Bulldog Athletics Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Keeli Green, Cross Country
A sophomore (in terms of athletic eligibility), Keeli Green posted a personal best 6k time while placing third at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic this past weekend. Green’s new PR clocked in at 21:34.52, best among all GPAC competitors in the race. Green is a Secondary Education major.
Male: Vaughn Hendrickson, Cross Country
A sophomore from Fort Wayne, Ind., Vaughn Hendrickson ran the second best 8k time of his college career and placed third at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic on Oct. 25. Hendrickson crossed the finish line in 24:49.43 while outkicking all other GPAC runners. Hendrickson is an Elementary Education major.
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Week
Oct. 28 – Keeli Green (cross country); Vaughn Hendrickson (cross country)
Oct. 21 – Addie Kirkegaard (volleyball) / Taylor Slaymaker (soccer); Adam Van Cleave (football)
Oct. 14 – Oliver Benson (soccer); Kierstynn Garner (soccer)
Oct. 7 – Carlos Collazo (football); Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 30 – Hugo Fuentes & Nick Velders (tennis) / Peyton Atwood (football); Sadie Mares (soccer)
Sept. 23 – Oliver Balazs (soccer); Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 16 – Carson Fehlhafer (football); Ella Waters (volleyball)
Sept. 9 – Sam Blevins (shooting sports); Molli Martin (volleyball)
Sept. 2 – Emery Custer (golf); Slade Leicht (soccer)
Aug. 26 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer); Ashley Keck (volleyball); Sean Stratman (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.
26th annual Cattle Classic set for Nov. 7-8: The 26th annual Cattle Classic is slated to play out on Nov. 7-8 inside Friedrich Arena. The event, co-sponsored by Concordia and Cattle Bank & Trust, raises money and food for the Blue Valley Community Action's Food Pantry. Pac N Save of Seward will match all canned food donations. A total of eight basketball games will be played over the two-day event. For more details on the Cattle Classic, click HERE.
Previewing Concordia basketball/wrestling seasons: The Bulldog Basketball seasons are already underway with the men and women playing this past Saturday. Meanwhile, Head Coach Josh Watts’ wrestling team will open the 2025-26 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Friends Falcon Open. For a closer look at the basketball and wrestling programs, check out season previews linked below.
--Season previews: Men’s Basketball | Women’s Basketball | Wrestling.
Weightlifting kicks off 2025-26 season: Year four of Concordia Weightlifting is underway. The season got started this past Saturday (Oct. 18) with the Iowa-Nebraska State Championships in Ralston, Neb., where the Bulldogs earned the team title. Fifteen Bulldogs contributed to the championship, including five athletes who broke school records. New school standards were set for snatch, clean and jerk and overall total within their respective weight classes by the likes of Evan Fukuhara (79kg), Taylor Hedke (63kg), Enzo Mancini (110kg), Kaiden Mima (65kg) and Abby Nelson (53kg). Hedke (Marysville, Kan.) broke the school record for Q-points, which is a statistical formula to adjust the total weight lifted for body mass. Next on the schedule will be the Virus Weightlifting Finals (Dec. 4-7) in Daytona Beach, Fla. Concordia Powerlifting has also had one meet so far this season. The next powerlifting event is the Central Collegiate Cup Series (Nov. 22-23). For a closer look at Head Coach Freddie Myles’ programs, check out the links below. In another piece of news from this past weekend, Myles was recognized as 2025 Iowa-Nebraska Weightlifting State Organization Coach of the Year.
--Season Previews: Powerlifting | Weightlifting.
Featuring Concordia athletes: The Concordia Athletics website frequently profiles student-athletes and their stories. For two recent features on Bulldog athletes, check out the links below.
--Emery Custer
--Carson Fehlhafer
--Daylon Henson
--Niah Kirchner
--Concordia VB Seniors
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show has returned for an 11th 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 2025-26 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, basketball and volleyball. In addition, Eric Allgood will call select volleyball matches in place of Cyza.
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.
Cross Country
· Most recent:
o Men – placed 6th/26 at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic on Oct. 25.
o Women – placed 9th/27 at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic on Oct. 25.
· Links: 2025 Schedule | Roster | NAIA Polls: Men | Women
· Notable: The best performances of the season so far came this past weekend for the Bulldogs, who posted place finishes of sixth out of 26 on the men’s side and ninth out of 27 on the women’s side at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic co-hosted by College of Saint Mary and Doane. The field was made up exclusively of NAIA programs and included a combined seven NAIA top 25 teams. Four Concordia runners emerged with t-shirts in recognition of top 25 individual placements: Keeli Green (third), Vaughn Hendrickson (third), Trey Robertson (15th) and Aidan Limback (22nd). Hendrickson has returned to the form he showed last year as a freshman sensation. At the meet in Ashland, Neb., Hendrickson clocked an 8k time of 24:49.43 and was the top GPAC place finisher. On the women’s side, Green was the top GPAC competitor as she ran the 6k in 21:34.52. Both the men’s and women’s teams defeated two opponents that were among the “receiving votes” teams in the most recent NAIA coaches’ polls. The outing at Mahoney State Park marked the final one of the regular season and will lead Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads into the 2025 GPAC Championships set for Saturday, Nov. 8 when the Bulldogs will be right back in Ashland. Concordia came away from the 2024 GPAC Championships with place finishes of third on the men’s side and fourth on the women’s side. Hendrickson is the reigning men’s GPAC champion.
· For additional news and notes on the Concordia Cross Country teams, click HERE.
· Up next:
o Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2025 GPAC Cross Country Championships in Ashland, Neb.
Shooting Sports
· Most recent:
o Placed 2nd/6 at SCC Bobcat Invitational on Oct. 25-26.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: The final outing of the fall portion of the 2025-26 season saw Concordia University, Nebraska Shooting Sports place second out of the six four-year institutions present at the Southeast Community College Bobcat Invitational. High overall (HOA) individual championships were claimed by Bulldogs Devin Harris on the men’s side and Katie Welker on the women’s side. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ Bulldogs knocked 1,382 targets towards the team HOA leaderboard, placing behind only Midland (1,409). In addition to the overall titles won at the SCC Invite by Harris and Welker, first-place honors by discipline were earned by Harris in sporting clays (89), Kaylee Hinton (84) in sporting clays, Sam Blevins in skeet (perfect 100) and Welker in trap (99). In addition, Hinton placed second in skeet (96) and Clayton Gellerman emerged as the men’s runner up in sporting clays (88). The HOA winning scores (out of a possible 300) were 282 for Harris and 276 for Welker. A native of Hamill, S.D., Welker held off Hinton (273; second best HOA among females) for the women’s championship. From a team perspective, the Bulldogs posted scores of 475 in trap, 484 in skeet and 423 in sporting. Skeet and sporting were contested on day one with action carrying on into darkness. The invite resumed with trap on the morning of day two. An impressive fall for Welker also included an HOA women’s title at the Midland Invite and a HOA women’s runner up finish at the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships. Concordia competed in six events in the fall and will compete in four more events this coming spring semester. The 2026 ACUI Collegiate Clay Target National Championships are set for March 15-21 in San Antonio, Texas.
· Up next:
o The 2025-26 season will resume in the spring semester with the Concordia Bulldog Sporting Invitational on Feb. 27-28.
Football
· Current record: 5-2, 5-2 GPAC; ranked No. 23 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Lost at No. 11 Morningside, 59-21, on Oct. 25.
· Links: 2025 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: A top 25 matchup in Sioux City, Iowa, provided the Bulldogs an opportunity for a resume-building win. However, 11th-ranked Morningside continued its series dominance over Concordia with a decisive 59-21 triumph. The biggest highlight from the Bulldogs’ perspective as Adam Van Cleave’s 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter. It wasn’t enough to keep up with the prolific Mustangs, who got 355 yards and five touchdowns through the air from quarterback Zack Chevalier. Concordia was also hurt by its four turnovers (three interceptions and a lost fumble). Named NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week for his role in the win at Hastings, Van Cleave finished with five catches for 69 yards and 17 rushes for 35 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Maddox Rickertsen also found the end zone on a 54-yard strike from quarterback Gideon Stark in the third quarter. The defense was led by 14 tackles from linebacker Grant Huss and fellow backer Deegan Barnes produced an interception that led to one of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns. Concordia played without the services of stars in running back Carlos Collazo and nose guard Carson Fehlhafer. The loss puts Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad in third place in the GPAC standings behind Dordt (7-0) and Morningside (6-1). The Bulldogs will be back home this Saturday to host Briar Cliff, who is coming off a 28-21 home win over Doane.
· For details on each week’s matchup, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Nov. 1 vs. Briar Cliff (5-4, 4-4 GPAC), 1 p.m.
Volleyball
· Current record: 20-2, 13-1 GPAC; ranked No. 4 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Mount Marty, 25-20, 25-20, 25-23, on Oct. 22.
o Won at College of Saint Mary, 25-15, 25-17, 19-25, 25-22, on Oct. 25.
· Links: 2025 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The win streak is up to five after the fourth-ranked Bulldogs handled their business last week with wins over Mount Marty (home) in three sets and College of Saint Mary (away) in four sets. Concordia owned significant statistical advantages over those two foes: .238 to .118 in hitting percentage, 98-77 in kills, 127-110 in digs and 15-12 in blocks (aces were even at 12 apiece). Individual statistical leaders last week by category were Ashley Keck in kills (28), aces (five) and digs (42), Savannah Shelburne in assists (51) and Ella Waters in blocks (eight). It was also a fine week on the attack for Waters, who hit .457 from the right side and added 25 kills. In the middle, Molli Martin notched 10 kills on 12 swings in the win over Mount Marty. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad earned season sweeps of both Mount Marty and College of Saint Mary. Both outings were also pink outs in support of breast cancer awareness. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad remains in second place in the GPAC standings (13-1 league mark) behind Northwestern (13-0). Only two matches remain in the regular season. The Bulldogs will be at No. 17 Midland on Saturday before hosting Doane next Tuesday (Nov. 4) in the regular season finale. The GPAC tournament will get started with the quarterfinals on Nov. 8.
· For a feature on the volleyball senior class, click HERE.
· For additional news and notes on Concordia Volleyball, check out the team’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 29 – Bye.
o Saturday, Nov. 1 at No. 17 Midland (16-8, 11-3 GPAC), 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer
· Current record: 8-8, 6-3 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Dordt, 2-0, on Oct. 25.
· Links: 2025 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: In the lone outing of last week, the Bulldogs improved their positioning for the postseason as they earned a 2-0 home win over Dordt. The clash with the Defenders remained a 0-0 stalemate into the second half until Jasper Hofland found the back of the net in the 51st minute (assisted by Karlo Rodriguez). Roughly 17 minutes later, Concordia added insurance with Oliver Balazs’ goal. From there, the Bulldogs saw out the clean sheet with Inigo Chavarria playing all 90 minutes in goal. Chavarria made five saves. Dordt wound up with a slight edge in shots, 14-12, while the Bulldogs had the advantage in corners, 7-6. Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad pushed its league record to 6-3 (18 points), good for third place heading into the final game of the regular season. Concordia will host Doane on Wednesday in the regular season finale. Win or lose, the Bulldogs have locked up a GPAC quarterfinal home game (opponent TBD) on Saturday. Complete conference tournament pairings will be announced by the GPAC at the conclusion of Wednesday night’s action. Northwestern (7-1-1 GPAC) has clinched at least a share of the GPAC regular season title. The conference tournament champion will receive the league’s one automatic bid to the national tournament. Weides’ program celebrated GPAC postseason titles in 2015 and 2022.
· For a closer look at this week’s matchups, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 29 vs. Doane (2-9-4, 1-4-4 GPAC), 5:30 p.m.
o GPAC Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 1 vs. TBD, 6 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
· Current record: 11-1-5, 6-1-3 GPAC; receiving votes in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Tied vs. Dordt, 1-1, on Oct. 25.
· Links: 2025 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: In the only contest of last week, the Bulldogs settled for a 1-1 draw with Dordt in a matchup of teams separated by a single point in the GPAC standings. Concordia faced a 1-0 deficit for more than 40 minutes after the Defenders’ Karinna Tel found the back of the net in the 41st minute. At long last, fifth-year center back Taylor Slaymaker drilled a goal in the 84th minute to salvage the tie. Dordt (6-2-2 GPAC) spent most of the game defending (only six shots). The result kept the Bulldogs in second place in the GPAC standings. Unfortunately, Concordia can no longer catch Morningside (8-1-1 GPAC), which has sewn up the outright GPAC regular season title. An automatic bid into the national tournament is still in play for the Bulldogs, who could earn one by winning the conference tournament or by placing second in the regular season and having Morningside win the GPAC postseason title. Head Coach Nick Smith’s squad (11-1-5 overall) still has endured only one defeat all season. Concordia will attempt to lock up the GPAC’s No. 2 seed when it hosts Doane on Wednesday in the regular season finale. The conference tournament will begin with the GPAC quarterfinals next Tuesday (Nov. 4). As a program, the Bulldogs won GPAC tournament titles in 2014, 2016 and 2020. The ’24 team reached the GPAC final and went on to advance to the second round of the national tournament.
· For additional news and notes, check out the program’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 29 vs. Doane (8-7-2, 6-3-1 GPAC), 8 p.m.
o GPAC Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Nov. 4 vs. TBD.
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 1-0.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Kansas Christian, 117-28, on Oct. 25.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Everyone on the varsity roster got into the act as the Bulldogs opened their season with a 117-28 demolition of Kansas Christian College this past Saturday. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad suffocated the Falcons to the tune of 46 turnovers and just 21.8 percent (12-for-55) shooting. Kansas Christian failed to hit double digits in any of the four quarters. Offensively, Concordia was paced by five double-figure scorers: Ayla Roth (16), Abbie Kromarek (14), Savi Butterfield (11), Mack Reimer (10) and Kristin Vieselmeyer (10). Reimer just missed a double-double as she led the team with eight rebounds. In her first college game, Roth (Milford High School alum) added five assists and five steals to her stat line. In the blowout, 14 Bulldogs registered in the scoring column and 13 of them pilfered at least one steal. Sammy Leu led the way in that category with six steals. Leu, Roth and Vieselmeyer were joined in the starting lineup by Bree Bunting and Raelyn Kelty. Concordia has a more difficult task in front of it today (Oct. 28) as it takes on Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. After that contest, the Bulldogs will wait until the Cattle Classic (Nov. 7-8) for a return to action.
· For additional news and notes on the women’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Tuesday, Oct. 28 at Graceland University (0-0), 1 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 0-1.
· Last week:
o Lost at No. 23 Graceland, 79-69, on Oct. 25.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The Bulldogs took on a stiff challenge to open the season as they traveled to No. 23 Graceland University (Iowa) this past Saturday in a matchup of teams that qualified for the 2025 national tournament. Concordia wound up falling by a score of 79-69 after it had cut an 18-point deficit down to three in the latter stages of the second half. The Yellowjackets were able to salt away the game at the foul line. In his first start as the team’s point guard, sophomore Dane Jacobsen totaled a career-high 19 points on 5-for-10 shooting (7-for-9 from the foul line). He also added five assists and two steals. The team’s other double figure scorers were Zac Kulus and Jaxon Stueve with 14 points apiece. Jacobsen, Kulus and Stueve were joined in the starting five by Logan Wilson and transfer Tate Odvody. The star on the other side was returning NAIA All-American Cole Bowen, who poured in a game-high 25 points. Head Coach Ben Limback has begun his 13th season at the helm of his alma mater. The Bulldogs have the difficult task of replacing All-Americans Noah Schutte and Tristan Smith and are working to get Hayden Frank and Brooks Kissinger back from injury. Next up, Concordia will take part in this weekend’s Tabor Classic in Hillsboro, Kan., where it will take on host Tabor College and Wayland Baptist University (Texas).
· For additional news and notes on the men’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week – Tabor Classic in Tabor, Kansas:
o Friday, Oct. 31 at Tabor College (0-1), 8 p.m.
o Saturday, Nov. 1 vs. Wayland Baptist University (0-0), 1 p.m.