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Author: Dave Riggert

MWSU’s Bishop named MIAA Pitcher of the Year; 11 Griffons earn league honors

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Three members of Emporia State’s 2012 MIAA Softball Regular Season Championship team earned spots on the All-MIAA First Team to highlight the all-conference team announced Thursday by the league office. The selections were made by the league’s 11 head coaches, and coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

Pittsburg State shortstop Amanda “Mannie” DeCastro was named the MIAA Player of the Year after a season in which she held a .913 slugging percentage, tops in the conference, was second in the league with a .447 batting average, and led the MIAA in RBIs with 54. The senior from Carl Junction, Mo., was also an All-MIAA First Team selection.

Missouri Western sophomore Jackie Bishop is the MIAA Pitcher of the Year. The Kirksville, Mo., native led the MIAA with a 0.97 ERA, led the conference in wins with a 22-2 record, and was second in the league with 210 strikeouts. Bishop was the lone unanimous All-MIAA First Team selection.

Fort Hays State first baseman Adriana Wortley was voted the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year after ranking seventh in the conference with a .986 fielding percentage and finishing fourth in the league with 273 putouts. The senior from Tacoma, Wash., also earned a spot on the All-MIAA Second Team.

Emporia State designated player Stephanie Goodwin was honored as the MIAA Freshman of the Year after a season in which she led the MIAA with a .454 batting average, was second in the league with an .807 slugging percentage, and tied for third in the league with 43 runs scored. The Overland Park, Kan., product also earned All-MIAA First Team honors.

Emporia State head coach Julie LeMaire was selected as MIAA Coach of the Year after guiding the Hornets to a perfect 20-0 record in conference play and the eighth MIAA Softball Championship in school history. ESU is the first team in MIAA history to go undefeated in a complete round robin conference season. The Hornets set a league record with the 20 MIAA wins.

Fort Hays State, Missouri Western, Pittsburg State, and Washburn tied for the second-most first-team selections with two, followed by Truman with one.

2012 ALL-MIAA SOFTBALL TEAM

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Amanda DeCastro, Sr., SS, Pittsburg State

PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Jackie Bishop, So., Missouri Western

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Adriana Wortley, Sr., 1B, Fort Hays State

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Stephanie Goodwin, DP, Emporia State

COACH OF THE YEAR
Julie LeMaire, Emporia State

FIRST TEAM
P: Jackie Bishop, So., Missouri Western** [r1]
P: Maddie Holub, Jr., Fort Hays State
C: Amanda Self, Jr., Emporia State
1B: Tricia Vogel, So., Emporia State
2B: Taylor Nelson, Sr., Fort Hays State
SS: Amanda DeCastro, Sr., Pittsburg State
3B: Alex Zordel, Jr., Washburn
OF: Maegan Roemmich, Jr., Missouri Western
OF: Bridget Schade, Sr., Truman
OF: Kacy Covert, Sr., Washburn
DP: Stephanie Goodwin, Fr., Emporia State
UT: Cheslyn Mitchell, Fr., Pittsburg State

**Unanimous Selection
[r1] – Repeat first team selection from last season

SECOND TEAM
P: Karley Schmelzer, Jr., Emporia State
P: Kelsea Dorsey, Fr., Truman
C: Callie Wright, So., Fort Hays State
1B: Adriana Wortley, Sr., Fort Hays State
2B: Blair Stalder, Sr., Missouri Western
SS: Taylor Zordel, Fr., Emporia State
3B: Jessica Gragg, Fr., Emporia State
OF: Brenna George, So., Pittsburg State
OF: Jessica Brewer, Jr., Emporia State
OF: Breanna Volkmann, Sr., Missouri Southern
DP: Tiffany Brown, So., Pittsburg State
UT: Keri Lorbert, Jr., Missouri Western

HONORABLE MENTION
Central Missouri: Braylyn Bivens, So., SS; Katie Groves, Sr., 3B; Ashlea Bengtson, Jr., OF; Alex Groeger, So., OF; Jaydee Young, Sr., OF; Jakki Prater, Fr., UT.

Emporia State: Jennifer Heerey, Sr., P; Taylor Reichard, So., 2B; Andrea Piezuch, So., OF.

Fort Hays State: Chelsey Rottinghaus, Jr., 3B; Amanda Vaupel, Fr., OF.

Lincoln: Megan Braun, Sr., OF.

Missouri Southern: Lydia Niemegeers, Sr., C; Shelby Romines, So., 1B; Brianna Fulkerson, Sr., 2B.

Missouri Western: Annalee Rubio, Jr., P; Kat Steponovich, So., C; Leah Steele, Sr., 1B; Taylor Anding, So., SS; Sarah Elliott, Jr., 3B; Bre Fleschner, Fr., OF; Kendall Sorensen, Jr., OF.

Northwest Missouri: Jenna Creger, Jr., P; Hailee Hendricks, Jr., 2B; Kristen Uthe, Jr., 3B; Kayli Schurman, Jr., DP.

Pittsburg State: Hilary Erbert, Sr., P; Jessica Barnes, So., P; Kreslee Ketcham, Jr., C.

Southwest Baptist: Jessica Colliver, Fr., P; Kassy Williamson, Jr., UT.

Truman: Elizabeth Leath, Fr., C; Laura Miller, Jr., OF; Katie Pitts, Sr., OF; Kelsey Bollman, So., UT.

Washburn: Katie Schroeder, So., 2B.

— MIAA Release —

Chiefs select Memphis DT Dontari Poe with No. 11 pick

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The Kansas City Chiefs have filled one of their biggest needs with a massive gamble.

The Chiefs selected Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe with the No. 11 pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, taking a player whose raw athletic ability and impressive numbers from the scouting combine trumped his modest on-field production.

The 6-foot-4, 346-pound Poe pushed 44 reps with 225 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in an unofficial time of 4.98 seconds. But he was only second-team all-Conference USA after making 33 stops, eight tackles for loss and one sack, flying under the radar most of last season.

“My motivation is pretty much unlimited right now,” Poe said on a conference call. “I just want to get in and start proving that I’m ready to play at the next level.”

The selection was largely panned at a watch party for season ticket-holders at the Chiefs’ practice facility, where many fans booed the pick and others walked out in anger.

“I’m excited about the pick,” Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel told reporters. “You should be, too.”

The selection represents a departure from the norm for Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who earned a reputation in New England and with Kansas City for being risk-averse.

Pioli wound up gambling on the considerable upside of Poe rather than take defensive tackles Fletcher Cox of Mississippi State or Michael Brockers of LSU, who put up more impressive numbers playing in the SEC and were still available when Kansas City went on the clock.

Pioli said leading up to the draft that he valued on-field performance over the bubble of the scouting combine, but Crennel said the combine weighed heavily in the decision.

“He was on the radar before the combine. Our scouts do a tremendous job, and all the reports they had on the guy talked about how good he was as a player,” Crennel said. “Now, when we went to the combine and saw what he did, that perked our ears up even more.”

Poe is expected to slide into the middle of Kansas City’s 3-4 defense and take the place of Kelly Gregg, although Crennel was quick to say that Poe wouldn’t be given the starting job.

“He played every down at 350 pounds, and he played every position along the line in every game,” Crennel said. “He has athletic talent and athletic ability for a big man. The fact that he’s big and can move like that, that made us more interested, definitely.”

The Chiefs were miserable on offense last season, but part of that was due to injuries to quarterback Matt Cassel, running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Tony Moeaki. All of them are expected to be back this season, along with an influx of free-agent talent.

That left the Chiefs in the envious position of selecting just about anybody they thought would be an upgrade, and most figured they would try to find somebody who could stop the run, the biggest area of weakness on a defense that emerged as one of the league’s best.

That’s precisely what Pioli chose to address.

Amon Gordon and Anthony Toribio are the only other serviceable players on the roster at defensive tackle, though the Chiefs also spent a sixth-round pick on Jerrell Powe last season.

“You watch him on tape, he makes moves and gets to the pocket” Crennel said. “I think he will help our pass rush, particularly with guys coming off the edge.”

Kansas City has a spotty record when it comes to drafting defensive linemen.

Tyson Jackson was the third overall pick in 2009 and has yet to live up to expectations. Alex Magee went in the third round the same year, Tank Tyler was a third-round pick in 2007 and Junior Siavii was a second-round pick in 2004 — none of them played much in Kansas City.

Perhaps the biggest bust was 2002, when defensive tackle Ryan Sims was the No. 6 overall pick and Eddie Freeman was the Chiefs’ second-round choice. Both of them also flamed out.

Crennel is confident that Poe’s career will follow a different path.

“We felt like if we could get a nose out of the draft, that we liked, that would help improve the team,” Crennel said. “Poe is the guy we have, and that’s the guy we’re going to put in there, and we’re going to try our best to make him have a big impact.”

— Associated Press —

Royals beat Cleveland for second straight win

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The Kansas City Royals have a two-game winning streak for the first time since the opening week of the season.

“We can’t lose now,” left fielder Alex Gordon joked after Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Cleveland Indians. “It’s unbelievable.”

Kansas City’s 8-2 win a day earlier stopped a 12-game skid, tied for the third-longest in franchise history. The Royals (5-14) hadn’t strung together wins since beating the Los Angeles Angels on April 7-8.

“It feels good to get two out of three on the road,” Gordon said. “It’s a lot more fun winning than losing, especially 12 in a row. We’re enjoying it, but I think we came here today with the goal to win again.”

Luis Mendoza pitched into the sixth inning, and Kansas City’s bullpen made the lead stand up. Jeff Francoeur hit a go-ahead single in a three-run fifth for Kansas City.

Kansas City is tied for the worst record in the AL with Minnesota at 5-14. The cellar-dwellers meet in Minneapolis for a weekend series.

Manager Ned Yost hopes the Royals’ luck has changed.

“That’s why those streaks happen,” he said. “You can’t catch a break. You can’t find a hole. They’re making great plays. You’re not getting a call from an umpire. It’s always something. Don’t ask me what it is. Whatever it is, when it turns you get on the right side of it for a while.”

Cleveland, coming off a 7-2 trip, fell to 2-6 at home.

Mendoza (1-2) was pulled with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth, but the Indians scored only one run on Travis Hafner’s sacrifice fly. Relievers Tim Collins, Aaron Crow and Jonathan Broxton held Cleveland in check the last four innings. Broxton pitched the ninth for his second save.

Josh Tomlin (1-2) allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Broxton retired Jose Lopez to start the ninth, but Jason Kipnis singled. After Aaron Cunningham flied out, Michael Brantley walked on a 3-2 pitch and Asdrubal Cabrera flied out.

Kansas City broke a 1-all tie in the fifth with consecutive two-out hits by Francoeur, Mike Moustakas and Brayan Pena. Gordon had two hits and a walk and raised his average from .167 to .213 in two games. Billy Butler, who homered twice Wednesday, had two hits and was hit by a pitch.

“That’s what it takes, it takes some clutch hitting,” Butler said. “Those were the difference in the game for us.”

The fifth-inning rally started on one-out singles by Gordon and Butler. Eric Hosmer’s fly to deep right moved Gordon to third, and Francoeur’s broken-bat hit to left put the Royals ahead. Shelley Duncan attempted to make a diving catch, but came up short.

Moustakas followed with a grounder through the right side that scored Butler and finished Tomlin. Pena lined a single off Dan Wheeler to drive in the third run.

Cleveland outscored the Royals 32-19 in a three-game sweep at Kauffman Stadium earlier this month. Mendoza was the losing pitcher in a 13-7 defeat on April 15 in Kansas City. He allowed nine runs — five earned — and nine hits in four innings. This time he gave up two runs.

“He made some big pitches when he needed to,” Yost said. “He wasn’t in much trouble until the sixth inning. He did a good job.”

The game was delayed for several moments in the fifth when Kipnis got something in his right eye while batting. He initially stepped out of the batters’ box and then walked toward Cleveland’s dugout where he was assisted by trainer Lonnie Soloff. Although Kipnis still seemed distracted, he drew a walk and singled in his last two at-bats.

“I have no idea what happened,” Kipnis said. “All of a sudden, it just felt like a ton of eyelashes got in there. Then I started scratching it, but I had pine tar on the glove, so that irritated it even more and it started getting swollen shut. I had to open my stance up, so my back eye could see because I couldn’t see much of anything out of my front one.”

Following the game Kipnis was wearing tape above his eye to keep the eyelid open.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western baseball series with SBU altered because of potential weather

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Due to potential rain in the forcast for Friday, April 27, the Griffons final home baseball series with the Southwest Baptist Bearcats has been ajusted. The games have been moved from Friday and Saturday to Saturday and Sunday.

The doubleheader on Saturday is scheduled for 2:00 pm with start time on Sunday set for 1:00 pm.

The Griffons will also honor its senior student-athletes this weekend as they will be playing the final home games of their career. Those players are Jared Bell, Andrew Pieper, Nik Jurado, Andy Stewart, Kyle Peterson, Matt Bergin, Tony Loeffler, Jack Bond and Jake Graham.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Griffon volleyball signs two more student-athletes for next season

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Missouri Western women’s volleyball coach Cory Frederick has announced the signing of two student athletes to the National Letter of Intent for the 2012 season. The Griffons welcome Meghan Penolio of San Diego, Calif. (Chillicothe, Mo.) And Melissa Cairns of Taurango, New Zealand to next fall’s squad. Penolio and Cairns join Holly Pollock of Bloomington, Ill., Jessie Thorup of Olathe, Kan. and Jordan Chohon of Columbus, Neb. to next year’s squad as they singed back in November.

Melissa Cairns a 5-9 outside hitter from Tauranga, New Zealand played her high school volleyball at Otumoetai College. She was named her team’s Most Outstanding Player and was her team’s captain for two seasons. She was also named to the New Zealand All-Tournament team twice. Her greatest sports moment was playing against Japan in the Youth Asian Championships. She plans on majoring in biology/wildlife conservation management.

“As we look to fill our opening at the outside hitter position, Melissa Cairns will be a top candidate to take on this role,” stated Coach Frederick. “She has extensive experience on the court both in her home of New Zealand as well as around the world in other tournaments. That experience will be a great benefit to her and hopefully will make her transition to the college game a quick one. She’s not only a great volleyball player, but a wonderful person whom we look forward to having in our program.”

Meghan Penolio a 5-9 outside hitter from San Diego, Calif. played her high school volleyball at Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach, Calif. She moved to Chillicothe, Mo. in January of 2012 and will graduate from Chillicothe High School. She was a four year letter winner, her team’s MVP and a team captain. She was also a First Team all-League performer as a senior and a Second Team all-League performer as a junior. She was her team’s best offensive player and led her league in kills. She was a Union Tribune Scholar Athlete recipient and will major in physical therapy at Western.

“Meghan Penolio will also come to Missouri Western to compete for the outside hitter position in 2012,” commented Coach Frederick. “She is a great all-around athlete with experience playing both here in the Midwest as well as in California where she lived for most of her career. I’ve had the opportunity to work with her older brother whom I coached at Park University in 2008. It’s great to have another Penolio to work with for the next 4 years. Megan is a joy to have on our roster and I look forward to having her with us in August.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

Six Bearcats earn All-MIAA men’s tennis honors

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Three singles players and two doubles duos from 2012 MIAA men’s tennis regular season and tournament champion Northwest Missouri State were named All-MIAA First Team to highlight the all-conference team released Wednesday by the league office.

The selections were made by the league’s five head coaches, and coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

Mario Jakovljevic, Guilherme Narducci and Jason Harris all earned first team accolades in men’s singles.

Rafael Bugiga and Narducci earned first team honors at No. 2 doubles while Calvin Patterson and Luis Altimires were named first teamers at No. 3 doubles.

Northwest head coach Mark Rosewell was selected as the MIAA Coach of the Year for the ninth time in men’s tennis after guiding the Bearcats to a perfect 4-0 league record (19-4 overall) and the conference regular season and tournament championships.

Southwest Baptist junior Domingos Carissimo is the unanimous choice for MIAA Player of the Year after a season in which he went 15-2 at No. 1 singles and 17-2 at No. 1 doubles. The Pohta Nova, Brazil, native was also an All-MIAA First Team selection at No. 1 singles as well as No. 1 doubles.

Southwest Baptist’s Kristof Kinal was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year. The Budapest, Hungary, product went 13-6 at No. 3 singles and 12-7 at No. 2 doubles. Kinal was also an All-MIAA First Team selection at No. 3 singles and was named All-MIAA Second Team at No. 2 doubles.

2012 ALL-MIAA MEN’S TENNIS TEAM

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Domingos Carissimo, Jr., Southwest Baptist

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Kristof Kinal, Southwest Baptist

COACH OF THE YEAR
Mark Rosewell, Northwest Missouri

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Eric McCollough, Sr., Truman

FIRST TEAM
1S: Domingos Carissimo, Jr., Southwest Baptist
2S: Mario Jakovljevic, Jr., Northwest Missouri**
3S: Kristof Kinal, Fr., Southwest Baptist
4S: Guilherme Narducci, Jr., Northwest Missouri**
5S: Daniel Cardona, So., Southwest Baptist** [r1]
6S: Jason Harris, Fr., Northwest Missouri**
1D: Domingos Carissimo (Jr.)/Jorge Margiotta (Sr.), Southwest Baptist [r1]
2D: Rafael Bugiga (Jr.)/Guilherme Narducci (Jr.), Northwest Missouri**
3D: Calvin Patterson (Sr.)/Luis Altimires (So.), Northwest Missouri**

**Unanimous Selection
[r1] – Repeat first team selection from last season

SECOND TEAM
1S: Calvin Patterson, Sr., Northwest Missouri
2S: Jorge Margiotta, Sr., Southwest Baptist
3S: Rafael Bugiga, Jr., Northwest Missouri
4S: Jorge Palacios, Sr., Southwest Baptist
5S: Luis Altimires, So., Northwest Missouri
6S: Chance Joost, So., Washburn
1D: Jose Ortega (So.)/Mario Jakovljevic (Jr.), Northwest Missouri
2D: Daniel Cardona (So.)/Kristof Kinal (Fr.), Southwest Baptist
3D: Jorge Palacios (Sr.)/Tyler Welch (Sr.), Southwest Baptist

HONORABLE MENTION
Emporia State: Mat Edwards, Jr., 2S/1D; Ethan Deckert, Sr., 4S; Matt Van Horn, Sr., 5S/2D; Andrew Davids, Fr., 1D; Mitch Kibbe, Jr., 2D.

Truman: Mike Merchant, So., 6S/3D; Adam King, So., 3D.

Washburn: Arkadiusz Kozaczuk, So., 1S/1D; Pascal Laucht, So., 2S/2D; Steven Fletcher, So., 3S/3D; Maciej Winiarz, Fr., 5S/1D; Bobby Florence, So., 2D; Dario Munoz, Fr., 3D.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western softball remains No. 4 in regional rankings

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The 21st ranked Griffon softball team remains steady in 4th place in this weeks South Central Regional Poll which was released Wednesday afternoon. The Griffons ended the regular season with a 38-9 overall record entering the MIAA Tournament as the #2 seed. They will take on the #7 seed Northwest Missouri State Bearcats at 6:00 pm on Thursday, April 26 in Overland Park, Kan. at the Blue Valley Recreation Complex. Western will take on #3 Fort Hays State or #6 Pittsburg State at 8:00 pm in round two of the tournament on Thursday evening.

The top eight teams earn a regional bid with the first and second seeds hosting four team regionals which will be played the first weekend in May. The #1 seed will host the #8, #4 and #5 seeds while the #2 seed will host the #7, #3 and the #6 seeds. The winners of each regional will take on each other in a best of three series the second weekend in May at the highest seed for a chance to go to the elite eight.

The Griffons have been to a regional five of the last seven season (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011) which includes being the #5 seed in 2011.

SOUTH CENTRAL
1     Angelo State         42-8     42-7
2     Central Oklahoma     38-5     38-5
3     Emporia State         33-9     32-9
4     Missouri Western State     38-9     36-9
5     Abilene Christian     29-15     28-15
6     Texas Woman’s         36-14     32-14
7     Southeastern Oklahoma     33-14     33-14
8     West Texas A&M         32-15     29-13
9     Tarleton State         28-19     28-19
10     St. Mary’s (Texas)     32-17     31-16

— MWSU Sports Information —

NWMSU’s Mannix, Hoffman named to All-MIAA first team

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A pair of Northwest Missouri State singles players highlight the women’s All-MIAA selections as Stephanie Mannix and Emily Hoffman earned first team accolades Wednesday announced by the league office.

Joining Mannix and Hoffman on the All-MIAA First Team was Kim Ho who teamed with Hoffman to earn first team honors at No. 3 doubles. Mannix was named first team at No. 5 singles while Hoffman was named first team at No. 6 singles.

Alexis Bartek earned a spot at No. 3 singles on the second team while Bartek and Camila Quesada were named second team at No. 1 doubles.

The Bearcats also had four players earn honorable mention accolades including Erika Leston, Leslee Feldhaus, Quesada and Ho.

Southwest Baptist freshman Fanni Varga was the unanimous selection for MIAA Player of the Year and was also voted MIAA Freshman of the Year after a season in which she went 21-1 in singles play (16-1 at No. 1 singles) and 21-3 at No. 1 doubles. The Budapest, Hungary, native was also an All-MIAA First Team selection at No. 1 singles and was a unanimous All-MIAA First Team pick at No. 1 doubles.

Southwest Baptist head coach John Bryant was voted MIAA Coach of the Year for the second time in women’s tennis after leading the Bearcats to an unblemished 7-0 conference record (22-2 overall) and the conference regular season and tournament championships.

Truman senior Ellen Russell was voted as the Sportsmanship Award winner.

2012 ALL-MIAA WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Fanni Varga, Fr., Southwest Baptist

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Fanni Varga, Southwest Baptist

COACH OF THE YEAR
John Bryant, Southwest Baptist

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Ellen Russell, Sr., Truman

FIRST TEAM
1S: Fanni Varga, Fr., Southwest Baptist
2S: Mehak Singh, So., Southwest Baptist** [r1]
3S: Adrienn Kovacs, Jr., Southwest Baptist**
4S: Andjela Panovski, So., Southwest Baptist
5S: Stephanie Mannix, Fr., Northwest Missouri
6S: Emily Hoffman, Jr., Northwest Missouri
6S: Alyssa Castillo, Sr., Washburn
1D: Mehak Singh (So.)/Fanni Varga (Fr.), Southwest Baptist**
2D: Morgan Rainey (Sr.)/Whitley Zitsch (Sr.), Washburn
3D: Kim Ho (So.)/Emily Hoffman (Jr.), Northwest Missouri

**Unanimous Selection
[r1] – Repeat first team selection from last season

[Note: Tie in voting created an additional spot at No. 6 singles]

SECOND TEAM
1S: Nicole Jara, So., Emporia State
2S: Brittney Ricci, Fr., Fort Hays State
3S: Alexis Bartek, So., Northwest Missouri
4S: Jamie Blackim, Sr., Washburn
5S: Faiga Schmidt, Jr., Southwest Baptist
6S: Abby Morris, So., Emporia State
1D: Alexis Bartek (So.)/Camila Quesada (So.), Northwest Missouri
2D: Adrienn Kovacs (Jr.)/Faiga Schmidt (Jr.), Southwest Baptist
3D: Crystal Guiot (Sr.)/Andjela Panovski (So.), Southwest Baptist

HONORABLE MENTION
Emporia State: Alex Crowe, Jr., 4S/2D; Somer Schmidt, So., 6S; Nicole Jara,So., 1D; Taylor Smith, Fr., 1D; Jennifer Gerhardt, Fr., 2D.

Fort Hays State: Caitlyn Wark, Fr., 3S; Camille Caron-Bedard, Fr., 2D; Laura Johnson, Jr., 2D.

Northwest Missouri: Camila Quesada, So., 1S; Erika Leston, Sr., 2S/2D; Kim Ho, So., 4S; Leslee Feldhaus, So., 2D.

Southwest Baptist: Crystal Guiot, Sr., 6S.

Truman: Maggi Schutte, Jr., 4S.

Washburn: Sophie O’Neill, So., 2S/3D; Whitley Zitsch, Sr., 3S; Casyn Buchman, Fr., 5S/3D.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

MWSU’s Bird named to All-MIAA women’s golf team

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Missouri Western junior women’s golfer Natalie Bird from Carl Junction, Mo. has been named to the 2012 All-MIAA Women’s Golf team which was announced Wednesday afternoon. This marks the second consecutive season that Bird has been named to the squad.

This past season Bird finished in the top 10 in eight of the Griffons 11 events which included two second place finishes and two third place finishes. Bird played 22 rounds with a scoring average of 83 and a low round of 76.

Bird also helped her team to nine top ten finishes which included two first place finishes and five second place finishes.

2012 All-MIAA Women’s Golf Team
Player of the Year: Cassie Lowell, So., Northwest Missouri** [r1]
StephCharteris, Fr., Northwest Missouri**
Jordan Nixon, Sr., Fort Hays State
Natalie Bird, Jr., Missouri Western [r1]
Payton Schooler, Fr., Lincoln

**Unanimous Selection
[r1] – Repeat selection from last season

— MWSU Sports Information —

Mizzou basketball promotes Tim Fuller to associate head coach

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Tim Fuller has been promoted to associate head coach for the University of Missouri men’s basketball program, as announced today by Head Coach Frank Haith.  Fuller earned the promotion after being an integral part of one of the most successful seasons in Mizzou Basketball history, as the Tigers amassed a 30-5 record in 2011-12, and earned a number two seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big 12 Tournament championship.

Fuller, a native of Woodbridge, Va., and a Wake Forest alumnus, was one of Haith’s first hires at Mizzou after taking over as the 17th head coach in Tiger Basketball history.  Haith said that elevating Fuller to associate head coach was a natural fit for the program.

“Tim was such a vital part of our success this past year, he absolutely impacted all facets of our program in a positive way,” said Haith.  “He’s a terrific recruiter – I think that’s been proven in his short time here – and he’s an outstanding coach and more importantly he’s the kind of man you want developing and shaping young men.  The work he did with our guys on the court this past season with their skill development, as well as his scouting and game prep work was top-notch.  We want to be able to keep him here a long time,” he said.

Fuller, who was the lead recruiter for incoming Tigers Stefan Jankovic, Negus Webster-Chan and Alex Oriakhi, as well as transfers Earnest Ross, Keion Bell and Jabari Brown, is appreciative of the chance to further entrench himself at Mizzou.

“I am very grateful to Coach Haith and to our Athletic Director Mike Alden for their faith in me and what I can bring to the program,” Fuller said.  “I genuinely love the opportunity to be here at Mizzou.  This is a special place filled with passionate basketball people.  I am thankful to work with a great support staff and elite student-athletes who are outstanding citizens in the community, diligent workers in the classroom, and competitive warriors on the hardwood.   I look forward to bringing in high-level talent and working hard with our great staff to compete for championships and achieve new levels of success,” he said.

— MU Sports Information —

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