Bulldog Weekly Report (Nov. 6)

By Jacob Knabel on Nov. 6, 2018 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Jack Bennett, Soccer

Bennett, a senior from Oxford, England, helped lift the Bulldogs into the GPAC tournament semifinals in last week’s penalty kick shootout with Midland. Bennett ultimately made the game-clinching save in the shootout to keep Concordia’s season alive. Bennett has played in 37 career collegiate games as a goalkeeper.

Female: Tori Cera, Soccer

Cera, a sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev., raked in the GPAC Defensive Player of the Week award after leading the Bulldogs back to the GPAC tournament championship game. Cera scored the lone goal in the 1-0 quarterfinal win over Morningside and helped the Bulldogs to a pair of postseason shutouts. Cera has notched five goals this season.

Previous Athletes of the Week
Oct. 30 – Carlos Ferrer (soccer) / Taylor Cockerill (basketball)
Oct. 23 – Josiah McAllister (cross country) / Jenna Habegger (volleyball)
Oct. 16 – Carlos Ferrer (soccer) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
Oct. 9 – Kordell Glause (football) / Brynn Suddeth (soccer)
Oct. 2 – Zac Walter (football) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
SEPTEMBER Athletes of the Month: Ryan Durdon (football) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
Sept. 25 – Roger de la Villa (soccer) / Erin Lokke (shooting sports)
Sept. 18 – Lane Napier (football) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
Sept. 11 – Ryan Durdon (football) / Marissa Hoerman (volleyball)
Sept. 4 – JP Verissimo (soccer) / Lauren Martin (soccer)
Aug. 28 – Garrett Perry (soccer) / Jenna Habegger (volleyball)

News and notes:

GPAC postseason soccer at Hastings: It’s a big week for Concordia soccer teams which remain alive in the GPAC tournament. Up next, head coach Jason Weides’ men’s soccer team will be at top-seeded Hastings for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff from Lloyd Wilson Field in the GPAC semifinals today (Nov. 6). Head coach Greg Henson’s women’s soccer team will be at the very same location on Thursday for the GPAC postseason championship game at Hastings (7 p.m.). Henson has guided his program to five conference tournament title game appearances in a row.

Shooting sports update: Head coach Scott Moniot’s shooting sports program completed the fall season this past weekend (Nov. 3-4) at the ACUI Midwest Conference Championships in Grand Island, Neb. The Bulldogs finished third high over all out of 15 teams and broke school records in American skeet (482) and American trap (475). Individually, senior Erin Lokke topped the high over all leaderboard on the women’s side by hitting a total of 310 targets. In women’s American trap, junior Monica Dale placed second (96) while freshman Nicole Breese was a bronze medalist in American skeet (95). On the men’s side, freshman Wyatt Hambly paced Concordia from a high over all perspective (318). For a complete rundown on the ACUI Midwest Championships, click HERE.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its fourth 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 2018-19 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Tyler Cavalli 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 fourth season calling Concordia volleyball.

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

  • When the stakes are highest, the Bulldogs seem to find a way to be at their best. That’s been the case for much of the past five seasons under the direction of head coach Greg Henson. In last week’s postseason action, third-seeded Concordia won twice by 1-0 decisions, defeating Morningside at home in the GPAC quarterfinals in then No. 17 Midland on the road in the GPAC semifinals. For the fifth year in a row, Henson has guided the program to the conference championship game. The Bulldogs are now 13-2-5 overall. For more information on Concordia women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Since the start of the 2014 season, only three GPAC women’s soccer programs have played in the conference tournament final. During the Bulldogs’ string of five championship game journeys in a row, the title match opponent has been Morningside twice and will now be Hastings for the third time. Concordia celebrated GPAC postseason titles in 2014 and 2016. Since the start of the 2014 campaign, the Bulldogs are officially 11-1-2 in conference tournament play. The lone official loss came at Morningside in the 2015 GPAC championship game.
  • Midland has made a bigger splash in the national rankings in both 2017 and 2018, but Concordia has managed to get the best of the rival Warriors on a consistent basis. During their successful push for a 2017 GPAC regular-season title, the Bulldogs won at then 18th-ranked Midland last Oct. 18. After a draw with the Warriors this regular season, Concordia went back to Fremont and knocked off Midland in the conference semifinals for the second time in three years. Since the beginning of the 2013 campaign, the Bulldogs are 6-1-1 against the Warriors.
  • The victory over Midland marked Concordia’s first this season over a ranked opponent and sixth during Henson’s tenure. Other wins over top 25 squads during Henson’s time leading the Bulldogs came over No. 16/20 Hastings (twice) in 2014, No. 16 Bellevue University in 2015, No. 18 Midland in 2017, No. 20 Hastings in 2017 and No. 17 Midland in 2018. The 2015 Concordia team also emerged victorious from a PK shootout with No. 16 Hastings in the GPAC semifinals.
  • It was a stellar week of play for sophomore center back Victoria Cera. She surfaced with the highlight reel goal of the season in the quarterfinal win over Morningside. From nearly 40 yards away, Cera drilled a shot just over the leaping keeper for the only goal of the game. The native of Las Vegas, Nev., also played a key role in limiting Morningside/Midland to a combined nine shots on goal. Cera has contributed five goals in each of her first two collegiate seasons.
  • Goals have been a bit harder to come by after star senior captain Maria Deeter suffered an injury at Jamestown on Oct. 20. However, the 2018 squad continues to be one of the most prolific goal scoring teams in program history. The 65 goals scored this season rank behind only the 2004 (80) and 2016 (67) squads on the program’s all-time list. With her goal at Midland, Lauren Martin reached double figures (10). She ranks third on the team in goals behind Deeter (14) and Brynn Suddeth (12).
  • Since 2014, the series between Concordia and Hastings has been incredibly competitive. Officially, the Bulldogs are 3-2-3 against the Broncos during that time period. Two of the ties led to PK shootouts in postseason play. One went Concordia’s way (2015 semifinals) and the other went to Hastings (2017 title game). Over the last eight meetings, the Bulldogs have a slight edge in goals, 7-6, over the Broncos. This will be the fifth time in Henson’s six-year tenure that Concordia has played Hastings in the GPAC tournament.
  • The GPAC championship clash will get underway at 7 p.m. CT from Lloyd Wilson Field on Thursday. Hastings has already earned an automatic bid to the national tournament via its regular-season title. On the other hand, the Bulldogs must win this game to secure a nationals berth. The opening round of the national championships is set for Saturday, Nov. 17.

Football

  • Concordia made its final home appearance of the 2018 last week with No. 6 Northwestern making its way to Bulldog Stadium for senior day. Four empty red zone trips and an inability to contain Northwestern quarterback Tyson Kooima foiled the Bulldogs’ hopes of claiming the upset. Concordia got things rolling with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late in a 42-28 loss. Second-year head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad enters the final week of the season at 3-6 overall and at 2-6 in conference play. For more on Bulldog football, click HERE.
  • On a positive note, Concordia went over 400 total yards of offense for the first time this season. After putting up only 102 yards in the first half, the Bulldogs exploded with 360 yards in the second half. Most of that offense came through the air with quarterback Andrew Perea enjoying a career afternoon that was also a historic effort. No Concordia quarterback had ever thrown for 400 passing yards in a single game – until last week. The production came out of nowhere considering the Bulldogs entered the game ranked 79th nationally in passing offense.
  • According to available records, Perea’s 455 passing yards versus Northwestern shattered the school single-game record. The previous mark of 334 by Rod Giesselman in 1970 stood for nearly 50 years. Perea is just the third Concordia passer in the GPAC era (2000-present) to go over 300 yards in a game. The most recent had been Garrett Folchert with his 315-yard passing day at Midland in 2015. Additionally, Jarrod Pimentel twice threw for more than 300 yards during the GPAC championship season of 2001.
  • Perea attempted to lead a comeback versus Northwestern that would have been even more ambitious than the one engineered by Folchert at in 2015 in his 300+ yard passing day which occurred on Oct. 17, 2015. The Bulldogs trailed that contest 35-14 late in the third quarter. Folchert helped force overtime by throwing three touchdown passes over the final 20 minutes of regulation before Concordia eventually won, 41-38. After getting down 42-7 to Northwestern, the Bulldogs got the ball back down 42-28 with 3:11 left, but an interception put the game away.
  • Sophomore linebacker Lane Napier again led the defense by making 12 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, versus Northwestern. His season totals now stand at 129 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He continues to lead the nation in tackles per game (14.3). In his career, the David City, Neb., native has racked up 226 tackles (19.5 for loss) over 19 games. Napier is on track to shatter a GPAC era program record for career tackles (currently 290 by Sean Stewart).
  • Concordia has had to go to the air with the run game sputtering the past two weeks. After putting up a respectable 182 rushing yards versus Hastings, the Bulldogs were in the red (-22) at Morningside before managing just 17 yards on the ground last week. Opposing teams have made it their mission to stuff star back Ryan Durdon, who has reached 100 yards rushing in a game only once since the season opener. Durdon did contribute with a seven-yard touchdown run last week for the final score of the game. He has 759 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.
  • A youthful squad that has also dealt with some key injuries will finish 4-6 at best this season. It will mark the first time the program has dipped below the five-win mark since going 4-7 in 2011. In many recent seasons, the Bulldogs have been on the fringe of top 25 status. Since 2011, Concordia has produced records of 5-6 in 2012, 7-4 in 2013, 5-6 in 2014, 6-4 in 2015, 7-3 in 2016 and 6-4 in 2015. The 2013 squad started out 6-0 and peaked at No. 14 in the national poll.
  • The Bulldogs will try to end the season positively on Saturday when they head to nearby Doane (5-4, 4-4 GPAC) for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff from Papik Field. The Tigers are coming off a 30-3 win last week at Dakota Wesleyan. In last season’s meeting between Concordia and Doane, the Bulldogs ended an 11-game series losing streak with a 29-18 victory.

Men’s Soccer

  • The season lives on after a pulse-pounding GPAC quarterfinal matchup last week with Midland. The two sides played to a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes (two overtimes) of action inside Bulldog Stadium on Nov. 1. In the ensuing penalty kick shootout, Concordia clipped the Warriors, 4-3. The contest ended with goalkeeper Jack Bennett denying Midland leading goal scorer Robert Wiseman. Eleventh-year head coach Jason Weides’ squad is now 10-4-4 overall. For more information on Bulldog men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Now fourth-seeded Concordia will have to get by No. 1 seed Hastings if it is to reach the GPAC tournament championship game for the fourth season in a row. No matter what happens tonight (Nov. 6), the Bulldogs have already extended a couple of impressive streaks. They earned the right to host a GPAC quarterfinal for the third-straight year and have reached 10 or more overall wins for the eighth-consecutive season. During that eight-year period, Concordia is a combined 90-49-17 overall.
  • It just so happens that Midland has been on the wrong end of both PK shootouts that have involved the Bulldogs in recent seasons. Concordia also won in penalties at Midland in the 2015 GPAC semifinals. Weides has now led his program past the Warriors in three of the last four GPAC tournaments. The Bulldogs also upset then 14th-ranked Midland, 3-2, in the semifinals of the 2016 conference postseason.
  • Concordia has gotten to this point despite posting just one clean sheet (7-0 over Presentation) through the season’s first 18 games. Another opportunity for a shutout went by the wayside when Midland’s Cesar Cuellar found the back of the net in the 55th minute. That goal erased a 1-0 lead the Bulldogs had held for more than 30 minutes. Concordia has allowed exactly one goal in six-straight games.
  • The result with Midland kept alive a run of eight games in a row without a loss. The Bulldogs are officially 5-0-3 during that stretch with five of those contests going to overtime (nine total overtime periods). Concordia has not suffered a defeat since its 2-0 loss to then fourth-ranked Hastings on Oct. 3. Other than the 7-0 win over Presentation, the Bulldogs have lived on the edge with five of their past seven games being decided by a single goal margin or with a tie.
  • Junior Carlos Ferrer knocked in Concordia’s lone goal versus Midland. It came in the 24th minute and boosted Ferrer’s career high season goal count to six (two behind Roger de la Villa for the team lead). Ferrer also was successful in converting his PK in the shootout. Not only that, Ferrer still needs one more assist to tie the program school record of 10 in a season held by Marcelo Hernandez (2017).
  • Though Hastings has continued to rule the conference, it has not necessarily had an easy time fending off the Bulldogs in recent seasons. The matchups over the previous four years in the conference tournament have been tight. The Broncos have won three of the four with their victories coming by scores of 2-1 in overtime in 2014 (semifinals), 3-1 in 2016 (championship) and 2-1 in 2017 (championship). Concordia won the 2015 get together in the title game by a 1-0 score.
  • Kickoff tonight (Nov. 6) is set for 7 p.m. CT from Lloyd Wilson Field. The Broncos have yet to lose to a conference opponent this season and are coming off a 7-0 stomping of Doane last week in the GPAC quarterfinals. The winner will move on to the championship game and play either second-seeded Morningside or third-seeded Briar Cliff on Friday. A semifinal win for the Bulldogs would ensure a trip to Sioux City, Iowa.

Volleyball

  • A strong push over the final two weeks of the regular season helped the Bulldogs sneak into the GPAC tournament as the No. 8 seed. Concordia closed the regular season last week by toppling Doane in straight sets in Crete on Oct. 31. Three days later, the Bulldogs had their season ended in the conference tournament quarterfinals with a straight-sets defeat at the hands of top-seeded Dordt. It’s now the offseason for first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad, which finished 2018 at 15-11 overall (tied for seventh in the GPAC). For more on Concordia volleyball, click HERE.
  • There are certainly positives to be gleaned from the first year of Ben and Angie Boldt’s collective tenure leading the program. For one, the Bulldogs went from 9-19 overall (3-13 in the GPAC) in 2017 and improved their win totals both overall and within conference play. While they missed out on some opportunities to claim a signature victory over a GPAC opponent, the Bulldogs did knock off McPherson College (Kan.) in four sets on Sept. 8. McPherson is now 30-1 overall and ranked 17th in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
  • The win at Doane should be a confidence builder moving forward. Concordia had lost six-straight meetings with the Tigers, including one that took place this season inside Walz Arena. The Bulldogs avenged that defeat by outhitting Doane, .292 to .183 last week. Concordia hit .375, .244 and .275, respectively, over the three sets. Kara Stark (15), Jenna Habegger (13) and Emmie Noyd (10) each had at least 10 kills in the win.
  • There should be no shame in the fact that the season ended at the hands of fifth-ranked Dordt, a team with national championship hopes. The Defenders (25-2) went a perfect 16-0 during GPAC regular-season play and have been lauded by Ben Boldt as the most fundamentally sound team in the conference. Dordt has won each of its last 20 GPAC regular-season matches. In last week’s GPAC quarterfinal tilt, the Defenders sizzled out of the gate by hitting .684 in the first set and .500 in the second.
  • The collegiate careers for seniors in Habegger and Kelsey Baarck have come to a conclusion. They were the lone seniors on this year’s varsity roster. A native of Pawnee City, Neb., Habegger improved considerably over her four years. She played only occasionally as a freshman and sophomore and then became a key figure as a junior and senior. This season she posted career highs for kills (277), kills per set (3.04) and hitting percentage (.218). Meanwhile, Baarck played for two seasons with the Bulldogs after transferring from Mott Community College. She floored 186 kills over 97 sets played for Concordia.
  • Habegger was the team leader in kills this season. Other key statistical leaders were Noyd in hitting percentage (.292), Tara Callahan in assists (566 – 6.58/set), Jenna Eller in aces (24 – 0.26/set), Marissa Hoerman in digs (357 – 3.80/set) and Noyd in blocks (92 – 1.05/set). As a team, the Bulldogs hit .201 while averaging 12.37 kills per set and 2.11 blocks per set. The blocking number ranked 41st nationally.
  • Noyd garnered second team All-GPAC honors last season as a sophomore and could be in line for postseason accolades again. The native of Shelby, Neb., ranks sixth among GPAC players in blocks per set and seventh in hitting percentage. Noyd increased both her kill and blocking rates as compared to her sophomore season.

Cross Country

  • The season is in the books for all except for the individuals who have qualified for the NAIA national championships. While continuing their improvement, the Bulldogs placed fourth for both men and women at last week’s GPAC Cross Country Championships. The men narrowly missed out on placing third while making a leap forward from their sixth-place finish in 2017. The women improved one spot compared to 2017. This was the third GPAC championship meet as head coach for Matt Beisel. For more on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
  • The Bulldogs have been slowly creeping back up the conference ladder under Beisel’s direction. The women have gone from sixth in 2016 to fifth in 2017 to fourth this year. Meanwhile, the men placed sixth in both 2016 and 2017 before moving up to fourth in 2018. The goal is to eventually end its conference title droughts. Concordia last won a GPAC title on the men’s side in 2012 and last won it on the women’s side in 2005.
  • Taylor Grove has put together a senior season to be proud of. She paced the women at all six meets this fall and came through when it mattered most. She ran a time of 18:53.54 and placed fourth in the conference. It’s a big jump from her 31st-place finish as a sophomore (did not run as a junior due to injury). With that effort, Grove has qualified individually for the national championships. She will make her first career cross country nationals appearance.
  • Grove was one of only two seniors who were entered into the women’s GPAC lineup (each team is allowed to enter 10 runners). Grove was followed by at the conference championships by junior Rebekah Hinrichs (19:34.13; 13th), freshman Abi DeLoach (19:36.99; 14th), junior Hannah Rebmann (19:47.18; 20th), sophomores Lydia Cook (20:29.31; 38th), Alyssa Fye (20:30.90; 39th) and Alyssa Bierwagen (20:39.41; 42nd), senior Jacy Johnston (20:50.25; 47th), freshman Kailey Weichel (21:05.13) and junior Miranda Rathjen (21:22.40; 63rd).
  • On the men’s side, freshman Wyatt Lehr came up with a huge performance in his first taste of the conference championships. He placed 12th out of 92 competitors while running an 8k time of 26:38.73. Not far off of all-conference honors were seniors Thomas Taylor (26:52.47; 16th) and Josiah McAllister (27:04.77; 19th). Next in line were sophomores Christian Van Cleave (27:36.00; 27th) and Jordan Lorenz (27:53.80; 35th), freshman Ethan Pankow (28:34.38; 43rd), senior Evan Asche (28:55.46; 51st) and sophomores Cody Williams (29:13.67; 58th), Nick Zadar (29:48.75; 62nd) and Patrick Schneeberger (30:53.95; 74th).
  • Grove, Hinrichs and DeLoach all earned all-conference honors on the women’s side. So too did Lehr on the men’s side. All-GPAC honors are awarded to each of the runners who place in the top 15 at the conference meet. The four total all-conference awards is the most for the program during Beisel’s tenure. Concordia last had a GPAC champion in 2012 when Colin Morrissey and Sarah Kortze made it a clean sweep for Bulldog individual titles.
  • The NAIA Cross Country National Championships are all that is left on the 2018 cross country schedule. The grand event will be staged in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Nov. 16. The NAIA will release a new national top 25 poll today (Nov. 6) and then officially announce the national qualifying field on Wednesday. There remains a possibility that Grove will be joined by Hinrichs and DeLoach at the national meet.

Men’s Basketball

  • For the second year in a row and for the third time in four seasons, the Bulldogs have gotten out to a 3-0 start. Concordia opened the 2018-19 campaign last week by playing three times at home. The Bulldogs were victorious over Kansas Wesleyan University, 70-59, No. 25 St. Thomas University (Fla.), 79-60, and over Barclay College, 97-62. The latter two contests were played as part of the 19th annual Cattle Classic inside Walz Arena. For more information on Concordia men’s basketball, click HERE.
  • The Bulldogs were stunningly dominant in their win over St. Thomas, which reached the second round of the national tournament this past March. Concordia actually trailed by as many as 10 points (31-21 with less than six minutes left in the first half) before having its way the rest of the night. The Bulldogs were stout defensively, holding the Bobcats to 32.8 percent shooting while forcing 21 turnovers.
  • In recent seasons, Concordia has been known more as an offensive team. Improvement on defense could be the key to outperforming its preseason placement of 10th in the GPAC coaches’ poll. So far so good in that area. The 2017-18 Bulldogs allowed 76.8 points per game and 44.6 percent shooting. It’s still early, but Concordia’s first three opponents this season are averaging just 60.3 points and shooting only 37.9 percent from the field. They have also committed a combined 58 turnovers.
  • It’s no surprise that Tanner Shuck and Brevin Sloup have been the scoring leaders for the Bulldogs in the early going. Both players were named to the All-Cattle Classic team this past Saturday. Over the first three games, Sloup is averaging 16.3 points per game while being near flawless from the free throw line (16-for-18). He also dished out 11 assists and grabbed nine rebounds. Meanwhile, Shuck is averaging 15.7 points and has run his career point total to 15.7.
  • No matter what, the opening week of the season was going to be a fascinating one for a program with so many new faces. Limback’s starting lineup so far has included three newcomers: transfers Zach Auguste (Scottsdale CC) and Chuol Biel (McCook CC) and freshman Carter Kent (Crete HS). Among them, Auguste has been the most productive through three games. He is averaging 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds. Biel has already made an impact as a low post defender and is averaging 6.0 points and 5.3 rebounds. Kent is averaging 9.0 points and 3.7 rebounds.
  • Off the bench, sophomore Grant Wragge has seen the most playing time (21.0 minutes per game). Sophomore Ryan Holt (10.7 mpg) and freshman Tanner Wubbels (16.3 mpg) are also being factored in heavily. Holt, Wragge and Wubbels were the only three players used off the bench in the opener against Kansas Wesleyan. Limback then went deeper into the bench over the weekend with 14 players seeing action.
  • Conference play is already here and it will test the Bulldogs with two road trips this week. Concordia will play at Midland (1-1) at 8 p.m. CT today (Nov. 6) before traveling to Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday when it will go up against 10th-ranked Briar Cliff (3-0) at 4 p.m. In the GPAC preseason poll, Briar Cliff was picked second and Midland was pegged in a tie for sixth.

Women’s Basketball

  • Through four games, the Bulldogs have backed up their No. 1 national ranking, winning each contest by a margin of at least 13 points. Concordia had nearly a week off before resuming action with the 19th annual Cattle Classic this past weekend inside Walz Arena. The Bulldogs treated the home fans to wins by scores of 100-55 over Peru State College and 84-55 over No. 14 University of Saint Francis (Ind.). Thirteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad now has claimed two wins over nationally-ranked foes. For more information on Concordia women’s basketball, click HERE.
  • The number that really jumps out so far is the 167 turnovers forced by the Bulldogs. That’s an average of 41.8 per game. That figure is especially impressive considering Concordia lost two of its top backcourt defenders with the graduation of Dani Hoppes and Mary Janovich. Even Saint Francis seemed flummoxed by the press. The Cougars turned it over 41 times – but that’s not even a season high for Bulldog opponents. Viterbo University was guilty of 49 turnovers in the matchup that took place on Oct. 27.
  • Many Concordia fans got their first look at transfer Grace Barry last week. She and Philly Lammers represented the Bulldogs on the All-Cattle Classic team. The Lincoln East High School product is comfortable both as a scorer and distributer. So far she’s averaging 10.0 points, 5.3 assists per game and 4.0 steals per game. In last week’s action, she contributed 12 points versus Peru State and eight against Saint Francis.
  • Not many individual Concordia players put up huge stats last week due to the lopsided nature of the games. However, Philly Lammers needed only 16 minutes of playing time to go for 18 points (9-for-11 shooting), five rebounds and four steals in a dominant outing versus Saint Francis. She is averaging 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 69.7 percent from the floor. She’s done all that while averaging just 15.5 minutes per game. The low minutes are in part because of foul trouble in one contest and in part because of the blowouts.
  • Junior Taryn Schuette provided some scoring punch off the bench at the Cattle Classic. Her 17 points in the win over Peru State represented a career high. She then added 11 more points on day two of the event. The big weekend moved the native of Sabetha, Kan., up to No. 5 on the team in scoring (8.3 ppg). Olson has also gotten solid play in a reserve role from freshman Mackenzie Koepke, who is averaging 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. Koepke (11 points, eight rebounds) just missed a double-double versus Peru State.
  • The scary thing for the opposition is there is likely a higher level that Concordia can still reach. The Bulldogs have yet to get things going from the perimeter. They have gone just 25-for-100 (.250) from 3-point range through the first four games. At some points soon, shooters like MacKenzie Helman (2-for-15 from beyond the arc) are likely to heat up. Concordia has made up for the cold perimeter shooting by earning 97 more field goal attempts than its opponents.
  • Two road tests are on the docket this week for the Bulldogs, who get set to open up conference play. Concordia will be at Midland (3-0) today (Nov. 6) for a 6 p.m. CT matchup in Fremont. The Bulldogs will then travel to play Briar Cliff (3-0) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Both opponents have already notched at least one win over a ranked foe. Concordia will attempt to avenge its only 2017-18 regular-season loss when it takes the floor at Midland.

Wrestling

  • The head coaching tenure of Levi Calhoun is now underway. The 2018-19 season got started on Sunday at the Dan Harris Open hosted by Baker University (Calhoun’s alma mater) in Baldwin City, Kan. Sixteen Bulldogs took to the mats and produced a combined 33 victories and four place finishes on the opening day of the season. Calhoun has taken over as head coach following three seasons as an assistant at Concordia. For more on Bulldog wrestling, click HERE.
  • Calhoun is the fourth head coach for the program since its rebirth in 2009. Doug Reese held the position for the first three seasons before giving way to Dana Vote, who helped build the program into a GPAC powerhouse and a top 10 team in the NAIA. Following Vote’s four seasons, Andrew Nicola stepped in for the next two. Though Calhoun had not been a head coach before, he possesses seven years of experience as an assistant within the NAIA.
  • A defending GPAC champion and returning national qualifier, junior Deandre Chery appears to be in for a big year. The native of Miami Gardens, Fla., entered this season ranked No. 1 in the GPAC and eighth nationally in the 174-pound weight class. Chery blazed to the championship match at the Harris Open with three-straight pins including one over Midland’s 13th-ranked Stephon Gray. Then in the title bout, Chery eked out a 3-2 decision over Jacob Mintzmyer of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO).
  • At 125 pounds, Mario Ybarra, who hails from Scottsbluff, Neb., possesses some of the most tantalizing potential among the freshman class. He bounced back from a loss by major decision in his first match on Sunday to go 4-1 on the day. He ultimately won the third-place tussle by major decision, 13-2, over NEO’s Jeffir Juanes. He also majored two other foes as part of a solid first day of collegiate wrestling.
  • Chery, Josh Nelsen and Ybarra all tied for a team high with four wins on Sunday. Nelsen faced a stiff challenge right out of the chute by tangling with the NAIA’s second-ranked 184-pounder in Jacob Smith of Baker. Smith topped Nelsen, 9-4, in the third-place matchup. Prior to that loss, Nelsen claimed a victory by major decision and by pin during his run. A 2017 national qualifier, Nelsen is looking to get back to nationals after missing out in 2018.
  • Redshirt freshman Michael Stann (Temecula, Calif.) may have been one of the biggest surprises of the season’s first day. Stann won his first three matches on Sunday before a loss to Antonio Andrade (NEO) in the heavyweight title bout. Stann put himself in the championship by pinning Baker’s Jake Miller in the semifinals. Stann, Blake Castillo (174) and Darrin Miller (184) recorded three wins apiece. Kyle Carey (141), Cam Devers (149) and Zack Moistner (133) each collected two victories on the day.
  • Concordia now looks forward to spending the weekend in Mitchell, S.D. The Bulldogs will dual Dakota Wesleyan on Friday (Nov. 9) at 7 p.m. before competing in the Dakota Wesleyan Open the next day. In GPAC dual action last season, Concordia went 5-3 and placed fifth in the conference. One of those five victories was a 55-0 decision at home over Dakota Wesleyan.