College – Page 540 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Three Griffon football players earn Don Hansen Super Region Three honors

Posted on December 13, 2013

The Missouri Western football team had three players receive All-Region honors from Don Hansen Football Committee which was released Friday, December 13. Junior punter Scott Groner was named to the first team while sophomore running back Raphael Spencer was named to the second team and sophomore defensive back Michael Jordan was named to the third team.

Scott Groner (P, 6-4, 200, Jr., Tecoma, Victoria (Australia)) had an outstanding season averaging an MIAA best 42.6 yards per kick. He ranked 11th in the nation with that average. Groner punted 50 times for 2,132 with a long of 61 yards on September 21, 2013 at Nebraska-Kearney. He had nine kicks of 50 or more yards to go along with 13 kicks inside the 20. It was first time in his career that he has been named to the first team All-MIAA. He was an honorable mention selection in 2011. Groner was also named to the Daktronics Super Region Three Second Team.

Michael Jordan (DB, 6-0, 200, So., Hazelwood, Mo.) was named to the first team All-MIAA for the first time in his career this season after being named MIAA Freshman of the Year and honorable mention in 2012. This season Jordan finished with 48 total tackles with 36 being solo. He had two tackles for a loss to go along with three interceptions and eight pass break-ups. Jordan had seven tackles twice this season against Fort Hays State and Emporia State. He was also named to the Daktronics Super Region Three Second Team for the first time in his career.

Raphael Spencer (RB, 5-9, 190, So., Kansas City, Mo.) was named second team All-MIAA for the first time in his career. He finished the season rushing for 1,312 yards on 198 carries and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 119.3 yards per game which is first in the MIAA and 19th in the nation. He ran for over 100 yards six times this season and over 200 yards once which was at Central Oklahoma when he went for 221 yards on 24 carries. This season he also caught 21 passes for 150 yards. Spencer was named MIAA Player of the Week on November 11, 2013 for his 193 yards two touchdown performance at Washburn in a 34-31 victory. He is currently 9th all-time in rushing with 1,920 yards in his career.

The Griffons finished the season with an 8-3 overall record and 7-3 MIAA record. It was the eighth time in the past nine seasons and 11th time in Head Coach Jerry Partridge’s tenure that the Griffons have won eight or more games.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State well represented on the Don Hansen Super Region Three team

Posted on December 13, 2013

Northwest Missouri State had nine players represented on the Don Hansen Football Committee’s Super Region Three squad on Friday. Head coach Adam Dorrel was named the Super Region Three Coach of the Year and Matt Longacre was the Defensive Player of the Year.

Earning first team honors with Longacre were offensive lineman Cody Carlson, defensive tackle Brandon Yost, linebacker Eric Reimer, linebacker D.J. Gnader and defensive back Brandon Dixon. Quarterback Trevor Adams earned second team honors. Earning third team honors were defensive back Brian Dixon and offensive tackle C.J.Keeney.

The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988. Don Hansen’s Football Gazette began selecting Division II All-Region squads in 2003.

The first-team and second-team All-Region selections advance to a national ballot from which the 2013 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America team will be named in January.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Mizzou basketball announces SEC single-game ticket on-sale date

Posted on December 13, 2013December 13, 2013

Single-game tickets for Mizzou Basketball’s Southeastern Conference season, excluding the Feb. 1 contest against Kentucky, will go on sale to Tiger Scholarship Fund members starting Monday night at 6 p.m. online at mutigers.com.

Tiger Scholarship Fund members will also be able to purchase tickets over the phone by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri) or in person at the Mizzou Arena Box Office starting Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. The remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Ticket availability for the home game against Kentucky will be announced at a later date.

Missouri Basketball was a perfect 9-0 at home in SEC play last season and the Tigers carry the nation’s longest home court winning streak (24 games) into Sunday night’s game against Western Michigan. Mizzou is one of 14 remaining unbeaten programs in college basketball and fans can purchase four tickets for just $20 to see the nationally-ranked Tigers face the Broncos.

— MU Sports Information —

Mizzou’s Sam named 1st Team All-American by Walter Camp Football Foundation

Posted on December 12, 2013

The University of Missouri football program has a proud history of outstanding teams and high-caliber players over the years. Add another one to the list of all-time great Tigers, as senior DE Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas) has been named a Walter Camp Football Foundation First-Team All-American, for his stellar play in 2013. Sam becomes the 33rd First-Team All-American in school history, the seventh at Mizzou for Head Coach Gary Pinkel, and the school’s first defensive selection since former great Justin Smith in 2000.

Sam ranked among the most disruptive defensive players in the nation this year, and his play was a key factor in Mizzou’s surge into the top-10. He led the Southeastern Conference in both quarterback sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (18.0), ranking in the top-10 nationally in those categories. He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press recently, and was also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Lombardi Award and the Hendricks Award. He has 45 tackles in 13 games this season, including nine quarterback pressures, two pass break ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, which he returned 21 yards for a touchdown in a win at 7th-ranked Georgia in October.

“Wow, what a great honor, I’m really grateful to be selected and for our team to be recognized like this,” said Sam. “It’s been a really rewarding season, especially after what we went through a year ago, and I feel like this validates all of the hard work we put in and all of the sacrifices we made as a team. My name is on the award, but that wouldn’t happen without everyone else pulling in the same direction together, and I want to thank all of my teammates and coaches for helping push me and for their support,” he said. Sam will be receiving his Parks, Recreation and Tourism degree this Saturday.

“We couldn’t be more proud of Michael,” said Head Coach Gary Pinkel. “He’s a walking example of a ‘never-say-quit’ attitude; he’s the kind of player you want others to emulate when they see him on film and how relentless he is. I also think the positive energy he brings to the team has been contagious, he’s helped others elevate their play this year, and that’s been really important for our team,” he said.

Sam becomes the seventh First-Team All-American at Mizzou under Pinkel. The previous list includes: Martin Rucker, TE (2007), Jeremy Maclin, All-Purpose (2007, 2008), Chase Coffman, TE (2008), Danario Alexander, WR (2009), Grant Ressel, PK (2009) and Michael Egnew, TE (2010).

— MU Sports Information —

KSU’s Zimmerman named to USA Today All-America team

Posted on December 12, 2013

Kansas State senior defensive back Ty Zimmerman was named to the USA Today All-America team, the publication has announced.

Zimmerman, who earned second team honors, picked up All-America honors for the second-straight season. Last year, the Junction City, Kan., product was a Second Team All-American by CBSSports.com, recorded third team honors from the Associated Press and was an honorable mention selection by Sports Illustrated.

A two-time team captain, Zimmerman logged 69 tackles in 10 games in 2013 to go along with three tackles for loss and three interceptions. He returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns to lead the Big 12 and tie for second nationally in that department. He has 13 career interceptions to tie for third in school history, while his 221 career interception-return yards rank second.

Earlier this week, Zimmerman was named an All-Big 12 First Team performer by both the league’s coaches and the Associated Press. His designations made him the first player in school history to garner four-straight all-conference accolades, while he is one of just four Big 12 defensive backs to earn four All-Big 12 honors with at least one of those being a first-team designation.

Kansas State travels to Tempe, Ariz., to take on Michigan in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, December 28, at Sun Devil Stadium. The game kicks off at 9:15 p.m. (CT) and will be televised to a national audience on ESPN.

— KSU Sports Information —

NCAA Division II Football Championship moving to Kansas City’s Sporting Park

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013

It was announced today by the NCAA that the MIAA, in partnership with the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation has been selected to host both the NCAA Division II Football and Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships.

“We are excited that the NCAA and the governing sports committees have recognized that Kansas City will provide a great experience for the student athletes, coaches and fans that will travel here over the next few years,” said Kansas City Sports Commission CEO Kathy Nelson. “The MIAA has the expertise, commitment and passion to host these Championships and we look forward to working with their staff on these events.”

Kansas City will host the NCAA Division II Football Championship beginning in 2014 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. and will continue to serve as host through the 2017 season. The hosting partners will also welcome the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships to Swope Park Soccer Village in Kansas City, Mo. during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Prior to its move to Kansas City, the NCAA Division II Football Championship was played for the last 26 seasons at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Ala. During those 26 seasons only the MIAA and Gulf South Conference have had teams appear in more than ten games with each having 12 participants. The MIAA has sent a team to seven of the last ten national championship games.

Kansas City will serve as the 15th host in the history of the Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championship. It will mark only the 11th time the games have been hosted outside of Florida, California and Texas in its 28 year history.

“We are thrilled that we can partner with the Kansas City Sports Commission to bring these Division II national championship events to Kansas City,” MIAA Commissioner Bob Boerigter said. “Our MIAA members are excited about the possibility of watching MIAA teams play for national championships in these outstanding venues and we are confident student athletes that participate here will have a first class national championship experience.”

The dates for the NCAA Division II Football Championship are Dec. 20, 2014; Dec. 19, 2015; Dec. 17, 2016 and Dec. 16, 2017.

The soccer championships will be Dec. 1-3, 2016 and Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2017.

“We really want to thank everyone who put in a bid,” said Mark Lewis, NCAA executive vice president of championships and alliances. “The competitiveness of the bids made it extremely difficult for the sport committees to select sites as there just weren’t spots for all of the great bids we received. Ultimately the sites that were selected will provide our student-athletes, coaches and fans the best experience possible.”

— MIAA Press Release —

Missouri’s Sam named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year by coaches

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013

Mizzou Football senior defensive end Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas) has been named the Southeastern Conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year, as voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches. The First Team All-SEC Tiger defender has turned heads in 2013 as he currently leads the conference in both sacks (10.5) and tackles-for-loss (18.0) and resides in the top 10 nationally in those categories. Sam shares the SEC coaches’ honor with Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley.

Sam is the first Mizzou player in program history to earn a conference defensive player of the year award from league coaches. Overall, he is the second Tiger to ever win conference defensive player of the year honors, matching former standout Jeff Gaylord, who won the Associated Press award in the Big Eight in 1981. Sam claimed the AP honor on Tuesday.

Sam was recognized three times during the season with weekly SEC awards, twice as the league’s defensive line player of the week (Sept. 28, Oct. 5) and once as its defensive player of the week (Oct. 19). All three weekly awards followed impressive 3.0-sack performances from Sam (vs. Arkansas State, at Vanderbilt, vs. No. 22 Florida).

Sam and Mizzou next play in the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, set for Friday, Jan. 3 in Arlington, Texas, at the world-renowned AT&T Stadium. Kickoff for the game, which will pit the Tigers against former conference foe Oklahoma State (10-2, second place in Big 12), is set for 7 p.m. (central time) and will be televised nationally on FOX.

— MU Sports Information —

Lockett, Mueller lead K-State’s All-Big 12 selections

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013

Paced by Special Teams Player of the Year Tyler Lockett and Defensive Lineman of the Year Ryan Mueller, Kansas State landed 13 players on the coaches’ All-Big 12 teams, the conference office announced Wednesday.

Joining Lockett – who was honored as both a wide receiver and kick returner – and Mueller on the first team were offensive lineman B.J. Finney and defensive back Ty Zimmerman, while offensive lineman Cody Whitehair was a second-team selection. Additionally, Lockett and Zimmerman picked up votes for the league’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year awards, respectively.

Kansas State’s honorable mention selections included defensive lineman Travis Britz, fullback Glenn Gronkowski, running back John Hubert, offensive linemen Cornelius Lucas and Tavon Rooks, quarterback Daniel Sams, linebacker Blake Slaughter and kick returner Tramaine Thompson.

Lockett is the first Wildcat to earn Special Teams Player of the Year honors since Brandon Banks in 2009, while Mueller garnered Kansas State’s second-straight Defensive Lineman of the Year honor (Meshak Williams). The two specialty awards in 2013 pushed K-State’s total to six over the last two years as Bill Snyder (coach), Collin Klein (offensive), Arthur Brown (defensive) and Williams were honored last season.

A product of Tulsa, Okla., Lockett led the Big 12 during the regular season with 151.4 all-purpose yards per game, an astonishing 22.3 yards per game better than the player in second place. His average ranks 14th nationally and is a product of a 104.2 receiving yards-per-game average, which ranks second in the conference and 11th in the nation. The all-conference honor was the third of Lockett’s career as he was a second-team honoree in 2011 and 2012.

Lockett sits in the school’s top 10 in six single-season receiving categories and four career receiving categories, while he produced the top two single-game receiving outputs in school history this season (278 vs. Oklahoma, 237 vs. Texas) and tied the school record with three receiving touchdowns on two occasions (West Virginia and Oklahoma). He also owns the school record for career kickoff-return yardage (1,760), and he ranks second in school history in career kickoff-return average (30.9) and touchdowns (4).

Mueller, a junior from Leawood, Kan., leads the Big 12 with 18.5 tackles for loss and is second in the league with a school-record tying 11.5 sacks. A former walk-on who has at least a half tackle for loss in every game this year, Mueller enters the postseason a half sack away from entering the Big 12’s single-season top 10 and 1.5 away from appearing on the school’s career top-10 list.

Zimmerman’s designation made him the first player in school history to garner four-straight all-conference accolades. Additionally, he is one of just four Big 12 defensive backs to earn four All-Big 12 honors with at least one of those being a first-team designation, joining Nebraska’s Ralph Brown (1996-99) and Oklahoma’s Brandon Everage (2000-03) and Derrick Strait (2000-03). The Junction City, Kan., native ranks third in the Big 12 among defensive backs with seven tackles per game, while he has returned a Big 12-best two interceptions for touchdowns.

Finney joins Zimmerman and Lockett as one of 14 players in school history with three or more career all-conference honors. The Andale, Kan., product has started all 38 games in his Wildcat career, including the last 37 at center, and is a two-time team captain.

A native of Abilene, Kan., Whitehair garnered his second-straight all-conference accolade as he was an honorable mention pick by the coaches in 2012. He has started 24 of 25 career games, including all 12 regular-season contests in 2013 at left guard.

Hubert, Lucas, Rooks and Thompson each garnered their second-straight All-Big 12 designation, while Britz, Gronkowski, Sams and Slaughter were named all-conference for the first time in their careers.

K-State takes on the Michigan Wolverines for the first time in school history in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, December 28, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The game, which kicks off at 9:15 p.m. (CT), will be televised nationally on ESPN.

— KSU Sports Information —

Missouri’s Pinkel named AFCA Regional Coach of the Year; finalist for FWAA Award

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013

University of Missouri Head Football Coach Gary Pinkel has been recognized for the outstanding job his program has done in the 2013 season. Pinkel has been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coach of the Year for Region 2, in acknowledgement for his Tigers putting together an 11-2 season which included an Eastern Division championship in the Southeastern Conference.

Additionally, Pinkel has also been named one of eight finalists for the prestigious Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year, as awarded by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). The winner will be announced on Monday, Dec. 16th, and Pinkel will be considered along with fellow finalists Art Briles (Baylor), David Cutcliffe (Duke), Mark Dantonio (Michigan State), Jimbo Fisher (Florida State), Gus Malzahn (Auburn), George O’Leary (UCF) and David Shaw (Stanford).

Pinkel has guided Mizzou to one of its top seasons in program history in 2013. After being picked to finish sixth in the seven-team SEC East in the pre-season, his Tigers went 11-1 in the regular season, and turned in a 7-1 mark in SEC play to claim the East Division outright – marking MU’s fourth division title in the last seven years (2007, 2008, 2010, 2013). Mizzou reached as high as 5th in the weekly polls, and after last week’s defeat to Auburn in the SEC Championship Game, the Tigers landed 8th in the final Bowl Championship Series season poll. Pinkel’s 101 wins at Mizzou in 13 seasons have him tied with former Coach Don Faurot for most in school history. He’ll go for sole possession of the record on Jan. 3rd, when his team plays in the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic against former conference foe Oklahoma State.

The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA. The winners are selected by Active members of the Association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.

The 2013 Regional Coach of the Year winners will be recognized at the AFCA Coach of the Year Dinner at the 2014 AFCA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, January 14.

— MU Sports Information —

KU’s Johnson named Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013

Kansas first-year safety Isaiah Johnson led Kansas with five interceptions and was second on the team with 73 tackles and for those efforts was named the Big 12 Conference Defensive Newcomer of the Year Wednesday. Johnson was one of eight Jayhawks, including All-Big 12 Second Team selections Ben Heeney and James Sims, honored by the league’s coaches.

Johnson, a sophomore junior college transfer from Cary, N.C., was one of seven Jayhawks to receive honorable mention honors in 10 different categories and was KU’s first Defensive Newcomer of the Year since Chris Harris was tabbed with the title by the Associated Press in 2007. Heeney and Sims, who were both honored by the Associated Press Monday, earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors for the second consecutive season.

Kansas players who earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention were Ngalu Fusimalohi (OL), Johnson (DB), Dexter McDonald (DB), Jimmay Mundine (TE), Trevor Pardula (P, ST PoY), JaCorey Shepherd (KR/PR, DB), and Sims (Off. PoY).

A wide receiver when he first entered college, Johnson was successful not only as a newcomer to the Jayhawks, but as a newcomer to the defensive backfield. The former Iowa Western Community College defensive back finished the 2013 campaign with the most interceptions by a Jayhawk since 2008, when Darrell Stuckey also picked off five passes. One of Johnson’s best games came on the road at Texas, when he recorded five tackles and intercepted two passes.

Heeney, a junior from Hutchinson, Kan., missed a pair of games in the middle of the conference slate but still finished with a team-best 88 total stops, including 11.5 tackles for loss and the first three interceptions of his career. Heeney, also selected as an All-Big 12 Second Team selection by the Associated Press Monday, was fourth in the conference with 8.7 tackles per game and ranked fifth in tackles-for-loss per game with 1.15. Heeney reached double figures in tackles in six of his 10 games played, including four Big 12 contests.

Sims, who was picked as an All-Big 12 First Team selection on Monday by a panel of media, was the Big 12’s leading rusher in conference games with 92.1 yards per contest and finished the 2013 campaign with a league-best 1,110 yards overall. That mark made Sims the first player in Kansas history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Sims rushed for at least 70 yards in nine of 12 games this season, including a career-best 211 and three touchdowns in KU’s win over West Virginia.

A senior from Irving, Texas, Sims closed his Kansas career among the leaders in several categories. Sims’ 3,592 rushing yards rank third on KU’s all-time charts, his 34 career rushing touchdowns is second, and his breakout performance against the Mountaineers was the 15th-best single-game rushing total by a Kansas player.

Sims and junior punter Trevor Pardula each earned honorable mention for specialty awards, with Sims receiving votes for offensive player of the year and Pardula votes for special teams player of the year. Pardula earned honorable mention honors at punter after booting 24 punts of more than 50 yards, including a career-best 78 yard punt, for an average of 43.7 yards per kick. Pardula also placed 25 punts inside the 20.

Fusimalohi, a junior offensive lineman from Daly City, Calif., started every game of his first season at Kansas on the interior of the line and earned honorable mention honors for helping open holes for Sims and the Kansas rushing attack.

McDonald, a junior from Kansas City, Mo., and Shepherd, a junior from Mesquite, Texas, proved to be a formidable duo at corner in their first seasons as full-time starters and earned honorable mention after logging two interceptions each and combining for 23 pass break-ups. Shepherd was also received honorable mention for his return ability after returning 24 kicks for an average of 22.8 yards per return, including a season-best 69-yard kickoff return against Oklahoma State.

Mundine was also tabbed as honorable mention after he finished the year as KU’s leader in receiving touchdowns (5), was second in receiving yards (229) and tied for third in total receptions (20). Mundine caught a pass in each of the first eight games of the season, including four straight with touchdown catches. Four of Mundine’s five touchdowns came against Big 12 opponents.

Kansas finished the 2013 season with a 3-9 overall record, including the team’s first win over a Big 12 Conference opponent since 2010.

— KU Sports Information —