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March rewind: When COVID-19 brought athletics to screeching halt

By Jacob Knabel on Aug. 14, 2020 in Athletic Announcements

NOTE: A version of this story appeared in the summer edition of Concordia’s Broadcaster magazine.

Much of the attention of Concordia Bulldogs fans and alumni focused in on Sioux Falls, S.D., on March 12, 2020. As the scheduled 10:15 a.m. tipoff at the NAIA Division II men’s basketball national tournament neared, a wave of insecurity had already begun sweeping across the United States. A limited number of fans were allowed inside the Sanford Pentagon as the Bulldogs prepared for their first national tournament appearance in 15 years.

The fan restriction made for a subdued atmosphere. Even as the game got underway, a dark cloud hovered over the sports world. Said men’s basketball coach Ben Limback, “It was hard (to focus on basketball). You have to make sure you always wash your hands and you can’t shower in certain places and all these things.”

Such precautions were only the start. Once the buzzer sounded and Concordia had fallen by an 87-84 final score at the hands of fifth-ranked Ottawa (Kan.), NAIA officials stepped in. There would be no more basketball. Both the men’s and women’s national tournaments had been called off due to growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

Radio voice of the Bulldogs Tyler Cavalli was on air as the news came down. He and Director of Athletics Devin Smith (color commentator on the broadcast) tried to make sense of the situation in real time. The cancellation was not without warning considering the shutdown of so many other college basketball tournaments around the country. Still, that reality hadn’t yet sunk in. Cavalli was forced to admit, “I don’t have the words,” while Smith uttered the word “shocking” multiple times.

Eighty-six miles away at the Marriott Riverfront Hotel in South Sioux City, Neb., women’s basketball coach Drew Olson collected his thoughts and braced himself. He was about to tell his team that it would not have the chance to defend its 2019 national title. Mentally, the battle-tested Bulldogs had prepared themselves for six more nights in Sioux City and another championship celebration. Olson had been communicating with Associate Director of Athletics Angela Muller, who was working the phone line with many Concordia coaches on that date.

“There were a lot of different emotions,” Olson said in recalling that team meeting. “A little bit of anger, a little bit of frustration, but a lot of sadness, especially for the six seniors who had done so much. This was going to be the big finish to their basketball career. I think we’ll always wonder – what could we have done? Could we have repeated? It got very emotional for everybody.”

Meanwhile, several Concordia spring sport teams were in the process of finishing up spring break trips. Baseball had been in Tucson, Ariz., softball veered to Kissimmee, Fla., men’s golf traveled to Prescott, Ariz., and the tennis teams trekked across the state line into Iowa. By the time each of these squads were bound for a return to Nebraska, the coronavirus had become big news. The World Health Organization declared a global pandemic on March 11.

A star for a softball team out to a 12-2 start, sophomore Camry Moore referred to the bus ride back from Florida as the “longest 26 hours of my life.” At the time, there was still some hope that parts of the spring seasons could be salvaged. The softball team had been scheduled to play at Oklahoma City University on March 14, but the host school had already suspended its season (per a conference ruling). Moore tried to comfort close friend MacKinsey Schmidt, who would be studying at the University of Nebraska Medical Center upon her upcoming graduation. Said Moore, “I went and sat with her for a while on the bus after Coach (Shawn Semler)’s announcement, but no words were exchanged, just silence and a few tears for the both of us.”

On March 13, one day after the remainder of the basketball tournaments were canceled, the GPAC announced that a suspension of spring athletics would go into effect on March 16 and last through April 5. That decision allowed for the baseball team to have one last hurrah. Head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad made its way to Sioux City and enjoyed a roaring good time in a doubleheader sweep (combined score of 33-1) of Briar Cliff. Senior Jason Munsch continued his stunning dominance (one unearned run allowed in 26 spring innings) by tossing a seven-inning no hitter.

Clearly the team had heeded Dupic’s advice in focusing only on the task at hand. After the doubleheader, everyone knew the season was in jeopardy. Said Dupic on that date, “Obviously there’s a lot of chaos happening and it’s been pretty crazy for a lot of people. It’s hard to know what to think. We’re going to keep focusing on what’s in front of us. I’m grateful for our players. They had a lot of fun today. We don’t know what’s to come, but we’re very hopeful.”

All hopes of resuming the season at some point in April were dashed on March 16. That’s when the NAIA announced the cancellation of the spring sports season, effective immediately. Dupic waited to say much to his players in reasoning that everyone involved needed time to process the situation. There was also the matter of Dupic explaining all of this to his three-year-old son Cole, who became a regular at the ballpark. Cole told his father late in April, “The germs are being really bad. We need the germs to go away so I can watch a baseball game. We need to kick the germs away.”

The “germs” impacted all Concordia athletic programs in a major way, even the ones that did not have official competitions wiped out. The women’s soccer program came under the direction of a new head coach, Thomas Goines, in December. It missed out on valuable get-to-know-you time. So too did Patrick Daberkow’s football program and the rest of the fall sports that use the spring as a developmental period. As Daberkow said, “We are going to stay positive. We’re pretty adamant about that. There’s no benefit in getting negative with this whole situation.”

In so many instances, Bulldog athletes and coaches have been something of a model for how to approach this unprecedented situation. Not since World War II had there been such a widespread freeze of the sports world. Concordia did not field a football team in 1943 when many able men served in the war. A few days after the 9/11 tragedy, then head coach Courtney Meyer’s football squad traveled to South Dakota and upset eighth-ranked Sioux Falls, 17-14. In the aftermath of the victory, Meyer said, “As difficult as the week was for everyone in light of the tragic events in New York, we were able to focus on the game, play inspired football and save our best until the fourth quarter.”

This was different. No other class of senior athletes has ever had to deal with something quite like this. On the same day that the basketball national tournaments were canceled, All-American senior point guard Grace Barry sent out a tweet that was ‘liked’ more than 2,000 times and received widespread approval from friends and foes. Both Lincoln TV stations interviewed Barry and teammate Philly Lammers in the aftermath of their careers coming to an end. Said Barry, “If basketball has taught me anything, it’s how little basketball matters in the long run.”

It was the type of mature answer Drew Olson had come to expect of his well-rounded student athletes. They were taking after Olson. As Olson stated on March 12, “Sometimes you have to look at the big picture. There’s a whole let else going on. Hopefully we’ll look back on this and say it was the smart thing to do … It’s awesome being at Concordia and knowing what strong Christians I’m surrounded by. We trust that God is in control. There are a lot of unknowns and we don’t have all the answers, but God will lead us through it.”

In the weeks and months since COVID-19 resulted in online only classes and the end of athletic activities, things changed dramatically. All Concordia facilities went quiet and were closed to the public. Students moved out of dorm rooms and many traveled back home. These are the kinds of things that only seem to happen in movies. Said senior golfer Murphy Sears, “We didn’t really think it would happen to Concordia. We thought Concordia will do everything it can to keep classes going and sports will be fine.” Added senior throws national champion Jacob Cornelio, “It really happened abruptly and all of a sudden I couldn’t be in the weight room anymore and I couldn’t be on campus anymore.”

Cornelio has decided to return for the spring semester of 2021 to finish out his eligibility. He knows what a special thing he has in Concordia. Said track and field head coach Matt Beisel, “We have an amazing God who loves us and He’s going to get us through this. We have resilient kids. All of them that I’ve talked to have expressed a determination not to let it crush their spirit. I think we’re going to come back stronger next year.”

As head volleyball coach Ben Boldt said, the priorities don’t change. Concordia Bulldogs Athletics are about faith, family and excellence in both academics and athletics. The happenings of mid-March rocked the boat, but they didn’t sink it. “We’re hammering through it,” says director of strength and conditioning Todd Berner, who oversaw an eerily empty weight room for the second half of the spring semester. It was another sign that the coronavirus pandemic had left no aspect of athletics untouched.

For all athletes, coaches and staff involved, March 12, 2020, will always be remembered. Just like that, sports were indefinitely – but temporarily – sidelined.

March Timeline – an abrupt close to athletics

March 11 – Women’s basketball defeats Wilberforce, 75-57, in the first round of national tournament.

March 12 – Men’s basketball falls, 87-84, to No. 5 Ottawa in the final game of the NAIA Division II men’s basketball tournament; the remainder of the basketball tournaments were immediately canceled once the game finished.

March 13 – GPAC announces the suspension of intercollegiate athletic activities, including organized practice and competition, for the period of March 16 through April 5.

March 13 – Baseball sweeps doubleheader at Briar Cliff in what winds up being the final Concordia athletic event of the 2019-20 academic year.

March 16 – NAIA announces the cancellation of the spring sports season, effective immediately.