Sports Summaries

Cross Country

Men

From a time perspective, the Bulldogs put together their best GPAC championship race during Coach Matt Beisel’s 10-year tenure. At the conference meet held in Ashland, Neb., Concordia earned four GPAC All-Conference awards via Vaughn Hendrickson (third), Trey Robertson (11th), Trevor Kuncl (13th) and Aidan Limback (15th). The Bulldogs placed third in the GPAC and narrowly missed out on a team at-large berth to the national championships. The lone national qualifier was the sophomore Hendrickson, who traveled to Tallahassee, Fla., and placed 139th. In other season highlights, Concordia posted team placements of fourth at both the Augustana Twilight and Briar Cliff Invite.

Women

In what was a feel-good story, Keeli Green returned to the trails in 2025, placed fourth in the GPAC and established herself as one of the NAIA’s top runners. Green qualified for the national championships individually and earned All-America honors with a 26th place finish (21:50.5 6k time). From a team perspective, Concordia placed fifth in the GPAC and was receiving votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll in the middle of the season. Outside of Green, the team’s top finishers at the conference meet at Mahoney State Park were Annaka Schlachter, Alison Stepanek, Lydia Edmonds and Ashley Robertson.

Football

The momentum the Bulldogs built into 2024 carried over into 2025 as Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad finished at 7-3, good for third place in the GPAC. Concordia ended the season with an exclamation point as it defeated No. 19 Northwestern, 21-17, inside Bulldog Stadium. While retooling the team’s offensive personnel, the Bulldogs averaged 34.8 points and 396.2 yards per game this fall. Gideon Stark took over the reins at quarterback and threw for 2,339 yards and 21 touchdowns. School records were broken by running back Carlos Collazo for rushing yards in a game (283 at Mount Marty) and by kicker Peyton Atwood for longest field goal (50) and most career PATs (121). An NAIA National Player of the Week was earned by Atwood, defensive lineman Carson Fehlhafer, punter Braxtyn Koch and receiver Adam Van Cleave. Concordia went 2-1 against its Nebraska rivals earning wins over Doane and Hastings while fall in double overtime to Midland.

Fourteen Bulldogs earned GPAC All-Conference awards, led by Fehlhafer, who was named an NAIA First Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. Fehlhafer was joined with first team all-conference honors by center Brevin Damrow, safety Daylon Henson, linebacker Grant Huss and Van Cleave. Second team honors went to Atwood, offensive lineman Derek Campbell, Collazo, Koch, linebacker Dylan Meyer and long snapper Max Wurdeman. The ’25 team set a new program record with 24 NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards.

Golf

Men

The fall slate included five tournaments. The team’s highest placement was fourth at the Nebraska Intercollegiate in October. At the Nebraska Intercollegiate, freshman Calvin Zabloudil capped the fall by placing ninth, earning him an individual medal. By 18-hole average, Concordia’s top competitors during the fall were senior Jake Richmond (77.3), Zabloudil (78.1) and junior Jude Elgert (78.9). The team’s season average stands at 314.4. Head Coach Brett Muller rebuilt the 2025-26 roster with a strong crew of newcomers. The lineup at the final fall tournament featured three freshmen in Zabloudil, Logan Krabbenhoft and Tyler Weismann.

Women

The Bulldogs took a significant leap forward this fall while led by seniors Emery Custer and Maddie Lewis. Of the five fall tournaments, Concordia placed second in four of them. The 2025-26 team has already broken school records for 18-hole score (320 at the Mount Marty Invite) and for two-day tournament score (336-322–658 at the Frommelt Fall Classic). The Broken Bow, Neb., native Custer won her first career tournament title when she took first place at the Siouxland Invite (77-78–155). Custer holds a season scoring average of 79.2. Both Lewis and Savannah McFalls also posted one top-five tournament finish in the fall. The team’s current season average of 332.7 would shatter another school record if it holds through the spring.

Lifting Sports

Powerlifting

Two meets took place in the fall as the Bulldogs competed at the CUNE Collegiate Powerlifting Meet (Oct. 4) and the Central Collegiate Cup Series (Nov. 22-23). At the season opening home meet, five Concordia athletes broke school records, including 110 kg stalwart Leo Guiza, who became the first Bulldog to break 800 kg for a total (accomplished at the Central Collegiate Cup). Twelve Concordia athletes went on to set new program standards at meet No. 2 of the fall. School record totals were achieved by Guiza, Teya Badger (100 kg), Taylor Hedke (60 kg), Matthew Hernandez (67.5 kg), Abby Nelson (82.5 kg) and Katie Wilson (48 kg). Head Coach Freddie Myles’ squads earned team place finishes of second on the women’s side and third on the women’s side at the Central Collegiate Cup.

Weightlifting

The two fall competitions for Concordia were the Nebraska State Weightlifting Championships (Oct. 18) and the Virus Weightlifting Finals (Dec. 4-7). At the season opening meet, new school standards were set for snatch, clean and jerk and overall total within their respective weight classes by the likes of Evan Fukuhara (79kg), Taylor Hedke (63kg), Enzo Mancini (110kg), Kaiden Mima (65kg) and Abby Nelson (53kg). The Bulldogs won the team championship at the event in Omaha. To cap the semester in December, Coach Freddie Myles’ squad earned four top-three individual placements at the prestigious Virus Weightlifting Finals in Daytona Beach, Fla. Mima emerged as a national champion in the amateur and open divisions. Other top three finishers were Mancini, Nelson and Marcus Sweet. The men’s team placed fifth in the open division. As another major highlight of the fall, Myles was named the 2025 Iowa-Nebraska Weightlifting State Organization (WSO) Coach of the Year.

Shooting Sports

Head Coach Dylan Owens entered his team into six competitions throughout the fall. The team’s place finishers were fifth at the Fort Hays State Shoot, fourth at the Simpson Invite, seventh at the Midland Open, fourth at the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships, fourth at the Hastings Invite and second at the Southeast Community College Invite. It was a spectacular fall for senior Katie Welker, who claimed two women’s high overall championships, shot two separate 100s in trap, was the HOA runner up at the conference championships and was named an all-conference award winner. On the men’s side, Devin Harris starred while winning the men’s HOA title at the SCC Invite. At the conference shoot in Grand Island, Neb., the team’s top HOA shooters outside of Welker (462) were Sam Blevins (456), Harris (455), Kaylee Hinton (431) and Clayton Gellerman (422). The ACUI Collegiate Clay Target National Championships will be held in March of 2026.

Men’s Soccer

It was an “uncommon” journey for Head Coach Jason Weides’ 2025 team, which went from an 0-4 start to GPAC tournament champions and a spot in the second round of the national tournament. Starting with a 3-1 win at archrival Hastings in early October, the Bulldogs won eight of nine games while celebrating the program’s third GPAC postseason championship. During the conference tournament, Concordia host all the way through and earned tight wins over Hastings, 1-0 (overtime), Briar Cliff, 3-2, and Morningside, 2-1, in the GPAC final. In continuing a memorable journey, the Bulldogs got past No. 24 Eastern Oregon in the NAIA National Championship First Round in penalty kicks, 4-2, behind heroes Inigo Chavarria and Ricards Busmeisters. The result marked the first time Concordia has ever advanced at the national tournament. The Bulldogs ended the campaign at 12-9-1 overall. They placed third in the GPAC regular season standings. The team’s all-conference award winners were Busmeisters (first team), second teamers Oliver Balazs, Hugo Garrote and Slade Leicht and honorable mention selections in Chavarria, Nolan Fuelberth, Adrian Wambua and Mike Wyvill.

Women’s Soccer

A season that began with considerably lofty expectations concluded in the GPAC semifinals with a 2-1 overtime loss to Hastings. Head Coach Nick Smith’s squad was one of the final teams left out of the national tournament field. Thus, the Bulldogs wound up with a final record of 13-2-5. Season highlights included a 3-1 nonconference victory over fourth-ranked Columbia (Mo.) and a late season seven-game unbeaten streak the started with a 2-1 road win over Hastings. Columbia was the highest ranked opponent a Concordia Women’s Soccer team has ever defeated. Star striker Kierstynn Garner moved all the way to No. 2 on the program’s all-time goals list with 68 for her career. Garner earned First Team All-GPAC honors along with teammates Niah Kirchner, Kyana Rios and Triniti Rowe. Second team honors went to Guadalupe Sanchez and honorable mention status was earned by Sadie Mares, Elena Ruiz and Taylor Slaymaker. Collectively, they helped the Bulldogs outscore their opponents by a combined total of 57-20. Five Concordia players notched at least five goals, led by 19 from Garner.

Volleyball

The journey landed the Bulldogs into the NAIA national semifinals for the first time in program history. A historic victory was claimed on Dec. 8 when third-ranked Concordia defeated sixth-ranked Providence (Mont.) in four sets in the national quarterfinals. Head Coach Ben Boldt guided his squad to a 28-4 overall (15-1 GPAC) record during a season that included GPAC runner-up placements in the regular season and postseason. Along the way, the Bulldogs went up against the very best teams in the nation and won on the road over eventual national champion Indiana Wesleyan. First Team All-GPAC honors were earned by Ava Greene, Ashley Keck and Ella Waters. Second team accolades went to Emma Brueggemann (freshman of the year) and Molli Martin while honorable mention status was garnered by Shandy Faalii and Kya Scott. Angie Boldt was recognized as GPAC AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year. Keck put together one of the finest seasons ever by an individual player and has amassed 1,460 kills and 1,266 digs in her distinguished career. The elite nature of the program is depicted by its 24 consecutive top five appearances in the NAIA coaches’ poll. Ben Boldt is now the winningest coach in program history with 182 wins in his eight years.