In an all-out war where the lead changed 15 times, 11th-seeded Bethel College (Kan.) made the necessary basket to hold on in an upset (78-76) of the 6th-seeded Concordia University, Nebraska on Friday.
Four teams will be in Madison, S.D., but only one will remain as the two-game winner will surge to the final site. The Bulldogs were selected as the No. 6 seed in the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship and will face Bethel.
The 24th national tournament appearance in program history is incoming. The Bulldogs were seeded sixth and assigned to Madison, S.D., for action at the NAIA National Championship.
Kristin Vieselmeyer and Ayla Roth were named to the All-GPAC first/second teams while another four Bulldogs garnered honorable mention status on the 2025-26 honor roll.
In the waning moments, Raelyn Kelty and Sammy Leu cut the lead to a basket twice, but No. 1 Dordt found answers from Macy Sievers to move on to the GPAC Championship, 71-65.
After a dominant performance in round one, No. 13 Concordia University, Nebraska will look to dethrone No. 1 Dordt in the GPAC semifinals on Saturday (Feb. 28) in Sioux Center.
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The 2025-26 Bulldogs aspired to be annoying, at least in the minds of their opponents. The success Concordia is enjoying began with an offseason centered upon the idea of 'press,' a theme with a dual meaning.
The Bulldogs rained down 11 first half treys to blow past Briar Cliff, 111-70, from the opening whistle in the midweek conference quarterfinal splashing. Kelty buried seven from deep in her march to a new 23-point career high.
With the regular season coming to a close, the thrilling win-or-go-home postseason play has arrived. The No. 4 Bulldogs earned a host spot and will face No. 5 seed Briar Cliff on Wednesday (Feb. 25) in the GPAC tournament.
Concordia Women's Basketball filled the list of 2025-26 NAIA Scholar-Athletes with an impressive 19 honorees. Ten of the Scholar-Athletes are repeat award winners.
Featured StoryLed by do-it-all guard Taysha Rushton and relentless senior Rylee Pauli, the 2021-22 Bulldogs extended the program's national tournament streak while beating five teams that qualified for nationals throughout the season.
Featured StoryFour starters, including First Team All-GPAC star Taysha Rushton, return for a Concordia Women's Basketball program coming off an appearance in the NAIA national quarterfinals last season. Depth will be a strength.
Featured StoryTaylor Cockerill and Taysha Rushton were the ringleaders for a squad that reached the NAIA national quarterfinals while playing an exciting brand of hoops in 2020-21.
Featured StoryFor Concordia Women's Basketball, tradition never graduates. That's become evident in 2020-21, even as the program 'rebuilt' following the graduation of several stars.
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In season No. 15 as head coach, Drew Olson has reached the 400-win milestone. As his current and former players will attest, Concordia Women's Basketball is about more than winning.
Featured StoryFrom October 2011 through December 2020, Concordia Women's Basketball was included in every possible NAIA top 25 ranking, a run of 97-straight poll appearances.
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It's a new-look Concordia Women's Basketball team, but the program is determined to prove it's still a major force in the GPAC and nationally. Taylor Cockerill and Mackenzie Koepke are the headlining returners.
Featured StoryDon't forget about TC. The leading scorer for the 2018-19 national championship team, Taylor Cockerill is roughly 90 percent of the way back from the knee injury she suffered last October.
Featured StoryAs announced by CoSIDA, Grace Barry is the Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for the entire NAIA. She is the first Concordia student-athlete to ever earn the award.
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Let's answer the question: who wore it better? We ran down the top Bulldog women's basketball performers at each jersey number during the 20 seasons of GPAC hoops.
