Bulldog Weekly Report (Nov. 8, 2016)

By Jacob Knabel on Nov. 8, 2016 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Bryce Collins, Football

Collins, a native of Boerne, Texas, ran for a career high 179 yards and three touchdowns to power Concordia to a 35-28 win at Dordt last week. Collins has now rushed for 3,477 yards and 34 touchdowns during his career as a Bulldog. He ranks second in program history in career rushing yards.

Female: Sami Birmingham, Soccer

Birmingham, who hails from Johnston, Iowa, helped push Concordia to this week’s GPAC tournament championship game by recording two goals, including the game winner, in the 5-1 quarterfinal victory versus Briar Cliff and by assisting the golden goal in the 1-0 overtime semifinal victory at Midland. Birmingham leads the Bulldogs with 18 goals on the year.

News and notes:

Cattle Classic a 17-year success: Over the weekend Concordia hosted the 17th annual Cattle Classic basketball event. Since the event started in 2000, it has generated donations of $21,708 in cash and 60,972 food items. Co-sponsored by Concordia and The Cattle National Bank & Trust Co., the Cattle Classic raises money and food for the Blue Valley Community Action's Food Pantry. Pac N Save of Seward matches all canned food donations.

Meeting their goals: Behind a prolific goal scoring quintet, the Concordia women’s soccer season carries on into the GPAC championship game. The Bulldogs currently rank 18th nationally with an average of 3.2 goals per game. Freshman Sami Birmingham (18 goals) is the ring leader for a group that has produced the second most goals of any team in program history. For more on Concordia’s goal scoring prowess, click HERE.

Gooden, Lehamann named Academic All-District: The Concordia football program was represented on the CoSIDA Academic All-District teams by senior safety Le’Dontrae Gooden and senior offensive lineman Hallick Lehmann, as announced last week. The award recognizes student-athletes for their combined work in the classroom and in athletics. Lehmann was also an Academic All-American in 2015.

Watch GPAC tournament action: GPAC tournament action heats up again this week with men’s soccer and volleyball at Midland on Tuesday (Nov. 6) and women’s soccer hosting the conference tournament championship game on Thursday. The Concordia Sports Network will carry Thursday’s game, which kicks off at 7 p.m. Webcast links are available below.
-Tuesday, Nov. 8 – men’s soccer at Midland, 7 p.m. | WATCH
-Tuesday, Nov. 8 – volleyball at Midland, 7:30 p.m. | LISTEN
-Thursday, Nov. 10 – women’s soccer vs. Morningside, 7 p.m. | WATCH

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 6 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is already underway in its second year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 6 p.m. CT on KTMX-FM 104.9 Max Country. The weekly feature can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the TuneIn Radio app and searching “Max Country.” Throughout the 2016-17 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country.

Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting http://www.cune.edu/csn at game time. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.

Football

  • Coming off a bye, the 21st-ranked Bulldogs returned to action last week and picked up a 35-28 road victory over Dordt. The Concordia offense piled up 412 total yards, including 216 on the ground in one of its best performances of the season. The first GPAC road win of the season pushed eighth-year head coach Vance Winter’s squad to 6-3 overall and 4-3 in conference play with one game remaining on the regular-season slate. For more information on Bulldog football, click HERE.
  • Last week’s win guaranteed an overall winning record for the third time in four seasons. The class of four-year seniors have helped the program to a record of 24-17 since the start of the 2013 season. The 2016 squad needs one more win to help Winter equal a high water mark for victories in a season since his tenure as head coach began in 2009. The 24 wins are the most for the program over a four-year stretch since the 2000-03 teams went a combined 27-16.
  • The victory over Dordt also marked the 40th for Winter as a head coach. That number pulls him even with the program’s very first head coach, Walter Hellwege (40-32-9), for the fourth most wins among the nine coaches in school history. Ahead of Winter on the list are Courtney Meyer (70-115-1), Larry Oetting (63-64) and Herb Meyer (62-34-8). Herb Meyer’s career winning percentage of .635 ranks as a program all-time best. Courtney Meyer led Concordia to the program’s winningest single season ever – a 10-2 year in 2001.
  • Senior running back Bryce Collins produced a career high 179 rushing yards while equaling a career best three touchdowns last week. The native of Boerne, Texas, has now amassed 3,477 yards and 34 touchdowns on the ground in his collegiate career. He has run for more than 700 yards each season as a Bulldog, posting totals of 704 in 2013, 1,016 in 2014, 946 in 2015 and 811 so far in 2016. He’s also a weapon in the passing game having caught 80 balls for 783 yards and two scores over his 39 career games.
  • Senior linebacker Michael Hedlund made nine tackles and snagged his ninth career interception as part of another solid performance for the O’Neill, Neb., native. That effort pushed him over 100 tackles for the second-straight season, making him the first Bulldog in the GPAC era (2000-present) to record multiple 100-tackle seasons. The GPAC era record for most tackles in a single season is 110 by Erik DeHaven in 2001. Hedlund sits at 105 tackles this season heading into Saturday’s game.
  • Another senior enjoying a big season is defensive end Trey Barnes, who has racked up four sacks over the past two games. The Seward High School product has lived in opposing backfields. His 18 tackles for loss rank as the fifth highest total among all NAIA football players. As part of a unique career, Barnes has 18 sacks, 158 tackles, 575 rushing yards, 136 receiving yards and seven touchdowns during his time as a Bulldog.
  • Star receiver Jared Garcia continues to separate himself as one of the top receivers in program history. He has now set new career single-season highs for catches (52) and receiving yards (789) after hauling in eight passes for 98 yards and a touchdown at Dordt. His 10 touchdown catches on the year are just one off his school record of 11 as a freshman in 2014. On Concordia’s career receiving lists, Garcia currently ranks No. 1 in touchdowns (29), No. 2 in yards (2,152) and No. 4 in catches (137).
  • Concordia is 3-0 in games decided by seven points or less. In addition to the 35-28 win at Dordt, the Bulldogs have claimed one-score victories over Northwestern (9-7) and Midland (20-14). That’s a welcome departure from the prior two seasons. Of the 10 losses suffered over the 2014 and 2015 seasons, eight came by margins of a touchdown or less.
  • The regular season will wrap up on Saturday when Hastings (4-6, 1-6 GPAC) visits Bulldog Stadium for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff. Concordia is 13-34-1 in 48 meetings all-time with the Broncos. Last season the Bulldogs dominated Hastings, 28-3, in a game also contested in Seward. Saturday will serve as senior day for Concordia.

Cross Country

  • Over the weekend, both Bulldog teams completed the 2016 season, which marked the first under head coach Matt Beisel. The Concordia men and women turned in sixth-place team finishes while competing at the 2016 GPAC Cross Country Championships held at Elks Country Club in Hastings, Neb. Sixth is exactly where both teams were ranked in the official conference ratings published on the NAIA website. For more on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
  • A total of 14 men competed throughout the course of the season that included five different races. Nine of them participated in all five races. A 28th-place GPAC finisher, junior Pat Wortmann turned in the team’s top finish in four of the five outings. Wortmann led a top-five grouping at the GPAC championships that was made up of Thomas Taylor (29th, 26:43.09), Kohlton Gabehart (36th, 27:04.93), Evan Asche (42nd, 27:19.56) and Chris Shelton (44th, 27:20.89). Below is a list of every time turned in this season by each of the team’s men’s runners.
    • Patrick Wortmann – 27:11.67 (4th) – 27:54.89 (6th) – 27:01.00 (40th) – 26:19 (33rd) – 26:42.80 (28th)
    • Kohlton Gabehart – 27:13.09 (5th) – 28:02.63 (9th) – 26:50.50 (33rd) – 27:30 (91st) – 27:04.93 (36th)
    • Thomas Taylor – 27:47.12 (11th) – 28:39.15 (14th) – 26:51.48 (35th) – 26:50 (53rd) – 26:43.09 (29th)
    • Chris Shelton – 28:00.88 (13th) – 28:49.86 (15th) – 27:52.96 (74th) – 27:25 (88th) – 27:20.89 (44th)
    • Evan Asche – 28:03.40 (14th) – 28:31.17 (12th) – 27:35.76 (56th) – DNR – 27:19.56 (42nd)
    • Cameron Moes – 28:48.25 (17th) – 30:59.62 (34th) – 27:52.50 (73rd) – 27:37 (95th) – 27:37.45 (50th)
    • Josiah McAllister – 29:23.70 (23rd) – 30:09.52 (25th) – 28:19.43 (85th) – 27:41 (99th) – 27:39.08 (51st)
    • Robbie Peterson – 30:53.21 (33rd) – 33:02.47 (50th) – 31:24.62 (137th) – 31:26 (209th) – 32:10.36 (85th)
    • Nathan Matters – 31:48.77 (41st) – 33:30.19 (51st) – 31:54.31 (142nd) – 30:46 (199th) – DNR
    • Samuel Ferguson – 31:50.10 (42nd) – 32:16.66 (44th) – 30:37.19 (133rd) – 31:24 (208th) – 31:10.90 (84th)
    • Chris Warneke – 32:56.31 (47th) – 34:55.78 (57th) – 34:32.89 (152nd) – 32:57 (225th) – DNR
    • Christian Egger – 34:17.84 (53rd) – 33:47.76 (54th) – 32:34.84 (146th) – 32:47 (223rd) – DNR
    • Isaac Golke – 37:41.63 (56th) – 39:11.76 (62nd) – 35:08.03 (153rd) – 34:26 (233rd) – DNR
    • John Vecera – DNR – DNR – 36:43.17 (156th) – 34:33 (234th) – DNR
  • The Bulldog women have had a total of 13 runners represent them in races this fall. Their finishes for those races are listed below. Battling a knee injury, junior Emily Sievert flirted with a personal best at the GPAC championships while claiming a ninth-place finish. Sievert has been the team’s top runner at four of five meets in 2016. Taylor Grove’s 25th-place claim was best for the Bulldogs at the Briar Cliff Invite on Oct. 8. University of Nebraska-Kearney transfer Shelbi Hackbart followed next in line after Sievert in each of the season’s final two races. She completed the GPAC 5K race in 19:05.58 for a 29th-place finish. The rest of the team’s top five at the GPAC championships included Taylor Grove (31st, 19:07.69), Marti Vlasin (44th, 19:50.07) and Jacy Johnston (49th, 20:01.87).
    • Emily Sievert – 19:11.88 (3rd) – 20:25.49 (8th) – 19:05.34 (38th) – 18:32 (5th) – 18:20.96 (9th)
    • Taylor Grove – 20:00.59 (9th) – 20:32.09 (9th) – 18:53.56 (25th) – 19:42 (38th) – 19:07.69 (31st)
    • Shelbi Hackbart – DNR – DNR – 19:32.26 (54th) – 19:36 (35th) – 19:05.58 (29th)
    • Marti Vlasin – 20:16.92 (11th) – 21:16.72 (15th) – 19:55.31 (62nd) – DNR – 19:50.07 (44th)
    • Abby Protzman – 20:29.63 (13th) – 21:28.19 (18th) – 20:09.06 (72nd) – 20:03 (58th) – 21:19.98 (76th)
    • Rebekah Hinrichs – 20:44.16 (16th) – 22:10.00 (27th) – 20:15.62 (75th) – 20:08 (63rd) – 20:06.44 (50th)
    • Jacy Johnston – 20:47.48 (17th) – 21:38.82 (20th) – 19:58.72 (65th) – 20:10 (64th) – 20:01.87 (49th)
    • Erin Lindeman – 21:50.88 (29th) – 21:55.51 (22nd) – 21:20.20 (103rd) – 22:05 (150th) – 20:46.19 (62nd)
    • Miranda Rathjen – 22:39.80 (36th) – 23:11.36 (32nd) – 21:29.88 (110th) – 22:08 (152nd) – 21:18.16 (74th)
    • Paige Borcherding – 22:58.25 (43rd) – 24:11.43 (42nd) – 22:48.04 (140th) – 23:29 (182nd) – DNR
    • Emily Writebol – 23:23.16 (45th) – 24:26.57 (45th) – 21:59.29 (124th) – 21:48 (140th) – 21:36.10 (81st)
    • Emily Wetzel – 24:09.51 (54th) – 23:26.02 (36th) – 22:32.64 (134th) – 22:43 (170th) – DNR
    • Liliana Barrientos – DNR – 27:21.86 (57th) – 25:05.29 (161st) – 25:34 (198th) – DNR
  • Of the 20 Bulldogs to compete in Hastings, 17 ran either season or personal bests. The men’s top seven runners were separated by only 56 seconds. The Bulldog women were slightly more spread apart with 1:45 representing the gap between Sievert and the team’s No. 5 runner.
  • During the 2016 season, the women turned in place finishes of 3 of 7 at the Bronco Stampede, 3 of 7 at the Dean White Invitational, 8 of 15 at the Briar Cliff Invitational, 5 of 25 at the Seminole Valley Stampede and 6 of 11 at the GPAC championships. Meanwhile, the men’s respective finishes were 2 of 7 at the Bronco Stampede, 2 of 7 at the Dean White Invitational, 7 of 14 at the Briar Cliff Invitational, 12 of 25 at the Seminole Valley Stampede and 6 of 10 at the GPAC championships.
  • On Monday Sievert was awarded an individual berth to the 2016 NAIA Cross Country Championships, which will take place Saturday, Nov. 19 at North Farms Cross Country Course in Elsah, Ill. It will be Sievert’s second-straight appearance at nationals.

Women’s Soccer

  • Head coach Greg Henson’s program still has the postseason magic. After knocking out Briar Cliff, 5-1, in a GPAC quarterfinal at Bulldog Stadium on Nov. 1, Concordia followed with a dramatic 1-0 overtime victory at second-seeded Midland in the conference semifinals on Nov. 5. The two postseason wins mean that Concordia has advanced to play in the GPAC tournament championship game for the third-straight season. Henson’s squad now owns an overall record of 14-5-1. For more information on Bulldog women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • In Henson’s four seasons, Concordia has made it to at least the conference semifinals every year. The Bulldogs are now 6-2-2 in GPAC tournament games since the start of 2013. Both of the ties then went to penalty kick shootouts that resulted in Concordia celebrations. The 2014 squad won the GPAC tournament title while the 2015 team finished as the runner up. This is the first postseason during Henson’s tenure in which the Bulldogs have avoided top-seeded Hastings.
  • Junior Esther Soenksen has played a starring role in each of the past two GPAC semifinal games. Last season it was Soenksen who clinched the penalty kick shootout at Hastings. This year she emerged with the golden goal to sink Midland in overtime. Her goal occurred in the 99th minute with the overtime session nearing a conclusion. Soenksen played a cross from Sami Birmingham and calmly tucked the ball inside the left post for the game winner. It was Soenksen’s eighth goal of the year.
  • Soenksen is one of five Bulldogs with seven or more goals on the year. The others are Birmingham (18), Jessica Skerston (11), Rachael Bolin (9) and Maria Deeter (7). The quintet’s 53 combined goals have helped Concordia pile up 64 goals on the year. That total ranks as the second highest number of goals in a season in program history. Only the Jennifer Davis led 2004 squad that put away 82 goals has produced more from an offensive perspective.
  • As it stands right now, the 2016 squad’s plus-47 goal differential is the best in a single season in program history. The 2004 squad has held the record with its plus-41 mark that helped it post an overall record of 11-8. The ’04 Bulldogs had held the school record for wins in a season until the 2014 group shattered that mark by going 15-3-4.
  • A hallmark of Concordia’s success in postseason play has been stingy defensive work. Over their past eight GPAC tournament games, the Bulldogs have surrendered a total of five goals while recording four shutouts. In this year’s postseason, Concordia has gone 179-straight minutes without allowing a goal since falling behind early in the quarterfinal win over Briar Cliff. Goalkeeper Chrissy Lind, who owns a school record 26 shutouts, has been in goal for every GPAC tournament game over the past four seasons.
  • With her two goals in the win over Briar Cliff, Birmingham passed Skerston for the second most goals ever scored in a single season by a Concordia freshman. Skerston tallied 17 during her rookie season in 2014. The freshman school record remains in the possession of Jennifer Davis, who had 23 in her first season in 2002. Davis also holds program records for goals in a single season (24) and a career (88).
  • Thursday’s GPAC championship game inside Bulldog Stadium will kick off at 7 p.m. CT. It will be a rematch of the 2015 title contest that also featured Concordia and Morningside. The fourth-seeded Mustangs (10-7-2) upset top-seeded Hastings in the semifinals to give the Bulldogs the opportunity to host a conference championship game for the first time in program history. The two sides met in Sioux City, Iowa, on Oct. 1 when Concordia came away with a 2-1 win. Thursday’s victor will earn an automatic berth to the national tournament.

Men’s Soccer

  • Coming off a GPAC tournament title in 2015, Concordia remains hopeful of a repeat following its 2-1 conference tournament quarterfinal home win over Northwestern on Nov. 3. Ninth-year head coach Jason Weides’ program is now unbeaten over its last four GPAC postseason contests. The game versus Northwestern ended a 15-year drought without hosting a postseason game. The victory moved the Bulldogs to 10-6-2 overall this season. For more information on Bulldog men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Weides has guided the program to 10 or more overall wins in six-straight seasons. During that stretch, Concordia has produced a combined record of 63-4-12 as part of the winningest six-year run in school history. Weides has won 80 games in his head coaching career that began at Concordia in 2008. The most recent string of five seasons in a row with above .500 records occurred between 1984 and 1988 with Jack Kinworthy at the helm of the program.
  • Junior Lewis Rathbone supplied the only offense that was needed in last week’s postseason victory. With a pair of headers, Rathbone produced the first multi-goal game of his career. The native of Manchester, England, struck for a goal in the 55th minute and then another in the 73rd minute for the game winner. Rathbone now has four goals on the year.
  • The Red Raider goal by Lee Wynja in the 41st minute snapped a stretch of more than 330 minutes since Concordia last allowed a goal in GPAC postseason play. Goalkeeper Mark Horsburgh and company went unscored upon throughout the 2015 conference tournament title run. Over his four GPAC postseason starts, Horsburgh has allowed only a single goal while totaling 31 saves. He made five saves in last week’s win.
  • GPAC nailbiters have become the norm for Concordia. Of its 10 games against conference opponents, seven have been decided by just a single goal with two of those having gone to overtime. In the seven one-goal games, the Bulldogs have won four times. They won both of the GPAC contests that went beyond 90 minutes. No conference opponent has defeated Concordia by a margin of more than one goal.
  • Barring upsets, the home season has come to an end for the Bulldogs, who went 5-3 this season when playing inside Bulldog Stadium. Concordia went 4-1 at home against GPAC opponents with the lone loss coming by a 2-1 score to then 23rd-ranked Midland. Since the beginning of the 2011 season, the Bulldogs are 31-17-2 at home.
  • If Concordia is to take home another GPAC tournament championship trophy, it may have to defeat the very same opponents, in the exact order as it did in 2015. As the No. 6 seed in last season’s playoff, the Bulldogs cut through third-seeded Northwestern, second-seeded Midland and top-seeded Hastings, all on the road. This year’s other semifinal pits No. 1 Hastings versus No. 4 Morningside. With a win and a Morningside upset, the Bulldogs would have a chance to host the conference title game.
  • Today’s (Nov. 8) matchup with second-seeded Midland (16-2-1) is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Last season’s semifinal meeting came down to a penalty kick shootout that was clinched by Horsburgh. The Warriors are riding a seven-game win streak on the heels of their 5-1 quarterfinal win over Briar Cliff. Tuesday’s winner will play in the championship game on Friday at a time to be announced.

Volleyball

  • The 2016 regular season concluded with three conference matches last week as Concordia went 1-2. The Bulldogs pushed No. 2 Hastings in a four-set loss on Nov. 2 before a weekend trip that saw them take out Mount Marty in straight sets on Nov. 4 and then fall in straight sets at Morningside on Nov. 5. That leaves fifth-year head coach Scott Mattera’s squad at 15-18 overall and at 6-10 in the GPAC heading into the postseason. Concordia finished in seventh place in the league standings. For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, click HERE.
  • The path back to the GPAC tournament championship match will be a challenging one with seventh-seeded Concordia set to take on second-seeded and fifth-ranked Midland in Fremont in the GPAC quarterfinals. The two teams met in last year’s GPAC championship tilt that was hosted and won by the Warriors. On their way to the title match, the Bulldogs defeated both Northwestern and College of Saint Mary inside Walz Arena. That run helped Concordia earn an at-large berth into the national tournament.
  • Senior Paige Getz will end her standout career at No. 3 on the program’s all-time list for most career kills. The outside hitter from Paola, Kan., enjoyed a big week while totaling 40 kills over 10 sets, allowing her to pass assistant coach Rachel Miller (1,315) on the school’s kills list. Getz, who has floored more than 300 kills each season at Concordia, has racked up 1,323 kills over her four seasons as a Bulldog. Her 367 kills this year are a career best and rank as the 16th highest single-season total in program annals.
  • Fellow senior Tiegen Skains enters the week with a chance to reach 300 kills in a season for the first time in her career. She stands at 297, which represents a career high. She’s posted more than 200 kills in three-straight seasons, including 279 as a junior last season. Her .236 hitting percentage in 2016 is far and away a career best.
  • Many of the kills Getz and Skains have recorded in their careers came off assists from senior Alayna Kavanaugh, who last week was named the NAIA national setter of the week. The news came on Nov. 1, shortly after the Bulldogs swept GPAC weekly awards that went to Getz (attacker), Kavanaugh (setter) and junior Jocelyn Garcia (defender). Kavanaugh has garnered seven GPAC setter of the week awards during her standout career.
  • The loss to Hastings marked the final home match of the season for Concordia. The Bulldogs went 10-5 while playing inside Walz Arena this season. The current class of seniors, now 78-53 overall in four years at Concordia, has helped the Bulldogs produce a home mark of 40-17 since the start of the 2013 season. The Bulldogs are 32-12 at home over the past three seasons.
  • Of the team’s 33 regular-season matches in 2016, 20 were decided in straight sets. Concordia went 8-12 in straight-sets contests, 5-5 in four-set matches and 2-1 in battles that went to five sets. The Bulldogs have won 52 of the total 115 sets played this season. In terms of point scoring, they have been most successful in fourth sets, outnumbering opponents 297-286.
  • Today’s (Nov. 6) match will be the 14th time this season that Concordia has gone up against an opponent that carried a national ranking at the time of the matchup. Midland’s only two losses have come against No. 3 Hastings and No. 10 Dordt. In this season’s regular-season meetings, the Warriors defeated the Bulldogs in straight sets in Fremont and then in four sets in Seward. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.

Wrestling

  • A new era of Concordia wrestling is underway under first-year head coach Andrew Nicola. The former California Baptist University assistant made his Bulldog debut at last weekend’s Grand View University Open held in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. Nicola traveled 17 wrestlers to the event. They combined for six place finishes and 27 total wins. For more information on the Concordia wrestling program, click HERE.
  • Seniors Ken Burkhardt Jr. (197) and Ceron Francisco (285) were the headlining performers for the Bulldogs. Both claimed titles in their respective weight classes at the Grand View Open. Three other Concordia grapplers turned in place finishes as part of the “freshman” division: Gabe Crawford (second place at 157), Deandre Cherry (fourth at 174) and Darrin Miller (fifth at 174). Twelve Bulldogs came away with at least one win. The four wins produced by Burkhardt Jr. and sophomore Alexander Reimers were the most among Concordia competitors. Reimers placed fifth in the 197-pound open bracket.
  • Francisco’s 3-0 day included a victory over Grand View’s Jacob Laden (3-2 decision) and over 20th-ranked JJ Everard of NCAA Division I University of Northern Iowa. Francisco (ranked No. 4 nationally at 285) won the title match that was not contested due to an injury default. A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Francisco owns a career record of 77-50 and was a 2015 All-American. He won the NAIA North Group heavyweight title in 2016.
  • Burkhardt Jr. (ranked No. 3 nationally at 197) stands as the winningest wrestler in the history of the program. He has pushed his career win total to 90 after a 4-0 day at the Grand View Open. His work last week included a win over NCAA Division I Southern Illinois Edwardsville’s Jake Tindle and over No. 14 Johnathen Dennis of Grand View. Burkhardt Jr. recorded two pins, one of which came in the championship bout over Christian Dulaney of Iowa Lakes Community College.
  • Carrying the No. 1 ranking at 133 pounds, senior Kodie Cole dropped two of three matches against tough competition at the Grand View Open. Cole got majored by seventh-ranked Hunter Grenco of Grand View and then pinned by No. 6 David Berg of Midland. In his opening bout, Cole won by decision, 9-2, over William Penn University’s (Iowa) Tommy Rios. Cole is a two-time All-American.
  • Based on the NAIA preseason rankings, eight Bulldogs are nationally rated. The list includes No. 12 Dmitri Smith and No. 13 Giovanni Castillo at 125, No. 1 Cole at 133, No. 11 Foster Bunce at 149, No. 9 Tommy Bailey and No. 16 Kirk Kaliszewski at 165, No. 3 Burkhardt Jr. at 197 and No. 4 Francisco at 285. Concordia is also ranked atop the GPAC and the NAIA North Group and is No. 8 in the national coaches’ poll.
  • A weekend stay in Mitchell, S.D., awaits the Bulldogs, who will dual Dakota Wesleyan at 7 p.m. CT on Friday before settling in for the Dakota Wesleyan Open on Saturday. The tournament will get underway at 9 a.m. Concordia will be putting its GPAC dual win streak of 14 on the line against the Tigers, who were 0-7 in conference duals last season.

Men’s Basketball

  • The home debut for the 2016-17 Bulldogs came over the weekend at the 17th annual Cattle Classic. Head coach Ben Limback’s squad made it a perfect weekend by toppling both Waldorf University (Iowa), 83-76, and Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 100-89. Concordia has won five-straight home games dating back to the end of last season and now stands at 3-1 overall this season. For more information on Bulldog men’s basketball, click HERE.
  • One of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation a year ago, Concordia is off to another good start in that regard. At the Cattle Classic the Bulldogs averaged 91.5 points while shooting 48.2 percent (54-for-112) from the field and 75.3 percent (58-for-77) from the free throw line. On the early national leaderboard, Concordia ranks 19th in free throw shooting percentage (.758), 41st in points per game (84.3), 43rd in 3-point field goal percentage (.376) and 48th in field goal percentage (.468).
  • Two-time first team all-conference selection Chandler Folkerts is off to another impressive start. The senior from Milford, Neb., is averaging 19.0 points and 8.8 rebounds over the season’s first four games. He currently ranks eighth in program history in points scored (1,473) and rebounds (653). Last week he passed former teammate Robby Thomas to move up another rung on the rebound list. Folkerts was named All-Cattle Classic along with Eli Ziegler.
  • A native of Littleton, Colo., Ziegler rarely comes off the floor. He played 38 minutes and poured in 20 points in the victory over Oklahoma Wesleyan. Ziegler is on course to join Folkerts in the program’s 1,000-point club. So far this season the senior guard is averaging 17.5 points while seeing increased shot opportunities. He stands at 751 career points.
  • Transfer Chris Johnstone netted a season high 23 points while going 7-for-7 from the foul line in the win over Oklahoma Wesleyan. He is averaging 12.0 points in his first season at Concordia after making his way from Chaminade University. Johnstone has joined Seth Curran and Ziegler in the starting backcourt in each of the season’s first four games.
  • The freshman class has a significant role on this year’s squad. Among them, Tanner Shuck enjoyed the most productive weekend. He got the start against Waldorf and responded with seven points and six rebounds while going 2-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 from the foul line. Lincoln product Clay Reimers also made his presence felt with a steal and a dunk. Shuck also chipped in nine points and three boards the next day against Oklahoma Wesleyan.
  • The conference season has come up quickly. The Bulldogs will open up GPAC play on Wednesday with a trip to Orange City, Iowa, to take on Northwestern (3-1). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT. The challenging week will continue on Saturday when No. 17 York College (3-0) visits Walz Arena for a 3 p.m. tipoff. That will be the first of back-to-back games against nationally-ranked opponents.

Women’s Basketball

  • Fourteenth-ranked Concordia has now won three-straight games since a season-opening loss to defending national champion and top-ranked Marian University (Ind.). While in action at the 17th annual Cattle Classic, the Bulldogs won comfortably over both Friends University (Kan.), 95-59, and Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 76-58. Both teams received votes in the preseason national coaches’ poll. Eleventh-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad is 3-1 overall on the young season. For more information on Bulldog women’s basketball, click HERE.
  • No Olson-coached team has ever been afraid to hoist the long ball. Through four games, Concordia has already knocked down 40 3-point field goals. The Bulldogs were especially hot from distance in the blowout of Friends. That contest saw Concordia go 15-for-32 (.469) from distance. Brenleigh Daum and Aubri Bro were a combined 8-for-11 from 3-point range. Named All-Cattle Classic, junior Dani Andersen connected on 7-of-16 tries from beyond the arc over the weekend.
  • A familiar winning formula for Concordia has involved forcing the opposition to turn the ball over. Although the Bulldogs have become more of a zone defensive team this season, they have continued to fluster teams into making mistakes. Concordia foes have averaged 26.8 turnovers so far this season. That has allowed the Bulldogs to take 54 more shots from the field than their opponents. Friends committed 24 turnovers and Oklahoma Wesleyan gave the ball up 31 times.
  • In an early season that has included three wins by margins of 18 or more points, Olson has had the luxury of using his entire bench liberally. Returning first team all-conference forward Quinn Wragge leads the team with an average of 20.8 minutes per game, a figure that is likely to increase during conference play. Other starters such as Andersen (19.3) and Mary Janovich (19.8) are just under 20 minutes per game.
  • Senior Shelby Quinn, who started 25 games last season, is back in the starting lineup at the point guard spot. She did not attempt a single shot from the field versus Friends, but made all four of her free throws and dished out eight assists. Last season the native of Bellevue, Neb., averaged 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. She has already dropped 23 dimes this season.
  • Philomena Lammers hasn’t looked like a freshman while starting the first four games of her college career. She’s been ultra-efficient, making 65.2 percent (15-for-23) of her shots from the floor and all 14 free throw attempts. Her average of 11.0 points per game ranks second on the team to Wragge (11.5). Lammers tops the team in rebounding (6.3). She’s also recorded 10 thefts, second to Janovich (12 steals) among Bulldogs.
  • Concordia will play a team listed as receiving votes for the third-straight game when it travels to Orange City, Iowa, on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. CT tipoff. The Red Raiders are off to a 4-0 start that includes a win over No. 12 University of Jamestown (N.D.). Concordia split with Northwestern last season with the home team winning in both instances. The Bulldogs will then take the weekend off.