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Category: College

Northwest soccer gets shutout by No. 15 Central, 4-0

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Fifteenth-ranked Central Missouri scored three goals in the second half to beat the Bearcats 4-0 at Bearcat Pitch on Thursday night.

The Bearcats are now 3-2-2, 1-0 MIAA after shutting out Southwest Baptist 2-0 last Saturday when sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Adams recorded her second shutout of the season.  With the win the Jennies improve to 6-1-0, 0-0 MIAA.

The Jennies started the game hot scoring in the 1st minute when Alyssa Rhodes scored off of a perfectly delivered corner kick from Carly Stanley.  Central would strike again in the 38th minute when Caysi Shouse scored off of an assist from Jenna Stones.

Northwest was outshot in the first half 15-2 and was only able to attempt one shot on goal.  Adams had nine saves in the half.

Central went on the attack in the second half outshooting Northwest 10-3.  Rhodes upped the Jennies’ lead to 3-0 in the 47th minute when she netted her second goal of the night off another corner kick from Stanley.  Stanley would put the game out of reach for the Bearcats in the 52nd minute when she netted her second goal of the season.

Northwest would finish with only two shots of goal.  Adams recorded fourteen saves in the loss.

The Bearcats (3-1-2, 1-0 MIAA) will enjoy the weekend off before continuing MIAA action next week when they host the Missouri Southern Lions (0-4-1, 0-0 MIAA) at Bearcat Pitch on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m.  Last season Northwest lost 1-2 and tied 0-0 when facing Southern; overall, the Bearcats are 11-10-3 when facing the Lions and 7-3-1 when facing them at Bearcat Pitch.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Beebe out as Big 12 commissioner, Binding TV rights on the table

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The Big 12 dumped its embattled commissioner Thursday and said nine schools had pledged to give their TV rights to the conference for the next six years, a step intended to preserve a fractured league that has lost two members in the past year and expects to lose another by next summer.

“The bottom line is we achieved substantial reforms,” Oklahoma President David Boren said after school presidents met by telephone for more than an hour. “We feel extremely good.”

No contracts had been signed yet in part because some schools must get the approval of their governing boards, league spokesman Bob Burda said.

It ultimately approved, schools that leave the Big 12 during the contract would leave their TV rights — and millions of dollars — behind in a blow much more punishing than a typical exit fee.

There are signs that the league has a lot of healing to do.

Oklahoma, which was trying to leave the Big 12 just a few days ago, and Missouri, which wanted to leave for the Big Ten in 2010, staged competing news conferences to start spreading the new message of goodwill and stability in the Big 12.

And Texas officials, often portrayed as the Big 12 bullies, chose not to say anything at all. Still not addressed was whether the Big 12 wants to do something about Texas’ lucrative Longhorn Network agreement with ESPN that casts an ominous shadow over the rest of the league.

Commissioner Dan Beebe is gone after five up-and-down years that included securing a 13-year, $1.2 billion contract with Fox Sports but sharp criticism for failing to keep Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pac-12) from leaving over the summer. Texas A&M plans to leave by July for the Southeastern Conference.

Former Big Eight Commissioner Chuck Neinas will serve as interim commissioner. Boren said Neinas will not be a candidate to take the job permanently.

Revenue sharing and a change of leadership were considered by some schools, notably Oklahoma, as the top issues to address to save the league in the latest round of conference realignment.

The Big 12 splits revenue from its Fox Sports contract evenly, but only half of the money from its top-tier deal with ABC goes into equal shares. The rest is weighted toward the programs that play on the network more frequently.

Boren said all nine remaining schools — all those except for Texas A&M — “agreed” to give a six-year grant of their first- and second-tier television rights to the Big 12. That means that all revenue from the top television games — shown currently on networks owned by ABC/ESPN and Fox — would continue to go to the Big 12 even if a school bolts to another league.

The six-year term runs past the next negotiating period for the top-tier contract, currently with ABC/ESPN, in a bid to keep the nine schools together for the next contract.

“These are very strong handcuffs,” Boren said. “The grant of rights really does bind the conference together and it shows that we fully intend to stay together.

“If you wanted to talk about one important action that really does demonstrate that this conference is going to be stable, that we’re not going to have year-to-year dramas like we have had, I think that grant of rights is a very essential item,” he said.

Texas Tech President Guy Bailey agreed.

“Not everybody in the past has been willing to do that,” Bailey said.

Texas has proposed equal revenue sharing of top-level television rights but also said it won’t make changes to its controversial 20-year, $300 million contract with ESPN for the Longhorn Network.

Boren said any changes to the Longhorn Network would have to be considered by a special panel to be appointed by Big 12 board chairman Brady Deaton, Missouri’s chancellor. Boren said that panel would likely be chosen by Friday.

Texas officials were not available for comment Thursday night.

The conference call came after a whirlwind month when the league appeared — again — to be on the verge of breaking apart.

The league nearly split when Nebraska and Colorado left. The Big 12 appeared to be set as a 10-team league until Texas A&M announced earlier this month it will leave in 2012 to seek membership in the Southeastern Conference.

That started a new round of maneuvering and Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech all were considering a potential move to the Pac-12 until it announced Tuesday that it would not expand.

The 54-year-old Beebe became an easy target for schools upset about instability in the league.

“I have no negative personal feelings toward our previous commissioner, but I’m alarmed by the fact that in 15 months we lost three teams and I’m aware in detail in how of some of those situations played out,” Boren said. “I don’t feel it was inevitable that we lost those three teams.”

Critics portrayed Beebe as constantly being outmaneuvered by other league commissioners who were picking off his teams one by one and as someone beholden to Texas, the Big 12’s biggest and wealthiest member.

Last fall, Beebe was granted a three-year extension on his contract through 2015. When the extension was announced, Deaton said Beebe had been “an outstanding leader” during challenging times.

Now, he’s gone.

“I put all my effort into doing what was best for the Big 12. With great fondness, I wish the Big 12 Conference a long and prosperous future,” Beebe said in a statement released by the Big 12.

That future includes finding a replacement for Texas A&M. Boren said an expansion committee within the Big 12 had been restarted, but offered no timeline.

Texas has said it wants the Big 12 to stay at 10 teams. Others may want to go back to 12.

As for the Aggies?

“I think that it’s highly likely that they will go to the SEC,” Boren said. “They’re so far down the line, I think, with the SEC that I don’t think they are likely to change their mind.”

Texas A&M’s president, R. Bowen Loftin, participated in the call as a voting member but Boren said “no one should take that as a signal that they have changed their minds.” Boren said the other nine members did nothing to remove the threat of legal action that has kept A&M’s departure from being finalized.

Texas A&M spokesman Jason Cook said the school is not sticking around.

“Another key to the (Big 12’s) stability will be for the league to assist Texas A&M with our departure. The events of this week were positive in that regard,” Cook said.

— Associated Press —

Bearcat cross country teams jump in regional rankings

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The Northwest Missouri State men’s and women’s cross country teams both improved in the week one regional poll as released by U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The Bearcat men and women both improved one spot, but the one spot was a big jump for both teams as the polls saw relatively little movement. It came almost a week after both teams finished successful runs at the Woody Greeno Invitational in Lincoln, Neb.

The Northwest men jumped to No. 6 in the South Central Region, switching places with perennial power Missouri Southern. Central Missouri remains the highest ranking MIAA team at No. 2 while East Central (Okla.) held onto the top spot.

On the women’s side, Northwest moved from No. 6 to No. 5 after a great showing in Lincoln. The Bearcats, paced behind Angela Adams still trail a number of MIAA teams including power Missouri Southern at No.2 and Truman at No. 3, neither of which changed from the preseason poll. Midwestern State also held onto the No. 1 spot.

Both teams have the weekend off before heading to the Emporia State Invitational, Sept. 30.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Western Alumni Association hosting watch parties for football game Thursday

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The excitement is building for Thursday night’s nationally televised Griffon Football game at Washburn carried live on CBS Sports Network.  For fans not able to head to Topeka for the game, the Western Alumni Association has organized three watch parties statewide for Griffon fans to gather and root on the team.
 
In St. Joseph, fans are gathering at The Tap Room located at 1702 North Belt Highway.  In Kansas City, the place to be is Willie’s KC in the Power & Light District located at the corner of Truman and Grand Streets across from the Sprint Center.  In Columbia, Griffon fans can meet at D Rowe’s Bar & Grill located in Club Village.
 
CBS Sports Network is available to Suddenlink Customers in St. Joseph which can be viewed on digital channel 414 as part of the sports tier package.  CBS Sports Network is also available on DirecTV Channel 613 and on Dish Network Channel 152.

— MWSU Press Release —

Northwest volleyball gets swept by No. 6 Washburn

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The sixth-ranked Washburn Lady Blues made quick work of the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats Tuesday night taking a, 3-0 win inside Bearcat Arena in MIAA volleyball action.

Northwest falls to 3-6 on the season and 0-2 in the MIAA falling to perennial power Washburn, 25-13, 25-16, 25-20. The Lady Blues improved to 9-1 on the year and 2-0 in league play as they extended the Bearcats losing streak to four games.

“Washburn is one of the top teams in the country and they proved that here tonight,” head coach Jessica Rinehart said. “You can’t make as many mistakes as we did against top teams. All you can do is shake it off and get back out on the court. And we get to do that Friday night against Fort Hays St.”

The Lady Blues came out and silenced the Bearcat faithful taking the first two sets in dominating fashion. Washburn hit .281 as a team while unforced errors saw the Bearcats post a -.143 hitting percentage.

Northwest would pull out early in the second set, but the Lady Blues would again dominate at the net hitting .429. A Bearcat timeout would momentarily halt the Lady Blues momentum before cruising to a, 25-16 win and a, 2-0 lead.

The Bearcats would hang with the Lady Blues in the third and final set forcing seven ties and three lead changes. However, errors would again haunt Northwest as they finished with an .050 team hitting percentage falling, 25-20.

Laira Akin would pace the Bearcat offense with 23 assists while Tori Beckman’s 14 digs led all players.

Heavy hits from freshman Brooke Bartosh and senior Alex Hanna would swing the momentum towards Northwest in each set, however the Bearcats could not capitalize as they only held serve for three consecutive points once in the entire match.

Hilary Hughes of Washburn led all players with nine kills.

Northwest continues MIAA action at Fort Hays State on Friday. Tip from Hays, Kan. is set for 7 p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Griffons move back into D2Football.com Top 25

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After being knocked out of the D2Football.com top-25 following their opening week loss against Pittsburg State the Missouri Western football team has climbed back into the poll at 25th after two decisive victories.

Western defeated the 12th ranked Central Missouri Mules 23-6 on September 10 and followed that up with a 47-0 victory over Langston who was the 18th ranked NAIA team at the time.

Western will get a big test this week when they hit the road for the first time this season to take on the Washburn Ichabods on Thursday, September 22 from Yager Stadium at Moore Bowl.

Washburn is 3-0 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play. They are ranked 8th in the latest AFCA poll and 9th in the D2Football.com poll. Western comes into the contest 2-1 overall and 1-1 in MIAA play.

The game can be heard on 680 KFEQ and will also be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

Click here to view the D2Football.com Top 25.

— MWSU Sports Information —

MWSU women’s golf team finishes 6th at CSP Wildwood Lodge Invite

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On the final day of the CSP Wildwood Lodge Invite the Missouri Western women’s golf team broke away from Upper Iowa University and Sioux Falls University to take sole possession of 6th place firing a two round total of 681 (347-334). Western finished 15 strokes ahead of Minot State (696) and Upper Iowa (696) and nine strokes behind Winona State (672) for fifth place. Natalie Bird was the top finisher for the Griffons tying for 8th with a 161 (79-82).

The winner of the event was Augustana (SD) College with a 621 (320-301) which was 20 strokes ahead of second place finisher Concordia-St. Paul with a 641 (321-320). Nebraska-Omaha finished in third with a 656 (340-316) while Southwest Minnesota State finished fourth with a 662 (317-345).

The individual winner of the event was Maggie Leland of Augustana (SD) College shooting the tournament low in the second round, a one under 70 giving her a three over 147 (77-70) for the tournament. Leland finished five strokes ahead of Monica Enderlin of Concordia-St. Paul who fired a 152 (73-79).

Shelby Stone finished in a tie for 23rd firing a 170 (89-81) while Kristen Cooley finished in a tie for 25th with a 171 (89-82). Casi Webb fired a 180 (90-90) tying her for 36th while Darcy Smith shot a 182 (93-89) finishing in a tie for 40th for Western.

The Griffons return to action on Monday, September 26 and Tuesday, September 27 as they will be in Hays, Kan. to participate in the Fort Hays State Invitational at Smoky Hill Country Club.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcat golfers win second tournament in three days

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The Northwest Missouri State golf team picked up their second tournament win in three days, and third title of the fall season late Monday at the Nebraska-Wesleyan Invitational and the Pioneer Golf Club.

The Bearcats, who have participated in three tournaments this fall, have taken home first-place trophies at each one. The golfers will have the weekend of before heading to Fort Hays State next Monday for the Fort Hays St. Invite, a two-day event.

Northwest was led by Steph Charteris, who followed up Sunday’s 78 with a 75 (+1) and a third place finish. Charteris started the day in second place, but despite going even lower on Monday, the freshman could not make up the five strokes to champion Mel Buxton of Iowa Western Community College who shot a, 76-72 for a two-day total of 148.

Three Bearcats finished in the top 10 including Cassie Lowell, who also fired a second round 79 (162) to tie for fifth.

Tess Edwards rounded out the Bearcat trio in the top 10 at ninth after a second round 84 (166).

Kristina D’Angela finished in tied for 14th to round out the Bearcat scores with a consistent two-day score of 86-86 for a total of 172.

All five Northwest golfers finished in the top 20 as Jacy Gasper finished tied for 18th.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Kansas State releases 2012 baseball schedule

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A nine-day road trip in California to open the year and 30 home games – including three against in-state rival Kansas – highlight the 2012 baseball schedule released by head coach Brad Hill on Monday.

The Wildcats, who are coming off their third-straight NCAA Regional appearance, will play 16 games against teams that made the NCAA tournament a year ago, including six against College World Series participants.

“We were able to put together another competitive schedule that will challenge us from the beginning,” head coach Brad Hill said. “A nine-day road trip to open up the season will be a tough task, especially against the competition we will face in Cal State Bakersfield, San Diego, San Diego State and Oregon State. It doesn’t get any easier when you go through March, April and May against the always-tough Big 12 Conference and difficult midweek contests against Big Ten opponents Nebraska and Minnesota, as well as Missouri Valley foes Creighton and Missouri State. When you add in non-conference games against in-state rivals Wichita State and Kansas, it makes the schedule even tougher.

“We also assembled another solid 30-game home schedule,” Hill continued. “Our fans have been a big help to our success over the past few seasons, and we’re proud of the record number of season tickets sold last year. We appreciate the K-State family coming out to support us and look forward to playing in front of them yet again in 2012.”

The 2012 campaign begins with a seven-game, nine-day road trip to the Golden State beginning on Saturday, February 18, when K-State begins a three-game series at Cal State Bakersfield. It will be the third series between the two teams in the last two years as the Cats swept a two-game series in Bakersfield, Calif., last April before splitting a two-game home series with CSUB two weeks later.

Following its date with Cal State Bakersfield, Kansas State will travel 240 miles south to San Diego, Calif., to participate in the San Diego Tournament, an event in which the Wildcats went 3-1 in 2009. The Wildcats will face San Diego State on Thursday, Feb. 23, and Saturday, Feb. 25, at Tony Gwynn Stadium. On Friday, Feb. 24, the Cats will take on the University of San Diego at Cunningham Stadium, while they conclude their time in California on Sunday, Feb. 26, against 2011 NCAA Regional team Oregon State at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Kansas State opens its home slate on Friday, March 2, with a three-game series against Pacific. The series marks the first games to be played on the new AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D60 field laid at Tointon Family Stadium this summer. The Wildcats were a perfect 4-0 against the Tigers last year as they swept a three-game series at Pacific to open the 2011 season before winning a neutral-site contest the next week in Conway, S.C.

On Tuesday, March 6, the Wildcats will play their first of three games in 2012 against Nebraska as they travel to Lincoln, Neb., for an afternoon tilt. K-State returns to Lincoln for a game on March 27, before hosting the Huskers on April 3.

After its day trip to Nebraska in early March, K-State hosts Hartford for a four-game weekend series beginning on Friday, March 11. The Wildcats will then travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to take on the University of Minnesota, March 13-14, at the Metrodome for their first game at Minnesota since 1994. The series was originally scheduled for the 2011 season, but was delayed one year after the collapse of the Metrodome roof.

K-State opens up Big 12 Conference play on the road when it travels to College Station, Texas, to take on 2011 College World Series participant Texas A&M, March 16-18. After a home contest against Creighton on Tuesday, March 20, the Cats welcome another College World Series team in Texas, March 23-25.

The Wildcats will be back out on the road, March 30-April 1, as they play a three-game series at Oklahoma. That precludes a stretch of nine home games in the next 10 contests as the Wildcats host Nebraska on Tuesday, April 3, before a three-game series against Sacred Heart, April 5-7.

Following a game at Missouri State on Wednesday, April 11, the Cats host 2011 NCAA Regional team Baylor for three games beginning on Friday, April 13, before two games against Northern Colorado, April 17-18.

After a three-game series at Missouri, April 20-22, the Wildcats have two non-conference games against in-state opponents. On Tuesday, April 24, K-State plays host to Wichita State before traveling to Lawrence, Kan., the next day to take on Kansas in a non-conference tilt.

K-State will take on its final opponent that advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago when it hosts Oklahoma State, April 27-29.

The Wildcats conclude the non-conference portion of their schedule the next week when they make the return trip to Wichita State on Tuesday, May 1. K-State then returns home to take on Nebraska-Omaha, Friday, May 4, through Sunday, May 6.

The stretch run of the 2012 season begins on Friday, May 11, when the Wildcats host KU for a three-game home series. It marks the first time since 2001 that all three conference games are scheduled for the same stadium as the two schools have played a split-series over the last 10 years.

The regular season concludes with a three-game series at Texas Tech, Thursday through Saturday, May 17-19.

The 2012 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship will be held Wednesday, May 23, through Sunday, May 27, at RedHawks Field in Oklahoma City, Okla. The event will use a double-elimination format for the second-straight season.

Every home game throughout the 2012 season that is not picked up for television will be seen live across the globe in high-definition on K-StateHD.TV. Additionally, K-State Gameday, K-StateHD.TV’s pregame show featuring former Wildcat great Craig Wilson, will air 45 minutes prior to first pitch for every Saturday home conference game and the Wichita State contest on April 24.

— KSU Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State ranked No. 1 in latest AFCA Top 25

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Ten top 25 teams lost over the weekend propelling the Northwest Missouri State football team to the No. 1 spot as announced by the AFCA on Monday.

The Bearcats took a blowout, 73-7 win over Lincoln on Saturday to stay perfect on the season at 3-0 and extend their MIAA record winning streak to 48 games. Northwest has also won 12 straight regular season games the most in the nation after Albany State (Ga.) and Abilene Christian each lost.

ACU fell, 23-17 in a battle of top five teams to then No. 4 North Alabama who moved up two spots to No. 2. Behind the Lions, who received two first-place votes, was Shepherd (W. Va.) moving from No. 7 to No. 3, followed by Bloomsburg at No. 4 and Valdosta State at No. 5.

Along with the Bearcats three other MIAA schools are ranked in the top 25 including Washburn who moved to No. 8 after a come from behind win at Missouri Southern. Pittsburg State moved to No. 15 after narrowly escaping with a, 27-26 win at Truman, while No. 20 Central Missouri also needed late game heroics to pull a, 45-38 win over Emporia State.

Last year’s runner-up, Delta State moved back into the top 10 at No. 6 and picked up the final first-place tally followed by Nebraska-Kearney at No. 7 and MIAA rival Washburn. At is No. 8. Wayne State (Mich), who knocked off then-No. 22 Michigan Tech while Abilene Christian rounds out the top 10. Former No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth was shutout, 7-0 by Wayne State (Neb.) dropping the Bulldogs to No. 11.

The Bearcats have now been ranked 17 weeks at No. 1 in the AFCA top 25 poll. Northwest was last ranked in the top spot opening the 2010 season, which was the first time the Bearcats were ranked No.1 since the 2000 season.

Northwest returns home to host Fort Hays State this Saturday at 1 p.m. in the first ever Blackout at Bearcat Stadium.

Click here for the entire AFCA Top 25.

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