The Concordian Home Page

Concordian Sports Index

Cobber Sports Homepage

Send us e-mail re Cobber Sports

The Concordian Sports

  Baseball   Softball 

Academic All-MIAC Awards

Men's and Women's Track and Field

Women's Tennis

Archives

The Concordian is published in paper form weekly. To receive The Concordian each week in its entirety, drop us an e-mail.

Five Cobbers Named Academic All-MIAC 

Five members of Concordia's sports teams were recognized on April 5 as Academic All-MIAC honorees. Junior Sarah Severson (track), sophomore Leah Sonstelie (basketball), senior Holly Zollar (basketball), senior Ryan Williams (track) and senior Chris Thomes (hockey) were part of the 25 students honored in the conference. To be nominated, athletes must maintain a 3.2 GPA during the season and be either starters or significant players on their respective teams.

Baseball :Weather Takes Its Toll On team Andy Pratt, Staff Writer, 4/11/97

Concordia baseball opened conference play with a doubleheader at Gustavus on April 5. The Cobbers won the first 6-2, but the second game was suspended because of bad weather.

"Weather was a big factor. We really weren't able to execute," senior outfielder Noah Johnson said.

Senior outfieder Randy Razidlo and senior shortstop Scott DeBrito assisted in the first win. DeBrito gave the Cobbers a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning with a two-run double. Concordia scored three runs in the seventh to put the game away.

Inclement weather conditions put an early end to the second game of the series. Gustavus was ahead 8-4 in the fifth inning with two outs when the game was stopped.

"We competed well in adverse [weather] conditions," Burgau said. "We had to get up early to get down there and it rained all day."

The Cobbers escaped the Minnesota cold and headed to Daytona Beach, Fla., for an eleven-game road trip march 22-29. The team was 6-5 in Florida. See box scores.

"We pitched well and we swung well, but the defense was not that good. That needs to be worked on," head coach Bucky Burgau said.

The Daytona trip was a chance for the team to get out of the Olson Forum and play on the field. Accordian to senior pitcher Joe Cuchna, this was a difficult adjustment.

"It's one of those things where it was our first time on the grass and our first time outdoors," Cuchna said. "But we improved over the week and that's what we're there to do."

Another setback for the team was the loss of pitcher Jim McCormick, who injured his arm in one of the games. He will be out for the season, making Cuchna starting pitcher with sophomore Ethan Pole behind him.

"It's a big loss to lose [McCormick] because he had conference experience. The other guys have great arms but no conference experience," Cuchna said.

Concordia's record now stands at 7-7. This weekend, the Cobbers are supposed to host the Carleton Knights, but the game will not be played here.

"We are not sure how we are going to take the next games. We might neet Carleton halfway to play." Burgau said.

The fact that so much of the season is up in the air has been hard on the team, according to Cuchna and Johnson. Cuchna said that the past two practices have been spent sandbagging in Fargo-Moorhead.

"Not knowing when you are playing the next game is frustrating. Practicing indoors gets tiring," Johnson said. "It's more of a mental stress than anything."

Return to Apr.11 index of The Concordian Sports

Softball Looking to be Power in MIAC
Jennifer Gayvert, sports editor, 4/11/97

Concordia softball Concordia's softball team returned from Florida with more than a tan; it came back confident.

"We did wonderful, absolutely wonderful. The freshmen did great," junior pitcher Julie Campion said. "It was really nice to see strength there."

The women competed in the Gene Cussic Collegiate Classic March 22-29 in Ft. Myers, Fla. The team finished 5-3 overall, handing defeats to a Division II school as well as some top ranked Division III schools.

The team defeated Lawrence College, Frostburg State, Roger Williams College , Hillside College and Colby College, but lost to Williams College and Southern Maine.

"Getting into competition is tough, and it takes a while to get adjusted. That hinders us a little at the beginning of the season, but we're working on that in practice," first baseman Heather Reichow said.

Reichow feels that the Cobbers will be an offensive power in conference play. She also thinks the Florida trip was a chance for team bonding.

"I think it has an impact on getting to know each other as a team on the field," Reichow.

The team is struggling with bad weather, which prevents outdoor practice. The team has not yet practiced outdoors and is spending much of its time recently sandbagging in Fargo-Moorhead.

"It's so hard. We can practice inside as much as we want. Once you get on dirt, everything changes," Campion said.

The Cobbers are faced with a season with few home games in Moorhead due to weather. Instead, they may be travelling to neutral ground such as Minneapolis for games. With a new dugout and other changes to the home field, the team was hoping to play at home.

"We were looking for some fans to come out, take a peek at the renovations and maybe stick"

Return to Apr.11 index of The Concordian Sports

Cobber Men's and Women's Track: Cobbers Still Running Despite Snow
Selmer Moen, Staff Writer, 4/11/97

The Concordia men's and women's track teams have had plenty of action over the last few weeks. Both teams hosted an invitational on March 22 at the Olson Sports and Fitness forum.

The men won their meet by 159.5 points. The Cobbers men finished with 220.5 points, and Moorhead State came in second with 61 points.

The women finished second to Jamestown College with 200.5 points for the Cobbers. MSU finished third with 93.5 points.

"I think we are off to a really good start," women's coach Marv Roeske said.

The teams travelled to San Diego over the Easter holiday to compete in the University of California-San Diego Invitational following the home meet. Both teams had several members qualify for the MIAC championships.

The only Cobber to win an event outright and qualify for nationals was senior Renee Erickson. Erickson won the invitational division of the javelin with a throw of 148-5 feet.

Senior Michele Haugen qualifed or the MIAC Meet in the 400m by placing fifth with a time of 60.03. Junior Mollee Ludtke qualified in the 800m with a time of 2:18.45. Sophomore Barb Breienbach finished 2nd in the 3000m.

Junior Sarah Severson won the 100m hurdles and also qualified in the invitational division of both the long jump and the triple jump.

Freshman Maria DeBoer qualified in the invitational division of the shot put event finishing sixth. Deboer also qualified in the open division of the discus with a third place toss of 126-7 feet.

Sophomore Laura Utke qualified in the discus with a throw of 109-7, and also qualified in the shot put in the open division. Sophomre Amanda Glas took fourth in Javelin on a throw of 118-5 feet, which qualified her for the MIAC as well. She also qualified in the open division of shot put. Freshman Charity Penn qualified in the open division of the discus with a throw of 111-1 feet.

The women then competed at the Carleton invitational, where they took second to Jamestown College, Jamestown finished with 171.2 points, and the Cobbers ended up with 129.2 points. St. Thomas finished third with 118.7 points.

Several Cobbers won their individual events, including Severson in the long jump and Erickson in the javelin.

"We are definitely getting off to a great start, and if we can keep it up, we could do some great things," Roeske said.

Return to Apr.11 index of The Concordian Sports

From the Archives

The March 25, 1977, issue of The Concordian sports section:
"Last Friday Concordia's women's tennis team played host to Moorhead St. University women. The Cobbers and Dragons split the match at an even 3-3 The team travels to NDSU on March 25 and plays Moorhead State again on the 29th."

Return to Apr.11 index of The Concordian Sports

Women's Tennis: Team Drops Match Against Bethel
Elizabeth Weixel, Staff Writer, 4/11/97

Concordia's women's tennis team took a 3-6 loss against Bethel last Saturday at Concordia. The men's team had the weekend off.

Bethel presented a challeng for the Cobbers, according to assistant coach Dave Lester.

"They're down from last year, but they're still good," he said. "There are no easy matches."

Adding to the women's troubles was the loss of freshmen Kelly Knutson and Shelly Buchholz. Accordian to head coach Bob Nick, the players left for personal reasons. (See related story) .

A minimum of six players is needed for conference play, and the loss of two teammates left the women with only five against Bethel. Concordia was forced to forfeit a singles match and a doubles match.

Conference play includes six singles matches and three doubles.

Junior Sarah Holland said the loss of her teammates was a surprise and a stumbling block for the team against Bethel.

"We had to keep our composure and focus on our matches individually," she said.

Lester was pleased with the women's showing against Bethel.

"For having two [players] quit, they actually played really well," he said.

Lester cited freshmen Jenny Strunc's and Lori Wagner's singles matches and junior Stacy Bauck and Holland's doubles match as examples of determined play. Strunc won straight sets and Wagner lost in two tie-breakers that could have gone either way, according to Lester.

Bauck and Holland won their doubles match, losing one set but winning the next two.

"That's a great effort to switch it around after losing the first set. That is a great turn-around," Lester said.

Holland was also pleased with her performance.

"It gives you confidence for the matches to come," she said.

Those matches to come include St. Catherine's today and Gustavus tomorrow. Both matches are away, and Gustavus will provide the team's toughest competition yet, according to Lester.

"They're tough, and our players are still learning," Lester said. "The main thing is to learn from the [losses]."

The women were also supposed to play St. Benedict's April 6, but the matches were cancelled because of weather.

The men's team has taken a break from competition since its March 23 match against the University of Mary.

The men are now focusing on team development, according to Nick, and they played challenge matches on Wednesday to determine player rankings. The top six players have been ranked and will play Carleton today and St. Mary's tomorrow. Both games away.

First-year students Kelly Knutson and Shelly Bucholz told the women's tennis team Saturday that they would no longer play for the team, dropping the roster to five players.

The loss of Knutson and Buchholz forced the team to forfeit two matches to Bethel over the weekend because it could not fill all the spots.

"My personal decision was made up of many different factors. I decided I wanted to prioritize academics," Knutson said. "It's probably the most difficult decision."

Buchholz was not available for comment at press time.

The Impact on the team was substantial, according to head coach Bob Nick.

"[The team] would love to have them playing," he said. "There are five girls on that team working very hard."

Nick also said that the team has recruited other players to fill Buchholz's and Knutson's positions. These new additions should be playing this weekend. He says they will continue to recruit new players to give the team depth.

Nick says he understands Buchhol's and Knutson's decisions to quit tennis.

"It's a committment. It's longer than most seasons," he said.

Knutson said the team was also supportive of her decision to quit.

"I felt like I was letting down the team, but there weren't really any bad vibes with leaving the team," she said.

Return to Apr.11 index of The Concordian Sports

The Concordian Editorial Policy

The Concordian is the official newspaper of Concordia College. The Concordian is published each Friday of the academic year, with the exception of holidays and exam weeks.

Letters to the editor and guest columns are welcome. Letters must be typed, double-spaced and signed with the author's name, year in school and phone number for verification. Non-students should include name, office and residency. The Concordian reserv es the right to edit obscene and potentially libelous material. All letters become the property of The Concordian and will not be returned.

The Concordian Production Studio is located in the basement of Fjelstad Hall, office B03. Editorial office phone is (218) 299-3826, advertising/business office phone is (218) 299-3827, fax (218) 299-4313. Our mailing address is: The Concordian, FPO 10 4, Concordia College, 901 South Eighth Street, Moorhead, Minnesota 56562. Our e-mail address is concordian@gloria.cord.edu. We are located on the World Wide Web at http://www.cord.edu/dept/concord, accessible through the student section (http://www.cord.edu/student).

Advertising deadline is 5 p.m. the Monday before publication. Classified and editorial deadline is 5 p.m. the Tuesday before publication. Subscriptions are available for $10 per year. Distribution on campus is free and is funded in part by the Stude nt Activity Fee.

The Concordian and Concordia College are equal opportunity employers. Opinions expressed in The Concordian are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty, staff or administration.