Sports Summaries

Spring Season Summaries

Baseball | 2026 Record: 38-18 overall (22-6 GPAC; 2nd)

The beat goes on for Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s program, which absorbed significant personnel departures from the 2025 roster (including position player stars Brad Hallock, Ty Nekoliczak, Jaidan Quinn and Matt Rhoades). In their absence, new standouts such as Bronx Lewis, Jake Watson and Luke Wilson emerged, and Jaeden Jordahl remained rock solid while making the shift to second base. Meanwhile, the pitching staff was headlined by the likes of Alex Johnson, Micah Sweeton, Caden Bugarske, Warren Rose and Trent Schlim. The pitching staff paced the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (11.96) and broke the school record for strikeouts in a season (561). Johnson became the program’s all-time strikeout king (320 career K’s). Arguably owner of the best pitching staff in the GPAC, the Bulldogs displayed balance and were boosted by an offense that averaged 7.38 runs per game. For the seventh straight season, Concordia reached the national tournament. The best stretch of play came in the middle of conference play when the Bulldogs won 12 of 13 GPAC games. At the NAIA Opening Round in Salina, Kan., Concordia went 1-2 with a win over Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas) and two one-run defeats at the hands of site host and ninth-ranked Kansas Wesleyan University. Over the past six seasons, Dupic’s squads have averaged 40.5 wins per game. The Bulldogs have graduated a strong senior class, but they have come to expect to play at the national tournament each season.

Golf | GPAC Place Finishes: Women 4th, Men 11th

Men

The conclusion – an 11th place finish at the GPAC Championships – did not go as hoped, but there were bright spots along the way in 2025-26. The Bulldogs etched their names into the school record book at the Doane Spring Invite with a school record for lowest 18-hole team score. Concordia shot 278 (-2) on day two of the event on March 18. The top individual contributors to that total were seniors Jake Richmond (-3; 67) and Brock Rogers (-2; 68) and freshman Calvin Zabloudil (-1; 69). By season’s end, Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad posted an average score of 314.6. Zabloudil and freshmen such as Tyler Weismann and Logan Krabbenhoft made an immediate impact, providing optimism heading into 2026-27.

Women

Based on scoring average, the 2025-26 Bulldogs were the best in school history. They wound up breaking school records for lowest 18-hole team score (320), lowest 36-hole tournament team score (336-322–658) and lowest single season average (335.9). Four Concordia players turned in season averages below 87: seniors Emery Custer (80.9) and Maddie Lewis (83.7), sophomore Savannah McFalls (84.4) and freshman Olivia James (86.9). During the fall season, the Bulldogs placed second in each of their first four tournaments. Custer shot 77-78–155 to win the Siouxland Invite back in September. At the GPAC Championships, Concordia placed fourth, marking the program’s highest conference finish since it landed third in 2021. Custer plans to serve as the graduate assistant on Muller’s staff in 2026-27 while Lewis has an option to use a final season of eligibility.

Shooting Sports | Place Finishes: 4th Prairie Circuit Conference; 7th ACUI National Championships

Seventeen Bulldogs represented the program at the 2026 ACUI National Championships held in San Antonio, Texas, May 17-21. Senior Katie Welker captured national titles in women’s HOA doubles trap and women’s open doubles trap and placed third in women’s open doubles skeet. Another senior took home a national title as Kaylee Hinton rose to the top of the leaderboard in women’s open skeet. Both Welker and Devin Harris earned All-America status. The stellar senior year for Welker included overall titles at the Midland Invite and Southeast Community College Invite. Welker was the women’s HOA conference runner up and was chosen to the Prairie Circuit All-Conference team back in the fall. In addition to collecting an All-America honor, Harris won the HOA individual title at the Southeast CC Invite on the men’s side. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ Bulldogs wound up with place finishes of fourth at the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships and seventh (Division 2) at the National Championships. Concordia’s top HOA shooters at the national competition were Harris (555), Welker (544), Jerry Kaibel (515), Hinton (509), Delayna Rife (502) and Sam Blevins (501). Blevins continued to compete while serving as a graduate assistant. As part of their home shoot, the Bulldogs honored three seniors: Hinton, Welker and Paige Roiger. Welker plans to return in 2026-27 as a master’s student.

Softball | 2026 Record: 23-20-1 overall (11-10 GPAC; 6th)

From a results standpoint, the season was a bit of a rollercoaster. Concordia never won more than four games in a row and never dropped more than three in succession. Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad seemed to be at its best at the end of the season as it posted three straight run-rule victories in the final week of the regular season and then played tight with national qualifiers Dordt and Morningside in the GPAC tournament. Offensively, the Bulldogs made major gains from the previous season and averaged 5.43 runs per game while hitting .339 (second best in the GPAC). Concordia also ranked second in the league in fielding percentage (.961). In memorable individual achievements, Keira Farritor slugged three home runs in the game two win at Mount Marty on April 8 and Taryn Ganstrom hit for the cycle in the game two win over Doane on April 22. The team also turned a triple play early in the season at Kansas Wesleyan. Ganstrom and Aubriana Krieser eclipsed 100 career hits during the campaign. Breakout seasons were also enjoyed by the likes of Kaylei Denison, Laycee Josoff and Tobi Topp. Denison took over the role of staff ace and logged 155.1 innings. Concordia graduated seven seniors, but the roster appears set for a strong 2027 season.

Tennis

Men | 2025-26 Record: 17-4 overall (4-1 GPAC; 2nd)

The Bulldogs rattled off eight straight wins to begin the season on their way to breaking the school record for victories with 17. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad placed second in both the regular season and postseason. In making a bid for a GPAC tournament title and national tournament berth, Concordia defeated Doane, 4-0, in the conference semifinals before falling at the hands of No. 14 Morningside, 4-0, in the title match. The All-American Nick Velders tied his own program record for singles wins in a single season while Santiago Abadia equaled a school record for career doubles wins (44). In addition to Velders going 19-0 in singles, Daniel Caballeros and Leo Lopez both went 16-3 while Hugo Fuentes again held down the No. 1 spot in the lineup. The Bulldogs broke new ground by earning votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll early in the season. Concordia will be tasked with replacing Abadia, Fuentes and Velders heading into next season.

Women | 2026 Record: 16-6 overall (6-1 GPAC; 2nd)

A year after winning the GPAC tournament title, the Concordia women returned to the championship match and lost to arch nemesis and 16th-ranked Morningside, 4-1. The Bulldog built off their success from 2024-25 and won 16 matches (one shy of the school record) thanks to a deep lineup. At No. 1, senior Mariana Molano broke the career singles wins record, pushing her total to 50 by season’s end. All six of Concordia’s lineup regulars won at least 12 singles matches, led by 15 from Nina Milic (who typically played at No. 6). Hart’s team moved up to second in the GPAC regular season standings while going 6-1 in league play. A significant moment for the program occurred on March 21 when the Bulldogs took down NAIA No. 19 William Woods University (Mo.), 4-2. Next year’s team will have to replace senior stalwarts such as Molano and Alana Lopez Pagan.

Outdoor Track and Field

Women | Place Finishes: 3rd GPAC | T-7th NAIA

Led by Adrianna Rodencal, the Concordia women produced place finishes of third in the GPAC and seventh at the NAIA National Championships (highest among GPAC teams). While Rodencal deservedly grabbed many headlines, the Bulldogs excelled in many event areas. Twenty-five Concordia athletes collected all-conference medals and Rodencal was joined with All-America accolades by Kayla Kirchner, Tayden Kirchner and Adysen McCarter. This outdoor season, school records were broken by Rodencal (100 hurdles, 13.04, and 400 hurdles, 57.98), McCarter (triple jump, 39’ 6 ½”), Makenna Starkey (high jump, 5’ 7”), the 4x1 relay (46.72) and the 4x4 relay (3:47.14). Rodencal made sure to go out in style by winning the 100-meter hurdles title and by taking second in the 400-meter hurdles. Nine Bulldog women’s athletes competed at the national meet. Like the men’s team, the women’s squad was affected by a tragedy that occurred during spring break (more on that below).

Men | Place Finishes: 5th GPAC | T-37th NAIA

Depth was a strength as 24 men’s athletes earned all-conference awards, yielding a fifth-place conference finish. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s Bulldogs went on to place in a tie for 37th at the NAIA Outdoor Championships behind All-Americans Emry Gutz (javelin) and Jonny Jurchen (race walk). Gutz and Jurchen were also GPAC champions, along with Trey Roberston in the steeplechase. As just a freshman, Avery Eaves equaled the school record in the 100-meter dash (10.60). At the conference meet, Jurchen broke his own meet record in the 5,000-meter race walk (21:34.19). The team’s national qualifying field included 10 athletes. In additional highlights in Asheville, N.C. (site of the national meet), the men’s 4x8 relay ran a season best time and Nathan Baldwin just missed All-America honors in both the hammer and discus (ninth in both). In a feel-good moment, Hayden Kluthe returned to action after having been a passenger in the car accident (over spring break) that resulted in the loss of teammate Matthew Wing and the hospitalization of another teammate (Noah Ramirez) with serious injuries. Kluthe and his fellow Bulldogs rallied together to help each other cope with the tragedy.

Powerlifting / Weightlifting

Powerlifting | Nationals Place Finishes: 5th-women; 6th-men

Head Coach Freddie Myles’ programs keep ascending to greater heights. From a team perspective, Bulldog Powerlifting earned national place finishes of fifth (26 points) on the women’s side and sixth (29 points) on the men’s side after action that took place in the New Orleans area. The All-Americans were Taylor Hedke (second), Will Peterson (second), Teya Badger (third) and Wyatt Hosick (fourth) – Dax Davis was also a fourth place finisher. The women brought home a team banner for the second year in a row. In total, there were 19 Bulldogs who competed in New Orleans. Among other highlights of the season, Leo Guiza broke the school DOTs points record, Peterson one a junior division title at the Nebraska State Meet and the program hosted its own meet in early October. Four total competitions took place throughout the 2025-26 academic year, the fourth year of competition for Concordia Lifting Sports.

Weightlifting | Nationals Place Finishes: 3rd-co-ed; 5th-men; 8th-women

In addition to Kaiden Mima winning the 60 kg national title, All-America honors were claimed by Evan Fukuhara (second), Taylor Hedke (fourth) and Enzo Mancini (fourth). Their efforts paved the way for the Bulldogs to achieve team placements of third in the co-ed breakdown (168 points), fifth for men (135 points) and eighth for women (71 points). Thirteen Concordia lifters made the trip to the national meet in Salt Lake City, Utah. As part of a stellar season, Mima also won a championship at the Virus Weightlifting Finals. At the home competition hosted by the Bulldogs in February, Hedke and Mancini emerged with Best Lifter awards. Back in October, Myles was honored as the 2025 Iowa-Nebraska Weightlifting State Organization Coach of the Year. The team competed in four meets during the 2025-26 year and now looks ahead to year five of the program’s existence.