Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Hope Beck, Cross Country
A freshman from Elk River, Minn., Hope Beck continued her impressive first collegiate season as she placed 15th at the GPAC Championships and earned all-conference accolades. Beck finished the 6K race in 22:35.7 and is expected to be named an individual qualifier for the national championships. She is majoring in Christian Education Leadership.
Male: Vaughn Hendrickson, Cross Country
A junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., Vaughn Hendrickson collected his third career GPAC All-Conference medal in cross country while placing fourth at the GPAC Championships. Hendrickson clocked in at 24:54.6 in the 8K race and will be headed to the national meet for the third straight year. Hendrickson is an Elementary Education major.
2026-27 BAAM Athletes of the Week
Nov. 3 – McKenna West, Soccer / Kaleb Williams, Wrestling
Oct. 27 – Hugo Garrote, Soccer / Charli Preister, Soccer
Oct. 20 – Seohyeon Jang, Tennis / Joe McCarroll, Soccer
Oct. 13 – Jett Farwell, Football / Bella Hedke, Volleyball
Oct. 6 – Ella Brueggemann, Volleyball / Joe McCarroll, Soccer
Sept. 29 – Elijah Fulton, Soccer / Seohyeon Jang, Tennis
Sept. 22 – Abby Haynes, Soccer / Kaden Thompson, Football
Sept. 15 – Seohyeon Jang, Tennis / Carter Wiebusch, Soccer
Sept. 8 – Laynee Baker, Volleyball / Kai Olbrich, Men’s Soccer
Sept. 1 – Myla Emery, Volleyball / Gideon Stark, Football
Aug. 25 – Shandy Fa’ali’i, Volleyball / Sean Stratman, Men’s Soccer
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday (when classes are in session) 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.
Nekoliczak promoted to full-time Assistant Baseball Coach: Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s Concordia Baseball staff has undergone some recent changes. On Nov. 4, Concordia Athletics announced the promotion of Ty Nekoliczak as Assistant Baseball Coach. He moves into the lead assistant role formerly held by Ben Berg, who accepted a position within the Minnesota Twins organization of Major League Baseball. Nekoliczak spent the 2026 season as a graduate assistant. Dupic’s current staff also includes Eli Crnkovich and Zackery Day. For more on the promotion of Nekoliczak, read the press release HERE.
Cattle Classic a success in 27th year: It was another successful Cattle Classic. This year’s event raised 11,035 canned food items and $2,650 in cash, bringing the 27-year totals to 177,322 cans and $48,107 in cash. The food and money will be directly donated to Blue Valley Community Action Food Pantry as well as other food pantries in Seward this holiday season. The annual event is sponsored by Cattle Bank & Trust. Below are the 2026 All-Cattle Classic teams. Pac N Save Grocery matches all canned food donations.
2026 Men's All-Cattle Classic Team
Ben Boudreau, Hastings
KeeMaryon Hargrow, Maharishi International
Dane Jacobsen, Concordia
Brooks Kissinger, Concordia
Brylan Sims, Judson
2026 Women's All-Cattle Classic Team
Chloe Larsen, Montana Tech
Hallie Neibauer, Montana Tech
Makynna Robbins, Concordia
Bria Wasmund, Dakota State
Emma Yost, Dakota Wesleyan
Weightlifting / Powerlifting update: In the kickoff to the fifth season in program history, Concordia Weightlifting came away with team and individual hardware. The Bulldogs hoisted the team championship trophy after action concluded on Oct. 24 at the 2026 Iowa-Nebraska Weightlifting State Organization (WSO) Championships held at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Eight Concordia lifters emerged as champions within their weight classes and Kaiden Mima earned distinction as Best Overall Male Lifter while Taylor Hedke was named Best Senior Female Lifter. In addition to individual championships won by Hedke (69 kg) and Mima (70 kg), the following Bulldogs also took home first place medals: Alex Hibbs (53 kg) and Gracy Johnson (77 kg) on the women’s side and Nolan Graupmann (110+ kg), Wyatt Hosick (65 kg), Enzo Mancini (95 kg) and Marcus Sweet (85 kg) on the men’s side. For further details, check out the meet recap HERE. On another note, Mima traveled to Mexico recently and competed in the Pan American Junior Championships. He earned three gold medals for his efforts. The next events on the schedule are the Central Collegiate Cup Series (Nov. 21-22) for powerlifting and the Virus Weightlifting Finals (Dec. 3-6) for weightlifting.
--2026-27 Powerlifting Season Preview
--2026-27 Weightlifting Season Preview
Ballfield Project underway, funding still sought: Over the summer, Concordia University, Nebraska went public with the Shine Forth Campaign, an initiative that includes the hybrid baseball-softball Ballfield Project. Concordia continues to seek funding for the project, which will bring a state-of-the-art facility to the east part of campus. For more details on the Ballfield Project, check out the article that first appeared in the Broadcaster magazine HERE.
Concordia Athletics features: The Concordia Athletics website regularly spotlights Bulldog student-athletes, teams and alums with detailed profiles and feature articles. Recent feature stories are linked below.
--Soccer GPAC championship journeys: Men’s Soccer | Women’s Soccer.
--Fall Program Updates: Baseball | Softball.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show has returned for a 12th year. 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 2026-27 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. Eric Allgood will be the primary voice for 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 with the 2023-24 academic year, Concordia Athletics began a partnership with Hudl for live video 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 via the Hudl account. For select JV streams, check out that specific sport’s Facebook page. Starting in 2026-27, Concordia broadcasts are simulcast with the GPAC Network and Urban Edge Network.
Cross Country
· Most recent:
o Placed 3rd/11 on the men’s side and 6th/12 on the women’s side at the 2026 GPAC Cross Country Championships.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | NAIA Ratings: Men | Women
· Notable: The 2026 season has wrapped up, with the exception of potential individual national qualifiers that will be announced later today (Nov. 10) by the NAIA. At the 2026 GPAC Championships held this past Saturday at the Dordt Cross Country Course, the Bulldogs earned place finishes of third on the men’s side and sixth on the women’s side. Individually, GPAC All-Conference medals were claimed by junior Vaughn Hendrickson (fourth), seniors Aidan Limback (11th) and Trey Robertson (14th) and freshman Hope Beck (15th). In terms of average team time, the men put together one of the best races in program history while the women came through with a season best performance. Hendrickson and Beck have put themselves in positions to earn individual at-large bids to the national meet. Both Hendrickson and Robertson are now three-time all-conference award winners while Limback secured his second career All-GPAC medal. On the men’s side, Head Coach Matt Beisel’s program has placed inside the top three of the conference for the fifth straight year. As part of the all-conference announcement, seniors Mason Hodges and Josie Smith were honored as Concordia’s Champions of Character representatives. For those who qualify, the season will continue with the NAIA National Championships in Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 20. The Bulldogs have had an All-American in each of the previous three seasons, thanks to Kylahn Freiberg in 2023, Hendrickson in 2024 and Keeli Green in 2025.
· For additional news and notes on the Concordia Cross Country teams, click HERE.
· Up next:
o Friday, Nov. 20 at the 2026 NAIA National Championships (Vancouver, Wash.) | More info HERE.
Men’s Soccer
· Current record: 13-4-1, 10-0 GPAC (1st); ranked No. 22 in the NAIA selection committee poll.
· Last week:
o GPAC Semifinals – Tied vs. Dakota Wesleyan, 2-2 (lost on PK’s, 5-4), on Nov. 6.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Selection Committee Poll
· Notable: Concordia fell short in its bid to win the double (GPAC regular season and tournament championships). The Bulldogs experienced conference semifinal heartbreak as they were edged in penalties, 5-4, by Dakota Wesleyan. The two sides played to a 2-2 draw through 110 minutes, necessitating the shootout. Both teams were successful on their first four PK’s. DWU’s Aidan Bennett drilled the final PK that pushed the Tigers to the championship game. Concordia had built a 2-0 first half lead via a goal apiece from Joe McCarroll (15’) and Niko Nareike (26’). DWU later found the equalizer in the 55th minute. As a result of the semifinal elimination, Head Coach Bernie Ochoa’s squad hopes to be selected as an at-large qualifier into the national field. The program’s three previous national tournament appearances came via an automatic bid as GPAC postseason champions (2015, 2022 and 2025). The 2026 Bulldogs have stated a compelling case as the GPAC regular season champion with an unblemished 10-0 record. In 12 games against GPAC foes this season (counting the two postseason outings), Concordia outscored them by a combined total of 54-9. The ’26 Bulldogs have set a new program record with 61 goals on the season (breaking the previous record of 53 by the 1979 team). The NAIA national championship field will officially be announced at 6 p.m. CT on Friday.
· For a closer look at this week’s matchups, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o NAIA Selection Show – Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. Watch via NAIA YouTube channel.
Football
· Current record: 5-4, 5-4 GPAC.
· Most recent:
o Won at Briar Cliff, 37-13, on Nov. 7.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Selection Committee Poll
· Notable: The season’s final road trip was a happy one as the Bulldogs earned a 37-13 win at Briar Cliff. The game was tight into the third quarter before blossoming Concordia running back Dylan Mika got loose for his third rushing touchdown of the day. His 55-yard touchdown run at the 0:39 mark of the third quarter pushed the Bulldog lead to 31-14. Early in the fourth quarter, Concordia took advantage of a short field and cashed in with a two-yard Gideon Stark touchdown run to put the game on ice. It was another eye-popping performance for the Aspen, Colo., native Mika, who rushed for 223 yards, marking the ninth highest single game rushing total in program history. Adam Van Cleave also found the end zone on a pass shoveled forward by Stark. The offense racked up 517 total yards (265 rushing / 252 passing). On defense, Concordia sacked Charger quarterback Brock Saya seven times. Freshman Tanner Schroder came up with two of those sacks. Corby Osten’s defensive unit also forced seven punts and allowed Briar Cliff to convert only 1-of-9 third down attempts. Notably, Braxtyn Koch boomed a 69-yard punt that pinned the Chargers at their own six in the opening quarter. With the win, Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s program has guaranteed at least a .500 record for the fourth straight year and for the sixth time in seven seasons. In wrapping up the campaign, the Bulldogs will host Midland for senior day Saturday. The program will honor a group of 28 seniors prior to kickoff.
· For details on each week’s matchup, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· Next up:
o Senior Day – Saturday, Nov. 14 vs. Midland (8-2, 7-2 GPAC), 1 p.m.
Volleyball
· Current record: 23-5, 14-2 GPAC; ranked No. 3 in the NAIA selection committee poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Doane, 25-22, 25-15, 25-12, on Nov. 3.
o GPAC Quarterfinals – Lost vs. Dakota Wesleyan, 14-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-21, on Nov. 7.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Selection Committee Poll
· Notable: Concordia’s stay within the GPAC tournament bracket was a brief one as it was bounced in the quarterfinals by seventh-seeded Dakota Wesleyan. That defeat followed a sweep of Doane in last week’s regular season finale. In this past Saturday’s quarterfinal tilt, the second-seeded Bulldogs were dominant in the first set behind Makenna Starkey (seven of her match-high 11 blocks came in the opening set). The Tigers (19-10) brushed off the rough start and won in four sets while limiting Concordia to an .067 hitting percentage. The loss snapped program strings of five straight GPAC championship match appearances and seven consecutive GPAC semifinal advancements. Over last week’s two matches, Starkey accumulated 14 blocks in seven sets while Shandy Fa’ali’i led the team with a combined 18 kills. The Bulldogs’ 14 aces versus Doane represented a season high (the individual leaders in aces were Clara Evert and Fa’ali’i with four apiece). The early exit from the conference tournament means that Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad will wait until the NAIA National Championship Opening round takes place on Nov. 21 for a resumption of action. National tournament pairings and qualifiers are scheduled to be released next Monday. Concordia is likely to host an NAIA Opening Round match for the sixth year in a row.
· For additional news and notes on Concordia Volleyball, check out the team’s homepage HERE.
· Up next:
o NAIA Opening Round – Saturday, Nov. 21 vs. TBD; the NAIA National Championship selection show is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 16 and can be viewed on the NAIA YouTube channel.
Women’s Soccer
· Current record: 10-4-3, 9-1-1 GPAC (T-1st).
· Last week:
o GPAC Quarterfinals – Lost vs. College of Saint Mary, 1-0, on Nov. 3.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Selection Committee Poll
· Notable: It was an abrupt conclusion to Concordia’s GPAC tournament run. Despite dominating statistically (18-8 shot advantage and 11-2 corner kick advantage), the second-seeded Bulldogs were bounced from the conference tournament by No. 7 seed College of Saint Mary, 1-0. The 0-0 deadlock was broken up in the 84th minute when Mia Godwin found the back of the net, sending the Flames to the semifinals. CSM keeper Jenna Brown made 11 saves in a starring performance. That result didn’t necessarily end Concordia’s season. As the conference’s No. 2 seed, the Bulldogs will receive an automatic bid to the national tournament if top-seeded Hastings captures the GPAC tournament title on Wednesday night. Should that happen, Concordia would qualify for nationals for the fifth time in program history. Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad earned a share of the GPAC regular season title while going 9-1-1 in league play. Official national qualifiers will be announced at 5 p.m. CT on Friday (link to selection show included below). After 17 games, Concordia’s top goal scorers include Guadalupe Sanchez (10), Abby Haynes (seven) and Molli Kalsbeck (five). The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a combined total of 43-17 this season.
· For additional news and notes, check out the program’s homepage HERE.
· This week (GPAC Tournament):
o NAIA Selection Show – Friday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. Watch via NAIA YouTube channel.
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 3-1; ranked No. 19 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week (Cattle Classic):
o Won vs. Maharishi International (Iowa), 113-63, on Nov. 6.
o Won vs. Judson (Ill.), 103-66, on Nov. 7.
· Links: 2026-27 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The Bulldogs had their two opponents overmatched at the 27th annual Cattle Classic. Concordia eclipsed 100 points in wins over both Mahrishi International University (Iowa) and Judson University (Ill.). The backcourt duo of Brooks Kissinger and Dane Jacobsen feasted, posting 41 and 40 points, respectively, over the two home outings. The two standouts were both named to the All-Cattle Classic Team. Kissinger added 14 rebounds, seven steals and six assists to his weekend stat line. Meanwhile, Jacobsen was red hot from the perimeter, making 8-of-11 shots from 3-point range. Of the 17 players who saw action at the Cattle Classic, 16 registered in the scoring column. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 57.5 percent from the floor over the two blowouts. Freshman Colby Rautenberg drew roars with emphatic dunks in both games and grabbed 13 rebounds for the weekend. Nonconference play will continue tonight (Nov. 10) with a matchup versus Ottawa University (Kan.). Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad will then travel to Waldorf on Saturday for its GPAC opener. The Warriors fell at home to Dordt, 90-74, in their first conference outing of the 2026-27 season.
· For additional news and notes on the men’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Tuesday, Nov. 10 vs. Ottawa University (Kan.) (3-1), 7 p.m.
o Saturday, Nov. 14 at Waldorf (3-3, 0-1 GPAC), 3:45 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 3-1; ranked No. 10 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week (Cattle Classic):
o Lost vs. No. 16 Montana Tech, 80-77 (OT), on Nov. 6.
o Won vs. No. 3 Dakota State, 64-54, on Nov. 7.
· Links: 2026-27 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: It was a loaded field at the 27th annual Cattle Classic. The 10th-ranked Bulldogs let one get away when they were clipped in overtime, 80-77, by No. 16 Montana Tech on day one of the event. The next day, Concordia won a grinder over third-ranked Dakota State University, 64-54, while forcing 31 turnovers. Junior Makynna Robbins was named to the All-Cattle Classic Team as she posted weekend totals of 29 points, 17 rebounds and five steals. Sophomore guard Ayla Roth put up 23 points (12-for-16 from the foul line) in the loss to Montana Tech while Bree Bunting added 23 points and Abbie Kromarek chipped in with six steals over the two games. Head Coach Drew Olson’s patented full-court press continues to frustrate opponents. Concordia has forced 135 turnovers through the season’s first four games. For her work in the two games in Mitchell, S.D., to open the season, Robbins was tabbed GPAC Defensive Player of the Week. The Bulldogs will be idle in the middle of this week while preparing for Saturday’s GPAC opener at Waldorf. The Warriors were blown out at home by Dordt on Nov. 3.
· For additional news and notes on the women’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Nov. 14 at Waldorf (1-5, 0-1 GPAC), 2 p.m.
Wrestling
· Current dual record: 0-0.
· Most recent:
o Competed at Friends Falcon Open on Oct. 31.
· Links: 2026-27 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA National Rankings
· Notable: Isaiah Crosby made his head coaching debut on Oct. 31 as 12 Bulldogs represented the wrestling program at the Falcon Open hosted by Friends University at Park City Arena. The place finishers for Concordia included four freshmen: Kaleb Williams (third at 125), Jaxsen Salinas (sixth at 149), Aidan Summa (sixth at 285) and Frost Wallace (eighth at 133). In addition, sophomore Aaron Wilson placed fourth at 157 pounds. It should be noted that the Falcon Open was broken down into “elite” brackets (juniors and seniors) and “amateur” brackets (freshmen and sophomores). Each of the place finishers for the Bulldogs won at least four matches, led by five victories from Williams and Salinas. At heavyweight, Summa recorded three pins as part of a 4-2 day. Other Bulldogs to record at least one win on the day were Ramon Arredondo (1-2 at 184), Simon Arredondo (165) and Daniel Steffensen (1-2 at 157). More than 40 institutions were represented at the Falcon Open, which featured both men’s and women’s tournaments. In the preseason ratings, Crosby’s squad landed at No. 7 in the GPAC. A returning GPAC champion and national qualifier, Cal Price begins the season rated first in the GPAC and 16th in the NAIA at 149. Concordia took last week off from competition while readying for this Thursday’s dual at Hastings and Saturday’s Grand View Open in Des Moines, Iowa.
· For additional news and notes on the wrestling program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Thursday, Nov. 12 at Hastings (0-0), 7 p.m.
o Saturday, Nov. 14 at Grand View Open, 9 a.m.