Missouri Western State University’s Director of Athletics, Kurt McGuffin has announced the hiring of two new coaches for the Women’s Tennis program Thursday morning. The Griffons have hired, the recently retired Men’s Basketball coach Tom Smith as the head coach while Raven Searcy, a four-year tennis athlete at Northwest Missouri State, will be the new graduate assistant. Smith takes over for former Tennis Coach Ron Selkirk.

Smith served as the basketball coach at Missouri Western for 25 years before retiring last March. He left the program as the all-time leader in wins and also accumulated more than 600 wins as a basketball coach throughout his 38 years in the coaching ranks.

Smith’s tennis knowledge dates back to his days at Valparaiso where he was the coach for three seasons. He was the Indiana Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in 1966 after his squad won the conference title.  Smith’s wife, Patsy, is also a former Head Women’s Tennis Coach, and in 1998 she led Griffons to their first NCAA Tournament.

“I certainly do not profess to have the expertise that Coach Selkirk has, but what I can bring to the table is 46 years of coaching experience at the college level,” commented Coach Smith. “One of our objectives is to get the women’s tennis program more involved with the rest of the athletic department. Hopefully having a coach on campus help will expedite that move. ”

Searcy played for the Bearcats in the early 2000s. She was named to several all-conference teams, and played high school tennis for Central High School in St. Joseph. While at Central she was an All-State performer twice and compiled a record of 31-9.

She graduated from Northwest in the spring of 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

“Often times programs like tennis and golf feel like they are never part of an athletic department and it is very difficult to be a part-time coach to full-time student athletes,” stated Director of Athletic Kurt McGuffin. “Our main focus was to fully support these programs so that they have the tools to compete in this league. Coach Smith is dedicated to MWSU and its student athletes and along with Coach Searcy they will devote time and energy both on and off the court to provide a quality experience for our tennis student-athletes.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western State University had 32 student-athletes receive recognition by the Division 2 Athletic Directors Association (D2ADA) for their outstanding work in the classroom during the 2012-13 academic year. The Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2ADA) announced the 2012-13 recipients of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards on Wednesday, August 21. The Academic Achievement Awards is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division 2 level.

A record number of institutions (169) and student-athletes (6,801) are being recognized for the 2012-13 Academic Achievement Awards. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Association had 759 student-athletes honored, a record-high for the program, followed by the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) with 653 student-athletes being recognized and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) with 635 student-athletes being acknowledged with this award.

“The D2ADA would like to thank and congratulate the institutions that took part in honoring the record-number of 6,854 student-athletes with 2012-13 Academic Achievement Awards,” stated D2ADA President Anita Barker, director of athletics at Chico State University.  “We continuously strive to recognize and honor deserving Division 2 student-athletes.  This award gives us the platform to showcase these individuals and their efforts in the classroom, as well as on the playing field.”

Click here to view the Missouri Western recipients.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s soccer team has been picked to finish 9th in the 2013 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll the league announced Tuesday.

The Griffons, under third-year coach Chad Edwards, finished 10th a season ago in the MIAA. The Griffons return eight starters and 14 letter winners from a season ago.

Last years MIAA champion Central Missouri tops the poll taking 11 of the possible 12 first place votes with 132 points. Central Oklahoma received one first place vote coming in second with 121 points.

Northeastern State came in 3rd in the poll with 104 points while last years MIAA Tournament Champion Fort Hays State came in 4th with 102 points. Northwest Missouri State came in 5th with 85 points just eight points ahead of 6th place Southwest Baptist (77). Missouri Southern and Nebraska-Kearney round out the top eight with 64 and 46 points respectively.

After the Griffons came Washburn in 10th place with 36 points, Lindenwood in 11th place with 32 points and Emporia State in 12th with 22 points.

The Griffons soccer team reported to camp on Saturday, August 17 and held their first two practices on Monday, August 19 in Spratt Stadium. The Griffons will play an Alumni Game on August 24 at 5:00 pm and will open up regular season play on the road in Minnesota.

On Friday, September 6 the Griffons will take on the Bemidji State University Beavers out of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Game time is set for 5:00 pm in Bemidji, Minn.

2013 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Central Missouri (11)        132
2. Central Oklahoma (1)      121
3. Northeastern State          104
4. Fort Hays State               102
5. Northwest Missouri          85
6. Southwest Baptist           77
7. Missouri Southern           64
8. Nebraska-Kearney           46
9. Missouri Western            37
10. Washburn                    36
11. Lindenwood                   32
12. Emporia State               22

— MU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western football team is ranked sixth in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) preseason Top 25 Poll that was released Monday.

Western, which ranked fifth in the final poll of the 2012 season, garnered 586 votes. The Griffons finished their 2012 season with a 12-2 record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State are the only other MIAA squads in the top-25, ranked 4th with 616 points and one first place vote and 21st with 165 points. Central Missouri, Emporia State and Washburn all received votes.

Missouri Western begins its 2013 campaign on the road Sept. 5 as they take on the University of Central Missouri. The opening kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western men’s basketball coach Brett Weiberg announced the signing of one more student-athlete that will join the program for the 2013-14 season as part of his initial signing class at MWSU. Freshman Connor Soukup of Olathe, Kan. will join Charles Marquardt Ryan Devers, Wesley Mitter, Cortez Colbert and Dareon Jones who signed earlier this year.

Connor Soukup – 6-1-180, Freshman, Guard, Olathe South HS, Olathe, Kan.

Soukup a two year letter winner at Olathe South High School where he earned honorable mention All-Sunflower league honors and was on the Ray-Pec All-Tournament Team.

He was also on the Topeka Invitational All-Academic Team for his work in the classroom. At Olathe South, Soukup averaged 13.6 ppg, 4.6 assists per game, 3.3 rebounds per game and 2.9 steals per game. He is a very good shooter making 56.1-percent of his field goals and 48.9-percent from long range. He also made 78-percent of his free throws. His greatest sports moment was scoring 25 points and being named MVP against their rivals Olathe East. He was also selected to the first team All-Tournament Team at the Ray-Pec Showcase tournament in Dec 2012. He is also a solid student being in the National Honors Society and a member of the honor roll for four years. He plans on majoring in business at MWSU.

“I am very pleased to announce that Connor will be joining the Griffon Basketball family for 2013-14,” commented Head Coach Brett Weiberg. “He is a true combo guard that has the ability to make plays for his teammates but also score the ball himself. He can really shoot the ball from the 3pt line and really from all areas of the floor. More importantly, Connor has a motor and a strong desire to succeed. With our first recruiting class here at Missouri Western we have focused on bringing in good players that will work hard to better. Connor is a competitor, and excellent student and a good person.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team ranked in the top 25 in attendance among the nearly 300 NCAA Division II basketball playing schools. The Griffons drew an average of 1,655 fans to their 13 home games in the MWSU Fieldhouse during the 2012-13 season to rank 21st nationally.

This is the second straight year that the Griffons were in the top-25 as in 2011-12 the Griffons averaged 1,760 during their 14 home games.

The Griffons were among six MIAA teams in the top 30 nationally. As a conference the MIAA drew 254,543 fans to the 186 gams to lead all Division II conference in average attendance at 1,369 fans per game. The MIAA’s total attendance was better than 10 NCAA Division I conferences.

Rank  Division II             G/S    Attendance  Avg.
1.       Northern St.           17      54,383           3,199
2.       Dixie St.                12      34,818           2,902
3.       Midwestern St.       12      31,600           2,633
4.       Central Mo.            13      33,297           2,561
5.       Ky. Wesleyan         18      44,780          2,488
6.       Augustana (SD)      16      39,132          2,446
7.       Washburn              13      31,210          2,401
8.       Grand Canyon        16      38,330          2,396
9.       Elizabeth City St.   14      32,577          2,327
10.      Fort Hays St.         15      34,015         2,268
11.      Drury                     17      32,068        1,886
12.      Benedict                13      23,636        1,818
13.      Bellarmine              15      26,803        1,787
14.      West Ga.               14      24,665        1,762
15.      Mo. Southern St.    13      22,680        1,745
16.      SW Minn. State      12      20,498        1,708
17.      Tarleton St.            17      28,796        1,694
18.      St. Cloud St.          14      23,613        1,687
19.      Emporia St.            13      21,818        1,678
20.      UNC Pembroke       14      23,401        1,672
21.      Mo. Western St.     13      21,520        1,655
22.      S.C. Aiken              17      28,014        1,648
23.      Winston-Salem       13      21,255        1,635
24.      Indiana (PA)            18      28,565        1,587
25.      Tuskegee                 9      14,156        1,573
26.      Minn. St. Mankato   18      27,913        1,551
27.      Southern Ind.           15      22,800        1,520
28.      Fairmont St.            13      19,503        1,500
29.      Virginia Union          12      17,925        1,494
30.      Winona St.              15      22,182        1,479

— MWSU Sports Information —

USA College Football has released its 25th annual Preseason All-America Teams with five Missouri Western players earning recognition: Senior quarterback Travis Partridge and senior tight end Reggie Jordan were named to the first team while sophomore linebacker Yomi Alli was selected to the second team. Senior offensive lineman Jeremy Jacobsen and senior linebacker Wallace Carter were selected to the third team.

Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors, CFL and NFL agents and franchise scouts, broadcast, internet, national and regional print and magazine media, members of football writers’ associations along with the staff of USA College Football contributed to the selection process.

#12 Travis Partridge (QB, 6-4, 230, Sr., St. Joseph, Mo./Savannah HS)
The MIAA First Team All-MIAA quarterback, Partridge has also been tabbed a Preseason All-American by BSN. Partridge had an outstanding junior campaign helping the Griffons to their first MIAA Regular Season Championship and into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Partridge started all 14 games while throwing for 2,706 yards and 30 touchdowns. He threw for four touchdowns in three different games (Nebraska-Kearney, Northeastern State and Pittsburg State) while leading the Griffons to a single season record for wins with 12. He rushed for an MWSU single season record 18 touchdowns while being named First Team All-MIAA and MIAA Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Northwest Missouri State.

2012 Awards
– MIAA Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 10)
– First Team All-MIAA
– Don Hansen Football Honorable Mention All-American
– 2012 Don Hansen All-Super Region Three First Team
– Beyond Sports College Network Honorable Mention All-American
– Daktronics Super Region Four Second Team

#89 Reggie Jordan (TE, 6-3, 240, Sr., Hazelwood, Mo./Hazelwood Central HS)
Jordan was also selected to the Sporting News Preseason All-America Team. Last season Jordan started all 14 games catching 23 passes with 11 being for touchdowns. He also had one rushing touchdown on Oct. 13 against Missouri Southern, when scored from 86 yards on a fake punt. He had two touchdowns against Northeastern State on Oct. 6 and in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs against Henderson State on Nov. 24.

2012 Awards
– Honorable Mention All-MIAA
– Honorable Mention D2Football.com All-American

#5 Yomi Alli (LB, 6-0, 225, RSo., St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood Central HS)
Before being sidelined in game three last season due to injury Alli was off to an explosive season. In two games he had 13 tackles with one interception, a pass breakup and a blocked kick.

#74 Jeremy Jacobsen (OL, 6-3, 315, Sr., Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf HS)
Jacobsen will be the anchor of the offensive line this season. He played in all 13 games a season ago with three starts at offensive guard.

#33 Wallace Carter (LB, 6-0, 245, Sr., Centerville, Iowa/Centerville HS)
Will be a key component to the Griffon defense. Last season he played in 13 games while compiling 60 tackles (4.5 for loss). He forced one fumble and two pass breakups. He had his best game of his career on November 17 in the Griffons’ first-ever NCAA DII Playoff victory against Minnesota-Duluth where he recorded 13 tackles.

Missouri Western’s five preseason All-Americans along with the rest of the Griffons will report to camp this Wednesday, August 14 and hit the practice field for the first time on Thursday, August 15. The season opener is in Warrensburg, Mo. on Thursday, September 5 against Central Missouri at 7 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western State University Griffons were picked 10th in the MIAA preseason coaches poll which was released Tuesday (August 13) by the league office. The Griffons report for camp on Saturday, August 13 and will have their first practice on Aug. 19 at 9:00 am. The Griffons, who finished the 2012 season with a 16-16 record, will open the season on Sept. 6 participating in the Pittsburg State University Invitationa. The Griffons will take on Rockhurst University at 12:00 pm and Quincy University at 4:30 pm.

Missouri Western was picked 10th in the coaches poll with 116 points trailing 9th place Lindenwood by three points (42). Nebraska-Kearney tops the poll with 118 points and eight first place votes while Central Missouri received 108 points and one first place vote. Washburn is close behind in third with three first place votes and 107 points while Emporia State, Pittsburg State and Northwest come in 4th, 5th and 6th with 89, 71 and 68 points respectively. Fort Hays State received 65 points in 7th place while Central Oklahoma is in 8th with 52 point. Southwest Baptist and Missouri Southern round out the poll with 21 and 12 points respectively.

Missouri Western will have its home opener against Fort Hays State on Sept. 24 starting at 7 p.m. in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The Griffons return 8 players who started at least 10 matches last season and 11 players who played in 20 or sets. The Griffons return honorable mention All-MIAA selections Stephanie Hattey (S/OH, 5-9, Sr., Kearney, Mo.) and Jessie Thorup (RS, 5-11, So., Olathe, Kan.).

Stephanie Hattey had a solid 2012 for the Griffons. Hattey, who is normally a setter, was forced into playing outside hitter this season. Hattey had eight matches where she had double digit kills which included a career best 15 on November 9 at Pittsburg State. She also had double digit sets in 28 of her 32 matches which included a season high 39 on October 13 against Central Oklahoma. Hattey was also solid on defense tallying double digit digs in 22 matches with a season high 24 in the Griffons last game of the season on November 10. Hattey guided the Griffons to their most victories in a season since 2006 when they matched the 16 win mark. Hattey was second on the team with 243 kills with a 2.11 kill per set. She led the team with 656 set assists on the season, and was second with 369 digs.

As a freshman Jessie Thorup led the Griffons with 274 kills and 2.38 kill per set. She also hit .230 making just 109 errors on 718 attack attempts. Thorup had double digit kills in 12 matches which included a career best 14 on November 6 in a Griffons 3-1 victory over Quincy University. She had a career best hitting percentage on November 9 at Pittsburg State, hitting .440 with 12 kills and just one error. On October 13 against Central Oklahoma she had seven of her 53 blocks on the season.

The Griffons finished the season 16-16 overall, which is their best record since 2006 when they were 16-15. The 16 victories was the most under head coach Cory Frederick as he had 11, 12, 14 and 16 wins the past four seasons. Frederick resigned as the MWSU volleyball coach this spring and former assistant Marian Carbin will begin her first year as the Griffon head coach. Carbin assisted with the program the past four seasons.

2013 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1.  Nebraska-Kearney (8)  118
2.  Central Missouri (1)     108
3.  Washburn (3)              107
4.  Emporia State              89
5.  Pittsburg State             71
6.  Northwest Missouri       68
7.  Fort Hays State           65
8.  Central Oklahoma        52
9.  Lindenwood                 42
10. Missouri Western       39
11. Southwest Baptist       21
12. MIssouri Southern       12

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western head baseball coach Buzz Verduzco announces the signing of four more student-athletes for the 2014  season. Junior college transfers Cody Childs (Mt. Hood CC) from Troutdale, Ore., Reid Martinez (Yakima Valley CC) from Seattle, Wash., Matthew Estes (Longview CC) from Odessa, Mo. and Joshua Lansangan (Hutchinson CC) from Kansas City, Mo. join Charles Koehler, III, Michael Yeager, Hunter Weiss, Matthew Russell, Grant Woods, Derek Rottinghaus, Tyler Sanders, Jonathan Temenak and Tyler Tuepker on next years squad.

Childs is a 5-11 infielder who comes to Missouri Western from Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore. He played his high school baseball at Reynolds HS in Troutdale, Ore. While at Mt. Hood CC he was a Gold Glove regional winner at third base as well as being named 2nd Team All-Region short stop. Last season he hit .361 with 17 runs scored, 9 RBI, 2 doubles and one home run. In high school he was a 1st Team All-Conference infielder as well as Honorable Mention All-State. As a junior he was a 2nd Team All-Conference pitcher. He is also a very good student who plans on majoring in education.

“There is nobody more prepared and qualified to take over our SS position vacated by Michael Schultz to the draft,” said Coach Verduzco. “Cody is a very high energy player and will be amongst the best in our league. He is as consistent a fielder as we’ve seen in a while.”

Martinez is a 6-1 outfielder who comes to MWSU from Yakima Valley CC in Yakima, Wash. He played his high school baseball at Roosevelt HS in Seattle, Wash. While at Mt. Hood he was a two time 2nd Team All-Region selection and a 2nd Team NWAAC selection. While in high school he was a two time captain as well as being named team MVP twice. He is also a solid student who plans on majoring in political science.

“Reid is a pure hitter coming from the state if Washington,” stated Coach Verduaco. “We see Reid stepping right into the heart of our order. He one of our top incoming JC players and we very excited that he has our program.”

Estes is a 6-0 outfielder who comes to MWSU from Longview CC in Lee’s Summit, Mo. He played his high school baseball at Odessa HS in Odessa, Mo. While at Longview he was a two time captain and selected to the All-Region team. While in high school he was a 1st Team All-Conference performer. He plans on majoring in physical education at Missouri Western.

“Matt will come in and compete for an outfield position this season,” commented Coach Verduzco. “He is a very consistent hitter that can use the whole field in his approach. A definite plus in our offensive scheme.”

Lansangan is a 5-10 pitcher who comes to Missouri Western from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas City, Mo. He played his high school baseball at Staley HS in Kansas City, Mo. Last season he pitched in five games with three starts. He pitched 13.2 innings with 12 strikeouts. He is currently undecided on a major at Missouri Western.

“Josh is a big time competitor,” stated Coach Verduzco. “He will solidify a very good bullpen and also look for him to challenge for a starting role. He has a very high baseball IQ and thrives on the tight moments in a game.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

Hall of Fame Missouri Western Men’s Basketball Coach Tom Smith will receive one of the highest honors bestowed on a state citizen this Saturday night in Jefferson City as he will be a recipient of the 2013 Missourian Award as announced by Governor Jay Nixon who is the honorary chair for The Missourian Awards, along with Mr. Ralph Slavens, Missourian Award Founder and Chairman.

The Missourian Award is a prestigious honor that acknowledges the most accomplished citizens of Missouri.  To be selected, one must be born in the state of Missouri, or under exceptional circumstances, a person may qualify by having spent at least fifteen years of their life in the state. Nominees must have made an outstanding contribution to the state or nation in one of the following fields: civics, business, arts or politics.  However, no person from the political field will be considered for this award until they have been out of an elected or appointed position for at least two years.

Smith receives the award after retiring from MWSU last March after 25 years at the helm and over 45 years in the coaching profession.  He won 618 career games, six MIAA regular season championships, four MIAA postseason championships and took his teams to 12 NCAA Tournaments.  He is the winningest coach in MIAA history and is a member of four Hall of Fame’s including; the MWSU Athletics Hall of Fame, Missouri Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, Valparaiso Athletics Hall of Fame and last June was inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame.

Past Missourian Award recipients include; Walter Cronkite, George Washington Carver, Thomas Hart Benton, John Q. Hammons, Walt Disney, Harry S. Truman and Mark Twain.

Other 2013 Missourian Award Recipients include:
Robert Beine – President, Beine Automotive Group
James Leon Combs – Entrepreneur
Rudy E. Farber – past President and CEO, Community Bank and Trust
Dwayne A. Holden – President and CEO, Custom Metalcraft, Inc.
Norm Ridder, Ed.D. – Superintendent, Springfield Public Schools
Chief Glenna Wallace – Chief of the Eastern Shawnee and Humanitarian
Cheryl Burnett – Director of Development, Missouri State University
Steve Edwards – past CEO of CoxHealth
Timothy Harlan – Legislator
C J Huff – Superintendent, Joplin Schools
Dr. Bharat Shah, MD – Surgeon and Medical Director, Mercy Clinic Medical Spa
Erick Taylor – President and CEO, Pyramid Foods
Mike Williamson – past President and CEO, Empire Bank

The 2013 Missourian Awards ceremony will take place this Saturday, August 10 at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City at 7 PM.  Proceeds of this annual event benefit the American Heart Association.

— MWSU Sports Information —