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Category: Sports

MWSU’s Williams qualifies for NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships

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INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA Div. II Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee announced the participants for the 2019 NCAA Div. II Indoor Track and Field Championships. Missouri Western’s Hanna Williams was officially named a participant in the women’s 400 meter dash.

The announcement comes as no surprise, as Williams registered an automatic qualifying mark at the Bearcat Invite on Feb. 9 with a time of 54.37. She was the first Missouri Western student-athlete to earn an automatic qualifying mark in the program’s two-year history. Williams also becomes the second Griffon to qualify for the Indoor Track and Field Championships after Philip Thompson took third in the men’s triple jump last season.

Williams’ time of 54.37 seeds her third out of the 20 runners in the event. In the 400 meter, Williams shaved off over a second from her previous career-best of 55.83 entering this season. The sophomore has four wins this season in three different events.

The championships will be held March 8-9 in Pittsburg, Kansas at the Robert W. Plaster Center on the campus of Pittsburg State University. The site will be a familiar track for Williams, as she has already raced on the track once this year and multiple times last season.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri Western baseball completes three-game sweep of Fort Hays State

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EDMOND, Okla. – The Missouri Western baseball team (5-5, 3-0) blasted its way to an MIAA opening series sweep with two run-rule wins over Fort Hays State (0-10, 0-3) on Monday at Central Oklahoma.

The Griffons won both games of a doubleheader by way of 10-run rule after seven innings on Monday. Missouri Western took game one 11-1 and game two 20-3.

NOTABLES

  • Missouri Western outscored Fort Hays State 38-5 in the three-game series
  • The Griffons tied a program record with six home runs in game two of the doubleheader
  • On Monday, MWSU out-hit the Tigers 23-8
  • On the day, the Griffons hit seven home runs and had two doubles for a .793 slugging percentage in the DH
  • Missouri Western hit .397 on the day and MWSU pitchers held FHSU hitters to a .163 average with 22 strikeouts
  • It was the second-straight series sweep of Fort Hays State

LEADERS

  • Fahd Shakeel tied an MWSU record with five hits in game two and went 6-for-8 on the day with two RBIS
  • Dusty Stroup drove in seven on the day and hit a grand slam in game two
  • Casey Danley hit two home runs, one in each game
  • Jacob Miller struck out nine through five innings and allowed three hits and no earned runs in a game one victory
  • Jacob Cooper got the win in game two in relief of Roy Robles. Cooper stuck out three and allowe just one hit through 1 2/3 of relief
  • Robles struck out five in 2 1/3

UP NEXT

  • The Griffons are scheduled for a three-game series at Missouri Southern (10-3, 3-0) next weekend
  • The Lions swept a three-game series at Central Oklahoma this past weekend.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 15 KU tops No. 16 K-State 64-49 to maintain Big 12 title hopes

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Dedric Lawson had 18 points and 14 rebounds to cement his front-runner status for Big 12 player of the year, and No. 15 Kansas pounded No. 16 Kansas State 64-49 on Monday night to keep alive its hopes of a 15th consecutive conference championship.

Devon Dotson added 16 points and fellow freshman Quentin Grimes had 12 for the Jayhawks (21-7, 10-5), who moved within a game of the league-leading Wildcats (21-7, 11-4) with three to play.

Texas Tech, which roughed up the Jayhawks on Saturday, is a half-game back in second place.

There was a sense of desperation in the air inside Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas — despite all the injuries and unrest this season — had not lost in 19 games. And it manifested itself in the kind of cutthroat defense that coach Bill Self’s teams have become accustomed to playing over the years.

The Wildcats shot just 32 percent from the field, struggled with turnovers at key junctures and never seemed as comfortable as they were at Bramlage Coliseum, where they roared past the Jayhawks nearly three weeks ago to seize control of the conference race.

Kamau Stokes led the Wildcats with 12 points, but nobody on coach Bruce Weber’s team got into much of a rhythm. Floor leader Dean Wade was held to eight points and five boards before fouling out with 3:35 to go, and leading scorer Barry Brown Jr. finished with four points on 1-of-8 shooting.

It was a masterful defensive effort by a Kansas team that had been searching for an identity.

The Jayhawks doubled Wade in the post. They got big man Makol Mawien into early foul trouble. And they ultimately forced off-balance jumpers and deep 3s as the shot clock was winding down.

Meanwhile, Kansas turned its defense into just enough offense to rip off a 12-2 run midway through the half, and that was responsible for the 34-27 lead the Jayhawks took to the locker room.

The in-your-shorts defense was just as responsible for extending the lead in the second half.

Kansas State missed three shots on its first trip down the floor, three more on its next, and its first 10 out of the break. The Jayhawks took advantage by converting a couple easy layups, and Grimes shrugged off a season-long slump to hit an open 3-pointer and push the lead to 41-27 with 16 minutes to go.

Suddenly, a field house stirring with anticipation and jammed to the rafters was roaring.

Wildcats guard Xavier Sneed went to the bench midway through the second half with cramps, and that seemed to spoil a brief surge. The Jayhawks’ defense took care of every other Kansas State run, closing the door not only on a comeback but any hopes of delivering a knockout blow in the Big 12 title chase.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas has been short-handed with Udoka Azubuike out with a season-ending wrist injury and senior guard Lagerald Vick on a leave of absence. But forward Mitch Lightfoot provided a huge lift off the bench in the first half, and he wound up with nine points and five boards in 31 minutes.

Kansas State still has not swept a season series from the Jayhawks since the 1983 season, and the Wildcats have not won back-to-back games against Kansas since 1993-94. But they still command the Big 12 heading down the stretch, and they have extra time to prepare for Baylor on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Kansas heads to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Kansas State plays Baylor on Saturday night.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou hoops legend John Brown’s jersey to be retired March 9

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Basketball legend John Brown will have his number officially retired during a halftime ceremony of Mizzou’s matchup with Ole Miss on Saturday, March 9, the Tigers’ season finale at Mizzou Arena. Brown’s No. 50 Mizzou jersey will be enshrined in the rafters and his impressive career as a Mizzou forward from 1971-73 will be honored.

“John Brown was one of the most-significant student-athletes of the Norm Stewart-era, and we look forward to honoring him for his outstanding achievements on the court next month,” said Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. “He is most deserving of this honor, and we look forward to celebrating with his family and friends.”

Brown joins a strong contingence of Mizzou Basketball legends that have had their numbers retired, including Derrick Chievous (No. 3) who had his number retired on Feb. 19. Brown joins Chievous, Jon Sundvold (No. 20), Norm Stewart (No. 22), Willie Smith (No. 30), Doug Smith (No. 34), Steve Stipanovich (No. 40) and Bill Stauffer (No. 43) in this select circle of Tiger greats.

Brown recorded 37 career double-doubles during his three seasons as a Tiger, a mark that still ranks fourth all-time. The 6-foot-7 forward totaled 17 double-doubles during the 71-72 season and led the Tigers to a 21-6 record and a 10-4 mark in the Big Eight. He averaged 21.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game that season, posting the third-highest total for a Mizzou junior in both categories.

A 1973 All-American, Brown again led the Tigers in scoring (21.0) and rebounding (10.0) during the 72-73 season while also posting one of four 20-point and 20-rebound games in Mizzou history at Kansas on February 27, 1973, hauling in 21 boards and scoring 21 points, in the 13th-ranked Tigers’ 79-63 win. Less than a week later, Brown scored a career-high 41 points against Oklahoma State on March 3, 1973. His 41 points are the ninth-highest total in a single game in Mizzou Basketball history. Brown scored more than 30 points on eight different occasions during his Mizzou career.

The Mizzou forward finished his career with 1,421 points and 720 rebounds through 72 games over three seasons. His 19.7 points per game scoring average goes down as the highest total for a Mizzou player through three seasons. Brown, who was named first-team All-Big Eight after his junior and senior seasons, sits at fourth in all-time rebounding average, hauling in 10.0 rebounds from 1971-1973.

Brown was chosen as an alternate for the U.S. Olympic team for the 1972 Olympics and was later drafted with the 10th pick of the 1973 draft by the Atlanta Hawks and was named to the NBA All-Rookie team after averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds during the 73-74 season.

The March 9 game that will feature Brown’s halftime ceremony will tip off at 2:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Griffon baseball dominates Fort Hays State in MIAA opener

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EDMOND, Okla. – Griffon Baseball (3-5, 1-0) won its MIAA opener behind another dominant performance by a starting pitcher and some opportune offense.

Anthony Castaneda struck out 12 batters in seven innings as Missouri Western took game one of a three game “home” series with Fort Hays State (0-9, 0-1) in Edmond, Oklahoma.

NOTABLES

  • Castaneda had his second outing of 12 or more Ks after tying the MWSU single-game high with 14 in his first start on Feb. 2
  • The series was scheduled to be played at Missouri Western, but bad weather forced the move to the campus of Central Oklahoma
  • Game one was delayed for two hours as Fort Hays State had some difficulty making it to Edmond
  • Nine of the Griffons’ 10 hits came from the top four spots in the order, six from the top two
  • Missouri Western hit four doubles in the game and stole four bases

LEADERS

  • Castaneda moved to 2-0 on the season, allowing one earned run on three hits. He struck out 12 and walked two in seven innings
  • Thomas Ruwe pitched the last two innings, giving up two hits and striking out two batters
  • Conrad McMahon went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and one RBI
  • Casey Danley was also 3-for-5 with a run scored
  • Jordan Jackson drove in three in the first action of his career. Jackson came off the bench in the sixth and drove in two with a single through the left side. He had an RBI double in the eighth

UP NEXT

  • The two teams finish the series on Monday with a doubleheader slated to begin at noon.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State baseball wins series finale at Northeastern State

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TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball squad captured the rubber game today in a three-game set at Northeastern State. The Bearcats recorded a 19-15 triumph over the Riverhawks.

Northwest moved to 6-7 overall and 2-1 in MIAA play, while Northeastern State fell to 2-11 overall and 1-2 in league play.

Northeastern State jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second by executing small ball to get runners around the bases.

In the third, Northwest notched two runs of their own despite beginning the inning with a pair of outs. Senior infielder Mondesi Gutierrez walked to get the ball rolling for the Bearcats. Gutierrez was then advanced to third after senior outfielder Derek Hussey reached base on a throwing error. Senior catcher Jay Hrdlicka drew a walk to load the bases. The first hit of the afternoon for the Bearcats came when senior catcher Alixon Herrera singled to left, scoring Gutierrez and Hussey.

The Riverhawks added one in the bottom half of the third, increasing their lead to 6-2.

The Bearcat offense exploded with a seven-run fourth to take a 9-6 advantage. During the top of the fourth, the Bearcats offense rallied and tallied seven runs in the inning to take back the lead over Northeastern State, 9-6. To lead off the fourth, junior infielder Calvin Rudolph and sophomore infielder Matt Gastner each singled. Freshman outfielder Ryan Koski advanced them with a sacrifice bunt. The Bearcats loaded the bases when senior infielder Logan Rycraft was hit by a pitch. Gutierrez followed with a single to left scoring Rudolph and leaving the bases loaded. A wild pitch allowed Gastner to score and advanced Gutierrez and Rycraft. Hrdlicka recorded his first hit in the game during the inning by singling to right, scoring both Gutierrez and Rycraft. Hrdlicka advanced to third base when Herrera reached on a throwing error. Sophomore infielder Peter Carlson singled advancing Herrera to second and allowing Hrdlicka to trot across home. Rudolph produced a two-out, two RBI double to deep right center to cap the monstrous seven-run inning.

The Riverhawks drew to within 9-8 with a two-run sixth.

In the eighth, both teams combined to score 10 runs on nine hits. Northwest scored four in the top of the eighth with a two-out rally, initiated by Herrera singling to right field. Freshman Jonathan Hernandez pinch ran for Herrera. Hernandez advanced to second on a single by Carlson. Up next, Rudolph singled to left to load the bases for the Bearcats. Gastner singled to right, scoring Hernandez and Carlson, while moving Rudolph to third. Junior infielder Matt Schingel clubbed a double, scoring Rudolph and Gastner, but was called out when trying to stretch it into a triple.

Heading into the bottom of the eighth, Northwest held a 13-8 lead with closer Trevor Dudar on the hill. But, Northeastern State answered with six runs on four hits and took advantage of a Bearcat error to retake the lead at 14-13.

The Bearcats returned the favor, scoring six runs of their own in the top of the ninth to take a decisive 19-13 lead over the Riverhawks. Northwest tallied the six runs on four hits in the comeback.

The Riverhawks managed only one run in the bottom of the ninth allowing the Bearcats to take it 19-15 and two of three games in the series.

The Bearcats used five pitchers on Saturday. Max Spitzmiller made the start and pitched 1 1/3 innings. Spitzmiller gave up three hits and three runs, while striking out one. Dudar got the victory as he went 3 2/3 innings despite giving up six hits, nine runs (seven earned) and striking out six, while walking seven. Gibson Brown relieved Dudar with two on and no one out in the ninth. Brown gave up a single and a sacrifice fly but was able to close out the victory for the Bearcats.

Northwest will travel to back to Oklahoma for a three-game set at Central Oklahoma this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The series was originally set for Maryville, but was moved to Edmond, Oklahoma because of inclement weather and field conditions.

NOTES: Herrera is riding a 10-game hitting streak … Gutierrez and Hrdlicka extended their on-base streaks to 13 games … first baseman Matt Gastner knocked in four runs and notched his first three-hit game of the season … third baseman Calvin Rudolph and left fielder Peter Carlson also produced their first three-hit games of the season.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU softball splits doubleheader with Sioux Falls

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JOPLIN, Mo. – The Missouri Western softball team (9-5) split a doubleheader with Sioux Falls (5-2) on Sunday at Missouri Southern.

In game one, the Griffons found themselves down 9-1 before scoring seven unanswered run and getting the tying run to third with two out in the top of the seventh. Missouri Western couldn’t get the ninth run home to extend the game and fell 9-8. Game two didn’t present quite as much drama as the Griffons fell behind by two runs in the second. They tied it in the third then added three in the fifth and one in the sixth to win 6-2.

SERIES NOTABLES

  • The Griffons out-hit the Cougars, 22-13 and out-scored them 14-11
  • After an errorless day in the field on Saturday in Joplin, the Griffons were tagged with four errors on Sunday, three in game one
  • Morgan Frost went 6-for-7 in the doubleheader with three doubles, two triples and five RBIs
  • Brea Blanton continued an impressive weekend, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and her first career home run
  • Tayor Hoelscher went 4-for-7 at the plate
  • Lauren Houston was 3-for-5 at the plate and scored five of the team’s 14 runs
  • Kaili Hinds got the win in game two and pitched three innings in relief of Lexi Kinnaird in game one. Hinds allowed two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and one walk in 10 total innings of work, holding Sioux Falls to a .152 batting average.

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western heads back to southwest Missouri for its third-straight previously unscheduled doubleheader
  • The Griffons play at Drury (7-4) on Tuesday, Feb. 26.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri women fall short at Auburn 58-54

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AUBURN, Ala. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (19-9, 8-6 SEC) dropped a tough SEC road contest on Sunday, as Auburn (20-7, 8-6 SEC) won 58-54 at Auburn Arena. It was Mizzou’s second consecutive contest decided by less than five points.

Senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) led the way for Mizzou by scoring with 19 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field, while junior guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

With nine points, redshirt senior guard Lauren Aldridge (Marhsfield, Mo.) notched her 1,000 career point in the game.

TURNING POINT

Mizzou outscored Auburn, 23-12 in the third period to take a seven-point lead heading into the final quarter, but Auburn responded in the fourth by outscoring Mizzou 20-9 to edge the Tigers, 58-54. Junior guard Jordan Chavis (Lexington, N.C.) drained a three-pointer from the top of the arc to cut Auburn’s lead to 54-52 with 24 seconds remaining, but Auburn was able to convert on 4-of-6 shots from the free throw line in the game’s final 30 seconds.

TOP TIGERS

  • Cunningham scored 19 points in the game on 7-for-15 shooting from the field while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out two assists.
  • With 10 points and 11 rebounds, Smith recorded her eighth double-double of the season. Smith shot 5-for-11 from the field and dished out a team-high three assists.
  • Aldridge scored nine points, dished out a team-high three assists and matched a career-high with five rebounds.

NOTES

  • Aldridge recorded her 1,000 career point in the game with a third quarter three. Aldridge scored 603 points with Kansas between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons before transferring to Mizzou where she has scored 398 points over the past two seasons.
  • Cunningham continued her recent scoring surge, as she has now scored in double figures in 10 consecutive contests and is averaging 21.3 points over that stretch.
  • After recording just two double-doubles in her freshman and sophomore seasons combined, Smith has now recorded eight double-doubles on the season.
  • Mizzou continued its staunch defense in the game, as Mizzou held Auburn to 58 points, marking the 24th time in 28 games Mizzou has held its opponent to 65 points or less.
  • Mizzou shot 43.8 percent (21-for-48) from the field in the game, marking the 14th time in the last 16 games the Tigers have shot at least 40 percent from the field.

UP NEXT

Next, Mizzou continues its two game road trip with a Thursday, Feb. 28, matchup at Arkansas. Tipoff from Fayetteville is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Western Track & Field teams finish 12th at MIAA Championships

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MARYVILLE, Mo – Missouri Western competed in its final team competition of the indoor season at the MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Maryville on Sunday. Both the women’s and men’s teams finished 12th in the three-day event.

Sunday was the finals for nine track events, as well as several field events for the both the men and women. After qualifying for the women’s 200m and 400m finals on Saturday, Hanna Williams was unable to compete in Sunday’s finals. However, Williams will advance to the NCAA Div. II Indoor National Championships in the 400m on March 8 due to her automatic qualifying mark of 54.37 set at the Bearcat Invite on Feb. 9.

Several other Griffons have earned provisional marks throughout the indoor season and will wait to see if those marks will qualify for the national championships. The official selection show for the NCAA Div. II National Championships will air Tuesday, Feb. 26.

POINTS FINISHERS

  • Savannah Simmons, Women’s 60m, 7.63, 4th, 5 points
  • Savannah Simmons, Women’s 200m, 24.74, 6th, 3 points
  • Megan Gillen, Women’s 800m, 2:25.21, 7th, 2 points
  • Jordan Garr, Men’s Shot Put, 16.87m (55-04.25), 7th, 2 points
  • Men’s 4x400m relay (Dre’Shaun Sanders, Grant Buresh, Hayden Belgrave, Chris Stanley), 3:18.85, 7th, 2 points
  • Megan Gillen, Women’s 1 Mile, 5:08.32, 8th, 1 point

SCHOOL RECORDS

  • Men’s 4x400m relay (Dre’Shaun Sanders, Grant Buresh, Hayden Belgrave, Chris Stanley), 3:18.85
  • Riley Gorham, Men’s 1 Mile, 4:18.99

MIAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – WOMEN’S
1. Pittsburg State – 113
2. Lincoln – 112
3. Missouri Southern – 90
4. Southwest Baptist – 87
5. Central Missouri – 54
6. Northwest Missouri – 50
8. Nebraska-Kearney – 43
7. Fort Hays State – 43
9. Washburn – 30
10. Emporia State – 27
11. Lindenwood – 24
12. Missouri Western – 19
13. Central Oklahoma – 8

MIAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S
1. Central Missouri – 121
2. Northwest Missouri – 115
3. Pittsburg State – 89
4. Lincoln – 73
5. Missouri Southern – 67
6. Fort Hays State – 64
7. Nebraska-Kearney – 50.33
8. Lindenwood – 36
9. Washburn – 32.67
10. Southwest Baptist – 25
11. Emporia State – 22
12. Missouri Western – 6

— MWSU Athletics —

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