A tangible piece of hardware arrived at the Walz Human Performance Complex this May. The Great Plains Athletic Conference All-Sports Championship Trophy signified the across-the-board success enjoyed by Concordia Athletics throughout the 2023-24 academic year. For the fifth time ever (24 years of GPAC existence), Concordia University, Nebraska claimed the distinction of GPAC All-Sports Champions. The achievement was wrapped up this spring as the baseball and women’s track & field programs took home conference championships of their own.
Said Director of Athletics Devin Smith in reaction to the GPAC All-Sports Championship, “It’s an awesome tribute to Concordia University, Nebraska and the campus community in Seward and to all of the people who support and provide resources and cheer on these great student-athletes. They are champions in the classroom and in the community, as well as in their competitive endeavors. We really have a foundation built for sustained success. There are times when you have to adapt a little bit, but the template is set up. It’s just a thrill.”
Below is a rundown of the great moments and highlights from the spring semester of 2024.
TOP MOMENT
Concordia Athletics wins fifth all-time GPAC All-Sports Championship Trophy
The announcement came from the Great Plains Athletic Conference on May 9. For the fifth time in school history, Concordia University, Nebraska earned the GPAC All-Sports Championship Trophy. The department also reigned supreme in the GPAC during the 2002-03, 2004-05, 2014-15 and 2021-22 academic years. An astounding 15 Concordia Athletic teams placed inside the top four of the GPAC standings this past year. Conference championships were won by baseball (regular season and tournament), men’s basketball (regular season), women’s indoor track & field, women’s outdoor track & field and volleyball (regular season). The Bulldogs won the all-sports title based on a formula used by the GPAC that calculates a percentage of possible points earned for each league school. The GPAC’s all-sports standings were also broken down between men and women. Concordia ranked No. 1 in the GPAC in the women’s standings and tied with Northwestern for first in the men’s standings. Concordia has finished either first or second in the all-sports standings in eight of the past nine years.
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Grabanski breaks NAIA home run record
The individual Concordia athlete who caught the most media attention this spring was undoubtedly the baseball program’s Joey Grabanski. The slugging left fielder from Grand Forks, N.D., graced the front of the Omaha World-Herald sports pages after he broke the NAIA all-time home run record. The record breaker came on April 13 at Morningside when Grabanski produced the 78th homer of his celebrated Bulldog career. By the time the season ended, Grabanski had increased his home run total to 88. In addition, he broke the NAIA all-time RBI record during the national tournament and finished his career with 300 RBIs. Also worth noting, Jaidan Quinn hit 27 home runs in 2024 and equaled the school’s single season standard while Jay Adams completed his Concordia career with program records for runs scored (286), hits (352) and doubles (69).
Wren, Zohner complete careers with national titles
The track & field careers of Chris Wren and Zach Zohner ended in style. A fifth-year Bulldog, Wren entered the 2024 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships seeded second in the hammer throw. The Fair Oaks, Calif., native jumped to first place during the finals of the hammer competition with his winning toss of 208’ 5.” Wren pushed the total number of throws national championship under Coach Ed McLaughlin’s guidance to 20. Two days later, Zohner took home the pole vault national title thanks to a clearance of 17’ 2 ¾,” tying an overall personal best. The Battle Creek, Neb., native swept 2024 NAIA indoor/outdoor pole vault national championships. He was the first Bulldog men’s athlete to do so since TJ Kloster in 2000. Their efforts helped the Concordia men place seventh nationally at the 2024 outdoor national meet.
Baseball makes late season run, wins GPAC regular season and tourney titles
After dropping three of four in the weekend series at Morningside (April 13-14), Concordia appeared to be a longshot to win the GPAC regular season title. The Bulldogs sat two games behind Doane with eight games to play. Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad then rattled off eight-straight wins to pull even with the rival Tigers atop the GPAC standings. Concordia then left no doubt while defeating Doane, 5-1, in the GPAC tournament championship game held at Plum Creek Park on May 7. The stretch of 12 wins in 13 games will stand out as the most memorable portion of the 2024 campaign. The Bulldogs wound up with a program record-tying 42 wins in another season of smashing long balls (113 home runs as a team).
Women’s track & field extends GPAC championship streak to 11
It was close, but the streak will live on into 2025 as the Concordia Women’s Track & Field program continues to hold off its GPAC competition. At the 2024 GPAC outdoor championship meet held in Orange City, Iowa, the championship streak appeared to be in jeopardy as Doane held a 198.5 to 187.5 lead in the team scoring with only the shot put and 4x4 left to be scored. Gerber came up huge in vaulting to the top of the shot put leaderboard with tosses of 47’ ¼” and 47’ 4 ½” in the finals. The 12 team points in the shot put set the stage for Concordia to seize another banner. One of the program’s staples, the 4x4, polished off the win by clocking a first-place time of 3:50.97. The crew featured Jenna Esch, Kayla Kirchner, Trinity Tuls and Jordan Koepke. Other conference event champions included Kylahn Freiberg (1,500 meters), Koepke (400 hurdles), Josi Noble (heptathlon) and Adrianna Rodencal (100 hurdles).
Fukuhara becomes first national champion in weightlifting program history
History was made at the 2024 National University Weightlifting Championships in Columbus, Ohio, where Evan Fukuhara rose to the top of the podium in the 67-kilogram weight class. In doing so, Fukuhara became the first national champion in the history of Concordia Weightlifting. The Sacramento, Calif., native Fukuhara posted an overall total of 243 kilograms at the championship meet. A sensational sophomore season for Fukuhara also featured first-place finishes at the Iowa Championships and North America Open Finals. Fukuhara still has two more years remaining to continue to raise the level of Head Coach Freddie Myles’ program.
Ladd breaks American collegiate female bench press record
At the 2024 USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championships held in Atlanta, Ga., in April, sophomore Rylee Ladd became a collegiate national record holder. The Chetek, Wis., native lifted 92.5 kilograms (204 pounds) in the bench press, setting a new record for females weighing in at 52 kilograms. Ladd placed as the national runner up for her weight class while also lifting 132.5 kilograms in squat and 145 kilograms in the deadlift. Ladd’s impressive display helped Concordia women’s powerlifting place ninth in the country at the national championships. The season for Ladd also included the title of Female Best Lifter at the Husker Strong Meet back in the fall.
D’Ercole completes golf career with top five GPAC finish
As Head Coach Brett Muller stated, Drew D’Ercole will go down as one of the top players in the history of Concordia Men’s Golf. D’Ercole went out on a high note in placing in a tie for fourth at the 2024 GPAC Championships. That finish represented the highest individual finish for a Bulldog men’s golfer in the program’s history. D’Ercole shot 69-77-75–221 over the three conference rounds and was named First Team All-GPAC. In his five seasons at Concordia, D’Ercole played 92 rounds and averaged a score of 75.8. D’Ercole played in 42 events as a Bulldog and finished in the top 10 a total of 13 times and placed inside the top five a total of eight times. The accolades for D’Ercole have included NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-District and All-America (CSC), NAIA PING Central All-Region and GCAA All-America Scholar status.
Ciezki, Kee win national titles at ACUI Championships
The 2023-24 shooting sports season concluded in March at the 2024 ACUI National Championships in San Antonio, Texas, where the Bulldogs placed seventh out of 15 teams in the Division 2 breakdown. The most significant individual achievements were turned in by Jessie Ciezki and Claire Kee, who both came away with national championships in specific disciplines. The Waterford, Wis., native Ciezki shot 98/100 in super sporting, positioning herself in a three-way tie for first. Ciezki then won the shoot-off while claiming the national title. Ciezki also shot a 95 in doubles keet and placed as the women’s open national runner up. Meanwhile, the Gibbon, Neb., native Kee hit 96 targets in super sporting and took home the women’s open national championship in another thrilling performance.
Softball wins 10 of 11, vaults to third in GPAC standings
Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad faced a crossroads in its season in early April when the Bulldogs sat at 2-6 in the GPAC (12-20 overall). Behind ace pitcher Megan Eurich and the red-hot bats of Aubriana Krieser and Kylie Shottenkirk, Concordia won 10 of its next 11 games in a season defining stretch that gives the program momentum heading into 2025. The hot stretch helped propel the Bulldogs into a final GPAC placement of tied for third – just a year after they placed in a tie for 10th. Shottenkirk even earned NAIA National Player of the Week honors in April. The finish to the regular season provided a much-needed shot of confidence for a young squad. Nearly all key players (except for three seniors) will be back in place next spring.
SEASON SUMMARIES
Baseball
2024 record: 42-15 overall, 21-7 GPAC (T-1st); GPAC Tournament Champions
Top performer: Left fielder Joey Grabanski and third baseman Jaidan Quinn shared GPAC Player of the Year honors while essentially matching each homer for homer once again. Grabanski made waves while becoming the NAIA’s all-time home run leader and earned his fourth-straight first team all-conference award. Grabanski and Quinn sat near the top of the GPAC leaderboards in nearly all key statistical categories. Meanwhile, right fielder Jay Adams wound down an incredible five-year run as a Bulldog.
Season highlights: A GPAC championship dogpile took place on May 7 as the Bulldogs defeated Doane, 5-1, in the conference tournament title game held at Plum Creek Park. The conference postseason run followed an 8-0 finish to the regular season that pulled Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad into a tie for first place with Doane atop the standings. Concordia went on to qualify for the national tournament for the fifth-straight year and ended its season in Louisiana, where season win No. 42 occurred (tying a school record). Sluggers Joey Grabanski and Jaidan Quinn shared the GPAC Player of the Year award while trading home runs near the top of the lineup. In game one at Morningside on April 13, Grabanski became the NAIA’s all-time home run leader (88 by season’s end). He later broke the NAIA career RBIs record (300) as part of another First Team All-GPAC campaign. Other first team all-conference honorees were Jay Adams, Alec Blakestad and Matt Rhoades (GPAC Freshman of the Year). Adams departs as the program’s all-time hits leader with 352. Meanwhile, Dupic was tabbed the GPAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He eclipsed 300 career wins this past season.
GPAC All-Conference: Joey Grabanski (GPAC Player of the Year; First Team); Jaidan Quinn (GPAC Player of the Year; First Team); Jay Adams (First Team); Alec Blakestad (First Team); Matt Rhoades (GPAC Freshman of the Year; First Team); Christian Gutierrez (Second Team); Jacob Lycan (Second Team); Ty Nekoliczak (Second Team); Tanner Tompkins (Second Team); Jimmy Blumberg (Honorable Mention); Brad Hallock (Honorable Mention); Caden Johnson (Honorable Mention).
NAIA All-Americans: Jaidan Quinn (First Team); Joey Grabanski (Second Team).
Golf
2023-24 men’s GPAC finish: 9th (303-314-314–931)
2022-23 women’s GPAC finish: 9th (352-350-349–1,051)
Top performers: In year five as a Bulldog, Drew D’Ercole stood out as the clear top performer. He shot a season average of 74.4 and placed in a tie for fourth in the GPAC. D’Ercole was named First Team All-GPAC and chosen as an NAIA PING Central All-Region Team honoree. On the women’s side, Emery Custer took a step forward as a sophomore and topped the team with an 86.0 scoring average. Custer earned second team all-conference accolades.
Season highlights: The 2024 GPAC Golf Championships occurred in the spring and saw Head Coach Brett Muller’s Bulldogs place ninth on the women’s side (352-350-349–1,051) and 10th on the men’s side (303-314-314–931). The men’s squad was paced throughout the 2023-24 season by fifth-year Bulldog Drew D’Ercole, who placed in a tie for fourth in the GPAC (marking the highest GPAC finish for a Concordia men’s player in program history). The 2023-24 season featured a total of 11 varsity tournaments. The Bulldogs shot a season low of 291 in round three of the Blue River Classic (where they placed third out of 16 teams) back in the fall. One of the season’s thrills came in the form of a 12-9 win over Doane at the annual Bulldog-Tiger Cup. Concordia finished the campaign with a season average score of 306.9. On the women’s side, Emery Custer led the way while earning Second Team All-GPAC accolades. Highlights from the spring season included team third-place finishes at both the College of Saint Mary Invite and the Kaitlyn Erickson Invite. At the CSM Invite, both Custer and Logan Eschliman earned medals for placing in the top 10. The lowest team score for a single round in 2023-24 was the 341 turned in at the Lila Frommelt Classic back in the fall. Custer and Maddie Lewis shared the honor of carding the lowest individual score (81), also during fall action.
GPAC All-Conference: Emery Custer (Second Team); Drew D’Ercole (First Team).
Shooting Sports
2023-24 conference finish: 3rd (Prairie Circuit Conference Championships)
2023-24 ACUI national finish: 7th (out of 15 in Division 2)
Top performers: Jessie Ciezki and Claire Kee came away from the 2024 ACUI National Championships with national titles in specific disciplines. Ciezki cracked 98/100 targets in skeet and Kee hit 96/100 targets in super sporting in championship efforts. From an HOA perspective at the national championships, Concordia’s top competitors were Breyer Meeks, Joseph Blevins and Jack Nelson.
Season highlights: A group of 15 Bulldogs qualified for the 2024 ACUI National Championships (March 19-23) in San Antonio, Texas, and helped Concordia Shooting Sports place seventh out of 15 teams in the Division 2 breakdown of the event. Individual honors were captured by senior Jessie Ciezki, the women’s open skeet national champion, and senior Claire Kee, the women’s open super sporting national titlist. From a high overall perspective, the Bulldogs’ top competitor was senior Breyer Meeks, who cracked 551 of 600 targets. By discipline, Concordia posted team national placements of fifth in super sporting, sixth in doubles skeet, sixth in doubles trap, eighth in skeet, 10th in trap and 14th in sporting clays. The majority of the 2023-24 season for Head Coach Dylan Owens’ squad took place during the fall. At the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships, the Bulldogs placed third as Kee won a sporting clays title and Kaylee Hinton won a championship in trap. In another highlight, Jack Nelson won the overall individual title at the Waco Invitational. This marked the second season for Owens leading a program that first began competing in 2014-15.
National Qualifiers: Ames Andelt; Hayes Andelt; Joseph Blevins; Jessie Ciezki; Devin Harris; Kaylee Hinton; Claire Kee; Breyer Meeks; Wayne Moore; Jack Nelson; Brennen Stones; Buchannan Tietjen; Brayden Tosh; Mason Ward; Katie Welker.
Softball
2023 record: 23-25 overall, 13-9 GPAC (T-3rd)
Top performer: Megan Eurich rose to stardom in 2024 while developing into one of the GPAC’s top pitchers. She led the conference in innings during the regular season and was named to the league’s first team. The junior from Gretna, Neb., broke the program’s single season record for strikeouts. She fired an impressive nine shutouts (20 complete games) this spring.
Season highlights: It was a season of marked improvement as Head Coach Brock Culler’s program moved from 10th place in 2023 into a tie for third place in the final 2024 GPAC standings. The switch flipped in early April when Concordia stood at 2-6 in the GPAC (12-20 overall). Behind ace pitcher Megan Eurich, the Bulldogs proceeded to win 10 of their next 11 games in a defining stretch. The key was the offensive surge led by the likes of Aubriana Krieser and Kylie Shottenkirk. The latter was named the NAIA National Player of the Week in April. During the hot streak, Concordia swept doubleheaders from Jamestown, Dakota Wesleyan, Biar Cliff and Mount Marty. Eurich broke the program’s single season record for strikeouts (194) and was named a First Team All-GPAC selection. Second team accolades went to Aubrey Bruning, Taylor Glause, Krieser and Shottenkirk. Three different players reached 100 career hits in 2024: Bruning, Shottenkirk and Julia Van Wey. Concordia said goodbye to only three seniors and will have a strong nucleus (including shortstop Laycee Josoff) returning for 2025.
GPAC All-Conference: Megan Eurich (First Team); Aubrey Bruning (Second Team); Taylor Glause (Second Team); Aubriana Krieser (Second Team); Kylie Shottenkirk (Second Team); Jennifer Katz (Honorable Mention); Laycee Josoff (Honorable Mention); Julia Van Wey (Honorable Mention); Delanie Voshell (Honorable Mention).
Tennis
2023-24 men’s record: 8-13 overall, 2-4 GPAC (T-5th)
2023-24 women’s record: 11-8 overall, 5-2 GPAC (3rd)
Top performers: The women’s team reached the GPAC semifinals while following the lead of top-of-the-lineup stalwarts Chakira Derman and Mariana Molano. They combined for 20 singles wins on the season and will be the backbone of the 2024-25 Bulldogs. On the men’s side, Michael Bedrosian led the team in singles wins as just a freshman and Hugo Fuentes spent all season holding down the No. 1 spot in the lineup.
Season highlights:
Women
An experienced head coach at the NCAA Division I level, Lisa Hart took the reins of the Concordia Tennis programs in August of 2023. In her first season with the Bulldogs, Hart helped the women’s squad to a third-place GPAC finish and 11-8 overall record (5-2 GPAC). Concordia put together a three-match conference win streak in April and defeated Northwestern in the GPAC quarterfinals before the campaign concluded in the semifinals. Five Bulldog earned All-GPAC awards, led by top-of-the-lineup stalwarts in Chakira Derman and Mariana Molano. In addition, Tessa Blough was recognized with the 2024 ITA National Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award at the NAIA level. With no seniors on the 2023-24 roster, Concordia projects to continue to rank among the GPAC’s best next year.
Men
The men concluded the season with a loss to Doane in the GPAC quarterfinals and finished the season at 8-13 overall (2-4 GPAC). The Bulldogs claimed their conference wins over Northwestern and Hastings during the regular season. They put together a stretch of four wins in five outings versus nonconference foes early in the spring. Both Santiago Abadia and Hugo Fuentes earned GPAC All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades in doubles. Freshman Michael Bedrosian led the team with nine singles wins. The lone senior on the roster was four-year contributor Luke Johnson.
GPAC all-conference:
-WOMEN – Tessa Blough (HM Doubles); Chakira Derman (Singles/HM Doubles); Alana Lopez Pagan (HM Singles/HM Doubles); Mariana Molano (Singles/HM Doubles); Alexa Richert (Singles).
-MEN – Santiago Abadia (HM Doubles); Hugo Fuentes (HM Doubles).
Outdoor Track and Field
2024 women’s finishes: 1st in GPAC, T-20th in NAIA
2024 men’s finishes: 3rd in GPAC, 7th in NAIA
Top performers: Ten individuals came away with All-America awards in one or more events. Most notably, Chris Wren (hammer) and Zach Zohner (pole vault) finished their college careers as national champions. Zohner made it a clean sweep of 2024 NAIA pole vault titles. On the women’s side, the impressive careers of Jenna Esch, Kylahn Freiberg, Rylee Haecker and Jordan Koepke concluded at the national meet. Freiberg earned her seventh career All-America award while breaking the school record in the 1,500 meters.
Season highlights:
Women:
The streak continued in 2024 as the Concordia women’s program celebrated GPAC indoor and outdoor championships. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s Bulldogs have won 11-straight GPAC titles dating back to 2019 indoor. At the 2024 NAIA indoor national meet, the Concordia women placed in a tie for third behind its national championship 4x800-meter relay of Jenna Esch, Rylee Haecker, Julie McIntyre and Kylahn Freiberg. That group set a new school record time of 9:06.48. In addition, Freiberg placed as the mile national runner up, Haecker finished third in the 1,000 meters and Esch placed fourth in the 800 meters. Five-time pole vault national champion Josie Puelz closed out her career with one more All-America award. Esch’s remarkable year included GPAC indoor titles in the 600 and 800 meters and as part of the 4x4. In a major outdoor highlight, Esch and her 4x4 teammates placed fourth at the national meet. Other new school records came from the 4x200-meter relay (1:40.76), Freiberg in the 1,500 meters (4:31.08) and 3,000 meters (9:54.40), Haecker in the indoor 1,000 meters (2:52.88), Adrianna Rodencal in the 100-meter hurdles (13.65) and Zoey Walker in the high jump (5’ 6”). As a result of the success, Beisel was recognized with GPAC Coach of the Year and NAIA Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors for both indoor and outdoor. The women’s program led all track teams nationally for number of NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
Men:
The program enjoyed a solid run on the men’s side in 2024 as the Bulldogs placed third in the GPAC for both indoor and outdoor. Additionally, Concordia placed top 10 in the NAIA for indoor (eighth) and outdoor (seventh) while led by senior Zach Zohner, who swept NAIA indoor and outdoor pole vault national championships. Additionally, Chris Wren ended his collegiate career by seizing the hammer throw national title (also the 2024 weight throw national runner up). On the track, Calvin Rohde starred and was an indoor mile All-American. Rohde broke the school record in the 5,000 meters (14:39.56). Another program standard was reset by Matthew Boyer in the javelin (219’ 1”). Between indoor and outdoor, the program qualified 23 individuals for the national championships.
GPAC all-conference: View complete list HERE.
NAIA All-Americans:Jenna Esch (4x4, 800m); Kylahn Freiberg (1,500m); Kayla Kirchner (4x4); Jordan Koepke (4x4, 400m hurdles); Isabelle Salters (4x4); Darien Semedo (shot put); Gretchen Stottlemyre (javelin); Trinity Tuls (4x4); Chris Wren (hammer-1st); Zach Zohner (pole vault-1st).
Powerlifting / Weightlifting
Top performers: Such distinction goes to Evan Fukuhara for weightlifting and Rylee Ladd for powerlifting. Fukuhara became the first national champion in weightlifting program history while Ladd turned heads on the national stage by setting a new American collegiate female bench press record for her weight class. Both Fukuhara and Ladd have helped legitimize young programs that are on the rise under Head Coach Freddie Myles.
Season Highlights:
Powerlifting
The 2023-24 campaign marked the second in the Powerlifting program’s history. Progress was evident in the fact that Head Coach Freddie Myles’ program increased its national qualifier total from four in 2023 to 17 in 2024. At the 2024 USA Powerlifting Collegiate National Championships in College Park, Ga., sophomore Rylee Ladd broke the women’s American record for bench press (92.5 kg) for her weight class of 52 kg. Ladd placed as the national runner up. Meanwhile, Will Peterson placed fifth at 140 kg. From a team perspective, Concordia turned in national place finishes of ninth (out of 109) on the women’s side and 19th (out of 110) on the men’s side. The season also included the UNL Husker Strong Meet and the Central Collegiate Regional Championships. History was made in April when the Bulldogs hosted a home powerlifting meet for the first time ever. The season laid a foundation for future success.
Weightlifting
Concordia Weightlifting made significant gains in year two as six Bulldogs represented the program at the 2024 National University Championships in Columbus, Ohio, late in the winter. Sacramento, Calif., native Evan Fukuhara rose to the top of the podium at 67 kg and became the first national champion in the history of a budding program guided by Head Coach Freddie Myles. Other 2024 national qualifiers were Michael Davidge, Nolan Graupmann, Adrian Hernandez, Gracy Johnson and Cody Monsevais. The season also included the UNL Husker Strong Meet and the Iowa Championships. Fukuhara earned prestigious recognition beyond his national title when he took home a championship at the North American Open Finals in Wilmington, N.C.
2024 National Qualifiers:
Powerlifting: Teya Badger; Rylee Bentz; Talisa Buhr; Dax Davis; Leo Guiza; Jack Hedke; Kenzie Houser; Nic Kriech; Rylee Ladd; Abby Lockingen; Taylor Meyer; Pyrce Ostermeier; Will Peterson; Hunter Powers; Garrett Reimche; Abby Velten; Katie Wilson.
Weightlifting: Michael Davidge; Evan Fukuhara; Nolan Graupmann; Adrian Hernandez; Gracy Johnson; Cody Monsevais.