Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Austin Jablonski, Football
A senior from Lincoln, Austin Jablonski hauled in 13 receptions for 213 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 45-10 win at Doane. The receiving yards total represented a program record for a single game. Jablonski was named the GPAC Offensive Player of the Week.
Female: Taylor Hedke, Weightlifting
A senior from Marysville, Kan., Taylor Hedke was named the Best Female Lifter at the Nebraska/Iowa Weightlifting State Organization (WSO) Championships. She executed all six of her lifts while posting bests of 67kg in snatch and 87kg in clean and jerk for a total of 154kg.
2024-25 BAAM Athletes of the Month
September – Mark Arp (football) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
2024-25 BAAM Athletes of the Week
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 set for Nov. 1-2: The basketball season is coming up quickly. It will tip off at the 25th annual Cattle Classic slated for Nov. 1-2 inside Friedrich Arena. For game times and matchups, click HERE. The event, co-sponsored by Concordia and Cattle Bank & Trust, raises money and food for the Blue Valley Community Action's Food Pantry. Pac N Save of Seward will match all canned food donations. For a closer look at the Bulldog Basketball teams coached by Ben Limback and Drew Olson, check out season previews linked below.
--MBB Season Preview
--WBB Season Preview
Weightlifting kicks off 2024-25 season at Nebraska State Championships: 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.
Saturday, Oct. 26 declared Coach Courtney Meyer Day: In honor of this being his final season as a football coach, Courtney Meyer will be recognized at this Saturday’s home football game versus Mount Marty. It will be Coach Courtney Meyer Day on campus. Coach Meyer spent 19 seasons as the program’s head coach and since stepping away from the head position, Meyer has served as an assistant for head coaches Vance Winter and Patrick Daberkow. For more on Coach Courtney Meyer Day, click HERE.
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.
Volleyball
· Current record: 18-2, 11-1 GPAC; ranked No. 3 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won at College of Saint Mary, 29-27, 25-16, 25-22, on Oct. 16.
o Won at Dordt, 25-15, 25-23, 14-25, 29-31, 16-14, on Oct. 19.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: When the dust settled on the week, Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad had claimed two more league road wins. In the middle of the week, the third-ranked Bulldogs were pushed hard in the first set at College of Saint Mary and responded in what was an offensive battle. Concordia outhit the Flames, .347 to .218, and held a decisive advantage in kills, 55-41. Addie Kirkegaard posted a career high 15 kills while hitting .464 in Omaha. Three days later, the Bulldogs faced a 13-11 deficit in the third set before rallying back to win with the help of a late ace from Kate Griess. On the attack, Ella Waters led the way with 16 kills and a .344 hitting percentage. A major key was Concordia’s edge over Dordt in digs, 83-68, while paced by Becca Gebhardt’s 19 digs. With that effort, Gebhardt became the fifth player in program history to eclipse 1,500 digs for a career. In that Dordt match, Ava Greene produced a career high eight blocks (three solos). The Bulldogs are 6-0 in GPAC road matches. Concordia continues to sit one game behind Northwestern (23-0, 12-0 GPAC) atop the GPAC standings with four matches remaining in the regular season. In this week’s action, the Bulldogs will host Mount Marty on Wednesday before heading to Hastings on Saturday.
· For additional news and notes on Concordia Volleyball, check out the team’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 23 vs. Mount Marty (12-11, 4-8 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
o Saturday, Oct. 26 at Hastings (12-8, 6-5 GPAC), 4:30 p.m.
Football
· Current record: 5-2, 5-2 GPAC; receiving votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Most recent:
o Won at Doane, 45-10, on Oct. 19.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Off a bye week, the Bulldogs ventured to Crete and took care of business, winning by a count of 45-10 in the 69th all-time series meeting with Doane. Concordia’s offense piled up 671 total yards as DJ McGarvie threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns, Austin Jablonski hauled in 13 catches for 213 yards and a score and Mark Arp ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, Adam Van Cleave made eight grabs for 112 yards and two touchdowns and Thomas Meadough snagged his first touchdown reception as a Bulldog. Defensively, Grant Huss notched 13 tackles and a sack, Daylon Henson recorded 10 tackles (three for loss) and Devon Polley three stops for loss and a sack. On special teams, Carson Fehlhafer blocked a field goal and Peyton Atwood converted a 26-yard field goal and all six extra points. Concordia is now 5-2 for the first time since 2015 and has won four of the past five meetings with Doane. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad continues to receive votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll. At 5-2 in the GPAC, the Bulldogs currently sit fourth in the league standings behind Dordt (6-0), Morningside (6-0) and Northwestern (5-1). Concordia will be back at home this Saturday to welcome Mount Marty for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff. As part of game day, Concordia Athletics will honor Coach Courtney Meyer for his many years of service to the university.
· For details on upcoming matchups, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Oct. 26 vs. Mount Marty (4-3, 3-3 GPAC), 1 p.m. – Coach Courtney Meyer Day.
Men’s Soccer
· Current record: 5-2-8, 4-0-4 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won at Doane, 3-0, on Oct. 16.
o Won at Waldorf, 10-0, on Oct. 19.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The week on the road yielded exactly the type of results that Head Coach Jason Weides and company were striving for. The Bulldogs defeated Doane and Waldorf by a combined score of 13-0. The 10-0 outburst at Waldorf marked the most goals scored for the program in a single game since an 11-0 win over Mount Marty in 2016. For the week, the goals were scored by Martin Herrera (three), Yousef Heggy (two), Aidan Nachi (two), Kai Olbrich (two), Ryan Wokutch (two), Ferdi Hagen (one) and Mattis Hollnagel (one). There were also nine players with exactly one assist. From a defensive perspective, Concordia held its two opponents to a combined four shots and used three different keepers: Nolan Fuelberth, Gabriel Mendoza and Jason Payne. The Bulldogs earned their fifth and sixth clean sheets of the season and continued the program’s GPAC regular season unbeaten streak, which has reached 28 games (18-0-10). At 4-0-4 in GPAC play, Concordia sits in a tie for fourth place (16 points) but is only one point out of first with two games remaining in the regular season. Through 15 games this season, the Bulldogs have tallied 30 goals (eight from Herrera) and have conceded 10. Concordia will have the middle of this week off before heading to Yankton, S.D., on Saturday for a matchup with Mount Marty.
· For a closer look at this week’s matchups, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 23 – Bye.
o Saturday, Oct. 26 at Mount Marty (4-8-1, 1-6 GPAC), 3:30 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
· Current record: 8-5-1, 5-3 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won at Doane, 2-1, on Oct. 16.
o Won at Waldorf, 8-0, on Oct. 19.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The GPAC win streak has grown to five for Head Coach Nick Smith’s squad. The Bulldogs earned road wins last week over Doane and Waldorf in what amounted to one competitive game and one lopsided affair. Concordia overcame an early 1-0 deficit at Doane with the help of a goal apiece from juniors Savannah Andrews and Kierstynn Garner. The rout of the Warriors featured two goals from Andrews and one apiece from Garner, Sierra McElhannon, Olivia Pyle, Kyana Rios, Sierra Springer and Taylor Slaymaker. The eight goals were the most for the program since also scoring eight in last season’s 8-0 win at Northwestern. The Kearney, Neb., native Garner has tallied 12 goals this season and increased her career total to 39, which places her No. 5 on the program’s all-time goals list. Meanwhile, Andrews now has five goals this season and 22 for her career. The victory at Waldorf allowed for 24 players to see action, including three goalkeepers. Aliya Vidro made the start in goal and was credited with the win. At 5-3 in GPAC play (15 points), Concordia is currently tied for fourth place with three games remaining in the regular season. Should the Bulldogs win out, they would secure second place in the final GPAC standings. In this week’s action, Concordia will host College of Saint Mary on Wednesday and then travel to Yankton, S.D., on Saturday for a clash with Mount Marty.
· For additional news and notes, check out the program’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 23 vs. College of Saint Mary (5-7-3, 4-3-1), 7 p.m.
o Saturday, Oct. 26 at Mount Marty (3-9-1, 1-7 GPAC), 1 p.m.
Shooting Sports
· Most recent:
o Placed 1st/11 at the Hastings College Bronco Invitational, Oct. 5-6.
· Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: The Bulldogs came away from the Hastings Invitational (Oct. 5-6) with some hardware. As a team, Concordia won the overall championship (out of 11 teams) and took event titles in skeet and sporting clays. Individually, Kaylee Hinton and Breyer Meeks claimed HOA championships within their respective gender breakdowns at the invite held at Heartland Public Shooting Park in Grand Island, Neb. The Bulldogs busted 1,773 targets towards the high overall leaderboard and beat out familiar foes such as Hastings, Midland and Fort Hays State University (Kan.). In addition, event championships were seized by Hinton in super sporting (81), Katie Welker in trap (97) and Meeks in sporting (85). Meanwhile, Buchannan Tietjen and Devin Harris placed second and third, respectively, in skeet (98 apiece) and Hinton placed second in trap (94). In terms of sheer HOA totals, Concordia’s top five shooters at the Hastings Invite were Meeks (364), Tietjen (353), Harris (350), Trevor Burch (336), Hinton (334) and Brennen Stones (334). The achievement marked the program’s first event championship since also taking first at the 2021 Hastings Invite. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ program has had the past couple weeks off from competition. The program took part in the Kids & Clays Sporting Clays Tournament in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities on Oct. 12 (which raised $109,000). The Bulldogs will be back in action this weekend for the Southeast Community College Bobcat Invitational. That competition will be the final one of the fall season.
· Up next:
o Will be idle until the Southeast CC Bobcat Invitational on Oct. 26-27.
Cross Country
· Most recent:
o Men – placed 3rd/11 at the Dordt Holiday Inn Express Classic on Oct. 12.
o Women – placed 4th/10 at the Dordt Holiday Inn Express Classic on Oct. 12.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: For the first time this fall, Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads competed on back-to-back Saturdays. Concordia emerged from Dordt’s Holiday Inn Express Classic on Oct. 12 with team place finishes of third out of 11 on the men’s side and fourth out of ten on the women’s side. The men had two top five individual finishers: Vaughn Hendrickson (third) and Trey Robertson (fifth). The freshman Hendrickson became the second athlete during Beisel’s tenure to run an 8k time below 25 minutes as he clocked in at 24:58.33 (the other to achieve that feat was Camden Sesna). Meanwhile, Robertson was just off that pace at 25:01.24 and Trevor Kuncl (25:35.49) narrowly missed out on a top 10 placement. On the women’s side, junior Keegan Beisel led the Bulldog pack by placing 18th with a 6k time of 23:10.00. She was followed by the likes of junior Hannah Beintema (23:33.70) and freshman Annika Staab (23:35.90). Both Concordia squads entered the meet as teams that received votes in the NAIA national ratings. They continued to receive votes in a new top 25 rating unveiled last week. The Bulldogs went up against nationally ranked Dordt for the first time this season (the Defenders won men’s and women’s team titles at their own meet). Concordia, now four meets deep into the 2024 season, had this past week off from competition while preparing for the Blazing Tiger Classic on Oct. 26. That meet will be held at the same site (Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb.) as the 2024 GPAC Championships.
· For additional news and notes on the Concordia Cross Country teams, click HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Blazing Tiger Classic to be held at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb. (10 a.m. start time).