
College Sports




Griffon women find strength in low numbers
Missouri Western women’s basketball sports the smallest roster in their conference, yet still finds success in a gauntlet of MIAA competition. 10 players have made up the Griffon women’s roster for a majority of the season. Going into the season, the Griffs carried 11 players before the abrupt exit of Tiani Ellison during the season.
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Griffons soar at home: Missouri Western sweeps Missouri Southern in Saturday doubleheader
Zion Swader and Julius Dixon get back on defense against Missouri Southern Feb. 15 inside MWSU Fieldhouse.
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Missouri Western dominates Haskell in non-conference finale
Missouri Western men’s basketball starting five huddles together before tipoff against Haskell on Wednesday inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.
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Bubak talks returning from injury and finding perspective in basketball
Missouri Western senior Justin Bubak said about playing basketball following a knee injury during the 2022-23 season, “It’s always easy to like, say you take things for granted, but when it’s really taken from you, you see a different perspective and you learn to be grateful for every day that you get it.”
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Missouri Western cruises past Kansas Christian with balanced attack
By Calvin Silvers In front of a rowdy crowd of roughly 2,548 elementary and middle school students at the MWSU Fieldhouse, the Missouri Western Griffons men’s basketball team delivered a record-breaking performance Wednesday afternoon, defeating Kansas Christian College 114-60 in non-conference action. The 114 points marked the program’s highest scoring output since 2001 and the
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Snyder Classic brings in over 2,000 to Civic Arena
By Jacob Meikel This past weekend’s Bill Snyder Classic proved to be a worthy experience for the Civic Arena, as well as both women’s basketball programs that competed. The newer event, headlined by the nationally-ranked Kansas State Wildcats each of its first two years, pulled 2,115 attendees this past Saturday. Filling just over half of
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Wildcats prevail over Blue Raiders
By Jacob Meikel A big second half propelled No. 13 Kansas State women’s basketball over Middle Tennessee State 74-48 on Saturday in the second year of the Bill Snyder Classic in St. Joseph. The Blue Raiders of Conference USA came out of the gates strong, matching the Wildcats stride for stride in the first half.
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From Tulane’s turnaround to Northwest’s new era: McMenamin brings winning philosophy
By Calvin Silvers Up in Maryville, Missouri, Northwest Missouri State athletics has enjoyed monumental success across various sports over the past decade. In 2024, two major programs ushered in new eras. The basketball team hired Matt Keeley as head coach following Ben McCollum’s departure to Drake University. The second program to turn a new chapter
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John McMenamin returns home as Northwest Missouri State football head coach
By Calvin Silvers Northwest Missouri State University has turned to one of its own, naming John McMenamin as the 21st head coach of the Bearcat football program. The former Bearcat quarterback, a member of two national championship teams (1998 and 1999), steps into the role with a resume built on offensive innovation and success. “I
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Missouri Western outlasts Northwest Missouri State in rivalry clash
By Calvin Silvers This past weekend, rivals took center stage on Division I football fields across the country. Entering Tuesday, that same fierce competitive spirit leaked onto the Division II basketball level as area fans caught an early-season showdown between the Missouri Western Griffons and the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. Western opened MIAA play with
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Missouri Western sweeps doubleheader: women’s blowout, men’s overtime magic
By Calvin Silvers On Tuesday, Missouri Western State University’s campus was eerily silent as students departed for Thanksgiving break, but inside the MWSU Fieldhouse, the atmosphere was electric for a basketball doubleheader featuring the Griffon women and men. The evening tipped off with the Missouri Western women hosting former MIAA rival Lincoln in a non-conference
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Griffons soar past Rockhurst in non-conference clash
By Calvin Silvers The Missouri Western men’s basketball team extended their dominance over Rockhurst on Tuesday night, securing a 73-59 victory in non-conference action at the MWSU Fieldhouse. The win marked the Griffons’ fourth straight over their Great Lakes Valley Conference rivals, continuing a series that has persisted annually since 2017, excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020
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New era for Griffons: Missouri Western seeks early regional wins in St. Joseph
By Calvin Silvers As temperatures continue to drop, indoor sports are heating up, and this weekend, all eyes will be on the city of St. Joseph, where the Civic Arena will host the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Central Region Showcase. The two-day event will feature eight teams battling it out, with four games per
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Missouri Western volleyball’s impressive season continues with major upset
By Calvin Silvers The Missouri Western Griffons volleyball team is riding high after a weekend of celebration, securing two impressive victories, including a standout four-set win against the 11th-ranked Central Oklahoma Bronchos. This victory handed UCO their first loss of the season and propelled the Griffons to a 14-4 overall record. With their recent success,
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Missouri Western breaks losing streak; Bearcats fall to No.13-ranked Central Oklahoma
By Calvin Silvers It was a full day of college football on Saturday, as the Missouri Western Griffons snapped a three-game losing streak with a second-half resurgence to claim a 38-28 victory over Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri, while the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats fell to undefeated and No.13-ranked Central Oklahoma 48-20 on the road.
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MIAA preseason polls released Tuesday
By Jacob Meikel The MIAA released its preseason coaches poll on Tuesday, and Missouri Western men’s and women’s basketball find themselves middle of the pack heading into 2024-25. The Western men, led by head coach Will Martin in his fifth season with the team, was ranked sixth among 14 colleges competing in the MIAA this
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Griffons shift focus to Washburn
By Jacob Meikel Missouri Western football is putting the bad taste of a tough loss from over the weekend in the past, but taking away the positives of a well-fought battle for the future. The Griffons found themselves on the doorstep of an upset in Emporia, Kansas, this past weekend by pushing No. 13 Emporia
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Bearcats look for second win in a row against Missouri Southern
By Jacob Meikel Northwest Missouri State football got out of its 0-2 rut by trusting its run game, and saving its best rushing performance of the season for its first win. During the two-game skid that equaled the worst start to a season for Northwest since 1994, Northwest had rushing totals of -17 and 32
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Northwest Missouri State’s Resilient Performance Downs No. 25 Fort Hays State
By Calvin Silvers On Saturday, as the sun set in Maryville, Missouri, Bearcat Stadium was lit by the stadium lights, shining down on an MIAA upset. The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats came into the contest against Fort Hays State at 0-2, hoping to avoid a 0-3 start for the first time since 1994. FHSU is
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Western Wednesdays on News-Press NOW Morning Edition
By NewsPress Now Tune in each week for Western Wednesdays as we host live interviews in the mornings to talk about all things Griffons. FOX 26 KNPN • NBC 21 KNPG • CBS 30 KCJO
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Western’s home opener comes against familiar opponent
By Jacob Meikel Missouri Western football gets its chance to play in front of its home crowd this Saturday in a matchup with Missouri Southern. The Lions left a bad taste in the mouth of Griffons when they crushed their hopes of making the Division II playoffs last season by defeating Western 47-41 in double
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Northwest Missouri State football drops top 25 matchup to Minnesota State
By Calvin Silvers On Thursday night, the No. 22-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcats hosted the No. 13-ranked Minnesota State Mavericks in Maryville, Missouri, in a Top-25 matchup. Northwest had not dropped a season opener since 2010, but the Mavericks ended that streak, leaving with a 36-22 victory. It was all Mavericks to begin, as quarterback
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Missouri Western to start season on the road; face Northeastern State
By Calvin Silvers The Missouri Western State Griffons will kick off the 2024-25 football season Thursday in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, against former MIAA member, Northeastern State. The Griffons, much like the Riverhawks, had some movement on their roster, losing quarterback Armani Edden to graduation. That meant head coach Tyler Fenwick brought in transfers, brewing a healthy
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Ravenell impresses in NFL debut
By Jacob Meikel Former Missouri Western defensive end C.J. Ravenell made his pro debut for the Baltimore Ravens on Friday. The former Griffon impressed in the preseason opener for the Ravens, tallying two total tackles including one solo tackle, 0.5 sacks and a quarterback hit. Ravenell signed a contract with the Ravens as an undrafted
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Missouri Western Baseball hosts youth summer camp
By Calvin Silvers Despite the college baseball season ending in April, you could hear the crack of a bat and some yelling from the field at Missouri Western, as the Griffons held their youth baseball camp this week. The camp began on Monday, with two age groups having their own slotted time to work on
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MIAA Conference announces 2024 football schedule
By Calvin Silvers The MIAA Conference announced its schedule for the 2024 football season on Thursday, with the football season officially beginning Thursday, August 29, with the final regular season contest set for November 16. With Lincoln University’s departure from the league and Northeastern State University becoming independent, the MIAA will showcase a 10-team conference
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St. Joseph Civic Arena will host the Division II Women’s Basketball Central Region Showcase
By Calvin Silvers The community has seen downtown St. Joseph becoming a more popular spot for sporting events, as the St. Joseph Sports Commission has utilized the Civic Arena in multiple ways over the past few years. That won’t change this winter, as another basketball event will be added to the lineup, and it’s the
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