Scheels Cobber Athletes Of The Week

MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/10/15)—Concordia athletes on the opposite ends of their senior season earned this week’s Scheel’s Cobber Athletes of the Week.

Senior football wide receiver Brandon Zylstra (Spicer, Minn.) capped his final year with a career performance while senior women’s hockey forward Anna Westmark (Appleton, Wis.) started her final campaign with a breakout weekend.

Scheels is pleased to congratulate the Cobber Athletes of the Week award winners. Each week the Concordia sports information department will choose a deserving Cobber male and female athlete of the week.

Scheels has been a longtime supporter of Concordia athletics and is excited to continue their showcasing of the great passion that Cobber athletes bring to the game. Like Cobber athletes, Scheels has a long tradition of quality commitment to athletics. The first Scheels store was opened in 1902 and throughout the years the company has backed local athletic programs. Today, Scheels is a 25-store operation with stores in 10 states and was recently voted the best sporting goods store by Sports Illustrated Kids magazine.

Zylstra had a career-high 297 all-purpose yards in the Cobbers’ season-ending loss at Gustavus. Zylstra also had a season-high two touchdown receptions. Against the Gusties, Zylstra hauled in 10 passes for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also had four rushes for 54 yards and 129 return yards on kickoffs. His 297 all-purpose yards was 61 yards better than his previous best which came against the Gusties in 2013. Zylstra had 660 all-purpose yards in his three games against Gustavus during his career.

The senior wideout finished his senior season atop the MIAC list for kickoff yards and yards per kickoff return. He was also seventh in Division III in kickoff return yardage. Zylstra finished in the top 5 of the MIAC in four different statistical categories. He was second in the league in yards per catch and scored at least one TD in six of the team’s 10 games.

Westmark had a solid two-game performance against No.11-ranked Wis.-Stevens Point after missing all of last season with a lower leg injury. Westmark had two goals and an assist against the nationally-ranked Pointers and also earned MIAC Player of the Week honors.

Westmak made her biggest impact of the weekend against Stevens Point in the waning seconds of the game on Saturday. Trailing 4-3, the Cobbers pulled their goalie to try and even the score and Westmark obliged by knocking the puck into the net as time expired and the horn sounded to end regulation.

Concordia would eventually lose on a power play goal in overtime but it was Westmark's dramatic tally that helped give the Cobbers their eighth goal of the weekend against the Pointers.

Westmark had two goals and an assist in the two opening games of the season. Westmark and the Cobbers found the back of the net eight times in the two games. Concordia didn't score eight goals until the seventh game of last season.

In addition to her two goals on Saturday, Westmark also had an assist on CC's third goal on Friday night. Westmark also had eight shots on goal for the weekend which was the second highest total on the team.