SEWARD, Neb. – The 17th 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 four women’s games over the course of the two-day extravaganza. The event, co-sponsored by Concordia and The Cattle National Bank & Trust Co., 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.
Friday, Nov. 4
- Women: Doane University vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 1 p.m.
- Men: Midland University vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 3 p.m.
- Women: Concordia vs. Friends University (Kan.), 6 p.m.
- Men: Concordia vs. Waldorf University (Iowa), 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 5
- Women: Doane University vs. Friends University, 10 a.m.
- Men: Midland University vs. Waldorf University (Iowa), 12 p.m.
- Women: Concordia vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 3 p.m.
- Men: Concordia vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 5 p.m.
The Women’s Field
Concordia University
Head coach: Drew Olson, 11th season
2016-17 Record: 1-1 (ranked No. 14 in NAIA Division II preseason poll)
2015-16 Record: 22-10
Conference: Great Plains Athletic Conference
Location: Seward, Neb.
Top Player: It didn’t take long for sophomore Quinn Wragge to become a star. She earned first team all-conference accolades last season as a freshman when she averaged 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 58.5 percent from the floor. Head coach Drew Olson believes she can be even better in her second collegiate season. Over the two games at the season-opening stay in Denver, Wragge totaled 24 points and five steals. She booked 17 points in the loss to No. 1 Marian University (Ind.).
Overview: Concordia returns a wealth of experience while welcoming Midland transfer Dani Andersen and freshman Philomena Lammers. Both have found their way into the starting lineup to begin 2016-17. The two other starters last week were junior guard Mary Janovich and senior guard Laurel Krohn. Although a bit different type of player than Wragge, Lammers may be this year’s freshman sensation. She averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds last weekend in Denver. On the other hand, Andersen has the opportunity to run the show after playing at Midland for two seasons. Olson won’t be afraid to go deep into the bench. Twelve Bulldogs averaged 10 or more minutes last week. Expectations are high like usual. Concordia was picked to finish third in the rugged GPAC.
Doane University
Head coach: Tracee Fairbanks, 18th season
2016-17 Record: 1-1
2015-16 Record: 15-15
Conference: Great Plains Athletic Conference
Location: Crete, Neb.
Top Player: Gone is star Heather Broman, but the Tigers can still lean upon senior guard Hanah Barnard, who averaged 14.9 points while connecting for 58 made 3-point field goals last season. Barnard scored 26 points in last week’s season-opening victory over Johnson & Wales (Colo.). She has tallied 1,119 points in her career at Doane.
Overview: The Tigers have not advanced to the national tournament since 2006. If they get back there, it will because they followed the lead of a large senior class. Head coach Tracee Fairbanks starts four seniors and a junior. Barnard is joined in the backcourt by two other seniors in Morgan Hill and Jenna Nieveen. Like Concordia, Doane opened up its season in Denver with the same two opponents. The Tigers toppled Johnson & Wales, 66-47, before falling to No. 1 Marian, 72-51. Doane landed at No. 7 in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll.
Friends University
Head coach: RaeAnne Booth, 7th season
2016-17 Record: 0-0
2015-16 Record: 22-11 (received votes in NAIA Division II preseason poll)
Conference: Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Location: Wichita, Kan.
Top Player: Dallas, Texas, native Shann Sellers is the engine that drives the Falcons. The 2015-16 KCAC player of the year and defensive player of the year led Friends in scoring (18.7), rebounds (9.4), assists (2.94) and steals (3.16) while leading head coach RaeAnne Booth’s squad to the national tournament. Her big season led to NAIA first team All-America honors.
Overview: Booth has led a program that has reached the national tournament in four of the last five seasons. Friends has been picked to finish second in the KCAC by both conference coaches and media. An aggressive team on the defensive end, the Falcons posted the second best turnover margin in the nation last season (plus-7.3) and plucked more than 12 steals per game. While Friends came in just outside of the NAIA Division II preseason top 25, it is again a threat to reach the national tournament with one of the nation’s top players leading the way.
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Head coach: Jason Jeschke 3rd year
2016-17 Record: 2-1
2015-16 Record: 17-14 (received votes in NAIA Division II preseason poll)
Conference: Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Location: Bartlesville, Okla.
Top Player: Standout post player Susan Ageson is no longer around, but head coach Jason Jeschke has the services of senior guard Kayla Morgan, who earned second team all-conference accolades in 2015-16. Morgan was the lone Eagle representative on the KCAC’s preseason all-conference team. Morgan averaged at least 11.5 points each of her first three seasons at Oklahoma Wesleyan and has produced 1,170 career points.
Overview: The Eagles are only a couple years removed from a 27-win season (school record) in 2014-15 when they reached the national tournament for the first time in program history. Picked third in the KCAC preseason coaches’ and media polls, Oklahoma Wesleyan collected votes in the national preseason poll. The Eagles return 10 letterwinners from the 2015-16 squad that included five seniors. Morgan and senior guard Shelbie Kirby are the team’s two returning starters, giving Jeschke and experienced backcourt.