Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Camryn Opfer, Volleyball
Opfer, a Seward High School alum, spurred Concordia to a five-set win at No. 14 Northwestern while posting 21 kills (.314 hitting percentage) and 11 digs. Five of her kills came in the final set. Opfer leads the team this season in both kills (286) and digs (280).
Male: Carter Kent, Basketball
Kent, a native of Crete, Neb., led the Bulldogs to a pair of wins last week over Friends University and Presentation College. Kent’s combined stat line over those two games included 36 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots. He moved up to No. 22 on the program’s all-time scoring list.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Oct. 26 – Peyton Mitchell (football) / Lexie Kreizel (volleyball)
Oct. 19 – Lane Napier (football) / Kalie Ward (soccer)
Oct. 12 – Caydren Cox (football) / Kalee Wiltfong (volleyball)
Oct. 5 – DJ McGarvie (football) / Sarah Schwacher (shooting sports)
Sept. 28 – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Sept. 21 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Lina Kirst (soccer) / Grace Reiman (cross country) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Sept. 14 – Caydren Cox (football) / Mikeila Martinez (soccer)
Sept. 7 – Drew D’Ercole (golf) / Ivan Yabut (golf) / Erica Heinzerling (volleyball)
Aug. 31 – Martin Herrera (soccer) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
BAAM Athletes of the Month
September – Caydren Cox (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
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.
Game/event days on campus: Concordia Athletics continues to welcome fans to its venues for sporting events. Currently, there are no attendance limits. Before visiting road venues involving Bulldog teams, fans should be sure to check the spectator policies on those particular campuses. Other locations may require the use of face coverings. Once again, fans attending varsity sporting events at Concordia are able to purchase advance tickets online via HomeTown Ticketing. Tickets will also be sold on site on the day of events. Should any policies or protocols for fans change, updated information will be available on the athletics fan information page HERE.
Cattle Classic to run Friday/Saturday (Nov. 5-6): The 22nd annual Cattle Classic will take place this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 5-6) as the event again features four women’s basketball and four men’s basketball games inside Friedrich Arena. The event, co-sponsored by Concordia and Cattle Bank & Trust, raises money and food for the Blue Valley Community Action's Food Pantry. Pac N Save of Seward will match all canned food donations. For more details on the Cattle Classic, including the game schedule, click HERE.
Sesna thrives while rediscovering joy of running: Healthy and mentally rejuvenated, Kearney, Neb., native Camden Sesna has thrived this fall while leading the way for Concordia Cross Country at every meet. A year after a tough finish to the 2020 season, Sesna sees a positive outlook ahead of him. His accomplishments this season have included two GPAC Runner of the Week awards and three top 10 meet finishes. For more on Sesna and his journey, click HERE.
GPAC championships/postseason set for this week: Concordia fall athletic teams are getting set to compete in GPAC championship/postseason action in the sports of cross country, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball. For the latter three sports, the highest seeds host in each round of tournaments that feature eight-team brackets. Below are the scheduled events/matchups for this week’s GPAC championship action.
--Men’s Soccer: Wednesday, Nov. 3 – GPAC quarterfinals at Morningside, 7 p.m. (with a win, Concordia would play in the semifinals on Saturday).
--Women’s Soccer: Thursday, Nov. 4 – GPAC quarterfinals at Hastings, 7 p.m. (with a win, Concordia would play in the semifinals next Tuesday, Nov. 9).
--Cross Country: Saturday, Nov. 6 – GPAC Championships at Northwestern (Orange City, Iowa), 10:45 a.m.
--Volleyball: Saturday, Nov. 6 – GPAC quarterfinals at TBD.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its seventh 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 2021-22 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 seventh 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. For more details on this change, click HERE. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Women’s Soccer
· The regular season is in the books for the Bulldogs, who had the weekend off following a 1-0 road win over Doane on Oct. 27. When the dust settled, Concordia wound up with a sixth-place finish in the GPAC standings (and No. 6 seed in the GPAC tournament). Head Coach Thomas Goines’ squad will enter the postseason at 9-6-2 overall and at 6-4-2 in league play. This marks the eighth season in a row that the program has posted at least a .500 record within the GPAC. A year ago, the Bulldogs tied for second in the conference regular season standings. For more information on Concordia Women’s Soccer, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs can now boast about a nine-game series win streak over Doane, which has fallen on hard times over the past several years. The Tigers have not defeated Concordia since the 2013 season. In the meeting last week that was contested in a pouring rain, the Bulldogs got the game’s only goal in the 44th minute via Michaela Twito. Concordia did not mount much of an offensive attack in the second half but limited Doane to only three shots on goal (seven total shots). Goalkeeper Kalie Ward earned credit for the clean sheet. The highlight for Ward was a diving save of a free kick just before halftime.
· The collegiate career of Twito is soon to run out (after a hopeful extended run in the postseason). The goal last week marked the eighth in the career of Twito, who has also put away four game-winners (two against Doane). The Ames, Iowa, native owns the program record for career games played with 96. Twito has been named All-GPAC four times (second team once and honorable mention twice) while playing for two separate conference championship teams – 2017 regular season and 2020 postseason champs.
· Now the question is: can the Bulldogs rekindle the GPAC postseason magic they have become known for? Concordia has reached the GPAC tournament final in six of the past seven seasons with titles coming in 2014, 2016 and 2020. The dynamics last season were altogether unique with the conference tournament having been played in the month of April. The storybook postseason run saw the Bulldogs advance past Dakota Wesleyan, 2-1, Midland (PK shootout after 0-0 draw) and Jamestown, 2-1 – all at home. In previous GPAC tournament title wins, Concordia defeated Hastings in 2014 and Morningside in 2016.
· The formula for winning games hasn’t changed a whole lot since last spring. The Bulldogs continue to get it done with grit and stellar defensive play. Through 17 regular season games, Concordia has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 23-19 while often living on the edge. Twelve of the 17 games have been decided either by one-goal margins or in draws. During the month of October, only two of the team’s eight games had a spread of more than a goal. In conference play, the Bulldogs allowed more than two goals in a game just once (3-0 loss at Briar Cliff). The team’s top goal scorers are Madeline Haugen (four) and Mikeila Martinez (three).
· If Concordia is to make another run to the GPAC tournament final, it will first have to get past Hastings on Thursday in the conference tournament quarterfinals. As the No. 6 seed, the Bulldogs will take on the third-seeded Broncos (12-4-1, 8-3-1 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday from Lloyd Wilson Field. Back on Oct. 16, Hastings edged Concordia, 1-0, via a goal in the 88th minute. The winner will advance to play in the GPAC semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 9. The championship game is set for Friday, Nov. 12.
Volleyball
· It was a light week that included just a single outing, but it was a significant one for the Bulldogs. Concordia strengthened its profile for an at-large national tournament berth while earning a five-set win at No. 14 Northwestern on Oct. 30. It marked the first time the program had claimed a win in Orange City, Iowa, since 2015. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has moved into a tie for fifth place in the GPAC standings with a conference record of 8-7 (13-10 overall). The Bulldogs have clinched a spot in the GPAC tournament. For more information on Concordia Volleyball, click HERE.
· Five-set matches have become a common occurrence for the Bulldogs, who have gone to five sets nine times this season. After dropping the first seven of those matches, Concordia has roared back to defeat both No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan and No. 14 Northwestern in five sets over the past two outings. The resume for the Bulldogs also includes a nonconference a victory over Montana Tech, a team currently ranked 17th in the NAIA. According to Massey Ratings, Concordia has played the nation’s No. 2 most challenging schedule to this point.
· When things get tight, the Bulldogs know they can count on the likes of Camryn Opfer on the outside and Gabi Nordaker in the middle. In the win at Northwestern, Opfer pounded 21 kills (.314 hitting percentage) and piled up 11 digs. Meanwhile, Nordaker hit a smoldering .567 in the process of putting away 19 kills (in addition to six blocks). Once again, Concordia made use of two setters in Tara Callahan (37 assists, 18 digs) and Bree Burtwistle (13 assists, 18 digs). The Bulldogs pulled off the win despite being outhit, .296 to .253. However, Concordia had slight advantages in blocks, 10-8, aces, 6-3, and digs, 73-72.
· In action the weekend of Oct. 22-23, Callahan surpassed 4,500 career assists and became the program’s all-time assist leader during the modern era of rally scoring, which began in 2001 (sets one through four were reduced to 25 points to win instead of 30 in 2008). With 4,566 career assists and counting, Callahan has jumped ahead of Alayna Kavanaugh (4,485 assists) on the school’s all-time list. Bulldog standout Stacy Stuckenschmidt racked up 4,949 assists under different scoring rules from 1992-95. Callahan is the leader for an attack that is hitting .244 (13th best in the NAIA).
· While Callahan, Nordaker and Opfer get a lot of attention, Concordia has displayed plenty of balance. Entering the week, five Bulldogs had produced more than 100 kills this season: Opfer (286), Nordaker (264), Erica Heinzerling (208), Carly Rodaway (118) and Kalee Wiltfong (110). In addition, three Concordia players have notched at least 200 digs: Opfer (280), Callahan (235) and Cassidy Knust (231). Nordaker tops the team with 78 blocks while Callahan paces the Bulldogs with 26 aces.
· Before tournament time arrives, Concordia will finish the regular season today (Nov. 2) by hosting Hastings (14-13, 5-10 GPAC), which is in danger of missing the conference postseason. In this season’s first meeting, the Bulldogs toppled the Broncos in straight sets on Sept. 18. Once the regular season wraps up, Concordia will learn of its GPAC quarterfinal matchup on Saturday. The Bulldogs will be on the road for the quarterfinals and will be seeded in the Nos. 5-7 range, pending Tuesday’s results.
Men’s Soccer
· Only one outing made up the final week of the regular season for the Bulldogs, who put forth a performance they would like to quickly forget. Concordia settled for a 1-1 double overtime draw at Doane on Oct. 27 in a contest played in a pouring rain. The Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage for roughly 11 minutes in the first half before the Tigers equalized and made it anyone’s game. Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad now stands at 7-7-3 overall and at 5-4-2 in the GPAC, good for fifth place and the No. 5 seed in the postseason. For more information on Concordia Men’s Soccer, click HERE.
· After handling Doane in dominant fashion over the past two years (combined 8-1 score), the Bulldogs played like they expected last week’s contest to fall right in line. The Tigers had other ideas and outshot Concordia, 24-20 (9-7 in shots on goal), in an evenly played match. The Bulldogs got on the board with Renzo Bozzo’s goal in the 28th minute. Just over 10 minutes later, Doane equalized thanks to a goal from Gilberto Rodriguez. Concordia keeper Gabriel Mendoza helped preserve the tie by making seven saves for the evening. The Tigers still have not beaten the Bulldogs since 2012.
· Concordia’s active streak of 10 seasons in a row with at least 10 wins is on the line. With the win total hovering at seven, the Bulldogs will have to make a significant postseason run to keep the streak alive. During that stretch (which began in 2011), Weides has led the program to a combined record of 117-68-25. The major highlights were the GPAC tournament title in 2015 and the 16-win campaign (school record for wins in a season) produced by the 2017 squad. By most measures, the ’17 team stands out as the best in the history of the program.
· This regular season has fallen short of the goals the team laid out in the preseason. The best way to make up for it would be to make some noise in the postseason. Concordia finished last season with an exit in the GPAC quarterfinals after a PK shootout that ended controversially. From 2015 through 2017, Weides led the Bulldogs to the GPAC final each season. Concordia still believes it can compete with anyone in the league. Though the Bulldogs went 0-3-1 against the GPAC’s top four seeds, they dropped all three defeats by just one-goal margins and tied with Hastings. It’s often been the small things that have added up to losses against the best teams on the schedule.
· Through 17 regular season games, Concordia has outscored its foes by a combined total of 34-20 (23-11 in conference play). The team’s most dependable attacking option has been Yessine Bessaïes, who leads the team in both goals (six) and assists (five). Four teammates have contributed four goals apiece: Martin Herrera, Garrett Perry, Isaiah Shaddick and Ryan Wokutch. Eli Rhodes has chipped in with four assists. At keeper, three players have made four or more starts: Mendoza (eight), Callum Goldsmith (five) and Federico Simonetti (four). Iker Casanova and Decker Mattimoe are the lone two players on the roster to have started all 17 games.
· The GPAC quarterfinals were locked in place after the entire conference regular season slate wrapped up on Oct. 30. As the No. 5 seed, the Bulldogs will play at No. 4 Morningside (11-6, 8-3 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday. In the regular season, Concordia dropped a 3-2 home decision to the Mustangs on Oct. 6. The winner will advance to play in the semifinals on Saturday. The championship game is set to take place on Thursday, Nov. 11.
Cross Country
· After three weeks without a meet, the Bulldogs were back on the trail on Oct. 23 while competing at the Mount Marty Invite, held at Fox Run Golf Course in Yankton, S.D. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads turned in place finishes of second out of 10 on the women’s side and fifth out of 10 on the men’s side. The meet marked the fourth outing of the season for Concordia, which now looks forward to this Saturday’s GPAC Championships. The women’s team is currently ranked 21st in the NAIA. For more information on Concordia Cross Country, click HERE.
· The men’s team came up a bit short of its lofty expectations at the Mount Marty meet. However, it’s been a solid overall fall. Over four meets this season, the Bulldogs have placed 12th out of 31 teams at the Augustana Twilight, first out of seven teams at the Morningside Invite, second out of 12 teams at the Briar Cliff Invite and fifth out of 10 teams at the Mount Marty Invite.
· In the most recent outing, Concordia men placed behind two GPAC foes that it had been ranked in front of in the official GPAC poll: Northwestern (second at the Mount Marty Invite) and Morningside (fourth). The Bulldogs point total settled at 132, two behind Morningside (130). Concordia held off conference opposition in Midland (seventh), Mount Marty (eighth), Jamestown (ninth) and Briar Cliff (10th). In the new GPAC rating released on Monday, Concordia landed at No. 5 after having previously been ranked third in the conference.
· It’s been a terrific season for Camden Sesna, a Kearney, Neb., native, who has been the team’s top runner at every meet. Sesna has posted respective times this fall of 20:44.53 in the four mile at the Augustana Twilight (35th/344), 25:39.16 in the 8k at the Morningside Invite (2nd/70), 26:03.30 in the 8k at the Briar Cliff Invite (9th/133) and 25:55.28 at the Mount Marty Invite (8th/141). In addition, Sesna has twice been named the GPAC Runner of the Week in 2021.
· The Mount Marty Invite marked the first time this season that the Bulldog women were defeated by either an NAIA or GPAC opponent. Concordia had edged out defending GPAC champion Dordt at the season opening Augustana Twilight, but the Defenders reigned supreme on Oct. 23. The Bulldogs finished with 76 points to Dordt’s 33. On the plus side, Beisel’s squad did beat out GPAC rivals in Northwestern (third), Morningside (fourth), College of Saint Mary (sixth) and Mount Marty (ninth). Dordt moved up to the No. 1 spot in the most recent GPAC ratings, pushing Concordia to second.
· Rylee Haecker emerged as the team’s top runner for the second meet in a row. She crossed the finish line in 19:03.49, placing her fifth overall. The native of Davenport, Neb., ran just a bit faster three weeks earlier at the Briar Cliff Invite. The Bulldogs put seven runners inside the top 30 in Yankton, including Grace Reiman (19:30.21) who paced Concordia at this season’s first two meets. The team’s top five at the Mount Marty Invite was rounded out by Keri Bauer (19:37.78), Amie Martin (19:40.00) and Rhaya Kaschinske (19:53.70).
· The Bulldogs had last week off from competition while readying for the GPAC Championships on Saturday. Northwestern will host the meet in Orange City, Iowa. Concordia will be looking to improve upon last year’s GPAC finishes of fourth on the women’s side and sixth on the men’s side. The women’s program won the GPAC title as recently as 2019 while the men’s program last won a conference championship in 2012. Below are the year-by-year GPAC finishes during Beisel’s tenure:
o 2020 – Men: 6th | Women: 4th
o 2019 – Men: 5th | Women: 1st
o 2018 – Men: 4th | Women: 4th
o 2017 – Men: 6th | Women: 5th
o 2016 – Men: 6th | Women: 6th
Football
· The Bulldogs (bye last week) polished off a perfect month of October by taking care of business in their first in-state battle of the 2021 season. Concordia picked off six passes on the way to a 21-7 home win over Midland on Oct. 23. It marked the fifth-straight meeting between the two sides that took place inside Bulldog Stadium (2020 meeting slated to be played in Fremont was a COVID no contest). The Bulldogs have won seven of the past nine matchups with the Warriors. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad has won four in a row to move to 5-3 overall (5-3 GPAC). For more information on Concordia Football, click HERE.
· After going 1-3 in September, the Bulldogs went a perfect 4-0 in October with wins coming over Dakota Wesleyan, 34-0, Jamestown, 24-17, Mount Marty, 38-7, and Midland, 21-7. During the streak, Concordia has outscored its opponents, on average, 29.3 to 7.8. and has outgained its foes, on average, 354.5 to 254.3. The Bulldogs also enjoyed a four-game win streak to begin last season. The current surge has pushed Concordia into fourth place in the GPAC behind Morningside (7-0 GPAC), Northwestern (7-0 GPAC) and Dordt (5-2 GPAC).
· Safety Peyton Mitchell equaled a program record for a single game with three interceptions in the victory over Midland. Mitchell was the first to accomplish that feat since current assistant coach D’Mauria Martin picked off three passes in the 44-14 win over Midland on Oct.14, 2017. Three Concordia teammates produced one interception apiece in the latest victory: Gabe Knisley, Isiaha Conner and Kam Baker. Below is a summary of when the interceptions occurred – each of them happened with the Warriors in Bulldog territory.
--Peyton Mitchell – 3rd-and-10 from the CUNE 35 (14:41 – second quarter)
--Peyton Mitchell – 3rd-and-goal from the CUNE 7 (4:05 – second quarter)
--Gabe Knisley – 2nd-and-goal from the CUNE 6 (0:02 – second quarter)
--Peyton Mitchell – 3rd-and-10 from the CUNE 24 (7:21 – third quarter)
--Isiaha Conner – 1st-and-10 from the CUNE 24 (3:32 – fourth quarter)
--Kam Baker – 4th-and-18 from the CUNE 41 (1:46 – fourth quarter)
· All-American linebacker Lane Napier eclipsed an eye-popping career milestone of 500 tackles in the latest victory. Napier collected 13 more tackles in the process of pushing his career count to 508. Entering this season, no other player in GPAC history had ever reached even 400 career tackles. In addition, Napier has now gone over 100 tackles in a season for the third time in his career (currently leads all NAIA players with 107 tackles). Over the past five seasons, the native of David City, Neb., has posted respective tackle totals of 97, 142, 108, 54 and 107. Napier is well on his way to being named a First Team All-GPAC selection for the fifth time.
· Midland did not score a single point over the final 57 minutes of the Concordia victory. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs found the end zone three times courtesy of a two-yard rush by Jonah Weyand, a 15-yard touchdown pass from Korrell Koehlmoos to Garrett Schardt and a 14-yard touchdown toss from DJ McGarvie to Cayden Beran. McGarvie has thrown for 17 touchdown passes this season with Beran having been on the receiving end of six. Schardt has five touchdown receptions on the year while Weyand reached the end zone for the first time in 2021. Beran is the team leader in both catches (32) and touchdown receptions.
· There have been plenty of other standouts on the Concordia defense. Linebacker Caydren Cox picked up another sack in the win over Midland to move his team high season total to 7.5 sacks (tied for most in the GPAC). Up front, nose tackle Devin Polley notched a strip sack. Coordinator Corby Osten has rotated regularly on the defensive line, which has been bolstered by the strong play of veterans such as Jordan Kavulak and Payton Stevens. The Bulldogs rank 33rd nationally in scoring defense (21.6) and 34th in the NAIA in total defense (327.5).
· Not only did the defense force six Warrior turnovers, it allowed Midland to convert only 4-of-18 third downs and stopped the Warriors on four fourth down tries. In addition, Midland did not score a single point on any of its three trips inside the red zone. The Warriors crossed the 50 six times in the second half and still came up empty. Midland managed only 57 rushing yards on 29 attempts. The win was the most impressive this season for Concordia. The Warriors own a win over Dordt and took Northwestern to overtime.
· After playing for eight straight weeks, the Bulldogs had a bye last week while readying to host Doane (4-4, 4-4 GPAC) this Saturday. Concordia dominated last season’s meeting, 24-7, behind 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Weyand. Daberkow has gone 2-2 against the rival Tigers. The victory over the Tigers in 2017 snapped an 11-game series losing streak at the time.
Men’s Basketball
· The ninth season of Head Coach Ben Limback’s tenure got started this past weekend with two wins by comfortable margins at the Hastings Classic. In games that took place inside Lynn Farrell Arena, the Bulldogs defeated Friends University (Kan.), 87-57, on Oct. 29 and Presentation College (S.D.), 96-72, on Oct. 30. It marked the third season in a row that has begun with Concordia playing at the classic hosted by Hastings. For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs were utterly dominant in the second half of the game versus Friends and the first half versus Presentation. In the season opener, the Bulldogs forced 24 turnovers, blocked eight shots and shot 48.6 percent from the floor. Justin Wiersema led the way with 19 points while AJ Watson (16 points and 10 rebounds) recorded the first double-double of his career. In both of the wins, five Concordia players reached double figures. Carter Kent paced the Bulldogs with 21 points in the victory over Presentation. In addition, Klay Uher added 17 points and Wiersema posted 16.
· As a precaution, Concordia kept returning Second Team All-GPAC honoree Gage Smith out of the lineup this past weekend. The starting five included Kent, Wiersema and Watson in the backcourt and Ryan Holt and Uher in the frontcourt. Watson emerged as the point guard thanks to an impressive preseason performance. Six Bulldogs averaged at least 8.0 points per game over the first two games: Kent (18.0), Wiersema (17.5), Uher (15.0), Watson (13.5), Noah Schutte (8.5) and Holt (8.0).
· With 36 points last week, Kent moved from 25th to 22nd on the program’s all-time scoring list, pushing his career scoring total to 1,181 points. The Crete High School product surpassed Scott Hannon (1,149), Ben Limback (1,158) and Robby Thomas (1,170) on the list. Wiersema figures to be the next Bulldog to join the program’s 1,000-point club. He now has 931 points after totaling 35 this past weekend. Currently there are 32 players in program history to have collected at least 1,000 points.
· With the top seven scorers all returning, Concordia earned a degree of respect in the preseason by being ranked third in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll and also receiving votes in the NAIA national coaches’ poll. With a strong start to the campaign, the Bulldogs could crack the top 25 in the rankings for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Concordia also hopes to make a return to the national tournament, a level the program reached in 2020.
· The Bulldogs will make their 2021-22 home debut his week while hosting the 22nd annual Cattle Classic. Concordia will take on Waldorf University (Iowa) at 8 p.m. CT on Friday before battling No. 18 Benedictine College (Kan.) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Last season, Waldorf went 5-17 while Benedictine went 21-7 and advanced to the opening round of the national tournament. Hastings will also be part of the Cattle Classic field and will play the same two opponents the Bulldogs will face inside Friedrich Arena.
Wrestling
· A new era for Concordia Wrestling is underway as Myron Bradbury made his debut as a head coach. The Bulldogs began their 2021-22 season with 14 competitors taking part in the York College Open on Oct. 30. Most significantly, 11 Concordia wrestlers placed in the top four of their respective brackets while Conner Burrus and Mason Garcia took home individual titles. The Bulldogs did hold back each of their four captains, who will open their seasons in the near future. For more information on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
· While at the York Open, the Bulldogs went up against grapplers from Avila University (Mo.), Bryant & Stratton College (Wis.), Hannibal LaGrange University (Mo.), Hastings, Wayland Baptist University (Texas) and host York College. When the dust settled, the 14 Concordia wrestlers combined for 39 wins, including 23 that came via fall. Thirteen Bulldogs turned in at least one victory on the day. A summary of the team’s place finishes is shown below.
· Thomas Ivey (125A) – 2nd
· Adam Roberts (125B) – 4th
· Josh Broyles (141A) – 3rd
· Conner Burrus (141B) – 1st
· Tracy Allen (149A) – 4th
· Tavoris Smith (157A) – 3rd
· Anthony Perez (157B) – 2nd
· Jose Sanchez (165) – 3rd
· Hunter Weimer (184) – 4th
· Mason Garcia (197) – 1st
· Jack Hedke (285A) – 4th
· No one was more dominant than Garcia at 197 pounds. The native of Arroyo Grande, Calif., pinned each of his five opponents (four in the first period) on his way to a York Open championship. He defeated opponents from four different institutions. Garcia’s five pins in a single day nearly matched his season total of seven from 2020-21 when he went 18-12 overall. Garcia’s pins last week came in 0:55, 1:54, 2:35, 6:27 and 2:04, respectively.
· The career of Burrus appears promising after the freshman celebrated winning the 141-pound B bracket on Saturday. The native of Hubbard, Ohio, went 5-0 with a pin. In his final match of the day, Burrus defeated Andy Rojas of Hastings by decision, 5-2. In addition, Thomas Ivey (125 A) and Anthony Perez (157 B) placed second in their brackets. Ivey had the opportunity to wrestle in his hometown of York. He’s another freshman Bradbury sees great potential in. Ivey went 4-1 with two pins on his day. Perez also collected four wins. Five Bulldogs recorded exactly three victories: Josh Broyles (3-2 at 141), Tavoris Smith (3-2 at 157), Jose Sanchez (3-2 with three pins at 165), Mozes Valenzuela Smith (3-2 with three pins at 285) and Jack Hedke (3-2 with three pins at 285).
· Conference and national ratings were released just prior to the season’s first tournament. As a team, Concordia landed at No. 4 in the GPAC and was listed along with teams “receiving votes” in the NAIA coaches’ poll. On an individual level, eight Bulldogs appeared inside the top six of the GPAC within their respective weights while Mario Ybarra (No. 8 at 133) and Jacob Telles (No. 19 at 285) garnered national rankings. Ybarra is a returning All-American (seventh in the NAIA at 133 in 2021) while Telles is the reigning GPAC heavyweight champion.
· The season will continue on Sunday at the Dan Harris Open hosted by Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. Action is set to get underway at 9 a.m. CT. Concordia will make its first home appearance of 2021-22 when it hosts Hastings on Thursday, Nov. 11. The home slate also features a dual versus Midland on Dec. 9, the Concordia Bulldog Duals on Dec. 18 and a dual versus York on Feb. 3.
Women’s Basketball
· The season got underway on Monday as the ninth-ranked Bulldogs held off Bellevue University, 77-71, inside Friedrich Arena. The matchup marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Listed as receiving votes nationally, the Bruins competed in their first season of varsity competition in 2016-17. Concordia overcame Bellevue’s 48.0 percent shooting by taking advantage of a plus-13 turnover margin. For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· For the 14th year in a row, the program achieved a preseason national ranking (ranked second in the GPAC and ninth in the NAIA). Both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 squads started and ended their seasons with NAIA Division II No. 1 national rankings. Beginning with last season, the NAIA merged the two divisions into one. The Bulldogs finished last season at 22-9 overall. They were slotted at No. 11 nationally in the preseason and were ranked 17th heading into the national tournament. Dating back to the start of the 2011-12 season, Concordia has appeared inside the top 25 in 102 of the past 103 NAIA coaches’ polls.
· First Team All-GPAC guard Taysha Rushton is back as the headlining returner following last season’s run to the national quarterfinals. Rushton got her season started by pouring in a career high 32 points on Monday. The native of Midland, Texas, went 10-for-26 from the floor (3-for-11 from 3-point range) and 9-for-11 from the foul line. Rushton also added four rebounds and two steals. As a rookie last season, Rushton averaged 14.4 points and shot 34.3 percent (73-for-213) from 3-point range. Her previous career high single-game scoring total had been 28 last season at Northwestern.
· Rushton was joined in Monday’s starting lineup by backcourt mates Bailey Conrad and Mackenzie Toomey while Abby Heemstra and Rylee Pauli made up the frontcourt. Each of the backcourt starters are in their second seasons in the program while Heemstra is a true freshman. Pauli is the most experienced in that group and was an Honorable Mention All-GPAC performer last season – as was Mackenzie Koepke, who has been sidelined to begin the season. Conrad dished out eight assists in the opener while Heemstra reached double figures with 11 points.
· This marks Drew Olson’s 16th season as head coach at his alma mater. Including Monday’s win, Olson owns a career head coaching record of 408-107. His resume includes a national title (2019), 12 total GPAC championships, 13 national tournament appearances, five national semifinal advancements and three national title game appearances. From the 2016-17 through 2019-20 seasons, Concordia swept GPAC regular season and tournament championships each year. Only one basketball coach in school history, men’s or women’s, has won more games than Olson. Grant Schmidt presided over 445 victories as head men’s basketball coach from 1989-2012.
The competition will be fierce at this weekend’s Cattle Classic as the Bulldogs host No. 18 Sterling College (Kan.) on Friday and No. 13 Dakota State University (S.D.) on Saturday. All four women’s teams at the Cattle Classic are nationally ranked in the NAIA preseason poll. Dakota State also appeared at last season’s Cattle Classic. For the complete schedule and details on the event, click HERE.