Seven Missouri Western softball players were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll which was released Wednesday afternoon by the league office. Of those seven students, two have earned the MIAA Scholar Athlete Award.

To achieve honor roll status, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 and have at least two terms of attendance at the certifying member institution, excluding summer terms. The Griffons athletes that received this honor are, Taylor Anding, Jackie Bishop, Sydney McCune, Brooke Schaben, Janie Smith, Kat Steponovich and Michelle Stevenson.

The MIAA Scholar Athlete Award is given to those who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50, have at least two terms of attendance at the certifying member institution, excluding summer terms, and, if competing in a championship sport of the MIAA, earn All-MIAA honors. The two student-athletes that earned this honor for MWSU are Anding and Steponovich.

Newcomers and MIAA Academic Excellence Awards will be given out following the end of the 2013-14 school year.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western women’s basketball coach Rob Edmisson announced the signing of seven student athletes to the National Letter of Intent for the 2014-2015 season.

The Griffons welcome junior college transfers Miliakere (Mili) Koyamainavure of Suva, Fiji (Iowa Central CC), Mhykeah Baez of San Marcos, Texas (College of Central Florida), Chelsea Dewey of Gower, Mo. (Hutchinson CC), Sarafina Handy of Flossmoor, Ill. (Kankakee CC) and Mariah Jordan of Gary, Ind. (Pensacola State) along with freshman Olivia Hanson of Fort Smith, Ark. (Northside HS) and Anna Rogers of Greenland, Ark. (Greenland HS) to next year’s squad.

Koyamainavure, a 5-9, guard from Suva, Fiji, transfers to Missouri Western from Iowa Central Community College. She played her high school basketball at Adi Cakobau School in Nausori, Fiji. While at Iowa Central she was named 1st Team All-Region as a sophomore and 2nd Team All-Region as a freshman. She was also named to the All-Region Tournament team her freshman season. As a freshman she played in 35 games averaging 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. This past season she played in 32 games averaging 17.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game. She made 51-percent of her field goal attempts as a sophomore. She is also a solid student being named 1st Team Academic All-Region as a sophomore and 2nd Team Academic All-Region as a freshman. She is the daughter of Mereseini and Mataika and plans on majoring in accounting.

Baez, a 6-1, forward from San Antonio, Texas transfers to Missouri Western from College of Central Florida. She played her high school basketball in E. L Broady Academy in San Antonio, Texas. This past season at she averaged 8.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and made 45.3 percent of her shots. This will be the second stint at a Missouri-based program as she attended Jefferson College for one season after her high school career. She played a key role in helping the Patriots nearly capture a berth in the FCSAA State Tournament. She is the daughter of Stephanie and Luis and plans on majoring in sports management.

Dewey, a 5-7, guard from Gower, Mo. transfers to Missouri Western from Hutchinson CC which is located in Hutchinson, Kan. She played her high school basketball at East Buchanan High School in Gower, Mo. Dewey is the third Lady Dragon in as many season to sign with Missouri Western as Lanicia Lawrence and Kyrsten Crawford both played at Hutchinson. Playing a back-up role this past season, Dewey played in all 36 games coming off the bench. She averaged 6.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Dewey hit 22 3-pointers, third most on the team and will have three years to play at Missouri Western. She is the daughter of Cathy and David and is undecided on a major.

Handy, a 5-7, guard from Flossmoor, Ill. transfers to Missouri Western from Kankakee CC which is located in Kankakee, Ill. She played her high school basketball at Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights, Ill. She helped her team to the NJCCAA National Tournament while being named NJCAA 1st Team All-American and to the All-Conference Team. She averaged 19 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. She made 45-percent of her field goals as well as 40.5-percent of her long range shots and 83.7-percent of her free throws. She is the daughter of Emanuel Handy and Virginia Roden and plans on majoring in business management.

Jordan, a 6-1 center from Gary, Ind. Transfers to Missouri Western from Pensacola State College which is located in Pensacola, Fla. She played her high school basketball at Thea Bowman in Gary, Ind. While in junior college she was an All-Conference and All-American selection. While at Pensacola State she averaged 7.7 points per game and 3.4 rebounds. Her freshman season she played at Malcom X where she scored 16.4 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game. In high school she was an All-Area selection averaging 11.6 points per game, 22 rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game. She plans on majoring in criminal justice.

Hanson, a 5-11 guard from Fort Smith, Ark. played her high school basketball at Northside HS. She was a six year letter winner at Northside and helped her team reach the state final three straight years which included winning the state title in 2013. She was a 2014 All-State selection as well as being named to the All-Tournament team. She is a three time All-Conference selection. As a senior she averaged 15.6 points, 2.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. She led the state of Arkansas in 3-point percentage 45-percent and shot 50-percent from the field. She is also a solid student being a member or the National Honor Society. She is the daughter of Paula and Carl and is undecided on a major.

Rogers, a 5-7 guard from Greenland, Ark. played her high school basketball at Greenland HS. She had a very successful high school career and averaged 12.3 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She also shot free throws very well making 94-percent of her charity shots. She led her squad to back-to-back state championships her sophomore and junior seasons. Rogers was an All-State selection as a junior and senior.

“We are excited to welcome this group to our Missouri Western family,” stated Coach Edmisson. “We feel these additions will have an impact on the future success of our program.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

The MIAA announced its academic award winners for the sport of tennis on Tuesday morning. Six Missouri Western women’s tennis players were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

The MIAA Academic Honor Roll is for any sophomore, junior, and senior with at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA. To achieve honor roll status, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 and have at least two terms of attendance at the certifying member institution, excluding summer terms. The players that earned the honor are Ceara Boldridge, Denise Chiao, Kelly Cochran, Alyssa Dougan, Kayla Dysart and Jody Goers.

Newcomers and MIAA Academic Excellence Awards will be given out following the end of the 2013-14 school year.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The NCAA Division II Softball Committee has selected the 64 teams that will participate in the 2014 NCAA Division II Softball Regional Championships. Four teams will participate at each of 16 regional sites in double-elimination tournaments. Regional competition will be held May 9-11. Winners will advance to the super regional’s May 16-18. The elite eight will be held May 22-26 at Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va.

For the seventh time in ten years (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014) the Missouri Western softball team will be heading to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. The Griffons (38-16) are the fifth seed and will play in Winona, Minnesota on Friday, May 9 at 4:30 pm against Augustana College (S.D.) (43-13) who is the fourth seed.

The other two teams that are in the Griffons region are the host school and number one seed Winona State (46-7) and the eight seed Southern Arkansas (36-24).

The Griffons are coming off their first ever MIAA Tournament Championship and have won 18 of their last 20 games. The Griffons and the Vikings have split two games this season. The Griffons fell 3-1 on Feb. 23 and won 6-0 on March 22 in St. Joseph. The Griffons also split a doubleheader with the Warriors falling 2-1 in eight innings and winning 4-0.

Four other schools will be going to Mankato, Minnesota to play their double elimination tournament. Minnesota State (43-11) the number two seed will play Southeastern Oklahoma State (38-17) the seventh seed while the three seed Emporia State Hornets (46-12) will take on the sixth seeded Central Oklahoma Bronchos (40-15).

— MWSU Sports Information —