Missouri Western running back Michael Hill was announced as one of 24 candidates for the 2012 Harlon Hill Trophy honoring the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year Friday (Nov. 9) by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee.

The list includes six players from each of the four Division II Super Regions.

Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 168 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. The 24 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on November 17.

The winner of the 2012 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the 27th annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet on Friday, Dec. 14 at the Florence Conference Center at 6:30 p.m. (CST). This year’s Hill Trophy Banquet will also include the 14th induction class into the Division II Football Hall of Fame.

Hill a senior from St. Joseph, Mo., currently leads the MIAA and is second in Division II in rushing yards per game (168.8 ypg) and is averaging 7.5 yards per carry. He has rushed for over 100 yards nine times this season finding the end zone 14 times on the ground and three threw the air. He also leads the league in points scored per game (10.80) which ties him for 8th nationally and is second in all-purpose yards in the MIAA and 5th in the nation at (186.70). Hill is coming off his best day as a Griffons rushing for 259 yards and three touchdowns in the Griffons 56-28 victory over then 25th ranked Washburn. Hill is the Griffons all-time leader in carries, rushing yards and yards in a season with 1,688 through 10 games.

He has also set or on the verge of setting records for most point scored in a season and career, most touchdowns scored in a season and career, most rushing attempts in a season, most rushing touchdowns in a season and career, highest average per carry in a season, highest rushing average per game in a season, most 100-yard rushing games in a season and career and most all-purpose yards in a season and career.

Hill earned All-America honors as a junior in 2011 while helping guide the Griffons to a 9-3 record and their second straight NCAA Division II Playoff appearance.

Hill (5-11, 205) is joined on the 2012 Super Region Three Ballot by Emporia State quarterback Tyler Eckenrode (6-0, 195, SR), Henderson State quarterback Kevin Rodgers (6-3, 215, SO), Pittsburg State wide receiver John Brown (5-11, 171, JR), St. Cloud State quarterback Phillip Klaphake (6-1, 196, JR) and Winona State running back Rayon Simmons (5-10, 220, SR).

Candidates were initially nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools and those nominations were then reviewed by the Hill Regional Advisory Committees, which trimmed the list of candidates.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western senior center Michael Yardley has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District team, presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

This marks Yardley’s second Academic All-District (2011) award in his career. The senior transfer from Nebraska-Omaha has anchored the offensive line the past two seasons making 21 starts in the Griffons 22 games. This season he has started all 10 games and has helped the Griffons rush for 300.9 yards per game which is the highest avearge in school history. In his career MWSU has rushed for over 200 yards as a team 18 times. When the Griffons rush for over 200 yards since Yardley has been under center they are 17-1. This season the Griffons have rushed for over 300 yards three times and over 400 yards once. They rushed for 418 yards in the 56-28 victory over then 25th ranked Washburn on Saturday, November 3 in St. Joseph, Mo. The Griffons have rushed for 3,009 yards on the season for a 6.7yard per carry average. If the season ended today it would be the highest per carry average in school history as the highest is 5.4 which was set last season.

An accounting & finance major, Yardley entered the 2012-13 academic year with a 3.71grade-point average.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at her institution and be nominated by her sports information office. The terms “Academic all-American” and “Academic all-District” are trademarked by CoSIDA and are the officially tracked academic awards by NCAA institutions.

Western wraps-up the regular season on Saturday, November 10th in Maryville, Mo. against rival #4 Northwest Missouri State University. Kickoff is set for 2:37 pm from Bearcat Stadium. The winner will claim the MIAA Title.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western football defeated the Washburn Ichabods last week 56-28, and now sit 9th in the nation according to d2football.com’s latest media poll released Wednesday morning.

The Griffons, who were No. 10 last week, moved up one spots after the final home victory of the regular season, and now play on the road against 33 Northwest Missouri State University on Saturday at 2:37 pm in Maryville, Mo. The winner will win the MIAA Title outright.

MWSU is 9-1 on the year with a 8-1 conference record. Missouri Western is 3-0 against the top-25 after defeating Pittsburg State, Emporia State and Washburn, and all three teams were ranked when the Griffons played them.

MWSU was also recognized on Beyond Sports College Network’s website, as the Griffons running back Michael Hill was voted the running back of the week for his 259 yard, three touchdown performance against Washburn.

Click here to view the D2football.com Top 25.

Click here to view the award winners from Beyond Sports College Network.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western volleyball wrapped up its home schedule with a win against Quincy University 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-19).

The Griffons honored two seniors, Lindsey Williams and Torey Lyman, before the match. Once the game started, both teams matched up well against each other.

In the first set, the Griffons took a 4-3 lead early, but fell behind late as the Hawks secured the first set 25-21.

The second set saw much of the same, but the Griffons snatched the set away from the Hawks with another 25-21 set.
The third started the third set on fire, taking a 9-4 lead that eventually stretched out to 19-13. The Griffons held on for their biggest set-win of the night, 25-16, to take a 2-1 lead.

In the fourth set, MWSU jumped out to a huge 13-4 lead to keep the momentum on its side. But Quincy came back to draw within one point, 15-14 in the final set. The Griffons closed out on a 10-5 run to win 25-19 and take the victory.

Two freshmen led the Griffons in their final home match of the year. Jessie Thorup had 14 kills to lead the Griffons and Jordan Chohon finished the match with a game-high 28 kills.

Up Next: Missouri Western finishes its year out with two road games. The Griffons travel to Pittsburg State Friday at 7 p.m. and wrap up the year in Bolivar, Mo. as they take on Southwest Baptist at noon.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western football team stayed 11th in this weeks AFCA Coaches Poll which was released Monday morning.

The Griffons are coming off a 56-28 victory over the then 25th ranked Washburn Ichabods on Senior Day in St. Joseph, Mo. The victory marked the third consecutive victory over a top-25 team.

This week the Griffons take on its fourth consecutive top-25 team when they travel to Maryville, Mo. to take on the 4th ranked Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State on Saturday, November 10.  Kickoff is set for 2:37 pm in Bearcat Stadium. The game will be broadcasted on the MIAA Broadcasting Network and the winner will win the MIAA Regular Season Championship.

MWSU is 9-1 overall and 8-1in MIAA play. The Griffons have been ranked in the top 25 in the last 18 polls and have received votes in 36 of the last 40coaches polls. This is the 46th time under Partridge that a Griffon team is ranked in the top-25.

Click here to see the AFCA Top 25.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western football team tied the record for most wins in a season winning its ninth game of the year defeating the 25th ranked Washburn Ichabods 56-28 on Senior Day from Spratt Stadium. Michael Hill scampered for a career best 259 yards and three touchdowns and now holds the record for most rushing yards in regular season games with 1,688 on the season. The Griffons honored 22 seniors before the game as the have now won 35 games in their four year career. MWSU has won nine games in the following years (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 and now 2012). MWSU sits at 9-1 overall and 8-1 in MIAA play.

The Griffons started the first quarter with tons of momentum. Linebacker Nick Williams snatched an interception out of the air on Washburn’s second drive, and after Travis Partridge ran a quarterback sneak for a 5-yard touchdown, Partridge hit Tyron Crockom across the middle for a 45-yard score to go ahead 14-0.

Running back Michael Hill added a 36-yard touchdown to make the score 21-0 after one quarter of play.

MWSU carried the momentum into the next quarter. The Griffons drove 91 yard on five plays and finished with a 3-yard touchdown by Hill to go ahead 28-0.

Following that score, Ichadbod’s running back Hayden Groves scored on a 71-yarder to draw the Ichabods closer, making the game 28-7 midway through the second quarter.

Washburn drew within two scores late in the first half as Kameron Stewart piled into the end zone on a 2-yard run to make the game 28-14 heading into the break. Hill rushed for 145 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowsn while Reggie Jordan caught two passes for 42 yards. Ben Jackson led the charge with five tackles.

The Ichabods had 214 yards in the opening half with 128 coming on the ground. Hayden Groves had 103 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown while Matt Kobbeman had five catches for 47 yards. Calvin Kenney had six tackles while Willie Williams had five.

Missouri Western broke the game open in the second half, scoring 28 unanswered points to take the game 56-14. The Griffons opened up the half going 80 yards on five plays which was capped off by a Travis Partridge one yard touchdown plunge. Hill rushed for his third touchdown of the game on the next possession capping an 80 yard 13 play drive. Two more touchdowns one by Raphael Spencer and one by Partridge gave the Griffons the 56-14 lead with 9:43 to play in the game.

Washburn tacked on two late touchdowns as they fell to 7-3 overall and 7-3 in MIAA play.

Griffon place kicker Taylor Anderson set the record for most extra points in a row with 63 in his career and now has 57 in a row this season. The Griffons finished with 569 yards with 418 coming on the ground. Spencer had 69 yards and a touchdown while Travis Partridge had 42 yards on seven carries and three touchdowns.

Defensively Ray Cottman finished with eight tackles while Dan Ritter pitched in seven.

Washburn had 375 yards with 177 on the ground and 198 threw the air. Groves finished with 123 while Kameron Stewart had 57 and a touchdown. Joel Piper completed 13-of-24 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns while Tore’ Hurst caught six passes for 106 yards. Willimas finished with 14 tackles.

The Griffons close out the regular season next weekend against rival Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo. The game will be broadcasted on the MIAA Network with kickoff changed from 1:00 pm to 2:37 pm from Bearcat Stadium. The winner of the game will be the out right MIAA Conference Champion.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team played its first game of the season at MWSU Fieldhouse and returned to action for the second time in the preseason with a 112-73 victory over Livin’ the Dream.

The Griffons led after the first half 48-43. Behind 13 first-half points from Alfreeman Flowers, who came off the bench, the Griffons were able to keep control throughout the first half.

MWSU pulled away in the second half, taking advantage of 11 Livin’ the Dream turnovers. The Griffons took a double-digit lead at the 16-minute mark with a 3-pointer from Adarius Fulton to make the game 57-47.

They finished on a huge run, taking an 89-57 lead and eventually winning 112-73.

The Griffons were led by Flowers’ 22 points and Cedric Clinkscales eight rebounds, seven offensively.

Up Next: The Griffons play Sterling College to open up their season on November 13 with a game time set for 7:00 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —