SEWARD, Neb. – The 21st annual Cattle Classic is set to tip off on Friday afternoon inside Walz Arena. The basketball classic features a total of four men’s games and three women’s games over the course of the two-day extravaganza. The event, co-sponsored by Concordia and Cattle Bank & Trust, raises money and food for the Blue Valley Community Action's Food Pantry. Pac N Save of Seward will match all canned food donations.
Fans are encouraged to bring canned goods in exchange for admission. Ten canned items will get an adult a weekend pass. Complete admission information for the Cattle Classic can be found HERE. Tickets will not be sold online for this particular event.
Fans must also be mindful of current COVID-19 protocols. Face coverings are required for admission into the event. For additional fan information, please visit: https://www.cune.edu/athletics/information-fans.
Live webcasts/stats: Concordia Sports Network
2020 CATTLE CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Thursday, Nov. 5
- Women: Concordia vs. Dakota State University (S.D.), 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 6
- Men: Hastings College vs. Manhattan Christian College (Kan.), 4 p.m.
- Women: Carroll College (Mont.) vs. Dakota State University (S.D.), 6 p.m.
- Men: Concordia vs. Emmaus Bible College (Iowa), 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7
- Men: Hastings College vs. Emmaus Bible College (Iowa), 12 p.m.
- Women: Concordia vs. Carroll College (Mont.), 2 p.m.
- Men: Concordia vs. Manhattan Christian College (Kan.), 4 p.m.
The Women’s Field
Concordia University
Head Coach: Drew Olson, 15th season
2020-21 Record: 0-0
2019-20 Record: 32-2
Conference: Great Plains Athletic Conference
Location: Seward, Nebraska
Top Player: 5-foot-9 guard Taylor Cockerill returns to the lineup after missing the entire 2019-20 season due to injury. Cockerill paced the 2018-19 national championship team in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game. The Waverly High School product was named an honorable mention All-American and a first team All-GPAC award winner. Cockerill will grab a lot of the spotlight after Concordia graduated a loaded senior class that included All-Americans Grace Barry and Philly Lammers.
Overview: The Bulldogs are ranked 11th in the NAIA preseason poll as NAIA basketball transitions to one division. Concordia has a lot to learn about itself in the early going as it redefines itself with a new-look varsity roster including five freshmen. Olson and his players are determined to keep the program at an incredibly high level despite the turnover. Cockerill and second team All-GPAC wing Mackenzie Koepke are the most notable returners. They will get a boost from a class of newcomers featuring the likes of freshman guard Taysha Rushton, a native of Lubbock, Texas.
Carroll College
Head Coach: Rachelle Sayers, 10th season
2020-21 Record: 0-0
2019-20 Record: 21-10
Conference: Frontier Conference
Location: Helena, Montana
Top Player: Christine Denny averaged 12.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season while being named a second team All-American. The senior point guard shot 43.0 percent from the field and 76.7 percent from the foul line in 2019-20. Denny has scored 862 points in her collegiate career.
Overview: The favorite to repeat as Frontier Conference champions, the Saints begin this season ranked 20th in the NAIA. It will be the season opener for both teams when Carroll meets Concordia in Friday’s Cattle Classic battle. Denny teams up with senior guard Danielle Wagner (team high 13.4 ppg last season) as a dynamic duo. Head Coach Rachelle Sayers’ squad plays a style that will contrast with the Bulldogs. Last season, Carroll scored an average of 66.7 points per game while allowing 57.2 per outing (ninth in NAIA Division II in scoring defense).
Dakota State University
Head Coach: David Moe, 4th season
2020-21 Record: 0-1
2019-20 Record: 17-14
Conference: North Star Athletic Association
Location: Madison, South Dakota
Top Player: Junior guard Jessi Giles garnered honorable mention All-America accolades last season while averaging 13.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She shot 38.7 percent from 3-point range. The 5-foot-10 native of Madison, S.D., has accumulated 833 points in her collegiate career.
Overview: The Trojans appeared at No. 2 in the North Star Athletic Association preseason poll after a 17-14 campaign in 2019-20. It was a massive improvement from the previous season when Dakota State went 4-25. The Cattle Classic will be part of a challenging early-season slate for Head Coach David Moe’s squad, which will also play Dordt and Northwestern in the first couple weeks of November. The Trojans will bring a familiar face to Seward in former Bulldog Elsie Aslesen, who started the team’s season opener and tallied 15 points.