The 2024-25 athletic year at Concordia University, Nebraska officially concluded in late May with the NAIA outdoor national meet putting a cap on it. During the spring season of 2025, the highs included GPAC championships for the baseball and women’s tennis programs, individual national titles won by Rylee Ladd and Kaiden Mima, the emergence of a new home run king and an awe-inspiring outdoor track season from Adrianna Rodencal. When the dust settled, Concordia finished at No. 2 in the GPAC All-Sports Standings, marking the ninth time in the past 10 years that the department has placed either first or second.
Below is a rundown of the great moments and highlights from the spring semester of 2025. For the purpose of this release, shooting sports, powerlifting and weightlifting were counted as spring sports.
TOP MOMENTS
Women’s Tennis claims GPAC title, earns program’s first ever trip to nationals
The 2024-25 Concordia Women’s Tennis team will forever be documented as the first in the program’s history to qualify for the national tournament. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad experienced a momentous day on April 26 when it won the GPAC tournament title match, 4-2, on the home court of rival Morningside. The victory was clinched at No. 6 singles as Nina Milic held off her adversary in three sets. The key to the win was the team’s triumph in doubles thanks to the pairs of Chakira Derman and Alana Lopez Pagan at No. 2 and Tessa Blough and Alexa Richert at No. 3. Derman and Lopez Pagan also reigned supreme in their singles matches.
The GPAC tournament title sent the Bulldogs to Mobile, Ala., site of the NAIA Tennis National Championships. The run ended with a loss to Marian University (Ind.), but the season was a smashing success by any measure. Hart’s squad posted 17 wins, representing a school record. As Hart said in the aftermath of the GPAC championship win, “I’m really proud of our team. They stayed committed and believed in the vision. We just have really good kids. I felt like they really deserved it. You can deserve a lot of things in life, and it just doesn’t work, but this kind of came together. It was really fun.”
Rodencal enjoys eye-popping outdoor season
These were the moments that Adrianna Rodencal had dreamt of. The Lincoln Lutheran product raised her game this outdoor season as she kept breaking her own hurdles records while resetting GPAC standards. At the GPAC outdoor meet, Rodencal clocked conference meet records of 13.63 in the 100-meter hurdles and 58.90 in the 400-meter hurdles. She piled up 41 points and was named GPAC Athlete of the Year (for the second time in 2025). Then at the national meet in Marion, Ind., Rodencal took home All-America awards in both hurdles events and as part of the 4x400-meter relay. She placed as the national runner up in the 400 hurdles. All these triumphs came after a 2024 that saw Rodencal narrowly miss the finals at both national meets.
Ladd, Mima win lifting national titles
The bar continues to be raised each season since lifting sports was added to Concordia’s offerings beginning with the 2022-23 academic year. During the spring semester, both sophomore Kaiden Mima (weightlifting) and junior Rylee Ladd (powerlifting) captured collegiate national titles. Mima did so barely more than a month after transferring to Concordia after having began his college career as a wrestler at Trinidad State College. The 61-kilogram Mima totaled 212 kilograms when adding his snatch and clean & jerk lifts. As for Ladd, she vaulted to the top of the podium after placing second a year earlier. Ladd broke her own bench press record (97.5 kg) for her weight class. She totaled 385 kilograms after adding her squat, bench and deadlift.
Baseball dominates GPAC regular season
With a full four games left to be played in the regular season, Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s baseball team had already clinched the GPAC regular season title. The Bulldogs finished the 28-game conference run at 25-3 and outscored their league foes by a combined total of 291-101. Concordia scored the most runs and allowed the fewest of any team in the GPAC. The Bulldogs posted such lofty statistics behind sluggers like Brad Hallock, Jaidan Quinn and Matt Rhoades, the always reliable Ty Nekoliczak and a pitching staff headed by Alex Johnson, Braxton Greenburg and Christian Gutierrez. The 25 league wins are the most by a GPAC baseball team in conference history. The dominant display allowed Concordia an opportunity to host an NAIA Opening Round site in Lincoln.
Quinn obliterates Grabanski’s home run record
There’s a new home run king in Seward, and his name is Jaidan Quinn. The All-American third baseman officially passed up former teammate Joey Grabanski on April 18 with a big fly to right field in the first game of a home doubleheader sweep of Dordt. At the time, Quinn had pulverized his 89th career home run. Previously, Grabanski had held both school and NAIA national records with his 88 homers (since surpassed by Cumberlands’ Charlie Muniz). Quinn topped off his powerful exploits at the national tournament when he belted career homer No. 98. The native of Bonner Springs, Kan., pushed the total to a number that may not be broken for a long time, if ever. By season, Quinn homered 19, 27, 27 and 25 times, respectively.
Tennis programs reset school standards
All indicators are pointing upward for Lisa Hart’s tennis programs. Both squads reached the GPAC tournament final and both either surpassed or equaled program records for wins in a single season – 17 for the women and 14 for the men. Individually, Nick Velders (19 singles wins) and Santiago Abadia (16 doubles wins) on the men’s side and Ishane Derman (18 singles wins) and Alexa Richert (15 doubles wins) broke school single season records. Velders earned GPAC Player of the Year and NAIA Second Team All-America awards. With only one senior departing from either program (Tessa Blough), Concordia Tennis is well-positioned for success again in 2025-26.
Lifting programs crash nationals top 10
Across the board, the powerlifting and weightlifting programs placed inside the top 15 of the national team standings in 2025. Of course, the teams were led by national champions Rylee Ladd and Kaiden Mima. Ladd led the women’s powerlifting crew to a fifth-place nationals team finish, a lofty perch that earned a team banner. In weightlifting, Head Coach Freddie Myles’ Bulldogs placed inside the top six nationally for men, women and co-ed. Between powerlifting and weightlifting, Concordia qualified 30 individuals for the national championships that took place in Oklahoma City and Columbus, Ohio.
Ganstrom breaks triples record
Breakout seasons for Taryn Ganstrom and Jennifer Katz were major storylines for Concordia Softball in 2025. After spending the majority of her playing time at pitcher in 2024, Ganstrom became a lineup regular in 2025 and responded by leading the team with a .364 batting average. In a home game versus Bellevue University on April 23, Ganstrom broke a program single season record that had stood since 1982. The Seneca, Kan., native drove the ball into the gap and didn’t stop until she reached third base. The hit marked her ninth triple of the season, surpassing the previous school record of eight by Stephanie Hinrichs. Ganstrom earned Second Team All-GPAC accolades.
Custer places top five at GPAC Golf Championships
Emery Custer has made improvements each season for Head Coach Brett Muller’s women’s golf program. The Broken Bow, Neb., native put together a fine 2025 GPAC tournament and made a push for a conference title. After standing in third place after two rounds, Custer ultimately finished in fifth place while shooting 80-77-79–236 for the tournament. Her efforts landed her a First Team All-GPAC nod. Custer paced the 2024-25 team in scoring average at 82.1. She will return for her senior season in 2025-26.
Blevins, Welker lead Shooting Sports at national championships
Throughout the 2024-25 Shooting Sports season, Sam Blevins and Katie Welker made waves. Both Bulldogs earned Prairie Circuit All-Conference awards and then took home hardware from the 2025 ACUI National Championships in San Antonio. Blevins and Welker placed third nationally in open trap within their respective gender breakdowns. Blevins came away as the team’s top competitor overall at the national championships. Blevins and Welker led Head Coach Dylan Owens’ squad to a seventh-place team finish in the Division 2 category. The fall for shooting sports also included a title at the Hastings Invite.
SEASON SUMMARIES
Baseball
2025 record: 41-13 overall, 25-3 GPAC (1st); GPAC regular season champions.
Top performer: An NAIA First Team All-American, third baseman Jaidan Quinn gets the nod after earning GPAC Player of the Year accolades in back-to-back seasons. In his final season as a Bulldog, Quinn slashed an incredible .358 BA / .559 OBP / .879 SLG. He also totaled 25 home runs and 73 RBIs in 54 games.
Season highlights: Behind All-American Jaidan Quinn, the lineup continued to slug opponents as Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad dominated its conference regular season schedule. The Bulldogs posted a 25-3 league mark and went on a 14-game winning streak during GPAC play. The offense kept churning out big numbers beyond Quinn as Jaeden Jordahl, Ty Nekoliczak and Matt Rhoades enjoyed First Team All-GPAC campaigns and Brad Hallock blossomed as the GPAC RBI leader. In April, Quinn broke former teammate Joey Grabanski’s program record for career home runs and ended his four-year run with 98 career blasts. For the season, Concordia piled up 96 home runs, averaged 9.2 runs per game and slugged .544. In a feel-good season, Alex Johnson returned from injury and starred as the GPAC Pitcher of the Year. The Bulldogs led the conference in both runs scored and team ERA. Johnson was joined in the rotation by Braxton Greenburg, Christian Gutierrez and Micah Sweeton. This past season, Gutierrez became the program’s all-time wins and innings pitched leader. Dupic was named the GPAC Coach of the Year after leading the Bulldogs to the national tournament for the seventh time in his tenure. The program said goodbye to a class of 13 seniors. The four-year players in that group contributed to four-straight seasons of 40+ wins.
GPAC All-Conference: Jaidan Quinn (Player of the Year; First Team); Alex Johnson (Pitcher of the Year; First Team); Braxton Greenburg (First Team); Jaeden Jordahl (First Team); Ty Nekoliczak (First Team/Gold Glove 2B); Matt Rhoades (First Team); Daiten Schmidt (First Team); Christian Gutierrez (Second Team); Brad Hallock (Second Team); Michael Welch (Second Team); Jimmy Blumberg (Honorable Mention); Bronx Lewis (Honorable Mention); Micah Sweeton (Honorable Mention).
NAIA All-Americans: Jaidan Quinn (Second Team); Matt Rhoades (Third Team).
Golf
2024-25 men’s GPAC finish: 10th (317-313-318–948)
2024-25 women’s GPAC finish: 7th (332-329-343–1,004)
Top performers: Juniors Emery Custer (first team) and Jake Richmond (honorable mention) earned GPAC All-Conference awards for their respective sides. Custer put herself in the running for a GPAC title before landing at No. 5 on the final conference leaderboard. Meanwhile, Richmond collected two GPAC Golfer of the Week honors during a strong spring. Custer (82.1) and Richmond (75.7) paced the Bulldogs from a season scoring average perspective.
Season highlights:
Men
It was an up and down spring for Head Coach Brett Muller’s men’s squad, which placed 10th in the GPAC. The impressive spring for Jake Richmond stood out as a major highlight. Richmond won two GPAC Golfer of the Week awards and paced the squad in season scoring average (75.7). Three others averaged scores in the 70s: Justin Webert (76.6), Jake Hagerbaumer (77.0) and Jaxson Fullerton (79.3). Throughout 2024-25, Concordia shot five rounds of 300 or lower with a season best of 295 coming at the Mount Marty Invite. The Bulldogs placed fifth at the Mount Marty Invite. The season included nine varsity tournaments and two match-play events.
Women
On the women’s side, the Bulldogs saved their best for the conference tournament as they shot season low totals of 332 and 329 on the first day of the GPAC Championships. Concordia sat in fourth place in the conference after two rounds before slipping to seventh in round three. A Broken Bow, Neb., native, Custer shot 80-77-79–236 at the GPAC Championships and placed fifth on her way to First Team All-GPAC accolades. Custer averaged a team best 82.1 for the season while followed in the lineup by Maddie Lewis (87.3), Savannah McFalls (89.9) and Jennifer Gillotti (90.3). As part of the spring season, the Bulldogs ventured to the Phoenix area for spring break.
GPAC All-Conference: Emery Custer (First Team); Jake Richmond (Honorable Mention)
Shooting Sports
2024-25 conference finish: 3rd (Prairie Circuit Conference Championships)
2024-25 ACUI national finish: 7th (out of 14 in Division 2)
Top performers: At the 2025 ACUI National Championships, Sam Blevins and Katie Welker starred as they earned medals. Blevins took third place in men’s open trap and Welker did the same in women’s open trap. Blevins also led the way from an HOA perspective at nationals as he cracked 545/600 targets. He was followed in that department by Devin Harris (544), Breyer Meeks (542) and Mason Ward (542).
Season highlights: Head Coach Dylan Owens’ squad emerged from the 2025 ACUI National Championships in San Antonio, Texas, with a seventh-place finish, one target out of sixth. The Bulldogs cracked 2,740 targets towards the high overall (HOA) team leaderboard. Of the seven events that took place prior to the national championships, Concordia placed fourth or better in seven of them. The Bulldogs claimed the team title at the Hastings Invitational back in October and placed second at the Southeast Community College Invitational later that month. In addition, Concordia turned in place finishes of third at the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships and fourth at the Simpson Invite, Midland Open, Concordia Sporting Invitational and Iowa Western Community College Invite. All-conference awards were won in the fall at the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships by Sam Blevins and Katie Welker and all-freshman honors went to Trevor Burch and Carter McKenna. As part of the team championship at the Hastings Invite, Kaylee Hinton and Breyer Meeks captured HOA individual titles. In closing the fall at the SECC Invite, Devin Harris took home the skeet championship. The 2024-25 season marked Owens’ third at the helm of the program.
National Qualifiers: Samuel Blevins; Ella Cowan; Hannah Dean; Colby Gaines; Devin Harris; Kaylee Hinton; Rayne Larrison; Jaggar Luetje; Carter McKenna; Breyer Meeks; Faith Ritchie; Lane Schoff; Gracie Schoaf; Brennen Stones; Buchannan Tietjen; Mason Ward; Cael Washburn; Katelyn Welker.
Softball
2025 record: 27-20 overall, 12-10 GPAC (5th)
Top performer: The 2025 season marked a breakout campaign for senior Jennifer Katz, who landed on the All-GPAC second team. The Omaha native played a stellar center field as she racked up nine outfield assists and committed only one error. At the plate, she produced a .361 batting average and team highs for on-base percentage (.430) and slugging percentage (.602).
Season highlights: Head Coach Brock Culler’s program took another step forward in 2025 as the win total jumped by four compared to the previous campaign. The Bulldogs were riding high moving into GPAC play as they went 7-1 at the Tucson Invitational. Then in early April, senior Megan Eurich tossed a shutout to beat Midland, an NAIA World Series qualifier. Eurich polished off a standout career in 2025 and moved to No. 3 on the program’s all-time strikeout list. Based on GPAC awards, Taryn Ganstrom, Jennifer Katz and Delanie Voshell emerged as the top Dawgs. Late in the season, Ganstrom produced her ninth triple of 2025, breaking a program record for a single campaign. Both Katz and Ganstrom were major stories as breakout performers. Katz starred in center field while Ganstrom proved capable of playing all over the diamond. In the pitching circle, Eurich combined with sophomore Kaylei Denison on a solid 1-2 punch. The senior class numbered eight strong and featured the likes of Eurich and Katz. Four seniors earned All-GPAC recognition. After placing fifth in the GPAC in 2025, Culler and company hope to challenge for a GPAC championship in 2026.
GPAC All-Conference: Taryn Ganstrom (Second Team); Jennifer Katz (Second Team); Delanie Voshell (Second Team); Aubrey Bruning (Honorable Mention); Kaylei Denison (Honorable Mention); Megan Eurich (Honorable Mention); Aubriana Krieser (Honorable Mention); Laycee Josoff (Honorable Mention); Grace Maguire (Honorable Mention); Avery O’Boyle (Honorable Mention).
Tennis
2024-25 men’s record: 14-8 overall, 4-2 GPAC (T-2nd); GPAC tournament runner up
2024-25 women’s record: 17-5 overall, 4-2 GPAC (3rd); GPAC tournament champions
Top performers: Nick Velders earned GPAC Player of the Year honors while breaking a program record for singles wins in a season. The Netherlands native Velders also garnered NAIA Second Team All-America honors, making him the second All-American in program history. On the women’s side, Mariana Molano and Chakira Derman held down the top two spots in the lineup for a history-making squad.
Season highlights:
Women
April 26 marked a triumphant day as Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad claimed the GPAC tournament title with a 4-2 win over Morningside. At the No. 6 spot in the singles lineup, Nina Milic came through and clinched the victory over the Mustangs, the GPAC’s regular season champion. In the thrilling postseason run, the Bulldogs avenged regular season losses to Doane and Morningside. The 17-5 overall record made the ’25 squad the winningest team in school history. Five Bulldogs in the singles lineup posted double-digit win totals: Ishane Derman (18-2), Chakira Derman (17-4), Alexa Richert (14-3), Mariana Molano (14-6) and Alana Lopez Pagan (13-5). That group pushed Concordia to a national tournament appearance in Mobile, Ala., where it was defeated by Marian University (Ind.). The lone senior on the roster was 2024 Arthur Ashe award winner Tessa Blough.
Men
It was a record-breaking season for men’s tennis as the Bulldogs equaled a school standard for wins in a season while led by individual standard setters in Nick Velders (with 19 singles wins) and Santiago Abadia (with 16 doubles wins). Concordia ascended to the status of GPAC runner up in regular season and postseason. In the GPAC tournament title match, the Bulldogs were defeated by Morningside, 4-0, in a battle that was closer than the final score indicated. Collectively, Concordia posted duals records of 81-44 in singles and 43-23 in doubles. The program’s lone senior, Grady Works, is planning to return to the team for another season of eligibility in 2025-26. The tennis programs are on the rise under the direction of Coach Lisa Hart.
GPAC all-conference:
-WOMEN – Tessa Blough (Doubles); Chakira Derman (Singles); Ishane Derman (Singles / Doubles); Mariana Molano (Singles / Doubles); Alexa Richert (Singles / Doubles).
-MEN – Santiago Abadia (HM Singles / Doubles); Ben Chisholm (Singles / Doubles); Hugo Fuentes (Singles / Doubles); Manuel Rodriguez (HM Doubles); Nick Velders (Singles / Doubles); Grady Works (HM Singles / HM Doubles).
NAIA All-American: Nick Velders (Second Team).
Outdoor Track and Field
2025 women’s finishes: 2nd in GPAC, 9th in NAIA
2025 men’s finishes: 4th in GPAC, T-67th in NAIA
Top performers: Junior Adrianna Rodencal burst out in a big way in 2025. After a strong indoor season, Rodencal took things up another notch during outdoor as she won GPAC Athlete of the Year recognition and earned three NAIA All-America awards, including a national runner-up medal in the 400-meter hurdles. On the men’s side, Nathan Baldwin was both a GPAC champion and All-American in the discus. Thirty-nine Bulldogs in Head Coach Matt Beisel’s programs picked up All-GPAC honors.
Season highlights:
Women
With Adrianna Rodencal leading the way, the Bulldogs earned outdoor place finishes of second in the GPAC and ninth in the NAIA. As part of her GPAC Outstanding Athlete of the Meet performance at the outdoor conference championships in Hastings, Rodencal broke GPAC meet records in the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles. Then at the national meet, Rodencal ran 59.28 in the 400 hurdles and placed second, 13.54 in the 100 hurdles and placed third and 3:51.02 as part of the 4x4 and placed seventh. Rodencal was joined on the 4x4 by Kayla Kirchner, Isabelle Salters and Trinity Tuls. Additionally, senior Abby Gerber capped her career by placing as the NAIA national runner up in the shot put. In other major accomplishments, Abi Wohlgemuth won the GPAC in the hammer throw and Adysen McCarter became the new school record holder in the triple jump.
Men
A solid outdoor season saw the Bulldog men place fourth in the GPAC. At the conference outdoor meet in Hastings, Nathan Baldwin emerged as the standout as he won the discus title and placed third in the hammer and fourth in the shot put. Other GPAC champions were Emery Gutz in the javelin, Jonny Jurchen in the 5,000-meter race walk and Mayson Ostermeyer in the pole vault. At the national meet, things did not quite come together as hoped. Baldwin posted the one team point by placing eighth in the discus. An injury limited Ostermeyer, a two-time pole vault All-American. Concordia spent much of the outdoor season rated in the top 25 of the USTFCCCA computer ratings.
GPAC all-conference: View complete list HERE.
NAIA All-Americans:Nathan Baldwin (Discus); Abby Gerber (Shot Put); Kayla Kirchner (4x400m Relay); Adrianna Rodencal (100 Hurdles, 400 Hurdles, 4x400m Relay); Isabelle Salters (4x400m Relay); Trinity Tuls (4x400m Relay).
Powerlifting / Weightlifting
Powerlifting nationals finishes: 5th-women; 14th-men
Weightlifting nationals finishes: 4th-men; 6th-women; 5th-co-ed
Top performers: Head Coach Freddie Myles’ programs emerged with a national champion in both powerlifting and weightlifting in 2025. Junior Rylee Ladd won the won the 52-kilogram women’s powerlifting title while sophomore Kaiden Mima seized the 61-kilogram men’s weightlifting title. Ladd moved to the top of the podium after placing second a year earlier. She also re-broke her own collegiate bench press record. As for Mima, he took home the title after transferring into Concordia the previous month.
Season Highlights:
Powerlifting
The program advanced in obvious ways in year three of its existence. Head Coach Freddie Myles’ squads posted their highest-ever nationals finishes as the women took home a fifth-place banner. Junior Rylee Ladd experienced the highest of highs in winning the 52-kilogram national title with a total of 385 kilograms. She broke her own female collegiate national bench press record by lifting 97.5 kilograms. The individual national medalists included Ladd, Taylor Hedke (third place), Teya Badger (fourth place) and Wyatt Hosick (fourth place). For their top three placements, Ladd and Hedke earned All-America awards. The program took 17 competitors to the national champions in Oklahoma City, April 3-6. The powerlifting season included four other meets, including a home competition in mid-April.
Weightlifting
Major gains were made as the Bulldogs took home nationals place finishes of fourth for men, sixth for women and fifth in the co-ed category. The 2025 Collegiate Weightlifting National Championships took place in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 27 – March 2 and featured 13 Concordia competitors. Most notably, sophomore Kaiden Mima won the 61-kilogram national title as he totaled 212 kilograms. Four Concordia athletes placed inside the top five of their respective weight classes, including runner up Evan Fukuhara at 73 kilograms. The other top-five place finishers from Concordia were Taylor Hedke (59 kilograms) and Enzo Mancini (96 kilograms). The weightlifting season featured three additional meets.
2025 National Qualifiers:
Powerlifting: Dax Davis; Nolan Graupmann; Jack Hedke; Wyatt Hosick; Pablo Martinez; Quentin Nelson; Pryce Ostermeier; Hunter Powers; Teya Bader; Chloe Gaspar; Taylor Hedke; Kenzie Houser; Rylee Ladd; Abigail Lockingen; Nevaeh Osterbauer; Abigail Velten.
Weightlifting: Michael Davidge; Jack Freeman; Evan Fukuhara; Nolan Graupmann; Adrian Hernandez; Enzo Mancini; Kaiden Mima; Harley Jane Carter; Chloe Gaspar; Taylor Hedke; Kenzie Houser; Gracy Johnson; Nina Pollack.