Concordia University was selected third in the GPAC preseason women’s basketball poll which was released on Monday. The Bulldogs received 87 points and were selected behind Northwestern and Morningside in the poll.
Last season's Bulldog squad navigated the most challenging schedule in the NAIA and managed to reach the national tournament. Taysha Rushton leads a 2022-23 team that believes it's grown since the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
Mackenzie Koepke had played in 102 of a possible 103 games over her first three seasons. After missing the 2021-22 season due to injury, the Lincoln Lutheran alum, a link back to the national championship team, is determined to go out on her own terms.
Just a few weeks after playing the 123rd and final game of her collegiate career, Rylee Pauli reflected on four years of Concordia Women's Basketball. There were ups, downs, unique experiences and incredible highs.
Led by do-it-all guard Taysha Rushton and relentless senior Rylee Pauli, the 2021-22 Bulldogs extended the program's national tournament streak while beating five teams that qualified for nationals throughout the season.
Four starters, including First Team All-GPAC star Taysha Rushton, return for a Concordia Women's Basketball program coming off an appearance in the NAIA national quarterfinals last season. Depth will be a strength.
Taylor Cockerill and Taysha Rushton were the ringleaders for a squad that reached the NAIA national quarterfinals while playing an exciting brand of hoops in 2020-21.
For Concordia Women's Basketball, tradition never graduates. That's become evident in 2020-21, even as the program 'rebuilt' following the graduation of several stars.
In season No. 15 as head coach, Drew Olson has reached the 400-win milestone. As his current and former players will attest, Concordia Women's Basketball is about more than winning.
From October 2011 through December 2020, Concordia Women's Basketball was included in every possible NAIA top 25 ranking, a run of 97-straight poll appearances.
It's a new-look Concordia Women's Basketball team, but the program is determined to prove it's still a major force in the GPAC and nationally. Taylor Cockerill and Mackenzie Koepke are the headlining returners.