KEARNEY, Neb. – In the team’s final match before the MIAA Championships, Missouri Western (11-12, 2-7 MIAA) fell to Nebraska Kearney (14-12, 3-6 MIAA) in an afternoon road match. The Lopers topped the Griffons 6-1, winning five out of six singles matches after a competitive series of doubles matches.

Nebraska Kearney escaped with the doubles point after two back-and-forth matches on the number one and two courts. Karolina Ström and Joanna Abreu Roman fell by a score of 6-4 in their match. Despite the loss, Ström and Abreu Roman have won seven of their last 10 doubles matches. In the final doubles match, Mireia Birosta and Erica Dunn fell by the same score, giving the Lopers the advantage entering singles.

Missouri Western lost the first five singles matches. Both Abreu Roman and Federica Salmaso suffered narrow losses in their matches. After splitting the first two sets with her opponent, Abreu Roman was edged 10-8 in the third and final set in her last regular season match.

Bojana Vuksan gave Missouri Western its lone win in the singles. Vuksan outlasted her opponent for a 6-4, 4-6, 11-9 victory. Monday’s win gives Vuksan her 10^th of the season, and is also her second-straight win.

The Griffons will have over one week away from competition before they travel to Oklahoma City for the MIAA Championships beginning on April 26.

MWSU VS. UNK
SINGLES
#45 Vasilisa Polunova (UNK) def. Karolina Ström (MWSU) 6-3, 6-1
Zhanel Turarbek (UNK) def. Mireia Birosta (MWSU) 6-2, 6-0
Sherry Sun (UNK) def. Joanna Abreu Roman (MWSU) 5-7, 6-3, 10-8
Fidan Ibrahimova (UNK) def. Federica Salmaso (MWSU) 7-5, 6-4
Claire Neil (UNK) def. Erica Dunn (MWSU) 6-1, 6-0
Bojana Vuksan (MWSU) def. Pranathi Gannavaram (UNK) 6-4, 4-6, 11-9

DOUBLES
Polunova/Turarbek (UNK) def. Ström/Abreu Roman (MWSU) 6-4
Sun/Ibrahimova (UNK) def. Birosta/Dunn (MWSU) 6-4
Neil/Parnell (UNK) def. Vuksan/Salmaso (MWSU) 6-0

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western director of athletics Josh Looney announced MWSU director of sports performance Greg Carbin has accepted a position as a strength and conditioning assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“We are thrilled for Greg and the opportunities that await him,” Looney said. “Having an NFL team actively seek out our director of sports performance is impressive and only affirms all of the positive contributions Greg has made at MWSU. He is a difference maker. We can’t thank Greg enough for all his impressive contributions to his alma mater.”

Carbin became the first-ever full-time strength and conditioning coach at Missouri Western in 2014 after serving one year as a graduate assistant. The 2006 All-MIAA defensive back for the Griffons built the sports performance program at MWSU that now includes a staff of three graduate assistants. Carbin was also instrumental in helping Missouri Western become the first NCAA Division II athletic department in the nation to install and utilize KONGiQ strength and conditioning software.

“I would like to thank Missouri Western President Dr. Robert Vartabedian and former athletic director Kurt McGuffin for giving me the opportunity to be Missouri Western’s first strength and conditioning coach and for the privilege to develop the Sports Performance program from the ground up,” Carbin said. “I also want to thank Josh Looney, the athletic administration and the head coaches who entrusted my staff and me with all 16 of Missouri Western’s teams. Thank you to the student-athletes who allowed me to serve them as a role model and be a part of their personal and athletic development.”

“I leave Missouri Western with a grateful heart through the experiences and friendships I have gained and look forward to this new position that brings forth new challenges. I wish the University, coaches and athletes success in all future endeavors and look forward to many more Ring the Bell moments to come. God Bless and Go Griffs.”

A national search for Carbin’s replacement will begin immediately.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Game two of a three-game series between Missouri Western (16-15, 13-10) and Northwest Missouri (17-18, 13-10) looked like rivalry baseball. The Griffons rallied twice with an eight-run fourth and a four-run seventh to clinch the series with a 13-10 victory.

The rivals combined for 23 runs, 21 hits, five errors and used 11 total pitchers. It gave Missouri Western 29 runs in the first two games of the series along with seven home runs so far in the series with three on Saturday.

The win pushed the Griffs into a three-way tie for fifth place in the MIAA standings with Northwest and Lindenwood, just a half game back of Central Oklahoma for fourth.

NOTABLES

• Early, it looked like Northwest was headed to as series-tying victory after scoring five runs and chasing Jacob Purl from the game after three innings
• MWSU responded with a five-hit, eight-run fourth inning capped by back-to-back home run by Andrew Curry and Brooks Day
• Curry’s shot gave MWSU an 8-6 lead before Day put the Griffs up by three
• Northwest chipped away and regained the lead on a two-run home run in the top of the seventh
• Fahd Shakeel, aided by a throwing error, scored on his own RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh to give MWSU an 11-10 lead
• An RBI-single by Josh Robinson and an RBI fielder’s choice by Casey Danley put MWSU up 13-10
• Carson Dwyre slammed the door, retiring all eight batters he faced, four on strikeouts, to earn his second win of the season
• Curry was 3-for-5 with three RBIs
• Danley drove in three and Fahd Shakeel and Robinson had two hits apiece

UP NEXT

• MWSU goes for its first series sweep since taking all three of its MIAA opening series with Fort Hays State in late February at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

— MWSU Athletics —

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Missouri Western softball team (30-14, 17-5) stretched its win streak to 12 games with an offensive onslaught Saturday at Pittsburg State (21-24, 9-11).

The Griffons scored 12 unanswered runs over the final two innings of a game one 13-3 run-rule victory. In game two, the Griffs added nine more hits and two more doubles in a 7-2 win.

Missouri Western’s current win streak that includes six consecutive MIAA doubleheader sweeps is the longest since the 2015 team won 16 in a row.

GAME 1
Missouri Western 13, Pittsburg State 3 (6 innings)

• Down 3-1 after four innings, MWSU scored seven in the fifth and five more in the sixth to win by run-rule
• The seven-run fifth featured six Griffon hits, two for Morgan Frost
• MWSU added to its MIAA-leading home run total with a first inning solo shot by Gabi Carter and a three-run shot by Emma Hoffart that got the scoring started in the fifth, the 33^rd and 34^th home runs of the season for the team
• Six Griffs had at least two hits, including three by Frost and Carter
• Sydni Hawkins’ two-hit game pushed her hitting streak to 14 games
• Kaili Hinds held Pitt State to three hits and picked up her 14^th win of the season

GAME 2
Missouri Western 7, Pittsburg State 2

• The Griffons had nine hits and took advantage of Pitt State miscues
• MWSU scored two in the first, one on a passed ball and another on an error
• Frost made it 4-0 Griffs with a two-run double in the second
• Taylor Hoelscher drove in two with a single in the third
• An Pittsburg State error in the fourth allowed Brea Blanton to score MWSU’s seventh run
• Frost had two more hits and drove in two. Another double gave her 19 on the season, second most in the MIAA
• Blanton was 2-for-3 with three runs scored
• Hawkins made it 14 straight games with a base hit, going 1-for-3
• Kenzie Hilzer went the distance and improved to 6-7 on the year, her fourth-straight appearance with either a win or save

UP NEXT

• The Griffons get next week off before hosting two MIAA series to end the regular season
• Washburn and Emporia State visit the Spring Sports Complex on April 26^th and 27^th, respectively.

— MWSU Athletics —

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Missouri Western Men’s and Women’s Track and Field totaled four individual wins at the 11^th Annual David Suenram Gorilla Classic on Saturday. The Griffons went toe-to-toe with some of the best competition in the country.

On the men’s side Grand Valley (5), Pittsburg State (11), Missouri Southern (12), and Central Missouri (18) are all ranked in the top-20 in NCAA Div. II. Several powerhouse women’s teams were also competing in Pittsburg, including Grand Valley (1), Missouri Southern (3), and Pittsburg State (7).

Nevertheless, the Griffons still came away with four event winners and several other top-five finishes. Hanna Williams, Megan Gillen, and Riley Gorham all claimed victories in track events for Missouri Western. Julia Odir also posted a win for the Griffons with her jump of 11.65m.

Williams and Jordan Garr both earned provisional marks on Saturday. Garr’s throw of 16.96m in the shot put also gave him a third-place finish.

TOP FINISHERS

• Hanna Williams, 1^st, Women’s 400m, 55.54 (Provisional)
• Megan Gillen, 1^st, Women’s 800m, 2:20.29
• Riley Gorham, 1^st, Men’s 1500m, 4:01.74
• Julia Odir, 1^st, Women’s Triple Jump, 11.65m
• Jordan Garr, 3^rd, Men’s Shot Put, 16.96m (Provisional)
• Jacob Oyler, 3^rd, Men’s 5000m, 16:08.20
• Claire Reedy, Paige Kvale, Megan Gillen, Grace Schottel, 3^rd, Women’s 4x400m, 4:06.77
• Claire Reedy, 4^th, Women’s 1500m, 5:00.57
• Savannah Simmons, 5^th, Women’s 200m, 25.33
• Hunter Scaggs, 5^th, Men’s High Jump, 2.02m

UP NEXT

• Missouri Western will compete at the Kansas Relays beginning on April 17.

— MWSU Athletics —

HAYS, Kan. – Missouri Western (11-11, 2-6 MIAA) has officially punched its ticket to the MIAA tennis championships in Oklahoma City. The Griffons clinched their spot by defeating Fort Hays State (3-10, 0-8 MIAA) 5-2 on the road on Saturday.

The Griffons took the doubles points with wins on the number one and three courts. Joanna Abreu Roman and Karolina Ström started things off for Missouri Western with a 6-1 victory to open up the match. The Tigers would win the second doubles match before Federica Salmaso and Bojana Vuksan put the Griffons on the scoreboard with a 6-3 win to finish the doubles. Saturday’s doubles win is the seventh of the season for Salmaso and Vuksan, which is second on the team behind the duo of Abreu Roman and Ström.

Vuksan continued momentum for the Griffons with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout win. Ström and Salmaso also both won their singles matches, giving Missouri Western four points to clinch the match.

Abreu Roman battled her way to a victory in what turned out to be the day’s most competitive match. After losing the first set, the senior stormed back to win the final two sets by scores of 6-1 and 10-5. Abreu Roman is now second on the team with 12 wins in duals this season.

Missouri Western will wrap up the regular season at Nebraska Kearney (13-12, 2-6 MIAA) on Monday. It will be the team’s final competition before the MIAA Championships in Oklahoma City on April 26.

MWSU VS. FHSU
SINGLES
Karolina Ström (MWSU) def. Laura Jimenez-Lendinez (FHSU) 6-1, 6-3
Natalie Lubbers (FHSU) def. Birosta,Mireia (MWSU) 6-1, 6-0
Joanna Abreu Roman (MWSU) def. Lauren Lindell (FHSU) 3-6, 6-1, 10-5
Federica Salmaso (MWSU) def. Ellea Ediger (FHSU) 6-1, 6-3
Macy Moyers,(FHSU) def. Erica Dunn (MWSU) 2-6, 6-1, 10-8
Bojana Vuksan (MWSU) def. Haley Weidemann (FHSU) 6-0, 6-0

DOUBLES
Abreu Roman/Ström (MWSU) def. Lindell/Lubbers (FHSU) 6-1
Ediger/Moyers (FHSU) def. Birosta/Dunn (MWSU) 6-2
Salmaso/Vuksan (MWSU) def. Jimenez-Lendinez/Lubbers (FHSU) 6-3

— MWSU Athletics —

JOPLIN, Mo. – Griffon Softball (28-14, 15-5) swept its fifth-straight MIAA series and climbed into second place in the MIAA standings with a pair of wins, Friday, at Missouri Southern (17-20, 8-12).

Missouri Western extended its win streak with an extra-inning shutout and a bit of a hit parade on Friday in Joplin.

The 10-game winning streak is the longest since a 10-game streak late in the 2016 season that included a 4-0 run through the MIAA Softball Championships. The wins left the Griffons technically tied for second place in the standings with 2018 MIAA champion Washburn. Missouri Western is 15-5 and Washburn is 12-4 after splitting a doubleheader with Nebraska-Kearney on Friday.

GAME 1
Missouri Western 1, Missouri Southern 0 (11 innings)

• Cassidy Kelsheimer hit a sacrifice fly to center field in the 11^th to drive in the only run of the game
• Emma Hoffart led off the 11^th with a single and advanced to third when Missouri Southern threw away Sydni Hawkins’ sacrifice bunt attempt to put runners on the corners with no one out
• Tamara Hicks entered to run for Hoffart and scored the winning run on Kelsheimer’s sac-fly
• Kaili Hinds pitched an 11-inning complete game shutout, holding Southern to nine hits. She struck out two and didn’t walk a batter to improve to 13-3 on the season
• Hawkins went 2-for-3 to extend her hitting streak to 12 games
• Hoffart was 2-for-5

GAME 2
Missouri Western 10, Missouri Southern 5

• A three-run top of the seventh quieted any thoughts of a Missouri Southern comeback
• MWSU led 6-1 after scoring two in the top of the fourth, but Missouri Southern scored four in the bottom half to pull within one
• The Griffons got one in the fifth and then the three-run seventh to put the game out of reach
• MWSU tied a program single-game record with seven doubles
• Morgan Frost had two of the doubles to move into second in the MIAA with 17 this season
• Hawkins went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored. She doubled and tripled to push her hitting streak to 13 games
• All but one Griff in the starting lineup had at least a hit
• Marissa Guenther went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple
• Olivia Goodale allowed just one hit over the final 3 1/3 innings

UP NEXT

• The Griffs travel to Pittsburg State (21-22, 9-9) for a doubleheader Saturday that is scheduled to begin at noon.

— MWSU Athletics —

WICHITA, Kan. – Lynzi Miller was the lone Missouri Western student-athlete competing at the KT Woodman Heptathlon at Wichita State this week. The freshman placed fourth at the event, eclipsing the program record with a 4,354 point total.

Miller took fourth place in a field of 12 competitors in Wichita. She was the top finisher from NCAA Div. II and was also the top finisher among the four MIAA student-athletes at the heptathlon.

Miller’s best finish came in the 200m when she took second with a time of 25.47, finishing just two milliseconds behind the event winner. She also ran a 2:35.08 in the 800m to take third in the event.

Miller also earned top-five finishes in the long jump with a jump of 4.99m (16′ 4.50″) and the 100m hurdles (15.30).

Missouri Western Track and Field will compete at the David Suenram Gorilla Classic on Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —