From player, to coach — Marian Carbin’s Missouri Western volleyball career has come full circle.

Director of Athletics Kurt McGuffin announced Friday that the current Griffon assistant volleyball coach has been named the interim head coach for the 2013 season.  Carbin replaces Cory Frederick, who resigned in late April for family reasons.

“I am excited to have Marian lead our volleyball program for the upcoming season,”  McGuffin said.  ” With Coach Frederick’s resignation coming so late, I felt there was no reason to look any further than her.”

“No one knows the players and the program better, and she has been instrumental in the program’s gradual turnaround in the last four years.  Marian will provide the smoothest transition possible.”

Carbin has been the assistant volleyball coach at MWSU since 2009.  The program has increased its win total each year since her arrival.

“I don’t think there is anybody better prepared for this opportunity than I am,”  she said.

“There is no one that knows these girls better than I do and there is no one that loves Missouri Western better than I do.”

Before her coaching career, the former Marian Broderick was a standout player for the Griffons from 2002-2005.  She played in 393 games and 116 matches in four years. Carbin accumulated 557 kills to go along with 1,009 digs, 135 set assists and 128 services aces. She was also named to the 2005 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America team.

“This is a real honor,”  Carbin said.  “It comes with a lot of responsibility to coach at your alma mater, but I am ready to take over that challenge.  We have many great girls coming back, which will make the transition very easy for me.  At the same time, I look forward to the challenge of how far we can take them next season.”

Carbin graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in the spring of 2007. Before coming back to Missouri Western, she taught mathematics at North Kansas City High School where she also was an assistant coach for the high school team. She was the head coach of the Kansas City Extreme Volleyball Club. Her team competed in the 2009 Junior Olympics National Tournament..

She was also a student assistant coach for Missouri Western in 2006 and was the 2004-05 Missouri Western Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year.

Marian and her husband, former MWSU football player Greg Carbin, reside in North Kansas City.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The All-MIAA softball team was released Thursday night with seven Missouri Western players earning All-MIAA honors. The Griffons had two first-team and five honorable mention selections.

Jackie Bishop collected her second straight First-Team All-MIAA award and her third straight honor in as many years. Maegan Roemmich was also named first team with it being her her second straight first team honor.

Keri Lorbert, Kendall Sorensen, Sarah Elliott, Tiffany Gillaspy and Michelle Stevenson were all named Honorable Mention All-MIAA.

The Griffons continue MIAA action this weekend in the MIAA Tournament. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Jackie Bishop, Jr., Pitcher, Kirksivlle, Mo.
Bishop finished the regular season among the best pitchers in all of Division II. Bishop helped the Griffons finish 3rd in the conference, thanks in large to her performance on the mound. Bishop had a 1.61 ERA, good for second in the league, and finished the year 20-6. The junior had 32 appearances on the mound and had 26 starts. Bishop also had three saves to go with her 20 wins. She gave up just 125 hits, 55 runs and 51 walks on the season. In MIAA games, she went 12-4 and had a 1.39 ERA. This is Bishop’s third straight First Team All-MIAA award. She was named 2011 MIAA Freshman of the Year and 2012 MIAA Pitcher of the Year. This past season she broke career record at MWSU for wins, strikeouts and apperances.

Maegan Roemmich, Sr., Outfield, Des Moines, Iowa
Roemmich started all 50 games this season for the Griffons and batted a team-high .388. Roemmich scored 33 runs and had a team-high 57 hits in 2013. Her batting average ranks sixth in the conference. The senior finished the season with six doubles and a career-high nine home runs. She has 38 RBI and a .612 slug percentage. In the MIAA alone, she had a .464 batting average with eight home runs. Roemmich has played three different positions for the Griffons in her four years. She played third base her first two seasons before moving to the outfield. As a junior she played right field and this season she was moved to center field. This is Roemmich’s third straight year being named to an All-MIAA team, as she was First Team in 2012 as well as second team in 2011.

Sarah Elliott, Sr., Third Baseman, Platte City, Mo.
Elliott has an outstanding senior season finishing the regular season with a .340 batting average. She had 52 hits, which included seven doubles, a triple and four home runs. Elliott led the team with 10 bases on hit by pitches. She also went 23-for-28 on stolen bases. Elliott was also named honorable mention in 2012.

Tiffany Gillaspy, So., First Baseman, Johnston, Iowa
Gillaspy’s first year starting at first base was a solid one for the sophomore. She belted nine home runs in the regular season, tied for second on the team with Roemmich behind Lorbert. She also had 56 hits and a team-high 12 doubles. Gillaspy showed her power hitting the ball throughout the year finishing with a .611 slugging percentage. She had a team highes in RBI with 42 and total bases with 99.

Keri Lorbert, Sr., Catcher, Kearney, Neb.
Lorbert continued to be a stellar performer for the Griffons. The senior wrapped up the regular season with a .329 batting average starting all 50 games. Lorbert had a career-high 13 home runs, and broke the all-time record for homers at Missouri Western last Sunday against Northeastern State when she belted her 38th home run. She ranks third in the conference in home runs this season. Lorbert also has 48 hits and 40 RBI. Lorbert was a second team All-MIAA selection last season and an honorable mention selection as a sophomore.

Kendall Sorensen, Sr., Outfielder, Dixon, Calif.
Sorensen started all 50 games, batting sixth on the team with a .317 batting average. She tallied 44 hits with 23 runs scored. She finished with 21 RBI and a career-high five home runs this year. Sorensen had a .482 slug percentage and tied for a team-high with five sac bunts and one sac fly. This is her second straight honorable mention honor after transferring to Missouri Western from Sacramento City College.

Michelle Stevenson, Jr., Second Baseman, Smithville, Mo.
Stevenson finished the season with a .357 batting average, which ranks her second on the team. In 154 at bats, the junior crushed five homers and had 55 hits. She led the team with four triples, which ties her for first in the MIAA. Stevenson also had 10 doubles and scored 36 runs. She led the team with a .424 on-base percentage and was a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts. She was walked 16 times and started all 50 games in her first year as a starter.

The Griffons finished their season 36-14 overall and 20-8 in the MIAA which allowed the to finish 3rd in the MIAA. The Griffons are set to open up the MIAA Tournament on Friday, May 3 against the Truman State Bulldogs at 2:00 pm from the Blue Valley Recreation Complex in Overland Park, Kan.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western senior Grant Fink has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District Seven team CoSida announced Thursday.

Fink, the Griffons’ third baseman from Spokane, Washington, earned the award for the first time in his career. Fink has a 3.43 GPA in Sports Management. Twelve players were named to the district team, which consists of the Great American, Mid-America and Northern Sun conferences.

For the season, Fink has a.409 batting average and has hit 13 home runs with 65 hits. He helped the Griffons to a 35-8 record and 28-5 MIAA record.

— MWSU Sports Information —

With poor weather in the area the Missouri Western’s baseball first round MIAA Tournament series with the Fort Hays State Tigers has been moved back one more day.

The series will now begin on Saturday, May 4 with the first of the best of three game set getting underway at 1 p.m. from the Griffons Baseball Field in St. Joseph, Mo.

Game two will be played at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 5 with the if game be played on Monday, May 6 at 3 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western baseball team fell to 3rd in the second Central Region poll which was released Wednesday, May 1.  The Grriffons won their first ever MIAA Regular Season Title with a doubleheader sweep over Washburn last week and will be the #1 seed heading into this weeks MIAA Tournament. The Griffons are 35-8overall and 28-5in MIAA play.

The top six teams earn a regional bid with the highest seed hosting a double elimination tournament. The Griffons have made an NCAA Regional once in history which was back in 2006.

The only other MIAA school in the top eight is the University of Central Missouri who sits a top the rankings.

The Griffons open up the MIAA Tournament with a best of three game series with the 8th seeded Fort Hays State Tigers. The first game of the series is scheduled for 3:00 pm on Friday, May 3 from the MWSU Baseball Field in St. Joseph, Mo. Game two is on Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 pm and the if game is on Sunday, May 5 at 1:00 pm.

Click to view Central Regional Rankings.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western Griffon softball team sits in 8th place in the third Central Regional Poll of the season which was released Wednesday (May 1) afternoon. The Griffons enter this week 36-14 and will be the 3rd seed in this weekends MIAA Tournament.

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.

Four other MIAA schools are in the top 10 with Fort Hays State coming in 1st, Central Oklahoma 3rd, Emporia State 9th and Truman State 10th.

The Griffons have been to a regional six of the last eight seasons (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012) which includes being the #4 seed in 2012.

The Griffons open up the MIAA Tournament on Friday, May 3rd with a contest with the Truman State Bulldogs at 2:00 pm. They will then play Fort Hays State or Pittsburg State at 4:00 pm. The trounament is being played in Overland Park, Kan. at the Blue Valley Recreation Complex.

Click to view Central Regional Rankings.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The projected weather forecast has forced a change in the schedule for Missouri Western’s baseball first round MIAA Tournament series with the Fort Hays State Tigers.

The series will now begin on Friday, May 3 with the first of the best of three game set getting underway at 3 p.m. from the Griffons Baseball Field in St. Joseph, Mo.

Game two will be played at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 4 with the if game be played on Sunday, May 5 at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The final game is in the books for the MIAA softball regular season and the 2013 Softball Tournament bracket and pairings have been released by the league. The tournament is scheduled for May 2-4 from the Blue Valley Recreation Complex in Overland Park, Mo.

The tournament kicks off with four first round games at 6 p.m. on May 2 in Overland Park. Top seeded Central Oklahoma will face off with eighth seed Northwest Missouri. Second seed Fort Hays State will open their tournament against seventh seeded Pittsburg State. Third seed Missouri Western will play sixth seeded Truman and fourth seeded Emporia State will face off with fifth seed Northeastern State.

May 2, 2013 (Blue Valley Recreation Complex)
Game 1    #1 Central Oklahoma vs. #8 Northwest Missouri State
Game 2    #4 Emporia State vs. #5 Northeastern State
Game 3    #3 Missouri Western vs. #6 Truman State
Game 4    #2 Fort Hays State vs. #7 Pittsburg State

— MIAA Press Release —

The Missouri Western State University Department of Athletics, in conjunction with the St. Joseph News-Press, celebrated the success of its student-athletes both on and off of the field as part of the 14th Annual Missouri Western State University/St. Joseph News-Press Student-Athlete Honors Banquet on Monday, April 29th in the Fulkerson Center on the MWSU campus. Griffon football player Michael Hill was named Male Athlete of the Year while women’s golfer Natalie Bird was named Female Student Athlete of the Year.

Griffon Athletics honored 11 student-athletes as their respective sports’ “Student-Athlete of the Year” along with numerous team and individual achievements which have taken place over the past calendar year.

Also as part of the evening, Griffon Athletics recognized recently retired Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tom Smith and Head Athletic Trainer Myron Unzicker who will retire at the end of the season as Silver Anniversary Award Winners.  Recipients of the award display the characteristics of Integrity, Dedication, Leadership, a Commitment to Excellence and an obligation to serve as a concerned partner in their community throughout the past 25 years.

Current Griffon student-athletes who have been chosen as their respective sports’ Student-Athlete of the Year include; Cedric Clinkscales (Men’s Basketball), Jacob Cunning (Cheer Squad), Michael Hill (Football), James O’Brien (Men’s Golf), Brandon Simmons (Baseball), Alicia Bell (Women’s Basketball), Natalie Bird (Women’s Golf), Ceara Boldridge (Women’s Tennis), Ashlyn Castillo (Women’s Soccer), Stephanie Hattey (Volleyball) and Keri Lorbert (Softball).

MWSU also recognized softball player Maegan Roemmich as the top graduating senior student-athlete based on highest cumulative GPA with the James J. McMillen Award and women’s golfer Natalie Bird as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s Volunteer of the Year which recognizes a student-athlete that has contributed outstanding service in the local community.

— MWSU Sports Information —