Bulldog Weekly Report (Nov. 15, 2016)

By Jacob Knabel on Nov. 15, 2016 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Sami Birmingham / Rachael Bolin, Soccer

The Killer B’s of Birmingham and Bolin teamed up on three of Concordia’s goals in last week’s 3-1 GPAC championship game victory over Morningside. Both of Birmingham’s goals were assisted by Bolin while Bolin’s game-winning score came on a ball from Birmingham. The GPAC honored Birmingham with first team all-conference recognition. Bolin garnered second team accolades.

Male: Patrick Skwara, Football

Skwara, who hails from Boerne, Texas, recorded 11 tackles (two for loss) in his final game as a Bulldog, which resulted in a 31-28 win over Hastings. With Concordia trailing 21-7 in the third quarter, Skwara turned the tide by making a tackle in the end zone for a safety. Skwara finished the season with 53 tackles.

News and notes:

Women’s soccer draws No. 3 Keiser University in opening round: Head coach Greg Henson’s program is set to make its second national tournament appearance in three seasons. The Bulldogs will be at No. 3 Keiser University on Saturday for the opening round of the 2016 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championships. The contest will kick off at 12 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. ET in West Palm Beach, Fla. A live webcast will be available HERE.

All-conference week: All-conference selections for men’s and women’s soccer were announced on Monday by the GPAC. The conference also announced honors for football on Tuesday. Volleyball all-conference choices will be released on Wednesday. A total of eight men’s soccer and eight women’s soccer players represented Concordia on the all-conference teams.
-FOOTBALL
-MEN’S SOCCER
-WOMEN’S SOCCER

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 6 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is already underway 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.

Football

  • The eighth and final season as head coach of the Bulldogs ended for Vance Winter last week. Despite digging itself a 21-7 hole early in the third quarter, Concordia roared back with 24-straight points and held off visiting Hastings, 31-28, inside Bulldog Stadium on Nov. 12. Concordia concluded the campaign with three-straight victories and finished with records of 7-3 overall and 5-3 in the GPAC, good for fourth place by itself. For more information on Bulldog football, click HERE.
  • The season-ending win allowed Concordia to reach heights not seen since the 2001 team shared the GPAC title and was ranked No. 7 nationally in the final coaches’ poll. In Sunday’s final regular-season poll, the Bulldogs checked in at No. 18 and will finish a season in the nationally top 25 for the first time since 2001 while also finishing with the highest win percentage in a season since their championship season. Concordia has appeared in eight of the 11 polls that have been released during the 2016 season. Its highest placement was 16th following a 3-0 start.
  • Not only have the Bulldogs locked up a top-20 ranking, they have also achieved their first undefeated home season since the 2000 squad went a perfect 6-0 inside Bulldog Stadium. This year’s team defeated University of Saint Mary (Kan.), Northwestern, Briar Cliff, No. 22 Midland and Hastings in front of the home fans. Dating back to the end of the 2015 season, Concordia has an active streak of six-straight home wins. It’s the longest home win streak since the 2000 and 2001 squads combined to record nine-consecutive home victories.
  • While celebrating senior day, defensive end Trey Barnes put on a show in his final game as a Bulldog. The product of Seward High School registered seven tackles (three for loss), a sack, a forced fumble (recovered by Concordia) and returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown. He also had a big day punting, averaging 48.9 yards on seven attempts – four of which were downed inside the 20. He produced a career long punt of 75 yards and also booted another that went 69 yards.
  • Barnes has followed up his second team All-America junior year with a senior year to rival it. He finished 2016 with 68 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, nine sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and a defensive touchdown. Barnes is the national leader in tackles for loss per game (2.2). He also ranks 10th among all NAIA players in punting average (40.7). In Barnes’ unique career that started out with him playing running back, he has amassed 165 tackles, 44.5 tackles for loss, 19 sacks, 575 rushing yards, 136 receiving yards, 20 punts downed inside the 20 and eight total touchdowns.
  • Fittingly, Bryce Collins found the end zone in what was also his final career collegiate game. It marked his 37th career touchdown and eighth of the season. Ranked No. 2 in program history in rushing, he put up career totals of 3,547 rushing yards, 809 receiving yards on 82 catches and 4,694 all-purpose yards. The workhorse back carried the ball 757 times while playing in 40 games over his four seasons. He is one of five players in program history ever to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
  • Despite being somewhat limited by injury in the season finale, senior linebacker Michael Hedlund managed to finish as the GPAC leader in tackles with 107. It was the second-straight 100-tackle year for the native of O’Neill, Neb. Hedlund’s big senior year also saw him post four tackles for loss and three interceptions. Over 29 games as a Bulldog, Hedlund piled up 261 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, six pass breakups and nine interceptions. He departs as the most prolific tackler in the Winter coaching era.
  • Though Hastings held him to three catches for 36 yards, junior Jared Garcia crept above 800 receiving yards for the year. His 825 yards rank third on the program’s single-season receiving list. His 55 catches were also the third most ever by a Concordia pass catcher in a single season. Already the school record holder for career touchdown receptions (29), Garcia owns 140 career catches and 2,188 career receiving yards, putting him on track to surpass the standards currently held by former All-American tight end Ross Wurdeman (168 catches for 2,458 yards).
  • Concordia’s senior class included 23 total members. In terms of honors, Barnes, Collins, Hedlund and safety Le’Dontrae Gooden are the most accomplished. Several other seniors started versus Hastings, such as linebacker Patrick Skwara, who put up 11 tackles (two for loss) and forced a fumble in his final contest. Skwara’s safety helped ignite the rally.

Women’s Soccer

  • In front of a raucous Bulldog Stadium crowd that showed up to watch the Concordia women’s soccer team host the GPAC championship game for the first time in program history, the Bulldogs celebrated once again. The 3-1 victory over Morningside gave Concordia its second GPAC tournament title in three seasons in what was the third-straight championship game appearance for fourth-year head coach Greg Henson’s program. The Bulldogs will enter the national tournament with an overall record of 15-5-1. For more information on Concordia women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • The past three seasons have seen Concordia accomplish feats that had been unprecedented for a program that had its first season in 1996. Over the last three years, the Bulldogs have gone a combined 43-14-7. The 15 wins this season and in 2014 are a program record that shattered the previous school standard of 11 victories set by the 2004 squad. The 2016 group has also set a new record for best goal differential in a season. Concordia is now plus-49, bettering the previous record of plus-41, also by the 2004 team.
  • Freshman Sami Birmingham continued to do her thing throughout GPAC postseason play. She scored two goals apiece in both the conference quarterfinals and conference championship games. She also assisted Esther Soenksen’s golden goal in the semifinal overtime win at Midland. Birmingham’s 20 goals are the second most ever by a Concordia freshman. Her name is littered all over the national leaderboards. Among all NAIA players, she ranks ninth in game-winning goals (6), 12th in total goals (20), 12th in points (50) and 18th in assists (10).
  • Fellow freshman Rachael Bolin emerged with the game-winning goal in the championship game as the Bulldogs dug out of a 1-0 hole. The goal ended a three-game drought without a score for the native of Arvada, Colo. Bolin’s 10 goals rank third on the team behind Birmingham and Jessica Skerston (11). Bolin is tied with Birmingham for the most assists among Bulldogs.
  • Senior Chrissy Lind had started at goalkeeper during every GPAC postseason game over the past four seasons. During that time, Concordia has officially gone 7-2-2 in conference tournament play. The two ties were followed by penalty kick shootouts that both went in the Bulldogs’ favor. Concordia is the only team in the GPAC to reach the tournament final three years running. In that span, the Bulldogs have played Morningside twice and Hastings once in championship games.
  • Behind Birmingham, Concordia continues to rank as one of the nation’s most potent attacking teams. The Bulldogs rank 16th nationally with an average of 3.19 goals scored per game. Their 67 total goals (13th most in the NAIA) are the second most ever for a Concordia women’s soccer team. Only the 2004 team (82 goals) has ever produced at a higher rate. In addition to the double-figure goal scorers of Birmingham, Skerston and Bolin, two other Bulldogs have seven or more goals: Soensken (8) and Maria Deeter (7).
  • Concordia ended up 10-2 at home this season, breaking the school record for most home wins in a season. The previous standard was set by the 2014 squad that went 8-1-1 inside Bulldog Stadium, where it also upset No. 16 Hastings on Oct. 29 of that year. Concordia has gone 33-10-1 in home games during Henson’s four seasons leading the program.
  • On Monday it was announced that the Bulldogs will be headed to West Palm Beach, Fla., for the opening round of the 2016 national tournament. An automatic national qualifier thanks to last week’s championship win, Concordia will take on No. 3 Keiser University (Fla.) at 12 p.m. p.m. CT on Saturday as part of the national event. The winner will advance to the final site, which is the Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Ala. The second round of the national tournament will play out Nov. 28-29. In their only other appearance at the national tournament, the Bulldogs were defeated, 4-0, at Benedictine College (Kan.) in the 2014 opening round.

Men’s Soccer

  • A second-straight thrilling postseason run to the conference final culminated with a 3-1 loss to second-ranked Hastings in the 2016 GPAC tournament championship on Nov. 11. It marked the third-consecutive season that Concordia has battled the top-seeded Broncos in the conference playoffs. Ninth-year head coach Jason Weides’ squad had hoped to duplicate its 2015 conference championship upset of Hastings. Instead, the season concluded with the Bulldogs finishing at 11-7-2 overall. For more information on Concordia men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Earlier in the week, the Bulldogs upset 13th-ranked Midland, 3-2, in the conference semifinals, extending their GPAC postseason unbeaten streak to five at the time. Concordia got a goal apiece from Lewis Rathbone, Marcelo Hernandez and Toby Down while jumping out to a 3-0 lead in Fremont. The Bulldogs held on and celebrated at Heedum Field for the second year in a row in the conference semifinals. The Bulldogs were hoping to run the table in the league tournament against the same teams, in the same order, that they defeated during last season’s title run: Northwestern, Midland and Hastings.
  • The program has gradually improved under the leadership of Weides. Concordia dropped its first five GPAC quarterfinal games under Weides between 2008 and 2013. Things turned around in 2014 when the Bulldogs won at Doane, 1-0, in the opening round and then narrowly fell at No. 11 Hastings, 2-1, in overtime in the semifinals. Then came the 2015 title run and then the 2016 runner-up finish. Officially, Concordia is 5-2-1 in the GPAC tournament over the past three years. The tie went to a penalty kick shootout won by the Bulldogs.
  • Once again Concordia came up one victory shy of the program single-season record set by the 2000 team that then head coach Bill Schranz led to a 12-7 season. Every year since 2011, the Bulldogs have won either 10 or 11 games overall. Their combined record since the start of 2011 is 64-42-12. In terms of winning percentage, Weides’ best season was 2011 when Concordia went 11-5-3 while going 8-0 at home.
  • Last week saw the end of goalkeeper Mark Horsburgh’s Concordia career. The native of Edinburgh, Scotland, took over the role of starting keeper as a junior in 2015. He finished his career with 202 saves, 14 shutouts, a .792 save percentage and a 1.21 goals against average over 49 games. His nine shutouts in 2015 broke the program’s single-season record.
  • Concordia finished the season with a goal differential of plus-19. It scored 42 goals and allowed 23 over the course of its 20 games in 2016. Among GPAC teams, the Bulldogs ranked eighth in the goals scored per game (2.10) and third in goals allowed per game (1.15). Four players totaled five or more goals: Hernandez (8), Micah Lehenbauer (8), Carlos Ferrer (5) and Lewis Rathbone (5). Rathbone recorded three of his goals during the GPAC tournament.
  • While Concordia will have a new goalkeeper in 2017, several familiar faces will form the backbone of the team. Of the aforementioned top-four goal scorers, three will return. A host of players that started more than 10 games in 2016 will be back, including Florian Caraballo (20), Lehenbauer (20), Luke Batters (19), Ferrer (18), Aries Fung (16), Toby Down (15) and Matthew Ho (14).

Wrestling

  • The 2016-17 season is now in full swing for the eighth-ranked Bulldogs, who spent their weekend in Mitchell, S.D. Concordia may have a new head coach, but nothing has changed in regards to the program’s dominance within the GPAC. Head coach Andrew Nicola’s squad blanked Dakota Wesleyan, 51-0, on Nov. 11 in the first dual of the season. The next day a group of 25 Bulldogs competed at the Dakota Wesleyan Open. For more information on the Concordia wrestling program, click HERE.
  • Concordia’s 25 wrestlers at the DWU Open combined for 55 victories and five place finishes. Senior Ceron Francisco led the way with his second tournament title already this season. He went 6-0 last week while blazing through the 285-pound weight class. The native of Fayetteville, N.C., defeated Augustana University’s (S.D.) Michael Lowman by major decision, 12-2, in the DWU Open title bout. Francisco, a 2015 All-American, is now 83-50 in his career as a Bulldog.
  • The only member of the program with more career victories is fellow senior Ken Burkhardt Jr., who stands at 94-50 during a career that has included a pair of All-America plaques. The native of Milford, Neb., went 4-1 over the weekend in Mitchell before withdrawing from the third-place match, which would have put him up against teammate Alexander Reimers. Burkhardt Jr. is currently ranked third nationally in the 197-pound weight class.
  • The dual at Dakota Wesleyan was just the latest display of GPAC dominance for the program. Concordia has now won 15-straight conference duals on the heels of perfect 7-0 GPAC records in both 2014-15 and 2015-16. The program’s most recent GPAC dual loss came on Feb. 13, 2014, at Hastings. That defeat had snapped a string of three-consecutive conference victories. During the active 15-match streak, the Bulldogs have outscored their GPAC opponents by a combined total of 533-123.
  • In addition to place finishes for Burkhardt Jr. and Francisco at the DWU Open, Foster Bunce (second at 149), Kodie Cole (second at 133) and Reimers (third at 197) also placed in their respective brackets. Both Bunce and Cole went 5-1 over the weekend. Cole effectively bounced back from the two setbacks to highly-rated opponents that he suffered a week earlier at the Grand View Open. Cole was credited with a forfeit win in the dual and then took four-straight matches (three by pin) in the tournament before a 15-7 loss to Briar Cliff’s eighth-ranked Michael Andreano. Bunce’s similar weekend included two pins before his defeat in the championship match.
  • Transfer Giovanni Castillo, ranked 13th nationally at 133 pounds, made his Concordia debut in the open. He defeated two opponents in Mitchell: D’Andre Brumfield of Iowa Western Community College, 9-3, and Taylor Curtis of Southwest Minnesota State, 13-2. Castillo then withdrew from his semifinal match. Castillo previously attended Grand Canyon University and is a native of Ontario, Calif.
  • This week’s schedule is similar in that involves a dual and a tournament. The Bulldogs will be at No. 19 York College on Thursday for a dual set for 7 p.m. CT. Last season Concordia throttled the Panthers, 38-8, inside Walz Arena. Then on Saturday, the Bulldogs will travel to the University of Nebraska-Kearney Open for their third tournament of the season. The open is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m. CT.

Men’s Basketball

  • Concordia tackled a challenging week that included a weeknight trip to Northwestern and a home date with 17th-ranked York College. After an 89-87 loss in Orange City, Iowa, in the GPAC opener, the Bulldogs responded with a surprisingly breezy 91-77 victory over the visiting Panthers on Nov. 12. It was another impressive week of offensive highlights for fourth-year head coach Ben Limback’s squad, which is now 4-2 overall on the young season. For more information on Bulldog men’s basketball, click HERE.
  • Though Concordia came up short of some of the expectations it had for last season, it ranked third nationally in field goal percentage (.505) during the 2015-16 campaign. That’s a statistic Limback would like to see his team duplicate. The Bulldogs were even better than that last week, shooting 60 percent (33-for-55) at Northwestern and then 55.3 percent (26-for-47) versus York. Concordia also made 37-of-50 free throws for the week. So far this season, the Bulldogs have made more free throws (137) than their opponents have attempted (116).
  • The three-ball was dropping for Concordia last week as part of the offensive onslaught. The Bulldogs went a combined 23-for-49 (.469) from long distance over their games against Northwestern and York. Nationally, the Bulldogs rank 14th in total 3-point field goals (58), 21st in 3-point field goal percentage (.408), 21st in field goal percentage (.503) and 22nd in free throw percentage (.753).
  • Unsurprisingly, senior post man Chandler Folkerts continues to be the team’s No. 1 scoring option. Last week he went an otherworldly 16-for-17 (.941) from the floor while totaling 45 points and 18 rebounds. Folkerts is averaging 20.2 points and 8.8 rebounds and is shooting 69.6 percent through six games. His career field goal percentage now stands at 64.4. With his game high 25 points in the win over York, the Milford, Neb., native became the seventh player in program history to surpass 1,500 career points.
  • Senior Eli Ziegler is also playing the best basketball of his career. He’s now on a fast track to adding his name to the program’s list of 1,000-point scorers (currently at 796). Ziegler has produced 20 or more points in four of six games this season and is averaging 19.2 points. He has nailed 22-of-48 (.458) shots from 3-point range. His 22 3-point field goals rank as the sixth highest total in NAIA Division II.
  • Limback is leaning heavily upon the senior trio of Folkerts, Ziegler and guard Seth Curran. The three combined to score 63 points in the win over York. All three players are averaging more than 30 minutes per game. Ziegler tops the team with 33.0 minutes per game. Curran, averaging 9.5 points, is in his first season as a starter. Sophomore Chris Johnstone (23.8) and freshman Tanner Shuck (21.5) are also logging heavy minutes.
  • The contest against York was Concordia’s first shot of the season against a ranked opponent. Last season the Bulldogs knocked off two top-25 teams: No. 8 Bellevue University and No. 23 California State University-Maritime. The program’s most recent win over a ranked GPAC foe occurred on Feb. 11, 2015, when the Bulldogs went to Fremont and stunned No. 12 Midland, 79-71.
  • This week will feature GPAC action exclusively. Concordia will be at No. 21 Midland (5-0) on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. tipoff. The Bulldogs will then host a GPAC opponent for the first time this season when Mount Marty (3-3) visits Walz Arena for a 4 p.m. start on Saturday. The Warriors were picked to finish second in the GPAC by league coaches. Mount Marty was pegged 10th in the conference.

Women’s Basketball

  • Following Cattle Classic action, 14th-ranked Concordia returned to the court for just a single game last week. In an early conference opener, the Bulldogs went into the Bultman Center in Orange City, Iowa, and emerged with an 88-81 victory over Northwestern on Nov. 9. The contest marked the second win in three tries in Orange City for 11th-year head coach Drew Olson’s program, which has typically struggled at Northwestern, a powerhouse outfit in NAIA Division II women’s basketball. Concordia is now 4-1 overall and carries a four-game win streak into this week. For more information on Bulldog women’s basketball, click HERE.
  • Olson’s teams have typically thrived on turning opponents over, leading to significantly more field goal opportunities. That wasn’t as much the case in 2015-16 when Concordia’s turnover margin per game dipped to plus-0.72. The Bulldogs are back to being bigger pests this season, currently ranking seventh nationally in turnover margin (plus-8.80). Causing havoc was a specialty of the 2015-16 national runner up team that averaged 15.7 steals per game and ranked No. 2 in NAIA Division II in turnover margin (plus-10.18).
  • Freshman Philly Lammers hasn’t looked much like a rookie in her first five collegiate games. She’s pulling a Quinn Wragge in pacing Concordia in scoring (12.0), rebounding (6.4), steals (3.2), blocks (0.8) and field goal percentage (.622). Before fouling out in last week’s win at Northwestern, Lammers posted a line of 16 points, seven rebounds, six steals and a blocked shot. Last season Wragge averaged 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds on her way to first team all-conference accolades as a freshman.
  • Four players have emerged so far as the team’s primary scorers. Lammers (12.0), Wragge (11.6), Dani Andersen (11.4) and Mary Janovich (10.4) are each averaging in double figures. In the victory at Northwestern, all five Bulldog starters put up double-digit point totals, including senior guard Shelby Quinn. Among current Bulldogs, Janovich’s 583 career points are the most on the team.
  • Concordia has already knocked down 48 3-point field goals and ranks seventh nationally in made 3-point field goals per game (9.6). The most prolific long range shooter has been Andersen, a transfer from Midland. She has made at least one trey in each of her first five games as a Bulldog. Last week she made 4-of-6 shots from beyond the arc at Northwestern. Prior to transferring, she knocked down 103 treys and averaged 7.1 points over 61 games as a Warrior.
  • Among the five teams Concordia has played so far, one owns a national ranking and three others were listed among “others receiving votes” in the NAIA Division II coaches’ poll. Since the season-opening loss to No. 1 Marian University (Ind.), the Bulldogs have defeated “receiving votes” teams in Friends University (Kan.), 95-59, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 76-58, and Northwestern.
  • After liberal use of 13 players through the season’s first four games, Olson tightened things up last week in Orange City. Each of the five starters played at least 24 minutes. Wragge led the way with 33 minutes followed by 30 for Quinn, 29 for Janovich, 25 for Lammers and 24 for Andersen. Junior guard Sydeny Feller saw the most action off the bench, playing 17 minutes. Devin Edwards totaled seven points (5-for-6 from the free throw line). Over her 12 minutes of playing time.
  • Conference action heats up this week with Concordia making a trip to Midland (--) on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tipoff. The Bulldogs have won each of the last 16 meetings with the Warriors. The Bulldogs will then host Mount Marty (--) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Lancers reached the national semifinals last season.

Volleyball

  • The 2016 season wrapped up last week with a GPAC quarterfinal loss at No. 5 Midland. Though Concordia pulled out the second set, Priscilla O’Dowd and the Warriors were too powerful, winning 25-17, 27-29, 25-15, 25-20. Fifth-year head coach Scott Mattera’s squad came up short of the lofty standard set by the 2015 Bulldogs who advanced to the national tournament for the first time in program history. Concordia completed 2016 with an overall record of 15-19. For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, click HERE.
  • Though it got off to a 1-6 start this season, Concordia regrouped by winning seven-straight matches – the longest winning streak of the campaign. The sixth victory during that stretch was perhaps the most impressive one of the season for the Bulldogs, who defeated Missouri Valley College. The Vikings are 29-9 overall and rank 32nd nationally in kills per game (13.2). Soon after the win streak, Concordia dropped nine out of 10 matches, crippling its chances of returning to the national tournament.
  • The senior class departs as one of the most productive four-year groups in school history. In terms of career kills, the leaders for the seniors are Paige Getz (1,331), Tiegen Skains (845) and Taylor Workman (776). Many of the combined 2,952 kills between them were set up by fellow senior Alayna Kavanaugh, who finished her career with school modern era record of 4,485 assists. Other seniors who saw consistent action this year were Mikayla Higgins and Naomi Quigg.
  • One of the frustrations of the 2016 season was the inability to get over the hump against top-25 opponents, which littered the schedule. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were 0-14 versus teams with national rankings at the time matches were played. Of those 14 opponents, eight carried top-10 national rankings when they played Concordia. The 2015 Bulldogs were 6-4 versus the top 25.
  • Concordia has seen its GPAC tournament run end at Midland in three of the past four years. Last season the Bulldogs advanced to the conference tournament championship match for the first time in school history, only to fall in straight sets in Fremont. Concordia moved to at least the semifinals in both 2014 and 2015 with GPAC quarterfinal home wins in each instance. The Bulldogs are 3-5 in GPAC postseason matches under Mattera.
  • The seniors ended their careers with a four-year record of 78-54 overall. They helped turn around a program that had gone 10-21 in the year before their arrival. With Getz and company on board, the Bulldogs went 17-14 in 2013, 20-12 in 2014, 26-9 in 2015 and 15-19 in 2016. Getz currently ranks third on the program’s all-time kills list.
  • A limiting factor for Concordia this season was the absence of junior Annie Friesen, a first team all-conference choice in 2015 when she hit .374 with 313 kills in the middle. Friesen injured her knee early in the season and played in just one match during the entire 2016 season. She’ll be one of the team’s top returners next season, along with the likes of Emma Brand, Jocelyn Garcia (1,347 career digs), Jenna Eller, Emmie Noyd and Alex La Plant (233 kills as a freshman).

Cross Country

  • The 2016 season is in the books for all but one Concordia runner. On Nov. 7, junior Emily Seivert was officially named as an individual NAIA national qualifier. She will compete at the national championships at North Farm Course in Elsah, Ill., at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. For more on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
  • A total of 14 men competed throughout the course of the season that included five different races. Nine of them participated in all five races. A 28th-place GPAC finisher, junior Pat Wortmann turned in the team’s top finish in four of the five outings. Wortmann led a top-five grouping at the GPAC championships that was made up of Thomas Taylor (29th, 26:43.09), Kohlton Gabehart (36th, 27:04.93), Evan Asche (42nd, 27:19.56) and Chris Shelton (44th, 27:20.89). Below is a list of every time turned in this season by each of the team’s men’s runners.
    • Patrick Wortmann – 27:11.67 (4th) – 27:54.89 (6th) – 27:01.00 (40th) – 26:19 (33rd) – 26:42.80 (28th)
    • Kohlton Gabehart – 27:13.09 (5th) – 28:02.63 (9th) – 26:50.50 (33rd) – 27:30 (91st) – 27:04.93 (36th)
    • Thomas Taylor – 27:47.12 (11th) – 28:39.15 (14th) – 26:51.48 (35th) – 26:50 (53rd) – 26:43.09 (29th)
    • Chris Shelton – 28:00.88 (13th) – 28:49.86 (15th) – 27:52.96 (74th) – 27:25 (88th) – 27:20.89 (44th)
    • Evan Asche – 28:03.40 (14th) – 28:31.17 (12th) – 27:35.76 (56th) – DNR – 27:19.56 (42nd)
    • Cameron Moes – 28:48.25 (17th) – 30:59.62 (34th) – 27:52.50 (73rd) – 27:37 (95th) – 27:37.45 (50th)
    • Josiah McAllister – 29:23.70 (23rd) – 30:09.52 (25th) – 28:19.43 (85th) – 27:41 (99th) – 27:39.08 (51st)
    • Robbie Peterson – 30:53.21 (33rd) – 33:02.47 (50th) – 31:24.62 (137th) – 31:26 (209th) – 32:10.36 (85th)
    • Nathan Matters – 31:48.77 (41st) – 33:30.19 (51st) – 31:54.31 (142nd) – 30:46 (199th) – DNR
    • Samuel Ferguson – 31:50.10 (42nd) – 32:16.66 (44th) – 30:37.19 (133rd) – 31:24 (208th) – 31:10.90 (84th)
    • Chris Warneke – 32:56.31 (47th) – 34:55.78 (57th) – 34:32.89 (152nd) – 32:57 (225th) – DNR
    • Christian Egger – 34:17.84 (53rd) – 33:47.76 (54th) – 32:34.84 (146th) – 32:47 (223rd) – DNR
    • Isaac Golke – 37:41.63 (56th) – 39:11.76 (62nd) – 35:08.03 (153rd) – 34:26 (233rd) – DNR
    • John Vecera – DNR – DNR – 36:43.17 (156th) – 34:33 (234th) – DNR
  • The Bulldog women have had a total of 13 runners represent them in races this fall. Their finishes for those races are listed below. Battling a knee injury, junior Emily Sievert flirted with a personal best at the GPAC championships while claiming a ninth-place finish. Sievert has been the team’s top runner at four of five meets in 2016. Taylor Grove’s 25th-place claim was best for the Bulldogs at the Briar Cliff Invite on Oct. 8. University of Nebraska-Kearney transfer Shelbi Hackbart followed next in line after Sievert in each of the season’s final two races. She completed the GPAC 5K race in 19:05.58 for a 29th-place finish. The rest of the team’s top five at the GPAC championships included Taylor Grove (31st, 19:07.69), Marti Vlasin (44th, 19:50.07) and Jacy Johnston (49th, 20:01.87).
    • Emily Sievert – 19:11.88 (3rd) – 20:25.49 (8th) – 19:05.34 (38th) – 18:32 (5th) – 18:20.96 (9th)
    • Taylor Grove – 20:00.59 (9th) – 20:32.09 (9th) – 18:53.56 (25th) – 19:42 (38th) – 19:07.69 (31st)
    • Shelbi Hackbart – DNR – DNR – 19:32.26 (54th) – 19:36 (35th) – 19:05.58 (29th)
    • Marti Vlasin – 20:16.92 (11th) – 21:16.72 (15th) – 19:55.31 (62nd) – DNR – 19:50.07 (44th)
    • Abby Protzman – 20:29.63 (13th) – 21:28.19 (18th) – 20:09.06 (72nd) – 20:03 (58th) – 21:19.98 (76th)
    • Rebekah Hinrichs – 20:44.16 (16th) – 22:10.00 (27th) – 20:15.62 (75th) – 20:08 (63rd) – 20:06.44 (50th)
    • Jacy Johnston – 20:47.48 (17th) – 21:38.82 (20th) – 19:58.72 (65th) – 20:10 (64th) – 20:01.87 (49th)
    • Erin Lindeman – 21:50.88 (29th) – 21:55.51 (22nd) – 21:20.20 (103rd) – 22:05 (150th) – 20:46.19 (62nd)
    • Miranda Rathjen – 22:39.80 (36th) – 23:11.36 (32nd) – 21:29.88 (110th) – 22:08 (152nd) – 21:18.16 (74th)
    • Paige Borcherding – 22:58.25 (43rd) – 24:11.43 (42nd) – 22:48.04 (140th) – 23:29 (182nd) – DNR
    • Emily Writebol – 23:23.16 (45th) – 24:26.57 (45th) – 21:59.29 (124th) – 21:48 (140th) – 21:36.10 (81st)
    • Emily Wetzel – 24:09.51 (54th) – 23:26.02 (36th) – 22:32.64 (134th) – 22:43 (170th) – DNR
    • Liliana Barrientos – DNR – 27:21.86 (57th) – 25:05.29 (161st) – 25:34 (198th) – DNR
  • During the 2016 season, the women turned in place finishes of 3 of 7 at the Bronco Stampede, 3 of 7 at the Dean White Invitational, 8 of 15 at the Briar Cliff Invitational, 5 of 25 at the Seminole Valley Stampede and 6 of 11 at the GPAC championships. Meanwhile, the men’s respective finishes were 2 of 7 at the Bronco Stampede, 2 of 7 at the Dean White Invitational, 7 of 14 at the Briar Cliff Invitational, 12 of 25 at the Seminole Valley Stampede and 6 of 10 at the GPAC championships.
  • Also last week, Seivert was officially honored as an all-conference performer. The top-15 place finishers at the GPAC meet automatically garner all-conference accolades. Sievert’s ninth-place claim was two spots higher than her all-conference finish as a sophomore.