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Columbia College looking for new head women’s basketball coach

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Jessica Keller, (photo/Columbia College)

Columbia College head women’s basketball coach Jessica Keller resigned to accept a top assistant coach position at NCAA Division I Illinois State University.

Keller compiled an overall record of 75-24 in three seasons at Columbia, including a 55-17 mark in the American Midwest Conference. She coached the Cougars to a pair of NAIA National Tournament appearances over the past two seasons. Columbia started the 2015-16 season with a school-record 19-straight wins and achieved the highest ranking in school history at No. 3 in the NAIA Division I Coaches’ Poll, as the Cougars were ranked in 31 out of 34 polls during her tenure. She was part of the WBCA’s inaugural 30 under 30 class, recognizing up and coming talent in coaching.

 

Prior to coming to Columbia, Keller served as the assistant coach at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota for three seasons and as a graduate assistant coach at Quincy University, where she completed her Master’s in Business Administration. The Belle, Missouri native also played women’s basketball at Quincy from 2005-2009. She was a three-time All-Great Lakes Valley performer and was named the GLVC Player of the Year in her senior season.

Columbia’s Burchard win conference Coach of the Year honors…again

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Bob Burchard takes his Cougars back to the NAIA national championships (photo/Columbia Athletics)

The American Midwest Conference Championship announced its yearly awards for the 2016-17 season. Columbia College head coach Bob Burchard was named Coach of the Year.

For Burchard, the Coach of the Year Honor is his eighth AMC Coach of the Year award, and his 11th total conference coach of the Year honor. He led the Cougars to a 26-5 record during the season, winning the AMC regular season title and qualifying for the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship in Kansas City, Missouri, for the seventh straight year, and for the 21st time since he took over the program for the 1988-89 season.

 

Columbia College gets back on the diamond and wins their first game since 1982

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Columbia baseball (photo/columbiacougars.com)

After 35 years without a baseball team, Columbia College fielded their first club on Thursday afternoon in McKenzie, Tennessee to take on the Bethel (Tenn.) University Wildcats.   The Cougars won their first game of the season 6-5, for their first win since 1982.

Columbia now offers 15 varsity NAIA Championship sports with the addition of baseball and full indoor and outdoor, men’s and women’s track and field this academic year, up from five varsity sports just five years ago.

Baseball was a premier sport for the school and competed for roughly ten years from 1972-82.   The Columbia College athletic department and Columbia Parks & Rec have  partnered up to give the Cougars a place to play. The Columbia Cougar baseball team will call Atkins Park Black Field their home starting in the spring.  Atkins Park is located just north of Columbia off of North Oakland Gravel Road.

Columbia baseball schedule

Columbia College bounced in the second round of the NAIA Tournament

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Photo/NAIA.org

Photo/NAIA.org

No. 3 seed William Penn (Iowa) continued its successful debut at the 2016 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship with an 86-68 win over second-seeded Columbia (Mo.). The Statesmen take on No. 1-seeded Georgetown (Ky.) in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 19 at 2:00 p.m. CDT.

William Penn fired off the first spark of the opening half, reeling off a 9-0 run to construct a double-digit lead, 16-5, with six minutes completed. The Statesmen held a 21-10 advantage at the midway point and carried a 40-27 advantage into intermission after shooting 43.8 percent from the field, while holding the Cougars to 31.3 percent shooting and posting a 28-14 edge on the glass.

 

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NAIA D-I men’s and women’s brackets. Five Missouri colleges set to play March 16-17 in Kansas City and Independence

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Photo/Central Methodist Sports Information

Photo/Central Methodist Sports Information

For the eighth straight season the William Woods University Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship, which begins next Wednesday, March 16th.  William Woods will play the overall top seeded Our Lady of the Lake on Wednesday, March 16th at 1:45 p.m.  in Independence, Missouri.

The Columbia College women’s basketball team, who is ranked No. 12 in the final 2015-16 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, received an at large bid and will face 22nd-ranked Baker University on Wednesday. The Cougars are making their 12th overall appearance to the national tournament.

Columbia defeated Baker earlier this season, 66-55, on Nov. 28 on the Wildcats’ home floor.

This season, Central Methodist has been ranked in the Top 25 for the majority of the season and are currently ranked 13th in the Nation. CMU sports a 26-4 record and finished 20-2 in conference play. The Lady Eagles clinched their first regular season conference title since 1997.  The 13th ranked Lady Eagles will face Great Falls, Montana on the 17th.

NAIA Women’s Bracket

Photo/ColumbiaCougars.com

Photo/ColumbiaCougars.com

The Park University men’s basketball team will be downtown next week, as one of 32 qualifiers for the 2016 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.   At No. 20 in the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the Pirates (20-9) received an at-large bid to the tournament, taking on No. 14 Mid-America Christian University (23-9) Wednesday at 3 p.m., which enters the tournament as an at-large from the Sooner Athletic Conference.

The winner of Wednesday’s game against MACU will meet the winner of top seed Biola University and eighth-seeded Faulkner University in Friday’s second round at 10:45 a.m.

The 7th-ranked Columbia men’s basketball team will face LSU Shreveport (RV) on Wednesday, March 16th at 8:45 p.m.  The Cougars are the No. 2 seed in the Naismith bracket while LSUS is the No. 7 seed.  The Cougars (28-5) will be making their sixth straight appearance to the national championship and 20th overall after winning the American Midwest Conference (AMC) tournament championship over William Woods University on Monday evening.

NAIA Men’s Bracket

Columbia College men headed back to NAIA national tournament after holding off Williams Woods

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The Columbia College Cougars celebrate their AMC championship (photo/columbiacougars.com)

The Columbia College Cougars celebrate their AMC championship (photo/columbiacougars.com)

The 9th-ranked Columbia College men’s basketball team won their 4th American Midwest Conference (AMC) tournament Championship in five years on Monday evening with a 77-74 victory over William Woods University. The Cougars will head to the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Tournament with a record of 28-5. The NAIA National Tournament will take place in Kansas City, Mo. from March 16-22. The national tournament bracket and pairings will be announced on Wednesday, March 9th at 6:00 p.m.

Back-to-back threes by the Owls cut the deficit to three at 44-41 early in the second half. WWU eventually battled back to tie the game at 46 on a three by Trey Mitchell at the 15:19 minute mark. Columbia responded with a 7-0 run that included a three by Jackson Dubinski to go ahead 53-46.

After trading baskets, the Cougars used five straight points, capped off with a three by Preston Whitfield to extend their lead to double-digits at 60-48 at the midway point. The Owl’s Austin Lowery hit a three of his own, making it a nine point game, but Whitfield wasted little time as he drained yet another three to make the score 63-51.

Columbia continued to lead by double-digits until back-to-back threes by Kevin House and a three by Trey Mitchell cut the deficit to two at 71-69 with 3:59 left to play. The Owls made it a one point game at 72-71 with two made free throws by Mitchell, but Zack Rockers would make two-of-two at the charity stripe to give Columbia the 74-71 advantage with just over a minute left to play.  The Owls had one last chance at a play with 16 seconds left on the clock, but their three point shot fell short, allowing Columbia to come away with the 77-74 win.

The Owls were led by Mitchell with a game-high 20 points while DeGeare and House finished with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

With the win, Marcus Whitt and Chantel Stanciel become the winningest players at Columbia College with a 121-16 overall record.

Postgame with Missourinet affiliate KTGR’s Cosmo and Cougar coach Bob Burchard

Story courtesy–ColumbiaCougars.com

It’s great to see when the good guys win. Bob Burchard gets Columbia College basketball court named in his honor

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Bob Burchard court is unveiled on December 30, 2015 on the campus of Columbia College

Bob Burchard court is unveiled on December 30, 2015 on the campus of Columbia College (photo/twitter.com/ColumbiaCougars

Over the span of 28 seasons, Bob Burchard not only turned the men’s basketball program at Columbia College into a national powerhouse, but he has spearheaded the charge for the entire athletic department.  After winning his 700th game earlier this month,  the longtime Athletic Director and coach was honored on Wednesday.

The Southwell Complex arena court is now named, “Bob Burchard Court.”

Following the recognition of the court naming that afternoon, the Cougars took down Philander Smith College 97-90, giving Burchard his 703rd win against just 237 losses.

Columbia has averaged more than 25 victories a season under his guidance and has appeared at the NAIA National Championships 19 times. His total victories make him second in the state of Missouri for career wins. He also ranks third among all active NAIA men’s basketball coaches in wins and has done it in fewer years than anyone else. His players have been honored as all-conference, Scholar-Athletes and all-American too many times to mention.

He is a three-time Hall of Famer, an NABC Guardians of the Game Leadership Pillar Award winner, the NAIA Coach of the Year in 2009 and a nine-time AMC Coach of the year. He has also been crowned the AMC Athletic Director of the year seven times.

To illustrate the character and personality of Coach Burchard, I need to share a personal experience.

I have to go back 15 years when I worked in local radio in the Columbia market.  Our radio stations were forming a relationship with Columbia College Athletics and we were hosting a live radio event at one of the department’s fund raisers.  That was the first time I met Bob.  We conducted a couple of live interviews that evening and that was the extent of our relationship.  Shortly thereafter I left the market and my connections to Columbia College ended.

Over the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to interview him over the phone for Missourinet, but never brought up our initial introduction until I had a chance to personally see Bob at a press conference in Jefferson City just a couple of years ago when Coach was enshrined into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

I re-introduced myself.  Told him how our paths had crossed over a decade ago and he recognized my face and remembered where were held our radio event.  I was stunned that he remembered.

He was and always has been generous with his time.  It nice to see Coach Burchard honored for what he has been able to achieve Columbia.

Stats and figures-courtesy of ColumbiaCougars.com

A volleyball national championship for @ColumbiaCougars and a historic finish for runner-up @MBUAthletics

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The Columbia Cougars celebrate their NAIA national championship (photo/columbiacougars.com)

The Columbia Cougars celebrate their NAIA national championship (photo/columbiacougars.com)

Congratulations to the Columbia College volleyball team for claiming their fourth NAIA national title and first since 2001, when the Cougars beat Missouri Baptist 3-0 (28-26, 25-16, and 25-21), in Sioux City Iowa.

It was the fourth meeting this season between the two Missouri schools.

The Spartans advanced to the National Championship match for the first time in school history after defeating Viterbo University Saturday morning 3-0 in the semifinal round.

“We worked all year to overcome a lot of things,” said Columbia head coach Melinda Wrye-Washington to ColumbiaCougars.com. “We went through a lot of peaks and valleys, a lot of roller coaster rides, through injuries and sickness to make it here tonight. This group persisted, they never gave up on each other. Their character in practice and the ability to invest in everything they did, physically, mentally and emotionally and invest in their training and have the character to persist through everything that happened to them over the season has just been amazing.”

The Spartans made their first ever national title appearance (photo/mbuspartans.com)

The Spartans made their first ever national title appearance (photo/mbuspartans.com)

Polina Severina and Sashiko Heredia were honored and Penny Liu was named theNAIA Volleyball National Championship Most Valuable Player. In addition, head coach Melinda Wrye-Washington was crowned the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Coach of the Year.

Two Spartans were named to the All-Tournament team: Mallory Dillon and Haley Pouliezos. Pouliezos was also named the NAIA Libero of the Year for the second year in a row.

Central Methodist now one win away from advancing to the NAIA Softball World Series. Columbia and Avila eliminated

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Central Methodist celebrates their 5-2 win over Bellevue. The teams meet again Thursday (photo/CMUEagles.com)

Central Methodist celebrates their 5-2 win over Bellevue. The teams meet again Thursday (photo/CMUEagles.com)

Central Methodist broke a tie ballgame in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring three runs over the fourth and fifth innings to defeat Bellevue (Neb.) 5-2 on Tuesday in the semifinal round of the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round in the Central Methodist Bracket at Cox Softball Complex.

Central Methodist (43-8) advances to the championship game of the Opening Round, which will be played at 1 pm. Thursday, and will again face Bellevue. The winner of the Central Methodist Bracket will advance to the NAIA Softball World Series, which will be held from May 22-28 in Sioux City, Iowa.

In the second game Tuesday, Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) held off a late rally to beat Columbia (Mo.) 5-4. In the third and final game, Bellevue had its second walk-off win in as many days, defeating Cardinal Stritch 2-1 in eight innings to earn a rematch against Central Methodist.

Avila College’s 13-5 record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference gave them the most wins ever by an Avila team in HAAC play, and their 2nd place finish was their best finish since joining the conference.

The Eagles are the only team that qualified for the NAIA National Championship that did not have a senior on their roster, making them one of, if not the youngest team in the tournament.

Avila’s season came to an end with two losses on Tuesday, with the first loss coming against the reigning NAIA Pitcher of the Year and two-time All-American Nicole Nonnemacher and the St. Xavier, IL., Cougars in a 3-0 final.  St. Xavier scored their first two runs of the game with an illegal ball that was not sanctioned by the NAIA and neither coach caught the error.  Umpires noticed it was a batting practice ball after the inning.

In game two, Avila lost 6-1 to Corben, OR, ending the Eagles season with a record of 32-13.

Central Methodist beats Columbia in NAIA softball. Avila University’s game rained out in Oregon

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Jessie Wilmes slides safely into home plate during the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly, giving Central Methodist a 4-3 lead over Columbia. (photo/cmueagles.com)

Jessie Wilmes slides safely into home plate during the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly, giving Central Methodist a 4-3 lead over Columbia. (photo/cmueagles.com)

Central Methodist picked up a win in its first game of the 2015 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round on Monday. The top-seeded Eagles defeated No. 4 seed Columbia (Mo.) 6-3 in the first round of the Central Methodist Bracket in Fayette.

Central Methodist (42-8) was the visiting team on the scoreboard and picked up three runs in the first inning before Columbia came to bat. Lauren Geringer from O’Fallon, Mo., started the Eagles’ scoring with an RBI single up the middle, scoring Hannah Blackmon to make the score 1-0. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Alyssa Lilly reached on an error to score another Central Methodist run. That was followed by a bases-loaded walk to Nicole Beck, making the score 3-0 in the Eagles’ favor.

Columbia (29-17) battled back and scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game at 3-3. The Cougars scored all three runs with two outs, starting with a two-RBI double to left-center field by Kaylee Brueggeman. The next batter, leadoff hitter Carly Spalding, hit a single to score Brueggeman and tie the game.

The game did not stay tied for long. In the top of the sixth inning, with runners on second and third base and one out, Geringer hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Jessie Wilmes to give the lead back to Central Methodist at 4-3.

The Eagles added two more insurance runs in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Michele Rupard lined an opposite-field single into left field to score Beck and Lindie Adair, giving the Eagles a three-run lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.

(Story courtesy of cmueagles.com)

The Eagles will play Bellevue, Neb. at noon.  Columbia plays Cardinals Stritch Wisconsin at 2:30 in a must win game.

Avila University, who beat Central Methodist in their conference championship game, got rained out in Oregon, they play this morning at 10am.