By Mia Birkes
Men’s Basketball
February will see the end of regular season basketball, but it’s not over yet! After a one-point win against Bethany College on Feb. 10, the McPherson College men’s basketball team had a winning record of 16-8 overall and 11-7 in conference. Junior Collin Storr led the team in scoring with an astounding 358 points. Sophomore Curtis Rose and junior Owen Braxmeyer followed with 281 points and 246 points, respectively. Bulldog basketball teams visit Ottawa University next, followed by a game at home against the University of Saint Mary. To close out the regular season, both teams will be visiting Southwestern College on Feb. 21 and playing Tabor College at home on Feb. 24.
Women’s Basketball
Following a loss to Bethany College in overtime, women’s basketball had a 6-18 record with 2-16 in conference. Despite a rough season, this young team has no shortage of talent. With an early 100-24 win against Manhattan Christian College and a whopping 92 points against Bethany in their most recent matchup, we know these women can put up major points. Senior Matisyn Moses led season scoring with 248 points, followed closely by senior Madelyn Hankins at 247 points and sophomore Gillian Rodgers at 217 points.
Indoor Track
Track and Field kicked off the season in December with a visit to Washburn University, where they placed 11th overall. On Jan. 11 at Friends University, McPherson saw several players place in the top 3 for their respective events, including freshman Tyler Rewerts placing third in Men’s Long Jump and freshman Azariah Gonzales placing second in the Men’s 3000 Meters. The Men’s 4 x 400 Relay team placed third. Sophomore Amari Robb placed second in the Women’s 800 Meters.
Pitt State University held the NAIA/Juco Challenge, where sophomore Mariah Fede placed first in Women’s 60 Hurdles and second in the Women’s 200 Meters. The Men’s 4 x 400 Relay team finished seventh.
At the Wichita State Wilson Invitational, junior Samantha Thompson finished fifth in the Women’s 3000 Meters and Gonzales finished ninth in the Men’s 3000 Meters.
Washburn University held a second meet at the beginning of February, where Fede finished tenth in the Women’s 400 Meter. The Women’s Distance Medley Relay team finished 13th.
The next stop for the indoor track teams is the KCAC Indoor Championships on Feb. 12 and 13, followed by the NAIA Indoor Nationals beginning the week of Feb. 26.
Baseball
After a series of games at Southwestern Christian College, Bulldog baseball was 3-8. The first win came in Game 3 against the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico. The Bulldogs scored 8 runs to outpace USW’s 6 runs. The next two wins came against Southwestern Christian College. In Game 2 against SCC, the Bulldogs ran ahead 6-3 and then 9-6 in Game 4. Following the SCC series, Kevinn Castillo led the team in both home runs and RBIs, with 7 and 17, respectively. The Bulldogs host Evangel University on Feb. 16 and 17, followed by a visit to Tabor College on Feb. 24.
Softball
Softball opened their season on Feb. 9 at Central Methodist University in Missouri. The two-game series left the team 0-2, with one run scored in the fourth inning of the first game. Though off to a rough start, the remainder of February brings many exciting matchups! Bulldog softball will travel to Haskell Indian Nations University on Valentine’s Day, followed by two visitors to Bulldog Park: Grand View University on Feb. 17 and Doane University on Feb. 22. They will then travel to Kansas Christian College on Feb. 24 and Newman University on Feb. 28. The Red Dirt Classic begins March 1, where the Bulldogs will bat against several teams at the Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City.
Competitive Cheer and Dance
Both Competitive Cheer and Dance teams started their seasons at the Falcon Invite at Friends University in January. Competitive Cheer placed third of the four teams competing while the dance team placed fifth of five teams. Competitive Dance then traveled to the Coyote Invitational at Kansas Wesleyan University, where they finished third of three. Both teams then reunited at the York Crown Classic, where Cheer finished ninth of twelve and Dance finished 12th of twelve. They travel to the Benedictine Challenge on Feb. 18. Cheer is set to host a virtual competition versus Hastings and Mount Marty on March 1. Both teams are striving for the KCAC Championships on Mar. 8 and 9, followed by the NAIA Championships at the end of March.
