Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Rebecca Gebhardt, Volleyball
A native of Norfolk, Neb., Gebhardt totaled 28 digs (4.67 per set) and three aces last week as the sixth-ranked Bulldogs defeated both Briar Cliff and Morningside in straight sets. On the season, Gebhardt leads the team with 264 digs (4.55 per set).
Male: Korrell Koehlmoos, Football
Koehlmoos, who hails from Pilger, Neb., reeled in 15 receptions for 110 yards and three touchdowns last week as Concordia defeated Dakota Wesleyan, 20-12. Koehlmoos moved past 150 career catches on a day when he also punted four times for an average of 40.8 yards per attempt with two downed inside the 20.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
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)
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.
A class of best friends that helped reshape and redefine Concordia Volleyball: It's a senior transcendent class that has helped Concordia Volleyball reach heights it had never before seen. Collectively, the group has set a new standard while living out the program's values: love, hard work, sacrifice and trust. The program’s class of six seniors was honored this past weekend as part of senior day festivities. Says Head Coach Ben Boldt, ““It’s really hard to predict how anybody’s going to pan out in college. I knew they were good people. I think that’s a bottom line of who we want in our program. They always have put their head down and just worked. We have a saying in our gym that champions behave like champions before they become champions. I think that’s always how they’ve conducted themselves.” For a feature on the senior class, click HERE.
Shooting Sports places fourth while hosting seventh annual Concordia Bulldog Sporting Invitational: More than 150 competitors were on hand as Concordia University Shooting Sports hosted the seventh annual Concordia Bulldog Sporting Invitational at Oak Creek Sporting Club in Brainard, Neb., this past weekend (Oct. 1-2). 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 Head Coach Dylan Owens’ squad. Twenty-five Bulldogs 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). Owens’ team will now have some time off from competition before resuming the season with the NCSSAA Central Regional Qualifier hosted by Simpson College in Waukee, Iowa, Oct. 21-23. For more on the Concordia Shooting Sports program, click HERE.
Molano’s run to the ITA regional semifinals stands out as highlight for Concordia Tennis: Freshman Mariana Molano made a thrilling run through the bracket as one five Bulldogs to represent Concordia University Women’s Tennis at the ITA Central-West Regional Championships staged in Wichita, Kan., Sept. 30 – Oct. 2. Molano advanced all the way to the semifinals as part of the 64-team bracket featuring many of the top NAIA players from the region. Five Bulldogs competed on both the women’s and men’s sides as part of the regional tournament. This marked the second tournament of the fall season, which has included two dual meets. Head Coach Cam Long’s squads are both 1-1 in duals. Concordia will end the fall season on Saturday by hosting NCAA Division II William Jewell College (Mo.) at 11:30 p.m. CT. For more information on the Bulldog tennis teams, including recaps from fall action, click here: MEN | WOMEN.
Lifting Sports schedule adjustments: There have been a couple adjustments to the Concordia Lifting Sports schedules since the semester began. Notably, the Midland Warrior Open (powerlifting) was moved up a week and will now be held this Saturday (Oct. 8). In addition, the powerlifting team will also be in Fremont, Neb., on Jan. 28 for the Nebraska State Championships (instead of heading to Des Moines, Iowa, the following weekend). These changes are noted on the team’s online schedules. Head Coach Freddie Myles’ program began weightlifting competition back on Sept. 10 at the MidAmerica Nazarene University Open. For more details on the 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.
Golf
· The fall season is complete from a varsity perspective for the Concordia Golf teams. Both the men and women competed this past weekend (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) at the Nebraska Intercollegiate with state bragging rights on the line. The Bulldog men’s ‘A’ team placed fifth out of 11 groupings while the women finished third out of six squads present at Norfolk Country Club in Norfolk, Neb. Both of Head Coach Brett Muller’s squads have competed in five tournaments during the fall. For more information on Concordia Golf: Men | Women.
· If the men can put things together at the right time in the spring of 2023, they are capable of special things. At the Nebraska Intercollegiate, the Bulldogs were in second place after the first of two rounds. They ended up dropping to fifth after shooting a two-round score of 305-316–621. That total put Concordia behind Southeast Community College (597), Midland (604), Northeast Community College (615) and Doane (617). Concordia did manage to beat Hastings (630). In addition, the Bulldog ‘B’ team shot 327-304–631 while outperforming the ‘A’ group on day two.
· Individually, Jake Hagerbaumer made a major push on day two and placed in a tie for second (78-71–149) at the Nebraska Intercollegiate. He was followed by Drew D’Ercole, who placed fifth (74-76–150) in the field of 54 golfers. Both Hagerbaumer and D’Ercole earned medals for their performances. Below is a listing of all Concordia scores at the Nebraska Intercollegiate.
o T2. Jake Hagerbaumer: 78-71–149 (+5)
T5. Drew D’Ercole: 74-76–150 (+6)
16. Justin Webert: 77-77–154 (+10)
T25. Jake Richmond: 78-80–158 (+14)
T25. Gavin McWhorter: 80-78–158 (+14)
T29. Ivan Yabut: 76-83–159 (+15)
43. Josh D’Ercole: 88-78–166 (+22)
T44. Jacob Woodmancy: 84-83–167 (+23)
T46. Gavin Buttshaw: 81-87–168 (+24)
48. Brock Rogers: 92-77–169 (+25)
· In 10 fall rounds, the Concordia men averaged a score of 293.8, a figure that would shatter the school single season record of 305.1 set by the 2021-22 team. With his surge at the Nebraska Intercollegiate, Drew D’Ercole paces the team in individual scoring average at 73.2. He’s followed by Yabut (73.5), Richmond (74.8), Webert (75.1) and Woodmancy (75.1). The Bulldogs had shot every round below 300 as a team before the Nebraska Intercollegiate.
· On the women’s side, the field was smaller with six teams and 31 golfers in action at the Nebraska Intercollegiate. The Bulldogs beat out the rest of the GPAC competition by shooting 368-354–722. The top two teams were Wayne State College (653) and the University of Nebraska-Kearney (700). The fourth through sixth place finishers were Hastings (726), College of Saint Mary (731) and Doane (839). Below is a listing of the scores turned in by Concordia individuals. Freshman Emery Custer led the way while placing in a tie for 12th.
o T12. Emery Custer: 86-88–174 (+30)
T16. Lauren Havlat: 91-86–177 (+33)
18. Mya Nurse: 93-87–180 (+36)
T25. Logan Eschliman: 98-93–191 (+47)
28. Sarah Wilson: 108-107–215 (+71)
· The Bulldog women averaged a score of 352.8 over nine fall rounds. Three individuals are averaging scores below 90: Havlat (84.4), Custer (86.7) and Nurse (87.1). The team’s low round of the fall was a 334 on day one of the Nebraska Wesleyan Fall Invitational. Concordia placed third at that event. The team average is currently equal to the 352.8 turned in by the 2021-22 Bulldogs that had Kendra Placke at the top of the lineup.
· The fall portion of the 2022-23 schedule is in the books. The spring 2023 slate will soon be announced. The 2023 GPAC Men’s Golf Championship will be held at Beatrice Country Club in Beatrice, Neb., April 24-25 and will be a 54-hole event. The 2023 GPAC Women’s Golf Championship will be held at Spencer Country Club in Spencer, Iowa, May 1-2 and will also be a 54-hole event.
Men’s Soccer
· It was a fruitful week for the Bulldogs, who picked up six points towards the conference standings. Concordia went on the road and defeated Midland, 3-2, on Sept. 28 and then opened the month of October with a home win over Dakota Wesleyan, 6-1. Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad wen 7-1 during the month of September and now stands at 9-2 overall (4-1 GPAC). The Bulldogs are looking up at only Hastings (5-0) in the current league standings. For more information on Concordia Men’s Soccer, click HERE.
· A strong upcoming stretch could have the Bulldogs pushing for votes in the NAIA national poll. Concordia is ranked No. 2 in the official GPAC ratings (posted on NAIA.org). In last week’s NAIA coaches’ poll, Hastings was the lone GPAC squad to receive votes. However, the first NAIA Men’s Soccer Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI) released on Sept. 28 listed the Bulldogs at No. 27, putting them first among GPAC squads. The Broncos landed at No. 46. The next MRPI will be unveiled on Oct. 19. The MRPI is used as a tool to help the national tournament selection committee determine national qualifiers and seeds.
· The victory at Midland marked Concordia’s fourth game in a row decided by a one-goal margin within conference play. The Bulldogs owned leads of 2-0 and 3-1 before the Warriors tightened things back up in a contest played at Heedum Field in Fremont, Neb. Both teams wound up with eight shots. Concordia got a goal apiece from Max Bisinger (6’), Jarrod Henson (32’) and Ryan Wokutch (72’). Wokutch got credit for the game winner, four days after he was the hero in the 2-1 win over Northwestern. Gabriel Mendoza started in goal and made two saves in 90 minutes. Weides improved to 10-8-3 all-time in his coaching career versus Midland.
· In their return home, the Bulldogs conceded a ninth-minute goal and trailed Dakota Wesleyan, 1-0. It took a bit of time, but Concordia got its attack clicking in a big way. Dominic Abdel-Ahad evened things up with a goal in the 21st minute. The native of Dusseldorf, Germany, struck again in the 79th and 90th minutes as part of the hat trick. It was the first hat trick for a Bulldog since Moises Jacobo in September 2020. In addition, Martin Herrera put away two goals that occurred in about a one-minute span – one of which was a highlight worthy strike from just outside the 18. Matt Schultz also found the back of the net for his second goal of 2022. The Bulldogs dominated the shot count, 29-3.
· The nine goals scored last week helped pad the overall season stats. Through 11 games in 2022, Concordia has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 25-12 and has outshot them, 130-79. Thanks to his hat trick, Abdel-Ahad doubled his team high season goal count to six (to go along with two assists). Three of his teammates have accumulated at least three goals: Carlos Orquiz (four), Wokutch (four) and Herrera (three). Schultz has pushed his team high assist total to four while Herrera, Orquiz and Isaiah Shaddick each have three assists. At keeper, Federico Simonetti has made five starts and Gabriel Mendoza has made four. Simonetti owns a 4-1 record while Mendoza is 4-0.
· This week will continue the pattern of having a Wednesday road game and Saturday home match. The Bulldogs will head to Morningside (3-5-3, 2-1-2 GPAC) for an 8 p.m. CT kickoff on Wednesday. They will then host Jamestown (2-8-1, 0-4-1 GPAC) for an 8 p.m. game on Saturday. Concordia will attempt to avenge its GPAC quarterfinal loss last season at Morningside. The Bulldogs would then be happy to duplicate the 3-0 win at Jamestown from 2021.
Football
· The Bulldogs are on the board with their first win of the 2022 season. After trailing 3-0 at halftime at Dakota Wesleyan on Oct. 1, Concordia’s offense came alive in the third quarter and spurred a 20-12 victory. It marked the first Bulldog win in Mitchell, S.D., since 2007. The victory was much needed after the Bulldogs had begun the season with losses to Doane, Hastings and No. 4 Northwestern. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad moved to 1-3 with three straight home games up next. For more information on Concordia Football, click HERE.
· The success the Bulldogs experienced last week in the third quarter was a reversal of the first three games when they were outscored by a combined total of 39-7 in the third period. In the latest outing, Concordia outscored Dakota Wesleyan, 20-2, in the third quarter as part of a push that defined the game. Korrell Koehlmoos caught three touchdown passes thrown by DJ McGarvie. The Bulldogs went wild with 304 of their 434 total yards coming after halftime.
· Concordia has not been shy about feeding the ball to its top offensive playmaker in Koehlmoos. He caught a career high 15 receptions for 110 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win. The Pilger, Neb., native keeps rising up the program’s all-time rankings. On the school career receiving charts, Koehlmoos ranks third in receptions (160), third in receiving yards (2,243) and third in receiving touchdowns (17). Koehlmoos has had an advantage in that he’s playing in his fifth collegiate season. He was named First Team All-GPAC in 2022.
· Among all NAIA receivers in 2022, Koehlmoos ranks fifth in catches (34), 13th in receiving touchdowns (five) and 33rd in receiving yards (373). The reception total is No. 2 among GPAC players. Not only that, he continues to be a weapon as a punter. In last week’s win, Koehlmoos punted four times for an average of 40.8 yards per attempt with two being downed inside the opposition’s 20. On 26 punts this season, he is averaging 42.6 yards per attempt with eight of them landing inside the 20.
· It was a solid all-around effort last week for coordinator Corby Osten’s defensive unit, which limited DWU to 14 first downs and 303 total yards. Three Bulldogs led the way with eight tackles apiece: Gabriel Knisley, Jayzen Armstrong and Michael Grindey. Meanwhile, linebacker Nick Leader made seven stops and two sacks. Nose guard Devon Polley picked off a pass that deflected off a Tiger receiver. Grindey paces the team this season with 42 tackles while Leader sports a team best three sacks on the year.
· McGarvie made his 10th career start at quarterback and responded by completing 26-of-40 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns. The Lincoln North Star High School product pushed his career touchdown pass total to 22 and is now 7-3 as a starter. The starter at quarterback for this season’s first two games, Austin Jablonski has moved to receiver to give the team a talented one-two punch along with Koehlmoos. Jablonski caught six balls for 95 yards at Dakota Wesleyan. On the ground, Devin Zeigler rushed 19 times for 76 yards.
· After playing three of the first four on the road, Concordia will host GPAC foes inside Bulldog Stadium on each of the next three Saturdays. That stretch begins this Saturday with Jamestown (3-3, 2-3 GPAC) coming to town for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff. The Jimmies will be fresh off an impressive 41-17 homecoming win over Doane. Since Jamestown joined the GPAC, the Bulldogs have won three of four series meetings, including the 2020 game in Seward.
Volleyball
· No matter the opponent, the sixth-ranked Bulldogs do not relent. In two matches last week that favored Concordia on paper, the Bulldogs took care of business with home straight sets wins over Briar Cliff and Morningside. Concordia hit better than .400 in both matches, which took less than two-and-a-half hours combined. The Oct. 1 match was designated as the program’s senior day. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad is a perfect 6-0 at home this season and stands at 16-1 overall (7-1 GPAC). The Bulldogs reside behind only Jamestown (6-0) at the top of the league standings. For more information on Concordia Volleyball, click HERE.
· At No. 6 in the NAIA national poll released on Sept. 28, Concordia has equaled the program’s highest ever national ranking. In the national polls this season, the Bulldogs have gone from No. 11 in the preseason to No. 10 on Aug. 31 to No. 8 on Sept. 14 to a current position of sixth. Boldt’s program has appeared inside the NAIA top 25 in 21 of the past 23 polls. Concordia is aiming to finish a season ranked in the top 15 for the fourth year row. The Bulldogs garnered final postseason national rankings of 14th in 2019, eighth in 2020 and sixth in 2021. Other GPAC teams ranked in last week’s NAIA top 25 were No. 2 Jamestown, No. 3 Midland, No. 7 Northwestern, No. 12 Dordt, No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan and No. 18 College of Saint Mary.
· Thanks to last week’s hot hitting, Concordia has moved to No. 1 in the NAIA in hitting percentage at a clip of .296. Only one other team is even close – Marian University (.283). The rest of the top five includes Missouri Baptist University (.251), Midway College (.249) and Kansas Wesleyan University (.249). Each of the Bulldogs’ most prominent attackers are hitting at least .245: Gabi Nordaker (.403), Kalee Wiltfong (.378), Carly Rodaway (.267), Ashley Keck (.249) and Camryn Opfer (.245). Nordaker ranks No. 2 nationally in terms of individual hitting percentage.
· Category leaders over last week’s two victories were Rodaway in kills (17), Bree Burtwistle in assists (70), Rebecca Gebhardt in digs (28) and aces (three) and Nordaker in blocks (five). Once again, the Bulldogs displayed strong statistical balance. In the win over Briar Cliff, 12 Concordia players registered at least one kill. For the week, five Bulldogs produced 13 or more kills: Rodaway (17), Keck (15), Nordaker (15), Opfer (13) and Wiltfong (13). At setter, Bree Green also saw playing time and collected 10 assists.
· The 7-1 GPAC record equals the conference mark the 2020 Bulldogs had after eight conference matches in the unique COVID-19 affected season. The 2015 and 2020 Concordia squads share the school record for most conference wins in a season with 12. The program is aiming to win the conference regular season championship for the first time since the first year of the GPAC, 2000. Under the direction of Ben and Angie Boldt, the 2019 and 2020 squads both placed third in the regular season while the 2021 team was the conference tournament runner up.
· The senior class (in terms of academics) includes Bree Burtwistle, Bree Green, Mary Nibbe, Camryn Opfer, Kennedy VanScoy and Kalee Wiltfong. The seniors who got here in 2019 have helped the program to a four-year record of 78-26 with three national tournament appearances, including two that have resulted in advancements to the NAIA quarterfinals. Prior to their arrival, the program had made only one all-time national tournament appearance. Most prominent among the seniors statistically, Opfer has pushed her career totals to 1,111 kills, 1,138 digs, 147 blocks and 54 aces in 104 matches. Another major four-year contributor, Wiltfong has tallied 716 kills and 246 blocks in 99 career matches.
· The road trip this weekend will be a significant one in terms of both length and importance. The Bulldogs will play at No. 2 Jamestown (18-1, 6-0 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday and then at No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan (13-4, 5-3 GPAC) at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Jimmies have been a nemesis Concordia has struggled to solve since they joined the GPAC in 2018. Meanwhile, DWU has taken off over the past few years and appears primed for another national tournament berth.
Women’s Soccer
· It was one down and then one up last week as conference play continued. The Bulldogs have officially made it through more than half of their regular season slate. Despite several strong stretches in Fremont, Neb., Concordia fell by a 3-1 score at Midland on Sept. 28. Concordia then rebounded and started the month of October with a 5-0 home win over Dakota Wesleyan. Head Coach Thomas Goines’ squad has moved to 7-1-2 overall and to 2-1-2 in GPAC play. For more information on Concordia Women’s Soccer, click HERE.
· The 2022 Bulldogs became the first team in program history to go unbeaten through the first eight games of a season. Concordia started 6-0-2 before last week’s loss at Midland. The run of three straight games without a win (two draws and a loss) meant Goines had to wait a bit for his 100th career coaching victory. It came this past Saturday in the rout of DWU. Goines won 43 games at NCAA Division III Concordia University Chicago, 30 at NCAA Division II Barton College (N.C.) and 27 so far at CUNE. Goines guided the Bulldogs to the 2020 GPAC tournament title.
· The 3-1 final score at Midland is quite deceiving. Concordia ended up with an 18-7 advantage in shots. The Warriors got all of their goals in the second half – on only four shots. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs continually missed out on their chances, including a penalty kick that could have made it 2-2 in the 82nd minute. Concordia’s one goal was delivered by Grace Soenksen (fifth career) off an assist from Ellie Eason in the 72nd minute. Midland keeper Hannah Tillison enjoyed a big night that saw her make 10 saves.
· The attacking frustrations were let out in the win over Dakota Wesleyan. After the Bulldogs led just 1-0 at halftime, the floodgates opened in the second half. Concordia’s goals came from Eason (12’ and 66’), Elena Ruiz (56’), Lina Kirst (70’) and Kassidy Johnson (79’). The Bulldogs finished the game with an 18-3 advantage in shots (10-2 in shots on goal). At keeper, Kalie Ward and Bradi Ore combined for the shutout. Concordia improved to 14-6-1 all-time versus DWU as Goines picked up the milestone win.
· Through 10 games, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a combined total of 27-8 and have outshot them, 160-71. The first half of the season was impressive enough for Concordia to land at No. 43 in the first NAIA Women’s Soccer Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI) released on Sept. 28. Individually, Eason has pushed her season goal count to four. The native of Kirkland, Wash., had scored only one goal in her first three seasons at Concordia. The team goal scoring leader remains freshman Kierstynn Garner with seven. At keeper, Ward owns a 5-1-2 record and a goals against average of 0.81.
· This will be a challenging week of GPAC play as the Bulldogs travel to Morningside (5-4-1, 2-2-1 GPAC) for a 5:30 p.m. CT kickoff on Wednesday before hosting Jamestown (6-4-1, 5-0 GPAC) at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The reigning GPAC champion, the Jimmies currently sit atop the GPAC standings. Concordia and Jamestown faced off in the 2020 GPAC tournament championship game.
Cross Country
· In what will be the only instance of it this season, the Bulldogs competed in back-to-back weeks with the Dean White Invitational (Sept. 24) coming immediately following the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational (Sept. 17). As part of the smaller scale meet hosted by Doane, the Concordia women took first place out of five teams while the men were edged by Doane in what was essentially a dual meet. Leading the way, Camden Sesna won the Dean White championship on the men’s side. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads have competed in three meets so far in 2022. For more information on Concordia Cross Country, click HERE.
· Heading into the Dean White meet, the Bulldogs had made a big move in the national rankings. As unveiled with the release of the NAIA coaches’ polls on Sept. 22, Concordia landed at No. 17 on the women’s side and fell just outside of the top 25 (28th) on the men’s side. This marks the fourth straight season that the Bulldog women’s program has found its way into the top 25 at some point during the fall. On the other hand, the men’s program hopes to crack the NAIA top 25 for the first time since the 2014 season. Concordia is seeking to qualify both the men’s and women’s teams for nationals in the same season for the first time since 2009.
· The women’s program notched its first team meet championship since winning the 2021 Morningside College Invite. The Bulldogs did so while following the lead of reigning GPAC Runner of the Week (awarded on Sept. 21 and 28) Kylahn Freiberg, who finished behind only a competitor from York College. Concordia was without two of its top runners in Rylee Haecker and Julie McIntyre. In their absence, the Bulldogs showed off their depth as two freshmen ran with the team’s top five. Freiberg ran the 5k in 19:34.59. Freiberg has been the team’s No. 1 runner at each of the first three meets.
· The Concordia top five that followed Freiberg included Hannah Beintema (20:09.16), Rhaya Kaschinske (20:32.31), Keegan Beisel (20:38.91) and Amie Martin (21:22.09). Bulldog runners six through 10 were packed tight: Jaiden Tweton (21:28.20), Faith Williamson (21:37.34), Courtney Wright (21:40.99), Bella Marchisio (21:41.27) and Sammi Vojslavek (22:22.40). Twenty-one Concordia women paced the course at Doane.
· It was essentially a dual on the men’s side as Doane edged the Bulldogs, 25-30. A two-time GPAC Runner of the Week this season, Sesna took the individual title while running the 8k in 25:58.52. Sesna had run 25:22.3 a week earlier at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite. In the latest trot, Sesna was joined in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard by teammates Calvin Rohde (26:26.46), Jimmy Nguyen (27:17.28), Thomas Gorline (27:50.79) and Charlie Hayden (27:56.62).
· Through three meets, the Concordia women have beat every NAIA opponent they have seen. The men’s squad had done the same until being narrowly defeated by Doane at the Dean White Invite. At the Augustana Twilight, the women placed ninth out of 28 teams while the men finished 12th out of 32 teams. Two weeks later, Concordia was amongst the best teams in the “Gold Division” of the Greeno/Dirksen Invite, placing third out of 19 teams on the women’s side and sixth out of 21 teams on the men’s side.
· After a break in the action this past week, the Bulldogs are prepared to compete at the Holiday Inn Express Classic hosted by Dordt on Saturday. The gun is set to go off at 10 a.m. CT from Sioux Center, Iowa, on that date. The Defenders boast the highest rated men’s and women’s teams in the GPAC. The Mount Marty Invite on Oct. 22 will then serve as the final meet prior to the GPAC Championships.