Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Joe McCarroll, Soccer
A sophomore from Prestwick, Scotland, Joe McCarroll continued his offensive surge last week as he scored two goals in the 4-1 win over Hastings and one goal in the 15-0 victory over Waldorf. As a result, Concordia clinched the No. 1 seed for the GPAC tournament. The Journalism and Public Relations major leads the Bulldogs with eight goals this season.
Female: Seohyeon Jang, Tennis
A first-year Bulldog from Seoul, South Korea, Seohyeon Jang continued her impressive fall season while winning the NAIA singles national championship at the ITA Cup in Rome, Ga., this past week. Jang’s path to the championship included wins over competitors seeded Nos. 2 and 4 nationally. The Business Administration major went 14-0 in singles matches this fall.
2026-27 BAAM Athletes of the Week
Oct. 13 – Jett Farwell, Football / Bella Hedke, Volleyball
Oct. 6 – Ella Brueggemann, Volleyball / Joe McCarroll, Soccer
Sept. 29 – Elijah Fulton, Soccer / Seohyeon Jang, Tennis
Sept. 22 – Abby Haynes, Soccer / Kaden Thompson, Football
Sept. 15 – Seohyeon Jang, Tennis / Carter Wiebusch, Soccer
Sept. 8 – Laynee Baker, Volleyball / Kai Olbrich, Men’s Soccer
Sept. 1 – Myla Emery, Volleyball / Gideon Stark, Football
Aug. 25 – Shandy Fa’ali’i, Volleyball / Sean Stratman, Men’s Soccer
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday (when classes are in session) 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.
Jang makes history, wins NAIA ITA Cup singles championship: The very first Bulldog to ever qualify for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Cup, Seohyeon “Lay” Jang made the most of her opportunity. This past week in Rome, Ga., Jang won the NAIA ITA Cup singles championship while going 4-0 in the 16-player bracket (which can be found HERE). Seeded third, Jang toppled unseeded opponents in the round of 16 and quarterfinals before proceeding to defeat Georgia Gwinnett’s second-ranked Suryanshi Suryanshi, 6-4, 6-3, in the semifinals and Doane’s fourth-ranked Maria Purizaca, 6-4, 6-1, in the championship match. This fall, Jang went unbeaten in singles as she won the GPAC Fall Individual Championships, the ITA Central West Regional Championships and the ITA Cup. Including her victory in the dual versus Midland (a 6-1 team win), Jang posted a 14-0 mark this fall. Jang is a native of Seoul, South Korea, and is a Business Administration major. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s tennis programs will resume action in the spring of 2027.
Winter sports get started later this month: Season openers are fast approaching for three specific winter sports: men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling. Concordia Athletics began rolling out winter sport season previews last week. Links to those previews can be found below. Fans can get an early look at Coach Drew Olson’s squad at this Wednesday’s exhibition game at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Game time is 6:30 p.m. CT from Sapp Fieldhouse. Admission will be free at UNO.
--Men’s Basketball | Season Opener: Oct. 29 at Kansas Wesleyan.
--Women’s Basketball | Season Opener: Oct. 30 vs. Valley City State (in Mitchell, S.D.).
--Wrestling | Season Opener: Oct. 31 at Friends Open.
Powerlifting opens 2026-27 competition season: The competition season officially started for Concordia Powerlifting when the Bulldogs hosted the CUNE Collegiate Powerlifting Meet on Oct. 3. Six Concordia freshmen competed and made their collegiate debuts. Freshman Jordyn Loseke accumulated the highest DOTS score among Bulldogs. All four freshmen women who competed posted totals that qualify them for the national championships. A recap of the meet can be found HERE. The next events on the schedule are the Iowa-Nebraska State Weightlifting Championships (Oct. 24) and the Central Collegiate Cup Series (Nov. 21-22) for powerlifting. Season previews for Head Coach Freddie Myles’ teams are linked below. On another note, senior Kaiden Mima traveled to Mexico recently and competed in the Pan American Junior Championships. He earned three gold medals (in weightlifting) for his efforts.
--2026-27 Powerlifting Season Preview
--2026-27 Weightlifting Season Preview
Ballfield Project underway, funding still sought: Over the summer, Concordia University, Nebraska went public with the Shine Forth Campaign, an initiative that includes the hybrid baseball-softball Ballfield Project. Concordia continues to seek funding for the project, which will bring a state-of-the-art facility to the east part of campus. For more details on the Ballfield Project, check out the article that first appeared in the Broadcaster magazine HERE.
Concordia Athletics features: The Concordia Athletics website regularly spotlights Bulldog student-athletes, teams and alums with detailed profiles and feature articles. Recent feature stories are linked below.
--Former teammates (Jason Weides and Bernie Ochoa) reunite over passion for Concordia, Bulldog Soccer
--Shandy Fa’ali’i takes on expanded on-court, leadership role
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show has returned for a 12th year. 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 2026-27 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. Eric Allgood will be the primary voice for 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 with the 2023-24 academic year, Concordia Athletics began a partnership with Hudl for live video 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 via the Hudl account. For select JV streams, check out that specific sport’s Facebook page. Starting in 2026-27, Concordia broadcasts are simulcast with the GPAC Network and Urban Edge Network.
Men’s Soccer
· Current record: 10-4, 8-0 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Hastings, 4-1, on Oct 14.
o Won at Waldorf, 15-0, on Oct. 17.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Selection Committee Poll
· Notable: Season No. 1 of Bernie Ochoa’s collegiate head coaching tenure has yielded the first GPAC regular season championship in men’s soccer program history. Two decisive wins last week pushed the Bulldogs to 8-0 in league play, clinching at least a share of the regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming GPAC tournament. The offensive onslaught continued last week as Concordia toppled arch rival Hastings, 4-1, and then went on the road and trounced Waldorf, 15-0. Eleven different Bulldogs scored at least one goal with three apiece scored by Joe McCarroll and Kai Olbrich over last week’s two victories. Two goals each came from Hugo Garrote, Jasper Hofland, Sebastian Montino and Karlo Rodriguez. Notably, McCarroll ran his team leading season goal count to eight. In goal, Florian Quast played 135 of the 180 minutes and surrendered just one goal versus Hastings/Waldorf. Concordia continues to get high level play along the back line from the likes of Sean Stratman and Michael Wyvill. Dating back to last season, the program has won each of its last 14 games against GPAC opponents, including the 2025 conference tournament title run. The Bulldogs will be idle in the middle of this week while preparing to host Northwestern on Saturday afternoon. The regular season will conclude on Oct. 28 versus Midland. Worth noting, the program won GPAC tournament championships under Jason Weides in 2015, 2022 and 2025.
· For a closer look at this week’s matchups, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 21 – Bye.
o Saturday, Oct. 24 vs. Northwestern (9-2-3, 4-2-2 GPAC), 3:30 p.m.
Volleyball
· Current record: 20-3, 11-1 GPAC; ranked No. 3 in the NAIA selection committee poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Mount Marty, 25-15, 25-18, 25-21, on Oct. 14.
o Won at College of Saint Mary, 25-18, 19-25, 25-20, 25-13, on Oct. 17.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Selection Committee Poll
· Notable: Following their first GPAC defeat of the season, the Bulldogs bounced back while winning last week over Mount Marty (home) in three sets and over College of Saint Mary (away) in four sets (earning regular season sweeps of both foes). With four matches remaining in the regular season, Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad sits in second place behind Northwestern (11-0) atop the conference standings. Statistically, Concordia was dominant last week as it outnumbered Mount Marty/CSM by counts of 92-71 in kills, .272 to .084 in hitting percentage, 16-12 in aces and 20-5 in blocks. It was an especially strong week on the attack for freshman Samantha Kimbell, who posted 21 kills while hitting .408. In controlling the net, Bella Hedke and Makenna Starkey both contributed to 10 blocks. Now 23 matches into the season overall, Concordia has been led in 2026 by Shandy Fa’ali’i in kills (288), digs (205) and aces (36), Myla Emery in assists (480), Starkey in blocks (78) and Hedke in hitting percentage (.275). The Bulldogs will have a bye in the middle of this week before heading to 11th-ranked Midland on Saturday. Based on the most recent NAIA selection committee top 25, Concordia owns ranked wins over No. 4 Morningside, No. 11 Midland, No. 14 McPherson College (Kan.), No. 17 Nelson University (Texas) and No. 24 Dakota Wesleyan.
· For additional news and notes on Concordia Volleyball, check out the team’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 21 – Bye.
o Saturday, Oct. 24 at No. 11 Midland (17-7, 8-4 GPAC), 5 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
· Current record: 8-3-3, 7-1-1 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Lost vs. No. 25 Hastings, 2-0, on Oct 14.
o Won at Waldorf, 9-0, on Oct. 17.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Selection Committee Poll
· Notable: It was a wide variance in terms of the opponents Concordia played last week. In a matchup with GPAC regular season championship implications, the Bulldogs were edged by rival Hastings, 2-0, in the middle of the week. The Broncos mustered the offense they needed in the first half as Avery Higgins (21’) and Madie Miles (45’) found the back of the net. The result put Hastings (7-0-1 GPAC; 22 pts) in the driver’s seat in the conference race, ahead of Concordia (7-1-1, 22 pts), Morningside (6-1-1, 19 pts) and Mount Marty (6-2, 18 pts). This past Saturday, the Bulldogs got back in the win column with a 9-0 thumping of Waldorf. Right back Avery Black notched the game’s first goal and finished with two scores. Seven of her teammates chipped in with a goal apiece: Abby Haynes, Melissa Howard, Braelyn Popple, Kyana Rios, Triniti Rowe, Guadalupe Sanchez and Addie Snyder. Molli Kalsbeck was credited with two assists. For the season, Concordia has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 31-16. Sanchez collected her seventh goal of the campaign as part of the win at Waldorf, which marked the team’s final regular season road trip. Concordia has the middle of this week off while readying to play Northwestern on Saturday and Midland next Wednesday (Oct. 28).
· For additional news and notes, check out the program’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 21 – Bye.
o Saturday, Oct. 24 vs. Northwestern (9-7, 3-6 GPAC), 1 p.m.
Football
· Current record: 3-3, 3-3 GPAC.
· Most recent:
o Won at No. Dakota Wesleyan, 24-21, on Oct 10.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The Bulldogs were idle last week. Back on Oct. 10, in the second of three straight road outings, Concordia shook off an early deficit and secured a 24-21 victory at Dakota Wesleyan. The game turned early in the third quarter when Tiger quarterback Jed Jensen was picked off by corner Jett Farwell, who gathered the ball and raced 79 yards for a touchdown. The play made it a 21-14 Bulldog lead at the 10:16 mark of the third period. Concordia’s first two touchdowns came on scoring tosses from quarterback Camden Jensen, who found receiver Adam Van Cleave from three yards out and tight end Maddox Rickertsen from six yards out. Jensen made his second career start and completed 20-of-35 passes for 140 yards and also rushed 17 times for 47 yards. Freshman Dylan Mika carried the ball 18 times for 66 yards in his second start. Van Cleave finished with 11 catches for 76 yards. Defensively, the Bulldogs came away with 11 tackles for loss, six sacks and two interceptions (including one from Luke Penrod). Both Dylan Meyer (nine tackles, three TFLs, one sack) and AJ Frazey (seven tackles, 3.5 TFLs, two sacks) enjoyed productive games. The victory marked the 50th of Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s tenure. He ranks No. 4 on the program’s all-time wins list behind past head coaches in Courtney Meyer (70), Larry Oetting (63) and Herb Meyer (62). Concordia hopes to travel a healthier roster to No. 6 Morningside this Saturday.
· For details on each week’s matchup, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· Next up:
o Bye; will play at No. 6 Morningside (6-1, 5-1 GPAC) on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Cross Country
· Most recent:
o Placed 5th/13 on the men’s side and 6th/13 on the women’s side at the Dordt Holiday Inn Express Classic on Oct. 10.
· Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster | NAIA Ratings: Men | Women
· Notable: The grueling stretch of three consecutive weekends with a meet concluded on Oct. 10 for the Bulldogs, who entered 53 total runners into the field of competitors at the Holiday Inn Express Classic hosted by Dordt. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads came away with place finishes of fifth out of 13 on the men’s and sixth out of 13 on the women’s side (in the Gold Divisions). The men’s team finished third among the six GPAC teams present at Dordt while led at the top of the lineup by junior Vaughn Hendrickson (25:32.6 8K) and seniors Trey Robertson (25:53.1) and Justin Sherman (26:32.7). Meanwhile, the women’s team placed fourth among seven GPAC teams behind its strong freshman class, spurred by Hope Beck (23:03.5 6K), Katie Johnsen (23:34.5) and Rachel Prince (23:38.7). Beck and Hendrickson were both named GPAC Runners of the Week following the Briar Cliff Invite. Beck has been the women’s team’s top runner at all four meets this season. In NAIA coaches’ polls released last week, Concordia received votes on the women’s side and did not receive any votes on the men’s side (same as the previous rating). The Bulldogs took advantage of a needed break in the schedule last week. The final regular season meet will take place this Saturday with the Blazing Tiger Classic set for a 10 a.m. CT start from Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb.
· For additional news and notes on the Concordia Cross Country teams, click HERE.
· Up next:
o Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Blazing Tiger Classic (Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb.), 10 a.m.
Shooting Sports
· Most recent:
o Placed 2nd/12 at the Hastings Bronco Invite on Oct. 3-4.
· Links: 2026-27 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: In the second-to-last outing of the fall semester, the Bulldogs showed immense progress, placing second HOA (high overall) among 12 teams at the Hastings College Invitational (Oct. 3-4). Concordia busted 1,797 targets towards the team leaderboard while shining with a total of 461 in doubles skeet (second best in the field). Individually, Devin Harris placed as the HOA runner up and men’s sporting clays champion and Katie Welker-Luetje claimed women’s HOA and 5-stand championships. From an HOA perspective, Concordia’s top five competitors at the event in Grand Island, Neb., were Harris (367), Welker-Luetje (364), Clayton Gellerman (361), Jerry Kaibel (345) and Delayna Rife (338). The Bulldogs also shot team scores of 477 in trap, 447 in super sporting, 412 in sporting clays and 216 in 5-stand (and placed second in sporting clays and super sporting). Rarely included in collegiate shoots, 5-stand did not factor into HOA scoring. In doubles skeet, Concordia was paced by Harris (95), Gellerman (94), Welker-Luetje (92), Cody Carlson (90) and Faith Ritchie (90). Iowa Western Community College took the team title with a total of 1,835. After two weekends off from competition, Head Coach Dylan Owens’ Bulldogs are preparing for the final event of the fall semester, the Southeast Community College Invitational on Saturday and Sunday. The action will take place at Lincoln Trap & Skeet Club.
· Up next:
o Southeast Community College Invitational on Oct. 24-25.