Bulldog Athletics Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Zac Kulus, Basketball
A senior from Bennington, Neb., Zac Kulus tallied a combined 35 points on the strength of 9-for-13 3-point shooting last week as the Bulldogs earned home wins over Midland and Dordt. His 21 points versus Dordt equaled a career high. Kulus is averaging 10.3 points per game this season. He is a Business Administration major.
Female: Adrianna Rodencal, Track & Field
A senior from Lincoln, Neb., Adrianna Rodencal won the 60-meter hurdles and placed second in the 400 meters at the Polar Dog Invite. Rodencal again eclipsed an A standard in the hurdles (8.47) and posted a B standard in the 400 (57.93). Already the school record holder in the 60 hurdles, Rodencal placed herself fourth on the school’s all-time 400-meter list. She is a Biochemistry major.
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Month
December – Brooks Kissinger (basketball) / Adysen McCarter (track & field)
November – Ava Greene (volleyball) / Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
October – Kierstynn Garner (soccer) / Adam Van Cleave (football)
September – Carson Fehlhafer (football) / Katie Welker (shooting sports)
2025-26 BAAM Athletes of the Week
Jan. 20 – Hayden Kluthe (track & field); Adrianna Rodencal (track & field)
Jan. 13 – Cole Price (wrestling); Ayla Roth (women’s basketball)
Dec. 16 – Jonny Jurchen (track & field); Adysen McCarter (track & field)
Dec. 9 – Ashley Keck (volleyball); Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
Dec. 2 – Brooks Kissinger (basketball); Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Nov. 18 – Oliver Benson (soccer); Braxtyn Koch (football); Kristin Vieselmeyer (basketball)
Nov. 11 – Ava Greene (volleyball); Brooks Kissinger (basketball)
Nov. 4 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer); Hugo Garrote (soccer)
Oct. 28 – Keeli Green (cross country); Vaughn Hendrickson (cross country)
Oct. 21 – Addie Kirkegaard (volleyball) / Taylor Slaymaker (soccer); Adam Van Cleave (football)
Oct. 14 – Oliver Benson (soccer); Kierstynn Garner (soccer)
Oct. 7 – Carlos Collazo (football); Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 30 – Hugo Fuentes & Nick Velders (tennis) / Peyton Atwood (football); Sadie Mares (soccer)
Sept. 23 – Oliver Balazs (soccer); Katie Welker (shooting sports)
Sept. 16 – Carson Fehlhafer (football); Ella Waters (volleyball)
Sept. 9 – Sam Blevins (shooting sports); Molli Martin (volleyball)
Sept. 2 – Emery Custer (golf); Slade Leicht (soccer)
Aug. 26 – Kierstynn Garner (soccer); Ashley Keck (volleyball); Sean Stratman (soccer)
News and notes:
BAAM luncheons are held every Tuesday (when classes are in session) 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.
Concordia Athletics celebrates Drew Olson’s 500th win: The victory over Midland last week represented win No. 500 in the head coaching tenure of Drew Olson. The winningest coach in Concordia Athletics history, Olson reached that lofty total in year 20 guiding the Bulldogs. In celebration of the achievement, many past players coached by Olson submitted congratulatory videos. For further coverage, click HERE.
Women’s Tennis opens spring semester at UNO: The first competition of the spring semester for Concordia Tennis occurred this past Friday as the women’s team went up against the University of Nebraska Omaha in Omaha. The NCAA DI Mavericks came away with a 7-0 victory. Head Coach Lisa Hart rolled out an experienced lineup that figures to compete at a high level versus GPAC and NAIA opponents. Looking forward, the men’s and women’s teams will host Sterling College (Kan.) on Feb. 7. Tennis season previews are linked as part of the section below.
Spring sport season previews: Women’s Tennis was the first of Concordia’s spring sports to get going with official competition this semester. The Baseball and Softball programs will soon follow with their opening days. Check out season preview articles linked below for a detailed look at squads guided by coaches Brock Culler, Ryan Dupic and Lisa Hart.
SEASON PREVIEWS:
--Baseball
--Softball
--Men’s Tennis
--Women’s Tennis
Damrow, Garner, Keck named First Team Academic All-Americans: Three Bulldogs were named 2025 First Team Academic All-Americans by College Sports Communicators over the past several weeks. The award winners are Brevin Damrow of football, Kierstynn Garner of women’s soccer and Ashley Keck of volleyball. A total of 21 Concordia student-athletes also received Academic All-District accolades from CSC from the sports of football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball.
Weightlifting, powerlifting squads gearing up for second semester competition: With classes having resumed for the second semester, Concordia Lifting Sports is gearing up for competition this winter. Most recently, ten Bulldogs made their way to Daytona Beach, Fla., for the 2025 Virus Weightlifting Finals, an event that showcased hundreds of lifters from a wide range of age groups. In action that unfolded from Dec. 4-7, Kaiden Mima emerged as a national champion and was one of four Concordia University, Nebraska Weightlifting athletes to earn top three place finishes within the under 20 division. In another major highlight, the Bulldog men placed fifth as a team in open division competition. The other top-three place finishers for Concordia (in the junior division) were Enzo Mancini (second at 94 kg), Abigail Nelson (third at 53 kg) and Marcus Sweet (third at 79 kg). A full recap from the event can be found HERE. The next events on the slate are the Nebraska State Powerlifting Meet (Jan. 31-Feb. 1) and the CUNE Weightlifting Open (Feb. 28).
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show has returned for an 11th year. 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 2025-26 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, basketball and volleyball. In addition, Eric Allgood will call select volleyball matches in place of Cyza.
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 via the Hudl account. For select JV streams, check out that specific sport’s Facebook page.
Wrestling
· Current dual record: 5-1, 4-1 GPAC; No. 22 in NAIA ratings.
· Last week:
o Placed 3rd / 41 at the Missouri Valley Invite on Jan. 23-24.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA National Rankings
· Notable: Following a week off from competition, the Bulldogs returned to action at this past weekend’s Missouri Valley Invite. Head Coach Josh Watt’s squad racked up 124 team points and placed third (behind only Grand View and Missouri Valley), marking the program’s highest ever finish at the Missouri Valley Invite. Concordia’s individual place finishers were Paul Ruff (second at 133), Hagen Heistand (first at 157), Cole Price (fourth at 165), Barret Brandt (fourth at 184) and Torrance Keehn (eighth at 197). Eleven of the 12 Bulldogs in the tournament field contributed to the team scoring. Heistand’s run to a 157-pound championship included two wins over NAIA ranked foes: No. 25 Ryan Graves of Montana State-Northern and No. 12 Josey Jernegan of University of Saint Mary (Kan.). Meanwhile, Ruff earned a win over Briar Cliff’s 17th-ranked Dante Rigal on his way to a runner-up finish at 133. While placing fourth at 165, Price pushed his team leading season win total to 25 thanks to six more victories (three by pin). Another fourth-place finisher, Brandt collected four pins at Missouri Valley and has moved to No. 2 on the program’s all-time pins list with 44 (the record is 50 by Deandre Chery). Only two competitions remain on the calendar prior to the GPAC Championships (Feb. 20-21). This Saturday, Concordia will send select wrestlers to the Dave Edmonds Open hosted by Morningside.
· For additional news and notes on the wrestling program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Dave Edmonds Open in Sioux City, Iowa (Morningside campus).
Cheer / Dance
· Cheer Season Scoring Average: 51.8
· Dance Season Scoring Average: 84.41
· Last week:
o Cheer:
§ Placed 8th / 8 (51.8) at Dordt Invite on Jan. 24.
o Dance:
§ Won vs. College of Saint Mary, 83.6 to 67.1, on Jan. 21.
§ Placed 3rd / 8 (85.21) at Dordt Invite on Jan. 24.
· Cheer Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster
· Dance Links: 2026 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: The competition season got underway last week for squads coached by Mandi Maser and Emilie Ashenbach. Dance kicked off the 2026 season on Jan. 21 with a home dual versus College of Saint Mary. The Bulldogs won while earning a score of 83.6, compared to CSM’s score of 67.1. Both cheer and dance then competed at the Dordt Invite on Jan. 24. Dance came away with a third-place finish (85.21) while cheer placed eighth (51.8). The dance program returned an experienced roster headed by senior captains Taylor Larsen (two-time NAIA All-American) and Elise O’Neill. On the other hand, the cheer program is trotting out a youthful roster. At the Dordt Invite, all six Concordia athletes competed at the college level for the first time. The Bulldogs will seek continued improvement this Friday as they compete at the Kansas Wesleyan Classic in Salina, Kan. The Concordia Invitational (Feb. 7) is nearing on the horizon.
· For additional news and notes on cheer and dance programs, click the following links: Cheer | Dance.
· This week:
o Friday, Jan. 30 – Kansas Wesleyan Classic, 4:30 p.m.
Indoor Track & Field
· Number of 2025-26 Meets: 4.
· Last week:
o Hosted the Concordia Polar Dog Invite on Jan. 23.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | TFRRS Performance Lists
· Notable: Home meet No. 2 of the 2025-26 season unfolded this past week as the Bulldogs hosted the Concordia Polar Dog Invite. Among the highlights, Adysen McCarter broke her own school record in the triple jump (39’ 1 ¼”) while Hayden Kluthe ran 8.14 in the 60-meter hurdles and came within .01 seconds of the program standard. Kluthe and McCarter were responsible for two of the Concordia’s 12 event championships at the meet. Other titles were delivered by the women’s 4x800-meter relay (10:16.03), Avery Eaves in the 200 meters (22.39), Jax Jacobson in the pole vault (14’ 7 ¼”), Jonny Jurchen in the 3,000-meter racewalk (13:12.61), Kiki Nyanok in the long jump (17’ 2”), Adrianna Rodencal in the 60-meter hurdles (8.47), Myles Sadd in the long jump (21’ 8 ¼”) and high jump (6’ 2 ¼”), Keith Siek in the 800 meters (1:58.39) and Makenna Starkey in the high jump (5’ 3 ¼”). In addition, Eaves ran 6.93 in the 60 meters, which is the fastest non-converted 60-meter time in school history (school record is listed as 6.83 by David Palmer). Rodencal also posted a new NAIA B standard in the 400 meters with a time of 57.93. Through three weekends of indoor competition, Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads have combined for four automatic national qualifying standards and six B standards. The Bulldogs hope to add to those totals this weekend while hosting the Concordia Classic. The meet will include multi events and distance medley relays. The tentative meet schedule is linked below.
· For additional news and notes on the track & field programs, click HERE.
· This week:
o Friday/Saturday, Jan. 30-31 – Concordia Classic | Meet Schedule (PDF).
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 15-7, 9-5 GPAC; receiving votes in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Midland, 104-82, on Jan. 21.
o Won vs. Dordt, 94-88, on Jan. 24.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Two much needed league wins were delivered last week by Head Coach Ben Limbcak’s squad. The Bulldogs protected the home court while defeating Midland, 104-82, and Dordt, 94-88. Concordia rediscovered its shooting touch as it shot 57.1 percent (72-for-126) from the field and 47.5 percent (29-for-61) from 3-point range over the two victories. The Bulldogs placed six players in double figures versus Midland: Brooks Kissinger (23), Jaxon Stueve (20), Hayden Frank (15), Zac Kulus (14), Jacob Duitsman (12) and Garret Johnson (12). In the win over Dordt, four Concordia players scored in double figures: Kissinger (21), Kulus (21), Frank (18) and Dane Jacobsen (11). Kulus scored the nets over the past week by making 9-of-13 attempts from beyond the arc. Over his four-year career, Kulus has shot 42.7 percent (140-for-328) from long distance. In a positive development, Jacobsen returned to the court this past Saturday after having been removed from the win over Midland (three minutes played) due to injury. In the GPAC standings entering this week, the Bulldogs sit in a tie for second place with Mount Marty (both 9-5 in the GPAC). At 12-1 in league play, Morningside owns a four-game lead in the loss column. A midweek bye will allow for some rest and recovery as Concordia braces for the final month of the regular season. The Bulldogs will resume action on Saturday with a trip to Waldorf.
· For additional news and notes on the men’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Jan. 28 – Bye.
o Saturday, Jan. 31 at Waldorf (5-16, 1-12 GPAC), 3:45 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 16-5, 11-4 GPAC; ranked No. 10 in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Midland, 76-24, on Jan. 21.
o Lost vs. No. 1 Dordt, 72-56, on Jan. 24.
· Links: 2025-26 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: It was a week that brought varying levels of difficulty as the 10th-ranked Bulldogs dismantled Midland, 76-24, before being tripped up once again by No. 1 Dordt, 72-56. The result of the Midland game gave Head Coach Drew Olson his 500th career win. Olson has reached that impressive total in the middle of his 20th season at the helm of the program. He is the winningest head coach in the history of Concordia Athletics. The statistic that stood out in the win over Midland was the opposition’s shooting numbers: 6-for-44 (.136) from the field. The Warriors were also plagued by 33 turnovers as they posted a season low point total. On an evening when 15 players saw at least 10 minutes of action, Kristin Vieselmeyer and Bree Bunting led the way in scoring with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Three days later, the Bulldogs were unable to recover after falling behind by a 20-point margin early in the second quarter while up against two-time defending national champion Dordt. Vieselmeyer and Ayla Roth shared a team high with 15 points apiece. The Defenders got starring performances from Gracie Schoonhoven and Macy Sievers. Concordia now sits in a tie for third place in the GPAC standings behind Dordt (13-1) and Dakota Wesleyan (13-2). Entering the week, the conference has a clear top five teams, all of which are likely national tournament qualifiers. The Bulldogs have the middle of this week off before heading to Waldorf on Saturday.
· For additional news and notes on the women’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Jan. 28 – Bye.
o Saturday, Jan. 31 at Waldorf (2-19, 1-14 GPAC), 2 p.m.