The 2022-23 athletic year officially concluded on May 26 as the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships came to a close. Throughout 2022-23, Concordia qualified teams/athletes for national championships in the sports of baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s soccer, men’s indoor and outdoor track & field, women’s indoor and outdoor track & field, volleyball, wrestling, shooting sports and powerlifting/weightlifting. This spring, women’s track & field extended its string of conference championships to nine and the baseball program made its fifth all-time appearance on the national stage.
The bar had been set high in recent years with incredibly momentous achievements for Concordia Athletics programs across the board. Following a GPAC All-Sports Championship Trophy in 2021-22, the Bulldogs came back with a conference runner-up claim in 2022-23. Director of Athletics Devin Smith presides over a department that totaled a combined 11 top-four GPAC regular season placements this past year. In this recap of the spring of 2023, the continued run of GPAC dominance for Concordia Women’s Track & Field earns top billing in the list of the 10 best moments of the spring season. Following the top moment, the remainder of the moments are listed in no particular order.
TOP MOMENT
Women’s Track & Field extends GPAC championship streak to nine
The dynasty is alive and well for the Concordia Women’s Track & Field program. The string of consecutive GPAC championships reached nine for the Bulldog women as they celebrated with the traditional victory lap after claiming first place at the 2023 conference outdoor meet hosted by Dordt. At the latest GPAC Championships, Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squad compiled 244.5 points (compared to 132 for second place). GPAC event titles were won by the 4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay, Rachel Battershell (400 meters), Rylee Haecker (1,500 meters), Hannah Newton (high jump), Josie Puelz (pole vault) and Amy Richert (heptathlon). A member of the 4x1, freshman Adrianna Rodencal garnered 2023 GPAC Women’s Athlete of the Year accolades for indoor and outdoor. Battershell and pole vaulter Erin Mapson have been part of each of the nine GPAC championships that began with the 2019 indoor meet hosted by Concordia.
Said Beisel after the 2023 GPAC outdoor title, “Every single conference championship has its own flavor. One of the things I love the most about this one is that it’s not all on one person. It’s about the team, enjoying your time with great teammates and competing hard against great competition on a beautiful day. We saw our athletes go out there and relax and do what God gave them the ability to do. We had a staggering number of outstanding performances in all event areas. The attitudes were great. There was a lot of laughter and a lot of fun had on both sides. Give all glory to God. We’ve been blessed with a lot of success and more importantly, phenomenal relationships and experiences. We’re so thankful to Him.”
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Grabanski, Quinn chase home run record
College athletes of today weren’t even born when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa went head-to-head in the great MLB home run chase of 1998. Twenty-five years later, Concordia had an impressive internal battle for the title of school single-season home run king. Joey Grabanski jumped out to an early lead (with the help of three separate three-homer games) before Jaidan Quinn got hot in April and came all the way back to take the lead. Ultimately, Grabanski slugged three homers on the season’s final day (at the national tournament) and pulled even with Quinn for a new school standard of 27. Quinn had previously held the record of 19 from the 2022 campaign. The 27 big flies tied for the third most among all players nationally in 2023. As a team, Concordia’s 117 home runs also represented a new program record for a single season.
Men’s Golf again breaks program record for season average
Never before has Head Coach Brett Muller fielded a deeper men’s golf roster. The 2022-23 Bulldogs finished the season with nine players sporting 18-hole averages in the 70s. It all added up to a new program record low scoring average of 300.3. That figure bested the previous standard of 305.1 from the 2021-22 campaign. All-GPAC award winners were Drew D’Ercole and Ivan Yabut. D’Ercole was also honored with NAIA All-Region and Academic All-District Accolades (Yabut joined him on the Academic All-District team). New school records (for a single round and for a two-round tournament) were also set back in the fall when the Bulldogs shot 283-284–567 at the UC Ferguson Classic. A team runner-up trophy was brought home from the Doane Spring Invitational.
Hambly, Shooting Sports reaches new heights at national championships
Behind All-Americans Sam Blevins, Wyatt Hambly, Tanner Muff and Katelyn Welker, Concordia Shooting Sports recorded the program’s highest ever placement at a national championship event. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ top five overall shooters combined to crack 1,405 targets towards the HOA leaderboard at the 2023 NCSSAA National Championships held in Vegas this past March. That total tied Midland for second place. However, the Warriors were credited with second after winning a shoot off. Individually, graduate student Wyatt Hambly rose to the top of the field as the high overall Division IV national champion while also triumphing in sporting clays. In addition, Bulldog Claire Kee took home a national championship in women’s doubles skeet and Sam Blevins won the men’s skeet crown.
Three records reset by women’s athletes on the track
Three women’s outdoor track & field program records were broken this spring. The new standards came courtesy of the 4x100 meter relay (47.40), Rylee Haecker in the 1,500 meters (4:33.84) and Adrianna Rodencal in the 100-meter hurdles (14.00). Contributing athletes to the record in the 4x1 (which occurred at the GPAC Championships) were Rachel Battershell, Kayla Kirchner, Kellie Rhodes and Rodencal. The record for Haecker in the 1,500 meters occurred at the NAIA National Championships and put the Davenport, Neb., native in sixth place, good for an All-America award.
Lifting Sports program sends athletes to nationals in inaugural season
The inaugural season of Concordia Lifting Sports unfolded in 2022-23 as Freddie Myles took a team full of freshmen into competition. A total of eight Bulldogs made history in qualifying for national championship events. First came the 2023 National University Championships (March 2-3) in the discipline of weightlifting. The qualifiers for Concordia were Mary Berris, Evan Fukuhara, Rylee Kara and Kayleigh Maloney. Nationals for powerlifting took place in Mid-April. The Bulldog qualifiers were Dax Davis, Kenzie Houser, Rylee Ladd and Emma Singer. Between the weightlifting and powerlifting squads, Concordia competed at eight events throughout the 2022-23 academic year. Myles will have an expanded roster for 2023-24.
Dupic becomes winningest coach, Baseball qualifies for nationals for fourth-straight season
On March 6, career win No. 251 for Ryan Dupic made him the winningest head coach in the history of Concordia Baseball. On that date, the Bulldogs earned a 6-2 victory over Grand View University (Iowa) as part of their spring break trip. By season’s end, the record for Dupic stood at 282-163-1. The 2023 campaign represented a continuation of the most successful stretch in program history. Concordia is one of seven NAIA baseball programs nationally to have won at least 40 games in each of the past three seasons. The ’23 team qualified for nationals, marking the fourth nationals appearance in a row under Dupic’s direction. The latest Bulldog squad set new school standards for runs scored (581), home runs (117) and stolen bases (98).
Softball sophomores emerge
The final record wasn’t what the softball program hoped for in 2023, but a major positive was the rise of the sophomore class. All three of the Bulldogs’ All-GPAC honorees (all honorable mention) were sophomores: Hanna Bowers, Aubrey Bruning and Kylie Shottenkirk. Those three standouts took part in a close competition for the team batting average lead with all three hitting .360 or better. Shottenkirk earned a GPAC Player of the Week award in March. Though not an all-conference award winner, sophomore pitcher Megan Eurich seized the opportunity and became the ace of the pitching staff. The juniors-to-be will play a major role for Head Coach Brock Culler’s 2024 squad.
Rozelle, Semedo surprise with All-America awards
The high NAIA outdoor national placements of pole vaulters Josie Puelz (second) and Zach Zohner (third) were not particularly surprising from a Concordia perspective. However, throwers like Austen Rozelle and Darien Semedo entered the national meet as underdogs. Their appearances on the All-America podium in Marion, Ind., stood out as feel-good moments at the 2023 outdoor national meet. Rozelle turned in a discus personal best of 165’ 7” on day two of the meet and Semedo came through with a PR of 54’ in the shot put on the third and final day. Both Bulldogs wound up in sixth place in their respective events, earning the first All-America awards of their careers. Nine total Concordia athletes took home All-America medals.
Tennis freshmen make immediate impact, Dean breaks school record
Freshmen made a major impact for Head Coach Cam Long’s tennis programs in 2022-23. Both the men (Hugo Fuentes) and women (Mariana Molano) relied on freshmen at the top of their respective singles lineups. The Bogotá, Colombia, native Molano reached the semifinals of the ITA Central Region tournament back in the fall and finished the season ranked 14th in the ITA Central Region singles rankings. Oftentimes, Molano was joined in the lineup by fellow rookies Ella Dean, Gabrielle Heiser and Alana Lopez Pagan. A Lincoln Southwest High School alum, Dean broke a school single season record with 15 doubles wins. Both of Long’s programs wound up reaching the semifinals of the GPAC tournament in 2023.
SEASON SUMMARIES
Baseball
2023 record: 40-18 overall, 21-7 GPAC (2nd)
Top performer: For the second time in program history, a Bulldog was named GPAC Player of the Year. Joey Grabanski earned that distinction in 2023 while hitting .382 with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs while sporting an on-base percentage of .484 and slugging percentage of .831. Grabanski homered three times at the national tournament and pulled even with Jaidan Quinn for a school record single season home run tally. Quinn went wild during the month of April and led the team in on-base percentage (.508) and slugging percentage (.848). Impressively, Concordia put seven position players on the All-GPAC first team.
Season highlights: With two wins at the national tournament, Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad hit the 40-win mark once again. The Bulldogs have won at least 40 games in three-straight seasons as one of seven NAIA programs to accomplish that feat in 2021 through 2023. While Concordia came up short of celebrating a GPAC championship (runner up in the regular season and postseason), it enjoyed another stellar season behind the most prolific offense in school history. The ’23 team broke school records for home runs (117) and runs scored (581) in a season. Grabanski and Quinn finished tied for third nationally in home runs with 27 apiece. Quinn made waves on April 22 when he hit a home run in four straight at bats in a blowout win at Midland. Meanwhile, Jay Adams, Ben Berg, Alec Blakestad, Jesse Garcia and Ty Nekoliczak also enjoyed first team all-conference campaigns. Back in March, Dupic became the winningest coach in the history of the program and enters 2024 with 282 career wins. From a pitching perspective, Caden Johnson (9-3, 3.39 ERA) led the staff and garnered first team all-conference accolades for the second year in a row. Early in the season, Concordia won the Warner Invitational title as part of a challenging nonconference slate. Under Dupic, the Bulldogs have appeared at the national tournament five times (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023).
GPAC All-Conference: Joey Grabanski (GPAC Player of the Year; First Team); Jay Adams (First Team); Ben Berg (First Team); Alec Blakestad (First Team); Jesse Garcia (First Team); Caden Johnson (First Team); Ty Nekoliczak (First Team); Jaidan Quinn (First Team); Tanner Tompkins (Second Team); Teyt Johnson (Honorable Mention); Daniel Rivera (Honorable Mention).
NAIA All-Americans: Joey Grabanski (Second Team); Jaidan Quinn (Second Team).
Golf
2022-23 men’s GPAC finish: 5th (296-307-296–899)
2022-23 women’s GPAC finish: 10th (365-372-368–1,105)
Top performers: Four Bulldogs wound up earning recognition from the conference. In year four at Concordia, Drew D’Ercole enjoyed a fine season and was named both First Team All-GPAC and an NAIA Central All-Region honoree. He paced the team in scoring average (74.2) and placed 16th in the GPAC. His top performances of the year included a fourth-place finish at the Midwest Spring National Invite and a fifth-place claim at the Nebraska Intercollegiate. On the women’s side, Emery Custer edged Lauren Havlat for the team’s lowest scoring average and was named GPAC Newcomer of the Year.
Season highlights:
Men
The deepest roster in the history of the men’s program reset the school record for lowest scoring average at 300.3. In terms of place finishes, the Bulldogs saved their best for the Doane Spring Invite when they claimed the runner-up trophy. Individually, Concordia golfers combined for seven top-five tournament finishes. D’Ercole enjoyed a solid spring and earned GPAC Golfer of the Week honors in April after he shot 75-73–148 at the Midwest National Invite. Meanwhile, Ivan Yabut concluded his Concordia career and averaged a score of 75.4 in 2022-23. Yabut was a two-time All-GPAC honoree in his three seasons. Capable of competing with anyone in the conference, Head Coach Brett Muller’s Bulldogs placed fifth at the GPAC Championships.
Women
The addition of Custer to the lineup helped make Concordia competitive throughout the fall and spring. Most notably, the Bulldogs placed third at the Nebraska Wesleyan Fall Invite and then finished second at the College of Saint Mary Spring Classic. Lauren Havlat carded the lowest round of her career (and lowest of the season for a Bulldog) when she shot 77 in round one of the Nebraska Wesleyan Invite. This was the end for seniors in Havlat, Ashley Gerczynski and Logan Eschliman. Concordia averaged a team score of 359.1 and placed 10th in the conference.
GPAC All-Conference: Emery Custer (Newcomer of the Year); Drew D’Ercole (First Team); Lauren Havlat (Second Team); Ivan Yabut (First Team).
Shooting Sports
2022-23 conference finish: 3rd (Prairie Circuit Conference Championships)
2022-23 national finish: 3rd (out of 11 in Division IV)
Top performers: Four Bulldogs earned All-America awards (list below) thanks to their efforts at the 2023 NCSSAA National Championships. Most significantly, grad student Wyatt Hambly captured the high overall individual national title in Las Vegas while shooting 100 in trap, 95 in skeet and 95 in sporting for a total of 290. A top performer all season among women’s athletes, Claire Kee won the women’s doubles skeet national title.
Season highlights: There were plenty more performances that stood out. In addition to his HOA national championship, Hambly won the men’s sporting clay national title and placed third in men’s trap. Additionally, Sam Blevins was the men’s skeet national champion while places finishes of second and third, respectively, were claimed by Abby Keppelin and Claire Kee in women’s skeet. In women’s trap doubles, Katelyn Welker and Angie Wolfert placed second and third, respectively, in the nation. As a team, Head Coach Dylan Owens’ Bulldogs placed third out of 11 teams in the Division IV breakdown of the NCSSAA National Championships. Other top-three team placements throughout the year included finishes of second at the Fort Hays State Intercollegiate Shoot, second place at the Midland Warrior Open, third place at the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships and third place at the NCSSAA Central Regional Qualifier. At the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships, six Bulldogs earned all-conference awards, including Kee, Breyer Meeks, Tanner Muff, Wolfert, Welker and Kaylee Hinton. In his first year leading the program, Owens helped Concordia remain at a high level on the national landscape.
NCSSAA All-Americans: Sam Blevins; Wyatt Hambly; Tanner Muff; Katelyn Welker.
Softball
2023 record: 15-30 overall, 4-18 GPAC (T-10th)
Top performer: For her consistency throughout the spring, middle infielder Hanna Bowers deserves top billing. The native of Surprise, Ariz., earned a starting role in 2023 and was named Honorable Mention All-GPAC. Bowers batted .361 with 12 doubles, two home runs and 25 RBIs to go along with a .416 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage.
Season highlights: The results weren’t what Head Coach Brock Culler and company were hoping for, but there were some moments that hinted at a bright future ahead. The Bulldogs opened conference play with a win over a strong Morningside team and piled up 37 runs over three wins at the Friends Invitational. The sophomore class stood tall as Bowers, Aubrey Bruning and Kylie Shottenkirk took part in a close race for the top batting average on the team. Also a sophomore, Megan Eurich became the team’s ace pitcher while thriving with increased playing time. The class of seniors included Caitlyn McGarvie, Jerzi Rowe and Alexis Tachovsky. A major reason for the team’s final record were its struggles offensively. Culler believes the 2024 season will be much different as the young players on the roster develop and combine with a talented incoming recruiting class.
GPAC All-Conference: Hanna Bowers (Honorable Mention); Aubrey Bruning (Honorable Mention); Kylie Shottenkirk (Honorable Mention).
Tennis
2022-23 men’s record: 12-9 overall, 3-3 GPAC (4th)
2022-23 women’s record: 13-9 overall, 4-3 GPAC (4th)
Top performers: The typical No. 1 player in the respective Concordia lineups were both freshmen – Hugo Fuentes on the men’s side and Mariana Molano on the women’s side. In terms of records, Molano (13-5 in singles) and Manuel Rodriguez (14-5 in singles) paced the Bulldogs. A total of 10 Concordia players garnered some form of all-conference recognition (see list below).
Season highlights:
Men
From a results perspective, the month of March could not have been much better as the Bulldogs went a perfect 6-0 as a team, taking wins over Sterling College (Kan.), Bethany College (Kan.), Kansas Wesleyan University, Central College (Iowa), Hastings and Baker University (Kan.). To close the regular season, Head Coach Cam Long’s squad topped Northwestern, 6-1, and claimed fourth place in the final GPAC standings. Concordia then got past Northwestern in the conference quarterfinals before falling to GPAC champion Midland in the semifinals. On senior day on April 13, the program celebrated the contributions of Juan Rabellino and Eduardo Rojas.
Women
The women’s team improved from six wins in 2021-22 to 13 victories in 2022-23. Long brought in a talented freshman class that featured the likes of Molano, Ella Dean and Alana Lopez Pagan. Molano advanced to the semifinals of the ITA regional tournament back in the fall and held down the No. 1 spot in the lineup all season. Dean made her mark by breaking the school record for most doubles wins in a season with 15. The Bulldogs got rolling with a 5-1 record in March (only loss to Bethany, 4-3). Concordia finished the regular season strong with wins over College of Saint Mary and Northwestern and then advanced to the semifinals of the GPAC tournament. The lone senior on the roster was Tara Ferrel.
GPAC All-Conference:
-MEN – Hugo Fuentes (HM Singles/Doubles); Manuel Rodriguez (Singles); Juan Rabellino (HM Singles/Doubles); Eduardo Rojas (HM Singles); Shawn Springer (HM Doubles); Thomas van Haaren (HM Singles/Doubles).
-WOMEN – Tessa Blough (HM Singles/Doubles); Tara Ferrel (HM Singles); Alana Lopez Pagan (HM Doubles); Mariana Molano (Singles).
Outdoor Track and Field
2023 women’s finishes: 1st in GPAC, T-23rd in NAIA
2023 men’s finishes: 3rd in GPAC, T-26th in NAIA
Top performers: This past outdoor season, there were 11 Bulldogs who earned GPAC event championship medals and nine who reached the All-America podium at the national championship meet. On the women’s side, Josie Puelz kept adding to herrésumé while winning her sixth GPAC pole vault title and earning her seventh career All-America plaque. Puelz placed as the national runner up in the pole vault. In addition, Rachel Battershell closed out her collegiate career with her 12th and 13th All-America awards and freshman Adrianna Rodencal was named the GPAC Women’s Athlete of the Year. On the men’s side, Zach Zohner deserves special mention for his continued ascent in the pole vault. He followed up an NAIA indoor national runner-up claim with a third-place finish at the NAIA outdoor meet. Zohner also won the ’23 GPAC outdoor pole vault title.
Season highlights:
Women:
Like a machine, the Bulldogs keep churning out points at conference meets. GPAC Women’s Coach of the Year Matt Beisel’s squad piled up 244.5 points at the 2023 conference outdoor meet compared to 132 points for second place. The program has celebrated nine GPAC titles in a row. Six Concordia women’s athletes earned All-America awards (list below), including the pole national runner up Puelz. School records were broken this spring by the women’s 4x100-meter relay (47.40), Rylee Haecker in the 1,500 meters (4:33.84) and Adrianna Rodencal in the 100 hurdles (14.00). Rodencal swept 2023 GPAC indoor and outdoor Women’s Athlete of the Year awards. Both Rachel Battershell and Erin Mapson were members of each of the program’s GPAC championships teams during the streak (began indoor 2019).
Men:
It was a solid season for the men’s program, which placed third in the GPAC with 112 points at the 2023 conference outdoor meet. Pole vaulter Zach Zohner stole the show from an individual standpoint in winning a GPAC title and then placing third at the NAIA National Championships. Additional thrills came at the national meet when Austen Rozelle (discus) and Darien Semedo (shot put) earned All-America awards while far surpassing their seed marks. At the conference meet, four Bulldogs finished as runners up: Mark Cooke (100 meters), Joel Rathe (long jump), Rozelle (discus) and Chris Wren (hammer). From a distance perspective, Calvin Rohde came close to the school record in the 5,000 meters (PR of 14:42.28) and qualified for nationals.
GPAC All-Conference: View complete list HERE.
NAIA All-Americans:Rachel Battershell (400m; 4x4); Jenna Esch (4x4); Rylee Haecker (1,500m); Josi Noble (4x4); Josie Puelz (pole vault); Austen Rozelle (discus); Darien Semedo (shot put); Trinity Tuls (4x4); Zach Zohner (pole vault).
Powerlifting / Weightlifting
Top performers: In the inaugural season of Concordia Lifting Sports, the program sent a total of eight individuals to national championship events held during the spring semester. In powerlifting, Rylee Ladd earned a 19th place nationals finish in the 56kg weight class. In weightlifting, Kayleigh Maloney won the snatch competition in the 59kg class at nationals.
Season Highlights: Head Coach Freddie Myles began to lay the foundation for the program during the 2022-23 season. The inaugural season came with a schedule of four events for both powerlifting and weightlifting. Ultimately, the competition slate wrapped up with the Collegiate Weightlifting Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, and the Collegiate Powerlifting Nationals in Arlington, Texas. The qualifying field for the Bulldogs numbered eight strong when factoring in both disciplines of the program. In the meets leading up to nationals, Concordia took home numerous medals. For example, four Bulldogs placed first at the Nebraska State Powerlifting Championships and five Concordia athletes won championships at the Heartland Open (weightlifting). The roster for the Bulldogs was made up exclusively of freshmen. Myles has his sights set on building the program into a national powerhouse as he continues to add to the current roster.
2023 National Qualifiers:
Weightlifting: Marry Berris; Evan Fukuhara; Rylee Kara; Kayleigh Maloney.
Powerlifting: Dax Davis; Kenzie Houser; Rylee Ladd; Emma Singer.