Three ESU teams ranked nationally

Both the Emporia State men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams made an appearance in this week’s United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association Top 25 Power Rankings.

The Hornet men are ranked 24th, while the ESU women are 25th this week. Both made strong early season appearances at the Wichita State Herm Wilson Invitational and at the UCM Invitational.

The Lady Hornets moved up three spots to the 17th slot in this week’s national top 25. The team has been in the Coaches Top 25 for 197 weeks since first appearing in the 1997-98 preseason poll and have received votes in 214 of the last 218 polls.

Their record now stands at 13-3, with a very strong 9-2 record, which ranks them third place in the MIAA.

Two named MIAA Student-Athletes of the Week

Emporia State distance runner Katie Mona and high jumper Briar Ploude were named MIAA Track and Field Student-Athletes of the Week for Jan. 16-22. It is the second straight honor for both of them.

Mona won the women’s track athlete award by dominating the 3,000 meter at the UCM Invitational, where she demolished the previous record by an astounding 18 seconds while winning the event by 1:02. The Lenexa native has the best time in the MIAA in the event this seasom by nearly 30 seconds.

Ploude won the high jump at the UCM Invitational with a leap of 7-01.75 feet to capture the men’s field athlete award. From Meridian, he has the top mark in the nation this season. By clearing 7 feet for the second straight meet, he is automatically a national qualifier.

Women win UCM Invitational, men take second

The track and field team traveled to Warrensburg, Mo. to compete in the University of Central Missouri Invitational last Friday. Emporia State set three school records, had an automatic qualifier, 12 event champions and six provisional marks. The 23rd ranked Hornet women won the team competition while the men placed second.

Efforts by Briar Ploude, Katie Mona, Sonya Schement, Marquietta Marisette, Andrew Etheridge, Gannon Mack, Shjuan Richardson and Ryan Dickson had strong showings for ESU at the Invitational.

The Hornets will be back in action this weekend as they travel to Lawrence for the Jayhawk Classic.

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Football rolls over Southwest Baptist, 42-28

The Hornets traveled to Bolivar, Mo. this weekend to defeat the Southwest Baptist Bearcats, 42-28. The defense forced six turnovers and the offense racked up over 500 total yards of offense while dominating in every facet of the game. Their record now stands at 5-5 on the season.

Junior defensive back Derek Lohmann had a career high of three interceptions to go along with his eight tackles. Senior running back LeDarrian Page also had a career day as he racked up 201 rushing yards while finding the end zone three times.

Next up for the Hornets is the Northwest Missouri Bearcats. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday in Maryville, Mo.

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Hornets win three straight on road

This past week, the Hornet volleyball team played in three straight road games and were victorious in all three. Emporia State had to work hard for the first game as they came back to defeat Missouri Western 3-2, after finding themselves down 2-1 on Friday.

Meg Schwartz led the team defensively with 29 digs in the match. The Hornets captured their fourth straight victory as they defeated Northwest Missouri 3-1 on Saturday.

Tuesday ESU swept Southwest Baptist 3-0, thanks to 47 team kills – 13 of which came from sophomore Paige Vanderpool. Schwartz had 23 digs in the match. The Hornets record is now 18-8. They will return to William Allen White Auditorium this weekend as they take on Pittsburg St. this Friday and Missouri Southern on Saturday.

ESU soccer earns postseason bid

The Hornet soccer team earned their first ever post-season appearance this weekend with a 2-0 win over Missouri Western.

Both goals came in the first half for ESU as freshman Mallory Walden scored her third goal of the season in the 18th minute. Soon after, Walden scored her fourth goal of the season in the 24th minute.

In the goal, Nikki Schmitz had her fifth shutout of the season, witch ties for the second most ever by a Hornet. She is also tied for second in ESU history with six career shutouts.

The Hornets’ record is 3-9-5. They finished fifth in the MIAA this year, which was their best finish since 2004. The Hornets will play Northwest Missouri at 6 p.m. today in Kansas City, Mo.

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All tied up

The Emporia State soccer team added one more tie to their record this season as they traveled to Fort Hays State last Thursday. The Hornets fared well with Fort Hays both on the scoreboard and on the stats sheet as they managed to generate eight shots all on goal to nine shots by Fort Hays.

Unlike previous games this season, it was the Hornets who struck first as Mallory Walden scored her second goal of the season on a header in the 12th minute. Sarah Anderson received the assist off a corner kick. The Tigers answered back in the 56th minute, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Hornet volleyball falls to Truman

It took Truman five games, but they finally defeated the Emporia State volleyball team last Saturday, 3-2, winning the final match 15-12. The Hornets were down two matches to one before winning the fourth by two points. Every game on the day was decided by no more than three points. ESU started the day losing the first match 25-22 before answering back with a 25-23 victory. The third match saw Truman win by an identical 25-22 score. The Hornets then won the fourth 25-23 before falling in the final match.

Katie Deutschmann, Paige Vanderpool and Amanda Gerety all registered double-doubles for the Hornets on the day. ESU will look to improve from the defeat as they take on Missouri Western at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23 at White Auditorium.

Mona finishes 10th overall for XC

The Emporia State cross country teams traveled to Lincoln, Neb. this weekend to compete in the Woody Greeno Nebraska Invitational. The men finished 14th overall out of 28 total teams. Asher Delmott finished 40th overall with a time of 26:20.7, and Jacob Bull finished 87th out of over 300 runners.

Katie Mona had the best finish for ESU on the day finishing 10th overall, as she was the second non-Division I runner to cross the finish line at 21:49.0. The ESU women placed 20th overall out of 25 teams. The Hornet runners will compete this Saturday at the Tabor Invitational in Hillsboro.

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Back in Black

The Emporia State football team returned to live action this past Friday as they participated in the annual spring game. The game ended with the Black Defense team defeating the White Offense team 60-27. With a modified scoring system, the defense stole the show forcing four turnovers including a Michael Luthi touchdown off of a fumble recovery.

Due to the modified scoring, the ESU defense was rewarded for stops on third downs as well as tackles for loss and turnovers to reach their 60 points. The football program also announced their 2011 season schedule this past week. The Hornets will kick things off at Fort Hays State on Sept. 1.

Track gets seven in Wichita

Katie Mona led the way as the ESU women’s track team earned three provisionals at Wichita State this past weekend. Mona finished third in the 800m with a time of 2:13.86. Deja Jackson also earned provisionals in two events. She threw for 169-05 in the hammer throw and 147-05 in the discus in which she ranks 23^rd and 15^th in the nation, respectively.

For the men, the 400m relay team struck again winning their event as Josh Schuler also earned a provisional in the 200m. Other provisionals for ESU included Andrew Etheridge in the 110m hurdles and Kevin Roulhac in the discus.

Women prevail as men fall short

Although the men fell to Newman University on Saturday, the ESU women’s tennis team prevailed winning their match 7-2. The women were able to sweep the doubles competition and take four of the six singles victories.

Matt Van Horn and Mitch Kibbe gave ESU an 8-0 victory yet lost in the doubles completion 2-1. Van Horn also won in the singles matches along with Andrew Shipp who came from behind. Despite the victories, ESU fell 6-3.

The ESU tennis team will return to action in Kansas City, Mo., for the MIAA Championships this weekend.

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Nine provisional qualifiers earned at Spring Open

After Saturday’s meet, the Hornets’ 400m relay team now has the third best time in the nation with their time of 40.79. The Hornets earned nine provisional qualifiers overall Saturday at the Spring Open. Derwin Hall (100m), Josh Schuler (200m), Josh Honeycutt (triple jump) and Kevin Roulhac (discus) all won their respective events earning provisional qualifiers for the men.

The women were able to earn three provisional qualifiers with Deja Jackson winning the discus throw with a throw of 149-10 that currently leads the MIAA and ranks fourth in the nation. Ashley Watkins earned her personal best in the javelin throw and is currently ranked third all-time at ESU. In the pole vault, both Sonya Schement and Alaina Fairbanks tied for the win.

The Hornets will host the ESU Relays next weekend.

Hornets roll over Friends

            Both the men and the women Emporia State Tennis teams swept Friends University on Monday despite the weather making things difficult. On a day that once again saw strong wind gusts, the women defeated friends 9-0 while the men won their match 6-3.

            The men were able to climb above .500 on the year in singles matches as they won four out of the six to go 5-4 on the year. The men, who allowed just three match victories by Friends, saw Andrew Konetzni and Matt Van Horn go 6-2, 6-3 in their singles matches.

For the women, both Abby Morris and Somer Schmidt went 6-0, 6-0 to win their singles matches.

After their match Wednesday against William Jewel, the Hornets will play Truman on April 8 at the EHS courts.

ESU splits with Tigers, sweeps Blues

            The Emporia State softball team split a double-header in Hays before sweeping Washburn in Topeka last Thursday and Friday. The Hornets won the first in a double-header against the Tigers of Fort Hays State 4-3 and then dropped the second of the two games 2-7.

            On Friday, the Hornets traveled to Topeka to play in the Turnpike Tussle. The Hornets came away with two wins and did not allow the Lady Blues to score any runs as they won the first game 9-0 in five innings and the second 3-0. Lauren Sharp earned the win in the second game allowing just four hits in over five innings.

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Baseball earns top ranking over break

The Emporia State baseball team earned the #1 overall ranking over the Spring Break after a four game sweep of Southwest Baptist. The Hornets, however, fell to Southwest Oklahoma on March 22 in a game in which they allowed 18 runs. ESU responded to the loss with a five game win streak which included a sweep of Fort Hays State this last weekend.

The Hornets have been led in hitting this season by Joe Vaskas (.377 average), Dillon Hazlett (.373) and Zach Carlson (.371). On the mound, Brandon Faulkner has led the way with a .79 ERA as well as a 5-0 start to his season.

ESU begins a three game home stand against Nebraska-Omaha this weekend beginning 6 p.m. on Friday.

Hornet softball goes 7-1 in stretch

The spring break proved to be a good one for the Emporia State softball team. The Hornets went 7-1 in a stretch that included the MIAA crossover in Springfield, Mo. ESU went 4-0 in the tournament defeating rival Washburn 14-3 on the final day.

The Hornets then traveled to Oklahoma City, Okla., where they split their double-header against West Texas A&M. ESU finished the stretch with two shut outs against Southwest Baptist on March 25.

ESU will return to the mound this Thursday as they take on Fort Hays State. The Hornets return home at 5 p.m. on April 5 against Central Missouri.

2011 MIAA Championships to be held at ESU

Though not scheduled to host the MIAA Championships until the 2015 season, the Emporia State campus will be host to this year’s championships due to scheduling conflicts at other schools. The rotation for hosting the tournament is done in alphabetical order, but scheduling conflicts at Southwest Baptist, Truman and Central Missouri led to Emporia State hosting this year.

The championships will include eight men’s teams and nine women’s teams with roughly 500 athletes competing. They will begin on May 7 and conclude on May 8.

The ESU track team is currently gearing up for this Thursday’s home meet at 3 p.m. The Hornets came away with 14 event champions at the ESU Spring Twilight in what has been their only meet of the year thus far.

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ESU men place fifth in National Championships

            The final meet in the indoor track season saw a flurry of new Emporia State records this past weekend in Albuquerque, N.M., as the men’s team finished fifth overall. Andrew Etheridge, Zach Rosenberger and Josh Schuler all contributed to either break or tie ESU records. Etheridge’s time of 7.94 in the 60M hurdle earned him a second place finish in the event. Josh Honeycutt also managed to place second in the triple jump earning All-American honors for the third straight year.

            On the women’s side, Katie Mona finished fifth overall in the 800M. Mona, who was the only woman at the championships for ESU, assured the Hornets of scoring for the 15^th time in the last 16 Indoor National Championships with her finish.

            The Hornets indoor season is officially finished. They look now to the outdoor track season. Their first meet is 2 p.m. today at Witten Track in Welch Stadium.

Baseball sweeps Truman, earns #1 ranking

The Emporia State baseball team swept Truman State University this weekend in a four game series. The series started with a 2-0 Hornet win over TSU Friday. The Hornet’s Brandon Faulkner earned his second win of the season striking out eight and allowing just two runners to reach second base in 8.1 innings.

The series continued with a 13-5 win followed by a 6-0 shut out on Saturday. Travis Whipple had two home runs on the day, and David Allbritton, the MIAA Hitter of the Week, added two hits and two RBI’s.

Concluding the series with an 8-6 win, the Hornets had to comeback after leading 3-0 until six unanswered runs by Truman. ESU overcame the deficit by scoring one or two runs for four of the last five innings.

ESU has now moved into the #1 spot in the nation. The Hornets begin a series with Southwest Baptist at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Glennen Field.

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Softball goes 1-3 during weekend

            The Emporia State softball team traveled to Joplin, Mo., this weekend to take part in the Border Battle. The Hornets (5-5) played in four games but were able to come away with just one victory. ESU lost 5-2 to Southeastern Oklahoma State in a game in which they led 1-0 after the top of the first inning. The Savage Storm would come back with a grand slam in the bottom of the first, however, and would not give up the lead.

            The Hornets bounced back Saturday with an 8-0 run rule victory. ESU finished the game in the sixth inning after scoring six runs in the inning. Paige Ladenberger got the win for the Hornets improving to 3-0 on the season. Ladenberger allowed just three hits, one walk and struck out six in the game.

            Despite having the bases loaded and the game tied in the bottom of the sixth, the Hornets were unable to defeat Cameron on Sunday as they fell 1-0. The Hornets fell again on Sunday as Drury University struck first in the second inning. The Hornets would score runs in the fifth and sixth innings but would not be able to come all the way back falling 6-3.

            ESU returns to Joplin this weekend to play in the Zenner Memorial Tournament.

Men’s track second, women eighth in MIAA Championships

            The Emporia State men’s track team finished second overall in the MIAA Championships over the weekend defeating the #1 ranked Lincoln team and falling to #4 Central Missouri.

            The Hornets had three champions during the weekend all coming on Saturday. Andrew Etheridge ran for the second fastest ESU time ever in the 60m hurdles with his time of 8.01. Josh Honeycutt earned a championship in the triple jump with a distance of 50-00.75 which was nearly a foot farther than second place. Briar Ploude earned a championship as well Saturday jumping over seven feet in the high jump. Ploude became just the second ESU Hornet to jump for over seven feet.

            ESU also had four runner-up performances and Kevin Roulhac finished third in the weight throw beating his own ESU record for the third time this season.

            The women’s team finished eighth overall and saw two championships. Katie Mona defended her championship in the mile run with a time of 5:00.93 and also helped the women earn a championship in the distance medley relay.

            The Hornets will compete in the National Championships on March 11-12 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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ESU track finishes up regular season

            The track team split ways this weekend as some competed in the KSU Open while others traveled to Lincoln, Neb., for the Nebraska Tune-up. The men gained yet another school record as well as an automatic qualifier on the day.

            In Nebraska, Josh Schuler gained the automatic qualifier to run the 200m in the National Championships after his time of 21.43 earned him the fifth highest in the nation. Schuler also earned a provisional in the 60m.

            The distance medley team was just .49 seconds from and ESU record that has held up for 47 years. The team earned the 11^th best time in the nation as well as provisionally qualifying.

            Katie Mona recorded the second fastest 800m time in ESU history in Nebraska as she provisionally qualified with a time of 2:12.83, which is currently 8^th best in the nation.

            In Manhattan, Kevin Roulhac again broke his own ESU record in the weight throw. Roulhac’s throw of 62-01.25 was nearly a foot longer than his previous record. Other provisional qualifiers for the men were Derwin Hall, Zach Rosenberg, Josh Honeycutt and Andrew Etheridge.

            Both teams look now to the MIAA Championships next weekend.

Hornet softball opens up season in San Antonio at 4-2

The #25 Emporia State softball team opened their season in San Antonio, Texas, over the three day weekend, winning four of six games. Their first two games were against University of the Incarnate Word winning the first 4-3 in 13 innings.

The Hornets scored eight runs in the second inning, five of them unearned, to defeat Incarnate Word 10-1 in just five innings in the second of their double-header. 

            Friday was not a great day for the Hornets. They lost their first game against St. Mary’s University 5-3 and suffered another defeat to Tarleton State University in a close one-run game. Tarleton State took an early lead in three innings and after a 7-5 Hornet lead came back to defeat the Hornets 9-8.

            On Saturday, the Hornets came back from their losses the day before and defeated Tarleton State in a 6-0 blowout behind a two-hit and nine strikeout effort from Pitcher Jennifer Heerey.

            The Hornets avenged their other loss against St. Mary’s as well by shutting them out latter on Saturday 5-0. St. Mary’s stranded 14 runners in the game and Abby Smith made two home runs and had three RBIs, and Kaitlin Martin added a home run for the Hornets as well.

Hornet baseball cruises at Newman

The #8 Emporia State Hornets outplayed Newman University winning 10-3 on Tuesday. Tripling the Newman hits 13 to four, the Hornets got more runners on base and were able to capitalize on three Newman errors.

At the top of the third inning, Joe Kornburst scored off of two stolen bases and a sacrifice grounder to score the first run of the game. Newman scored at the bottom of the fourth to tie it up. The Hornets then responded with a run in the fifth inning, but Newman scored two runs to close the inning giving them a 3-2 lead entering the sixth.

Jacob Vaskas made an RBI double and scored himself to take the lead back in the seventh. A two-run homerun by Kornburst, and two runs in the eighth sealed the deal for ESU.

The Hornets will play their next game at 12 p.m. on Saturday at Trusler Sports Complex.

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