Missouri Western senior place kicker Greg Zuerlein has been named to the 2011 AFCA Division II Coaches’ All-America Team announced by the American Football Coaches Association Tuesday.

Zuerlein, a first team All-MIAA and Daktronics Super Region Four selection from Lincoln, Neb.,  led the nation in field goals per game (2.30) and broke a NCAA and MIAA record with 21 consecutive field goals made. He set an MWSU record, with 23 field goals in a regular season and broke a school record, with a 58-yard field goal against Northwest Missouri State twice.

He also led the conference with an average of 10.7 points per game which is sixth in the nation. He leads the nation with a .952 field goal percentage for any kicker with at least 12 attempts.

Zuerlein became Western’s first MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year and is just the third Western kicker named first team All-MIAA. He was named the D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in the Griffons 31-28 victory over Northwest Missouri State on November 5. With his 21 consecutive field goals nine of them were from 50 or more yards.

A three-time MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week honoree – the most by any player in that category – Zuerlein is the first Griffon kicker to be selected to the first team.

This marks the second time in his career that Zuerlein has been named first team All-America as he was selected back in 2009 when he kicked for Nebraska-Omaha. Zuerlein is just the fourth Griffon to ever be named to the AFCA All-America squad with the last being offensive lineman Roger Allen back in 2008. The other two were running back Jeremiah White in 2005 and safety Pierre Thomas in 2003.

2011 Greg Zuerlein Award List
• All-MIAA First Team Selection
• America Football Coaches Association All-American
• Daktronics First Team All-Region
• MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year
• First Team All-MIAA Kicker
• 3-time MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week
• Once named D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week

2011 AFCA Division II Coaches’ All-America Team
Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
WR Trevor Kennedy 6-0 200 Sr. Mercyhurst Marty Schaetzle Akron, Ohio (Firestone)
WR Tyler Steffan 6-4 210 Jr. Mary Myron Schulz Dickinson, N.D. (Dickinson)
OL Garth Heikkinen 6-4 305 Jr. Minnesota-Duluth Bob Nielson Duluth, Minn. (Central)
OL Amini Silatolu* 6-3 320 Sr. Midwestern St. Bill Maskill Tracy, Calif. (West)
OL Kyle Thornton 6-4 345 Sr. North Alabama Terry Bowden Dallas, Texas (St. Mark’s)
OL Rob Stoner 6-2 295 Sr. Edinboro Scott Browning Edinboro, Pa. (General McLane)
OL Ryan Schraeder 6-7 319 Sr. Valdosta St. David Dean Wichita, Kan. (Maize)
QB Dane Simoneau 6-3 227 Sr. Washburn Craig Schurig Salina, Kan. (Sacred Heart)
RB David Carter 5-10 225 Jr. Morehouse Rich Freeman Marietta, Ga. (Sprayberry)
RB Joe Glendening 5-10 188 Jr. Hillsdale Keith Otterbein East Grand Rapids, Mich. (East)
RB Jonas Randolph*** 5-10 185 Sr. Mars Hill Tim Clifton Daleville, Ala. (Daleville)

Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Brandon Williams* 6-3 325 Jr. Missouri Southern St. Bart Tatum Kirkwood, Mo. (Rockwood Summit)
DL Aston Whiteside 6-2 285 Sr. Abilene Christian Chris Thomsen Vernon, Texas (Vernon)
DL Todd Storm 6-3 250 Sr. Michigan Tech Tom Kearly Calumet, Mich. (Calumet)
DL Tim Green 6-1 215 Jr. Lincoln (Pa.) O.J. Abanishe Fanwood, N.J. (Scotch Plains)
LB Deon Lacey 6-2 208 Jr. West Alabama Will Hall Brighton, Ala. (Hueytown)
LB Chad Kilgore 6-1 230 Sr. Northwest Missouri St. Adam Dorrel Orrick, Mo. (Excelsior Springs)
LB Nate Dreiling 6-4 228 So. Pittsburg St. Tim Beck Hutchinson, Kan. (Hutchinson)
DB Dontae Smith 6-1 176 Sr. East Central Tim McCarty Deland, Fla. (Deland)
DB Jeremy Jones 5-10 189 Sr. Wayne St. (Mich.) Paul Winters Grand Rapids, Mich. (Rockford)
DB Rontez Miles 6-1 210 Jr. California (Pa.) John Luckhardt Braddock, Pa. (Woodland Hills)
DB Marvin Matthews 6-0 197 Jr. St. Cloud State Scott Underwood Roseville, Minn. (Roseville Area)

Specialists
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
P Gregg Berkshire 6-2 210 Sr. Ashland Lee Owens Ashland, Ohio (Ashland)
PK Greg Zuerlein 6-0 190 Sr. Missouri Western St. Jerry Partridge Lincoln, Neb. (Pius X)
AP Dominique Fitzgerald 6-0 180 Sr. Winston-Salem St. Connell Maynor Danville, Va. (George Washington)
*-2010 AFCA All-American
**-2009 AFCA All-American
***-2009 & 2010 AFCA All-American

— MWSU Sports Information —

A dreadful first half by the Griffons cost them against the 10th ranked Fort Hays State Tigers falling 66-53 on Saturday afternoon. Nine different Griffons scored in the contest with Lavonte Douglas and Dylon Frantz leading the way with nine points apiece. Western falls to 6-4 overall and 1-3 in MIAA action.

The Griffon men struggled in all facets of the game in the first half against the Tigers scoring just four points in the first twelve and a half minutes. Western trailed by as many as 29 points (38-9) in the frame but continued to play hard cutting the Tiger lead to 41-17 at the break.

Western finished the half going 0-of-8 from long range making 5-of-31 field goal attempts. A bright spot for the Griffons was they connected on 77.8-percent (7-9) of their free throw attempts. Lavonte Douglas had five points and seven rebounds leading the way for Western.

The Tigers shot 45.8-percent (11-24) from the floor and connected on 16-of-18 free throw attempts. The Tigers had nine different players score in the frame with Markus Yarbrough leading the charge off the bench with nine points.

The Tigers opened up a 28 point lead early in the second half but the Griffons kept battling cutting the lead to 17 at 45-28 after a Deionta Mitchell layup with 16:56 to play in the game. The Tigers were able to push their lead to 27 once again at 59-32 midway through the half to pretty much seal the victory.

Western made a push down the stretch holding the Tigers to just seven points in the final 11:21 of the game cutting the final margin down to 13 after Jordan Yurth’s second three point basket of the game.

The Griffons shot 31.7-percent (20-63) from the half and 4-of-17 from beyond the arc. Douglas led the charge with 14 rebounds while Justin Reid made 3-of-5 shots for six points.

The Tigers shot 45.8-percent (22-48) from the field and connected on 17-of-20 free throws. Ten different Tigers scored with Yarbrough finishing with 11 points and Karron McKenzie dumping in 10. The Tigers improve to 8-1 overall and 2-1 in MIAA play.

Western travels to Topeka, Kan. on Saturday, December 17 to take on the Washburn Ichabods in their last MIAA action of the 2010 season. Game time is set for 7:30 pm from Lee Arena. If you can’t make the game listen to all the action on 680 AM KFEQ.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team shot just 27.9-percent (17-61) on Saturday afternoon in a 70-48 loss against the Fort Hays State Lady Tigers. Jessica Koch dumped in a game high 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting as the Griffons fall to 2-6 overall and 0-4 in MIAA play.

Western made just 7-of-24 field goal attempts and 3-of-9 long range shots in the first half. Western got out rebounded by 18 (30-12) in the frame giving up twelve second chance points. The Griffons also had zero bench points to the Lady Tigers 12 heading to the locker room down 27-21.

Koch led all scorers with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting while the Tigers were led by Katelyn Edwards with eight points and seven rebounds. The Tigers also struggled shooting the ball making just 10-of-33 field goals and 2-of-9 long range shots.
The Lady Tigers opened the second half on a 14-4 run building a 16 point lead at 41-25 after two free throws by Melissa Nelson. Western fought back with a 7-2 run cutting the Lady Tiger lead to 11 at 43-32 after a Koch layup with 12:31 to play.

Fort Hays responded once again outscoring the Griffons 13-4 the next four minutes claiming a 20 point lead at 56-36 with 8:28 to play. Western was able to cut the lead back down to 12 with 4:24 to play after a Koch three pointer but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Tigers improve to 8-1 overall and 2-1 in MIAA play.

Western, the MIAA’s leading free throw shooting team made just 8-of-14 free throws and was out rebounded 57 to 33 with the Lady Tigers scoring 11 more second chance points than the Griffons. Brittany Griswold was the only other Griffon in double digit scoring dumping in 10 points while Kallie Schooover led Western with seven rebounds.

Fort Hays State shot 34.8-percent (23-66) from the floor and made 15-of-17 free throw attempts. They connected on 9-of-24 long range shots with seven coming in the second half. Nelson led the scoring with 15 points while Edwards finished with a double-double scoring 14 points and snaring 11 rebounds.

Western travels to Topeka, Kan. on Saturday, December 17 to take on the 15th ranked Washburn Lady Blues in their last MIAA action of the 2010 season. Game time is set for 5:30 pm from Lee Arena. If you can’t make the game listen to all the action on 680 AM KFEQ.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team upset the #1 ranked Missouri Southern Lions 75-67 on Wednesday evening in the fieldhouse. The Griffons shot 52.2-percent (24-46) from the field with James Harris leading the charge with a game high 26 points. Western improves to 6-3 overall and 1-2 in MIAA action.

The Missouri Western men nailed 6-of-7 long range shots and 9-of-12 free throws as they took a 41-26 lead into the break against the high powered Lions. After getting down 2-0 the Griffons went on an 11-0 run. During that stretch the Griffons made 6-of-8 free throw attempts. Western continued playing well claiming a 19 point lead at 34-15 after three point basket from Harris with 5:45 to play in the half.

Eight straight points by Southern’s Keane Thomann and a basket by Christian Salecich cut the Griffon lead to 38-26 with 1:29 to play before half but a Lavonte Douglas free throw and a Reed Mells jumper helped the Griffons go into half with the 15 point lead.

Harris scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting while the Griffons connected on 13-of-23 field goals for 56.5-percent. The Lions shot 37.9-percent (11-29) from the floor with Thomann dumping in 10 points.

The second half would be a back and forth battle with both teams going on mini runs. Western used a 12-6 run early in the half building their largest lead of the half at 59-43 after Harris nailed a long range shot with 11:57 to play.

The Lions cut the Griffon lead to 10 multiple times down the stretch but Western responded and held on for the eight point upset.

Western made 11-of-14 three point shots with Harris connecting on 5-of-6 from down town.  Deionta Mitchell finished with 14 points nailing three huge three’s in the second half.  Mells had a nice night off the bench pitching in 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting.

Southern shot 41.8-percent (28-67) from the field as Thomann finished with a double-double scoring 22 points and snaring 13 rebounds. Jason Adams finished with 17 points. The Lions fall to 9-1 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA.

Western travels to Hays, Kan. on Saturday, December 10 to take on the 10th ranked Fort Hays State Tigers. Game time is set for 4:00 pm from Gross Memorial Coliseum. If you can make the game listen to all the action on 680 AM KFEQ.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team fell 66-62 in a hard fought MIAA contest against the Missouri Southern Lions on Wednesday night in the fieldhouse. Twenty five Western turnovers led to 33 points for the Lions. Western falls to 2-5 overall and 0-3 in MIAA play.

The Griffons nailed 11-of-12 free throws in the first half helping them claim a 31-27 lead at the break. The Lions opened up the game hitting their first two long range shots claiming a 6-0 lead. Western responded with an 11-3 run taking their first lead of the game at 11-9 after a Jessica Koch layup with 11:48 to play in the frame.

Western used another run late in the half taking their largest lead of the half at 25-20 after a long range shot from Stacey Mgbike as time expired on the shot clock. The Lions tied the score at 25 but Western stayed calm closing on a 6-2 run which included a layup by Charlonda Bozeman as the half ended.

Western shot 38.1-percent (8-21) from the field and 4-of-10 from beyond the arc with Jessica Koch leading the way with eight points. Missouri Southern made 9-of-24 field goals with Erin Rice leading all scorers with 11 points.

Things looked good for the Griffons in the second half opening on a 19-6 run claiming a nine point lead at 46-37 after a Koch jumper with 12:03 to play. The Lions took control the rest of the way outscoring the Griffons 29-16 on their way to their first MIAA victory. The Lions improve to 5-4 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play.

Western got outscored 34-16 in the paint and 17-11 off the bench. The Griffons shot 34.6-percent (18-52) from the field and made 20-of-24 free throws.  Koch led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Brittany Griswold finished the night with 13 points and snared a team high seven boards.

The Lions shot 47.4-percent (27-57) from the floor with Rice finishing with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Tatianna Washington and Haley Weathers finished with 12 and 10 points respectively.

Western travels to Hays, Kan. on Saturday, December 10 to take on the Fort Hays State Tigers. Game time is set for 2:00 pm from Gross Memorial Coliseum. If you can make the game listen to all the action on 680 AM KFEQ.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team struggled shooting free throws down the stretch making just 9-of-17 in a 59-57 loss against Emporia State. Justin Reid collected a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds as Western falls to 5-3 overall and 0-2 in MIAA play.

The Griffons scored the first basket of the game off a layup by Lavonte Douglas. Western never led again in the half as ESU opened up an eight point lead midway through the half after a Traves Dykman layup with 11:13 to play in the frame. Western used an 8-0 run sparked by two three point baskets by Reed Mells tying the game at 13 with 8:35 to play.

The Hornets regained momentum going a 7-0 run taking a 20-13 lead after a Tola Lawal three with 5:53 left in the half. Western responded outscoring the Hornets the rest of the half 12-6 cutting the ESU lead to 26-25 at the break. The Hornets outscored Western 18-4 in the paint and forced eight Griffon turnovers.

Western shot 32.1-percent (9-28) in the frame with Dylan Frantz, Mells and Reid all scoring six points. The Hornets shot 40-percent (12-30) from the floor with Lawal dumping in seven points.

Western took control early in the second half taking their first lead since the 19:37 mark of the first half after a three pointer by James Harris with 18:00 minutes to play. Western built thier lead to as many as seven at 51-44 after a Douglas layup with with 8:02 to play.

The Griffons held a 53-48 lead with 6:02 to play, but missed free throws down the stretch kept ESU in the ball game. Western made just 3-of-7 free throws in the final four minutes, which allowed Chris Sights to sink a three pointer with 22 second to play giving ESU a 58-57 lead. The Griffons had a couple chances  to take the lead or tie the game in last few second but the Hornets held on improving to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in MIAA play.

Harris and Douglas were the only other Griffons in double figure scoring 17 and 11 points respectively. Western outrebounded the Hornets 39 to 30 but only shot 37.7-percent (20-53) from the field and 52.9-percent from the foul line.

The Hornets shot 43.1-percent (22-51) from the field and made 10-of-15 free throws. The Hornets outscored the Griffons by 16 points in the paint (30-14) and forced three more turnovers (15-12). Derrell Conner finished with 13 points while Lawal and Sights finished with 11. Troy Pierced had a double-double scoring 10 points and snaring 10 rebounds.

The Griffons return home on Wednesday, December 7 to take on the 2nd ranked Missouri Southern Lions in MIAA action. Game time is set for 7:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse. This is the Griffons last home contest until Wednesday, January 4, 2012 when they host the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats at 7:30 pm in the fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —