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Scheel named women’s basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State

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Buck Sheels (photo/BearcatSports.com)

Buck Sheels (photo/BearcatSports.com)

Northwest Missouri State has announced that Buck Scheel as head coach of the Bearcat women’s basketball team. The announcement comes after a nationwide search that included over 100 applicants.

“During Buck’s two and a half months as interim head coach, it was very evident that he had the qualities that we were looking for in our head women’s basketball coach,” said Northwest Missouri State A.D. Mel Tjeerdsma. “I am excited about the culture that he has already begun to establish with our team. There’s no doubt that we have the right person to lead our women’s basketball program back to the top of the MIAA.”

Scheel was named interim head coach on Dec. 16, 2015, prior to a road contest against Lincoln University.

“I want to thank Mel Tjeerdsma, the Northwest administration team and the department of athletics for this opportunity,” Scheel said. “I felt we made some major strides in the second half of our season and I’m excited to get the chance to continue building off of the strong base that we worked hard to establish.

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Northwest Missouri State opens D-II run with two wins to advance to the Sweet 16

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Northwest Missouri State

Northwest Missouri State (photo/AJ Dahm, SPX Sports)

Second seeded Northwest Missouri shot .510 from the field as they picked up a 78-53 victory over Ouachita Baptist in the first round of the men’s central regional.

For the Bearcats Zach Schneider finished with a  team best 18 points and Justin Pitts added 16 points and six assists. Anthony Woods had 13 points, D’Vante Mosby had 11 points and Conner Crooker finished with 10 points.

Second seeded Northwest Missouri shot .654 from the field and got 26 points off of turnovers as they picked up an 82-60 victory over Minnesota State-Mankato on Sunday to advance to the round of 16 in the NCAA Division II National Championship.

Justin Pitts led the way with 38 points, dishing out five assists and picking up four steals. Conner Crooker finished with 18 points while on the glass Chris-Ebou Ndow led the way with five boards.

NWMSU will face Augustana in the regional championship at 7 p.m. on March 15 from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Story–TheMIAA.com

Northwest Missouri State men-MIAA champs, earn 2nd seed in NCAA D-II Tournament

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MIAA tourney champs (photo/bearcatsports.com)

MIAA tourney champs (photo/bearcatsports.com)

Northwest Missouri won their fifth MIAA Championship in men’s basketball with a 61-53 victory over Nebraska-Kearney.

The two teams would battle back and fourth but NWMSU would emerge in the first ten minutes with a 12-7 advantage. UNK would answer with a 7-3 run to get back in but NWMSU would carry a 32-22 advantage.

The two teams battled back and forth to start the second period and it remained a ten-point game as the clock ticked passed the ten minute mark. The Bearcats would withstand a late run to earn the title.

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Northwest Missouri sophomore reaches 1,000 points in Bearcats 11th straight win (VIDEO)

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Justin Pitts

Justin Pitts

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team extended their winning streak to 11-games with a hard fought 77-74 win over visiting Emporia State on Wednesday night.

The Bearcats were led by sophomore and former Blue Springs South product Justin Pitts, who scored 21 points and already reached the 1,000 career point mark.

“It feels great to do it in only two seasons,” Pitts told bearcatssports.com. “I don’t think I scored a thousand points in high school. It is a big accomplishment for me, and I am grateful for it.”

Watch Pitts, who is only 5’9, use soft touch off the glass to reach the milestone.

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Northwest Missouri State basketball claims third straight men’s regular season title

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Northwest Missouri shot .468 from the field and .423 from three-point as they defeated Northwestern State 73-66 to claim their third straight MIAA regular season title in men’s basketball.

Zach Schneider led the way with 23 points for the Bearcatsincluding six three-pointers and Justin Pitts added 18 points and three assists. Conner Crooker was also in double figures finishing with 12 points on the afternoon.

With the title NWMSU earns a slot in Kansas City as the MIAATournament shifts to Municipal Auditorium on March 4-6. The tournament starts on March 1 as seeds 5-12 will play on campus sites. Seeding and tournament pairings will be announced on Feb. 27 when all games are completed.

Hazelwood East releases statement on the death of Northwest Missouri State football player found in his dorm room

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Nicholas Turner

Nicholas Turner

Northwest Missouri State junior football player and St. Louis native Nicholas C. Turner was found dead in his dorm room on Sunday.  Turner’s death is under investigation by the Nodaway County Coroner’s office, Maryville Public Safety and Northwest police. No foul play is suspected.

The news came during a celebration and pep rally for fans on campus at Lamkin Activity Center.  Hundreds of fans showed up to celebrate the football team’s 2015 Division II Champion team. As many were in line for autographs and photos with the championship trophy, head coach Adam Dorrell made an announcement that they event was coming to an end due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

Turner, listed as 6’0, 247 pounds was a defensive end for the Bearcats and recorded 22 tackles with 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2015.  He played his high school football at Hazelwood East where he was a two-time all-conference linebacker and a second-team all-state athlete.

Hazelwood School District’s statement regarding the passing of Nicholas Turner

“The Hazelwood School District Board of Education, Interim Superintendent, coaches, and teachers were saddened to hear about the passing of Nicholas Turner, Hazelwood East High School class of 2013 graduate and former athletic. Our deepest sympathy is extended to his mother and the entire Turner family during this difficult time.”

Northwest Missouri State football earns multiple All-Region honors following undefeated championship season

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Northwest Missouri State celebrates their fifth national title (photo/Ian Echlin)

Northwest Missouri State celebrates their fifth national title (photo/Ian Echlin)

The Northwest Missouri State University football team placed 12 student-athletes and one coach on the Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-Super Region Three team. The Bearcats claimed three of the top honors as Collin Bevins was named Defensive Player of the Year, Simon Mathiesen earned Special Teams Player of the Year and Adam Dorrel was named Coach of the Year. In all, seven Bearcats earned first team honors led by Bevins, Mathiesen, Shane Smith, Jordan Grove, Brandon Yost, Jacob Vollstedt and Kevin Berg.

Bevins set a school record with 15.5 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss. He was the MIAA’s co-Defensive Player of the Year. Mathiesen set a Northwest and MIAA single season record with 15 field goals. His 151 total points led all of Division II and was the most among all kickers at any NCAA level. Smith started all 15 games at left tackle for Northwest, earning first team All-MIAA honors for the second straight season. Grove scored 11 total touchdowns for the Bearcats in 2015. He caught 47 passes and ran the ball 38 times for Northwest during his sophomore season. Yost was a unanimous first team All-MIAA performer, finishing his senior year with 77 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He scored his first career touchdown at Pittsburg State on Nov. 17 on a fumble recovery. Vollstedt led Northwest with 102 total tackles while starting all 15 games. His 13.0 sacks is the second most in Northwest single-season history, trailing only Bevins’ mark this year. Berg tallied a career-high eight interceptions while appearing in 13 games. He recorded two interceptions in three straight games earlier this year.

Adam Dorrel earned MIAA and AFCA Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career. He has a career record of 61-8 in five seasons, winning a pair of NCAA titles and three MIAA championships.

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Northwest Missouri State and Lindenwood cheerleaders finishsecond at world competition

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Northwest Missouri State

Northwest Missouri State

The Northwest Missouri State University cheerleading team placed fifth at the 2016 World University Cheer competition in the Premier Large Coed division on Sunday afternoon at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports’ HP Pavillion. This followed up a second place finish in the UCA Division II Coed competition on Saturday.

Lindenwood University, 2015 national champions, finished in second place while Northwest took 11th in the finals of the Open Jazz competition on Sunday.  Avila, out of Kansas City, took 13th in Open Jazz

Open Jazz

1 Minnesota State – Mankato
2 University of Saint Thomas
3 Lindenwood University
4 University of Central Oklahoma
5 Orange Coast College
6 St Cloud State University
7 West Chester University
8 University of California-San Diego
9 St Josephs College
10 Grand Canyon University
11 Northwest Missouri State University
12 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
13 Avila University
14 Endicott College
15 Bridgewater State University

Division II Coed

1 University of West Georgia
2 Northwest Missouri State University
3 University of Puerto Rico – Bayamon
4 University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez
5 Pittsburg State University
6 University of Puerto Rico – Humacao
7 Caribbean University

Bearcat assistant head football coach named Division II Coordinator of the Year

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For the second straight year, Northwest Missouri State University assistant head football coach Rich Wright was named the 2015 FootballScoop Division II Coordinator of the Year. Wright, who helped lead the Bearcats to their fifth NCAA National Championship in 2015 as defensive coordinator, won the award in 2014 as well. He will be honored at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Convention next week.

Northwest led the nation in scoring defense (12.3 ppg), rushing defense (59.3 ypg), third down conversion percentage defense (24.3 percent), team pass efficiency defense (87.81), team sacks (4.00) and total defense (224.0 ypg). The Bearcats also ranked second nationally in total interceptions (26), turnovers gained (42) and third in team tackles for loss per game (9.9).

Wright has been Northwest’s defensive coordinator and assistant head coach since 2011. He started as the Bearcats’ defensive line and special teams coordinator in 2004.

Perfection! Northwest Missouri State claims their fifth football national title

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Northwest Missouri State celebrates their fifth national title (photo/Ian Echlin)

Northwest Missouri State celebrates their fifth national title (photo/Ian Echlin)

The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats finished their season with a perfect 15-0 record and claimed their fifth national championship in school history, by defeating Shepard University, West Virginia, 34-7.

The Rams entered the game undefeated and finish their season 13-1.

The Bearcats were playing in their ninth title game in school history in the first ever title game in Kansas City, KS.  Previous D-II championship games were held in Florence, AL.

Northwest held Shepard to just 97 yards of total offense, and -39 on the ground in 28 attempts.

Senior quarterback Brady Bolles won his second championship of his career by completing 20-of-27 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown.  Sophomore running back Jordan Grove rushed the ball three times, scoring twice on the ground.  He was also the leading receiver with five catches for a team high 104 yards.  He even threw a pass for 45 yards.

Shepard fumbled on the the first play from scrimmage and Northwest cashed in quickly going two plays and five yards with a one-yard score from Grove.

Bolles threw a one-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to put the Bearcats up 14-0. The game got out of hand when Simon Mathieson kicked a 30-yard field goal to make it 17-0 with 38 second to play in the first half.

Shepard, instead of running out the clock, tried a pass after returning the ensuing kick to the Bearcats 48.  Bryce Enyard picked off Rams quarterback Jeff Ziemba and went 59 yards the other way to end the half 24-0 as time expired.

Shepard scored their only touchdown in the third, and Northwest added two more scores on another field goal by Mathieson and another one yard score from Grove.