CUNE’s 2023 class for the Athletic Hall of Fame

Photo description: A representative from CUNE’s 1982-83 Men’s Tennis Team takes the floor as they are inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame

Photo credit: Jake Knabel (feature and gallery photos)

Madeline Peters

Sports Editor

Amy Allgood graduated in 2017 and played on the women’s golf team from 2014-17. She was the first Concordia golfer in school history to win an individual Great Plains Athletic Conference championship, and placed in the top four of the GPAC championship every year at Concordia. Allgood also received the GPAC golfer of the year award in the 2016-17 season and qualified for the National Association of Collegiate Athletics national tournament that same season. Allgood holds two school records for career scoring average (81.89) and single season average (80.79).

Rick Dietze played for the Concordia men’s basketball team from 2001-04. In the 2003-04 season, he was named the Concordia senior male athlete of the year, GPAC player of the year, and NAIA Division II Second Team All-American. Dietze finished his career with 1,625 points, 496 rebounds, 130 assists and 103 steals. He holds the seventh place record spot for career points and the 15th record position for rebounds. His season points for the 2002-03 (644) and 2003-04 (598) hold the fourth and tenth spots on the all-time list.

Another men’s basketball player, Chandler Folkerts played from 2013-2017. He holds third place in two all-time categories: career points (1,963) and rebounds (868). He also holds the 12 and 16 season points positions with 588 points in the 2015-16 season and 566 points in the 2016-17 season. Folkerts was a three-time First Team All-GPAC member and was a NAIA Division II Second Team All-American in 2017. He had a myriad of other awards such as 2016-17 GPAC top defensive player of the year, NAIA Emil S. Liston award, College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-American of the Year award and Omaha-World-Herald All-Nebraska Honorary Captain Distinction.

Rod Giesselmann was the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs from 1967-70 and helped lead the 1970 team to an 8-1 record, a Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC) championship and a NAIA no. 12 ranking. He graduated with four school records: pass attempts (839), pass completions (355), passing yards, (5,380) and passing touchdowns (47). Gisselmann’s passing yards and passing touchdowns records still stand at third on the record board. He also graduated with numerous single season/game records, some of which also still stand on the record board.

Bailey Morris played for the Concordia women’s basketball team from 2011-15. She is the only Bulldog basketball player to receive NAIA National Player of the Year. Not only that, but she was named to the NAIA Division II First Team All-American twice and was the GPAC Player of the Year twice. Morris is the current record holder for career points with 2,054, holds second place in career steals with 394, fourth place in career assists with 502 and seventh in career 3-pointer field goals with 201. She also holds the season points record (665 in 2014-15 season) and points in a game record (45 vs. Northwestern in 2014).

Luther Klenke may not have played or coached Concordia sports, but his service to the athletic department and Concordia in general impacted the university so profoundly that he was admitted to the class of 2023 Hall of Fame. Klenke served from 1968-2001 as a longtime Director of Campus Center and Student Activities at Concordia. He worked behind the scenes in Bulldog athletics to ensure positive experiences for students, faculty, and fans who came to watch Concordia sports in Seward, and to facilitate travel for each of the sports teams, even going so far as to drive the teams himself. Klenke may be retired, but his love for Concordia athletics has not faded as he is often present at sporting events to this day.

The 1982-83 men’s tennis team boasts an undefeated conference record, a NIAC championship and NAIA District XI runner up. Coached by Charles Krutz, the team consisted of Stan Meyer, Mark Cuttler, Mark Hollenbeck, Keith Lewis, David Schultz, Kevin Nast, Dan Delzell and Steve Niermann.