MSSU's Jacob Park named Division II Offensive Player of the Week

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern quarterback Jacob Park has been named D2football.com National Division II Offensive Player of the Week as announced by the site today.

Park helped the Lions to a record-setting 86-7 win at Northeastern State last Saturday. The Lions broke the MSSU single-game marks for total offense (743), points (86), margin of victory (79), and first downs (42), while Park broke a record for touchdowns responsible for with eight (five passing and three rushing) and tied a single-game touchdown pass record with five.

The Lions also broke an MIAA single-game first-down record with 42, breaking the previous record of 41, held by Southwest Baptist against Truman State in 2007.

This season, Park leads Division II in passing yards, while ranking second in total offense, passing yards per game and completions per game. Earlier in the season, Park broke his own school record against Central Missouri as he threw for 519 yards becoming the first Lion quarterback to throw for a half a thousand in a single game. He went 36-of-59 with four touchdowns in the game, helping the Lions set the team record for passing yards in a game with 519, as well. Park also tied the single-game completion record with 36, tying the mark held by TJ Fleeton in 2015 against Fort Hays State. Park's total of 519 yards is also second-best total offense mark all-time in a single game at Southern. He also broke his attempt mark against Washburn with 66 passing attempts in the game.

Park leads Division II in passing yards this season with 2,906 yards through eight games. When compared with the other three divisions in the NCAA, Park is third amongst all NCAA passers, trailing only Anthony Gordon of Washington State and Bailey Zappe of Houston Baptist.

Park and the Lions will be at Central Oklaoma this weekend. Kickoff from Wantland Stadium in Edmond is slated for 1 pm on Saturday.

MSSU men's basketball ranked 10th nationally

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will open the 2019-20 season ranked 10th nationally as the National Association of Basketball Coaches released their poll today.

Southern is ranked fourth in the Street and Simth Preseason Poll, while the Lions were ranked 19th in the Division II Bulletin Poll. The Lions have started the season ranked in the national poll four times since the team went Division II. The highest the team has been ranked to start the season was No. 2 in the 2011-12 season. This will mark the 63rd week Southern has been ranked in the poll in the program's history.

The Lions return all five starters, four of which earned some type of All-MIAA honors last year. Cam Martin was a first-team All-MIAA and All-Region selection, while also earning All-American honors. Elyjah Clark was a third-team All-MIAA selection, while Braelon Walker and Kinzer Lambert earned honorable mention All-MIAA. Reggie Tharp will return to run the point for the Lions as he averaged 8.6 points per game and 5.0 assists per contest a season ago.

In total, the Lions return nine letter winners from a season ago. Ted Brown (2.5 points, 1.9 rebounds), Parker Jennings (6.4 points, 1.3 rebounds) and Dexter Frisbie (3.1 points 2.2 rebounds) all saw action, while Christian Bundy averaged 4.8 points and 3.0 rebounds as a freshman in 2017-18 but sat out last season with an ankle injury.

The Lions welcome in five new players to the fold for 19-20 including Division I transfer Stan Scott who comes to Joplin after two seasons at Oakland University. Also new to the program are freshmen Martin Macenis (13.1 points/6.2 rebounds) from Stagg, Ill., Winston Dessesow (16.7 points/6.0 rebounds) from Faragut (Fla.) High School and Tyriqe Jackson a 6-6 swing man that was a three-time All-Conference player and a 1,000 point scorer at Lonoke (Ark.) high school. The final new piece to the puzzle for the Lions is Aleksa Markovic, who hails from Prodgorica, Montenegro, but prepped at Bloomfield (Ind.) High School.

Northwest Missouri is the defending National Champion and is ranked No. 1 to start the season. Washburn and Fort Hays State are also receiving votes in the poll. Other teams from the Central Region ranked in the top 25 include Southern Nazarene (9) and Northern State (15).

Southern opens the season at the MIA/ NSIC Challenge in Kansas City, where the Lions will take on Winona State at 2:15 pm on Friday, November 8 and Minnesota State at noon on Saturday, November 9. Both games will be played at historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City.

1 Northwest Missouri State (16) 38-0 400 1 2 Nova Southeastern 29-4 375 5 3 Bellarmine 28-5 353 7 4 West Liberty 28-5 305 9 5 UC San Diego 26-8 294 NR 6 Lincoln Memorial 20-9 278 NR 7 West Texas A&M 34-4 266 3 8 Queens (NC) 31-5 247 10 9 Southern Nazarene 29-6 239 13 10 Missouri Southern 25-8 220 NR 11 Indiana (Pa) 30-3 213 2 12 Valdosta State 24-7 203 21 13 Augusta 28-6 162 16 14 Colorado School of Mines 25-6 144 14 15 Northern State 26-7 135 19 16 Alabama Huntsville 24-8 127 NR 17 Findlay 28-5 120 8 18 Southern Indiana 26-9 109 NR 19 Ashland 23-7 102 NR 20 St. Edward's 30-4 83 4 21 Saint Anselm 26-6 68 20 22 Daemen 24-6 63 22 23 Concordia (CA) 23-11 60 NR 24 Tarleton State 21-10 46 NR 25 Morehouse 20-5 39 NR

MSSU volleyball rallies from 2-1 deficit to defeat Central Oklahoma in five sets

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern Volleyball team forced a fifth set and then came-from-behind in that set to defeat the visiting Central Oklahoma Bronchos three sets to two Tuesday night. Individual set scores were 21-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-17 and 15-13.

The Lions were led offensively by Morgan Nash as the junior had 19 kills, 8 assists and 17 digs to go along with two blocks. Janelle Brehm had 18 kills and 14 digs, while Shaylon Sharp had 12 kills and Alicia Pickett added ten kills and six blocks. Brooklynn McCain had 17 digs, while Makenzie Fa'amausili-Cacoulidis had a match-high 49 assists.

UCO (16-9, 8-7 MIAA) had three players with double-figure digs, led by 15 from Courtney Lane.

Set one saw two different ties and two lead changes, but a 8-1 run early on put the Bronchos up 13-5 and UCO didn't look back.

The Lions went up 12-8 midway in the second set to force a UCO timeout and led again at 19-14, forcing another Bronchos' timeout. UCO got within three at 23-20, before back-to-back kills from Sharp ended the set.

Set three was back-and-forth, with 11 tied scores and six different lead changes. With the score tied at 16, the Bronchos went on a 3-0 run to force a Lions' timeout and then the score was 23-17, forcing another timeout. The Lions got within four (24-20), but a kill from the Bronchos' Lane put the set away.

The Lions controlled set four. Southern went up 10-3 to open the set, forcing both UCO timeouts in the first 13 points. The lead was as high as eight (22-14), before a kill from Nash closed the set.

Southern got out to a 7-4 lead in the fifth set, forcing a UCO timeout, but the Bronchos came out of the timeout and ralied off four-straight points to lead 8-7 at the turn. The Lions quickly tied the set at nine and went ahead 10-9. The set was tied at ten, 11, 12 and 13, before a kill from Nash forced match point and a block from Nash and Pickett sealed the win.

The Lions will be back in action on Friday night as Southern plays host to Missouri Western at 6 pm. The match will be the final home match of the season for the Lions as they honor their four seniors, Pickett, Mikayla Monk, Sydney Dose and Kylee Kaaihue.

MSSU football to play at Central Oklahoma Saturday

(From Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern football team will be back on the road this Saturday when the Lions head to Edmond, Okla. to take on the Bronchos of Central Oklahoma. Kickoff from Wantland Stadium is slated for 1 pm.

Game Information

Team Records: MSSU 2-6, 2-6 MIAA | UCO 3-5, 3-5 MIAA
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2019
Kick-Off: 1:00 pm, CT
Location: Edmond, Okla.
Site: Wantland Stadium (10,000)
Series Record: UCO leads the series 5-2

Media Coverage

MSSU Radio: Fox Sports Joplin 101.3, 101.7 and AM 1560; 88.7 FM KXMS - Mike McClure, Play-by-Play, Scott Boudreaux, Color
Video Webcast: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/mssulions
Live Stats: https://www.bronchosports.com.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mosofootball
Lions on Instagram: @mososports

The Series: This is just the eighth meeting all-time between the two schools. UCO leads the series 5-2, overall. The Lions defeated Central Oklahoma 25-20 in 2012 in Edmond in the season-opener and also won 52-38 in 2014. UCO picked up a triple overtime win in 2014 in a thriller in Edmond, as well as wins in each of the last three seasons.

A Victory vs. The Bronchos Would: stop a five-game winning streak for the Bronchos over the Lions. It would be the third in the series for Southern.

Tough League/Region: The MIAA has two teams in the coaches top 25 this week. Central Missouri is 11th, while Northwest Missouri is 14th. The Super Region Three, which the Lions are a part of, has three teams in the top ten and has nine teams in the top 25. There are 13 teams total that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll from the region.

Lions On The Web: All of MSSU's football games are carried live online as part of the MIAA Network. Fans can go to www.mssulions.com to view live and on-demand games.

Streaming Options: Fans now have even more options to view the Lions online in their homes and on the road. Not only can you view on your computer, fans can now view The MIAA Network on its over the top apps for either Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Android TV.

NCAA Team Stats Rankings: The Lions lead Division II in first downs and passing offense, while ranking ninth in total offense, 22nd in kickoff returns, 33rd in scoring, 35th in blocked punts and 37th in fourth down conversions.

MIAA Team Stats Rankings: This year, the Lions lead the MIAA in first downs and passing, while ranking second in total offense and blocked punts and third in fourth-down conversions.

Individual Stats Rankings: Jacob Park leads Division II in passing yards, while ranking second in total offense, passing yards per game and completions per game. JaTece Wright is 5th in punt return touchdowns, while Josh Mercer is fifth in kickoff return touchdowns and 16th in kickoff returns. Richard Jordan Jr. is 20th in tackles.

Record Setting Game: The Lions broke or tied six single-game records at NSU. Southern broke the MSSU single-game marks for total offense (743), points (86), margin of victory (79), and first downs (42) - which also broke an MIAA record.

Passing The Bar: Park leads Division II in passing yards this season with 2,906 yards through eight games. When compared with the other three divisions in the NCAA, Park is third amongst all NCAA passers, trailing only Anthony Gordon of Washington State and Bailey Zappe of Houston Baptist.

Run, Sean, Run: Sean Kelly came into the game at Lincoln in the second half and ran for 126 yards (zero negative yardage) and two touchdowns.

Spread The Receptions: This season, the Lions have ten different 100-yard receiving games from five different individuals. Dwayne Lawson has and Brian Boyd Jr. have three of them, while Benjamin Phillips has two. Brailon Mouton and Devond Blair, Jr. have one game each. The Lions have had two different games where three different individuals had 100 or more yards receiving.

Have A Game Charles: Charles West had a big game at Missouri Western where he had three rushing touchdowns, carrying the ball for 137 yards. He also caught ten passes for 92 yards, tying a Missouri Southern record for receptions in a game by a running back.

Have A Game Charles II: West has set a new MSSU single-season record for receptions by a running back. He has 36 on the season.

Weather Report: The weather report for the Edmond area on Saturday calls for plenty of sunshine with a high of 53 degrees. Chance of rain is listed at 10% with a northwest wind of 8 MPH.

Up Next: Southern will be back home for senior day as the Lions play host to Emporia State on November 9 at 3 pm.

MSSU volleyball to close out home schedule against Central Oklahoma, Missouri Western

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern volleyball team will be in action twice this week as the Lions play host to Central Oklahoma on Tuesday and Missouri Western on Friday night to close out the home portion of the schedule.

Southern (12-12, 5-8 MIAA) sits in eighth place in the MIAA standings, two games in front of Fort Hays State and one game behind Pittsburg State. The Lions are one and a half games out of sixth place Missouri Western.

Southern ranks ninth nationally in total attacks, while ranking 15th in D-2 in digs. The team leads the MIAA in blocks, attacks and digs, while ranking second in blocks per set and third in assists.

Individually, Morgan Nash ranks fourth nationally in triple-doubles with five, while Janelle Brehm ranks tenth in total attacks, and 34th in attacks per set. Brehm ranks second in the MIAA in both those categories. Alicia Pickett is 38th nationally in total blocks, while leading the MIAA in that category and ranking second in blocks per set.

Brehm leads the way with a 3.11 kills per set average, while also coming in at 3.54 digs per set. Brooklynn McCain leads the way with 3.96 digs per set, while Kyliee Kaaihue has a team-high 8.27 assists per set.

UCO (16-8, 8-6 MIAA) hosted the Lions earlier in the season and the two teams played to a fifth set. The Bronchos have four players with 2.00 kills per set or more, led by Courtney Lane at 2.59. UCO uses a two-setter attack with Amanda Desch (5.88) and Ericka Scholl (4.53) dishing out the assists. Defensively, the Bronchos are led by Dominique Lipari who averages 6.65 digs per set.

Western (12-9, 6-7 MIAA) defeated the Lions in four sets earlier in the season The Griffons are led offensively by Ali Tauchen with a 3.35 kills per set average, while Lauren Murphy is averaging 10.26 assists per set. Defensively, Tiana Butler averages 5.89 digs per set.

The match with the Bronchos will be a Hawaiian themed night, while the match with the Grifons will be senior night.

MSSU volleyball falls to Central Missouri in three sets

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Warrensburg, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern volleyball team got seven kills and 14 digs from Janelle Brehm, but the Lions fell on the road at No. 10 Central Missouri, three sets to none. Individual set scores were 12-25, 17-25 and 18-25.

The Lions (12-12, 5-9 MIAA) also got five kills and eight assists from Morgan Nash, while Shaylon Sharp had six kills. Brooklynn McCain had seven digs, while Makenzie Fa'amausili-Cacoulidis dished out 12 assists.

The Jennies (15-7, 9-4 MIAA) got nine kills from three different players, including 34 assists from Ally Offerdahl.

Central led from start to finish in the first set, but set two saw four ties and two lead changes. The Lions opened up an 8-3 lead early on in the second set, but Central came back and took a 10-9 lead, before a kill from Alyssa Diaz tied it back at ten. Central led 19-16 late, forcing a Southern timeout and the Jennies went on to close out the set.

Set three saw five ties and two lead changes, as the teams jockeyed for leads back and forth to start before the Jennies opened up a 15-11 lead midway through to force a Southern timeout. The Jennies led 19-14 and forced another timeout and Central closed out the set on a 6-2 run to take the match.

The Lions will be back in action on Tuesday evening as Southern plays host to Central Oklahoma at 6 pm inside Young Gymnasium.

MSSU men's cross country, Kimutai repeat winners at MIAA Championships

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The sixth-ranked Missouri Southern men's cross country team, as well as Gidieon Kimutai repeated as team and individual champions as the Lions competed in the 2019 MIAA Cross Country Championships hosted at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.

Kimutai traversed the 8k course nearly two minutes faster than he did at last year's championships, finsihing 22 seconds in front of his nearest competitor with a time of 23:37.3. Kimutai wins his fourth event of the year as he has won every race he's ran in this season.

Nickson Kiptoo was fifth at 24:29.3, while Ryan Riddle was seventh at 24:42.4. Cody Berry was eighth at 24:45.3. All four were 1st-team All-MIAA for their efforts.

Jarod Ozee placed 14th in a time of 25:16.1, while Nathan Painter was 17th in a time of 25:19.1 to earn honorable-mention All-MIAA honors. Kevin Koester was 27th, while Josh Webb and Michael Shanahan placed 43rd and 46th, respectively.

The Lions had 35 points as a team, 21 points in front of second-place Northwest Missouri. Central Missouri was third, followed by Fort Hays State, Nebraska-Kearney, Pittsburg State, Emporia State, Rogers State, Missouri Western and Newman to round out the team scores.

The Lions will be back in action in two weeks when the Lions play host to the 2019 NCAA Central Region Championships on November 9 at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.

MSSU defeats Northeastern State 86-7 in record-breaking performance

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Tahlequah, Okla. -- The Missouri Southern football team tied or broke six single-game records, while Charles West broke a single-season mark as the Lions won at Northeastern State 86-7 today inside Doc Wadley Stadium.

The Lions (2-6, 2-6 MIAA) broke the MSSU single-game marks for total offense (743), points (86), margin of victory (79), and first downs (42), while Jacob Park broke a record for touchdowns responsible for with eight (five passing and three rushing) and tied a single-game touchdown pass record with five.

The Lions also broke an MIAA single-game first-down record with 42, breaking the previous record of 41, held by Southwest Baptist against Truman State in 2007.

Charles West caught six passes and has 36 catches on the season, setting a new MSSU single-season record for receptions by a running back.

Park was 27-of-39 for 408 yards and five touchdowns, including a long of 60. He also rushed for 46 yards on six carries and three scores and finished with a 199.4 passer rating. Travier Fields-Jackson caught two passes for 91 yards and a score, while Keandre Bledsoe, Jonathan Watts, Jaedon Stoshak, and Shemar Coleman caught a touchdown pass. The catch for Watts is his first collegiate touchdown.

West had 19 carries for 136 yards and a score, while catching six passes for 55 yards. Coleman had seven carries for 76 yards, while Josh Mercer had five carries for 19 yards and a score. Mercer also had an 86-yard touchdown on a kickoff return as he had two returns on the day for 115 yards. The kickoff return for a touchdown was the first since 2012.

Defensively, Fontez Davis had ten tackles with an interception and four pass break ups. Richard Jordan Jr. had seven stops with 2.5 for a loss, while Loren Young had a sack and Malachi Broadnax had a fumble recovery. Southern had seven tackles for a loss of 21 yards on the day.

Southern led 38-0 at the break and used 35 points in the third quarter to go up 73-7 after three quarters.

The Lions will be back in action next weekend when Southern travels to Central Oklahoma for a 1 pm matchup with the Bronchos.

MSSU women's cross country finishes third at MIAA Championships

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's cross country team placed third today as the Lions competed in the 2019 MIAA Cross Country Championships hosted by the Lions at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.

Southern scored 91 points, finishing third behind Pittsburg State (78) and Central Missouri (84). Nebraska-Kearney was fourth, followed by Washburn, Fort Hays State, Missouri Western, Emporia State, Lincoln, Central Oklahoma, Northwest Missouri, Newman and Rogers State to round out the team scores.

Kelie Henderson led the way for the Lions as she finished sixth in a time of 22:07.0. Julianna Determan was eighth at 22:14.3, while Maegen Derfelt, Janna Hautala, and Danielle Prince finished 23rd, 25th and 29th, respectively.

Mady Gepford was 34th, while Alice Evans finished 35th and Raye Moran was 37th. Gabrielle Hill finished 42nd and Abbi Rogers was 78th.

The Lions will be back in action in two weeks when the Lions play host to the 2019 NCAA Central Region Championships on November 9 at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.

MSSU volleyball falls to Northwest Missouri in three sets

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern volleyball team picked up a double-double from Janelle Brehm but the Lions fell on the road at No. 14 Northwest Missouri, three sets to none tonight. 

Individual set scores were 19-25, 19-25 and 24-26.

MSSU soccer loses to Emporia State 3-1

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's soccer team got to within two after senior Jessica Edwards scored in the 72nd minute of play, but fell short to Emporia State 3-1 inside Fred G Hughes Stadium Friday afternoon.

The Lions (2-12-1, 1-6-1 MIAA) registered 14 total shots on the night with one goal coming after sophomore Bailey Belcher launched the ball over the defense to Edwards who then kicked it over the goalkeeper's head.

Freshman Samantha White and junior Sarah Tatum led the squad with three shots each, while junior Rylie Johnson and Belcher provided two apiece.

Goalkeeper Luz Galindo went 90 minutes in-between the posts and made six saves in the loss.

The Hornets (10-3-1, 5-1-2 MIAA) scored the first goal in the 15th minute of the first period on a header after a corner kick was taken, followed by numerous hits before the ball found the back of the net. They would add two more goals for a 3-0 lead at halftime and then hold on for the victory

MSSU is back inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium Sunday afternoon against Washburn at 1:00 pm.

MSSU to play host to MIAA Cross Country Championships Saturday

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern cross country program will play host to the 2019 MIAA Cross Country Championships this Saturday at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course on campus.

The races will begin at 10 am with the women's 10k race, while the men's 8k will kick off at 11 am.

The Southern men come into the race as the top-ranked team in the race and the defending MIAA Champs. The Lions are ranked 6th this week in the latest coaches poll and Northwest Missouri State is ranked 12th. The Lions won last year's MIAA Championships in dominating fashion, scoring 31 points to second-place Nebraska-Kearney's 101.

The Lions won their first two events of the season with a win at SBU and another in the Southern Stampede, while finishing second at the highly competitive Lewis University Crossover two weeks ago. That meet at Lewis featured 11 nationally-ranked teams and the Lions finished second behind only 4th-ranked Grand Valley State.

On the women's side, Pittsburg State has won the past two MIAA Cross Country Championships. The Southern women finished third last year and have been nationally ranked for a good portion of the season. The Lions won the MIAA Championship last in 2014 and won the title six times from 2006-2014.

Live results for the event, as well as course maps and a Championship Program are available above in the story links.

MSSU soccer to entertain Emporia State, Washburn this weekend

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's soccer squad plays host to a pair of Kansas universities with Emporia State coming to town for a 6:00 pm match on Friday and then Washburn on Sunday at 1:00 pm; both inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

Freshman forward Samantha White recorded her first goal of the season to put the Lions (2-11-1, 1-5-1 MIAA) in a 1-1 draw with Nebraska-Kearney to finish match one last Friday afternoon before falling to Fort Hays State, 3-0 to conclude the weekend.

Senior Brianna Smith leads the squad with seven points (2Gs & 3As) while sophomore Bailey Belcher and freshman Ashton Manwill follow tied for second with six points off of three goals each. Senior Jessica Edwards, and freshman Brianna Marquez both recorded two goals and one assist for five points apiece.

The Rundown

Friday: ESU - Fred G. Hughes Stadium - 6:00 p.m.
Sunday: WU - Fred G. Hughes Stadium - 1:00 p.m.

TV/Stream:
ESU - https://themiaanetwork.com/mssulions/
WU - https://themiaanetwork.com/mssulions/
Live Stats:
ESU - https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
WU - https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary

What the Opponents are Bringing to the Battle!
Emporia State Hornets (9-3-2, 4-1-2 MIAA)
Series: MSSU leads, 16-6-6
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association ... finished third in the MIAA last season (14-6-1, 8-3-0 MIAA) before falling to Central Missouri in the semifinals of the MIAA tournament and to Minnesota State - Mankato in the first round of the NCAA Central Region in overtime ... picked fourth in the conference preseason poll ... retained six All-MIAA selections from a season ago in sophomore goalkeeper Jillian Patton (2nd), defender Ashlyn Lakin (2nd), and midfielder Rachel Marshall (2nd), senior midfielder Tanna Benefiel (3rd) and forward Kennedy Hoffman (3rd), and sophomore defender Sydney Martens (HM)... two others join them with ten or more starts during the 2018 season ... 

Hornets are 3-1-1 in their last five with the lone loss coming to Northeastern State (4-1) and come off a tie with Newman (1-1) ... hold a three-match winning streak over the Lions, including a 3-2 victory at Hal Boden back in 2017 and then a 2-1 victory at home last season ... currently stand in the top-5 in all offensive categories (shots, points, goals, and assists) ... Head coach Bryan Sailer enters his ninth year at the helm of the Hornets ... led the team to a school record 14 wins toward the programs first NCAA Division II Tournament berth last season ... previously coached at Barton Community College where he compiled a 59-23-2 record (.714) in four years there and won a KJCAA Championship (2008) after recording a 18-4 record.

Washburn (7-5-1, 3-3-1 MIAA)
Series: WU leads 11-8-6
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association ... secured the eighth and final spot into the MIAA tournament (7-10-2, 3-6-2 MIAA) before falling to Central Oklahoma in the first round ... picked ninth in the conference preseason poll ... retained three All-MIAA selections from a season ago in senior forward Olivia Grasso (3rd), junior midfielder Tera Lynch (3rd), and sophomore forward Josie Rimmer (3rd) ...four others join them with ten or more starts during the 2018 season ... 

Ichabods are 2-2-1 in their last five, including a 1-0 victory at Rogers State and a 3-2 win over Central Oklahoma at home while scoring the first and last goal in that match ... hold a four-match streak over the Lions with three of them being within one goal ... head coach Davy Phillips enters his third season at the helm of the Ichabods ... he was named the third coach in program history two seasons ago (2017) and one season later led the team to a 10-9-1 record and a berth in the second round of the MIAA tournament for the first time since 2013 ... previously coached at Baker University for three seasons with a 44-14-6 record and a NAIA national semifinal appearance as well as NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2016.

Next Stretch
The Women's soccer team prepares for a Senior Day showdown with nationally-ranked Central Missouri next Friday at 6:00 pm before closing out the 2019 regular season against Northwest Missouri State on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 1:00 pm.

MSSU Athletic Department unveils new website

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern State University Athletic Department is pleased to unveil a completely redesigned www.mssulions.com that went live this morning.

Working hand in hand with SIDEARM Sports, the website provider for the Lions, the athletic department worked to utilize the latest technology and design aspects available to make the new design both pleasing to the eye, and also functional.

On the new homepage, visitors will see a calendar of past and future events scrolling across the top of the screen, then a story rotator of the most recent stories.

Fans can also catch updates from videos and each of the social media platforms that the Lions utilize.

On each sports homepage, visitors will see each of those aspects, as well as a Media Wall that utilizes each social media platform and videos for those particular sports.

In addition to the new site, the athletic department will launch a completely redesigned mobile app that was engineered through the partnership with SIDEARM Sports. That app will be live in both the Apple Store and Google Play Store next week.

MSSU football to play at Northeastern State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern football team will head out on the road as the Lions travel to Tahlequah to take on Northeastern State this Saturday. Kickoff from Doc Wadley Stadium is slated for 2 pm.

Game Information

Team Records: MSSU 1-6, 1-6 MIAA | NSU 0-7, 0-7 MIAA
Date: Saturday, October 26, 2019
Kick-Off: 2:00 pm, CT
Location: Tahlequah, Okla.
Site: Doc Wadley Stadium (10,000)
Series Record: NSU leads the series 12-10
Coaches: Jeff Sims (1-6 at MSSU, 1-6 overall - first year as a 4-year head coach) | JJ Eckert (0-7 at NSU/Overall)

The Series: This will be the 24th meeting in the series between the two schools. Northeastern State leads the series 12-10, but the Lions have won ten of the last 16 games between the two teams. Northeastern State was the Lions' first-ever opponent as a four-year school as NSU downed Southern 45-0 in 1968. The RiverHawks dominated the series early on, winning the first seven games in a row, but it has been mostly Southern over the last nine outings. The Lions are 4-7 in Tahlequah, while holding an 6-5 mark in Joplin with one game being vacated by the Lions in 1997. From 1989 to 1997, the Lions won nine games in a row in a stretch that included ten of 11, as well.

A Victory vs. The RiverHawks Would: be the second in a row over the RiverHawks. It would also be the 11th win in the last 17 tries over NSU.

Tough League/Region: The MIAA has two teams in the coaches top 25 this week. Central Missouri is 11th, while Northwest Missouri is 14th. The Super Region Three, which the Lions are a part of, has three teams in the top ten and has eight teams in the top 25. There are 12 teams total that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll from the region.

NCAA Team Stats Rankings: The Lions lead Division II passing offense, while ranking eighth in first downs, 14th in total offense and 32nd in blocked punts.

MIAA Team Stats Rankings: This year, the Lions lead the MIAA first downs and passing offense, while ranking second in total offense and blocked punts, third in blocked kicks and fourth in tackles for a loss.

Individual Stats Rankings: Jacob Park leads Division II in passing yards, while ranking second in passing yards per game and third in both completions per game and total offense. JaTece Wright ranks third nationally in punt return touchdowns, while Richard Jordan Jr. ranks 16th nationally in tackles. Park is 29th in passing yards per completion, while ranking 33rd in points responsible for. Paul Wolff is 41st in punting.

Passing The Bar: Park leads Division II in passing yards this season with 2,498 yards through seven games. When compared with the other three divisions in the NCAA, Park is fourth amongst all NCAA passers, trailing only Anthony Gordon of Washington State, Bailey Zappe of Houston Baptist and Jake Maier of UC Davis.

Lawson With The Catch: Dwayne Lawson made the switch from quarterback to receiver rather nicely as the junior caught six passes for 179 yards and two scores. That included a 93-yard touchdown catch. The 179 yards is tied for fifth-best all-time in a single game at MSSU. Lawson now has three 100-plus yard games this season and has caught 24 passes for 465 yards this year.

Run, Sean, Run: Sean Kelly came into the game at Lincoln in the second half and ran for 126 yards (zero negative yardage) and two touchdowns.

Spread The Receptions: This season, the Lions have ten different 100-yard receiving games from five different individuals. Lawson has and Brian Boyd Jr. have three of them, while Benjamin Phillips has two. Brailon Mouton and Devond Blair, Jr. have one game each. The Lions have had two different games where three different individuals had 100 or more yards receiving.

Watch Party Headquarters: For those wanting to catch the Lions on the road, but not able to travel, Gusanos in Joplin will host the official road watch party each Saturday. Come by their location at 7th and Duquesne to check out all the action.

Weather Report: The weather report for the Tahlequah area on Saturday calls for showers with a high of 59 degrees. Chance of rain is listed at 50% with a northwest wind of 5 MPH.

Up Next: Southern will be back out on the road, heading to Central Oklahoma for a game on November 2 with the Bronchos.

MSSU women's golf takes third at Virginia McCoy Fall Invite

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Parkville, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern women's golf team finished third at the 2019 Virginia McCoy Fall Invite hosted by Park University at the Deuce at the National Golf Club of Kansas City today.

The Lions shot a final-round 384 to finish at 746 for the tournament, one stroke behind second-place Park. Truman took home the team title, while Metropolitan CC was fourth, Ottawa was fifth, Park's B squad was sixth and Hastings finished seventh.

McKayla Hussey finished sixth with a 181, while Maggie Moore was eighth at 184. Hannah Torres was tied for 11th at 186, while Kylie Carnes was tied 17th at 195 and Kirsten Matlock was tied for 29th at 206.

This event concludes the fall portion of the Lions' schedule. Southern will start back up in March with the spring portion of their schedule.

MSSU men's golf sweeps Northwestern Oklahoma State, takes third at Battle of the Belt

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Hot Springs, Ark. -- The Missouri Southern men's golf team swept Northwestern Oklahoma State 5-0 in its final match to finish tied for third at the Battle of the Belt, hosted by Henderson State University at Hot Springs Country Club.

The Lions got wins in each group against NWOSU to finish tied with Winona State for third-place.

Individually, Jonathan Sanchez finished 14th with a three-round total of 229. Jon Lenz was tied for 15th at 230, while Grant Sikes was 25th at 236. Taylor Haltom was 30th at 241, while Colby Cox shot an 85 in the final day, but did not post a score in round one.

Henderson State swept through match play to finish first, followed by St. Edward's. Northwestern Oklahoma and Union did not post a win in the event.

This was the final fall event for the Lions as the team will be back in action in March with the spring portion of its schedule.

MSSU - 5 vs. Northwestern Oklahoma - 0

MSSU NWOSU Jonathan Sanchez - 79 Parker Rehorn - 82 Jon Lenz - 76 Tyler Berryhill - 80 Grant Sikes - 77 Colten Person - 90 Colby Cox - 85 Keenan Hofstad - 88 Taylor Haltom - 74 Joey Nix - 82