Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Michael Owens, Soccer
Owens, a native of Lima, Peru, came away with two goals (73’ and 88’) in last week’s 6-0 rout of Waldorf. Those were the first two career collegiate goals for Owens, who has played in 14 games (six starts) as a freshman for an undefeated Concordia team (12-0-4 overall).
Female: Becca Gebhardt, Volleyball / Julie McIntyre, Cross Country
Gebhardt, a junior from Norfolk, Neb., totaled 29 digs last week as the Bulldogs defeated Doane (three sets) and fell to No. 9 College of Saint Mary (four sets). Earlier this season, Gebhardt eclipsed 1,000 career digs. She leads the team this season with an average of 4.15 digs per set.
A senior from Chicago, Ill., McIntyre starred for the eighth-ranked Bulldogs this past weekend as she placed 13th out of 288 runners at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic. McIntyre finished the 6k race in 22:11.6. She is in her second season as a Bulldog after transferring from Trinity Christian College.
2023-24 BAAM Athletes of the Month
September – Austin Jablonski (football) / Ashley Keck (volleyball)
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
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.
24th annual Cattle Classic: The 24th annual Cattle Classic is coming up Nov. 3-4. As usual, the event will feature four men’s basketball and four women’s basketball games over the two days. All contests will be played inside Friedrich Arena. The Cattle Classic, 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 more details on the event, click HERE.
Changes to GPAC membership: Another major announcement came this past week as the Great Plains Athletic Conference revealed on Oct. 11 that the University of Jamestown’s league membership will cease at the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year. Roughly three weeks earlier, the GPAC announced the addition of Waldorf University as a conference member, beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. In the current athletic year, Waldorf is an affiliate GPAC member in the sports of men’s and women’s soccer. Waldorf becomes the 13th GPAC member. For more details on Waldorf and the GPAC, click HERE.
Rylee Ladd leads powerlifters at opening meet of 2023-24 season: Sophomore Rylee Ladd starred on Oct. 7 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Husker Strong Collegiate Meet. It was the first meet of the 2023-24 season for Concordia University Powerlifting. Nineteen Bulldogs tested themselves in bench press, squat and deadlift. Ladd was recognized with the Best Female Lifter award at the meet and was one of seven Concordia athletes to claim titles within their respective weight classes. The champions were Pryce Ostermeier (82.5kg) and Will Peterson (140kg) on the men’s side and Rylee Bentz (67.5kg), Taylor Gniot (90kg), Ladd (56kg class), Abigail Lockingen (100kg) and Abigail Velten (75kg) on the women’s side. Next on the powerlifting schedule will be the Central Collegiate Regional Championships on Nov. 18-19. For more on the lifting sports programs, click HERE.
Rushton grateful for Concordia journey: It's been three-and-a-half quick years since Taysha Rushton made her college decision official. Any reservations the Texan had about spending her college days in Nebraska subsided through close friendships and a love for basketball. Said Rushton, ““It’s probably the best decision I’ve made in my life … I’ve made the best friends on my team. I have great relationships with the coaches. I love Concordia and I’m so glad I chose to come here.” For more on Rushton’s journey, click HERE.
Winter sports fast approaching: Conference preseason polls have been released for the sports of men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling. Each of those sports will officially get underway in early November. For season previews, click the links below. Coming up soon is the 24th annual Cattle Classic, which will be held Nov. 3-4 inside Friedrich Arena. The event features a total of four men’s basketball and four women’s basketball games over the two days. More details on the event can be found HERE.
--Men’s Basketball
--Women’s Basketball
--Wrestling
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.
Cross Country
· Current rankings (according to NAIA.org):
o Women – No. 2 in GPAC, No. 8 in the NAIA coaches’ poll
o Men – No. 3 in GPAC
· Most recent outing:
o Doane/CSM Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic (Oct. 21): women placed 4th out of 23 teams; men placed 10th out of 23 teams.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: The eighth-ranked Concordia women’s team made a statement at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic by placing fourth out of 23 teams in a loaded field. The Bulldogs outkicked two NAIA top 10 teams: No. 6 Dordt and No. 7 Southern Oregon University. In the 6k race, four Bulldogs clocked in under 23 minutes, led by Julie McIntyre (22:11.6), who placed 13th out of 288 individual runners. McIntyre is the fourth different competitor to emerge as Concordia’s top runner at a meet this season. The women’s team placed first among the nine GPAC squads at the Blazing Tiger Meet (in Ashland, Neb.) while them finished third out of nine GPAC squads in their 8k race. The individual leader for the men was Calvin Rohde (25:37.5), who placed 39th out of 199 runners. Head Coach Matt Beisel commended freshman Aidan Limback for a breakthrough race that saw him place inside the team’s top five (104th overall). This meet served as a precursor to the GPAC Championships coming up next week.
· This week:
o Idle; Next event will be Saturday, Nov. 4 at 2023 GPAC Cross Country Championships (North Sioux City, S.D.).
Shooting Sports
· Most recent outing:
o Placed second HOA overall (out of nine teams) at the Concordia Bulldog Sporting Invitational (Oct. 21-22).
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Season Preview
· A recap from this past weekend’s event can be found HERE.
· Notable: The Bulldogs hosted the eighth annual Concordia Invitational this past weekend and welcomed nine teams and more than 100 competitors to Oak Creek Sporting Club in Brainard, Neb. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ squad came away with a second-place finish while busting 1,295 targets. The Concordia Invite tested all athletes with 200 sporting clay and 100 super sporting clay targets. Two Bulldogs came away with awards as Sam Blevins took third among males in sporting and Claire Kee earned second in sporting and third in super sporting among females. Blevins posted scores of 91 and 86 in the process of taking third in sporting. Meanwhile, Kee shot 170/200 in sporting and 86 in super while coming away with a pair of awards. The La Grange, Ky., native Blevins was also Concordia’s top overall shooter at 269/300. That total placed him fourth HOA among males. In terms of HOA, the next Bulldogs in line were Nelson (264) and Harris (260). They placed sixth and 11th, respectively, on the overall leaderboard. The Bulldogs have this week off from competition while looking ahead to a trip to Waco, Texas, in early November.
· This week:
o Idle; next event will be the Waco Trap & Collegiate Invitational (Nov. 4-5) in Waco, Texas.
Volleyball
· Current record: 18-2, 11-2 GPAC; ranked No. 1 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Def. Doane, 25-18, 25-19, 25-13 (away) on Oct. 18.
o Lost vs. No. 9 College of Saint Mary, 25-22, 25-23, 21-25, 25-21 (home) on Oct. 21.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The path to the GPAC regular season title is a bit more complicated now for the Bulldogs, who have been beaten twice over their last three outings. In last week’s action, Concordia traveled to Doane and took care of the Tigers in straight sets behind 12 kills from Gabi Nordaker. The Bulldogs earned a season sweep of Doane and have won 11 of the past 12 meetings with the rival Tigers. Concordia held a 12-7 advantage in blocks and limited Doane to an .033 hitting percentage. Three days later, the Bulldogs endured their first home defeat of the 2023 season as No. 9 College of Saint Mary came away with an impressive road win. The Flames got 18 kills on 31 attempts from middle Azaria Green. The Flames stunned Concordia despite a fine outing from All-American Camryn Opfer, who tallied 20 kills, 14 digs and two blocks. Ashley Keck contributed 17 kills and 13 digs. CSM held advantages in kills, 63-57, blocks, 11-5, digs, 71-69, and aces, 5-2. At 11-2 in league play, the Bulldogs entered this week one game behind Jamestown (12-1) for first place. Concordia and Northwestern are tied for second place as the race for the conference title heats up. This week, the Bulldogs will be at Mount Marty and then will host Hastings. The Saturday match will be senior day for Concordia.
· For additional statistics and details, check out this week’s notes package HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 25 at Mount Marty (10-18, 3-10 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
o Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. Hastings (8-14, 3-10 GPAC), 4 p.m. (Senior Day)
Women’s Soccer
· Current record: 11-3-3, 7-1-3 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Tied at Briar Cliff, 0-0, on Oct. 18.
o Won vs. Waldorf, 2-1, on Oct. 21.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: With one game remaining in the regular season, Head Coach Nick Smith’s squad still has a shot at winning the GPAC regular season title. The Bulldogs remained in the hunt with last week’s results, which included a 0-0 draw at Briar Cliff and a 2-1 home win over Waldorf. At 7-1-3 in GPAC play (24 points), Concordia sits two points behind Hastings (8-1-2 GPAC) at the top of the standings. At the very least, the Bulldogs could clinch second place in the GPAC by taking care of business at Doane on Wednesday night. The tie with Briar Cliff allowed the Broncos to take a lead in the standings. In that tie, Concordia outshot the Chargers, 7-3. Both Savannah Andrews and Kierstynn Garner put two shots on frame. The next time out, the Bulldogs wrapped up their regular season home slate by defeating Waldorf, 2-1, in a contest that wasn’t as close that score might indicate. Concordia put nine shots on goal compared to just two for the Warriors. Garner put away both Bulldog goals while being assisted by Andrews and Niah Kirchner. Garner pushed her season goal count to 17. Garner continues to lead the GPAC in that category with one more goal than Dordt’s Karinna Tel. In order to win a GPAC title this week, Concordia needs to win at Doane and then have Hastings either lose or draw with Dordt. A draw would result in a tie for first place.
· For additional statistics and details, check out this week’s notes package HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 25 at Doane (3-7-4, 2-5-3 GPAC), 7:15 p.m.
Men’s Soccer
· Current record: 12-0-4, 6-0-4 GPAC; ranked No. 20 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Tied at Briar Cliff, 1-1, on Oct. 18.
o Won vs. Waldorf, 6-0, on Oct. 21.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad continues to battle through injury while remaining undefeated on the season at 12-0-4. Quite frankly, the 1-1 draw at Briar Cliff last week came as a disappointment. That result kept the Chargers (7-0-2 GPAC, 23 points) in the driver’s seat for the GPAC regular season title. Concordia enters its final game of the regular season sitting in third place while still holding a mathematical chance of earning the GPAC regular season crown (or at least a share of it). The Bulldogs took some of their frustrations out on Waldorf in winning 6-0 over the Warriors in the final home game of the regular season. In order, the Concordia goals came from Youssef Heggy, Braden Spath, Victor Meneses, Michael Owens, D’Andre Williams and Owens again. Carter Hinman (10 goals in 2023) supplied the lone Bulldog goal at Briar Cliff. Concordia will end the regular season with Wednesday’s contest at Doane. No matter the result, the Bulldogs have clinched at least the No. 3 seed in the upcoming GPAC tournament.
· For additional statistics and details, check out this week’s notes package HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 25 at Doane (3-5-7, 1-3-5 GPAC), 5 p.m.
Football
· Current record: 3-4, 3-4 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won at Hastings, 44-23, on Oct. 14.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: Before having a bye this past week, the Bulldogs began a string of three-straight games against in-state GPAC opponents by triumphing at Hastings, 44-23, in the 56th all-time series meeting between the two sides. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s program has now come away victorious from each of its past three trips to Lloyd Wilson Field. Concordia used explosive plays to pull away in this particular meeting. DJ McGarvie fired touchdown passes of 51 and 57 yards to Austin Jablonski and 89 yards to Carsen Arline. The final touchdown connection put an exclamation mark on a game the Bulldogs led by just a point (17-16) at halftime. McGarvie finished 20-of-31 for 332 yards and three touchdowns on the day. In the process, he rose to No. 2 on the program’s all-time passing yards list with 5,837 for his career. He moved past Von Thomas (5,662) and Rod Giesselmann (5,519). As part of his big day, Jablonski caught 11 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score. Jablonski continues to lead all NAIA receivers in receptions with 64 on the season (to go along with 720 yards and five touchdowns). There were also several defensive standouts this past week as freshman Will Potratz recorded 12 tackles and scooped and scored a touchdown. In addition, seven Bulldogs were credited with at least one tackle for loss, including Devon Polley (3.0), Carson Fehlhafer (2.5) and Kyle Sterup (2.0). Sterup added 11 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a blocked punt. Concordia has a bye this week before taking on its final three games of 2023: versus Midland (Oct. 28), versus Doane (Nov. 4) and at Mount Marty (Nov. 11).
· Game notes for this week’s matchup with Midland can be found HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. Midland (5-4, 4-4 GPAC), 1 p.m.