KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA announced on Tuesday afternoon that Madeline Cowell was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week. It is the first time in Cowell’s career that she has received the conference honor.

The senior etched her name into Griffon Soccer history last weekend, becoming the program’s all-time assists leader. In the 82nd minute, Cowell’s corner kick assist to Lillian Davis helped put the game out of reach to seal the 3-1 win against Southwest Baptist.

The assist was Cowell’s 13th of her career and her first of the 2018 season, making her the lone leader in career assists at Missouri Western. Cowell tallied seven assists last season and five assists as a sophomore, both while playing midfielder. Cowell made the switch from midfielder to defender in her senior season to help strengthen an inexperienced back line.

Cowell has been a staple of the Griffon defense all season and helped the Griffons hold their opponents to just one goal in the team’s two games over the weekend. The Griffons allowed only six shots and one shot on goal in their shutout win at Missouri Southern. Cowell has been a key contributor to a defense that allows just 1.29 goals per game this season.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Men’s Golf is in sixth place after the first round of the Blue Tiger Invitational in Jefferson City, Missouri. The Griffons finished with a team score of 302, but sit just three strokes back from the three-way tie for third.

Due to weather conditions and slow play on the course, the coaches mutually agreed to change the tournament from a three-round format to a two-round format. The teams played 18 holes on Monday and will play another 18 holes on Tuesday.

Patrick McCarthy is tied for ninth after the first round. His 73 (+1) gave him the best performance of any Griffon on Monday. McCarthy’s three birdies in the first round are tied for the third-most of any golfer at the tournament.

Not far behind McCarthy on the individual leaderboards is Jett Simmons. Simmons finished with a 74 (+2) and is tied for 12th. His 16 pars lead all 104 golfers at the tournament.

Cole Roberts finished with a first-round score of 77. Lucas Horseman and Tom Buffington each shot a 78.

The second and final round of the Blue Tiger Invitational will tee off at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

— MWSU Athletics —

JOPLIN, Mo. – Missouri Western Soccer (10-4, 5-2 MIAA) scored one goal in Sunday’s game at Missouri Southern (7-5-2, 3-3-1 MIAA), but it was enough to give them the 1-0 victory over the Lions. With Sunday’s win, the Griffons finish the weekend 2-0 after defeating Southwest Baptist 3-1 on Friday.

NOTABLES

• Cassidy Menke scored the game’s only goal in the 25^thminute.
• Sunday’s 1-0 win gives Anna Mayer her second career shutout.
• The Griffons now sit less than one game back from Central Missouri (5-1-1) for second place in the MIAA.
• Missouri Western has now won five of its last six games.
• A win in their next game would tie the Griffons’ longest win streak of the season at four games.

STATS AND LEADERS

• Both teams struggled to find shots offensively with each team only attempting six shots.
• The Lions were limited to just one shot on goal, the least that the Griffons have allowed all season.
• Cassidy Menke’s game-winning goal puts her tied for the second-most goals in the MIAA (10).
• Missouri Southern held the Griffons to their lowest shot total this season (6).

UP NEXT

• Missouri Western will return home for three straight home games.
• The Griffons will take on Northeastern State (7-5-2, 1-4-2 MIAA) on Friday, October 19.
• Friday’s game against Northeastern State will be Brooke English Memorial Alumni Night.
• The RiverHawks are 1-0-2 in their last three games.

— MWSU Athletics —

riggertST. JOSEPH – A 17-point halftime deficit was too much for the Missouri Western football team to overcome on Homecoming Saturday at Spratt Stadium. The Griffons (4-3) lost for the first time in a month, 17-16 to Central Oklahoma (4-3).

Missouri Western dominated the stat sheet, but 10 points off two first half interceptions helped UCO to the advantage on the scoreboard. Down 17-14 with 1:49 left, the Griffons drove 52 yards on 11 plays to set up a potential game-tying field goal for Sam Aviles from 45 yards out. The reigning MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week left the kick a little short and allowed UCO to take over and run the clock down before running it out by taking a safety on a fourth and 16.

NOTABLES

• Central Oklahoma led 17-0 at halftime, but the Griffons stormed back in the second half, scoring on two Dom Marino rushing touchdowns
• Missouri Western outgained UCO 418-229 on offense. The 229 yards by UCO were the second fewest given up by the Griffons this season
• The Griffons had 300 yards rushing and limited UCO to 135 on the ground
• Central Oklahoma managed just 94 yards passing on the Griffon defense, only 36 in the second half. The 94 yards passing were the fewest by a Griffon opponent this season.
• Missouri Western averaged 6.1 yards per play while UCO averaged 3.8
• The Griffons punted just three times, once a pooch punt while UCO punted five times
• UCO stayed away from the Griffons’ dangerous punt return duo, holding the Brandin Dandridge and Carlos Thompson to a total of two yards on two punt returns
• After throwing just two interceptions through the first six games, UCO picked off Dom Marino twice in the game, setting up a touchdown and a field goal in the first half

LEADERS

• Dom Marino rushed for a career-high 121 yards with two touchdowns on top of his 118 yards passing
• Derek Gray Jr. also had a career rushing day, going for a career-best 82 yards
• Keylan Mack led the team with four catches and 56 receiving yards
• Kobe Cummings led the team for a third-straight week with nine total tackles
• James Huskey had eight total tackles and 1.5 sacks

UP NEXT

• MWSU travels to Emporia State (4-3) next Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff
• Emporia State has won its last two, including a 41-23 victory at Central Missouri, Saturday

— MWSU Athletics —

EMPORIA, Kan. – For the second night in a row, Griffon Volleyball (12-12, 4-7) fell in four sets. Saturday night, Emporia State (11-13, 5-6) got the better of Missouri Western.

NOTABLES

• The Griffons trailed by 10 several times including 22-12 in the fourth, before tightening the set with a 10-2 run before falling 25-22 in the set
• Missouri Western built a 9-6 lead in the third, but Emporia State got back into the set with a 6-0 run and won the set 25-23
• All four sets were decided by three points or less
• The Griffons had more points (77-74), aces (6-3) and digs (89) than Emporia State
• Shellby Taylor moved within three kills of 1,000 for her career with 11

LEADERS

• Stephanie Doak led all players with 20 kills
• Rachel Losch matched her career-high (also against Emporia State) with 13 kills on .458 hitting and also led the team with seven total blocks
• Lauren Murphy had 52 assists
• Audrey Keim had 24 digs

UP NEXT

• A mid-week rivalry home match
• Missouri Western hosts Northwest Missouri (17-5, 9-2) on Tuesday, Oct. 16
• The Bearcats handed No. 9 Washburn its first loss of the season, 3-0 in Topeka Saturday

— MWSU Athletics —

TOPEKA, Kan. – Griffon Volleyball (12-11, 4-6) rebounded from a shaky start to give No. 9 Washburn (22-0, 10-0) a run for its money in a four-set loss to the Ichabods.

NOTABLES

• After scoring just nine points in the first set, Missouri Western scored 22 in the second, won the third and scored 20 points in the fourth set
• After leading the third 23-18, Washburn came back and extended the set before three-straight errors gave Missouri Western a 30-28 win in the set
• The Griffons held one of the MIAA’s top hitting teams under .200 in the second and third sets and out-hit the Ichabods .255 to .194 in the third set
• Missouri Western out-blocked Washburn 12-9
• The Griffons matched the Ichabods’ four aces with four of their own

LEADERS

• Stephanie Doak had 17 kills
• Rachel Losch led the team with seven total blocks and added nine kills on a .308 hitting percentage
• Audrey Keim had a team-high 29 digs
• Lauren Murphy led the team with 42 assists

UP NEXT

• The Griffons travel to Emporia State (10-13, 4-6), Saturday, for a 7 p.m. match
• Emporia State fell in three sets to Northwest Missouri Friday night

  — MWSU Athletics —

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Missouri Western soccer improved to 9-4 (4-2 MIAA) with Friday’s road win over Southwest Baptist (0-11-2, 0-5-1 MIAA). The Griffons won 3-1 to start off their weekend road trip.

NOTABLES

• Madison Utley scored the first goal of the game in the 28^th minute off of a Cassidy Menke assist.
• Cassidy Menke scored her ninth goal of the season to put the Griffons up 2-0.
• Lillian Davis scored on a header from a corner kick from Madeline Cowell in the 82^nd minute to seal the 3-1 victory for the Griffons.
• Missouri Western never trailed throughout the entire game. The Griffons jumped out to a two-score lead before allowing the Bearcats’ lone goal of the game.
• Missouri Western moves up to third in the MIAA with their fourth conference win, and could tie for second with an Emporia State loss.

STATS AND LEADERS

• Menke has now scored in four of the last five games.
• Friday’s win was the fourth time this season that three players have scored in the same game for the Griffons.
• Cowell’s assist on Friday was her first of the season. Cowell had seven assists last season while playing midfielder for the Griffons, but has moved to the defender position this season.
• Anna Mayer had nine saves in the win, with six of those coming in the second half.
• Menke’s nine goals and four assists this season gives her 22 total points, which is third in the MIAA.
• Southwest Baptist had 10 shots on goal compared to eight for Missouri Western.

UP NEXT

• Missouri Western will travel to Joplin to take on Missouri Southern (6-4-2) on Sunday.
• The Griffons have not lost to Missouri Southern since 2013.

  — MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Tennis wrapped up the 2018 fall season in dominating fashion, sweeping Grand View 9-0 on Friday.

It was a complete team effort for the Griffons, as each individual posted an impressive performance. Mireia Birosta and Ciarra Gilmore started off doubles play with an 8-1 victory. The victory completes the undefeated season for the doubles pair. Joanna Abreu Roman and Karolina Ström won their doubles match 8-2.

The singles matches were highlighted by Federica Salmaso and Erica Dunn. Salmaso set the tone in singles by shutting out her opponent 6-0, 6-0 in the first match.

Following Salmaso was Erica Dunn, who took the 6-1, 6-0 victory to close out her fall season. Her win on Friday gives Dunn her first career collegiate win in singles.

Mireia Birosta and Ciarra Gilmore both won by default in singles.

Again, Friday’s match against Grand View was the final match of the fall season for the Griffons, as their scheduled match against William Jewell on October 19 was cancelled. Missouri Western Tennis will open their spring season at home against Newman University on February 1.

RESULTS

SINGLES
Karolina Ström (MWSU) def. Kristina Khmelevskaid (GV) 6-1, 6-3
Joanna Abreu Roman (MWSU) def. Eisha Nathwani (GV) 6-2, 6-2
Federica Salmaso (MWSU) def. Tina Kajtazovic (GV) 6-0, 6-0
Erica Dunn (MWSU) def. Molly Harvey (GV) 6-1, 6-0

DOUBLES
Abreu Roman/Ström (MWSU) def.Khmelevskaid/Nathwani (GV) 8-2
Birosta/Gilmore (MWSU) def. Kajtazovic/Harvey (GV) 8-1

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Volleyball (12-10) dominated William Jewell (5-17) in a three-set victory that also saw Stephanie Doak become the most recent member of Missouri Western’s 1,000-kill club.  MWSU won 25-13, 25-17, 25-14.

Needing 12 kills to get to 1,000 before the match, Doak entered the third set needing one more and got it quick in the third set, prompting a timeout by Marian Carbin so her junior outside hitter could be recognized.

NOTABLES

• Doak ended the night with 17 kills and a .440 hitting percentage and became the first Griffon to 1,000 kills since Jessie Thorup (1,176, 2012-15)
• Shellby Taylor is in position to be the next Griff to 1,000 kills with 971 in her career
• The Griffons hit .319 as a team and held William Jewell to an .061 hitting percentage
• Missouri Western had an 82 percent sideout percentage, including 92 percent in the first set
• The Griffs hit .531 in the first, winning 25-13
• William Jewell didn’t score more than 17 (second set)

LEADERS

• Doak’s 17 kills were the most by any player
• Ali Tauchen had seven kills while Sam Duncan, Shellby Taylor and Rachel Losch each had five
• Liv Winker led the team with 22 assists while Lauren Murphy added 13
• Tiana Butler and Lindsey Hartline each had two aces
• Audrey Keim led the team with 16 digs
• Tauchen also led the team with three blocks

UP NEXT

• A weekend road trip to No. 9 Washburn (21-0) on Friday and Emporia State (10-12) Saturday.

  — MWSU Athletics —

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SUNDANCE WICKS AT MIAA MEDIA DAY

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Western Men’s Basketball was picked 12th in the MIAA Preseason Media Poll and 14th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

Both polls were released Tuesday morning as MIAA Basketball Media Day began at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City.

The 2018-19 Griffons will be led by first-year head coach Sundance Wicks and feature a roster of six returners and 11 newcomers. That group of returners is highlighted by 2017-18 All-MIAA honorable mention selection Lavon Hightower. As a junior, Hightower led Missouri Western with 16.1 points per game. Hightower averaged more than 20 per contest over the team’s final 10 games of the season.

The season begins for Missouri Western a week earlier than nearly all other NCAA members with MWSU and the City of St. Joseph hosting the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, Nov. 3rd and 4th at Civic Arena in St. Joseph. Tickets are on sale now for the premier preseason Division II classic in the nation.

MIAA Coaches Poll
1. Missouri Southern (6) – 157
2. Northwest Missouri (7) – 155
3. Washburn (1) – 132
4. Central Missouri – 128
T-5. Central Oklahoma – 118
T-5. Pittsburg State – 118
7. Fort Hays State – 104
8. Lindenwood – 87
9. Lincoln – 68
10. Nebraska Kearney – 66
11. Emporia State – 47
12. Northeastern State – 40
13. Southwest Baptist – 30
14. Missouri Western – 24

Media Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (6) – 262
2. Missouri Southern (10) – 261
3. Washburn (3) – 237
4. Central Missouri – 225
5. Pittsburg State (1) – 212
6. Fort Hays State (1) – 208
7. Central Oklahoma – 163
8. Lindenwood – 150
9. Nebraska Kearney – 123
10. Lincoln – 119
11. Emporia State – 79
T-12. Missouri Western – 66
T-12. Southwest Baptist – 66
14. Northeastern State – 35

— MWSU Athletics —