Some of the most coveted individual records in the history of Concordia Athletics were broken during the calendar year 2023. It was a year that saw Joey Grabanski and Jaidan Quinn slug baseballs into oblivion while quarterback DJ McGarvie became Concordia’s all-time passing leader. New standards were also set by a handful of women’s track and field athletes and Noah Schutte put together one of the very best single-game performances ever for a Bulldog Men’s Basketball player.
Below is a closer look at a selection of those records and the stories behind them. For the purposes of this story, the narrative outlines four particular new standards achieved in 2023.
Joey and Jaidan jacks: the home run records
Records broken in 2023:
Home runs for a career – Joey Grabanski, 62
Home runs for a single season – Joey Grabanski/Jaidan Quinn, 27
Home runs in a single game – Jaidan Quinn, 4
There were times this past spring when one had to wonder if Joey Grabanski or Jaidan Quinn were truly human. After Concordia’s (right-handed) version of Babe Ruth went deep four times in a doubleheader at Northwestern in late March, Head Coach Ryan Dupic struggled to explain how easy Grabanski had made it look at the plate. As Dupic said then, “I really am running out of ways to put words into what Joey’s done offensively. I don’t know what else you can say about him. He’s clearly one of the best hitters in the country.”
The slugger from Grand Forks, N.D., homered three times in three separate games on the way to earning 2023 GPAC Player of the Year accolades. One of his biggest competitors for that award came from within his own team. Throughout the spring, Grabanski and Quinn engaged in a home run record chase akin to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998. In 2023, it was Big Joey versus the 6-foot-4 Quinn – a friendly but competitive teammate rivalry.
Remarked Grabanski in early May, “It’s so much fun. We push each other hard in practice every day. We bond so well – and the ball just happens to fly out of here.” By season’s end Grabanski and Quinn were deadlocked for a school single season record of 27 home runs apiece (flying by the standard of 19 set by Quinn the previous year). Grabanski managed to pull even thanks to his three big flies over the season’s final two days of action at the national tournament.
Quinn had taken the upper hand in the home run chase thanks to a ridiculous month of April that saw him belt 12 homers in 66 at bats. Quinn’s most awe-inspiring display of power came in game one of the doubleheader at Midland on April 22. The native of Bonner Springs, Kan., homered in four-straight plate appearances in leaving both sides stunned. Said Quinn the next day, “It’s just surreal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that happen. It was just a surreal moment. I was glad I was able to do it for my team. Everyone stuck behind me and just believed every day.”
What’s surreal is just how normal it’s become for Concordia to hammer long balls at a rate of more than 100 per season. Also a terrific bowler, Grabanski immediately upped the ante when he arrived in Seward. Through three years, Grabanski has logged respective season home run totals of 17, 18 and 27. The school career home run record became Grabanski’s on March 20 when he crushed career long ball No. 48, moving him past former teammate Keaton Candor (47). (Also worth mentioning, Jesse Garcia completed his five-year career with 55 home runs and is the current program record holder for career doubles with 59).
Dupic and his staff managed to get Grabanski away from another GPAC school out of North Dakota while Quinn transferred in via Wabash Valley College. Former assistant coach Conner Watson gets credit for first spotting Grabanski at a showcase in Omaha and for sparking up a conversation. Both Grabanski and Quinn were immediate starters – and both came with lofty expectations. However, Dupic probably never imagined they’d be ‘THIS’ good.
Grabanski and Quinn will keep chasing records in 2024 in what will be another potent Concordia offense. Said Dupic prior to the ’23 campaign, “We’ve had a lot of good players obviously. I think back to some of the recruiting stories and how many different cooks were in the kitchen. We got this guy from this person and this guy from this person. It just kind of came together pretty well. A coach helped here and a coach helped there. There was a connection and a relationship there. We always have preferences with how our teams are built, but sometimes you just try to find the best players that you can. I think that’s how it has evolved for us.”
Spinnin’ it like a DJ: the passing records
Records broken in 2023:
Passing yards for a career – DJ McGarvie, 6,679
Passing touchdowns for a career – DJ McGarvie, 54
Passing yards for a season – DJ McGarvie, 2,642
The soft-spoken DJ McGarvie lets his arm do the talking. It’s been that way ever since the Lincoln North Star High School graduate began his Concordia career in the fall of 2021. McGarvie chose the Bulldogs over interest from GPAC rivals such as Dakota Wesleyan and Midland while following his older sister Caitlyn (an all-conference softball player) to Seward. Though his high school numbers weren’t necessarily off the charts – 25 touchdown passes and 3,130 passing yards in 26 games – McGarvie was still in the process of reaching his peak.
McGarvie may have been more ready-made for college football than anyone realized as he burst onto the scene in backup duty early on in his true freshman season. Over his first two career games, McGarvie went 10-for-11 for 183 yards and four touchdown passes. McGarvie then started the remainder of the 2021 season that resulted in a 7-3 record for Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad. Now three years deep into his college career, McGarvie has made 26 starts and has reached 300 passing yards in seven of those outings.
There’s no denying it, McGarvie is the most prolific passer in the history of Concordia Football. In the same game, a 55-26 blowout of Doane on Nov. 4, McGarvie rose to the top of the program’s all-time charts for career passing yards and career passing touchdowns. His career totals now stand at 6,679 passing yards and 54 passing touchdowns, figures that allowed McGarvie to surpass previous standard bearers in Jarrod Pimentel and Von Thomas. After the win over Doane, McGarvie first wanted to thank “all the o-linemen that have been blocking for him the past three years.” Continued McGarvie, “And all the wide receivers have helped me out tremendously. It’s their record as well as mine.”
The throwing ability of McGarvie is one factor that has made it possible for Concordia’s offense to undergo a transformation. While Daberkow prefers to have run-pass balance in a power spread type of scheme, he hasn’t been afraid to put his trust in McGarvie. Over the past two seasons, Korrell Koehlmoos and Austin Jablonski became the first receivers in school history to crack 1,000 receiving yards in a single campaign. Koehlmoos and Jablonski have combined to give the Bulldogs the NAIA receptions leader in back-to-back years.
McGarvie takes the success in stride. He was named Second Team All-GPAC this past fall, marking the first time Concordia has had either the first or second team quarterback during the GPAC era. When McGarvie broke the passing records in early November, he was upstaged as Carson Core proposed to his fiancé just after the game. McGarvie didn’t mind. As he said, “They are super happy for me but with Carson proposing, I was very happy for him. I’m glad we focused on Carson.”
But it’s difficult not to focus on the quarterback who showed up to a summer media day availability wearing a bright yellow blazer. To be honest, he’s really not an attention seeker as that wardrobe choice may have made it appear. He’s unassuming and admittedly not an overly vocal leader. As for his arm strength, it may now ‘wow’ you, but it’s plenty powerful enough to get the job done. Rather than relying on a canon, McGarvie makes expert use of accuracy, a quick release and a refined knowledge of the Concordia offense. At one point during this past season, Daberkow remarked, “He’s playing at as high of a level at quarterback consistently as I’ve seen from any quarterback here.”
With a whole year left to air it out, McGarvie is on his way to completely shattering all Bulldog passing records. Not bad for someone who grew up with more of an affinity for the sport of baseball.
Noah’s Arc: the 3-point field goals record (for one game)
Record broken in 2023:
3-point field goals in a single game – Noah Schutte, 9
As it turned out, the 2022-23 Concordia Men’s Basketball team’s chances of earning a national tournament bid hinged upon the Bulldogs earning at least one victory in the GPAC tournament. In a must-win situation on a snowy February night in Orange City, Iowa, the Noah Schutte Game happened. It’s not hyperbolic to say that Schutte produced one of the most impressive single game performances in the history of the program. He went off for 38 points, 18 rebounds and five assists while draining a school record nine 3-point field goals. With Schutte leading the way, Concordia got the win it had to have – 90-77 at Northwestern in the GPAC quarterfinals.
This contest should be remembered long into the future for what Schutte accomplished that day (as part of a 20-for-37 effort from 3-point range as a team). Sure, Noah’s had plenty of huge statistical games before and since (31 career games of 20-plus points, as of late December 2023), but this was something particularly special. Said Limback after the game, “Everybody was excited for Noah. He’s just got that humble smile that lights up the room. When we told him he had nine threes, everyone was shocked. It wasn’t like he was hoisting them tonight. He was efficient. We were kidding him that he was worse from two than he was from three. These are the moments where you’re fighting for your season and big-time players step up.”
Schutte went an astounding 9-for-11 from 3-point range while breaking the program’s single game standard. According to available records, there are five players in school history to have drained exactly eight treys in a single game: Brad Bennett, Josh Dahlke, John Puelz, Ryan Shrum and Bret Walter. Perhaps Schutte will one day even challenge the program’s record for points in a single game – 47 by the All-American Jon Ziegler in 2007.
By the time he’s finished with his college career, Noah is likely to go down as one of the all-time greats along with the likes of Ziegler. Noah is exactly the type of student-athlete Concordia Men’s Basketball likes to build around. He grew up on a farm 15 miles northeast of the small town of Laurel, Neb. Small-town living, farming and athletics are all part of the fabric of the family. Schutte achieved high school glory when he led Laurel-Concord-Coleridge to a state title as part of a prep career that saw him amass more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Those who saw him play in high school are wholly unsurprised by what Schutte is doing as a Bulldog.
Out of high school, Schutte chose between Concordia and Morningside after also receiving interest from other GPAC schools. Schutte served a complimentary role as a freshman at Concordia before busting into the starting lineup as a sophomore. That’s when Schutte really blew up nationally. He put posted huge numbers at the 2022 national tournament as the Bulldogs reached the quarterfinals. Schutte was then named to the NAIA National Championship all-tournament team.
To the delight of Bulldog fans, Schutte still has at least half a season remaining – and perhaps another entire 2024-25 campaign (should he choose to use his ‘COVID year’ of eligibility). As Schutte said prior to the start of this season, “I’ve had a lot of joy over these years. I’ve had the opportunity to play with a bunch of good guys. My sophomore year we made a deep run in Kansas City. That was one of the best times here so far. I’m just looking forward to getting down there again with this group of guys.”
Miles-long jump: the women’s long jump record
Record broken in 2023:
Women’s indoor long jump – Hayley Miles, 19’ 4 ¼” (5.9 meters)
“Oh wow, we’re jumping big today,” is the reaction teammate Josi Noble had after seeing Hayley Miles pop off a long jump mark of 19’ 4 ¼” (5.9 meters) in her very first attempt at the Bulldog Early Bird meet held on Dec. 9. It was definitely an ‘oh wow’ moment for Miles, whose previous personal best in the event was 18’ 4 ½.” If you spotted the 5-foot-3 Miles at the meet, you may have struggled to believe that someone of that stature could physically launch herself such a distance – but she did.
In the few seconds it took for Miles to focus herself, sprint down the runway and hurl herself into the pit of sand, Miles became not only the early NAIA national leader in the event, but also a new school record holder. This wasn’t just any school record – this was one held by NAIA Hall of Famer Carol Bailey. By the conclusion of Bailey’s storied Concordia career, she had accumulated 22 All-America awards, 13 school records and eight individual national titles. Bailey’s indoor record in the long jump had stood since 1989 in an era when the Bulldogs competed as members of the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Let that soak in, Hayley. Said Miles that same day of her school record feat, “It felt really good. I was really excited and I was like, ‘I wonder what this (mark) is.’ I was hoping to hit at least a ‘B’ standard and maybe an ‘A.’ I knew I was capable of it. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. It’s just really exciting to see.”
Still only a sophomore, Miles picked Concordia out of St. Patrick’s High School in her hometown of North Platte, Neb. She starred as her team’s Female Athlete of the Year and was a four-time state qualifier in cross country. As a freshman in 2023, Miles earned two All-GPAC awards, one in the indoor triple jump and one in the outdoor long jump. Since becoming a Bulldog, Miles has worked closely with jumps coach Ben Hinckfoot in the process of refining her craft. Miles came up short of qualifying for nationals as a rookie, but that will change in 2024.
Miles says she was anxious for the Bulldog Early Bird meet. “I was pretty nervous,” Miles admitted. “I was really excited and really nervous for today. Having that first jump and not scratching the first jump (was a relief). Sometimes I get really excited and then I scratch. It just felt very nice.”
Additional track and field school records set in 2023 came from Lauren Dawson (women’s outdoor race walk), Rylee Haecker (women’s outdoor 1,500 meters) and Adrianna Rodencal (women’s 60 hurdles). The 2023 GPAC Female Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year, Rodencal bested her own record multiple times in the 60 hurdles.