February 14, 2005     (#3432)
For immediate release...........

Malone College Sports This Week

Feb. 15 (Tue.) - Women's Basketball home against Mt. Vernon Nazarene University; 5:30 p.m.
                          - Men's Basketball home against Mt. Vernon Nazarene University; 7:30 p.m. - RADIO

Feb. 18 (Fri.) - Baseball at Campbellsville (KY) University; 1:00 p.m. (DH)

Feb. 19 (Sat.) - Women's Tennis at Oberlin College; 9:00 a.m.
                          - Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field National Championships (Findlay, OH); 10:00 
                            a.m.
                          - Baseball at Spalding (KY) University; 12:00 p.m. AND vs. Ohio Dominican University 
                            (played at Spalding); 3:00 p.m.
                          - Men's Tennis at Oberlin College; 3:00 p.m.
                          - Women's Basketball home against Cedarville University; 5:30 p.m. - RADIO
                          - Men's Basketball home against Cedarville University; 7:30 p.m. - RADIO

NOTE: Malone basketball's radio broadcast schedule for the season can be found at www.malone.edu and then by clicking on either men's basketball or women's basketball.  In Monday weekly updates, games that are to be broadcast (WNPQ 95.9 FM) will be noted above.

Last Week at a Glance

Women's Basketball - Malone defeats: 
                                               Walsh University (MAYORS' CUP)  67-50
                                               Urbana University  76-68
                                         CURRENT RECORD:  16-11  (9-7 AMC South)

Men's Basketball - Malone defeats:   
                                         Urbana University  98-91
                                  Malone loses to:
                                         Walsh University (MAYORS' CUP)  77-73
                                  CURRENT RECORD:   17-12  (8-8 AMC South) 
                                 
Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field - Malone competed at the non-scoring University of Findlay Open last Friday (five NAIA national qualifying marks were recorded by Pioneer athletes) and also sent several athletes to the All-Ohio Championships held at The University of Akron on Saturday (two athletes qualified for NAIA indoor nationals)

 

Men's Tennis - Malone loses to:
                                 Slippery Rock (PA) University  5-4
                            CURRENT RECORD:  0-2
   

NOTE: For complete standings and statistics of Malone teams, visit www.amcsports.org.

Women’s Basketball Beats Walsh 67-50 In Mayors’ Cup; Defeats Urbana 76-68

     The Malone College women’s basketball team collected two huge AMC South Division victories in as many games last week to inch closer to a spot in the AMC playoffs, which begin on Tuesday, February 22nd.  On Tuesday, Malone defeated Walsh University 67-50 at home in the ninth annual Mayors’ Cup game and then, on Saturday, stopped Urbana University on the road by a score of 76-68.
     With the pair of wins, Malone has all but assured itself of an AMC playoff berth and can automatically earn a spot with just one more victory in its final two regular-season games this week (both at home - vs. Mt. Vernon Nazarene University and Cedarville University).    
     With the 2-0 week, Malone is now 16-11 overall and 9-7 in the AMC South (4th place).  The top finisher in each of the AMC North and South Divisions at the end of the regular season earns an automatic berth to the NAIA Div. II National Tournament.  Teams placing second through fifth in each division qualify for the AMC Tournament.  The winner of the AMC Tournament then also earns a berth to the NAIA national event.
     Against Walsh, the Pioneer victory prevented Walsh from winning its third straight Mayors' Cup contest and retiring the Cup.  Malone now holds a 5-4 advantage in the Mayors' Cup series and has retired the Cup once while Walsh has yet to retire the Cup.  In addition, Malone holds a 28-26 edge in the overall series. 
     Malone jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the first seven minutes of play and held a 34-21 advantage at the half en route to the 17-point win.  Nikki Parson (So., Garaway H.S.) led the squad with 25 points (10-17 FG, 5-5 FT) followed by Michelle Ling (Sr., Hiland H.S.) with 14 points.  Parson also ripped down 12 rebounds as the Pioneers won the battle of the boards 38-34.  Ling collected four assists while Parson tallied five steals.  With the win, Malone broke a five-game losing streak against the Cavaliers and earned the Cup for the first time in three years.
     At Urbana, the teams were knotted at 39  at the half before Malone pulled away in the second half and held off a late Urbana rally for the 76-68 win.  Ling paced the offense with 25 points, including four three-pointers.  Parson added 18 points while Kellyn Murphy (Fr., St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) contributed 13 and Erica Mishler (So., Hiland H.S.) added 11 points.  Parson grabbed 12 boards and Murphy 10 but the Pioneers were edged in total rebounds 37-35.  In addition, Ling and Mishler each dished out five assists while Murphy collected three steals.
     This week, Malone (16-11, 9-7 AMC S) will host Mt. Vernon Nazarene University (7-18, 3-13 AMC S) on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.) and NAIA Div. II #1 Cedarville University (28-1, 16-0 AMC S) on Saturday (5:30 p.m.).
     This week’s opponents:  Mt. Vernon Nazarene – Malone leads the all-time series 25-18, including a 75-57 Pioneer win this season...Malone has won the last four meetings against MVNU.   Cedarville – Malone trails in the all-time series 14-12 and lost at Cedarville 93-72 earlier this season...Cedarville has won six straight against Malone.
     Malone notes:  Michelle Ling leads the team in scoring at 19.7 points per game (4th in AMC) followed by Nikki Parson at 18.9 per contest...N. Parson tops the squad in rebounds at 9.4 per contest (4th in AMC)… Ling also paces the team in assists at 4.2 per game while N. Parson leads the team and the conference in free throw percentage at 87.2%... Malone ranks first in the AMC in free throw percentage at 76.4%.

Men’s Basketball Falls To NAIA Div. II #4 Walsh 77-73 In Mayors’ Cup; Beats Urbana 98-91

     The Malone College men’s basketball team split a pair of AMC South Division contests last week as the Pioneers battle for one of the final remaining AMC playoff spots.  On Tuesday, Malone dropped a hard-fought game to Walsh University 77-73 in the 41st annual Mayors’ Cup game before bouncing back to pick up a big win on the road against Urbana University 98-91 on Saturday. 
     With just two regular-season games remaining (both at home - vs. Mt. Vernon Nazarene University and Cedarville University), Malone is currently in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots in the AMC South Division but could finish anywhere from third-place (securing a first-round home game) to being edged out of playoff contention, depending on the outcomes of the final AMC regular-season contests this week.  Two Malone victories this week will all but assure the Pioneers a playoff spot and possibly give the team that first-round home game.  The AMC playoffs begin on Tuesday, February 22nd. 
     With the 1-1 week last week, Malone is 17-12 overall and tied for fourth place in the AMC South with an 8-8 mark (tied with Ohio Dominican University and Shawnee State University).  The top finisher in each of the AMC North and South Divisions at the end of the regular season earns an automatic berth to the NAIA Div. II National Tournament.  Teams placing second through fifth in each division qualify for the AMC Tournament.  The winner of the AMC Tournament then also earns a berth to the NAIA national event.
     In the Walsh game, the Cavaliers retired the current Mayors' Cup trophy by collecting their third consecutive Mayors' Cup win.  Walsh has now retired the Cup four times while Malone has retired it three times.  The Cavaliers hold a 23-18 edge in the Mayors' Cup series and a 52-38 advantage in the all-time series.
     Malone got off to a quick start against Walsh with a 22-11advantage midway through the first period and led 40-36 at halftime.  The game remained close throughout the second half and was tied at 73-73 with just over two minutes remaining but Malone couldn’t get a bucket down the stretch and fell 77-73.  Tyler Renner (Fr., Garaway H.S.) paced the Pioneers with 18 points followed by Chris Miller (So., Hiland H.S.) with 15 points and Shane Conwell (Sr., Stow H.S.) with an even dozen.  Renner also grabbed a game-high 13 boards but Malone was edged in rebounds 41-37.  In addition, Jason Mishler (Sr., Hiland H.S.) dished out five assists and added eight points.
     At Urbana, the Pioneers led 42-38 en route to the 98-91 victory.  Renner led all scorers with 29 points (11-16 FG, 7-8 FT) followed by Conwell with 26 points (7-15 FG, 2-3 3-PT FG, 10-12 FT).  Mishler tallied 17 points and six assists while Schlabach added 14 points.  Conwell hauled in 10 boards but Malone was outrebounded 42-40. 
     This week, Malone (16-12, 7-8 AMC S) will host Mt. Vernon Nazarene University (19-9, 9-7 AMC S) on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.) and NAIA Div. II #11 Cedarville University (22-7, 12-4 AMC S) on Saturday (7:30 p.m.).
     This week’s opponents:  Mt. Vernon Nazarene – Malone holds a 38-18 lead in the all-time series but lost in overtime at MVNU earlier this season 96-93...The home team has won the last seven Malone vs. MVNU meetings (dating back to 1999-2000)... Cedarville – Malone leads the all-time series 51-30 but lost at Cedarville earlier this season 105-92...Cedarville has won four in a row against Malone.
     Malone notes:  Shane Conwell leads the conference in scoring at 23.5 points per game followed by Tyler Renner and Chris Miller at 19.0 and 16.8 points, respectively...Tyler Renner is averaging 8.8 boards having played in just 12 games (does not appear in AMC standings due to minimum games requirement)...Jason Mishler leads the team in assists at 6.1 per game (3rd in the AMC)...Conwell paces the squad in free throw percentage at 83.2% (4th in AMC) while, as a team, Malone leads the conference in free throw percentage at 77.3 %.

Men's, Women's Indoor Track & Field Teams Compete At Findlay Open, All-Ohio Championships; Seven Athletes Qualify For NAIA Nationals

 

     The Malone College men's and women's indoor track & field teams had another productive weekend last Friday and Saturday as the teams competed at the non-scoring University of Findlay Open on Friday and sent several athletes to the All-Ohio Championships held at The University of Akron on Saturday.  
     At Findlay, five athletes posted either provisional or outright NAIA national qualifying marks while, at Akron, two other Pioneers recorded automatic qualifying times.
     At the Findlay meet for the men, Ray Weisenbarger (Jr., Troy Christian H.S.) automatically qualified and set a new Malone record in the weight throw with a toss of 53' 4.25".  Brady West (So., West Muskingum H.S.) was an auto qualifier in the pentathlon with 3319 points (first-place finish at the meet).  In addition, Ken Webber (Fr., Elyria H.S.) posted a provisional qualifying mark of 6.57 seconds in the 55-meter dash.
     For the Malone women at Findlay, Brittany Davies (So., Cedarville H.S.) automatically qualified in the 800 meters in a time of 2:19.84 (second place) while Sarah Decker (Sr., Pandora-Gilboa H.S.) also took second and automatically qualified in the 3000 meters in 10:33.05.
     Automatic NAIA national qualifiers at the All-Ohio Championships at Akron included Amy Arnold (Jr., CVCA) and Lacey Watkins (So., Lockport, NY), who finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 3000 meters with times of 10:10.85 and 10:14.13.
     Other top-three finishers at the Findlay meet for the Pioneer men included Weisenbarger in the shot put (2nd, 50' 2.75"), Webber in the 200-meter dash (3rd, 23.45) and Roger Herstine (Sr., Canton South H.S.) and Chris Patterson (Fr., Morgan H.S.), who finished second and third, respectively, in the pentathlon with point totals of 2886 and 2875.
     Malone women who finished in the top three at Findlay included Ashley Currence (So., East Canton H.S.), who captured the triple jump event with a 34' 1.25" effort, and Faith Nicholson (So., McMurray, PA), who took third in the triple jump (32' 10.50"), along with Brooke Gasser (So., Norwayne H.S.), who captured the pentathlon (2757 points), and Laura McElrath (Fr., Tallmadge H.S.), who took second in the pentathlon (2589).
     This week, the Malone teams will compete at the NCCAA Indoor National Championships, held at the University of Findlay on Saturday (10:00 a.m.).

 

 

     The Malone College men's tennis team lost a hard-fought 5-4 decision at NCAA Div. II Slippery Rock (PA) University last Friday in its only contest of the week.  Malone now stands at 0-2 on the season.
     Sophomore #1 singles player Jason Christman (Canton McKinley H.S.) picked up his first victory of the young season (6-3, 6-3) while Christman and Brian Paul (Sr., Louisville H.S.) remained perfect at 2-0 in #1 doubles this season with an 8-5 win.  Adam Carrick (Sr., West Holmes H.S.), at #4 singles, also picked up his first win on the season as did Dave Neidlinger (So., Copley H.S.) and Carrick at #2 doubles.
     #1 Jason Christman (So., Canton McKinley H.S.)                                                   W 6-3, 6-3
     #2 Dave Neidlinger (So., Copley H.S.)                                                                       L 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
     #3 Brian Paul (Sr., Louisville H.S.)                                                                              L 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
     #4 Adam Carrick (Sr., West Holmes H.S.)                                                                 W 6-2, 6-2
     #5 Dan Aluise (Jr., Cranberry Twp., PA)                                                                     L 2-6, 6-2, 7-5
     #6 Ermine Millhone (So., Meadowbrook H.S.)                                                          L 6-1, 6-1
     #1 Christman/Paul                                                                                                         W 8-5
     #2 Neidlinger/Carrick                                                                                                     W 8-4
     #3 Dan Yard (Fr., Louisville H.S.)/Alex McMahan (Jr.,  N. Canton Hoover H.S.)  L 8-5

     This week, Malone (0-2) will take on Oberlin College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in another away contest in its only action of the week.