Dave Riggert – Page 620 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Northwest Missouri State tennis earns multiple MIAA honors

Posted on April 29, 2015April 30, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State men’s and women’s tennis teams were each well represented in the MIAA postseason awards which were released by the league office on Wednesday. Northwest sophomore Romain Boissinot was the MIAA Men’s Player of the Year and head coach Mark Rosewell was named MIAA Coach of the Year for the 25th time.

Boissinot, last season’s MIAA Freshman of the Year, was one of three first team All-MIAA selections for the Bearcats. Josef Altmann earned first team honors at No. 5 singles and Fin Glowick was first team at No. 6 singles. Glowick and Altmann were also awareded first team honors at No. 3 doubles. Hicham Azzaoui earned second team honors at No. 4 singles while Mauro Tete and Aymeric Autones earned second team honors at No. 2 doubles. Earning honorable mention accolades were Tete (No. 2 singles) and Alvaro Riveros (No. 3 singles). Riveros and Boissinot were honorable mention at No. 1 doubles.

Camila Quesada earned second team honors at No. 1 singles, as did Aniek Kolen at No. 4 singles and Marianne Hull at No. 6 singles. Earning honorable mention for Northwest were Lorena Rivas Jarolim (No. 2 singles), Margaux Jaquet (No. 3 singles) and Stephanie Mannix (No. 5 singles). Quesada and Rivas Jarolim earned honorable mention honors at No. 1 doubles, as did Mannix and Kolen at No. 3 doubles.

Both men’s and women’s teams earned NCAA Tournament bids. The Bearcat men will host Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday, May 5, at 1 p.m. The Northwest women will travel to Tahlequah, Okla., to face Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m.

2015 ALL-MIAA MEN’S TENNIS TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR Romain Boissinot, Nothwest Missouri
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Sherif Abohabaga, Southwest Baptist
COACH OF THE YEAR Mark Rosewell, Northwest Missouri
Co-SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD Andrew Davids, Emporia State,
Chris Blodig, Southwest Baptist & Matthew Barlow, Washburn

FIRST TEAM
1S: Romain Boissinot, Northwest Missouri
2S: Yoshi Ysa, Lindenwood
3S: Matthew Barlow, Washburn
4S: Mohab El Zanaty, Nebraska-Kearney
5S: Josef Altmann, Northwest Missouri
6S: Fin Glowick, Northwest Missouri
1D: Georges Wakim/Lucas Garces, Nebraska-Kearney
2D: Mohab El Zanaty/Joey Richards, Nebraska-Kearney
3D: Fin Glowick/Josef Altmann, Northwest Missouri

SECOND TEAM
1S: Martin Wieand, Washburn
2S: Sherif Abohabaga, Southwest Baptist
3S: Chris Blodig, Southwest Baptist
4S: Hicham Azzaoui, Northwest Missouri
5S: Yannick Doering, Southwest Baptist
6S: Jack Nicholson, Nebraska-Kearney
1D: Kristof Kinal, Sherif Abohabaga, Southwest Baptist
2D: Mauro Tete/Aymeric Autones, Northwest Missouri
3D: Jack Nicholson/Justin Nguyen, Nebraska-Kearney

Honorable Mention
#1S: Kristof Kinal, SBU
#2S: Blake Hunter, WU; Mauro Tete, NW
#3S: Lucas Garces, UNK; Alvaro Riveros, NW
#4S: Johannes Rabenhorst, LWU; Torben Semrau, SBU
#5S: Dario Munoz-Poletti, WU; Patrick Cameron, ESU; Aaron Reekie, UNK
#6S: Payton Hays, ESU; Ale Belote, SBU
#1D: Andrew Davids/Gerard Pont, ESU; Alvaro Riveros/Romain Boissinot, NW
#2D: Patrick Cameron/Keenan Smith, ESU; Chris Blodig/Torben Semrau, SBU
#3D: Yannick Doering/Alex Belote, SBU

2015 ALL-MIAA WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Fanni Varga, Southwest Baptist
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Maria Josie Zehnder, Southwest Baptist
Co-COACH OF THE YEAR: Amanda Stone, Northeastern State & John Bryant, Southwest Baptist
Co-SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Alina Gorina, Central Oklahoma & Tawni Griffey, Emporia State

FIRST TEAM
1S: Fanni Varga, Southwest Baptist
2S: Patricia Husakova, Northeastern State
3S: Molly Worden, Northeastern State
4S: Valeriia Efimenko, Northeastern State
5S: Barbora Jirickova, Northeastern State
6S: Kari Emery, Nebraska-Kearney
1D: Kristina Savchenkov/Patricia Husakova, Northeastern State
2D: Maria Josie Zehnder/Lani Tuemmers, Southwest Baptist
3D: Kari Emery/Emma Neil, Nebraska-Kearney

SECOND TEAM
1S: Camila Quesada, Northwest Missouri
2S: Maria Josie Zehnder, Southwest Baptist
3S: Paula Jimenez, Nebraska-Kearney
4S: Aniek Kolen, Northwest Missouri
5S: Emily Semo, Central Oklahoma
6S: Marianne Hull, Northwest Missouri
1D: Fanni Varga/Christina Zentai, Southwest Baptist
2D: Molly Worden/Valeriia Efimenko, Northeastern State
3D: Barbora Jirickova/Easton Parker, Northeastern State

Honorable Mention
#1S: Kristina Savchenkov, NSU; Alina Gorina, UCO
#2S: Christina Zentai, SBU; Lorena Rivas Jarolim, NW; Brittney Ricci, FHSU
#3S: Lani Tuemmers, SBU; Margaux Jaquet, NW
#4S: Kaley Clark, ESU; Emma Neil, UNK
#5S: Stephanie Mannix, NWMSU; Amy Fugit, ESU; Zorana Jovanovic, SBU
#6S: Lucia Cerchlanova, NSU; Meara Smith, MWSU; Daria Panferova, NSU
#1D: Camila Quesada/Lorena Rivas Jarolim, NW; Casyn Buchman/Jodie Blackim, WU
#2D: Paula Jimenez/Kristin Weems, UNK
#3D: Stephanie Mannix/Aniek Kolen, NW; Beatrix Federer/Zorana Jovanovic, SBU; Natasa Brnovic/Olya Burak, UCO

— Northwest Sports Information —

Kansas City rallies for second straight win at Cleveland

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kendry Morales’ three-run homer capped a six-run seventh inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 11-5 on Tuesday night.

Kansas City’s big inning came after Cleveland had taken a 5-3 lead on Brandon Moss’ three-run homer in the sixth.

Alcides Escobar’s two-run double off Scott Atchison (0-1) tied the game. Escobar scored the go-ahead run from second on Mike Moustakas’ infield hit and Morales later hit his third homer of the season to dead center off Bryan Shaw.

Brandon Finnegan (1-0) picked up his first career win despite allowing Moss’ home run.

Alex Gordon homered and drove in two runs for the Royals, who had a season-high 18 hits.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona met with his team for a pep talk following Monday’s defeat, but the Indians lost for the eighth time in 11 games. Cleveland (6-13) has the worst record in the American League and the worst home mark (1-6) in the majors.

Trevor Bauer, who missed his scheduled start Saturday because of food poisoning, allowed three runs in six innings, but Cleveland’s bullpen gave up eight runs over the final three innings.

Gordon’s leadoff homer in the second gave Kansas City the lead. Michael Bourn’s two-run single in the bottom of the inning put Cleveland ahead. Omar Infante’s single tied the game in the fourth before Gordon’s single in the sixth put the Royals ahead.

Kansas City’s go-ahead run in the seventh came after Escobar’s double tied the game. Moustakas’ high chopper was fielded by first baseman Carlos Santana, but pitcher Mark Rzepczynski missed the bag covering first. Escobar kept running and slid home as catcher Brett Hayes failed to hold on to the ball.

Finnegan, who pitched well down the stretch for the Royals last season after being called up from the minors, allowed one run in one inning. Chris Young, Jason Fraser and Yohan Pino all worked a scoreless inning.

Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie allowed four runs in five-plus innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Greg Holland (right pectoral strain) could be activated off the DL when he is eligible on May 3. The two-time All-Star closer threw 15 pitches off a mound before the game. Holland played catch Sunday and Monday with no pain.

Indians: Nick Swisher (surgery on both knees) continued his minor league rehab at Triple-A Columbus with two hits and two RBIs as the DH on Tuesday. He could rejoin the Indians next week.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura, who is appealing his seven-game suspension for his involvement in a brawl against the White Sox last week, makes his fifth start of the season.

Indians: RHP Danny Salazar will try to match a career-high three-game winning streak. He struck out a career-best 11 and held Detroit to one run in seven innings on Friday.

— Associated Press —

Northwest Missouri State tennis teams earn NCAA Tournament bids

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State University men’s and women’s tennis teams each earned bids to the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night. It marks the 33rd and 34th times a Bearcat team has qualified under head coach Mark Rosewell, who has now earned 1,012 career victories in 33 years as a head coach.

The Northwest women earned the No. 3 seed in the Central Region and will face No. 6 seed Nebraska Kearney on Monday, May 4, in Tahlequah, Okla. No. 2 seed Northeastern State will play No. 7 seeded Augustana in the first round with the winners to meet on Tuesday, May 5. The women hold a 19-15 record in the tournament all time, last qualifying in 2009. This season, the Lopers and the Bearcats met twice, with Northwest claiming a 5-4 victory on April 17 in Maryville and a 5-3 win in the consolation final of the MIAA Tournament in Springfield, Mo., on April 26.

The Bearcat men earned the team’s 18th NCAA Tournament bid as the Central Region’s No. 2 seed and MIAA automatic bids. All time, Northwest is 14-17 in the tournament, and has qualified each year since 2006. The men will host No. 3 seed Nebraska-Kearney in the first round in Maryville, Mo., with the winner advancing to the next round in Surprise, Ariz., starting on May 13. The Bearcats and the Lopers have met twice this year, both resulting in Northwest victories. The teams met in Maryville on April 17, a 6-3 Northwest win. The two teams also met in the MIAA Championship match on April 26 in Springfield, Mo., with the Bearcats winning, 5-0.

This marks the 12th time coach Rosewell has sent both teams to the NCAA Tournament in the same season. Match times for the women along with match date and time for the men will be released at a later date.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Kansas signs McDonald’s All-American game MVP Cheick Diallo

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015

LAWRENCE, Kan. – McDonald’s All-Star Game and Jordan Brand Classic MVP Cheick Diallo has signed at Kansas and will be a Jayhawk next season, KU head coach Bill Self announced Tuesday.

Originally from Mali, Africa, Diallo comes to Lawrence from Centereach, New York. He is a five-star player and recently jumped up from No. 11 to No. 7 on the ESPN100. Those who didn’t already know him became quickly familiar after Diallo tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds to claim MVP honors at the McDonald’s All-American Game. Still rolling, Diallo put on a clinic at the Jordan Brand Classic with 26 points and 11 rebounds, picking up another MVP title.

“Today is a huge day for our Kansas basketball program,” Self said. “It has been our focus and our top recruiting priority to try to sign an inside presence and a rim protector to go along with our returning players. We feel like we’ve been able to sign a premier big man that has as much upside any big we’ve recruited in recent memory. Cheick reminds me so much of Thomas Robinson, late in Thomas’ college career. Cheick has a great motor. He runs as well as any big guy that we’ve had and certainly has a knack for finding the ball. He’ll bring a toughness and aggressiveness to our program. “

Diallo joins Carlton Bragg in KU’s incoming class of 2015. Both are McDonald’s All-Americans, with Diallo becoming the 38th in KU basketball history. Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden, Jr., are current McDonald’s All-Americans on the Jayhawk roster.

“With the addition of Cheick and Carlton and with what we have coming back, I think this puts us in a great position to be a much improved team next year,” Self continued. “We are still actively recruiting a few more players, but this could not have turned out any better for us with the two that we’ve signed.”

Diallo is widely known for his defense and length and, at 6-9, has the ability to step into a rim protector role for the Jayhawks. In high school, Diallo played at Our Savior New American in Centereach, averaging 19 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks per game during his senior campaign. The 2014 and 2015 New York Gatorade Player of the Year, Diallo also chalked up 18.5 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks per game as a junior.

“Cheick comes from a high school program that has won big at Our Savior and certainly has been well drilled there,” Self said. “Moving to the (United) States from another continent would be an adjustment for anybody but because of people in his life that are close to him, primarily Tidiane Drame, he’s been able to make the transition quite well. We anticipate his transition to college to be very seamless also.”

Much like Cameroon native, Joel Embiid, Diallo started his basketball career much later in life as he grew up playing soccer. Embiid played for Kansas in 2013-14, earned the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and went on to be selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

“Personality-wise, I would compare him much closer to Joel (Embiid) but from a playing standpoint, I think he’s much closer to Thomas, the same size, same body, same type motor,” Self said.

— KU Sports Information —

Cardinals pound Phillies 11-5, Wacha stays unbeaten

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Juggling the batting order paid off for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Facing a pitcher making his major league debut did not hurt either.

The Cardinals scored seven runs off Severino Gonzalez in the first three innings and beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-5 on Tuesday night. St. Louis finished with a season high in runs and hits (15) to win for the first time in three games.

Trying to jolt his offense, manager Mike Matheny moved Matt Carpenter out of the leadoff spot for the first time in nearly two years. Jason Heyward was dropped from second to sixth and Jon Jay took over at the top of the order. All three contributed in their new places in the order.

Carpenter tripled and scored in the first, had an RBI double in the fifth and walked and scored in the eighth. The double was his 12th, most in the majors and the most in franchise history after 19 games.

“It’s hard to argue with the team’s 15 hits and 11 runs,” Heyward said of the changes. “Our lineup’s flexible and that’s what is awesome about it.”

Heyward reached base four times and scored twice and Jay added two RBI singles.

“We like what we saw,” said Matheny, who said he switched the order because Heyward had been struggling and he wanted to put Carpenter in a better position to drive in runs. “They were clicking pretty good. We like the way it went.”

Matt Holliday, hitting in his usual third spot, and Matt Adams each added three hits for the Cardinals. Holliday also scored three runs and had an RBI as every player in the Cardinals’ starting lineup finished with at least a hit, run or RBI.

Michael Wacha (4-0) drove in two runs and pitched 5 2/3 innings to win for the fourth time in four starts. He gave up a season-high four runs and six hits.

“My command just wasn’t where I wanted it to be,” Wacha said. “But those guys putting together great at-bats made my job easier.”

Gonzalez (0-1) yielded seven runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings.

“He left some balls over the plate and we capitalized,” Jay said.

Added Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg: “He didn’t really establish both sides of the plate with his fastball. It seemed like most of the balls were out over the plate and they had good swings at them. It was an experience for him.”

Freddy Galvis singled three times and scored twice for Philadelphia. Rookie Odubel Herrera doubled and had two RBIs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: OF Domonic Brown was eligible to return to the majors after finishing a 20-day rehab assignment, but after being removed from the disabled list, the 2013 All-Star was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Brown was on the disabled list because of left Achilles tendinitis. After he went 5 for 42 in the last part of his rehab assignment, the Phillies decided not to bring him to the majors. Manager Ryne Sandberg said Brown would stay in the minors until “he’s ready to come here and help us.”

Cardinals: If RHP Adam Wainwright had not been injured, he was scheduled to make his next start on Thursday. Instead, he will be undergoing surgery on his left Achilles that day and LHP Tim Cooney will start in his place. Cooney, 24, will be making his major league debut.

A FIRST FOR PANAMA

For the first time in major league history, a pitcher born in Panama (Gonzalez) started a game throwing to a catcher born in Panama (Carlos Ruiz).

HIT AWAY

Even though Wainwright’s season-ending injury happened while batting, he is not ready to see the National League adopt the designated hitter. “Baseball is a National League game,” Wainwright said. “I wish both leagues would convert to National League baseball. You can’t point to another instance that the pitcher has hurt on Achilles (batting). The game in the National League is just a better game.”

UP NEXT

RHP Aaron Harang, who has made more starts against the Cardinals than any active pitcher, will start for the Phillies on Wednesday night. In 27 starts against St. Louis, Harang is 7-15 with a 4.27 ERA. He has not beaten the Cardinals since 2009. RHP Carlos Martinez, 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA, will start for the Cardinals.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs’ President Mark Donovan signs long-term extension

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that team President Mark Donovan has signed a long-term contract extension with the club. Donovan originally joined the Chiefs as the club’s chief operating officer in 2009 before being promoted to team president in 2011.

“My family and I are delighted that Mark will be guiding the business operations of the Chiefs for many years to come,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “Over the last six seasons, Mark has helped the Chiefs rank among the best in the National Football League in several categories – most importantly, the fan experience – and I know he and his team will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the Chiefs Kingdom.”

“I’d like thank Clark and the entire Hunt family for giving me the opportunity to continue my career with one of the league’s most iconic and proud franchises,” Donovan said. “My family and I have been blessed to be surrounded by a talented staff, a strong team and a supportive community for more than six years, and we are looking forward to calling Chiefs Kingdom our home for many more.”

During Donovan’s tenure in Kansas City, the Chiefs have invested heavily in enhancing the in-stadium experience for fans at Arrowhead. The team has emerged as a league leader in fan engagement with a focus on introducing technology-based solutions and celebrating the traditions and fan rituals that make Arrowhead special. Since Donovan’s arrival the club has introduced a number of features including a stadium-wide Wi-Fi network, a Chiefs-specific mobile application and ticketless technology. Additionally, Donovan and his team have worked to bring a number of other events to Arrowhead Stadium such as concerts and college football games. This summer alone, the Chiefs will host three concerts (Rolling Stones, One Direction and Kenny Chesney) and an NCAA Div. I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) game (MU vs. BYU) in the fall. His leadership extends to the community both personally and professionally, where he is actively engaged in the Chiefs charitable giving and community involvement, helping the team to have a greater impact on the Kansas City community.

Donovan joined the Chiefs in 2009 after six years with the Philadelphia Eagles as Senior Vice President of Business Operations (2003-08). Prior to joining the Eagles, Donovan held leadership roles as the NFL’s Senior Director of Sales and Marketing (1999-03) and the Director of Sales and Marketing for the National Hockey League (1997-99). He also brings seven years of experience in the private business sector. This season will be Donovan’s 17th NFL season since joining the league in 1999.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native graduated from Brown University with a double major in political science and organizational behavior/management. He captained the Brown football squad as the team’s quarterback and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent upon graduation.

He and his wife, Kathy, have two children and reside in Kansas City.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Missouri Western announces advanced skills girls’ basketball camp

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western women’s basketball coach Rob Edmisson has announced another camp this summer for high school girls.

The advanced skills camp is an intense, one-day camp featuring cutting edge skill instruction, competitions and games.

Campers will be divided by both age and ability groups.
The camp will be held in the MWSU Fieldhouse on the campus of Missouri Western State University. Girls entering grades nine through 12 are eligible for attendance. The cost of the camp is $60 and includes instruction, lunch and t-shirt.

For more information, go to GoGriffons.com for the camp brochure or contact assistant coach Roger Smith at 816-271-4509 or rosmith@missouriwestern.edu.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Groner & Rottinghaus take home top honors at MWSU Student-Athlete Honors Banquet

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015

MWSU Director of Athletics (left), Female Student-Athlete of the Year Erica Rottinghaus, Male Student-Athlete of the Year Scott Groner and David Bradley of the St. Joseph News-Press at the 16th Annual St. Joseph News-Press Student-Athlete Honors Banquet.

ST. JOSEPH – More than 20 awards were handed out and hundreds recognized as part of the 16th Annual St. Joseph News-Press Student-Athlete Honors Banquet Monday night at Missouri Western.

In an evening designed to honor excellence both past and present, Scott Groner (Griffon Football) and Erica Rottinghaus (Griffon Volleyball) took home the male and female student-athlete of the year honors for their outstanding performance on the field, hard work in the classroom and exceptional representation of Missouri Western State University.

Rottinghaus started every game of her two year career and was a two time First Team All-MIAA selection, being the first volleyball student-athlete since 2002 to achieve that honor. This season she was named an Honorable Mention All-American for her play on the court and a First Team All-American for performance on the court and in the classroom.

Groner was a four-year starter at the punter position and this season was named First Team All-MIAA for the second consecutive year and was an Honorable Mention All-American. He led the MIAA with an average of 42 yards per kick, including 15 punts over 50 yards. Academically, Scott graduated last December with his degree in Health & Exercise and as he began his career as a baseball player at MWSU and was a member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll six times.

Rottinghaus and Groner were joined by Tiffany Gillaspy (Griffon Softball) as recipients of the Tom Smith Career Achievement Award, an award given to Griffon student-athletes whom exhibit excellence over an extended period of time and display extraordinary accomplishments.

The two were among 11 nominees for the award, one from each Griffon sport and one from the cheer squad. The student-athlete of the year from each sport were: Cheer Sqaud-Shae Fannon; Women’s Soccer-K.C. Ramsell; Women’s Tennis-Ceara Boldridge; Men’s Golf-Scott Sheldon; Women’s Golf-Callie Wilson; Football-Scott Groner; Volleyball-Erica Rottinghaus; Women’s Basketball-Alex Saxen; Men’s Basketball-Cortrez Colbert; Softball-Tiffany Gillaspy; Baseball-Ryan Degner.

Missouri Western Athletics Hall of Fame member Scott Graham received the Award of Valor. The award is presented to a student-athlete, coach or contributor to Griffon Athletics for having the strength of mind and spirit that enables a person to encounter life’s challenges with resolve and courage. Graham has served the institution in many capacities since graduation, including serving as the current Chairman of the Griffon Athletics Hall of Fame Committee and is a member of the Gold Coat Club Board of Directors. He often drives from his Kansas City area home to campus to attend meetings, functions, take part in events and attends games frequently, all while working tirelessly in his successful business career.

For more than a year, Scott has been battling cancer and while he has been undergoing numerous treatments locally and at the Mayo Clinic, he has continued to fulfill his roles and provide leadership to the University in a first class manner in which he would never let you know the challenges he faces on a daily basis. Through this difficult time he is still in the stands at many Griffon games home and away and exemplifies the true meaning of a Griffon and is definitely “Griffon Tough”.

Dr. Brenda Blessing and Gaylan Wood were awarded Silver Anniversary awards as individuals who have served the University with characteristics of integrity, dedication and leadership, with a commitment to excellence. Dr. Blessing will officially retire in August after serving as a faculty member in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation department form more than 30 years. Dr. Blessing has also served the athletic department as NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative for many years. Wood is a longtime bus driver, safely transporting countless Griffon student-athletes, coaches and staff to various events. Wood will also be retiring later this year.

Many other awards and recognition were handed out, including the James J. McMillen Scholar-Athlete Award. The award was established in 1995 to recognize the top graduating senior student-athlete based on cumulative grade point average. This year’s recipient was Griffon Soccer’s A.J. Powers. Alex Saxen (Griffon Women’s Basketball) was awarded the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s Community Service Volunteer of the Year award.

Eight Griffon student-athletes were also recognized for their achievement as All-Americans in 2014 and 2015 seasons. Those recognized as All-Americans: Scott Groner (Football-Don Hansen Honorable Mention; John Schmiemeier (Football-Don Hansen Honorable Mention); Michael Jordan (Football-First Team American Football Coaches Association and D2Football.com, Third Team Little All-American, Don Hansen Honorable Mention); Tiffany Gillaspy (Softball-Third Team National Fastpitch Coaches Association); Ryan Degner (Baseball-Third Team Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association); Erica Rottinghaus (Volleyball-First Team CoSIDA/Capital One Academic, Honorable Mention American Volleyball Coaches Association); Sarah Faubel (Volleyball-First Team CoSIDA/Capital One Academic).

Griffon Athletics thanks all involved in making the banquet possible, including title sponsors the St. Joseph News-Press.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Royals bounce back to beat Indians in series opener

Posted on April 28, 2015

CLEVELAND (AP) — Mike Moustakas has done well throughout his career against Corey Kluber. Even so, beating the AL Cy Young Award winner was quite an accomplishment.

Moustakas got four hits, Alex Gordon drove in two runs and the Kansas City Royals kept Kluber winless this season, topping the Cleveland Indians 6-2.

Kluber (0-3) gave up six runs, four of them earned, and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings. After going 18-9 last year, he hasn’t won in five starts and has a 4.24 ERA.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game, if not the best pitcher in the game,” Moustakas said. “We came away with a win against a great pitcher.”

Gordon had a go-ahead double in the sixth. Moustakas added an RBI single in the seventh, and is 11 for 25 lifetime against Kluber.

Despite those numbers, Moustakas has no explanation for his success.

“That’s one of those things that happens in baseball,” he said. “Against a guy like that, every at-bat is tough. You just hope he makes a mistake or what you think is a mistake, but that guy doesn’t make many mistakes.”

The Indians committed a season-high three errors and have lost seven of 10.

Jason Vargas (2-1) allowed two runs in five innings. The left-hander, who pitched around five walks, gave up a two-run homer to Mike Aviles in the fifth.

Kluber recorded his 500th career strikeout when he whiffed Lorenzo Cain in the sixth. The right-hander struck out five and walked two.

Errors by shortstop Jose Ramirez and Aviles, playing third base, helped Kansas City score twice.

Eric Hosmer, who had an RBI single in the third, drew a leadoff walk to start the sixth. He took third on Kendrys Morales’ single before Gordon dropped a double near the line in left field for a 3-2 lead.

“You don’t want to give in to a guy like Kluber until you get to two strikes,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “You got to get into battle mode and put a good swing on it like Moose did all night long and Gordie, too.”

The win ended a two-game losing streak for the Royals, who are 13-6 after coming within one game of winning the World Series last season.

“Teams can go one of two ways when they get a taste of winning,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “You can go on the banquet circuit and kind of dig yourself or you can come back with a `Hey, we got there and we want to do it again.’ They seem to be in that mode. I wish they weren’t.”

Kansas City’s Jarrod Dyson stole three bases, his first of the season.

The gametime temperature of 44 degrees, along with 13 mph winds, forced many in the crowd of 9,668 to bundle up in wintertime clothing.

GETTING CLOSER

Royals RHP Greg Holland (right pectoral strain), eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on May 3, played catch before the game after a pain-free bullpen session Sunday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Alex Rios (broken left hand) was examined by a specialist and will begin strengthening exercises. Rios was hit by a pitch on April 16.

Indians: OF Nick Swisher, who had surgery on both knees in August, hopes to rejoin the team next week. He’ll continue his minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday. “It’s been a long road,” he said. “I just want this to be over so I can get back here with my guys.”

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who allowed three runs in the first inning against Minnesota in his last start, is 5-5 lifetime against Cleveland, the team that drafted him in 2002. Guthrie pitched for the Indians from 2004-06.

Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer, who was scratched Saturday because of food poisoning, will start against the Royals. He pitched seven shutout innings against the White Sox in his last start.

— Associated Press —

Griffons’ Lim selected to compete at NCAA Central Regional

Posted on April 28, 2015

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western women’s golfer Celine Lim has been selected to compete in the 2015 NCAA Division II Central Regional.

Lim joins men’s golfer Corey Knight as representatives of Griffon Golf in postseason play. The Central Regional will be played May 2-5 at Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, hosted by Northeastern State. The top three teams and top three individuals not with a team qualifying for the regional, will advance to the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships to be held May 13-16 at the Meadows Golf Course in Allendale, Michigan.

Lim finished the season as the Griffons top golfer. She fired a low-round of 75 with one top-five finish, six top-10 finishes and six top-20 finishes. She averaged a 79.2 this season. Her best finish came early this spring when she tied for fifth at the MWSU/Holiday Inn Express Classic at the St. Joseph Country Club. Lim is one of two individuals to qualify for regional play from the MIAA along with three teams.

— MWSU Sports Information —