NOTE: This is an abbreviated edition of the Bulldog Weekly Report due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Noah Schutte, Basketball
Schutte, who hails from Laurel, Neb., averaged 19.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over the past four outings (since the most recent weekly report). Schutte was named the GPAC Player of the Week on Nov. 22 after leading the 23rd-ranked Bulldogs to wins over Midland and Dordt.
Female: Rylee Ladd, Powerlifting
Ladd, a freshman from Chetek, Wis., won the 52 kg championship at the Midwest Regionals hosted by William Jewell on Nov. 19. Ladd totaled a score of 320 and outmuscled a competitor from Midland for the title. Ladd’s combined lifting total represented a five percent improvement over the season’s first competition.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Nov. 15 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Federico Simonetti (Soccer)
Nov. 8 – Kylahn Freiberg (cross country) / Kaden Peters (football)
Nov. 1 – Breyer Meeks (shooting sports) / Carlos Orquiz (soccer) / Morgan Nibbe (volleyball)
Oct. 25 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Isaiah Shaddick (soccer)
Oct. 18 – Korrell Koehlmoos (football) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Oct. 11 – Rylee Haecker (cross country) / DJ McGarvie (football)
Oct. 4 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Korrell Koehlmoos (football)
Sept. 27 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Ryan Wokutch (soccer)
Sept. 20 – Tanner Muff (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 13 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Jack Nelson (shooting sports)
Sept. 6 – Camryn Opfer (volleyball) / Camden Sesna (cross country)
Aug. 30 – Federico Simonetti (soccer) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Aug. 23 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball)
2022-23 BAAM Athletes of the Month
October – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball); Korrell Koehlmoos (football); Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
September – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball); Camryn Opfer (volleyball); Camden Sesna (cross country)
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. 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.
Powerlifting closes fall semester competition with four medals at Midwest Regional: Both the Concordia Powerlifting and Weightlifting teams have wrapped up competition for the fall semester. The final fall outing for powerlifting occurred on Nov. 19 when the Bulldogs took part in the Midwest Regionals hosted by William Jewell University (Mo.) in Liberty, Mo. Medals were handed out to the top three finishers in each weight class at the Midwest Regionals. The four Bulldogs to reach the podium were Rylee Ladd (first at 52 kg), Pryce Ostermeier (second at 90 kg), Rylee Kara (third at 67.5 kg) and Hunter Powers (third at 75 kg). In addition, Kara and Dax Davis added their names to the team’s list of national qualifiers (and Ladd qualified in a second class). A native of Chetek, Wis., Ladd was able to outmuscle Midland’s Sindy Aguilera at 52 kg, 320 to 305. A detailed recap of the meet can be found HERE. For more details on the program, click HERE.
Coach Schmidt’s journey: From 1989 through 2012, the unmistakable Coach Grant Schmidt guided the Concordia Bulldogs Men's Basketball program in ways only he could. Schmidt demanded maximum effort, refused to tolerate excuses, coached with tough love, toed the line with officials, fought for his players with intense loyalty and made Concordia an outfit the opposition feared. He brought the old gym to a fever pitch and inspired a reverence for him that was and still is felt emotionally by his former players. With the help of former players, assistant coaches and Coach Schmidt himself, we recounted his journey in nearly 15,000 words. Coach Schmidt is Concordia’s Godfather of Basketball. To read a detailed look at Coach Schmidt’s journey, click HERE.
Fall All-GPAC teams announced: All-conference teams for fall sports have been announced by the GPAC. Click the links below to find out which individuals from Concordia athletic teams were honored.
--Cross Country
--Football
--Men’s Soccer
--Women’s Soccer
--Volleyball
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its eighth 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 2022-23 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 eighth 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. 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.
Volleyball
· The Bulldogs remain alive in the 2022 national tournament as one of 24 teams to advance to the final site. Concordia has been idle since Nov. 19 when it hosted Florida College in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round and won, 25-9, 25-10, 25-21. The next day, the NAIA announced pool play assignments for the final site: the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. As the top seed in Pool D, the fourth-ranked Bulldogs will go up against Hastings and No. 13 Park University (Mo.). For more information on Concordia Volleyball, click HERE.
· A comprehensive preview of what the Bulldogs will face in Pool D can be read HERE. This marks the fourth year in a row that Head Coach Ben Boldt has led the program to Sioux City. Concordia is one of only four programs nationally to have reached bracket play at the national tournament in each of the previous three years. The Bulldogs will take on Hastings on Wednesday and 13th-ranked Park University (Mo.) on Friday. Both contests are scheduled for 1 p.m. CT first serves. The winners of each of the eight pools will advance to bracket play, which begins with the quarterfinals on Saturday (Dec. 3). The semifinals will follow on Dec. 5 and the championship will take place on Dec. 6.
· In other news related to the program, four Concordia student-athletes were named Academic All-District Team award winners by College Sports Communicators on Nov. 22. Those individuals are Bree Burtwistle, Rebecca Gebhardt, Camryn Opfer and Carly Rodaway. The 2022 Academic All-District® Volleyball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
· For details throughout the NAIA Volleyball National Championship, visit the Concordia Athletics website home page and follow Concordia Athletics on Twitter: @CUNEathletics.
Men’s Soccer
· The unforgettable 2022 journey concluded on Nov. 17 as the Bulldogs were defeated, 3-0, by ninth-ranked Keiser University (Fla.) in the first round of the 2022 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship. The game was played in Winona Lake, Ind., home to Grace College. It marked the second all-time national tournament appearance for the program (also qualified in 2015). Head Coach Jason Weides’ GPAC tournament championship squad concluded the year with an overall record of 15-2-3. For more information on Concordia Men’s Soccer, click HERE.
· The conditions in Indiana for the first round of the national tournament featured sub-freezing temperatures and light snow. Though out of its comfort zone in the wintry weather, the Florida institution mostly had the Bulldogs playing on the defensive. Concordia did an admirable job for much of the evening in limiting a Keiser squad that entered the national tournament averaging more than 4.0 goals per game. The underdogs from Seward were geared up to put forth the type of gritty effort that allowed them to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the GPAC championship game. However, the Bulldogs couldn’t capitalize on the few attacking chances they created. Concordia blinked in the 60th minute when Rui Reis put away a goal while assisted by Charlie Hennen. The Seahawks added two late goals to make the final score appear more lopsided than what it looked like on the field.
· The accomplishments this fall included 15 wins (second most in a season in program history), a GPAC tournament title, national tournament appearance and an unbeaten home record (9-0-1). Over the 20 games played in ’22, the Bulldogs outscored their opponents, 51-21. Eight Concordia players were named all-conference award winners, including first teamers Dominic Abdel-Ahad, Max Bisinger and Carlos Orquiz. Abdel-Ahad led the way with 12 goals. Meanwhile, Orquiz totaled six goals and 12 assists (school season record). Also recently, Bisinger, Orquiz and Iker Casanova were recognized as 2022 Academic All-District award winners by College Sports Communicators.
· A thorough review of the 2022 season will be posted to the Concordia Athletics website in the next week or two.
Cross Country
· The season officially wrapped up on Nov. 18 when the 2022 NAIA Cross Country National Championships were held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. Concordia qualified as a team on the women’s side and also traveled Camden Sesna to the national meet. The Bulldogs wound up placing 27th nationally on the women’s side. Head Coach Matt Beisel called it the best combined season (men and women) for the program during his tenure that began with the 2016 season. For more information on Concordia Cross Country, click HERE.
· Kylahn Freiberg, Rylee Haecker and Amie Martin each brought prior national championships experience to the lineup on Friday morning. A native of Nampa, Idaho, Freiberg rallied back from the injuries that had plagued her last season to enjoy a 2022 that featured an eighth-place finish in the GPAC and a near personal best of 18:34.7 at the NAIA national meet. That time was an improvement from the 18:42.4 Freiberg ran at the 2019 national championships held in Vancouver, Wash. Freiberg placed 33rd in 2019 and followed it up by placing 69th (out of 326 runners) in 2022. Her efforts paved the way for the Bulldogs to place second among GPAC squads at the meet.
· Two newcomers to Concordia finished as the team’s second and third runners in Tallahassee. Freshman Hannah Beintema ran a new personal best of 19:21.4 and crossed the finish line in 151st place. Next in line, All-GPAC award winner Julie McIntyre (transfer from Trinity Christian College) placed 161st in a time of 19:25.6. No stranger to the national stage, the six-time NAIA track & field All-American Haecker clocked a time of 19:45.3 (215th). Also a member of the 2019 GPAC championship team that finished 12th at nationals, Amie Martin ran the 5k in 20:29.4 (20:29.4) on Friday. Finally, sophomore Rhaya Kaschinske finished in 19:59.2 (238th) and freshman Keegan Beisel ran 20:44.1 (286th).
· A fifth-place finisher at the GPAC Championships, Sesna has concluded a terrific cross country career. The Kearney, Neb., native made back-to-back trips to the national meet. After he placed 116th in an 8k time of 26:54.7 at last year's national meet in Vancouver, Sesna made his way to Tallahassee and clocked in at 25.51.8, good for 138th place out of 318 runners that finished the race. Sesna’s accomplishments this season included an individual title at the Dean White Invite and two GPAC Runner of the Week awards. Sesna persevered through injury late in the fall to put together quality times at both the conference and national meets.
Wrestling
· A pivotal evening of GPAC duals took place on Nov. 22 as the Bulldogs met up with both Dakota Wesleyan and No. 12 Morningside in Sioux City, Iowa on that date. Concordia managed to defeat the Tigers, 22-17, before falling at the hands of the Mustangs, 35-6. Those results left Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad at 3-1 in GPAC duals (also 3-1 overall). The three conference wins have equaled the program’s total from the 2021-22 season. For more on Concordia Wrestling, click HERE.
· Dakota Wesleyan (1-2 GPAC) has shown it is much improved over the 2021-22 season when it went 0-8 in GPAC duals. Every bonus point mattered as the two sides evenly split the 10 matches. Issiah Burks came through with the highlight win of the day when he edged the NAIA’s 22nd-ranked 165-pounder, Kaleb Bigelow, 5-4. Additional wins for the Bulldogs were claimed by Grant Wells (forfeit at 125), Creighton Baughman (decision at 141), Tommy Wentz (pin at 157) and Stephen Duffy (major decision at 184). Meanwhile, three Concordia wrestlers lost by decision: Thomas Ivey (133), Clayton Laabs (197) and Jack Hedke (285).
· The Mustangs (1-0 GPAC) may be the biggest challenger to Doane’s throne at the top of conference. Morningside boasts seven nationally ranked competitors. The hometown Mustangs were able to run away with the dual while winning three matches via fall and two by major decision. It was a 14-0 team score in Morningside’s favor before Jeaven Scdoris got the Bulldogs on the board with a win by a 9-8 decision at 149. Then at 197, Laabs bounced back and defeated Sendeska Kalskett, 7-1. The lineup for Concordia included the exact same 10 wrestlers for both duals contested in Sioux City.
· The schedule ahead will be backloaded towards the end of this week as the Bulldogs will host Bethany College (Kan.) for a dual at 7 p.m. CT on Friday. Then on Saturday, Concordia will take part in the Doane Open set to get underway at 9 a.m. CT from Crete. Friday’s dual will mark the Bulldogs’ first home appearance of 2022-23.
Men’s Basketball
· There were two outings last week as Concordia took only a short break during the Thanksgiving holiday. The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs never got on track in their 90-59 loss to No. 5 Jamestown on Nov. 22. Four days later, Concordia was able to put that contest behind it while earning a 103-61 victory at Waldorf University (Iowa). Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad now stands at 6-1 overall (3-1 GPAC). For more information on Concordia Men’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The 23-game home win streak fell by the wayside last week as the Jimmies dropped the hammer inside Friedrich Arena. The Bulldogs got behind 34-12 in the first half and never recovered. Concordia shot only 33.9 percent (20-for-59) from the floor and was outrebounded, 44-38. Noah Schutte and Tristan Smith paced the Bulldogs with 17 points apiece. On the other side, star Mason Walters posted 33 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks. The Concordia starting backcourt was limited to just five points on 2-for-6 shooting.
· The Bulldogs shook off that performance with a dominant outing at Waldorf. A somewhat modest 10-point halftime lead (44-34) for Concordia became a complete rout as Brad Bennett went off. He nailed five of his seven 3-point field goals in the second half and topped all players with 25 points. Three of his teammates reached double figures: Schutte (19), Tristan Smith (18) and Gage Smith (12). Gage added 11 points and seven assists. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 54.9 percent (39-for-71) from the floor and made 15-of-28 tries from 3-point range. Bennett also knocked down eight treys in a win earlier this season over Ottawa.
· Concordia will get back to playing twice inside the GPAC this week. The Bulldogs will be at Morningside (6-2, 3-1 GPAC) for a 7:45 p.m. CT contest on Wednesday before coming back home to host Northwestern (6-2, 1-1 GPAC) at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday. The slate in December will include four conference games and three matchups against strong nonconference foes.
Women’s Basketball
· A tough run to begin league play continued last week as the Bulldogs hosted Jamestown on Nov. 22. It was the lone outing of the week for Concordia, which fell by a 66-49 score to the Jimmies. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad had been 3-0 at home this season prior to that defeat. The Bulldogs slipped to 3-3 overall (1-3 GPAC). The one GPAC victory came at home over Midland on Nov. 16. For more information on Concordia Women’s Basketball, click HERE.
· The Bulldogs managed to force Jamestown (6-1, 4-0 GPAC) into 23 turnovers, but that wasn’t enough to overcome their shooting woes. Concordia shot 30.2 percent (19-for-63) from the floor and went only 5-for-28 (.179) from beyond the arc. Three Bulldogs reached double figures in scoring: Hailey Kleinschmit (13), Abby Krieser (11) and Kendal Brigham (10). There will certainly be better days ahead for standouts Taysha Rushton and Sadie Powell, who totaled a combined eight points on 3-for-19 shooting. On the other side, Hannah DeMars went for 19 points and 12 rebounds.
· It will be back to a more typical week of GPAC play. The Bulldogs will play at No. 12 Morningside (3-3, 1-2 GPAC) at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Concordia will then return home on Saturday to host No. 25 Northwestern (8-0, 3-0 GPAC). During the month of December, the Bulldogs will play four GPAC opponents before heading south for games on the home courts of Texas Wesleyan University and the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma just before New Year’s.