Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Evan Fukuhara, Weightlifting
A sophomore from Sacramento, Calif., Fukuhara came away from the North American Open Finals in Wilmington, N.C., with a 67kg championship. Fukuhara outlifted a field of 27 competitors while posting a total of 256kg – 111kg in snatch and 145kg in clean and jerk.
Female: Hayley Miles, Track & Field
A sophomore from North Platte, Neb., Miles became the new program record holder in the long jump with a mark of 19’ 4 ½” that came at the Bulldog Early Bird Meet. Miles earned first place in the event and is the NAIA’s high jump national leader. Miles also placed third in the meet in the triple jump (37’ 1 ¾”).
2023-24 BAAM Athletes of the Month
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
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.
Engelbart comes full circle: A 2001 Concordia graduate, Derek Engelbart has come full circle. The institution's new Vice President of Institutional Advancement finds himself in a position to help enhance the student-athlete experience 20 years after wrapping up his own collegiate career. Said Engelbart, “The greatest thing about Concordia is its people. That’s the future of Concordia – continuing to invest in the people and the programs. Giving back can help support those opportunities for the next wave of Bulldogs.” To read more about Engelbart’s new role, and for a look back at his own collegiate career, check out our feature linked HERE.
Star trio from Concordia Volleyball earns All-America awards: A trio of Bulldogs from the Concordia Volleyball program picked up All-America accolades. As announced on Monday (Dec. 11) by the NAIA, Bree Burtwistle (first team), Camryn Opfer (second team) and Gabi Nordaker (third team) have each been recognized as 2023 All-Americans. All three Concordia standouts are repeat All-America award winners. Burtwistle became the first player in program history to be named an NAIA First Team All-American. For more on these awards, click HERE.
Fall postseason awards: A total of 37 Concordia Bulldogs athletes were named GPAC All-Conference award winners for the fall of 2023. Click the links below for listings by sport of those honorees. Special accolades went to volleyball’s Bree Burtwistle as the GPAC Setter of the Year and to women’s soccer’s Grace Soenksen as the GPAC Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, five Concordia student-athletes were recognized recently as 2023 Academic All-District award winners by College Sports Communicators: Savannah Andrews, Hannah Kile, Niah Kirchner and Soenksen from women’s soccer and Matt Schultz from men’s soccer. Additionally, 64 Bulldogs have been named NAIA Scholar-Athletes so far this fall. Football Scholar-Athletes will be announced prior to the national championship game.
--Cross Country
--Football
--Men’s Soccer
--Women’s Soccer
--Volleyball
Wrapping up fall seasons: Fall sports have officially concluded for the year 2023. In putting a bow on those campaigns, we summarized the seasons for football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball. Those seasons-in-review are linked below. As a credit to Concordia’s fall sports teams, every single one placed within the top four of the final GPAC standings in 2023.
--Season recaps: Football | Men’s Soccer | Women’s Soccer | Volleyball.
Fukuhara wins title at North American Open Finals: Sophomore Evan Fukuhara came through with a major accomplishment last week as he rose to the top of the podium in his weight class at the North American Open Finals held in Wilmington, N.C., Dec. 7. Fukuhara outlifted a field of 27 competitors (10 of college age) in the 67kg class at the prestigious event. He beat out the second-place finisher by 15kg with his total of 256kg. Fukuhara placed first in snatch (111kg) and second in clean and jerk (145kg). Roughly a month earlier, Fukuhara placed first in the 73kg class at the Iowa Championships. Said Head Coach Freddie Myles, “I’m extremely proud of Evan’s performance, winning the second most prestigious tournament in the U.S. He’s worked extremely hard in practice and outside of practice on his nutrition, recovery and mental preparation.” The season to date for Myles’ powerlifting and weightlifting programs has included a combined four main full-scale competitions. Both squads will resume action in the spring semester while looking ahead to national championship events. The homepages for Myles’ programs are linked below.
--Powerlifting
--Weightlifting
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 rankings – not yet released by USTFCCCA.
· Last week:
o Hosted the Bulldog Early Bird Meet (Dec. 8-9).
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS NAIA indoor qualifying list
· Notable: Head Coach Matt Beisel’s program got the 2023-24 season started in impressive fashion while hosting the Bulldog Early Bird Meet on Dec. 8-9. The yields included 18 automatic national qualifying standards, six NAIA ‘B’ standards and 16 event championships. Most notably, sophomores Hayley Miles and Adrianna Rodencal both broke school records. Miles surpassed the previous long jump standard of 19’ ¼” by Carol Bailey (1989) with a mark of 19’ 4 ¼” at the Early Bird. That measurement currently tops the NAIA. As for the Lincoln Lutheran alum Rodencal, she bested her own record in the 60 hurdles by running times of 8.65 in the prelims and 8.57 in the finals. Other Concordia athletes with national best marks are Rylee Haecker (2:59.05 in the 1,000 meters) and Zach Zohner (16’ 7 ¼” in the pole vault). It was also a fine start for junior Jenna Esch, who turned in automatic times in the 400 meters, 600 meters and as part of the 4x400 meter relay. The 18 NAIA auto marks as a team are a big improvement from the 2022 Early Bird meet when Concordia posted four ‘A’ standards. The Bulldogs will now break for the holiday season while looking forward to a return to competition the weekend of Jan. 12-13.
· Keep up with Concordia Track & Field throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons by visiting the team’s homepage HERE.
· Up next:
o UNL Graduate Classic on Jan. 12-13.
o Scott Nisely Memorial Classic on Jan. 13.
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 7-2, 4-2 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won at Mount Marty, 82-54, on Dec. 6.
o Won at Briar Cliff, 86-82 (OT), on Dec. 9.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The GPAC win streak grew to four last week as the Bulldogs one at Mount Marty in blowout fashion and then outlasted Briar Cliff in Sioux City, Iowa, over the weekend. In clash in Yankton, Concordia had the game well in hand by halftime with a 42-21 lead. Tristan Smith led the way with 22 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots while Lukas Helms added 17 points (6-for-8 from the floor) and Noah Schutte notched 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. Three days later, Schutte went off for 34 points and 11 rebounds in the overtime win over the Chargers. He went 11-for-15 from the floor and 11-for-13 from the foul line. Three of Schutte’s teammates reached double figures: Smith (14), Brad Bennett (12) and Zac Kulus (10). Smith also collected 11 rebounds for a double-double. Concordia managed to overcome 25 turnovers thanks to Schutte’s monster performance and a 39-25 rebound advantage. The week of action saw the Bulldogs snap a two-game losing streak at Mount Marty’s Cimpl Arena and extend their series win streak over Briar Cliff to four. Among GPAC players, Schutte ranks second in rebounding (9.1/game), fourth in scoring (22.2 points/game) and fifth in field goal percentage (.590). The Laurel, Neb., native has moved into the top 15 of the program’s all-time lists for rebounds (540 – 14th) and scoring (1,357 – 15th). This being finals week at Concordia, Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad is off from competition until heading to Hilo, Hawaii, for the Big Island Holiday Classic, Dec. 17-18. The Bulldogs will play twice in Hawaii, as listed below.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Men’s Basketball homepage HERE.
· Up next – Big Island Holiday Classic (Hilo, Hawaii):
o Sunday, Dec. 17 vs. San Francisco State University, 6 p.m. HT (10 p.m. CT)
o Monday, Dec. 18 vs. No. 13 Olivet Nazarene University, 2 p.m. HT (6 p.m. CT)
o NOTE: The Big Island Holiday Classic is hosted by the University of Hawaii at Hilo. For more details on the classic, check out the event page HERE.
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 7-2, 5-2 GPAC; ranked No. 7 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won at Mount Marty, 77-57, on Dec. 6.
o Lost at No. 9 Briar Cliff, 74-66, on Dec. 9.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The final GPAC conference action of the calendar year 2023 took place last week as the seventh-ranked Bulldogs won at Mount Marty, 77-57, before being tripped up at No. 9 Briar Cliff, 74-66. Concordia’s struggles offensively resulted in the contest at Mount Marty remaining close for the better part of three quarters. Eventually, the Bulldogs pulled away with the help of a 27-point fourth quarter. Taysha Rushton poured in 22 points to help combat the 24 scored by the Lancers’ Kaela Martinez. Concordia’s three other double-figure scorers were Abby Krieser (17), Sadie Powell (12) and Sammy Leu (11). The Bulldogs shot 39.5 percent from the floor while holding Mount Marty to 35.7 percent shooting. In the visit to Briar Cliff, Concordia found itself down 27-10 in the second quarter before later leading by five (56-51) in the fourth quarter. The shots didn’t fall the way the Bulldogs needed them to (4-for-21 from 3-point range) to defeat a fellow top 10 team on the road. Rushton helped lead Concordia out of the early hole as she tallied 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Krieser added 11 points, Powell posted 10 points and seven rebounds and Mackenzie Toomey registered seven points and seven rebounds. Rushton is averaging a team high 17.0 points per game this season. Up next for Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad will be a trip to Arizona for two nonconference matchups. Those contests are coming up early next week, as listed below.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Women’s Basketball homepage HERE.
· Up next:
o Monday, Dec. 18 at Embry-Riddle University (Ariz.), 5:30 p.m. MT (6:30 p.m. CT).
o Tuesday, Dec. 19 at Arizona Christian University, 1 p.m. MT (2 p.m. CT).
Wrestling
· Current dual record: 3-2, 2-2 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Idle – last competed the weekend of Dec. 1-2.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Rankings
· Notable: Concordia rebounded from the two GPAC dual losses it suffered on Nov. 21 and took out its frustrations on Bethany College (Kan.). While hosting the Swedes on Dec. 1, the Bulldogs won nine matches with bonus points and rolled to a 55-0 stomping. The 55 team points put on the board were the most for the program since it defeated Dakota Wesleyan, 58-0, in November of 2018. Pins were delivered by Creighton Baughman (141) in 1:38, TJ Allen (149) in 4:11, Barret Brandt (165) in 1:29, Stephen Duffy (174) in 1:40 and Teegan Tschampel (197) in 0:35. From a ratings perspective, Porterville, Calif., native Hunter Weimer (184) and Arroyo Grande, Calif., native Mason Garcia (285) picked up notable victories. Weimer erased Triston Vande Velde (preseason NAIA No. 25 at 184) by technical fall, 15-0, in 3:34. Normally a 197-pounder, Garcia moved to heavyweight and took a 7-1 decision over Rocky Whitehead, who was ranked 21st nationally at 285 to begin this season. The very next day, Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad competed 13 wrestlers at the Conner/Oppenheim Open hosted by Doane. The Bulldogs combined for 15 wins and got fourth-place finishes from both Baughman (141) and Weimer (184). Baughman went 3-2 at the tournament and pushed his overall season record to 13-4. Ranked eighth nationally at 141, Baughman defeated No. 11 Jackson Wenberg of Graceland University (Iowa) for the second time this season. Two other Bulldogs have hit double digits in wins this season: Barret Brandt (16-6) and Grant Wells (13-5). Brandt has racked up 15 pins on the on the year. Concordia had this past week off competition while looking ahead to the Avila University Duals this Saturday. The matchups for that event are listed below.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Wrestling homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Dec. 16 at the Avila University Duals in Kansas City, Mo. (times are approximate following the 10 a.m. dual):
§ 10 a.m. vs. Central Methodist University (Mo.)
§ 1 p.m. vs. No. 11 Missouri Valley College
§ 4 p.m. vs. No. 18 Baker University (Kan.)
§ 5:30 p.m. vs. Waldorf University (Iowa)
§ 7 p.m. vs. Avila University (Mo.)