Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Carly Rodaway, Volleyball
Rodaway, a Lincoln Pius X High School alum, produced 15 kills and hit .433 in Concordia’s five-set win over No. 7 Northwestern. Rodaway emerged with a block for points 10 and 13 and then hammered a kill for No. 14 in the fifth set. She’s racked up 190 kills this season.
Male: Korrell Koehlmoos, Football
Koehlmoos, who hails from Pilger, Neb., caught nine receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 47-24 win over Mount Marty. Koehlmoos eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the fifth straight game and became the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards (2,504).
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Oct. 11 – Rylee Haecker (cross country) / DJ McGarvie (football)
Oct. 4 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Korrell Koehlmoos (football)
Sept. 27 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Ryan Wokutch (soccer)
Sept. 20 – Tanner Muff (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 13 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Jack Nelson (shooting sports)
Sept. 6 – Camryn Opfer (volleyball) / Camden Sesna (cross country)
Aug. 30 – Federico Simonetti (soccer) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Aug. 23 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball)
2022-23 BAAM Athletes of the Month
September – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball); Camryn Opfer (volleyball); Camden Sesna (cross country)
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday at 12 p.m. CT inside the Dog House Grill, located in the Janzow Campus Center. The luncheons feature reports from head coaches who are in season at the time. For information on how to join BAAM, click HERE. It is not a requirement to be a BAAM member in order to attend the weekly luncheons.
Hoops season on the horizon: The Bulldog basketball teams are less than three weeks away from officially tipping off the 2022-23 seasons. The GPAC unveiled the 2022-23 conference preseason coaches’ poll on Oct. 13. The coaches pegged the Concordia men fourth and the women fifth. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad is coming off a storybook season that included GPAC regular season and tournament titles and a trip to the NAIA national quarterfinals. The Bulldogs bring back three starters from that team. Meanwhile, Head Coach Drew Olson’s bunch comes off the program’s 11th-straight national tournament appearance and welcomes back two-time First Team All-GPAC guard Taysha Rushton. Both teams will begin their seasons at the 23rd annual Cattle Classic on Nov. 4-5. Click the links below for season previews for both teams.
--Season previews: Men’s Basketball | Women’s Basketball
Powerlifting engages in first-ever competition: More history was made for Concordia University Lifting Sports as the program competed in a powerlifting competition for the first time in its existence. Eleven Bulldogs represented the program at the Warrior Collegiate Open hosted by Midland in Fremont, Neb., on Oct. 8. The competition was made up primarily of Concordia and Midland athletes with select competitors from Minot State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln sprinkled in. The competition included 10 different weight classes for women and eight for men. Athletes earned place finishes based upon the cumulative weight of their best lifts in squat, bench and deadlift. In the 56kg women’s competition, Concordia’s Rylee Ladd beat out Midland’s Ashley Lopez (305 – 260 kg) as one of the meet’s highlights. In the men’s 75kg class, Hunter Powers (522.5) outlifted two of his teammates and placed second out of five athletes. Next up on the powerlifting side of things will be the Midwest Regionals hosted by William Jewell University in Liberty, Mo., on Nov. 19-20. Weightlifters will be in action on Nov. 5 for their Midwest Regionals at Iowa State University. For more details on the program, click HERE.
Shooting Sports takes break after hosting own invitational: Head Coach Dylan Owens’ squad has had the past couple weeks off from competition after having hosted the seventh annual Concordia Bulldog Sporting Invitational on Oct. 1-2. More than 150 competitors were on hand Oak Creek Sporting Club in Brainard, Neb. By event’s end, the Bulldogs found themselves in fourth place out of the 11 teams that made their way to Oak Creek. Concordia’s top five shooters combined to bust 1,338 targets towards the high overall standings. The format featured 200 sporting and 100 super sporting clay targets for each athlete who navigated the course in Brainard. The Concordia Invite marked the fourth outing this fall for Owens’ Bulldogs. Twenty-five Concordia athletes were in action over the two-day event. Once the final rounds were fired, freshman Tanner Muff of Lincoln, Neb, emerged as Concordia’s top shooter with a total of 277/300. The team’s top five also included Jack Nelson (270), Breyer Meeks (269), Joe Blevins (264) and Katie Welker (258). The Bulldogs are preparing for a return to action at the NCSSAA Central Regional Qualifier hosted by Simpson College in Waukee, Iowa, this Friday through Sunday (Oct. 21-23). For more on the Concordia Shooting Sports program, click HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its eighth year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on KTMX-FM 104.9 Max Country. The weekly feature can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the Max Country app. Throughout the 2022-23 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Parker Cyza serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene is in his eighth season calling Concordia volleyball.
Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics partnered with PrestoSports for live video and statistical streaming. Live webcast links for away contests are publicized in sport specific releases that preview action for that particular week. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Football
· The good vibes continued last week for the Bulldogs, who have found their offensive identity. Concordia capitalized on big plays and put up a season high point total while toppling Mount Marty, 47-24, on Oct. 15. It was a bit of a rocky start, but Concordia steadied the ship with the help of a defensive touchdown in what was the second all-time meeting with the Lancers. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad (3-3, 3-3 GPAC) has won three in a row while putting behind the 0-3 start. For more information on Concordia Football, click HERE.
· On the game’s first possession last week, the Bulldogs drove the ball 50 yards on 11 plays and put three points on the board with Ty Harold’s 23-yard field goal. The rest of the first quarter was owned by Mount Marty, which took a 12-3 lead with the help of a Concordia special teams gaffe. The Lancers then reached the red zone, only to fumble the ball away (forced by Luke Sanchez). Jayzen Armstrong scooped the ball up and raced 86 yards for a touchdown in a play that completely reversed the momentum. The Bulldog offense then heated up and got three touchdown passes from DJ McGarvie (two to Korrell Koehlmoos and one to Luke Lang) and two rushing touchdowns (both from 17 yards out) by Devin Zeigler.
· Every opponent knows Concordia wants to get the ball to Koehlmoos, and yet he keeps piling up big numbers. With 106 receiving yards on nine catches last week, the Pilger, Neb., native leapfrogged both Ross Wurdeman (2,458) and Jared Garcia (2,495) on the program’s all-time list for most career receiving yards. In 44 career collegiate games, Koehlmoos has caught 181 passes for 2,504 yards and 20 touchdowns. Koehlmoos has gone past 100 yards receiving in each of the past five games and sports NAIA national rankings this season of second in receptions (55), fifth in receiving touchdowns (eight) and 10th in receiving yards (634). Koehlmoos is on pace to do something no receiver at Concordia has ever done – crack 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
· A true sophomore, McGarvie is already establishing himself as one of the best passers this program has ever seen. The Lincoln North Star High School product has been off the charts the past three weeks while going a combined 78-for-115 (.678) for 883 yards and seven touchdown passes (and a rushing touchdown) to go against one interception. McGarvie is now 9-3 as a starting quarterback and owns a career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 26-to-9. McGarvie’s 393 passing yards in the win over Jamestown were the second most in a single game in school history for a Bulldog quarterback.
· The defense did its part last week in limiting Mount Marty to 295 total yards. The Lancer point total was inflated by Concordia’s miscues on special teams, which helped Mount Marty put touchdowns on the board via drives of just 15 and 16 yards, respectively. One thing that has become clear is that few teams can block Bulldog nose guard Devon Polley. Named the GPAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10, Polley made 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks versus Mount Marty and singlehandedly thwarted two Lancer fourth down attempts. Also defensively, Michael Grindey made 13 tackles and pushed his team high total to 61.
· The production in the passing game has likely played a role in pushing the run game forward. Zeigler enjoyed the best game of his collegiate career last week in rushing for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. He’s averaged at least 4.0 yards per carry in each of the past three weeks and has pushed his season rushing total to 391. Backup Mark Arp also ran for 79 yards on 14 attempts last week. The running game took big steps even as Concordia shuffled the deck up front (due to injuries). The starters this past Saturday included, from left to right, Kaden Peters, Carson Fehlhafer, Jackson Anderson, Toby Hager and Blake Schlegel.
· The Bulldogs will go for four in a row this week as they host Dordt (3-3, 3-3 GPAC) at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday. The Defenders qualified for the NAIA playoffs in 2020 and have enjoyed a great deal of success under Head Coach Joel Penner. Dordt has won each of the past four meetings while Concordia leads the all-time series, 9-5.
Women’s Soccer
· Both outings last week were decided by 1-0 final scores as the Bulldogs took on two in-state GPAC rivals. Concordia earned a 1-0 road win over College of Saint Mary on Oct. 12 before falling by that same score at the hands of Hastings, at home, on Oct. 15. Four Concordia games this season have finished with 1-0 scores. Head Coach Thomas Goines’ squad now stands at 8-4-2 overall (3-4-2 GPAC) with three games remaining in the regular season. For more information on Concordia Women’s Soccer, click HERE.
· There’s work to be done in terms of ensuring a spot in the GPAC tournament that begins with the quarterfinals on Nov. 2. The Bulldogs are currently tied with Morningside for seventh place (11 points) while situated just behind the likes of Midland (14 points) and College of Saint Mary (12 points) and just in front of Doane (10 points). The top eight teams in the standings participate in the league playoffs. As a program, Concordia has qualified for GPAC postseason 13-straight years and won GPAC tournament titles in 2014, 2016 and 2020.
· The seniors were part of that conference tournament championship run in ’20. The class was honored prior to kickoff versus Hastings. The group includes Aliyah Aldama, Caitlin Davis, Allee Downing, Ellie Eason, Lina Kirst, Kadyn Lane, Lisa McClain and Grace Soenksen. Collectively, the group owns a combined 421 games of collegiate experience and has produced 31 goals and 21 assists since the start of the 2019 season. During that stretch, the program has put up a four-year record of 34-28-8. A Sioux City, Iowa, native, Downing has appeared in all 70 Concordia games since the beginning of 2019. Three of her classmates have also played in at least 60 games: Aldama (68), Soenksen (68) and Eason (65). Kirst leads the senior group with eight career goals.
· The Bulldogs have beaten College of Saint Mary by a 1-0 score in each of the past three series meetings. Incredibly, the Flames have not managed to score a goal against Concordia since 2015. The latest meeting came down to Niah Kirchner’s goal in the 54th minute (assisted by McClain). The game was affected significantly by strong wind gusts – the Bulldogs actually got their one goal while going against the wind. Concordia was outshot slightly, 13-10, but had edges in shots on goal, 6-4, and corners, 4-3. Kalie Ward earned credit for the shutout while making four saves.
· There have been plenty of close battles in recent years with Hastings, which ended the Bulldogs’ 2021 season in the GPAC quarterfinals, 1-0. It was a physical and intense clash last week without a single goal scored in the run of play. Dekota Schubert gave the Broncos a lead they would not surrender with a penalty kick goal in the 31st minute. Two shots were put on frame by Kirst while freshman Kierstynn Garner had one particularly dangerous run in the second half. On the other end, it was a fine night for Ward, who collected eight saves.
· Considering the standings, this will be a critical week. Concordia will host Briar Cliff (10-1-2, 8-0-1 GPAC) at 5:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday before traveling to Aberdeen, S.D., for a 1 p.m. matchup with Presentation (5-4-3, 2-4-2 GPAC) on Saturday. Still undefeated in league play, the Chargers are battling with Jamestown (8-0 GPAC) for the conference regular season title. As for the Saints, they remain in contention for a top eight spot in the standings.
Men’s Soccer
· A mid-week bye allowed the Bulldogs to rest and recharge the batteries as they prepped for the Oct. 15 matchup with first-place Hastings. The rivalry clash lived up to its billing as the two sides played to a 1-1 draw in what was a fiercely competitive battle. Concordia was the clear aggressor in the second half while erasing a 1-0 halftime deficit. Hastings still appears poised to win the GPAC regular season title, but the Bulldogs (10-2-2, 5-1-2 GPAC) have shown they are on par with anyone in the league. For more information on Concordia Men’s Soccer, click HERE.
· The reality is that the Bulldogs really had to have the win over Hastings for a shot to claim the conference regular season championship. The margin for error had gone out the window with the loss to Dordt and tie at Morningside. The goal moving forward this regular season is for Concordia to lock down the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament. The Bulldogs currently reside in second place with 17 conference points (Hastings holds down first with 25 points). Concordia will have to hold off the likes of Dordt (16 points) and Northwestern (15 points) to keep that No. 2 spot. During the GPAC era (2000-present), the Bulldogs’ highest ever conference regular season finish was a tie for second in 2017.
· By the end of 90 minutes at Bulldog Stadium this past Saturday, the Broncos left feeling like they were fortunate this was a draw. Concordia outshot Hastings, 12-4, over the game’s final 45 minutes and held a 10-1 advantage in corner kicks. The Broncos dodged several close calls while also getting stellar play from their keeper, Brendan Dally (eight saves). Hastings took a 1-0 lead on David Panter’s goal in the 43rd minute. The Bulldogs tied the score, 1-1, when Max Bisinger knocked in a goal after chasing down the rebound in the 66th minute. Eight Concordia players put at least one shot on goal. The Bulldogs and Broncos also tied, 3-3, in their 2021 meeting.
· Concordia has now received votes in the NAIA coaches’ top 25 poll in back-to-back polls (Oct. 5 and 12). During Head Coach Jason Weides’ 15 years leading the program, the Bulldogs have received national votes in four separate seasons (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022). Concordia is still looking to crack the top 25 for the first time ever. In order to do that in ’22, the Bulldogs will likely need a strong finish to the regular season and an extended postseason run. Perhaps the greatest team in program history, the ’17 squad was listed at No. 36 in the final coaches’ poll.
· Through 14 games, Concordia has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 34-15. The Bulldogs have outscored their GPAC foes, 25-12, through eight league games. A two-time GPAC Offensive Player of the Week this season, Dominic Abdel-Ahad just missed out on moving into double figures in goals scored in last week’s action. Abdel-Ahad has tallied nine goals this fall. Six of his teammates have posted three or more goals in 2022: Carlos Orquiz (four), Ryan Wokutch (four), Bisinger (three), Martin Herrera (three), Miguel Navarro (three) and Matt Schultz (three).
· It’s crunch time in terms of the regular season slate. Concordia will host Briar Cliff (4-6-5, 2-2-4 GPAC) at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday before traveling to Aberdeen, S.D., for a 3 p.m. clash with Presentation (2-10-1, 0-8 GPAC) on Saturday. Briar Cliff (10 GPAC points) is sitting in the middle of the conference standings while Presentation is still seeking its first GPAC victory.
Volleyball
· Last week offered a chance for some much-needed rest and relaxation as the sixth-ranked Bulldogs returned from their trip north to the Dakotas. Concordia responded by outlasting No. 7 Northwestern, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-9, inside Friedrich Arena on Oct. 15. It was the lone match of the week for Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad, which has moved to 17-3 overall (8-3 GPAC). With five matches remaining in the regular season, the Bulldogs reside in a tie for third place in the GPAC standings. For more information on Concordia Volleyball, click HERE.
· Despite the losses at No. 2 Jamestown (four sets) and at then 15th-ranked Dakota Wesleyan (three sets) on the weekend of Oct. 7-8, the Bulldogs did not budge in last week’s NAIA coaches’ poll. The No. 6 landing spot again ties a program record for its best ever national ranking. As for the GPAC standings, Concordia sits behind Jamestown (9-1) and Midland (9-2) and is tied with Dakota Wesleyan (8-3). Seven GPAC teams continue to be ranked in the top 25 with five holding down spots in the NAIA top 10: No. 2 Jamestown, No. 5 Midland, No. 6 Concordia, No. 7 Northwestern and No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan.
· The Bulldogs have found a way to defeat the Red Raiders in five sets in back-to-back meetings. Concordia also won in five in Orange City, Iowa, in 2021. In the latest meeting, there was never any breathing room for either side as both teams scored in the 20s in each of the first four sets. It was also an 8-8 deadlock in the fifth set before the Bulldogs pulled away with the help of some clutch play by Carly Rodaway (15 kills and a .433 hitting percentage on the day). The Lincoln Pius X High School alum surfaced with a block for points 10 and 13 and then hammered a kill for No. 14. For match point, Camryn Opfer and Gabi Nordaker combined to stuff the Red Raider attack. For the match, Concordia narrowly outhit Northwestern, .232 to .217.
· In the win over the Red Raiders, Ashley Keck paced the Bulldogs with 18 kills from the outside. Rodaway (15), Opfer (13) and Nordaker (12) also attained double figures in the kill department. Other team leaders were Bree Burtwistle in assists (52), Nordaker in blocks (five), Rebecca Gebhardt in digs (20) and four players with one ace apiece. Three Concordia players joined Gebhardt in double digits in digs: Burtwistle (17), Opfer (17) and Lexie Kreizel (14). Three Northwestern hitters produced at least 16 kills: Alysen Dexter (19), Jazlin De Haan (16) and Bekah Horstman (16).
· The Bulldogs continue to rank No. 2 nationally in overall season hitting percentage (.270). Marian University (Ind.) leads the nation with a clip of .281. Other GPAC schools in the top 25 nationally in hitting percentage are Jamestown (third – .269), Northwestern (10th – .240) and Dakota Wesleyan (25th – .224). Five Concordia hitters have produced more than 120 kills this season: Nordaker (218), Opfer (193), Rodaway (190), Keck (173) and Kalee Wiltfong (129). As the quarterback of the attack, Burtwistle ranks fifth nationally in assists per set (11.06). Nordaker is listed eighth nationally in hitting percentage (.349).
· Concordia will be meeting both of this week’s opponents for a second time this season. The hope is to duplicate earlier results as the Bulldogs host Doane (8-21, 1-11 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday and then travel to Omaha to take on No. 13 College of Saint Mary (17-5, 7-5 GPAC) at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Concordia defeated both foes in straight sets in mid-September matchups. The Bulldogs will be looking to extend their 10-match home win streak when Doane comes to town.
Cross Country
· Meet No. 4 of the 2022 season took place on Oct. 8 as the Bulldogs entered a field at the Holiday Inn Express Classic (hosted by Dordt) that numbered more than 300 athletes and featured 14 teams for both men and women. Concordia emerged with team place finishes of second on the women’s side and third on the men’s side. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads beat out all GPAC competition other than the host team. The Bulldogs took this past week off from competition. For more information on Concordia Cross Country, click HERE.
· High placements at meets are important in terms of securing loftier spots in the NAIA national polls. The most recent NAIA cross country coaches’ polls were unveiled on Oct. 13. The women landed at No. 21, marking their third straight poll appearance of the fall. On the men’s side, the Bulldogs were able to gain some ground in the “receiving votes” category thanks to finishing above Doane at the Dordt Classic. The Concordia men got the 31st most points in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Through the first four meets, the Concordia women have recorded place finishes of ninth out of 28 at the Augustana Twilight, third out of 19 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite, first out of five at the Dean White Invite and second out of 14 at the Dordt Classic. Meanwhile, the Bulldog men have turned in place finishes of 12th out of 32 at the Augustana Twilight, sixth out of 21 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite, second out of two at the Dean White Invite and third out of 14 at the Dordt Classic. The women had not been defeated by any NAIA opponents until placing as the runner up to Dordt on Oct. 8.
· A national qualifier last season, Rylee Haecker returned to the trails after missing the Dean White Invite. Haecker emerged as the fifth highest place finisher among GPAC runners while clocking a 5k time of 18:30.35 at the Dordt Classic. This was the first time this season that Kylahn Freiberg did not lead the way for the Bulldogs. She finished in 18:41.07. Next in the team’s top five were Julie McIntyre (19:19.26), Rhaya Kaschinske (19:20.12) and Hannah Beintema (19:32.45). Concordia’s six through 10 runners at the meet were Keegan Beisel (20:22.26), Amie Martin (20:25.24), Courtney Wright (20:27.75), Faith Williamson (20:51.94) and Jaiden Tweton (21:01.59). Twenty-one competitors represented the Bulldogs. Concordia’s point total came in at 80 while Dordt finished with 49.
· The men placed behind Dordt and Grand View University (Iowa) at the Dordt Classic. Incredibly consistent, the Kearney, Neb., native Sesna has been the top Dawg at all four meets in 2022. He was coming off an individual title at the Dean White Invite. Right behind him once again was Calvin Rohde, a fellow 2022 national qualifier. Rohde just missed a top 10 overall placement of his own. Next in line for Concordia were the likes of Jimmy Nguyen (26:12.12), Jack Ellis (26:38.51) and Aaron Jendro (26:52.31). Nguyen and Jendro are both freshmen who have made an immediate impact. The six through 10 spots in the Bulldog lineup were held down in Sioux Center by Nathan Pennekamp (26:52.75), Thomas Gorline (27:04.88), Charlie Hayden (27:12.87), Jackson Smith (27:46.26) and Ryan Garvey (27:48.57). There were 15 Concordia competitors that finished the race.
It’s back to action this week as the Bulldogs gear up for the Mount Marty Invite on Saturday. That meet will get started at 10:30 a.m. CT from Fox Run Golf Course in Yankton, S.D. The Mount Marty Invite will be the final outing prior to the 2022 GPAC Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Jamestown, N.D.