Fall Sports Preview for Launch Week 2022
Madeline Peters
Sports Editor
Launch week heralds the start of Concordia fall sports — some beginning even before most students arrived on campus. Here is a short preview of the upcoming 2022 season.
Concordia volleyball is the first sport to have games this fall. The team faced a trio of schools in Ashland, Ore., such as Oregon Tech, Southern Oregon University, and Park University. Concordia beat Oregon Tech 3-1, beat Southern Oregon University 3-2, and beat Park University 3-0.
The volleyball team keeps their games close to home after that, with three home games against McPherson College at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26., Texas Wesleyan University at 4 p.m. on Aug. 27, and Hastings College at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Concordia Volleyball went 19-12 overall and 9-7 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference last year. The Bulldogs had an excellent post-season, taking second place in the GPAC tournament, and an appearance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national tournament. The highlight was upsetting No. 2 seed Viterbo University before losing in the quarterfinals with a close 2-3 match-up against Marian University.
Golf also starts the fall portion of their season with some August events. Men’s golf goes to Yankton, S.D., for the Mount Marty University Invite from Aug. 25-26 and to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the Oklahoma City University-UC Ferguson Classic from Aug. 29-30.
Women’s golf does not start quite as quickly. The team’s first event is the Mount Marty University Invite on Sept. 1-2 in Yankton, S.D. They then go to Sioux City, Iowa, for the Briar Cliff University Lila Frommelt Fall Classic on Sept. 14-15 and then to Omaha for the College of Saint Mary Matthew Goette Fall Classic on Sept. 21.
In the 2021-22 season, the men’s golf team finished in the top half of the field in 10 out of 14 events, including three podium finishes. The women’s team meanwhile finished in the top half in 8 out of 10 events, including four podium finishes.
Concordia men and women’s soccer teams start off with games prior to Labor Day. The men play their first game against Northwest University in Salem, Ore., on Aug. 25 and the women play Southwestern College on Aug. 27 at Bulldog Stadium.
The men’s soccer team continues their trip to Oregon after their first game with a match against Corban University on Aug. 27. They then travel to Hilsboro, Kan., to face Tabor College on Sept. 3. The men come a little closer to home on Sept. 6 with a match against York College, and finally come to Bulldog Stadium for games against Bellevue University and Bethany College on Sept. 10 and 13, respectively.
The women’s soccer team also faces Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. on Sept 3, but then travels to Lamoni, Iowa, to face Graceland University on Sept. 6 and to Atchison, Kan., to face Benedictine College on Sept. 10. The Bulldog women will then join the men back home on Sept. 13 against Bethany College.
The men’s soccer team last season went 7-8-3 overall and 5-4-2 in the GPAC. The team went to the GPAC conference tournament but lost 2-1 in the quarterfinals to Morningside University. The women’s soccer team went 9-7-2 overall and 6-4-2 in the GPAC. The women also lost in the quarterfinals of the GPAC championship to Hastings College.
Cross country’s season does not start until September with their first meet on Sept. 2 in Sioux Falls, S.D., for the Augustana University Twilight. Cross country then goes to Lincoln for the UNL/NWU Greeno/Dirkson Invite on Sept. 17 and Crete for the Doane University Dean White Invitational on Sept. 24.
In the 2021 season, Concordia had several excellent team placements. The Bulldogs won eighth place in the women’s and 12th in the men’s at the Augustana Twilight, first in both women’s and men’s at the Morningside College Invite, fourth in women’s and second in men’s at the Briar Cliff University Invitational, second in women’s and fifth in men’s at the Mount Marty College Invite, and fifth in women’s and fourth in men’s at the GPAC Cross Country Championships. Concordia sent two people to the NAIA championships: Camden Sesna, who placed 116th, and Calvin Rohde who placed 209th in the men’s 8,000-meter event. (Not sure what placements mean here but if we’re talking eight place — I think it’s men’s and women’s but I’m not sure if I’m understanding this correctly)
Concordia football starts their season on Sept. 3 against Doane University in Crete. Homecoming week comes quickly this year with the big game on Sept. 17 against Hastings College at Bulldog Stadium. The team then travels to Orange City, Iowa, to face Northwestern College on Sept. 24.
The Bulldogs football team looks to meet or exceed their 2021 campaign after going 7-3 both overall and in GPAC last fall. Their three losses were to Dordt University, Northwestern College and Morningside College. The Bulldogs football team narrowly missed the NAIA postseason, but Concordia won their games by an average of 20 points.
Quarterback DJ McGarvie also had a great start to his Concordia football career by posting significant marks in the single season annals. McGarvie finished top-15 in attempts (11th, 243), pass completions (6th, 130), passing touchdowns (2nd, 19) — which is right behind Von Thomas’ 21 touchdowns in the 2014 season — pass completion rate (9th, 53.5%) and total offensive yards (8th, 1,626).
Shooting sports are the last Concordia fall sport to start the 2022 portion of their season with their first event on Sept. 10-11 in Hays, Kan., for the Fort Hays State University Fall Intercollegiate Shoot. The shooting team rounds out the month of September with the Midland University Warrior Open from Sept. 16-18 in Lincoln and the Prairie Circuit Conference Championships from Sept. 23-25 in North Platte.
The shooting team had a great 2021-22 season with two first-place finishes, three second-place finishes, a third-place finish, a fourth-place finish, and two fifth-place finishes. One of the fifth-place finishes was at the ACUI International and National Championships. Seniors Wyatt Hambly, Sarah Schwacher, and Colten Uitermarkt, and sophomore Jack Nelson each won a Highest Overall title during the season.
It will also be the first full season of marksmanship following the death of head coach Scott Monoit in November 2021. While the shooting team performed well in the spring half of their season without coach Monoit, a new era has begun as Concordia tabbed Dylan Owens to be the new head of shooting sports.
The 2022 fall sports season has much to live up to after an excellent 2021 season all around. The Sower will follow the highs and lows of these teams to give the best coverage possible.