Bulldog Weekly Report (March 13)

By Jacob Knabel on Mar. 13, 2018 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Cody Williams, Track & Field

Williams, a freshman from Imperial, Neb., took advantage of his first career appearance at the national championships. He turned in a personal best 4,915 points in the heptathlon for a seventh-place All-America finish at indoor nationals on March 3.

Female: Samantha Liermann, Track & Field

Liermann, a junior from Wisner, Neb., earned the second shot put national title of her career on March 3 at the NAIA indoor national championships. She also picked up an All-America award in the weight throw while totaling 14 team points, helping the Bulldogs to a ninth-place national finish.

Previous athletes of the week
February Athletes of the Month: Deandre Chery (wrestling) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Feb. 27 – Nick Little (baseball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Feb. 20 – Deandre Chery (wrestling) / Samantha Liermann (track & field)
Feb. 13 – Jerry Stepps III (wrestling) / McKenzie Gravo (track & field)
Feb. 6 – Michael Duffy (wrestling) / Colby Duvel (basketball)
January Athletes of the Month: Kyle Pierce (basketball) / Dani Hoppes (basketball)
Jan. 30 – Kyle Pierce (basketball) / Anna Baack (track & field)
Jan. 23 – Jacob Cornelio (track & field) / Dani Hoppes (basketball)
Jan. 16 – Josiah McAllister (track & field) / Brenleigh Daum (basketball)
Jan. 9 – Jared Woods (wrestling) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
December Athletes of the Month: Cordell Gillingham (basketball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Dec. 12 – Cordell Gillingham (basketball) / Taylor Cockerill (basketball)
Dec. 5 – Brevin Sloup (basketball) / Sydney Feller (basketball)
November Athletes of the Month: Tarence Roby (football) / Quinn Wragge (basketball)
Nov. 28 – Jake Hornick (basketball) / Quinn Wragge (basketball)
Nov. 14 – Cameron Devers (wrestling) / Jeannelle Condame (soccer)
Nov. 7 – Tarence Roby (football) / Emily Deschaine (cross country)
October Athletes of the Month: Ryan Durdon (football) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Oct. 31 – Ryan Durdon (football) / Kaitlyn Radebaugh (soccer)
Oct. 24 – Marcelo Hernandez (soccer) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Oct. 17 – Carlos Ferrer (soccer) and Grady Koch (football) / Sami Birmingham (soccer)
Oct. 10 – Micah Lehenbauer (soccer) / Kaitlyn Radebaugh (soccer)
Oct. 3 – Micah Lehenbauer (soccer) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
September Athletes of the Month: Tarence Roby (football) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Sept. 26 – Kordell Glause (football) / Emily Deschaine (cross country)
Sept. 19 – Lewis Rathbone (soccer) / Victoria Cera (soccer)
Sept. 12 – Tarence Roby (football) / Murphy Sears (golf)
Sept. 5 – Jack Bennett (soccer) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)

News and notes:

ESPN3 to televise tonight’s women’s basketball national championship: The fourth matchup this season between Concordia and Dakota Wesleyan will take place in the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship Game. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. CT tonight (March 13) inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Live coverage will be provided by ESPN3 (http://www.espn.com/watch/) and by 104.9 Max Country radio.

Daum just keeps chucking during winningest four-year run: A constant during the winningest four years in Concordia women's basketball history, Brenleigh Daum just keeps chucking it. The college career of the McCook native is about to wind down at the national tournament in Sioux City, where Daum became the latest member of the program’s 1,000-point club. For more on Daum, click HERE.

Former Concordia swim captain makes mark in Major League Baseball: A two-year captain for Concordia swim teams inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame, Terry Wetzel has carved out a successful career as a high level scout in Major League Baseball. The 1979 graduate now serves as Special Assistant to the President of Baseball Operations & General Manager of the Washington Nationals. Wetzel also previously worked for the Kansas City Royals and the Colorado Rockies. For more on Wetzel’s career rise, click HERE.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its third 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 2017-18 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 again calling volleyball action.

Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting http://www.cune.edu/csn at game time. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.

Women’s Basketball

  • A thrilling ride continues for the Bulldogs, who have rolled into tonight’s (March 13) national championship game. Concordia has arrived there thanks to national tournament wins over Stillman College (Ala.), No. 15 Taylor University (Ind.), No. 8 University of Jamestown (N.D.) and No. 11 Northwestern College (Iowa). At 36-1 overall, 12th-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad has equaled a program for most wins in a single season, tying the 2002-03 team. For more information on Concordia women’s basketball, click HERE.
  • Both the Bulldogs and Dakota Wesleyan are vying for their first national championships in program history. Concordia has advanced to at least the semifinals six times and was the 2015 national runner up. The Tigers fell in the 2003 national championship game. They are in the midst of their sixth all-time appearance at the national championships. For a game preview, click HERE.
  • Concordia’s roster includes four players with more than 1,000 career points: Quinn Wragge (1,375), Mary Janovich (1,157), Dani Hoppes (1,136) and Brenleigh Daum (1,014). Philly Lammers (991) is not far off after putting up 20 points versus Jamestown and 23 versus Northwestern. Over the past week in Sioux City, Lammers is averaging 16.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. Wragge has been the team’s second leading scorer at the national tournament with an average of 14.8 points per game (59.1 percent shooting from the floor).
  • Dakota Wesleyan is an elite team and the numbers bare it out. On the national leaderboard, it ranks first in free throw percentage (.804), second in field goal percentage (.482), third in rebound margin (+12.0), ninth in scoring offense (80.3), 11th in field goal percentage defense (.358) and 16th in scoring defense (59.2). Both Bray sisters and Osthus were named first team All-GPAC. Osthus also shared the GPAC defensive player of the year award with Hastings’ Rachel Jelden.
  • This will be the end of the line for four seniors: Daum, Sydney Feller, Hoppes and Janovich. Daum and Janovich have been constants for teams that have gone a combined 127-17 over the past four seasons. During which, the Bulldogs have reached the national championship game twice and also advanced to the national semifinals.
  • Check back tonight for a complete breakdown on the national championship game. There will be live coverage provided by ESPN3, 104.9 Max Country and by Dakstats. Follow @cunebulldogs on Twitter for additional live updates.

Softball

  • A busy stretch that included 10 games in five days is in the books. The Bulldogs went 7-3 during their stay at last week’s Tucson Invitational (March 5-9) that featured three matchups against teams that were either ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll. Concordia outscored its opponents 75-60 over a week that provided many high-scoring affairs. Fifth-year head coach Todd LaVelle’s squad is now 9-7 overall. For more information on Bulldog softball, click HERE.
  • Last week’s victories came over the likes of Northwest University (Wash.), Roosevelt University (Ill.) twice, William Penn University (Iowa), Saint Xavier University (Ill.), Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) and Presentation College (S.D.). Losses were suffered at the hands of Aquinas College (Mich.), No. 11 University of St. Francis (Ill.) and Madonna University (Mich.). Olivet Nazarene and Madonna both received votes in the national preseason poll. Eight of the 10 games in Tucson were decided by either one or two runs.
  • With a new-look pitching staff, Concordia will rely heavily upon a potent lineup that has turned in positive results through 16 games. As a team, the Bulldogs are hitting .363 with a .420 on-base percentage and .540 slugging percentage. Concordia has slugged 36 doubles, six triples and 13 home runs. The Bulldogs are averaging 7.6 runs per game.
  • The newcomers have come through in a big way. Before enduring an injury towards the tail end of the trip, junior Elanna Osthoff wore out opposing pitchers. The transfer from Jefferson College went 15-for-21 (.714) with four runs, four doubles, a triple, a home run, 12 RBIs and three stolen bases over eight games played. On the year, Osthoff leads the team with a .538 batting average. She has teamed with Hhana Haro, Tori Homolka and Leah Kalkwarf on a formidable top four in the lineup.
  • Osthoff is far from the lone Bulldog with a gaudy batting average. Not far behind are Haro (.532), Kalkwarf (.423) and Homolka (.387). Haro and Homolka are both freshmen who have adapted quickly to the college game. Homolka has been a source of big power. She has already collected 13 extra base hits (four doubles, four triples, five home runs) and is slugging .823. Haro leads the team in both doubles (nine) and RBIs (21). Homolka has driven in 18 runs.
  • Continued improvement in the pitching department could make Concordia a dangerous team moving forward. A Tucson native, Brittany Woolridge made her Bulldog debut last week. She threw 20.1 innings, allowing 11 runs (eight earned) on 24 hits and 14 walks. LaVelle has also counted upon Grace Bernhardt (37 innings) and Baily Clear (44.1 innings) to navigate the early portion of the schedule.
  • Concordia is scheduled to make its home debut today (March 13) with the University of St. Mary (Kan.) making a visit to Plum Creek Park for a 3 p.m. doubleheader.  The Bulldogs are also slated to play at former GPAC member Nebraska Wesleyan at 5 p.m. on Wednesday before opening up conference play at Northwestern (11-4) on Saturday. Concordia was picked second in the GPAC preseason poll.

Baseball

  • An 11-game run at the Tucson Invitational wrapped up last week for the Bulldogs, who went 7-4 between March 3 and 9 in Arizona. While in Tucson, Concordia picked up wins over the likes of William Penn University (Iowa), Rockford University (Ill.), Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.), Simpson College (Iowa), Presentation College (S.D.) and Northern State University (S.D.). The Bulldogs were 4-1 against NCAA competition. Fourth-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad is now 9-6 overall. For more on Concordia baseball, click HERE.
  • The pristine weather often seems to lend to higher run-scoring affairs in Tucson. The results so far show a Bulldog team capable of out-slugging the opposition. Concordia is averaging 7.5 runs per game through 15 contests. As a team, the Bulldogs are batting .312 with 10 home runs, a .424 on-base percentage and .482 slugging percentage. Four different players have struck for two home runs apiece.
  • Freshman Keaton Candor and junior Christian Meza are raking. Candor paces the team with a .462 batting average. He’s collected six doubles, three triples, two home runs and a team best 21 RBIs. While holding down the cleanup spot in the lineup, Meza is hitting .455 with seven doubles, two home runs and 19 RBIs. Both players have on-base percentages north of .500. Candor has notched at least one hit in 13 games this season.
  • First/third baseman Kaleb Geiger has an opportunity to move up many program all-time lists this season. He’s now the program’s record holder for career doubles (43) and ranks second in RBIs (139), fourth in runs scored (118), fourth in home runs (16) and seventh in hits (163). Geiger is just one RBI behind Jarrod Pimentel for a school record. This season, Geiger is hitting .340 with two doubles, four triples, two home runs and 17 RBIs. He is slugging .642.
  • The headliner out of the starting rotation has been Nick Little, named the GPAC pitcher of the week on March 6. The Lithia, Fla., native suffered the loss last week against Northern State, but he managed to strike out 10 hitters. Little has dramatically improved his strikeout rate so far. As a freshman last season, Little averaged only 4.0 strikeouts per nine innings. That figure has jumped to 10.2 in 2018. His ERA stands at 1.64 over 22 innings.
  • Little is one of four pitchers on the staff who have made three or more appearances and have an ERA below 3.00. The others are starter Cade Moring (2.87, 15.2 IP) and relievers Nathan Buckallew (1.12, 8 IP) and Jake Fosgett (0.00, 5 IP). A sophomore right-hander, Fosgett has assumed the closer role and has nailed down two saves. Buckallew also has a save.
  • Four games appear on this week’s slate, which begins with today’s (March 13) trip to Kansas Wesleyan University for one nine-inning game at 4 p.m. Concordia will also be at College of the Ozarks for a three-game series this weekend (March 17-18). Saturday’s twin bill will get started at 1 p.m. The two sides will also play one nine-inning game at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Tennis

  • Both tennis teams were in action four-straight days while touring the state of Kansas over spring break. They played on the road against the likes of Tabor College, Bethel College, Hesston College and Friends University. The men went 3-1 on the trip while the women went 2-2. Overall this season, fourth-year head coach Joel Reckewey’s squads stand at 7-5 overall. Both teams either lead or are tied for the most wins among GPAC schools. For more on Bulldog tennis, click the following links: men | women.
  • Junior Thomas Greeff starred at the top of the men’s lineup, going a perfect 4-0 in singles play on the trip. His latest victory was a 6-2, 6-3 decision over Kerry Dunn of Friends. The Bulldogs took four of six singles matches and all three doubles contests while up against the Falcons. Reckewey used the same three doubles combos for all of last week’s matches: Jeremy Berryman and Luke Zoller at No. 1, Greeff and Conner Works at No. 2 and Gio De Moraes and Josh Miller at No. 3
  • Seven Bulldogs posted at least one win on the week. Berryman turned in three and Miller, Lauby and Zoller notched two apiece. Berryman and Zoller teamed up on a 4-0 doubles mark over spring break. They had to earn it on Saturday, eking out a 9-7 win over their counterparts from Friends. The duos of Greeff/Works and De Moraes/Miller picked up a trio of wins over the past four days.
  • Collectively, the Concordia men put together records of 15-9 in singles and 10-2 in doubles for the week. The Bulldogs dropped only two matches over the final two days of the trip. On the season, Concordia is an even .500 (36-36) through 12 matches. It has had more success in doubles, going 22-14. The Bulldogs are 10-2 this season at the No. 3 doubles spot. Greeff (7-5) and Zoller (7-5) are tied for the team lead in singles wins.
  • In the spring break capper (at Friends), the Concordia women won all three doubles matches and took care of all singles matches with the exception of the Nos. 3 and 5 positions. At No. 1, senior Annie Horn rebounded from a loss on Wednesday by winning her final three matches of the week. She defeated Friends’ Amanda Zavala, 6-1, 6-3, on Saturday. Freshman Claudia Miranda Viera equaled Horn with three singles victories on the week.
  • The doubles partners of Horn and Kirsten Wagner and Miranda Viera and Katelinn Wurm both claimed three wins during spring break. In singles play, six different Bulldogs collected at least one win over the past four days. Wurm and Amanda VonSeggern captured two apiece.
  • Collectively, the Concordia women posted records of 12-12 in singles and 7-5 in doubles for the week. The Bulldogs won all but three doubles matches in their wins over Hesston and Friends. On the season, Concordia has gone 36-36 in singles matches and 21-15 in doubles action. The Bulldogs are 9-3 at No. 6 singles and 9-3 at No. 3 doubles. Horn (6-5) and Wurm share the team lead for most singles wins.
  • Both teams have this week off from competition. They will return to action on Saturday, March 24 when they host Bethany College (Kan.). Conference play is scheduled to begin April 4 for the women and April 5 for the women with trips to Doane on consecutive days.

Golf

  • The spring season is underway for the men’s program, which escaped the cold by spending spring break in Opelika, Ala., home to Grand National Golf Club. The Bulldogs turned in a two-day score of 331-307–638 while placing ninth out of 12 teams at the Spring Break Invitational (March 8-9) hosted by Lawrence Tech (Mich.). Concordia arrived in Alabama early in the week in preparation for the event. For more on Bulldog golf, click the following links: men | women.
  • Head coach Brett Muller’s programs enter the spring with conference standings of fourth on the men’s side and ninth on the women’s side. Their respective two-round conference totals are 288-295–583 for the men and 383-376–759 for the women. The highest placing individuals are Nolan Zikas (70-73–143; T-5th) and Murphy Sears (85-86–171; 13th).
  • Muller traveled five Bulldogs to the Spring Break Invitational. All but one of the five improved their scores in round two. Senior Russell Otten turned in a team low of 80-74–154, tying him for 19th on the leaderboard of more than 70 golfers. He was followed by Nolan Zikas (81-74–155; T-24th), Kort Steele (85-76–161; T-44th), Tylar Samek (85-86–171; T-61st) and Tyler Ehresman (88-83–171; T-61st).
  • Zikas entered the event as owner of the team’s top 18-hole average. In nine fall rounds, Zikas averaged a score of 73.78. Otten was next in line at 76.78. Zikas, Otten, Samek, Steele and Ehresman have each participated in all of the team’s 11 rounds of action over the 2017-18 season.
  • As a team, the Concordia men averaged a score of 304.2 during nine rounds in the fall. Six of their first nine rounds resulted in scores of 300 or lower. They shot a school record tying 288 in the first round of the GPAC championships. The Bulldogs also turned in rounds of 293, 295 (twice) and 299. Their 331 on day one of the Spring Break Invitational was their second highest score all season.
  • The next event on the schedule is the Bulldog-Tiger Cup on Saturday, March 24, when Concordia and Doane will go head-to-head at York Country Club. The women are set to open up their spring season with the College of Saint Mary/Midland Invite April 5-6. The GPAC spring championships are set for April 23-24 on the men’s side and April 27-28 on the women’s side.