SEWARD, Neb. – Two seniors with All-America awards to their credit have been recognized once again. Concordia University, Nebraska standout student-athletes Adrianna Rodencal of track & field and Nick Velders of tennis have been named Bulldog Athletics Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Month for April 2026. The winners emerged from a vote conducted on Tuesday (May 5) among attendees at the BAAM luncheon. BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday (when classes are in session) at 12 p.m. CT inside the Dog House Grill.
The Lincoln Lutheran alum Rodencal never ceases elevating her level of performance. Rodencal has earned four national athlete of the week awards in 2026 while continuing her record-breaking exploits. Most notably during the month of April, Rodencal put on a show at the Dutcher Memorial with still-intact personal bests of 13.04 in the 100-meter hurdles and 58.02 in the 400-meter hurdles. Those times remain the best in the NAIA this season. In April alone, Rodencal was honored three times as the GPAC Athlete of the Week and twice as NAIA National Athlete of the Week. At the Drake Relays, Rodencal tested herself against a large field of NCAA Division I athletes and placed top six in both hurdles events. At this past week’s GPAC Outdoor Championships, Rodencal broke her own conference meet records in the 100 hurdles (13.14) and 400 hurdles (58.36) while earning the female GPAC Most Outstanding Athlete of the Meet award for the fifth time in her career. Also at the conference meet, Rodencal teamed up with her fellow Bulldogs for a school record of 3:47.14 in the 4x400-meter relay and for a program standard tying time of 46.80 in the 4x100-meter relay. Rodencal is now a 14-time GPAC champion in her career.
A native of Gelderland, The Netherlands, Velders has seized the men’s athlete of the month award in back-to-back months. The 2025 NAIA All-American was recently named a 2026 GPAC All-Conference honoree for both singles and doubles. Impressively, Velders finished the 2025-26 season with a spotless 19-0 singles record (mostly at the No. 2 spot) to go with a 13-4 doubles mark. In April, went 4-0 in his completed singles matches (all against GPAC foes) and led the Bulldogs back to the GPAC Championship Match for the second year in a row. Velders finished his two-year run at Concordia with a sparkling 38-2 singles record. He owns the school record for singles wins in a season (19 in both 2024-25 and 2025-26). At the conclusion of the season, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranked Velders nationally at No. 16 for singles and at No. 32 for doubles. Velders played an instrumental role in Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad breaking a school record for team dual wins (17-5 record) in a single season.
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.
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Month
April – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Nick Velders (tennis)
March – Nick Velders (tennis) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
February – Jonny Jurchen (track & field) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
January – Hayden Kluthe (track & field) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
December – Brooks Kissinger (basketball) / Adysen McCarter (track & field)
November – Ava Greene (volleyball) / Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
October – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Adam Van Cleave (football)
September – Carson Fehlhafer (football) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
2024-25 BAAM Athletes of the Month
April – Christian Gutierrez (baseball) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
March – Jennifer Katz (softball) / Jaidan Quinn (baseball)
February – Abby Krieser (basketball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
January – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
December – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
November – Austin Jablonski (football) / Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
October – Carson Fehlhafer (football) / Kierstynn Garner (soccer)
September – Mark Arp (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)