ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western junior soccer player Cassidy Menke has been named CoSIDA Academic All-District.

A health and exercise science major from O’Fallon, Missouri, Menke is now eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America. The junior forward was named first team All-MIAA for the second time in her career this season after leading the MIAA in scoring. Her 15 goals so far this season, broke her own MWSU record for goals in a season. Menke is MWSU’s all-time leading scorer, breaking the record early this season.

To be eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-District nomination, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Nominations are made by dues paying CoSIDA members and awards are voted on by CoSIDA members in their respective districts.

Menke and the Griffons begin play in the NCAA Division II Championship this weekend in Mankato, Minnesota. Missouri Western opens play in the central regional against Southwestern Oklahoma on Friday.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western soccer team will make its first-ever NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship appearance later this week when the team travels to Mankato, Minnesota to take on Southwestern Oklahoma State.

The Griffons, who are 17-4 this season, earned the No. 3 seed in the central region and will play No. 6-seeded Southwestern Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. on Friday.

Southwestern Oklahoma enters the regional tournament with a 12-3-4 record after winning the Great American Conference postseason championship with a 3-2 win over GAC regular season champion Oklahoma Baptist.

Missouri Western is in the midst of the best season in program history, winning more games and scoring more goals than any previous Missouri Western soccer team. Overall, more than 30 team, individual and career records were broken as the Griffons advanced to the MIAA Championship finals this past Sunday.

Minnesota State claimed the No. 2 seed in the region and will host half of the regional tournament. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season and postseason champion Mavericks will await the winner of Friday’s game for a regional semifinal on Sunday, Nov. 12.

Central Missouri claimed the top seed in the region and will host the other half of the bracket, awaiting the winner of Friday’s No. 4 Augustana against No. 5 Bemidji State game.

Click here for NCAA Release & Bracket.

— MWSU Athletics —

KANSAS CITY – For the second time this season, Missouri Western swept the MIAA Volleyball Players of the Week honors. Freshman Ali Tauchen was named Hitter of the Week and Sophomore Lauren Murphy was tabbed as Specialist of the Week. Missouri Western beat Missouri Southern 3-1 last Friday and swept Southwest Baptist on Saturday. The Griffons have now won nine straight matches and 13 of their last 14.

Tauchen finished the weekend with a hitting percentage of .553, averaged 3.29 kills per set and had 23 kills. In a win against the Lions on Friday, she had 15 kills and hit .500 for the match. Tauchen recorded eight kills and had a hitting percentage .667 against the Bearcats. She also tallied 11 blocks in the two victories and earned her first ever MIAA Hitter of the Week honor.

For Murphy, it is the second time she has been named MIAA Specialist of the Week as she honored for the first time on Oct. 2. She paced the MWSU offense with 87 assists and averaged 12.43 assists per set. Murphy recorded 52 assists in the win over MSSU, her highest total in a four-set match this season. In the win at SBU, she had 35 assists with two kills. Murphy also had nine digs, a block and a service ace on the weekend.

Missouri Western, who is 20-9 and 14-2 in the MIAA, closes out the regular season with a pair of home matches this weekend. The first match is Friday against Fort Hays State and the season finale is Saturday against No. 5 Nebraska Kearney.

— MWSU Athletics —

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – For the third time this season, No. 1-ranked Central Missouri got the best of the Missouri Western soccer team as the Griffon lost 4-1 Sunday in the championshp game of the MIAA Tournament.

MWSU falls to 17-4 this season, while the Jennies remain undefeated at 21-0.

UCM jumped out to a 3-0 lead with two goals in the first half and another just a little more than a minute into the second half. Then Sydney Cluck scored her ninth goal of the season, a shot from the left side of the box off a free kick. Central Missouri added another goal in the 79th minute.

Sarah Lyle finished with 11 saves in goal. The Griffons were held to just three shots in the game and two on goal while Central Missouri took 35 total shots, 15 on goal.

The Griffons advanced farther in the MIAA tournament than any team in program history and are poised for their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championships.

Missouri Western will now wait until Monday to find out its NCAA Central Region tournament seed and destination. The Griffons were ranked third in last week’s regional poll. A selection show watch party will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday in the Hall of Fame room inside Spratt Memorial Stadium.

— MWSU Athletics —

EMPORIA, Kan. – Despite career rushing highs by quarterback Dom Marino and running back Shamar Griffith and an offensive output of 449 yards, the Missouri Western football team (4-6) fell 30-27 to Emporia State (5-5) Saturday. MWSU outgained ESU by 126 yards and recorded five sacks for 20 yards.

CHANGING OF TIDES
A holding call at the one-yard line negated a Shamar Griffith touchdown that would have given Missouri Western a two touchdown lead. A few plays later, the Griffons settled for a 39-yard field goal to take a 20-10 lead. On the next drive, the defense forced a three and out but a fumbled punt return by Jonathan Owens recovered by the Hornets kept them alive. Emporia State cashed in their opportunity with a reverse pass that went for a 31-yard touchdown pass. The momentum change allowed ESU to score 13 unanswered points.

GAME OF INCHES
Down 23-20 in the fourth quarter, Dom Marino stumbled down to the Emporia State 2-yard line and left Missouri Western just inches short of a first down. On fourth and inches, Marino found a narrow crease and dove in for a touchdown to give the Griffons a 27-23 advantage. Later in the quarter, ESU quarterback Braxton Marstall called his own number on a fourth and two. A second effort allowed Marstall to gain the first down by a quarter of a football after an official’s measurement. The Hornets threw the game-winning, two-yard touchdown pass just three plays later with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter.

BOTTLED UP
The Griffon defense bottled up the Emporia State offense as it allowed just 62 yards on the ground and 323 yards of total offense. MWSU sacked ESU five times for 20 yards. Tyrell Robison came away with three sacks for 11 yards. Dennis McKinney was credited with two sacks for nine yards and a forced fumble. Jabbar Miles led Missouri Western with nine tackles.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western returns to Spratt Stadium on Nov. 11 as it host rival Northwest Missouri State. The senior day kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Griffon volleyball (20-9) will take a nine-match winning streak into the final week of the season after dominating Southwest Baptist (2-28) in its final road match of the regular season.

Missouri Western had one of its most dominant performances of the season, Saturday, winning 25-14, 25-11 and 25-16 while hitting a whopping .457 in the match. It was the Griffons’ highest hitting percentage of the season and the second highest ever for the program. MWSU had 43 kills in the match to go with eight service aces.

Stephanie Doak led the Griffons with 11 kills. Erin Erb had 10 kills and Ali Tauchen had eight to go along with her four blocks. Kayla Ruff led Missouri Western with 11 digs and four aces. Lauren Murphy had 35 assists in the match.

UP NEXT
The final two matches of the regular season will be in the MWSU Fieldhouse. Fort Hays State (10-21) visits MWSU on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. Then, it’s the big one. Should the Griffons stretch their winning streak to 10 on Friday, they’ll be playing for at least a share of the MIAA regular season championship on Saturday, Nov. 11 against No. 5 Nebraska Kearney (27-2).

— MWSU Athletics —

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Griffon women’s cross country team saved its best for the most important event of its inaugural season. Every scoring Griffon posted a personal record and the team posted its best time of the season at the NCAA Central Region Cross Country Championships at the Kearney Country Club.

The team finished 14th with Kaitlyn Shoemaker finishing 13th individually. Missouri Western finished sixth among MIAA schools in the regional event. A new system to determine qualification for the NCAA Division II National Championships means Shoemaker will have to wait until Monday, Nov. 6 to learn if she will compete in the national event on Nov. 18 in Evansville, Indiana.

Shoemaker posted a 21:57 in the 6k race, her first sub-22:00 minute race. Megan Gillen (23:18), Kelsey Cox (23:21), Allison Goos (23:53) and Claire Reedy (24:24) rounded out the scoring for the Griffons.

The men’s team finished in 24th place in their first-ever 10k race. Alex Bautista (34:14) led the men, followed by Christian Arbuthnot (34:54), Ross Baumer (35:28), Jackson Rush (36:30) and Chris Dunn (36:43). Four of seven Griffon men racers posted personal records through the first 8k of the race.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Sydney Cluck exercised Missouri Western soccer’s postseason demons when she poked in the game-winning goal in the 85th minute Wednesday night against Central Oklahoma to give the Griffons a 2-1 win in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.

MWSU improves to 16-3 and its their first postseason victory in school history. After three straight years of heartbreaking losses in the opening round of the conference tournament, the Griffons advanced the semifinals in dramatic fashion.

Cassidy Menke’s 15th goal of the season in the 10th minute looked like it might spark a runaway victory for Missouri Western. After 62 minutes of scoreless soccer, Central Oklahoma’s Asha Haile scored the equalizer from the right side of the box. A little more than 13 minutes later, Menke touched in a pass to Cluck who squeezed between a defender and the Broncho goalkeeper for what proved to be the game-winner.

Missouri Western just out-shot the Bronchos on the night, 15-11, but had one less shot on goal (7) than UCO’s eight. Menke led the Griffons with five shots, three on goal. Sarah Lyle played the entire game with seven crucial saves. Madeline Cowell, Bridget Blessie and Cluck each had three shots for Missouri Western.

SEMIFINAL MATCH SET
After hosting a postseason game for the first time in program history, the Griffons will now make their first MIAA Championship semifinal appearance. Missouri Western, the two-seed, will play sixth-seeded Washburn, Friday night at 7 in Warrensburg, Missouri. Washburn knocked off third-seeded Northeastern State, 1-0, on the road Friday night. The Griffons shut out Washburn with one goal on Oct. 20 in Topeka, Kansas.

— MWSU Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Honors began rolling in, Wednesday, for the record-breaking 2017 Missouri Western soccer team.

A record, 10 Griffons were named All-MIAA with three first team selections. Every Griffon with more than 11 starts this season picked up an All-MIAA honor.

Cassidy Menke was named first team for the second year in a row after leading the MIAA with 14 goals this season. Joining Menke on the first team were defender Bridget Blessie and midfielder Madeline Cowell. Blessie picked up her second All-MIAA honor after being named to the third team in 2015. Cowell’s first team selection this year was the first All-MIAA distinction for the junior.

Three Griffons were named to the second team, including goalkeeper Sarah Lyle, defender Sarah Blakley and forward Sydney Cluck. For Lyle, it was the third second team selection in her career (2014 & 15). Blakley became a first time All-MIAA selection as did Cluck.

Midfielder Megan Maenner was named to the third team, the first All-MIAA honor for the junior.

The rest of Missouri Western’s starting back line all picked up honorable mention honors. Bailey Ketcham became a first time All-MIAA honoree while Paige Phipps picked up her third honorable mention nod (2014 & 16) as did Ashlyn Powers (2015 & 16).

Missouri Western finished the regular season 15-2 and tied for second in the MIAA standings, earning the No. 2 seed in this week’s MIAA Championshps by way of a win over Northeastern State. The Griffons, who were picked sixth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, host Central Oklahoma on Wednesday in the first round of the conference’s postseason tournament.

2017 All-MIAA Women’s Soccer Team
Offensive Player of the Year
Jada Scott, F, Central Missouri

Defensive Player of the Year
Kayla Hamner, D, Central Missouri

Goalkeeper of the Year
Anna Dilkes, GK, Central Missouri

Freshman of the Year
Paulina Chavez, F, Northeastern State

Coach of the Year
Lewis Theobald, Central Missouri

First Team
GK: Anna Dilkes, Sr., Central Missouri**%@
D: Bridget Blessie, Sr., Missouri Western
D: Rebecca Gleason, Sr., Northeastern State
D: Kayla Hamner, Sr., Central Missouri**%
MF: Madeline Cowell, Jr., Missouri Western
MF: Kelsie Eason, Fr., Central Oklahoma
MF: Baylie Edwards, Sr., Central Missouri**
MF: Eden Stoddard, Sr., Fort Hays State
MF: Megan Woolley, Sr., Central Missouri%@
F: Paulina Chavez, Fr., Northeastern State
F: Cassidy Menke, Jr., Missouri Western%
F: Abby Rhodes, Sr., Central Missouri**@
F: Jada Scott, Jr., Central Missouri%@
Results reflect tie in voting
**=Unanimous Selection
%=2016 First Team Selection
@=2015 First Team Selection

Second Team
GK: Sarah Lyle, Sr., Missouri Western
D: Sarah Blakley, Sr., Missouri Western
D: Skylar Drum, Fr., Central Missouri
D: Courtney Killian, Jr., Central Missouri
D: Ronise Miller, Sr., Missouri Southern
D: Baylie Schmitz, Sr., Fort Hays State
MF: Melissa Giles, Sr., Northeastern State
MF: Becky Roberts, Sr., Lindenwood
MF: Izzy Romano, So., Northwest Missouri
F: Sydney Cluck, Sr., Missouri Western
F: Asha Haile, So., Central Oklahoma
F: Makayla Toth, Fr., Central Missouri

Third Team
GK: Kaitlin Minnich, Sr., Washburn
GK: Kristen Thompson, Sr., Fort Hays State
D: Leah Mettam, Fr., Emporia State
D: Madison Motil, So., Central Oklahoma
D: Rebecca Weimer, Sr., Washburn
MF: Jasmine Beaulieu, Sr., Fort Hays State
MF: Tara Benefiel, So., Emporia State
MF: Tera Lynch, Fr., Washburn
MF: Megan Maenner, Jr., Missouri Western
F: Katie Killion, Jr., Central Oklahoma
F: Mikayla Lowery, Sr., Central Oklahoma
F: Julia Mathis, Sr., Northeastern State

Honorable Mention
Central Oklahoma: Camille Greer, MF
Emporia State: Bethany Reeves, GK
Fort Hays State: Taryn Schnell, D
Lindenwood: Katie Juhlin, D; Alaina White, D
Missouri Western: Bailey Ketcham, D; Paige Phipps, D; Ashlyn Powers, D
Nebraska-Kearney: Kelsie Ienn, D; Marika Van Brocklin, D; Molly Willis, D; Kaitlyn Pawloski, MF; Tori Weber, MF
Northeastern State: Meg Smith, GK; Mariah Nicolet, F
Northwest Missouri: Annie Poelzl, D; Mollie Holtman, F
Southwest Baptist: Tessa Wagner, D; AC Pettit, MF; Raegan Edwards, F
Washburn: Mackenzie Heiman, D; Presley Wiggins, D; Olivia Grasso, MF; Ellie Karloff, F; Emily Stauffer, F; Paige Swanson, F

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Following the greatest regular season in program history, Griffon soccer will host a postseason game for the first time this Wednesday when Central Oklahoma visits for the first round of the MIAA Championships.

Missouri Western is the No. 2 seed in the conference postseason event while Central Oklahoma is the No. 7 seed. The Griffons defeated the Bronchos 3-0 in Edmond, Oklahoma on Oct. 13. It was Missouri Western’s first-ever win over Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos were picked second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll while the Griffons were picked sixth.

FAN INFORMATION
Wednesday’s first round game will begin at 6 p.m. with gates opening at 5 p.m. Per MIAA policy, there will be a $5 admission fee for all fans over the age of six. Children six and under will be admitted free. Dave Riggert will broadcast the game live on ESPN 1550 in St. Joseph. Here is a link to the radio broadcast and the links for live stats and the live video broadcast can be found at GoGriffons.com.

The MIAA Championship semifinals and finals will be held Nov. 3 and 5th at the site of the highest remaining seed. The $5 admission fee will continue through those rounds. The MIAA Network will take over the video stream for those two rounds. Video streaming for the semifinals and finals will be pay-per-view.

RECORD BREAKING SEASON
A win Wednesday would be another program first in a season filled with broken records and first time occurrences for Griffon soccer. The team’s 15 wins are the most in program history as were the nine MIAA victories. In addition to the following season records that have been broken this year, members of the team also broke several individual career records.
MWSU Records Broken in 2017
Points – 128 (team), Cassidy Menke – 30
Points Per Game – 7.11 (team), Cassidy Menke – 1.67
Goals – 47 (team), Cassidy Menke – 14
Goals per Game – 2.61 (team), Cassidy Menke (0.78)
Game Winning Goals – 15
Assists – 34 (team), Sydney Cluck – 8, Madeline Cowell – 7
Assists Per Game – 1.89 (team), Sydney Cluck – 0.44, Madeline Cowell – 0.39
Shots – 334 (team), Cassidy Menke – 105
Shots on Goal – 166 (team), Cassidy Menke – 51
Save Percentage – .857 (team), Sarah Lyle – .850
Goals Against Average – 0.55 (team), Sarah Lyle – 0.60
Wins – 15 (team), Sarah Lyle – 13
Shutouts – 12

THE GRIFFONS
The Griffons outscored opponents 47-10 in the regular season, scoring the second most goals in the MIAA and allowing the second fewest. Saves per game (3.33) was the only major statistical category in which Missouri Western didn’t rank first or second in the MIAA. That was largely in part to the Griffons limiting opponents to the second fewest shots on goal (70) in the MIAA. Missouri Western’s 34 assists led the MIAA and ranked 21st in the nation while its 128 points were second in the MIAA and 17th in the nation. The Griffons shut out 12 opponents on the season, ranking second in the MIAA and eighth in the nation for shutout percentage.

Cassidy Menke finished the regular season leading the MIAA with 14 goals, which ranked 18th nationally. The junior finished second in the MIAA with 30 total points. Sydney Cluck’s eight assists ranked second in the MIAA and 19th nationally while her 22 points ranked fourth in the conference. Madeline Cowell finished third in the MIAA with seven assists. Bridget Blessie’s four game winning goals were second most in the MIAA. Sarah Lyle ranked second in the MIAA with an .850 save percentage, going 13-3 as the starting goalkeeper with three complete shutouts and seven assisted.

THE BRONCHOS
Central Oklahoma dropped its final two regular season games to drop to the No. 7 seed in the postseason tournament. A perennial MIAA power, 19 current Bronchos were a part of the 2016 team that went 15-7-1, advanced to the MIAA postseason championship game and won a first round game in the NCAA Division II Central Region tournament.

UCO scored 42 goals in the regular season (3rd in the MIAA) while allowing 31 (4th most in the MIAA). Asha Hallie and Kelsie Eason each scored eight goals to lead the Bronchos this season. Mikayla Lowery and Morgan Cherry each scored five goals. Lowery’s four assists led the team. Ally Salls started 10 regular season games for UCO, going 6-4 with a 1.38 goals against average, one complete shutout and another shared. Kaitlyn Asher went 1-5 in goal for the Bronchos with a 1.99 goals against average and one complete shutout.

LOOKING AHEAD
A win Wednesday would put the Griffons into the MIAA Championship semifinals. They would play the winner of the No. 3 Northeastern State versus No. 6 Washburn game on Friday, Nov. 3. The semifinals and finals will be hosted by the highest remaining seed after Wednesday’s first round. A loss Wednesday means the Griffons will have a long wait to determine if their season continues. The NCAA selection show is set for Monday, Nov. 6 at 5 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —