Bulldog Athletic Association Member (BAAM) Athletes of the Week
Male: Daylon Henson, Football
A junior from Pearland, Texas, Henson played a key role on the defensive side in Concordia’s 63-13 win at Briar Cliff. Late in the third quarter, Henson intercepted a pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. He also recovered a fumble and made three tackles.
Female: Ishane Derman, Tennis
A freshman from Lomé, Togo (Africa), Ishane Derman won the Kansas Wesleyan Invitational singles tournament while winning five-straight matches. The outing marked the first career college tournament for Derman, who also helped Concordia to a dual win over Nebraska Wesleyan on Sept. 10.
2024-25 BAAM Athletes of the Week
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.
Homecoming week on the Concordia campus: It’s homecoming week on the Concordia University, Nebraska campus. As one of the highlights of the week, the Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2024 will officially be inducted on Friday night. The new inductees were revealed to the public on July 23. The class includes Audra (Nothwehr) Anderson ’01, Elizabeth (Rhoden) Dillingham ’04, Kregg Einspahr ’82, Ceron Francisco ’18, Frank Greene, Katie (Werner) Loveless ’08 and the 2004-05 men’s basketball team. For more details on the Hall of Fame and homecoming week as a whole, click HERE.
Twenty Bulldog programs recognized with NAIA Scholar Team awards for 2023-24: In conjunction with the 2024 NAIA National Awards Day celebrated on Monday (Sept. 16), 20 Concordia University, Nebraska Athletics programs were honored with 2023-24 NAIA Scholar Team distinction. The award is earned by teams that achieve a minimum 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the nominating institution. For a listing of 2023-24 Concordia NAIA Scholar Teams, click HERE.
D'Ercole lays groundwork for athletics career with extended run as a Bulldog: As one of the best performers in the program’s history, Drew D’Ercole has made a significant impact on Concordia Men’s Golf. D’Ercole is now in year two as a graduate assistant for Head Coach Brett Muller and continues to lay the groundwork for a future career in athletics. We profiled D’Ercole’s Bulldog career in a feature linked HERE.
Matchups announced for 2025 CIT in Ann Arbor: The matchups for the 2025 Concordia Invitational Tournament have been locked in place. On day one of the tournament (Jan. 24-25, 2025), both Bulldog Basketball teams will take on Concordia University Chicago. All CIT 2025 games will take place inside Cardinal Fieldhouse on the Concordia University Ann Arbor campus. The full schedule for CIT, including the cheer and dance competitions, can be found 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.
Football
· Current record: 3-1, 3-1 GPAC.
· Last week
o Won at Briar Cliff, 63-13, on Sept. 21.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: For the third time in four outings, the Bulldogs were utterly dominant as they steamrolled Briar Cliff, 63-13, in Sioux City, Iowa. One week after Concordia had its largest total yardage output (641) in the GPAC era, it set a new program record for points scored in a GPAC conference game. Among the highlights, quarterback DJ McGarvie threw for five touchdowns (65 career), Mark Arp rushed for 156 yards and two scores and the defense forced five turnovers. The Bulldogs racked up 21 points in the second quarter and 35 in the third. Daylon Henson capped the third quarter by intercepting a pass and taking it 35 yards to the house. McGarvie’s touchdown tosses went to Daylan Russell (twice), Austin Jablonski (twice) and Adam Van Cleave. The defense also got a pair of sacks from Devon Polley and an interception from Grant Huss that set up the game’s first touchdown. The explosive Concordia offense is averaging 42.8 points and 489.0 yards per game. With another 100-yard performance, Arp took over the national lead in rushing with 513 yards on the season. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad moved to 3-1 with a showdown with No. 10 Dordt looming this Saturday for homecoming. The Defenders have won each of the past six meetings in the series and are 2-0 after thumping Hastings, 58-0, this past week.
· For details on this week’s matchup, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o Saturday, Sept. 28 vs. No. 10 Dordt (2-0, 2-0 GPAC), 1 p.m.
Cross Country
· Most recent:
o Men – placed 12th/26 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite on Sept. 21.
o Women – placed 16th/22 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite on Sept. 21.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: The second meet of the 2024 season saw the Bulldogs take part in a loaded field (including NCAA Division I and II competition) at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational co-hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Wesleyan University. The men got the meet started with an 8k race that concluded with Concordia in 12th place overall out of 26 teams (fourth among NAIA squads). Freshman Vaughn Hendrickson was the highest placing GPAC competitor with his 8k time of 25:51.3 (31st place overall). Trevor Kuncl (26:19.4) and Trey Robertson (26:55.8) also placed in the top 100 in a field of more than 330 runners. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs placed 16th out of 22 teams (also fourth among NAIA squads). Top 100 individual finishes were claimed by Hannah Beintema (19:48.1) and Annika Staab (20:14.0) in the 5k race. Beintema placed second among GPAC runners in the field. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads will have this week off before resuming the season at the Briar Cliff Invite on Oct. 5. There are three meets remaining prior to the 2024 GPAC Championships on Nov. 9.
· For additional news and notes on the Concordia Cross Country teams, click HERE.
· This week:
o Idle; will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Briar Cliff Invite in North Sioux City, S.D.
Volleyball
· Current record: 11-1, 4-0 GPAC; ranked No. 4 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Hastings, 25-13, 26-24, 26-24, on Sept. 21.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: In the lone outing of last week, the fourth-ranked Bulldogs extended their series win streak over Hastings to nine while winning in straight sets. Both the second and third sets were nail-biters in what amounted to a 25-13, 26-24, 26-24 win over the Broncos. Junior Ashley Keck turned in a starring performance in posting 21 digs and 17 kills while hitting .350 and going a perfect 18-for-18 in serve receive. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad held a hitting percentage advantage of .178 to .139. In backing Keck, Ella Waters produced 10 kills, Addie Kirkegaard came away with nine kills, Savannah Shelburne contributed 24 assists, eight digs and two aces and Gabi Nordaker posted six blocks. The offensive attack continues to be a strength for the Bulldogs, who rank second nationally in kills per set (14.07) and 11th in the NAIA in hitting percentage (.242). Keck is the team leader with 136 kills on the season. Concordia (4-0 GPAC) and Northwestern are the lone remaining teams in the GPAC with unblemished GPAC records. The Bulldogs will be at Doane on Wednesday before hosting top-ranked Northwestern for a homecoming Saturday showdown inside Friedrich Arena.
· For additional news and notes on Concordia Volleyball, check out the team’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Sept. 25 at Doane (4-12, 0-4 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
o Saturday, Sept. 28 vs. No. 1 Northwestern (14-0, 4-0 GPAC), 4 p.m.
Shooting Sports
· Last week:
o Placed 4th/16 at the Midland Warrior Open, Sept. 21-22.
· Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster
· Notable: The third competition of the 2024-25 season took place this past weekend as the Bulldogs finished fourth out of 16 teams at the Midland Warrior Open. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ squad cracked a total of 1,354 targets towards the team leaderboard. The top three place finishers were Midland University (1,410), William Penn University (1,396) and Fort Hays State University (1,391). By event, Concordia turned in Midland Open team placements of fourth in skeet (488/500), tied for fourth in trap (482/500) and fifth in sporting (404/500). Devin Harris (Kansas City, Mo.) and Sam Blevins (La Grange, Ky.) continue to stand out from an individual perspective. Harris emerged as the team’s top HOA shooter with 278 targets busted (90 trap, 98 skeet and 90 sporting) over the weekend. Blevins was just one target off Harris with a total of 277 (98 trap, 98 skeet and 81 sporting). On the HOA individual leaderboard, Harris placed in a tie for 14th and Blevins tied for 17th out of 235 competitors. The Prairie Circuit Conference Championships will take place Friday through Sunday in North Platte, Neb. The Bulldogs will be looking to improve upon their 2023 placement of third in the conference. For more details on the Midland Open, check out the complete recap HERE.
· This week:
o Prairie Circuit Conference Championships in North Platte, Neb., Sept. 27-29.
Men’s Soccer
· Current record: 2-2-5, 1-0-1 GPAC; receiving votes in NAIA coaches’ poll.
· Last week:
o Won vs. Northwestern, 1-0, on Sept. 18.
o Tied at Dordt, 1-1, on Sept. 21.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics | NAIA Coaches’ Poll
· Notable: It was a solid opening week of conference play as Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad earned a 1-0 home win over Northwestern and then settled for a 1-1 draw at Dordt. Concordia has already tied in five of its first nine games this season. In the victory over the Red Raiders, the Bulldogs got the one goal they needed via Martin Herrera (assisted by Jarrod Henson) in the 68th minute. The shutout marked Concordia’s third this season. Goalkeeper Nolan Fuelberth made five saves in earning the clean sheet. Three days later, the Bulldogs drew with Dordt despite a 15-10 advantage in shots. Concordia’s goal came on a free kick from D’Andre Williams that was finished by Michael Wyvill. The sophomore center back Wyvill is tied with Herrera for the team lead with three goals on the season. That goal evened the score roughly 12 minutes after the Defenders had gone up 1-0. Through nine games, the Bulldogs have scored 11 goals and have conceded seven. Concordia will continue GPAC play this week with two games inside Bulldog Stadium: Wednesday versus rival Hastings and Saturday versus Briar Cliff, the defending GPAC regular season champion.
· For a closer look at this week’s matchups, check out the game notes linked HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Sept. 25 vs. Hastings (3-6, 1-1 GPAC), 8 p.m.
o Saturday, Sept. 28 vs. Briar Cliff (2-7-1, 1-1 GPAC), 8 p.m.
Golf
· Most recent:
o Men – Placed 12th/18 at the Siouxland Invitational on Sept. 9-10.
o Women – Placed 8th/8 at the Battle at Bayside on Sept. 9-10; second grouping placed 8th/10 at the Matthew Goette Fall Classic on Sept. 9.
· Men’s Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Women’s Links: 2024-25 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: Both varsity squads went nearly two weeks between tournaments before returning to action on Monday. On the men’s side, the Bulldogs played 36 holes in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Monday and shot 323-312–635 (ninth place out of 10 teams). Senior Justin Webert entered the third round of the Bent Tree Intercollegiate tied for 23rd out of 61 individuals after carding a day one total of 77-75–152. Fellow senior Jake Hagerbaumer shot 80-77–157 and was tied for 36th entering Tuesday’s final round. On the women’s side, Concordia is in the midst of playing at the Siouxland Invite. Led by junior Emery Custer, the Bulldogs carded a 350 in round one and resided in eighth place out of nine total groupings. Custer equaled a career low with an eight-over-par 80. Teammates Maddie Lewis (88) and Jennifer Gillotti (89) also shot in the 80s. Once Tuesday’s action wraps up, both of Head Coach Brett Muller’s squads will shift focus to the Nebraska Intercollegiate on Oct. 4-5. That tournament will conclude the fall portion of the 2024-25 Concordia Golf season.
· This week:
o Men – Bent Tree Intercollegiate in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Sept. 23-24.
o Women – Siouxland Invitational in Sioux Center/Orange City, Iowa, on Sept. 23-24.
Women’s Soccer
· Current record: 3-4-1, 0-2 GPAC.
· Last week:
o Won at Nebraska Wesleyan University, 2-0, on Sept. 16.
o Lost vs. Northwestern, 4-3, on Sept. 18.
o Lost at Dordt, 3-2, on Sept. 21.
· Links: 2024 Schedule | Roster | Statistics
· Notable: After beginning last week with a 2-0 nonconference win at Nebraska Wesleyan, the Bulldogs dropped a pair of one-goal margin games as conference play opened. Concordia was defeated, 4-3, by Northwestern and, 3-2, by Dordt. In the loss to the Red Raiders, the Bulldogs were shell-shocked by a 10-minute stretch that saw the visitors put away four goals. Concordia attempted to rally back from the 4-1 deficit and came up a goal short. The Bulldogs also found themselves in a 2-0 hole at Dordt before tying the game in the 89th minute. The Defenders responded with the game winner from Karinna Tel in the 90th minute. It was a strong week offensively for junior Kierstynn Garner, who scored twice versus Northwestern and once at Dordt. She has pushed her season goal tally to nine and career goal total to 36. Garner is tied with Hastings’ Dekota Schubert for the GPAC lead in goals. Also last week, Savannah Andrews scored a goal versus Northwestern and Katelyn Smith put one on the board at Dordt. The Bulldogs continue to work on tightening up their defensive play. They have allowed 17 goals through eight games after surrendering 16 goals for the entire 2023 season. Head Coach Nick Smith’s squad will continue GPAC play by hosting both No. 25 Hastings and Briar Cliff this week.
· For additional news and notes, check out the program’s homepage HERE.
· This week:
o Wednesday, Sept. 25 vs. No. 25 Hastings (6-1-2, 2-0 GPAC), 5:30 p.m.
o Saturday, Sept. 28 vs. Briar Cliff (0-6-1, 0-2 GPAC), 5:30 p.m.