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Missouri Western announces four finalists for new Director of Athletics

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ST. JOSEPH – Four finalists to be the next director of athletics at Missouri Western State University will visit campus beginning July 17. All four of the candidates are currently athletic directors at other NCAA Division II universities.

“We have an amazing pool of candidates to choose from, reflecting the current strength and future potential of our Department of Athletics,” said Dr. Jeanne Daffron, provost and vice president for academic affairs and chair of the search committee. “The committee is excited to enter the next phase of the search process, and we believe others on campus and in the community will be as impressed as we have been by the quality of these individuals.”

The four candidates will spend the day meeting with a number of groups on campus, and each will give a public presentation on their vision for the future of Missouri Western athletics.

“I think that we have an exceptional list of candidates,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a more qualified and experienced group of candidates as finalists for a cabinet-level position like this. To have four successful sitting Division II athletic directors as finalists is pretty remarkable. I look forward to getting to know them better during the interview process.”

The finalists are:

– Josh Looney, director of athletics at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania. Looney previously worked for the NCAA, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Orlando Magic. He will be on campus Monday, July 17, with a public presentation at 2 p.m. in the Hearnes Center, room 102.

– David Miller, director of athletics at Upper Iowa University. Miller was previously athletic director at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and has worked at Southern Methodist University, Ohio University, Truman State University and the U.S. Air Force Academy. He will be on campus Thursday, July 20, with a public presentation at 2 p.m. in the Hearnes Center, room 102.

– Marty Bell, vice president for intercollegiate athletics/director of athletics and men’s basketball coach at Quincy University in Illinois. Bell was previously an assistant basketball coach at Drake University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Lock Haven University and a graduate assistant at the University of South Carolina. He will be on campus Monday, July 24, with a public presentation at 1:45 p.m. in the Hearnes Center, room 102.

– Todd Thurman, director of athletics at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Thurman was previously head men’s basketball coach at Southwestern and at Wayland Baptist University, and assistant coach at Southern Nazarene University, Oklahoma Christian University and the University of Central Oklahoma. He will be on campus Wednesday, July 26, with a public presentation at 2 p.m. in the Hearnes Center, room 102.

Missouri Western seeks to replace Kurt McGuffin, who left last month after five years at the helm to become director of athletics at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mustangs blow three-run lead in the seventh, lose to Jeff City 8-4

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The St. Joseph Mustangs suffered their first loss of the season against Jefferson City as they lost to the Renegades Thursday inside Phil Welch Stadium 8-4.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team falls to 27-11 this season and 21-10 in the MINK League. The Mustangs were 3-0 against Jeff City prior to Thursday, winning three games in the capital city by a combined score of 46-11.

St. Joseph built a 4-1 lead after five innings Thursday, but the Renegades rallied with three two-out runs against the Mustangs bullpen in the seventh inning to tie the game at 4. Then in the eight, Jefferson City added four more to take the lead for the first time in the game and St. Joe couldn’t answer.

Josh Monson started the game and went 6.1 innings. He allowed two runs on two hits, but Jonathan Lynch and Logan Campbell struggled in relief.

Lynch retired just one batter as he walked two, gave up two hits and two runs. Campbell took the loss as he allowed four runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of work.

Joshua Lincoln, Brady Anderson, Colton Pogue, Jacob Richardson and Kaleb Reid had two hits each for the Mustangs, while Pogue and Reid had one RBI a piece.

St. Joseph continues its three-game series with Jefferson City Friday at 7:00 p.m. inside Phil Welch Stadium.

Big 12 announces preseason media football poll

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Oklahoma has been chosen to finish at the top of the standings for the second consecutive year in the Big 12 football preseason poll, voted on by media representatives.

This year marks the fifth since 2011 in which the Sooners led the preseason rankings. They have captured a Big 12-record 10 league titles, including the last two.

OU garnered 19 of 32 first-place votes and tallied 303 points to edge out Bedlam rival Oklahoma State. The Cowboys nabbed 12 first-place votes and totaled 294 points while Kansas State picked up the final first-place nod. Texas and TCU rounded out the top five followed by West Virginia, Baylor, Texas Tech, Iowa State and Kansas.

The Big 12 Championship Game resumes in 2017 after a six-year absence, and will feature the top two finishers in the final league standings.

The Sooners welcome back 16 starters from offense and defense, including senior quarterback Baker Mayfield, a 2016 Heisman Trophy finalist. Mayfield repeated as the Conference’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

Head coaches and select student-athletes will converge in Frisco, Texas on July 17-18 for the annual Big 12 Football Media Days. Both days will be televised live from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CT on FS2 and additional FOX Sports affiliates. Exclusive coverage will also be available on the Big 12’s digital platforms – Big12Sports.com, Twitter and Instagram (@Big12Conference). The official hashtag for Media Days will be #Big12FB.

2017 Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll

1. Oklahoma (19) 303

2. Oklahoma State (12) 294

3. K-State (1) 231

4. Texas 213

5. TCU 202

6. West Virginia 183

7. Baylor 129

8. Texas Tech 85

9. Iowa State 83

10. Kansas 37

— Big 12 Press Release —

St. Joseph holds off Clarinda for 2-1 victory Wednesday

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The St. Joseph Mustangs won their second consecutive game Wednesday as they held on to defeat Clarinda 2-1 inside Phil Welch Stadium.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team improves to 27-10 and 20-9 in the MINK League. They still lead Sedalia by three games in the North Division Standings.

The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the second inning Wednesday as Joshua Lincoln had a two-out RBI single to score Jeremiah Figueora.

Clarinda came back to tie the game in the sixth inning after a two-out RBI from the A’s Cale Emshoff, but St. Joseph answered back in the bottom of the 7th inning.

Derek Hussey led off the seventh with a double down the left field line and he came into scored on a Johsua Lincoln bunt.

Steve D’Amico earned the win on the mound as he improves to 5-0 this summer. D’Amico allowed just one run on five hits in eight innings of work. Nikko Pablo worked around a lead-off double in the top of the night inning as he was able to get Garrett Calvert to ground into a 6-3 double play to end the game with runners on the corners.

Lincon and Figueroa had two hits each for the Mustangs as they’re now 3-0 inside Phil Welch against Clarinda.

St. Joseph is back at home Thursday as they begin a three-game series against the Jefferson City Renegades. The first pitch is at 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ.

Northwest will play Central Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium again

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University’s Department of Athletics has announced the Bearcats will play their Saturday, Sept. 30, football game against the University of Central Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

“The Fall Classic is a tradition that brings exciting football to a venue that has long reminded football fans of a college gameday atmosphere,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. “We want to thank the Royals for their cooperation and coordination to ensure a fun, safe and efficient atmosphere for the players, coaches and fans for both schools. We are looking forward to another great Fall Classic match-up between Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri.”

The Bearcats defeated Central Missouri, 42-17, last season during the 2016 Fall Classic at Arrowhead. Game time has been set for 4 p.m. to coordinate with the Kansas City Royals home game scheduled for that afternoon. Northwest will be the visiting team in this year’s matchup.

Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs, played host to 12 annual meetings between the Bearcats and the Pittsburg State Gorillas. Northwest is 10-3 all time at Arrowhead. In the 13 contests at Arrowhead, the Bearcats have averaged over 30 points per game and have seven crowds of over 20,000.

“When we talk about the student-athlete experience, it doesn’t get better than playing in Arrowhead Stadium,” Wright said. “The day is special to our players, but just as important is sharing the experience with many of the other students from Northwest. Our band, steppers and cheer all share in the day. It’s fun to watch them come out for the first time. You can see the excitement on their faces. The Chiefs do an amazing job of making the event first class in every way and I appreciate their hard work and attention to detail. Between the efforts from the Chiefs, and each of our universities, it is much more than a game, it has become a showcase for Division II football.”

Northwest’s five-game home slate begins Thursday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. against Emporia State University. The complete 2017 schedule, including kickoff times for all games, can be found HERE.

Tickets for the 14th edition of the Fall Classic will go on sale to the public at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 19. Tickets can be ordered by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, online at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Arrowhead Stadium Ticket Office located between the Founder’s Plaza and the Hy-Vee Gate.

Jackson County residents will have the opportunity to purchase Fall Classic tickets starting at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 17. Jackson County pre-sale tickets must be purchased in person at the Arrowhead Stadium Ticket Office and purchasers must have one form of identification that includes a photo and a 2016 Jackson County, Missouri, personal property tax receipt. The Chiefs will contact Season Ticket Members, suiteholders and partners with special information on Fall Classic tickets.

Lower Level tickets are $25 while tickets on the Scout Investments Club Level are $40. Student tickets are available for $10 through a special link distributed by each university, or in person at the schools’ ticket offices or the Arrowhead Stadium Ticket Office. Suites are available by calling (888) 99-CHIEFS (24433). Parking will be $15 while RV and bus parking is $25.

— Northwest Athletics —

Four Wildcats pick up preseason All-Big 12 accolades

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – Led by a trio of juniors, Kansas State totaled four football players named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team as chosen by media representatives who cover the league, the conference office announced Wednesday.

Winston Dimel (fullback), Dalton Risner (offensive line) and D.J. Reed (defensive back) were joined by sophomore Reggie Walker (defensive line) to give the Wildcats the third-most players on the list behind Texas and defending champion Oklahoma. Dimel was named to the preseason team for a second-straight year, while the other three are first-time honorees.

Dimel, Risner and Reed each earned 2016 First Team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches, while Walker was the Defensive Freshman of the Year, as they led K-State to a 9-4 record and a victory in the Texas Bowl.

A product of Manhattan, Dimel has started all 26 career games and has 18 career rushing touchdowns, five shy of entering the school’s top-10 list. He is coming off a season in which he registered 12 rushing touchdowns, which tied for third in the Big 12.

Risner started all 13 games at right tackle in 2016 after starting every game at center the year prior. Both he and Dimel were an integral part to K-State’s rushing attack, which set the school record for rushing yards per carry (5.27) and ranked in the top 10 in three other categories.

Reed, a community-college transfer prior to last year, was the 2016 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year after ranking fifth nationally and tying for third in school history with a Big 12-leading 19 passes defended. A member of the 2017 Bednarik Award watch list, Reed tied for second on the team with 75 tackles to go along with three interceptions.

A native of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, Walker collected 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks to earn Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America. He finished seventh in the Big 12 in sacks and eighth in TFLs but was tops among freshmen in both categories, while he ranked fourth nationally among freshmen in sacks.

Risner and Reed, along with other team captains Jesse Ertz, Trent Tanking and Dayton Valentine in addition to head coach Bill Snyder, will represent K-State at 2017 Big 12 Football Media Day next Tuesday at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Fans can follow media day coverage on K-State Football’s official Twitter handle, @KStateFB, and the Big 12 website, www.big12sports.com. The two-day event will also be televised live from 9 a.m., to 1 p.m., on FS2 and various FOX Sports Regional Networks, including FOX Sports Midwest and FOX Sports Kansas City.

Kansas State begins is 2017 season and seven-game home schedule with the ninth-annual K-State Family Reunion on Saturday, September 2, against Central Arkansas.

— K-State Athletics —

Mustangs roll to 14-8 win at Ozark

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The St. Joseph Mustangs bounced back from back-to-back losses to defeat Ozark 14-8 Tuesday night in Springfield.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team improves to 26-10 and 20-9 in MINK League play. They remain three games ahead of Sedlia in the North Division standings as the Bombers also won Tuesday night 21-1 against Nevada.

The Mustangs scored three runs in the first inning to take an early lead against Ozark and they broke the game open with a nine-run third inning.

Josh Williams and Colton Pogue had three hits each for St. Joseph, while Williams drove in five runs and Derek Hussey and Easton Fortuna each had two runs batted in.

Matt Diaz (1-2) earned his first win of the season as he allowed three runs on two hits in six innings of work. Diaz struck out four and walked nine.

The Mustangs return home Wednesday as they host Clarinda inside Phil Welch Stadium. The first pitch is at 7:00 p.m. and it’ll be broadcast on 680 KFEQ AM.

Chiefs promote Brett Veach to general manager

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – It only took Brett Veach a decade to go from working as an assistant to Andy Reid in Philadelphia to standing alongside the Kansas City Chiefs’ coach as their general manager.

The Chiefs announced Monday they had promoted their co-director of player personnel to the top job in the front office. Veach takes over for John Dorsey, who was let go after four years despite taking the once-downtrodden franchise from two wins prior to his arrival to an AFC West title last season.

Veach was an instrumental part of that rise, though, helping Dorsey to identify and acquire the kind of talent that has produced three playoff appearances in four years.

“Brett has a sharp football mind, a tremendous work ethic and a keen eye for finding talent,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement.

“Over the last four seasons he’s played a critical role in building our football team. I look forward to working with him to continue to build on the strong foundation we have in place.”

The Chiefs will introduce Veach during a news conference July 24, the same day rookies and select veterans begin to report to Missouri Western for the start of training camp.

“My family and I would like to extend our gratitude to Clark and the Hunt family for this incredible opportunity,” Veach said. “Together, we built a strong foundation of players that have helped us sustain success on the field. I’m looking forward to continuing our progress as we head into 2017.”

The 39-year-old Veach, one of the youngest GMs in the league, was a star running back in high school before playing wide receiver at Delaware. One of his quarterbacks during those years was Matt Nagy, who is now the Chiefs’ co-offensive coordinator.

Veach envisioned as a career in collegiate administration before taking a job as Reid’s assistant in Philadelphia in 2007. Three years later, he turned his attention to scouting, helping to assemble teams that consistently challenged for division championships.

Veach headed to Kansas City in 2013, shortly after Reid accepted the coaching job, and spent two years as a pro and college personnel analyst. His responsibilities expanded to player personnel two years ago, when he began working hand-in-hand with Dorsey and current Colts general manager Chris Ballard.

Dorsey was fired June 22, when Hunt decided a series of problems — communication issues, contract disputes and poor salary cap management, among them — became too big to ignore.

Still, the move was a surprise given the mid-summer timing of it, and the fact that the Chiefs were aging and underperforming when he arrived but are now positioned to have success well into the future.

Some of their best players are recent draft picks, including cornerback Marcus Peters and wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and Dorsey boldly moved up in this year’s NFL draft to select Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes III — giving the Chiefs an heir apparent to quarterback Alex Smith.

The Chiefs expressed interest in several GM candidates outside the organization, including Scott Fitterer of the Seahawks and Ryan Cowden of the Titans. It’s unclear how seriously those candidates were considered, but Veach was widely considered the top in-house candidate.

His promotion should create some continuity in the front office, which is crucial with the training camp on the horizon, and allow him to begin addressing several major issues.

The salary cap remains tight, even after the release of top wide receiver Jeremy Maclin to free up space. The future of Smith and a handful of other expensive veterans will also require close scrutiny, as will the futures of recent draft standouts who will soon be reaching free agency.

One thing Veach won’t need to worry about? Finding his way to the office.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou’s Crockett, Frazier named to award watch lists

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Summer is winding down, and it is pre-season watch list time for college football award organizations. Front and center for Mizzou is a pair of prominent players in the first batch of lists released today, as sophomore RB Damarea Crockett (Little Rock, Ark.) and senior DE Marcell Frazier (Portland, Ore.) have been named to the 2017 pre-season watch lists for the Maxwell and Bednarik awards, respectively.

The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell, has been given to America’s College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell’s contributions to the game of football were extensive, including time as a player, a sportswriter and an official. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of ’69 and the NFL Hall of Fame’s Class of ’67.

Crockett burst onto the scene in 2016 as a true freshman and developed into one of the top ball carriers in the vaunted Southeastern Conference, as he rushed for an MU freshman-record 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns. Crockett finished the regular season with a per-game rushing average of 96.5 yards, which was the nation’s top mark among freshmen. His signature game was a 225-yard, one-touchdown game at Tennessee where he broke the program’s freshman single-game rushing record. He also had 100-yard outings four other times, including games against Middle Tennessee (156 yards, 4 TDs), Vanderbilt (154 yards, 1 TD), at Florida (145 yards) and against Delaware State (115 yards, 2 TDs). His four-score game against Middle Tennessee tied Mizzou’s single-game scoring record.

Frazier closed 2016 in strong fashion, and looks to be next in the long line of game-changing rush ends for the #DLineZou tradition. Frazier was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Nov. 28 after sparking Mizzou’s defense in a 28-24 comeback win over Arkansas (Nov. 25), as he ended that game with three quarterback sacks (35 yards) and a quarterback pressure, as part of his four-tackle day. For the season, Frazier totaled 33 tackles in 12 games (five starts) and was second on the team with his 8.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 quarterback sacks. He also led the Tiger defense in 2016 with two fumble recoveries.

Up next for Mizzou will be its annual appearance at SEC Media Day, with MU’s visit set for 9 a.m.-Noon (central time) on Wednesday, July 12 in Hoover, Ala.

— Mizzou Athletics —

K-State’s Ertz, Reed earn spots on preseason watch lists

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior quarterback Jesse Ertz and junior defensive back D.J. Reed were named to the 2017 preseason watch lists for the Maxwell and Bednarik awards, respectively, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.

The honors are the first of each player’s career. Ertz is the first Wildcat to be up for the Maxwell Award, given to the College Player of the Year, since 2014 when quarterback Jake Waters was one of 20 semifinalists and Tyler Lockett was a preseason candidate. Reed’s inclusion on the Bednarik Award marks the sixth-straight season a Wildcat has been a candidate for the College Defensive Player of the Year.

Ertz, the MVP of the 2016 Texas Bowl, was one of three quarterbacks in school history to rush for 1,000 yards (1,012) and throw for 1,500 yards (1,755), while he was one of only four in the nation a year ago to accomplish the feat. He recorded the school’s 15th 1,000-yard rushing season, while he was the third-fastest player in school history to reach 1,000 rushing yards.

A product of Burlington, Iowa, Ertz enters his senior campaign holding the school’s career record for lowest interception percentage (1.52 percent), ranked fourth in 100-yard rushing games among quarterbacks (3) and fifth in career rushing yards among quarterbacks (1,063).

Reed, a community-college transfer from Cerritos College, picked up 2016 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year honors from the league’s coaches after tying for second on the team with 75 tackles to go along with three interceptions and a Big 12-leading 19 passes defended. A First Team All-Big 12 pick, Reed tied for third in school history and fifth nationally during the 2016 season in passes defended. He also tied for team-high honors with three interceptions, a mark that tied for seventh in the Big 12.

The Wildcats open their seven-game home slate and the 2017 season with the ninth-annual K-State Family Reunion on Saturday, September 2, against Central Arkansas

— K-State Athletics —

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