KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Western’s Shi Qing Ong has been named one of five female finalists for the MIAA’s 2019 Ken B. Jones award.

Ong became Missouri Western’s first-ever finalist for the award that recognized the top Female and Male Student-Athletes in the MIAA. The recent graduate was a two-time MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Year. She was recently named second team All-American by the WGCA and was a three-time WGCA All-Region selection, a four-time first team All-MIAA selection and a 2018-19 Google Cloud Academic All-District selection. Ong won back-to-back MIAA Championship titles with her 2019 championship completing a run of five-straight individual event titles this past spring. Ong won 14 events in her four years at MWSU, a Griffon Golf record. She was also a two-time winner of Missouri Western’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year award and qualified for the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships three times in her career.

The Female and Male Ken B. Jones award winners will be announced on June 3 at the MIAA Awards Show presented by Husch Blackwell.

The Ken B. Jones award is named after the MIAA’s first full-time commissioner and recognizes the conference’s top Female and Male Student-Athlete. Mr. Jones was appointed league commissioner in 1981 and the inaugural award, in his honor, began in the 1993-94 academic year.

Each institution may nominate one female and one male student-athlete. The nominees must have completed at least their junior season of athletics eligibility by June 1 of the academic year of nomination. A nominee must have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average through the previous full semester term through February 1 of the academic year of nomination at the certifying member institution.

A 15-member committee comprised of one administrator from each MIAA institution and the conference office ranks each candidate based on excellence in three categories: Athletic Achievement in that academic year, Career Academic Achievements and Community/Campus Service during the Academic Year. The committee announces its five finalists 14 days before naming its winner at the annual MIAA Awards Celebration.

Female Finalists
Kylie Hohlen – Central Missouri, Senior – Volleyball
Brianna Schmitz – Emporia State, Senior – Track & Field
Renea Ambersley – Lincoln, Junior – Track & Field
Shi Qing Ong – Missouri Western, Senior – Golf
Ellie McDonell – Nebraska Kearney, Senior – Volleyball

Male Finalists
Landon Nault – Emporia State, Senior – Football
Brandon Ball – Fort Hays State, Junior – Wrestling
Grant Olsson – Lincoln, Senior – Basketball
Jacob Bartling – Nebraska Kearney, Senior – Track & Field
Levi Wyrick – Pittsburg State, Senior – Football/Track & Field

— MWSU Athletics —

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – It has been a while since there were any firsts for Missouri Western senior golfer Shi Qing Ong, but she can add one final first-time honor to her decorated career. The standout women’s golfer was named second team All-American by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) for the first time in her career.

Ong finished tied for 19th at last week’s NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships, her highest finish in three trips to the national tournament and the highest finish by any MIAA competitor. The All-American honor is added to a list of awards that includes two MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Year titles, three WGCA All-Region selections, four first team All-MIAA honors and a Missouri Western-record 14 individual championships.

Shi Qing was the only MIAA women’s golfer named to the WGCA All-American teams and one of just four in the Central Region across the first, second and honorable mention teams.

— MWSU Athletics —

PALM SPRINGS, Fla. – Missouri Western senior Shi Qing Ong completed her final round as a Griffon by moving up three spots on the leaderboard and finishing tied for 19th at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships at the PGA National – Champions Course.

It was tough sledding in the third and final round with just one competitor in the 95-player field shooting under par. Ong was 6-over on Thursday, finishing 13-over in her third and final appearance in the national championships. The two-time MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Year turned in one birdie, five bogeys and one double. She parred the other holes in the final day to finish with her highest-ever finish in the national championships.

Ong’s decorated career included two MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Year awards, three WGCA All-Region selections and a MWSU-record 14 individual titles. Ong was also twice named the MWSU Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western State University director of athletics Josh Looney announced, Thursday, the contract of head women’s tennis coach Shawn Becker would not be renewed.

“We have great respect for Coach Becker and thank him for his hard work and service leading Griffon Tennis the past four years,” Looney said. “Shawn has made positive contributions to our University and the athletic department, and we wish him the best moving forward. Ultimately, we believe our tennis program has the ability to increase its competitiveness in the MIAA and in the Central Region.”

Becker became Missouri Western’s second-ever full-time tennis coach in 2015. In his first season, the Griffons went 10-6 overall and posted a 5-5 record in MIAA play. Over his four seasons, MWSU was 36-48 with a 9-28 conference record. His teams consistently ranked high in academic achievement and sportsmanship and following this season, the Griffons received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Community Service Award for the Central Region. During Becker’s tenure, Karolina Ström became the program’s first nationally ranked player in more than two decades.

A national search for Becker’s replacement will begin immediately.

— MWSU Athletics —

PALM SPRINGS, Fla. – Missouri Western senior golfer Shi Qing Ong is tied for 22nd after two rounds at the NCAA Division II National Championships at the PGA National golf coure in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. She’s just two shots out of being in the top 10.

Ong started with three bogeys on the front nine and seven pars, but parred eight of nine on the back to finish 4-over on the day. Through two rounds, Ong was 7-over and knotted up with Kennedy Holtsclaw of the University of Indianapolis for the position. Six competitors were tied for 16th with 6-over scores for the tournament and six more were tied for 10th at 5-over.

Academy of Art’s Anahi Servin was 2-under in round two to move up five spots into a tie for the lead with Jamie Jacob of Cal State San Marcos with 2-under 144s through the first two rounds.

Round three will take place Thursday as the National Championship continue through Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Missouri Western baseball pitcher Anthony Castaneda was named second team All-Central Region by the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association.

Castaneda was named first team All-MIAA after going 6-3 with one save and a 2.34 ERA this season. The senior finished third in the MIAA in ERA and second in strikeouts. His 111 strikeouts this season ranked as the second most ever by a Griffon pitcher and were compared to just 18 walks over 88 1/3 innings.

Castaneda allowed just 23 earned runs all season and didn’t allow an earned run to score over his final five appearances, a string of 14 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. He posted a 0.99 WHIP and struck out 11.3 per nine innings. He twice tied the Missouri Western single game record with 14 strikeouts and posted back-to-back 12-strikeout games on Feb. 24 and Mar. 1. He also struck out 11 on Apr. 14 against Northwest Missouri.

Castaneda was one of three MIAA starting pitchers named to the D2CCA All-Central Region team. Missouri Southern’s Zach Parrish was a first team selection and Central Oklahoma’s Dylan Hall was named second team.

— MWSU Athletics —

PALM SPRINGS, Fla. – Missouri Western senior Shi Qing Ong was 3-over-par in round one at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf National Championships to tie for 17th at the PGA National – Champion Course.

Ong finished day one on Tuesday just two strokes out of the top-10 with 15 holes of even-par, two double-bogeys and one birdie. She was knotted with 10 other competitors all at 3-over. Cal State San Marcos’s Claire Hogle led the field with a 4-under. Behind her were four competitors at 2-under. The rest of the field was even-par or over.

Shi Qing was 2-over after the front nine, posting eight even-par holes and a double-bogey on No. 14. She started her back nine with a birdie on No. 1, but followed that with a double-bogey before closing out the first round with seven-straight pars.

Ong will tee off for round two on Wednesday morning from the PGA National – Champion Course.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western sophomore track & field student-athlete Hanna Williams was selected for qualification to the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. Williams’ qualified in the 400 meter with her 54.69 in the event at the SBU Bearcat Invite on April 6.

Williams was an automatic qualifier in the 400 meter for the indoor national championships, but was unable to compete due to injury. This time, the provisional mark achieved in April was enough to get Williams to her first-ever national championship appearance. She will become the second member of MWSU’s second-year track & field program to qualify for the NCAA outdoor national championships, following Phil Thompson who achieved All-American status in the triple jump last year. Williams’ qualifying mark ranked 17th in the nation this year.

The national championships will be held at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville, Texas, May 23-25.

— MWSU Athletics —

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Missouri Western Women’s Golfer Shi Qing Ong was named All-Central Region by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.

It is the third career WGCA All-Region honor for Ong who was competing as an individual at the NCAA Division II National Championships when this year’s all-region team was announced. The most decorated women’s golfer in school history was a two-time MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Year (2018-19) and at two-time MWSU Women’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

Ong won five events during her senior season including a string of four-straight spring event wins and after a one week break, claimed her second consecutive MIAA Women’s Golf Championship title. Over her four-year career, Ong claimed 14 individual titles.

— MWSU Athletics —

PITTSBURG, Kan. – No. 4-seeded Pittsburg State got two runs in the sixth to take its first and only lead, defeating the No. 8-seeded Missouri Western baseball team 5-4 Saturday afternoon in the MIAA Championships. The elimination game loss ended the Griffons season with a 21-24 record.

The Griffons led 3-2 headed to the sixth, but the first four Gorillas reached in the sixth, the fourth getting on with a two-RBI single up the middle that gave Pitt State a 4-3 lead. Kellan Richards replaced Jacob Miller with one out and two in scoring position in the sixth, getting two strikeouts to limit the damage.

Pittsburg State scored its fifth run on a Josh Oliver single on an 0-2 pitch with two out in the eighth. The single came off Anthony Castaneda who replaced Richards in the eighth to make his third appearance in as many days in the MIAA postseason tournament.

Andrew Curry’s second hit of the day was an RBI single with two out in the eighth that scored Fahd Shakeel. A strike out and caught stealing executed by Levi Abrahamson and Will Jibas in the top of the ninth helped Abrahamson work around a leadoff single and send MWSU to the plate down just one in the top of the ninth, but the Griffs went down in order in the final frame.

Jibas drove in two in his final game as a Griffon. Shakeel went 2-for4 with a pair of runs scored in his final game. Curry, also a senior, went 2-for-4. Roy Robles got the start and struck out six over three innings, but also walked three and gave up two earned runs on four hits. Miller took the loss, going 2 1/3 and allowing two earned runs on four hits. Richards added to his MWSU career appearances record, going 2 1/3 and allowing one run on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Castaneda recorded an out and gave up one hit. Abrahamson allowed one hit and now runs in an inning of work.

— MWSU Athletics —