KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat men’s basketball team thwarted an upset attempt by Emporia State University in the quarterfinals of the 2019 MIAA Tournament, 82-79.

Northwest (30-0 overall) forced a pair of turnovers in the final nine seconds to hold on to advance to the semifinals on Saturday at Noon. The first turnover came on an in-bounds pass from ESU’s Kam Rowan with :09 left when Trevor Hudgins deflected the pass back into Rowan’s hands. Then Ryan Welty tipped the in-bounds pass from ESU’s Kooper Glick with :02.7 left to secure the three-point victory for the Bearcats.

MIAA Player of the Year Joey Witthus and league Freshman of the Year Trevor Hudgins paced the Northwest offensive attack. Witthus poured in 27 points, including 14-of-18 at the free throw line. Hudgins made 9-of-21 field goals and was a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line. Northwest drained 32-of-39 at the line, while ESU made 16-of-21.

Sophomore Ryan Hawkins collected his 10th double-double on the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Emporia State relied heavily on the play of senior guard Julius Jackson. Jackson went for 38 points as he made 10-of-19 from the field, including 7-of-10 from three-point range. Jackson nailed 11-of-14 at the free throw line.

Northwest led by as many as 12 points in the first half at 19-7 with 10:52 on the clock. The Bearcats led 36-31 at the break. Northwest would lead by as many as 11 in the second half at 50-39 with 15:36 to play. However, Emporia State would battle back and knot the game at 71-71 on a Jackson three with 2:21 left. A Witthus bucket in the line gave Northwest a 75-73 lead with 1:12 remaining. Kooper Glick missed his first free throw in 29 attempts and could only bring ESU to within one at 75-74 with :50 to play. Witthus sank a pair of free throws with :29 left to put Northwest back up three, 77-74. Jackson drove for a layup and Witthus answered with two more at the charity stripe to set the stage for a pair of ESU turnovers and Northwest steals in the closing seconds.

Northwest will take on the winner of the No. 4 Fort Hays State-No. 5-Lincoln game on Saturday at noon. FHSU and Lincoln will play Friday at noon for the right to advance to the semifinals.

NOTES: Northwest extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 30 in a row … Northwest has won 27 straight games on neutral floors – also the longest active streak in the nation … Ben McCollum moved to 8-0 in MIAA quarterfinal games … McCollum is 16-4 all-time in the MIAA Tournament … Northwest won their 41st MIAA Tournament game … the Bearcats are 41-25 all-time in MIAA postseason play … Northwest is 3-0 all-time vs. Emporia State in MIAA Tournament action … Northwest has made 332 three-pointers this season – three short of the MIAA record set by Southwest Baptist in 2004-05 and 2008-09 … over the last three seasons, Northwest is 92-5 overall.

— Northwest Athletics —

BOLIVAR, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team recorded a doubleheader sweep of Southwest Baptist on Thursday.

Northwest rallied for wins in both contests. The Bearcats overcame a 6-0 deficit in the opener to score a 9-8 victory. Northwest trailed 7-4 in the nightcap when Enrique Gonzalez came through with a pinch-hit, two-out, grand slam to propel the Bearcats to an 8-7 win.

Northwest moved to 8-10 overall and 4-4 in MIAA conference play, while Southwest Baptist fell to 8-9 overall and 3-5 in the MIAA.

Game 1
Southwest Baptist bolted to a 6-0 lead through two innings of play with one in the first and five in the second.

Northwest hitters answered with one run in the top of the third, initiated by a one out single by sophomore infielder Matt Gastner. Senior infielder Logan Rycraft doubled to left field, advancing Gastner to third base. A sacrifice fly hit by senior infielder Mondesi Gutierrez scored Gastner to get the Bearcats on the board.

Southwest Baptist increased its lead back to six runs after putting another run on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth.

During the top of the fifth is when the spectators saw the Northwest bats come to life. The Bearcats tallied six runs on four hits while leaving the bases loaded during the inning to claw back even at 7-7. Small ball was the name of the game for Northwest in the inning to advance runners around the bases and drive in runs. Six different Northwest hitters drove in runs.

The Bearcats added another two runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead, 9-7. Northwest scored two runs on three hits and left two on base during the top half of the inning.

Southwest Baptist attempted to rally in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a run but wasn’t enough to take the lead away from Northwest.

Junior Quintin Van Ackeren got the start on the mound for the Bearcats, pitching three and 2/3 innings allowing eight hits and seven runs (six earned) while striking out two. Freshman pitcher Max Ross came in for relief, pitching three and a third scoreless inning and allowing only two hits as he picked up the victory. Senior Trevor Dudar closed the game for Northwest, allowing two hits and one earned run, as he tallied his second save of the season.

Game 2
After a quiet first two innings, Northwest was first on the scoreboard scoring one run in the top of the third. Junior infielder Calvin Rudolph led off the inning reaching on a fielding error. Rudolph was then advanced to third by Gastner, who singled to right field. Rudolph scored on a Rycraft sacrifice fly to right.

After holding Southwest Baptist scoreless in the bottom of the third, Northwest added another three runs to increase its lead to 4-0.

Southwest Baptist combined to score seven runs in the home half of the fourth and fifth innings to take the 7-4 lead over Northwest.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the eighth, head coach Darin Loe inserted pinch hitter Enrique Gonzales. Gonzalez delivered as he crushed a grand slam to left field that gave Northwest an 8-7 advantage.

Freshman righty Gibson Brown came on in relief of starter Joe Funkhouser in the fifth. Brown pitched four innings of relief and allowed four hits and two earned runs. Brown got the victory to improve to 2-0 on the year.

Dudar came into the game in the ninth and locked down his second save of the day. Dudar struck out two as he retired the SBU batters in order in the ninth.

Northwest will be back in action Friday at Dodson Field for game three of this MIAA matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

EDMOND, Oklahoma – The No. 8-ranked Central Oklahoma softball squad tallied a doubleheader sweep of the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats on Thursday.

UCO won game one, 17-3, in five innings. The Bronchos scored a 7-1 triumph in game two.

Game One
Central Oklahoma got up early on the Bearcats scoring 17 runs in the first three innings.

Erin Keeney hit a double in the top of the fifth to bring in three runs, but it wasn’t enough for the Bearcats as they fell, 17-3.

Game Two
Northwest was the first to put a run on the board this time. Kaitlyn Weis recorded RBI in the first to take the lead, 1-0.

Central Oklahoma answered with two in the second and did not look back.

The Bronchos went on to win game two, 7-1.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team had all five starters earn all-Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association honors. The Bearcats also swept all four of the specialty awards – Joey Witthus (Player of the Year), Trevor Hudgins (Freshman of the Year), Ryan Hawkins (Defensive Player of the Year) and Ben McCollum (Coach of the Year) as announced by the league office today.

Senior Joey Witthus and redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins were named to the all-MIAA first team, while sophomore Ryan Hawkins earned all-MIAA second-team honors. Freshman Diego Bernard and junior Ryan Welty notched honorable mention status. In addition, Hawkins and Bernard were selected as members of the MIAA All-Defensive squad.

Witthus (Chanhassen, Minnesota) becomes the seventh different Bearcat to be named the MIAA Player of the Year. Witthus is averaging a team-best 20.5 points per game and shooting 50.8 percent from the field. Witthus has buried an-MIAA high 90 three-pointers, and he is shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Witthus also leads Northwest in free throws made (108) and his shooting 85.7 percent from the free throw line. In MIAA games, Witthus is scoring at a 21.7 per game clip. Witthus has scored 30 or more points five times this season, including four times in MIAA play.

Northwest’s MIAA Player of the Year Award Winners
1971 – Carl Jenkins
1998 – Shakey Harrington
2004 – Kelvin Parker
2007 – Hunter Henry
2014 – DeShaun Cooper
2016 – Justin Pitts
2017 – Justin Pitts
2018 – Justin Pitts
2019 – Joey Witthus

Hudgins (Manhattan, Kansas) is the sixth Bearcat to earn the MIAA Freshman of the Year award. Hudgins is scoring 18.4 points per game and handing out 5.2 assists per game, which ranks him at No. 3 in the nation among freshmen in each category. Hudgins is shooting 53.9 percent from the field, including 47.3 percent from three-point range. Hudgins is making 82.7 percent of his free throws and tied the all-time MIAA record for consecutive free throws made at 36. Hudgins has scored 20 or more points 15 times this season. He has set the Northwest freshman scoring record with 534 points.

Northwest’s MIAA Freshman of the Year Award Winners
1996 – Matt Redd
2007 – Lance Sullivan
2010 – DeShaun Cooper
2014 – Zach Schneider
2015 – Justin Pitts
2019 – Trevor Hudgins

Hawkins (Atlantic, Iowa) becomes the second Bearcat to earn the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year honor. Hawkins leads the MIAA in steals (67) and he ranks third in the league in rebounds (9.1 rpg). Hawkins has recorded at least two steals in 21 of 29 games. He has tallied a team-best 22 blocked shots. Hawkins is one of two MIAA players (Lincoln’s Jonell Burton) with at least 20 steals, 20 blocks, 20 assists and 20 three-pointers made.

Northwest’s MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Award Winners
2015 – Matt Wallace
2019 – Ryan Hawkins

Bernard (St. Joseph, Missouri) earned honorable mention all-MIAA status and a spot on the MIAA All-Defensive squad. Bernard is averaging 11.8 points per game and is shooting 49.0 percent from the field. Bernard has scored in double figures in 23 of 29 games this season. In MIAA play, Bernard is averaging 5.1 rebounds per game, which ranks second on the Bearcat squad.

Northwest’s MIAA All-Defensive Team Members
2003 – Kelvin Parker
2004 – Kelvin Parker
2006 – Mose Howard
2007 – John Hawkins
2008 – Mat Withers
2009 – Hunter Henry
2012 – Jake Reinders
2013 – Matt Wallace
2014 – Bryston Williams
2015 – Matt Wallace
2017 – Chris-Ebou Ndow
2018 – Brett Dougherty
2019 – Ryan Hawkins, Diego Bernard

Welty (Parkville, Missouri) also captured honorable mention all-MIAA honors. Welty is averaging 8.5 points per game. Welty has made 62 three-pointers and is shooting 50.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Welty is shooting 53.1 percent overall from the field.

McCollum secured his fifth MIAA Coach of the Year Award after having guided Northwest to the first 19-0 MIAA season in the history of the league. McCollum helped lead the Bearcats to their sixth straight MIAA regular season crown – becoming the first program in the history of the MIAA to win six in a row. McCollum has Northwest off to its best start to a season since the Bearcats posted a 31-0 mark under Hank Iba in the 1929-30 season. McCollum and the Bearcats have won all 29 games this season by a scoring margin of +22.4, which would best the MIAA’s all-time mark of +22.3 set by Missouri State in the 1959-60 season.

Northwest’s MIAA Coach of the Year Award Winners
1989 – Steve Tappmeyer
1998 – Steve Tappmeyer
2001 – Steve Tappmeyer
2007 – Steve Tappmeyer
2012 – Ben McCollum
2015 – Ben McCollum (co-title)
2016 – Ben McCollum
2017 – Ben McCollum
2019 – Ben McCollum

The Bearcats will take to the floor again at noon Thursday in Kansas City in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament. Northwest will play the winner of Wednesday’s first round game between No. 8-seeded Emporia State and No. 9-seeded Northeastern State.

2019 Men’s Basketball All-MIAA Teams

First-Team
Brady Werth – Fort Hays State, Senior
Cam Martin – Missouri Southern, Sophomore
Trevor Hudgins – Northwest Missouri – Freshman
Joey Witthus – Northwest Missouri – Senior
Javion Blake – Washburn – Senior

Second-Team
Adarius Avery – Central Oklahoma, Senior
Terrance Smith – Lincoln, Senior
Brad Newman – Lindenwood, Senior
Lavon Hightower – Missouri Western, Senior
Ryan Hawkins – Northwest Missouri, Sophomore

Third-Team
Elyjah Clark – Missouri Southern, Junior
Caleb Smith – Northeastern State, Junior
Donovan Franklin – Pittsburg State, Senior
Grant Lozoya – Pittsburg State, Senior
Karim Mouliom – Southwest Baptist, Senior

All-Defensive Team
Diego Bernard – Northwest Missouri, Freshman
Ryan Hawkins – Northwest Missouri, Sophomore
Jonell Burton – Lincoln, Junior
Karim Mouliom – Southwest Baptist, Senior
David Salach – Washburn, Senior

Honorable Mentions

Central Missouri: Daniel Farris – Sophomore, Jafar Kinsey – Senior, Jacob Lowrance – Senior

Emporia State: Kooper Glick – Senior, Julius Jackson – Senior

Fort Hays State: Marcus Cooper – Senior, Kyler Kinnamon – Senior

Lincoln: Jonell Burton – Junior, Amariontez Ivory – Senior, Grant Olsson – Senior

Lindenwood: Chandler Diekvoss – Senior, TJ Crockett – Sophomore

Missouri Southern: Kinzer Lambert – Junior, Braelon Walker – Junior

Missouri Western: Tyrell Carroll – Freshman, Bryan Hudson – Senior

Nebraska Kearney: AJ Jackson – Junior, Kanon Koster – Freshman

Northeastern State: Josh Ihek – Junior

Northwest Missouri: Diego Bernard – Freshman, Ryan Welty – Junior

Washburn: Tyler Geiman – Sophomore, David Salach – Senior

— Northwest Athletics —

The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has named a pair of Northwest Missouri State University indoor track and field competitors as its Central Region Track & Field Athletes of the Year.

Senior Kevin Schultz (Platte City, Missouri) has earned the Central Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. Schultz helped lead the Bearcats to a second-place finish at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships with an individual point total of 22.5 points. In the high jump, Schultz has jumped over 7’0″ seven times this season. He has a season-high jump of 7’1.75″ and he holds the school record, MIAA record and was the 2019 MIAA indoor champion. Schultz ranks No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the region in the high jump. Schultz set the Northwest school record in the heptathlon with 5,309 points, while winning the MIAA indoor title. Schultz ranks No. 5 in the nation and No. 1 in the region in the heptathlon. He is also part of the NCAA automatic qualifier in the 4×400 relay at the MIAA championship meet. Schultz will compete in the heptathlon, high jump and 4×400 relay at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Freshman Omar Austin (Tampa, Florida) has been named the Central Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Austin ran the ninth-fastest Division II time all-time in the 400 meters with a time of :46.49 in winning the MIAA indoor title. He holds the second-fastest time in the nation in the 400 meters and will run at the NCAA Championships. He is also a member of the NCAA automatic qualifier in the 4×400 relay at the MIAA championship meet. Austin ran an anchor leg of :45.9 in helping Northwest take the 4×400 relay title, which automatically qualified for the NCAA meet. Austin will also compete in the 200 meters at the NCAA Championships as he possesses the eighth-best time nationally and second-best in the region (:21.32).

— Northwest Athletics —

EDMOND, Oklahoma – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team completed a three-game sweep of the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team on Saturday, 7-0.

Senior pitcher Gabe Littlejim got the start on the mound for the Bronchos and held Northwest (6-10, 2-3 MIAA) to two hits in six innings of work. Littlejim struck out eight and did not walk a batter.

UCO broke through with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a 3-0 lead. The Bronchos would add a four-spot in the sixth to up their margin to 7-0.

Sophomore righty Max Spitzmiller started the contest on the bump for the Bearcats and pitched five and 2/3 innings giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits. Spitzmiller struck out six on the day.

The final Brochos run came off senior pitcher Jarret Cronin and was not earned. Freshman Gibson Brown and Thomas Henrichs also made scoreless appearances in the contest.

Northwest bats just couldn’t get hot in this MIAA matchup with the Bronchos, recording only nine hits total during the three-game set.

NOTES: Senior infielder Logan Rycraft extends his team-best reached base streak to seven games … Gibson lowered his team-best earned run average to 1.72 through 15 2/3 innings pitched … Derek Hussey and Alixon Herrera share the team lead with 21 hits on the season … Connor Quick has a team-best .357 batting average with 20 hits on the year.

— Northwest Athletics —

EDMOND, Oklahoma – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team saw its bats stymied by the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos in a doubleheader on Friday.

UCO took the opening contest in seven innings, 10-0. The Bronchos finished the sweep of the Bearcats with a 3-1 triumph in the nightcap.

Game 1
The Bronchos (8-5, 2-3 MIAA) opened with one run in the first, two in the second and one more in the third to jump out to a quick 4-0 lead over Northwest (6-9, 2-2 MIAA).

Junior pitcher Dylan Hall went the distance on the mount for Central Oklahoma, holding the Bearcats to three hits and securing nine strikeouts.

Sophomore infielder Peter Carlson, junior infielder Calvin Rudolph and senior infielder Logan Rycraft notched the three base hits for the Bearcats.

Junior pitcher Quintin Van Ackeren got the start on the mound for Northwest, going five and a third innings, giving up five hits and five runs (three earned) while striking out five.

Other pitchers to see the mound in game one for Northwest included freshman Jacob Gill, junior Tristan Ledger and senior Jarret Cronin.

Central Oklahoma added one more in the six and five in the seventh to bring their lead up to 10 runs over Northwest in just seven innings of play.

Game 2
The winning momentum of the Bronchos from game one, carried over into game two against Northwest as UCO scored a 3-1 win to sweep the doubleheader.

Central Oklahoma notched runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a 3-0 lead over the Bearcats.

The Northwest bats just couldn’t get hot in this MIAA matchup with the Bronchos, recording only four hits in the second game.

Northwest’s lone run came in the ninth inning after senior catcher Alixon Herrera hit a one-out double to right center. Herrera was advanced to third on a single from senior catcher Jay Hrdlicka. Carlson stepped into the box and reached base on a fielder’s choice, scoring Herrera. Hrdlicka was out on the play. Rudolph stepped in next, grounding out to end the game.

Junior pitcher Joe Funkhouser got the start for Northwest, pitching six and a 2/3 innings and giving up three earned runs while recording three strikeouts. Freshman Gibson Brown came in to relieve Funkhouser, pitching the final three and a third. Brown did not allow a hit and walked one with three strikeouts.

NOTES: Connor Quick has reached base in 14 straight games … Quick leads the team with a .377 batting average … Peter Carlson owns a team-best five-game hit streak … Brown owns a sparkling 2.03 ERA in seven appearances this season … Brown has struck out 10 in 13 1/3 innings pitched, while allowing three earned runs.

— Northwest Athletics —

JOPLIN, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State softball team came back from an earlier defeat in the day and scored a triumph over Rockhurst.

Cameron scored a 9-3 win over Northwest to begin the day for the Bearcats.

Northwest finished the day’s action with a 13-4 victory over Rockhurst.

Game One vs. Cameron
Northwest started game one strong in the first inning with a two-run home run from Kaitlyn Weis to put the Bearcats up, 2-0.

Cameron answered with runs in the third and fourth innings to go up 3-2 on the Bearcats.

In the bottom of the fifth, Erin Keeney hit a triple to center field to tie the game at 3-3.

Cameron rallied in the sixth scoring six runs to defeat the Bearcats, 9-3.

Game Two vs. Rockhurst
Northwest also started game two strong with Kiana Baderdeen blasting a three-run homer in the first. Olivia Daugherty followed with a homer of her own to put the Bearcats up 4-0 early.

In the second inning, the Bearcats scored a pair on a two-out RBI single from Keeney.

The Bearcats scored six in the third inning with Jaedra Moses hitting a double to center field to drive in two runs. Weis tallied an RBI single. Then Keeney homered bringing in three runs to put the Bearcats up, 12-0.

Rockhurst answered in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer from Emily Truitt to cut the lead 12-2.

Grace Ruehle homered to left field in the top of the fourth to advance the score to 13-2.

Rockhurst answered in the bottom of the fourth with two runs, but Northwest was able to secure the 13-4 victory in five innings.

Regan Thompson went the distance and struck out six while allowing four earned runs. Thompson moved to 2-1 on the season.

NOTES: Weis leads the squad with 11 RBI, four home runs and an average of .480 … Moses has a .429 average with three RBI … Baderdeen is batting .321 with seven RBI and a home run … Thompson has a 2.51 earned run average.

— Northwest Athletics —

TOPEKA, Kansas – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team closed out the first 19-0 MIAA mark in the history of the league with a 72-49 road win at Lee Arena over the Washburn Ichabods.

Northwest led by nine at the break, 35-26. The Bearcats then sprinted away in the second half on the strength of a 24-4 run. The Bearcats turned a 46-37 advantage into a 70-41 lead with 3:36 left in the game. The Bearcats locked in defensively and limited the Ichabods to 28.6 percent shooting from the field. Washburn shot 6-of-26 from the field in the second half (23.1 percent).

The Bearcats thrived at the line Thursday by draining 18-of-23 free throws. Senior Joey Witthus was 9-of-10 at the line. Northwest connected on 10 three-pointers, including four from junior Ryan Welty.

Witthus led all scorers with 19 points. Junior Ryan Hawkins secured 18 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Diego Bernard ripped down a team-best 10 rebounds – his second straight double-figure rebounding game.

Northwest will be the No. 1 seed at the MIAA Tournament set for March 6-10 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Northwest will play its first game of the tournament on Thurs., March 7 against the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game at noon. The complete 2019 MIAA Tournament bracket will be announced Saturday night at the conclusion of league play.

NOTES: Northwest equaled the MIAA record for wins in a season (19) with Missouri Southern (2010-11) and Northwest (2015-16) … Northwest extended the nation’s longest win streak to 29 in a row … the Bearcats also lengthened the nation’s longest active road win streak to 15 straight … the Bearcats are the nation’s only undefeated team at 29-0 … Northwest has won 21 consecutive MIAA games dating back to last season … over the last three seasons, Northwest has compiled a record of 90-5 (.947 winning percentage) … Northwest is 81-7 over its last 88 MIAA contests, which dates back to the 2014-15 season.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team broke a series of losing streaks Thursday with their defeat of the Washburn Ichabods 72-70. They broke their 10-game losing streak this season, the Bearcats broke their 12-game losing streak against the Ichabods, and they won at Washburn for the first time since 1985.

Northwest surged to an early lead, winning the first quarter 16-4. They led by 17, 29-12, with 5:09 left in the second quarter. Northwest let the Ichabods back into the game but shot lights out from the free throw line (11-12), as they’ve done all year, to the tune of a new Northwest record of 80.9% on the year, to seal the game late. The Bearcats were led by Mallory McConkey who had 23 points on 8-10 shooting. Kendey Eaton had 20, Kylie Coleman had 12 and Erika Schlosser had 11. Eaton went 2-2 from the free-throw line to get her to a new individual season record of 93.5%. Northwest won the turnover battle 9-16. Northwest shot 50% from the field and made 11-25 three-pointers.

The Ichabods were led in scoring by Taylor Blue with 20, followed by Shelbie Piggie with 13, Hunter Bentley with 12, and Alexis Mcafee with 10. Bentley also had a game high 14 rebounds to give herself a double-double. The Ichabods outrebounded the Bearcats 33-15. They shot 55.6% from the field but only went 4-17 from behind the arc.

Northwest ends the season 8-20, 4-15 in MIAA play.

— Northwest Athletics —