Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
NOTE: Performances during the period of March 1-15 were considered for BAAM Athlete of the Week. BAAM did not meet during the week of spring break.
Female: Josie Puelz, Track & Field
Puelz, a Lincoln Lutheran alum, captured the third national title of her career when she broke her own school record with a pole vault clearance of 13’ 5 ¼” at the indoor national meet. She was also the GPAC pole vault champion thanks to a meet record performance.
Male: Noah Schutte, Basketball
Schutte, a Laurel, Neb., native, could be considered the unofficial MVP of Concordia’s first two games at the national tournament. In wins over Indiana University Northwest and Marian University (Ind.), Schutte combined for 41 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots while making 14-of-20 (.700) attempts from the field. Schutte was an honorable mention All-GPAC honoree this season.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
March 1 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Shelby Timmerman (cheer)
Feb. 22 – Gage Smith (basketball) / Josie Puelz (track & field)
Feb. 15 – Calvin Rodhe (track & field) / Kendal Brigham (basketball)
Feb. 8 – Taysha Rushton (basketball) / AJ Watson (basketball)
Feb. 1 – Calvin Rohde (track & field)
Jan. 25 – Calvin Rohde (track & field) / Gage Smith (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
Jan. 18 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
Jan. 11 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Mackenzie Toomey (basketball)
Dec. 14 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Sarah Lewis (track & field)
Dec. 7 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Nov. 30 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Taysha Rushton (basketball)
Nov. 16 – Korrell Koehlmoos (football) / Bree Burtwistle (volleyball)
Nov. 9 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Nov. 2 – Carter Kent (basketball) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
Oct. 26 – Peyton Mitchell (football) / Lexie Kreizel (volleyball)
Oct. 19 – Lane Napier (football) / Kalie Ward (soccer)
Oct. 12 – Caydren Cox (football) / Kalee Wiltfong (volleyball)
Oct. 5 – DJ McGarvie (football) / Sarah Schwacher (shooting sports)
Sept. 28 – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Sept. 21 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Lina Kirst (soccer) / Grace Reiman (cross country) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Sept. 14 – Caydren Cox (football) / Mikeila Martinez (soccer)
Sept. 7 – Drew D’Ercole (golf) / Ivan Yabut (golf) / Erica Heinzerling (volleyball)
Aug. 31 – Martin Herrera (soccer) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
BAAM Athletes of the Month
January – Carter Kent (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
December – Carter Kent (basketball) / Sarah Lewis (track & field)
November – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
October – Lane Napier (football) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
September – Caydren Cox (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
News and notes:
Due to the intensity of recent athletic events, and national championship travel, this edition of the Bulldog Weekly Report has been abbreviated.
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.
Game/event days on campus: Concordia Athletics continues to welcome fans to its venues for sporting events. Currently, there are no attendance limits. Before visiting road venues involving Bulldog teams, fans should be sure to check the spectator policies on those particular campuses. Other locations may require the use of face coverings. Once again, fans attending varsity sporting events at Concordia are able to purchase advance tickets online via HomeTown Ticketing. Tickets will also be sold on site on the day of events. Should any policies or protocols for fans change, updated information will be available on the athletics fan information page HERE.
Indoor track season wraps up with NAIA place finishes of third for women, 36th for men: The 2022 indoor season reached a conclusion during the weekend of March 3-5 at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Brookings, S.D. Eighteen Bulldogs came away from the meet with All-America honors in at least one event and Concordia emerged with team place finishes of third on the women’s side and 36th on the men’s side. As the biggest highlight of the meet, Josie Puelz won her third career pole vault national title. While doing so, Puelz broke her own school record by clearing 13’ 5 ½.” Third-place finishes on the women’s side came from the women’s 4x800 meter relay, Rylee Haecker in the 1,000 meters, Jordan Koepke in the 600 meters and Erin Mapson in the pole vault. The full list of 2022 All-Americans can be viewed HERE. For more information on Concordia Track & Field, click HERE
Season ends on national tournament’s first day for Ybarra, Telles: Hopeful of reaching the All-America podium, Concordia Wrestling national qualifiers Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles both earned one victory before being eliminated at the 2022 NAIA Wrestling National Championships held at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan., on March 4-5. Unfortunately, Ybarra and Telles were bounced from the tournament during session I. One of the program’s all-time greats, Ybarra earned All-America honors in 2021, was a three-time national qualifier, won the 125-pound GPAC title in 2020 and will graduate as the fourth winningest wrestler (76 career victories) in program history. Meanwhile, Telles has already notched 54 career wins through two collegiate seasons. Bulldog Wrestling turned in 2022 place finishes of tied for sixth in the GPAC regular season and sixth at the conference tournament. For more on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
Men’s Golf spring season underway: The first men’s golf action of the spring came in Las Vegas as the Bulldogs placed 14th out of 16 teams at the Winona State Warrior Invitational (March 7-8) staged at Stallion Mountain Golf Course. Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad went up against a field loaded with NCAA Division II competitors and shot a two-round total of 323-320–643. A two-time top 10 tournament finisher in the fall, Drew D’Ercole made a push for a similar finish at the Warrior Invite. He shot a one-over-par 73 on day two while ascending more than 20 spots on a leaderboard including 107 golfers. The Papillion, Neb., native turned in a two-day total of 78-73–151. D’Ercole (18 pars and six birdies over the two rounds) was at least seven strokes better than every other Concordia competitor on March 8. Next in line were Ivan Yabut (81-83–164; T-78th) and Jake Hagerbuamer (80-84–164; T-78th). Yabut was the team’s top golfer during the fall with a scoring average of 73.4. The Bulldogs traveled seven golfers to the tournament. Next up for the men is the Bulldog-Tiger Cup this Saturday at York Country Club. Meanwhile, the women’s team will pick things up this spring with the Southwestern College Invitational on March 28-29. For additional details on the Concordia Golf programs, click here: MEN | WOMEN.
Tennis teams idle since late February: Due to cancellations in the schedule, the Concordia Tennis teams were unable to get any matches played over the week of spring break. That means both teams have been idle since claiming 7-0 wins over Bethany College (Kan.) on Feb. 26. Heading into this week, Head Coach Cam Long’s squads sport records of 2-3 on the women’s side and 1-4 on the men’s side. Both teams are scheduled to host Sterling College (Kan.) at 3 p.m. CT today (March 15) and Bethel College (Kan.) at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are also slated to head to Missouri Valley College on Saturday for matches at 1 p.m. Last week on the athletics website, the impactful senior class and its role in the rise of the men’s tennis program was featured. To read that article, click HERE. For more information on Concordia Tennis, click here: MEN | WOMEN.
Shooting Sports: Concordia Shooting Sports continued the spring season with the two-day Simpson College Invitational this past weekend (March 12-13). As of the release of the Bulldog Weekly, results were not yet available. The Bulldogs had also competed at the Lindenwood Spring Open (Feb. 26-27) and the Doane Tiger Invitational (March 5-6). A full recap will be posted of the Simpson Invite once results are available. For more on Concordia Shooting Sports, click HERE.
‘That guy’ vaults into top five on program’s all-time scoring list: Carter Kent has certainly etched his name into Concordia Men’s Basketball lore. Prior to the start of the national tournament, he was front and center in thrilling home victories, including the GPAC championship game, that resulted in court storms. A 4.0 biology student, Kent is the “complete package” as Head Coach Ben Limback put it. During action this past weekend, Kent moved into the top five on the program’s all-time scoring list. As the team’s unassuming leader, Kent is more focused on keeping this season going as long as possible. For more on Kent’s career, click HERE.
Winter sport all-conference honors announced: All-GPAC awards for all winter sports were announced over the past few weeks. Click the links below for further details.
-Men’s Basketball
-Women’s Basketball
-Track & Field All-GPAC
-Wrestling All-GPAC
-Cheer All-GPAC
-Dance All-GPAC
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its seventh 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 2021-22 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 seventh 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.
Men’s Basketball
· Every time it appears this season has reached its zenith, it just gets even better. The Bulldogs remain alive in the national tournament bracket after cruising through the opening round of the 2022 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship. As a No. 5 seed, Concordia toppled 12th-seeded Indiana University Northwest, 96-78, and then dominated fourth-seeded Marian University, 90-67, in national tournament action that took place at Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb., March 11-12. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad has moved to 27-6 overall as it prepares to play in the national round of 16. For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs took Omaha by storm and proved they have been vastly underrated all season. In the process of defeating IU Northwest and Marian, Concordia earned the program’s first national tournament wins since the 2004-05 team’s run to the NAIA Division II national championship game. This marks the 11th national tournament appearance in program history. Bulldog squads now own an all-time national tournament record of 13-10. The 23-point spread against Marian marked the largest margin of victory at a national tournament game in school history. The 96 points scored versus IU Northwest weren’t quite a school record at the national tournament. Two past Concordia teams reached 100 points on the national stage.
· Offensive balance was again a theme during the first two rounds of the national tournament. In the win over Indiana Northwest, five Bulldogs reached double figures in scoring: Noah Schutte (21), AJ Watson (17), Carter Kent (14), Tristan Smith (14) and Justin Wiersema (13). Schutte added nine rebounds and Gage Smith dished out five assists. It was a tight game (33-32 Bulldog lead) with less than five minutes left in the half until Concordia went on a run and led 54-41 at the break. The lead grew as large as 22 points as the Bulldogs shot 49.3 percent from the floor (11-for-29 from 3-point range).
· Concordia boat-raced Marian from the tipoff and jumped out to a 15-2 lead. During the second half, the lead for the Bulldogs never dipped below 17 points. Six Concordia players notched at least nine points: Schutte (20), Kent (19), Gage Smith (16), Wiersema (11), Sam Scarpelli (nine) and Watson (nine). Gage Smith was a beast inside with 16 rebounds and two blocked shots. Tristan Smith rejected three shots off the bench. The Bulldogs scorched the nets by making 13-of-26 attempts from 3-point range. Kent connected on 5-of-6 tries from beyond the arc. Both Kent and Wiersema posted four assists.
· With 33 combined points in the first two rounds of the national tournament, Kent passed Director of Athletics Devin Smith for fifth on the program’s all-time scoring list. His total now rests at 1,671 points. Smith is now at No. 6 with 1,659 points. The top four on the list are Jon Ziegler (2,099), Tom Raabe (2,016), Chandler Folkerts (1,963) and John Puelz (1,955). Kent was named first team all-conference this season. He is averaging 15.9 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor, 36.3 percent from 3-point range and 82.6 percent from the foul line.
· Elsewhere on the program’s all-time lists, Wiersema moved past Bret Walter (1,248) and Brevin Sloup (1,246) for 18th on in scoring in school history. Wiersema’s point total rests at 1,265. Meanwhile, Gage Smith became the 11th player in program history to reach 600 career rebounds. His 619 career rebounds put him 10th all-time, just head of Glen Snodgrass (607). In addition, Kent now ranks fifth in program history for career 3-point field goals with 247. He recently surpassed Ben Buhr (239) and Ben Limback (237).
· After playing in primetime both days in Omaha, the Bulldogs will remain in a premium tipoff time. As part of the national round of 16, Concordia will go up against eighth-seeded Indiana University Kokomo at 7 p.m. CT on Friday. The winner will then play at 7 p.m. on Saturday versus either No. 2 Talladega College (Ala.) or No. 6 Jamestown. Should the Bulldogs reach the national semifinals, they would tip off at 7 p.m. on Monday (March 21). The championship game is the following day, also at 7 p.m. All national tournament games the rest of the way will be played at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. The full bracket can be found HERE.
Women’s Basketball
· The 21st national tournament in program history ended in the first game of the opening round this past Friday (March 11). The ninth-seeded Bulldogs were unable to maintain a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter and were eliminated by eighth-seeded Benedictine College (Kan.), 62-58. The Ravens wound up getting blown out by pod host Campbellsville University (Ky.), 74-44, in the next round in action in Bowling Green, Ky. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad finished the season at 16-14 overall. For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The defeat marked the first time the program had lost its opening game of the national tournament since 2016. Olson has guided the Bulldogs to 11 straight national tournament appearances and to 14 national trips over the past 15 seasons. It was an up-and-down year for the 2021-22 team, but some of that was due to the fact that Concordia played the No. 1 strength of schedule in the NAIA. Throughout the season, the Bulldogs defeated five teams that qualified for the national tournament. One of those foes, Wayland Baptist University (Texas), advanced to the national round of 16. Two GPAC squads also reached the round of 16 – Dordt and Morningside.
· In last week’s contest, Concordia fought back from an immediate 11-0 deficit and seemingly had taken control. The Bulldogs led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter before watching the advantage melt away. They failed to score a point over the game’s final six minutes. Most of Concordia’s scoring came from the trio of Kayla Luebbe (19), Sadie Powell (16) and Taysha Rushton (12). The Seward High School product Luebbe made all eight of her field goal attempts, including three from beyond the arc. Powell grabbed six rebounds and four steals and Rushton swiped five steals.
· In her First Team All-GPAC season, Rushton averaged 17.7 points per game, which marked the highest single season scoring average for a Bulldog since Bailey Morris averaged 18.5 in 2014-15 (as the NAIA Division II National Player of the Year). After two collegiate seasons, Rushton has already piled up 959 career points while netting 145 3-point field goals. At her current pace, the Midland, Texas, native could challenge the school’s all-time scoring record of 2,054 career points by Morris. Only two players in program history have ever reached 2,000 points. Heading into next season, 30 Concordia players have reached 1,000 career points.
· Olson has consistently had high praise for Rylee Pauli, who has finished her career (barring a decision to use the extra ‘COVID’ year of eligibility). The Omaha native appeared in national tournaments in all four seasons and was a member of the 2018-19 national championship team. In 123 career games, Pauli has totaled 608 points, 530 rebounds, 169 steals and 124 assists. The senior class also includes the likes of Abby Aplaca, Mackenzie Koepke, Courtney Merryweather and Chloe Schumacher.
· Considering how many second-year players held down key roles this season, the Bulldogs expect to be improved in 2022-23. That large core of second-year Bulldogs includes Rushton as well as Kendal Brigham, Bailey Conrad, Sadie Powell and Mackenzie Toomey. In addition, freshmen Abby Heemstra and Abby Krieser saw significant minutes this winter. Not only that, Koepke is planning to return next season after sitting out this entire year due to injury. For Concordia, the expectation is always to get to the national tournament and to be playing its best basketball at that point.
Baseball
· There’s a much clearer picture of what the 2022 team looks like after it played 10 games in the state of Florida between March 5-12. Game-by-game results are listed below. The Bulldogs went 6-4 during that stretch with two of the losses coming against nationally ranked opponents. With nonconference play in the books (barring changes to the schedule), Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad stands at 11-6-1 overall. Of those 18 games, 13 have been played at neutral sites. For more information on Concordia Baseball, click HERE.
· Spring break scores were as follows (game recaps can be found on the Bulldog Baseball page of the athletics website):
o CUNE 15, Cornerstone 9
o CUNE 14, Cornerstone 2
o IU South Bend 8, CUNE 7
o IU South Bend 2, CUNE 1
o CUNE 10, Judson 9
o CUNE 15, Lawrence Tech 2
o CUNE 10, Calumet St. Joseph 5
o (25) Warner 4, CUNE 0
o (10) Bellevue 3, CUNE 0
o CUNE 15, Concordia Ann Arbor 7
· There were a couple of tough outings offensively in Florida but overall, Concordia showed it still has a potent lineup. As part of the two wins on March 10, the Bulldogs slugged a combined 14 home runs, including multiple big flies from Jaidan Quinn (four), Jay Adams (three) and Keaton Candor (two). The eight home runs against Lawrence Tech broke the school record for most homers in a single game (previous standard was seven). Over the 10 games in Florida, Concordia outscored its opponents by a combined total of 97-60.
· Slugger Joey Grabanski took advantage of the warm weather in central Florida and went 15-for-34 (.441) with seven runs, five doubles, five home runs, 11 RBIs and four walks during the 10-game stretch. The native of Grand Forks, N.D., had two games with two home runs. Six other regulars in the lineup hit at least .300 on the trip: Tanner Tompkins (12-for-24), Alec Blakestad (13-for-32), Jesse Garcia (9-for-23), Candor (11-for-32), Jakob Faulk (6-for-19) and Adams (10-for-30). Quinn also homered five times on the trip and was the team leader with 12 RBIs. Candor belted three bombs and racked up 11 RBIs. Candor has run his career home run total to 33 (most in school history).
· The pitching staff ERA in 10 games in Florida was 5.20 (79.2 innings). The duo of Dan Rivera (4.0 IP) and Cale Mathison (3.0 IP) combined for a no-hitter in the 2-1 loss to IU South Bend on March 6. Starter Caden Bugarske logged the most innings. He tossed two complete games (14 innings) and went 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA. He also notched 17 strikeouts. Out of the bullpen, Shane Whittaker threw four innings on the trip and allowed one run while striking out eight. Dupic’s staff continues to be adept at missing bats. It produced 94 strikeouts in 79.2 innings on the trip.
· Concordia is readying to host GPAC doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. Dakota Wesleyan (5-4) will be in town for a 2 p.m. CT first pitch on Saturday. Then on Sunday, Hastings (3-9) will be the opponent for a 1 p.m. twin bill from Plum Creek Park in Seward. The GPAC regular season is made up of 14 conference doubleheaders for a total of 28 games. The Bulldogs went 21-7 last season in GPAC play.
Softball
· Members of the team returned to Nebraska over the weekend after playing eight games at the Tucson Invitational in a span of five days (March 7-11). The Bulldogs went 2-6 in Tucson, Ariz., with the highlight being a 12-4 run-rule victory over 19th-ranked Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) on March 11. With 20 games in the books, Head Coach Tatum Edwards’ squad stands at 11-9 overall. Two more nonconference games remain on the current schedule. For more information on Concordia Softball, click HERE.
· Spring break scores in Tucson were as follows (game recaps can be found on the Bulldog Softball page of the athletics website):
o William Penn 8, CUNE 0 (5 inn.)
o CUNE 11, Roosevelt 1 (5 inn.)
o St. Francis (Ill.) 7, CUNE 6 (8 inn.)
o Olivet Nazarene 9, CUNE 2
o Dickinson State 7, CUNE 6
o Buena Vista 4, CUNE 3 (8 inn.)
o CUNE 12, Olivet Nazarene 4 (6 inn.)
o Aquinas 11, CUNE 2 (5 inn.)
· Edwards came away from the spring trip believing she has a team capable of making some noise in the GPAC. Although the record wasn’t quite what Concordia hoped for in Arizona, three of the losses came by one-run margins (including two in extra innings). Over the eight games in Tucson, the Bulldogs were outscored by a combined total of 51-42. As a team, Concordia hit .316 with a .355 on-base percentage and .460 slugging percentage. One home run apiece was contributed by Taylor Glause and Zoie Isom.
· Four hitters in particular turned in impressive results in Tucson: Caitlyn McGarvie (12-for-22), Camry Moore (9-for-19), Kylee Nixon (7-for-19) and Julia Van Wey (8-for-22). Van Wey paced the team with 10 RBIs and collected four doubles and a triple. McGarvie scored eight runs and registered two doubles and two triples. In addition, Moore drove in seven runs and tripled twice. The Crete High School product Moore is hitting a sizzling .508 with 18 RBIs on the season. McGarvie has bumped her average up to .370 while Nixon is hitting .351.
· Four different pitchers toed the rubber during action in Tucson. Moore made three starts (four appearances) and had a 3.15 ERA and went 2-2 with 17 strikeouts in 20 innings. The other pitchers were Brooke Townsend (10.1 IP), Megan Eurich (9.0 IP) and Jerzi Rowe (9.0 IP). As a staff, the Bulldogs had an ERA of 5.65 in Tucson. They issued only 10 walks in 48.1 innings. On the year, Moore is 7-3 with a 2.25 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 56 innings (only three walks).
· Before beginning GPAC play this weekend, Concordia will be at former GPAC rival Nebraska Wesleyan on Thursday for a 5 p.m. CT doubleheader in Lincoln. Then on Saturday, the Bulldogs will travel to Fremont, Neb., for a 1 p.m. twin bill with Midland (13-3). Last season, the Warriors swept GPAC regular season and tournament titles. Concordia played at Fremont in last year’s GPAC tournament championship series.