We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Author: Dave Riggert

Griffons release women’s basketball schedule for 2011-2012

Posted on

Missouri Western State University head women’s basketball coach Lynn Plett has announced the Griffons’ 2011-12 women’s basketball schedule. The 26-game slate includes 12 home games, six games outside the MIAA, four games against 2011 NCAA tournament qualifiers and a match-up with an NCAA Division I opponent. Nearly all Saturday MIAA games will move to the afternoon this season with women’s games beginning at 1:30 p.m.

The Griffons will tip-off the season on Saturday, November 12 at home against Quincy University. The Lady Hawks were a 2011 NCAA Tournament qualifier, falling in the second round to Wisconsin-Parkside. The Griffons will spend the rest of the month on the road, making stops in Colorado and Kansas City before opening the MIAA season at Pittsburg State on November 30.

Western returns home for two conference match-ups at the MWSU Fieldhouse in the first week of December against Emporia State and Missouri Southern. Then it’s back on to the road for the Griffons at conference foes Fort Hays and Washburn. The Lady Blues represent the second of four 2011 NCAA Tournament qualifiers the Griffons will face. Western will close out December with a trip to Omaha, for what will now be a game against a Division I opponent.

The Griffons bring in the new year with three MIAA contests at home in seven days. Western will face 2011 MIAA Champion and national quarter finalist, Northwest Missouri State on January 4. Lincoln and Truman State will also make trips to St. Joseph that week. The Griffons will then head to Warrensburg and Bolivar for two road games in four days before returning home to face Pittsburg State for the second time. Western will wrap up January with a trip to Emporia State and finish the month with Washburn at home.

On February 1, Fort Hays State will be on campus, with Western then traveling to Missouri Southern that weekend. On the sixth, the Griffons will travel to Arkansas Tech. The Golden Suns have made the trip to St. Joseph for the last two NCAA Division II Elite Eight tournaments. Western will then head out on a three game road swing beginning at Northwest Missouri, then to Lincoln and wrapping up at Truman. Western will welcome Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist to the fieldhouse to close out the regular season.

Click here for the entire 2011-2012 schedule.

— MWSU Sports Information —

NU’s Martinez & Burkhead added to preseason watch lists

Posted on

Nebraska sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez picked up his second watch list recognition of the summer on Friday, as he was named to the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch List.

The O’Brien Award recognizes the nation’s top collegiate quarterback, and Martinez was a semifinalist for the award in 2010. He comes off a freshman campaign where he threw for 1,631 yards and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for 950 yards and 12 scores.

Martinez nearly became the third freshman quarterback in FBS history to rush and pass for 1,000 yards in a season. He finished the 2010 season with five 100-yard rushing games, including a NU quarterback record 241 yards against Kansas State. Martinez became the first Husker quarterback to rush for 100 yards and throw for 300 yards in a game at Oklahoma State, when he ran for 112 yards and completed 23-of-35 passes for 323 yards and five touchdowns in a win over the Cowboys.

Martinez is one of three returning semifinalists from Big Ten teams,  joining Michigan’s Denard Robinson and Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins, and is one of six Big Ten quarterbacks on the O’Brien Award watch list.

Also, Junior running back Rex Burkhead became the latest Husker to earn preseason recognition, as he was named to the Doak Walker Award watch Friday afternoon.

Burkhead comes off a sophomore season when he rushed for 951 yards and seven touchdowns, while also completing three touchdown passes out of the wildcat formation. Burkhead totaled three 100-yard games while splitting time with All-Big 12 performer Roy Helu Jr. in 2010. Burkhead rushed for a career-high 129 yards in a win at Iowa State. In addition to his running and passing exploits, Burkhead also hauled in 15 catches out of the backfield in 2010.

He is one of seven Big Ten running backs on the 51-member Doak Walker watch list, which is presented to the nation’s top running back.

— NU Sports Information —

Former Griffon Garnett tied for first at eGolf Tour event

Posted on

Former Missouri Western golfer Brice Garnett is tied for 1st after three rounds at the eGolf Tour’s seventh annual Southern Open, contested this week at The Club at Irish Creek (Kannapolis, NC) and River Run Country Club (Davidson, NC).

Adam Mitchell (Atlanta, GA), Clint Jensen (Jupiter, FL) and Brice Garnett (Gallatin, MO) are tied for the lead through 54 holes of the 72-hole event, with matching three-round totals of 15-under 199.

Mitchell, the tournament’s 36-hole leader following rounds of 66-65, held the lead for the majority of Friday’s third round before bogeying the par-3 18th to fall back into a tie alongside Jensen and Garnett. A member of the 2009 U.S. Walker Cup team, as well as the 2008 and 2009 U.S. Palmer Cup teams, Mitchell is looking to clinch his first eGolf Tour title after picking up career best T5 finishes earlier this year at the Samanah Classic in Morocco and the Willow Creek Open.

Jensen, the 2009 Southern Open champion, posted a third-round 64 playing with Garnett to move into a tie for the lead. Jensen trailed for much of the round, but closed with birdies at 13, 15 and 18 to earn a spot in Saturday’s final threesome. After winning in 2009 and 2010 (Cowans Ford Open), Jensen is still looking for his first win of 2011 after notching top-5 finishes in two of his last three starts.

Garnett, who won the tour’s River Hills Classic in June, is playing the tour for the first time since the win after twice competing on the Nationwide Tour and notching T15 and T30 finishes at the Rex Hospital Open and Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open, respectively. In the third round, Garnett posted back-to-back eagles on 13 and 14 to reach 16-under for the week before succumbing to a bogey at the last.

Third-Round Results

T1   Clint Jensen         Jupiter, FL             69-66-64–199 -15
T1   Brice Garnett        Gallatin, MO            65-70-64–199 -15
T1   Adam Mitchell        Atlanta, GA             66-65-68–199 -15
4    Chesson Hadley       Raleigh, NC             67-66-69–202 -12
T5   Josh Gallman         Gaffney, SC             70-67-66–203 -11
T5   Jerry Richardson     Cary, NC                65-67-71–203 -11
7    Matthew Ryan         Santa Clarita, CA       66-67-71–204 -10
T8   Peter Malnati        Dandridge, TN           67-70-68–205 -9
T8   Carter Newman        Evans, GA               66-70-69–205 -9
T8   David Sanchez        Huntersville, NC        68-66-71–205 -9
T8   Ryan Nelson          Dickinson, TX           64-70-71–205 -9

Story Courtesy of Stewart Moore
Chief Operating Officer
VP, Public Relations
eGolf Professional Tour

Northwest hires Nate Davis to handle athletics marketing

Posted on

Nate Davis has joined Northwest Missouri State University as its assistant athletic director for marketing, promotions and licensing.

Davis has extensive experience in sales, marketing, corporate partnerships and game-day promotions. Previously he was the assistant athletic director for operations at Abilene Christian University and assistant to the director of athletics for operations at Southwest Baptist University. He also served as the sales manager at West Texas Golf Cars in Abilene, Texas.

“Nate brings to Northwest a wealth of experience in Division II athletic programs,” said Wren Baker, Northwest’s director of athletics. “He is bright, energetic and passionate about college athletics, and we are excited to have Nate join the Bearcat family.”

Davis, who played collegiate basketball, holds two degrees from Southwest Baptist University, a bachelor’s in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and management as well as an MBA.

“I’m very excited to join the staff at Northwest Missouri State,” Davis said. “I’d like to thank Wren Baker for this opportunity to work for an institution with such a great tradition of success both academically and athletically.”

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Royals fall at Minnesota in first game after All-Star break

Posted on

It had been an awful long time since Delmon Young and Trevor Plouffe played at Target Field, albeit for completely different reasons.

Young had been on the disabled list since June 26 with a sprained ankle, while Plouffe was sent down to Triple-A on June 2 after struggling badly at shortstop. Both returned on Thursday night to get the Minnesota Twins off to a good start in a critical home stand.

Plouffe hit a big two-run homer and Young had three hits to lead the Twins to an 8-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

“That’s the mentality I have now, just help the team anyway I can,” said Plouffe, who tore up the minor leagues with 15 home runs in 51 games. “I don’t know where I’m going to be playing, but it doesn’t matter. When I get in there, have good at-bats and play sound defense.”

Francisco Liriano (6-7) gave up three runs — one earned — on seven hits with four strikeouts in seven innings and Joe Mauer had two hits and two RBIs for the Twins.

Melky Cabrera had two hits, an RBI and threw a runner out at home from center field for the Royals, who watched their bullpen let a close game get out of hand.

Right-hander Blake Wood walked three and hit another batter while being charged with four runs in a disastrous seventh inning in relief of Bruce Chen (5-3).

Chen gave up four runs on nine hits with three walks in five innings for the Royals.

“Just a day, actually the first day all year where nobody was sharp,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Alexi Casilla and Tsuyoshi Nishioka chipped in two hits each for the Twins, who have won seven of their last nine games.

The Twins went 24-11 in the final 35 games before the All-Star break, shaving 10 games off their deficit in the AL Central and started the night trailing Detroit by 6 1/2 games. It marked the start of a crucial stretch of 12 home games in a row, all against division foes.

“It’s a big mountain we put ourselves at the bottom of and we’re still working our way back up,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

The Royals were showing some promise of finally digging out of the cellar early in the season, starting the year 20-17. They are 17-38 since then to fade out of contention, though youngsters like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas are giving their long-suffering fans reason to hope that better days are around the corner.

It was ugly early for the Twins, who committed two errors in the first inning. Cabrera scored on a wild pitch and Alex Gordon hustled home from second base on the play after Mauer’s ill-advised pitch to Liriano at home plate skipped by him.

With a fastball that never topped 84 mph, Chen was somehow able to get through four scoreless innings. He stranded seven runners before the Twins finally got to him in the fifth.

Young hit his second double of the game to score Valencia and Plouffe’s two-run homer hit high off the foul pole in left field to give the Twins a 4-3 lead.

“After the Babe Ruth-like performance he put on when I was in Rochester with him, it was good to see him first game up here go deep,” Young said.

Plouffe, who was recalled from Triple-A to start this game, was initially slated to play first base. But Jim Thome was a late scratch with a left toe injury, so Plouffe was moved to DH.

Wood came out to start the seventh and walked Ben Revere with the bases loaded before hitting Casilla to make it 6-3. Mauer followed with a two-run single of Everett Teaford to cap the four-run inning.

— Associated Press —

KSU’s Brown named to Butkus Award watch list

Posted on

Kansas State junior linebacker Arthur Brown received his second preseason honor on Thursday as he was named to the watch list for the 2011 Butkus Award, the Butkus Foundation has announced.

Brown, a product of Wichita, Kan., was also named to the Nagurski Trophy watch list last week, and he becomes the first Wildcat to be a preseason candidate for two national awards since Ian Campbell was up for the Nagurski and Hendricks Award prior to the 2008 season.

The Butkus Award is given annually to the nation’s top linebacker. Brown is the first Wildcat to be named to the watch list since Brandon Archer in 2006. Kansas State had a preseason candidate, semifinalist or runner-up for the award every year from 1994 to 2006.

Brown is one of 51 players nationally, including eight from the Big 12, named to the preseason watch list. A captain and player representative for the 2011 season, Brown transferred to K-State prior to the 2010 season from Miami and will be eligible this fall. He carded 14 tackles, including one for a loss, in the Purple-White Spring Game and was named to the Rivals.com All-Spring Team.

Kansas State opens the 2011 campaign September 3, with the third-annual K-State Family Reunion against Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m.

— KSU Sports Information —

Big 12 / Big Ten announce women’s basketball challenge matchups

Posted on

Matchups have been set for the 2011 Big12/Big Ten Women’s Basketball Challenge.

The inter-conference series began in 2010 and features a home-and-home format over a two-year agreement. Texas Tech will represent the Big 12 in two games while Big Ten member Nebraska will sit out in 2011 due to the uneven number of teams among the two leagues.

“We are looking forward to the second year of our challenge with the Big Ten,” said Dru Hancock, Big 12 senior associate commissioner. “Last year’s games provided exciting early-season matchups for both conferences and their fans.”

The 2011 Challenge will be played Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4, with the exception of three games – Wisconsin at Kansas (Dec. 8), Michigan State at Texas (Dec. 10) and a neutral site game between Texas Tech and Illinois at the United Center in Chicago (Dec. 17).

The Big 12 will have six home games while the Big Ten has five home contests in 2011. This year’s series will be referred to as the Big 12/Big Ten Challenge.

“The Big 12/Big Ten Challenge serves as a great showcase for both conferences’ women’s basketball programs,” Big Ten associate commissioner Andrea Williams said. “Year two provides the opportunity for re-matches, and we are looking forward to competitive and exciting games.”

Matchups for 2011 can be found below. Dates, times and television information will be released in the coming months.

2011 Big 12/Big Ten Challenge
Baylor at Minnesota
Iowa State at Michigan
Wisconsin at Kansas
Iowa at Kansas State
Northwestern at Missouri
Ohio State at Oklahoma
Penn State at Texas Tech
Texas A&M at Purdue
Oklahoma State at Indiana
Michigan State at Texas
Texas Tech vs. Illinois (Chicago)

**Texas Tech will play two games in the 2011 Challenge.

— Big12Sports.com —

Nebraska’s David on Butkus Award watch list

Posted on

Nebraska Senior linebacker Lavonte David earned a spot on his fourth watch list of the fall, as he was named to the Butkus Award Watch List on Thursday.

David is one of the favorites for the 2011 Butkus following a record-setting campaign in 2011. The Miami, Fla., native racked up a school-record 152 tackles in his first season at Nebraska, breaking Barrett Ruud’s mark of 149 set in 2003. His emergence helped the Blackshirts rank in the top 12 nationally in both scoring defense and total defense in 2010.

A first-team All-Big 12 pick and the league’s newcomer of the year, he ranked 11th nationally in tackles per game and was second on the team in sacks (six), tackles for loss (15 for 60 yards) and pass breakups (10) to earn first-team All-America honors from several outlets. David had eight games with at least 10 tackles, including a season-high 19 against South Dakota State and 17 in the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma.

He is one of five Big Ten players on the Butkus Award list this season, representing the nation’s top linebacker. David has already been named to watch lists for the Bednarik and Lombardi Awards, as well as the Nagurski Trophy.

— NU Sports Information —

Mustangs sweep Clarinda with two extra-inning wins

Posted on

The St. Joseph Mustangs won two extra-inning games at Clarinda Wednesday night.

St. Joe’s summer college baseball team completed the suspended game they had with the A’s from June 26 first and picked up a 2-1 win in 11 innings.  They followed that up with a 5-4 victory over Clarinda in 14 innings as they’ve now won four in-a-row and seven of their last eight.

With those two wins, the Mustangs have clinched home field advantage for their three-game championship series against the South Division champion.  That series will begin a week from Friday.

The first game Wednesday began in the top of the eighth inning  with the score tied 1-1 after weather forced the game to be suspended on June 26.  It was a pitcher dual between St. Joe’s Kyle Jackson and Clarinda’s Justin White as neither pitcher allowed a base hit until the 11th inning.

White retired 11 straight batter after the game resumed but Kris Koerper hit a double with two outs and Mark Robinette followed with another two-out double to scored pinch runner Shane Segovia and the Mustangs took the lead.

Kyle Jackson (5-0) struck out three and walked one to earn the win and Doug Shields worked the 11th inning for his eighth save of the season.

In game two, St. Joseph fell behind 3-0 after just two innings before getting a sac fly by Jordan Guida to scored Brent Seifert in the fourth inning.

The score remained 3-1 until the eighth when the A’s added one insurance run to take a three-run lead into the ninth inning.

Brock Chaffin doubled to left to start the Mustangs rally in the ninth.  Jordan Guida singled, Kris Koerper struck out for the first out and then Segovia singled home Chaffin to make it 4-2.

Clarinda pitcher Justin Page then committed a balk that allowed Guida and Segovia to move in third and second base and pinch-hitter Mark Robinette delivered again with a two-RBI single to right field to tie the game 4-4 and send it to extra innings.

The game remained tied until the top of the 14th inning when Jon Wegener hit a sacrifice fly to score Segovia and that gave St. Joseph its first lead of the game.

Robinette came on in relief and threw four innings of no-hit ball to get the win.  He struck out six and is now 4-0 on the season.

Segovia, who made his first start of the season at second base, finished the night 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.  Wegener had three hits and the game-winning RBI, and Robinette finished 2-for-3 at the plate with his two RBI in the ninth inning.

The Mustangs improve to 35-9 this season and 29-9 in the MINK League.  They’re off Thursday and return to Phil Welch Stadium to take on Chillicothe Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

KU’s Hatch on watch list for Rimington Trophy

Posted on

The Rimington Trophy committee has released its 2011 Fall Watch List with Kansas senior Jeremiah Hatch as one of 43 players from across the nation to be recognized.

Hatch has started 23 games at center for the Jayhawks in his career after playing tackle as a freshman. The Dallas, Texas, native earned Rivals.com Freshman All-America Second Team honors in 2008, while helping lead the Jayhawks to a victory at the Insight Bowl.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $2 million for its benefactor, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The 12-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised $86 million for CF Research.

Dave Rimington, the award’s namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy’s only double winner as the nation’s finest college interior lineman.

Hatch is one of three players from the Big 12 to find his name on the list, which includes 13 returning players from the 2010 Watch List.

The winner will be honored at Rimington Trophy Presentation banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Neb. on January 14, 2012.

— KU Sports Information —

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File