We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Missouri’s Cierra Porter announces medical retirement

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou junior forward Cierra Porter has decided to forgo her final year of collegiate eligibility and medically retire. Porter completed her graduation requirements in May and will pursue professional opportunities outside of basketball.

“There are not enough words to express my gratitude toward my Aunt (Coach Pingeton), the rest of the amazing staff, my teammates who became my sisters, my supportive and loving family, the world’s best fans, and the countless other people that made my time at Mizzou so incredible,” said Porter. “I have memories that I will carry with me forever. Now that I have my degree, I have decided to shift my focus toward my future quality of life and that means saying goodbye to the sport I love. While it was the hardest decision I’ve ever made, I’m excited for what God has planned for my life moving forward. I appreciate Mizzou nation so much, and I am forever a Tiger!”

“Cierra has been a vital member of our program for the past three years and we can’t thank her enough for her contributions,” said head coach Robin Pingeton. “This was obviously a very difficult decision for Cierra, but one that we fully support. Cierra has played through much pain with ongoing knee issues over the last several years and there comes a point where you have to put long term quality of life ahead of everything else. It is remarkable what she has been able to contribute to our program despite never being fully healthy. Cierra graduated in three years with a 3.8 GPA, and there is no doubt she has a very bright future ahead of her. Although we will miss Cierra, we wish her nothing but the very best and are excited for the next chapter in her life.”

In three years for Mizzou, Porter averaged 10.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while recording 98 blocks and 68 steals. Porter earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors in 2015-16 after scoring 8.6 points and grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game. Her 266 total points in her debut season rank as the tenth-most in school history. Among program records, Porter ranks fifth in seventh all-time in free-throw percentage (.793) and career rebounding average (7.0), and ninth in free throws made in a season (141, 2016-17).

— Mizzou Athletics —

Lorek to retire as Northwest head track and cross country coach

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s cross country and track & field head coach Scott Lorek announced Thursday he is retiring this summer.

Lorek has served as the women’s head cross country and track & field coach for 14 years and been in charge of the men’s programs since the 2008-2009 season.

“We wish Coach Scott Lorek and his family the best of luck in this next chapter of their lives,” said Interim Director of Athletics Andy Peterson. “The entirety of his service here was tremendous…he has positively impacted so many people’s and student-athlete’s lives here and made student-athlete experience special. He invested so much into these programs and his passion for track and field and cross country is second-to-none. We will miss him and his love for athletics, but we know he will be great in whatever he chooses to do next.”

Highlights of Lorek’s tenure include an NCAA Championship appearance for the men’s cross country team in 2016. That group earned a third place finish at the NCAA Regionals to secure their championship appearance in Florida, as well as a second place finish in the MIAA championships that fall. Also, a third place finish this spring with the women’s indoor track and field team highlight his track legacy.

Lorek has coached the top nine individual times for the women’s cross country 6,000 Meter event and 13 of 15 overall as well as eight of the top 15 times at the 5,000 Meter distance. In 2012, Ryan Darling broke his father’s 1978 10,000 Meter Cross Country school record by running 30:54.6 under Lorek’s tutelage. Lorek also guided Wick Cunningham to an individual appearance in the 2014 NCAA Championships and Angela Adams to become the first woman for the Bearcats to capture an MIAA Individual Championship in 2011.

Coach Lorek developed 13 track & field All-Americans in his time at Northwest who combined for 25 All-America honors. His athletes broke 21 different Northwest indoor track & field records and 18 Bearcat outdoor track & field records, including having all Top 10 marks in the women’s indoor pentathlon and 9 of the top 10 scores in the outdoor heptathlon.

A search for the new head cross country and track & field coach will begin immediately.

— Northwest Athletics —

Kick times set for first three games of 2018 Mizzou football season

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The start to the much-anticipated 2018 college football season is fewer than 100 days away, and the Missouri Tigers are busy preparing for the upcoming season with summer workouts and classes. The schedule for the early portion of the season took shape today, as the Southeastern Conference and television partner ESPN released game times and network information for the first three weeks of the season, giving fans the opportunity to start making plans for the fall.

Head Coach Barry Odom’s Tigers, fresh off a seven-win season and the program’s first bowl game since 2014, will start the year with a Labor Day Weekend tilt at home against UT Martin on Sept. 1. The game will kick at 3 p.m. (CT) from Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, and will be televised on the SEC Network alternate channel. Check with your provider for information on how to receive the SEC Network alternate channel, or visit http://getsecnetwork.com/channel-finder for more details.

The following week will see senior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) and company play host to the Wyoming Cowboys on Sept. 8, with a kick time set for 6 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU, with that determination to be made earlier that week. Lock, considered to be the nation’s top returning quarterback by many pundits, leads an experienced offensive attack which returns nine starters from last year’s bowl team. They’ll be facing a Wyoming squad which went 8-5 a year ago and closed their season with a win in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

With the 3 p.m. kick in week one and the 6 p.m. kick in week two, Mizzou is opening its home schedule with a game in each slot for the first time since 2013.

In week three, Mizzou will face its first road test of the young season, as they head to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Game time for the Sept. 15 contest will be at 6:30 p.m. (CT), and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. The Tigers will look to even the score after a Purdue victory last season in Columbia, and they’ll be looking to senior DT Terry Beckner, Jr. (East St. Louis, Ill.) and his defensive teammates to lead the charge. Beckner returns for his final year in a Tiger uniform as one of the nation’s top defensive lineman and a candidate for national honors. He and his defensive teammates will look to build on the momentum created from last season’s six-game win streak which closed the regular season.

All remaining games will be subject to the 12-day advance notice window, per league policy, meaning game times and television information will be announced two Mondays prior to each contest. The rest of the 2018 home season includes exciting games in Columbia against the likes of Georgia (Sept. 22), Memphis (Oct. 20 – Homecoming), Kentucky (Oct. 27), Vanderbilt (Nov. 10) and Arkansas (Nov. 23 or 24).

— Mizzou Athletics —

K-State’s early season football game times, TV networks announced

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State’s September 8 matchup against Mississippi State will kick off at 11 a.m., on ESPN, while its September 15 contest against UTSA will start at 3 p.m., on FSN as the Big 12 Conference and its television partners have announced game times and TV designations for the first three weeks of the season.

The Wildcats’ season opener against South Dakota on September 1 – which will serve as the 10th-Annual K-State Family Reunion – will be shown world-wide on ESPN3 at a time to be determined.

K-State and Mississippi State will be meeting on the gridiron for a third time as the series is tied, 1-1, following two close matchups in the 1970s. The Wildcats were downed by MSU, 21-16, in Starkville in 1974. In 1977, the Bulldogs earned a 24-21 win on the field, but the game was later forfeited due to the use of an ineligible player.

The Wildcats won their only previous meeting against the Roadrunners, a 30-3 victory at the Alamodome in 2015. This year marks the fifth-straight year K-State will play a member of Conference USA with four of those contests being played in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

As in years past, all remaining Big 12 game times and television information will be selected on a 12- or six-day basis throughout the season.

Fan-favorite Harley Day is scheduled for the Mississippi State matchup, when 100-plus Harley Davidson motorcycles will make a thunderous lap inside the stadium just prior to the Wildcats taking the field. The game is also a Stripe Out. For just the second-time in stadium history, fans will wear purple or white shirts depending on their seat location. Information on the official Stripe Out shirt will be announced tomorrow.

The game against UTSA will serve as the annual Fort Riley Day.

— KSU Athletics —

Southwest Baptist leaving the MIAA in 2019

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA has announced that Southwest Baptist University has formally withdrawn from the conference and accepted an invitation from the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The departure is effective August 1, 2019.

“We are disappointed to see Southwest Baptist leave the MIAA. They have been an outstanding representative of our conference since they joined the MIAA in 1986,” stated MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy. “We appreciate that SBU leadership has kept the conference informed about their membership study this past year, and we support SBU’s efforts to do what they believe is best for their programs and student-athletes. We wish them well and much success in the GLVC.”

Last January, the MIAA CEO Council appointed two task forces to take a strategic look at important issues facing the MIAA. One task force is working on football-related issues, including a study of various scheduling models to help strengthen MIAA football programs. The other task force is exploring membership issues, including the development of tools to help communicate the mission, alignment and value of the MIAA for member institutions and communities. “In an ever-changing climate in college athletics, the MIAA is committed to being proactive, resourceful and innovative in order to maintain our reputation as one of the most successful conferences in the NCAA,” Racy added.

— MIAA Press Release —

Kickoff times set for six Nebraska football games

Nebraska will usher in the Scott Frost era under the lights at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 1 against Akron. The game, which will be televised nationally on FOX at 7 p.m., was one of six kickoff times for the 2018 season announced on Thursday by the Big Ten Conference and its television partners.

Nebraska also learned kickoff times for its three other September home games, as well as road games at Northwestern (Oct. 13) and Iowa (Nov. 23). Network assignments have been made for four games, including two appearances on FOX, one on ABC and one on BTN.

The primetime season opener marks the third consecutive season and sixth time in the past decade Nebraska has opened the season with a home night game.

The following week on Sept. 8, Nebraska will renew a matchup with long-time Big Eight and Big 12 foe Colorado with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium and the game televised by ABC. The Husker-Buff matchup will follow a long tradition of that contest being televised on ABC. The final 17 conference matchups (1994-2010) between the schools were televised by ABC.

The Huskers complete their non-conference schedule on Sept. 15 against Troy, with kickoff at 11 a.m. on BTN. Nebraska’s Homecoming game on Sept. 29, against Purdue will start at either 2:30 or 3 p.m., with the network to be determined.

The Huskers’ Oct. 13 road game at Northwestern will kick off at 11 a.m. CT, with the network determination made at a later date. The Huskers’ regular-season finale at Iowa on Black Friday is also set for an 11 a.m. kickoff with national television coverage on FOX.

Game times and television information for Nebraska’s remaining six games on the 2018 schedule will be made six-to-12 days in advance.

Nebraska 2018 Game Times/TV Information
Sept. 1 – Akron at Nebraska, FOX, 7 p.m. CT
Sept. 8 – Colorado at Nebraska, ABC, 2:30 p.m. CT
Sept. 15 – Troy at Nebraska, BTN, 11 a.m. CT
Sept. 29 – Purdue at Nebraska (HC), Network TBA, 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. CT
Oct. 13 – Nebraska at Northwestern (HC), Network TBA, 11 a.m. CT
Nov. 23 – Nebraska at Iowa, FOX, 11 a.m. CT

— NU Athletics —

Game times announced for four Kansas football games

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Big 12 Conference released the early television broadcast assignments for the 2018 college football season, with Kansas being tabbed for live broadcasts in each of its first three games, plus its November 23 matchup with Texas.

Kansas will open the 2018 football season with a home game at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium versus Nicholls State on Saturday, September 1 at 6 p.m. The KU-NSU game will be broadcast live on the Jayhawk Network in the state of Kansas and the Kansas City metro area and is available outside of the state lines to a national audience on ESPN3. More information on the Jayhawk Network (JTV) and its affiliates is available at KUAthletics.com/TV.

The Jayhawks have a road game on Saturday, September 8 at Central Michigan the second week of the season and the Mid-American Conference designated it for a 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET) start time with a broadcast on ESPN+.

Additionally, the Jayhawks will host Rutgers in their third contest of the season on Saturday, September 15. KU-RU will be televised on Fox Sports Networks with kickoff slated for 11 a.m.

The Friday, November 23 home game against Texas (Senior Day) has been set for an 11 a.m. kickoff and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.

Kansas made three appearances on FSN in 2017 and two on JTV. KU was featured on FS1 in three of its 2017 games, ESPNU in two games, ESPN for one game and kicked off one time on FOX.

Along with Texas, three other Big 12 rivals will visit Lawrence, including Oklahoma State (Sept. 29/Homecoming, K-Club Weekend), TCU (Oct. 27/Jayhawks for a Cure) and Iowa State (Nov. 3/Salute to Service.

— KU Athletics —

MWSU’s Spratt Stadium Pavilion named in honor of Bill Snyder

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 —

Missouri State earns NCAA Tournament berth in Oxford Regional

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – For the 11th time in program history, the Missouri State Bears have been selected to play in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. The Bears drew the No. 3 seed in the Oxford (Miss.) Regional as part of the 64-team NCAA field that was announced Monday morning.

Making their third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four seasons, the Missouri Valley Conference champion Bears (39-15) will face the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (48-9) in opening-round action at 2 p.m. (CDT) Friday (June 1) at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. The top-seeded Ole Miss Rebels and fourth-seeded Saint Louis Billikens will meet Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the other regional pairing.

In their last Championship appearance in 2017, the Bears captured their third Regional title by going 3-1 at the Fayetteville (Ark.) Regional. MSU knocked off Oklahoma State in the opening round, before taking two of three games with host Arkansas to win the crown. The Bears then took on perennial power TCU in the Fort Worth Super Regional, falling in two games to the Horned Frogs.

Missouri State was one of two Missouri Valley Conference teams selected for the NCAA Tournament, marking the fourth time in the last seven seasons the league has earned multiple postseason bids. MVC Tournament and regular-season runner-up DBU drew the No. 3 seed in the Fayetteville Regional and will face Southern Miss as its opening-round opponent.

Regional play continues through Monday (June 4) with a double-elimination format. The 16 regional winners will advance to the Super Regional round, which will be contested June 8-11, with the eight winners of the three-game, head-to-head series moving on to the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Neb., June 16-27.

— MSU Athletics —

MWSU’s Thompson finishes 8th at NCAA Track & Field Championships

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 —

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File