Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Female: Grace Soenksen, Soccer
A fifth-year student-athlete and Lincoln Lutheran alum, Grace Soenksen notched a goal (sixth career) as part of Concordia’s 1-1 draw versus Midland. Soenksen played at her typical high level throughout a week that also included a 6-1 road victory over Dakota Wesleyan. She is a three-time First Team All-GPAC honoree.
Male: Austin Jablonski, Football
Now in his second season with the Bulldogs, Austin Jablonski starred in last week’s 35-23 home win over Briar Cliff. The Lincoln Pius X High School alum caught eight passes for 78 yards and rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on five attempts. Jablonski sealed the victory with a 75-yard touchdown run.
Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
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.
Volleyball takes over NAIA No. 1 ranking: With the release of the latest NAIA coaches’ poll on Sept. 27, it was announced that the Concordia Volleyball team moved up to the No. 1 national ranking for the first time in program history. Inside the Concordia locker room, nothing changes no matter what national ranking is attached to the team’s name. The focus on mentality over outside noise helps explain the year-over-year excellence achieved by the Bulldogs under the direction of Ben and Angie Boldt. For a detailed look at how Concordia got to this point, check out our feature HERE.
Forever The Chanimal: Six years since his graduation, Chandler Folkerts still can’t escape ‘The Chanimal’ nickname. Folkerts officially took his place in the Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 22 and recalled his fond memories as a Bulldog. As Folkerts remarked, “I really think I had the best group of people you could ask to go through the college experience with.” For more on Folkerts’ hall of fame career and his love for the Concordia Bulldogs, click HERE.
Waldorf University announced as newest GPAC member: On Sept. 18, the Great Plains Athletic Conference 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.
Lifting Sports officially underway in 2023-24: The second season of existence for Concordia Weightlifting got started on Sept. 16 as seven Bulldogs represented the program at the Heartland Strength Open Classic. All seven Concordia athletes qualified for nationals at the event. Returning athletes within the weightlifting program include Marry Berris, Evan Fukuhara and Adrian Hernandez. Four freshmen made their collegiate debuts at the season opening event: Michael Davidge, Gracy Johnson, Cody Monsevais and Katie Witte.The next event on the schedule is the Conqueror Weightlifting Open in Elkhorn, Neb., on Nov. 4. There are four competitions on the 2023-24 schedule, which will be highlighted by the University Weightlifting Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, March 1-3, 2024. For more on the lifting sports programs, click HERE.
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.
Football
· Current record: 2-3, 2-3 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Briar Cliff, 35-23, on Sept. 30.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The Bulldogs got the home win they had to have while staving off a comeback bid from Briar Cliff this past week. Concordia managed to put the game away with explosive offensive plays as DJ McGarvie hit Carsen Arline for a 68-yard touchdown pass and Austin Jablonski raced 75 yards for a touchdown in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. It was a productive day for the Lincoln Pius X grad Jablonski, who rushed for 86 yards and caught eight receptions for 78 yards. McGarvie threw for 229 yards while completing 18-of-31 passes. Out of the backfield, Devin Zeigler rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns and Mark Arp added 66 rushing yards and a touchdown. Among other highlights, Deegan Barnes blocked a punt, Michael Grindey totaled a team high 15 tackles, Carson Fehlhafer made three tackles for loss and a sack and the defense combined for 10 tackles for loss. The Chargers put up only 40 rushing yards on 29 attempts. In the bigger picture, Jablonski leads the country in receptions with 47 on the season. Concordia played its first night game since September 2020 when it defeated Hastings, 34-28, in overtime.
· Game notes for this week’s matchup with Morningside can be found HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Oct. 7 at No. 3 Morningside (5-0, 4-0 GPAC), 1 p.m.
Volleyball
· Current record: 15-0, 8-0 GPAC; ranked No. 1 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o def. Briar Cliff, 25-21, 25-8, 25-18 (away) on Sept. 29.
o def. Morningside, 25-19, 25-17, 25-20 (away) on Sept. 30.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: After being minted with the NAIA’s No. 1 national ranking, the Bulldogs took care of business in Sioux City, Iowa, with road wins over Briar Cliff and Morningside, both in straight sets. Concordia continues to perform efficiently as it hit .303 at Briar Cliff and .296 at Morningside. The victory over the Mustangs looked more impressive after Morningside upset No. 10 Midland the night before. Individually, four Bulldogs collected at least 18 kills over the weekend: Carly Rodaway (23), Camryn Opfer (20), Gabi Nordaker (18) and Ashley Keck (18). From the right side, Rodaway hit .463 for the weekend. On the current GPAC leaderboard, Nordaker ranks first in hitting percentage (.394) and Rodaway ranks fourth (.340). Concordia leads the nation as a team in hitting percentage (.300). Another major statistical milestone was achieved last week as junior libero Becca Gebhardt eclipsed 1,000 career digs. In quarterbacking the offense, Bree Burtwistle averaged 14.17 assists per set in Sioux City.
· For additional statistics and details, check out this week’s notes package HERE (this week’s notes will be released on Wednesday).
· This week:
o Friday, Oct. 6 vs. No. 14 Jamestown (15-5, 8-0 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
o Saturday, Oct. 7 vs. Dakota Wesleyan (13-10, 4-4 GPAC), 3 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
· Current record: 8-2-1, 4-0-1 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Tied vs. Midland, 1-1, on Sept. 27.
o Won at Dakota Wesleyan, 6-1, on Sept. 30.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: Led by captain Grace Soenksen and the stellar group of sophomores, the Bulldogs are looking like one of the contenders in the GPAC regular season title race. Concordia enters this week tied atop the conference standings after drawing with Midland and then trouncing Dakota Wesleyan this past week. Soenksen produced the Bulldogs’ lone goal versus Midland and gave her side a 1-0 lead that lasted until a 48th minute goal for the Warriors. Concordia left no doubt in Mitchell, S.D., as Kierstynn Garner came through with a hat trick, Savannah Andrews scored twice and Kassidy Johnson put away a goal. Garner also added an assist. Garner now leads the GPAC with 12 goals this season, putting her just ahead of Andrews (11). As a team, the Bulldogs continue to lead the GPAC in goals per game (3.45) by a wide margin. Next closest is Dordt with an average of 2.60 goals per game. For much of the season, Concordia has been ranked fifth in the official GPAC poll that gets released every Monday on NAIA.org.
· For additional statistics and details, check out this week’s notes package HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 4 vs. Morningside (5-2-3, 2-1-2 GPAC), 8 p.m.
o Saturday, Oct. 7 at Jamestown (3-4-3, 3-1-2 GPAC), 7 p.m.
Men’s Soccer
· Current record: 10-0-1, 4-0-1 GPAC; ranked No. 23 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Midland, 4-1, on Sept. 27.
o Won at Dakota Wesleyan, 1-0, on Sept. 30.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: The unbeaten ride continues for Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad, which picked up two more GPAC wins last week as it won handily over Midland, 4-1, and then squeaked by Dakota Wesleyan, 1-0. Statistically, the Bulldogs controlled both outings as they held shot advantages of 19-6 over Midland and 20-6 over Dakota Wesleyan. As of now, Concordia is a favorite in the GPAC title race and has put 13 conference points on the board. Only Briar Cliff (5-0-1 GPAC) has more points, though the Chargers have played one more conference game. The breakout season continues for Carter Hinman, who notched a goal apiece in last week’s two outings. His nine goals lead all GPAC players. As part of the win over Midland, Ryan Wokutch put away two goals and Braden Spath collected one of his own on a header. Isaiah Shaddick recorded two assists in that win. Once again, the keeper duties were split as Nolan Fuelberth played all 90 versus Midland and Gabriel Mendoza earned credit for the shutout at DWU. In last week’s NAIA national poll, the Bulldogs moved up two spots to No. 23.
· For additional statistics and details, check out this week’s notes package HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Oct. 4 vs. Morningside (5-3-3, 4-1 GPAC), 5:30 p.m.
o Saturday, Oct. 7 at Jamestown (2-7-3, 1-3-2 GPAC), 5 p.m.
Golf
· Last week (men):
o Shot 303-304–607 (5th place out of 11) at the Hastings Bronco Fall Invite (Sept. 25-26).
· Last week (women):
o Shot 343-345–688 (7th place out of 9) at the Hastings Bronco Fall Invite (Sept. 25-26).
· Men’s Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: Coach Brett Muller took 10 men’s golfers to the Hastings Invite, held at Lochland Country Club. The Bulldogs ‘A’ team placed fifth out of 11 groupings while shooting 303-304–607. Two Concordia players placed in the top 10 out of 59 golfers in the field: Jacob Woodmancy (74-73–147; T-4th) and Gavin McWhorter (71-79–150; T-10th). Two others cracked the top 20 of the individual leaderboard: Drew D’Ercole (78-73–151; T-16th) and Jake Richmond (79-73–152; T-18th). So far this fall, the Bulldogs have played in four events for a total of 11 rounds. Drew D’Ercole paces the team with a 74.0 season scoring average. Next in line are Justin Webert (74.5), Richmond (75.2), McWhorter (76.0) and Hagerbaumer (76.1).
· Women’s Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: The women also competed at the same Hastings Invite and placed seventh out of the nine groupings (343-345–688). Sophomore Emery Custer continues to star for the Bulldogs. She shot 82-82–164 and placed in a tie for 12th out of the 55 golfers (from eight different institutions). Three of her teammates landed inside the top 30: Logan Eschliman (88-85–173; T-23rd), Maddie Lewis (83-91–174; T-26th) and Jennifer Gillotti (90-87–177; T-30th). Through eight rounds (four events) this fall, Custer has shot 87 or better in each round. Custer owns the team’s top scoring average of 83.8. Lewis (86.8) and Eschliman (87.9) are also averaging 18-hole scores in the 80s.
· This week:
o Men: Nebraska Intercollegiate (Oct. 6-7) | Awarri Dunes GC (Axtell, Neb.).
o Women: Nebraska Intercollegiate (Oct. 6-7) | Awarri Dunes GC (Axtell, Neb.).
Shooting Sports
· Last week:
o Placed 3rd HOA overall (out of 11 teams) at the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships (Sept. 29-Oct. 1).
· Links: 2023-24 Schedule | Roster | Season Preview
· Notable: A recap from the event can be found HERE.
· This week: The GPAC does not sponsor shooting sports, but the Concordia program competes in something called the Prairie Circuit Conference. The Bulldogs took third place HOA at this past week’s Prairie Circuit Conference Championships held in North Platte, Neb. cracked 1,849 targets towards the high overall leaderboard while duking it out with familiar rivals Fort Hays State University (1,893) and Midland University (1,889) at the top of the pack. Athletes from 11 different institutions tested themselves in the disciplines of trap, skeet, doubles trap and sporting clays as part of the event. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ squad got starring individual performances from the likes of senior Claire Kee (Gibbon, Neb.) and sophomore Kaylee Hinton (Hiawatha, Kan.). Kee earned the women’s conference title in sporting clays while Hinton took the women’s conference crown in trap. The top five for the Bulldogs at the 2023 conference championships from an HOA perspective were Jack Nelson (365), Wayne Moore (364), Sam Blevins (363), Devin Harris (361) and Breyer Meeks (360). Read a recap of the conference championships HERE.
· This week:
o Hastings College Bronco Invitational | Oct. 7-8 | Grand Island, Neb.
Cross Country
· Current rankings (according to NAIA.org):
o Women – No. 2 in GPAC, No. 15 in the NAIA coaches’ poll
o Men – No. 2 in GPAC; receiving votes in the NAIA coaches’ poll
· Most recent outings:
o Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 22): women placed 10th out of 37 teams; men placed 17th out of 32 teams.
o Dean White Invite (Sept. 23): women placed second out of three teams; men placed second out of three teams.
· Links: 2023 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: Head Coach Matt Beisel traveled the program’s top runners to the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 22 and came away with strong performances. The 15th-ranked Concordia women fell just shy of beating defending GPAC champion Dordt while managing to place above No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan University. It was two freshmen who emerged as the best Bulldog finishers at the Griak Invite: Keeli Green on the women’s side and Trey Robertson on the men’s side. Green ran the 6k in 23:32.3 while Robertson paced the 8k course in St. Paul, Minn., in 27:10.8. Prior to those races, both Kylahn Freiberg and Calvin Rohde were honored as GPAC Runners of the Week. They were the No. 2 finishers for their respective teams at the Griak Invite. The very next day, an alternate group of Bulldogs ran at a much smaller scale meet – the Dean White Invite hosted by Doane. Concordia wound up with five top 10 individual place finishers between the men and women: Westley Determan (ninth) and Thomas Gorline (10th) on the men’s side and Claire Beikmann (seventh), Faith Williamson (eighth) and Sammi Vojslavek (ninth) on the women’s side. For more details, check out the meet recaps: Griak Invite | Dean White Invite.
· This week:
o Briar Cliff Invite | Saturday, Oct. 7 | Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve (North Sioux City, S.D.).
Tennis
· Most recent event:
o NAIA Central-West ITA Regional Championship (Sept. 24-26).
o Kansas Wesleyan Invitational (Sept. 24-26).
· Links: 2023-24 Schedules: Men – Women | 2023-24 Rosters: Men – Women
· Notable: Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squads have completed three weekends of individual tournaments as part of the fall portion of the 2023-24 season. Check out the Concordia Tennis pages for recaps of those events. This will be the last week of action for the fall as the Bulldogs play their first dual meets of the campaign.
· This week:
o Men – Tuesday, Oct. 3 vs. Mount Marty, 2 p.m.
o Women/Men – Saturday, Oct. 7 at William Jewell College (Mo.), 12 p.m.