Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Austin Jablonski, Football
A senior from Lincoln, Neb., Jablonski reeled in eight receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns in Concordia’s 42-6 win over Hastings. In the process, Jablonski became the first player in program history to record back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 receiving yards. He was selected as the GPAC Offensive Player of the Week.
Female: Angela Banks, Soccer
A senior from Downey, Calif., Banks starred in two shutout wins last week as Concordia’s win streak grew to nine with victories over Midland, 6-0, and College of Saint Mary, 3-0. Banks made a combined seven saves in those wins and was tabbed the GPAC Defensive Player of the Week. She has earned credit for five shutouts this season.
2024-25 BAAM Athletes of the Month
September – Mark Arp (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
2024-25 BAAM Athletes of the Week
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.
25th annual Cattle Classic supports local food pantries: The Cattle Classic celebrated its 25th year in 2024. The latest Cattle Classic raised 10,163 cans of food and $2,963 in cash, bringing the 25-year totals to 153,607 canned food items and $42,094. In action on the court, the Concordia men went 2-0 and the women went 1-1. The event included teams from the states of Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Oregon.
Mr. Concordia Courtney Meyer’s legacy of loving Jesus, family and Bulldog Football: The Concordia Football program celebrated Coach Courtney Meyer this past Saturday when it hosted Mount Marty. Coach Meyer will retire from coaching football, effective at the conclusion of this 2024 season. Meyer spent 19 seasons as the head football coach before working on the staffs of Vance Winter and Patrick Daberkow. For a detailed look at Meyer’s journey and everlasting legacy, click HERE.
Fall ball updates on baseball, softball programs: The beginning portion of the fall semester is used by the Concordia Baseball and Softball programs to prepare for their official seasons in the spring. Head Coaches Ryan Dupic and Brock Culler both have high expectations for their programs. The baseball team is coming off another GPAC championship season while the softball team vaulted up to third in the final 2024 league standings. For an update on both programs, check out the articles linked below.
--Baseball Fall Update
--Softball Fall Update
Weightlifting season update: One week after Concordia Powerlifting opened the 2024-25 competition season, Bulldog Weightlifting did the same. Head Coach Freddie Myles’ squad emerged as the team champion from the Nebraska/Iowa Weightlifting State Organization (WSO) Championships in Omaha on Oct. 19. Most notably, junior Taylor Hedke earned the title of Best Female Lifter as she lifted 67kg in snatch and 87kg in clean and jerk for a total of 154kg. Hedke was one of eight Bulldogs to take first place in their weight classes. The others were Davontai Bell (67kg), HarleyJane Carter (59kg), Evan Fukuhara (73kg), Kenzie Houser (55kg), Enzo Mancini (96kg), Nina Pollack (71kg) and Marcus Sweet (81kg). The event included athletes from eight different institutions. Next up, select Concordia weightlifters will be in action at the American Open Finals in Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 5-8.
--Season Previews: Powerlifting | Weightlifting.
GPAC launches streaming network: Back in July, the Great Plains Athletic Conference announced a streaming network designed to bring webcasts from all league members together in one place. The GPAC Network can be accessed online via: https://www.gpacnetwork.com/. The network is also available via a mobile app and smart TVs. The GPAC partnered with Hudl for the creation of the network. In addition to the events that stream on the Concordia Sports Network, 104.9 Max Country will broadcast football and volleyball varsity games this fall. The broadcast schedule can be found 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 is in 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 this 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.
Women’s Soccer
· Current record: 12-5-1, 7-3 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Midland, 6-0, on Oct. 30.
o Won vs. College of Saint Mary, 3-0, on Nov. 2 (GPAC Quarterfinals).
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The winning streak continues for Head Coach Nick Smith’s squad, which has advanced to play in the GPAC tournament semifinals. In last week’s action, the Bulldogs closed the regular season in dominant fashion with a 6-0 home win over Midland. Concordia then proceeded to defeat College of Saint Mary, 3-0, in the GPAC quarterfinals. The late season surge pushed the Bulldogs into second place in the final GPAC standings. As a striker, junior Kierstynn Garner has been nearly unstoppable of late. She put away four goals versus Midland and then added a goal and two assists versus College of Saint Mary. Garner ranks second among GPAC players this season in goals (20), assists (12) and points (52). There are only three other players in program history to reach 20 goals in a season: Jennifer Davis, Angela Krueger and Sami Birmingham. During the team’s nine-game winning streak, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a combined total of 35-3. Each of the past five victories have resulted in shutouts. Keeper Angela Banks made a combined seven saves last week. Other goal scorers last week included Rosie Gyllenswan (two), Niah Kirchner and Savannah Andrews (eight goals on the season). Concordia now looks forward to hosting third-seeded Dordt on Thursday in the GPAC semifinals. The winner will advance to play in the championship game on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
· For additional news and notes, check out the program’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Thursday, Nov. 7 vs. Dordt (12-4-1, 7-3-1 GPAC), 7 p.m. (GPAC Semifinals).
Football
· Current record: 7-2, 7-2 GPAC; receiving votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Most recent:
o Won vs. Hastings, 42-6, on Nov. 2.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The record moved to 7-2 as the Bulldogs overcame five turnovers while manhandling Hastings, 42-6, on senior day. The Concordia defense was up to the challenge in forcing three turnovers of its own and holding the Broncos to 4-for-17 on third downs. Kyle Sterup and his teammates up front ate well. Sterup finished with seven tackles (three for loss) and two sacks and Devon Polley made 2.5 stops for loss. Despite the turnovers, Hastings still reached the red zone only two times while averaging 1.9 yards per rush. Offensively, quarterback DJ McGarvie threw four touchdown passes and Carlos Collazo rushed for two scores. All-American receiver Austin Jablonski enjoyed a monster day as he caught eight passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdowns came on passes of 67 and 42 yards from McGarvie, who also tossed touchdowns of 30 yards to Daylan Russell and two yards to Adam Van Cleave. Jablonski has gone past 1,000 receiving yards for a second year in a row and has moved to No. 2 on the program’s all-time receiving yards list with 2,627. McGarvie has reached 80 touchdown passes for his career. As a program, Concordia has won at least seven of its first nine games of a season for the first time since the 2001 GPAC championship team stood at 8-1. The Bulldogs have not won eight games in a season since that same ’01 campaign. The seven wins also equal a highwater mark during the eight-year tenure of Patrick Daberkow. Prior to kickoff last week, the program honored a group of 29 seniors. Concordia will have a bye this week before finishing the regular season at Midland on Nov. 16.
· For details on upcoming matchups, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Nov. 9 – Bye; will finish the regular season by playing at Midland on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Volleyball
· Current record: 21-2, 14-1 GPAC; ranked No. 2 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Doane, 25-20, 25-15, 25-17, on Oct. 30.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The final home match of the regular season unfolded last week as the second-ranked Bulldogs quickly took care of Doane in straight sets on Oct. 30. It was an exceptional blocking night as Concordia outnumbered the Tigers, 15-5, in that category. Gabi Nordaker got in on nine blocks and Addie Kirkegaard contributed to eight blocks. Meanwhile, Ashley Keck totaled 14 kills (.444) and 16 digs. Afterwards, Becca Gebhardt and Savannah Shelburne answered questions from a local TV station in light of earning GPAC Player of the Week awards. The 14th GPAC win equaled a program record for conference victories in a single season. Also in the middle of last week, the Bulldogs moved up one spot to No. 2 in the NAIA coaches’ poll, marking their highest ranking of the season. With one match to play in the regular season, Concordia still has a chance at sharing a GPAC title. It will need to win at No. 22 Midland and have No. 1 Northwestern get upset by Dordt for that to become reality. Otherwise, the Bulldogs will head into the GPAC tournament as the league’s No. 2 seed. The conference tournament will get started on Saturday with the quarterfinals. Concordia will host an opponent to be determined in the quarters and would also host in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 13 should it advance. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s program has reached the GPAC tournament final in each of the past three seasons.
· For additional news and notes on Concordia Volleyball, check out the team’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Tuesday, Nov. 5 at No. 22 Midland (16-9, 12-3 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
o GPAC Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 9 vs. TBA, 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer
· Current record: 7-2-8, 6-0-4 GPAC (2nd).
· Last week:
o Won vs. Midland, 6-2, on Oct. 30.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: Postseason play is up next for Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad, which concluded the 2024 regular season last week with a 6-2 thumping of rival Midland. At 6-0-4 in league play (22 points), the Bulldogs finished a single point behind GPAC regular season champion Morningside and placed second. As a program, Concordia has gone unbeaten in conference regular season play in back-to-back seasons and has pushed its GPAC regular season unbeaten string to 30 (20-0-10 over that stretch). In last week’s win over Midland, the Bulldogs overcame deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 before rattling off the final five goals of the contest. The goals came from the likes of Martin Herrera (two), Ryan Wokutch, D’Andre Williams, Ferdi Hagen and Oliver Benson. Herrera pushed his team leading season goal count to 10. Weides has led the program to GPAC regular season placements of third or better in three-straight seasons. In 17 regular season games in 2024, Concordia outscored its opponents by a combined tally of 40-12. The Bulldogs rank in the top 10 nationally for goals against average (0.71 per game). During Weides’ tenure, Concordia has reached the GPAC tournament final four times with postseason championships occurring in 2015 and 2022. The postseason run will get started tonight (Nov. 5) when the second-seeded Bulldogs host No. 7 seed Briar Cliff. Should Concordia prevail, it would host third-seeded Northwestern or sixth-seeded Dordt at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The GPAC tournament title game will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
· For a closer look at this week’s matchups, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o GPAC Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Nov. 5 vs. Briar Cliff (5-11-2, 4-5-1 GPAC), 7 p.m.
o GPAC Semifinals – Saturday, Nov. 9 vs. TBD, 7 p.m. (if win on Tuesday).
Cross Country
· Last week:
o Men – placed 6th/27 at the Blazing Tiger Classic on Oct. 26.
o Women – placed 12th/27 at the Blazing Tiger Classic on Oct. 26.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: In the final race prior to the conference championships, the Bulldogs tested themselves against some of the top-rated teams in the NAIA. The Blazing Tiger Classic, co-hosted by College of Saint Mary and Doane, featured 11 combined men’s and women’s teams ranked in the NAIA top 25. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads are currently receiving votes. Concordia emerged from the meet with place finishes of sixth on the men’s side and 12th on the women’s side. The men’s team continues to get strong performances from freshman Vaughn Hendrickson and sophomore Trey Robertson. Both ran 8k personal bests and clocked in at under 25 minutes while placing 10th and 11th, respectively, in a field of more than 330 runners. On the women’s side, Keegan Beisel was the team’s top finisher for a second meet in a row. She ran the 6k in 23:30.31, good for 56th place in a field of more than 300 competitors. The results were solid but put the Bulldogs in a position of needing top-notch performances at the upcoming conference meet in order to have a shot at qualifying for the national meet. Concordia had this past week off from competition while gearing up for the 2024 GPAC Cross Country Championships set for Saturday at 10:45 a.m. (women) and 11:30 a.m. (men). At the 2023 conference meet in North Sioux City, S.D., the Bulldogs placed second on the women’s side and third on the men’s side. The women then qualified for nationals as a team and placed 18th in the NAIA.
· For additional news and notes on the Concordia Cross Country teams, click HERE.
· Up next:
o Saturday, Nov. 9 at the 2024 GPAC Cross Country Championships staged at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb. The race is scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m.
Women’s Basketball
· Current record: 1-1; ranked 5th in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Oklahoma City, 78-64, on Nov. 1.
o Lost vs. No. 10 Southern Oregon, 71-68, on Nov. 2.
· Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The 19th season of Head Coach Drew Olson’s tenure got underway this past weekend at the 25th annual Cattle Classic. In debuting a revamped lineup, the fifth-ranked Bulldogs earned a 78-64 win over Oklahoma City University and then were clipped by No. 10 Southern Oregon University, 71-68, inside Friedrich Arena. Kendal Brigham was named to the All-Cattle Classic team after she posted a combined 26 points on 9-for-17 shooting (4-for-7 from 3-point range) at the event. Brigham and Abby Krieser are the headlining returners from the 2023-24 squad that finished at 27-7 overall and reached the NAIA final site. Brigham and Krieser were joined in the starting lineup at the Cattle Classic by junior Kristin Vieselmeyer and sophomores Juliana Jones and Raelyn Kelty. Krieser and Abby Heemstra are the two seniors on the roster while Brigham is in her fifth season (COVID exemption). At the Cattle Classic, Krieser added 23 total points and Kelty posted 22. Concordia opened the season picked second in the GPAC and fifth in the NAIA coaches’ poll. Olson’s squad quickly turned around and played at NCAA Division I University of Northern Colorado in an exhibition game on Monday (a 66-64 loss). Next up, the Bulldogs will be at No. 6 Dakota State University (S.D.) on Saturday. The Trojans also took part in the Cattle Classic and went 1-1.
· For additional news and notes on the women’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Nov. 9 at No. 6 Dakota State (1-1), 4 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
· Current record: 2-0; ranked 11th in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Central College, 86-69, on Nov. 1.
o Won vs. Nebraska Wesleyan, 74-57, on Nov. 2.
· Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The season got underway this past weekend at the Cattle Classic, which saw the 11th-ranked Bulldogs earn wins over a pair of NCAA Division III opponents, Central College (Iowa), 86-69, and Nebraska Wesleyan University, 74-57. In both cases, Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad pulled away with significant second half runs – 13-0 versus Central and 17-3 versus Nebraska Wesleyan. Three players averaged in double figures as part of the two wins: Noah Schutte (16.0), Tristan Smith (12.0) and Brad Bennett (10.0). Those three standouts returned to the starting lineup along with sophomores Lukas Helms and Jaxon Stueve. In both games, Smith ‘wowed’ the crowd with highlight reel dunks and finishes at the rim. Both Bennett and Smith are seniors while Schutte is back for a fifth year (COVID exemption). Schutte and Smith were named to the All-Cattle Classic team. Concordia welcomed back its top nine scores from the 2023-24 team that finished at 24-8 and reached the NAIA national round of 32. The Bulldogs entered this season with lofty expectations having been picked first in the GPAC coaches’ poll while also being placed 11th in the NAIA coaches’ poll. The homestand to begin the season will continue as Concordia prepares to host Bethel College (Kan.) on Saturday afternoon. The two programs met most recently during the 2014-15 season.
· For additional news and notes on the men’s basketball program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Nov. 9 vs. Bethel College (Kan.), 1 p.m.
Wrestling
· Current record: no duals as of Nov. 5.
· Last week:
o 18 competitors represented the program at the Luther Hill Invite on Saturday, Nov. 2.
· Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA National Rankings
· Notable: Josh Watts made his Bulldog head coaching debut at the Luther Hill Invitational hosted by Simpson University in Indianola, Iowa. Eighteen competitors represented Concordia and emerged with 37 wins and 14 place finishes. Bryce Karlin (133) and Tommy Wentz (165) both claimed titles within their respective weight classes in the open division of a tournament that featured competitors from 17 institutions from various levels of collegiate wrestling. The second-place Bulldog finishers included Steven Barnes (149), Francisco Mendez (157), Simon Arredondo (165), Brent Ward (165), Barret Brandt (174), Hunter Weimer (184), Torrance Keehn (197) and Teegan Tschampel (197). Karlin was especially dominant in rattling off three-straight pins for a tournament championship. Concordia combined for seven pins on the day. Of the four Bulldogs currently ranked nationally, Wentz (18th at 165) was the only one to compete in Indianola. Creighton Baughman (10th at 141), Hagen Heistand (25th at 157) and Mason Garcia (17th at 285) will soon get their 2024-25 seasons underway. This week’s slate includes Wednesday’s dual at Midland and the Dakota Wesleyan Open on Saturday. Concordia went 3-5 in GPAC duals last season and finished sixth in the conference.
· For additional news and notes on the wrestling program, click HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Nov. 6 at Midland, 7 p.m.
o Saturday, Nov. 9 at Dakota Wesleyan Open, 9 a.m.