Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Jaidan Quinn, Baseball
As part of a 4-0 weekend for the Bulldogs, Quinn (Bonner Springs, Kan.) went 6-for-12 with seven runs scored, three home runs and eight RBIs. All three of his homers came in the 14-4 win over Mount Marty in the regular season finale. Quinn leads the team with 24 homers on the season.
Female: Jenna Esch, Track & Field
A junior from Hastings, Neb., Esch starred for three different relays at the Drake Relays. She led the 4x800-meter relay to a national qualifying time of 9:12.95, helped the 4x4 improve on an existing ‘A’ standard (3:48.16) and aided 4x2 in a school record performance (1:40.76). Esch is also qualified for nationals in the 400 meters.
--NOTE: This will be the final Bulldog Weekly Report of the 2023-24 academic year.
2023-24 BAAM Athletes of the Month
March – Jessie Ciezki (shooting sports) / Zach Zohner (track & field)
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
April 23 – Matthew Boyer (track & field) / Aubriana Krieser (softball)
April 16 – Matthew Boyer (track & field) / Rylee Ladd (powerlifting)
April 9 – Joey Grabanski (baseball) / Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
April 2 – Kylahn Freiberg (track & field) / Jaidan Quinn (baseball)
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.
Keep up with the Bulldogs throughout the summer of 2024: This is the final Bulldog Weekly Report of 2024-25, but Concordia Athletics stories can be followed throughout the summer by staying tuned to the athletics website and social media channels. Bulldog student-athletes will continue to be featured during the summer months as fall sports near in the fall. Schedules for the fall of 2024 are now available for the sports of football, volleyball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer.
Rylee Ladd’s journey to breaking a collegiate national record: Pound for pound, sophomore Rylee Ladd is as strong as it gets. The female American collegiate record holder for the bench press at 52kg has quickly made her mark as a Bulldog. Says Ladd, "I’ve been working for that national record for a couple of years now, so it was insane to finally break that." We caught up with the Chetek, Wisconsin, native to uncover the journey that led her to Concordia and to glory on the USA Powerlifting national stage. More significant than athletic success, Concordia brought Ladd into "my faith and my relationship with God." For more on Ladd and her journey, check out the feature linked HERE.
Concordia Athletics finishes winter at No. 16 in NAIA Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings: With fall and winter sports in the books for the 2023-24 athletic year, Concordia Athletics landed at No. 16 in the updated NAIA Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings, released on April 4. The Bulldogs also ranked No. 1 among GPAC schools. So far in 2023-24, Concordia has won GPAC championships in the sports of men’s basketball, women’s indoor track & field and volleyball. The athletic department has sent athletes to national championship events in the following sports: men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, shooting sports, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling. The 2023-24 NAIA Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings can be viewed HERE.
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.
Baseball
· Current record: 37-12, 21-7 GPAC (T-1st); ranked No. 19 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Dakota Wesleyan, 3-1, on April 27.
o Won vs. Dakota Wesleyan, 2-1 (8 inn.), on April 27.
o Won vs. Mount Marty, 12-3, on April 28.
o Won vs. Mount Marty, 14-4, on April 28.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: It was a thrilling finish to the 2024 regular season as the Bulldogs pulled even with Doane atop the GPAC regular season standings. Concordia entered the day on April 28 needing to win twice over Mount Marty and for Doane to lose twice to Morningside. Both of those things happened and Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s program became a GPAC regular season champion for the fourth time since 2017 (2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024). An eight-game win streak to polish off the regular season put the Bulldogs at 21-7 in league play. Concordia treated its fans to fireworks on April 28 in Salina, Kan., where it went deep nine times. Three home runs came from Jaidan Quinn while two apiece came from Joey Grabanski and Alec Blakestad and one each from Ty Nekoliczak and Michael Welch. Starting pitchers who earned wins last week were Christian Gutierrez, Caden Johnson and Matt Rhoades, while Jacob Lycan turned in a fine performance out of the bullpen. For the third-straight season, the Bulldogs have surpassed 100 home runs. Their 102 homers rank No. 3 nationally. This past Saturday, Concordia celebrated its senior day and gave special recognition to record-breaking performers in Jay Adams and Grabanski. As the No. 1 seed in the GPAC tournament, the Bulldogs have earned an automatic bid to the national tournament. Dupic will lead the program to the national tournament for the fifth-straight season and for the sixth time in the past seven full seasons. The postseason run will begin in Seward as Concordia is slated to host a four-team GPAC tournament pod this Thursday through Saturday. The GPAC championship game will take place on Tuesday, May 7.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Baseball homepage HERE.
· This week (GPAC Tournament):
o Thursday, May 2 vs. Mount Marty (28-21, 14-14 GPAC), 6 p.m.
o Friday, May 3 vs. TBD, 12 or 3 p.m.
o Saturday, May 4 vs. TBD, 12 p.m. (if necessary game at 3 p.m.).
o Tuesday, May 7 – GPAC Championship Game, time TBD.
Softball
· Current record: 23-23, 13-9 GPAC (finished T-3rd in regular season).
· Last week:
o Won at Morningside, 5-0, on April 23.
o Lost at Morningside, 2-0, on April 23.
o Won at Dordt, 2-0, on April 27.
o Lost at Dordt, 3-2, on April 27.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The regular season has concluded for Head Coach Brock Culler’s program, which made a massive leap from 10th place in the GPAC in 2023 into a tie for third in 2024. Concordia will be the No. 4 seed in the GPAC tournament that begins on Wednesday. The regular season wrapped up last week with doubleheader splits at both Morningside and Dordt. Some thrilling news came early last week when first baseman Kylie Shottenkirk was named the NAIA National Player of the Week. The star of this past week was ace pitcher Megan Eurich, who threw two-hit shutouts against both Dordt and Morningside in a continuation of a terrific junior season. The Gretna, Neb., native moved her overall record to 18-9 to go with a 2.65 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 182 innings. That strikeout total ranks as the third highest single season total in program history. At the plate, the top Dawgs last week included Madison Cushing (4-for-8) and Aubriana Krieser (5-for-13). Krieser paces the team with a .369 batting average. Four other regulars are hitting above .300: Aubrey Bruning (.331), Taylor Glause (.330), Shottenkirk (.322) and Julia Van Wey (.301). Concordia went 11-3 over its final 14 regular season contests while moving into the top three of the GPAC standings. After missing the conference tournament last season, the Bulldogs will head to Sioux Center, Iowa, (location changed to the ASB Sports Complex) for the 2024 tourney and will take on Morningside in their first contest. The GPAC tournament features a double-elimination format. The GPAC Championship Series will be played on Saturday at the home site of the highest remaining seed.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Softball homepage HERE.
· This week (GPAC Tournament):
o Wednesday, May 1 vs. Morningside (19-24, 13-9 GPAC), 1:15 p.m.
o Wednesday, May 1 vs. TBA, 3:30 or 5:45 p.m.
o Thursday, May 2 – day 2 of GPAC tournament pod play.
o Saturday, May 4- GPAC Championship Series.
Track & Field
· Current NAIA National Rankings (According to USTFCCCA) – Men 17th; Women 9th (April 24).
· Most recent meet:
o Drake Relays on April 25-27.
o Doane Invite on April 27.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS NAIA outdoor qualifying list
· Notable: It was a week of making the best out of rain and thunderstorms throughout the Midwest. Despite the weather, four Concordia women’s relays shined at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, this past week. Most notably, the 4x200-meter relay broke the school record (1:40.76), the 4x800-meter relay posted a fresh automatic national qualifying time (9:12.95) and the 4x400-meter relay recorded the second fastest outdoor time (3:48.16) in program history. For more details on those relays, check out the meet recap HERE. At the Doane Invite that was hastily put together following the cancellation of the Nebraska Wesleyan Invite, Emma Lloyd (discus) and Addie Reimer (high jump) notched new NAIA ‘B’ standards. On the season, Concordia athletes have combined for 13 automatic national qualifying standards. That total does not include the women’s heptathlon, an event which includes two Bulldogs among the NAIA’s top 10 (Amy Richert and Josi Noble). All attention now shifts to the 2024 GPAC outdoor meet, which will be hosted by Northwestern on Friday and Saturday. This past indoor season, Concordia turned in GPAC place finishes of first on the women’s side and third on the men’s side. The women are looking to extend the program’s streak of 10-straight GPAC titles. Returning individual GPAC outdoor champions from 2023 include Rylee Haecker (1,500 meters), Josie Puelz (pole vault), Amy Richert (heptathlon) and Zach Zohner (pole vault).
· Keep up with Concordia Track & Field throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons by visiting the team’s homepage HERE.
· Up next:
o 2024 GPAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday-Saturday (May 3-4); hosted by Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa. View the meet schedule HERE.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
· Final men’s record: 8-13, 2-4 GPAC.
· Final women’s record: 11-8, 5-2 GPAC.
· Recent action – Men (GPAC Tournament):
o Lost vs. Doane, 4-0, on April 26 (GPAC Quarterfinals).
· Recent action – Women (GPAC Tournament):
o Won vs. Northwestern, 4-1, on April 25 (GPAC Quarterfinals).
o Lost vs. Midland, 4-2, on April 25 (GPAC Semifinals).
· Links: Men’s 2024 Schedule | Men’s 2024 Roster | Women’s 2024 Schedule | Women’s 2024 Roster.
· Notable: The 2024 seasons concluded for both squads this past week at the GPAC Championships held at First Serve Tennis Center in South Sioux City, Neb. On the first day of the event, the women took center stage. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad reached the conference semifinals thanks to a 4-1 win over Northwestern in the quarterfinals. The postseason run then ended with a 4-2 loss to Midland in the semifinals. In the victory over the Red Raiders, the Bulldogs earned the doubles point as Mariana Molano and Alana Lopez Pagan at No. 1 and Tessa Blough and Chakira Derman at No. 2 emerged triumphant. Singles wins were then claimed by Derman at No. 1, Molano at No. 2 and Alexa Richert at No. 5. In the loss to Midland, Concordia gained the upper hand in doubles as Molano and Lopez at No. 1 and Gabrielle Heiser and Richert at No. 3 were victorious. Molano also picked up a win at No. 2 singles before the Warriors clinched the team victory. On the men’s side, the Bulldogs were eliminated in the quarterfinals after surrendering the doubles point and singles matches at Nos. 2, 3 and 6. Mitch Krumm and Grady Works were winners at no. 3 doubles. On the season, the women went 58-53 in singles and 30-25 in doubles matches. Four Concordia players won nine or more singles matches: Molano (11-5), Richert (10-5), Derman (9-9) and Lopez Pagan (9-9). Lopez Pagan and Molano combined to go 10-5 when partnering together. On the men’s side in 2024, Concordia posted records of 38-85 in singles and 26-37 in doubles. Freshman Michael Bedrosian wound up leading the team in singles wins at 9-11. The doubles duo of Krumm and Works went 5-3. This year marked the first for Hart as head coach. She came to the Bulldogs following an extended run at the NCAA Division I level. Looking ahead to next year, Concordia will lose only one senior in either program. The lone senior is Luke Johnson, a four-year contributor to the men’s program.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Tennis homepages here: MEN | WOMEN.
Golf
· Most recent action (men):
o Defeated Doane, 12-9, in the Bulldog-Tiger Cup on April 25.
o Shot 303-314–617 (10th out of 11) on day one of the 2024 GPAC Championships on April 29.
· Most recent action (women):
o Shot 352-350-349–1,051 (9th out of 12) at the 2024 GPAC Championships on April 22-23.
· Men’s Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: Fifth-year Bulldog Drew D’Ercole got out to a scintillating start by shooting a three-under-par 69 in the opening round of the 2024 GPAC Championships. Heading into Tuesday (April 30)’s round, D’Ercole was tied for fourth on the conference’s individual leaderboard (69-77–146). The previous low round at a GPAC event during Head Coach Brett Muller’s tenure was a 70 achieved by D’Ercole (spring 2021), Nolan Zikas (twice) and Shawn Rodehorst. As a team, Concordia shot 303-314–617 on Monday and entered round three in 10th place out of the 11 GPAC squads. The next lowest score for a Bulldog on Monday in Beatrice was supplied by freshman Jacob Dowd, who shot 75 in round two. He landed in a tie for 24th (79-75–154) by the time the dust settled on Monday. Dowd was followed in the lineup by juniors Jake Hagerbaumer (76-79–155; T-31st) and Justin Webert (79-83–162; 48th) and sophomore Brock Rogers (79-88–167; 50th). Hagerbaumer and Webert are returners to the conference lineup along with D’Ercole. If he could duplicate his first round, D’Ercole could make a run at a GPAC title and spot in the national tournament. Otherwise, the season will have officially ended for Bulldog Golf. One highlight of the season came last week when Concordia defeated Doane, 12-9, in the annual Bulldog-Tiger Cup.
· Women’s Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The 2023-24 season is in the books for the Bulldogs, who placed ninth in the GPAC Championships (April 22-23) held in Spencer, Iowa. They shot 352-350-349–1,051 over the three-round event. Named the 2022-23 GPAC Newcomer of the Year, Emery Custer took a leap forward in her sophomore campaign. She vaulted from 25th in the GPAC in 2023 into a tie for 16th in 2024. Custer finished strong in round three in carding an 83. Her three-round conference tournament total came in at 86-86-83–255. That score put Custer six strokes shy of a top-10 finish. The Broken Bow, Neb., native concluded the 2023-24 season with a team season best scoring average of 86.0 over 10 events (19 rounds). Senior Mya Nurse played even with Custer through the first two conference rounds. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native wound up in a tie for 25th place while shooting 86-86-90–262. Next in line was fifth-year Bulldog Logan Eschliman, who landed in a tie for 28th place (91-87-85–263). Eschliman carded the team’s second lowest score on day two. The final two spots in the lineup were held down by sophomore Maddie Lewis (89-93-91–273; T-42nd) and junior Jennifer Gillotti (95-91-93–279; T-47th). The program will say goodbye to Eschliman and Nurse but will welcome back Custer, Gillotti and Lewis.
· This week:
o Men: Will wrap up 2024 GPAC Championships today (April 30) in Beatrice, Neb.
o Women: 2023-24 season is complete.