Bulldog Weekly Report (Sept. 6, 2016)

By Jacob Knabel on Sep. 6, 2016 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Shane Scott, Football

Scott, a junior from Ranchos Palos Verdes, Calif., made his first career start and collected seven tackles and 1.5 sacks as part of a 23-7 win over the University of Saint Mary on Sept. 3. Scott shined for a defense that limited the Spires to 259 total yards. He punctuated the win by taking down the Saint Mary quarterback in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.

Female: Maria Deeter, Soccer

Deeter, who hails from Seward, notched two goals and two assists as Concordia defeated both York College and Graceland University in last week’s action. Deeter accounted for the lone goal in the victory over Graceland. The sophomore product of Lincoln Lutheran High School garnered second team all-conference honors in 2015.

News and notes:

Alumni tailgate at Ottawa University: Concordia will host an alumni tailgate prior this Saturday’s football game at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kan. For more information on the tailgate, click HERE.

I am the victor: Nolan Zikas has done more than just survive with cancer. He’s thrived behind an unwavering positive attitude. The sophomore member of the Concordia golf team insists that he is the victor. To read Nolan’s story, click HERE.

Vote resigns, headed to Iowa State: After a successful four-year run leading the Concordia wrestling program, Dana Vote has accepted the position of director of wrestling operations at Iowa State University. Vote, a two-time GPAC coach of the year, led the Bulldogs to a pair of GPAC dual and tournament titles and an eighth-place national finish in 2016. He tutored eight All-Americans and the program’s first-ever individual national champion during his time at Concordia.

Cross country officially opens season on Sept. 17: Concordia cross country will get started under first-year head coach Matt Beisel on Sept. 17 at the Hastings College Invite. However, Beisel will get a look at his teams this Saturday at the annual Blue-White Alumni Run on the Concordia campus. Check back later this week for a season preview.

Football reunion coming up Sept. 16-17: A grand football reunion more than a year in the making will take place Sept. 16-17 in conjunction with Concordia’s home game versus Northwestern College. Highlights of the weekend include the celebration banquet that Friday night, the game on Saturday (1 p.m.) and a dinner and social gathering Saturday night. For additional information on the football reunion, click HERE.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 6 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is already underway in its second year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 6 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 TuneIn Radio app and searching “Max Country.” Throughout the 2016-17 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country.             

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.

Football

  • For the fourth-straight year, Concordia claimed victory in its season opener. The Bulldogs did their part for the conference in earning a 23-7 win over the University of Saint Mary on Sept. 3 in a contest included in the GPAC/KCAC Challenge. Eighth-year head coach Vance Winter is now 5-3 overall in season openers since taking over the program in 2009. His squad outgained the visiting Spires by a total of 333-259. The Bulldogs were one of seven GPAC teams to prevail over KCAC foes in this year’s challenge. For more information on Concordia football, click HERE.
  • Defensive coordinator Patrick Daberkow’s unit passed its first test in holding Saint Mary to well under 300 yards of offense. The lone breakdown came early in the third quarter when quarterback Drew Cortez fired a pass over the middle to Isai Fernandez, who raced 76 yards for the only Saint Mary score of the affair. The stout Bulldog defense made up for it with three sacks, five tackles for loss, two forced turnovers (fumble, interception) and a safety courtesy of linebacker Shane Scott. The 2015 Concordia defense ranked fourth nationally in terms of fewest yards allowed per game.
  • Stalwart senior running back Bryce Collins found the end zone for the 30th time (28 rushing, two receiving) in his career via a 10-yard rush to pay dirt in the second quarter of last week’s opener. He also piled up 117 rushing yards (14th career 100+ yard effort) and passed up JaMaine Lewis (2,731) for fourth on the program’s all-time rushing list. Collins now stands at 2,783 career rushing yards. He trails Concordia career rushing leader Cleve Wester (3,658) by 875 yards. In 2014 the native of Boerne, Texas, became just the fifth back in school history to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in a single season.
  • With two receiving touchdowns versus Saint Mary, junior Jared Garcia put himself within striking distance of Ross Wurdeman for another school record. Already the program standard bearer for touchdown grabs in a season (11), Garcia’s 21 career touchdown catches rank second in school history behind only Wurdeman. The Concordia Athletic Hall of Famer reeled in 24 touchdown tosses in his career and helped the 2001 squad to a co-GPAC championship and NAIA playoff berth. In addition, Garcia is 11 catches away from 100 for his career. He’s caught 89 balls for 1,441 yards since arriving in Seward in 2014.
  • After a second team All-America campaign in 2015, senior Trey Barnes may have even better things in store for 2016. He collected a sack and five tackles while serving as a major pain for the Spire offensive line. Last season the Seward native piled up 10 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. This season he’s more than just a defensive end. He’s also a punter. Last week he booted the ball six times for an average of 44.7 yards per punt. He placed two of his attempts inside the 20.
  • Placekicking hovered above the program as one of the biggest question marks entering the season. In the opener, Jose Garcia successfully kicked all three extra points while junior college transfer Brendan Cremin handled kickoff duties. No field goals were attempted.
  • At quarterback, sophomore Riley Wiltfong got the lion’s share of the snaps out of the pistol spread. Wiltfong had two of his passes intercepted, but his 10 completions went for 114 yards. Junior TJ Austin also saw time as the signal caller. Austin tossed both touchdown passes to Garcia. The second one was a perfectly executed fade towards the right corner of the end zone. Wiltfong, a native of Doniphan, Neb., made his third career start in the victory.
  • Scott emerged as one of the feel-good stories of the season opener. The junior from Ranchos Palos Verdes, Calif., had not even registered a single tackle during his first two seasons as a Bulldog. That changed last week when Scott made six stops and was credited with 1.5 sacks. He put a cherry on top of the win by bringing Cortez down in the end zone late in the fourth quarter. Scott was the team’s fourth-leading tackler on the day, behind Kordell Glause (10), Hedlund (nine) and Parker Johnson (eight).
  • Concordia will make its first road trip of the season this Saturday when it heads to Ottawa, Kan., to challenge Ottawa University. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. The Braves are coming off a 62-0 loss at the hands of third-ranked Morningside as part of the GPAC/KCAC Challenge. Ottawa actually matched the Bulldogs’ 2015 record of 6-4. Last season the Braves ranked seventh nationally in total defense (292.2).

Volleyball

  • The Concordia volleyball program has put aside its run of tough luck against top-notch competition during a challenging early-season schedule. After falling in straight sets at sixth-ranked and undefeated Midland (11-0) on Aug. 31, fifth-year head coach Scott Mattera’s squad regrouped by winning all four matches over the weekend at the Bulldog Bash. The victims included NCAA Division II schools Bemidji State University (Minn.) and Minot State University (N.D.) as well as NAIA institutions Lindenwood-University Belleville (Ill.) and York College. Twentieth-ranked Concordia is now 5-6 overall (0-1 GPAC). For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, click HERE.
  • A return to Walz cured what ailed Concordia. The Bulldogs have improved to 5-1 this season in home matches and own a record of 32-8 in matches played inside Walz Arena since Oct. 8, 2013. Concordia won its final five home contests of 2013 and then posted home marks of 10-2 in 2014 and 12-5 in 2015.
  • Senior Paige Getz achieved a career milestone in Butte, Mont., on Aug. 27 when she eclipsed 1,000 kills as a Bulldog. She then sizzled over the weekend with a combined 45 kills over 17 sets at the Bulldog Bash. The native of Paola, Kan., now stands at 1,064 career kills, placing her sixth on the program’s all-time list, just ahead of former teammate Claire White (1,033). Getz has amassed more than 300 kills in each of her first three collegiate seasons. This season she’s getting more opportunities than ever, averaging a career high 9.1 attack attempts per set.
  • Getz, one of the most prolific hitters in program history, is facilitated by one of the most productive setters in Concordia annals. Senior Alayna Kavanaugh racked up 80 more assists on the final day of the Bulldog Bash to run her career total to 3,745. In terms of highest single-season assist totals in school history, Kavanaugh ranks second (1,331 – 2015) and fifth (1,189 – 2014), respectively. The school standard for career assists is held by Stacy Stuckenschmidt (1992-95), who set up 4,949 kills.
  • Freshman Jenna Eller has given Concordia a devastating weapon from the service line. Bulldog Bash foes routinely struggled with her darting, sinking live drives. The native of David City, Neb., dropped 19 aces at the Bulldog Bash and 22 aces on the week. Eller now ranks fourth nationally in total aces (27) and 12th among all NAIA players for aces per set (0.84).
  • Junior Jocelyn Garcia is also performing at career best rates. She’s averaging career highs for both digs per game (4.85) and service receptions per game (4.71). Her 559 digs in 2015 rank as the seventh highest single-season total in program history. Only 10 players in school history have notched more than 500 digs in one or more seasons. Just two Bulldogs – Becky Ernstmeyer and Angie Christensen – have piled up more than 500 digs in multiple seasons.
  • Concordia has gone 0-for-3 so far this season versus ranked opponents having dropped matches against No. 6 Midland, No. 8 Eastern Oregon University and No. 15 Rocky Mountain College (Mont.). Last season the Bulldogs more than held their own against the top 25, going 6-4 against such foes. That mark included impressive road wins over No. 2 Midland an No. 11 Northwestern. Based upon the preseason poll, Concordia’s next shot to knock off a ranked opponent will come this weekend.
  • The Bulldogs seem to have found an offensive rhythm again. During their five-match losing streak, they hit no higher than .250 in any single match. During its active four-match win streak, Concordia has hit no worse than .286 in any single match. The Bulldogs topped off the weekend by scorching York to the tune of a .438 hitting percentage. The big weekend boosted Concordia’s season hitting percentage to .229 – 28th best in the nation. Among all NAIA volleyball programs, the Bulldogs also rank ninth in aces (82), 14th in aces per game (2.4) and 24th in kills per game (13.2).
  • This week’s slate features four matches. First up is Wednesday’s contest at Benedictine College (Kan.) (4-3) at 7:30 p.m. Then at the Hastings College Classic, Concordia will play Missouri Valley College (9-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Montana Western University (4-4) at 12 p.m. on Saturday and No. 10 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) (10-1) at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Men’s Soccer

  • Following its GPAC tournament title run in 2015, the Bulldogs are off to a solid 2-1 start with wins over York College, 4-0, and Bethel College (Kan.), 2-0. The lone defeat was a 1-0, controversial decision in a home game versus Graceland University (Iowa) on Sept. 3. Ninth-year head coach Jason Weides’ squad has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 6-1. For more information on Concordia men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Picked fourth in the GPAC preseason poll, the Bulldogs entered 2016 with an active streak of five-straight seasons in which they’ve won at least 10 games. During that five-year period, Weides has led the program to a combined record of 53-35-10. Three times Concordia has registered exactly 11 wins in a season since 2011. The program record for most single-season victories is still held by the 2000 team that went 12-7 overall and 4-4 inside conference play.
  • At 72-69-15 overall as Concordia’s head coach, Weides trails only longtime coach Jack Kinworthy for the most wins in program history. Kinworthy paced the sidelines from 1974-1991 and again in 1993 and accumulated a record of 105-100-9 (.512). Kinworthy’s most successful team, in terms of overall wins, was the 1976 edition that put together a 9-3-1 season. The 1982 squad enjoyed an 8-3-2 campaign.
  • Concordia’s first six goals this season have been spread amongst six different players: Carlos Ferrer, Marcelo Hernandez, Tyler Jensen, Micah Lehenbauer, Andrew Mussell and Lewis Rathbone. For the likes of Ferrer, Hernandez and Mussell, the goals marked their first as Bulldogs. Mussell, a senior defender from Buffalo, Minn., had not even attempted a shot in his collegiate career before heading in a goal in the 50th minute of the win over York on Aug. 31.
  • Concordia went 1-1 in its opening week of play in action that occurred inside Bulldog Stadium, a place that has been kind to Weides’ program in recent seasons. The 2011 Bulldog squad ran through its home schedule with a perfect 8-0 mark. Since the start of 2011, Concordia has gone 27-15-2 at home. Last season’s GPAC tournament champion went 4-3-1 at Bulldog Stadium before catching fire late in the year.
  • Hernandez is expected to provide firepower up top for the Bulldogs. The native of Quito, Ecuador, is a transfer from Evergreen Valley College, where he was voted the team MVP. During his 2014 season at Evergreen Valley, Hernandez racked up 16 goals and 14 assists in 19 games. Seven of his goals were game winners. Hernandez arrived at Concordia last fall and attended school before being cleared to play this season.
  • Dating back to last year’s GPAC tournament, the Bulldogs have now shut out five of their last seven opponents. During that stretch, Concordia has made shutout victims of Northwestern, Midland, Hastings, York and Bethel. The Bulldogs did not surrender a single goal throughout their GPAC tournament run in 2015. Concordia ended up ranking fourth last season among GPAC teams in terms of fewest goals allowed per game (1.24).
  • Senior goalkeeper Mark Horsburgh, known to teammates as “Sparky,” has now been credited with 11 shutouts in his career. He recorded a program single-season record of nine in 2015. As one of the heroes of the GPAC tournament run, the native of Edinburgh, Scotland, made 24 saves during three conference postseason matches. Now in his second season as the starting keeper, Horsburgh has made 125 saves in 32 career games. He sports a career save percentage of .801 and a career goals against average of 1.15.
  • The Bulldogs resume action this weekend with two neutral games on the Hastings College campus. On Friday Concordia will take on Lyon College (Ark.) (2-2) at 1 p.m. prior to a 5 p.m. contest on Saturday versus Georgia Gwinnett College (3-0-1).

Women’s Soccer

  • The 2016 Bulldogs made their home debut last week, earning victories over both York College, 6-0, and Graceland University (Iowa), 1-0. In the process, Concordia picked up its first two shutouts of the young season. A little home cooking helped the Bulldogs improve to 2-1-1 overall this season. The plus-seven goal differential for the week gave fourth-year head coach Greg Henson's squad a season goal differential of plus-five. For more on Concordia women's soccer, click HERE.
  • The two victories pushed Henson to the top of the program's all-time coaching wins list. At 39-19-8 overall since taking over the Bulldogs in 2013, Henson moved passed Bill Schranz (38-53-1) for No. 1. A St. Louis native, Henson has steered Concordia women's soccer to new heights. Under his watch, the program has broken single-season records for wins, shutouts, fewest goals allowed and fewest losses while also winning a GPAC tournament title and advancing to the national tournament for the first time ever. Henson has led the Bulldogs to a combined 29 wins over the 2014 and 2015 seasons, setting a new program standard for victories in a two-year period. The women’s soccer program began its first varsity season in 1996.
  • Sophomore Maria Deeter has been on an offensive roll since the end of her freshman campaign. Last week she tallied two goals and two assists while finding the back of the net for the only score in the victory over Graceland. Deeter now has eight career goals with five of them coming over her last seven games. The Seward native played a starring role in leading the Bulldogs to the 2015 GPAC championship game. She banked two goals in the GPAC quarterfinals and then another in the semifinals.
  • Concordia has now gone 224 minutes since it last allowed a goal in its 2-2 draw at MidAmerica Nazarene on Aug. 27. Stingy defense has been a hallmark of successful Bulldog teams of the past two seasons. The 2015 Concordia team topped the GPAC in fewest goals allowed per game (0.76) during a campaign in which it posted a school record single-season low of 16 total goals surrendered.
  • Senior Chrissy Lind needed just two seasons to break the program record for career goalkeeper shutouts. She now has 21 after receiving credit for a shutout of Graceland. Her 10 shutouts during the 2014 season remain a school single-season record. So far this season she’s made 15 saves out of 19 shots on goal. She owns a career save percentage of .821 and a career goals against average of .93 over nearly 5,500 career minutes played.
  • Lind has started all four games at goalkeeper and is one of 13 Bulldogs to make at least one start this season. Eight other players have also started every game so far in 2016: Sami Birmingham, Jeannelle Condame, Maria Deeter, Ashley Martin, Jordan McCoy, Leah Shohat, Jessica Skerston and Esther Soenksen.
  • Six different players have combined to score Concordia’s nine goals this season. Birmingham, Deeter and Soenksen are tied for the team lead with two each. Three others have exactly one goal: Rachael Bolin, Condame and Lauren Martin. Birmingham, Bolin and Martin are all in their first years in the program. Deeter and Skerston have tallied two assists apiece.
  • The Bulldogs have outshot their opponents by a combined total of 78-42. That number was padded by a 35-1 shot advantage in last week’s win over York. The 35 shots are more than Concordia posted in any single game in 2015 and the most for the program since firing 44 shots in a 2-0 victory over York on Oct. 1, 2014.
  • The Bulldogs will complete a run of four-straight home games this week as they host Grace University (0-4) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Friends University (3-0) at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Grace is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association. Friends competes in the NAIA’s Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Golf

  • Both Concordia golf squads ventured to Yankton, S.D., last week for the Mount Marty Fall Invite, which played out over Sept. 1-2 at Fox Run Golf Course and Hillcrest Country Club. The men turned in a two-day 309-310–619 for a fourth-place finish while the women carded a two-round total of 361-414–775 (10th out of 13 teams). Head coach Brett Muller traveled a 17 golfers to the season-opening event. For more information on Bulldog golf: MEN | WOMEN.
  • Concordia is coming off of a 2015-16 season in which the women finished sixth in the GPAC (354-348-379-348–1,429) and the men seventh (312-316-319-296–1,243). The women turned an average team score of 352.36 over the course of 14 rounds. On the other hand, the men averaged a score of 310.27 over 15 rounds last season. Both teams broke records for lowest single-round score during 2015-16 – men (291); women (335).
  • Amy Ahlers raised her game to new heights last season, breaking the program record for lowest single-season average (80.79). Her first scores of 2016-17 were a bit higher as she turned in a total of 85-85–170 while tying for seventh place. It marked the 24th career top-10 placement for the native of Albion, Neb. She’s also took first place in seven different events during her time as a Bulldog.
  • Ahlers was followed closely at the Mount Marty Invite by freshman Murphy Sears, a Crete native. Sears actually turned in a team low 83 on the first day of the event before carding an 88 in round two. Sears came to Concordia with impressive high school credentials. While at Crete High School she earned two state medals, placing fifth as a senior and 11th as a junior. She’s also a high-achieving student having garnered co-valedictorian status at Crete.
  • Five other players represented the Concordia women at the Mount Marty Invite: Payton DeMers-Sahling (103-113–216), Paighton Barbre (102-115–217), Madison Pitsch (107-128–235), Emma Jacoby (90-wd) and Lauren Sperry (123-wd).
  • The men’s team also showcased a promising freshman in Tylar Samek, who carded a team low 76-76–152 for a 10th-place finish in Yankton. Samek, a native of David City, Neb., won a conference championship and turned in a 14th-place state finish during his prep career at David City High School.
  • Samek was one of 10 Bulldog men to perform at the Mount Marty Invite. The others were Reid Wiebe (75-79–154), Russell Otten (78-77–155), Jared Knopefel (82-78–160), Nolan Zikas (80-84–164), Tyler Ehresman (80-85–165), Matthew Bruce (83-85–168), Alec Hanson (81-87–168), Tyler Knoepfel (79-90–169) and Noah Rohlfing (90-80–170). Five of the 10 were making there first appearances as collegiate golfers.
  • The women will be off from competition until Sept. 16-17 when they go to the Lila Frommelt Invite hosted by Briar Cliff in Dakota Dunes, S.D. The men will be back in action this week at the two-day Siouxland Invite set for Thursday and Friday. The event is co-hosted by Dordt and Northwestern. Day one will take place at The Ridge Golf Course in Sioux Center, Iowa, before shifting to Landsmeer Golf Course in Orange City, Iowa, the following day.