Concordia to Host 2005 MIAC Indoor Championship Meet Concordia will host the 2005 MIAC Indoor Championship Meet. The competition will take place on March 3, 4, 5. The meet will be held in the Olson Forum, which is attached to Memorial Auditorium and located to the east of the Cobber basketball arena. It will be the second track and field championship meet that Concordia has hosted in the past three years. The 2003 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship Meet was held on the Irv Christenson Track.  Cobber Sports Picture of the Week: Welcome to the newest feature in the weekly sports update. This section will be reserved for the one picture that best represents a memorable moment, humorous situation or milestone recorded by a Cobber athlete in the previous week. Picture of the Week - February  16-22 This week's POW was taken at the women's hockey game on Friday, February 18, against St. Olaf. The picture on the left is how it appeared on the website. It is a fairly good picture of one of the Cobber players looking directly into the camera with a surprised look on her face. What the viewer never saw was that the puck was cropped out of the picture. In the shot (on the right with the puck whirring by in the upper left corner), the Cobber defenseman tries to fire the puck off the glass and out of the zone. Unfortunately, she fired the puck a little high and missed the cameraman by inches. For what it is worth - I could feel the whizz of the puck as it scraped by my ear. The only reason I kept shooting is because I was like a "deer in headlights" and froze with my finger on the shutter.  (Click on the pictures to see a larger image)

Latest News and Notes:
- Concordia enters the MIAC postseason with a 4-4 record in the history of the conference tournament. The only time the Cobbers won the league playoffs was back in 1996 when they beat Carleton 83-71 in the semifinals, and then downed Gustavus 47-43 in St. Peter in the championship game. Concordia ended up playing the Gusties in the first round of the NCAA playoffs that season. They lost the rematch five days later 72-61.

- The Concordia men’s basketball team continues to be at the top of the nation in field goal and 3-point shooting percentage. The Cobbers lead NCAA Division III in 3-point field goal percentage. They are shooting 44.6% from behind the arc in games played before February 13. They are second in field goal percentage with a 52.9% mark.

- Cobber junior Keith Eckhoff (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson HS) finished the MIAC regular season third in the league in overall scoring. He averaged 20.1 points per game in the team’s 20 conference games. He also finished second in free throw percentage (84.1%), fourth in 3-point percentage (47.0%), tied for fifth in assists (3.90 assists per game) and sixth in 3-point field goals per game (2.35). He currently leads the nation in 3-point field goal percentage in overall games. Through the team’s first 23 games, he was connecting on 50.4% of his shots from 3-point land.

- Jason Miller (Jr., Moorhead, Minn.) finished the season by leading the MIAC in field goal percentage. He finished the regular season by hitting on 67.2% of his shots from the field. Last year Miller finished second in the MIAC in field goal percentage by knocking down 60.9% of his field goal attempts.
 

Women's Basketball Record: 17-3 MIAC (2nd), 19-4 Recent Results: St. Thomas 66 at Concordia 76 - Recap; Concordia 93 at Hamline 62 - Recap Upcoming Events: hosts St. Ben's on Wednesday, February 23 at 7:30pm (Listen Live) - MIAC Semifinals; at TBA on Saturday, February 26 at 3:00pm - MIAC Finals (Listen Live) Latest News and Notes: - The Concordia women’s basketball team has won 15 straight games. That streak is the longest in program history since the national championship team of 1987-88 also won 15 straight. It is the fifth longest streak in program history. The 15 straight wins is currently the seventh longest streak in NCAA Division III.  - Concordia is playing in their second consecutive MIAC postseason tournament and third in the four-year history of the conference playoffs. The Cobbers have posted a 3-3 record in their three trips to the tournament. Concordia has been never been an odd seed in the tournament. The Cobbers have been the #4 seed twice, the #6 seed once and this year they are the #2 seed. - Concordia finished the regular season by leading the conference in scoring in conference games. The Cobbers averaged 74.9 points per game in their 20 league games. That is the highest total in program history since the 1998-99 season when they averaged 76.5 points per game in the conference.  The Cobbers also lead the league in free throw percentage (72.9%) and turnover margin (+2.70). They are second in the MIAC in field goal percentage (43.8%), 3-point field goal percentage (37.2%), rebound defense (34.2), assists (15.95 assists per game) and steals (11.10 spg).  - Concordia senior Jamie Visness (Hallock, Minn./Kittson Central HS) is currently shooting 85.0% (34-of-40) from the free throw line this season. That mark would lead the MIAC but she does not have enough made free throws to qualify in the category. To qualify, a player must have two made free throws for every game the team has played. She would have needed to make 46 free throws to be eligible. That theme will also disqualify her for career free throw percentage as far as the NCAA record is concerned. Players qualifying for the national record need to have made at least 250 free throws in their career. The current record holder is Megan Woodruff of Wilmington (Ohio). She finished her career with an 85.3% rate from the foul line. Currently, Visness has a career mark of 89.6% but has only made 146 foul shots.  - Entering the postseason, senior guard Mandy Pearson (Watkins, Minn./Eden-Valley-Watkins, Minn.) has scored 1,321 career points and has added 632 assists. Those totals place her among the Cobber elite in the history of the program. She is currently fifth on the all-time scoring list and third in assists.

Men’s Hockey
Record: 3-11-0 MIAC (8th), 4-18-1
Recent Results: Concordia 5 at Bethel 6 - Recap; Concordia 4 at Bethel 7 - Recap
Upcoming Events: at St. Thomas on Friday, February 25 at 7:00pm; at St. Thomas on Saturday, February 26 at 2:00pm

Latest News and Notes:
- Concordia scored nine goals in their two-game series at Bethel last weekend. That ties the high water mark for goals in a series in the MIAC season for the Cobbers. They also scored nine goals in their series split with Augsburg in December.

- The Concordia men’s hockey team finishes their 2004-05 season by playing a two-game series at St. Thomas. The Cobbers own a 4-3-1 record against the Tommies in their last eight games played at St. Thomas.

- Nate Ronning (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.) became the first Concordia player to break the 20-point barrier in two seasons when he netted a goal and an assist against Bethel. Ronning now has seven goals and 13 assists on the year.
 

Women’s Hockey Record: 3-12-1 MIAC (T8th), 4-17-1 Recent Results: St. Olaf 3 at Concordia 1 - Recap; St. Olaf 5 at Concordia 3 - Recap Upcoming Events: at St. Mary's on Friday, February 25 at 7:05pm (Listen Live); at St. Mary's on Saturday, February 26 at 2:05pm (Listen Live)  Latest News and Notes: - The Concordia women’s hockey team will finish their season by playing a pair of games at St. Mary’s. The Cobbers have lost three straight and are winless in their last seven games.  - Lindsay Czarnecki (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly HS) leads Concordia in scoring with nine goals and eight assists. Entering her last series of her career, she has scored 35 goals and added 27 assists for 62 points.

Women’s Swimming and Diving
Recent Results: 6th at the MIAC Championship Meet at the U of M - Recaps - Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3
Upcoming Events: NCAA Division III National Meet on March 10-12 in Holland, Mich.

Latest News and Notes:
- The Concordia diving crew made MIAC history last weekend when they swept all three spots in the 1-meter diving competition. The Cobbers also had the top two divers in the 3-meter competition. Emily Hall (Sr., Minot, N.D.) won the 1-meter event and finished second in the 3-meter. Her toal of 252.80 in the finals of the 1-meter set a new school record. Annie Cullen (Jr., Moorhead, Minn.) finished second in the 1-meter and won the 3-meter. Freshman Bridget Bossert (Minot, N.D.) finished third in the 1-meter and sixth in the high board.

The trio scored 103 of the team’s 239 points in the meet.

- Freshman Cami Hendrickson (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln) broke two school records at the MIAC Championship Meet. Hendrickson swam a 25.63 in the 50-yard freestyle to eclipse her own mark, which was set earlier in the year. She completed her school record, daily double by breaking the mark in the 100-yard freestyle. She posted a time of 55.39, which beat the record of 56.31 set last year by Angela Renner.

- Concordia had two relay teams break school records during the championship meet. The 800-yard freestyle relay team of Katie Lee (So., South St. Paul, Minn.), Hendrickson, Shannon Brown (Jr., Missoula, Mont.) and Megan Johnson (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.)shattered the old school record by over three seconds. They swam an 8:14.42 and finished fifth in the event. The other record-setter was the 400-yard freestyle team. The same four swimmers that broke the school record in the 800-yard freestyle relay combined to shatter the 400-yard relay mark by almost three seconds. Competing in the final event of the meet, Concordia's quartet swam a 3:46.47 and finished sixth.
 

Men's Tennis Recent Results: No Recent Results Upcoming Events: Spring Trip to Orlando, Fla.  Latest News and Notes: - For the first time in recent history Concordia will head east instead of southwest for their annual spring break training period. Instead of training in their usual stomping ground of Arizona, the Cobbers will head to Orlando, Fla. to practice and play several matches.

Women's Tennis
Recent Results: No Recent Results
Upcoming Events: at UND Invitational on February 26 at 3:00pm

Latest News and Notes:
- No Recent Results
 

Men's Track and Field Recent Results: at Bison Classic - Recap Upcoming Events: at the St. Olaf Invite on Friday, February 25 at Invite  Latest News and Notes: - The Concordia men’s and women’s track teams will host the 2005 MIAC Indoor Championship Meet on March 3-5. It will be the second time in the past three seasons that the Cobbers have hosted an MIAC Championship Track and Field event. Concordia also hosted the 2003 MIAC Outdoor Championship Meet. - Concordia senior Ben Nylander (Lisbon, N.D.) continues to set a breath-taking pace in his senior year of competition. In the Cobbers' meet at North Dakota State University, Nylander ran a 4:23.21 in the mile run and finished third in the event. His time is a season-best and he joins teammate Nick Myran (Sr., Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) in the top nine in the conference in that event. Nylander also finished third in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:31.90. That time ranks him third in the MIAC. Last year, Nylander won the 1,000 meters at the MIAC meet with a time of 2:33.96. Nylander is also ranked in the top 10 in the 3,000 meters this season.

Women's Track and Field
Recent Results: at Bison Classic - Recap
Upcoming Events: at the St. Olaf Invite on Friday, February 25 at 4:30pm

Latest News and Notes:
- Concordia will be looking to capture their second consecutive MIAC Track and Field Championship when they host the conference meet at the beginning of March. The Cobbers won the 2004 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship by outrunning perennial champion St. Thomas 119.7-115.0. No team other than Concordia or St. Thomas has ever won the indoor conference title since the league initiated indoor track and field in 1985. The Cobbers have captured the title in 1988, 1998 and 1999, and the Tommies have won the other 17 titles.

- Natalie Hanson (Jr., Rogers, Minn./Elk River HS) continues to improve in her unique tandem of events in the indoor season. At the Bison Classic on Friday, Hanson ran a 5:10.35 in the mile run and won the event by over two seconds. Her time is a modern-day school best and is currently the second fastest time run in the MIAC this season in the event. After running a career race in the mile, she then vaulted 10-2 3/4 in the pole vault. That is also a personal best for Hanson and is the third best height in the MIAC this season.  Hanson also owns the fifth best times in the 600 meters and 800 meters in the conference this season.

- Concordia senior Jen St. John (Billings, Mont.) has come out of nowhere to become one of the top distance/middle distance runners in the conference. Last year she did not finish in the top eight in any event at the conference meet. This season she owns the second best time in the 1,000 meters (3:05.33) and the best time in the 1500 meters (5:00.09) – although the 1,500 meters is not a race that will be contested at the conference meet. She has also posted the third best time in the 3,000 meters.
 

Wrestling Recent Results: at the Great Lakes NCAA Region Meet - Recap Upcoming Events:  End of Season Latest News and Notes: - The Cobber wrestling team took seven wrestlers to the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional held at Augsburg last weekend. Concordia did not have anyone receive an invitation to the national meet but had a pair of athletes come very close and had several others turn in quality performances. The Cobbers finished the 2004-05 season with a 4-3 record in dual meets.  - Dennis Kline (Sr. Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) came the closest out of any Cobber to earning a trip to the national meet. He finished third in the very competitive 197-lb division. He posted a 4-2 record at the regional but did not receive a wild card bid from the selection committee. The champion from each weight class received an automatic bid into nationals. After that, there were 11 wild-card qualifiers. The national selection committee chose the second-place wrestler from every weight class except 125 and 133. Along with the eight runner-ups, three other wrestlers were selected to represent the region. Kline was hoping to be one of the three, third-place finishers who were chosen for nationals. Unfortunately, the committee chose wrestlers from 157, 165 and 184 to fill out the national delegation.  Kline finished the season with a 21-6 record. That win total was second on the team. - Lee Rahrlien (Jr., Graceville, Minn./C-G-B HS) finished the year with the best record of any Cobber wrestler. He entered the regional with a 26-8 mark and then went 3-2 in the 157 weight class at the regional. His 29 wins in a season are the most posted by any Cobber since Steve Larsen recorded 30 wins in the 1991-92 season. Rahrlien's bid for a shot in the national tournament was sidelined by an injury that caused him to default in his final match of the regional.

 
 

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