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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The Emporia State Hornets were off to a slow start this weekend against Missouri Southern. Despite the slow start, the Hornets came back to defeat the Lions, 3-1, in four sets. Throughout the match, ESU struggled with consistent play.

“That’s the kind of key thing right now,” said Bing Xu, head coach. “They play up and down, and they don’t stick to what their job is – that’s how we’ve played, up and down. When we stick with what we’re supposed to, we don’t have a problem. This team is so talented… but recently… the chemistry seems a little bit off.”

The first game saw ESU struggle to find consistent offense as they let the Lions stick around early on in the set. The Hornets finally broke out to a 19-14 lead, but they let MSU back in the set when the Lions went on a 5-1 run to make the score 20-19 in favor of ESU.

The Lions took that momentum through the end of the set as they won the first set 28-26.

“We just weren’t ready to play,” said sophomore Paige Vanderpool. “We didn’t have the right mindset for this game, and once we mess up once, we get in our own head. We just need to stay more focused on every ball.”

In the second set, the Hornets went on a couple of early runs to get up by nine points midway through the set. ESU would not let up and won the second set, 25-15.

With the match tied, it was the Lions who asserted themselves and controlled the game for the majority of the third set. The Hornets would lead 8-7 early on but would not regain the lead until they found themselves up 22-21. A three to two run to finish out the set, thanks to two Vanderpool kills, gave ESU their second set victory, 25-23.

The Hornets did not mess around early on in the fourth set. A 3-0 run followed up by a 4-0 run gave ESU a 12-2 lead to grab the early momentum. But the Lions fought back, closing the gap to two points late in the set. The Hornets held on for the 25-22 set victory.

ESU is now 20-8 overall and 11-3 in the MIAA. The Hornets have won seven straight and 12 of their last 15 matches heading into the home stretch of the season.
“I feel like we’re at our peak of the season, which is the right time to be peaking because we have a potential postseason coming up,” Vanderpool said. “Even though the last couple of games were rough, I still feel like we’re on the uphill climb.”

Brandon Schneeberger/The Bulletin

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The Emporia State Hornets advanced past the first round of the MIAA tournament on Friday after a hard fought contest against the University of Central Missouri. Led by Alli Volkens with 26 points and 19 rebounds, the Hornets led for a better part of the game before Central Missouri made a late run.

With 2:45 on the clock, the Hornets were up by seven points and seemingly in control until a late surge by Central Missouri. The Jennies fought all the way back and finally tied the game with nine seconds remaining. A last second shot by Rachel Hanf would be missed, forcing overtime.

Unlike the final minutes of regulation, the Hornets made all eight of their free throw shots and forced a Central Missouri turnover with 17 seconds left and a one point lead. The Hornets made their free throws and put the game away 74-69.

ESU will play in the second round at 8:15 Saturday evening at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO against Washburn.

Brandon Schneeberger

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Cassondra Boston stands with her parents as they watch her number being retired Saturday afternoon at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

She holds the fourth spot in Emporia State women’s all-time scoring history, and en route to winning the last year’s national championship, she earned the MIAA player of the year. Last Saturday during halftime of the Hornets’ game against Washburn, Cassondra Boston became just the sixth Lady Hornet to have her basketball jersey retired.

“I just think it’s a really great honor,” Boston said. “I look up there and I see all the other players up there, and I know that they were all really great players. So I just felt honored to have my name up there by theirs.”

After graduating from Hoover high school in Des Moines, Iowa, where she was the Iowa 4A Basketball Player of the Year as well as a five-sport athlete, Boston decided to try out Emporia State.

As a freshman, Boston was named the 2007 MIAA freshman of the year as well finishing 11^th overall in the conference in scoring. She continued moving up the ladder after being named second-team all MIAA conference her sophomore year, first-team during her junior year and player of the year as a senior.

Current players relish the opportunity they had to play with Boston.

“She’s a great player,” said senior forward Alli Volkens. “I loved playing with Boston for three years. She’s coaching us now, so she’s still part of the program. It’s awesome.”

Boston success peaked during her senior year as she helped the Hornets win a total of 30 games in route to their first ever national championship. Almost a year removed from the championship, Boston still keeps the memory close at hand.

“It’s something I know I’ll never forget. It’s just a once in a lifetime experience that I mean, no matter what, it will always be in the back of my head,” Boston said.

Boston’s success hasn’t been just in basketball, however. Off the court she has been the definition of success in the classroom and in the community.

“Cassandra’s one of the greatest to ever play here,” said Head Coach Jory Collins. “You can look at her numbers and see that. As great as she was a player, I think everybody respects Cassandra just as much as a person and what she did as a student. She was terrific academically and in the community as well, so nobody deserves to have their jersey up more than Cassandra.”

Currently, Boston is still helping out the Hornets. This time, however, she helps from the bench as a graduate assistant coach. Boston believes this team can have the same type of success that previous teams have had.

“They are a young team,” Boston said. “But, I mean, if they just set their goals high, I believe that they can achieve whatever they want to.”

Brandon Schneeberger

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Schneeberger

They were picked to finish eighth in the MIAA this season, but don’t tell that to the seniors on this year’s heavily experienced Emporia State men’s basketball team. Through a little more than a third of this year’s conference season, the 8-6 (5-3 in conference play) Hornets are currently tied for third place.

To put the conference season into perspective, the Hornets have lost three conference games two of which were not as bad as they looked. The first loss came without leading scorer Xavier Burnette at Central Missouri – a game in which Emporia State lost by just two points.

The Hornets then dropped a game to Missouri Southern. The Hornets were able to stick with the current MIAA first place team for 36 minutes until a late run by the Lions.

It’s no secret that the success may stem from the senior leadership on this team. As of now the Hornets are averaging 70.3 points per game this season. The seniors account for 66.8 of those points. That’s about 95 percent of the team’s scoring for those keeping track at home.

Scoring isn’t the only way these seniors contribute. This year they account for 77.2 percent of the team’s rebounds, 84 percent of the assists and 80.6 percent of the team’s steals.

Another sign of senior leadership is the amount of close games they’ve won this season. Half of their eight wins this season have come about by a winning margin of just five points or fewer. The Hornets have lost just two games by fewer than five points this season one coming in the first game of the season, the other against Central Missouri in Warrensburg, the game in which Burnette didn’t play.

This Hornet team has something else to hang its hat on. The opportunity to play two Division I teams is a privilege in and of itself, but this current group of Hornets had the special privilege of playing two top five teams in Kansas and Kansas State. Both games were, as usual, played on the road in hostile crowd environments.

It’s rare even for Division I teams to play two non-conference games against high ranked opponents, let alone two road contests. This year in the MIAA, only Washburn has played against more Division I opponents in their games at Kansas, Kansas State and UNLV.  Nebraska-Omaha also played against a ranked Division I opponent this year when they traveled to Lansing to play Michigan State.

Add the quality of top tier opponents to the already loaded experience that this Emporia State team has and you have a recipe for a successful season. The Hornets’ lack of experience won’t be around as an excuse come March. As has been the case so far, this year’s group of seniors has a huge impact on the successfulness of the season. It’s fair to say that as the seniors go this season, so will the Hornet basketball team.

Brandon Schneeberger

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Emporia State Athletics and the rest of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association are getting new publicity this year with the launch of the MIAA Broadcasting Network. A total of 10 MIAA football and basketball games will be shown live this season.

“Part of the (fan) experience is when you get on television,” said Don Weast, Emporia State’s Athletics Media Relations Assistant Athletic Director. “At our level, you want to be on television.”

ESU’s football team will be shown a total of three times this season, including the homecoming game against Truman State. This weekend’s conference opener against Central Missouri and the rivalry game at Washburn University on Nov. 6 will also be televised.

“This was a collective effort by the institutions,” said Larry House, the MIAA Assistant Commissioner of Championships and Business Development. “The goal is to cover every school’s home campus.”

In addition to the game, a 20-minute pregame program will feature the home team’s campus and highlights of the previous weeks MIAA conference football action.

The games are available on local cable networks in most of the MIAA areas as well as large alumni groups like Kansas City. The games will also appear on the regular host broadcast channels through satellite providers as well.

Unfortunately for Hornet fans, games will not be shown in the Cable One coverage areas, including Kirksville and Joplin. According to House, conversations remain open with Cable One, and there may be coverage yet.

“This isn’t a one time thing,” House said. “There is commitment to do this for the foreseeable future.”

Through this MIAA schools would be increasing publicity exposure and building corporate sponsors. The MIAA committee will determine future featured games, but for this first year, the television schedule is working around the individual schools’ schedules.

Garin Higgins, the head football coach for the Hornets, sees additional benefits that television exposure will bring.

“This is a good way for the kids to get about the games,” Higgins said. “It is also a good recruiting tool for the university.”

The football schedule has already been released, but the basketball schedule still has yet to be determined. There will be 10 games shown, with an even split between men’s and women’s games.

“It would be a terrible mistake if the women’s Emporia State/Washburn game at White Auditorium was not shown,” Weast said. “It will have the best atmosphere in the conference, and have the MIAA’s last two national champions.”

Chris Dvorak

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With the potential Big 12 break up over the summer, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association’s (MIAA) prosperity was overlooked. As the Big 12 lost two teams, the MIAA – the conference that Emporia State University competes in – gained another official school, Lincoln University. With The University of Nebraska at Omaha added last school year, the conference now stands at 12 teams.

The MIAA has four more applicants that are being strongly considered, including The University of Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State University, The University of Nebraska at Kearny and Lindenwood University. These additions, if accepted, will bring the total conference teams up to 16.

According to Emporia State Athletic Director Ken Weiser, there are several reasons for expanding the conference.

“Division I schools look to increase revenue, (Division II) is looking to expand to decrease spending,” Weiser said.

Although not making big television contract deals as Division I schools are vying for, the MIAA universities benefit by having closer schools to compete against and cutting traveling costs saving teams traveling budgets.

As an added convenience, planning non-conference games can be difficult, and with a larger conference, there will be more conference games, which in turn will make scheduling easier.

The MIAA is also looking to prevent potential collapses, similar to what almost befell the Big 12 this summer. Having a larger conference creates a buffer. If a team decides to leave, then the conference can remain viable and competitive without reeling for more teams.

Increased conference size means increased competition for all sports. Oklahoma Central will enter as one of the most winning football teams in Division II, and Lincoln’s track team will bring their national successes to the MIAA. Many teams will also have seasons of facing entirely conference teams, football being one of those teams.

“We will play the schedule,” said Head Football Coach Garin Higgins. “We will treat every game the same as any other.”

Furthermore, the greater depth of competition will only serve to bring more popularity and attention to the MIAA and ideally bring more recruits to MIAA schools. The MIAA as a conference has had multiple national championship appearances in the last couple of years, including Emporia State’s Women’s Basketball DII National Champions.

“The toughest league in the country just got tougher,” says Assistant Athletic Director of Media Relations Don Weast. “(The MIAA) is the toughest top to bottom conference in the nation.”

Chris Dvorak/The Bulletin

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Senior guard Sophia Lenard shoots over a FHSU defender Thursday night during the first round of the MIAA Tournament. The Hornets beat the Tigers 72-66.

After a rough start, the Emporia State women’s basketball team was able to pull together and defeat Ft. Hays State 72-66 in the first round of MIAA Tournament action.

A trio of three-pointers late in the game from senior guard Jamie Augustyn led the Hornets to come back from a large deficit.

“I just did what I do,” Augustyn said. “My teammates did a really good job of finding me open, so I just shot it.”

Freshman guard Jocelyn Cummings was the first to score for the Hornets on a slashing move to the basket. With just over 17:30 to play in the first half, the Hornets found themselves down 3-7 thanks to a pivotal Ft. Hays three-pointer.

The first media timeout of the half stopped the action at the 15:56 mark with ESU trailing the Tigers 5-7. Following the timeout, the Tigers went on a 4-0 run until senior guard Sophia Lenard made a basket in the paint.

Another media timeout saw the Hornets still trailing Ft. Hays State, 9-15, with 11:20 remaining in the half.

ESU Coach Brandon Schneider was forced to call a timeout when the Tigers’ lead extended to 11 with 8:09 left in the half.

Senior guard Lacy Corker made a three-pointer following the timeout, cutting Ft. Hays State’s lead to eight, 12-20. Two straight treys from Ft. Hays’ Naomi Bancroft put the Hornets behind by 14 with just over six minutes to play in the half. The final timeout on the floor of the half saw the Tigers with a 29-17 lead over Emporia State with 3:27 remaining.

Senior guard Lacy Corker puts up a 3 point shot Thursday night in Kansas City.

A well executed offensive play by the Hornets saw Cummings take it to the rim and score, cutting the lead to 10. A pair of free throws from Lenard and a slashing basket by Boston saw the Hornets pull within six of Ft. Hays’ lead, 23-29, with just over a minute to play in the opening period.

A three-pointer from the Tigers gave them a nine point cushion going into halftime with a 32-23 lead over ESU.

Schneider said that Hays’ effort in the first half proved to be formidable.

“In the first half, Hays was really good,” Schneider said. “I really felt like the difference between the two halves (was) Hays’ seniors played like they wanted to play another game. They out-competed our seniors.”

Boston led the Hornets in their comeback effort with seven early second half points. A timeout on the floor stopped the action at the 11:33 mark with the Hornets trailing the Tigers 38-47.

Augustyn sparked the comeback by the Hornets, who cut the Tigers lead to four at 43-47 with just under 10 minutes to play. Junior forward Alli Volkens followed up Augustyn’s basket with one of her own on the low block, setting the score to 47-45 in favor of FHSU. Another three-pointer from Augustyn that led the Hornets to within one of the Tigers’ lead, 48-49, led to a timeout by Ft. Hays Coach Tony Hobson.

Senior guard Cassondra Boston attacks the FHSU defense Thursday night in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.

Following the timeout, ESU finally took the lead thanks to yet another Augustyn three-pointer. The Hornets went on a 7-2 run after the timeout by Ft. Hays, bringing the score to 55-51 in favor of Emporia State with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.

Boston said that it was at this point the seniors realized it was time to step up.

“We knew we had to pick it up right then and there,” Boston said. “I just kept stressing that every possession mattered. We couldn’t take any possessions off.”

Ft. Hays went on a small run of their own to tie the game up at 55 with 4:08 left to play.

The final media timeout saw ESU leading FHSU 58-57 at the 3:37 mark.

A myriad of lead changes occurred in the final few minutes of the game until a hard earned basket on the low block by Volkens stretched the Hornets’ lead to three, 66-63, with 1:04 remaining in the half.

Following a FHSU timeout, a trip to the charity stripe for Boston led to two more points, extending their lead to five, 68-63 with under a minute to play.

Boston gave the Hornets four more free throw points as the team left the court with a victory over the Tigers, 72-66.

Boston led all scorers with 23 on 6 of 18 shooting. Augustyn chipped in 11 points, while Volkens and senior guard Lacy Corker added 10 points each.

The Hornets will now face Central Missouri in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2:15 on March 6 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

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SHEPARD

For senior outside hitter Arica Shepard, personal goals and team goals are completely interchangeable.

“My personal goal is pretty much the same as the team goal – we want to make it to Nationals,” Shepard said. “It would be great to do it my senior year.”

Shepard is no stranger to success. Coming off an impressive 34-3 record, Shepard and the Lady Hornets look to repeat as MIAA Champions again this year.

But being a champion doesn’t always translate to perfection. Self-improvement is always on Shepard’s to-do list.

“Blocking’s probably not my best ability, so I want to improve my blocking this year,” she said.

A native of Rossville, Shepard’s admiration for volleyball blossomed at an early age.

“I started playing volleyball when I was in sixth grade and I fell in love with it,” she said.

However, she said she understands the difficulty of balancing athletics with school. Her major is business marketing.

“It does take quite a bit out of you,” Shepard said. “I mean, you’ve got practice everyday and then you still have to study for your classes and read all of the books that your teachers want you to. Sometimes it seems hard to micromanage it all.”

Head volleyball Coach Bing Xu enjoys having Shepard on the team.

“She’s really athletic and also really smart,” Xu said. “She has a lot of passion and heart for the sport.”

Xu also has high expectations for Shepard, who earned Third-Team All-American honors this past season.

“She’s not a captain, but she has a leadership role,” he said. “For her, I want to see more leadership.”

Amy Byfiel, senior health promotions major and libero, has known Shepard since joining the team four years ago.

“She impacts the team in a big way,” Byfiel said. “She’s one of the most competitive girls on the team.”

Shepard attributed teammate personalities and an aggressive attitude on defense to the team’s recent success.

“We (the team) have really good chemistry together,” Shepard said. “Bing always tries to recruit people that have the same personality as the rest of us so that we mesh well as a team.  And defense, too.  If we don’t have our defense, we’re screwed.”

For Shepard, Emporia seemed to be a good fit, both academically and athletically.

“I originally chose Emporia State my junior year – I verbally committed here because I wanted to be a teacher, but I ended being a business major.  I wanted to be far enough away that I could still come back home if I wanted to incase I got homesick,” she said.

The ESU Volleyball team opens the season at the Nebraska-Omaha Showcase on Aug. 28 in Omaha, Neb.  The team’s home debut is Sept. 18 against Missouri Western.

Shepard said she hopes the team’s high level of play will draw more spectators to White Auditorium this season.

“I hope we get a lot of support this year from our fans,” she said. “We’d like to see more of the student body come. That would be nice.”

Shane Wilson/The Bulletin

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PAGE

Newcomer La’Darrian Page, junior physical education major, is no stranger to success on the gridiron. After rushing for 1,254 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman for Missouri Western, and rushing for 1,340 yards and 10 touchdowns at Hutchinson Community College, Page said he looks to improve on his numbers as a Hornet.

“He brings great work ethic,” said Gary Manuel, co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach. “That’s the reason why he’s been a successful football player at every school he’s been to. At Missouri Western, he was a good football player there.  At Hutchinson Community College, he was Offensive Player of the Year for the Jayhawk Conference.  Everyday he comes ready to work, regardless of how he feels.”

Page was optimistic about the start of the season.

“As long as we start off fast and on the right track, once we get going we should have a pretty successful season,” Page said.

Ben McKaig, sophomore offensive lineman and secondary math education major, said he enjoys throwing blocks for Page and what Page brings to the team.

“He’s got a great personality and is a fun-loving guy,” McKaig said. “As far as on the field, he’s a great player and explosive athlete. He’s fast.”

Page does not believe that mediocrity will be on the team’s agenda.  Page and the rest of the Hornets have set the expectations high for themselves this year.

“Obviously we want to win a conference championship and go deep in the playoffs,” Page said. “We feel like we have a different team than last year.  As far as myself, I want to have a successful season.”

Page is confident he has what it takes to lead not only himself, but his team to victory.

“I want to rush for 1,000 yards and help the team win,” he said.

Although it took some time, Page found his niche at Emporia. The coaches and the school itself played a major role in bringing Page to ESU.

“I felt confident in the coaches. I felt like they would keep their word.  I felt like they were the coolest group of coaches that I visited with,” Page said.

It would also appear that the transformation from a junior college to a Division II school was a walk in the park.

“For the most part, it’s been successful,” he said. “I like Emporia. It’s a great school and a great program.  It’s a notch up from the JUCO level.”

Page, however, is not all business.  He does enjoy kicking back and relaxing when he can.  In his free time, Page enjoys picking up the “sticks” and playing an occasional video game or two.

“I like playing Call of Duty and NBA 2K9,” Page said. “I’m an Xbox guy.”

The Hornets look to improve on last year’s 2-7 MIAA record, along with their 4-7 combined record.

The team opens the season with a home game against the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 at Welch Stadium.  Coaches and players said they encourage all students to come out and show their support for the Hornets this season.

Zac Burt/The Bulletin

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Senior Forward Allie Renburg looks to pass after a rebound Saturday night at White Auditorium./PHOTO BY KELLEN JENKINS

The Emporia State women’s basketball team clinched the number one seed in the MIAA tournament after beating Fort Hays 73-68 Saturday night.

The Hornets entered the match up in first place in the MIAA and fifth in the nation.

The Tigers are in eighth place in the conference and have lost nine out the past ten games against ESU.

Midway through the first half, senior guard Andrea Leiker nailed a three point jumper and extended a 29-13 Hornet lead. Leiker went on to lead the Hornets in scoring with 21 points on the night.

On the other side of the ball, junior guard Naomi Bancroft scored 17 unanswered points, making five out of seven three point shots in the first half and scoring 21 points on the night.

“She is a player we have to treat with a great deal of respect,” said Head Coach Brandon Schneider. “Because of her ability to make three point shots but probably most importantly because of the type of shots she is going to take they are really shockers to a lot of people if you are not prepared for it.”

At half time, the Hornets had a 47-33 lead while shooting at 56 percent from field goal range and making eight out of 17 three point shots.

The Tigers completed 48 percent of their shots and were making six out of 12 three point shots.

“First half we executed pretty well on the offensive end,” Schneider said. “We made some mistakes defensively to let some shooters get lose.”

Throughout the second half, the Hornets struggled on both sides of the ball, shooting at 27 percent while allowing the Tigers to get with in three points late in the game. Junior guard Brittney Miller kept the Hornets alive with 12 points on the night with nine of those points coming in the second half.

“I feel like our team has confidence in me,” Miller said. “So when it is there I am going to step up and make it and work hard.”

This was the Tigers’ first loss after winning the last three games, which left FHS tied with Northwest Missouri for seventh in the MIAA.

“You have to give Hays a lot of credit to win their last three ball games,” Schneider said. “When you don’t have a shiny record it is real easy to quit. You have to give those kids a lot of credit going down the stretch and they didn’t quit tonight. I think Tony does a really good job and should get consideration for coach of the year in the league.”

The Hornets were named MIAA Champions as well as the number one seed coming into the MIAA tournament which begins this weekend.

“For the players I hope they enjoy it tonight,” Schneider said. “Then I hope they start thinking about the next challenge ahead of us starting some time tomorrow. We will obviously try to take a few days to rest a little bit. We need to have some good workouts going into the tournament because I don’t know who we play yet but I know it is going to be a challenge.”

The Hornets play at noon next Friday against South Baptist in Kansas City, Mo.

Cristian Echeverria/The Bulletin

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