Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Kylahn Freiberg, Track & Field
A fifth-year Bulldog out of Nampa, Idaho, Kylahn Freiberg qualified for nationals in both the mile (5:03.42) and the 3,000 meters (10:14.58) while winning meet titles at the Beile Classic. Freiberg now ranks No. 3 nationally in the mile and is qualified for nationals in three separate individual races.
Male: Barret Brandt, Wrestling
A freshman from Syracuse, Neb., Barret Brandt rose to the top of the Concordia record book for most pins in a season. He accomplished that feat on Feb. 2 with a pin of his 165-pound foe from Colby Community College. On the season, Brandt stands at 27-9 with 22 pins.
2023-24 BAAM Athletes of the Month
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
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.
Video commemorating 100 years of Concordia Men’s Basketball: In commemorating 100 years of Concordia Men’s Basketball, a group of Bulldogs described what made their experiences unique and special. Their thoughts are included as part of a 100-year men’s basketball video that can be viewed HERE. The video was created by Chase Benton of the Concordia Athletic Communications department. Dozens of alums returned to campus this past weekend for an event that celebrated the program’s history.
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.
Cheer/Dance prepare to host day of duals on Saturday: This will be a major weekend of competition for Concordia’s competitive cheer and dance teams. Coaches Mandi Maser and Emilie Ashenbach will lead their squads into action on Friday at the York University Invitational. Then on Saturday, the Bulldogs will host a large-scale duals event inside Friedrich Arena. The action is slated to get started at 10 a.m. CT for the Concordia Day of Duals. In competition so far this 2024 season, cheer earned a score of 83.30 in a home dual on Jan. 20 and then placed second at the CIT hosted by CUW. As for dance, it posted a score of 82.0 in a home triangular on Jan. 20 and then placed third at CIT. Another upcoming event will be the Dordt University Invitational on Feb. 17.
-Season Previews: Cheer | Dance.
Men’s tennis opens spring season; baseball/softball squads set to debut in 2024: Spring sports are ready to get going at venues south of Seward – or indoors in the case of tennis. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s men’s tennis squad opened the spring this past Friday and dropped a 7-0 decision to Ottawa University (Kan.). Both tennis squads are looking forward to playing twice this weekend – Friday at Mount Marty (12 p.m.) and Saturday versus Baker University (Kan.) (11 a.m.). The matches with Baker will take place at the YMCA in Fremont, Neb. Picked first in the GPAC preseason poll, the Bulldog Baseball team will venture to Oklahoma City, Okla., for three games over Saturday and Sunday. The opponents will be host Oklahoma City University for two and Bellevue University for one game. Meanwhile, the softball team will open the 2024 season with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Ottawa on Saturday. For a closer look at each of these teams, check out the season previews linked below.
-Season Previews: Baseball | Softball | Men’s Tennis | Women’s Tennis.
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.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Colby Community College, 48-6, on Feb. 2.
o Lost at No. 7 Doane, 44-8, on Feb. 3.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Rankings
· Notable: The 2023-24 dual schedule is complete. Head Coach Chase Clasen’s program celebrated seven seniors prior to taking on Colby Community College on Feb. 2. Five of those seniors were part of the dual lineup that dominated Colby a score of 48-6. Every weight class was decided with bonus points as the Bulldogs got a pin apiece from Jeaven Scdoris (157) and Barret Brandt (165) and tech falls from Bryson Bussinger (133), Creighton Baughman (141), TJ Allen (149) and Stephen Duffy (174). In addition, CJ Laabs won by major decision at heavyweight. A freshman from Syracuse, Neb., Brandt broke the program single season pins record (22) in the dual victory. Among other major highlights of the past weekend, Baughman completed a spotless 15-0 dual record and sophomore Grant Wells collected his 20th win of his sophomore campaign. The final dual of the season resulted in a 44-8 loss to No. 7 Doane. The two Concordia wins came from Wells at 133 and Baughman at 141. The team’s final dual record settled at 8-7 overall (3-5 GPAC). Up next, the Bulldogs will host the 2024 GPAC Wrestling Championships (Feb. 16-17), marking the program’s first time putting on the event since 2016. The conference tournament serves as a qualifier for the national tournament. Concordia sent four wrestlers to the 2023 national tournament.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Wrestling homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Idle; next up will be the 2024 GPAC Wrestling Championships (Feb. 16-17).
Track & Field
· Current NAIA rankings (USTFCCCA) – No. 2 women | No. 10 men.
· Last week:
o Competed at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational (Feb. 2-3) and the Fred Beile Classic (Feb. 3) hosted by Doane.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS NAIA indoor qualifying list
· Notable: In this indoor season’s first action away from home, Concordia was represented at the Sevigne Husker Invitational and the Beile Classic. The results were dazzling from the distance crew, which combined for five fresh automatic national qualifying standards. Those times were put forth by Kylahn Freiberg in the mile (5:03.42) and 3,000 meters (10:14.58) at the Beile Classic, Rylee Haecker in the mile (5:04.85) at the Husker Invite, Julie McIntyre in the 5,000 meters (17:55.91) at the Beile Classic and Calvin Rohde in the mile (4:15.36) at the Beile Classic. Those results mean the Bulldogs have produced 26 combined NAIA auto marks this indoor season. Freiberg owns three individual ‘A’ standards, including another one in the 5,000 meters. Freiberg, McIntyre and Rohde were each event champions at the Beile Classic, as were Hayley Miles in the long jump and Trey Robertson in the men’s 5,000 meters. Also notable, the women’s 4x400 meter relay (3:53.06) and Jenna Esch in the 600 meters (1:33.52) improved upon existing ‘A’ standards. Week-in and week-out, Adrianna Rodencal, Abi Wohlgemuth and Chris Wren keep hitting the auto marks. In the latest NAIA national ratings released by the USTFCCCA, the Bulldogs checked in at No. 2 on the women’s side and at No. 10 on the men’s side. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s program will host its final home meet of the indoor season when the Concordia Invite takes place on Friday. That will be the final outing prior to the 2024 GPAC Championships hosted by Mount Marty on Feb. 16-17.
· Keep up with Concordia Track & Field throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons by visiting the team’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Friday, Feb. 9 – Concordia Indoor Invite | view meet schedule.
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 18-5, 11-4 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won at No. 19 Morningside, 99-88, on Jan. 31.
o Won vs. No. 12 Northwestern, 84-81, on Feb. 3.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The Bulldogs won three times since last week’s report as part of a thrilling ride. The current seven-game winning streak occurred in a 17-day stretch. In last week’s action, Concordia showed immense progress in winning at No. 19 Morningside, 99-88, and at home over No. 12 Northwestern, 84-81. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad notched those victories even as Tristan Smith sat out nearly the entire second half at Morningside and then the whole game versus Northwestern. Then on Monday, the Bulldogs held off Dordt, 89-84, at home while rising to first place in the GPAC standings with an 11-4 league mark. Four teams are hot on the heels of Concordia: Hastings (10-4), Morningside (10-4), Northwestern (10-4) and Dordt (10-5). Over the past three victories, Noah Schutte averaged 22.3 points and 9.0 rebounds while making 23-of-41 shots from the floor. Schutte has moved to No. 7 on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,629 career points. A gold star also goes to freshman Hayden Frank, who averaged 12.3 points during the same three-game stretch. Meanwhile, Brad Bennett has averaged 14.3 points and has made 8-of-17 shots from 3-point range since last week’s report. In place of Smith, Brayson Mueller has started back-to-back games. The win over Dordt gave Limback his 200th as head coach of his alma mater (315 career head coaching victories). The Bulldogs will be headed to the Corn Palace on Super Bowl Sunday for a matchup with Dakota Wesleyan.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Men’s Basketball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Won vs. Dordt, 89-84, on Feb. 5.
o Sunday, Feb. 11 at Dakota Wesleyan (13-10, 8-7 GPAC), 2:45 p.m. CT.
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 19-3, 13-3 GPAC; ranked No. 6 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won at Morningside, 79-67, on Jan. 31.
o Won vs. Northwestern, 75-55, on Feb. 3.
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Since last week’s report, sixth-ranked Concordia has played three times. That stretch included wins over Morningside, 79-67 (away), and Northwestern, 75-55 (home). The Bulldogs then lost a showdown, 84-79, with No. 1 Dordt on Monday. That result snapped a 12-game winning streak for Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad. In spite of that loss, Concordia has backed up its lofty national ranking while holding down second place in the GPAC standings. It’s been a nice run for Taysha Rushton, who was named the GPAC Player of the Week on Feb. 6. She poured in a season high 29 points in the win over Northwestern. The Midland, Texas, native has moved to No. 7 on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,747 career points. Over the past three games, Sadie Powell (11.7) and Mackenzie Toomey (10.3) have averaged double figures in scoring while backing Rushton. Powell has increased her career point total to 924. The team’s 12-game win streak began with a 94-70 victory at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.) on Dec. 18 and ran through last week’s triumph over Northwestern. In a now completed 13-day stretch, the Bulldogs played six times (including their CIT championship). There will be no rest this week as Concordia returns to action on Wednesday to host College of Saint Mary. A pivotal game as it relates to second place in the league standings will unfold on Super Bowl Sunday at the Corn Palace, home to Dakota Wesleyan.
· For additional statistics and details, check out the Concordia Women’s Basketball homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Lost vs. No. 1 Dordt, 84-79, on Feb. 5.
o Wednesday, Feb. 7 vs. College of Saint Mary (1-20, 0-16 GPAC), 7 p.m. CT.
o Sunday, Feb. 11 at Dakota Wesleyan (17-5, 12-4 GPAC), 1 p.m. CT.