KSU Sports Information

In an announcement by the State of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday, former K-State standouts Mark Simoneau (football) and Kendra Wecker (women’s basketball) have been selected as members of the 50th Anniversary Class of 2011. The induction class of 2011 will be enshrined in ceremonies on October 2 at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in the Wichita Boathouse.

Simoneau, a consensus first team All-State football star out of Smith Center, was one of the best linebackers ever to play at Kansas State. He played for the Wildcats from 1996-99 and currently ranks No. 3 all-time in tackles (400) and in tackles for losses. He played in four bowl games for K-State, led the team in tackles as a junior and senior. In 1999, Simoneau was named first-team All-American, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and was the runner-up for the Butkus Award. He was also named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 1996. Simoneau played 10 seasons in the NFL with Atlanta, Philadelphia and New Orleans and had 370 tackles. He was also the state 3A shot put champion at Smith Center in 1995 with a mark of over 60-feet.

Wecker, a native of Marysville, was a three-time first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection at K-State, Big 12 Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American in 2005. She played for the Wildcats from 2002-05 and ranks No. 1 in points scored (2,333) and rebounds (1,087). Wecker averaged 18.2 points and 8.5 points a game for her career and her No. 53 was retired by K-State in 2005.

A three-time consensus first-team all-state selection at Marysville High School, Wecker scored 2,305 points and grabbed 1,051 rebounds, becoming the first Kansas female prep player to accomplish the 2000/1000 feat. In 2001, she was named “Miss Kansas Basketball” by the KBCA and the Kansas Player of the Year by the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. In track and field, she set the national high school record in javelin and was a three-time state champion. She was also a first team All-State volleyball player and won the national Punt, Pass and Kick competition as a middle school student. Wecker’s athletic stardom in every sport has earned for her, the reputation as Kansas’ greatest all-around female athlete. She was also a strong student at K-State earning the 2005 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District VII second team honoree and a three-time first team Academic All-Big 12 choice.

The nine-person induction class raises the total of inductees to 210 in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, which now includes 36 representatives with ties to K-State.

KSU Sports Information

Kansas State juniors James Allen and Nick Martini were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Midwest Region second team, the ABCA has announced.

It was Allen’s first selection to the team, while it was the second time in Martini’s career he was named to the ABCA All-Midwest Region team after his first-team honor a year ago. The honors mark the fifth-straight season a Wildcat has been named all-region, and it is the first time since 1997 that Kansas State had two players on the list.

Allen held a 3-1 record and a 1.35 ERA with a school-record 17 saves during the 2011 campaign. In 29 appearances, Allen struck out 45 batters as opposed to just 11 walks, while he yielded a .179 opponent batting average. The right-hander, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2011 draft by Cincinnati, left K-State with a school-record 31 career saves, a mark that is tied for fourth in Big 12 history.

Martini, who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2011 draft by St. Louis, tied for team-high honors this season with a .326 batting average. He also recorded 15 doubles, four triples, one home run and 44 RBI in 61 games. Martini left Kansas State in the top 10 of 15 career categories, including stolen bases (second, 62), doubles (tied for fourth, 49) and batting average (seventh, .360).

KSU Sports Information

Kansas State junior relief pitcher James Allen was named a First Team All-American, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America (NCBWA) announced Wednesday.

Allen earned his second all-America designation of 2011 after Collegiate Baseball placed the closer on its third team. A First-Team All-Big 12 performer, Allen picked up Kansas State’s 10th First Team All-American honor, and he is the second Wildcat to earn a first-team honor in the past three seasons after A.J. Morris’ five designations in 2009.

A product of St. Charles, Mo., Allen was one of 18 players nationally selected to the NCBWA first team, while he is one of just three relief pitchers. Allen was joined by Texas pitchers Taylor Jungmann and Corey Knebel on the first team. Texas Tech reliever John Neely, along with Texas A&M outfielder Tyler Naquin and pitcher Ross Stripling, were named to the third team.

A seventh-round selection by Cincinnati in last week’s MLB Draft, Allen put together one of the best seasons by a relief pitcher in school history. During his junior campaign in 2011, Allen set the K-State records for career (31) and single-season (17) saves. He currently ranks tied for sixth nationally in saves this season, just two behind Knebel. His 31 career saves are also tied for fourth in Big 12 history.

Allen held a 3-1 record and a 1.35 ERA in 2011, and he struck out 45 batters as opposed to just 11 walks in 40.0 innings of work. His 29 appearances this season were tied for the third-most in school history and improved his career total to 81, which is second in school history.

KSU Sports Information

Kansas State women’s basketball head coach Deb Patterson announced on Wednesday the non-conference schedule for the 2011-12 season. The Wildcats’ non-conference slate includes six opponents who reached a postseason tournament during the 2010-11 season.

 

“Our non-conference schedule will provide our team with exceptional opportunities to face unique styles of play and great, NCAA Tournament-type teams from across the country early in our season,” stated Patterson about the schedule for her 16th season in Manhattan. “We are excited about the opportunity to play in the Cancun Challenge for the second time in five years and to visit Las Vegas for the second time in three seasons. We are also looking forward to the opportunity to face Wichita State for the first time in a number of seasons and to welcome Iowa into Bramlage Coliseum for the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge. Overall, I think this schedule will prepare us for the upcoming challenge of the new 18-game Big 12 format.”

 

K-State will open the 2011-12 season with a three-game home stand beginning on Saturday, Nov. 12, against Dartmouth. The season-opener will be the first of two contests this season that will be part of a “Wildcat Weekend,” as the K-State football team will host Texas A&M at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on the same day.

 

The Wildcats won the first-ever meeting with the Big Green last season, 69-48, during Dartmouth’s 34th annual Blue Sky Classic in Hanover, N.H. K-State is 6-1 all-time against schools from the Ivy League.

 

Kansas State will continue its home stand with a midweek matchup with BYU on Wednesday, Nov. 16. The Wildcats lead the series with BYU, 2-0, including a 65-62 in the last meeting on Nov. 27, 2009, in Provo, Utah. The Cougars will be making their first women’s basketball appearance in Manhattan.

 

The Cougars tallied the fifth 20-win season under head coach Jeff Judkins with a 25-9 mark, which included a 15-1 record and the third regular season title in its final season in the Mountain West Conference. BYU was upended in the MWC semifinals by in-state rival Utah, but continued into the postseason in the WNIT and reached the third round before falling to USC. BYU will begin its first season as a member of the West Coast Conference during the 2011-12 season, as the Wildcats are 7-1 all-time against schools from the WCC.

 

K-State will play the first of two games against schools from the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), as the Wildcats will close out its three-game home stand against Missouri State on Friday, Nov. 18. The Wildcats lead the series with the Lady Bears, 12-3, and won the last meeting between the schools on Dec. 5, 2009, during the championship game of the Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic, 64-60.

 

Missouri State recorded a 24-11 record last season, including a 12-6 mark in the MVC. The Lady Bears advanced to the title game of the MVC Championships and was selected for the second straight season to the Postseason WNIT, where they advanced to the second round. The Lady Bears are led by three-time All-MVC first team recipient Casey Garrison. The senior guard from Bolivar, Mo., averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists during the 2010-11 season.

 

The Wildcats will make their first road trip of the season to Cancun, Mexico, as K-State will take part in the 2011 Cancun Challenge on Nov. 24-25, at the Moon Palace Resort. This will be K-State’s second appearance in Cancun, as K-State competed in the 2007 Cancun Challenge against Tulane and Michigan State. The Wildcats will face Hofstra and Purdue during the 2011 Cancun Challenge, with dates and times of competition to be determined.

 

K-State will take on Hofstra, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), for the first time. The Wildcats are 10-3 against schools from the CAA and last faced a member of the league during the 2009 Duel in the Desert, as K-State defeated VCU, 73-67, in Las Vegas. The Pride recorded a 19-12 overall record during the 2010-11 season and a 10-8 mark in the CAA.

 

The Wildcats will also take on its 2011 NCAA Tournament opponent, Purdue, during the Cancun Challenge. The Boilermakers lead the series with K-State 3-0 and won the NCAA Tournament first round matchup in Storrs, Conn., 53-45. Purdue finished the 2010-11 season with a 21-12 record and returns its entire roster for the 2011-12 season.

 

Fans interested in traveling to the Cancun Challenge may visit www.cancunchallenge.net for information regarding all-inclusive packages to watch the Wildcats in this tropical setting. Additional teams competing in the 2011 Cancun Challenge are: Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Drake, Idaho State, Marist and South Dakota State.

 

K-State will return to Manhattan to face Iowa for the second straight season in the 2011 Big 12/Big Ten Challenge on Saturday, Dec. 3. This will be the second “Wildcat Weekend” of the non-conference season, as the K-State football team will host Iowa State in the regular season finale at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Kansas State leads the series with Iowa, 3-1, but the Hawkeyes secured last season’s meeting with a 68-62 decision in Iowa City on Dec. 5. This will be Iowa’s first visit to the Little Apple since Jan. 5, 2003, when K-State tallied a 103-60 win over the Hawkeyes.

 

The Hawkeyes made their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the eighth in the last 11 seasons during the 2011 campaign in which Iowa notched a 22-9 overall record and a 10-6 mark in Big Ten play. Iowa is led by junior guard and 2011 Associated Press honorable mention All-American Jaime Printy. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native led the Hawkeyes during the 2011 season with a 16.8 scoring average.

 

For just the second time in the 21st century, Kansas State will square off against Wichita State with a Wednesday, Dec. 7, tipoff. The Wildcats lead the series with the Shockers, 39-6, with the last meeting between the institutions on Dec. 15, 2000 in Wichita, a 65-64 K-State win. The last time K-State and Wichita State met in Manhattan came on Dec. 18, 1999, a 76-66 Shocker win.

 

The Shockers reached the Postseason WNIT for the second straight season and the fourth time in the program’s history during the 2011 campaign. Wichita State finished the season with a 17-15 overall record and a 10-8 mark in the MVC.

 

K-State will make its first trip to Brookings, S.D., since the 1974 AIAW Region VI Tournament, as the Wildcats will take on South Dakota State on Saturday, Dec. 10. Kansas State leads the series with the Jackrabbits, 4-0, and won last year’s meeting 56-51 on Nov. 30, 2010.

 

South Dakota State recorded a 19-14 overall record and 12-6 mark in Summit League action during the 2010-11 season. The Jackrabbits have played in three straight NCAA Tournaments after securing The Summit League’s automatic bid by winning the league’s postseason tournament in each of the last three seasons. Including its 2011 NCAA Tournament appearance, the Jackrabbits have played in five straight postseason tournaments (2007 and 2008 WNITs).

 

For the second time in three seasons, K-State will take part in the Duel in the Desert at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 18-20. The Wildcats faced UNLV, VCU and UTSA during the 2009 edition of the event and finished with a 2-1 record. The field of the 2011 Duel in the Desert is yet to be determined.

 

Patterson returns eight letterwinners and three starters from the 12th NCAA Tournament squad in school history, including All-Big 12 selections Brittany Chambers and Jalana Childs. The Wildcats registered an overall record of 21-11 and a 10-6 mark in Big 12 action, which resulted in a tie for third finish in the league.

 

The 2011-12 Big 12 schedule, complete game times as well as the television schedule will be released at a later date. The league will move to a new 18-game, round-robin format that is expected to start in early January.

by KSU Sports Information

Kansas State freshman outfielder Jared King was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team, Collegiate Baseball announced Wednesday.
King is the fifth Wildcat since 2006 to be named a Freshman All-American and the first since James Allen and Nick Martini were honored following the 2009 season. The Dublin, Ohio, product was one of six Big 12 players on the list as he was joined by pitchers Dillon Overton (Oklahoma) and Corey Knebel (Texas), third baseman Erich Weiss (Texas), shortstop Krey Bratsen (Texas &M) and outfielder/pitcher David Paiz (Texas Tech).

A 2011 Second Team All-Big 12 selection, King hit .307 with 12 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 40 RBI, while he went 13-for-16 in stolen bases. His eight home runs are the most this season by a Big 12 freshman and were two shy of the Kansas State freshman record. King recorded 16 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI contests in 2011, including a pair of four-hit, four-RBI games against Northern Colorado and Kansas.

King, who was also named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team, was a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honoree.