SEWARD, Neb. – For their performances throughout the calendar month, Wyatt Hambly of shooting sports, Claire Kee of shooting sports and Josie Puelz of track & field have been lauded as the Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Month for March 2023. The three winners emerged from a vote conducted on Tuesday (April 4) at the BAAM luncheon. Kee and Puelz generated the same number of votes on the women’s side.
Hambly, who also serves as a graduate assistant coach, accomplished the impressive feat of winning the high overall individual national title at the 2023 NCSSAA National Championships held in Vegas. The native of Paso Robles, Calif., shot 290/300 while posting totals of a perfect 100 in trap, 95 in skeet and 95 in sporting clays. As a result, Hambly was named an All-American in the categories of high overall, sporting clays and trap (honorable mention). One of the top competitors in the history of the shooting sports program, Hambly also claimed the 2021 Prairie Circuit Conference HOA championship. This past season, he assisted Head Coach Dylan Owens on what finished as a third-place team finish at the national championships.
Kee claimed a national title of her own at the 2023 NCSSAA National Championships in rising to the top of the leaderboard in women’s skeet doubles with a score of 93/100. The native of Gibbon, Neb., also placed third in women’s skeet (97/100) at the national competition. In terms of HOA, Kee shot 270/300 with her total that included an 83 in sporting clays. In another major highlight of the 2022-23 season, Kee garnered Prairie Circuit All-Conference recognition. She shot 353/400 at the conference event while ranking fourth among all Bulldogs from an overall standpoint. Kee helped drive Concordia to place finishes of third in the conference and third at the national championships.
As for Puelz, she’s in a league of her own as the most accomplished women’s pole vaulter in Concordia Track & Field history. The Lincoln Lutheran High School alum captured her fifth NAIA pole vault national title on March 3 when she cleared 13’ ¼” during action at the 2023 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Brookings, S.D. Puelz’s five national titles rank as the second most by a female program history behind only Carol Bailey (eight titles). This past indoor season also saw Puelz win the fifth GPAC pole vault title of her career. Puelz owns school records in the pole vault for both indoor (13’ 5 ¼”) and outdoor (13’ 7 ¼”). Puelz helped the Bulldogs win the 2023 GPAC indoor title and then place sixth at the national meet.
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.
2022-23 BAAM Athletes of the Month
March – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Claire Kee (shooting sports) / Josie Puelz (track & field)
February – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
January – Rylee Haecker (track & field) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
December – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Gage Smith (basketball)
November – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
October – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Korrell Koehlmoos (football) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
September –Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball) / Camden Sesna (cross country)