Men’s Basketball Current Record: 17-7 Overall, 14--6 MIAC (3rd Place) Recent Results: Augsburg 68 at Concordia 67 - Box Score/Recap; St. Thomas 61 at Concordia 74 - MIAC Playoffs 1st Round - Box Score/Recap  Upcoming Events: at Macalester - MIAC  Semifinals on Thursday, February 26 at 7:30pm - Listen Live; at ? - MIAC  Finals on Saturday, February 28 at 7:30pm - Listen Live Latest News and Notes: - The Concordia men’s basketball team is having their third best season in program history. The Cobbers currently have an overall record of 17-7. The school record for wins in a season is 21. That occurred during the 1995-96 season when the team went 21-6, won the MIAC playoff championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.  - The Cobber men’s team ranks in the top ten in the nation in three different shooting categories. Concordia is currently seventh in 3-point field goal shooting percentage, ninth in field goal percentage and 10th in free throw percentage.  - Joe Bueckers (Sr., Pine River, Minn./Pine River-Backus HS) is second in the nation in free throw percentage. Bueckers is currently shooting 94.4% from the foul line. The NCAA Division III leader is Justin Moyer of Randolph-Macon who is shooting 94.7%.

Women’s Basketball
Current Record: 20-6 Overall, 17-5 MIAC (4th Place)
Recent Results: Augsburg 53 at Concordia 81 - Box Score/Recap; St. Mary's 65 at Concordia 73 - MIAC Playoffs 1st Round - Box Score/Recap
Upcoming Events: at St. Ben's in the MIAC Semifinals on Wednesday, February 25 at 7:30pm - Listen Live; at ? - MIAC  Finals on Saturday, February 28 at 7:30pm - Listen Live

Latest News and Notes:
- The Concordia women’s basketball team won its 20th game of the season with its first round playoff victory over St. Mary’s on Monday night. That marks the 17th time in the history of the women’s basketball program that the team has posted a 20-win season. That is tied for the most 20-win seasons out of all the schools in the MIAC.

- The Cobber women’s team is currently 20-6 overall this season. That marks a seven game improvement over last year’s record, which is the single biggest improvement in one year in the history of the program.

- Concordia’s Debbie Slack (Sr., Evansville, Minn.) recorded her first 20-rebound game in the Cobbers’ opening game of the playoffs against St. Mary’s. The senior forward has been in double figures in rebounding 11 different times this season and 31st in her career. She also scored 11 points in the game against the Cardinals, which marks the fifth time this year that she has recorded a double-double.
 

Men’s Hockey Current Record: 5-15-3 Overall, 4-8-2 MIAC (7th Place) Recent Results: Concordia 6 at St. Olaf 4 - Box Score/Recap; Concordia 1 at St. Olaf 3 - Box Score/Recap Upcoming Events: at home vs. Bethel on Friday, February 27 at 7:00pm; at home vs. Bethel on Saturday, February 28 at 2:00pm Latest News and Notes: - Jon Rudnick (Fr., Moorhead, Minn.) is currently tied for third in the MIAC in scoring by first-year players. Rudnick has 15 points on the season and has scored 11 goals. That goal total is the second highest among first-year players in the MIAC. - First-Year defenseman Mark Buchholz (Moorhead, Minn.) returned to the Cobber lineup last weekend after missing the past 10 games because of a broken collar bone. Buchholz transferred to Concordia from NCAA Division I Findlay (OH) after the Christmas break and played in only two games before suffering the injury. His return to the lineup was a successful one as he tallied two assists in the team's 6-4 victory on Friday night.

Women’s Hockey
Current Record: 7-11-0 Overall, 6-10-0 MIAC (6th Place)
Recent Results: Concordia 3 at Bethel 1 - Box Score/Recap; Concordia 3 at Bethel 2 - Box Score/Recap
Upcoming Events: at St. Olaf on Friday, February 27 at 7:00pm; at St. Olaf on Saturday, February 28 at 2:00pm

Latest News and Notes:
- Concordia’s Lindsay Kurtis (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz./Paradise Valley HS) has a chance to become the school’s all-time leading scorer. Kurtis notched three points in Concordia’s weekend sweep over Bethel. She now has 15 points on the season and 131 for her career. The school’s all-time leader in points is Katie Jacques, who tallied 138 points from 1999-2003.

- Concordia sophomore goaltender Jenna Johnson (Wadena, Minn./Wadena-Deer Creek HS) picked up two victories over the weekend and has climbed into the top ten in the league in goaltender winning percentage. Johnson has recorded four of the team’s six conference wins this season.
 

Women’s Swimming and Diving Recent Results: 7th Place at MIAC Championship Meet - Complete Results Upcoming Events: End of Season

Men’s Tennis
Recent Results: St. Olaf 5 at Concordia 4 - Box Score/Recap; Concordia 2 at Carleton 7 - Box Score/Recap
Upcoming Events: at St. Mary's on Saturday, March 13 at 3:00pm.

Latest News and Notes:
- Paul Tuchscherer (Fr., Baxter, Minn., Brainerd HS) had a successful birthday celebration on Saturday. Despite the team losing a nailbiting 5-4 decison to St. Olaf, Tuchscherer won both his singles and doubles matches to give the Cobbers two team points. Playing in the number five singles spot, Tuchscherer beat St. Olaf's Chase Donaldson 6-2, 6-2. He then teamed with Ryan Smith (Fr., Grand Forks, N.Dak./Red River) to win the number two doubles match 9-8 (7-2).

- Concordia number one singles player Jake Thomas (Jr., Indian Hills, Colo./Conifer HS) provided the highlights for the Concordia men's team in their 7-2 loss at Carleton. Thomas won his singles match and teamed with Jordy Kamerling (Almere, The Netherlands, Moorhead HS) to win his double match. Thomas beat Carleton's Nick Quintas 6-4, 7-5. Thomas and Kamerling then downed the number one doubles team of Carleton 8-6.
 

Women’s Tennis Recent Results: St. Olaf 9 at Concordia 0 - Box Score/Recap; Concordia 0 at Carleton 9 - Box Score/Recap Upcoming Events: at UND Invite on Saturday, February 28 at 9:00am; at home vs. Macalester on Sunday, February 29 at 11:00pm  Latest News and Notes: - The Cobber women's team suffered through a lost Northfield weekend. On Saturday, Concordia was blanked 9-0 by St. Olaf at home, and then on Sunday, the Cobbers traveled to Carleton where they were beaten 9-0 by Carleton.  - Concordia will have two matches before having an extended layoff for spring break. The Cobbers will participate in the University of North Dakota Invitational on Saturday, February 28 beginning at 9:00am. They will then turn around and host Macalester on Sunday, February 29 at 11:00am.

Men’s Track and Field
Recent Results: at the Bison Classic at NDSU - Meet Results
Upcoming Events: at the St. Olaf Invite on Saturday, February 28 at 4:30pm

Latest News and Notes:
- Greg Moss (So., Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain HS), Ben Nylander  (Sr., Lisbon, N.Dak.) and Dan Bye (Fr., Mankato, Minn./Mankato Loyola HS) all posted top five finishes at the Bison Classic. Moss ran a 1:09.97 in the 500 meters to claim fifth place. That time is the fastest by any Concordia runner this season Nylander was the top Cobber finisher as he posted a 2:34.00 in the 1000 meters. That is the ninth fastest 1000 meter time in school history. Bye completed the trio of top five Concordia finishers by clocking a 9:43.47 in the 3000 meters.
 

Women’s Track and Field Recent Results: at the Bison Classic at NDSU - Meet Results Upcoming Events: at the St. Olaf Invite on Friday, February 27 at 4:30pm Latest News and Notes: - Concordia’s Renee Splichal (Sr., Garrison, N.Dak.) is the top-ranked pentathlete in the conference this season. Splichal recently competed in the Bison Classic at NDSU and competed in four different events. Of those four events, she set three personal records and recorded one of the top marks in school history of the other event. She recently became the first female athlete in school history to clear the 11-foot mark in the pole vault.  - Amy Ravenhorst (Fr., Hollandale, Minn./Albert Lea HS) has been one of the pleasant surprises for Marv Roeske's team this season. Ravenhorst finished fifth in the 500 meters at the Bison Classic in a time of 1:20.38. That time is the third fastest time in school history for that event. Before the Bison Classic, she was coming off the Cobber Invite where she finished third in the 600 meters in a time of 1:41.18, which is the sixth fastest time in school history in that event. Ravenhorst was also a member of the Cobber women's soccer team that finished fourth in the MIAC and made it to the MIAC playoffs for the first time in school history.

Wrestling
Recent Results: 11th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional - Meet Results
Upcoming Events: End of Season

Latest News and Notes:
- The Cobber wrestling team finished their season by placing 11th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. The Cobbers placed two wrestlers in the quarterfinals of their weight classes and had five wrestlers win matches at the event. Lee Rahrlien (So., Graceville, Minn./C-G-B HS) finished fourth in the 157-pound class. He won his first round match over Mike Kerr of Augustana before losing to eventual champion, and undefeated, Marcus LeVesseur of Augsburg. Rahrlien went on to wrestle in the third place match where he lost to Jacob Malone 8-2 in a hard fought match. Dain Kalkbrenner (Fr., Atwater, Minn./A-C-G HS) was the other Cobber wrestler to advance to the quarterfinals. Kalkbrenner, wrestling in the heavyweight division, pinned hist first round opponent and then lost a tight match to Tim Daly of the University of Chicago 9-3. Kalkbrenner went on to advance in the wrestlebacks and made it all the way to the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket.

- Rahrlien finished the season with the best overall mark for the Cobbers. He posted a 23-12 mark over the course of the season and helped Concordia to its most dual meet wins since the 1992-93 campaign. Kalkbrenner was close behind Rahrlien, as he finished with a 20-18 record.
 
 

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 - February 4 - February 11 - February 18   by Jim Cella February 18, 2004 "Backporch Conversations" One of the original ideas behind writing the different perspective column was to highlight people who are part of everyday life in the Concordia Athletic Department but never have the chance to be pushed into the spotlight. They are the fiber and fabric that make the Cobber Athletic Family such a unique, and satisfying, group of people. Without these "characters" the athletes, coaches and teams would never have the chance to be so successful and shine so brightly. I wanted to periodically bring their tales to life so people can truly understand what it means to live a life of sacrificing for others, and giving before taking. I hope I will be able to do their stories justice, and I hope you find them as fascinating as I do. They give the spirit and life to the Cobber sports teams. The first Cobber character spotlight is someone who has been around the Cobber Athletic Department for over 24 years. He has never blown a whistle, made a basket, gave a motivational speech or helped recruit, yet he is one of the greatest assets the department has. His voice is recognized by thousands of people and he gives life to all the Concordia football and basketball broadcasts. Larry Knutson has been working as the voice of the Cobbers since the late 1980's. He has the voice and ability to make any game seem like it is the final game of the world series, the national championship.  I want to preface this column by saying that I consider myself a radio play-by-play fanatic. I would rather listen to the game on radio, and let my imagination set the stage, than watch the game on TV and have all the commercials and egos spoil the action.  I once spent an afternoon in Los Angeles listening to a Dodger baseball game on the radio from outside a parking garage instead of touring with my family on vacation. I sat on the concrete with a sandwich from the corner deli and listened to Vin Scully sculpt a masterpiece of a game. I watched the sun set over the Los Angeles skyline and let the game unfold in front of me. He made me stop what I was doing and listen to the broadcast. It was as if I was sitting at his feet and he was telling a tale that was vital for me to hear. I sat spellbound for two hours as the parking attendant looked at me like I was just another vagrant.  I tend to do the same with Cobber basketball games. Instead of watching the game from inside the gym, I will sit in my office with the radio on and listen as Larry spins the actions into a story like a book that you just can't put down and never want to end. Some of my earliest memories of sports are from the radio, and listening to the Gophers, Vikings, Twins and North Stars all year round. I grew up in a household where my father was an armchair quarterback, and loved to watch the hometown teams. He would take us to home games whenever we had the chance but it was the moments spent listening to the games unfold on the radio that provided me with my greatest memories of sports. I remember listening to Herb Carneal call the great Twin games with Rod Carew, Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew. I spent many nights in my room hanging on every word that Al Shaver used to describe the goalscoring abilities of Bill Goldsworthy and the saves of Ceasar Maniago. Some of my fondest memories are of the fall, and doing chores around the outside of the house, as my Dad and I would listen to Ray Christensen call the Gopher football games. To this day, whenever I walk down a street lined with houses in the fall and people are outside raking leaves, I always remember those crisp days of back-breaking labor and Gopher football. There were even times when I could get the broadcasts of the Chicago Cubs and have the chance to listen to the immortal Jack Brickhouse.  All these great announcers had one thing in common. They had the uncanny ability to make you feel like you were sitting on the backporch with them and listening to them spin the tale of the game. They would make the game unfold like a conversation you would have with your family. You could sit and listen, or you could get up and wrap yourself in some other task, and they would still grasp your attention. I guess I admire this ability since I think listening to older people tell stories about tradition and the past are an integral part of our lives. I could sit and listen for hours to my grandfather tell stories about growing up in Chicago and all the things that the family did. I miss those days and yearn for anybody to be able to cast that same spell that all the great story tellers could.  That trip down memory lane was necessary to set the background for Cobber football and basketball broadcasts. They have the same quality as the Twins, North Stars, Cubs and Vikings. They have someone painting a picture so that the listener can put reality on hold for two hours and enjoy the achievements of the hardwood or gridiron. Larry Knutson has been calling Cobber games since 1987. In that time he has canvassed national championships, All-Americans and more importantly, the average players, the players who have one great game and then are forgotten. He has made every player and every game for Concordia sound as if you were watching it take place on a summer evening as the sun set and you were seated next to him on the backporch.  You can turn the Cobber games on and wash the dishes, rake the leaves and read. He becomes part of your family and gets worked into the fabric of your family life.  Larry Knutson is not intrusive or abrasive. He understands what makes a great announcer and has dignity with every broadcast. As announcers go, Dick Vitale and the current wave of ESPN shock play-by-play people are like the cold January wind that howls in your face after you walk outside. Larry is like a tall, cool glass of lemonade on a summer afternoon. It is refreshing, soothing and leaves you a better person after you are done. After listening to Larry illuminate the Cobber athletes, you come away with a better understanding of what goes into college athletics and know more about the athletes who are playing. After listening to most play-by-play people today, the only thing you come away with is a headache. Larry came to Concordia after spending time in Cloquet and as the voice of the University of Minnesota Morris football and basketball teams. He moved to Moorhead to work with 1280AM and broadcast the Moorhead State and Concordia football seasons. The station used a two-year rotation where they would broadcast Concordia games for two years and then MSU games for two years. After the second rotation, former Athletic Director Armin Pipho asked Larry if he would be interested in doing only the Cobber games. He has since done the play-by-play for the Cobber football games from the late 1980's until today. I have been at Concordia for 13 years now, and I can never remember Larry missing a game - not a bad track record. He gets to know each player personally and makes them feel that when he calls their name as if they are the Michael Jordan or Brett Favre of the team. One of the best things about his announcing style is that he lets the players and the game dictate the action. Nowadays everyone wants to listen to the announcer blow open one of his arteries every time the home team scores a point or a good play is made. Larry lets the listener imagine the excitement, he leads the audience to the peak moments and lets them unfold on their own. He makes his listeners see the game. He does not spoon feed the game like a parent does to a newborn; he sets the listeners at the banquet table and lets them choose their feast. It is an amazing gift that Larry possesses and will be greatly missed when he decides to retire. What makes this spotlight even better is that, as good of an announcer as Larry has become, he is an even nicer person. He has a great smile and an infectious laugh that draw people near. If you had the chance to listen to him talk, you would want to invite him to dinner and have him be part of the family.  If you have never listened to him, you owe it to yourself to tune in for just one game. The Cobber basketball teams play in the MIAC semifinals on Wednesday and Thursday nights at 7:30pm. You can listen to the games live on KVOX 1280AM in the Fargo-Moorhead area and worldwide over the internet at www.gocobbers.com/soundfb.html.  He will let you live the game and see each play take place. I guarantee you will be hooked into the game before the first 10 minutes are over. You will find an ease and curiosity at what is going to take place, and you will begin to sit closer to the radio and you will start to cheer as if you were sitting in the front row of Memorial Auditorium. It's a great feeling and one that will eventually fade when Larry moves on. Larry Knutson is one of the great people who make up Concordia athletics. He is a highly successful announcer (he also broadcasts all Moorhead High football, basketball and hockey games), a dedicated husband and a doting father and grandfather. The athletes at Concordia do not realize what an honor it is to have Larry call their games, and how lucky they are to have a person of his caring telling the whole area about their achievements.  In my book he will go down as one of the greatest announcers I have ever had the privilege to listen to. I never miss the chance to tune Larry in, and I count it as my good fortune to have a front row seat for every backporch conversation that he has during the fall and winter.

 
 

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