Scheels Cobber Athletes Of The Week

MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/03/15)—Derek Rachel and Kaya Baker had outstanding performances in MIAC defining competitions and are this week’s Scheels Cobber Athletes of the Week.

Scheels is pleased to congratulate the Cobber Athletes of the Week award. 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.

MEN’S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
DEREK RACHEL (Football ) – Sr., Maple Lake, Minn./Maple Lake HS
Derek Rachel had a career-high 14 tackles and recovered a fumble in Concordia’s game with No.6-ranked St. Thomas on Saturday.

Rachel was in the middle of the action all game long as he posted four solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles. He also came up with a huge turnover at the start of the third quarter. The Tommies drove the ball down to the Cobber 12-yard line. Defensive lineman Justice Davis knocked the ball loose on the very next play and Rachel was able to fall on the ball and thwart the UST scoring drive.

Rachel’s 14 total tackles are four more than his previous career best. He now has 52 total tackles for the season. He has 22 solo tackles and 30 assisted tackles. All three numbers are career highs.

WOMEN’S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
KAYA BAKER (Women’s Cross Country) – Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids HS
Kaya Baker earned her first-ever MIAC All-Conference award by finishing 15th at the MIAC Cross Country Championship Meet on Saturday. Baker earned the final All-Conference spot at the meet by running a 23:22.7 over the sloppy 6k course.

With only 15 athletes earning all-conference honors, Baker had to push hard down the stretch to get into the top 15. She wound up beating the 16th-place finisher by 3.2 seconds after catching her in the final 600 feet of the race.

Baker’s time was almost 33 seconds faster than her mark at the 2014 conference meet. Last year she placed 39th and was almost a full minute behind the 15th-place finisher.