SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska has chosen its Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026. The latest group of inductees includes four individuals and one team (as outlined below). The class of 2026 will officially join elite company at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday, Sept. 18 in conjunction with homecoming weekend on campus.
The Concordia University Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to pay tribute and give recognition to former athletes, coaches, teams and others who have made exceptional contributions to the athletic programs at Concordia, and who exemplify the Christian principles to which Concordia adheres. For more information about the Hall of Fame, and for information on how to nominate someone, click HERE. The Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame Committee is responsible for voting on new inductees each year.
Explore the online home of the Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame HERE.
Concordia University Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2026
*More complete bios for each new Hall of Fame member will be released following the induction ceremony in September.
R. John Buuck ’58 | Men’s Basketball, Track & Field, Baseball, Football & Tennis
A multi-sport standout, R. John Buuck lettered in four different sports during his career as a student-athlete from 1954-58. As a senior, Buuck rose to stardom on the hardwood as he ranked second among all players in the Nebraska College Conference with an average of 16.4 points per game (295 total points). Originally from Woodburn, Ind., Buuck was named to the five-player 1957-58 all-conference team alongside the legendary Tom Osborne and was tabbed a Converse Basketball All-Star in 1958. Buuck lettered four times in basketball and once apiece in baseball, tennis and track & field. In 1957, Buuck recorded a hit off future National Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. Buuck was a teammate of Concordia Athletic Hall of Famers such as Gene Faszholz, Vic Peter and Gary Seevers. Buuck went on to serve as president at Concordia University Wisconsin for 17 years. CUW named its fieldhouse in his honor: the R. John Buuck Fieldhouse.
Kristen (Conahan) Vogt ’14 | Women’s Basketball
To this day, Kristen (Conahan) Vogt stands as the most prolific perimeter shooter in women’s basketball program history. The Omaha native was named an NAIA Division II All-American in 2011-12 (second team) and 2012-13 (first team). Vogt also earned four career GPAC All-Conference awards with first team mentions in 2011-12 and 2012-13. At the time of induction, Vogt owns program all-time rankings of first in 3-point field goals (323), seventh in steals (291), 10th in scoring (1,656) and 20th in assists (285). She sank 104 treys in 2011-12 for a school single season standard. She also shares a school record for triples in a single game (eight). The Omaha World-Herald tabbed Vogt an All-Nebraska selection all four years while tagging her as the All-Nebraska Team Honorary Captain for the 2012-13 season. Vogt led three teams coached by Drew Olson to national tournament appearances, including the ’11-12 squad that swept GPAC regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the national semifinals. Vogt averaged 13.7 points over 121 career games.
Bret Walter ’96 | Men’s Basketball
One of the top sharpshooters in men’s basketball history, Bret Walter starred for conference championship teams of the mid-1990s. Originally from Jerome, Idaho, Walter claimed First Team All-NIAC awards in 1994-95 and 1995-96 and was chosen as an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American as a senior. At the time of his hall of fame selection, Walter owns program all-time rankings of third in 3-point field goals (284), 22nd in scoring (1,248) and 22nd in assists (206). Walter drained eight treys in three separate games and accumulated a career-high 36 points versus Nebraska Wesleyan in January 1995. Walter helped spur the Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame 1994-95 team to a 30-4 overall record, a national ranking as high as No. 2 and a trip to the national quarterfinals. Coached by Grant Schmidt, the ’94-95 and ’95-96 teams both won NIAC regular season titles. Academically, Walter garnered two NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards.
Nolan Zikas ’19 | Golf
An inspirational figure, Nolan Zikas became a men’s golf school standard bearer while battling cancer during his college career. As a child, Zikas was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of cancer that resulted in the removal of his right femur bone, the insertion of a titanium rod and knee replacement. The La Vista, Neb., native persevered and broke program records for scoring average for a season (74.06) and career (75.60). Zikas also set school standards for 36-hole score tournament score (-4, 138), tournament wins in a season (two) and tournament wins in a career (three). Zikas placed eighth in the GPAC as a freshman and earned GPAC All-Conference honors all four years. He produced 17 career top 10 tournament placements. In 2018, Zikas was named the David Toms Overcoming Adversity Award Winner and was interviewed on the Golf Channel. He also achieved distinction as an All-America Scholar from the coaches’ association. Zikas was coached by Brett Muller.
2015-16 Women’s Track & Field
In May of 2016, the Concordia Women’s Track & Field team became the first women’s team in school history to win a national championship. The Bulldogs compiled 71 team points at the 2016 NAIA Outdoor Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama, holding off runner up Indiana Tech (66 points). The All-Americans for Concordia included Kattie Cleveland, Stephanie Coley, McKenzie Gravo, Liz King (hammer national champion), Samantha Liermann, Sydney Meyer, Nicole Perry, Kali Robb, Jan Steinbrueck, Tricia Svoboda and Kim Wood. The ’15-16 Bulldogs also placed fifth at the NAIA Indoor Championships and were the runners up at the conference indoor and outdoor meets. Head Coach Kregg Einspahr was honored as the NAIA National Coach of the Year while assistant Ed McLaughlin earned men’s and women’s NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year awards from the USTFCCCA. Other assistant coaches were Mark Samuels, Jason Berry and Craig Saalfeld.