In the spring of 2017, Concordia baseball won a GPAC title, Amy Ahlers made history by claiming an individual conference championship, both track and field programs maintained their statuses as national powerhouses and the softball squad put together one of the winningest seasons in school history. In other words, the athletics department keeps rolling as not only one of the best in the GPAC, but one of the best in all of the NAIA. The Bulldogs finished second in the 2016-17 GPAC All-Sports Trophy Standings and entered the spring ranked in the top 20 nationally in the NAIA Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings.
TOP MOMENT: Baseball claims first conference title in 31 years
The story of the 2017 Concordia baseball team is one that transcends sports. As third-year head coach Ryan Dupic put it, “This story was about multiple people coming together. That’s what it takes. We had so much help along the way.” Dupic has persevered through personal health issues and led the Bulldog baseball program to its first conference championship since 1986. Dupic is quick to credit his assistant coaches, particularly Bryce Berg, and the players for picking up the slack when he couldn’t physically be there for the team. From an emotional standpoint, the players were always there for their head coach.
Said center fielder Jake Adams, “We set these goals and we were able to go out and accomplish them. With the year that Coach Dupic has had, it’s been awesome to do it this year.” On May 1, Concordia clinched the outright GPAC regular-season title and its first-ever berth in the national championships. After an 0-3 start to GPAC play, the Bulldogs followed the lead of star senior third baseman Casey Berg and a group of impressive freshmen pitchers to a conference title. Concordia went on a run during which it won 22 of 28 games against GPAC opponents and then earned the right to host the conference tournament championship game. Lefty starting pitcher Josh Prater went so far as to say that a movie could be made about the 2017 baseball season. It clearly will be one that will be remembered for a long time.
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Wiechman grabs third athlete of the meet award of 2017
Senior Lucas Wiechman had a way of rising to the occasion during his final college season. He won four individual titles at the GPAC outdoor championships, taking first in the pole vault, long jump, 110 and 400 meter hurdles and as part of the 4x400 meter relay. For those efforts, Wiechman was named the GPAC athlete of the meet and the GPAC athlete of the year. The native of Pilger, Neb., also earned athlete of the meet awards at the 2017 GPAC and NAIA indoor championships. Wiechman’s haul in 2017 included two national titles, six All-America awards and seven individual GPAC titles (and two in the 4x400 relay).
Three Bulldogs capture national titles at outdoor meet
Over the past several years, Concordia track and field has become nationally known for its power in the throws. At the 2017 NAIA outdoor national championships, this remained a theme with both Cody Boellstorff (hammer) and Sam Liermann (shot put) taking first place in their respective events. Boellstorff won the hammer on day one, Liermann took the shot put tile on day two and senior Lucas Wiechman capped the meet on day three by besting the field in the pole vault. For Boellstorff, it marked his fourth career national title (second in the hammer). Wiechman concluded his career as a two-time national champ (also a winner in the 2017 heptathlon). Meanwhile, Liermann became a national champ for the first time in her career, though she’s a four-time All-American in the shot put. Staring with Liz King in the javelin at the 2014 outdoor national championships, Concordia has had at least one national champion at seven NAIA meets in a row.
Ahlers becomes first golfer in school history to seize GPAC title
This was the moment Amy Ahlers had been waiting for her entire career. On May 2, Ahlers clinched the first individual GPAC title in the history of the Concordia women’s golf program. This came after she turned in conference finishes of fourth place as a freshman, runner up as a sophomore and third place as a junior. A native of Albion, Neb., Ahlers and the rest of the field competed at Quail Run Golf Course in Columbus, Neb., for the final three rounds of GPAC action. Ahlers finished the conference meet with a four-round total of 83-76-77-83–319 (+31), putting her five strokes in front of the runner up. By way of winning the conference, Ahlers advanced to the national championships (May 23-25). Her incredible career included 11 tournament victories.
Track teams record top-six national finishes
Top-10 national finishes have become the norm for track and field programs that secured a national championship banner in back-to-back years (2015, 2016). With its three individual national champions leading the way, head coach Matt Beisel’s squads placed fifth on the men’s side and sixth on the women’s side at this spring’s outdoor national championships. The men have now placed inside the top five of six national meets in a row, a first in school history. Ten Bulldogs combined for 15 total All-America performances that contributed to team point totals of 46 on the men’s side and 36 on the women’s side at the 2017 NAIA outdoor championships. From an individual standpoint, Zach Lurz accumulated the most points (17) thanks to his three All-America awards.
Woodward smashes single-season home run record
A big power surge at the GPAC tournament (three home runs in two days) helped push Michaela Woodward past both Clarissa Eloge and teammate Autumn Owens for the softball program’s single-season home run record. Woodward’s final tally of 11 big flies eclipsed the previous record of nine. The record breaker was a tape measure home run against Hastings at Smith Softball Field in Hastings. A native of Cortland, Neb., Woodward is one of the greatest two-way players in school history. In 143 career collegiate games, Woodward batted .370, slugged .603 and produced 20 home runs, 30 doubles, six triples and 106 RBIs. In 97 appearances as a pitcher, Woodward went 48-26 with a 4.20 ERA and 335 strikeouts in 510 innings.
Horn finishes season on 13-match win streak
The individual singles win streak of junior Annie Horn will carry on into 2018. The native of Denver, Colo., went a perfect 6-0 in GPAC singles and doubles matches during an all-conference campaign for head coach Joel Reckewey. After suffering a nonconference singles defeat on Feb. 24, Horn never lost another match in 2017, rattling off 13 wins in a row. Her 15-4 overall singles record paced a Concordia squad that advanced to the semifinals of the GPAC tournament. Horn has now won 28 singles matches over her first three seasons as a collegiate tennis player.
SEASON SUMMARIES
Baseball
2017 record: 34-22 overall, 19-9 GPAC (1st)
Top performer: No one player was more consistent than third baseman Casey Berg, who hit .343 with a .439 on-base percentage and .529 slugging percentage to go along with seven home runs and 35 RBIs. In three games at the national tournament, Berg went 5-for-12 with a pair of walks and five runs scored. He went from an honorable mention All-GPAC selection in 2016 to a first teamer in 2017. Berg ended up breaking school single-season records for runs (57) and hits (72) as a force atop the lineup.
Season highlights: There were many in the most successful season in program history. Head coach Ryan Dupic pinpointed an early nonconference win over a strong Jamestown (N.D.) program as the evidence this team needed to know it could compete at a high level. The Bulldogs really got rolling after an 0-3 start to conference play. They then went on a run that saw them go 22-6 against conference opponents over a 28-game stretch. The hot streak allowed Concordia to capture the GPAC regular-season title for the first time in program history and lock up its first-ever trip to nationals. As the GPAC’s top seed, Concordia hosted in the conference tournament all the way through to the championship game as part of another memorable sequence. At the national tournament, the Bulldogs secured their first national tournament victory by holding off Jamestown, 8-7. With 34 wins overall, they eclipsed the 30-win mark for the first time in program annals. Dupic and his staff did wonders meshing a group of veteran position players along with a young pitching staff that came of age during the second half of the campaign.
GPAC all-conference: Ryan Dupic (coach of the year); Casey Berg (first team); Jason Galeano (first team); Jason Munsch (first team); Ryan Fesmire (second team); Christian Montero (second team); Desmond Pineda (second team); Josh Prater (second team); Jake Adams (honorable mention); Wade Council (honorable mention); Nick Little (honorable mention); Christian Meza (honorable mention).
Thoughts from Coach Ryan Dupic: “It was a hard thing to describe. I get so process oriented that I don’t always soak that stuff in as well as I should. In the moment I just felt so much joy for the players. It’s hard to see guys work really hard and not be rewarded. For them to be rewarded in that way truly was the best part of that. We said multiple times as a coaching staff that there was enough talent for us to be in contention for that. We always felt like if we didn’t do it this year we would regret it a little bit because we thought we had players that were good enough to earn that. You look at those seniors and some of those guys are really good players. For us to be able to send them out on that is truly special. I think it opens up the future a little in terms of creating more clout for the program. It’s always fun to be the first and see how much excitement it creates. The support that we received from people within the athletic department and people at Concordia was amazing. There were people reaching out all the time and such a genuine excitement about what was being created. That was really, really cool. It’s something those guys will be able to have with them for a long time.”
Golf
2016-17 men’s GPAC finish: 7th (300-343-324-314–1,281)
2016-17 women’s GPAC finish: 8th (386-378-377-368–1,509)
Top performers: Senior Amy Ahlers has been a top performer every single season during her four-year career. In her final campaign, Ahlers won the GPAC tournament and reached the national championships. Named the GPAC golfer of the year, Ahlers finished with an 18-hole season average of 80.82, just off the 80.79 school record average she posted as a junior. She won 11 tournament titles, including three as a senior, during her standout career. She also turned in 32 top-10 finishes since arriving in Seward in 2013. On the men’s side, sophomore Nolan Zikas produced the team’s lowest season average (76.7) and earned all-conference accolades for the second year in a row.
Season highlights: Ahlers’ aforementioned GPAC title takes the cake. There was also the fine performance by freshman Murphy Sears in the final round of the GPAC tournament when she carded a career low 81. The strong finish moved Sears up to 11th on the conference leaderboard, allowing her to join Ahlers with all-conference honors. On the men’s side, a pair of school records fell at the Blue River Classic back in the fall. As a team, the Bulldogs set a new program single-round standard by shooting a 288. Individually, Reid Wiebe broke a school record while carding a four-under-par 68. The men also turned in a solid 300 in the first round of GPAC qualifier action. Meanwhile, the women put up a season low of 361 on two occasions – the first round of the Mount Marty Fall Invite and the second round of the Bent Tree Showcase in the spring.
GPAC all-conference: Amy Ahlers (finished 1st in GPAC); Murphy Sears (finished 11th in GPAC); Nolan Zikas (finished 24th in GPAC).
Thoughts from Coach Brett Muller:
On Concordia women
“The highlight of the season was Amy winning the GPAC and advancing to the national tournament. In addition, Amy collected three tournament wins on the season along with setting the course record at Whispering Creek, shooting a one-under-par, 71. As a team, we improved from the fall to the spring, lowering our team average by seven shots. At times, Murphy, showed she as the potential to compete for a GPAC title. Obviously, next year we will not have Amy, but I believe we will continue to improve with our depth.”
On Concordia men
“Once again, the men set a new school record for team scoring average (308.18). A highlight of the season was hosting day two of the Blue River Classic at Highlands and shooting an even par 288. Reid shot a four-under-par 68 on the day. Nolan, for the second year in a row earned All GPAC. I am excited about the guys we having coming back. We return four of our top five and have a few solid recruits coming in as well. I know we have the talent to compete for the GPAC championship.”
Softball
2017 record: 34-14 overall, 14-6 GPAC (T-2nd)
Top performer: It’s difficult to say that any one player was more valuable than Michaela Woodward, who has been a workhorse in the circle and a powerful bat in the lineup. Woodward broke the program single-season record for home runs with 11 and logged 166.1 innings during a first team all-conference final year with the Bulldogs. In addition, Woodward batted .338 with a .642 slugging percentage and 38 RBIs. Her pitching record was 17-7 to go along with a 3.07 ERA. Sophomore second baseman Leah Kalkwarf also deserves mention for the incredible leap she made in her second collegiate season. A torrid second half boosted her to a team best season batting average of .366 and team high 39 RBIs.
Season highlights: This was the most consistent and most talented team to take the field during head coach Todd LaVelle’s four years leading the program. The Bulldogs got rolling with a doubleheader sweep of Doane on March 21, sparking a stretch during which they went 16-3 while playing mostly against GPAC opponents. One of the season’s most thrilling moments was a come-from-behind 4-3, eight-inning upset of then 10th-ranked Morningside in the second game of a twin bill on April 6. The rise to stardom of Kalkwarf and center fielder Megan Ruppert helped Concordia rack up 34 wins, tying for the second most in a single-season in program history. Several freshmen also became key contributors and will be big factors in the success of future teams. Ultimately, the Bulldogs came up two GPAC tournament wins short of qualifying for the national tournament as they did in 2014 and 2015.
GPAC all-conference: Leah Kalkwarf (first team); Megan Ruppert (first team); Michaela Woodward (first team); Kylie Harpst (second team); Autumn Owens (second team).
Thoughts from Coach Todd LaVelle: “I’m very happy with the season we had. I think we took tremendous strides. Obviously the goal every year is to win the conference tournament and make it to nationals, but when you have a chance to reflect on this year you have to celebrate the accomplishments we had. Thirty-four wins is definitely a great accomplishment and then you see all the individual accolades our girls had. Team bonding is always one thing. Every team is different and every year is different. When you put about 35 girls out there for the first practice you just never know how they’re going to react. You have to get them to believe and accept their roles on the team. That’s always a challenge. There’s no doubt we’ll have some very talented freshmen again next year. We’ll continue to work on all aspects of the game.”
Tennis
2017 men’s record: 10-12 overall, 2-3 GPAC (4th)
2017 women’s record: 9-13 overall, 3-4 GPAC (T-4th)
Top performers: Based on individual singles records, junior Annie Horn (15-4) and sophomore Gabe Poling (16-3) were the top performers for Bulldog squads that placed fourth in the GPAC. Horn won her final 13 singles matches while playing mostly at the No. 2 position. Horn garnered all-conference honors in both singles and doubles. Meanwhile, Poling put together two separate win streaks of six matches apiece. Poling spent most of his time at No. 4 singles.
Season highlights: Horn and Poling helped both Bulldog teams rally back from rough starts to the season. After going 0-5 to begin 2017, the men went 10-7 the rest of the way. On the women’s side, Concordia shook off an 0-7 start and went 9-6 once the month of March kicked in. In the conference tournament, the men advanced to the semifinals with a 5-4 win over Midland. Meanwhile, the women reached the same round by slipping past College of Saint Mary, 5-4. Both teams saw their seasons come to a halt with losses to GPAC champion Hastings (men and women) in the GPAC semifinals.
GPAC all-conference:
-MEN – Javier Moreno (doubles); Gabe Poling (doubles; singles honorable mention)
-WOMEN – Annie Horn (singles/doubles); Kirsten Wagner (doubles honorable mention)
Outdoor Track and Field
2017 men’s finishes: 2nd in GPAC, 5th at national championships
2017 women’s finishes: 3rd in GPAC, 6th at national championships
Top performers:
Men: There were many big time performers for a program that produced three national champions, 15 All-America awards and 10 individual GPAC titles this spring. Oftentimes, senior Lucas Wiechman stole the spotlight with his ability to excel at multiple events. He capped his career by claiming the men’s program’s first pole vault national title since 2003. At the conference meet, Wiechman took individual titles in the pole vault, long jump, 110 and 400 meter hurdles and as part of the 4x400 meter relay. Wiechman garnered GPAC athlete of the year recognition. From a career perspective, it’s nearly impossible to top what Zach Lurz accomplished. Over his four years in action, Lurz won four national titles and 17 All-America awards. This outdoor season, Lurz took home GPAC titles in the hammer and discus and then placed in the top four of three events at the national championships. Cody Boellstorff also concluded his career by winning the hammer throw national title.
Women: Sophomore Sam Liermann progressed to the point of becoming the top shot put thrower in the nation. She won the GPAC title and then seized her first career national title by coming out on top in the shot put. Additional women’s GPAC champions were Kali Robb (hammer) and Tricia Svoboda (discus). Robb is one of the most credentialed throwers in women’s program history having finished her career with 10 All-America awards, including one this spring in the hammer. Sophomore Allie Brooks also deserves mention for breaking the outdoor school record and the Wayne State Wildcat Classic meet record in the pole vault. Brooks is the school’s record holder in the indoor and outdoor pole vault.
Season highlights: For the sixth national championship meet in a row, the Concordia men claimed a top-five national finish. The men’s program has now beat out all other GPAC rivals in eight-straight national championship meets. From an individual perspective, the three national titles at the NAIA outdoor championships in Gulf Shores, Ala., stand out as the most significant highlights of the spring. Behind Wiechman’s memorable performance at the GPAC meet, the Concordia men made a run a team conference championship, finishing second. With an upset of Boellstorff in the GPAC hammer competition, Lurz was honored for the male performance of the meet. In addition to the individual GPAC championships that were won, the men’s 4x400 meter relay, led by the likes of Wiechman and fellow senior CJ Muller, also raced to a first-place finish. Prior to the national championships getting underway, the USTFCCCA selected Ed McLaughlin for Midwest regional men’s and women’s assistant coach of the year accolades. Meanwhile, Lurz earned the regional award in the category of men’s field athlete of the year.
GPAC all-conference: View complete list HERE.
NAIA All-Americans: Cody Boellstorff (hammer – 1st; discus – 8th); McKenzie Gravo (pole vault – 4th); Philip Kreutzer (hammer – 5th); Sam Liermann (shot put – 1st); Zach Lurz (hammer – 3rd; shot put – 3rd; discus – 4th); Sydney Meyer (hammer – 5th); Kali Robb (hammer – 3rd); Bethany Shaw (discus – 6th); Tricia Svoboda (javelin – 5th; discus – 5th); Lucas Wiechman (pole vault – 1st; 400 hurdles – 5th).
Thoughts from Coach Matt Beisel: “I am incredibly proud of all of our kids. Our seniors had a fantastic finish to their careers. Lucas Wiechman winning the national championship in the pole vault was absolutely awesome. Same thing with Cody Boellstorff in the hammer. We also had a lot of seniors who stepped up big. A lot of good things happened with some younger kids, too. You have to mention Sam Liermann winning the shot put. I was just really happy. We had a number of people walk away from events dissatisfied. Fortunately, many of them are underclassmen who get another shot at it next year. Now they have a better idea of what it’s all about. Overall, the attitude has been really positive. For me being at the meets in my first year here and hearing the cheers and encouragement for our athletes was so awe inspiring. It’s been a great experience. I’m proud of us placing fifth and sixth at nationals. It’s so hard to imagine the team without the seniors. The returning kids we have are hungry and they are dedicated. Then you throw in a big recruiting class and I think it’s going to have a big impact. It’s going to allow us to continue to maintain conference and national competitiveness. I think we’re looking great for next year.”
