KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Missouri Western football student-athletes were awarded for the contributions to the team’s 38-7 win over Washburn this past Saturday. Kobe Cummings was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week and Dom Marino was named MIAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week.

Cummings, a freshman safety from Platte County High School, led the team with 14 total tackles, eight of them solo. The first interception of his young Griffon career came in the first quarter and helped preserve a 7-0 lead for Missouri Western. After the Griffons jumped on top, Washburn answered with a nine-play, 58-yard drive to the Missouri Western 18-yard line. On 3rd and 14 from the MWSU-18, Cummings jumped in front of a Mitch Schurig pass to the end zone, likely saving a touchdown. Marino then led the Griffons on a 10-play 80-yard drive that ended with one of his five touchdowns, a 12-yard rush, to give the Griffons a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. Cummings’ interception was the first of four by the Griffon defense against Washburn. Brandin Dandridge had two and now leads the MIAA in that category with four on the season.

Marino totaled 314 yards of total offense, passing for 249 and rushing for 65. The senior from Osprey, Florida was 17-for-23 passing with four touchdowns and no interceptions. On the ground, Marino averaged 5.9 yards on 11 carries. The four passing touchdowns and 249 yards were both career highs for Marino. The senior now ranks second among MIAA quarterbacks with 249 rushing yards and eighth overall. Marino’s seven passing touchdowns are tied for fifth most in the MIAA and his one interception is tied for the fewest among qualifying quarterbacks in the MIAA.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Soccer (7-3) ended the weekend the same way as it started with another come-from-behind victory at Spratt Stadium. On Sunday, the Griffons erased a two goal deficit against Washburn (5-5) to complete the 2-0 weekend. The Griffons scored three straight goals in the second half after falling down 2-0 in the first. Sunday’s win gives the Griffons their second MIAA conference win of the season.

NOTABLES

• It did not take long for momentum to shift in the Griffons’ direction in the second half. Schwartzkopf put the Griffons on the board with her first goal of the season just four minutes into the second half.
• Missouri Western tied up the game at 2-2 three minutes after the Schwartzkopf goal. MaKenzie Billings scored her first career goal as a Griffon off of a Sara Collins assist in the 51^st minute.
• Much like Friday night, Cassidy Menke scored the game-winner on a penalty kick. Taylor Schwartzkopf drew the foul in the box after an aggressive drive from the left corner.
• After Sunday’s win, Missouri Western has now won six of its last seven games.
• The Griffons have scored three goals in a half three different times this season. They scored three goals in the second half against both Lindenwood and Northwest Missouri.
• Missouri Western has now won its last four games against Washburn.

STATS AND LEADERS

• The Griffons were much more aggressive offensively in the second half. After having just six shots in the first half, the Griffons outshot the Ichabods with nine shots after halftime with four shots on goal.
• After her three goal weekend, Menke is tied for third in the MIAA in goals made (6).
• Ten different players have now scored a goal for the Griffons this season after Billings’ and Schwartzkopf’s first goals of the season.

UP NEXT

• Missouri Western will hit the road for their next game against Fort Hays (2-5-2) on Friday, October 6.
• Fort Hays has lost three straight after falling to No. 20 Central Oklahoma on Sunday.
• The Tigers beat the Griffons 1-0 in double-overtime in their only matchup last season.

  — MWSU Athletics —

SIOUX FALLS, SD – The Missouri Western women’s golf team passed the midway point of the fall season after competing in the second and final round of the Augustana Fall Invitational in Sioux Falls on Sunday. The Griffons finished sixth in the tournament with an overall score of 650.

For the first time this season, the Griffons had a new face at the top of their leaderboards. Freshman Anna Bech entered Sunday tied for tenth. Bech jumped three spots and finished the event tied for seventh. She shot a 77 in both rounds to finish ten over par. The Elmwood Golf Course had a difficult par, as only the tournament winner managed to finish the event at par. The Augustana Fall Invitational gives Bech her best finish of the season.

Shi Qing Ong had the second-best performance on the team by tying for 19th place. She shot a 160 over the two rounds and finished the weekend plus-16.

Rounding out the top-three for Missouri Western was Sabrina Galfano. Galfano ended the invitational with a score of 168.

Missouri Western Women’s Golf will not travel far for their next tournament. They will compete at the Midwest Classic in Maryville, Missouri on October 7.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western football team (3-2) stayed perfect on Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium with an impressive 38-7 win over Washburn (2-3) on Saturday night.

Missouri Western broke away from a pack of seven MIAA teams that entered the weekend 2-2, snapped a three-game losing streak to the Ichabods and improved to 3-0 in home games this season with the win.

NOTABLES

• The Griffon offense was impressive for a second-straight week, totaling 544 yards of offense with five touchdowns
• Missouri Western punted just two times in the game, one was a third quarter pooch punt by quarterback Dom Marino that pinned Washburn at its own on 1-yard line
• The defense did its part, picking off four Mitch Schurig passes to move into a three-way tie for the most in the MIAA this season (8)
• Kobe Cummings had the first interception of his Griffon career in the first quarter. The pick in the end zone ended a nine-play, 58-yard Washburn drive that got to the MWSU 18 and preserved a 7-0 Griffon lead
• Missouri Western possessed the ball for nine more minutes than Washburn
• The Griffons scored on all four trips to the red zone and on three of their first four drives of the game
• It was MWSU’s first win over Washburn since 2014 (40-14 in Topeka)
• The win vaulted the Griffons into a three-way tie for third in the MIAA standings with Central Missouri and Nebraska Kearney

STATS AND LEADERS

• Dom Marino finished 17-of-23 passing for 249 yards and four touchdowns. He did not throw an interception in the game and also rushed 11 times for 65 yards and a score.
• James Bailey Jr. rushed 17 times for 139 yards, averaging 8.2 yards per carry for his second consecutive 100-yard game
• Keylan Mack had seven catches for 63 yards and a touchdown
• Donnell Hawkins caught two touchdowns out of the backfield, one a 51-yard catch and run off a screen pass from Marino
• True Freshman Kobe Cummings led the team with 14 tackles and had the interception
• Brandin Dandridge had two interceptions to take the MIAA lead with four
• Jabbar Miles had another interception to bring his season total to three, tied for second most in the MIAA
• The Griffons rushed for 295 yards as a team and are now averaging 213 rushing yards per game

UP NEXT

• The Griffons travel to Missouri Southern (0-4) for a 2 p.m. kick in Joplin on Saturday, Oct. 6
• Missouri Southern lost 61-7 at Central Missouri, Saturday, and has been outscored 275-40 on the season

ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Volleyball (10-9, 3-4) snapped a three-game skid with a sweep of Fort Hays State (6-13, 0-7) on Saturday afternoon.

The Griffons jumped out to an impressive 2-0 lead, winning the first set by nine and the second by 17 before escaping with the third set win to complete the sweep.

NOTABLES

• The win ended a streak of three-straight losses for MWSU
• Fort Hays State jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the third before the Griffons went on a 15-6 run to jump on top 16-12
• MWSU never trailed again in the third, but after leading 22-18 and 24-20, FHSU went on a little run to make the set much closer
• Fort Hays State’s eight points in the second set were the fewest allowed by the Griffons this season

STATS AND LEADERS

• Ali Tauchen had six kills in the first set and ended the match with nine
• Missouri Western held FHSU to a -.290 hitting percentage in the second set
• Stephanie Doak led MWSU with 12 kills
• Rachel Losch had a team-high seven total blocks
• Liv Winker led the team with 34 assists
• Audrey Keim had a team-high 18 digs

UP NEXT

• Three more home matches, beginning with Pittsburg State (15-5, 4-3) on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.
• Pittsburg State was swept by No. 13 Washburn on Saturday
• The Griffons also host No. 18 Central Oklahoma next Saturday, Oct. 6 at 3 p.m.

  — MWSU Athletics —

LARWENCE, Kan. – Missouri Western Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competed at the Rim Rock Farm Classic on Saturday. The women finished eighth in the team standings in the 6k run while the men finished tenth in the 8k. The meet featured 16 teams from various NCAA division ranks.

The Griffon women’s team earned an average time of 24:08.16. In a field of 149 runners, three Griffons finished in the top-50. Megan Gillen was again the top-finisher for the Griffons with a time of 23:22.8, good for 32nd place. Not far behind Gillen was Allison Goos who placed 38th with a time of 23:34.2. Kelsey Cox was the next Griffon at 24:04.3.

The men’s team finished tenth with an average time of 26:35.74 in the 8k race. Riley Gorham was the leading Griffon for the first time this season. Gorham placed 36th out of the 189 runners with a team-best 26:06.3 time. Brandon Colner was again one of the top performers for the men’s team as he ran a 26:24.6. Christian Arbuthnot rounded out the top-three performers for the Griffons on Saturday.

Missouri Western Cross Country will be back in action on October 6 as both teams travel to Emporia State for the ESU Invitational.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western (9-9, 2-4 MIAA) fell in three sets (25-21, 25-20, 28-26) to the No. 4-ranked Nebraska Kearney Lopers (18-1, 5-1 MIAA) on Friday night in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

NOTABLES

• The No. 4-ranked Lopers entered Friday’s night game as the highest-ranked opponent the Griffons have faced this season.
• Friday’s loss was only the third time the Griffons have been swept this season, with one of the other sweeps coming against another ranked team in No. 12 Southwest Minnesota State.
• The Griffons nearly won the third set and were leading 22-17 after an Ali Tauchen solo block.
• Last year, the Griffons were swept in their first match against Nebraska Kearney before winning the rematch at the end of the season against the then fifth-ranked Lopers.
• Missouri Western will have another chance to take down Nebraska Kearney on November 2.

STATS AND LEADERS

• The Griffons totaled nine blocks as a team, with five of those coming in the third set.
• Rachel Losch was the most efficient player on the court tonight, hitting .571 on her nine kills.
• Liv Winker led all players with 34 assists.
• The Griffons struggled to hit consistently on offense. Their best-hitting set came in the first at .209.

UP NEXT

• Missouri Western will face off against Fort Hays tomorrow on Saturday September 29 at 2:00 p.m.
• The Tigers have lost eight straight matches and have been swept in seven of those eight losses.
• Saturday’s match will be the second match of five straight at home for the Griffons.

  — MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The fans at Spratt Stadium earned every penny of their ticket on Friday night, as the Griffons outlasted the Hornets in a back-and-forth game that saw three ties and four lead changes. Griffon Soccer (6-3) defeated Emporia State (6-2-1) in overtime on Friday night by a score of 4-3 to pick up their first MIAA conference win. The Griffons were down 3-2 with under a minute left when Claire Meyers kept the team’s hopes alive with her game-tying goal to take the game into overtime. In overtime, it was Menke who sent the Hornets home after converting on the penalty kick.

NOTABLES

• Claire Meyers’ goal to send the game into overtime came with just 14 seconds left in the game. Her third goal of the season now ties her for the second-most on the team.
• Claire Meyers also drew the caution in the box in overtime that set up the game-winning goal for the Griffons.
• Cassidy Menke drilled the game-winning penalty kick goal in the right corner to give Missouri Western its first MIAA conference win of the season.
• The Griffons’ last overtime game came on October 8 of last season, a 1-0 double-overtime loss to Fort Hays.
• Missouri Western’s last overtime win came on October 7, 2016 in a 2-1 win at Nebraska Kearney.
• Friday night’s game against the Hornets marked the first time the Griffons scored four goals in an MIAA game since scoring five against Missouri Southern on September 29 of last season.

STATS AND LEADERS

• Cassidy Menke’s two-score performance on Friday night elevates her team-leading goal total to five and puts her tied for fourth in the MIAA.
• Lillian Davis led all Griffons with three shots on goal, with one of those earning Davis her second goal of the season.
• Anna Mayer’s win move her up to 6-2 on the season.
• Friday’s four-goal game puts Missouri Western into the top-five in MIAA scoring average.

UP NEXT

• Missouri Western will host Washburn on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at Spratt Memorial Stadium.
• The Ichabods come to St. Joseph with a 5-4 overall record after defeating Northwest Missouri on Friday night to pick up its first conference win.

  — MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Director of Athletics Josh Looney has accepted an appointment to the NCAA Football Rules Committee.

The purpose of the NCAA Football Rules Committee is to review, affirm, and adjust all game rules and policies for football in the NCAA. The committee has focused on issues such as player safety, rule updates, officiating, and on-field player equipment.

The opportunity to serve on the NCAA Football Rules Committee is an accomplishment that not many administrators and coaches in America are given. The committee is made up of 13 individual members from affiliations across the NCAA. Of those members, there are six from Division I, three from Division II, and three from Division III. Of the three committee members currently representing Division II, Looney is the only director of athletics, as the other two are head football coaches.

Each member of the committee serves a four-year term. Looney will serve on the committee until August 2022.

Josh Looney is serving in his second year as Director of Athletics at Missouri Western.

For more information on the NCAA Football Rules Committee and a complete list of its committee members, click here.

— MWSU Athletics —

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Missouri Western Volleyball (9-8) fell to Truman (12-3) in its final non-conference game of the season. The Griffons fell in four sets (24-26, 25-21, 18-25, 23-25) to the Bulldogs.

NOTABLES

• Tuesday night’s game against the Bulldogs will be the last time the Griffons will face non-MIAA competition as their remaining 14 games are all MIAA games.
• Although the Griffons lost in four sets, the first and second sets were close. The Griffons held a 21-20 lead in set one and were tied 21-21 in set four.
• Liv Winker distributed to a variety of teammates on Tuesday. Stephanie Doak and Shellby Taylor each had over 40 attack attempts and Sam Duncan totaled 29 attempts.

STATS AND LEADERS

• Three Griffons reached double-digits kills with Shellby Taylor leading the team at 13 kills.
• Missouri Western’s best hitting set came in the fourth at .275.
• Liv Winker continued to fill the role of primary setter and finished with 44 assists.
• Both Ali Tauchen and Audrey Keim leds the Griffons with 21 digs each.

UP NEXT

• The Griffons will host No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney Friday, September 28.
• Nebraska-Kearney is 17-1 and will be coming off of a 3-2 win at Regis University on Tuesday.
• Nebraska-Kearney, along with Missouri Western, was co-champion of the MIAA regular season last year.
• All fans are encouraged to black out the MWSU Fieldhouse, as it will be Black Out Night.— MWSU Athletics —