff. The native of Elizabeth, Colo., may be one of the league’s most improved players. He went from averaging 4.7 points and 4.5 rebounds last season to averages of 12.5 points and 9.0 rebounds this season. He’s also become an exceptional free throw shooter – 80 percent (52-for-65).
· A great deal of the team’s production comes from its starting five, but there are several bench performers capable of emerging on any given outing. Last week that guy was AJ Watson, who put home 12 points (5-for-8 from the floor) and dished out three assists. Watson has averaged 5.2 points while playing an average of 15.1 minutes per game this season. The other regulars off the bench have been Klay Uher and Grant Wragge. It’s also worth noting that Nick Cito had a highlight reel worthy bullet of an assist last week.
· From one game to the next, Concordia went from allowing a season high 95 points to Morningside to surrendering one of the lowest opponent point totals from this season’s opponents. The Bulldogs have held four foes to below 60 points with the low being 48 scored by Emmaus Bible College (Iowa). Concordia has won all six of its games in which it has limited its opponents to fewer than 70 points. The Bulldogs rank fourth in the GPAC in scoring defense (72.7).
· Concordia now has an unusual break in the schedule. It will not play at all this week due to the Concordia Invitational Tournament (originally slated for this Friday-Saturday) being wiped out. Next on the schedule will be a Feb. 3 matchup at Dordt (15-6, 10-6 GPAC). The Bulldogs will be aiming for a regular-seasons sweep of the Defenders.
Track & Field
· The 2021 season resumed last week as the Bulldogs hosted the Concordia Polar Dog Invite on Jan. 22. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, indoor meets will continue to be smaller in scale than they would be during typical years. Doane and Hastings were the only two teams to join Concordia inside the Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs emerged with 12 Polar Dog event titles while getting particularly noteworthy performances in the pole vault. This marked the second home meet and third meet overall of the 2021 indoor season for Head Coach Matt Beisel’s program. For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE.
· At the Early Bird meet (Dec. 4-5), Concordia athletes combined for what were classified at the time as nine automatic national marks, nine ‘B’ standard national marks and five marks that met the minimum national standard in the heptathlon/pentathlon. Due to the adjustment to the national qualifying arrangement (top 16 in each event earn invitations), Bulldogs who are currently in the top 10 nationally (as of Sunday) of their respective events are listed below.
o Men’s 4x400 meter relay, 2nd (3:19.01)
o Women’s 4x400 meter relay, 3rd (3:58.93)
o Men’s 4x800 meter relay, 4th (8:07.06)
o Women’s 4x800 meter relay, 3rd (9:37.74)
o Anna Baack – pole vault, 6th (11’ 6 ½”)
o Rachel Battershell – 400 meters, 2nd (56.71); 600 meters, 4th (1:36.49)
o Zach Bennetts – pole vault, 3rd (15’ 8 ¼”)
o Chase Berry – pole vault, 5th (15’ 3”)
o Jamey Broman – long jump, 7th (18’ 5”)
o Amira Cummings – pole vault, 3rd (11’ 7 ¾”)
o Morgan De Jong – weight throw, 3rd (56’ 8 ¾”)
o Abigail Gerber – shot put, 6th (42’ 3 ¼”)
o Rylee Haecker – 1,000 meters, 6th (3:02.15)
o Kylahn Heritage – 1,000 meters, 10th (3:06.04)
o Sarah Lewis – 60 hurdles, 2nd (8.93); 400 meters, 7th (58.31)
o Wyatt Loga – high jump, 5th (6’ 8”)
o Emily Loy – pentathlon, 4th (3,167)
o Elle Luehr – shot put, 4th (42’ 7”)
o Erin Mapson – pole vault, 9th (11’ 3 ¾”)
o Colton Meyer – 60 hurdles, 6th (8.17); 400 meters, 7th (48.91)
o Kennedy Mogul – pentathlon, 7th (3,133)
o Cora Olson – long jump, 10th (18’ 1”)
o Jacee Pfeifer – 600 meters, 5th (1:36.75)
o Josie Puelz – pole vault, 1st (12’ 7 ½”)
o Sarah Ragland – weight throw, 5th (54’ 2 ½”)
o Jeremiah Reeser – heptathlon, 6th (4,473)
o Amy Richert – high jump, 2nd (5’ 5 ¼”); pentathlon, 6th (3,158)
o Xavier Ross – 400 meters, 3rd (48.09)
o Katie Severt – long jump, 5th (18’ 7 ¼”)
o Cody Williams – pole vault, 5th (15’ 3”); heptathlon, 1st (5,030)
o Zach Zohner – pole vault, 8th (14’ 10 ¼”)
· The pole vault was fruitful on both sides of the coin for the Bulldogs. Lincoln Lutheran High School alum Josie Puelz came up just short in her attempt to clear 13 feet for the first time in her career. However, she did move her season best to 12’ 7 ¾,” which leads the entire NAIA. That mark is just shy of her personal best (12’ 10 ¼”). Also at the Polar Dog, freshman Amira Cummings vaulted 11’ 7 ¾” and is now No. 3 in the nation while Erin Mapson (11’ 3 ¾”) also jumped more than 11 feet. On the men’s side, Zach Bennetts achieved a PR of 15’ 8 ¼” (second place at the meet) and leapt to No. 3 on the NAIA national list.
· In addition to Puelz’s win in the pole vault, Concordia claimed Polar Dog event titles courtesy of the women’s 4x400 and 4x800 meter relays, Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Keri Bauer (600 meters), Rylee Haecker (1,000 meters), Kylahn Heritage (5,000 meters), Jordan Hilyard (800 meters), Sarah Lewis (60 hurdles), Cora Olson (triple jump), Calvin Rohde (800 meters) and Christian Van Cleave (600 meters). Haecker, Heritage and Bauer also were part of the 4x8 while Hilyard competed in the 4x4.
· The above listing of top 10 national rankings (across all events) includes 36 marks for Bulldog athletes. That number is down from 43 from the previous week. The decline can be explained by the increasing number of meets taking place as more schools begin competition. Based on the current seed markings, Concordia is likely to be ranked highly when the coaches association unveils its first set of NAIA national computer ratings this week. Puelz and Cody Williams (heptathlon) both own a national leading mark.
· The women’s throws group is coming along nicely. Last week, senior Morgan De Jong earned the NAIA National Field Athlete of the Week after taking the national lead in the weight throw at the time. De Jong is consistently throwing better than 55 feet (55’ 1 ½” at the Polar Dog Invite) in the event and currently ranks No. 3 nationally. Meanwhile in the shot put, Elle Luehr (42’ 7”) and Abigail Gerber (42’ 3 ¼”) turned in personal bests last week. They rank fourth and sixth, respectively, on the national shot put list. In the men’s throws, Chris Wren improved his weight throw mark to 54’ 9 ½” (seventh place at the Polar Dog).
· As shown above, Concordia ranks in the top four nationally in both the men’s and women’s 4x400 and 4x800 meter relays. The Bulldog 4x8 turned in a season best of 9:37.74 (after conversion) at the Polar Dog Invite. Concordia got some bad news as it relates to the men’s 4x4. Its top group in that event has been ravaged by injury. Colton Meyer and Xavier Ross came away from the Polar Dog with injuries prior to the 4x4 being run. Based on last season, the strongest relay on the team may be the women’s 4x4 (national runner up in 2020), which includes standouts Rachel Battershell and Sarah Lewis.
· The Bulldogs will return to action this Friday and Saturday at the Fred Beile Classic hosted by Doane. Prior to the GPAC Championships (Feb. 19-20 at Dordt), Concordia will compete exclusively at home or at Doane. Additional home meets will be the Concordia Classic (Feb. 5) and the Concordia Invite (Feb. 13).
Wrestling
· As another sign of the current climate, the Bulldogs had last week off. They were originally scheduled to take part in the annual Missouri Valley College Invite (Jan. 22-23), but the tournament was canceled for this year. In action the team’s most recent action, at Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa, on Jan. 16, the Bulldogs went head-to-head with three opponents. Concordia fell in a conference matchup with Northwestern, 28-16, was then dealt a 22-15 defeat by Dickinson State University (N.D.) and wrapped up the day with a 42-18 win over Waldorf University (Iowa). The 1-2 day put third-year Head Coach Levi Calhoun’s squad at 4-7 overall (2-2 GPAC). The Bulldogs have also participated in four tournaments. For more information on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
· The dual with Northwestern carried the most significance considering it counted towards the GPAC regular-season standings. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs made the trip north a bit short-handed. They had openings at three weights (both teams were open at 125). After trailing 15-0 in the team score, Concordia got on the board thanks to Issiah Burks’ pin of Chase Peterson at 157. Senior Gabe Crawford (165) and Jacob Telles (285) also earned wins by decision while continuing strong seasons. The Bulldogs dropped contested bouts to the Red Raiders (4-2, 1-1 GPAC) at 141, 174, 184 and 197.
· Every GPAC team has competed in at least two conference duals to this point in the season. Only two conference teams are unbeaten in GPAC duals: Morningside (4-0) and Doane (3-0). As a program, the Bulldogs have been used to reigning atop the league (nine combined regular season/postseason championships since 2014). Since the beginning of the 2014-15 season, Concordia has gone 43-6 in conference duals. Last season Calhoun led the team to 13-2 overall dual record.
· On another day, the Bulldogs may have knocked off Dickinson State, but the lineup absences were a limiting factor. Concordia actually won four of the seven contested matches via Jeaven Scdoris (major decision at 141), Jose Sanchez (decision at 157), Crawford (decision at 165) and Mason Garcia (technical fall at 197). The Bulldogs still had a shot at the team win going into the heavyweight match, where the Blue Hawks squeaked out a 4-2 decision. Dickinson State (3-2) is a member of the North Star Athletic Conference.
· Anyone who blinked may have missed the dual with Waldorf, which was full of pins and forfeits. Concordia won handily as pins were secured by Sanchez (157), TJ Huber (184) and Telles (285). The only Warrior victories occurred via forfeit. By the time the dual versus Waldorf concluded, the Bulldogs had claimed wins in 14 individual matches on the day as a whole. The Warriors (0-5) call Forest City, Iowa, their home.
· Named the GPAC Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 16, Burks has risen to stardom as a junior. The native of Hemet, Calif., went 2-0 in Orange City to move his personal win streak to seven while improving his season record to 19-6. Burks ranks No. 1 on the team in pins (11) and No. 2 in wins. Those statistics represent a significant improvement from records of 5-5 as a freshman and 19-20 as a sophomore. Burks appears to be a strong challenger for his first appearance at the national tournament.
· Meanwhile, Telles has made the largest impact of any newcomer. His record stands at 23-8 and includes 10 pins out of the heavyweight position. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., has been ranked nationally in each of the last three rankings releases and is currently pegged as the No. 17 heavyweight in the NAIA. Telles went 2-1 at Northwestern. His season ledger also features tournament place finishes of third at the York Open, second at the Dakota Wesleyan Open and fifth at the Doane Open.
· Six Concordia wrestlers have accumulated 10 or more wins this season: Telles (23-8), Burks (19-6), Garcia (15-9), Mario Ybarra (12-1) and Scdoris (12-12) and Huber (10-16). Ybarra was a late scratch from the lineup last weekend. Ybarra is ranked seventh in the NAIA at 133 and owns an active 12-match win streak. The native of Scottsbluff, Neb., has not wrestled since the Concordia Bulldog Duals. Not only is Telles ranked 17th in the NAIA at 285, but Ybarra (sixth at 133) and Burks (20th at 157) also appeared in the new national rankings released last week.
The season will ramp back up this Saturday as the Bulldogs compete at the GPAC Duals hosted by Jamestown. The first duals will get underway at 10 a.m. CT in North Dakota. Concordia is set to take on Briar Cliff, Doane, Hastings and Jamestown on a day that will wrap up the GPAC dual schedule for the Bulldogs. However, Concordia will host one remaining nonconference dual – Feb. 4 versus York College.