2016 Bulldog Weekly Report (Jan. 19)

By Jacob Knabel on Jan. 19, 2016 in Baseball

Bulldog Booster Club Athletes of the Week

Female: Kim Wood, Track & Field

Wood, a native of Greeley, Neb., turned in two automatic national qualifying times in opening the 2016 indoor season last week. Wood currently leads all NAIA runners nationally with her one mile time of 5:06.77 that she recorded at the UNL Holiday Inn Invitational. She also ranks second nationally in the 600 meters (1:35.80).

Male: Cody Boellstorff, Track & Field

Boellstorff, who hails from Waverly, Neb., put up an NAIA leading weight throw mark of 59’ 8 ¼” to claim an event title at last week’s Nisely Classic hosted by Doane. Boellstorff sat out the indoor season in 2015 and then returned to win the outdoor national title in the hammer throw as he helped the Bulldogs to a team national championship.

News and notes:

Make plans for CIT: The annual Concordia Invitational Tournament is locked in for Jan. 29-30. Concordia University Chicago will play host to the 65th annual event. The Bulldog men’s and women’s basketball programs have both won 25 CIT titles all-time – most among any of the Concordias. For more on the 2016 CIT, check out CUC’s tournament webpage HERE.

Lincoln North Star ready to make big impact for Bulldog softball: Winding paths led Kylie Harpst and Taylor Huff, former Lincoln North Star High School teammates, to Concordia to reunite with head coach Todd LaVelle. After redshirting in 2015, the two transfers hope to help lead the Bulldogs back to the national tournament in 2016. Find out more about Harpst and Huff by clicking HERE.

Schulte named NAIA national wrestler of the week: Junior Andrew Schulte has been ripping through opponents on his way to an active 12-match win streak. Last week the NAIA named Schulte its national wrestler of the week after his perfect 5-0 run at the National Duals (Jan. 8-9). Schulte, now 26-6 overall this season, won back-to-back GPAC wrestler of the week awards.

Tennis opens 2016 on Saturday: Head coach Joel Reckewey’s tennis programs begin their 2016 slates on Saturday by hosting Grand View University in a men’s and women’s doubleheader. The action will get underway at 9 a.m. CT from the Fieldhouse. Of the 21 players on the new-look Bulldog tennis rosters, 13 are new to Concordia in 2015-16. Check out our season preview HERE.

Dance, cheer teams compete Wednesday: First-year head coach Heather Duff’s dance and cheer squads will hold competitions at Wednesday night’s basketball games versus Hastings. The dance competition will take place at halftime of the women’s game (6 p.m. tipoff) with cheer to follow at halftime of the men’s game (8 p.m. tipoff).

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 4 p.m. CT: New this year is the Bulldog Coaches Show, which runs for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 4 p.m. CT on KAWL 1370-AM. The show can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the TuneIn Radio app and then searching “KAWL.” This week’s broadcast schedule for live radio coverage on Max Country will include women’s and men’s basketball versus Hastings on Wednesday (6/8 p.m.) and women’s and men’s basketball at Mount Marty on Saturday (2/4 p.m.).

Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting http://www.cune.edu/csn at game time. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.

Track and Field

  • The 2016 indoor track and field season got underway over the weekend for 24th-year head coach Kregg Einspahr’s programs. Collectively, Bulldog men’s and women’s athletes combined for 13 automatic national qualifying marks and four ‘B’ standard marks. Concordia primarily competed at the Scott Nisely Memorial Classic hosted by Doane on Jan. 16 while a select number of athletes also took to the track at the University of Nebraska’s Holiday Inn Invitational (Jan. 15-16). For more on Bulldog track and field, click HERE.
  • Senior Kim Wood came back strong from the semester break by turning in automatic national qualifying times in both the 600 meter and one mile runs that took place at the Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. The native of Greeley, Neb., currently leads all NAIA competitors in the one mile with her time of 5:06.77. She ranks second on the national list in the 600 (1:35.80). Wood is the defending indoor GPAC champion in the 600 meter, 1,000 meter and one mile events. She is a four-time All-American.
  • Concordia’s stable of throwers put up a combined total of eight automatic national qualifying marks at the Nisely Classic. Jose Rojas and Kali Robb both qualified in the shot put and weight throw. Rojas won the shot put competition while Robb won the weight throw. Cody Boellstorff also won the men’s weight throw with a mark of 59’ 8 ¼” that currently makes him the NAIA national leader. On the women’s side, Concordia throwers take up spots two through four (Stephanie Coley, Robb, Samantha Liermann) on the national leaderboard. Rojas ranks fifth nationally in the shot put and weight throw. Robb ranks fifth in the women’s weight throw.
  • Junior CJ Muller will have a chance to duplicate his All-America performance in the 600 meter run at the 2015 indoor national championships. Muller won both the 200 and 600 meter races at the Nisely Classic while turning in a national qualifying mark in the 600 with a time of 1:21.83, currently fourth best on the NAIA national list. Mulleris a three-time All-American (600 meters and twice as part of 4x400 meter relay).
  • Bulldog pole vaulters recorded one automatic mark apiece on the men’s and women’s side of things. Junior Lucas Wiechman (16’ ¾”) and freshman McKenzie Gravo (11’ 9”) wasted little time in qualifying for the indoor national championships. It was the first career collegiate meet for Gravo, a native of Henderson, Nev. Meanwhile, Wiechman was a 2015 All-American in the outdoor pole vault and decathlon and an indoor All-American in the heptathlon. Junior Cynthia Mick just missed the automatic mark with her clearance of 11’ 2 ½”.
  • Here’s a look at the 13 automatic national qualifying marks and four ‘B’ standard marks produced last week by Concordia athletes.
    • Women’s 4x800 – B, 9:49.85
    • Cody Boellstorff – weight throw (A, 59’ 8 ¼”)
    • Stephanie Coley – shot put (A, 46’ 6 ¾”); weight throw (B, 53’ 1”)
    • McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (A, 11’ 9”)
    • Philip Kreutzer – weight throw (A, 55’ 8 ½”)
    • Samantha Liermann – shot put (A, 46’)
    • Cynthia Mick – pole vault (B, 11’ 2 ½”)
    • CJ Muller – 600 meter run (A, 1:21.83)
    • Kali Robb – shot put (A, 46’ 1 ¼”); weight throw (A, 55’ 11 ¼”)
    • Jose Rojas – shot put (A, 52’ 2”); weight throw (A, 56’ 11 ¼”)
    • Benjamin Schulteis – weight throw (B, 53’ 8 ½”)
    • Lucas Wiechman – pole vault (A, 16’ ¾”); 60 meter hurdles (B, 8.38)
    • Kim Wood – 600 meter run (A, 1:35.80); one mile run (A, 5:06.77)
  • The season continues on Friday with the Prairie Wolf Invite hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan inside the Devaney Center in Lincoln. The Bulldogs are set to host for the first time this season when the Concordia Indoor Classic takes place Jan. 29-30 inside the Fieldhouse. A tentative meet schedule can be viewed HERE.

Women’s Basketball

  • With two victories last week, the ninth-ranked Bulldogs have now won 10 of their last 11 games dating back to an 86-54 victory over Dordt on Dec. 9. In its most recent road outing, Concordia overcame a 41-point outburst by Deaundra Young and picked up a 73-67 win over College of Saint Mary on Jan. 13. Three days later the Bulldogs returned home and toppled sixth-ranked Dakota Wesleyan, 81-69. The perfect week puts head coach Drew Olson’s squad at 14-4 overall and 9-4 in league play (third place – one half game behind Hastings). To read recaps of recent action, click HERE.
  • Freshman Quinn Wragge put together impressive back-to-back performances last week while leading the team in scoring in both of last week’s wins. She missed her career high by one in going for 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting at College of Saint Mary. She then added 16 versus Dakota Wesleyan. The native of Crofton, Neb., tops the Bulldogs in both scoring (11.9) and rebounding (5.9). She continues her bid to be the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since Sarah Harrison did so in 2001-02. Wragge also ranks No. 1 on the team in field goal percentage (.561) and minutes per game (25.4).
  • Junior Erin Vieselmeyer stepped into the starting lineup last week in place of senior Becky Mueller, who was sidelined for the win at College of Saint Mary. The native of Holyoke, Colo., now in her first season on the varsity roster, put up 10 points and six rebounds in the win at Dakota Wesleyan in what was just her second career start. She’s averaging 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing an average of 13.7 minutes per contest.
  • The long balls keep on coming for Concordia, which made nine treys at College of Saint Mary and another 11 versus Dakota Wesleyan. The Bulldogs have made at least 10 triples in 10 of the season’s first 18 outings. Their average of 10.4 3-point field goal makes per game ranks third best among all NAIA Division II programs and first among GPAC squads. Four different players have knocked in at least 25 threes: Brenleigh Daum (41-for-121), Sydney Feller (34-for-90), Mueller (28-for-71) and Shelby Quinn (25-for-60).
  • Not only has Feller been a consistent threat from 3-point range, she’s a dangerous passer. The Papillion, Neb., native dished out five assists versus Dakota Wesleyan, including two nifty dimes in traffic to Vieselmeyer. Feller’s assist-to-turnover ratio (33-17) is the best on the team and ranks 31st nationally in that category.
  • Last week’s action continued a trend that has seen Concordia grind out wins on the road and then dominate at home. The Bulldogs, now 65-8 at home since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, are 8-1 at Walz this season and have won five-straight GPAC home games with an average margin of victory of 23.8 points. Only one of the five games was decided by single digits. On the flip side, Concordia is 3-3 in conference road games with an average victory of margin of 3.7 points in the three wins. Two of the GPAC road losses came by exactly seven points.
  • The victory over No. 6 Dakota Wesleyan marked Concordia’s fourth this season over a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs also own wins over No. 4 Briar Cliff, No. 6 University of Jamestown (N.D.) and No. 24 Mayville State University (N.D.). Last season’s national runner-up team piled up 13 victories over top-25 opponents. Based on the current top 25, Concordia has three regular-season games left against ranked teams: No. 1 Morningside, No. 14 Hastings and No. 15 Briar Cliff.
  • Balance has been a theme throughout the 2015-16 season. Last season national player of the year Bailey Morris took more than 20 percent of the team’s field goal attempts (Mueller was second on the team at 13.4 percent). Daum has taken the most shots this season – just over 14 percent of the team’s total attempts. The other highest figures belong to Mueller (13.1 percent), Wragge (13.0), Janovich (11.1) and Feller (9.2).
  • Another challenging week in the GPAC lies ahead for Concordia, which will host 14th-ranked Hastings (15-4, 9-3 GPAC) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will then make the long journey to Yankton, S.D., on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff at Mount Marty (12-8, 6-6 GPAC). Concordia will attempt to avenge its loss at Hastings and then extend its current 10-game series win streak against the Lancers.

Men’s Basketball

  • Two more wire-to-wire games went the wrong way last week for the Bulldogs in what’s been a season of close calls. Concordia relinquished 12-point first-half leads in suffering defeats at York College, 70-65, on Jan. 13 and then versus Dakota Wesleyan, 84-80, on Jan. 16. Third-year head coach Ben Limback’s squad has slipped to 11-8 overall and 5-7 in conference play (eighth place). To read recaps of recent action, click HERE.
  • Each of Concordia’s last three losses have come by margins of five points or less. Five of the team’s eight losses have been decided by five or fewer points. Only one team has managed to knock off the Bulldogs by double digits – then eighth-ranked Dakota Wesleyan in a 92-80 score in Mitchell, S.D., on Dec. 5. Concordia has experienced the agony of two defeats at the buzzer.
  • Junior Chandler Folkerts has done his part in spite of the team’s current stretch of four losses in five contests since the calendar turned to 2016. Over that five-game period, Folkerts has recorded a double-double each time out while averaging 23.2 points and 12.2 rebounds. His 34 points in the win at Northwestern were a career high. The Chanimal has scored 20 or more points in seven of the last 10 games. He is now averaging 18.9 points and 8.3 rebounds on the season. His 521 rebounds rank 12th on the program’s all-time list.
  • Even while drawing plenty of attention in the paint, Folkerts has increased his season field goal percentage to 63.5 – the best of his career and currently the fourth best figure among all NAIA Division II players. Folkerts has shot at least 50 percent from the field in 16 of the season’s first 19 games. He was a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor in the win over Mount Marty on Dec. 12. The native of Milford, Neb., is also a solid free throw shooter at 77.1 percent for his career.
  • Opposing teams continue to shoot the lights out from long range when playing against Concordia. York and Dakota Wesleyan were a combined 21-for-43 (.488) from beyond the arc in last week’s action. On the year, the Bulldogs rank 120th out of 133 NAIA Division II teams in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.384). On the other side of the court, Concordia is shooting 34.4 percent from 3-point range.
  • The watch continues in regards to Robby Thomas’ bid to become the program’s all-time leading shot blocker. The native of Shawnee, Kan., enters the week eight away from Glen Snodgrass’ career school standard of 188 rejections. Thomas already owns the program record for most blocks in a single season – 71 as a junior last season. Thomas is on roughly the same pace from a year ago. He ranks ninth nationally in blocks per game (2.32). He’s also climbed to 10th on the school’s all-time rebound list with 588 career boards.
  • While Concordia struggled as a team in both 3-point offense/defense last week, junior Eli Ziegler went a combined 5-for-10 from beyond the arc in the two losses. The Littleton, Colo., native has provided a consistent outside shooting option throughout his career as a Bulldog. He’s made 134-of-318 (.421) shots from distance over the past three seasons. This year he’s averaging a career high 10.1 points per game.
  • Last week Limback used his starters for 75.3 percent of the minutes played. That’s roughly a five-percent jump from the season average of 70 percent. Each of Concordia’s five starters average more than 25 minutes per game: Ziegler (32.5), Thomas (30.5), Jamie Pearson (29.7), Folkerts (26.6) and Micah Kohlwey (25.9). Seth Curran, at 13.5 minutes per game, has gotten the most run off the bench.
  • This week presents the usual Wednesday-Saturday GPAC slate. Concordia will host Hastings (12-7, 6-5 GPAC), currently receiving votes in the national poll, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are 7-3 at home this season. They will then travel to play Mount Marty (1-17, 0-10 GPAC) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Lancers continue to seek their first win in conference play.

Wrestling

  • The majority of fourth-year head coach Dana Vote’s roster had last week off after a grueling seventh-place run at the National Duals Jan. 8-9. However, ten Bulldogs did compete at the two-day Missouri Valley College Invite held in Marshall, Mo., Jan. 15-16. They combined for a record of 22-19 with a pair of place finishes. Concordia did not engage in any duals last week and remains 7-4 overall and 2-0 against GPAC foes. To read recaps of recent action, click HERE.
  • Jr Lule eclipsed 20 wins for the season by going 5-1 with a third-place 157-pound finish at the Missouri Valley Invite. Ranked sixth nationally in his weight class, Lule (24-7) was tagged with his only loss of the weekend by No. 7 Tanner Werner of Grand View University (Iowa). Lule turned in an impressive win with a pin (1:32) of 13th-ranked Matthew Behr of Missouri Baptist University. Lule, a native of Blythe, Calif., has placed at three tournaments this season.
  • Like Lule, 125-pounder Dmitri Smith suffered defeats to ranked opponents only. The junior from Beaumont, Calif., went 4-2 at the Missouri Valley Invite and finished his tournament with a 6-3 decision over Northwestern’s Austin Boles in the fifth-place bout. A national qualifier in 2015, Smith owns an overall record of 13-14.
  • Six of the 10 Bulldogs who competed over the weekend recorded at least two wins. Juniors Foster Bunce (6-7) and Tommy Bailey (22-17) both went 3-2 while two others added two victories: junior Kodie Cole (2-2) and freshman Kyle Carey (2-2). Nine of the 10 notched at least one win.
  • As a team, Concordia placed 14th out of 28 squads at the Missouri Valley Invite. The Bulldogs, who sat standouts such as Matt Atwood, Ken Burkhardt Jr., Ceron Francisco and Andrew Schulte, totaled 52 points. Montana State University-Northern won the tournament with 161 points. Concordia finished second among the four GPAC schools that were present.
  • On Jan. 12 Schulte was named the GPAC wrestler of the week for the second-straight time. The next day the NAIA tabbed the 2015 All-American as the national wrestler of the week. Schulte carries a 12-match winning streak into this week’s action. He has not lost since the Battle of the Rockies Open on Dec. 5. In his Concordia career, Schulte possesses an overall record of 46-10.
  • Vote’s roster now sports 10 individuals with 10 or more wins on the season. Freshman Alexander Reimers (10-8 at 197 pounds) and Smith (13-14) make their debut on the list below after reaching double digits last week. Four Bulldogs have eclipsed the 20-win mark, including Schulte, the team leader.
    • Andrew Schulte (141/149) – 26-6
    • Jr Lule (157) – 24-7
    • Tommy Bailey (165) – 22-17
    • Ken Burkhardt Jr. (197) – 21-10
    • Ceron Francisco (285) – 19-13
    • Matt Atwood (184) – 17-4
    • Travian Cooke (174) – 15-10
    • Daniel Melcher (149) – 13-8
    • Dmitri Smith (125) – 13-14
    • Alexander Reimers (197) – 10-9
  • The next six dates on the schedule are all dual meets, five of which are against conference opponents as Concordia attempts to capture the GPAC title for a second-consecutive season. The Bulldogs are riding a conference dual win streak of nine after going a perfect 7-0 against GPAC opponents last season. Concordia will host No. 13 Doane (11-3, 3-0 GPAC) at 7 p.m. on Thursday in a battle of teams with unblemished GPAC marks. The Bulldogs will then travel to Orange City, Iowa, on Saturday for a dual with Northwestern (3-3, 2-1 GPAC) set to get underway at 4 p.m.

    Bulldog Booster Club Athletes of the Week

    Female: Kim Wood, Track & Field

    Wood, a native of Greeley, Neb., turned in two automatic national qualifying times in opening the 2016 indoor season last week. Wood currently leads all NAIA runners nationally with her one mile time of 5:06.77 that she recorded at the UNL Holiday Inn Invitational. She also ranks second nationally in the 600 meters (1:35.80).

    Male: Cody Boellstorff, Track & Field

    Boellstorff, who hails from Waverly, Neb., put up an NAIA leading weight throw mark of 59’ 8 ¼” to claim an event title at last week’s Nisely Classic hosted by Doane. Boellstorff sat out the indoor season in 2015 and then returned to win the outdoor national title in the hammer throw as he helped the Bulldogs to a team national championship.

    News and notes:

    Make plans for CIT: The annual Concordia Invitational Tournament is locked in for Jan. 29-30. Concordia University Chicago will play host to the 65th annual event. The Bulldog men’s and women’s basketball programs have both won 25 CIT titles all-time – most among any of the Concordias. For more on the 2016 CIT, check out CUC’s tournament webpage HERE.

    Lincoln North Star ready to make big impact for Bulldog softball: Winding paths led Kylie Harpst and Taylor Huff, former Lincoln North Star High School teammates, to Concordia to reunite with head coach Todd LaVelle. After redshirting in 2015, the two transfers hope to help lead the Bulldogs back to the national tournament in 2016. Find out more about Harpst and Huff by clicking HERE.

    Schulte named NAIA national wrestler of the week: Junior Andrew Schulte has been ripping through opponents on his way to an active 12-match win streak. Last week the NAIA named Schulte its national wrestler of the week after his perfect 5-0 run at the National Duals (Jan. 8-9). Schulte, now 26-6 overall this season, won back-to-back GPAC wrestler of the week awards.

    Tennis opens 2016 on Saturday: Head coach Joel Reckewey’s tennis programs begin their 2016 slates on Saturday by hosting Grand View University in a men’s and women’s doubleheader. The action will get underway at 9 a.m. CT from the Fieldhouse. Of the 21 players on the new-look Bulldog tennis rosters, 13 are new to Concordia in 2015-16. Check out our season preview HERE.

    Dance, cheer teams compete Wednesday: First-year head coach Heather Duff’s dance and cheer squads will hold competitions at Wednesday night’s basketball games versus Hastings. The dance competition will take place at halftime of the women’s game (6 p.m. tipoff) with cheer to follow at halftime of the men’s game (8 p.m. tipoff).

    Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 4 p.m. CT: New this year is the Bulldog Coaches Show, which runs for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 4 p.m. CT on KAWL 1370-AM. The show can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the TuneIn Radio app and then searching “KAWL.” This week’s broadcast schedule for live radio coverage on Max Country will include women’s and men’s basketball versus Hastings on Wednesday (6/8 p.m.) and women’s and men’s basketball at Mount Marty on Saturday (2/4 p.m.).

    Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting http://www.cune.edu/csn at game time. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.

    Track and Field

  • The 2016 indoor track and field season got underway over the weekend for 24th-year head coach Kregg Einspahr’s programs. Collectively, Bulldog men’s and women’s athletes combined for 13 automatic national qualifying marks and four ‘B’ standard marks. Concordia primarily competed at the Scott Nisely Memorial Classic hosted by Doane on Jan. 16 while a select number of athletes also took to the track at the University of Nebraska’s Holiday Inn Invitational (Jan. 15-16). For more on Bulldog track and field, click HERE.
  • Senior Kim Wood came back strong from the semester break by turning in automatic national qualifying times in both the 600 meter and one mile runs that took place at the Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. The native of Greeley, Neb., currently leads all NAIA competitors in the one mile with her time of 5:06.77. She ranks second on the national list in the 600 (1:35.80). Wood is the defending indoor GPAC champion in the 600 meter, 1,000 meter and one mile events. She is a four-time All-American.
  • Concordia’s stable of throwers put up a combined total of eight automatic national qualifying marks at the Nisely Classic. Jose Rojas and Kali Robb both qualified in the shot put and weight throw. Rojas won the shot put competition while Robb won the weight throw. Cody Boellstorff also won the men’s weight throw with a mark of 59’ 8 ¼” that currently makes him the NAIA national leader. On the women’s side, Concordia throwers take up spots two through four (Stephanie Coley, Robb, Samantha Liermann) on the national leaderboard. Rojas ranks fifth nationally in the shot put and weight throw. Robb ranks fifth in the women’s weight throw.
  • Junior CJ Muller will have a chance to duplicate his All-America performance in the 600 meter run at the 2015 indoor national championships. Muller won both the 200 and 600 meter races at the Nisely Classic while turning in a national qualifying mark in the 600 with a time of 1:21.83, currently fourth best on the NAIA national list. Mulleris a three-time All-American (600 meters and twice as part of 4x400 meter relay).
  • Bulldog pole vaulters recorded one automatic mark apiece on the men’s and women’s side of things. Junior Lucas Wiechman (16’ ¾”) and freshman McKenzie Gravo (11’ 9”) wasted little time in qualifying for the indoor national championships. It was the first career collegiate meet for Gravo, a native of Henderson, Nev. Meanwhile, Wiechman was a 2015 All-American in the outdoor pole vault and decathlon and an indoor All-American in the heptathlon. Junior Cynthia Mick just missed the automatic mark with her clearance of 11’ 2 ½”.
  • Here’s a look at the 13 automatic national qualifying marks and four ‘B’ standard marks produced last week by Concordia athletes.
    • Women’s 4x800 – B, 9:49.85
    • Cody Boellstorff – weight throw (A, 59’ 8 ¼”)
    • Stephanie Coley – shot put (A, 46’ 6 ¾”); weight throw (B, 53’ 1”)
    • McKenzie Gravo – pole vault (A, 11’ 9”)
    • Philip Kreutzer – weight throw (A, 55’ 8 ½”)
    • Samantha Liermann – shot put (A, 46’)
    • Cynthia Mick – pole vault (B, 11’ 2 ½”)
    • CJ Muller – 600 meter run (A, 1:21.83)
    • Kali Robb – shot put (A, 46’ 1 ¼”); weight throw (A, 55’ 11 ¼”)
    • Jose Rojas – shot put (A, 52’ 2”); weight throw (A, 56’ 11 ¼”)
    • Benjamin Schulteis – weight throw (B, 53’ 8 ½”)
    • Lucas Wiechman – pole vault (A, 16’ ¾”); 60 meter hurdles (B, 8.38)
    • Kim Wood – 600 meter run (A, 1:35.80); one mile run (A, 5:06.77)
  • The season continues on Friday with the Prairie Wolf Invite hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan inside the Devaney Center in Lincoln. The Bulldogs are set to host for the first time this season when the Concordia Indoor Classic takes place Jan. 29-30 inside the Fieldhouse. A tentative meet schedule can be viewed HERE.

  • Women’s Basketball

  • With two victories last week, the ninth-ranked Bulldogs have now won 10 of their last 11 games dating back to an 86-54 victory over Dordt on Dec. 9. In its most recent road outing, Concordia overcame a 41-point outburst by Deaundra Young and picked up a 73-67 win over College of Saint Mary on Jan. 13. Three days later the Bulldogs returned home and toppled sixth-ranked Dakota Wesleyan, 81-69. The perfect week puts head coach Drew Olson’s squad at 14-4 overall and 9-4 in league play (third place – one half game behind Hastings). To read recaps of recent action, click HERE.
  • Freshman Quinn Wragge put together impressive back-to-back performances last week while leading the team in scoring in both of last week’s wins. She missed her career high by one in going for 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting at College of Saint Mary. She then added 16 versus Dakota Wesleyan. The native of Crofton, Neb., tops the Bulldogs in both scoring (11.9) and rebounding (5.9). She continues her bid to be the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since Sarah Harrison did so in 2001-02. Wragge also ranks No. 1 on the team in field goal percentage (.561) and minutes per game (25.4).
  • Junior Erin Vieselmeyer stepped into the starting lineup last week in place of senior Becky Mueller, who was sidelined for the win at College of Saint Mary. The native of Holyoke, Colo., now in her first season on the varsity roster, put up 10 points and six rebounds in the win at Dakota Wesleyan in what was just her second career start. She’s averaging 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing an average of 13.7 minutes per contest.
  • The long balls keep on coming for Concordia, which made nine treys at College of Saint Mary and another 11 versus Dakota Wesleyan. The Bulldogs have made at least 10 triples in 10 of the season’s first 18 outings. Their average of 10.4 3-point field goal makes per game ranks third best among all NAIA Division II programs and first among GPAC squads. Four different players have knocked in at least 25 threes: Brenleigh Daum (41-for-121), Sydney Feller (34-for-90), Mueller (28-for-71) and Shelby Quinn (25-for-60).
  • Not only has Feller been a consistent threat from 3-point range, she’s a dangerous passer. The Papillion, Neb., native dished out five assists versus Dakota Wesleyan, including two nifty dimes in traffic to Vieselmeyer. Feller’s assist-to-turnover ratio (33-17) is the best on the team and ranks 31st nationally in that category.
  • Last week’s action continued a trend that has seen Concordia grind out wins on the road and then dominate at home. The Bulldogs, now 65-8 at home since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, are 8-1 at Walz this season and have won five-straight GPAC home games with an average margin of victory of 23.8 points. Only one of the five games was decided by single digits. On the flip side, Concordia is 3-3 in conference road games with an average victory of margin of 3.7 points in the three wins. Two of the GPAC road losses came by exactly seven points.
  • The victory over No. 6 Dakota Wesleyan marked Concordia’s fourth this season over a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs also own wins over No. 4 Briar Cliff, No. 6 University of Jamestown (N.D.) and No. 24 Mayville State University (N.D.). Last season’s national runner-up team piled up 13 victories over top-25 opponents. Based on the current top 25, Concordia has three regular-season games left against ranked teams: No. 1 Morningside, No. 14 Hastings and No. 15 Briar Cliff.
  • Balance has been a theme throughout the 2015-16 season. Last season national player of the year Bailey Morris took more than 20 percent of the team’s field goal attempts (Mueller was second on the team at 13.4 percent). Daum has taken the most shots this season – just over 14 percent of the team’s total attempts. The other highest figures belong to Mueller (13.1 percent), Wragge (13.0), Janovich (11.1) and Feller (9.2).
  • Another challenging week in the GPAC lies ahead for Concordia, which will host 14th-ranked Hastings (15-4, 9-3 GPAC) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will then make the long journey to Yankton, S.D., on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff at Mount Marty (12-8, 6-6 GPAC). Concordia will attempt to avenge its loss at Hastings and then extend its current 10-game series win streak against the Lancers.

  • Men’s Basketball

  • Two more wire-to-wire games went the wrong way last week for the Bulldogs in what’s been a season of close calls. Concordia relinquished 12-point first-half leads in suffering defeats at York College, 70-65, on Jan. 13 and then versus Dakota Wesleyan, 84-80, on Jan. 16. Third-year head coach Ben Limback’s squad has slipped to 11-8 overall and 5-7 in conference play (eighth place). To read recaps of recent action, click HERE.
  • Each of Concordia’s last three losses have come by margins of five points or less. Five of the team’s eight losses have been decided by five or fewer points. Only one team has managed to knock off the Bulldogs by double digits – then eighth-ranked Dakota Wesleyan in a 92-80 score in Mitchell, S.D., on Dec. 5. Concordia has experienced the agony of two defeats at the buzzer.
  • Junior Chandler Folkerts has done his part in spite of the team’s current stretch of four losses in five contests since the calendar turned to 2016. Over that five-game period, Folkerts has recorded a double-double each time out while averaging 23.2 points and 12.2 rebounds. His 34 points in the win at Northwestern were a career high. The Chanimal has scored 20 or more points in seven of the last 10 games. He is now averaging 18.9 points and 8.3 rebounds on the season. His 521 rebounds rank 12th on the program’s all-time list.
  • Even while drawing plenty of attention in the paint, Folkerts has increased his season field goal percentage to 63.5 – the best of his career and currently the fourth best figure among all NAIA Division II players. Folkerts has shot at least 50 percent from the field in 16 of the season’s first 19 games. He was a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor in the win over Mount Marty on Dec. 12. The native of Milford, Neb., is also a solid free throw shooter at 77.1 percent for his career.
  • Opposing teams continue to shoot the lights out from long range when playing against Concordia. York and Dakota Wesleyan were a combined 21-for-43 (.488) from beyond the arc in last week’s action. On the year, the Bulldogs rank 120th out of 133 NAIA Division II teams in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.384). On the other side of the court, Concordia is shooting 34.4 percent from 3-point range.
  • The watch continues in regards to Robby Thomas’ bid to become the program’s all-time leading shot blocker. The native of Shawnee, Kan., enters the week eight away from Glen Snodgrass’ career school standard of 188 rejections. Thomas already owns the program record for most blocks in a single season – 71 as a junior last season. Thomas is on roughly the same pace from a year ago. He ranks ninth nationally in blocks per game (2.32). He’s also climbed to 10th on the school’s all-time rebound list with 588 career boards.
  • While Concordia struggled as a team in both 3-point offense/defense last week, junior Eli Ziegler went a combined 5-for-10 from beyond the arc in the two losses. The Littleton, Colo., native has provided a consistent outside shooting option throughout his career as a Bulldog. He’s made 134-of-318 (.421) shots from distance over the past three seasons. This year he’s averaging a career high 10.1 points per game.
  • Last week Limback used his starters for 75.3 percent of the minutes played. That’s roughly a five-percent jump from the season average of 70 percent. Each of Concordia’s five starters average more than 25 minutes per game: Ziegler (32.5), Thomas (30.5), Jamie Pearson (29.7), Folkerts (26.6) and Micah Kohlwey (25.9). Seth Curran, at 13.5 minutes per game, has gotten the most run off the bench.
  • This week presents the usual Wednesday-Saturday GPAC slate. Concordia will host Hastings (12-7, 6-5 GPAC), currently receiving votes in the national poll, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are 7-3 at home this season. They will then travel to play Mount Marty (1-17, 0-10 GPAC) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Lancers continue to seek their first win in conference play.

  • Wrestling

  • The majority of fourth-year head coach Dana Vote’s roster had last week off after a grueling seventh-place run at the National Duals Jan. 8-9. However, ten Bulldogs did compete at the two-day Missouri Valley College Invite held in Marshall, Mo., Jan. 15-16. They combined for a record of 22-19 with a pair of place finishes. Concordia did not engage in any duals last week and remains 7-4 overall and 2-0 against GPAC foes. To read recaps of recent action, click HERE.
  • Jr Lule eclipsed 20 wins for the season by going 5-1 with a third-place 157-pound finish at the Missouri Valley Invite. Ranked sixth nationally in his weight class, Lule (24-7) was tagged with his only loss of the weekend by No. 7 Tanner Werner of Grand View University (Iowa). Lule turned in an impressive win with a pin (1:32) of 13th-ranked Matthew Behr of Missouri Baptist University. Lule, a native of Blythe, Calif., has placed at three tournaments this season.
  • Like Lule, 125-pounder Dmitri Smith suffered defeats to ranked opponents only. The junior from Beaumont, Calif., went 4-2 at the Missouri Valley Invite and finished his tournament with a 6-3 decision over Northwestern’s Austin Boles in the fifth-place bout. A national qualifier in 2015, Smith owns an overall record of 13-14.
  • Six of the 10 Bulldogs who competed over the weekend recorded at least two wins. Juniors Foster Bunce (6-7) and Tommy Bailey (22-17) both went 3-2 while two others added two victories: junior Kodie Cole (2-2) and freshman Kyle Carey (2-2). Nine of the 10 notched at least one win.
  • As a team, Concordia placed 14th out of 28 squads at the Missouri Valley Invite. The Bulldogs, who sat standouts such as Matt Atwood, Ken Burkhardt Jr., Ceron Francisco and Andrew Schulte, totaled 52 points. Montana State University-Northern won the tournament with 161 points. Concordia finished second among the four GPAC schools that were present.
  • On Jan. 12 Schulte was named the GPAC wrestler of the week for the second-straight time. The next day the NAIA tabbed the 2015 All-American as the national wrestler of the week. Schulte carries a 12-match winning streak into this week’s action. He has not lost since the Battle of the Rockies Open on Dec. 5. In his Concordia career, Schulte possesses an overall record of 46-10.
  • Vote’s roster now sports 10 individuals with 10 or more wins on the season. Freshman Alexander Reimers (10-8 at 197 pounds) and Smith (13-14) make their debut on the list below after reaching double digits last week. Four Bulldogs have eclipsed the 20-win mark, including Schulte, the team leader.
    • Andrew Schulte (141/149) – 26-6
    • Jr Lule (157) – 24-7
    • Tommy Bailey (165) – 22-17
    • Ken Burkhardt Jr. (197) – 21-10
    • Ceron Francisco (285) – 19-13
    • Matt Atwood (184) – 17-4
    • Travian Cooke (174) – 15-10
    • Daniel Melcher (149) – 13-8
    • Dmitri Smith (125) – 13-14
    • Alexander Reimers (197) – 10-9
  • The next six dates on the schedule are all dual meets, five of which are against conference opponents as Concordia attempts to capture the GPAC title for a second-consecutive season. The Bulldogs are riding a conference dual win streak of nine after going a perfect 7-0 against GPAC opponents last season. Concordia will host No. 13 Doane (11-3, 3-0 GPAC) at 7 p.m. on Thursday in a battle of teams with unblemished GPAC marks. The Bulldogs will then travel to Orange City, Iowa, on Saturday for a dual with Northwestern (3-3, 2-1 GPAC) set to get underway at 4 p.m.