2026 Golden Cobbs Award Winners
The Concordia SAAC group hosted the 13th annual Golden Cobb Awards, which honored Cobber student-athletes, teams, coaches and administrators.
MOORHEAD, Minn. (4/14/26)--- The Concordia Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted the 13th annual Golden Cobbs award ceremony on Tuesday night in Olson Forum on the campus of Concordia.
The Golden Cobbs is a year-end celebration of all the tremendous accomplishments from the past year in Concordia athletics.
The awards ceremony was preceded by a free dinner, which was supplied by Buffalo Wild Wings, who is one of the sponsors for the ceremony.
The awards ceremony featured 17 different category winners. In addition to the awards voted on by fans, family and friends – achievements in academics by the Concordia student-athletes were also recognized.
| 2026 Golden Cobbs Pre/Post Show Pic Gallery | 2026 Golden Cobbs Award Winners Pic Gallery |
| 2026 Golden Cobbs Award Ceremony Complete Video |
This year's Bucky Burgau Impact Award was awarded to former Concordia Associate Athletic Director, and the driving force behind the Golden Cobbs for many years, Ben Schneweis. He was honored for his lasting impact on Concordia Athletics. Ben shaped the experience of countless student-athletes through his commitment to building a strong and supportive Cobber community.
Here is a complete list of the award winners from the 13th annual Golden Cobbs awards:
Team of the Year: Women's Basketball
Women’s basketball delivered one of the top seasons in program history, finishing with 23 wins, the most since 1990. The Cobbers also reached the MIAC Championship for the third time in four years. They were an at large bid for the NCAA DIII Women’s Basketball Tournament and were selected to host the first two rounds, the first time hosting an NCAA Regional since 1995. The Cobber’s advanced all the way to the NCAA Elite Eight.
Female Athlete of the Year: Maya Metcalf, Women's Basketball
Maya had a record-breaking season in which she was named to the NABC and D3hoops.com All-American Teams, earned NABC and D3hoops.com First Team All-Region honors and was named both the MIAC Offensive Player of the Year and MIAC Defensive Player of the Year. It was the first time in conference history that one player has won both awards. She led the team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks and earned four MIAC Athlete of the Week honors and two D3hoops.com Team of the Week selections and helped guide the team to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight for the first time since 1993.
Male Athlete of the Year: Cooper Folkestad, Men's Track & Field
Cooper Folkestad delivered a historic year, rewriting Concordia’s record book by breaking both shot put and discus school records previously held by 11-time All-American Aaron Banks since 1996. Folkestad set the school record in the shot put with a throw of 61-1.5 which broke the previous mark by over two feet and also broke the discus record with a throw of 172-5. He qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in both events and earned All-American honors in the shot put with a sixth-place finish.
Folkestad set a MIAC Championship record in the shot put with a throw of 60'10", breaking the previous mark by three feet and ranking second in NCAA Division III. He was named MIAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, earned All-Region honors, and qualified for the NCAA Championships. At nationals, he placed third to earn All-American honors, becoming the first Cobber in program history to achieve four indoor All-American performances.
Coach of the Year: Kim Wagers, Women's Basketball
Kim Wagers guided the Cobbers to their first Elite 8 appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1993. Concordia also claimed its first MIAC regular-season title since 2013. Wagers was named the MIAC Coach of the Year. She guided the Cobbers to four consecutive conference playoff appearances and has posted Top 3 league finishes in three of the past four seasons. Wagers has a 63-15 record in MIAC games in the past four years and a 79-39 mark in her seven seasons on the bench at Concordia.
Female Rookie of the Year: Lauren Pearson, Women's Track & FieldPearson delivered a historic performance at the 2026 MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, winning both the pentathlon and high jump—becoming the only female athlete at the meet to claim multiple event titles. In the pentathlon, she broke the 55-meter hurdles record with a time of 8.46, a performance that propelled her to a school-record total of 3,472 points. She finished as the Cobbers’ leading point scorer, playing a pivotal role in securing the program’s first indoor conference championship since 1999.
Her standout season earned her MIAC Rookie of the Year honors and a qualification to the NCAA National Meet, where she achieved Second-Team All-American status with a 14th-place finish. Pearson was also a member of the Cobbers’ 4x400-meter relay team that set both a school and all-time MIAC record. Pearson also started 11 matches for the Cobber volleyball team.
Male Rookie of the Year: Payton Schell, Men's Basketball
Payton Schell earned MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention after a standout freshman season, averaging 13.6 points per game in conference play while leading the MIAC in blocks. He totaled 370 points and 53 blocks on the year—both the most by a Cobber in at least 15 years—and set the program’s freshman single-game scoring record with 34 points at Macalester. He also knocked down 59 three-pointers, tying for 10th in single-season program history.
Upset of the Year: Women's Track & Field at the MIAC Indoor Meet
The Cobber women’s track & field team captured the 2026 MIAC Indoor Championship in one of the most impressive performances in program history, upsetting a St. Olaf squad that entered the meet as a 42-point favorite. Concordia relied on exceptional depth and consistency, scoring in 19 of 20 events to secure the team title. The Cobbers totaled three individual champions, 10 All-Conference performances, 11 All-Conference Honorable Mentions, and set three school records throughout the meet. The championship marked the program’s first indoor title since 1999
Female Performance of the Year: Lauren Pearson, Women's Indoor Track & Field
Pearson delivered a historic performance at the 2026 MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, winning both the pentathlon and high jump, becoming the only female athlete at the meet to claim multiple event titles. In the pentathlon, she broke the 55-meter hurdles record with a time of 8.46, a performance that propelled her to a school-record total of 3,472 points. She finished as the Cobbers’ leading point scorer, playing a pivotal role in securing the program’s first indoor conference championship since 1999. Her performance earned her MIAC Rookie of the Year Honors and her pentathlon score earned her a spot at the NCAA National Meet.
Male Performance of the Year: Cooper Folkestad, Men's Track & Field
At the 2026 MIAC Indoor Championships, Cooper Folkestad set a championship record in the shot put with a throw of 60'10", breaking the previous mark by three feet. His performance ranked second in Division III which qualified him for the national meet.
Female Golden Moment: Maya Metcalf, Women's Basketball
Maya Metcalf made history as the first player in MIAC history to be named both Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year in the same year. Metcalf averaged 17.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, shot 48.0% from the field and 86.6% from the free throw line in the 18 conference games for the Cobbers. She was in the Top 10 in the MIAC in all five statistical categories. She finished third in scoring, tied for fourth in rebounds, second in blocked shots, eighth in field goal percentage and fourth in success from the foul line.
Male Golden Moment: Cooper Folkestad, Men's Track & Field
Cooper Folkestad set a new Concordia school record in the shot put with a throw of 60-3.00 at the St. John’s Spring Invite, becoming the first Cobber to surpass 60 feet. His mark broke the previous record set in 1996 by 11-time All-American Aaron Banks, long considered one of the program’s untouchable marks, and ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division III, No. 3 in Division II, and Top 40 in Division I at the time.
Team Comeback of the Year: Women's Basketball vs. St. Mary's
Cobber Women’s Basketball delivered a remarkable comeback in the MIAC Semifinals, erasing a 21-point second-half deficit to defeat Saint Mary’s 71–62. Concordia outscored the Cardinals 50–25 in the second half to propel them to the MIAC Championship game. The win marked the program’s third championship appearance in four years and secured their 23rd victory of the season—the most since 1990.
Best Team Moment of the Year: Women's Basketball NCAA Playoff Win at Home vs. Ripon
Playing at home in Memorial Auditorium in front of one of the largest crowds of recent memory, Concordia used a dominant fourth quarter and clutch late-game execution to defeat Ripon 68–65 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and punch their ticket to the sweet sixteen. The Cobbers outscored the Red Hawks 27–22 in the final period and closed on an 8–3 run to punch their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1993. Concordia improved to 25–4 on the season, marking the program’s highest win total since its 1988 national championship run.
Super Cobb: Olivia Hanson, Women's Basketball
Olivia exemplifies the true meaning of a Super Cobb, presenting research on gender equity and identity, volunteering with youth programs, the YWCA, and Special Olympics. Olivia makes an impact on campus and beyond!
Small Team GPA: Women's Cross Country (3.71 Team GPA)
Large Team GPA: Women's Basketball (3.70 Team GPA)
Bucky Burgau Impact Award: Ben Schneweiss
Past Bucky Burgau Impact Award Winners
2014 - Bucky Burgau
2015 - Jim Forde
2016 - Dom Fraboni
2017 - Jim Cella
2018 - Larry Knutson
2019 - Dan Kostich, Dale Hertl, & John Marsh
2020 - Max Smith & Andrew Deters
2022 - Larry Papenfuss
2023 - Sam Beedy
2024 - Bob Nick
2025 - Kailey Thomas