ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western State University is pleased to announce Mosaic Life Care has secured naming rights for the football practice fields used by the Kansas City Chiefs and Missouri Western athletic teams. The fields will be officially named, “Mosaic Training Fields.”

Missouri Western is the summer training camp home of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Mosaic Life Care is dedicated to supporting the strength and vitality of the communities we serve through our ongoing partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs,” Michael Pulido, chief operating officer, Mosaic Life Care said. “Mosaic Training Fields is another way to support the University and strengthen our partnerships, as we promote health and wellness.”

“We are fortunate to have an outstanding medical community, led by Mosaic Life Care, right here in St. Joseph,” Missouri Western director of athletics Josh Looney said. “Whether it is their talented team of physicians providing the best possible healthcare for Missouri Western student-athletes, or their commitment to community health and wellness, we are proud to expand the visibility of Mosaic’s positive impact on our campus.”

Mosaic Life Care is a presenting partner and the official health-care provider of the 2018 Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp. In its ninth summer at Missouri Western, camp will feature open practices and events for the public to enjoy. More information about the team, tickets, scheduling and more can be found on the Kansas City Chiefs website.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western women’s basketball head coach Rob Edmisson has finalized his 2018-19 signing class. The class features six newcomers total, three from the high school ranks and three transfers.

The common thread in the incoming group: winning. Combined, the six incoming student-athletes played on basketball teams that went 137-37 in 2017-18.

“This recruiting class is comprised of players who have won state championships and national championships,” Edmisson said. “They all are from winning programs and have an expectation to win!”

JILL RUMPF | 5-7 | GUARD | AGENCY, MISSOURI | MID-BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL
Edmisson: “Jill will be an exciting player to watch as she starts her basketball career here at Missouri Western. She has accumulated numerous local and state level awards. Her quickness, athleticism and basketball IQ will allow her to make an impact on our program. She is from a very successful program”

SHANNON DANDA | 6-0 | FORWARD | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO | RAMPART HIGH SCHOOL 
Edmisson: “Shannon will add a high-skill level in our wing-forward positions. Her skill set and talent will allow her to make an immediate impact in our program. Her ball handling and shooting abilities will make for a tough match-up with her size and length.”

KAMERON FREEMYER | 5-11 | FORWARD | CONCEPTION JUNCTION, MISSOURI | MOUND CITY HIGH SCHOOL
Edmisson: “Kameron is a player we believe will develop into a good player for us. She is athletic and long. She has the ability to play several positions. She is a hard-nose kid who will work hard and comes from a very successful program. She knows how to win.”

KYLEE WILLIAMS | 5-7 | GUARD | ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI | JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Edmisson: “Kylee is a multi-purpose type player. She has a high basketball IQ and knows how to be productive and successful. She is an impact three-point shooter who can really stretch the floor. She is a stat sheet filler who will do more than just hit threes. She knows how to win and knows what it takes to win!”

ANASTACIA JOHNSON | 5-8 | WING | AURORA, COLORADO | WESTERN NEBRASKA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Edmisson: “Anastacia is a big-time athlete with a tremendous defensive skill set. She will impact our team with her speed and toughness. She can get to the rim and score on the perimeter. She comes from a highly successful program and knows what it takes to play at a high level.”

OLIVIA USHER | 5-10 | FORWARD | FAIRFAX, IOWA | KIRKWOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Edmisson: “Olivia is a tough, versatile player who can play several positions. She is from a highly successful program and knows what it takes to win championships. She’s also stat filler who can do a lot of things well. She will be an extremely tough match up with her abilities.”

The six new Griffons will join nine returners for the 2018-19 season.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western director of athletics Josh Looney announced head cross country and track and field coach Marc Bierbaum has resigned, effective immediately.

“We want to thank Coach Bierbaum for his efforts over the past two years in launching our cross country and track and field programs,” Looney said. “The continued development and growth of these new programs is very important to the short term and long term goals of Missouri Western Athletics.”

Assistant coach Cody Ingold will serve as interim head coach for both the cross country and track and field teams while a national search for the next director of cross country and track and field is conducted.

Bierbaum was hired as the head coach of the new programs in September of 2016, serving as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams along with the men’s and women’s track and field teams. The teams completed their first year of NCAA Division II competition during the 2017-18 academic year.

— MWSU Athletics —

The St. Joseph Mustangs opened MINK League play Friday with a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Nevada Griffons inside Phil Welch Stadium.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team is now 2-1 this season and 1-0 in league play.

The Mustangs trailed the Griffons 4-2 entertaing the eighth inning, before rallying with one run in the eighth and two more in the ninth inning.

After Nevada walked three batters in the bottom of the ninth, Brody Santilli came threw with a one-out RBI single and St. Joseph scored twice to complete the complete the comeback.

The Mustangs had just four hits on the night as Santilli had two of them. Colton Pogue and Terrance Spurlin added one hit each.

St. Joseph and Nevada will play again tonight at Phil Welch Stadium. The first pitch is at 7:30 and we’ll have the game on ESPN 1550 AM.

ST. JOSEPH – The architect of the greatest turnaround in college football history will be honored at Missouri Western State University. The Bill Snyder Pavilion will be dedicated on Thursday, July 12 on the west end of Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium. Missouri Western’s Board of Governors unanimously approved naming the facility for Snyder, who has been head football coach at Kansas State University for 26 seasons and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. Snyder was born and raised in St. Joseph and attended Missouri Western when it was St. Joseph Junior College in 1959.

“I am so very honored to be recognized in this manner by Missouri Western, the Board of Governors and Steven L. Craig,” Snyder said. “Very thoughtful and greatly appreciated. Although I only attended the school when it was St. Joseph Junior College and for only one year, it was truly the springboard and the foundation for the entirety of my undergraduate education and through my life-long career. My sincere gratitude to those mentioned above and to the entire caring community of St. Joseph which has also favorably impacted my life.”

The pavilion was built and donated by Steven L. Craig, the benefactor for whom Craig Field and the Craig School of Business at Missouri Western are named. It was Craig who initially proposed naming the pavilion for Snyder.

“I’m very honored to have played a small part in recognizing Coach Snyder. His work at Kansas State, in turning around that program, is one of the most remarkable coaching feats in the history of college football.” Craig said. “Coach Snyder has never forgotten his humble beginnings or his hometown, St. Joseph, and has continued to give back to this community over and over again.”

“We are thrilled to be able to honor a distinguished native son of St. Joseph in this way,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “Coach Bill Snyder is dedicated to the development of student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and in preparation for life. He truly exemplifies the best in college athletics, and I’m glad that his legacy will live on here.”

The pavilion features two different levels for hosting outdoor events, barbecue areas and an 80-foot flagpole displaying a 20-foot by 30-foot American flag. The pavilion will also feature a bronze plaque of Coach Snyder as well as a dedication to those who have served in our military.

“This addition to Spratt Stadium will further enhance the game day experience for our athletes, coaches, students and fans,” said Josh Looney, Missouri Western’s director of athletics. “It’s the finishing touch on one of the finest stadiums in NCAA Division II. We are appreciative of Steve Craig’s generous support to make this happen and honored that the pavilion will sport the name of one of the most iconic leaders in athletics and education.”

In 1989, Snyder took over a struggling Kansas State program that had just become the first Division I program to lose 500 games and had gone winless in two consecutive seasons. In a short time, he turned the Wildcats into a national championship contender that advanced to 11 straight bowl appearances and tallied six 11-win seasons over a seven-year stretch. He retired in 2005, but returned to the Kansas State sidelines in 2009, adding his seventh 11-win season and second conference championship in 2012. Overall, his record stands at 210-110-1 as he prepares for his 27th season at the helm.

Snyder was born and raised in St. Joseph, the son of Marionetta Snyder and grandson of George and Marie Owens. He graduated from Lafayette High School in 1958. Snyder began his full-time coaching career in 1964 as an assistant at Indio High School in California. In 1966 he served as a graduate assistant at USC, under legendary coach John McKay before becoming head coach at Indio High in 1967. He accepted the same position at Santa Ana Foothill High School in 1969, where he stayed until 1973.

In 1974, Snyder became the offensive coordinator and swimming coach at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. He joined the North Texas staff in 1976 and helped orchestrate an impressive turnaround with a three-year record of 26-7. Snyder followed head coach Hayden Fry to Iowa in 1979, helping build a program that went from 17 consecutive losing seasons to eight straight bowl games.

Snyder is a member of eight Halls of Fame: the College Football Hall of Fame, Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, William Jewell Hall of Fame, Lafayette High School Hall of Fame, Austin College Athletic Hall of Fame, Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame and Kansas State Hall of Fame. He received Missouri Western’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014.

Snyder has also been active in many organizations, including Chairman of the Kansas Mentors Council and the Kansas Leadership Council, Board of Directors for Kansas Leadership Center, Board of Directors of Prairiefire Museum of Natural History, Board of Trustees for the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, Terry C. Johnson Cancer Research Center Advisory Council, Manhattan Community Foundation Board of Trustees, Kansas State University Foundation Board of Trustees and Honorary Co-Chairman of the Kansas Masonic Partnership for Life.

Locally, Snyder has returned to St. Joseph many times for fundraisers and events supporting education and the YMCA.

Snyder was awarded the 2015 Excellence in Mentoring Award by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership in recognition of his longstanding commitment to meeting the mentoring needs of young people in Kansas.

After attending St. Joseph Junior College, Snyder received his B.A. from William Jewell in 1963. He earned his M.A. from Eastern New Mexico in 1965. Snyder and his wife, Sharon, have two sons and three daughters. They also have eight grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Details about the July 12 dedication ceremony featuring Snyder, Craig and other dignitaries will be announced at a later date.

— MWSU Athletics —

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Phil Thompson finished his Missouri Western Track and Field career as the first-ever two-time All-American in the program’s history. Thompson took eighth in the triple jump at the 2018 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships just two month after taking third in the same event at the indoor national championships.

In the program’s first year, Thompson became its first-ever two-time national qualifier and with his 15.32m (50′ 3 1/4″) jump on Saturday at Johnson C. Smith University, he became the program’s first-ever two-time All-American. On a day of unpredictable weather in Charlotte, North Carolina, the senior transfer’s first jump of the day was the one that put him on the podium. After no competitors in the first flight managed to break the 15m mark, the second flight quickly rose to the top of the leaderboard, Thompson included. Charles Greaves of Texas A&M Kingsville won the competition with a 16.08m jump on his second attempt. The fourth, fifth and sixth place finishers all had their best jump on their second attempt. Kizan David of Lincoln (Mo.) just edged Thompson for seventh with a 15.36m on his second attempt.

Behind David, Thompson was second among the six MIAA competitors in the event.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western men’s golfer Patrick McCarthy was named to the NCAA Division II PING All-Central Region Team as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

McCarthy finished his sophomore season by leading the men’s golf team to its first regional appearance in more than 10 years. The Albuquerque, New Mexico native was named first team All-MIAA and was the team’s nominee for the St. Joseph News-Press Missouri Western Men’s Student-Athlete of the Year. McCarthy averaged just over 1-over par on the season, a 72.63 per round average, and claimed three individual titles while finishing in the top-five four times. He recorded three sub-70 rounds, including two 5-under, 67s that were the lowest scores turned in by a Griffon this season.

PING ALL-CENTRAL REGION TEAM
Eli Armstrong, Central Oklahoma
Shayne Allan, Central Missouri
Mason Banger, Harding
John Bonaobra, Central Missouri
Luke Cornett, Arkansas Tech
Austin Gean, Arkansas Tech
Alexander Hughes, Central Oklahoma
Zach James, Southeastern Oklahoma State
Patrick McCarthy, Missouri Western State
Sam Parrott, Central Missouri
Noah Rasinkiski, Concordia (MN)
Yente Van Doren, Lindenwood

— MWSU Athletics —

HOUSTON, Texas – After three rounds at the 2018 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf National Championships, Missouri Western junior Shi Qing Ong is tied for 54th with a three round total of 237.

ROUND 3 RECAP
Friday’s third round at Bay Oaks Country Club got off to a fantastic start for the 2018 MIAA Golfer of the Year. Shi Qing was 1-under through the first four holes, but six bogeys on the back nine and three double-bogeys on the day dropped Shi Qing nine spots from her spot after the second round. Missouri Western’s individual qualifier wasn’t the only of the 72 total competitors to turn in a higher score on Friday. The third round saw just one under-par round, a 1-under from Seher Atwal of Rollins College.

Shi Qing’s 237 was just four strokes behind a group of three competitors tied for 45th at 233. Katharina Kellich of Indianapolis was the leader after Friday with a three round total of 214.

ROUND 4 TEE TIME
Shi Qing is scheduled to tee off at 8:35 a.m., Saturday, on hole No. 10.

— MWSU Athletics —

HOUSTON, Texas – Missouri Western junior golfer Shi Qing Ong carded a 6-over par, 78 in round two of the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf National Championships at Bay Oaks Country Club on Thursday.

Ong hits the halfway point of the event tied for 45th place with a two-round total of 155. Shi Qing was 14 strokes off the leader, Kylie Rianes of Indianapolis after two rounds. Much like day one, round two saw higher scores with only one of the 72 competitors turning in better than a 1-under par. Raines led the field through two rounds with a 141, 3-under par total. She was one of just four competitors under par after two rounds.

Shi Qing birdied the first three holes on the back nine to get to 2-over, Thursday, and shot par on the next three before ending the day with three-straight bogeys.

The third round of four begins Friday morning.

— MWSU Athletics —