Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week
Female: Adrianna Shaw, Track & Field
A senior from Bassett, Neb., Adrianna Shaw moved to No. 1 on the program’s all-time weight throw list with her winning toss of 62’ 6” at last week’s Polar Dog Invite. Shaw also placed second in the shot put with another throw that surpassed the national qualifying mark. Nationally, Shaw ranks second in both the shot put and weight throw.
Male: Tanner Shuck, Basketball
A senior from Grand Island, Neb., Tanner Shuck earned CIT MVP honors last week while leading the Bulldogs to a pair of dominant wins and the program’s 28th CIT title. During the two CIT games, Shuck totaled 31 points while going 12-for-25 from the floor to go along with seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Shuck has scored 1,396 career points.
2019-20 BAAM Athletes of the Week
Jan. 21 – Tanner Farmer (wrestling) / Rachel Battershell (track & field)
Jan. 14 – Tanner Shuck (basketball) / Riley Sibbel (basketball)
Dec. 17 – Gavin DeHaai (track & field) / Kennedy Mogul (track & field)
Dec. 10 – Issiah Burks (wrestling) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
Dec. 3 – Mario Ybarra (wrestling) / Kylahn Heritage (cross country)
Nov. 19 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Kara Stark (volleyball)
Nov. 12 – Mario Ybarra (wrestling) / Kylahn Heritage (cross country)
Nov. 5 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Delani Fahey (basketball)
Oct. 29 – Brevin Sloup (basketball) / Kylahn Heritage (cross country)
Oct. 22 – Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
Oct. 15 – Lane Napier (football) / Marissa Hoerman (volleyball)
Oct. 8 – Caleb Goldsmith (soccer) / Tara Callahan (volleyball)
Oct. 1 – AJ Jenkins (football) / Rebekah Hinrichs (cross country)
Sept. 24 – Derek Tachovsky (football) / Kendra Placke (golf)
Sept. 17 – Moises Jacobo (soccer) / Kara Stark (volleyball)
Sept. 10 – Carlos Orquiz (soccer) / Amie Martin (cross country)
Sept. 3 – Eduardo Alba (soccer) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
2019-20 BAAM Athletes of the Month
November – Carter Kent (basketball) / Kara Stark (volleyball)
October – Tara Callahan (volleyball) / Lane Napier (football)
September – Derek Tachovsky (football) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
News and notes:
Cheer and dance teams compete at CIT: For the third year in a row, the Concordia Invitational Tournament also featured cheer and dance competitions. As announced during the men’s basketball championship game, the Bulldogs placed third in cheer and fourth in dance. CUNE went up against the Concordias of Ann Arbor, Chicago and Wisconsin. Head coach Mandi Maser’s squads opened up the competition season on Jan. 22 when they hosted Morningside. The Mustangs won in cheer by a score of 63.12 to 61.0 and in dance by a score of 67.5 to 58.63. Maser’s teams are captained by seniors Morgan Fritsch and Annie Pico and junior Lanessa Kerner in cheer and junior Kalina Schoenfeld in dance. The season will continue for the Bulldogs on Saturday when they host their own Concordia Invite inside Walz Arena. The action is set to get started at 1 p.m. CT. For further details, click HERE.
Dupic’s squad getting set to open season with high expectations: The Bulldogs are roughly a week-and-a-half away from when the 2020 season is scheduled to get started with a Feb. 8 doubleheader at McPherson College (Kan.). In the preseason polls, head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad landed at No. 1 in the GPAC while also receiving votes nationally. For a preview of the 2020 season, click HERE.
Shooting sports to resume season at ACUI Super Shoot: Head coach Scott Moniot’s shooting sports team will resume the 2019-20 season this week with the ACUI Super Shoot that will begin on Thursday. The event will take place in Kerville, Texas, and San Antonio, Texas. The bulk of the shooting sports campaign unfolded during the fall when the Bulldogs competed in six weekend events. Following this week’s competition, Concordia will also have the Doane Tiger Invitational and the ACUI National Championships left on the slate. For more on Bulldog shooting sports, click HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its fourth 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 2018-19 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Tyler Cavalli 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 fourth 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 is partnering 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.
Men’s Basketball
· The CIT championship trophy has made its way back to Seward after it had gone to Ann Arbor in 2018 and then Wisconsin in 2019. The Bulldogs were shockingly dominant during their stay at Concordia University, Chicago, where they routed Concordia-Ann Arbor, 79-57, and Concordia-Wisconsin, 92-55. Two days prior to CIT, CUNE had its seven-game win streak snapped in an 85-72 home loss to No. 1 Morningside. Head coach Ben Limback’s squad is now 16-6 overall and 7-5 in league play (tied for fourth). For more information on Bulldog men’s basketball, click HERE.
· CUNE is the all-time leader with 28 CIT titles in program history. The event dates back to 1951 on the men’s side. The first Bulldog championship came in 1964 when led by head coach Rueben Stohs and MVP Gordon Bredow. Limback has presided over six CIT titles, including two as head coach of CUAA. Former head coach Grant Schmidt guided the Bulldogs to 16 CIT titles during his tenure. CUNE has won 26 of the past 38 CIT championships, including each of the last three that took place in Chicago.
· Tanner Shuck has come alive during the stretch run. He garnered the MVP award over the weekend after putting up a combined 31 points while going 12-for-25 from the floor to go along with seven rebounds and three blocked shots. The senior from Grand Island, Neb., has totaled 1,396 points in his career, ranking 12th in school history. Shuck was also part of a CIT championship team in 2017 when the tournament took place in Seward.
· Shuck and company found the rims to their liking at Geiseman Gymnasium, where the Bulldogs went a combined 26-for-62 (.419) from 3-point range. CUNE was especially hot in the championship game, knocking down 15-of-34 attempts from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs have netted at least 10 3-point field goals in nine-straight games. Among NAIA Division II teams, CUNE ranks 13th in made 3-point field goals per game (10.7). The Bulldogs have enjoyed a large advantage over their opponents from long range. They make 35.7 percent of their 3-point attempts compared to 31.3 percent by their foes.
· The wealth of capable 3-point shooters has made the Bulldogs a difficult team to guard. Junior Sam Scarpelli has become another of those weapons on the perimeter. He was named to the CIT all-tournament team along with Shuck. Over the two CIT games, Scarpelli went 6-for-12 from 3-point range and posted a combined 24 points. In the championship game, Scarpelli drained a trey to beat the halftime buzzer and push the lead to 53-33. The native of Portland, Ore., is averaging 7.0 points while shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range.
· Limback has gotten plenty of contributions from the role players. For instance, Chuol Biel put together a solid CIT that included 13 points, 20 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Off the bench, Ryan Holt added 11 points in the championship game and wowed the crowd with a thunderous one-handed slam in transition. In addition, freshman AJ Watson supplied eight points in the first round of CIT. He banked in a long 3-point shot at the halftime buzzer to make it a 50-24 lead versus Concordia-Ann Arbor. Also in the championship game, Justin Wiersema totaled 15 points and four assists.
· The Bulldogs have won nine of their last 10 games with the only loss coming against top-ranked Morningside. While the Mustangs seem likely to win the GPAC regular-season title, it’s not out of the question for CUNE to finish as high as second place. Dakota Wesleyan (9-3 GPAC) and Mount Marty (8-5 GPAC) are the teams directly in front of the Bulldogs in the standings with eight conference games left to be played. CUNE’s high water mark for GPAC victories during Limback’s tenure is 10.
· The Bulldogs actually built an early double-digit advantage versus Morningside. Brevin Sloup started out white hot by making his first four tries from 3-point range. Sloup put up all 18 of his points that evening in the first half. Scarpelli then caught fire in the second half with 21 points after the break. On the flip side, CUNE’s normally stout defense had trouble limiting the Mustangs, who shot 50.8 percent from the floor.
· It will be back to GPAC play this week with Northwestern (15-7, 7-5 GPAC) coming to town for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will also be at the Corn Palace on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest versus 10th-ranked Dakota Wesleyan (17-4, 9-3 GPAC). CUNE will attempt to claim a regular-season sweep of the Red Raiders and a split with the Tigers.
Women’s Basketball
· The reign of the Bulldogs at CIT continues. CUNE again dominated the competition while celebrating the program’s 30th all-time CIT title at the 2020 event hosted by Concordia University, Chicago. Prior to CIT, the third-ranked Bulldogs toppled No. 7 Morningside, 85-61, on Jan. 22. Then at CIT, CUNE routed Concordia-Ann Arbor, 74-49, and Concordia-Wisconsin, 102-47. The impressive week puts 14th-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad at 20-2 overall and at 13-1 in GPAC play (one game behind first-place Hastings). For more information on Bulldog women’s basketball, click HERE.
· CUNE has not only won CIT regularly, it has done so in blowout fashion. Coming into this year’s event, the Bulldogs had won 12-straight CIT games with its average victory margin being 30.2 points. Once again, the pressure and depth employed by CUNE was too much for the fellow Concordias. The Bulldogs enjoyed at least a 2-to-1 turnover ratio in both games while forcing a total of 74 turnovers. CUNE has captured seven-consecutive CIT titles and 11 during Olson’s 14 years leading the program.
· Dynamic senior point guard Grace Barry added some more hardware to her collection by earning CIT MVP honors. Over the two CIT games, Barry posted a combined 30 points, 15 assists, eight steals and five rebounds while making 14-of-25 shots from the floor. Barry also notched eight points, eight assists and five steals versus Morningside. The MVP of the 2019 national tournament, Barry is averaging 13.3 points, 6.0 assists and 3.57 steals per game this season. Barry ranks in the top 10 nationally in both steals and assists per game.
· The defensive pressure has played a hand in the Bulldogs ranking second nationally with a scoring average of 93.4 points per game. The victory over CUW marked the 10th time this season that CUNE has reached the 100-point mark. Incredibly, the Bulldog bench outscored the entire Falcons team by racking up 56 points. Sophomore Chloe Schumacher took advantage of her playing time and put up a career high 13 points (4-for-6 from 3-point range) in the CIT championship game. Elsie Aslesen added nine points and Delani Fahey and MacKenzie Helman chipped in eight points apiece.
· The CIT MVP in 2019, Philly Lammers joined Barry on the all-tournament team. CUNE felt fortunate to have Lammers back on the court after she missed nearly all of the action the previous week. Her impact is felt in obvious ways. She poured in 13 points versus Morningside and then 17 points versus Concordia-Ann Arbor. With eight games remaining in the regular season, Lammers has pushed her career totals to 1,842 points, 957 rebounds and 324 steals. The school scoring record is 2,054 points by Bailey Morris.
· For most programs, merely getting to 20 wins would be the marker of a great season. For CUNE, reaching at least that number has become an annual achievement. Only twice in Olson’s 14 years at the helm of the program have the Bulldogs failed to reach 20 victories. All the senior class knows is winning. Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, CUNE has compiled a record of 125-10. Olson’s teams have even pushed past the 30-win mark five teams with a high water mark of 36 triumphs during the 2017-18 season.
· With the victory over Morningside, the Bulldogs have now claimed eight victories over ranked opponents. According to Massey Ratings, CUNE has played the most challenging schedule of any NAIA women’s basketball team (NAIA Division I and II included). Based on their ratings when games were played, the Bulldogs have defeated No. 2 Southeastern University (Fla.), No. 6 Dordt, No. 7 Morningside (twice), No. 9 University of St. Francis (Ill.), No. 12 Northwestern, No. 12 Sterling College (Kan.) and No. 13 Dakota Wesleyan.
· While Lammers missed the Jan. 18 game at Briar Cliff, CUNE has been relatively healthy since Taylor Cockerill suffered a season-ending injury in the exhibition game at Creighton University. Barry, Colby Duvel, Mackenzie Koepke and Riley Sibbel have each started all 22 games this season (Lammers has made 21 starts). Unfortunately, freshman sharp shooter Taylor Farrell went down with an injury in the game against CUAA and did not return to the floor for the rest of the weekend. The Bulldogs hope to have her back yet this season.
· The rest of the regular season will feature GPAC games exclusively. CUNE will host 17th-ranked Northwestern (12-7, 7-7 GPAC) at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will then hit the road again for a matchup at No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan (15-7, 8-6 GPAC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. CUNE will be seeking regular-season sweeps of both opponents.
Wrestling
· After concluding the GPAC Duals on Jan. 25, the 20th-ranked Bulldogs had locked up at least a share of the conference regular-season title. In the event hosted by Doane, Concordia won duals over Hastings, 28-17, Jamestown, 28-16, Briar Cliff, 22-13, and Doane, 33-14. Those victories kept the Bulldogs unbeaten in conference action with a 7-0 mark. Second-year head coach Levi Calhoun’s squad is also 10-2 overall in duals. Only one conference dual remains on the schedule. For more information on Concordia wrestling, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs emerged victorious in 26 of the 40 individual matches held inside the Fuhrer Fieldhouse, where several fans wearing navy and white gathered. Concordia won six matches over Hastings, six over Jamestown, seven over Briar Cliff and seven over Doane in reasserting itself atop the GPAC standings. Broken down further, out of the 26 wins, five came via pin, five via major decision and three via technical fall. All 12 Bulldogs who competed at Doane came away with at least one victory. In its three previous conference duals, Concordia won seven matches over Northwestern, six over Morningside and all 10 over Midland. In sum, the Bulldogs are 49-21 in individual matches that have been contested within GPAC duals.
· Concordia has undoubtedly been the league’s most dominant team over the past six seasons. Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Bulldogs are 40-4 in GPAC duals and have captured five GPAC regular-season titles. During that run, the program has head three head coaches: Dana Vote, Andrew Nicola and now Calhoun. With a win over Dakota Wesleyan on Thursday, Concordia would complete its fourth undefeated GPAC record over that six-year stretch.
· After being out since the Desert Duals Classic on Dec. 22, sophomore Mario Ybarra enjoyed a 4-0 day while splitting his time between the 125 and 133 positions at the GPAC Duals. He capped his unbeaten run with a victory via technical fall over Doane’s Frankie Deloa. The native of Scottsbluff, Neb., won his first three matches on the day by decision. With the four wins, Ybarra regained the team lead for most victories this season. He owns an overall record of 16-6 and a dual mark of 8-3.
· The conference championship essentially came down to Concordia and Briar Cliff (6-1 GPAC). Charger standout Isiah Lysius gave his team a brief 6-3 advantage with a pin at 133. The Bulldogs eventually triumphed without there being much drama as Blake Castillo (184), Darrin Miller (197) and Farmer (285) closed the dual with wins. Briar Cliff’s only hope to now share the GPAC title is for Concordia to lose its GPAC finale against Dakota Wesleyan. The Chargers won the 2017-18 GPAC regular-season title.
· Not only did Ybarra enjoy a perfect day, the Bulldogs also went unbeaten at the heavyweight position with Tanner Farmer (1-0) and Michael Stann (3-0) combining to go 4-0. Stann dominated by securing pins over his opponents from Hastings and Jamestown before closing his day with a victory by decision over a Doane grappler. In his only match of the day, Farmer won by major decision. The native of Highland, Ill., is a perfect 12-0 this season and is a two-time GPAC Wrestler of the Week.
· Every Bulldog that saw action this past Saturday notched at least one win. While Ybarra went 4-0, Blake Castillo (3-0), Stann (3-0), Jason Watkins (2-0) and Farmer (1-0) put forth unbeaten records. Watkins dominated with his wins coming by technical fall and by pin. Cameron Devers also turned in a 3-1 day. Two-time 174-pound GPAC champion Deandre Chery also returned to the lineup and recorded two pins. Miller won two of his three matches and Issiah Burks (165) and Giancarlo Facio (125/133) both went 2-2.
· As stated, Ybarra’s 16 wins are a team high. nine additional Bulldogs have notched at least 10 wins this season: Burks (14-15), Farmer (12-0), Castillo (12-13), Darrin Miller (11-5), Chery (11-6), Zack Moistner (11-11), Watkins (11-11), Chris Kimball (10-6) and Demitrius Miller (10-10). Burks leads the way with eight pins. Five of Stann’s six wins have come by pin.
· Concordia is getting set to host a triangular with Dakota Wesleyan and York College on Thursday. In the first dual (start time of 7 p.m. CT), the Bulldogs will take on the Tigers. DWU will then battle York before Concordia takes on the Panthers. Then on Saturday, select Concordia wrestlers will be at the Sioux City Open hosted by Morningside. The tournament is slated to begin at 9 a.m. CT.
Track & Field
· Last week’s Concordia Polar Dog Invite represented a noticeable improvement from the week prior when the Bulldogs competed at the Nisely Memorial Classic hosted by Doane. The Polar Dog yielded four fresh automatic national qualifying marks and two school records for Bulldog athletes. Concordia also claimed 13 event titles while hosting athletes from Concordia University-Irvine, Doane, Hastings, MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) and Mount Marty. For more on Bulldog track and field, click HERE.
· Through three weekends of indoor competition, Concordia athletes have combined for 14 automatic national qualifying marks, 17 ‘B’ standards and three NAIA top seven multi-event point totals (see full list below). Rachel Battershell and Adrianna Shaw highlight the list with two auto marks in individual events.
o A, Women’s 4x400m relay (3:58.20)
o Andy Amos – B, weight throw (54’ 10 ¼”)
o Rachel Battershell – A, 400 meters (56.40); A, 60 meter hurdles (8.96); B, 400 meters (59.22)
o Taylor Beck – B, triple jump (B, 46’ 3 ½”)
o Chase Berry – A, pole vault (15’ 7”)
o Allie Brooks – A, pole vault (12’ 6 ¼”)
o Jacob Cornelio – A, weight throw (65’ 9”)
o Morgan De Jong – A, weight throw (54’ 8”)
o Gavin DeHaai – A, pole vault (16’ 4 ¾”)
o McKenzie Gravo – B, pole vault (11’ 2 ½”)
o Liam Hennessy – A, weight throw (56’ 7 ½”)
o Kylahn Heritage – B, mile (5:13.84)
o Samuel Joseph – B, triple jump (46’ 4”)
o Sarah Lewis – B, 400 meters (59.32)
o Wyatt Loga – B, high jump (6’ 7”)
o Emily Loy – No. 7 in NAIA with 3,109 points in pentathlon
o Erin Mapson – B, pole vault (11’ 2 ¼”)
o Colton Meyer – B, 60 meter hurdles (8.29)
o Kennedy Mogul – B, 60 meter hurdles (9.14); No. 2 in NAIA with 3,341 points in pentathlon
o Jerod Peters – B, shot put (51’ 5 ¾”)
o Tucker Platt – B, pole vault (15’ 3”)
o Ben Pratt – B, high jump (6’ 7 ½”)
o Josie Puelz – A, pole vault (12’ 6 ¼”)
o Sarah Ragland – B, weight throw (52’ 7 ¼”)
o Xavier Ross – A, 400 meters (49.03)
o Adrianna Shaw – A, shot put (46’ 6 ¼”); A, weight throw (62’ 6”)
o Sam Sisco – B, pole vault (15’ 3”)
o Cody Williams – A, pole vault (15’ 7”); B, high jump (6’ 7 ½”); No. 2 in NAIA with 5,195 points in heptathlon
· Already a two-time All-American coming into this season, Battershell has raised her game to new heights. While running in the prelims of the 60 meter hurdles at the Polar Dog, the native of Wheatland, Wyo., broke her own school record by clocking in at 8.96. She also won the 400 meters with a national qualifying time of 56.40, which places her at No. 1 in the NAIA. It also puts her at No. 2 on the program’s all-time list in the 400 meters. Not only that, Battershell anchored the team’s 4x400 meter relay that qualified for nationals in a time of 3:58.20 (second best in the nation).
· Previously ranked fourth on the program’s weight throw list, Shaw moved to the top this past weekend with a giant toss of 62’ 6” that won the competition by nearly six feet. The previous school record holder in the women’s weight throw was Kali Robb, who set a GPAC meet record with her mark of 62’ 1 ¾” in 2016. Shaw also placed second in the shot put while again eclipsing the auto standard. Nationally, Shaw ranks second in both the shot put and weight throw.
· The two other new automatic national qualifying marks were turned in by Chase Berry in the pole vault (15’ 7”) and Xavier Ross in the 400 meters (49.03). It seemed to be just a matter of time before the freshman standout Berry would clear the requisite standard. He had previously held a ‘B’ mark in the pole vault. Berry joined Gavin DeHaai and Cody Williams as Bulldogs who have qualified for nationals in the men’s pole vault. On the women’s side of the pole vault, Allie Brooks and Josie Puelz have also guaranteed spots at the national championships.
· Concordia athletes currently own nine marks that rank either first or second on the NAIA leaderboard: women’s 4x400 meter relay (No. 2), Battershell (No. 1 in 400 meters), Brooks (No. 2 in pole vault), Jacob Cornelio (No. 1 in weight throw), Kennedy Mogul (No. 2 in pentathlon), Puelz (No. 2 in pole vault), Shaw (No. 2 in shot put and weight throw) and Williams (No. 2 in heptathlon). In addition, DeHaai ranks third in the pole vault and Ross ranks third in the 400 meters.
· On the national landscape, several other Bulldogs made a mark. Sarah Lewis clocked a ‘B’ standard of 59.32 in the 400 meters, Ben Pratt leaped a ‘B’ mark of 6 7 ½” (first place) and Erin Mapson made her way back with a clearance of 11’ 2 ½” in the pole vault (B’ standard). Other first-place finishers on Saturday included the men’s 4x400 meter relay, women’s 4x800 meter relay, Kylahn Heritage (one mile), Cora Olson (triple jump) and Jordan Lorenz (5,000 meters). Heritage again came in under the ‘B’ standard in the mile. Rebekah Hinrichs and Alyssa Fye finished next in line after Heritage in the mile. Heritage, Hinrichs, Fye and Miranda Rathjen made up the winning 4x8. On the men’s side, Camden Sesna was the mile runner up.
· The Bulldogs will serve as meet host again this Thursday and Friday when the Concordia Classic will run off inside the Fieldhouse. It will mark the third home meet already this indoor season. The tentative meet schedule can be viewed HERE.