Bulldog Weekly Report (Nov. 22)

By Jacob Knabel on Nov. 22, 2016 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week honors were not awarded this week due to Thanksgiving break. Athletes of the Week will resume when the Bulldog Athletic Association meets again on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

News and notes:

Fall All-conference honors announced: All-conference selections for football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball were announced last week. Between those four sports, 33 Bulldogs collected some form of All-GPAC recognition. View complete all-conference selections via the links below.
-FOOTBALL
-MEN’S SOCCER
-WOMEN’S SOCCER
-VOLLEYBALL

Condame makes return to native Florida: Junior Jeannelle Condame was just 176 miles from home when the Concordia women’s soccer team took on third-ranked Keiser University in the opening round of the 2016 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championships on Nov. 19. A native of Winter Springs, Fla., Condame led the Bulldogs into action that took place in West Palm Beach. For more on Condame’s trip to her home state, click HERE.

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.

Women’s Soccer

  • Another thrilling postseason ride ended in the opening round of the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championships for the GPAC tournament champion Bulldogs. Though a significant underdog in the Nov. 19 national tournament contest at third-ranked Keiser University, Concordia played The Sun Conference champs to a scoreless draw until the 58th minute. The Seahawks scored twice in the second half and won, 2-0, in an afternoon affair played in West Palm Beach, Fla. Fourth-year head coach Greg Henson’s squad finished the year at 15-6-1 overall. For more information on Concordia women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • The three winningest seasons in program history have all come over the past three years. During that time, the Bulldogs have gone a combined 43-15-7 with two GPAC tournament titles and two berths in the national tournament. Concordia has reached the conference tournament final in each of the last years. The 2016 team became the first squad in school history to ever host the GPAC championship game.
  • A high-powered offensive team in 2016, the Bulldogs were shut out by Keiser, marking just the third time this season that they failed to score this season. Concordia had gone 12-consecutive contests without being shutout. It now ranks 18th nationally in goals scored per game (3.1). The team’s 67 goals scored rank as the second-highest single-season total in program history. Its final goal differential of plus-47 broke the previous program standard of plus-41 held by the 2014 team.
  • Four seniors started in what was their final games as Bulldogs last week. That group included goalkeeper Chrissy Lind along with defenders Megan Brunssen and Kristin Manley and midfielder Jordan McCoy. All four players saw regular action over the past four years. They will depart with 297 combined games of collegiate playing experience. In terms of accolades, Lind is the most accomplished. A second team all-conference honoree this season, Lind owns school career goalkeeping records for games (79) and minutes played (6,956), shutouts (26) and saves (345).
  • This season Henson rose to the top of the program’s all-time coaching wins list in just his fourth year in Seward. The St. Louis native now owns a career mark of 52-24-9 overall and a GPAC record of 24-12-5. His record in GPAC tournament games is 7-2-2 with both ties resulting in penalty kick shootouts won by Concordia. Previously, Henson served as head girl’s soccer coach at Lutheran High School in St. Charles, Mo., where he led the team to district and conference championships in 2013.
  • Though held scoreless in their final outing of the year, the Bulldogs still ended up with five players with seven or more goals on the season: Sami Birmingham (20), Jessica Skerston (11), Rachael Bolin (10), Esther Soenksen (8) and Maria Deeter (7). Birmingham’s 20 goals were the second most ever by a Concordia freshman. Only two other players in the history of the program have reached the 20-goal mark. Concordia Athletic Hall of Famer Jennifer Davis accomplished that feat three times. Her 24 goals in 2005 remain a school single-season record. Angela Krueger tallied 23 goals in 2000.
  • Prior to 2014, Concordia had allowed more than a goal per game every season of the program’s existence (started in 1996). This year marked the third-straight year that Bulldog opponents have averaged fewer than one goal per contest. The 2015 group stands as the stingiest in school history. Its marks of 0.76 goals allowed per game and 16 total goals conceded are school records. This year’s team surrendered 20 goals in 22 games.
  • Among the starters in last week’s national tournament game, four are seniors, three are juniors, two are sophomores and two are freshmen. The 2017 team will return plenty of firepower. Only two of the team’s 67 goals came from seniors. Skerston’s 38 career goals rank No. 1 among current Bulldogs. The biggest question mark facing next year’s team will be at goalkeeper, where Lind, a four-year starter, must be replaced.

Women’s Basketball

  • Last week brought two GPAC victories with both coming by double-digit point margins. The 14th-ranked Bulldogs first went on the road and trounced previously undefeated Midland, 89-50, on Nov. 16. Three days later Concordia returned home and defeated 2016 national semifinalist Mount Marty, 75-65. Eleventh-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad has won six-straight games since its season-opening loss to No. 1 Marian University (Ind.). One of five GPAC teams that are undefeated in conference play, the Bulldogs sit at 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the GPAC. For more information on Concordia women’s basketball, click HERE.
  • In their six victories, the Bulldogs have outscored opponents by an average of 26.5 points per game. Only the 88-81 win at Northwestern came by a margin of less than 10 points. Concordia has obliterated three opponents by spreads of greater than 35 points: Johnson & Wales University (Colo.), 89-40, Friends University (Kan.), 95-59, and Midland. Overall, the Bulldogs rank 15th nationally in scoring margin (+21.6).
  • Turnover margin has again been one of the biggest factors driving Concordia’s early-season success. Opponents have committed 178 turnovers (25.4/game) compared to 115 (16.4/game) by the Bulldogs. The plus-9.0 turnover margin ranks about on par with the plus-10.2 margin produced by the 2014-15 national runner-up team. Last season Concordia saw its turnover margin dip to plus-0.7, but it still managed to win 22 games and qualify for the national tournament.
  • Junior Dani Andersen has risen to the top of the heap in a close race for the title of team leading scorer. The Lincoln native showed little discomfort last week while playing at her former school, Midland, which she called home for two years. Andersen went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc and burned the Warriors for a game high 20 points. She’s averaging 12.0 points per game and has made at least one 3-point field goal in each of her first seven games as a Bulldog. Andersen ranks 10th nationally in total 3-point field goals (23).
  • Olson’s squad has displayed impressive depth throughout the early going this season. Olson has juggled his roster while finding nine minutes or more per game for 12 different players. While part of the reason for the widespread minutes has been the abundance of blowout wins, Olson has shown confidence in his deep bench. Eight different players average more than 5.0 points and seven average 3.0 rebounds or more.
  • Freshman Philly Lammers and junior Mary Janovich have both been major pains for opposing teams. Both swiped five steals in the win over Mount Marty and both have exactly 23 thefts this season. With 132 career steals, Janovich is drawing nearer to the program’s all-time top 20 list. She needs 21 more takeaways to pull even for 20th.
  • Senior Shelby Quinn is also threatening to move into the school’s top-20 all-time list for career assists. She dropped seven dimes in the victory over Mount Marty and is averaging 5.0 assists per game (10th best in the nation). Owner of 212 career assists, Quinn is the only Bulldog player that has appeared in every game since the start of the 2014-15 season. She owns a consecutive games played streak of 97.
  • Concordia ranks highly in a number of key statistical categories. Among all NAIA Division II teams, the Bulldogs rank fourth in steals per game (16.7), fifth in assists per game (18.7), seventh in turnover margin (plus-9.0), seventh in 3-point field goals per game (9.0), eighth in free throw percentage (.773), ninth in scoring offense (82.3), 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.14) and 15th in scoring margin (plus-21.6).
  • There won’t be much of a Thanksgiving break for Concordia, which is scheduled to play three times this week. Tonight (Nov. 22) the Bulldogs will be at Doane (4-3, 1-0 GPAC) for a 6 p.m. CT tipoff from inside the Haddix Center. Concordia will step outside of conference play this weekend when it takes part in the Bellevue University Classic. The Bulldogs will play 25th-ranked Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.) (6-3) at 3 p.m. CT on Friday and then the University of Saint Mary (Kan.) (1-4) at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday as part of the holiday event.

Men’s Basketball

  • Concordia salvaged a split of last week’s pair of games played against GPAC opponents. Despite a late push, the Bulldogs fell at No. 21 Midland, 87-77, on Nov. 16. Three days later Concordia shot 59.7 percent from the floor and manhandled Mount Marty, 102-69, inside Walz Arena. Fourth-year head coach Ben Limback’s squad picked up its first GPAC win of the season and moved to 5-3 overall and to 1-2 in league action. For more information on Bulldog men’s basketball, click HERE.
  • A constant through eight games has been efficiency on the offensive end. Even in last week’s defeat at Midland, Concordia shot 47.5 percent (28-for-59) from the floor and 47.1 percent (8-for-17) from 3-point range. The Bulldogs currently rank inside the top 20 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (8th; .425), field goal percentage (13th, .514) and free throw percentage (19th, .752). Concordia has shot 47 percent or better in seven of eight contests this season.
  • Those numbers are boosted by perhaps the top low post scorer in the nation in senior Chandler Folkerts. He followed up GPAC player of the week honors by making 18-of-26 shots (.692) from the floor last week. His season field goal percentage of 69.5 ranks sixth best among all NAIA Division II players. A native of Milford, Neb., the two-time first team All-GPAC selection is averaging 20.8 points and is now up to 1,563 career points. Based on his current pace, Folkerts would end the regular season with 2,019 career points, which would make him just the third player in school history to eclipse 2,000.
  • Folkerts is on a run of four-straight games with 20 points or more. He’s had five 20-plus point games this season and has 28 in his career. He posted a career best 34 points as part of a monster game in a win at Northwestern last season. As it stands right now, Folkerts ranks seventh on the school’s all-time scoring list. Directly above him is Concordia Athletic Hall of Famer Matt List (1,608). Folkerts is also beginning to approach Director of Athletics Devin Smith, who ranks fourth all-time with 1,659 points.
  • The work of Folkerts in the paint has helped open up 3-point shot opportunities for Concordia’s guards. Over the last seven games, the Bulldogs have not shot any worse than 39 percent from beyond the arc. Senior Eli Ziegler is enjoying a career year (17.6 ppg) that has seen him knock down 25-of-56 (.446) attempts from long distance. Freshman Tanner Shuck has been deadly in more limited chances. He’s 14-for-25 (.560) from 3-point range. Fellow rookie Brevin Sloup has nailed 6-of-11 (.545) shots from beyond the arc.
  • Like the 2015-16 edition, this team has a chance to be one of the highest scoring in program history. Last season the Bulldogs averaged 85.8 points. Only the 1993-94 (88.6) and 1990-91 (86.4) squads had ever scored at a higher frequency.  This year’s team has reached the 100-point mark twice and is averaging 86.8 points.
  • Though Concordia lost all-time leading shot blocker Robby Thomas, it has still shown an ability to alter shots. The Bulldogs blocked eight Mount Marty shots in last week’s victory and now ranks in a tie for first in the GPAC with an average of 3.25 blocks per game. Folkerts has a team high 12 blocked shots. Kyle Pierce recorded four of his six blocks this season in the Mount Marty game.
  • Mount Marty’s field goal percentage of 36.9 marked a season low for Concordia opponents. Bulldog foes are shooting 47.0 percent from the field overall, but only 30.9 percent from beyond the arc. The 17 turnovers committed by the Lancers also equaled a season high for Concordia opponents. Among GPAC teams, the Bulldogs rank seventh in scoring defense (79.4) and ninth in field goal percentage defense (.470).
  • Only one countable game will take place this week. Concordia will be at Doane (5-4, 0-1 GPAC) tonight (Nov. 22) for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff at the Haddix Center. The only other contest on this week’s slate is Saturday’s exhibition game at NCAA Division II Northwest Missouri State University, which is located in Maryville, Mo.

Wrestling

  • Due to the cancelation by York College of a dual scheduled at York on Nov. 17, the ninth-ranked Bulldogs competed just once last week. First-year head coach Andrew Nicola took a group of 20 grapplers to the annual University of Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open, which took place in Kearney, Neb., on Nov. 19. The Bulldogs combined for 33 victories while up against a loaded field. So far this season, Nicola’s squad has participated in three tournaments and owns a 1-0 dual record. For more information on the Concordia wrestling program, click HERE.
  • Senior Ken Burkhardt Jr.’s push to become the first wrestler in program history to reach 100 career wins continues on. The Milford, Neb., native advanced to the semifinals of the 197-pound bracket at the UNK Open. Now ranked No. 2 nationally at 197, Burkhardt Jr. took a 7-2 decision from the University of Nebraska’s Eric Schultz in his opening match. He then eked out a 2-1 decision over Jeremiah Gerl of Hastings before falling to NCAA Division II Fort Hays State University’s (Kan.) Jon Inman. Burkhardt Jr. then withdrew from the final two scheduled matches. His career win total now stands at 96.
  • Freshman Gabe Crawford, who hails from Virginia Beach, Va., led the team with four wins at the UNK Open. While competing at 157 pounds, Crawford earned one win by technical fall and also pinned Baker University’s (Kan.) Owen Tuckfield in 4:22. A second-place finisher at the Grand View Open, Crawford is now 7-3 on the year. Crawford and three other Concordia freshmen (Nate Bennett, Deandre Chery and Darrin Miller) combined for 11 of the team’s 33 wins last week.
  • New regional and national ratings were released by the NAIA last week (Nov. 15-16). The Bulldogs continue to hold a commanding lead over Northwestern (196-154 in total points) for the top spot in the NAIA North Group, which consists solely of eight GPAC wrestling programs. In the national rankings, eight Bulldogs earned spots: No. 12 Giovanni Castillo (125), No. 10 Kodie Cole (133), No. 12 Foster Bunce (149), No. 12 Tommy Bailey (165), No. 15 Kirk Kaliszewski (165), No. 2 Burkhardt Jr. (197), No. 12 Alexander Reimers and No. 4 Ceron Francisco (285).
  • Owner of two tournament titles (Grand View and Dakota Wesleyan) already this season, Francisco was held out of the UNK Open due to an injury suffered during practice last week. The Fayetteville, N.C., native is expected back on the mat soon. Last week he was named the GPAC wrestler of the week following his heavyweight title at the Dakota Wesleyan Open. Francisco owns a perfect 9-0 record this season and is 83-50 in his collegiate career.
  • The Concordia-Dakota Wesleyan dual, held Nov. 11, remains the only GPAC matchup that has taken place so far in 2016-17. In tonight’s action (Nov. 22), Northwestern is at Briar Cliff and Midland is at Doane. The Bulldogs are the favorite to win a third-straight conference dual championship. They have won 15-consecutive duals over GPAC opponents. The streak dates back to Feb. 13, 2014.
  • Concordia has Thanksgiving week off from competition. It is set to return to action on Friday, Dec. 2 when it will travel to Crete for a dual at Doane. The Tigers are currently ranked sixth among the eight teams in the GPAC. The following day the Bulldogs will be at Storm Lake, Iowa, for the Buena Vista University Open. A total of three open tournaments are left on the schedule prior to the NAIA North Qualifier hosted by Doane on Feb. 18.

Cross Country

  • The first year of Matt Beisel’s tenure as head coach of Concordia cross country officially came to an end last week at the 2016 NAIA Cross Country National Championships, which were held in Elsah, Ill., on Nov. 19. As the lone national qualifier representing the Bulldogs, junior Emily Sievert finished with a time of 19:28.88 and placed 195th among the 334 runners that navigated the 5k North Farm Course. For more on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
  • Though she’s battled a nagging bone bruise in her knee for more than four weeks, Sievert never missed a race. Due to the pain in her knee, Sievert was limited to training on treadmills, ellipticals and in a pool. Her time of 18:20.96 at the GPAC championships was a season best and allowed her to place ninth (all-conference) and earn a spot in the national championships. All of Sievert’s finishes during the 2016 season are listed below.
    • 19:11.88 (3rd); Bronco Stampede in Hastings, Neb.
    • 20:25.49 (8th); Dean White Invite in Crete, Neb.
    • 19:05.34 (38th); Briar Cliff Invite in North Sioux City, S.D.
    • 18:32 (5th); Seminole Valley Stampede in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
    • 18:20.96 (9th); GPAC championships in Hastings, Neb.
    • 19:28.88 (195th); NAIA National Championships in Elsah, Ill.
  • This year marked the sixth-straight season that the cross country program sent a Sievert to the national championships. Emily’s brother Ben competed at the national championships all four years of his career. He was a member of the 2012 GPAC championship team and earned All-America honors in 2013 when he placed 19th at the national championships. Emily was also an individual qualifier in 2015 when she clocked a time of 19:27.3 and placed 159th.
  • Beisel has reason for optimism following a season in which both Bulldog squads placed sixth in the GPAC. Among the 20 Concordia runners that competed at the GPAC championships, only two are seniors (Chris Shelton and Marti Vlasin). Beisel hopes to quickly build the program back into a conference championship contender. The last GPAC titles for the men’s program was achieved in 2012 while the most recent title for the women came in 2005.