Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Abby Krieser, Women’s Basketball
A senior from Lincoln, Neb., Abby Krieser helped the Bulldogs to wins last week over Midland and Waldorf while totaling 27 points, seven steals, five assists and five rebounds. On the season, Krieser is averaging 8.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
Male: Noah Schutte, Men’s Basketball
A fifth-year Bulldog out of Laurel, Neb., Noah Schutte starred last week as the 13th-ranked Bulldogs defeated Midland and Waldorf. He totaled 33 points, nine assists and eight rebounds over those two contests. Schutte is averaging 16.3 points and 6.9 rebounds this season.
2024-25 BAAM Athletes of the Month
December – Gabi Nordaker (volleyball) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
November – Austin Jablonski (football) / Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
October – Carson Fehlhafer (football) / Kierstynn Garner (soccer)
September – Mark Arp (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
2024-25 BAAM Athletes of the Week
Jan. 28 – Makynna Robbins (basketball) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
Jan. 21 – Megan Belt (basketball) / Tristan Smith (basketball) / Abi Wohlgemuth (track & field)
Jan. 14 – Raelyn Kelty (basketball) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
Dec. 17 – Adrianna Rodencal (track & field) / Tristan Smith (basketball)
Dec. 10 – Creighton Baughman (wrestling) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Dec. 3 – Vaughn Hendrickson (cross country) / Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Nov. 19 – Daylon Henson (football) / Addie Kirkegaard (volleyball)
Nov. 12 – Keegan Beisel (cross country) / Vaughn Hendrickson (cross country)
Nov. 5 – Angela Banks (soccer) / Austin Jablonski (football)
Oct. 29 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Devin Harris (shooting sports)
Oct. 22 – Taylor Hedke (weightlifting) / Austin Jablonski (football)
Oct. 15 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Hugo Garrote (soccer)
Oct. 8 – Carson Fehlhafer (football) / Kaylee Hinton (shooting sports)
Oct. 1 – Carter McKenna (shooting sports) / Kya Scott (volleyball)
Sept. 24 – Ishane Derman (tennis) / Daylon Henson (football)
Sept. 17 – Mark Arp (football) / Ella Waters (volleyball)
Sept. 10 – Hannah Beintema (cross country); Trey Robertson (cross country)
Sept. 3 – Nolan Fuelberth (soccer); Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Aug. 27 – Martin Herrera (soccer); Ashley Keck (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.
Spring sport seasons underway: 2025 seasons are officially underway for the Concordia softball and tennis squads. More details about their opening contests can be found in their sport specific sections below. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s 20th-ranked baseball team will begin the season this weekend with three games scheduled to be played in Oklahoma City. For complete season previews on Bulldog spring sports, check out the links below.
Seasons Previews: Softball | Baseball | Tennis: Men – Women
Velten highlights Friends Open powerlifting meet: The third powerlifting meet of the 2024-25 season unfolded this past Saturday (Feb. 1) as seven Bulldogs competed at the Friends University Open in Wichita, Kan. Senior Abigail Velten emerged as the Best Female Lifter as she totaled 327.5kg in the 75kg weight class. Velten and Pablo Martinez (670kg total at 140kg) both qualified for nationals thanks to their efforts in Wichita. For a complete recap of the meet, click HERE. The Bulldogs will now have nearly two months to train and prepare for the 2025 Collegiate Powerlifting National Championships slated to take place in Oklahoma City, April 3-6.
Profiling the Bulldog Council of Student-Athletes: The Bulldog Council of Student-Athletes (BCSA) was designed to develop Concordia student-athletes as champions for Christ on and off the competitive surfaces. During the 2024-25 academic year, BCSA has been made up of 25 student-athletes while being overseen by Tae’lor Purdy-Korell. For additional details on the organization, check out our profile linked HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its 10th 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 2024-25 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 completed his 10th season calling Concordia volleyball.
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 with the 2023-24 academic year, Concordia Athletics began a partnership with Hudl 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 on the Concordia Sports Network.
Indoor Track & Field
· Full weekends of competition in 2024-25 Meets: 4.
· Last week:
o Competed at the Fred Beile Classic (at Doane) on Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
· Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS Performance Lists
· Notable: As part of an indoor season heavy on home meets, the Bulldogs ventured outside the Walz Fieldhouse this past weekend and competed at the Beile Classic hosted by Doane. The major highlights included eight event titles, a new automatic national qualifying standard from sophomore Addie Reimer, three new ‘B’ standards and a breakthrough day for the group of high jumpers. One of those high jumpers, Reimer cleared 5’ 6” and won the competition on the women’s side. Meanwhile, Jaxon Lipker (6’ 7 ¾”) and Amanda Steinke (5’ 5”) also put ‘B’ marks on the board with personal best performances. Meanwhile, Mayson Ostermeyer, Adrianna Rodencal and Abi Wohlgemuth continue to compete at an elite level. Wohlgemuth landed a PR of 60’ 2 ½” in the weight throw at the Beile Classic and ranks No. 3 nationally in the event. In the pole vault, Ostermeyer has cleared 16 feet in all four of his meets this indoor season and continues to rank atop the NAIA leaderboard. As for Rodencal, she ranks No. 4 nationally in the 60 hurdles (school record time of 8.53). In the season to date, Concordia athletes have combined for seven ‘A’ standards and eight ‘B’ standards that appear on the NAIA national list. Additionally, Josi Noble currently ranks 14th in the NAIA in the women’s pentathlon. Only one weekend remains prior to the GPAC Championships. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s programs will host the Concordia Indoor Invite on Friday. It will mark the fourth and final home meet of this indoor season.
· For additional news and notes on the track & field programs, click HERE.
· This week:
o Friday, Feb. 7 – Concordia Indoor Invite, 12 p.m. | view meet schedule HERE.
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 13-10, 8-9 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won at Midland, 71-57, on Jan. 29.
o Won vs. Waldorf, 90-50, on Feb. 1.
· Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Winning vibes are back for the Bulldogs, who pushed the win streak to five this past week thanks to a road victory over Midland, 71-57, and a home triumph over Waldorf, 90-50. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad (8-9 GPAC) has sat in eighth place in the GPAC standings for several weeks, but it is now closing in on the likes of Doane (8-8) and Morningside (8-8), both tied for sixth. In last week’s action, the Bulldogs displayed plenty of balance offensively. Abby Krieser led the way with a combined 27 points. She also plucked seven steals and was a major reason why last week’s opponents averaged just 53.5 points and turned the ball over a total of 52 times. The next highest individual scorers on the week, by average, were Kristin Vieselmeyer (10.5), Raelyn Kelty (9.5), Kendal Brigham (8.5) and Makynna Robbins (7.5). Robbins just missed a double-double versus Waldorf while posting nine points and 10 rebounds. After stringing wins together against teams towards the bottom of the standings (and two CIT opponents), Concordia has opportunities in front of it for quality wins. Its next two outings will be on the road: at Northwestern on Saturday and at Hastings on Feb. 12. The Bulldogs will have the middle of this week off to rest up for Saturday’s road trip to Orange City. Concordia lost a nailbiter to the Red Raiders, 74-73, at home on Jan. 18.
· For additional news and notes on the women’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Feb. 5 – Idle.
o Saturday, Feb. 8 at Northwestern (16-7, 12-5 GPAC), 2 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 19-4, 12-3 GPAC; ranked No. 13 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won at Midland, 98-73, on Jan. 29.
o Won vs. Waldorf, 97-63, on Feb. 1.
· Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Following an undefeated month of January, the Bulldogs also got February started with a win. No. 13 Concordia dominated this past week with blowouts of 98-73 at Midland and 97-63 at home over Waldorf. Entering this week, only two other NAIA squads have a longer win streak than the 12-game streak Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad is currently riding. The Bulldogs left last week’s foes in the dust by shooting 55.9 percent from the floor and 47.2 percent from 3-point range. Four Concordia standouts averaged in double figures for the week: Tristan Smith (17.0), Noah Schutte (16.5), Jaxon Stueve (15.5) and Brooks Kissinger (13.0). Defensively, the Bulldogs limited Midland/Waldorf to 41.3 percent shooting and to 30.0 percent from beyond the arc. The hot stretch vaulted Concordia to No. 13 in the NAIA coaches’ poll released on Jan. 29. With five games remaining in the regular season, the Bulldogs find themselves in the think of the GPAC championship race. They are tied with Northwestern for second place – one game behind first-place Dordt (13-2 GPAC). Concordia has put itself in this position after opening league play at 1-3 while struggling on the defensive end. Since then, the Bulldogs have won 11-straight conference games, including impressive victories over No. 11 Dordt (99-72) and No. 3 Northwestern (85-70). After taking the middle of this week off, Concordia will be headed to Orange City on Saturday for another showdown with the Red Raiders, who will be at Dordt on Wednesday. In other words, the race for first will be more clear by week’s end.
· For additional news and notes on the men’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Feb. 5 – Idle.
o Saturday, Feb. 8 at No. 16 Northwestern (20-3, 12-3 GPAC), 3:45 p.m.
Cheer / Dance
· Cheer Season Scoring Average: N/A
· Dance Season Scoring Average: 80.7
· Most recent:
o Cheer – Placed 2nd at CIT on Jan. 25.
o Dance – Placed 3rd at CIT on Jan. 25.
· Cheer Links: 2025 Schedule | Roster
· Dance Links: 2025 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: Coaches Mandi Maser and Emilie Ashenbach traveled with their teams to the 2025 Concordia Invitational Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich., the weekend of Jan. 24-25. When the dust settled, Bulldog Cheer placed second while Bulldog Dance placed third at CIT. The scores in the cheer competition were as follows: CUAA (74.15), CUNE (63.73), CUC (62.65) and CUW (37.23). The max score possible was 90 on the adapted scale for CIT cheer. In dance, the scores were as follows: CUC (57.70), CUW (55.37), CUNE (55.27) and CUAA (54.63). The max score possible was 70 on the adapted scale for CIT dance. It should be noted that the CIT scores do not count towards the official NAIA scoring average. The Bulldogs had this past week off from competition while gearing up for two major events this coming weekend. CUNE will take part in the York Invitational on Friday before hosting the Concordia Day of Duals on Saturday. The duals event is one of the largest cheer and dance events hosted around the entire country. There will be a total of 56 routines performed on Saturday inside Friedrich Arena.
· For additional news and notes on cheer and dance programs, click the following links: Cheer | Dance.
· This week:
o Friday-Saturday, Feb. 7-8: The Bulldogs will compete at the York Invitational on Feb. 7 and then host the Concordia Day of Duals on Feb. 8.
Wrestling
· Current dual record: 3-2, 3-2 GPAC.
· Most recent:
o Placed sixth out of 53 teams at the Missouri Valley Invitational on Jan. 24-25.
· Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA National Rankings
· Notable: The Bulldogs had this past week off from competition. The previous weekend, they opened some eyes at the Missouri Valley Invitational while placing sixth amongst a field of more than 50 NAIA men’s wrestling programs. Concordia’s 12 wrestlers at the annual showcase event for NAIA wrestling combined to score 100 points and notch four place finishes. Those place finishers were Creighton Baughman (second at 141), Hagen Heistand (sixth at 149), Hunter Weimer (fifth at 184) and Torrance Keehn (seventh at 197). Baughman put together an impressive tournament with two wins over NAIA nationally ranked opponents: No. 16 Randy Frailey of Siena Heights University (Mich.) and No. 3 Hartwell Taylor of University of Saint Mary (Kan.). Baughman stands at 17-2 on the season. The team’s top five performers based on team points were Baughman (19.5), Keehn (16.0), Hunter Weimer (15.5), Heistand (14.0) and Mason Garcia (12.5). In placing sixth as a team, Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad finished above GPAC rivals Dakota Wesleyan (30th), Hastings (32nd), Midland (33rd), Morningside (35th), Northwestern (37th), Briar Cliff (41st) and Waldorf (46th). Concordia nipped at the heals of Doane, which placed third with 121.5 points. Next up, the Bulldogs will finish their GPAC dual slate on Saturday with GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 being hosted by Dakota Wesleyan. As part of the event, Concordia will take on Northwestern, Briar Cliff and Waldorf.
· For additional news and notes on the wrestling program, click HERE.
· Up next:
o Saturday, Feb. 8 – GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 (Mitchell, S.D.); Concordia will dual Northwestern, Briar Cliff and Waldorf. The first dual is scheduled to get started at 11 a.m.
Softball
· Current record: 3-1.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Mayville State, 5-0, on Feb. 1.
o Lost vs. Sioux Falls, 4-3, on Feb. 1.
o Won vs. Culver-Stockton, 7-6, on Feb. 2.
o Won vs. Culver Stockton, 13-2 (5 inn.), on Feb. 2.
· Links: 2025 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The 2025 season officially got underway this past weekend with four games being played at the American State Bank Sports Complex in Sioux Center, Iowa. On day one of action, the Bulldogs defeated Mayville State University (N.D.), 5-0, before dropping a 4-3 decision to University of Sioux Falls (S.D.). On day two, Concordia earned a doubleheader sweep of Culver-Stockton College (Mo.), winning by scores of 7-6 and 13-2 (five innings). Among the highlights of the weekend, Kaylei Denison fired a two-hit shutout versus Mayville State and Grace Maguire produced a walk-off RBI single in game one versus Culver-Stockton. The offensive outburst that burned the Wildcats spiked the Bulldogs’ offensive numbers. They hit .380 (41-for-108) as a team in Sioux Center. From the No. 3 spot in the lineup, Kylie Shottenkirk went 6-for-12 with five doubles and five RBIs. Jennifer Katz enjoyed similar success in going 4-for-11 with a double, a home run and four RBIs. In addition, Aubrey Bruning went 5-for-10 with two doubles. Denison wound up picking up two wins while Jordan Head earned the first pitching win of her career. Head Coach Brock Culler’s program came off a 23-25 (13-9 GPAC) record in 2024 and returned seven GPAC All-Conference players. The nonconference schedule will continue this weekend with a doubleheader at both Ottawa University (Kan.) and No. 18 Benedictine College (Kan.).
· For additional news and notes on the softball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Feb. 8 at Ottawa (1-1), 1 p.m. DH.
o Sunday, Feb. 9 at No. 18 Benedictine (0-0), 12 p.m. DH.
Tennis
· Current records: 1-1 men | 1-1 women.
· Last week:
o M – Lost vs. No. 22 McPherson, 4-3, on Feb. 1.
o W – Lost vs. McPherson, 5-2, on Feb. 1.
· Men’s Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Women’s Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The 2024-25 season is full steam ahead after Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squads got back to action in Kearney, Neb., this past weekend. The men showed how far they have progressed by nearly knocking off No. 22 McPherson College (Kan.) in what amounted to a 4-3 loss. Meanwhile, the Concordia women were defeated by McPherson, 5-2. In the men’s match, the Bulldogs got wins in singles from Hugo Fuentes at No. 1, Nick Velders at No. 2 and Manuel Rodriguez at No. 4. However, Concordia needed one more singles victory to take the team triumph after McPherson swept through doubles. On the women’s side, Bulldogs who emerged with singles wins were Mariana Molano at No. 1 and Ishane Derman at No. 5. McPherson won all other singles contests and took all the doubles matches. The outings marked the first official action for Concordia since this past September. Back in the fall, both Bulldog squads earned wins over Nebraska Wesleyan. Hart expects both teams to be improved as compared to last season. The men picked up two additions to the roster starting with the second semester: Australians Ben Chisholm and Joey Melzer. This will be a relatively light week with the men taking on Iowa Central Community College in Fremont on Friday. Matches that had been scheduled at Southwestern College on Saturday were canceled (due to circumstances on the part of Southwestern). Both teams are scheduled to play at Mount Marty on Feb. 13.
· For additional news and notes on the tennis programs, click the following links: Men | Women.
· This week:
o Friday, Feb. 7 vs. Iowa Central CC, 12 p.m. (at Fremont, Neb., YMCA – men only).