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Category: Sports

MWSU women’s track and field earns several top finishes at UCM

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WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Missouri Western Women’s Track and Field team completed the Indoor Mule Relays at Central Missouri on Friday. Several Griffons finished in the top five in the team’s fifth meet of the indoor season.

Hanna Williams was the top finisher for the Griffons, taking first place in the women’s 400M. Her time of 57.75 gave Williams her 10th win of her young career at Missouri Western, with seven of those wins in the 400M.

Savannah Simmons placed second, breaking the school record in the Women’s 60M with a provisional qualifying time of 7.64 in the finals.

TOP FINISHERS

  • Hanna Williams, 1st, Women’s 400M, 57.75
  • Savannah Simmons, 2nd, Women’s 60M, 7.64 (Provisional)
  • Julia Odir, 2nd, Women’s Triple Jump, 11.37M (37′ 3.75″)
  • Women’s 4x400M Relay, Morgan Doyle, Alison Nutt, Madison Roumph, Paige Kvale, 2nd, 4:15.55
  • Bayley Gilbert, 3rd, Women’s Triple Jump, 11.27M, (36′ 11.75″)
  • Chaniya Alioth, 3rd, Women’s 200M, 27.01
  • Bayley Gilbert, 3rd, Women’s Pentathlon Long Jump, 5.30M (17′ 4.75″)
  • Bayley Gilbert, 4th, Women’s Pentathlon, 3145
  • Symonne Holland, 4th, Women’s 400M, 1:01.09
  • Tara Bergman, 4th, Women’s Shot Put, 11.94M (39′ 2.25″)
  • Julia Odir, 5th, Women’s Long Jump, 5.09M (16′ 8.5″)
  • Taylor Robinson, 5th, Women’s 600 yard, 1:33.07
  • Simone Baldeh, 5th, Women’s Weight Throw, 14.92M (48′ 11.5″)
  • Kallin Sheppard, 5th, Women’s Shot Put, 11.63M (38′ 2.0″)

SCHOOL RECORDS

  • Savannah Simmons, 2nd, Women’s 60M, 7.64
  • Simone Baldeh, Women’s Weight Throw, 14.92M (48′ 11.5″)
  • Bayley Gilbert, Women’s Pentathlon, 3145

UP NEXT

  • The Griffon Men will compete on Saturday, Feb. 1.
  • Both teams will be back competing at the Bearcat Invite in Maryville on Feb. 8.

— MWSU Athletics —

NCAA rules Jayhawks’ De Sousa ineligible for season

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The NCAA declared Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa ineligible for the rest of this season and next season late Friday, dealing a significant blow to a team that began the season with national title hopes.

De Sousa’s name surfaced last summer in an FBI probe into corruption in college basketball centered on officials linked to apparel company Adidas. The NCAA found that De Sousa’s guardian, Fenny Falmagne, had received a $2,500 payment from a “university booster and agent” and agreed to an additional $20,000 payment from the same individual and an Adidas employee for securing his commitment to Kansas.

The school, which has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the case, indicated in a statement late Friday that it would appeal the ruling. Falmagne has denied receiving any payments.

De Sousa hasn’t played for the No. 11 Jayhawks this season. Kansas had withheld the 6-foot-9 sophomore from competition, pending the results of the investigation.

“We are shocked and incensed by today’s decision,” Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said. “This was clearly an unfair and punitive ruling for a young man who had no knowledge of any NCAA violation, nor did Silvio personally benefit from the violation. While we will continue to work with the NCAA on the broader matter, we have an obligation and a desire to advocate for our student-athletes.”

Kansas’ argument hinges on the fact that any payments made to Falmagne were done without the player’s knowledge, and that De Sousa should have been given leniency in any punishments.

In its ruling, though, the NCAA made it clear that ignorance is no defense.

“When a prospective student-athlete allows a third party to involve himself in the recruitment process, the prospective student-athlete is then responsible for the actions of that person,” the NCAA said, “regardless of whether the prospective student-athlete had knowledge or if benefits were received.

“Membership guidelines state the starting point for these violations is permanent ineligibility, but the NCAA staff recognized mitigation based on the specific circumstances of this case.”

The slow pace of the NCAA investigation has worn on Kansas coach Bill Self, who has been left in limbo in trying to piece together his lineup for the remainder of the season.

“In my 30-plus years of coaching college basketball, I have never witnessed such a mean-spirited and vindictive punishment against a young man who did nothing wrong,” Self said. “To take away his opportunity to play college basketball is shameful and a failure of the NCAA.”

De Sousa’s attorney, Scott Tompsett, had pushed for immediate reinstatement last month, saying that his client had cooperated with the investigation and shouldn’t be punished for the actions of adults.

“He did everything he was supposed to do and was asked to do to become an eligible student-athlete at the University of Kansas,” Tompsett said. “Silvio followed the rules. He did nothing wrong.”

The Jayhawks (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) could have sorely used De Sousa’s help. They lost star center Udoka Azubuike to season-ending wrist surgery a couple weeks ago, and they have lost three of four heading into an important showdown with No. 16 Texas Tech on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

The FBI’s two-year probe into college basketball already has produced numerous guilty verdicts.

In the first batch last October, former Adidas executive James Gatto, Adidas consultant Merl Code and former NBA runner Christian Dawkins were convicted of felony wire fraud and conspiracy. Former Arizona assistant Book Richardson, former USC assistant Tony Bland and former Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans also have pleaded guilty to various federal charges.

Former Auburn assistant Chuck person and former NBA referee Rashan Michel go to trial in June.

De Sousa’s name came up during the FBI probe when AAU coach T.J. Gassnola, a former Adidas consultant, testified that he facilitated payments to Falmagne in an attempt to steer the prospect to Kansas.

Gassnola insisted that Self and the Jayhawks’ staff did not know about the payments, though, and the Hall of Fame coach forcefully maintained De Sousa’s innocence Friday night.

“Silvio is a tremendous young man who absolutely deserves to be on the court with his teammates in a Jayhawk uniform,” Self said. “This process took way too long to address these issues.”

— Associated Press —

Western tennis goes 1-1 on first day of season

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ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Tennis (2-2) wrapped up the first day of the Stoney Creek Hotel Tennis Classic with a 4-0 sweep of Truman State (1-3) on Friday night.

The Griffons made quick work of the Bulldogs in doubles play. Karolina Ström and Joanna Abreu Roman picked up their second doubles victory of the day in a 6-3 win. Doubles pairs Bojana Vuksan/Ciarra Gilmore and Erica Dunn/Mireia Birosta each allowed just one point in convincing 6-1 victories.

Abreu Roman continued momentum for the Griffons in the singles with a 6-0, 6-2 win. Ström picked up her first singles victory of the spring season as well. Mireia Birosta wrapped up the sweep in a 6-2, 6-1 win.

Ciarra Gilmore was also playing well for the Griffons in singles, but her match was counted as unfinished due to the Griffons’ sweep.

The Griffons kicked off the 2019 spring season on Friday morning in a 4-0 loss to Newman in the first match of the Stoney Creek Hotel Tennis Classic.

The Griffons’ doubles duo of Ström and Abreu Roman began their season with a dominating 6-1 win. Newman claimed the other two doubles matches, with the teams of Vuksan/Gilmore and Dunn/Birosta both falling 6-3.

Newman swept the first three singles on the match to earn the 4-0 sweep. Ström finished with an unfinished match, but was in control throughout. Ström won the first set 6-1 and was ahead 5-2 before the Jets’ win stopped play. Abreu Roman lost the first set of her singles match, but was ahead 3-0 in the second set at the stoppage.

MWSU VS. TSU
SINGLES
Karolina Ström (MWSU) def. Maura Dunn (TSU) 6-0, 6-1
Joanna Abreu Roman (MWSU) def. Alex Rogers (TSU) 6-0, 6-2
Mireia Birosta (MWSU) def. Morgan Eby (TSU) 6-2, 6-1

Daniela Alvarado Maldonado (MWSU) vs. Kayla Peterson (TSU) 4-6, 6-2, unfinished
Ciarra Gilmore (MWSU) vs. Finessa Rassel (TSU) 6-4, 4-3, unfinished
Erica Dunn (MWSU) vs. Emily Kickham (TSU) 1-0, unfinished

DOUBLES
Abreu Roman/Ström (MWSU) def. Dunn/Rogers (TSU) 6-3
Birosta/Dunn (MWSU) def. Eby/Kickham (TSU) 6-1
Gilmore/Vuksan (MWSU) def. Peterson/Rassel (TSU) 6-1

MWSU VS. NU
SINGLES
Emily Young (NU) def. Mireia Birosta (MWSU) 6-1, 6-3
Isabela Bifano (NU) def. Daniela Alvarado Maldonado (MWSU) 6-1, 6-1
Mariana Gaviria (NU) def. Ciarra Gilmore (MWSU) 6-3, 6-1

Karolina Ström (MWSU) vs. Vlada Litvinova (NU) 6-1, 5-2, unfinished
Joanna Abreu Roman (MWSU) vs. Liza Gerasimova (NU) 5-7, 3-0, unfinished
Erica Dunn (MWSU) vs. Mirella Calvalcanti (NU) 0-2, unfinished

DOUBLES
Abreu Roman/Ström (MWSU) def. Gerasimova/Litvinova (NU) 6-1
Young/Bilfano (NU) def. Birosta/Dunn (MWSU) 6-3
Calvacanti/Wise (NU) def. Gilmore/Vuksan (MWSU) 6-3

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons come up short against Missouri Southern 84-73

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ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team lost at home to Missouri Southern Thursday night 84-73.  The Griffons fall to 9-12 and 3-7 in the MIAA, while Southern improves to 17-4 and 8-3 in league play.

NOTABLES

  • Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, as both shot under 35 percent from the field.
  • Lavon Hightower paced the Griffons in the first half with 11 points and three made three pointers.
  • Tyrell Carroll’s layup brought the Griffons within one point at 57-56 with 9:23 remaining in the second half.
  • After the Lions stretched their lead, Sam Siganos drilled a three from the corner to cut the deficit to one with under seven minutes to play.
  • The Lions held the Griffons to just four made field goals over the last five minutes.
  • Missouri Southern’s biggest advantage came in getting to the free-throw line. The Lions shot 30 free throws compared to the Griffons’ seven.
  • Neither team led by double digits until the Lions went up 10 points with 31 seconds left in the game.
  • Both teams took care of the ball on offense, combining for just 15 turnovers.
  • The Griffons’ shot 38 three pointers on Thursday, their second-highest total this season.

LEADERS

  • Hightower led the Griffons in scoring with 20 points.
  • Bryan Hudson added 16 points with a team-high nine rebounds.
  • Tyrell Carroll led all players with five assists to go along with his 12 points.
  • Missouri Southern’s Cam Martin finished with a game high 32 points with 14 made free throws.

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western will host Pittsburg State (14-6, 7-4 MIAA) on Saturday, Feb. 2.
  • The Gorillas lost by 28 points to No. 2 Northwest Missouri on Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 2 Bearcats dominate Pitt State 111-83 to stay unbeaten

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MARYVILLE, Missouri – The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat men’s basketball team rolled to its 20th win of the season with a 111-83 triumph over the Pittsburg State University Gorillas on Thursday in Bearcat Arena.

Northwest’s was clicking on virtually all cylinders on the offensive end of floor. The Bearcats shot 55.6 percent from the field. Northwest drained 18-of-37 shots from three-point range and were a perfect 13-of-13 at the free throw line.

Senior Joey Witthus torched the Gorillas for a career-high 36 points, which included eight trifectas. Witthus was 13-of-19 from the field.

Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins collected a career-high 12 assists and scored 21 points. Hudgins went 8-of-13 from the field and knocked in both of his three-point shots. Hudgins notched his fourth double-double of the season and its the third time he’s had 20-plus points and 10-plus assists in a game.

Sophomore Ryan Hawkins snared a game-high 11 rebounds and contributed with 13 points. Hawkins has nine double-doubles on the year.

The contest was tied at 2-2 and then Northwest took off. The Bearcats quickly put together a 10-0 run to take a 12-2 lead with 16:54 left in the first half. The Gorillas was claw no closer than 10 points the rest of the game. Northwest opened up a 22-point bulge at 45-23 with 3:57 left in the half. Northwest would lead by as many as 25 points in the opening half.

Northwest’s lead would balloon to as many as 35 point the second half at 98-63 with 7:23 remaining in the contest.

The Bearcats will be back in action Saturday at home against the Missouri Southern. The Bearcats and Lions will tip at approximately 3:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

NOTES: Northwest has won 15 consecutive MIAA games dating back to the 2017-18 season … Northwest is 10-0 at home this season … the Bearcats are 72-7 in their last 79 MIAA games, including 38-1 in Bearcat Arena … Ryan Hawkins added three steals to up his MIAA-leading total to 50 on the year … Northwest’s 20-0 start ties it for the third-best start to a season in school history.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU women take down Missouri Southern 69-57

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ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western Women’s Basketball team jumped out to a 6-0 lead and never looked back in a 69-57 win over Missouri Southern (11-10, 3-8) Thursday night in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The win was the Griffons’ (10-9, 5-5) sixth in their last seven games at home and third-straight home victory.

NOTABLES

  • Missouri Western shot 44 percent from the field on the night, its best shooting percentage in four games
  • The Griffons forced 24 Missouri Southern turnovers and led by as many as 15 points
  • A 10-0 Missouri Southern run cut the Griffons’ lead to 50-48 early in the fourth quarter, but it was the closest the Lions got all night
  • The Griffons took a 37-29 lead to the break after shooting 50 percent in the first half
  • After shooting just two free throws in the first half, MWSU made 16 of its 22 attempts in the second half
  • The win and some other results around the MIAA Thursday night left the Griffons tied for seventh with Nebraska-Kearney

LEADERS

  • Katrina Roenfeldt fell two points short of a career high, scoring a game-high 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Roenfeldt also tied for a team-high eight rebounds with Jessica Davies
  • Simone Walker took advantage of a spot in the starting lineup, scoring a career-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four rebounds and three blocks
  • Brittany Atkins had a team-high three assists to go with her 13 points

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western stays home to host Pittsburg State (16-4, 8-3) on Saturday, Feb. 2
  • The Gorillas won 69-48 at Northwest Missouri on Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State women lose at home to Pittsburg State

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The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team lost to Pittsburg State 69-48 at Bearcat Arena Thursday. The Bearcats got off to a slow start and were never able to get into a rhythm against the Gorillas. They were held to 32.8% shooting from the field and 28.6% from behind the three-point line.

Jaelyn Haggard and Kendey Eaton led the Bearcats with 9 points. Mallory McConkey added 6 points and led the team with 9 rebounds. Northwest was able to take care of the ball well and won the turnover battle 13-14.

Pitt State was led in scoring by Maya Williams with 19. She was followed by Megan Scott who added 16 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. Pitt State dominated the paint in the game, scoring 42 points in the paint and outrebounding Northwest 42-31.

Northwest will be back in action Saturday against Missouri Southern in Bearcat Arena at 1:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri sanctioned by NCAA after academic misconduct

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The NCAA has sanctioned Missouri’s football, baseball and softball programs after an investigation revealed academic misconduct involving a tutor who completed coursework for athletes.

Among the penalties handed down Thursday were three years of probation and one-year postseason bans for all three programs. That means the baseball and softball teams will be ineligible for the NCAA Tournament this season and the football team will be ineligible for a bowl game this fall.

The school must also vacate all games in which the 12 students whose work was completed by the tutor participated. Each program will also have 5 percent fewer scholarships for the upcoming year, and a series of recruiting restrictions that include fewer visits.

The NCAA has also fined the school $5,000 plus 1 percent of each program’s budgets.

Missouri Western picked fourth in preseason MIAA baseball poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2019 MIAA Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll was released on Thursday morning, with Missouri Western picked fourth.

2019 MIAA PRESEASON BASEBALL POLL
1. Central Missouri (6) – 115 points
2. Central Oklahoma (3) – 107 points
3. Pittsburg State (2) – 102 points
4. Missouri Western – 81 points
5. Emporia State – 80 points
6. Missouri Southern (1) – 67 points
T-7. Lindenwood – 60 points
T-7. Northwest Missouri – 60 points
9. Northeastern State – 38 points
10. Washburn – 34 points
11. Southwest Baptist – 26 points
12. Fort Hays State – 23 points

The Griffons will aim to improve off of a 29-24 finish in 2018. Last year was Missouri Western’s eighth-straight season above .500. Leading Missouri Western Baseball in his 20th season in 2019 is head coach Buzz Verduzco. Through his first 19 seasons leading the program, the Griffons have finished .500 or better in all but three seasons.

The Griffons bring back a load of experience in the field, returning eights players that started over 30 games last season. Headlining Missouri Western’s returners is the infield duo of Dusty Stroup and Casey Danley. Following an All-MIAA selection as a junior, Stroup was named to the 2019 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Preseason All-Region Second Team. Stroup started all 53 games at shortstop for the Griffons and led the team with 68 hits and 44 RBI. Danley was the Griffons’ top hitter last season with a team-high .327 batting average. He also led the team with 11 home runs.

Second baseman Brooks Day returns for his senior season in 2019. Day received both a Gold Glove Award and All-MIAA Honorable Mention as a junior. Day was one of the team’s most consistent hitters, finishing with a .301 batting average and a team-high 14 doubles.

Returning to the mound for Missouri Western after an impressive 9-2 junior season is Jacob Miller. Miller was the team’s number one starter, finishing with 14 starts. He was named Third Team All-MIAA and ended the season with a 3.65 ERA.

Another probable starter for the Griffons is right-hander Carson Dwyre. Dwyre started five games last season and held a 2.40 ERA before suffering a season-ending injury.

Relief pitcher Kellan Richards is another key returner for the Missouri Western pitching staff. Richards returns for his senior season after being named All-MIAA Honorable Mention last year. Richards appeared in 35 games last season, holding opposing batters to a .264 average.

Missouri Western Baseball will this weekend with a three-game series at Oklahoma Baptist, with the 2019 season opener on Friday, Feb. 1.

— MWSU Athletics —

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