SEWARD, Neb. – For their performances over the past month, Rylee Haecker of the track & field program and Carter Kent of the men’s basketball program have been selected as the Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Month for January 2022. Haecker and Kent were winners of a vote conducted on Tuesday (Feb. 1) at the BAAM luncheon. Kent has now claimed back-to-back BAAM Male Athlete of the Month awards while Haecker has followed teammate Sarah Lewis (December 2021 winner) with female honors.
A native of Davenport, Neb., Haecker has shined for a Concordia Women’s Track & Field team currently ranked No. 2 in the NAIA. During the month of January, Haecker produced a personal best 1,000 meter time of 2:56.45 (after conversion) while twice coming in under the automatic national qualifying standard in the event. She also helped the 4x800 meter relay to another ‘A’ standard of 9:36.04 (converted to 9:29.48) at the Polar Dog Invite, a meet that also saw her win the mile (5:18.69). Additionally, Heacker contributed to the ‘B’ standard distance medley relay (5:08 split in the 1,600 meters) achieved at the Graduate Classic. She currently ranks No. 2 in the NAIA in the 1,000 meters while relay squads sport national ranks of third in the 4x8 and sixth in the DMR. Haecker is a two-time NAIA All-American. She is an education major.
Kent has displayed consistent excellence for a Concordia Men’s Basketball team that remains in the hunt for the GPAC regular season title. Over seven games in January, the Crete, Neb., native averaged 19.4 points, 3.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor, 46.7 percent from 3-point range and 90.5 percent from the foul line. Kent’s 35 points at Mount Marty on Jan. 5 represented a career high. Kent is averaging 17.6 points per game this season as the sixth-leading scorer in the GPAC. His career point total now stands at 1,549, placing him ninth on the program’s all-time list. The Bulldogs own an overall record of 18-5 and were situated just outside the NAIA top 25 in the latest coaches’ poll. Kent is majoring in biology.
BAAM Athletes of the Month are rewarded out of the pool of student-athletes that garner BAAM Athlete of the Week recognition throughout the month.
2021-22 BAAM Athletes of the Month
January – Carter Kent (basketball) / Rylee Haecker (track & field)
December – Carter Kent (basketball) / Sarah Lewis (track & field)
November – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
October – Lane Napier (football) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
September – Caydren Cox (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)