Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Jenna Esch, Track & Field
The Hastings, Neb., native Esch continued a fine junior season while winning GPAC championships in the 600 meters (1:35.37) and 800 meters (2:18.68) and as part of the 4x400 meter relay (3:59.23). Esch’s efforts helped the Bulldogs celebrate another GPAC team championship (10 in a row).
Male: Tristan Smith, Basketball
A native of Elizabeth, Colo., Smith totaled 44 points and 18 rebounds last week as the 21st-ranked Bulldogs defeated Doane, 94-88, and lost at Dordt, 79-73. Smith’s 28 points at Doane were a career high. He is averaging 18.3 points and 9.2 rebounds on the season.
2023-24 BAAM Athletes of the Month
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
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.
Cheer claims first place, Dance places third at Dordt Invite: The competition season continued over the weekend for the Concordia Competitive Cheer & Dance teams as they traveled to Sioux Center, Iowa. Head Coach Emilie Ashenbach’s cheer squad celebrated a championship while claiming first place with a score of 80.9. The Bulldogs beat out a field of eight teams that included GPAC rivals Dordt, Morningside, Doane and Mount Marty. As for dance, Head Coach Mandi Maser’s squad placed third with a score of 81.4, finishing behind only Morningside and Viterbo (nine total teams). The Dordt Invite marked the fifth event of the 2024 competition season for both sides. Concordia will now fine-tune its routines while preparing for the GPAC Championships/NAIA Qualifier competitions coming up March 8-9 in Crete. Both Bulldog squads have hopes of making pushes for national championships berths.
Bulldog Men’s Basketball cracks NAIA top 25 with unique mix of veterans and newcomers: Keep winning and the outsiders will have no choice but to pay attention. Such is the case for the 2023-24 Concordia University Men’s Basketball team, which has had to earn its way onto the national radar. Thanks to an eight-game winning streak featuring two top 25 wins, the Bulldogs landed at No. 21 in the NAIA coaches’ poll released on Feb. 14. The win streak reached nine before it was snapped this past weekend at Dordt. We took a look at how Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad has put itself in position to compete for a GPAC regular season title in a feature piece that can be found HERE.
Haecker the ‘gamer’: Energetic and intensely competitive, Rylee Haecker has been described by coaches as "a gamer." Beyond athletics, Haecker is caring and outgoing, is a positive encourager of her teammates and is devout in her faith. The eight-time NAIA All-American is still writing her Concordia Bulldog story. In discussing her career, Haecker said, “I’m super, super thankful because a lot of people don’t get the same opportunity.” For more on Haecker’s journey, click HERE.
Meet Concordia’s colossus of clout, Joey Grabanski: The school’s all-time home run leader, Joey Grabanski has never stopped hitting since the day he arrived on campus. A native of Grand Forks, Neb., Grabanski is the type of player who makes people turn their heads to watch. He’s on the verge of becoming the NAIA’s sultan of swat. Read more about Joey and his journey 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.
Wrestling
· Current dual record: 8-7, 3-5 GPAC (6th).
· Last week:
o Placed fifth at the 2024 GPAC Wrestling Championships (Feb. 16-17).
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Rankings
· Notable: For the second time in the history of the GPAC Wrestling Championships, Concordia had the honor of hosting the event. By weekend’s end, the Bulldogs placed fifth in the conference with 73 points. Concordia emerged with three automatic national qualifiers as Creighton Baughman placed as the 141-pound runner up, Tommy Wentz placed second at 165 and Mason Garcia took third at 197. Also at 165, freshman Barret Brandt added two more pins (school record 24 pins) and placed fourth at 165, just missing out on an auto bid of his own. Based on seeding, Baughman was an expected national qualifier and entered the conference tournament ranked No. 8 nationally in his weight class. The Papillion, Neb., native will be headed to the NAIA national stage for a second year in a row. Meanwhile, Wentz and Garcia made waves with upsets in their brackets. Wentz went 4-1 at the GPAC tournament with a pin of No. 17 Zander Ernst of Morningside while Garcia also went 4-1 and earned a pin of No. 22 Jake Rau of Jamestown. Eight of the 12 Concordia wrestlers picked up at least one victory at the conference tournament. Baughman hit the 30-win mark as part of his senior campaign. The top four teams at the GPAC tournament were Doane (190), Morningside (165.5), Briar Cliff (110.5) and Dakota Wesleyan (103.5). Official national tournament qualifiers will be announced this week as the NAIA wrestling world now looks forward to the national tournament beginning on Feb. 29.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Wrestling homepage HERE.
· Up next:
o 2024 NAIA Wrestling Championships (Feb. 29 – March 2) in Park City, Kan. More details about the event can be found HERE.
Track & Field
· Current NAIA rankings (USTFCCCA) – No. 2 women | No. 11 men.
· Last week:
o Competed at the 2024 GPAC Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 16-17; women placed first and men placed third.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS NAIA indoor qualifying list
· Notable: Yet another GPAC championship has been claimed by the women’s program. The Bulldog women piled up 206 points while earning six GPAC event titles at the 2024 conference indoor meet hosted by Mount Marty. The GPAC champions on the women’s side were the 4x400 meter relay, Jenna Esch (600 and 800 meters), Rylee Haecker (1,000 meters), Jordan Koepke (400 meters) and Zoey Walker (high jump). On the men’s side, titles were seized by Calvin Rohde (1,000 meters), Chris Wren (weight throw) and Zach Zohner (pole vault). In addition, Kylahn Freiberg broke the women’s school record in the 3,000 meters by clocking in at 10:05.72. The previous standard was 10:11.42 by Rachael Geidel in 2000. Freiberg placed second in both the mile and the 3k. The women stacked points throughout the weekend, starting with 22 points in the pentathlon. In addition, Adrianna Rodencal placed second in the 60-meter hurdles and third in both the 60 and 200 meters. On the men’s side, Rohde led the way by placing first in the 1,000 meters, second in the mile and fourth in the 3,000 meters. Meanwhile, Wren equaled a personal best in the weight throw and Zohner again skied above 17 feet in the pole vault. A new ‘A’ standard was added by Darien Semedo in the weight throw. The string of 10-straight GPAC meet championships for the women’s program dates back to the 2019 conference indoor meet. Now the focus shifts to the upcoming NAIA national meet to be held in Brookings, S.D. Official national qualifiers will be announced later this week.
· Keep up with Concordia Track & Field throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons by visiting the team’s homepage HERE.
· Up next:
o 2024 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships (Feb. 29 – March 2) in Yanton, S.D. More details about the event can be found HERE.
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 21-5, 15-5 GPAC; ranked No. 7 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won at Doane, 74-72, on Feb. 14.
o Lost at No. 1 Dordt, 81-78, on Feb. 17
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The GPAC regular season grind is nearing the end. In the second-to-last week of the regular season, the Bulldogs rallied from 12 points down to win at Doane, 74-72, marking the 16th-straight series victory. Concordia also pushed top-ranked Dordt to the brink in what amounted to an 81-78 loss. At 15-5 in league play, the Bulldogs are hopeful of locking up the conference’s No. 2 seed. The teams right behind Concordia are Dakota Wesleyan (14-6) and Briar Cliff (13-7). In the game at Doane, five Bulldogs reached double figures: Abby Krieser (18), Abby Heemstra (11), Sadie Powell (11), Kristin Vieselmeyer (11) and Kendal Brigham (10). Brigham also dished out 10 assists for her first career double-double. Three days later, Powell poured in a career high 22 points and Brigham tallied 19 points off the bench. The two matchups with Dordt this regular season were decided by a combined total of eight points. Powell has moved her career point total to 980 as she threatens to become the program’s 32nd member of the 1,000-point club. As for Taysha Rushton, she needs four more points to surpass Sarah Harrison (1,800) for No. 3 on the program’s all-time scoring list. The senior class will be celebrated on Saturday when Midland comes to town. The group of fourth-year players includes Brigham, Powell, Rushton, Toomey and Hanna Spearman. The likes of Brigham, Powell, Rushton and Toomey have each played in more than 100 career games as Bulldogs. Head Coach Drew Olson’s can guarantee itself the GPAC’s No. 2 seed with two wins this week.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Women’s Basketball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Feb. 21 vs. Hastings (13-13, 9-11 GPAC), 6 p.m. CT.
o Saturday, Feb. 24 vs. Midland (6-20, 3-17 GPAC), 2 p.m. CT – Senior Day.
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 20-6, 13-5 GPAC; ranked No. 21 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won at Doane, 94-88, on Feb. 14.
o Lost at Dordt, 79-73, on Feb. 17
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Within conference play last week, the Bulldogs played two games both decided by six-point margins. Concordia nearly allowed a 21-point lead slip away before holding off Doane, 94-88, in Crete. Three days later, the Bulldogs stumbled at Dordt, 79-73, and had their nine-game winning streak snapped. In the clash with Doane, Tristan Smith notched a career high 28 points and threw down an emphatic highlight-reel slam. Smith also posted his 11th double-double of the season when he tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds at Dordt. The consistent Noah Schutte went for 25 points at Doane and then 17 at Dordt. Hayden Frank also supplied 17 points off the bench at Dordt. With the victory at Doane, Concordia reached the 20-win mark for the fourth time during Head Coach Ben Limback’s tenure. The high-water mark during his 11 seasons remains the 28 wins secured by the 2021-22 squad. The loss at Dordt put the Bulldogs at 13-5 in league play and one game behind first-place Hastings (14-4). Concordia can lock up at least a share of the GPAC regular season title if it can win twice at home this week. A showdown with the Broncos awaits on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are aiming to earn a GPAC regular season title for the second time in three seasons. Morningside (13-5) and Northwestern (13-5) will play each other Wednesday. In other words, a three-way tie for first is a possibility. Concordia will celebrate its seniors on Saturday in conjunction with the home game with Midland.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Men’s Basketball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Feb. 21 vs. Hastings (19-7, 14-4 GPAC), 7:45 p.m. CT.
o Saturday, Feb. 24 vs. Midland (9-17, 4-14 GPAC), 3:45 p.m. CT – Senior Day.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
· Current men’s record: 2-4
· Current women’s record: 2-2
· Last week – Men:
o Won vs. Tabor, 5-2, on Feb. 17.
· Last week – Women:
o Lost vs. Ottawa, 6-1, on Feb. 16 (Lawrence, Kan.)
· Links: Men’s 2024 Schedule | Men’s 2024 Roster | Women’s 2024 Schedule | Women’s 2024 Roster.
· Notable: Both of Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squads competed once last week as part of nonconference action. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs dropped a 6-1 decision to Ottawa University (Kan.) on Feb. 16 in a match that took place in Lawrence, Kan. Concordia got its lone team point thanks to a tiebreaker win by Mariana Molano at No. 2 singles. Molano owns a perfect 3-0 singles mark during the 2023-24 season. On the men’s side, Concordia hosted Tabor College (Kan.) on Feb. 17 and earned a 5-2 win. Singles victories were turned in from the Nos. 3 through 6 spots by Santiago Abadia, Michael Bedrosian, Manuel Rodriguez and Mitch Krumm. The winning doubles pairs were Abadia and Rodriguez at No. 2 and Bedrosian and Luke Johnson at No. 3. Bedrosian (3-3) tops the team in singles wins while the duo of Abadia and Rodriguez (3-1) owns the squad’s best doubles record. In this week’s action, the women are slated to take on Kansas Wesleyan University and Missouri Western State University. The men will also go up against Kansas Wesleyan.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Tennis homepages here: MEN | WOMEN.
· This week – Men:
o Thursday, Feb. 22 vs. Kansas Wesleyan, 10 a.m. (Grand Island, Neb.).
· This week – Women:
o Thursday, Feb. 22 vs. Kansas Wesleyan, 10 a.m. (Grand Island, Neb.).
o Friday, Feb. 23 at Missouri Western State, 12 p.m.
Baseball
· Current record: 2-3; receiving votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Lost vs. William Penn, 3-2, on Feb. 18 (Joplin, Mo.).
o Won vs. William Penn, 11-2, on Feb. 18 (Joplin, Mo.).
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The Bulldogs have not yet gotten into a rhythm in terms of the early season slate. The deck was shuffled this past weekend as Concordia canceled the games it had originally scheduled for Feb. 17 in Joplin, Mo. The Bulldogs did manage to play twice in Joplin this past Sunday and came away with a doubleheader split with William Penn University. Most notably, Jay Adams became the program’s all-time record holder with 271 hits as he surpassed former teammate Jesse Garcia (270). Joey Grabanski needs three more RBIs to break the program all-time RBI record of 216 by Garcia. Brad Hallock led the offensive attack over the weekend with four hits and a pair of RBIs. Three Concordia players notched exactly three hits in Joplin: Alec Blakestad, Ty Nekoliczak and Jaidan Quinn. Solid pitching performances were delivered by Christian Gutierrez (5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) and Blake Benson (6 IP, H, ER, BB, 9 K). Benson earned the win in game two. Concordia is slated to return to action today (Feb. 20) at Kansas Wesleyan University before playing Culver-Stockton College (Mo.) in a four-game weekend series in Fort Scott, Kan.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Baseball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Tuesday, Feb. 20 at Kansas Wesleyan, 2 p.m. DH.
o Saturday, Feb. 24 vs. Culver-Stockton, 1 p.m. DH (Fort Scott, Kan.).
o Sunday, Feb. 25 vs. Culver-Stockon, 1 p.m. DH (Fort Scott, Kan.).
Softball
· Current record: 1-5.
· Past week (all in Kansas City):
o Won vs. Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods, 1-0, on Feb. 18.
o Lost vs. Benedictine, 6-5, on Feb. 18.
o Lost vs. Baker, 11-1 (6 inn.), on Feb. 19.
o Lost vs. Avila, 1-0, on Feb. 19.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The slate got pushed back one day (due to chilly weather this past Saturday), but the Bulldogs managed to get four games played at the NAIA Kansas City Invite hosted by Avila University. Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad earned a 1-0 win over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (Ind.) as Megan Eurich fired a four-hit shutout that included eight strikeouts. Concordia then dropped its final three games (two by a single run) at the event. In Sunday’s action, senior Julia Van Wey collected the 100th hit of her Bulldog career. In a noteworthy offensive performance, center fielder Jennifer Katz went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the matchup with Benedictine College (Kan.). In the final game in KC, freshman pitcher Kaylei Denison allowed just a single run in a six-inning complete game. Concordia now stands at 1-5 having played an exceedingly challenging schedule. Five of the first six games have come against teams that qualified for the 2023 national tournament. The Bulldogs will be headed to the state of Kansas this weekend for doubleheaders at University of Saint Mary and Benedictine.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Softball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Feb. 24 at University of Saint Mary, 1 p.m. DH.
o Sunday, Feb. 25 at Benedictine, 12 p.m. DH.