Bulldog Weekly Report (Oct. 11, 2016)

By Jacob Knabel on Oct. 11, 2016 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Jared Garcia, Football

Garcia, a native of Pearland, Texas, broke the Concordia football career record for touchdown catches last week as part of a 56-0 blowout of Briar Cliff. Garcia hauled in six passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He now has six touchdown grabs on the season and 25 for his career.

Female: Taylor Grove, Cross Country

Grove, who hails from Billings, Mont., paced Concordia at last week’s Briar Cliff Invitational by finishing the 5K race in 18:53.56, a new personal best. That time placed her 25th overall at the meet and 14th among GPAC competitors. Concordia finished eighth out of 15 teams.

News and notes:

Nicola named head wrestling coach: A two-year assistant at California Baptist University, Andrew Nicola was officially introduced as Concordia University head wrestling coach on Friday (Oct. 7). Nicola replaces Dana Vote, who left to become director of wrestling operations at Iowa State University following four seasons as a Bulldog. Nicola helped raise the CBU program to new heights. For more on Nicola, a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., click HERE.

Johnstone’s journey: A native of Sydney, Australia, Chris Johnstone landed at Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii, for his first college stop. After two years there, Johnstone decided to transfer and eventually settled upon Concordia. Now Johnstone has a chance to be a major contributor for head coach Ben Limback’s men’s basketball program. For more on Johnstone’s journey, click HERE.

Concordia football hosts Military Appreciation Day Oct. 22: The Concordia football program’s Oct. 22 date with Midland will serve as Military Appreciation Day on campus. Four Bulldogs are active servicemen. They include Sebastian Garces (Boerne, Texas), Kalen Garrett (Doniphan, Neb.), Le’Dontrae Gooden (Sacramento, Calif.) and Dylan Olmsted (York, Neb.). All four will be recognized during Military Appreciation Day. Service personnel who present military identification will be admitted free on that day. For more info, click HERE.

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

  • After back-to-back road losses to teams ranked inside the nation’s top 10, Concordia found the right medicine in a 56-0 homecoming drubbing of visiting Briar Cliff on Oct. 8. The Bulldogs outgained the Chargers, 446-106, while holding them without a single passing yard. The performance marked the program’s first shutout since blanking the same Briar Cliff outfit, 48-0, in the 2015 regular-season finale. Ninth-year head coach Vance Winter’s squad is now 4-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Concordia is currently looking up in the standings at four GPAC teams that have only one league loss and Morningside (3-0 GPAC). For more information on Bulldog football, click HERE.
  • Concordia defenses have gotten used to making life tough on opponents in recent years. The 2015 Bulldogs finished No. 4 nationally in total defense (279.6) and 13th among all NAIA programs in scoring defense (18.7). Last week’s stifling of Briar Cliff allowed Concordia to jump up to seventh in the NAIA in total defense (285.3). The 106 yards gained by the Chargers were the fewest by a Bulldog opponent since Southwestern managed only 78 yards in last year’s 31-10 season-opening win. The 2015 defense held five of its 10 foes to 250 total yards or less.
  • Offensively, junior receiver Jared Garcia provided more fireworks. He had more than 100 receiving yards before halftime while catching a pair of touchdown passes, the second one pushed him past Ross Wurdeman for the most receiving touchdowns in school history with 25. Garcia ended up with six catches for 136 yards in toasting the Charger secondary. Garcia has totaled 115 catches and 1,851 yards over 27 career collegiate games. The native of Pearland, Texas, has five career 100-yard receiving games to his credit.
  • The quarterback position produced at its highest level of the season in last week’s outing. The duo of junior TJ Austin and sophomore Riley Wiltfong combined to go 15-for-19 for 209 yards and five touchdown passes. Wiltfong also added a 25-yard touchdown run and totaled 55 rushing yards on five attempts. Austin added another 23 yards rushing as part of a big day for the ground game, which churned out 237 yards.
  • Garcia and Wiltfong were two of seven Bulldogs to find the end zone in the blowout of Briar Cliff. Both tight end Derek Luzum and running back Jordan Slough scored touchdowns for the first time in their careers. Sophomore Tight end Josh Davis recorded his first touchdown since being converted to tight end. Among the players to reach the end zone, running back Bryce Collins has the most career touchdowns with 31 (29 rushing, two receiving).
  • Collins registered his first 100-yard rushing game since he went for 117 in the season-opening win over the University of Saint Mary (Kan.). The workhorse back from Boerne, Texas, has now reached the 100-yard mark 15 times in his Bulldog career. With 3,163 career rushing yards, Collins has put himself with striking distance of Gary Seevers (3,257) for the No. 2 spot on the program’s all-time rushing list. The leader is Cleve Wester, who ran for 3,867 yards between 1982 and 1985.
  • Named a second team All-American in 2015, senior defensive end Trey Barnes continues to wreak havoc in the backfield. He checked in with 11 tackles, including three for loss, and a sack in the win over Briar Cliff. There were few opportunities for sacks in a game that saw the Chargers attempt just three passes all game. Barnes now has 40 tackles (11.5 for loss) and four sacks this season.
  • Slough had the busiest day of his career in relief of Collins. The native of Doniphan, Neb., rushed 18 times for 66 yards and a touchdown. He now has a combined 100 rushing yards over the past two weeks. Defensively, senior linebacker Patrick Skwara is another Bulldog taking advantage of increased playing time. He amassed nine tackles in the win over Briar Cliff.
  • Concordia now looks forward to Saturday’s road trip to Mitchell, S.D., where it will take on No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan (4-2, 2-1 GPAC) in a battle between two teams trying to keep playoff hopes alive. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs last won in Mitchell in 2007. The Tigers feature a high-powered offense that has averaged 543.2 yards and 39.2 points per game. On the flip side, they allow 428.8 yards per game (61st nationally).

Golf

  • The fall season has ended for both of head coach Brett Muller’s golf programs. The women concluded the fall at the GPAC event held on Oct. 3. Meanwhile, the men’s season extended to last weekend when they competed at the annual Nebraska Intercollegiate (Oct. 7-8) at Norfolk Country Club. The men’s first grouping placed eighth out of the 15 teams that took part in the two-day meet. Both teams will resume action this coming spring. The spring 2017 schedule has not yet been announced. For more information on Bulldog golf: MEN | WOMEN.
  • Muller took two groupings of five players to the Nebraska Intercollegiate last week. The first group shot a team score of 307-319–626 while the ‘B’ group turned in a total of 334-316–650 and placed 11th. Senior Reid Wiebe paced Concordia with his 72-82–154, tying him for 19th out of the 87 individuals in the tournament. From the second grouping, senior Court Croghan followed closely behind Wiebe with his 77-78–155. Croghan led the ‘B’ team that outplayed the ‘A’ team on the second day of the tournament.
  • In a close race for the top season average on the team, Wiebe has risen to No. 1 with a mean score of 75.56 through nine fall rounds. Next in line are sophomore Nolan Zikas (75.89), freshman Tylar Samek (76.0), junior Russell Otten (77.44) and senior Jared Knoepfel (79.78). Croghan (80.25) and freshman Alec Hanson (80.50) are also close to breaking under 80. The lowest single round of the fall was carded by Wiebe, who shot a four-under-par 68 on the second day of the Blue River Classic (Sept. 21).
  • Due to inclement weather, both the men and women were limited to just a single round at last week’s GPAC Fall Tournament. The scheduled round for Oct. 4 was wiped away by persistent heavy rains. After 18 holes of GPAC action, the Concordia men sit in third place (300) while the women are in ninth place (386). The remaining 54 holes of GPAC qualifying golf will take place this coming spring. Dates and locations are to be announced.
  • The top 10 individual finishers on both sides automatically lock all-GPAC honors. So far, four Bulldogs currently hold down top-10 positions: senior Amy Ahlers (83, T-6th) and freshman Murphy Sears (85, T-9th) for the women and Samek (73, T-5th) and Wiebe (74, T-8th) for the men. Zikas (76, T-14th) and Otten (77, T-18th) are also within sight of the top 10. Ahlers, Wiebe and Zikas are returning all-conference performers.
  • Ahlers continues to rack up accolades. On Oct. 5 she was named the GPAC golfer of the week for the sixth time in her career. A three-time all-conference honoree, the Albion, Neb., native has won nine tournaments during her time as a Bulldog. Her latest tournament win came at the CSM/Midland Fall Invitational (Sept. 27-28) where she shot a two-day score of 79-80–159. She currently leads the team with a season average of 82.43.
  • Spring schedules for the men and women will be posted when they become available.

Cross Country

  • After opening the 2016 season with two small-scale meets, Concordia competed against a larger field at last week’s Briar Cliff Invitational. On the men’s side, 14 teams and 157 runners participated in an 8K race. The women’s 5K race featured 15 teams and 168 total competitors. Head coach Matt Beisel’s men placed seventh and the women were eighth at the event that took place at Adams Nature Preserve in McCook Lake, S.D., on Oct. 8. For more on Bulldog cross country, click HERE.
  • A total of 14 men have competed at the season’s first three official meets for Concordia. Thirteen of them have competed in all three races. John Vecera made his season debut last week. All thirteen Bulldogs who ran at the Dean White Invite (Sept. 24) improved their times last week. Below are complete 2016 season results for all Concordia male runners. Ten of them set season bests, including Kohlton Gabehart who led the Bulldogs at the Briar Cliff Invite with a time of 26:50.50.
    • Patrick Wortmann – 27:11.67 (4th) – 27:54.89 (6th) – 27:01.00 (40th)
    • Kohlton Gabehart – 27:13.09 (5th) – 28:02.63 (9th) – 26:50.50 (33rd)
    • Thomas Taylor – 27:47.12 (11th) – 28:39.15 (14th) – 26:51.48 (35th)
    • Chris Shelton – 28:00.88 (13th) – 28:49.86 (15th) – 27:52.96 (74th)
    • Evan Asche – 28:03.40 (14th) – 28:31.17 (12th) – 27:35.76 (56th)
    • Cameron Moes – 28:48.25 (17th) – 30:59.62 (34th) – 27:52.50 (73rd)
    • Josiah McAllister – 29:23.70 (23rd) – 30:09.52 (25th) – 28:19.43 (85th)
    • Robbie Peterson – 30:53.21 (33rd) – 33:02.47 (50th) – 31:24.62 (137th)
    • Nathan Matters – 31:48.77 (41st) – 33:30.19 (51st) – 31:54.31 (142nd)
    • Samuel Ferguson – 31:50.10 (42nd) – 32:16.66 (44th) – 30:37.19 (133rd)
    • Chris Warneke – 32:56.31 (47th) – 34:55.78 (57th) – 34:32.89 (152nd)
    • Christian Egger – 34:17.84 (53rd) – 33:47.76 (54th) – 32:34.84 (146th)
    • Isaac Golke – 37:41.63 (56th) – 39:11.76 (62nd) – 35:08.03 (153rd)
    • John Vecera – DNR – DNR – 36:43.17 (156th)
  • The Bulldog women have had a total of 13 runners represent them over the first three races. Their finishes for those races are listed below. Twelve of the 13 had season bests at the Briar Cliff Invite, where Concordia’s top five finishers were Taylor Grove, Emily Sievert, Shelbi Hackbart, Marti Vlasin and Jacy Johnston. Hackbart made her debut as a Bulldog.
    • Emily Sievert – 19:11.88 (3rd) – 20:25.49 (8th) – 19:05.34 (38th)
    • Taylor Grove – 20:00.59 (9th) – 20:32.09 (9th) – 18:53.56 (25th)
    • Shelbi Hackbart – DNR – DNR – 19:32.26 (54th)
    • Marti Vlasin – 20:16.92 (11th) – 21:16.72 (15th) – 19:55.31 (62nd)
    • Abby Protzman – 20:29.63 (13th) – 21:28.19 (18th) – 20:09.06 (72nd)
    • Rebekah Hinrichs – 20:44.16 (16th) – 22:10.00 (27th) – 20:15.62 (75th)
    • Jacy Johnston – 20:47.48 (17th) – 21:38.82 (20th) – 19:58.72 (65th)
    • Erin Lindeman – 21:50.88 (29th) – 21:55.51 (22nd) – 21:20.20 (103rd)
    • Miranda Rathjen – 22:39.80 (36th) – 23:11.36 (32nd) – 21:29.88 (110th)
    • Paige Borcherding – 22:58.25 (43rd) – 24:11.43 (42nd) – 22:48.04 (140th)
    • Emily Writebol – 23:23.16 (45th) – 24:26.57 (45th) – 21:59.29 (124th)
    • Emily Wetzel – 24:09.51 (54th) – 23:26.02 (36th) – 22:32.64 (134th)
    • Liliana Barrientos – DNR – 27:21.86 (57th) – 25:05.29 (161st)
  • Both Concordia teams placed sixth when counting GPAC teams only in the field at the Briar Cliff Invite. At the meet, the women beat Midland, Mount Marty, College of Saint Mary, Wayne State College, Dakota Wesleyan, Southwestern Community College and Briar Cliff. Meanwhile, the men finished above Hastings, Southwestern Community College, Wayne State, Dakota State University (S.D.), Dakota Wesleyan, Mount Marty and Briar Cliff.
  • Hackbart, maiden name Sloup, is a transfer from NCAA Division II University of Nebraska-Kearney. Hackbart had to wait for her eligibility to be approved by Play NAIA before she could participate in an official race for the Bulldogs. She was cleared in time for last week’s meet. A Seward High School product, Hackbart, listed as a junior on the roster, placed fourth at the Class A state cross country meet in 2013. She was a member of the Lopers cross country and track teams before arriving at Concordia.
  • The Bulldogs have another off week in their schedule before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Seminole Valley Stampede hosted by Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That race will be the final tune up before the GPAC championships at Hastings on Nov. 5. Should any Concordia teams or individuals qualify for nationals, they will compete in Elsah, Ill., on Nov. 19. The NAIA Cross Country National Championships were originally scheduled to take place in Charlotte, N.C.

Men’s Soccer

  • It was an unorthodox week for ninth-year head coach Jason Weides’ squad. One of the nation’s stingiest defensive teams, the Bulldogs struggled in a 4-1 defeat at Bellevue University on Oct. 5. They rebounded three days later with an 11-0 win over Mount Marty as part of homecoming weekend. With the split on the week, the Bulldogs moved to 6-3-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play. For more information on Concordia men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Through the early run of conference play, the Bulldogs sit behind just two teams in the GPAC standings – No. 3 Hastings (5-0) and Doane (3-0). Concordia has won three of its first four league games for the second time in four years. The 2013 squad started out 4-1 in conference play (finished 6-4). The Bulldogs find themselves in much better shape at this point of the season than the 2015 GPAC tournament championship team that went 1-3-1 over its first five conference games.
  • The performance at Bellevue was out of character for Concordia, which had entered the contest having surrendered a total of just five goals over its first nine games. The Bulldogs had ranked in the top 10 nationally in terms of fewest goals allowed per game. They now sit at 26th with an average of 0.82 goals allowed per game. In conference play only, Concordia opponents have totaled just two goals, with one apiece coming from Northwestern and Hastings. The Bellevue contest marked the first time all season that the Bulldogs have conceded more than two goals in a match.
  • Concordia took full advantage of playing against Mount Marty, one of the nation’s most ineffective teams at preventing goals (191st out of 193 NAIA programs). In less than 40 minutes of play, the Bulldogs rattled off nine goals and took a 9-0 lead to the halftime break. The 11 goals scored eclipsed the 10 that the Bulldogs put up in last year’s victory over Mount Marty. It was also the largest offensive outburst for the program since a 15-0 win over Grace University on Sept. 3, 2008.
  • Goals have come in bunches for sophomore Tyler Jensen of Renton, Wash. He needed just over 27 minutes to record his second career hat trick as part of last week’s demolition of Mount Marty. Six of Jensen’s 11 career goals have come in two games. His other hat trick occurred Sept. 19, 2015, in a 4-0 win at Sterling College (Kan.). He was also one of the heroes in last year’s GPAC championship win. He scored the lone goal in the upset of Hastings.
  • The effort versus Mount Marty was the type of breakout offensive performance Concordia has been looking for. The Bulldogs entered the game having scored 15 goals over their first 10 outings. The pummeling of the Lancers helped Concordia push its season average up to 2.36 goals per game (eighth in the GPAC). The Bulldogs’ previous season high for goals was four in their 4-0 win over York College.
  • It’s a tight race for the title of leading goal scorer on the team. Micah Lehenbauer rose to the top of the list after putting away two goals versus Mount Marty. He now has five goals on the season. Three Bulldogs have scored exactly four goals: Carlos Ferrer, Marcelo Hernandez and Jensen. Hernandez did not play in the game against the Lancers. One additional teammate has more than a single goal on the year: Lewis Rathbone (two).
  • Concordia will be more than halfway through its nine-game conference schedule after it hosts No. 22 Midland (10-2-1, 3-1 GPAC) at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday. The rematch of a 2015 GPAC semifinal game has major implications as far as the top of the league standings. Both teams carry identical 3-1 conference records. The Bulldogs will complete the week with a trip to Dordt (5-7, 1-2 GPAC) on Saturday for a 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Women’s Soccer

  • After beginning conference play with a 1-2 record while navigating a challenging start to the GPAC season, Concordia enjoyed a mid-week bye before welcoming Mount Marty for homecoming on Oct. 8. The game went exactly as fourth-year head coach Greg Henson would have scripted it. Concordia got on the board early and often and ran away with a 12-0 win over the visiting Lancers. The Bulldogs are now 7-4-1 overall and 2-2 in conference play. For more information on Concordia women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Freshman Sami Birmingham starred as one of three Bulldogs with multiple goals in last week’s victory. Birmingham has quickly adapted to the college game in becoming a force up top. The native of Johnston, Iowa, is the team leader with 11 goals. She now ranks fifth among all GPAC players in goals. Four of her goals have been game winners, placing her 11th nationally for most game-winning goals.
  • Birmingham is someone Concordia expects to get goals from. That hasn’t been the case for fellow freshman Rebekah Freeman, who broke out versus Mount Marty with the first three goals of her career. The native of Harrisonville, Mo., has seen action in four games this season. She was most active in the win, taking nine shots, including seven on goal.
  • Junior Jessica Skerston represented the third Bulldog to bank two or more goals last week. Her goal in the sixth minute of the win over Mount Marty marked her 30th career collegiate goal. The 2014 first team all-conference performer tallied 17 goals as a freshman, 10 as a sophomore and four so far as a junior. Skerston was a major force for the 2014 team that won the GPAC tournament title. She amassed eight game-winning goals that season.
  • Concordia padded its team stats in last week’s win. It currently ranks in the top three of the conference in terms of both goals scored per game (third) and goals allowed per game (second). The Bulldogs have totaled 37 goals compared to 12 by their opponents. Concordia also has nearly a two-to-one edge over its opponents in the shot category (241-124). The Bulldogs outshot Mount Marty by a massive count of 55-0. Twenty-nine of Concordia’s shots were on frame.
  • The Bulldogs have been especially dominant at home. They are now 6-1 when playing inside Bulldog Stadium this season. In those seven contests, Concordia has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 31-3. During Henson’s coaching tenure, the Bulldogs are a stellar 28-9-1 when playing inside Bulldog Stadium.
  • Birmingham has opened up some separation in the race for the team goal scoring lead. She’s out in front by six goals, ahead of teammates Rachael Bolin, Maria Deeter and Esther Soenksen, who have found the back of the net five times each. Four others have multiple goals on the year: Skerston (four), Freeman (three), Lauren Martin (two) and Morgan Raska (two). Soenksen paces Concordia with five assists, good enough for the fifth best total among GPAC players. Bolin and Deeter have chipped in four assists apiece.
  • The Bulldogs will now be on a regular Wednesday-Saturday routine through the remainder of the regular season. This Wednesday they host Midland (9-4, 3-2 GPAC) at 5:30 p.m. CT in a contest critical for GPAC positioning. Concordia has defeated the Warriors in each of the past three meetings. A trip to Dordt (6-5-1, 2-2 GPAC) awaits on Saturday. Kickoff from Sioux Center, Iowa, is set for 1 p.m. CT.

Volleyball

  • Concordia broke up last week’s schedule with two matches against nationally-ranked teams from outside the conference. The Bulldogs dropped all but one of the 10 sets that they played over last week’s losses to No. 20 Bellevue University, Northwestern and No. 2 Westmont College (Calif.). Concordia has slipped in six of its last seven matches (five versus ranked teams). Fifth-year head coach Scott Mattera’s squad is now 11-13 overall and 3-5 in conference play (seventh place). For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, click HERE.
  • The biggest positive that came from last week came when Concordia took the second set from second-ranked Westmont, 25-22. During that set, the Bulldogs held the Warriors to .182 hitting, well below their season percentage. The powerful team from Santa Barbara, Calif., ranks No. 11 nationally in hitting percentage (.260). Westmont heated back up, especially in the fourth set when it hit .393 and put the match away.
  • Concordia has challenged itself with one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. Twelve of the Bulldogs’ 13 losses have come against teams that have been ranked or have received votes at some point this season. Nine defeats have come at the hands of squads that were inside the top 25 at the time of the match. Another four matches against ranked opponents await over the final month of the regular season.
  • Senior Paige Getz keeps rising on the program’s list of all-time kills leaders. She’s up to No. 5 after passing Darcy Lindner (1,204) over the weekend. A native of Paola, Kan., Getz has totaled 1,219 kills and now sits just four kills off of Renae Beikmann for fourth in school history. The program’s top three on the list are Becky Ernstmeyer (1,740), Katie Werner (1,600) and Rachel Kirchner (1,315). Both Ernstemeyer and Kirchner (now Miller) both went on to become head coaches for Bulldog volleyball.
  • Both senior setter Alayna Kavanaugh and freshman middle Emmie Noyd returned to the court last week. Kavanaugh was sidelined by injury for the matches versus No. 9 Dordt, at No. 4 Hastings and versus Briar Cliff. Noyd missed the same contests in addition to the loss at Bellevue on Oct. 5. The injuries have disrupted the continuity of an offensive attack that has been quarterbacked by Kavanaugh for four seasons. She has piled up 4,121 assists as a Bulldog. Meanwhile, Noyd has put down 99 kills in her first collegiate season.
  • Last week senior Tiegen Skains surpassed 200 kills on the season. She trails only Getz (263) for the team lead in that category. In addition, freshman Alex La Plant (188) and senior Taylor Workman (162) are beginning to close in on 200 kills. Last season’s national tournament qualifier had similar attacking balance. Five Bulldogs posted 240 or more kills in 2015.
  • More land mines make up this week’s schedule. The Bulldogs will host No. 1 Midland (18-1, 8-1 GPAC) for a 7:30 p.m. CT first serve on Wednesday. Concordia went 1-2 last season against the perennially strong Warriors. Saturday brings a road trip to No. 11 Dordt (13-5, 6-2 GPAC) for action that is set to begin at 5 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will try to avenge losses to both teams that occurred earlier this season. Concordia remains in search of its first win over a ranked opponent.

Jared Garcia

Taylor Grove