Bulldog Weekly Report (May 9)

By Jacob Knabel on May. 9, 2017 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Amy Ahlers, Golf

Ahlers, a native of Albion, Neb., became the first golfer in program history to win a GPAC title last week. She did so by shooting 83-76-77-83–319 (+31) over the four rounds of conference championship action. She will wrap up her collegiate career at the national championships in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., later this month.

Male: Lucas Wiechman, Track & Field

Wiechman, who hails from Pilger, Neb., is enjoying a senior season that now includes eight individual GPAC titles after last week’s performance at the GPAC outdoor championships. Wiechman was named the male athlete of the meet, a distinction he also garnered at the 2017 GPAC and NAIA indoor championship meets.

Volleyball spring update: The Concordia volleyball program is in the process of transitioning without the services of a talented senior class that helped the Bulldogs to a national tournament appearance in 2015. The Bulldogs have completed a spring practice season that saw them name Emma Brand and Courtney Jurgens. Transfer Kelsey Baarck brings exciting potential on the outside. For more on spring happenings inside head coach Scott Mattera’s program, click HERE.

Bulldogs buzzing about GPAC title: The Concordia baseball team has already locked up a spot in the national championships courtesy of winning the GPAC regular-season title, which was clinched at Dakota Wesleyan on April 29. For more on the championship run, click HERE. Head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad can sweep GPAC regular season and postseason titles by defeating Midland tonight (May 9) in the conference tournament championship game. For a preview of the game, click HERE.

Adams named CoSIDA Academic All-District: For his work in the classroom and on the diamond, senior Jake Adams has been named a CoSIDA Academic All-District choice, as announced on May 4. A native of Mason City, Iowa, Adams is hitting .307 and has started 51 games for the GPAC championship Bulldogs. Adams was a GPAC Gold Glove Team selection as a junior in 2016.

Find Bulldog gear at BulldogFanShop.com: BulldogFanShop.com is the official marketplace for Concordia Bulldogs athletic gear. For sale are many types of clothing apparel as well as drinkware, decals, collectibles and other accessories.

How to purchase Cultivating Men of Faith and Character: The book, Cultivating Men of Faith and Character: The History of Concordia Nebraska Football, remains available for purchase online HERE. For more than 90 years, the Concordia football program has cultivated men of faith and character. This journey through the program’s entire history takes a narrative, coach-by-coach approach in bringing back to life the memorable plays, players and moments in Bulldog football history. Win or lose, Christian character has guided a storied football tradition in Seward, home to the “college in the cornfield.”

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 6 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is in its second year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 6 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 TuneIn Radio app and searching “Max Country.” Throughout the 2016-17 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country.

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.

Baseball

  • The most successful season in school history carries on into the GPAC tournament championship game. Last week the Bulldogs added three more wins by defeating Briar Cliff, Hastings and Mount Marty while hosting the Concordia Bracket as part of GPAC postseason action. The first two victories came by one-run margins before an 8-2 win over Mount Marty. Third-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has improved to 33-19 overall. For more information on the Bulldog baseball program, click HERE.
  • Dupic has worked wonders with a program that had never won more than 25 games in a season prior to his arrival. Before Dupic’s hiring, Concordia has captured just two GPAC tournament wins in six all-time appearances in the postseason. Last season the Bulldogs went 2-2 in the conference tournament and were one win away from advancing to the championship game. With last week’s three victories, Concordia is 5-2 under Dupic in postseason play.
  • If Dupic is named the GPAC coach of the year as expected, he would be the first Concordia skipper to earn such an award since Jeremy Geidel garnered Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2000. Geidel served as head coach for 16 seasons (1999-2014) before stepping aside. He won 250 games. His winningest season was a 25-victory campaign in 2012. The program is now in the midst of the winningest three-year stretch in school history with a record of 87-64.
  • Last week senior outfielder Tyler Nelson earned GPAC player of the week accolades for the first time in his career. He has also produced solidly at the conference tournament, going 3-for-9 over the first three games. His two-run homer versus Briar Cliff proved to be the difference in a 6-5 win. The native of La Porte, Texas has become the team’s regular left fielder and is batting .351 with a robust .460 on-base percentage. He also has yet to commit an error.
  • Over the past 11 games, Concordia pitchers have helped the team win 10 times by turning in a 2.66 ERA (26 earned runs in 88 innings) during that stretch. The Bulldogs continue to have three starters with ERAs below 3.00: Wade Council (6-1, 2.22 ERA, 48.2 innings), Josh Prater (5-3, 2.57 ERA, 63 innings) and Jason Munsch (5-1, 2.77 ERA, 48.2 innings). The other regular starter, Nick Little (6-3, 4.03 ERA, 67 innings), has fired nine-inning complete games in each of his last two outings.
  • The bullpen has also been fantastic with the likes of freshmen Jake Fosgett (4.97 ERA, 25.1 innings) and Desmond Pineda (2.25 ERA, 36 innings) and sophomore Tanner Wauhob (2.55 ERA, 24.2 innings). All three are capable of eating up multiple innings and each of them were life savers last week. After a rough start for Prater versus Briar Cliff, Wauhob entered the game and threw 6.1 innings, giving up just one run. Pineda then got the final two outs to stand the bases loaded. Fosgett and Pineda combined to cover the last six innings of the victory over Hastings.
  • Concordia has been dominant against conference opponents since an 0-3 start in GPAC play. The Bulldogs are now 22-6 against GPAC teams over the past 28 games. Until this season, Concordia had never won more than 15 conference games in a single campaign. The past two seasons have produced the two best GPAC finishes in school history – fourth and first.
  • The improved pitching staff has been aided by defensive work that has rated up there with the best in the conference. Fielding percentage is a mostly meaningless measure. It takes a deeper look at the numbers to reveal the team’s exceptional glove work. Even with the highest pitcher strikeout rate in the conference, the Bulldogs lead the GPAC in both assists (9.8) and putouts (22.9) per game. Concordia’s nifty infield defense turned three double plays in last week’s win over Briar Cliff.
  • Now it’s time to vie for another championship. The Bulldogs host second-seeded Midland (39-18) at 6 p.m. CT tonight (May 9) in the GPAC tournament championship game. It will be a single nine-inning affair. The two sides split four games during the regular season. In the most recent NAIA Baseball Bo Chip Power Index, the Warriors were ranked 46th and the Bulldogs checked in at 57th. Both teams have earned automatic bids to the opening round of the national championships. Pairings and site assignments will be announced by the NAIA on Thursday.

Softball

  • The 2017 season concluded in the GPAC tournament for the Bulldogs, who were one of the final four teams in the conference still standing. In last week’s action as part of the Hastings Bracket, Concordia defeated Dakota Wesleyan twice, but was eliminated by host Hastings. The Broncos advanced to the GPAC Championship Series to play Morningside. Fourth-year head coach Todd LaVelle’s squad ended the season with an overall record of 34-14. For more information on the Concordia softball program, click HERE.
  • The 34 wins rank as the second highest single-season total in school history. The only Bulldog softball team to win more games was the 2005 squad that went 36-19 overall. Additionally, the 2003 team went 34-16. The highest winning percentage ever for a Concordia softball team was .767 (33-10) in 1998. LaVelle has been at the helm of the program for three of the program’s seven 30-win seasons. LaVelle’s record after four seasons stands at 125-71.
  • Senior Michaela Woodward took advantage of the short porches at the Smith Softball Complex in Hastings by blasting three home runs in four GPAC tournament games. Her second homer of the weekend, which came against Hastings, allowed her to break the school single-season record for home runs. Her 11 big flies moved her past teammate Autumn Owens (nine) and Clarissa Eloge (nine). In her impressive career, Woodward batted .370 with 20 home runs, 106 RBIs and a .603 slugging percentage over 143 games.
  • As part of a big sophomore season, Leah Kalkwarf came up just short of the single-season school record for doubles, which still stands at 17 (accomplished by Eloge, Melissa Morrison and Meredith Peters). Kalkwarf ended up with 16 doubles. The reliable Kalkwarf enjoyed a monster second half of the season and appears poised to be a first team all-conference selection. Her .366 batting average led the team. She also added a triple, three home runs, a .417 on-base percentage and .542 slugging percentage while starting all 48 games.
  • One factor that limited Concordia’s success down the stretch was an injury to starting third baseman Autumn Owens, a first team All-GPAC choice in 2016. The native of Henderson, Nev., ended up hitting .350 with eight home runs, 34 RBIs and a .633 slugging percentage. The field in Hastings would have suited her power bat well. She hit two home runs in one game at the Smith Softball Complex on March 31.
  • The end has come for Owens (who is leaving Concordia early) and a senior class that includes Woodward in addition to Kylie Harpst, Diana Mendoza, Megan Ruppert and AJ Wygant. It was a breakout year for Ruppert, who hit .349 and posted a .451 on-base percentage while playing stellar defensively in center field. Since transferring from McCook, Neb., Ruppert has batted .336 with three home runs and 46 RBIs as a top-of-the-order standout over 91 career games with the Bulldogs. Harpst was also an impact transfer. She batted .353 with seven home runs and 70 RBIs over two seasons at Concordia. She also went 25-16 with a 3.27 ERA as a pitcher.
  • On the plus side, Kalkwarf and other talented underclassmen will return in 2018. Included in that nucleus are the likes of outfielder Taryn Thomas (.323), corner infielder Ronee Watson (.322) and shortstop Jamie Lefebure (.306). The biggest question mark for next year revolves around who will be working in the circle. Woodward and Harpst combined to throw 267.1 of the team’s 323 innings in 2017.
  • The most consistent team of the LaVelle era produced a final run differential of +107 (300 runs scored, 193 runs allowed). The 193 runs allowed are the fewest by the Bulldogs since LaVelle’s arrival prior to the 2014 season. The most recent team to surrender fewer runs was the 2012 squad that gave up just 133 runs. In the past few seasons, Concordia has been remarkably consistent offensively, posting run totals of 301 in 2015, 309 in 2016 and 300 in 2017.

Track & Field

  • Though the school year has ended, two meets remain on the schedule for the top 10 nationally-ranked Bulldog squads. At last week’s GPAC outdoor championships, head coach Matt Beisel’s teams placed second (men) and third (women). The men totaled 156.5 points while the women produced 148 points. A couple months earlier, the Bulldogs turned in GPAC indoor finishes of second (men) and fourth (women). For more information on Concordia track and field, click HERE.
  • The Bulldogs emerged from the meet with 10 event championships. Senior Lucas Wiechman had a hand in five of them, winning four individual titles (110 hurdles, 400 hurdles, pole vault, long jump) and also running the leadoff leg for the first place men’s 4x400 meter relay. It was the first time Wiechman has ever won a GPAC title in the long jump. That effort helped him win GPAC Male Athlete of the Meet honors for a second straight conference meet. Wiechman’s time of 53.98 in the 400 meter hurdles represented a personal best.
  • It’s tough to say that any senior is having a better year than Wiechman, but Zach Lurz continues to star as someone in the discussion as best thrower in program history. At the conference meet, Lurz took titles in the discus and hammer throw and also placed fourth in the shot put. A four-time national champion in the shot put, Lurz beat out teammate Cody Boellstorff for the win in the hammer. Lurz has won eight GPAC titles in his collegiate career.
  • Other Bulldogs to win GPAC titles were Samantha Liermann (shot put), Kali Robb (hammer), Tricia Svoboda (discus) and the men’s 4x400 meter relay. Liermann posted a personal best (48’ ¾”), bringing her into a tie for second with Robb on the NAIA national leaderboard. Not only did Svoboda win the discus title, she also turned in a fresh automatic national qualifying mark of 134’ 3” in the javelin.
  • During the GPAC era (2000-present), the Concordia men’s program has now placed either first or second in the conference a total of 15 times with titles coming in 2014 (indoor and outdoor) and 2015 (outdoor). The most recent conference championship for the women came at the 2012 outdoor meet. The women have also placed as the runner up 12 times during the GPAC era.
  • Female throwers were dominant in the hammer throw on day one of the GPAC championships and then turned in another spectacular effort in the shot put on day two. Not only did Liermann (48’ ¾”) win it and Robb place second (47’ 5 ¼”), Adrianna Shaw (44’ 6 ¼”) placed sixth and Jazzy Eickhoff (42’ 10 ¼”) eighth. Robb tallied 18 team points all by herself with her first and second place claims. The Bulldog women also held down four of the top eight spots in the discus.
  • A total of three fresh automatic national qualifying marks were recorded by Concordia athletes this weekend. All of those performances came on the first day of the meet. They were delivered by Eickhoff (134’ 5,” fourth place) and Svoboda (134’ 3,” fifth place) in the javelin and by Ben Hulett (14.73, third place) in the 110-meter hurdles. In the long distances, junior Emily Sievert and sophomore Taylor Grove did their parts. Grove placed fourth in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races while Sievert was right behind her in fifth in both races. In the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase, senior Taylor Mueller placed third.
  • Concordia’s national qualifying list includes 30 automatic marks and 14 ‘B’ standard marks. Both Lurz, Robb and Svoboda lead the field with three automatic national throwing marks apiece. Two ‘A’ marks are owned by Boellstorff, Philip Kreutzer, and Lucas Wiechman. This list does not include multi event athletes. Wiechman is essentially a lock to make the national field in the decathlon.
    • Men’s 4x400 meter relay (B, 3:17.19)
    • Men’s 4x800 meter relay (B, 7:45.69)
    • Women’s 4x800 meter relay (B, 9:28.65)
    • Cody Boellstorff – hammer throw (A, 216’ 6”); discus (A, 162’ 1”); shot put (B, 51’ 4 ¼”)
    • Allie Brooks – pole vault (A, 12’ 9 ½”)
    • Jacob Cornelio – hammer throw (A, 180’ 9”); discus (B, 158’ 4”)
    • Jazzy Eickhoff – javelin (A, 134 5”); shot put (B, 42’ 10 ¼”)
    • Jacy Embray – discus (A, 142’ 10”)
    • McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (A, 12’ 8”)
    • Taylor Grove – half marathon (A, 1:29:28)
    • Ben Hulett – 110 meter hurdles (A, 14.73)
    • Philip Kreutzer – hammer throw (A, 188’ 7”); shot put (A, 52’)
    • Samantha Liermann – shot put (A, 48’ ¾”); hammer throw (B, 164’ 8”)
    • Zach Lurz – shot put (A, 57’ 6 ½”); hammer throw (A, 206’ 6”); discus (A, 179’ 9”)
    • Sydney Meyer – hammer throw (A, 179’ 3”); javelin (A, 134’ 6”)
    • Tristen Mosier – pole vault (B, 11’ 5 ¾”)
    • CJ Muller – 800 meters (A, 1:51.40); 400 meters (B, 48.37)
    • Amy Migl – discus (B, 139’ 4”)
    • Johanna Ragland – hammer throw (B, 158’ 6”)
    • Tyrell Reichert – pole vault (A, 15’ 5”)
    • Kali Robb – shot put (A, 48’ ¾”); discus (A, 143’ 8”); hammer throw (A, 190’ 5”)
    • Adrianna Shaw – shot put (A, 45’ 1 ½”); discus (A, 148’ 1”); hammer throw (B, 158’ 2”)
    • Bethany Shaw – discus (A, 146’ 10”)
    • Carley Skorepa – discus (B, 140’ 9”)
    • Jan Steinbrueck – discus (A, 147’ 4”)
    • Tricia Svoboda – discus (A, 158’ 4”); hammer (A, 171’ 8”); javelin (A, 134’ 3”)
    • Lucas Wiechman – 110 hurdles (A, 14.43); pole vault (A, 16’ 7 ¼”); 400 hurdles (B, 53.98); ranked No. 4 nationally in the decathlon (6,586)
  • The 2017 outdoor season continues on Friday (May 12) when the Bulldogs host the Concordia Twilight Meet. The first action is set to get underway at 2 p.m. CT. View the complete schedule HERE. The season will conclude at the 2017 NAIA Outdoor National Championships May 25-27 in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Golf

  • The Bulldog men completed their season on April 25 with a seventh place GPAC finish. Last week it was the women’s turn to play 54 holes of GPAC championship golf. Senior Amy Ahlers stole the show with a GPAC title winning performance. As a team, Concordia carded a four-round score of 386-378-377-368–1,509 at the conference championships, putting them in eighth place. For more information on the Bulldog golf programs: MEN | WOMEN.
  • Ahlers has enjoyed a career that ranks as the best in the history of the Concordia women’s golf program. Consider the numbers. The native of Albion, Neb., has won 11 events (three this academic year) and has placed inside the top 10 in 32 of 39 career tournaments. Two of the only things missing from her resume were a GPAC title and a trip to the national championships. By shooting 83-76-77-83–319 (+31), Ahlers secured her bid to nationals and won the tournament by five strokes.
  • With a season average of 80.27, Ahlers is on course to break the school single season record that she set last season as a junior. She has played 52 rounds over the past four seasons with an average of 81.77. In addition, she owns two Sioux City women’s course records. This season she was responsible for each of the team’s nine lowest single round totals.
  • It was also a promising end to the freshman season of Crete native Murphy Sears, who actually beat out Ahlers in round four of the conference championships with an 81, a team low and career low. That performance pushed Sears into 11th place overall with her cumulative score of 85-90-89-81–345. Sears is poised to take Ahlers’ place as the team’s No. 1 golfer next season. Sears posted a season average of 86.93 while playing in each of Concordia’s 15 rounds in 2016-17.
  • The only other Bulldog to play all four GPAC rounds and qualify for the overall leaderboard was Payton DeMers-Saling (112-101-105-103–421). Both Lauren Sperry (111-106-101–318) and Madison Pitsch (106-118-110–334) competed in three of four rounds while Paighton Barbre participated in two (141-112–253).
  • Behind the 77 Ahlers shot on the second day of the GPAC championships, the Bulldogs posted a team GPAC low of 368 in the third round of the tournament. Concordia improved significantly from the fall to the spring. Five of its top six team scores in 2016-17 came during the spring portion of the schedule. The Bulldogs concluded the year with a team 18-hole average of 377.93.
  • Ahlers extended her season to the end of May by way of taking the GPAC title. She is preparing for the 2017 NAIA Women’s Golf National Championships, which will be held May 23-26 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The 144-player field consists of 19 automatic qualifying teams, which won their respective conferences, Association of Independent Institutions or unaffiliated grouping tournament titles, eight at-large team selections and nine individual qualifiers. At-large teams are determined by using the final regular season Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The tournament field is cut after 54 holes and reduced to the top 17 teams and 40 individuals.

Tennis

  • Both tennis teams saw their 2017 seasons come to an end in the GPAC semifinals last week at the championship event held at the Fremont High School Tennis Complex. The men defeated Midland, 5-4, before a 5-0 loss to conference champion Hastings. The results were the same for the women, who topped College of Saint Mary, 5-4, and then got eliminated by GPAC titlist Hastings, 5-0. The men concluded the year with an overall record of 10-12 while the women went 9-13. For more on the Concordia tennis programs: MEN | WOMEN.
  • Annie Horn kept her win streak intact to close out her junior campaign. The native of Denver, Colo., won her final 13 singles matches and was 15-4 overall while playing mostly at the No. 2 position. In action at the GPAC tournament, Horn defeated Christina Ternent of College of Saint Mary, 6-1, 6-3. Up against Kelsey Brown of Hastings, Horn did not complete the match because the Broncos had already clinched the team win. Horn also went 11-9 in doubles competition.
  • By knocking off College of Saint Mary, the Bulldogs avenged a 5-4 road loss to the Flames on April 3. Concordia’s other wins over GPAC opponents came against Mount Marty, Midland and Northwestern. After an 0-7 start to the season, the Bulldogs recovered by going 9-6 the rest of the way. The nine wins were the most for the program since the 2013 squad went 12-7 (5-2 GPAC).
  • Gabe Poling ended his sophomore season by winning seven of his last eight matches. His season concluded on a positive note – with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 win over Midland’s Christian Slupe. He also did not have a chance to finish his singles match in the loss to Hastings. Poling went a team best 16-3 for the year. He also went 12-4 when teaming up with Javier Moreno in doubles play.
  • Like the women, the men’s team regrouped after a difficult start. The Bulldogs dropped their first five matches of the season, but then went 10-7 to finish just below .500 overall. The ride included wins over GPAC opponents in Midland (twice) and Mount Marty. The men’s conference schedule is only five matches in a full round-robin slate.
  • As a team, the Concordia men were a collective 63-65 in singles matches and 26-40 in doubles play. Meanwhile, the women were 61-67 in singles and 28-38 in doubles. Following Horn on the women’s singles wins list were Kirsten Wagner (9-10), Katie Hertz (9-11) and Kayla Smock (8-10). Coming up next after Poling on the men’s side were Thomas Greeff (11-10), Lucas Zoller (10-11) and Moreno (9-8).