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Category: College

Western names Roger Smith assistant women’s basketball coach

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Missouri Western State University Director of Athletics, Kurt McGuffin has announced Roger Smith as assistant women’s basketball coach. Smith was an assistant at Oklahoma City for one season under current Western coach Rob Edmisson.

Smith served as Oklahoma City’s video coordinator, managed a large part of scouting and assisted in daily practices. During his one season at OCU the Stars went 35-1 winning the 2011-2012 NAIA National Championship.

“Roger is one of the best coaches I have ever been around in regards to instructing and teaching kids on the floor,” commented Edmisson. “His detail with film work and game planning was a huge factor in our run last year to the NAIA National Championship,” stated Edmisson.

Previously, Smith spent a season as assistant coach for the OCU men’s basketball program in 2009-2010. The Stars went 17-10, finished third place in the Sooner Athletic Conference and advanced to the NAIA Division I Tournament.

Smith has experience coaching in the Oklahoma City area on the high-school level, winning a state championship while on the staff at Putnam City High School. Roger served as the head coach at Casady School (2008-2009) and Little Axe High School (2005-2006). While on the staff at John Marshall High School (2007-2008) the team made it to the state semifinals and was on the staff at Okarche High School, which made the state tournament in 2010-2011.

“I am very excited to get the chance to continue coaching under Edmisson,” commented Smith. “We share a similar philosophy when it comes to both ends of the floor. We feel comfortable with each other as he gives me a lot of freedom when it comes to scouting and breaking down film. We will play an exciting brand of basketball that is fun to watch,” said Smith.

Roger has been married for 17 years (Cristina) and has three children – Isabella (9), Griffin (7) and Price (2).

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcat men’s tennis earns 7th straight NCAA tournament appearance

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The Northwest Missouri State men’s tennis team will compete in the NCAA South Central Region for the seventh straight year announced by the NCAA Tuesday evening. The Bearcats will travel to top seed Abilene Christian for a rematch with the Wildcats Tuesday, May 1.

The No. 26 Bearcats enter postseason play with a 19-4 record while No. 16 ACU stands at 19-8 on the year. It will be the first meeting between the two schools in the NCAA tournament although they both met during the regular season with the Wildcats taking a 7-2 win.

Northwest is coming off its third consecutive MIAA Championship after knocking off No. 29 Southwest Baptist 5-4 on Sunday. This will be the 16th postseason appearance for the Bearcats who are looking for their fifth ever trip to the Round of 16.

Abilene Christian is also coming off a conference title as the Wildcats claimed their fourth straight Lone Star Conference Championship with a 5-1 win over Incarnate Word last Saturday.

The winner of Tuesday’s NCAA Preliminary Regional round will advance to the Round of 16 May 16-19 in Louisville, Ky. Times have not yet been announced.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Kansas announces 2012 football captains

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Following a team vote, Kansas football head coach Charlie Weis announced here today that seniors Dayne Crist, Tanner Hawkinson and Toben Opurum had been appointed permanent team captains for the 2012 season. Crist and Hawkinson earned the honor for the first time in their Kansas careers, while Opurum served as a team captain during the 2011 campaign.

Crist, a quarterback from Canoga Park, Calif., is entering his first year with the KU program after transferring from Notre Dame in January. The former five-start prospect played three seasons and made 10 starts for Notre Dame from 2008-11. During his time with the Irish, he threw for 2,327 yards, with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while earning 10 starts. Upon arriving in Lawrence in January, Crist immediately gained the respect of his teammates with his knowledge of Weis’ offense on the field and his outgoing demeanor off it.

Hawkinson, a standout on the offensive line from McPherson, Kan., has started every game of his Jayhawk career. After spending time as a tight end and a defensive end during his redshirt season, Hawkinson was permanently moved to the offensive line where he has more than found a home. He earned Freshman All-America honors from both the Sporting News and CollegeFootballNews.com playing at left tackle. Hawkinson was moved to right tackle during his junior season, garnering All-Big 12 Third Team honors by Phil Steele’s Midseason report. He has since returned to left tackle, where he will lead a veteran offensive line in his final season at KU.

Opurum, a defensive lineman from Richardson, Texas, is entering his third season on the defensive side of the ball after starting his Kansas career at running back. After leading the Jayhawks in rushing with 554 yards and nine TDs as a freshman, Opurum has since found his niche stopping the opposing team’s offense. He recorded 45 tackles as a junior, including a team-best 10.5 TFLs for minus 55 yards. Opurum also led the Kansas defense in 2011 with four sacks and seven quarterback hurries.

Weis also divulged that a fourth special teams captain would be named on a game-by-game basis based on the previous week’s performance.

— KU Sports Information —

Johnson, Koch earn MWSU Student-Athlete of the Year honors

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The Missouri Western athletic department honored its student-athletes at the 13th Annual Missouri Western State University/St. Joseph News-Press Student-Athlete Honors Banquet on Monday evening in the Faulkerson Center. Western basketball swept the student-athlete of the year awards as women’s basketball player Jessica Koch was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year while men’s basketball player TJ Johnson was named Male Student-Athlete of the Year.

This year’s banquet featured the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs Mitch Holthus as the keynote speaker. Holthus has been with the Chiefs organization since 1994 and previously was the radio voice of the Kansas State Wildcats for 14 years. Holthus also does television work for the Big 12 Basketball Network, the Missouri Valley Conference and other select broadcasts on ESPNU.

Western also honored one Silver Anniversary Award winner who attended the institution for outstanding achievements and representation throughout the past 25-plus years. Former student athletic trainer and longtime Head Athletic Trainer of the Kansas City Chiefs Bud Epps will received the award which exhibits the characteristics of Integrity, Dedication, Leadership, a Commitment to Excellence and an obligation to serve as a concerned partner in their community.

Current Western student-athletes were chosen as their respective sports’ Student-Athlete of the Year include; TJ Johnson (Men’s Basketball), Tony Loeffler (Baseball), Tom Madget (Football), Tyler Gast (Men’s Golf), Taylor Kram (cheer squad), Jessica Koch (Women’s Basketball), Natalie Bird (Women’s Golf), Leah Steele (Softball), Molly Slattery (Women’s Soccer), Nicole Kerr (Women’s Tennis) and Tahler Johnston (Volleyball).

All of the above individuals were finalists for the Missouri Western State University/St. Joseph News-Press Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award which was announced during the banquet. Western also recognized the top graduating senior based on highest cumulative GPA with the James J. McMillen Award. The winner was Taylor Krahm with a 3.95 GAP.  The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s Volunteer of the Year was given to baseball player Harrison Cobb and the MWSU Award for Valor was given to football players Jack Long and Shane Simpson. The award recognized an individual(s) for an outstanding act of courage.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Kansas dismisses Garrett & Robinson from football team

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Kansas football head coach Charlie Weis announced the dismissal of KU players Collin Garrett and Chris Robinson from the team here Monday afternoon. Garrett, a sophomore from Beaumont, Texas and Robinson, a redshirt freshman from Sanford, Fla., were both dismissed for a violation of team rules.

Garrett, a linebacker, saw action in six games as a true freshman in 2011. He made his career debut against Oklahoma, collecting four tackles versus the Sooners. He also had one tackle in games versus Kansas State, Baylor and Missouri. Robinson, a cornerback, did not see any action during the 2011 season and was redshirted.

— KU Sports Information —

K-State announces spring football game details for Saturday

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K-State Athletics and the Wildcat football program will host numerous events the weekend of April 27-28, culminating with the 1:10 p.m. Purple/White spring football game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday.

The 28th annual Powercat Golf Tournament at Colbert Hills Golf Course will kick off the weekend on Friday with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. Registration begins at 9 a.m. Questions regarding the golf tournament should be directed to Bernie Haney at (785) 565-1719 or bhaney@k-state.edu.

Later that evening, the Powercat Auction will be held at Bramlage Coliseum with doors to the arena opening at 5 p.m. A silent auction on the concourse begins immediately and wraps up at 6:45 p.m., while a buffet dinner will be served from 6:30 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. The live auction portion of the event begins at 7:45 p.m.

Saturday’s events get underway with the public groundbreaking ceremony for the West Stadium Center project at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Fans are invited to attend the ceremonial groundbreaking at 11:30 a.m., at Gate F on the west side of the stadium.

Tickets for the 1:10 p.m., spring game can be purchased for $5 while children under the age of two will be admitted at no charge. To purchase tickets, visit k-statesports.com or call the K-State Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-221-CATS. Both ticket booths at the stadium will also be open on gameday beginning at 10 a.m.

Students who have purchased season tickets for 2012 can pick up a free ticket to the spring game at the student tailgate party outside Gates N and P on the east side of the stadium. Students who haven’t bought a season pass may purchase a spring game ticket for $5 at either of the stadium’s ticket booths.

Parking for the event is free and both the west and east lots of the stadium will open at 10 a.m. Stadium gates will open at 11:45 a.m., following the conclusion of the WSC groundbreaking ceremony. All seating for the game is general admission with Sections 1-9 on the west side and Sections 20-28 on the east side open for fans.

— KSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western blows three-run lead in ninth inning at Truman

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The Missouri Western baseball team (29-13, 22-10) surrendered a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth to drop the final game of a four game series at Truman State (14-26, 13-23) Sunday afternoon.

Western extended a one run lead by scoring two runs in the top of the ninth on a Nate Ramler home run. Jake Jones entered in the bottom of the ninth and walked the leadoff batter. The Bulldogs follwed with two straight singles before Pete Jurich drilled a three-run double that cleared the bases and tied the game. Paul Trenahile’s sacrifice fly to center brought in the winning run and earned a series split for Truman.

Ramler got the Griffons on the board in the first with an RBI double that scored Grant Fink from second base. Truman tied it up in the third on an RBI single from Devon Meyers. Western grabbed the lead again in the sixth on RBI singles from Shawn Egge, Michael Shulze and David Chew.

Oliver Kadey held the Bulldogs to one run on four hits through five innings, but Truman got to Kadey in the sixth. Jurich led off the inning with a home run to left field. Kadey retired the next batter, but then hit a batter and gave up a single. Chris Allen entered in relief and retired the first batter he faced.

The Bulldogs then took advantage of two Griffon miscues to tie the game at four apiece. A wild pitch allowed a runner to advance to third base, then score on a single to right field, and a throwing error allowed the tying run to score.

Ramler had three extra base hits and finieshed 3-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Spencer Shockley was 3-5 with two runs scored. Tony Loeffler went 2-3 and scored a run, while Bubba Dotson was 2-4 with one run scored. Kadey went 5 1/3 allowing seven hits and three earned runs, while striking out three. Allen went 2 2/3, allowing two hits and one run. Allen also struck out three. Jake Jones took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits .

Western returns home this weekend for the team’s final home series of the season. Southwest Baptist visits the Griffon Spring Sports Complex beginning on Friday with a doubleheader.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Griffons and Bearcats will meet in MIAA softball tournament opener

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Emporia State earned the 2012 MIAA Regular Season Championship with a perfect 20-0 conference record and will be the top seed in the upcoming MIAA Centennial Softball Tournament.

Missouri Western will be the No. 2 seed after posting a 18-2 league record, while Fort Hays State is the No. 3 seed with an 13-7 conference mark.

Central Missouri will be the No. 4 seed with a 9-11 MIAA record, as the Jennies hold the tiebreaker over No. 5 seed Washburn, which also posted a 9-11 conference record.

Pittsburg State will be the No. 6 seed. The Gorillas’ seed was adjusted following a self-reported eligibility violation. In accordance with NCAA and MIAA policy a nullification penalty was applied to PSU’s won-lost percentage.

Northwest Missouri is the No. 7 seed after recording a 7-13 MIAA record, and Lincoln will be the No. 8 seed after finishing 6-14 in the conference. The Blue Tigers held the tiebreaker over Southwest Baptist and Truman to earn the final spot in the tournament.

All first round matchups will be played Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Blue Valley Sports Complex in Overland Park, Kan.

Top seeded Emporia State will take on No. 8 seed Lincoln, No. 2 seed Missouri Western will play No. 7 seed Northwest Missouri, No. 3 seed Fort Hays State will match up with No. 6 seed Pittsburg State, and No. 4 seed Central Missouri will face off with No. 5 seed Washburn.

— MIAA Release —

Northwest wins third straight MIAA men’s tennis title

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For the third time in three seasons the Northwest Missouri State men’s tennis team walked away as the MIAA Tournament Championship. On Sunday the Bearcats claimed a 5-4 victory over Southwest Baptist in a battle of top 30 teams at the Plaza Tennis Center.

No. 26 Northwest Missouri, who handed SBU its only conference loss of the year during the regular season, improved to 19-4 on the season. No. 28 SBU fell to 13-7 on the season as it was the second time this year Northwest knocked off their purple Bearcat foes and the second consecutive season of the two teams meeting in the MIAA Finals with the same result.

Northwest jumped out to a 2-0 lead as Guilherme Narducci and Rafael Bugiga claimed an 8-4 win over Kristof Kinal and Daniel Cardona at No. 2 doubles.

Calvin Patterson and Luis Altimires won their No. 3 doubles match 8-3 over Alex Belote and Tyler Welch as SBU earned its only doubles point at the No. 1 position. The two doubles points for Northwest proved important as all six singles matches came down to the wire.

In singles action the green and white Bearcats picked up wins at No. 2 and No. 4 singles, however SBU battled to take three matches as well at No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 singles.

In the end though it was Northwest’s Jason Harris picking up a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles giving Northwest its third straight MIAA Title.

Northwest will now wait to see its fate in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament as they look for their sixth straight postseason appearance. Last year Northwest fell in its first round match at St. Edward’s as the Hilltoppers claimed a 6-1 win.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

No. 17 Western splits regular season finale at Central Oklahoma

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The 17th ranked Griffons split a non-conference double header with future MIAA opponent the 3rd ranked Bronchos of Central Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon. Western took game one 3-2 before falling 5-0 in game two. The Griffons end the regular season with a 38-9 overall record and will be the 2nd seed in next weekend’s MIAA Tournament.

Game 1: MWSU 3, UCO 2
The Griffons softball team got a much needed victory in game one against the 3rd ranked Bronchos. Jackie Bishop let up just six hits to the powerful Broncho lineup stranding nine runners in the complete game. She improves to 22-2 on the year as she struck out just two batters.

The Bronchos took the early lead in the second inning when Devyn Frazier singled to left scoring Brittany Weaver giving UCO the 1-0 lead.

Westerm left eight runners on base which included five in the first four innings of play. In the fifth Western got the bases loaded with no one out but were unable to capitalize as a soft liner by Taylor Anding hit Leah Steele in the foot and then a pop fly by Tiffany Gillaspy turned into an inning ending double play as pinch runner Kim Robinson got tossed out at the plate.

In the fifth Western finally got the timely hits they have been looking for when  Blair Stalder doubled to right center scoring Kendall Sorenson and Sarah Elliott giving Western the 2-1 lead. The Griffons next batter Keri Lobert singled scoring Stalder putting Western up 3-1 heading to the bottom of the fifth.

Central Oklahoma cut the lead to one in the fifth when Nathalie Timmermans hit her 20th homer of the season cutting Western’s lead to 3-2.

That would be all the Bronchos would get as Bishop shut them down in the sixth and then stranded two runners on base in the seventh getting the victory.

Western had nine hits with Breanna Fleschner, Elliott, Stalder and Lorbert each collecting two.

UCO had six hits with Timmermans going 3-for-3. Rachael Steverson falls to 20-4 going 4.1 innings giving up nine hits with three earned runs. Amanda McClelland went 2.2 innings in relief not giving up any hits.

Game 2: UCO 5, MWSU 0
Western put runners on base in the first four innings but could not get a hit to give them the lead. Things started good for Western as the first two batters reached base but Fleschner was tossed out at third after an Elliot single ending  the threat.

Annalee Rubio pitched well keeping the Bronchos off balance holding them to just one hit in the first three innings. In the third she pitched around some trouble but gave up one run. In the fifth and sixth the Griffons defense struggled making two errors giving up four more runs falling 5-0.

Western had five hits with Taylor Anding going 2-for-3. Rubio falls to 13-7 giving up eight hits and four earned runs.
UCO improves to 38-5 with the win. They had eight hits with Kaylee Brunson and Kayce Raines each getting two hits. McClelland improves to 18-1 going all seven innings giving up five hits.

Western will be in action next Thursday playing the first round of the MIAA Tournament. Western will play the 7th seed at 6:00 pm and will take on the 3rd or 6th at 8:00 pm depending on the outcome. Game are played at Blue Valley Receation Complex in Overland Park, Kan.

— MWSU Sports Information —

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