2017-18 Stories of the Year (No. 2): Barker, Erdman land All-American honors
MEQUON, Wis. – The 2017-18 athletic year was another successful one for the Concordia Wisconsin Athletic Department. The Falcons won and contended for conference championships in many sports and put together an impressive list of great achievements. As in years past, the Department of Athletic Communications tries to sort through all the great moments and give you, the fans, top stories from the past year.
The list of stories was compiled by the Department of Athletic Communications and, like all lists, is subject to debate. The top stories will be revealed over the next three weeks, with a story being released on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The top story will be released on June 21.
Story No. 2
Barker, Erdman land All-American accolades
Braydon Barker and Kaily Erdman had seasons to remember during the 2017-18 school year. Each gained a major award from their respective conferences, Barker the NCHA Freshman of the Year and Erdman the NACC Player of the Year. Each was a First Team All-Conference selection and each was honored as an All-American.
Erdman, an AVCA All-Midwest Region selection, added to her impressive list of accolades with an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention selection. She helped lead the Falcons to a program-record 28 wins, including a perfect 11-0 mark in NACC play. CUW won a second-straight NACC Tournament as well and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
Erdman’s numbers certainly warranted the All-American honor as she smashed a team-best 277 kills and hit .204 for the season. She added 57 aces, 57 blocks, and 360 digs. For her career, Erdman finished high on the Falcons all-time list in several categories: second in aces, fourth in kills, sixth in block assists, and eighth in total blocks.
Barker, a freshman defenseman for the Falcons, wasted no time adjusting to the college game as he impressed from day one. He helped lead CUW to a program-record 16 wins, which included the Falcons hosting a home NCHA playoff series for the first time in school history.
Barker was a Second Team All-American selection in the West. He finished the year with 24 points, 18 of those coming on assists, a program record for the Falcons. Barker ended the year with an impressive +18 plus/minus rating.
He helped lead a blueline unit that played a big role in the Falcons allowing just 2.55 goals per contest. CUW gave up just 69 goals in 27 games and posted a shutout on three different occasions.
In addition to Barker and Erdman, the Falcons had several players earn All-Region honors during the 2017-18 season, and even more add All-Conference recognition. Barker and Erdman stood above the rest, however, and their All-American recognition is the No. 2 Story in Falcons Athletics for 2017-18.
2017-18 Stories of the Year
HM: Individual athletes honored as the best
No. 5: Men’s Soccer back to the top of the NACC
No. 4: Tennis programs continue NACC dominance
No. 3: Women win four fall championships, land another All-Sports Award
No. 2: Barker, Erdman land All-American accolades
No. 1: June 21
