NOTE: There are no Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week due to the recent cancelations of the BAAM luncheons. There will be no further luncheons with sports now off the table for the remainder of the semester. In addition, this will be the final Bulldog Weekly Report of the 2019-20 athletic year.
2019-20 BAAM Athletes of the Week
March 3 – Nick Little (baseball) / Colby Duvel (basketball)
Feb. 25 – Wyatt Eriksen (shooting sports) / Rachel Battershell (track & field)
Feb. 18 – Brevin Sloup (basketball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Feb. 11 – Evan Bohman (baseball) / Philly Lammers (basketball)
Feb. 4 – Tanner Farmer (wrestling) / Allie Brooks (track & field)
Jan. 28 – Tanner Shuck (basketball) / Adrianna Shaw (track & field)
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
January – Rachel Battershell (track & field) / Tanner Shuck (basketball)
December – Emmie Noyd (volleyball) / Mario Ybarra (wrestling)
November – Carter Kent (basketball) / Kara Stark (volleyball)
October – Tara Callahan (volleyball) / Lane Napier (football)
September – Derek Tachovsky (football) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
News and notes:
Spring 2020 intercollegiate athletics canceled: Concordia University, Nebraska will not engage in any intercollegiate athletic contests for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester. The announcement came on Monday (March 16) in conjunction with spring championship cancelations enacted at both the GPAC and NAIA levels. Those releases are available HERE. For updates specific to Concordia University, Nebraska regarding COVID-19, please stay tuned to the following web page: http://cune.edu/covid19.
Barry named CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, Lammers First Team: On March 13, College Sports Information Directors of the Year announced senior Grace Barry as the Academic All-American of the Year for NAIA Women’s Basketball. Meanwhile, teammate Philly Lammers landed on the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team. Barry is the fourth Concordia student-athlete all-time to be recognized as a CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. The others are Samantha Liermann (2018 and 2019), Josiah McAllister (2019) and Chandler Folkerts (2017).
Farmer’s journey mutually beneficial: Tanner Farmer made big waves on the mat this winter for Concordia wrestling. The former Nebraska Cornhusker offensive lineman made it all the way to the NAIA heavyweight national championship match. When the cameras were not rolling, Farmer could honestly say, this was never about the attention, but if that attention benefited Concordia then he was happy to oblige. Said Farmer at the conclusion of the national tournament, “It’s an honor to be able to be part of the Concordia wrestling program.” For a feature on Farmer, click HERE.
Shooting sports season ends: The 2019-20 shooting sports season has come to a conclusion. The team will not be going to the ACUI National Championships in San Antonio, Texas, later this month as originally scheduled. The event was postponed and may end up being canceled altogether as another potential fallout of the coronavirus epidemic. Thus, the Doane Invitational that took place March 7-8 wound up as the final competition of the season. Head coach Scott Moniot is in his second season leading the program. For more details on the program, click HERE.
Munsch garners national award: For the second week in a row, the Concordia baseball team reeled in the NAIA National Pitcher of the Week award from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). The latest award winner was Jason Munsch, who earned the honor after a 20-strikeout performance versus Morningside on March 7. Teammate Nick Little collected the same award a week earlier after his no-hitter of Waldorf University (Iowa).
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.
Women’s Basketball
· If all had gone as hoped, the top-ranked Bulldogs would have been getting ready to play in the NAIA Division II national championship game tonight (March 17). Instead, the national tournament was canceled after Concordia’s 75-57 national tournament first round win over Wilberforce University (Ohio) on March 11. The next day, the NAIA made the decision to cancel the remainder of the tournament due to concerns related to the coronavirus epidemic. That meant that 14th-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad ended its season with a 32-2 overall record. It was the No. 1 overall seed in the national bracket. For more information on Bulldogs women’s basketball, click HERE.
· The tournament cancelation dealt a major shock to Concordia, especially the seniors, which did not have the chance to defend its 2019 national title. Despite the abrupt ending, the seniors can take pride in being part of the most successful four-year period in program history. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, the Bulldogs went 137-10 overall, captured the program’s first-ever national title, won a combined eight GPAC titles, reached at least the national semifinals three times, went 78-6 in GPAC regular-season games and posted a home record of 63-1.
· One of the sidebars of the national tournament was going to be Philly Lammers’ pursuit of the school’s all-time scoring record. The cancelation of the event left Lammers at 2,033 career points, 21 shy of the career standard held by Bailey Morris (2,054). A Millard West High School product, Lammers finished her career with additional program career rankings of second in blocked shots (181), third in rebounds (1,026) and fourth in steals (357). More honors are likely coming for Lammers, who is a four-time first team All-GPAC and three-time NAIA All-America selection.
· Senior point guard Grace Barry earned plenty of attention for her tweet that she sent out after the national tournament had been canceled. She also talked with KLKN-TV out of Lincoln and expressed that the concern for the safety of others outweighs the need to play any basketball game. It’s still a shame Barry, the reigning national tournament MVP, didn’t have the chance to provide Bulldog fans more thrills. The Lincoln East High School graduate earned first team All-GPAC and CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year accolades.
· The senior class also featured Colby Duvel, MacKenzie Helman, Taryn Schuette and Riley Sibbel. All four were instrumental to the program’s success, along with Barry and Lammers. Duvel, Helman and Sibbel were each named honorable mention All-GPAC this season while putting together the best individual seasons of their careers. Duvel totaled very solid career numbers as a significant role player. She posted career numbers of 792 points, 639 rebounds and 167 steals. Meanwhile, Sibbel starred as one of the nation’s top backcourt defenders, Helman was a steadying presence and Schuette supplied energy off the bench.
· There’s no telling how the national tournament would have played out, but Concordia certainly had as good of chance as anyone of cutting the nets down. From a statistical perspective, the Bulldogs were a monster this winter. Nationally, they ranked first in steals per game (20.6), first in turnover margin (+14.5), second in scoring margin (+28.9), third in scoring average (88.6), seventh in 3-point field goals per game (10.0), 12th in field goal percentage offense (.448), 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1) and 14th in scoring defense (60.0).
· The 2018-29 national championship team ended that season on a 12-game win streak. The current Bulldogs will carry an 18-game win streak into the 2020-21 season. Concordia was a well-deserved No. 1 seed considering its overall profile that included 14 wins over nationally-ranked opponents. Meanwhile, its only two losses came on the road against fellow No. 1 seeds – Hastings and Southeastern University (Fla.). According to Massey Ratings, the Bulldogs played the sixth most challenging schedule of all NAIA women’s basketball teams (Division I included).
· This was it as far as the era of two divisions in NAIA basketball. The split first began with the 1991-92 season. It was during this era that Concordia became a powerhouse program within the NAIA. The program’s first-ever appearance at the national tournament came in 1992. To date, the Bulldogs have qualified for nationals 19 times and have reached the semifinals seven times. Next season the national tournament bracket will expand to 64 teams as the divisions are merged. The event will begin with 16 four-team sites. The 16 teams that emerge from those smaller brackets will then reach the final site – Sioux City, Iowa.
· The Bulldogs will move on without their vaunted senior class. It will be hard to say goodbye, but it’s also difficult to imagine the program slipping in any significant way. Taylor Cockerill, who missed the entire 2019-20 season, will return from injury and will likely be a GPAC Player of the Year candidate. There are several others with unrealized potential such as sophomore Mackenzie Koepke. Freshman Taylor Farrell figures to be a dangerous outside shooter and sophomores Elsie Aslesen, Claire Cornell, Rylee Pauli and Chloe Schumacher could step into larger roles. Olson also has high hopes for next year’s recruiting class.
Men’s Basketball
· On the plus side, Concordia had the opportunity to see its season play out to its conclusion, unlike some other teams that reached the national tournament. On the down side, the Bulldogs allowed a lead to slip away and dropped a nail-biter, 87-84, to fifth-ranked Ottawa University (Kan.) in the first round of the national tournament on March 12. Head coach Ben Limback led the program to its first nationals appearance since 2005. Concordia finished the season at 24-10 overall. For more information on Bulldog men’s basketball, click HERE.
· Concordia actually enjoyed a 12-point lead (73-61) over Ottawa with less than nine minutes left in the game. The Bulldogs used a 14-4 run to build that advantage. An athletic Braves team rallied back with the help of its press and the play of Jaquan Daniels, who netted a game high 27 points on 12-for-13 shooting from the floor. Ottawa trailed the entire second half until Ryan Haskins drained a corner trey with 15 seconds remaining. Ottawa preserved the slight advantage by getting stops on Concordia’s final two offensive possessions.
· The Braves managed to come back for the win despite big performances from two Bulldog seniors who played their final collegiate games. Ottawa had a difficult time containing senior Chuol Biel, known more for his prowess on the defensive end. Biel made 9-of-10 shots from the floor and piled up a career high 19 points (previous high was 14). Meanwhile, senior Tanner Shuck posted 18 points while making 4-of-5 shots from 3-point range. Shuck made a key trey down the stretch that turned in a tie game into an 80-77 lead.
· Shuck put together a fine career while playing in every Concordia game since the beginning of the 2016-17 season. He started 117-straight games to finish his career. On the program’s all-time lists, Shuck ranks eighth in scoring (1,579), 12th in assists (263) and 18th in rebounds (466). The Grand Island, Neb., native made 302 3-point field goals over his four seasons. Shuck was a three-time honorable mention All-GPAC selection and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District choice.
· Shuck and a senior class that also featured Brevin Sloup were major factors in steadying the program through some rocky waters that raged prior to the 2018-19 season. Impressively, the Bulldogs went from 1-9 in conference play in the middle of the ’18-19 campaign to a GPAC tournament championship and national qualifying team in 2019-20. Over the past four seasons, Concordia went a combined 77-49 with two seasons of more than 20 wins. The seniors were part of CIT championship squads in 2017 and 2020.
· Sloup notched eight points in his final game as a Bulldog. He concluded his career with 1,246 points (18th most in school history) over 116 collegiate outings. Sloup’s production took off after he served as a role player his first two seasons. While making the jump into the starting lineup, Sloup averaged 16.4 points and earned second team All-GPAC accolades in 2018-19. Then this season, the Seward High School product led the team with an average of 15.8 points per game and was voted first team All-GPAC.
· The graduations of Biel, Shuck and Sloup will leave a void in the starting lineup, but Concordia still figures to have a solid group in the backcourt to build around. Sophomore guards Carter Kent and Justin Wiersema should be more than ready to take on starring roles. An immediate starter, Kent has piled up 751 points over his first two seasons as a Bulldog. Wiersema has become one of the program’s most reliable and consistent players. He boosted his scoring average from 5.4 as a freshman to 10.8 as a sophomore. Both Wiersema (16) and Kent (12) reached double figures last week versus Ottawa.
· In terms of sheer volume of 3-point field goals made, the 2019-20 Bulldogs stand out as the most prolific shooting team in program history. They shattered the previous school record for 3-point field goals in a season by draining 382 shots from beyond the arc (third most among all NAIA Division II teams). Three other teams in program history have cracked 300 3-point field goals in a season: 1997-98 (321), 2016-17 (309) and 1991-92 (304). Of the teams to break the 300 mark, only the 2016-17 squad missed the national tournament.
· Limback just completed his seventh season at the helm of his alma mater. Prior to this season, only Grant Schmidt (nine national tournament appearances) had coached Concordia to a national tournament trip. The Bulldogs hope to become more of a regular on the national stage and appear to have the capability of getting back there in 2021. The Bulldogs will return six players who played more than 10 minutes per game in 2019-20: Wiersema (29.7), Kent (29.1), Sam Scarpelli (18.9), Ryan Holt (15.2), Gage Smith (11.2) and AJ Watson (10.1).
Softball
· The remainder of the season has been wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic, but at the very least the Bulldogs were able to play their eight spring break games as scheduled. Concordia succeeded in going 7-1 during its stay in Kissimmee, Fla., from March 8-12. The only defeat was a close one, 3-1, to No. 22 Saint Xavier University (Ill.). At one point, the Bulldogs had moved their win streak to eight. A scheduled doubleheader at Oklahoma City University on March 14 was canceled. Head coach Shawn Semler’s squad went 12-2 overall before play was halted. For more on Concordia softball, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs were dominant in Kissimmee. Their seven victories came over the likes of Lawrence Tech (Mich.), Florida National, Carlow (Penn.), Hannibal LaGrange (Mo.), Michigan-Dearborn, Fisher (Mass.) and St. Ambrose (Iowa). Over the eight games in Florida, Concordia outscored its opponents by a combined total of 65-20 and batted .383 with nine home runs. Meanwhile, Bulldog foes hit only .207 with just one home run. The game against Fisher got especially out of hand. Concordia put up 14 runs in the first inning on the way to a 23-2 win.
· Junior third baseman Hhana Haro has been red hot at the plate. She began the season on a 12-game hitting streak, during which she went 24-for-41 with a .585 batting average. During the Florida trip, Haro went 15-for-25 (.600) with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. It’s the continuation of what has already been a remarkable career for the slugger from Garden Grove, Calif. Over 93 college games, Haro has batted .473 with 34 doubles, 13 home runs, 86 RBIs and a .715 slugging percentage. She was named first team All-GPAC as a freshman (GPAC Player of the Year) and sophomore.
· Crete High School product Camry Moore put forth a fine freshman season in 2019, but she’s elevated to an elite level in 2020. There may not be a better two-way player in the NAIA. During the Florida trip, Moore batted .478 with two doubles, a triple, three home runs and 11 RBIs. Over that same stretch, Moore was dominant in the circle, covering 28.1 innings (six appearances) while allowing five earned runs on 22 hits and one walk to along with 19 strikeouts. Moore’s 11 extra base hits on the season are already three more than she had the entire 2019 season.
· While Haro and Moore had been the brightest stars to this point, Concordia has plenty of other standouts. Shortstop Tori Homolka is batting .386 with five doubles, two triples, eight RBIs and a .591 slugging percentage. Second baseman Kylee Nixon is hitting .357 with four doubles, a home run, seven RBIs and a .524 slugging percentage. It’s difficult to imagine many other NAIA squads having as fine an infield core when considering Moore at pitcher, Nixon at second base, Homolka at short and Haro at third.
· The national statistics are further evidence of how well the Bulldogs have played through 14 games. Nationally, Concordia ranks sixth in slugging percentage (.548), seventh in runs per game (8.1), ninth in ERA (1.73), 11th in batting average (.363), 14th in opposing batting average (.220) and 17th in home runs per game (0.79). Not all data was updated, but Massey Ratings lists the Bulldogs as the No. 15 ranked team in the NAIA. Concordia did not receive any votes in the most recent national poll.
· Moore has had a heavy workload in the circle, but the Bulldogs have also gotten quality work out of freshman Zoe Flores and senior Dalaney Nance. A native of Port LaVaca, Texas, Flores has made six starts and has pitched 24.2 innings with 10 earned runs allowed on 20 hits and 12 walks. A native of Gilbert, Ariz., Nance has pitched very few innings in her career. She has added depth this season while appearing in four games as a pitcher (7.1 innings). She’s allowed just one earned run on eight hits and three walks.
· Semler traveled a large group to Florida. Twenty-four different Bulldogs saw action over the eight games. Many of the reserves were rewarded with extensive playing time in the blowout win over Fisher. In that contest, eight Concordia players recorded two or more hits. The rest of the games were much closer, although the Bulldogs did also run-rule Carlow, 8-0, and defeated Hannibal LaGrange, 9-3, and Michigan-Dearborn, 8-3.
· The COVID-19 situation has brought the season to an abrupt end. Originally, the GPAC decided to put games on hold from the period of March 16 through April 5. However, the worsening health scare caused both the GPAC and NAIA to announce season cancelations on Monday. All spring sport athletes will be granted an extra year of eligibility, should they choose to use it.
Baseball
· Just before the suspension and then cancelation of play went into effect, the Bulldogs managed to begin conference play by sweeping a doubleheader at Briar Cliff on March 13. Concordia dominated in all facets behind two strong pitching performances and an offensive outburst that produced a combined 31 hits and 12 walks. The Bulldogs trounced the Chargers by scores of 21-0 and 12-1 in action that took place without fans in Sioux City, Iowa. Not long before the matchup, Briar Cliff had won five-straight games. Sixth-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad is now 14-7 overall this season. For more on Concordia baseball, click HERE.
· The discussion about last week’s action has to start with senior left-handed hurler Jason Munsch, who no-hit Briar Cliff in a seven-inning, 16-strikeout masterpiece. Munsch’s level of pitch execution combined with his nasty array of pitches has made it quite unfair for opposing hitters. Through four starts (26 innings), Munsch has eye-popping numbers – 59 strikeouts, nine hits and six walks allowed and a spotless 0.00 ERA. Munsch is one of two NAIA pitchers with 0.00 ERAs and he also sports national rankings of No. 1 in strikeouts per nine innings (20.42) and second in opposing batting average (.103).
· The Bulldogs can go head-to-head with virtually anyone in the NAIA with its top two starting pitchers – Munsch and junior righty Nick Little. Both hurlers threw a no-hitter less than two weeks apart. Little accomplished the feat on Feb. 29 versus Waldorf University (Iowa). Little was the GPAC Pitcher of the Year in 2018 when he went 9-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 91.1 innings. So far this season, Little is 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. Last week the Lithia, Fla., native fired seven innings without giving up an earned run at Briar Cliff.
· In total, Munsch, Little and reliever Zach Pinkerton (two innings) combined to throw 16 innings without an earned run at Briar Cliff. That stellar work is a continuation of what the Concordia pitching staff achieved last year versus GPAC opponents. The 2019 GPAC regular-season champion Bulldogs posted an ERA of 2.31 during the 28 conference regular-season games. Four Concordia pitchers landed first team all-conference honors. To date, the team ERA stands at 3.99.
· The offensive attack ramped up in support of Munsch and Little. Against Briar Cliff, the Bulldogs had five multi-hit individuals in game one and then four more in game two. Fourteen of Concordia’s 31 hits in the twin bill went for extra bases. The Chargers were burnt like toast by Jesse Garcia, who went 4-for-7 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBIs on the day. Evan Bohman and Jakob Faulk added a home run apiece as part of the onslaught.
· Garcia is the GPAC leader in home runs with seven. When he gets his pitch, Garcia isn’t missing it. The native of El Cajon, Calif., is very near the eight home runs he hit last season as a freshman when he was named second team All-GPAC. If the Bulldogs had been able to resume the season, Garcia could have made a run at the school single-season home run record of 11 (by both Jarrod Pimentel and Tony Sanchez). With not even two seasons in the books, Garcia’s 15 career home runs rank seventh in program history. The career record is 27 by Pimentel, a member of the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame.
· Bohman also put together a big day at Briar Cliff. He went 5-for-7 with four runs scored, a triple, a home run and four RBIs. In addition, Jayden Adams went 4-for-9 (three runs, two RBIs) and Faulk went 3-for-7 (four runs, two doubles, one home run and five RBIs). On the season, Bohman (.338), Faulk (.333) and Adams (.321) are each batting better than .300. They have each been standouts for a Concordia squad that is hitting .300 with 42 doubles, 17 home runs and a .454 slugging percentage on the season.
· Keaton Candor is another regular worthy of mention. The outfielder from Merrill, Iowa, owns an active nine-game hitting streak that dates back to the doubleheader at Baker University (Kan.) on March 3. Candor is the team’s leading hitter with a .400 batting average. He has also collected five doubles, five home runs and 19 RBIs. His numbers/rates are up across the board after he hit .225 with seven doubles, eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 2019. Now in his third season as a starter, Candor has notched 16 career home runs over 113 games.
· The COVID-19 situation has brought the season to an abrupt end. Originally, the GPAC decided to put games on hold from the period of March 16 through April 5. However, the worsening health scare caused both the GPAC and NAIA to announce season cancelations on Monday. All spring sport athletes will be granted an extra year of eligibility, should they choose to use it.
Tennis
· Prior to the cancelation of spring sports, the Bulldogs were able to play out the spring break portion of their schedule. For both the men’s and women’s teams, that meant a tour of NCAA Division III schools within the state of Iowa. From March 6 – 12, the men went 4-2 with victories over Baker University (Kan.), St. Olaf College (Minn.), Central College (Iowa) and Simpson College (Iowa). Meanwhile, during that same stretch, the women went 3-2 with wins over Baker, Coe and Simpson. Second-year head coach David DeSimone’s squads sport overall records of 6-3 on the women’s side and 6-4 on the men’s side. For more information on Concordia tennis: women | men.
· In their wins since March 6, the Bulldogs four of six singles matches and two of three doubles matches versus Baker, took four of six singles matches and all three doubles matches versus St. Olaf, triumphed in five of six singles matches and one of three doubles matches versus Central and blanked Simpson in a 9-0 team decision. On the other hand, the women’s team won four of six singles matches and one of three doubles matches versus Baker, won five of six singles matches and two of three doubles matches versus Coe and captured all nine matches versus Simpson.
· Recently ranked second in the official GPAC poll, the Bulldog women had hopes of competing for the GPAC title this season after finishing as the conference tournament runner up in 2019. Through nine matches, Concordia defeated opponents from three levels of collegiate competition: NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III. The Bulldogs’ six overall victories rank as the most among GPAC teams. Concordia and Doane (4-2) are the only GPAC teams that sport above .500 records.
· The men were ranked third in the official GPAC poll (behind Midland and Doane) unveiled on March 9. Senior Luke Zoller and company appeared well on their way to an improved season, as compared to 2019 when they went 10-10 overall and reached the GPAC semifinals. Among GPAC teams, only Midland (9-3) has produced more victories in 2020. Seven institutions in the GPAC sponsor men’s tennis.
· Through nine matches on the women’s side, the team leaders for singles wins are Allison Marshall (7-2), Tara Ferrel (5-2), Ansley Gates (4-2) and Kirsten Wagner (3-6). The top doubles combos in terms of overall wins have been Marshall and Claudia Miranda Viera and Ferrel and Wagner with three apiece. Kaitlin Seja and Gates are 2-0 as partners. On the men’s side, five individuals have claimed four or more singles wins: Isaac Howes (6-4), Eduardo Rojas (6-4), Juan Rabellino (4-1), Jack Kitson (4-3) and Jeremy Berryman (4-5). The duo of Kitson and Rojas is 5-1 while playing at the No. 2 doubles spot. Joe Bindl and Howes are 4-2 at the No. 3 spot.
· Neither team had a chance to get conference play started in 2020 before the remainder of the season was wiped out due to health concerns caused by the coronavirus. What had been left on the schedule were eight women’s and seven men’s regular-season matches, as well as the GPAC tournament. None of those contests will be played due to the NAIA and the GPAC announcing cancelations of their spring championships.
Golf
· The spring season got underway for the men’s program with the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Spring Invite held at Antelope Hills South Golf Course in Prescott, Ariz., March 8-10. Within a loaded field, the Bulldogs placed ninth out of 10 teams while shooting a three-round total of 307-310-310–927 (+63). Both of head coach Brett Muller’s squads had last played official tournaments when the GPAC fall championships took place last September. With all athletics for the spring canceled, the women never got a chance to play a meet in 2020. For more information on Concordia golf: Men | Women.
· In the 2019-20 season to date, the men competed in five tournaments for a total of 11 rounds. The team scoring average stands at 316.4 with eight players having contributed. The season low of 303 was turned in at the Siouxland Invitational on Sept. 10. The team’s top five, in terms of average, have been senior Tylar Samek (77.5), freshman Jay Gunaseelan (78.5), freshman Drew D’Ercole (80.1), sophomore Jack Williams (81.5) and junior Jayden Neal (83.8).
· D’Ecrole put together a breakthrough performance at the ERAU Invite. He carded a three-day total of 74-73-74–221 and placed just outside the top 10 (tied for 12th) out of 67 individuals. The rest of the five in Prescott featured Tylar Samek (77-78-78–233; T-42nd), Jay Gunaseelan (83-78-76–237; 56th), Jayden Neal (78-81-85–244; 59th) and Jack Williams (78-85-82–245; T-60th). Gunaseelan saved his best round for the final day in conditions that were unseasonably cool and rainy.
· A six-stroke improvement from day one to day two allowed the men’s team to climb up a couple of notches in the GPAC standings at conference action that occurred Sept. 27-28. The Bulldogs are currently in seventh place (336-329–665) in the GPAC. Individually, Samek is owns the highest placement among Concordia competitors at tied for 20th (80-81–161). Also qualifying for the conference leaderboard are Gunaseelan (82-81–163; T-26th), Williams (89-80–169; 38th), D’Ercole (85-87–172; 39th) and sophomore Landon Walkenhorst (101-98–199; 51st).
· On the women’s side, Concordia had positioned itself to potentially place as high as second in the GPAC. The Bulldogs emerged from a marathon 36-hole conference meet on Sept. 30 with a team score of 336-345–681 (third place in the GPAC). The conference results for Concordia individuals to date are as follows: sophomore Kendra Placke (78-84–162; sixth), senior Murphy Sears (83-86–169; T-14th), junior Andrea Peterson (83-89–172; T-18th), sophomore Britney Jepsen (92-86–178; T-26th) and freshman Lauren Havlat (94-89–183; T-39th). Placke and Sears are returning all-conference performers.
· The Bulldog women experienced success back in the fall beyond their solid conference showing. They won the Nebraska Wesleyan Fall Classic and placed second at the Midland Fall Invite. They received team trophies for both performances. Placke achieved individual medalist honors at the NWU Classic. The team scoring average during the fall was 348.1 with a low of 336 coming in the first round of the GPAC championships. Placke’s 78 in that same round was the individual season low for the fall.
· The cancelation of spring sports wiped away five men’s events and six women’s events that had been scheduled through the end of the semester. Originally, the GPAC decided to put games on hold from the period of March 16 through April 5. However, the worsening health scare caused both the GPAC and NAIA to announce season cancelations on Monday. All spring sport athletes will be granted an extra year of eligibility, should they choose to use it.