Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Peyton Mitchell, Football
A senior from Waverly, Kan., Peyton Mitchell equaled a program single game record in last week’s 21-7 win by intercepting three passes. All three picks thwarted Midland drives in Concordia territory. Mitchell also made four tackles and was named the GPAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Female: Lexie Kreizel, Volleyball
A Lincoln Lutheran High School alum, Lexie Kreizel provided a spark in last week’s five-set win over No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan. Kreizel saw her first extended varsity playing time and responded with 18 digs and an ace serve in the victory. Her older brother Logan is a member of the football team.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Oct. 19 – Lane Napier (football) / Kalie Ward (soccer)
Oct. 12 – Caydren Cox (football) / Kalee Wiltfong (volleyball)
Oct. 5 – DJ McGarvie (football) / Sarah Schwacher (shooting sports)
Sept. 28 – Wyatt Hambly (shooting sports) / Gabi Nordaker (volleyball)
Sept. 21 – Camden Sesna (cross country) / Lina Kirst (soccer) / Grace Reiman (cross country) / Carly Rodaway (volleyball)
Sept. 14 – Caydren Cox (football) / Mikeila Martinez (soccer)
Sept. 7 – Drew D’Ercole (golf) / Ivan Yabut (golf) / Erica Heinzerling (volleyball)
Aug. 31 – Martin Herrera (soccer) / Camryn Opfer (volleyball)
BAAM Athletes of the Month
September – Caydren Cox (football) / 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.
Game/event days on campus: Concordia Athletics continues to welcome fans to its venues for sporting events. Currently, there are no attendance limits. Before visiting road venues involving Bulldog teams, fans should be sure to check the spectator policies on those particular campuses. Other locations may require the use of face coverings. Once again, fans attending varsity sporting events at Concordia are able to purchase advance tickets online via HomeTown Ticketing. Tickets will also be sold on site on the day of events. Should any policies or protocols for fans change, updated information will be available on the athletics fan information page HERE.
Winter sports on the horizon: The Concordia men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling teams will each begin their 2021-22 seasons over the next week. Head Coach Ben Limback’s Bulldogs will be at the Hastings Classic this Friday and Saturday while taking on Friends University (Kan.) on day one before going up against Presentation College (S.D.) on day two. Also on Saturday, Myron Bradbury will make his debut as head wrestling coach as his squad competes at the York College Open. Lastly, Head Coach Drew Olson’s team will host Bellevue University next Monday (Nov. 1) with tipoff at 7 p.m. CT. For a detailed look at each team, click on the links below. In GPAC preseason coaches’ polls released last week, Concordia appeared at No. 2 for women’s basketball and at No. 3 for men’s basketball.
-Men’s Basketball Season Preview
-Women’s Basketball Season Preview
-Wrestling Season Preview
Cattle Classic set for Nov. 5-6: The 22nd annual Cattle Classic will take place next Friday and Saturday (Nov. 5-6) as the event again features four women’s basketball and four men’s basketball games inside Friedrich Arena. 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 more details on the event, including the game schedule, click HERE.
Shooting Sports fall season finished: Due to schedule adjustments, the fall season is in the books for Concordia Shooting Sports. On Monday, the program announced it had removed two events from the slate: the ACUI Midwest Super Shoot (Oct. 28-31) and the ACUI Eastern Super Shoot (Nov. 11-14). As a replacement, Head Coach Scott Moniot’s squad has added the Lindenwood University Spring Open (Feb. 26-27) to this coming spring’s schedule. The fall schedule concluded with the Hastings Invitational on Oct. 9-10 when the Bulldogs placed first. Concordia finished in third place or better at each of this fall’s five events. For more information on Bulldog Shooting Sports, click HERE.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its seventh 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 2021-22 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 seventh 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 in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics partnered with PrestoSports for live video and statistical streaming. For more details on this change, click HERE. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Cross Country
· After three weeks without a meet, the Bulldogs were back on the trail this past Saturday while competing at the Mount Marty Invite, held at Fox Run Golf Course in Yankton, S.D. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads turned in place finishes of second out of 10 on the women’s side and fifth out of 10 on the men’s side. The meet marked the fourth outing of the season for Concordia, which now looks forward to next week’s GPAC Championships. The women’s team is currently ranked 11th in the NAIA. For more information on Concordia Cross Country, click HERE.
· The men’s team came up a bit short of its lofty expectations in last week’s meet. However, it’s been a solid overall fall. Over four meets this season, the Bulldogs have placed 12th out of 31 teams at the Augustana Twilight, first out of seven teams at the Morningside Invite, second out of 12 teams at the Briar Cliff Invite and fifth out of 10 teams at the Mount Marty Invite.
· Last week, the Concordia men placed behind two GPAC foes that it had been ranked in front of in the official GPAC poll: Northwestern (second at the Mount Marty Invite) and Morningside (fourth). The Bulldogs point total settled at 132, two behind Morningside (130). Concordia held off conference opposition in Midland (seventh), Mount Marty (eighth), Jamestown (ninth) and Briar Cliff (10th). In the new GPAC rating released on Monday, Concordia landed at No. 5 after having previously been ranked third in the conference.
· It’s been a terrific season for Camden Sesna, a Kearney, Neb., native, who has been the team’s top runner at every meet. Sesna has posted respective times this fall of 20:44.53 in the four mile at the Augustana Twilight (35th/344), 25:39.16 in the 8k at the Morningside Invite (2nd/70), 26:03.30 in the 8k at the Briar Cliff Invite (9th/133) and 25:55.28 at the Mount Marty Invite (8th/141). In addition, Sesna has twice been named the GPAC Runner of the Week in 2021. Below is a list of the top 10 Bulldogs at the Mount Marty Invite.
· 8. Camden Sesna – 25:55.28
32. Calvin Rohde – 27:09.82
42. Sam Plante – 27:33.01
57. Nathan Pennekamp – 28:09.79
63. Jackson Smith – 28:23.43
64. Charlie Hayden – 28:25.65
65. Jack Ellis – 28:26.63
66. Micah Willweber – 28:27.18
68. Ethan Pankow – 28:29.77
69. Thomas Gorline – 28:32.50
· The Mount Marty Invite marked the first time this season that the Bulldog women were defeated by either an NAIA or GPAC opponent. Concordia had edged out defending GPAC champion Dordt at the season opening Augustana Twilight, but the Defenders reigned supreme on Saturday. The Bulldogs finished with 76 points to Dordt’s 33. On the plus side, Beisel’s squad did beat out GPAC rivals in Northwestern (third), Morningside (fourth), College of Saint Mary (sixth) and Mount Marty (ninth). Dordt moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s GPAC ratings, pushing Concordia to second.
· Rylee Haecker emerged as the team’s top runner for the second meet in a row. She crossed the finish line in 19:03.49, placing her fifth overall. The native of Davenport, Neb., ran just a bit faster three weeks earlier at the Briar Cliff Invite. The Bulldogs put seven runners inside the top 30 in Yankton, including Grace Reiman (19:30.21) who paced Concordia at this season’s first two meets. The team’s top five at the Mount Marty Invite was rounded out by Keri Bauer (19:37.78), Amie Martin (19:40.00) and Rhaya Kaschinske (19:53.70). The full top 10 is listed below.
· 5. Rylee Haecker – 19:03.49
15. Grace Reiman – 19:30.21
18. Keri Bauer – 19:37.78
20. Amie Martin – 19:40.00
24. Rhaya Kaschinske – 19:53.70
26. Kaia Richmond – 19:59.74
30. Kylahn Heritage – 20:09.12
39. Abi DeLoach – 20:26.07
43. Katelyn Nix – 20:33.19
45. Courtney Wright – 20:39.54
· The Bulldogs have this week off from competition while readying for the GPAC Championships on Saturday, Nov. 6. Northwestern will host the meet in Orange City, Iowa. Concordia will be looking to improve upon last year’s GPAC finishes of fourth on the women’s side and sixth on the men’s side. The women’s program won the GPAC title as recently as 2019 while the men’s program last won a conference championship in 2012.
Football
· The Bulldogs polished off a perfect month of October by taking care of business in their first in-state battle of the 2021 season. Concordia picked off six passes on the way to a 21-7 home win over Midland on Oct. 23. It marked the fifth-straight meeting between the two sides that took place inside Bulldog Stadium (2020 meeting slated to be played in Fremont was a COVID no contest). The Bulldogs have won seven of the past nine matchups with the Warriors. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad has won four in a row to move to 5-3 overall (5-3 GPAC). For more information on Concordia Football, click HERE.
· After going 1-3 in September, the Bulldogs went a perfect 4-0 in October with wins coming over Dakota Wesleyan, 34-0, Jamestown, 24-17, Mount Marty, 38-7, and Midland, 21-7. During the streak, Concordia has outscored its opponents, on average, 29.3 to 7.8. and have outgained their foes, on average, 354.5 to 254.3. The Bulldogs also enjoyed a four-game win streak to begin last season. The current surge has pushed Concordia into fourth place in the GPAC behind Morningside (7-0 GPAC), Northwestern (7-0 GPAC) and Dordt (5-2 GPAC).
· Safety Peyton Mitchell equaled a program record for a single game with three interceptions in last week’s victory. Mitchell was the first to accomplish that feat since current assistant coach D’Mauria Martin picked off three passes in the 44-14 win over Midland on Oct.14, 2017. Three Concordia teammates produced one interception apiece in the latest victory: Gabe Knisley, Isiaha Conner and Kam Baker. Below is a summary of when the interceptions occurred – each of them happened with the Warriors in Bulldog territory.
--Peyton Mitchell – 3rd-and-10 from the CUNE 35 (14:41 – second quarter)
--Peyton Mitchell – 3rd-and-goal from the CUNE 7 (4:05 – second quarter)
--Gabe Knisley – 2nd-and-goal from the CUNE 6 (0:02 – second quarter)
--Peyton Mitchell – 3rd-and-10 from the CUNE 24 (7:21 – third quarter)
--Isiaha Conner – 1st-and-10 from the CUNE 24 (3:32 – fourth quarter)
--Kam Baker – 4th-and-18 from the CUNE 41 (1:46 – fourth quarter)
· All-American linebacker Lane Napier eclipsed an eye-popping career milestone of 500 tackles in last week’s victory. Napier collected 13 more tackles in the process of pushing his career count to 508. Entering this season, no other player in GPAC history had ever reached even 400 career tackles. In addition, Napier has now gone over 100 tackles in a season for the third time in his career (currently leads all NAIA players with 107 tackles). Over the past five seasons, the native of David City, Neb., has posted respective tackle totals of 97, 142, 108, 54 and 107. Napier is well on his way to being named a First Team All-GPAC selection for the fifth time.
· Midland did not score a single point over the final 57 minutes of the Concordia victory. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs found the end zone three times courtesy of a two-yard rush by Jonah Weyand, a 15-yard touchdown pass from Korrell Koehlmoos to Garrett Schardt and a 14-yard touchdown toss from DJ McGarvie to Cayden Beran. McGarvie has thrown for 17 touchdown passes this season with Beran having been on the receiving end of six. Schardt has five touchdown receptions on the year while Weyand reached the end zone for the first time in 2021. Beran is the team leader in both catches (32) and touchdown receptions.
· There have been plenty of other standouts on the Concordia defense. Linebacker Caydren Cox picked up another sack this past week to move his team high season total to 7.5 sacks (tied for most in the GPAC). Up front, nose tackle Devin Polley notched a strip sack. Coordinator Corby Osten has used rotated regularly on the defensive line, which has been bolstered by the strong play of veterans such as Jordan Kavulak and Payton Stevens. The Bulldogs rank 33rd nationally in scoring defense (21.6) and 34th in the NAIA in total defense (327.5).
· Not only did the defense force seven turnovers last week, it allowed Midland to convert only 4-of-18 third downs and stopped the Warriors on four fourth-down tries. In addition, Midland did not score a single point on any of its three trips inside the red zone. The Warriors crossed the 50 six times in the second half and still came up empty. Midland managed only 57 rushing yards on 29 attempts. The win was the most impressive this season for Concordia. The Warriors own a win over Dordt and took Northwestern to overtime.
· After playing each of the past eight weeks, the Bulldogs will have a bye this week as they get ready to host Doane (4-4, 4-4 GPAC) on Saturday, Nov. 6. Concordia dominated last season’s meeting, 24-7, behind 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Weyand. Daberkow has gone 2-2 against the rival Tigers. Doane will be at Midland this week before coming to town the following week.
Men’s Soccer
· The final week of the regular season has arrived for the Bulldogs, who went 1-1 last week and clinched a spot in the GPAC tournament. Concordia fell by a 1-0 score at Briar Cliff on Oct. 20 and then bounced back with a 6-0 blowout of Presentation on Oct. 23. Unless the Bulldogs are able to catch a break in the postseason, the contest this past Saturday marked the final home outing of the 2021 season. Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad stands in fifth place in the conference standings at 5-4-1 in the GPAC (7-7-2 overall). For more information on Concordia Men’s Soccer, click HERE.
· Though the Bulldogs will have to go on the road in the GPAC quarterfinals (Nov. 3), they are confident they can compete with the teams above them in the league standings. Concordia is looking up at Northwestern (9-1 GPAC), Briar Cliff (8-1 GPAC), Hastings (7-2-1 GPAC) and Morningside (7-3 GPAC). This regular season, the Bulldogs dropped games by one-goal margins to Northwestern, Briar Cliff and Morningside while drawing with Hastings. From 2015 through 2017, Concordia appeared in the GPAC final each season.
· The Bulldogs’ run of hot goal scoring in the month of October was put on hold in the shutout loss at Briar Cliff. The Chargers limited Concordia to four shots on goal, including two that came from center back Decker Mattimoe. Things were much different three days later when Concordia outshot Presentation, 27-1, while posting a season high six goals. Over six games in October (3-2-1 record), the Bulldogs have peppered the back of the net with 19 goals. Concordia has also beaten Dakota Wesleyan and Jamestown this month.
· The Bulldogs did not overlook a Presentation squad that has only one GPAC win this season. It was one of those type of games where everyone believes they have a chance to get in on the goal scoring parade. Carlos Orquiz got it started with a goal in the fifth minute. Before halftime, Yessine Bessaïes (13’), Martin Herrera (27’) and an own goal had added to the lead. Bessaïes got on the board again in the second half as part of a two-goal evening. Ryan Wokutch added the cherry on top by putting another goal away with less than a minute remaining. The Saints had not allowed a goal scoring outburst of this significance in over a month.
· Prior to kickoff this past Saturday, the program honored six seniors: Yessine Bessaïes (Bordeaux, France), Daniel Campbell (Bellevue, Neb.), Caleb Goldsmith (Lincoln, Neb.), Callum Goldsmith (Sevenoaks, England), Decker Mattimoe (Cheyenne, Wyo.) and Carlos Orquiz (Chihuahua, Mexico). As for those who have been in the program for four years, they have contributed to a combined record of 37-23-11 since the start of the 2018 season. Last season, Carlos Orquiz earned Second Team All-GPAC accolades. Bessaïes is the current team leader in goals (six) and assists (six).
· Concordia can ensure it finishes as the No. 5 seed in the GPAC by earning a win on Wednesday at Doane (2-11-1, 2-6-1 GPAC) to finish the regular season. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. CT from Crete. The Bulldogs hope to duplicate last season’s result when they routed the Tigers, 5-1, in Seward. Concordia will then have the weekend off while gearing up for the postseason.
Volleyball
· Considering the level of their opponents, the Bulldogs came away from the weekend encouraged by their progress. After falling in straight sets to undefeated and top-ranked Jamestown on Oct. 22, Concordia responded with a thrilling come-from-behind, five-set win over No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan on Oct. 23. It marked the second week in a row that Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has played Friday-Saturday matches within the conference. The Bulldogs sit at 12-10 overall and at 7-7 within league play (seventh place). For more information on Concordia Volleyball, click HERE.
· After the tough weekend slate, the Bulldogs moved back to No. 1 in the NAIA in terms of strength of schedule, according to Massey Ratings. That same computer formula ranks Concordia at No. 19 in the NAIA. The Bulldogs now own four wins over teams that were ranked in the top 25 at the time matches were contested. The resume includes a nonconference win over Montana Tech, currently ranked 17th in the coaches’ poll. Based on the most recent NAIA poll, Concordia has played 13 matches against top 25 teams.
· The Jimmies (26-0, 14-0 GPAC) have quickly taken care of most of their opponents. Twenty-two of their wins have now come in straight sets. Their play in the front row was superb on this past Friday with Kalli Hegerle, Corina Huff, Jayla Ritter and Taylor Sabinash each contributing in a big way on the block. In the back row, Ellie Holen mounted 22 digs. That made life difficult for the Bulldog attack, which was limited to .125 hitting or lower in each of the three sets. Concordia pushed Jamestown in every set. It was within 21-19 in the first, 21-20 in the second and was even at 20-20 in the third.
· The Bulldogs regrouped and claimed perhaps their most satisfying win of the season. After dropping the first two sets to DWU, Concordia rallied back for a win in five, 22-25, 26-28, 25-10, 25-19, 15-10. Entering the match, the Bulldogs had gone 0-for-7 in five-set matches. Those frustrations were relieved when Gabi Nordaker’s attack hit the floor for match point. Camryn Opfer put together an impressive match that included 25 kills, 20 digs, five blocks and two aces. Erica Heinzerling bombed away from the outside with a career high 21 kills on 43 swings while Nordaker added 16 kills and four blocks. Lexie Kreizel saw increased playing time and racked up 18 digs.
· Boldt made an adjustment by using a 6-2 system over the weekend. That meant that Tara Callahan shared the setting duties with Bree Burtwistle, allowing for three attackers in the front row at all times. Callahan totaled 19 assists versus Jamestown and 50 versus Dakota Wesleyan. Burtwistle put up respective assist figures of 11 and 24. Callahan has now eclipsed 4,500 career assists while moving past Alayna Kavanaugh (4,485) for No. 2 on the program’s all-time assist list. Callahan has earned First Team All-GPAC honors in back-to-back seasons.
· The Bulldogs will wait until Saturday’s trip to Orange City, Iowa, before returning to action. It will be another matchup with a ranked foe as Concordia readies to go up against No. 14 Northwestern (16-7, 8-5 GPAC). A victory would guarantee a spot in the eight-team GPAC tournament that will begin on Nov. 6 with the quarterfinals. The last time the two sides met up, the Red Raiders defeated the Bulldogs in four sets in the 2020 GPAC semifinals.
Women’s Soccer
· This will be the final week of the regular season for the Bulldogs, who went 1-1 last week while up against the likes of GPAC title contender Briar Cliff and GPAC bottom feeder Presentation. Concordia dropped a 3-0 decision at Briar Cliff before rebounding with a 2-0 home victory over Presentation on senior day. Head Coach Thomas Goines’ squad is closing in on sewing up a GPAC tournament bid and stands at 8-6-2 overall and 5-4-2 in the GPAC (sixth place). There’s an incentive to staying away from the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds and a possible postseason matchup with Jamestown or Briar Cliff. For more information on Concordia Women’s Soccer, click HERE.
· It was a rare week that saw the Bulldogs play two games that were decided by margins of more than one goal. Prior to last week, Concordia had played eight GPAC matches in a row that came down to either a one-goal margin or ended in a draw. The Bulldogs have proven gritty enough to hang tight with most of the top opponents in the conference, including undefeated Jamestown, which eked out a 1-0 victory over Concordia. The loss at Briar Cliff was an exception, although the Bulldogs limited the Chargers to 10 total shots.
· Concordia got very little going on the attack at Briar Cliff. The circumstances were much different three days later when. The Bulldogs were the aggressor versus Presentation while holding advantages of 24-2 in shots and 9-0 in corner kicks. Despite a 9-1 shot lead at half, Concordia found itself in a 0-0 stalemate. That changed in the 46th minute when Grace Soenksen put away a goal off a corner (delivered by Mikeila Martinez) in the 47th minute. One of the seven seniors honored prior to kickoff, Madeline Haugen rifled a shot off a defender for a goal in the 64th minute.
· Seven seniors were honored before the final home game of the regular season. The class includes Bethany Fuchs (Aurora, Colo.), Madeline Haugen (San Diego, Calif.), Mikeila Martinez (Fairfield, Calif.), Callie McNary (Hastings, Minn.), Kalie Ward (Cheyenne, Wyo.), Sydney Rogers (Overland Park, Kan.) and Cheyenne Smith (Alpine, Calif.). The class of four-year players has helped the program to a combined record of 37-25-11 since the start of the 2018 season. The group also guided the Bulldogs to a 2020 GPAC tournament title and an advancement to the conference championship game in 2018. Martinez earned First Team All-GPAC accolades last season when she led Concordia in goals. In addition, Haugen and Smith were chosen as Honorable Mention All-GPAC award winners in 2020.
· For whatever reason, the results have been much better at home this season. The Bulldogs are 6-1-1 when playing inside Bulldog Stadium with the only loss coming at the hands of Benedictine College (Kan.), a team currently ranked 21st in the NAIA. In home games, Concordia has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 16-6. By percentage, the Bulldogs have been better at home than last season’s squad that won the GPAC tournament championship (went 7-3-1 at home). On the flip side, Concordia has gone 2-5-1 on the road.
The regular season will conclude on Wednesday as the Bulldogs play at Doane (3-11-1, 1-8-1 GPAC) with kickoff set for 5 p.m. CT from Crete. Concordia has taken control of this series in recent seasons and has won eight meetings in a row over the Tigers. Doane has been eliminated from postseason contention. The Bulldogs will have the weekend off while readying for the start of the GPAC tournament on Nov. 4.