Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Jaidan Quinn, Baseball
A junior third baseman from Bonner Springs, Kan., Jaidan Quinn went 9-for-14 (.643) at the plate with three homers and eight RBI as the Bulldogs earned a four-game road sweep of Dordt. Quinn was named the GPAC Player of the Week for the third time this season.
Female: Kylahn Freiberg, Track & Field
A fifth-year competitor from Nampa, Idaho, Freiberg earned wins last week at the Central College Invite in the 800 meters (2:18.90) and the 3,000 meters (9:54.40). The time in the 3k made Freiberg the school record holder for both indoor and outdoor in that distance.
2023-24 BAAM Athletes of the Month
February – Jaidan Quinn (baseball) / Mackenzie Toomey (basketball)
January – Kendal Brigham (basketball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
December – Evan Fukuhara (weightlifting) / Hayley Miles (track & field)
November – Creighton Baughman (wrestling) / Abby Krieser (basketball)
October – Becca Gebhardt (volleyball) / DJ McGarvie (football)
September – Austin Jablonski (football) / Ashley Keck (volleyball)
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
March 26 – Jessie Ciezki (shooting sports) / Carson Fehlhafer (track & field)
March 19 – Megan Eurich (softball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
March 12 – Megan Eurich (softball) / Zach Zohner (track & field)
Feb. 27 – Jaidan Quinn (baseball) / Mackenzie Toomey (basketball)
Feb. 20 – Jenna Esch (track & field) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
Feb. 13 – Brad Bennett (basketball) / Jenna Esch (track & field)
Feb. 6 – Barret Brandt (wrestling) / Kylahn Freiberg (track & field)
Jan. 30 – Kendal Brigham (basketball) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
Jan. 23 – Kylahn Freiberg (track & field) / Zach Zohner (track & field)
Jan. 16 – Kendal Brigham (basketball) / Noah Schutte (basketball)
Jan. 9 – Abby Heemstra (basketball) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
Dec. 12 – Evan Fukuhara (weightlifting) / Hayley Miles (track & field)
Dec. 5 – Noah Schutte (basketball) / Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Nov. 28 – Creighton Baughman (wrestling) / Kylahn Freiberg (cross country) / Abby Krieser (basketball)
Nov. 14 – Austin Jablonski (football) / Maddie Paulsen (volleyball)
Nov. 7 – Sara Huss (volleyball) / Kyle Sterup (football)
Oct. 31 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Michael Owens (soccer)
Oct. 24 – Rebecca Gebhardt (volleyball) / Julie McIntyre (cross country) / Michael Owens (soccer)
Oct. 17 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / DJ McGarvie (football)
Oct. 10 – Rylee Ladd (powerlifting) / Jack Nelson (shooting sports) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball) / D’Andre Williams (soccer)
Oct. 3 – Austin Jablonski (football) / Grace Soenksen (soccer)
Sept. 26 – Ashley Keck (volleyball) / Mason Ward (shooting sports)
Sept. 19 – Savannah Andrews (soccer) / Carter Hinman (soccer)
Sept. 12 – Katie Welker (shooting sports) / Devin Zeigler (football)
Sept. 5 – Bree Burtwistle (volleyball) / Carter Hinman (soccer)
Aug. 29 – Isaiah Shaddick (soccer) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday at 12 p.m. CT inside the Dog House Grill, located in the Janzow Campus Center. The luncheons feature reports from head coaches who are in season at the time. For information on how to join BAAM, click HERE. It is not a requirement to be a BAAM member in order to attend the weekly luncheons.
Wrapping up the 2023-24 winter sports seasons: The winter sports seasons at Concordia are in the books. The winter saw women’s indoor track & field and men’s basketball claimed GPAC championships in addition to several other thrilling moments. Check out the links below for sport specific season recaps. On Monday, both Taysha Rushton (second team) and Noah Schutte (third team) were named 2023-24 NAIA All-Americans.
--Seasons-in-review: Men’s Basketball | Women’s Basketball | Wrestling.
Shooting Sports caps 2023-24 season with seventh-place ACUI National Championships finish: A pair of Bulldogs won individual national titles and Concordia University Shooting Sports came away with a 2024 ACUI National Championships (March 19-23) place finish of seventh in the Division 2 breakdown. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ squad busted 2,784 targets (out of 3,000) and placed 15th out of all 57 teams at the national championships across the four divisions. Individual honors were captured by senior Jessie Ciezki, the women’s open skeet national champion, and senior Claire Kee, the women’s open super sporting national titlist. From an HOA perspective, the Bulldogs’ top competitor was senior Breyer Meeks, who cracked 551 of 600 targets. For a complete recap of the national championships, click HERE.
Fukuhara wins 67kg national title as one of six Bulldogs to compete in Columbus, Ohio: The list of accomplishments keeps growing for Concordia University sophomore Evan Fukuhara. The Sacramento, Calif., native rose to the top of the podium at the 2024 National University Championships held in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 29 – March 3, and sponsored by USA Weightlifting. Fukuhara captured the national title in the 67kg weight class as one of six Bulldogs to represent the Concordia Weightlifting program at the national meet. Fukuhara was joined in the national qualifying field by teammates Michael Davidge (89kg), Nolan Graupmann (102kg), Adrian Hernandez (109kg), Gracy Johnson (71kg) and Cody Monsevais (89kg). The national competition concluded the 2023-24 season for Head Coach Freddie Myles’ Bulldogs. For more details on the national meet, click HERE. Meanwhile, Concordia Powerlifting will look forward to its national championship coming up April 11-14 in Atlanta, Ga.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its ninth year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on KTMX-FM 104.9 Max Country. The weekly feature can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the Max Country app. Throughout the 2023-24 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Parker Cyza serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene is in his ninth season calling Concordia volleyball. The Max Country broadcast schedule for the fall semester of 2023 can be found HERE.
Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning this 2023-24 academic year, Concordia Athletics has partnered with Hudl/BlueFrame for live video streaming. Live webcast links for away contests are publicized in sport specific releases that preview action for that particular week. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Track & Field
· Current NAIA National Rankings (According to USTFCCCA) – Men 10th; Women NR (March 27).
· Most recent meet:
o Central College Dutch Invite on Thursday, March 28.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS NAIA outdoor qualifying list
· Notable: Before breaking for the Easter holiday, the Bulldogs got the 2024 outdoor season started across all event areas at the Central College Dutch Invite. Concordia came away with 17 event titles and four fresh automatic national qualifying standards. The new NAIA auto marks were turned in by Jenna Esch (400 meters), Jordan Koepke (400m hurdles), Zoey Walker (high jump) and Zach Zohner (pole vault). A week earlier, a group of throwers combined for five ‘A’ standards at the Bethel Invite. Also at the Central Invite, Kylahn Freiberg (9:54.40 in the 3,000 meters) and Zoey Walker (5’ 6” in the high jump) both either equaled or exceeded school records. Esch ran a personal best of 56.66 in the 400 meters and was the meet champion in both the 200 and 400 meters. Esch is coming off an indoor season that saw her collect three All-America awards (including a national title in the 4x800-meter relay). Concordia’s list of national qualifiers, so far, also includes Matthew Boyer (javelin), Carson Fehlhafer (shot put), Abby Gerber (shot put), Darien Semedo (shot put) and Chris Wren (hammer throw). The season will continue this weekend with the Concordia Invitational.
· Keep up with Concordia Track & Field throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons by visiting the team’s homepage HERE.
· Up next:
o Concordia Invitational on Friday-Saturday (April 5-6). View event schedule HERE.
Golf
· Most recent action (men):
o Shot 304 (placed 3rd of 6) at SCC-Beatrice Invite on April 1.
· Most recent action (women):
o Began the Concordia Bulldog Spring Invitational on April 2.
· Men’s Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The Bulldogs returned to action immediately after Easter and carded a team score of 304 at the Southeastern Community College Invite on Monday. Concordia placed third out of six teams and beat out GPAC rivals Hastings (315) and Doane (319). Individually, junior Justin Webert tied for second place with a one-over-par 73 at Beatrice Country Club. He was just one stroke behind the tournament champion. Other Bulldogs who factored into the team score were Drew D’Ercole (78; T-8th), Gavin McWhorter (77; T-12th) and Jake Hagerbaumer (78; T-16th). In addition, Brock Rogers carded a 77 and Jacob Dowd turned in a 78. The varsity spring slate has also included the Maverick Desert Classic (March 4-5) and the Graceland Invite (March 22). D’Ercole paces the team with a season scoring average of 74.2 (with Webert No. 2 at 75.8). Concordia will continue action with the Bulldog-Tiger Cup on Saturday and the Midwest Spring National Invite (April 8-9) coming up early next week. In addition, the JV will compete in the Hastings College JV Invite on Friday.
· Women’s Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: As of Tuesday (April 2) morning, the Bulldogs got underway with their own Concordia Bulldog Spring Invite at Highlands Golf Course. The event features athletes from 15 institutions and three rounds of action over two days. The event marks the second outing of the spring for the women’s team, which competed at the Graceland Invitational on March 22. Concordia placed third out of seven teams and was led by sophomore Emery Custer, who shot a 98 (fifth place) in cold and blustery conditions. The Bulldog lineup also included Logan Eschliman (101), Jennifer Gillotti (104), Maddie Lewis (104) and Mya Nurse (107). A full recap on the Concordia Invite will be available following the conclusion of the tournament on Wednesday.
· This week:
o Men: Bulldog-Tiger Cup on Saturday, April 6.
o Women: Concordia Bulldog Spring Invite Tuesday-Wednesday (April 2-3).
Baseball
· Current record: 23-8, 7-3 GPAC; ranked No. 17 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won at Dordt, 5-4, on March 29.
o Won at Dordt, 14-0, on March 29.
o Won at Dordt, 9-1, on March 30.
o Won at Dordt, 8-3, on March 30.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The 17th-ranked Bulldogs took care of business while winning all four games in the weekend series at Dordt. After going down 4-0 in the first inning of game one, Concordia dominated the rest of the way. Overall for the series, the Bulldogs outscored the Defenders, 36-8, in the process of extending their series win streak to 18. Concordia homered 10 times in the series with Jaidan Quinn’s three long balls leading the way. Joey Grabanski also homered twice and pushed his career home run total to 71 (six off the all-time NAIA record). Quinn went 9-for-14 (.643) in the series and reached base in 14 of 19 plate appearances. The starting pitchers (in order) were Caden Johnson, Braxton Greenburg, Christian Gutierrez and Matt Rhoades. The latter three hurlers each surrendered no runs or one run in their outings. Defensively, the Bulldogs converted 123 of 124 chances in the field. The infield defense has been improved with the help of transfer shortstop Jimmy Blumberg. With still more than half the GPAC regular season remaining, Concordia sits in third place at 7-3 in league play. As of Tuesday (April 2) afternoon, the Bulldogs were hosting No. 9 Doane in a key GPAC doubleheader between top 25 teams. Concordia will then play a four-game series against in-state foe Midland on Saturday and Sunday.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Baseball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Tuesday, April 2 vs. No. 9 Doane (23-5, 9-1 GPAC), 2 p.m. DH.
o Saturday, April 6 at Midland (21-9, 7-5 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH.
o Sunday, April 7 vs. Midland (21-9, 7-5 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH.
Softball
· Current record: 11-17, 1-3 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Doane, 3-2, on March 29.
o Lost vs. Doane, 4-2, on March 29.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The Bulldogs went more than a week between doubleheaders before returning to action by hosting Doane on March 29. Both contests with the Tigers were low scoring as Concordia won game one, 3-2, and then lost game two, 4-2. A stellar junior season continues for ace pitcher Megan Eurich, who threw her 11th complete game already this season. She surrendered just one earned run in seven innings against Doane. Eurich improved her record to 10-6 to go along with a 2.68 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 107 innings. The key hit in the win over Doane was produced by sophomore Taryn Ganstrom, who drilled a pinch-hit, two-run triple to gave Concordia a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth. It was Ganstrom’s first at bat of the season. Ganstrom also pitched game two and took the loss despite giving up only a single earned run in seven innings. She allowed six hits without issuing a walk. Other highlights of game two included a Laycee Josoff RBI single and a diving catch by Aubrey Bruning in left field. Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad is slated to play two GPAC road doubleheaders this week – at Hastings on Wednesday and at No. 11 Northwestern. Concordia will wait until April 12 before returning home for a doubleheader at Plum Creek Park.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Softball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, April 3 at Hastings (12-12, 0-2 GPAC), 4 p.m. DH.
o Saturday, April 6 at No. 11 Northwestern (26-2, 4-0 GPAC), 1 p.m. DH.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
· Current men’s record: 5-10, 0-2 GPAC.
· Current women’s record: 6-6, 1-1 GPAC.
· Recent action – Men:
o Lost at Morningside, 7-0, on March 22 (South Sioux City, Neb.).
o Lost at Nebraska-Kearney, 7-0 on March 24.
· Recent action – Women:
o Lost at Morningside, 6-1, on March 22 (South Sioux City, Neb.).
· Links: Men’s 2024 Schedule | Men’s 2024 Roster | Women’s 2024 Schedule | Women’s 2024 Roster.
· Notable: Both sides took a break during Holy Week. Concordia played indoor GPAC matches on March 22 as conference play continued in South Sioux City, Neb., where Morningside got the best of the Bulldogs for both men and women. The women fell by a 6-1 final score while the men were beaten 7-0. The men’s team also dropped a 7-0 contest at NCAA Division II University of Nebraska-Kearney on March 24. The lone point for the women’s team at Morningside came via Alexa Richert’s victory at No. 5 singles. The women’s team slipped to 1-1 in GPAC play. Leaders for the Concordia women from an individual perspective are Alana Lopez Pagan and Mariana Molano with seven singles wins apiece. On the men’s side, freshman Michael Bedrosian paces the team with six singles wins. Overall this season, the women have gone 34-38 in singles and 14-21 in doubles while the men have gone 24-66 in singles and 15-30 in doubles. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squads will be back at this week as the women and men host Northwestern (April 5-6).
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Tennis homepages here: MEN | WOMEN.
· This week – Men:
o Saturday, April 6 versus Northwestern.
· This week – Women:
o Friday, April 5 versus Northwestern.