Water warriors: Miner swimmers make S&T history
While the women’s basketball team was making history with its first-ever NCAA Tournament victories, another Missouri S&T team was making history of its own in another part of the state.
How sweet it is
The best women’s basketball season in Missouri S&T history ended in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional as Northern Kentucky handed the Lady Miners a 60-52 defeat in Springfield, Mo. The loss, which came after victories over Michigan Tech (75-66) and Quincy (79-73) in the first two rounds, brought the 2007-08 season to a close with a final record of 24-7. The 24 wins is a new team record.
M-Club annual awards given out
The M-Club at Missouri S&T held its annual awards banquet and two of the school's most celebrated student-athletes received the Gale Bullman Awards: Ashton Gronewold, who set numerous records during his four-year, All-America career on the football team, and Kandi Wieberg, who did likewise for the softball team for the past four
seasons.
"Coach of the Year" awards were given to two head coaches who led their respective teams to unprecedented heights in the 2007-08 season. Alan Eads led the Lady Miner basketball team to a school record 24 wins and a berth in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Tournament, while Doug Grooms led the S&T swimming team to a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Division II Championships in March and was named national coach of the year by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.
Miners represented at national meet
Missouri S&T had three representatives at the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships in Walnut, Calif., May 22-24, led by All-American Jordan Henry, who entered the meet as the fifth-ranked pole vaulter in the nation with a top mark of 17 feet.
Henry, the national runner-up in the indoor season, was joined by fellow pole vaulter Peter Hollenbeck, while Tamara McCaskill represented the women's team in California. Hollenbeck cleared 16-3 1⁄2 this season and McCaskill had a top mark of 5-7 in the high jump. At the time the magazine went to press, results were not available.
Kandi Wieberg: A dream come true
Since she was a little girl, Kandi Wieberg dreamed of being a college softball player. Playing as second baseman for Missouri S&T’s softball team, she’s achieved her dream and much more.
Holcombe earns all-region honors in cross country
Joffroi Holcombe’s, performance at the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional earned him all-region honors from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Call him Mr. Touchdown
Miner wide receiver Ashton Gronewold was named to a pair of All-America teams for his play during the 2007 season, making him the first player in the university football program’s 115-year history to earn All-America honors in three different seasons.
Miner swimmers win NSISC – again
The Missouri S&T swimming team won a second straight New South Intercollegiate Swimming Championship title in February in Cleveland, Miss., gaining several high finishes and their 12th and 13th national qualifiers in the process.
The Miners finished the meet with 830 1⁄2 points, well ahead of the 733 posted by runner-up Ouachita Baptist.
It's in his blood: UMR soccer goalie Mike McNamee
Mike McNamee, a senior in civil and architectural engineering, has soccer in his blood.
Miner cross country team makes national rankings
The Miner cross country team’s strong start to the 2007 season earned the team a spot in the Top 25 for NCAA Division II in the poll released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
UMR ranks 13th in NCSA power rankings for 2007
UMR’s athletics program ranks 13th among NCAA Division II institutions in the 2007 National Collegiate Scouting Association rankings.
Swimming update: UMR named an NCAA championship host
UMR has been selected as a host institution for the 2008 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships, which will take place March 12-15 at the Mizzou Aquatics Center on the campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Miners inducted into Hall of Fame
Three UMR athletes who finished their careers at the top of the charts in their respective sports and the only UMR track
and field team to win a conference championship were inducted into the MSM-UMR Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 27.
Lady Miners venture into new territory
A venture into uncharted territory for the Lady Miner softball team started on a cold Easter weekend afternoon and finally put the program on the national map.
Gronewold named to four All-America teams
After two consecutive stellar seasons at wide receiver, UMR senior Ashton Gronewold has earned numerous pre-season honors for the 2007 football season.
Former Miner places 14th at Pan-Am Games
Miner track and field standout Tyrone Smith finished 14th in the long jump competition during the 2007 Pan American Games held in July in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
Miners’ McCormick named summer league MVP
Thomas McCormick, an outfielder for the Miner baseball team, was named as the recipient of the Mike Schmidt most valuable player award for the 2007 season as a member of the Quincy Gems of the Central Illinois Collegiate League.
Ahearn named men’s soccer coach
Joe Ahearn, former assistant coach at Colgate University, has been named as the new UMR men’s soccer coach. He takes over for Vince Darnell, who resigned to pursue other career opportunities.
Gaul lands top academic award for second time
For the second consecutive year, senior swimmer Bill Gaul, ChE’07, was named Player of the Year on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team. It is the third time in the last four seasons that a UMR swimmer has earned this top academic award.
Miner swimmers place fourth at NCAA II meet
The UMR swimming team placed fourth at the NCAA Championships in March, its highest result at a national meet since 1998 and its fourth straight top-10 finish. The 12 team members earned a total of 37 All-America honors, 17 of which was based on individual performance, and established nine new school records.
Sport shorts: Softball, Indoor track and field
Softball goes to regionals
The Lady Miner softball team earned its first-ever berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament this spring, playing in the Great Lakes Regional at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. Watch for information on the Lady Miners’ tournament run in the Fall issue of UMR Magazine.
Indoor track and field
The Miners indoor track and field team posted its highest finish ever at the NCAA. UMR participants Lucas Handley, Jordan Henry and Tyrone Smith earned All-America honors.
Dierking and McCaskill named all-conference team honorable mention selections
Nicole Dierking and Tamara McCaskill, the top two scorers on the Lady Miner basketball team, were named to the GLVC all-conference team as honorable mention selections.
Taylor named to national all-freshman team
Justin Taylor, the freshman point guard for the men’s basketball team, has been selected to Division II Bulletin’s all-freshman team for the 2006-07 season.
Brandon Landry: Life's a marathon, not a sprint
UMR psychology student Brandon Landry knows a lot about success. As a varsity football and basketball player, Landry broke every school record at Salesian High School in Fairfield, Calif., and was known as one of the top athletes in Northern California.
Nicole Dierkling: A work ethic that pays dividends
Nicole Dierkling
photo by Rod Lentz
Dierking reached a personal milestone as the 2007 calendar year began. She became the 12th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark – and first UMR player to do so in five years – and recently completed her career as the sixth-leading scorer in school history with 1,169 points.
Wendy Moore
The alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. and Wendy Moore, a senior in architectural engineering, is already getting out of bed to start her day with one of two daily practices.
Moore says it’s her teammates that get her going when most other students are sound asleep. “It’s tough to force yourself to get up and run at 6 a.m. However, knowing someone expects you to show up motivates you,” she says.
Travis Stensby: Lucky to be swimming
Travis Stensby was swimming for the University of Minnesota when he discovered a blood clot in his shoulder three years ago. That medical condition forced him to quit the team, and he thought his collegiate swimming career might be over.
Rodrick McDonald: The thrill of victory, the big plays, the love of the game
Rodrick McDonald, a senior in mechanical engineering, has loved the thrill of competition since his Deer Park High School days in Pasadena, Texas, where he competed in multiple sports. Returning to Texas for football’s Whataburger Cactus Bowl in January and the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships last spring only managed to increase his competitive fever.
Maggie Thompson: Tackling two varsity sports
No team is made of one person alone, but junior Maggie Thompson, a pre-medical student from Marshall, Mo., does her fair share of helping UMR athletic teams.
Phil Shin: The attitude to win
California native Phil Shin, a senior in biological sciences, stays busy with pre-medicine classes and daily practices for the UMR football team, but it can still be hard living such a long distance from his family on the West Coast.
That isn’t a major problem for Shin, however, who says he has found a family in the Miner football team. “During the season, we practice three hours a day,” he says. “Since my real family is all the way back in California, the team is all I have here. As a senior, my role is to set an example for the new transfer and freshman players.”
