Bulldog Weekly Report (Oct. 31)

By Jacob Knabel on Oct. 31, 2017 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Ryan Durdon, Football

Durdon, a native of Decatur, Texas, became the sixth 1,000-yard rusher in program history last week after piling up 201 rushing yards in a 38-16 win over Dakota Wesleyan. Over the past three weeks, Durdon has amassed 603 rushing yards in leading the Bulldogs to victories over Midland, Dordt and Dakota Wesleyan. He ranks sixth nationally in rushing yards per game (132.0).

Female: Kaitlyn Radebaugh, Soccer

Radebaugh, who hails from Roca, Neb., produced the game-winning goal in last week’s 1-0 victory over No. 20 Hastings, allowing the Bulldogs to clinch the outright GPAC regular-season title. Radebaugh is tied for the team lead with nine goals this season. Radebaugh also earned credit for the game winner in the 1-0 triumph at No. 18 Midland on Oct. 18.

Previous athletes of the week
Oct. 24 – Marcelo Hernandez (soccer) / Lindsey Carley (soccer)
Oct. 17 – Carlos Ferrer (soccer) and Grady Koch (football) / Sami Birmingham (soccer)
Oct. 10 – Micah Lehenbauer (soccer) / Kaitlyn Radebaugh (soccer)
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:

18th annual Cattle Classic: We’re getting set to host the Cattle Classic for the 18th straight year. The basketball event, co-sponsored by Concordia and The Cattle National Bank & Trust Co., raises money and food for the Blue Valley Community Action's Food Pantry. Pac N Save of Seward will match all canned food donation. The classic features four men’s games and four women’s games. For more details on the 2017 Cattle Classic (Nov. 3-4), click HERE.

Men’s basketball tips off 2017-18 with win at Kansas Wesleyan: The hoops season is underway for head coach Ben Limback’s program. In Monday’s contest at Kansas Wesleyan University, the Bulldogs shook off a 10-point second half deficit and rallied back for a 75-72 victory. Sophomore Jake Hornick dropped a career high 23 points while adding seven rebounds and four assists. Fellow sophomore Clay Reimers put up 21 points and five rebounds. For a full recap, click HERE.

Wrestling opens up season Sunday at Dan Harris Open: Second-year head coach Andrew Nicola will take his team into competition for the first time in 2017-18 when the Bulldog wrestlers compete at the Dan Harris Open on Sunday. The tournament will be hosted by Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. In last week’s preseason NAIA national rankings, Concordia checked in at No. 16 with five individually ranked grapplers. For a full season preview, click HERE.

Women’s basketball lands at No. 3 in NAIA coaches’ poll: Twelfth-year head coach Drew Olson’s program will begin the 2017-18 campaign ranked third in NAIA Division II women’s basketball. It’s the same spot the Bulldogs ended the 2016-17 season at after reaching the national semifinals for the third time in six years. Olson returns four starters from the 2016-17 GPAC regular-season and tournament championship squad. Concordia has been picked by league coaches to repeat as GPAC champions.

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.

Women’s Soccer

  • What a time to be associated with the Concordia women’s soccer program. While hosting its most meaningful regular-season contest in school history, the Bulldogs rose to the occasion with a 1-0 win over No. 20 Hastings on Oct. 25. The victory allowed Concordia to lock up its first-ever conference regular-season title. Fifth-year head coach Greg Henson’s squad has secured the No. 1 seed for the GPAC tournament and finished the regular season with records of 13-2-3 overall and 9-0-1 in conference play. For more information on Bulldog women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Henson’s program has now clearly established itself as a powerhouse within the conference. Concordia celebrated GPAC tournament championships in 2014 and 2016 and also finished as the postseason runner up in 2015. The 2017 squad became the second Bulldog team in four years to go undefeated in conference action. The 2014 edition went 7-0-3 in the GPAC and placed second. Over the past four seasons, Concordia has gone a combined 30-6-5 during conference regular-season action. Among GPAC teams, only Hastings has produced a better record.
  • The Bulldogs have actually handed the Broncos each of their last two GPAC regular-season losses. Concordia has given Hastings fits in recent seasons. The 2014 squad stunned the Broncos twice – once in the GPAC tournament championship game at Lloyd Wilson Field. The Bulldogs also got past Hastings in a PK shootout in the conference semifinals in 2015. Prior to 2014, Concordia’s only win over Hastings came in 2009 by a 2-0 score. The Broncos were ranked 20th at the time.
  • Many of the program’s successful seasons have gotten a boost from at least one significant freshman. In late-season 1-0 wins over No. 18 Midland and No. 20 Hastings, rookie Kaitlyn Radebaugh produced the game-winning goal in both instances. The native of Roca, Neb., has come off the bench in all but one game while providing an offensive spark. Her production – nine goals – has been especially impressive given her playing time and number of opportunities. She is tied for the team lead in goals despite taking just 34 shots in 18 games.
  • After allowing four goals in a loss to Bellevue University on Sept. 6, the Bulldogs morphed into one of the nation’s top defensive teams. They were utterly dominant in conference play, surrendering just a single goal over 10 GPAC regular-season games. The impressive run moved Concordia up to 17th nationally in terms of fewest goals allowed per game (0.67). On the season, Bulldog opponents have totaled 12 goals in 18 games. The program record for fewest goals allowed in a single season was 15 in 2015.
  • Named NAIA National Defensive Player of the Week, on Oct. 24, Lindsey Carley has put together a season worthy of top defensive honors in the GPAC. After making six saves in the shutout of Hastings, Carley has pushed herself to No. 8 among all NAIA goalkeepers in goals against average (0.460). Her .905 save percentage is also a higher figure than record-breaking goalkeeper Chrissy Lind (2013-16) posted in any of her four seasons as the starter. The Urbandale, Iowa, native has been tabbed a GPAC player of the week twice and was chosen as the Bulldog Athletic Association Athlete of the Month of September.
  • Voted by teammates as Concordia’s team MVP in both 2015 and 2016, junior Maria Deeter appears to have the inside track on winning the title again. She completed the regular season with nine goals and 10 assists and will be a candidate to win the GPAC offensive player of the year award. A virtual lock for first team all-conference accolades for the second year in a row, the Seward native has produced 22 goals and 21 assists in 60 career games as a midfielder.
  • Deeter and Radebaugh were two of six Bulldogs to tally at least five goals during the regular season. The others were Sami Birmingham (eight), Esther Soenksen (six), Victoria Cera (five) and Jeannelle Condame (five). Concordia enters the postseason having posted 52 goals in 18 games. Soenksen has been a constant in the lineup just like Deeter. Soenksen played in her 81st career game last week, breaking a program record that had been held by Jordan McCoy (80). Condame has also played in 81 games.
  • It’s tournament time. The top-seeded Bulldogs will host eighth-seeded Morningside (8-9, 4-6 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday in a GPAC quarterfinal matchup. The winner will advance to play either fourth-seeded Dordt (12-6, 7-3 GPAC) or fifth-seeded Northwestern (10-5-3, 5-3-2) in the semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The championship game will be staged on Friday, Nov. 10. The Red Raiders were the only GPAC team this season avoid a loss to Concordia. The Bulldogs played to a 0-0 draw with Northwestern on Oct. 7.

Football

  • An impressive stretch of football continues for a Bulldog squad featuring a rising star at running back and a physical defense. Those two attributes were on display last week in a 38-16 Concordia home victory over Dakota Wesleyan. Sophomore running back Ryan Durdon raced past 200 rushing yards for the third time this season and the defense held the Tigers to more than 200 yards fewer than their season average. Three wins in a row have moved first-year head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad to 5-3 overall and to 4-2 in conference play (third place). For more information on Concordia football, click HERE.
  • The Bulldog defense has gotten nasty ever since a rough second half in a loss at Hastings on Sept. 30. The team’s last three opponents have posted yardage totals of 264, 300 and 360, respectively. Prolific Dakota Wesleyan quarterback Dillon Turner was flustered into going 15-for-37 with a fumble lost. A year earlier, Turner lit up the Concordia defense for 346 passing yards and five touchdowns in a 52-30 Tiger win. The Bulldogs boast one of the nation’s top pass defenses, ranking eighth in the NAIA in pass efficiency defense (105.1).
  • A lot of Concordia’s defensive success was due to its ball-hawking secondary led by the likes of seniors D’Mauria Martin and Tarence Roby. As a unit, the Bulldogs broke up eight Turner passes with seven of those breakups coming from the trio of Nate Gilmore, Martin and Roby. Converted from corner to safety this season, Martin has been incredibly active, recording eight pass breakups, six tackles for loss and five pass breakups this fall. The Converse, Texas, native appears to be a lock for first team all-conference honors and should receive All-America consideration.
  • Durdon has made a name for himself as a sophomore. Combining power and speed, the Decatur, Texas, native rumbled for 201 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries versus Dakota Wesleyan. His 76-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter pushed him past 1,000 rushing yards for the season. Durdon is the sixth player in program history to reach that plateau. With two games to go, Durdon’s 1,056 rushing yards ranks behind only JaMaine Lewis (1,265), Cleve Wester (1,114) and Randy Pospishil (1,085) on the program’s all-time single-season rushing list. Durdon also scorched Midland for 266 yards and Kansas Wesleyan University for 208.
  • All Jared Garcia does is catch touchdowns. He caught two more last week while totaling six receptions for 116 yards. In his three games played this season, Garcia has caught 18 passes for 229 yards and four scores. Garcia’s career numbers now include 158 catches for 2,417 yards and 33 touchdowns. He continues to pursue Ross Wurdeman’s program records for career catches (168) and receiving yards (2,458). Garcia already owns school records for touchdowns grabs in a single season (11) and career.
  • While Martin is an established star on the defensive side of the ball, freshman linebacker Lane Napier could be the next big thing. He put up a career high 16 tackles in the win over Dakota Wesleyan. He also added a sack, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Napier ranks second in the conference and 31st nationally with an average of 8.4 tackles per game. Before becoming a every down player on defense, Napier even carried the ball early in the season, rushing six times for 28 yards.
  • There were game balls to go around. On the interior of the defense, senior nose guard Erik Small was a monster. He gobbled up 10 tackles, including three for loss, in a stellar effort up front last week. Small and the defense held the Tiger running back duo of Luke Loudenburg and Jonny Withrow to 65 rushing yards on 27 attempts. Small is in his first season playing on the defensive side of the ball. He has tallied 33 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks on the year.
  • Junior Riley Wiltfong has settled in as a steadying presence at quarterback. He fired touchdown tosses of 42 and 36 yards to Garcia in the win over Dakota Wesleyan. He also ran for a 45-yard score on a day defined by explosive plays offensively. The Doniphan, Neb., native went 16-for-28 for 221 yards through the air. His 87 yards rushing were a career high. Wiltfong is the team’s second leading rusher (222 yards) behind Durdon.
  • It’s time to hit the road again. Concordia would like to make sure Briar Cliff (0-9, 0-6 GPAC) remains winless when the two sides meet at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday in a game set to be played at Bishop Heelan Memorial Field in Sioux City, Iowa. The Bulldogs have one each of the last 10 matchups with the Chargers. After Saturday, Concordia will then look forward to hosting No. 4 Morningside (9-0, 6-0 GPAC) on Nov. 11.

Men’s Soccer

  • A spirited atmosphere greeted the Bulldogs as they attempted to defeat defending national champion and seventh-ranked Hastings in last week’s showdown in Seward on Oct. 25. Unfortunately, the Broncos avoided the upset thanks to a penalty kick goal by Daniel Whitehall in the 81st minute. Instead of sharing the GPAC regular-season crown, Concordia settled for a second-place finish. Tenth-year head coach Jason Weides’ squad moves into postseason play with records of 14-1-1 overall and 7-2 in conference play. For more information on Bulldog men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • The second-place conference finish is Concordia’s highest during the GPAC era that began in 2000. It’s another step up from the third-place claim the Bulldogs turned in a year ago when they went 6-3 in conference play. The 2017 squad enters the postseason already owning program records for overall wins and conference wins in a single season. Concordia had hoped to knock Hastings off its perch. The Broncos have won the regular-season title in each of the 18 years that the GPAC has existed. The Bulldogs stunned Hastings, 1-0, in the 2015 GPAC tournament championship game.
  • Still the only GPAC team to have three players reach double figures in goals scored this season, Concordia concluded the regular season with a trio of top goal scorers. Marcelo Hernandez, Micah Lehenbauer and Lewis Rathbone each have 11 goals apiece, ranking them in a tie for fourth on the conference leaderboard. Hernandez knocked in the Bulldogs’ lone goal last week by tucking a free kick inside the left post. The 11 goals represent career bests for all three Bulldogs.
  • GPAC tournament success had been difficult to come by until the 2014 team got over the hump with a 1-0 win at Doane in the quarterfinal round. Concordia then put a scare into 11th-ranked Hastings in a semifinal contest that resulted in a 2-1 overtime win for the Broncos. The Bulldogs got their revenge the next year with the aforementioned GPAC championship game upset. The road to the national tournament goes through Hastings. Last season Concordia had its season end with a 3-1 defeat at Hastings in the championship match.
  • The Bulldogs ended the regular season with an impressive +34 goal differential (47 goals scored, 13 goals allowed). Amongst conference teams, Concordia ranks No. 1 in fewest goals allowed per game (0.76) and third in goals scored per game (2.76). The +34 goal differential ranks as the best figure during Weides’ 10-year tenure. Next best was the +25 differential posted by the 2011 team that won 11 games. This will be the seventh-consecutive year that the program has recorded a positive goal differential.
  • During the program’s recent run of success, Weides has continually funneled in quality keepers to replace the ones that graduate and move on. After Mark Horsburgh graduated following two seasons as a starting keeper, junior Jack Bennett stepped into the role this fall. The native of Oxford, England, has quickly become one of the nation’s top keepers. He ranks 18th nationally in goals against average (0.790) and owns a .787 save percentage. He has started all 17 games.
  • Bennett is one of four Bulldogs to have started each contest during the regular season. The other constants have been junior defender Angel Alvarez, senior defender Luke Batters and sophomore forward Carlos Ferrer. Three teammates have started exactly 16 games: senior defender Florian Caraballo, freshman defender Kevin Sanchez and senior midfielder Lewis Rathbone.
  • A lengthy postseason would put Weides very near 100 career head coaching victories. He entered the week with a career mark of 95-77-18, making him the second winningest coach in program history (the top spot is held by longtime coach Jack Kinworthy). Weides has also edged above .500 in conference play at 47-46-10 since becoming head coach in 2008. Weides has been involved in many of the program’s top seasons as either a player or coach. The 2017 team broke the 2000 squad’s school record for wins in a season. The 2000 team, which featured Weides as a defender, went 12-7 overall.
  • Now it’s time to find out if Concordia can duplicate the postseason runs of the past two years and reach the GPAC championship game for a third year in a row. The conference quarterfinals will take place tonight (Oct. 31) with the third-seeded Bulldogs hosting sixth-seeded Briar Cliff (11-5-1, 4-4-1 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT. The winner will advance to play either second-seeded Northwestern (11-5-2, 7-2 GPAC) or seventh-seeded Doane (5-12-1, 3-5-1 GPAC) in the semifinals on Saturday. The championship game will be staged on Thursday, Nov. 9. Concordia picked up a 2-1 win at Briar Cliff on Oct. 4.

Volleyball

  • The final week of the regular season has arrived for the Bulldogs, who remain hopeful of qualifying for the GPAC tournament. Last week Concordia dipped outside the conference for a straight-sets win over Grace University on Oct. 24. Four days later, the Bulldogs fell in three sets at Briar Cliff, putting an end to what had been a four-match win streak. Sixth-year head coach Scott Mattera’s squad sits at 9-17 overall and at 3-12 in conference play (tied for eighth). For more information on the Concordia volleyball program, click HERE.
  • The four-match win streak helped push Mattera closer to 100 career wins. He now stands at 97-92 overall since taking over as head coach in 2012. Mattera rebuilt the program and produced consecutive winning seasons from 2013 through 2015. The 2015 Bulldogs broke through with a national tournament berth and finished with 26 wins. The 2014 edition also reached the 20-win mark.
  • Freshman Tara Callahan is becoming a more dangerous weapon as she progresses through her rookie season. The native of Brady, Neb., just missed a career high with her 11 kills (on 15 swings) in the victory over Grace. She also tossed up 33 assists on the same day she was named the GPAC setter of the week. Callahan then added 26 assists and six kills at Briar Cliff. She has racked up 826 assists and 99 kills over 92 sets this season.
  • Callahan should soon become the seventh Bulldog to eclipse 100 kills in 2017. Sophomore Alex La Plant paces the team with 232 kills. Last week junior Jenna Habegger (206 kills) also went past the 200-kill barrier. Other teammates with at least 100 kills are sophomore Emmie Noyd (160), junior Kelsey Baarck (137), senior Annie Friesen (107) and freshman Anna Lund (103).
  • Like Callahan, freshman Marissa Hoerman looks to have a bright future. The defensive specialist from Evergreen, Colo., racked up 20 digs at Briar Cliff. That total was three short of the career high she recorded in the Oct. 20 win over Dakota Wesleyan. Hoerman has taken over the libero role and has 207 digs in 85 sets played this season.
  • Most Bulldog matches over the past month or so have been finished in short order. Ten of their last 13 outings have been decided in exactly three sets. Concordia has won three of those ten, claiming straight sets victories over Dakota Wesleyan, Mount Marty and Grace. Only three times have the Bulldogs gone to a fifth set this season. All three resulted in defeats (No. 20 Bellevue University, University of Mary and College of Saint Mary).
  • With the four wins in a row all coming inside Walz Arena, Concordia improved its home record to 8-7. The Bulldogs will have to reach the GPAC tournament in order to get another shot at picking up their first road win. They have gone 0-9 in true road matches and 1-1 in contests played on a neutral court. Concordia is also still searching for its first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent.
  • Noyd swatted seven kills at Briar Cliff, but her .174 hitting percentage ended a stretch of five matches in a row with hitting percentages of .385 or better. During the three-win week (week of Oct. 16), Noyd slammed 34 combined kills and committed just two errors. Her .305 hitting percentage on the season ranks best on the team. The 6-foot-2 Noyd has collected 319 kills and 148 blocks in 177 career sets played.
  • The situation is simple. In order for Concordia to lock into the No. 8 seed for the conference tournament, it needs to either defeat ninth-ranked Midland (17-8, 10-5 GPAC) on Wednesday or have Dakota Wesleyan (3-12 GPAC) lose at home to No. 20 Morningside on Wednesday. Should the Bulldogs secure the No. 8 seed, they would likely be headed to No. 5 Hastings on Saturday for the GPAC quarterfinals. Wednesday’s match with Midland is set to get underway at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Cross Country

  • The Bulldogs have been idle since making their way to Fox Run Golf Course in Yankton, S.D., for the Mount Marty College Invite on Oct. 21. The Concordia women placed third out of nine teams while the men finished fifth out of 10 teams in the field. Prior to the Mount Marty Invite, head coach Matt Beisel’s squads had also competed at the Dordt College Classic (Sept. 9), the Dean White Invite (Sept. 23) and the Briar Cliff Invite (Oct. 7). For more information on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
  • At the Mount Marty Invite, the Bulldogs outran three of their four GPAC competitors on the men’s side and bettered two of their three conference rivals on the women’s side. The men managed to beat out Dakota Wesleyan (seventh), Briar Cliff (ninth) and Mount Marty (10th). Meanwhile, the women placed above Mount Marty (seventh) and Dakota Wesleyan (ninth). According to the most recent official GPAC ratings (Oct. 23), Concordia is ranked fifth in the GPAC for men and women.
  • The frontrunner all season on the women’s side, senior Emily Deschaine finished a fraction of a second off of a season best while in action in Yankton. Her fifth-place finish (out of 94 runners) marked her highest placement of the season. She completed the 5k course in 19:33.30. Her season best was 19:33.12 at the season-opening Dordt Classic. She also turned in a time of 19:56.22 at the Dean White Invite and clocked in at 20:07.83 on a course measured roughly 200 meters longer than a 5k at the Briar Cliff Invite.
  • Freshman Alyssa Fye appears primed to make a strong push for a national championships bid at this week’s conference championships. A native of Randolph, Neb., Fye could jump into the team’s starring role next season when Deschaine has graduated. Fye recorded her first career top-10 finish two weeks ago, placing ninth with a time of 19:58.95 for a season best. It was nearly a minute faster than the time she turned in four weeks earlier in Crete. Fye has finished inside the top 30 at all four meets in her rookie season.
  • The rest of the team’s top 10 at the Mount Marty Invite included sophomore Rebekah Hinrichs (20:02.00; 10th), freshman Alyssa Bierwagen (20:58.64; 25th) and sophomore Sydney Clark (21:09.23; 27th), junior Jacy Johnston (21:11.80; 31st), sophomore Miranda Rathjen (21:25.41; 36th), freshmen Lydia Cook (21:31.04; 39th) and Tayler Gipe (21:41.21; 43rd) and junior Abby Protzman (21:47.77; 45th). The roster of competitors will have to be trimmed to 10 for the conference championships.
  • Junior Thomas Taylor continues to lead the charge on the men’s side. He placed 22nd overall (17th when excluding the unattached runners) with a time of 27:34.52 on the 8k Mount Marty Invite course. That figure was roughly 40 seconds slower than his season best of 26:55.69 at the Briar Cliff Invite. Taylor has put up place finishes of 11th, 10th, 19th and 22nd, respectively, this season.
  • The big mover in Yankton was freshman Christian Van Cleave. He clocked a season best of 28:12.42 and was the runner up among Bulldogs. Van Cleave had been running anywhere from sixth to eighth on the team through the first three meets of the season. He finished 31st overall out of the field of 104 male runners in Yankton.
  • The team’s Nos. 3 through 5 spots in Yankton were held down by seniors Pat Wortmann (28:18.34; 36th) and Kohlton Gabehart (28:19.82) and junior Evan Asche (28:46.65; 53rd). Just behind Asche, freshman Cody Williams turned in a personal best of 28:48.41 (54th). Rounding out the top 10 were four three freshmen, Christian Watters (29:46.06; 73rd), Patrick Schneeberger (30:06.52; 77th), Jayden Graham (30:13.94; 78th), and one junior, Cameron Moes (30:18.78; 80th).
  • Now it’s all about prepping for the upcoming GPAC championships, which will take place in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Saturday. Both Bulldog squads have hopes of improving upon their sixth-place conference finishes in 2016. National championship bids will be on the line at the conference meet. Last season Deschaines qualified individually for nationals thanks to a ninth-place claim at the GPAC championships. During the GPAC era (2000-present) the program has collected a total of six conference championships (three for the men, three for the women).