Southern Athletics This Week

With just two weeks to prepare for the season-opener, the Lion football team will have more time to get ready for game No. 2 of the new season. Southern, coming off a 27-24 loss on Thursday (Aug. 28) at Bacone (Okla.), now has just less than two weeks of practice left for the Northeastern State (Okla.) Redmen, who visit Joplin and the new turf at Fred G. Hughes Stadium on Sept. 13.

On Thursday night, the Lions led 17-14 late in the third quarter over Bacone, but the Warriors seemed to have all the answers. They returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and tallied another score on a 40-yard interception return late in the third period. Southern got within the final margin on a 10-yard scoring connection between seniors Kokain Mothershed (Oklahoma City, Okla.), quarterback, and Josh Combs (West Fork, Ark.).

On special teams, the Lions blocked three kicks and altered the direction of another. Junior cornerback Nic Proctor (Olathe, Kan.) blocked a third-quarter punt to set up his brother, Nate Proctor (Olathe, Kan.), on a 14-yard scoring run that gave MSSU a 17-14 lead. Senior cornerback A.J. Jones (St. Louis, Mo.) blocked a field goal in the second quarter and senior linebacker Josh Elmer (Fairland, Okla.) swatted down a fourth-quarter punt.

True freshman kicker Brad Komen (Blue Springs, Mo.) began his collegiate career by easing many worries over the kicking game. He booted field goals of 30, 35 and 39 yards.

Defensively, Southern charted eight sacks, one shy of the school record. Sophomore safety Joe Bettasso (Joplin, Mo.) had 2.5 sacks and junior T.M. Bryant (Compton, Calif.) and sophomore Atiba Bradley (Joplin, Mo.) had two each.

The Lion Pride Restoration Project’s major donors will be honored at the Sept. 13 game at Hughes Stadium. The Lion Pride Restoration Project was the drive that raised more than $800,000 to fund the turf and track replacement projects at the stadium.

Missouri Southern’s volleyball team got the 2003 season started on the right track, rallying for a 3-2 season-opening win at Central Oklahoma on Saturday (Aug. 30). Senior Jessie Puszewski (Papillion, Neb.) hit .314 and was one of four Lions with double-figure kills.

After hitting just .021 in the first two games, and losing 22-30 and 27-30, Southern came back to hit .264 in winning the final three games 30-21, 30-23 and 15-13. Senior Amy Little (Nixa, Mo.) led the Lions with 17 kills and 28 digs. Junior Jackie Gallagher (Glendale, Ariz.), like Puszewski, had 15 kills to go with her three aces. Senior Lindsey Mason (Edmond, Okla.) had 12 kills and four blocks in a return visit to her hometown. Senior setter Kym Mutert (Washington, Mo.) dished out 55 assists.

This week, Southern will return to the court on Saturday (Sept. 6) for its home-opener with Henderson State (Ark.). HSU and Pittsburg State are slated to play at 11 a.m. The Lions and Henderson will should hook up around 2 p.m.

The Lions opened their new season by taking on the first of five teams on their schedule to be ranked or receive votes in the NSCAA preseason poll. The end result was a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Minnesota State-Mankato on Friday (Aug. 29) in Bolivar, Mo.

In new coach Trevor Wachsman’s head coaching debut, the Lions trailed 3-0 at halftime and found themselves in a 5-0 hole with just under 20 minutes to play. Junior Kaysie Griffin (Springfield, Mo.) scored Southern’s first goal of the new season early in the 78th minute off a feed from senior Amber Phipps (Lenexa, Kan.). Twenty-seven seconds later, junior transfer Tera Reisner (San Angelo, Texas) took an assist from Griffin and made it 5-2. With just under 12 minutes left, Reisner got goal No. 2 of the season on a penalty kick. Reisner, a two-time second-team all-conference pick at Lee’s McRae (N.C.), scored 26 goals in two years at the school.

Wachsman will look for his first head coaching victory on Saturday (Sept. 6) when the Lions host their conference opener against a brand new Washburn program at 2 p.m.

After a pair of exhibition games, the Southern men’s soccer team is ready to play for real in the 2003 season. The Lions open the new campaign on Wednesday (Sept. 3) at home vs. Graceland (Iowa) in a 5 p.m. contest at Hal Bodon Field.

It will mark the head coaching debut for new Lion mentor Kiley Cirillo, a four-year letterwinner with the Southern contingent from 1997 to 2000.

Cirillo has many starters back for the 2003 season, including the team’s top two scorers in juniors Lucas Silva (Teresina, Brazil) and Seamus O’Donnell (Fulton, Mo.). Both netted five goals apiece last season as the young Lions went 5-10-1 over a grueling schedule that saw the team play several of the top NCAA Division II squads.

This year, that schedule isn’t much easier. Southern faces four teams currently ranked in the NSCAA preseason top 25 and another (Central Arkansas) that made the NCAA Division II Tournament last year.

Both Missouri Southern cross country teams kick off their 2003 seasons on Friday (Sept. 5) at the University of Arkansas. Then comes the annual Southern Stampede on Sept. 20.

The men’s team lost part of the core of its 2002 team that captured MSSU’s third conference title in as many years. But senior Magnus Holmstrom (Inga, Finland) figures to lead Southern, the preseason conference favorite, in 2003. Head coach Tom Rutledge also has several newcomers that should play prominent roles, including freshman Brian Roe (West Plains, Mo.), of in-state power West Plains High School.

On the women’s side, head coach Patty Vavra has a host of top performers back this year, topped by junior Ashley Caffey (Lebanon, Mo.) and senior Jen Noelken (St. Charles, Mo.). Both were All-MIAA performers last season, and Caffey was Southern’s top runner in all but one meet.

After finishing second in the MIAA yearly standings in 2002-03 and winning the conference tournament last spring, the Lions return to the links this fall on Sept. 7 at the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Tournament.

Southern returns a team that lost several of its top performers from the ‘02-03 campaign, but it should still have a good nucleus in juniors Danny Sinksen (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Andrew Koehler (Superior, Wis.).

Five tournaments are on the schedule for the Lions this fall, including MIAA events at Truman and here in Joplin. Missouri Southern hosts its fall invitational on Oct. 6-7 at Loma Linda.

Head coach Jane Posch’s Lions open their 2003 fall schedule on Sept. 6 at the MIAA Fall Tournament, an exhibition tourney, in St. Joseph. Southern has three tennis tournaments on the schedule for this fall, including a Sept. 13 date at Southwest Baptist (MSSU plays Drury and SBU) and Oct. 3-5 at the ITA Tournament in Maryville.

Junior Lacey McMunn (Parsons, Kan.) and senior Sheryl Posch (Parsons, Kan.)are among Southern’s top returnees in 2003-04. McMunn and Posch were an all-conference doubles team, and McMunn was also a first-team selection at No. 2 singles.


	Southern Athletics This Week Sept. 1, 2003 Volume 1, Issue 2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Back to practice for Football Lions With just two weeks to prepare for the season-opener, the Lion football team will have more time to get ready for game No. 2 of the new season. Southern, coming off a 27-24 loss on Thursday (Aug. 28) at Bacone (Okla.), now has just less than two weeks of practice left for the Northeastern State (Okla.) Redmen, who visit Joplin and the new turf at Fred G. Hughes Stadium on Sept. 13. On Thursday night, the Lions led 17-14 late in the third quarter over Bacone, but the Warriors seemed to have all the answers. They returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and tallied another score on a 40-yard interception return late in the third period. Southern got within the final margin on a 10-yard scoring connection between seniors Kokain Mothershed (Oklahoma City, Okla.), quarterback, and Josh Combs (West Fork, Ark.). On special teams, the Lions blocked three kicks and altered the direction of another. Junior cornerback Nic Proctor (Olathe, Kan.) blocked a third-quarter punt to set up his brother, Nate Proctor (Olathe, Kan.), on a 14-yard scoring run that gave MSSU a 17-14 lead. Senior cornerback A.J. Jones (St. Louis, Mo.) blocked a field goal in the second quarter and senior linebacker Josh Elmer (Fairland, Okla.) swatted down a fourth-quarter punt. True freshman kicker Brad Komen (Blue Springs, Mo.) began his collegiate career by easing many worries over the kicking game. He booted field goals of 30, 35 and 39 yards. Defensively, Southern charted eight sacks, one shy of the school record. Sophomore safety Joe Bettasso (Joplin, Mo.) had 2.5 sacks and junior T.M. Bryant (Compton, Calif.) and sophomore Atiba Bradley (Joplin, Mo.) had two each. The Lion Pride Restoration Project’s major donors will be honored at the Sept. 13 game at Hughes Stadium. The Lion Pride Restoration Project was the drive that raised more than $800,000 to fund the turf and track replacement projects at the stadium. Volleyball opens season with victory Missouri Southern’s volleyball team got the 2003 season started on the right track, rallying for a 3-2 season-opening win at Central Oklahoma on Saturday (Aug. 30). Senior Jessie Puszewski (Papillion, Neb.) hit .314 and was one of four Lions with double-figure kills. After hitting just .021 in the first two games, and losing 22-30 and 27-30, Southern came back to hit .264 in winning the final three games 30-21, 30-23 and 15-13. Senior Amy Little (Nixa, Mo.) led the Lions with 17 kills and 28 digs. Junior Jackie Gallagher (Glendale, Ariz.), like Puszewski, had 15 kills to go with her three aces. Senior Lindsey Mason (Edmond, Okla.) had 12 kills and four blocks in a return visit to her hometown. Senior setter Kym Mutert (Washington, Mo.) dished out 55 assists. This week, Southern will return to the court on Saturday (Sept. 6) for its home-opener with Henderson State (Ark.). HSU and Pittsburg State are slated to play at 11 a.m. The Lions and Henderson will should hook up around 2 p.m. Women’s Soccer home opener is Saturday The Lions opened their new season by taking on the first of five teams on their schedule to be ranked or receive votes in the NSCAA preseason poll. The end result was a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Minnesota State-Mankato on Friday (Aug. 29) in Bolivar, Mo. In new coach Trevor Wachsman’s head coaching debut, the Lions trailed 3-0 at halftime and found themselves in a 5-0 hole with just under 20 minutes to play. Junior Kaysie Griffin (Springfield, Mo.) scored Southern’s first goal of the new season early in the 78th minute off a feed from senior Amber Phipps (Lenexa, Kan.). Twenty-seven seconds later, junior transfer Tera Reisner (San Angelo, Texas) took an assist from Griffin and made it 5-2. With just under 12 minutes left, Reisner got goal No. 2 of the season on a penalty kick. Reisner, a two-time second-team all-conference pick at Lee’s McRae (N.C.), scored 26 goals in two years at the school. Wachsman will look for his first head coaching victory on Saturday (Sept. 6) when the Lions host their conference opener against a brand new Washburn program at 2 p.m. Men’s Soccer ready for Graceland on Wednesday After a pair of exhibition games, the Southern men’s soccer team is ready to play for real in the 2003 season. The Lions open the new campaign on Wednesday (Sept. 3) at home vs. Graceland (Iowa) in a 5 p.m. contest at Hal Bodon Field. It will mark the head coaching debut for new Lion mentor Kiley Cirillo, a four-year letterwinner with the Southern contingent from 1997 to 2000. Cirillo has many starters back for the 2003 season, including the team’s top two scorers in juniors Lucas Silva (Teresina, Brazil) and Seamus O’Donnell (Fulton, Mo.). Both netted five goals apiece last season as the young Lions went 5-10-1 over a grueling schedule that saw the team play several of the top NCAA Division II squads. This year, that schedule isn’t much easier. Southern faces four teams currently ranked in the NSCAA preseason top 25 and another (Central Arkansas) that made the NCAA Division II Tournament last year. Cross Country gets in the act on Friday Both Missouri Southern cross country teams kick off their 2003 seasons on Friday (Sept. 5) at the University of Arkansas. Then comes the annual Southern Stampede on Sept. 20. The men’s team lost part of the core of its 2002 team that captured MSSU’s third conference title in as many years. But senior Magnus Holmstrom (Inga, Finland) figures to lead Southern, the preseason conference favorite, in 2003. Head coach Tom Rutledge also has several newcomers that should play prominent roles, including freshman Brian Roe (West Plains, Mo.), of in-state power West Plains High School. On the women’s side, head coach Patty Vavra has a host of top performers back this year, topped by junior Ashley Caffey (Lebanon, Mo.) and senior Jen Noelken (St. Charles, Mo.). Both were All-MIAA performers last season, and Caffey was Southern’s top runner in all but one meet. Golf team opens fall slate on Sept. 7 After finishing second in the MIAA yearly standings in 2002-03 and winning the conference tournament last spring, the Lions return to the links this fall on Sept. 7 at the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Tournament. Southern returns a team that lost several of its top performers from the ‘02-03 campaign, but it should still have a good nucleus in juniors Danny Sinksen (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Andrew Koehler (Superior, Wis.). Five tournaments are on the schedule for the Lions this fall, including MIAA events at Truman and here in Joplin. Missouri Southern hosts its fall invitational on Oct. 6-7 at Loma Linda. Tennis team starts fall season on Saturday Head coach Jane Posch’s Lions open their 2003 fall schedule on Sept. 6 at the MIAA Fall Tournament, an exhibition tourney, in St. Joseph. Southern has three tennis tournaments on the schedule for this fall, including a Sept. 13 date at Southwest Baptist (MSSU plays Drury and SBU) and Oct. 3-5 at the ITA Tournament in Maryville. Junior Lacey McMunn (Parsons, Kan.) and senior Sheryl Posch (Parsons, Kan.)are among Southern’s top returnees in 2003-04. McMunn and Posch were an all-conference doubles team, and McMunn was also a first-team selection at No. 2 singles.