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Category: College

Former Bearcats Williams & Schneider named Northwest assistant basketball coaches

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MARYVILLE, Mo – Northwest Missouri State University’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach would like to announce the hiring of Bryston Williams and Zach Schneider to the position of Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach.

“Bryston brings a great amount of energy and contagious enthusiasm to our program,” said McCollum. “He was here at the start of my head coaching career and was a big part of getting the program to where it currently is. He will bring fresh ideas that will help our program continue to improve. We are very excited to announce the hiring of Bryston Williams.”

Williams was part of McCollum’s first recruiting class at Northwest in 2009. As a player, Williams has played on two MIAA Conference Championship teams along with playing in a Sweet Sixteen his senior year. Following his playing career Williams was a Graduate Assistant at Northwest under McCollum, where he was part of two more MIAA Conference Championships and two more Sweet Sixteens. Williams has spent the past two seasons in the Memphis Grizzlies’ organization as an Assistant and Player Development coach with the Grizzlies’ G-league Team, The Memphis Hustle.

“Zach is well on his way to being a great assistant coach. He has an unmatched work ethic. Zach will also bring a great deal of knowledge on how our program works to the current players. We talk a lot about having “winners” in our program, Zach is the definition of this. We are excited to announce the hiring of Zach Schneider.”

Schneider graduated from Northwest Missouri State in the Spring of 2017 following a four year playing career under coach Ben McCollum. During his four year career, Schneider was part of four MIAA Regular Season Championships, two MIAA Tournament Championships, four NCAA Sweet 16 Appearances, and the 2017 NCAA DII National Championship Team. He was a MIAA Scholar-Athlete during his senior season. After his playing career, Schneider remained with the team for the 2017-2018 season as a Graduate Assistant. He was also a Graduate Assistant with the Student Athlete Success Program, monitoring the academics of Northwest student-athletes from multiple sports.

“The hiring of these two will help keep our program moving forward and continue to improve our culture. I look forward to working with them.”

— Northwest Athletics —

Vest named Missouri Student Employment Supervisor of the Year

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NWMSU

Jessica Vest, right, reacts Thursday morning as Northwest administrators announced that she is the recipient of the Missouri Student Employment Supervisor of the Year. Pictured with Vest for the announcement is Kathy Hart, Northwest’s director of library services and operations. (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)

Jessica Vest, an archivist at Northwest Missouri State University, is the Missouri Student Employment Supervisor of the Year, the University announced Thursday during a surprise presentation to Vest.

The state award is sponsored by the Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators (MASEA) and annually recognizes a faculty or staff student employment supervisor for their characteristics of mentoring, professionalism and leadership.

Each year, student employees, staff and faculty at individual institutions nominate student employee supervisors for institutional recognition. MASEA member institutions then submit their Student Employment Supervisor of the Year honorees for state and regional consideration.

Vest was recognized April 2 as Northwest’s Student Employment Supervisor of the Year during the University’s annual Northwest Awards and Recognition Ceremony. She joined the Northwest staff in 2013 and oversees University Archives, which is housed in the B.D. Owens Library.

Elizabeth Ohlde, who graduated from Northwest this spring with her bachelor’s degree in communication with a public relations emphasis, nominated Vest for the award. Ohlde worked with Vest for a year and a half and said Vest’s mentorship prepared her for professional work and shaped her to be a better employee. Ohlde commended Vest for entrusting her with projects and teaching her the skills necessary to complete them.

“Jessica letting me work on projects by myself helps my confidence in the work setting,” Ohlde wrote in her nomination. “She shows that she has trust in her student employees. I always feel like she appreciates my work and that I have room to fail.”

Ohlde added, “Jessica’s constant feedback is helpful in the growth of a young employee like me.”

As the University’s archivist, Vest is responsible for cataloging and maintaining pieces of Northwest’s history; as a student employee supervisor, she equips students with hands-on techniques, training and skills in that area. Additionally, she performs executive assistant functions at Owens Library, which creates varied tasks for the students that work with her.

“Jess is serious about thinking ahead and giving her employees clear cut direction and purposeful tasks,” Hannah Christian, a research librarian at Owens Library said. “As a result, her student employees are invaluable contributors to the library staff. Under her guidance, they learn how to do tasks like ordering supplies, researching the prices of antique books and answering the phone with professionalism. She does a careful job of training on each task and provides support and guidance along the way but ultimately lets the students gain experience and confidence by teaching them to perform the tasks independently.”

Kathy Hart, Northwest’s director of library services and operations, said, “Jessica is an exemplary student employee supervisor. Her leadership and mentoring of student employees is a tremendous asset to B.D. Owens Library and Northwest.”

Northwest’s internationally benchmarked student employment program offers about 1,200 jobs to students in all areas of campus, integrating students into University operations while providing them opportunities to gain profession-based experience and build their résumés on the campus.

MASEA began recognizing student employment supervisors in 2015, and a Northwest staff member has won the Missouri award in each of the first four years it has been given. Previous recipients are Kirk Skoglund in Academic and Retention Services, Jeremy Waldeier in the Office of Admissions, and Renee Riedel in Career Services.

MWSU’s Shi Qing Ong tied for 45th at NCAA National Championships

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HOUSTON, Texas – Missouri Western junior golfer Shi Qing Ong carded a 6-over par, 78 in round two of the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf National Championships at Bay Oaks Country Club on Thursday.

Ong hits the halfway point of the event tied for 45th place with a two-round total of 155. Shi Qing was 14 strokes off the leader, Kylie Rianes of Indianapolis after two rounds. Much like day one, round two saw higher scores with only one of the 72 competitors turning in better than a 1-under par. Raines led the field through two rounds with a 141, 3-under par total. She was one of just four competitors under par after two rounds.

Shi Qing birdied the first three holes on the back nine to get to 2-over, Thursday, and shot par on the next three before ending the day with three-straight bogeys.

The third round of four begins Friday morning.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri Western’s Gold Coat Campaign is underway

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ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Athletics annual Gold Coat campaign begins this year with the #GoldCoatGiving week. The opening week of the drive begins Thursday, May 17 and concludes on May 24. Missouri Western Athletics will provide a VIP Gold Coat experience during the 2018 Chiefs Training Camp for any new member who joins, or existing member who renews, prior to May 24.

A new social media blitz will be unveiled this year with a goal to reach $10,000 through social media/online donations. The overall goal of this year’s campaign is to raise $400,000 with more than 500 members. Inspiring messages from student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans will be posted on social media throughout the campaign. Gold Coat members are encouraged to use the hashtag, #GoldCoatGiving during this year’s drive.

The Gold Coat Club is the athletics booster organization of Missouri Western State University. Founded in 1969, the club raises funds to support the endeavors of all 16 sports programs of the University. Membership in the Gold Coat Club helps provide coaches and student-athletes with the necessary resources to help Missouri Western compete at the highest level of NCAA Division II. All Gold Coat gifts provide direct support for the athletic department’s nearly 400 student-athletes.

New features of membership for the 2018-19 seasons include seating improvements inside the Looney Complex that will also bring the addition of a “Courtside Club” on the floor of the MWSU Fieldhouse. Also new for 2018-19 will be the pavilion in the end zone of Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium.

Donations and membership will remain open throughout the summer. For more information on the Gold Coat Club, click here.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou basketball signs home-and-home series with Xavier

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball will square off with Big East power Xavier next season at Mizzou Arena on Dec. 18, 2018, as announced by the programs on Thursday. The Tigers are scheduled to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, in a return trip on Nov. 12, 2019.

The two schools will meet for the eighth and ninth teams in their program histories. Mizzou and Xavier faced each other three times in three seasons from 2014-16, including a home-and-home series in 2014 and 2015 and most recently, an overtime thriller in the opening round of the 2016 Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

“We’re always searching for ways to put together a nonconference slate that challenges us and helps spread the Mizzou brand, and this series will do that,” head coach Cuonzo Martin said. “The matchups will give us an opportunity to compete, improve and grow as a group heading into Southeastern Conference play.”

Xavier leads the all-time series 5-2, but the Tigers are 1-1 against the Musketeers at Mizzou Arena. Four of the seven meetings in the all-time series have been decided by single digits, including the last two.

The 2018-19 matchup in Columbia, Mo., will feature a pair of teams who won at least 20 games and made the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The Musketeers earned a No. 1 seed while the Tigers secured a No. 8 seed.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Northwest’s Bilodeau, Dudar earn NCBWA All-Region honors

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MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University senior catcher Hudson Bilodeau and junior relief pitcher Trevor Dudar have been named to the 2018 National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) All-Central Region team.

Bilodeau was named to the NCBWA All-Central Region first team as a catcher. He appeared in 50 games and started in 46. He finished the season batting .393, recorded 72 hits with 19 doubles, two triples and five home runs. Bilodeau crossed the plate 34 times and knocked in 32 batters. In the field, Bilodeau had a fielding percentage of .983 with 318 putouts.

Dudar was named to the NCBWA All-Central Region second team as a relief pitcher. He appeared in 27 games and claimed three wins. He finished the season with a 2.27 ERA, 31.2 innings pitched, 31 strikeouts and allowed only 25 hits. He recorded 14 saves which put him in the record books as the all-time leader in saves in a single season.

— Northwest Athletics —

Griffons’ Shi Qing Ong shoots a 77 on day one of NCAA National Championships

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HOUSTON, Texas – Missouri Western’s Shi Qing Ong finished the first round of the 2018 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf National Championships in the middle of the pack.

Shi Qing’s 5-over, 77 left her in an 11-way tie for 38th place. The Griffon junior was eight strokes behind the leaders with three rounds to play. She recorded one birdie on the day, on the 543-yard, par-5 No. 16. There were a total of 117 birdies and just one eagle recorded among 72 competitors on day one at Bay Oaks Country Club.

Just 11 competitors turned in under-par scores in round one, led by three at 3-under. Four others were even through the first 18 holes. Tilda Larson (Barry), Casey Wild (Tarleton State) and Kiira Riihijarvi (Tampa) led the field after day one. Indianapolis took the team lead after one round with a 286.

Shi Qing is competing in her second NCAA Division II National Championship after the Griffons qualified as a team in 2016. Round two begins Thursday morning.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State announces 2018 volleyball schedule

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MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head volleyball coach Amy Woerth has announced the Bearcats’ 2018 schedule. The slate includes nine home matches at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest will begin the year on the road, playing in three tournaments. The season starts at the Washburn Invitational in Topeka, Kan., on Friday, Aug. 24th. The weekend will include matches against Colorado State University – Pueblo, Southeast Oklahoma, Henderson State and Dallas Baptist University. Starting on Aug. 31, the Bearcats head to the Rockhurst University Tournament to face William Jewell, Mesa State University, University of Sioux Falls and Rockhurst University. Northwest will play a two-day tournament at Newman starting on Sept. 7 against Newman, Ouachita Baptist University and St. Edward’s University.

The MIAA home slate includes Lindenwood (Sept. 14), Central Missouri (Sept. 15), Missouri Western (Sept. 18), Fort Hays State (Sept. 28), Nebraska-Kearney (Sept. 28), Central Oklahoma (Oct. 5), Pittsburgh State (Oct. 6), Missouri Southern (Oct. 26) and Southwest Baptist (Oct. 27).

Click here to view the entire 2018 schedule.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western’s Thompson qualifies for NCAA Track & Field National Championships

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ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western’s Phil Thompson will be remembered as the first Griffon to qualify for both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Division II Track and Field National Championships. The senior qualified for the triple jump at the outdoor national championships as announced, Tuesday, by the NCAA.

Thompson’s 15.54m jump is 11th best in DII, making him one of 20 competitors in the event at the national championships May 24-26 at the Irwin Belk Complex in Charlotte, North Carolina. The senior finished third in the triple jump at the indoor national championships earlier this year after being seeded 14th. As a sophomore at St. Joseph’s College, Thompson finished 12th in the triple jump at the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou baseball hangs on to defeat Indiana State 8-7

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball downed Indiana State, 8-7, Tuesday night at Taylor Stadium to cap a perfect midweek schedule at 12-0 on the year. It is the first time since the turn of the century that Mizzou has gone undefeated in midweek games. Mizzou improves to 32-21 on the year while Indiana State, an RPI top-100 team, falls to 26-22 on the year.

TURNING POINT

Mizzou hit into a double play in each of the first three innings and Indiana State grabbed a 1-0 lead after 3.0 innings. That all changed in the bottom of the fourth inning. Leading off the fourth, senior RF Trey Harris thought he walked on a 3-1 pitch, but instead the pitch was called a strike and he returned to the batter’s box. Two pitches later, he hit a game-tying solo homer, his 10th of the season. That sparked a three-run Mizzou fourth that gave Mizzou the lead.

Indiana State loaded the bases with one out in the sixth inning and scored on an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-2. Mizzou reliever Cameron Dulle then came into the game and induced a 5-3 double play to help Mizzou escape the jam. Mizzou then scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh and it needed every one as Indiana State plated five runs in the top of the eighth to tie the game.

It stayed that way until Brian Sharp trotted home on an eighth-inning wild pitch. Reliever Jordan Gubelman then pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first Division I save.

TOP TIGERS

  • Junior P/DH Brian Sharp extended his on-base streak to 13 games with his eighth double of the season. He tallied his 17th multi-hit game of the season Tuesday, most on the team and scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Sharp also started the game on the mound and went 4.0 innings, allowing one run on five hits with a strikeout.
  • Senior 2B Matt Berler turned in his seventh multi-hit game of the season Tuesday. It was his first three-hit game of the year.
  • Senior RF Trey Harris hit his 10th homer of the year in the fourth inning. He is the first Mizzou player with back-to-back seasons of 10+ homers since Jacob Priday in 2007-2008. He added a double in the seventh inning.
  • Junior C Isaiah Cullum tallied an RBI single in the fourth inning.
  • Senior RHP Andy Toelken earned his sixth win of the season after getting the final out of the top of the eighth inning.

NOTES

  • Mizzou completed a perfect 12-0 midweek schedule and finishes its nonconference schedule with a 22-3 mark. Mizzou is perfect in the midweek for the first time since the turn of the century. Mizzou’s previous best mark in midweek games this century was 11-1 in 2001.
  • Mizzou is now 29-2 at home against nonconference opponents under second-year head coach and undefeated this season, including a 15-0 mark this season.
  • Mizzou now leads the all-time series with Indiana State, 13-6.
  • Mizzou earned another win over an RPI top-100 team Tuesday as Indiana State ranked No. 80 in this week’s rankings. Mizzou has 17 RPI top-100 wins this season and 14 vs. the RPI top-50, seventh-most nationally.
  • Mizzou improves to 7-0 on Tuesdays this season.
  • Senior 3B Alex Samples hit his first Division I triple in the bottom of the fourth inning.
  • Senior RF Trey Harris hit his 10th homer of the year in the fourth inning. He is the first Mizzou player with back-to-back seasons of 10+ homers since Jacob Priday in 2007-2008.

UP NEXT

Mizzou hosts Tennessee in its final regular season series of the season this Thursday-Saturday at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou must win two of three over the Vols to qualify for next week’s SEC Tournament.

— Mizzou Athletics —

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