The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team split a double header with Central Missouri on Sunday at Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.

– The Bearcats lost the first game, 4-1, but rebounded to take the second game, 7-2.

– Northwest is now 16-9 on the year and 5-7 in MIAA play. No. 9 ranked Central Missouri is now 19-6 and 11-4 in conference action.
Game One Key Statistics (Central Missouri 4, Northwest 1)
– Northwest scored its run in the sixth inning. The Mules got two runs in the fourth, one in the sixth and one in the ninth.

– The Bearcats had one run on three hits with an error. Central Missouri had four runs on nine hits with an error.

– Anthony Caenepeel got the start and went 8.0 innings. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked one.

– Ozzie Adams went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk.

– Luke Hassman and Kolby Greenslade each went 1-for-4.

Game One Key Innings
– The Bearcats led off the sixth with a Fort walk. Adams then took the second pitch he saw deep to left field for an RBI double.
Game Two Key Statistics (Northwest 7, Central Missouri 2)
– Northwest scored one in the first, one in the third, one in the fourth, one in the sixth and three in the seventh. The Mules scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

– The Bearcats had seven runs on 12 hits with two errors. Central Missouri had two runs on seven hits with an error.

– Adams went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

– Jay Hrdlicka went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and drove in three runs. He also drew a walk, stole a base and hit a home run.

– Hassman was 2-for-4 with a home run. He drove in a pair of runs.

– Garrett Fort was 2-for-5.

– Landon Figg and James Holler each drew walks and both came around to score runs.

– Logan Rycraft went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

– Greenslade went 1-for-4.

– Joseph Hietpas got the win, going 6.2 innings. He allowed two runs on six hits. He struck out 10 and walked just one.

– Jacob Wagner, Austin Battaglia and Nikko Pablo did not allow a run in relief.
Game Two Key Innings
– Adams had a one out single to right in the first. He made it all the way to third on a wild pitch and an error by the catcher. Hassman drove him in with a single to left.

– Rycraft singled to lead off the third and came around to score on an Adams single two batters later.

– Hassman started the fourth with a home run to left field to make it 3-0 Bearcats.

– In the sixth, Hrdlicka led off with a walk and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.

– Northwest got three in the seventh. Figg and Holler drew back to back walks and Hrdlicka drove a ball over the right field fence for a three-run homer.

Up Next
– The series concludes on Monday at 2 p.m. from Bearcat Field.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A little over 3 minutes remained in the first half and Fairmont State only had 17 points. That number perfectly summed up the stifling defense Northwest Missouri State played to claim its first NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship.

“This feels amazing,” said Northwest junior Justin Pitts, who finished with 23 points. “Being here the last two years and losing hurt so we all worked hard for it. I am so happy we got it done for the seniors.”

The Bearcats led from start to finish to beat Fairmont 71-61 Saturday afternoon at the Sanford Pentagon.

“We came out with no fear, which was unbelievable,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “I knew if we had any chance to beat them, you have to kind of bully the bullies. They get after it so much and make it really difficult for you. I was happy with our guys’ performance.”

Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script for Northwest. The previous two years, the Bearcats lost in the Central Regional championship game at the Sanford Pentagon.

Last year was particularly heartbreaking, falling by two points on two free throws with 5 seconds left to Augustana, which advanced to the Elite Eight and won the national title.

“It was one of those stories you try to draw up,” said senior Zach Schneider. “We lose here two years in a row. We talked about it when we got on the bus after losing to Augustana last year. Our only option was to end this season here with three wins.

“This means the world. I will be able to reflect on it more in a week. The support was unreal. We call this Bearcat Arena North.”

Add in the fact that former Northwest men’s basketball coach Steve Tappmeyer was in attendance makes the storyline even more heartwarming. Tappmeyer led Northwest to Elite Eight appearances in 2002 and 2004. McCollum was a player on the 2002 team and an assistant coach on the 2004 team. Tappmeyer also coached both Northwest assistants, Austin Meyer and Andy Peterson.

“It was a lot of fun, just awesome,” Tappmeyer said. “What a great team. It is a team that shows no bad body language. They play through calls, adversity. That doesn’t happen by accident. They have done a tremendous job.”

And finally, any good sports drama needs an audience. Northwest filled the Sanford Pentagon in green, making it a sold-out crowd of 3,250.

“It is such a special place, and it is really being done the right way,” Northwest president John Jasinski said. “We are so proud of our student-athletes, our coaches and our support system. Our support system is just the absolute best.”

Northwest finished the season 35-1, making it a year to remember for the school. In December, Northwest football team concluded its second straight 15-0 national championship season.

“First of all, I am just thrilled for our basketball team, the coaches and the players,” said Northwest athletic director Mel Tjeerdsma. “I know how much work they put into it and how they built each year.

“Our fan base, what can you say about Northwest fans. They packed this place. The intensity the whole ball game was great.”

The basketball team was nearly perfect on the season and in the championship game. The Bearcats needed to play well against a talented and gritty Fairmont team that finished the season 34-3.

Northwest started the second half in great shape with an 11-point lead and then scored four of the first five points to increase their advantage to 36-22.

The 14-point deficit forced Fairmont to play catchup the rest of the half. But whenever the Falcons cut it to single digits, Northwest had an answer.

Northwest showed its resolve when Fairmont closed to 36-28 after three straight baskets by Matt Bingaya, who finished with a game-high 24 points. The Bearcats responded with a three-pointer from junior Justin Pitts and a basket by senior Anthony Woods that made it 41-28.

It went like that the rest of the second half. When Fairmont closed to 49-41, Northwest scored the next three for a double-digit lead.

With 3:12 left in the game, Woods calmly drained two free throws that made it 64-52.

“It felt good,” said Woods, who finished with 13 points. “I was struggling early on.

“This is amazing, especially with this group of guys. We worked so hard from preseason on. We have been talking about this moment for so long. We finally did it. It is just a blessing.”

The defining blow came with 1:40 left. Junior Chris-Ebou Ndow ran the baseline, received a pass from Woods and made a reverse dunk that gave Northwest a 66-52.

“Us getting a momentum swing, a dunk or a three-pointer is huge for us and our momentum,” Ndow said.

Northwest came out and scored the first seven points of the game and played shutdown defense throughout the first half to take a 32-21 lead into halftime.

“That is what coach Mac preached to us yesterday,” Pitts said. “It is the last game. You might as well go out there and have fun and that is what we did today.”

The game started with Pitts, the national player of the year, drilling a three-pointer. Woods followed with basket and then delivered a behind-the-back pass to Brett Dougherty for a layup.

A long three-pointer by Thomas Wimbush put the Falcons on the board, but it was obvious baskets were not going to be easy.

Northwest scored the next six points to build its first double-digit lead at 13-3. The best run for Fairmont state came when it closed to 23-16 and appeared to have some momentum. The Bearcats started missing a few shots.

But the Falcons were unable to make much of a charge because of how difficult it was for them to score. They only had 17 points with 2:35 remaining in the first half.

“I think this is by far the best we have played on the defensive end,” Pitts said. “They have great players. We had to lock in and focus on defense.”

Northwest got its second double-digit lead at 28-17 on two free throws by senior D’Vante Mosby. Fairmont cut it to single digits at 30-21 on a driving basket by sophomore guard Jason Jolly. The Bearcats scored last in the first half for the 11-point lead.

The Bearcats held Fairmont to 31 percent from the field. The Falcons went just nine for 29 from the field.

“This is special,” said Ndow, who scored 17 points. “We wanted to go down swinging. If we were going to lose, we weren’t going to lose easy. We have an unbelievable group of seniors. It is only fitting they go out this way.”

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum has been named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) 2016-17 Division II Coach of the Year, in a release from the organization on Friday. The eighth year head coach has led Northwest to the last four MIAA regular season titles and will lead the team into the NCAA national championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m. CST against Fairmont State.

McCollum, the four-time MIAA Coach of the Year, has led the Bearcats to six-straight 20+ win seasons, one of just seven schools in Division II to accomplish that feat. This year’s 34 victories is a Northwest and an MIAA single season record. Northwest also set the conference mark with 28 straight MIAA regular season victories from Jan. 16, 2016, to Feb. 18, 2017, a span of 402 days.

McCollum and the NABC Player of the Year Justin Pitts, will be honored at an award ceremony at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show on Sunday, April 2, at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix at 6:30 p.m. MST (8:30 p.m. CST). The show is held during the annual NABC Convention and the NCAA Final Four.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Instead of cracking when it faced a breaking moment early in the second half, Northwest Missouri State found the mental toughness to quickly turn the momentum back in its favor.

The combination of refusing to surrender to the pressure Lincoln Memorial applied and tenacious defense led Northwest to a 79-67 victory over the Railsplitters Thursday evening in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship.

Lincoln Memorial, which played in the national championship game last season, finished the year 30-6.

“Lincoln Memorial has been here twice the last two years,” said Northwest coach Ben McCollum. “It says a lot about them and how well-coached they are. They were tough to defend and very difficult to score on.

“It was definitely a fun game. The difference was the second half we went to some different actions. Those actions we haven’t gone to this year. They worked. We were able to get some open looks and some layups. And throughout the game, we kept them off the offensive boards.”

Northwest, 34-1, will face Fairmont State. 34-2, at 2 p.m. CT Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon.

“I think it means a lot for the program because we worked so hard in preseason,” said Northwest junior Justin Pitts, who finished with a game-high 30 points. “Obviously, this was one of our biggest goals. As a team, we are just so happy we get to play for a national championship.”

Two minutes into the second half, Northwest was in trouble. Lincoln Memorial built a 40-34 lead, its biggest of the game.

Sensing the danger the Bearcats faced, McCollum called timeout. Northwest scored the next seven points to take a 41-40 lead. More importantly, it got the Bearcats back on track.

“You could kind of feel that momentum shift,” McCollum said. “I wanted to make sure I got the timeout quick enough. I think sometimes you make the mistake of waiting a little bit too long. Fortunately, we stopped it.

“I would like to say it was good coaching, but it wasn’t. The guys stopped doing the bad stuff. And then they started doing the good stuff again.”

Over the next 7 minutes, the lead changed eight times. Northwest didn’t take the lead for good until senior Zach Schneider hit his third three-pointer of the half that put Northwest ahead 51-49.

“He is a difficult player to defend because it requires so much concentration,” McCollum said. “When he gets going, it becomes that much more difficult. He is a senior. He is playing like a senior should. He is making the most out of his opportunities. That is what he did tonight. He stepped up and hit four big shots.”

An inside basket by senior D’Vante Mosby followed by a bucket by Pitts solidified the Bearcats’ lead at 55-49.

Twice Lincoln Memorial closed to two at 55-53 and then at 57-55. Northwest scored the next seven points. The key basket was a three-pointer by junior Xavier Kurth, which pushed Northwest’s lead to 64-55.

“Obviously, that shot was a backbreaker,” McCollum said. “The big thing for him was once he got on No. 20 (Luquon Choice), I don’t think 20 scored much if any after that,” McCollum said. “I think that was a huge difference in the game.”

Indeed. Choice scored 12 in the first half and finished with 17.

The dagger from Northwest came with 3:05 left when Schneider floated out beyond the NBA three-point arc and drilled his fourth trey of the half that gave Northwest a 68-57 lead.

In the first half, very little separated the two teams. Lincoln Memorial took a 33-32 lead into halftime because it basically had the ball last. Freshman Deshawn Patterson made two free throws with 1.8 seconds left to give the Railsplitters the one-point lead.

The game started well for Northwest. The Bearcats jumped to a 14-4 lead. But Choice quickly got his team on track with a three-pointer.

Within a few minutes, Lincoln Memorial closed to one at 16-15 and then forged its first tie since it was 2-2 at 25-25. From that point on, there were four lead changes and two ties.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In reaching its first ever Final Four in NCAA Division II, Northwest Missouri State made some remarkable plays in its 79-70 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College Wednesday evening at the Sanford Pentagon.

The Bearcats got a couple of two-point field goals from senior Zach Schneider in the final 10 minutes when Northwest needed them to stay ahead of the Spartans. Junior Justin Pitts broke his single-season scoring record, going over 700 points for the season. He now has 701 points, eclipsing last year’s mark of 693.

And junior Brett Dougherty made two clutch free throws with 1:47 left to stake Northwest to a 67-61 lead. It all played a role in the Bearcats moving on.

Northwest, 33-1 and the No. 2 seed in the 2017 Elite Eight, will face No. 3 seed Lincoln Memorial at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

“This is big, obviously,” said Schneider, who finished with 16 points. “We had great fan support tonight. It is going to keep getting bigger. It is a big program win, but we are going to watch the next game and see who we are going to play.”

Although Northwest never trailed in the second half, the Spartans certainly made the Bearcats feel uncomfortable by staying close and utilizing a full-court press that gave Northwest a few problems such as turnovers and using timeouts.

“I think their press bothered us a little bit,” said Pitts, who finished with 26 points. “We got sped up a little bit, but we have been working on it all week in practice. I think we came in well prepared for the press.”

Early in the second half, Northwest finally got a couple of three-pointers to drop from Schneider and Chris-Ebou Ndow and that briefly helped the Bearcats build their first double-digit lead at 41-31.

The Spartans quickly responded by turning up its full-court pressure. They cut the deficit to 43-38 with 14:39 left in the second half.

“They sped us up throughout,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “I thought offensively, we didn’t click for quite a while. We got off to a good start and took care of the ball.

“As the game progressed, they wore us down and we missed shots that I thought could have broken them a little bit.”

With just under 10 minutes left, Northwest held only a 47-45 lead when Schneider drilled a three-pointer.

“It was big. I was 0-for-6 in the first half,” said Schneider, who finished with 16 points. “At halftime, I said I was going down firing. That was my mentality.”

Two minutes after Schneider’s trey, Northwest was clinging to a 52-49 lead when Pitts hit a corner three-pointer and Schneider followed with another corner three-pointer, pushing the Bearcats lead to 58-49 with 6:50 left.

A minute later, Schneider did something rare this season. He came in with only one two-point field goal. Schneider made his second one when he got behind the Spartans’ full-court press and he scored a layup. He was also fouled. The free throw gave Northwest a 61-51 lead.

“I don’t think I had one of those since my freshman year,” Schneider said. “I was open. I made a good read. Anthony Woods made a good pass.”

Aquinas closed to 61-56 and Schneider did it again. He was behind the Spartans press defense and he made another layup, making it 63-56.

Northwest held just a 67-63 lead when Dougherty made an important layup, which was even bigger than his two free throws. Pitts followed with two free throws, increasing Northwest’s lead to 71-63 with a minute left.

“They make those runs and to stop those runs, you can’t miss shots when you get open,” McCollum said. “We couldn’t put them away because we were missing shots.”

On the strength of two three-pointers by Pitts, Northwest jumped to a quick 8-2 lead. The Bearcats surrendered the lead once at 18-16 and then scored the next four for a 20-18 lead.

From that point on, Northwest never trailed again in the first half and went into halftime with a 33-27 lead.

Defense, though, ruled the first half. Northwest shot 43.5 percent, making just 10 of 23 field goals. The Bearcats made it even tougher for Aquinas to score, holding the Spartans to 39.3 percent from the field.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team earned an 11-1 run rule victory over Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday afternoon at Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.

– Northwest improves to 15-8 on the year and 4-6 in MIAA play with the win. The Lopers drop to 8-15 overall and 1-9 in conference action.

– The game was called in the seventh inning as part of the conference run rule.

– The Bearcats scored in six of the seven innings played on Tuesday.

– Eddy Kraber got the victory, throwing 6.0 innings. He allowed just one run on four hits. He struck out three and issued just one walk.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored three runs in the first, one in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the seventh. The Lopers’ lone run came in the first.

– The Bearcats had 11 runs on 10 hits while Nebraska-Kearney scored one run on five hits. Neither team had an error.

– James Holler went 3-for-4, scoring a pair of runs while driving in two. He had a double and a home run in the third.

– Garrett Fort was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He also had a double and led off the game for the Bercats with a home run.

– Logan Rycraft was 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs. He also drew a walk.

– Ozzie Adams went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two walks.

– Landon Figg went 1-for-4 with a run scored.

– Luke Hassman drew a walk and scored a run.

– Kevin Handzlik was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

– Kolby Greenslade scored once and drove in a run, going 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.

– Jay Hrdlicka scored two runs and drew a walk. He also stole a base.

– Jacob Wagner worked the final inning for Northwest. He allowed just one hit.

– Kraber worked three-up, three-down innings in the second, fifth and sixth frames on the hill.

Key Northwest Innings
– Fort led off the first with a home run to right field. After an out, Figg singled to center and Hassman walked. Holler knocked in a run with a double down the left field line, scoring Figg. Hrdlicka grounded out to second, allowing Hassman to score, making it 3-1 Northwest.

– Greenslade walked to start the second and came around to score two batters later on a Fort groundout. Rycraft laid down a sacrifice bunt in the inning to move Greenslade into scoring position.

– In the third, Holler hit a solo homer to right to make it 5-1. Hrdlicka followed it with a walk and stole second. Greenslade hit a double to center to tack on another run, making it 6-1.

– The fourth inning began with Fort hitting a double to right and taking third on a wild pitch. A passed ball allowed Fort to score from third to make it a 7-1 Bearcat lead.

– Handzlk hit a one out single to left in the fifth and stole second base. He came around to score on a Rycraft single to right.

– Northwest ended the game in the seventh. Holler started the frame with a double down the left field line. Hrdlicka drew a walk and Alixon Herrera drew a walk to load the bases. Rycraft forced in a run by drawing a walk to make it 9-1 and a passed ball allowed another Northwest run to cross the plate making it 10-1. After a strikeout, Adams hit an RBI single to left for the winning run.

Up Next
– Northwest will host Central Missouri this weekend starting on Friday at 3 p.m. at Bearcat Field. The teams will play Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
— MWSU Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s tennis team knocked off No. 16 ranked Cameron University on Tuesday in Lawton, Okla.

– The Bearcat women fell to the Aggies, 6-3, in road action.

– The No. 12 ranked Bearcat men improve to 8-2, while No. 16 ranked Cameron falls to 8-8.

– Northwest’s women fell to 1-8 on the season while No. 17 Cameron improved to 6-5.

– The men’s victory was head coach Mark Rosewell’s 1,055th of his career.

– Romain Boissinot, Sergi Fontcuberta, Fin Glowick and Aymeric Autones each picked up singles and doubles victories for Northwest.

– The women won two points by forefit and Margaux Jacquet got a victory at No. 5 singles.

Men’s Results
1. Boissinot,Romain (NW) def. Bruno Babic (CAMERON) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6
2. Fontcuberta,Sergi (NW) def. Felipe Oyarzun (CAMERON) 6-4, 6-4
3. Tete,Mauro (NW) def. Mateo Velasco (CAMERON) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
4. Autones,Aymeric (NW) def. Julien Gutierrez (CAMERON) 6-1, 6-1
5. Glowick,Fin (NW) def. Andres Velasco (CAMERON) 6-1, 6-0
6. Serrano,Jorge (NW) def. Stefam Svicevic (CAMERON) 6-0, 6-0

1. Felipe Oyarzun/Mateo Velasco (CAMERON) def. Tete,Mauro/Serrano,Jorge (NW) 8-6
2. Boissinot,Romain/Fontcuberta,Sergi (NW) def. Andres Velasco/Bruno Babic (CAMERON) 8-1
3. Glowick,Fin/Autones,Aymeric (NW) def. Julien Gutierrez/Keiran President (CAMERON) 8-6

Women’s Results
1. Paula Gutierrez (CAMERON) def. Jarolim,Lorena Rivas (NW) 6-2, 6-2
2. Zhenia Shviadok (CAMERON) def. Kolen,Aniek (NW) 6-4, 6-1
3. Mathilde Thibaudat (CAMERON) def. Teruel,Tania (NW) 6-2, 6-3
4. Samantha Wood (CAMERON) def. Nunez,Irene (NW) 6-3, 7-6
5. Jacquet,Margaux (NW) def. Magdalena Kovinic (CAMERON) 6-4, 6-0
6. Lovig,Tess (NW) def. No player (CAMERON), by forfeit

1. Zhenia Shviadok/Mathilde Thibaudat (CAMERON) def. Teruel,Tania/Souza,Luiza (NW) 9-1
2. Paula Gutierrez/Samantha Wood (CAMERON) def. Kolen,Aniek/Nunez,Irene (NW) 8-5
3. Jacquet,Margaux/Lovig,Tess (NW) def. No player/No player (CAMERON), by default

Up Next
– The Bearcat men will take on Metropolitan State University of Denver at 10 a.m. in Wichita Falls, Texas. The women will head to Hays, Kan. to face Fort Hays State in an MIAA contest.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University junior guard Justin Pitts has been named to the National Basketball Coaches of America (NABC) All-America Team. He becomes just the second student-athlete in Northwest history to be recognized by the organization, joining DeShaun Cooper in 2014.

Pitts, the career scoring record holder at Northwest with 1,850 points, has twice been named the MIAA Player of the Year and is a three-time First Team All-MIAA honoree. He has scored in double figures in 31-of-33 games this season, averaging 20.5 per game. He was the All-Central Regional Tournament MVP last week, leading the Bearcats to the Elite Eight for just the third time in program history. Pitts holds the top-two single season scoring records, scoring 693 points last season and 675 this year. He also ranks second all-time with 671 made field goals.

On Monday, Pitts was named the Basketball Times Player of the Year and was named to the All-America first team by the publication and the D2CCA.

2017 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION II ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Matt Bingaya, Fairmont State, 6-4, Senior, Forward/Guard, Delaware, Ohio
Joshua Blaylock, Fort Lewis, 6-2, Senior, Guard, Lancaster, Calif.
Luquon Choice, Lincoln Memorial, 6-3, Senior, Guard, Laurens, S.C.
Devin Gilligan, Southern New Hampshire, 6-5, Senior, Forward, Amherst, N.H.
Zach Hankins, Ferris State, 6-10, Sophomore, Post, Charlevoix, Mich.
Jeremiah Hill, Valdosta State, 6-2, Senior, Guard, Savannah, Ga.
Aaron Lien, MSU Moorhead, 6-4, Senior, Guard, Moorhead, Minn.
Justin Pitts, Northwest Missouri State, 5-9, Junior, Guard, Blue Springs, Mo.
Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-4, Junior, Guard/Forward, Haverhill, Mass.
Devin Schmidt, Delta State, 6-4, Senior, Guard, Sevierville, Tenn.
Keshun Sherrill, Augusta, 5-9, Senior, Guard, Cleveland, N.C.
Dustin Sleva, Shippensburg, 6-8, Junior, Forward, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Michael Smith, California Baptist, 6-4, Senior, Guard, South San Francisco, Calif.
Taylor Stafford, Western Washington, 6-1, Senior, Guard, Chicago, Ill.
Jeril Taylor, Southern Indiana, 6-4, Senior, Guard, Louisville, Ky.
Seth Youngblood, Arkansas-Fort Smith, 6-1, Senior, Guard, Roland, Okla.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University junior Justin Pitts and head men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum were honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on Monday on the All-Central district team. Pitts was named to the all-district team for the second straight season and McCollum earned his first All-Central District Coach of the Year honor.

Pitts, the 2016-17 MIAA Player of the Year, is averaging 20.5 points per game for the Bearcats. He has started all 33 games and has scored in double figures 31 times. He has scored 1,850 points in his career, setting the Northwest career record earlier this season.

McCollum has helped lead Northwest to a single season record 32 victories in 2016-17. He was named the MIAA Coach of the Year for fourth time in his career and the third straight season. He has led the Bearcats to the NCAA Sweet 16 each of the past four seasons. The year, the team reached the Elite Eight for the first time in McCollum’s eight seasons and just the third time in program history.

All-Central Region First Team
Gage Davis, St. Cloud State
Rob Davis, Fort Hays State
Aaron Lien, Minnesota State Moorhead
Justin Pitts, Northwest Missouri State
Braxton Reeves, East Central
Jordan Spencer, Augustana

Second Team
Ryan Bruggeman, Southwest Minnesota State
CJ Carr, Missouri Southern
Derylton Hill, Arkansas-Monticello
Tanner Kretchman, MSU Moorhead
Tyler Rudolph, Minot State

Coach of the Year: Ben McCollum, NW Missouri State

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University’s Romain Boissinot has been named the MIAA Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week, in a release from the conference office on Monday. Boissinot led the Bearcats to a pair of victories over nationally ranked opponents last week.

Boissinot went 2-0 at No. 1 singles and 2-0 at No. 2 doubles last week as Northwest beat No. 38 Harding and No. 17 Southeastern Oklahoma State. Boissinot did not drop a set, winning both singles matches. He teamed with Sergi Fontcuberta in doubles for the two victories.

— Northwest Athletics —