MOORHEAD. — By Feb. 9, Concordia College saw history rewritten as three athletes etched their names into the record books with standout performances in their respective sports. Kyla Nygaard, Carlee Sieben and Brady Gross each broke longstanding school records, marking a major achievement for the Cobber athletic program.
Sprinter Kyla Nygaard set a school record in the 300-meter dash with a time of 41.06 seconds, adding to her already impressive six career records.
“Breaking the school record feels like an accomplishment and a reward for all my hard work and determination,” Nygaard said. “It makes me appreciate my teammates and coaches even more for their dedication to making me better at this sport.”
Nygaard also holds records in the indoor and outdoor 4×200-meter relay, 4×100-meter relay and the 600-meter run. She emphasized her process of improvement in pursuit of records.
“Records are definitely a goal, as I know the athletes who set them before me worked extremely hard,” she said. “I create steps each time I get closer to reaching the record, knowing that if I train harder, I will perform better.”
On the basketball court, Carlee Sieben made history by breaking Concordia’s all-time record for three-pointers made.
“It felt really good,” Sieben said. “It made me feel proud of all the hard work throughout my years paying off. I couldn’t have gotten the record without my teammates and coaches.”
Sieben’s sharpshooting was evident long before her time at Concordia. She previously set records for total points and three-pointers at Grafton High School, where she scored more than 2,000 points.
“I didn’t really know about the record until Cobber SID wrote an article saying I was getting close to it,” Sieben said. “It felt really good to get the record, though.”
On the track, Brady Gross broke the school record in the mile with a time of 4 minutes, 12 seconds. He initially thought he had missed the mark but later learned otherwise after speaking with his coach.
“I originally thought I had missed it by a second because Munir’s record was listed as a 4:11,” Gross said. “But with the conversion from a 300-meter track to a 200-meter track, it adjusted to a 4:14.”
For Gross, the accomplishment was a testament to perseverance and teamwork.
“It feels good. My coaches and teammates have really been there for me to help me succeed,” he said. “I wanted to get the record by the end of the track season. It took hard work and some good people working by my side.”
With these record-breaking performances, Nygaard, Sieben and Gross have left their mark on Concordia athletics while setting the bar higher for future generations of Cobber athletes.
