WATCH: Concordia Athletics top 10 plays of 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – The calendar year 2022 brought iconic moments and plays that will long be remembered and etched into Concordia Bulldogs lore. To top it off, Concordia Athletics earned the 2021-22 GPAC All-Sports Championship. Check out the link above for a video countdown of our choices for the top 10 Concordia Athletics plays of 2022. For the purposes of this list, we focused on moments that included a significantly impressive achievement that could be captured through video or compelling imagery.
Which moment most deserved the No. 1 spot can be debated, but no play/moment in the history of Concordia Athletics has ever generated more views or social media buzz than the length-of-the-court alley-oop from Carter Kent to Tristan Smith that allowed the Bulldog Men’s Basketball team to defeat Briar at the buzzer, 74-73, on Feb. 16, 2022. Below is a quick rundown of the plays included in the feature video.
10 – Kierstynn Garner’s impressive strike lifts Bulldogs to upset at No. 25 Benedictine.
In women’s soccer program history, Concordia had been 0-for-11 when up against perennial national qualifier Benedictine College (Kan.). That was until lightning-fast freshman Kierstynn Garner quickly covered a vast amount of ground before delivering a frozen rope of a strike for the game’s only goal. Garner’s game winner lifted the Bulldogs to a 1-0 upset of No. 25 Benedictine on Sept. 10.
9 – Gabi Nordaker’s block clinches win over Red Raiders in top 10 volleyball matchup inside Friedrich Arena.
Because it came following two road losses, the five-set victory on Oct. 15 was about as important as any win for Concordia Volleyball in 2022. On that date, the sixth-ranked Bulldogs hosted seventh-ranked Northwestern. Concordia got rolling in the fifth set and put away when NAIA All-Americans Gabi Nordaker and Camryn Opfer combined on the block. The victory helped push the Bulldogs up to No. 4 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
8 – DJ McGarvie breaks the program record for passing yards in a single game with 458.
DJ McGarvie took control of the quarterback spot and ran with it while combining with receiver Korrell Koehlmoos on a slew of school single season records. On Oct. 22, McGarvie slung the ball around for a new program single game record of 458 yards. He also threw for four touchdowns on that day – two to Austin Jablonski and one apiece to Koehlmoos and Luke Lang.
7 – Jaidan Quinn blasts his 19th homer of 2022 to set new program standard.
The great home run chase of 2022 came down to four Bulldogs, who each flew past the previous school record for big flies in a single season. A transfer from Wabash Valley College, Jaidan Quinn ultimately rose to the top when he homered in each of the final four games of the campaign (each at the opening round of the national tournament). Quinn’s final blast marked his 19th of the year and came against Bellevue University.
6 – Tristan Smith delights Friedrich Arena crowds with thunderous dunks.
One could make an impressive highlight reel simply of Tristan Smith dunks. The high flyer from Elizabeth, Colo., powered home a tip slam as part of the 2022 GPAC tournament semifinal win over Doane. Then early this 2022-23 season, Tristan finished off a one-handed slam off the alley-oop pass from AJ Watson.
5 – Women’s Track & Field sweeps GPAC indoor/outdoor championships … again.
Don’t look now, but Concordia Women’s Track & Field will enter 2023 having won each of the past seven GPAC championship meets. Coach Matt Beisel led the Bulldogs to a sweep of 2022 GPAC indoor/outdoor championships. At the conference indoor meet, individual titles were won by Morgan De Jong, Rylee Haecker (two), Jordan Koepke and Josie Puelz. Meanwhile, outdoor GPAC titles were seized by Keri Bauer, Haecker, Koepke, Puelz and Sarah Ragland. Puelz broke the GPAC indoor meet pole vault record and Koepke set a new conference outdoor meet standard in the 400 hurdles.
4 – Josie Puelz captures NAIA indoor and outdoor pole vault national titles … again.
Josie Puelz continues to rise about the pressure and expectations that come from continual national championship performances. The Lincoln Lutheran product has now achieved the unbelievable in sweeping NAIA pole vault national titles for indoor/outdoor in back-to-back seasons. The four-time national champ won NAIA titles in 2022 with vaults of 13’ 5 ½” indoor and 13’ 1 ½” outdoor.
3 – Jay Adams completes all-world GPAC tournament with title clinching walk-off.
Jay Adams’ performance in the 2022 GPAC tournament was the stuff of legend. Over the six-game stretch, he went 16-for-30 (.533) with 12 runs, four home runs, a double and 14 RBIs. Incredibly, it was Adams who delivered walk-off RBI singles in back-to-back games to finish the GPAC tournament, capped by a 5-4 win over Northwestern and a 7-6 win in 10 innings over Jamestown in the championship. Adams rapped a single into left field in the 10th to set off a celebration in the home victory versus the Jimmies.
2 – Federico Simonetti secures GPAC men’s soccer title with penalty kick save.
The 2022 GPAC men’s soccer tournament championship game at Hastings could not have been any more dramatic. Concordia rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit with the help of a goal apiece from Adrian Wambua and Carlos Orquiz. The game remained knotted, 2-2, after two overtime periods. The result was a PK shootout won by the Bulldogs, 4-2. It was clinched when keeper Federico Simonetti dove to his left and denied a Bronco PK. Concordia celebrated on the turf in bone-chilling cold temperatures in Hastings, long after that save.
1 – Carter Kent’s length-of-the-court alley-oop finds Tristan Smith for buzzer-beating win that makes the rounds on ESPN.
This was a once-in-lifetime moment that can’t be duplicated. In a tussle between the top two teams in the GPAC standings, Concordia and Briar Cliff, on Feb. 16, 2022, the final 15 seconds alone featured an incredible three lead changes. The Bulldogs appeared headed for a crushing defeat after a Charger player drained an acrobatic 3-pointer with one second left on the clock. On the ensuing play, with Concordia down 73-72, Carter Kent delivered a length-of-the-court toss to Tristan Smith for a layup just before the buzzer sounded. The play sent Friedrich Arena into a state of pandemonium. It was the first of three court storms in a three-week stretch at home. The play wound up making the rounds on a series of ESPN shows, including SportsCenter, College GameDay and Around the Horn.