Men’s Basketball Current Record: 11-5 Overall, 8-4 MIAC (T3rd Place) Recent Results: Concordia 68 at St. Olaf 64 - Box Score/Recap ; Gustavus 72 at Concordia 54 - Box Score/Recap Upcoming Events: at St. John's on Wednesday, January 28 at 7:30pm - Listen Live; at Macalester on Saturday, January 31 at 3:00pm - Listen Live; at home vs. Bethel on Monday, February 2 at 7:30pm - Listen Live Latest News and Notes: - The Concordia men’s basketball team is currently 8-4 in the MIAC and 11-5 overall. The eight wins in conference play ties the total number of wins the team amassed in all of 2002-03. It is also more than the team has put up since the 2000-01 season. The Cobbers are tied for third in the MIAC, the highest finish a Cobber men’s team has had in the past 10 seasons is a second place finish during the 1995-96 season. In that year, the Cobbers went on to claim the MIAC playoff tournament championship. - Concordia point guard Joe Bueckers (Sr., Pine River, Minn./Pine River-Backus HS) is currently fourth in the NCAA in free throw percentage. Overall this season he is shooting 94.4% from the free throw line. He also leads the MIAC in assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and is in second place in free throw percentage. Bueckers is averaging 3.83 assists per game, and owns a 1.77 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is also shooting 94.3% from the free throw line in the first 12 games of the conference season.

Women’s Basketball
Current Record: 12-4 Overall, 10-3 MIAC (T3rd Place)
Recent Results: Concordia 63 at St. Olaf 49 - Box Score/Recap; Gustavus 62 at Concordia 66 - Box Score/Recap
Upcoming Events: at home vs. St. Ben's on Wednesday, January 28 at 7:30pm - Listen Live; at Macalester on Saturday, January 31 at 1:00pm - Listen Live; at home vs. Bethel on Monday, February 2 at 5:30pm - Listen Live
Latest News and Notes:
- The Concordia women’s basketball team has won six consecutive games and is a perfect 6-0 at home. The Cobbers are currently tied for third in the MIAC with a 10-3 mark. Head Coach Jessica Rahman has now won 22 consecutive games in Memorial Auditorium. Rahman, formerly Jessica Beachy, was a senior on the Concordia team that won the national championship during the 1987-88 season. That squad won their last 16 games at home, including all five in the national playoffs.

- Cobber senior Debbie Slack (Evansville, Minn.) currently leads the MIAC in free throw percentage (86.1%). This is a complete turnaround from her first three years as a Cobber. She averaged a mere 57.6% from the free throw line in her first three seasons in maroon and gold. She is also in the top five in the MIAC in four other categories. She is second in total rebounding (9.8/game), fourth in field goal percentage (53.4%), fourth in offensive rebounds (2.85/game) and third in defensive rebounds (6.92/game).

- In Concordia's win over St. Olaf, the Cobbers limited the Oles to only 49 points. That marked the third time this season that Concordia has limited the opposing team to under 50 points. The last time the Cobbers have held the opposing team to less than 50 points more than three times in a season was in 1997-98 when they accomplished the feat on six different occasions.
 

Men’s Hockey Current Record: 1-13-3 Overall, 0-6-2 MIAC (8th Place) Recent Results: Concordia 1 at Gustavus 1 OT - Box Score/Recap; Concordia 2 at Gustavus 4 - Box Score/Recap Upcoming Events: at Hamline on Friday, February 6 at 7:00pm; at Hamline on Saturday, February 7 at 2:00pm Latest News and Notes: - Senior goaltender Ryan Gill (Watrous, Sask./Winston HS) helped Concordia to a 1-1 tie in the Cobbers' series against second place Gustavus last weekend. Gill stopped 42 of the 43 shots he faced and made several key saves in the third period and overtime. Gill currently leads the MIAC in saves. Through the team's first eight conference games he has compiled 301 saves. The next closet netminder is John Harstad of Hamline who has stopped 256 shots. - The Cobbers have recorded three ties in their last seven games. This ties a school record for ties in a season. The Cobbers posted three-tie seasons in 1989-90 and 1998-99.  - Cobber first-year player Jon Rudnick (Moorhead, Minn.) is currently tied for second in the MIAC in power play goals (3). He is also seventh in the league in scoring by a first-year player. Rudnick has four goals and one assist in eight league games. He leads the team in goals scored in conference games.

Women’s Hockey
Current Record: 3-7-0 Overall, 2-6-0 MIAC (9th Place)
Recent Results: St. Thomas 6 at Concordia 0 - Box Score/Recap; St. Thomas 2 at Concordia 1 - Box Score/Recap;
Upcoming Events: at St. Ben's on Friday, January 30 at 7:00pm; at St. Ben's on Saturday, January 31 at 2:00pm

Latest News and Notes:
- The Concordia women's team continued their winless streak at home this past weekend. The Cobbers dropped two, tightly contested games to league-leading St. Thomas. That brings the Cobbers' overall home record to 0-6. The six losses have come at the hands of three of the top five teams in the conference. Concordia only has one more series at home this season, against second-place Gustavus. The good news for Concordia is that they will play eight of their final ten games on the road. Currently Kerry Norman's crew has a 3-1 on the road.

- Lindsay Czarnecki (Jr., Riverside, Calif./Riverside-Poly HS) has scored a goal in the six of the seven games that Concordia has scored a goal. The Cobbers have played ten games and have been shutout in three. Czarnecki has tallied at least one goal in six games. She currently leads the team in scoring with 11 points (8 goals, 3 assists).

- Junior goaltender Jamie Savage (Apple Valley, Minn./Rosemount HS) had a spectacular game in Concordia's 2-1 loss to the Tommies. Savage stopped 34 of the 36 shots she faced, and made several huge saves on odd-man situations. Savage is the subject of the College Sporting News Feature - MIAC Profiles in Excellence this week. The profile can be found at: www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=52650
 

Women’s Swimming and Diving Recent Results: Concordia 76 at Hamline 162 - Meet Results; Concordia Places 2nd at St. Kate's Invitational - Meet Results Upcoming Events: at the MIAC Swimming and Diving Championship Meet at the U of Minnesota on February 12-14 Latest News and Notes: - The Concordia women's swimming and diving team completed a rare back-to-back competition weekend. The Cobbers swam a dual meet at Hamline on Friday and then participated in the St. Kate's Invitational on Saturday. The team has already begun their training regimen for the MIAC Swimming and Diving Championship Meet on February 12-14 at the University of Minnesota. - Megan Johnson (Jr., South St. Paul, Minn) won events on both days. Against Hamline, Johnson won the 200 yard-freestyle in a season-best time of 2:05.71. She backed up that swim by winning the 200-yard butterfly at the St. Kate's Invite. She won the event in a time of 2:24.59. She is currently ranked in the top ten in the 200-yard butterfly in the MIAC and among the top 20 in the 200-yard freestyle.

Wrestling
Recent Results: Northern State 18 at Concordia 27 - Meet Results; 3rd Place at the MIAC Dual Tournament - Meet Results
Upcoming Events: at the Elmhurst (IL) Invitational on Saturday, January 31 at 9:00am.

Latest News and Notes:
- The Concordia wrestlers evened their overall dual meet record to 5-5 this past week. The Cobbers picked up a win against NCAA Division II Northern State on Wednesday, and then downed St. Olaf as part of the MIAC Dual Meet Tournament. The five dual meet wins are the most for a Cobber wrestling team since the 2001-02 season when they also finished with five wins. The Cobbers have a chance to reach the six-win plateau for the first time since the 1991-92 season when the won seven dual meets. Doug Perry's squad has one remaining dual meet this season, a home affair with Jamestown on Wednesday, February 4 at 7:00pm.

- At the MIAC Dual Tournament, David Ahmed (Fr., Conrad, Mont./Conrad HS) had two victories at 165 pounds to lead Concordia, while Dain Kalkbrenner (Fr., Atwater, Minn./A-C-G HS) went 2-1 with a major decision in the heavyweight category. Ahmed has won five of his last seven matches, while Kalkbrenner has now posted victories in three of his last four matches.
 

Men’s Track and Field Recent Results: at home vs. Alumni - Meet Results Upcoming Events: at home for the Cobber Duals on Saturday, January 31 at Noon. Latest News and Notes: - The Concordia men's track and field team kicked off the 2003-04 schedule by hosting the alumni in the 10th annual alumni meet. Garrick Larson's crew welcomed past track and field athletes to run against this year's team.  - Concordia first-year runner Ryan Smith (Grand Forks, N.Dak.) started his Cobber career by winning the 55 meters. Olson ran a 6.96, which won the event 2/10th of a second. It is also the fastest time run by a Cobber in the 55-meters since Greg Moss ran a 6.95 at the Bison Open last season.

Women’s Track and Field
Recent Results: at home vs. Alumni - Meet Results
Upcoming Events: at home for the Cobber Duals on Saturday, January 31 at Noon.

Latest News and Notes:
- The Concordia women's track and field team kicked off the 2003-04 schedule by hosting the alumni in the 10th annual alumni meet. Marv Roeske's crew welcomed past track and field athletes to run against this year's team.

- Several Cobber athletes turned in event-winning performances. Angie Pfeiffer (So., Colman, S.Dak./Colman-Egan HS), an All-American at last year's NCAA National Outdoor Meet, won the 200-meters in a time of 26.39. Lisa Owen, fresh off her MIAC All-Conference performance in cross country, won the 1500 meters by over 27 seconds, and Renee Splichal (Sr., Garrison, N.Dak.) won the triple jump with a distance of 33-4. Splichal also tied for first place in the pole vault with a height of 9-10 3/4.
 

Please Note: The views written in this piece are the work of the writer and and do not necessarily reflect the views of Concordia College. They are not meant to harm or disrespect any of the athletes or school. It is merely an attempt to give the reader a different perspective into the world of Concordia athletics. Different Perspective Index: November 25 - December 2 - December 9 January 28, 2004 "Underrated and Overlooked" The two most thankless jobs in all of sports are assistant coach and spouse of the head coach. No matter how good of a job a person does in these roles, or what kind of example one sets, no one ever notices their contributions. Think about it. Quick, name one assistant coach on the 1980 USA Men's Hockey Team or how about an assistant coach at this year's Super Bowl between the Patriots and Panthers? Everyone knows the impact that Herb Brooks had on a group of college kids, but no one ever hears about all the sacrifice and unselfish acts that the assistant coaches put forth in order to ensure that magical gold medal-winning moment. As unnoticed as a great assistant, is an equally important spouse that puts up with every kind of behavior pattern found in a Psych 101 text book. The truly great coaches have all had equally inspiring spouses. I am not talking about coaches who are one-hit wonders and leave the spotlight after a few year. I am talking about the coaches who stand the test of time and consistently win from generation-to-generation. I am talking about mentors such as John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski and John Gagliardi. People who leave with awards and buildings named after them. In truth, and they would be the first to admit, the real glory shoud go to Nellie Wooden, Mickie Krzyzewski and Peggy Gagliardi.  At Concordia the impact that assistant coaches and spouses have is no different. Look at a successful Cobber team and you will find a tremendous assistant coach who supports, encourages and listens very cooperatively to the head coach. Case in point, the women's volleyball team. The Cobber women's  volleyball team won the MIAC championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament this past fall (the first Concordia team to make the NCAA playoffs since the 1999-00 men's hockey team). Head coach Tim Mosser was somehow denied MIAC Coach of the Year, but if there was an award for Assistant Coach of the year, it would go to Bob Jones - hands down, no discussion needed. Jones is the perfect model for a successful assistant coach. Foremost he acts as a buffer between the team and the head coach, secondly he is very skilled in teaching the basic techniques of the game and last, he serves as a role model for the players.  There are no interviews for assistant coaches, no long bios on web sites or time in front of the television cameras. Nope, just a pat on the back at the end of the year and a thank you from the team. No one will ever know how much time and energy goes into putting everyone else above yourself. There are times when assistant coaches want to scream out to the head coach "How did you ever get this job? The decisions you are making are so idiotic you are making George W. Bush look like a Mensa candidate." The hands of an assistant are always tied behind his/her back when it comes to dealing with player personnel so the stock answer to the players is always, "I'll talk it over with the head coach" or "I'll let him know about your concern". Imagine being in a job where you can never make a decision for yourself and are asked to do the majority of the work that goes into the success of the team. (Wait, don't imagine because I am sure that there are a lot of bosses who rely on underlings for all the details and never let them make the right decision for them). But that is the life of an assistant coach - everything for the good of everybody else and nothing for what is in his/her best interest. Concordia is blessed with more than a few tremendous assistant coaches. Right now the two hottest teams in Cobberville are the men's and women's basketball teams. Both programs have all-star assistants. Duane Siverson and the men's team relies on John Whartnaby and Troy Odegaard. Whartnaby is the brains behind the team's offensive surge. Last year the team averaged 67.8 points and shot 46.6% from the field. This season they are averaging over 70 points, shooting 48.1% and are currently in a deadlock for third place in the league. Odegaard is the recruiting guru who will have the team in the top five in the MIAC for the next several years. And unselfish, his position has been cut by the administration so technically he does not have a job at Concordia next year. Yet, he recruits like he is going to be in Moorhead until he is old and grey. He puts in tireless hours on the road and then prepares the scouting report for the next opponent - and still he will not have a job at Concordia next year. How many people would put in that kind of commitment to a job knowing that they would not be with that company next year? The answer - maybe a handful. The women's baskeball team has Bob Kohler. Bob Kohler is the type of individual who could make a person who has lost everything he owns, has no future and can't think of what to do next, feel like they had just won the lottery and is sitting on top of the world. His infectious enthusiasm rubs off on everyone of the players and he is a huge reason that no matter what happens to the women's team this year, they always feel like they can overcome and find a way to win. If more professors and administrators put the time and effort into their jobs as Bob Kohler does, then every college would send out tremendously compassionate graduates and the world would be a lot better place. The list does not stop with the basketball teams. If a team has had success wearing maroon and gold, then they have had the benefit of a selfless assistant coach. In football, everyone knows that the Cobbers have only employed three head coaches since the advent of helmets and the forward pass. But how many people know that the program has had one of the fewest turnovers in assistant coaches. Bob Nick has run the offense for years and he has put aside his personal growth for the growth of the student/athletes. Men's soccer, Cordell Sinding. He has been with the program for over 10 years and has never complained about being under a coach who would forget his own head if it weren't connected to his body. The list goes on and on.  Finally, the role of the coach's spouse is never written about or publicized in programs or media releases. Yet, without a supportive person who puts her/his spouse first, most coaches would get burned out after only a few seasons. The life of a spouse consists of listening to a person whine and complain about how everyone and everything in the world has conspired against their spouse and the team. It is the ultimate in "everyone else is wrong but me" mentality. Most spouses have to be able to uproot family and travel to different places when the coach decides that his career should move elsewhere. They also have to be the sole caretaker of the family from August through May. The best way to categorize the life of a coach's spouse comes from a sign that was hung in the home of a coach. The sign read, "we interrupt this marriage to bring you the soccer season." You can easily interject any sport for soccer, as all marriages are put under strain during the actual calendar season. The spouse is left to hold everything together, and make sure that the coach is always feeling confident and well loved. No matter what the personal feelings about the sport or principles, the spouse ALWAYS has to put on the front that she/he is behind the coach all the way. Talk about the unadulterated act of putting yourself way, way, way in the background.  At Concordia, the role of spouse was best exemplified by Jan Pipho, the wife of former athletic director Armin Pipho. Jan was the epitome of what a supportive spouse is supposed to be about. She was always by Armin's side and allowed Armin to single-handedly build a modern-day college athletic department. She traveled from college to graduate school to job so that Armin could go after his dream job. She always made the latest stop feel like home. No matter where their travels led them, she allowed Armin to be successful, and helped raise a family that has made a positive impact on society. She set the standard for being a successful athletic coach/administrator spouse.  Like Jan, there have been many truly amazing people who have been "in the shadows" of their successful coaches at Concordia. Hall of Fame basketball and assistant football coach Sonny Gulsvig had Marcella to lean on through the good and bad. Longtime football coach Jim Christopherson had Sandy to rely on for support. Current baseball coach, and the winningest active coach at Concordia, Bucky Burgau has had his modern-day saint Penny to be there in the good times and bad. She has raised two beautiful daughters and put up with a spouse who is gone in the spring because of baseball, the summer due to his involvement with the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks and the fall and winter because of his refereeing duties.  The list goes on and on. As for me, it is time to go home to my Hall of Fame wife Carla. Without her there would have been no MIAC championships in soccer at Concordia and the ider for this "Different Perspective" column would have never taken flight. She mends our sick children and allows me to work long into the night so I can keep the Cobber website up-to-date. I  hope that everyone, at some point in their life, has the chance to have someone support them no matter what they do, what decision they make or how hard they fall. If you do have someone in your life that fills that role, then you know how important assistant coaches and coaches spouses truly are - and how underrated and overlooked their lives sometimes become.   From Cobberville, that's this week's different perspective.      Postscript -  Craig Patrick was the assistant coach for the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team!

 
 

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