Smooth Landing

A couple springs ago, Marv Roeske got a phone call from a parent, alerting the Cobbers track coach that his kid planned to attend Concordia. The father explained that his daughter had some talent and upside, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a college athlete. “Occasionally, you get a referral from somebody, rarely a parent, and many times they don’t amount to much,” Roeske said. This time the tip proved solid. Hilary Thompson – now a Concordia sophomore – eventually decided to go out for track. This spring, Thompson has blossomed into one of the top jumpers in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Second Generation Players

Bucky Burgau sometimes catches himself mixing up the first names of three current players with three he coached decades ago. The longtime Cobbers baseball coach may call Erik, Kevin; or Michael, Danny; or Erik, Craig. Burgau coached Kevin Hiedeman, Dan Olson and Craig Simmons in the 1980s. Their three sons – Erik Hiedeman, Michael Olson and Erik Simmons – are playing for Burgau this spring.

Overcoming Adversity

Two years ago, Andrea Rognlien had a blood clot in her shoulder that led to having a rib removed. And that led to a collapsed lung. In hindsight, those events may have been the best things to happen to her tennis career. “I feel like I’m better than I was,” said the Concordia senior. “I don’t think I’d be playing at this level if that hadn’t have happened.”

Thrown Into A Record-Breaking Performance

When Kaari Jensen came to Concordia, she had never done the shot put. Initially, Jensen didn’t think the weighted sphere felt too heavy. Her first throws weren’t very impressive, Jensen remembers, estimating her earliest throws sailing around 20 feet. Now a junior, Jensen’s shot putting skill has evolved much like her success in the heptathlon. Jensen set a Concordia school record in the heptathlon last week with 4,829 points, winning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title.

Catching Dreams

Former Cobber Chris Coste reached baseball's pinnacle as a member of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies. And now he's bringing that unrivaled experience to the coaching staff at Concordia. The feature was produced by Midco Sports Net.

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