Bulldog Weekly Report October 10, 2017

By Jacob Knabel on Oct. 10, 2017 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

A native of Roca, Neb., Radebaugh has continued to provide offensive punch off the bench. She tallied a pair of goals in last week’s 5-1 victory at Briar Cliff. The freshman forward ranks second on the team with seven goals this season for a Bulldog squad is unbeaten in conference play.

Male: Micah Lehenbauer, Soccer

Lehenbauer, who hails from Kathleen, Ga., kept up his goal-scoring surge last week by notching a goal apiece in road games against Briar Cliff and Northwestern. The senior forward has scored at least one goal in five-straight games to run his season total to eight.

Previous athletes of the week
Oct. 3 – Micah Lehenbauer (soccer) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
September Athletes of the Month: Tarence Roby (football) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Sept. 26 – Kordell Glause (football) / Emily Deschaine (cross country)
Sept. 19 – Lewis Rathbone (soccer) / Victoria Cera (soccer)
Sept. 12 – Tarence Roby (football) / Murphy Sears (golf)
Sept. 5 – Jack Bennett (soccer) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)

News and notes:

Carley/Roby named September Athletes of the Month: Starting with the 2017-18 academic year, the Bulldog Athletic Association will name male and female athletes of the month. Nominees for the monthly award will be comprised of the Bulldog Athletic Association athletes of the week throughout that month. The athletes of the month for September were voted on by attendees at the Oct. 3 Athletic Association luncheon. Recipients of the monthly awards will receive plaques from the athletic department. Last week, Tarence Roby and Lindsey Carley were named the Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Month of September. For more details on the honorees, click HERE.

Soccer programs earn academic awards from United Soccer Coaches: Last week the United Soccer Coaches honored both the Concordia men’s and women’s soccer teams with College Team Academic Awards for the 2016-17 academic year. College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point of average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster. Programs guided by Greg Henson and Jason Weides also collected NAIA Scholar-Team accolades in 2016-17.

Softball fall update: The Concordia softball program has concluded its fall exhibition season under fifth-year head coach Todd LaVelle. The Bulldogs are coming off a 34-win season this past spring. Leah Kalkwarf and company will have a new look with 16 freshmen reporting to campus this fall. LaVelle says his team has taken a different approach. For more on the Concordia softball team, check out our fall update HERE.

Women’s tennis claims win over Nebraska Wesleyan: Concordia swept through singles play as part of an 8-1 win over visiting Nebraska Wesleyan on Oct. 4. The Bulldog women’s tennis team won two of its three matches played this fall. Head coach Joel Reckewey’s squads will resume action this coming spring.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its third 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 2017-18 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 again calling volleyball action.

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.

Cross Country

Three official meets are in the books for head coach Matt Beisel’s squads, which have clearly established themselves as top half of the GPAC competitors. At last week’s muddy Briar Cliff Invitational, Concordia placed fifth out of 13 teams on the women’s side and seventh out of 14 squads on the men’s side. The Bulldogs men also finished second at the Dordt College Classic (Sept. 9) and fifth at the Dean White Invite (Sept. 23). Meanwhile, the women placed sixth at the Dordt Classic and third at the Dean White meet. For more information on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
Ten GPAC female and nine GPAC male institutions sent teams to the Briar Cliff Invite, which was staged at Adams Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, S.D. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs beat out Midland, Doane, College of Saint Mary, Mount Marty and Briar Cliff. On the men’s side, Concordia outran Midland, Hastings, Briar Cliff and Mount Marty. Beisel’s squads finished about where they were expected to, based upon the official GPAC rankings that have the Bulldogs ranked fifth in the conference on both sides.
Emily Deschaine, a 2016 individual national qualifier, has placed inside the top 15 of each of the first three meets this season. On the course that measured in at approximately 200 meters longer than a 5k at Adams Nature Preserve, Deschaine clocked in at 20:07.83, placing her 14th out of 162 female runners. Her 5k time was measured at 19:24. She also crossed the finish line in sixth place at the Dean White Invite and eighth at the Dordt Classic.
Next in line behind Deschaine on the women’s side were freshman Alyssa Fye (20:19.05; 21st), sophomore Rebekah Hinrichs (20:34.67; 34th), freshman Everett Elder (21:16.23; 46th) and junior Jacy Johnston (21:19.15; 50th). Eighteen females represented the Bulldogs at the meet. Concordia is still awaiting the return of junior Taylor Grove, a 2017 NAIA outdoor track and field national qualifier in the marathon. Fye and Hinrichs posted 5k times under 20 minutes while sophomore Miranda Rathjen (21:32.79; 55th) continues to make big gains.
On the heels of 10th-place finishes at the first two meets, junior Thomas Taylor checked in at 19th on Saturday. He navigated the 8k distance in a time of 26:55.69 for a season best by roughly 10 seconds. The rest of the team’s top five included senior Kohlton Gabehart (27:21.10; 30th), junior Evan Asche (27:55.93; 48th) and freshmen JP Reynolds (28:00.16; 50th) and Jordan Lorenz (28:11.18; 53rd). The men’s field featured 153 runners.
According to Beisel, 21 Bulldogs recorded either personal or season bests at the Briar Cliff Invite. Beisel also made special mention of Emily Boyer, a freshman from Mullen, Neb. Boyer did not run cross country during high school and dealt with surgery during her senior year of high school. Saturday marked her first ever 5k race. She registered a 5k time of 23:01 in North Sioux City.
Concordia will take this week off from competition. One final tune-up remains before the GPAC championships are held on Nov. 4. Next up is the Mount Marty College Invite in Yankton, S.D., on Saturday, Oct. 21. Both Bulldogs squads are aiming to move up the conference pecking order after sixth-place GPAC finishes in 2016.

Golf

The fall season is winding down for the Concordia golf programs. The men’s team finished its fall schedule over the weekend with a ninth-place finish at the annual Nebraska Intercollegiate (Oct. 7). That meet came four days after the Bulldogs concluded the two GPAC championship fall rounds in fourth place. Meanwhile, the women are in action today (Oct. 10) in Vermillion, S.D., in what will be the second and final day of their GPAC fall championships. For more information on Concordia golf: MEN | WOMEN.
Head coach Brett Muller’s men’s team will enter the spring right in the thick of the race atop the conference standings. Concordia carded a two-round total of 288-295–583 (+15) last week at Willow Run Golf Course in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bulldogs will enter 2018 just four strokes behind Doane for third place, six strokes behind Northwestern for second place and 12 strokes behind Morningside for first place. Concordia finished in seventh place in 2016-17.
Junior Nolan Zikas has put himself in position for another all-conference finish. His two-round total of 70-73–143 (+1) puts him in a tie for fifth place on the individual leaderboard. Zikas claimed a pair of tournament wins as a freshman at two separate GPAC championship rounds. Overall, Zikas placed ninth (79-79-74-70—302) in the conference as a freshman and 24th as a sophomore (76-91-79-77–323). His one-under-par 70 in last week’s opening round equaled a career best for an 18-hole score at a GPAC tournament.
Senior Russell Otten was a big mover on Oct. 3 (day two of the GPAC championships). After a disappointing 77 on day one, he went low in the second round with a one-under-par 70 and soared up to 15th place on the leaderboard. Freshman Kort Steele improved in similar fashion, rising into a tie for 20th overall by knocking eight strokes off his first-round total (79-71–150). Senior Tyler Ehresman (70-82–152) and sophomore Tylar Samek (71-81–152) are knotted for 26th place. Ehresman carded a career best one-under-par 70 on Oct. 2.
Otten came in right at his season average with a team low 76 at the Nebraska Intercollegiate. Conditions were not especially conducive to low scoring. Only event champion University of Nebraska-Kearney (299) posted a sub-300 team score. Zikas managed to crack the 70s along with Otten. Zikas’ five-over-par 77 placed him in a tie for 21st. The rest of the lineup included Samek (83; T-50th), Steele (83; T-50th) and Ehresman (84; T-55th).
Amy Ahlers captured the GPAC individual title last season as a senior. The program’s next hope for a women’s conference champion may be sophomore Murphy Sears. The goal for Sears is to continue to climb up the conference leaderboard following an 11th-place finish as a rookie. The Crete native entered day two tied for 13th. She sat just two strokes outside the top 10 and eight strokes behind GPAC leader Arianna Presilla of Briar Cliff. Sears turned in pars on eight holes during Monday’s round. Her 85 ties for the second best score of her career in a conference round.
Muller’s GPAC championships lineup has also featured freshmen Rebecca Day (97; T-40th) and Haley Nolde (100; 47th) and sophomores Payton DeMers-Sahling (101; T-48th) and Paighton Barbre (106; 52nd). DeMers-Sahling also competed in all four rounds last season and finished in 40th place. As a team, the Bulldogs began day two tied for ninth place after carding a score of 383.
Tuesday (Oct. 10) will be a wrap on the fall golf season. Schedules for this coming spring have not yet been announced. However, spring GPAC championships sites have been revealed. The final 36 holes of the men’s conference championships will be played at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb. On the other hand, the women will return to Quail Run Golf Course in Columbus, Neb., for the spring GPAC championships.

Men’s Soccer

A challenging week on the road finally yielded Concordia’s first defeat of the 2017 season. Following a 2-1 win at Briar Cliff on Oct. 4, the Bulldogs fell victim to Northwestern in a 2-1 double overtime decision on Oct. 7. Concordia had been one of five NAIA men’s soccer teams in the nation without a loss entering this past weekend. Tenth-year head coach Jason Weides’ squad has moved to 10-1-1 overall and to 3-1 in conference play. With nine league points, the Bulldogs are tied for third in the GPAC standings. For more information on Concordia men’s soccer, click HERE.
No Bulldog men’s soccer team had ever gone 11-consecutive games without a loss until this fall. As it stands right now, Concordia continues to own the top overall win percentage (.875) of any team in the GPAC. During the unbeaten run (10-0-1), the Bulldogs outscored their opponents by a combined score of 33-7. They went four games in a row without conceding a goal until allowing one in the win at Briar Cliff.
The victory over the Chargers extended the program’s streak of consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins to seven. Since the start of the 2011 campaign, Concordia has gone a combined 74-43-13 with a GPAC tournament title and a GPAC postseason runner-up finish. It’s easily the winningest seven-year stretch in program history. Hastings, Midland and Concordia entered this season as the only GPAC programs to win 10 or more games each season since 2011.
Senior Micah Lehenbauer has gone on a goal-scoring tear. Seven of his eight goals this season have come over the past five contests. The native of Kathleen, Ga., has totaled at least one goal in each of those games. He produced his first career hat trick to power the 6-0 win over Mount Marty on Sept. 26. Lehenbauer has been a consistent goal scorer over the last three seasons, posting seven goals in 2015, eight in 2016 and eight so far this fall.
Lehenbauer and company have been raking in GPAC weekly awards this season. Last week Lehenbauer was named the GPAC offensive player of the week. In addition, goalkeeper Jack Bennett collected conference defensive player of the week accolades for the third time this season. Twice this season the Bulldogs have made a clean sweep of GPAC honors. Bennett and Lewis Rathbone were also awarded on Sept. 19.
Last week Concordia garnered some national respect by receiving votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll. Ranked second in the official GPAC ratings that were released on Oct. 2, the Bulldogs also appeared in the top 40 of national rankings in the NAIA’s Modified Ratings Percentage Index (40th) and the Massey Ratings (39th). Prior to last week, Concordia had not received votes in the national poll since the end of the 2015 season when it captured the GPAC tournament title and qualified for the national tournament.
Despite allowing three goals last week, Bennett remains one of the nation’s top goalkeepers from a statistical perspective. He ranks 16th in the NAIA in goals against average (0.790). He has been credited with four shutouts and 48 saves in more than 1,000 minutes of action this season. The results have been even more impressive than those produced by Mark Horsburgh, the starting keeper in 2015 and 2016. Horsburgh posted goals against averages of 1.021 and 1.185 in his final two years.
As a team, Concordia ranks in the top 40 nationally in several key categories: 11th in shutouts (6), 27th in goals scored (34), 32nd in shots per game (17.8), 35th in shots on goal per game (8.9) and 38th in goals per game (2.83).
After two on the road last week, the Bulldogs are back at home for two contests this week. Concordia will host Doane (2-11, 1-4 GPAC) at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday and then welcome Morningside (6-2-3, 2-1 GPAC) to Bulldog Stadium for another 8 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. Concordia has won each of its first five home games this season.

Women’s Soccer

A pair of road trips to western Iowa last week netted the Bulldogs four points towards the GPAC standings. Concordia routed Briar Cliff, 5-1, on Oct. 4 and settled for a 0-0 double overtime draw with Northwestern three days later. Currently in first place, Concordia remains undefeated in league action and sports records of 8-2-3 overall and 4-0-1 in the GPAC. For more information on Bulldog women’s soccer, click HERE.
Fifth-year head coach Greg Henson’s program has gone almost a full year without suffering a loss against a conference opponent. Since enduring a 3-1 loss to Midland on Oct. 12, 2016, Concordia has played 13 GPAC foes and has not been defeated (12-0-1). Included in that stretch were three conference tournament victories that allowed the 2016 team to claim the GPAC postseason title. Over those 13 games, opponents have put up a grand total of four goals. The school record for longest unbeaten run against GPAC foes is 14 (2014-15).
During the current golden age of Bulldog women’s soccer, the program still has yet to solve Northwestern. Despite outshooting the Red Raiders, 26-7, Concordia again failed to claim a series win. The winless streak against Northwestern dates back to 2008 when a squad led by head coach Rob Giesbrecht topped the Red Raiders, 1-0. During Henson’s tenure, the Bulldogs have defeated every other conference member at least twice.
Halfway through the conference schedule, Concordia has surrendered just one goal. The lone tally came after the Bulldogs had already built a 3-0 lead last week at Briar Cliff. Concordia also owns GPAC shutout wins over Dakota Wesleyan, Mount Marty and College of Saint Mary. The tightening of their defensive play has moved the Bulldogs up to 40th nationally in terms of fewest goals allowed per game (0.92).
Based on offensive production, junior Maria Deeter is enjoying the best statistical season of her impressive collegiate career. A score at Briar Cliff extended her team high season goal count to nine, a figure that represents a career high. She also has a career best seven assists in 2017. In 55 career games, Deeter has accumulated 22 goals and 18 assists. Among active Bulldogs, only Esther Soenksen (28) and Sami Birmingham (26) have more career goals.
Fresh off being named Concordia’s female athlete of the month for September, sophomore Lindsey Carley was tasked with all 110 minutes in goal against Northwestern. Because of solid defensive work in front of her, Carley needed to make just three saves to preserve a shutout and a draw. Carley’s goals against average has plummeted to 0.660, good for 21st best in the nation in that category. She now has three shutouts.
Junior Ashley Martin returned to the field for the win over College of Saint Mary on Sept. 30. In her first action of 2017, Martin assisted on one of the game’s six goals. The return of Ashley, twin sister of teammate Lauren, will bolster the back line. Ashley collected second team all-conference recognition as both a freshman and sophomore.
Northwestern is one of few teams that has been successful at limiting Concordia’s offensive attack. Despite being shutout in Sioux Center, Iowa, the Bulldogs have racked up the 13th most goals (43) among NAIA women’s soccer teams. Their activity on the attacking end is also reflected in their national rankings of fifth in shots on goal per game (13.2) and 19th in shots per game (21.2).
Concordia will be back this week at Bulldog Stadium, where losses for the home team have been rare. The Bulldogs will host Doane (1-9-2, 0-5 GPAC) at 5:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday and then Morningside (6-5, 2-2 GPAC) at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The showdown with the Mustangs will be a rematch of last season’s GPAC tournament championship game that resulted in a 3-1 Concordia win. Meanwhile, the Tigers have dropped nine-consecutive GPAC games.

Volleyball

As part of a light week, Concordia let its latest opportunity for a GPAC victory slip through its fingers. Though they hit .360 in the opening set, the Bulldogs were defeated by No. 23 Doane, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22, inside Walz Arena on Oct. 6. Even with the struggle for positive results, sixth-year head coach Scott Mattera’s squad is not far out of eighth place, a required finish for qualifying for the conference tournament. Concordia owns records of 5-14 overall and 0-9 in conference play. For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, click HERE.
The youth movement continues within the program. Mattera and his staff believe that freshman Anna Lund can be a part of a revival down the stretch. One of the team’s top overall athletes, Lund has taken on more responsibilities on the outside in recent action. She put down 10 kills against Doane. It marked the third time this season she has recorded double digits in kills. The native of Rochester, Minn., has dropped 66 kills this season.
Concordia was forced to play short-handed in the back row last week. With freshman defensive specialist Marissa Hoerman sidelined by injury, the Bulldogs trotted out sophomore Harlie Himmelberg in the pink libero jersey. She came through with a team best 14 digs versus Doane. Mattera also called upon players like Emma Brand, Jenna Eller and Courtney Jurgens for help in the back row.
Junior Jenna Habegger has put together a solid three-match stretch during which she has tallied 34 kills on 77 swings. Her 16 kills at College of Saint Mary on Sept. 27 were a career best. Last week she hit .333 and swatted 10 kills against Doane. On the year, the native of Pawnee City, Neb., has totaled 152 kills while hitting .207. She has notched 10 or more kills on seven occasions.
Concordia would like to find more opportunities for sophomore middle Emmie Noyd. She had only 11 attack attempts versus Doane. Noyd’s best run of play this season came during the Viking Invitational (Aug. 25-26) hosted by Missouri Valley College. In three matches at the event, Noyd turned in respective hitting percentages of .438, .387 and .533 on her way to being named to the all-invitational team. With a season hitting percentage of .276, Noyd has been the team’s most efficient attacker.
The Bulldogs are still trying to figure out how to get over the hump against a schedule loaded with nationally-ranked teams. Since winning three of four matches at its own Bulldog Bash, Concordia has suffered nine defeats in a row – seven against teams ranked in the NAIA top 25. There have been moments that have hinted at potential future success. Though they dropped six of seven sets in home matches with the conference’s top two rated teams, Northwestern and Hastings, four of those sets were decided by two points.
Only three road matches are left on the regular-season schedule, and two of them are coming up this week. Concordia will play at No. 4 Hastings (16-1, 8-1 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday prior to Saturday’s trip to No. 3 Northwestern (21-1, 8-0 GPAC) for a 3 p.m. first serve. The Bulldogs will have a chance to avenge earlier losses in both outings.

Football

The bye week came at exactly the midpoint of the 10-game schedule for head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad. The Bulldogs have been idle since a 38-18 loss at Hastings on Sept. 30. With five games to go, Concordia owns records of 2-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs alternated wins and losses through the first five weeks of the campaign. For more information on Concordia football, click HERE.
Though the samples are small, the home-road splits are dramatic. Defensively, the Bulldogs have allowed an average of 33.7 points and 446.0 yards per game on the road. On the flip side, they have yielded an average of only 12.0 points and 266.5 yards per game in this season’s first two home contests. Offensively, the Bulldogs have averaged 26.5 points at home and 17.3 points on the road. However, Concordia’s highest offensive yardage outputs came at Kansas Wesleyan (482) and at Northwestern (413).
Senior Tarence Roby is without a doubt one of the nation’s top return men. At Hastings, Roby totaled 234 kickoff return yards on six attempts with a long of 49. He also returned one punt for 10 yards. Despite rarely playing an offensive snap, Roby ranks 20th nationally in all-purpose yards per game (135.2). On the national leaderboards, Roby is also listed at No. 3 in kickoff return yards (475), third in kickoff return yards per attempt (33.9) and ninth in punt return yards per attempt (11.9).
Quarterback Riley Wiltfong has been sidelined by injury for the past few weeks. He and Andrew Perea have shared signal caller duties this season. Perea has gone 60-for-112 (.536) with 606 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. Wiltfong provides more of a dual threat. Wiltfong is the team’s second leading rusher with 135 yards on 23 attempts. He’s thrown for 330 yards and four touchdowns. Perea’s 213 yards passing at Hastings were a career high.
Sophomore Jackson Hall has taken over the team lead for receiving yards after putting up his second 100-yard receiving game of the year. He caught six balls for 123 yards at Hastings. On the season, the native of Berthoud, Colo., has reeled in 14 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He caught one of his touchdown grabs in the upset win over then No. 7 Doane. He also enjoyed a five-catch, 108-yard performance at Northwestern on Sept. 16.
Freshman Sir-Zavius Broussard is a candidate to see his workload increase. He carried the ball six times for 38 yards at Hastings. The native of Fresno, Texas, has been used in a variety of roles. He has taken snaps out of the Wildcat formation and as the tailback in the I-formation. On the year, he has rushed 15 times for 63 yards.
Linebacker Lane Napier is establishing himself as the team’s most reliable tackler. Over the past four games, he has posted tackle totals of eight, seven, nine and eight. He has registered 2.5 tackles for loss. With an average of 6.6 tackles per game, Napier ranks 10th among GPAC players in that category.
Daberkow continues to seek consistency at the punter position. Four different Bulldogs have attempted at least one punt this season. That includes Perea. Brendan Cremin began the season with punting duties. He booted the ball 14 times with an average of 34.5 yards per punt. Payton Stevens took over the role for the third and fourth games of the season and averaged 36.4 yards per punt. Finally, Brady Fitzke was called upon at Hastings and punted three times for an average of 42.0 yards per attempt.
The Bulldogs look forward to hosting Midland (4-1, 2-1 GPAC) for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff this Saturday. Following a 4-0 start, the Warriors have dropped in two in a row, suffering setbacks at No. 25 Dakota Wesleyan, 55-21, and to No. 19 Northwestern, 24-21. Concordia has won each of the last five meetings with Midland, including last season’s contest in Seward that ended with a 20-14 score.
Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Kaitlyn Radebaugh, Soccer

A native of Roca, Neb., Radebaugh has continued to provide offensive punch off the bench. She tallied a pair of goals in last week’s 5-1 victory at Briar Cliff. The freshman forward ranks second on the team with seven goals this season for a Bulldog squad is unbeaten in conference play.

Male: Micah Lehenbauer, Soccer

Lehenbauer, who hails from Kathleen, Ga., kept up his goal-scoring surge last week by notching a goal apiece in road games against Briar Cliff and Northwestern. The senior forward has scored at least one goal in five-straight games to run his season total to eight.

Previous athletes of the week
Oct. 3 – Micah Lehenbauer (soccer) / Maria Deeter (soccer)
September Athletes of the Month: Tarence Roby (football) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Sept. 26 – Kordell Glause (football) / Emily Deschaine (cross country)
Sept. 19 – Lewis Rathbone (soccer) / Victoria Cera (soccer)
Sept. 12 – Tarence Roby (football) / Murphy Sears (golf)
Sept. 5 – Jack Bennett (soccer) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)

News and notes:

Carley/Roby named September Athletes of the Month: Starting with the 2017-18 academic year, the Bulldog Athletic Association will name male and female athletes of the month. Nominees for the monthly award will be comprised of the Bulldog Athletic Association athletes of the week throughout that month. The athletes of the month for September were voted on by attendees at the Oct. 3 Athletic Association luncheon. Recipients of the monthly awards will receive plaques from the athletic department. Last week, Tarence Roby and Lindsey Carley were named the Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Month of September. For more details on the honorees, click HERE.

Soccer programs earn academic awards from United Soccer Coaches: Last week the United Soccer Coaches honored both the Concordia men’s and women’s soccer teams with College Team Academic Awards for the 2016-17 academic year. College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point of average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster. Programs guided by Greg Henson and Jason Weides also collected NAIA Scholar-Team accolades in 2016-17.

Softball fall update: The Concordia softball program has concluded its fall exhibition season under fifth-year head coach Todd LaVelle. The Bulldogs are coming off a 34-win season this past spring. Leah Kalkwarf and company will have a new look with 16 freshmen reporting to campus this fall. LaVelle says his team has taken a different approach. For more on the Concordia softball team, check out our fall update HERE.

Women’s tennis claims win over Nebraska Wesleyan: Concordia swept through singles play as part of an 8-1 win over visiting Nebraska Wesleyan on Oct. 4. The Bulldog women’s tennis team won two of its three matches played this fall. Head coach Joel Reckewey’s squads will resume action this coming spring.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its third 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 2017-18 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 again calling volleyball action.

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.

Cross Country
Three official meets are in the books for head coach Matt Beisel’s squads, which have clearly established themselves as top half of the GPAC competitors. At last week’s muddy Briar Cliff Invitational, Concordia placed fifth out of 13 teams on the women’s side and seventh out of 14 squads on the men’s side. The Bulldogs men also finished second at the Dordt College Classic (Sept. 9) and fifth at the Dean White Invite (Sept. 23). Meanwhile, the women placed sixth at the Dordt Classic and third at the Dean White meet. For more information on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
Ten GPAC female and nine GPAC male institutions sent teams to the Briar Cliff Invite, which was staged at Adams Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, S.D. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs beat out Midland, Doane, College of Saint Mary, Mount Marty and Briar Cliff. On the men’s side, Concordia outran Midland, Hastings, Briar Cliff and Mount Marty. Beisel’s squads finished about where they were expected to, based upon the official GPAC rankings that have the Bulldogs ranked fifth in the conference on both sides.
Emily Deschaine, a 2016 individual national qualifier, has placed inside the top 15 of each of the first three meets this season. On the course that measured in at approximately 200 meters longer than a 5k at Adams Nature Preserve, Deschaine clocked in at 20:07.83, placing her 14th out of 162 female runners. Her 5k time was measured at 19:24. She also crossed the finish line in sixth place at the Dean White Invite and eighth at the Dordt Classic.
Next in line behind Deschaine on the women’s side were freshman Alyssa Fye (20:19.05; 21st), sophomore Rebekah Hinrichs (20:34.67; 34th), freshman Everett Elder (21:16.23; 46th) and junior Jacy Johnston (21:19.15; 50th). Eighteen females represented the Bulldogs at the meet. Concordia is still awaiting the return of junior Taylor Grove, a 2017 NAIA outdoor track and field national qualifier in the marathon. Fye and Hinrichs posted 5k times under 20 minutes while sophomore Miranda Rathjen (21:32.79; 55th) continues to make big gains.
On the heels of 10th-place finishes at the first two meets, junior Thomas Taylor checked in at 19th on Saturday. He navigated the 8k distance in a time of 26:55.69 for a season best by roughly 10 seconds. The rest of the team’s top five included senior Kohlton Gabehart (27:21.10; 30th), junior Evan Asche (27:55.93; 48th) and freshmen JP Reynolds (28:00.16; 50th) and Jordan Lorenz (28:11.18; 53rd). The men’s field featured 153 runners.
According to Beisel, 21 Bulldogs recorded either personal or season bests at the Briar Cliff Invite. Beisel also made special mention of Emily Boyer, a freshman from Mullen, Neb. Boyer did not run cross country during high school and dealt with surgery during her senior year of high school. Saturday marked her first ever 5k race. She registered a 5k time of 23:01 in North Sioux City.
Concordia will take this week off from competition. One final tune-up remains before the GPAC championships are held on Nov. 4. Next up is the Mount Marty College Invite in Yankton, S.D., on Saturday, Oct. 21. Both Bulldogs squads are aiming to move up the conference pecking order after sixth-place GPAC finishes in 2016.
Golf
The fall season is winding down for the Concordia golf programs. The men’s team finished its fall schedule over the weekend with a ninth-place finish at the annual Nebraska Intercollegiate (Oct. 7). That meet came four days after the Bulldogs concluded the two GPAC championship fall rounds in fourth place. Meanwhile, the women are in action today (Oct. 10) in Vermillion, S.D., in what will be the second and final day of their GPAC fall championships. For more information on Concordia golf: MEN | WOMEN.
Head coach Brett Muller’s men’s team will enter the spring right in the thick of the race atop the conference standings. Concordia carded a two-round total of 288-295–583 (+15) last week at Willow Run Golf Course in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bulldogs will enter 2018 just four strokes behind Doane for third place, six strokes behind Northwestern for second place and 12 strokes behind Morningside for first place. Concordia finished in seventh place in 2016-17.
Junior Nolan Zikas has put himself in position for another all-conference finish. His two-round total of 70-73–143 (+1) puts him in a tie for fifth place on the individual leaderboard. Zikas claimed a pair of tournament wins as a freshman at two separate GPAC championship rounds. Overall, Zikas placed ninth (79-79-74-70—302) in the conference as a freshman and 24th as a sophomore (76-91-79-77–323). His one-under-par 70 in last week’s opening round equaled a career best for an 18-hole score at a GPAC tournament.
Senior Russell Otten was a big mover on Oct. 3 (day two of the GPAC championships). After a disappointing 77 on day one, he went low in the second round with a one-under-par 70 and soared up to 15th place on the leaderboard. Freshman Kort Steele improved in similar fashion, rising into a tie for 20th overall by knocking eight strokes off his first-round total (79-71–150). Senior Tyler Ehresman (70-82–152) and sophomore Tylar Samek (71-81–152) are knotted for 26th place. Ehresman carded a career best one-under-par 70 on Oct. 2.
Otten came in right at his season average with a team low 76 at the Nebraska Intercollegiate. Conditions were not especially conducive to low scoring. Only event champion University of Nebraska-Kearney (299) posted a sub-300 team score. Zikas managed to crack the 70s along with Otten. Zikas’ five-over-par 77 placed him in a tie for 21st. The rest of the lineup included Samek (83; T-50th), Steele (83; T-50th) and Ehresman (84; T-55th).
Amy Ahlers captured the GPAC individual title last season as a senior. The program’s next hope for a women’s conference champion may be sophomore Murphy Sears. The goal for Sears is to continue to climb up the conference leaderboard following an 11th-place finish as a rookie. The Crete native entered day two tied for 13th. She sat just two strokes outside the top 10 and eight strokes behind GPAC leader Arianna Presilla of Briar Cliff. Sears turned in pars on eight holes during Monday’s round. Her 85 ties for the second best score of her career in a conference round.
Muller’s GPAC championships lineup has also featured freshmen Rebecca Day (97; T-40th) and Haley Nolde (100; 47th) and sophomores Payton DeMers-Sahling (101; T-48th) and Paighton Barbre (106; 52nd). DeMers-Sahling also competed in all four rounds last season and finished in 40th place. As a team, the Bulldogs began day two tied for ninth place after carding a score of 383.
Tuesday (Oct. 10) will be a wrap on the fall golf season. Schedules for this coming spring have not yet been announced. However, spring GPAC championships sites have been revealed. The final 36 holes of the men’s conference championships will be played at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Eagle, Neb. On the other hand, the women will return to Quail Run Golf Course in Columbus, Neb., for the spring GPAC championships.
Men’s Soccer
A challenging week on the road finally yielded Concordia’s first defeat of the 2017 season. Following a 2-1 win at Briar Cliff on Oct. 4, the Bulldogs fell victim to Northwestern in a 2-1 double overtime decision on Oct. 7. Concordia had been one of five NAIA men’s soccer teams in the nation without a loss entering this past weekend. Tenth-year head coach Jason Weides’ squad has moved to 10-1-1 overall and to 3-1 in conference play. With nine league points, the Bulldogs are tied for third in the GPAC standings. For more information on Concordia men’s soccer, click HERE.
No Bulldog men’s soccer team had ever gone 11-consecutive games without a loss until this fall. As it stands right now, Concordia continues to own the top overall win percentage (.875) of any team in the GPAC. During the unbeaten run (10-0-1), the Bulldogs outscored their opponents by a combined score of 33-7. They went four games in a row without conceding a goal until allowing one in the win at Briar Cliff.
The victory over the Chargers extended the program’s streak of consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins to seven. Since the start of the 2011 campaign, Concordia has gone a combined 74-43-13 with a GPAC tournament title and a GPAC postseason runner-up finish. It’s easily the winningest seven-year stretch in program history. Hastings, Midland and Concordia entered this season as the only GPAC programs to win 10 or more games each season since 2011.
Senior Micah Lehenbauer has gone on a goal-scoring tear. Seven of his eight goals this season have come over the past five contests. The native of Kathleen, Ga., has totaled at least one goal in each of those games. He produced his first career hat trick to power the 6-0 win over Mount Marty on Sept. 26. Lehenbauer has been a consistent goal scorer over the last three seasons, posting seven goals in 2015, eight in 2016 and eight so far this fall.
Lehenbauer and company have been raking in GPAC weekly awards this season. Last week Lehenbauer was named the GPAC offensive player of the week. In addition, goalkeeper Jack Bennett collected conference defensive player of the week accolades for the third time this season. Twice this season the Bulldogs have made a clean sweep of GPAC honors. Bennett and Lewis Rathbone were also awarded on Sept. 19.
Last week Concordia garnered some national respect by receiving votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll. Ranked second in the official GPAC ratings that were released on Oct. 2, the Bulldogs also appeared in the top 40 of national rankings in the NAIA’s Modified Ratings Percentage Index (40th) and the Massey Ratings (39th). Prior to last week, Concordia had not received votes in the national poll since the end of the 2015 season when it captured the GPAC tournament title and qualified for the national tournament.
Despite allowing three goals last week, Bennett remains one of the nation’s top goalkeepers from a statistical perspective. He ranks 16th in the NAIA in goals against average (0.790). He has been credited with four shutouts and 48 saves in more than 1,000 minutes of action this season. The results have been even more impressive than those produced by Mark Horsburgh, the starting keeper in 2015 and 2016. Horsburgh posted goals against averages of 1.021 and 1.185 in his final two years.
As a team, Concordia ranks in the top 40 nationally in several key categories: 11th in shutouts (6), 27th in goals scored (34), 32nd in shots per game (17.8), 35th in shots on goal per game (8.9) and 38th in goals per game (2.83).
After two on the road last week, the Bulldogs are back at home for two contests this week. Concordia will host Doane (2-11, 1-4 GPAC) at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday and then welcome Morningside (6-2-3, 2-1 GPAC) to Bulldog Stadium for another 8 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. Concordia has won each of its first five home games this season.
Women’s Soccer
A pair of road trips to western Iowa last week netted the Bulldogs four points towards the GPAC standings. Concordia routed Briar Cliff, 5-1, on Oct. 4 and settled for a 0-0 double overtime draw with Northwestern three days later. Currently in first place, Concordia remains undefeated in league action and sports records of 8-2-3 overall and 4-0-1 in the GPAC. For more information on Bulldog women’s soccer, click HERE.
Fifth-year head coach Greg Henson’s program has gone almost a full year without suffering a loss against a conference opponent. Since enduring a 3-1 loss to Midland on Oct. 12, 2016, Concordia has played 13 GPAC foes and has not been defeated (12-0-1). Included in that stretch were three conference tournament victories that allowed the 2016 team to claim the GPAC postseason title. Over those 13 games, opponents have put up a grand total of four goals. The school record for longest unbeaten run against GPAC foes is 14 (2014-15).
During the current golden age of Bulldog women’s soccer, the program still has yet to solve Northwestern. Despite outshooting the Red Raiders, 26-7, Concordia again failed to claim a series win. The winless streak against Northwestern dates back to 2008 when a squad led by head coach Rob Giesbrecht topped the Red Raiders, 1-0. During Henson’s tenure, the Bulldogs have defeated every other conference member at least twice.
Halfway through the conference schedule, Concordia has surrendered just one goal. The lone tally came after the Bulldogs had already built a 3-0 lead last week at Briar Cliff. Concordia also owns GPAC shutout wins over Dakota Wesleyan, Mount Marty and College of Saint Mary. The tightening of their defensive play has moved the Bulldogs up to 40th nationally in terms of fewest goals allowed per game (0.92).
Based on offensive production, junior Maria Deeter is enjoying the best statistical season of her impressive collegiate career. A score at Briar Cliff extended her team high season goal count to nine, a figure that represents a career high. She also has a career best seven assists in 2017. In 55 career games, Deeter has accumulated 22 goals and 18 assists. Among active Bulldogs, only Esther Soenksen (28) and Sami Birmingham (26) have more career goals.
Fresh off being named Concordia’s female athlete of the month for September, sophomore Lindsey Carley was tasked with all 110 minutes in goal against Northwestern. Because of solid defensive work in front of her, Carley needed to make just three saves to preserve a shutout and a draw. Carley’s goals against average has plummeted to 0.660, good for 21st best in the nation in that category. She now has three shutouts.
Junior Ashley Martin returned to the field for the win over College of Saint Mary on Sept. 30. In her first action of 2017, Martin assisted on one of the game’s six goals. The return of Ashley, twin sister of teammate Lauren, will bolster the back line. Ashley collected second team all-conference recognition as both a freshman and sophomore.
Northwestern is one of few teams that has been successful at limiting Concordia’s offensive attack. Despite being shutout in Sioux Center, Iowa, the Bulldogs have racked up the 13th most goals (43) among NAIA women’s soccer teams. Their activity on the attacking end is also reflected in their national rankings of fifth in shots on goal per game (13.2) and 19th in shots per game (21.2).
Concordia will be back this week at Bulldog Stadium, where losses for the home team have been rare. The Bulldogs will host Doane (1-9-2, 0-5 GPAC) at 5:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday and then Morningside (6-5, 2-2 GPAC) at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The showdown with the Mustangs will be a rematch of last season’s GPAC tournament championship game that resulted in a 3-1 Concordia win. Meanwhile, the Tigers have dropped nine-consecutive GPAC games.
Volleyball
As part of a light week, Concordia let its latest opportunity for a GPAC victory slip through its fingers. Though they hit .360 in the opening set, the Bulldogs were defeated by No. 23 Doane, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22, inside Walz Arena on Oct. 6. Even with the struggle for positive results, sixth-year head coach Scott Mattera’s squad is not far out of eighth place, a required finish for qualifying for the conference tournament. Concordia owns records of 5-14 overall and 0-9 in conference play. For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, click HERE.
The youth movement continues within the program. Mattera and his staff believe that freshman Anna Lund can be a part of a revival down the stretch. One of the team’s top overall athletes, Lund has taken on more responsibilities on the outside in recent action. She put down 10 kills against Doane. It marked the third time this season she has recorded double digits in kills. The native of Rochester, Minn., has dropped 66 kills this season.
Concordia was forced to play short-handed in the back row last week. With freshman defensive specialist Marissa Hoerman sidelined by injury, the Bulldogs trotted out sophomore Harlie Himmelberg in the pink libero jersey. She came through with a team best 14 digs versus Doane. Mattera also called upon players like Emma Brand, Jenna Eller and Courtney Jurgens for help in the back row.
Junior Jenna Habegger has put together a solid three-match stretch during which she has tallied 34 kills on 77 swings. Her 16 kills at College of Saint Mary on Sept. 27 were a career best. Last week she hit .333 and swatted 10 kills against Doane. On the year, the native of Pawnee City, Neb., has totaled 152 kills while hitting .207. She has notched 10 or more kills on seven occasions.
Concordia would like to find more opportunities for sophomore middle Emmie Noyd. She had only 11 attack attempts versus Doane. Noyd’s best run of play this season came during the Viking Invitational (Aug. 25-26) hosted by Missouri Valley College. In three matches at the event, Noyd turned in respective hitting percentages of .438, .387 and .533 on her way to being named to the all-invitational team. With a season hitting percentage of .276, Noyd has been the team’s most efficient attacker.
The Bulldogs are still trying to figure out how to get over the hump against a schedule loaded with nationally-ranked teams. Since winning three of four matches at its own Bulldog Bash, Concordia has suffered nine defeats in a row – seven against teams ranked in the NAIA top 25. There have been moments that have hinted at potential future success. Though they dropped six of seven sets in home matches with the conference’s top two rated teams, Northwestern and Hastings, four of those sets were decided by two points.
Only three road matches are left on the regular-season schedule, and two of them are coming up this week. Concordia will play at No. 4 Hastings (16-1, 8-1 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday prior to Saturday’s trip to No. 3 Northwestern (21-1, 8-0 GPAC) for a 3 p.m. first serve. The Bulldogs will have a chance to avenge earlier losses in both outings.
Football
The bye week came at exactly the midpoint of the 10-game schedule for head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad. The Bulldogs have been idle since a 38-18 loss at Hastings on Sept. 30. With five games to go, Concordia owns records of 2-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs alternated wins and losses through the first five weeks of the campaign. For more information on Concordia football, click HERE.
Though the samples are small, the home-road splits are dramatic. Defensively, the Bulldogs have allowed an average of 33.7 points and 446.0 yards per game on the road. On the flip side, they have yielded an average of only 12.0 points and 266.5 yards per game in this season’s first two home contests. Offensively, the Bulldogs have averaged 26.5 points at home and 17.3 points on the road. However, Concordia’s highest offensive yardage outputs came at Kansas Wesleyan (482) and at Northwestern (413).
Senior Tarence Roby is without a doubt one of the nation’s top return men. At Hastings, Roby totaled 234 kickoff return yards on six attempts with a long of 49. He also returned one punt for 10 yards. Despite rarely playing an offensive snap, Roby ranks 20th nationally in all-purpose yards per game (135.2). On the national leaderboards, Roby is also listed at No. 3 in kickoff return yards (475), third in kickoff return yards per attempt (33.9) and ninth in punt return yards per attempt (11.9).
Quarterback Riley Wiltfong has been sidelined by injury for the past few weeks. He and Andrew Perea have shared signal caller duties this season. Perea has gone 60-for-112 (.536) with 606 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. Wiltfong provides more of a dual threat. Wiltfong is the team’s second leading rusher with 135 yards on 23 attempts. He’s thrown for 330 yards and four touchdowns. Perea’s 213 yards passing at Hastings were a career high.
Sophomore Jackson Hall has taken over the team lead for receiving yards after putting up his second 100-yard receiving game of the year. He caught six balls for 123 yards at Hastings. On the season, the native of Berthoud, Colo., has reeled in 14 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He caught one of his touchdown grabs in the upset win over then No. 7 Doane. He also enjoyed a five-catch, 108-yard performance at Northwestern on Sept. 16.
Freshman Sir-Zavius Broussard is a candidate to see his workload increase. He carried the ball six times for 38 yards at Hastings. The native of Fresno, Texas, has been used in a variety of roles. He has taken snaps out of the Wildcat formation and as the tailback in the I-formation. On the year, he has rushed 15 times for 63 yards.
Linebacker Lane Napier is establishing himself as the team’s most reliable tackler. Over the past four games, he has posted tackle totals of eight, seven, nine and eight. He has registered 2.5 tackles for loss. With an average of 6.6 tackles per game, Napier ranks 10th among GPAC players in that category.
Daberkow continues to seek consistency at the punter position. Four different Bulldogs have attempted at least one punt this season. That includes Perea. Brendan Cremin began the season with punting duties. He booted the ball 14 times with an average of 34.5 yards per punt. Payton Stevens took over the role for the third and fourth games of the season and averaged 36.4 yards per punt. Finally, Brady Fitzke was called upon at Hastings and punted three times for an average of 42.0 yards per attempt.
The Bulldogs look forward to hosting Midland (4-1, 2-1 GPAC) for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff this Saturday. Following a 4-0 start, the Warriors have dropped in two in a row, suffering setbacks at No. 25 Dakota Wesleyan, 55-21, and to No. 19 Northwestern, 24-21. Concordia has won each of the last five meetings with Midland, including last season’s contest in Seward that ended with a 20-14 score.