MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head women’s basketball coach Buck Scheel has announced the signings of six student-athletes to the Bearcats’ 2017-18 roster. The six-member class includes Kylie Coleman (Waukee HS), Jaelyn Haggard (St. Joseph Central HS), Zoie Hayward (Leavenworth HS), Mallory McConkey (South Nodaway HS), Bailey Owens (North Mercer HS) and Tamia Stillman (St. Joseph Benton HS).
“My staff and I are very excited about this signing class and feel they will be a great addition to the foundation of this program,” said Scheel. “All of these young ladies have experienced a large amount of success throughout their high school careers and will have a tremendous impact on the program both on and off the court. Throughout each signees recruiting process they have already started to buy in to what it means to be a Bearcat and we look forward to them being a part of our future.”
Owens, a 5-10 guard, was the 2016 Wendy’s Heisman State winner and was an All-State performer in each of her first three years. She has earned all-district, all-Northwest District, All-HDC Conference and KAAN Radio All-Star honors all three seasons as well. In 2016, she earned St. Joseph News Press first team honors. In three years, she has scored 1,658 points and has hit 293 three pointers, second most in Missouri High School history and just 26 away from the record. She has hit a three pointer in 44 consecutive games and knocked down 123 three pointers last year, the second highest mark in history. Through her junior year, North Mercer has gone 82-4.
Coleman, a 5-9 guard, won an Iowa 5A state title in 2015 at Waukee High School. The sharpshooter hit 49 three pointers last year, connecting on 43.4 percent of her attempts. She also hit 88.9 percent of her free throw attempts. For her career, Coleman has knocked down 77 three pointers and was named All-CIC East honorable mention last year.
Haggard, a 5-7 guard, has been named all-city, all-district and all-conference each of the past three seasons at St. Joseph Central High School. She was named to the Liberty North All-Tournament team twice and also garnered North Kansas City Tournament MVP honors twice.
Hayward, a 5-8 guard helped lead Leavenworth High School to a pair of Kansas 5A titles and a runner-up finish last season. She’s played in every one of Leavenworth’s 75 games since her freshman year, starting 30 times. She was a Sunflower League honorable mention performer as a junior, averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game while hitting 35.71 percent of her long range attempts. The team has gone 67-8 during her prep career.
McConkey, a 5-8 guard, scored 1,000 points as a junior, earning KAAN and KKWK-KMRN Radio All-Star team honors. She was a unanimous Platte Valley All-Conference performer and earned first team all-district honors from the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. She was also named All-County by the Maryville Daily Forum and the Nodaway News Leader.
Stillman, a 5-11 forward, was a second team All-City performer for St. Joseph Benton High School. She was named to the All-Tournament teams at the State Farm Holiday Hoops Classic in Jefferson City and the Kearney Bulldog Classic last year. She earned all-district and all-conference honorable mention accolades as a junior.
Northwest Missouri State University softball coach Ryan Anderson has announced two additions to the Bearcats’ 2018 roster. Hunter Sherman joins Northwest from Bradley-Bourbannis Community High School in Bourbonnais, Ill., while Lynnlee Parrott has signed from Sherwood Cass-R-VIII High School in Garden City, Mo.
Sherman, a pitcher and a first baseman, recorded 25 wins and 287 strikeouts in the past two seasons. She had a sub-2.0 ERA both years, leading her team to a 2015 Southwest Suburban Conference Tournament title. She played for team USA twice, taking trips to the Dominican Republic and Holland. As a senior, she hit .333 with a pair of home runs, leading her team to a record 22 wins. Sherman was a member of the National Honor Society, was named to the Dean’s list and served as her class Vice President. She lettered four times in softball and volleyball.
“Hunter is a tall, strong pitcher that has a lot of upside,” said Anderson. “She visited and had a good workout for us last year and we hope that she is someone that can help us right away.”
Parrott was a four-time first team All-Crossroads Conference performer, earning first team All-State accolades as a junior and again as a senior. She set a multitude of offensive school records including single season hits (57), singles (49), doubles (15) and runs scored (42). She also holds the team’s career records in runs scored (123), single (125), doubles (27) and hits (160). She won back-to-back district titles and also won sectionals as a junior. Parrott earned four first team all-district and all-region honors as well.
“Lynnlee is one of those players that you love to have on your team,” Anderson said. “She isn’t going to be outworked and she just wants to compete. We are excited to get her here.”
— Northwest Athletics —