It is with a heavy heart that Concordia University, Nebraska acknowledges the passing of Shooting Sports Head Coach Scott Moniot, who was called to be with the Lord on November 20, 2021. He is survived by his wife Donna, three children and grandchildren.
Enthusiastic, passionate and faith-filled, Moniot will be greatly missed within the Concordia community. His impact went well beyond the accolades that were attained on the range. Said Moniot when first hired at Concordia, “I count it a privilege to partner with Concordia and to invest in the lives of young people as they pursue their faith, educational and personal goals.”
Wrote Director of Athletics Devin Smith in a statement, “We are deeply saddened about Coach Moniot’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, children and grandchildren as we mourn his loss and celebrate his life. Scott will be forever etched into our minds as we all saw him walk amongst us with such optimism, conviction and grace. He openly conveyed a love and zeal for our God, his family and the members of our Bulldog Shooting Sports team. Every time Coach spoke, you could easily tell his heart was full of joy. Scott ‘stayed awake’ in our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus and we will have peace, comfort and strength knowing he was ready for this time in his journey (Mark 13:35-37).”
Named head coach of the Concordia Shooting Sports program in June of 2018, Moniot was in the midst of his fourth season with the Bulldogs. Moniot met the challenge of transitioning the program to a varsity intercollegiate sport, growing the roster to more than 30 student-athletes and elevating it to the level of being recognized as one of the top programs in the region. In the fall of 2021, Concordia Shooting Sports enjoyed some of its greatest successes to date, winning team championships at the Concordia Bulldog Invitational and Hastings Bronco Invitational while placing second at the conference shoot. Moniot led the Bulldogs to a Prairie Circuit Conference title in 2020.
Most importantly, Moniot developed positive relationships with student-athletes that allowed them to grow not only in their craft, but also as people. Moniot aided in the development of the program’s most decorated shooter to date, Erin Lokke, a USA Collegiate Team qualifier and Olympic Trials competitor. After graduating from Concordia, Lokke served a two-year graduate assistantship under Moniot and saw first-hand how the Lord worked through Moniot.
Wrote Lokke, “Coach Moniot displayed positivity in everything that he did. He was a dedicated coach, mentor, husband, father and grandfather. Many of his current and former students would agree when I say that Coach Moniot always saw potential in someone, even when they couldn’t see it within themselves. Coach Moniot was passionate about the mission at Concordia. He taught the shooting sports team many lessons that each person will cherish forever. As Coach Moniot would say, ‘everyone has a job to do.’ The team has a lot to focus on with nationals coming up in March and I believe the shooting team will grow together and work hard for everything he did for each and every one of them. I will always be thankful for the late night and tireless training sessions that coach Moniot pushed me through.”
Social media messages circulated within the shooting sports community on Sunday in light of Moniot’s passing, further detailing his kindness, compassion and immense contributions to the sport. Home to Bulldog Shooting Sports, Oak Creek Sporting Club posted the following message on its Facebook page: “Our hearts are broken. He will be so missed. The Oak Creek family shares their prayers and hugs to not only his family but the entire Concordia family. Lord take care of him, he was a great one.”
The joy Moniot felt in seeing his student-athletes succeed was evident in the way that he spoke about them. His expertise helped pave the way for Lokke (2020) and Wyatt Hambly (2021) to win individual conference titles in back-to-back years and for a complete re-writing of the program record books each successive season. Lokke and a number of others Moniot has coached have earned spots on the USA Shooting National Junior Team. In addition, a former student-athlete, Maddy Bernau, earned a bronze medal in mixed trap shooting at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Moniot had coached Bernau during his time as head coach at Simpson College (Iowa).
Born in 1961, Moniot went on to graduate from Vennard College (Iowa) and served many vocations beyond coaching. He was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a son, a Christian educator, a church worker, a teacher and pastor.
Concordia Athletics celebrates the life of Coach Scott Moniot and continues to send prayers to his wife Donna and family. His service to Concordia will not be forgotten.