SEWARD, Neb. – The 23rd annual Cattle Classic is set to tip off on Friday afternoon inside Friedrich Arena. The basketball classic features a total of four men’s games and four 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.
Live webcasts/stats: Concordia Sports Network
2022 CATTLE CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 4
- Women: Briar Cliff University vs. Dakota State University (S.D.), 1 p.m.
- Men: Hastings College vs. Ottawa University (Kan.), 3 p.m.
- Women: Concordia vs. Bellevue University, 6 p.m.
- Men: Concordia vs. Tabor College (Kan.), 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 5
- Women: Bellevue University vs. Briar Cliff University, 10 a.m.
- Men: Hastings College vs. Tabor College (Kan.), 12 p.m.
- Women: Concordia vs. Dakota State University (S.D.), 2 p.m.
- Men: Concordia vs. Ottawa University (Kan.), 4 p.m.
The Women’s Field
NOTE: Overall records for 2022-23 are current as of the beginning of the week (Oct. 31).
Concordia University Bulldogs
Head Coach: Drew Olson, 17th season
2022-23 Record: 0-0
2021-22 Record: 16-14 (national qualifier)
Conference: Great Plains Athletic Conference
Location: Seward, Nebraska
Top Player: Taysha Rushton will star again for the Bulldogs after she averaged 17.7 points per game in 2021-22 and was named First Team All-GPAC and an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American. The native of Midland, Texas, enters the 2022-23 season having tallied 959 career points and 145 career 3-point field goals. The 5-foot-5 Rushton will be expected to be one of the top players in the GPAC.
Overview: Coach Drew Olson brings back three all-conference honorees from last season’s team that extended the program’s streak of consecutive national tournament appearances to 11. The Bulldogs are battle tested after having played the NAIA’s most challenging schedule in 2021-22. Concordia is led by a class of three-year players that includes Rushton as well as Kendal Brigham, Sadie Powell and Mackenzie Toomey. She won’t play immediately this season, but fifth-year member of the program Mackenzie Koepke is set to make a return after sitting out 2021-22 due to injury.
Bellevue University Bruins
Head Coach: Dave Denly, 7th season
2022-23 Record: 1-1
2021-22 Record: 15-17
Conference: North Star Athletic Association
Location: Bellevue, Nebraska
Top Player: Bellevue has two senior standouts in guards Faith Ross and Asha Scott. The latter is a transfer from West Texas A&M University and was named the North Star Athletic Association Newcomer of the Year in 2021-22. Last season, Ross averaged 11.6 points and Scott averaged 11.3 points.
Overview: The Bruins dipped below .500 last season but did reach their conference championship game, which resulted in an 83-69 loss to Dakota State. Head Coach Dave Denly took Bellevue to the national tournament as recently as 2019. The Bruins graduated four-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-America Elexis Martinez, who scored more than 2,000 career points.
Briar Cliff University Chargers
Head Coach: Brian Ortmeier, 1st season
2022-23 Record: 0-1
2021-22 Record: 17-14 (national qualifier)
Conference: Great Plains Athletic Conference
Location: Sioux City, Iowa
Top Player: Senior guard Konnor Sudmann garnered Second Team All-GPAC accolades last season as she averaged 10.6 points and 1.3 steals per game. Entering this season, Sudmann had totaled 1,167 career points over her first three seasons with the Chargers.
Overview: Briar Cliff has a new head coach as Brian Ortmeier has replaced Brita Hand, who is now at Maryville University. The Chargers qualified for the national tournament last season and are picked sixth in the GPAC preseason poll. Briar Cliff has a major addition to the team in Midland graduate transfer Peyton Wingert, a Second Team All-GPAC performer last season.
Dakota State University Trojans
Head Coach: David Moe, 6th season
2022-23 Record: 0-0
2021-22 Record: 27-8 (advanced to national round of 32)
Conference: North Star Athletic Association
Location: Madison, South Dakota
Top Player: Junior forward Savannah Walsdorf is looking to build upon a 2021-22 season that saw her earn first team all-conference recognition. Walsdorf averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 48.9 percent from the floor last season.
Overview: Head Coach David Moe has built Dakota State into a powerhouse in the North Star Athletic Association and has led the program to back-to-back national tournament appearances (reached the national quarterfinals in 2021). The Trojans have been picked to win the conference once again and are led by the likes of Walsdorf and former Concordia Bulldog Elsie Aslesen. The 6-foot-1 Aslesen averaged 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds last season. Dakota State begins this season rated just outside the NAIA top 25 (first among receiving votes).