SEWARD, Neb. – It was a historic day for Concordia University, Nebraska Weightlifting as the program hosted its first ever official home meet. A total of 23 athletes competed at Saturday (Feb. 28)’s CUNE Weightlifting Open, which was a dual between the Bulldogs and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.). Concordia swept major individual honors as Taylor Hedke was named Best Female Lifter and Enzo Mancini earned Best Male Lifter accolades. The action took place inside the Walz Fieldhouse.
The event marked the third competition of the 2025-26 season for Head Coach Freddie Myles’ squad. As part of the home open, the Bulldogs celebrated their senior class of five student-athletes.
Said Hedke, “It was very exciting. I hit a one kilo PR on clean & jerk and a two kilo PR on snatch. Training’s been going well. It’s good to be able to come and show out on the platform and have our team and supporters here for us. It was definitely a great day.”
A native of Marysville, Kan., Hedke (63 kg) finished with a total of 186 kg thanks to her lifts of 83 kg in snatch and 103 kg in clean & jerk. The total is a significant increase from the 159 kg she lifted at last season’s national championships when she placed fifth in the 59 kg weight class. Hedke scored 255.8 in the Q-Points formula while beating out a field of 11 women’s athletes at the CUNE Open.
The top performances from Concordia athletes are included below. In placing at the top of the heap, Mancini (94 kg) posted lifts of 132 kg in snatch and 166 kg in clean & jerk for a total of 298 kg. The Roseville, Calif., native has high expectations for himself. Said Mancini afterwards, “Me personally, I wasn’t too happy with how I performed, but I love this event. I think it’s great for the sport. People came out and supported us … I have to continue to put the work in and get the training going – just making sure I’m staying focused with every rep and every set.”
Top Dawgs – Men (in order of Q-Points score):
1. Enzo Mancini (94 kg) – 132 kg snatch | 166 kg clean & jerk | 298 kg total.
2. Michael Davidge (110 kg) – 128 kg snatch | 160 kg clean & jerk | 288 kg total.
3. Evan Fukuhara (79 kg) – 110 kg snatch | 136 kg clean & jerk | 246 kg total.
4. Kaiden Mima (65 kg) – 100 kg snatch | 125 kg clean & jerk | 225 kg total.
5. Marcus Sweet (88 kg) – 110 kg snatch | 137 kg clean & jerk | 247 kg total.
Top Dawgs – Women (in order of Q-Points score):
1. Taylor Hedke (63 kg) – 83 kg snatch | 103 kg clean & jerk | 186 kg total.
2. Gracy Johnson (77 kg) – 85 kg snatch | 101 kg clean & jerk | 186 kg total.
3. Abby Nelson (58 kg) – 62 kg snatch | 77 kg clean & jerk | 139 kg total.
4. Chloe Gaspar (63 kg) – 65 kg snatch | 78 kg clean & jerk | 143 kg total.
5. Harley Jane Carter (69 kg) – 62 kg snatch | 80 kg clean & jerk | 142 kg total.
The next best overall lifters on the men’s side for Concordia included junior Michael Davidge, senior Evan Fukuhara, junior Kaiden Mima and sophomore Marcus Sweet. Both Fukuhara and Mima are past national champions. Davidge finished roughly 13 Q-Points shy of Mancini. In the 110 kg class, Davidge lifted 128 kg in snatch and 160 kg in clean & jerk for a total of 288 kg.
On the women’s side, junior Gracy Johnson followed next in line behind Hedke. It marked the first competition of 2025-26 for the native of Coon Rapids, Iowa. Johnson (a sixth-place national finisher in 2025) lifted 85 kg in snatch and 101 kg in clean & jerk for a total of 186 kg. The rest of the team’s top five (in terms of Q-Points) featured freshman Abby Nelson and sophomores Chloe Gaspar and Harley Jane Carter.
Following the competition, the Bulldogs recognized their seniors. The senior class includes Harley Jane Carter, Evan Fukuhara, Adrian Hernandez, Leighton Limback and Jacob Wagoner.
The final remaining event on the 2025-26 schedule will be the University Weightlifting National Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 9-12. The Bulldogs came away from the 2025 national meet with place finishes of fourth for men, sixth for women and fifth in the co-ed breakdown.