Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Megan Eurich, Softball
A native of Gretna, Neb., Eurich started three games in the circle last week and posted a 1.75 ERA while covering 16 innings. She also notched 13 strikeouts and earned a win in the team's 2-1 decision over Morningside. In that contest, Eurich allowed only one run and racked up eight strikeouts.
Male: Santiago Abadia, Tennis
A native of Bogotá, Colombia, Abadia played a key role in Concordia wins last week over Central College (Iowa) and Hastings. Abadia went 2-0 in both doubles and singles on the week. Abadia was particularly dominant in singles, winning by scores of 6-1, 6-1, over Central’s AJ Wilkins at No. 3 and 6-1, 6-0, over Hastings’ Ryan Hunter at No. 2.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
March 21 – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Claire Kee (shooting sports)
March 14 – Caitlyn McGarvie (softball) / Josie Puelz (track & field) / Zach Zohner (track & field)
Feb. 28 – Katie Birtell (Dance) / Noah Schutte (Basketball)
Feb. 21 – Issiah Burks (wrestling) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
Feb. 14 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Taysha Rushton (basketball)
Feb. 7 – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Calvin Rohde (track & field)
Jan. 31 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Jan. 24 – Rylee Haecker (track & field) / Calvin Rohde (track & field)
Jan. 17 – Kylahn Freiberg (track & field) / Garrett Seagren (basketball)
Jan. 10 – Sadie Powell (basketball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
Dec. 13 – Chase Berry (track & field) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Taysha Rushton (basketball)
Dec. 6 – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Gage Smith (basketball)
Nov. 29 – Rylee Ladd (powerlifting) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
Nov. 15 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Federico Simonetti (Soccer)
Nov. 8 – Kylahn Freiberg (cross country) / Kaden Peters (football)
Nov. 1 – Breyer Meeks (shooting sports) / Carlos Orquiz (soccer) / Morgan Nibbe (volleyball)
Oct. 25 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Isaiah Shaddick (soccer)
Oct. 18 – Korrell Koehlmoos (football) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Oct. 11 – Rylee Haecker (cross country) / DJ McGarvie (football)
Oct. 4 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Korrell Koehlmoos (football)
Sept. 27 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Ryan Wokutch (soccer)
Sept. 20 – Tanner Muff (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 13 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Jack Nelson (shooting sports)
Sept. 6 – Camryn Opfer (volleyball) / Camden Sesna (cross country)
Aug. 30 – Federico Simonetti (soccer) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Aug. 23 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball)
2022-23 BAAM Athletes of the Month
February – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
January – Rylee Haecker (track & field) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
December – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Gage Smith (basketball)
November – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball); Noah Schutte (basketball)
October – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball); Korrell Koehlmoos (football); Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
September – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball); Camryn Opfer (volleyball); Camden Sesna (cross country)
News and notes:
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. For information on how to join BAAM, click HERE. It is not a requirement to be a BAAM member in order to attend the weekly luncheons.
Shooting Sports places third at national championships, Hambly wins individual HOA title: The dust has settled on a week spent in Las Vegas at the 2023 NCSSAA National Championships. A group of 22 Bulldogs represented the Concordia University Shooting Sports program, which placed third overall as a team (in the Division IV breakdown) in competition that featured trap, skeet and sporting clays. Individually, graduate student Wyatt Hambly rose to the top of the field as the high overall Division IV national champion while also triumphing in sporting clays. In addition, Bulldog Claire Kee took home a national championship in women’s doubles skeet and Sam Blevins won the men’s skeet crown. As part of a new format for national championships sponsored by the NCSSAA, the action took place March 14-18 at Clark County Shooting Complex in Vegas. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ top five overall shooters combined to crack 1,405 targets towards the HOA leaderboard. That total tied Midland for second place. However, the Warriors were credited with second after winning a shoot off. As a result of their efforts at the national championships, Blevins, Hambly, Tanner Muff and Katelyn Welker were honored as All-Americans. More details on that recognition can be found HERE. For more details on the program, check out the homepage for Concordia Shooting Sports HERE.
Winter seasons-in-review: In recapping the winter sports seasons that have concluded, we took a detailed look at the Concordia men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling teams. Each of their 2022-23 journeys culminated with appearances at national championship events. Click the links below for season-in-review stories. The first link breaks down each of the winter sports and recounts the top moments and performers from the season.
-All-sport winter recap
-Men’s Basketball
-Women’s Basketball
-Wrestling
Rushton and Schutte recognized as NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans: This past week, the NAIA announced its 2022-23 All-Americans for men’s and women’s basketball. A Bulldog made both lists as Taysha Rushton and Noah Schutte were botch recognized as Honorable Mention All-Americans. Rushton has earned the award in back-to-back seasons while Schutte is a first-time All-American. Both Rushton and Schutte led their respective teams in scoring and helped their squads reach the national tournament. For more on these awards: Rushton | Schutte.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its eighth 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 2022-23 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 eighth 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. Live webcast links for away contests are publicized in sport specific releases that preview action for that particular week. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Tennis
· Both Bulldog squads went up against teams from the same institutions last week as they took on Central College (Iowa) on March 21 and then opened GPAC play versus Hastings on March 25. On the men’s side, Concordia earned wins by scores of 5-4 over Central and 7-0 over Hastings. The Bulldog women won by the exact same scores in a fruitful week for Concordia Tennis. Head Coach Cam Long’s squads also sport identical records of 7-5 overall and 1-0 in league play. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Bulldogs were playing at Baker University (Kan.). For more on the Concordia Tennis programs: Men | Women.
· March has been good to the Bulldogs, who are a combined 9-1 this month between the men and the women. The men’s team is 5-0 in March having earned victories over Sterling College (Kan.), Bethany College (Kan.), Kansas Wesleyan University, Central and Hastings. The women have beaten the same opponents with the exception of their 4-3 loss at Bethany in a match that could have gone either way. In the most recent GPAC ratings (published to NAIA.org), Concordia appeared at No. 3 on the men’s side and at No. 5 on the women’s side.
· The matchup in Pella, Iowa, was a battle to the finish for both the men and women. On the men’s side, the team decision came down to No. 6 singles, a spot where Manuel Rodriguez outlasted his counterpart via tiebreaker. The Bulldogs got the split they needed in singles after they took two of three in doubles, thanks to the work of Hugo Fuentes and Juan Rabellino at No. 1 and Santiago Abadia and Eduardo Rojas at No. 3. Winners in singles besides Rodriguez were Abadia at No. 3 and Shawn Springer at No. 4. On the women’s side, Concordia came through in tiebreakers at Nos. 2 and 4 singles, positions held down by Tessa Blough and Tara Ferrel, respectively. The Bulldogs won four singles matches to overcome what had been a 2-1 deficit after doubles play.
· There was no such drama in the Saturday meeting with the Broncos. Both the Concordia men and women won all six singles and all three doubles decisions. For the women, freshman Mariana Molano continued her impressive play at the No. 1 singles spot. Both of her matches last week were decided by 6-1, 6-0, scores. Everything else fell in line with the closest calls coming at No. 6 singles (tiebreaker win for Gabrielle Heiser) and at No. 2 doubles (7-6 win for Molano and Ferrel). As for the men, they also pulled out a tiebreaker at No. 6 singles (win for Luke Johnson) and had a close battle at No. 1 doubles (won by Fuentes and Rabellino). While playing at No. 4 singles, Rodriguez kept his win streak going while triumphing in dominant fashion.
· Through 12 matches this season, the men have gone a combined 38-31 in singles and 18-17 in doubles. Four individuals have posted at least six singles wins in dual meets: Rodriguez (9-2), Abadia (7-3), Fuentes (6-5) and Rabellino (6-5). Rodriguez owns a seven-match win streak. In doubles play, the most successful combo has been Abadia and Rojas, who have teamed up on a 6-1 record. The depth of Concordia has been shown in its records towards the back half of the lineup. In singles, the Bulldogs are 8-3 at No. 4, 8-4 at No. 5 and 10-1 at No. 6.
· Through 12 matches this season, the women have gone a combined 38-31 in singles and 23-12 in doubles. Five individuals have recorded at least four singles wins in dual meets: Molano (8-4), Lopez Pagan (5-4), Ella Dean (4-2), Blough (4-6) and Brooke Hosick (4-6). Molano has won each of her last five singles matches. In doubles, Dean and Heiser have gone 4-0 when paired together. Molano has had four different doubles partners and is a combined 5-3 in doubles. Oftentimes, Concordia has set the tone in doubles and has gone 6-6 at No. 1, 9-3 at No. 2 and 8-3 at No. 3.
· Both teams were in action at Baker University as of Tuesday (March 28) afternoon. The matches in Baldwin City, Kan., are makeups from a postponement earlier in the campaign. Conference play will then resume on Saturday when the Bulldogs are scheduled to host Morningside at 11 a.m. CT. The Mustangs entered the week with records of 10-5 on the men’s side and 9-4 on the women’s side.
Golf
· The spring season got going for the women back on March 7-8 over spring break. Last week, it was the men’s turn to get back to action. The Bulldogs competed at the Doane Spring Invitational (March 24-25) and came as the tournament runner up out of 15 squads that navigated the courses in Eagle, Neb., and Lincoln, Neb. In other words, Head Coach Brett Muller’s squads are just getting started this spring. For more on the Concordia Golf programs: Men | Women.
· Going back to the Southwest Minnesota State Spring Break Invite, the Bulldog women finished in ninth place out of a 10-team field loaded with NCAA Division II competition. Concordia individuals that played the Wigwam Red Course in Litchfield Park, Ariz., were Emery Custer (82-97–179), Lauren Havlat (89-91–180), Mya Nurse (87-93–180), Logan Eschliman (96-90–186) and Sarah Wilson (107-104–211). The Bulldogs shot a two-round team score of 354-371–725. The event marked the team’s first action since the Nebraska Intercollegiate back in the fall.
· The men took to Woodland Hills Golf Course and Highlands Golf Course this past weekend. Led by Ivan Yabut, Concordia sat in a tie for first place after the first of two rounds at the Doane Invite. The Bulldogs wound up shooting a score of 296-295–591 as they placed second behind only Southeast Community College (577). Yabut placed in a tie for sixth out of the 92 golfers in the field. He shot 70-74–144. The Concordia ‘A’ grouping also featured Justin Webert (76-72–148; T-14th), Drew D’Ercole (76-74–150; T-17th), Jake Hagerbaumer (77-75–152; T-27th) and Jake Richmond (74-83–157; T-47th). The Bulldog second grouping shot a two-round score of 316-304–620 (ninth place) and was led by a strong showing from Gavin McWhorter (77-74–151), who posted the fourth lowest score overall among Concordia golfers.
· The men’s team appears to be the best in program history with its quality depth. The Bulldogs have aspirations of contending for a conference championship. At the Doane Invite, Concordia beat out all conference competition, including Briar Cliff, Dakota Wesleyan, Doane, Dordt and Midland. Through five events (12 rounds) this 2022-23 season, the Bulldogs have averaged a team score of 294.1 and have placed in the top five at four tournaments. The team’s top five individuals (in terms of scoring average) are Yabut (73.3), D’Ercole (73.5), Webert (74.9), Jacob Woodmancy (75.3) and Richmond (75.4).
· On the women’s side, Concordia has competed in six events (11 rounds) during the 2022-23 season. The Bulldogs have averaged a team score of 354.5 with the team low of 334 coming in round one of the Nebraska Wesleyan Fall Invitational. The top four for Concordia have been Havlat (85.5), Custer (87.3), Nurse (87.6) and Eschliman (91.7). Havlat has turned in each of the team’s top four individual rounds: a 77 and three 81s. Custer shot her career low of 82 at the spring break tournament.
· The men’s team will return to action this Saturday and Sunday at the Bethel College Spring Invite. Play is scheduled to get underway at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday at Hesston Golf Park in Hesston, Kan. The action will shift to Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kan., at 9 a.m. on Sunday. Meanwhile, the women are preparing to host the Concordia Bulldog Spring Invitational next Monday and Tuesday (April 3-4). Both rounds will be held at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln.
Softball
· The first home appearances of the 2023 season came last week as the Bulldogs welcomed Nebraska Wesleyan University (March 23) and Morningside (March 25) to Plum Creek Park. The Concordia bats were silenced while dropping two to the Prairie Wolves – by scores of 4-0 and 8-0. The Bulldogs then split the twin bill with the Mustangs, winning, 2-1, before falling by a 3-1 score. Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad now stands at 12-13 overall (1-1 GPAC) with 20 conference regular season games to be played. For more on the Concordia Softball program, click HERE.
· Part by design and part due to a cancellation (of a doubleheader scheduled at Mount Mercy University on March 19), the Bulldogs went nearly two weeks without playing a game. They wrapped up the Tucson Invitational on March 10 with wins over Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) and Siena Heights University (Mich.). Culler’s bunch then waited until last week’s home doubleheader versus Nebraska Wesleyan to get back to action. On the plus side, Concordia managed to play each of its scheduled nonconference games (with the exception of the doubleheader at Mount Mercy).
· The story of the evening on March 23 was Nebraska Wesleyan pitcher Elise Warneke, who covered all 12 innings of the doubleheader without surrendering a single run. She limited the Bulldogs to a combined nine hits on the day. Offensively, the Prairie Wolves did nearly all of their damage in the fifth innings of the two games, scoring four in the fifth of game one and seven in the fifth of game two. At the top of the lineup, Hanna Bowers had the most success for Concordia in going 3-for-7 for the day. Megan Eurich pitched solidly in allowing only one earned run in game one.
· The offensive results were similar for the Bulldogs two days later, however, they were able to tighten up their defensive play and rally for a win over Morningside (14-7, 1-1 GPAC). Concordia committed just one error over the two games that day. In the victory, the Bulldogs rallied from a 1-0 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. That frame started with a Bowers single before Caitlyn McGarvie then reached on an error. Kylie Shottenkirk followed with an RBI single and Taylor Glause drove home what proved to be the winning run on a sacrifice bunt. Those two runs were enough for Eurich, who fired a seven-inning complete game. She allowed just the one run on six hits and five walks while striking out eight. In game two, Morningside pitcher Morgan Secora earned the win while allowing just one unearned run in six innings. Shottenkirk notched two hits for Concordia.
· Culler remains confident in his offensive lineup despite the team going 14-for-89 (.157) at the plate last week. He believes some minor adjustments will make the difference going forward. Despite last week’s struggles, six Bulldog regulars are hitting above .300 on the season: Bowers (.402), Shottenkirk (.368), McGarvie (.324), Zoie Isom (.314), Aubrey Bruning (.310) and Julia Van Wey (.306). Other team leaders are Bowers in doubles (eight), Shottenkirk in home runs (three) and slugging percentage (.579) and Isom in RBIs (23). As a team, Concordia is hitting .298 with a .362 on-base percentage and a .418 slugging percentage.
· A sophomore from Gretna, Neb., Eurich now sports an 8-3 pitching record while serving as the team’s ace to this point in the season. She has already surpassed the 42.2 innings she threw in 2022. So far in 2023, Eurich has covered 73 innings and sports a 2.78 ERA in 14 appearances (11 starts). She’s recorded 54 strikeouts and sports a .283 opponent batting average. The next most relied-upon pitchers have been Jerzi Rowe (45.1 innings) and Brooke Townsend (30.1 innings). Rowe has gone 3-5 with a 4.79 ERA. She’s the most experienced pitcher on the staff having appeared in 21 games in 2021 and 22 games in 2022.
· Massey Ratings currently lists Concordia as the 98th rated team out of 212 softball squads in the NAIA. According to Massey, the Bulldogs have played the nation’s 98th most challenging schedule. Based on Massey, Concordia’s best wins have come over the likes of No. 45 Morningside and No. 52 University of St. Francis (Ill.). The formula judges that the top team the Bulldogs have faced so far was No. 10 Baker University (Kan.), which topped Concordia by a score of 5-3. The Bulldogs also lost a 5-4 nailbiter to No. 29 Indiana Wesleyan University.
· Two GPAC doubleheaders are on the schedule for this week. Concordia is readying to play at Doane (14-10, 1-1 GPAC) today (March 28) at 3 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will then be back home on Saturday to host Hastings (8-12, 3-1 GPAC) for a 1 p.m. twin bill. In the matchup with Doane, Concordia will go up against former four-year Bulldog star Camry Moore. In last season’s action, the Bulldogs took two from Doane and split a doubleheader at Hastings.
Baseball
· Unpredictable spring weather has already significantly altered the conference schedule. The Bulldogs managed to play four league games last week before wintry weather this past Sunday postponed a twin bill that had been set up with Dakota Wesleyan. Since last week’s report, Concordia played just once, splitting a doubleheader at a neutral site (Concordia, Kan.) with Mount Marty on March 25. The Bulldogs were beaten in the first game, 10-4, before they responded with a 12-6 win in game two. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad entered today (March 28)’s action at Hastings at 17-9 overall (3-1 GPAC). For more on the Concordia Baseball program, click HERE.
· Entering the week, the Bulldogs have played a total of four games since returning from their spring break trip to Florida (which ended on March 11). Three wins over nationally ranked St. Thomas University (Fla.) during that trip helped Concordia get back on the national radar. In the NAIA coaches’ poll released on March 22, the Bulldogs were listed among teams currently receiving votes. In other NAIA national ratings, Concordia is listed at No. 26 in Bo Chip and No. 22 in Massey Ratings. According to Massey Ratings, the Bulldogs have played the nation’s 27th most challenging schedule in the NAIA.
· Despite getting a leadoff homer from Jaidan Quinn, Concordia let game one against Mount Marty get away from it. The Lancers (24-5, 7-1 GPAC) built a 9-1 lead at the end of five innings while tagging Bulldog starter Blake Benson for eight earned runs on 12 hits. The second game was a complete turnaround as Concordia enjoyed a 12-2 lead behind pitcher Frankie Cresta. At the plate, Ben Berg went 5-for-5 with a home run and Teyt Johnson went 4-for-4 with three runs, a home and four RBIs. Five days after striking out 13 Jamestown hitters in a seven-inning shutout, Cresta covered eight innings and limited Mount Marty to two runs on eight hits and three walks (five strikeouts). The Bulldogs wound up with 18 hits in game two.
· Joey Grabanski also went deep as part of the game two win at Mount Marty. The homer marked the 14th of the season and 49th in the career of the Grand Forks, N.D., native. Grabanski currently ranks fourth among all NAIA players in home runs this season (the national leader, Cole Turney, has 20). Early last week, Grabanski became Concordia’s all-time home run leader, surpassing the previous record of 47 by former teammate Keaton Candor. Current Bulldog Jesse Garcia is also lurking close behind with 46 career blasts. With 226 career hits, Garcia is also not far off the program’s all-time record of 234 hits (Zak Goodrich).
· Garcia, Berg and Teyt Johnson are each in their fifth years inside the program. While Garcia stands out as one of the greatest sluggers in school history, the contributions of Berg and Johnson should also be celebrated. One of three Bergs to have played at Concordia (in addition to eldest brother Bryce having been an assistant coach), Ben has been a mainstay at the catcher position. In his career (154 games), Ben Berg has batted .292 with 142 hits, 26 doubles, 19 home runs and 115 RBIs. Meanwhile, Johnson has played in 166 games and has batted .293 with 23 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 98 RBIs. They have been part of GPAC championship teams every single season (with the exception of the 2020 COVID year).
· A native of Johnston, Iowa, and a transfer from Tennessee Tech, Cresta appears to be settling in. Over his two starts in GPAC play, Cresta has fired 15 innings and has gone 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 18 strikeouts. Cresta followed in a line of other recent Bulldogs who hailed from Johnston, such as Nathan Buckallew, Johnny May and Logan Ryan. As a pitching staff, the best figures to be yet to come. Concordia has other experienced arms in Bensen (another transfer), Caden Bugarske, Christian Gutierrez and Caden Johnson that it can trot out in its starting rotation. Dupic also is hopeful of getting Alex Johnson back from injury at some point this spring.
· The Bulldogs figure to again have the most potent offensive team in the GPAC. Among conference teams, they rank first in batting average (.340), runs scored (238), hits (279), home runs (47) and slugging percentage (.578) while ranking No. 2 in on-base percentage (.420). The top four individual home run hitters are each from Concordia: Grabanski (14), Quinn (nine), Garcia (eight) and Jay Adams (six). Grabanski easily leads the league in RBIs (14). Though not a power hitter, Ty Nekoliczak ranks No. 4 in the GPAC in batting average (.398).
· As of Tuesday (March 28) afternoon, the Bulldogs were in action at Hastings (8-16, 2-2 GPAC) for a doubleheader from Duncan Field. Once that twin bill is in the books, Concordia will look forward to a four-game series at Northwestern (9-15, 3-3 GPAC). Doubleheaders are slated to be played in Orange City, Iowa, beginning at 4 p.m. CT on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. The doubleheader that had been scheduled for this past Sunday against Dakota Wesleyan has been moved to April 11.
Track & Field
· The outdoor season is underway for the Bulldogs, who last appeared at the 2023 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. A group made up of mostly distance runners and throwers represented the program at the Grand View Viking Relays held in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 25. The yields included six event championships on the track for Concordia, which cleaned up from a distance perspective. The Viking Relays marked the first of 11 meets Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads are scheduled to appear at this spring. For more on the Concordia Track & Field programs, click HERE.
· The event titlists at the Viking Relays included the men's 4x800 meter relay, the women's 4x800 meter relay, Jack Ellis (10,000 meters), Rylee Haecker (1,500 meters), Nathan Pennekamp (3,000-meter steeplechase) and Calvin Rohde (1,500 meters). Haecker beat out a field of 20 runners in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:47.50. She was followed by three teammates that also placed in the top five of the 1,500: Keegan Beisel (4:58.68), Rhaya Kaschinske (5:00.60) and Julie McIntyre (5:00.60). It was a thrilling breakthrough for Beisel to crack five minutes. Meanwhile, Rohde clocked in at 3:57.54 on the men’s side and outpaced 27 other runners. The native of Reed City, Mich., ran two seconds off a PR.
· In the throws, the Bulldogs entered competitors into the discus, hammer and shot put. On the men’s side, Concordia’s top performers were Grant Jansen in discus (150’ 8”; fifth place), Ben Moll in hammer (178’; fifth place) and Connor Asche in shot put (46’ 4”; sixth place). The leaders on the women’s side were Erin Painter in discus (137’ 5”; third place) and Kamryn Pokorney in both hammer (155’ 7”; third place) and shot put (41’ 1”; third place). A past All-American and member of the volleyball team, Sara Huss threw 132’ 10” in discus and placed fourth. Moll’s toss landed roughly 1.75 meters shy of an automatic mark in hammer.
· The Bulldogs are still looking for their first automatic national qualifying marks of the 2023 outdoor season. No need to panic – it’s early. However, there are a number of Concordia athletes who rank in the top 25 nationally in their respective events, including the men’s 4x8 (seventh), the women’s 4x8 (seventh), Dagne’ Buck (15th in the hammer throw), Haecker (14th in the 1,500 meters), Huss (15th in the discus), Grant Jansen (16th in the shot put), Brady Klute (20th in the hammer throw), Moll (fourth in the hammer throw), Painter (ninth in the discus), Pennekamp (22nd in the steeplechase), Kamryn Pokorney (13th in the hammer throw and 16th in the shot put), Kailey Randall (25th in the shot put), Kaia Richmond (20th in the steeplechase), Rohde (17th in the 1,500 meters), Austen Rozelle (18th in the shot put and 22nd in the hammer throw), Darien Semedo (ninth in the hammer throw) and Abi Wohlgemuth (21st in the hammer throw).
· In the 4x800 meter relays at Grand View, there were only a handful of entries on either side. The top grouping for the Bulldogs on the men’s side featured Rohde, Camden Sesna, Ethan Ideus and Micah Willweber. They combined to run 8:15.45 and place first. On the women’s side, Concordia’s top quartet included Haecker, Kaschinske, Beintema and Beisel. They placed first in 10:02.47. Beisel made mention of several others who got the outdoor season started in stellar fashion. All four Bulldogs in the men’s 10k clocked new personal bests, including third-place finisher Logan Walgate (36:04.28). On the women’s side of the steeplechase, Kaia Richmond finished as the runner up in a time of 12:40.39. Westley Determan was next in line (behind Pennekamp) in the men’s steeplechase in a time of 10:20.09. As one of the team’s only sprinters to compete on Saturday, Isabelle Salters ran the 200 meters in 27.46 and placed third.
· Next up on the schedule is Saturday’s Central Nebraska Challenge co-hosted by Hastings and the University of Nebraska-Kearney. The first action is slated to get underway at 11 a.m. CT from Kearney High School. The tentative meet schedule can be found HERE. During the month of April, the Bulldogs will also host their first home outdoor meet of 2023 as the Concordia Invitational is set for April 14-15.