Sports
Leading by Example
The job description of a college head coach rarely includes coordinating emergency work. But Concordia's coaches mobilized large work crews of Cobber athletes who protected Fargo-Moorhead against a river.
Head football coach Terry Horan was just one coach who called a team meeting shortly after the first call for volunteers went out.
"I wanted to get our whole team together so we could maximize our effectiveness in the flood-fighting effort," Horan says. "I wanted to make sure all our players were aware of the seriousness of the situation and that we could help out those in need."
Team efforts made quick work of hard, physical labor like throwing sandbags. Coaches fielded phone calls from those in need and listened to players who knew of families in trouble. They also called a community volunteer hotline to get athletes to areas that needed help.
The flood interrupted the spring sports season but didn't keep spring student-athletes from volunteering.
The Cobber men's and women's track and field teams helped 12 team members whose families live on the Red River. Garrick Larson, head coach of men's track and field, sent out e-mails every day to let the teams know where to go next. "The day the crest was raised to 43 feet, we had athletes helping out until 2:30 in the morning – at a house where they had to wade into the river to make the sandbag dike higher," Larson says.
The Cobber fastpitch softball squad volunteered in Oakport Township, north of Moorhead, because of team ties. Daily practice was considered a break. "The players showed up in flood-fighting gear, changed into their practice uniforms, practiced for an hour and then put their flood clothes back on and headed right back to the neighborhoods," says head coach Megan Johnson.
Student-athletes say the reasons for helping were simple and worth the sore muscles.
"I'd want somebody to help me," says Ashley Grabowski '11, a women's basketball player from Farmington, Minn.
Still, Cobber coaches were amazed at how easy it was for them to encourage their players to volunteer.
"I always knew that the athletes at Concordia were special," says men's and women's head soccer coach Dan Weiler. "But after seeing what they went through to help out this spring, I feel special to be around them."
Story: Jim Cella / Photos: Sheldon Green
DeVries Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
Cornerback Levi DeVries'09, Bejou, Minn., is the seventh Cobber athlete in the past five years to earn the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship award. DeVries was the lone MIAC honoree and one of only 29 male student-athletes throughout NCAA Division I, II and III to earn the fall award.
DeVries also received ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American First Team honors and was a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, which recognizes combined academic, athletic and community achievements.
A physics and mathematics double major with a 3.97 grade point average, DeVries was a four-year starter for the Cobber football team. The three-time MIAC All-Academic honoree was inducted into the Sigma Pi Sigma honor society for physics and received the Randy Kurt Bartholomaus Scholarship. DeVries will attend graduate school in aerospace engineering at the University of Minnesota.
Basketball Coaches Reach Milestones
Men's head coach Rich Glasrecorded his 500th collegiate victory during his first season with the Cobbers and 29th overall. Glas is among the leaders in NCAA Division III for career wins. Women's head coach Jessica Rahman became only the third coach in program history to win 100 games as her team reached the NCAA tournament for the second time in four seasons.
MIAC Names Freudenberg MVP
Basketball guard Jenna Freudenberg '09, Parkers Prairie, Minn., was named the MIAC's Most Valuable Player, becoming the fifth player in school history to earn the league's top honor.
Freudenberg led the Cobbers in scoring and assists. She averaged 17 points and more than four assists in each of the team's 22 MIAC games. She finished third in the MIAC in scoring and third in assists. This season she joined the 1,000-point club and finished her career with 1,126 points.
She led the Cobbers to earn one of 20 at-large bids into the NCAA tournament and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team.
Wrestlers on a Roll
The resurgent wrestling program continues to make notable gains under the direction of head coach Clay Nagel. The Cobbers went 10-1 in dual meets to become only the second squad in school history to record double-digit victories. Season highlights included a thrilling 18-15 win over crosstown rival MSU Moorhead – the first victory over the Dragons in 20 years. Phenom Phil Moenkedick '11, Perham, Minn., won 35 straight matches before losing in the NCAA championship match. He is the first Concordia wrestler to compete for a national championship in 25 years.
Fraase Finds Fame
Men's basketball player John Fraase '11, Bismarck, N.D., enjoyed a breakout season to earn a spot on the MIAC All-Conference Team. Fraase set the school record for average rebounds in a season, becoming the first player in program history to average at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in a single season. He had a school record 15 double-doubles during the season.
Fraase's 31 points and 24 rebounds against St. Mary's Feb. 18 marked the first time in league history that a player scored at least 30 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in a single conference game. He led the league with 11.8 rebounds per game and his 15.3 points per game were fifth best in the conference.
Kay Earns Another All-American Award
Leah Kay '10, Dassel, Minn., earned her third All-American award at this year's NCAA Division III National Indoor Meet. Kay finished in a tie for eighth place at the meet to win her first indoor All-American honor. Last spring she earned All-American honors in both the heptathlon and high jump at the national outdoor meet. Kay was also named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Region Athlete of the Year.
