Nov. 11-12 (Fri.-Sat.) - Volleyball (AMC South #6 seed) at AMC Tournament (Cedarville, OH); bracket TBA

Nov. 12 (Sat.) - Men's and Women's Cross Country at NCCAA National Championships (Yellow Springs, OH); women - 10:00 a.m., men - 11:00 a.m.

                         - Football at Quincy (IL) University; 12:00 p.m. (CST)
                                (RADIO BROADCAST on WNPQ 95.9 FM)
                        - Women's Basketball at Indiana Tech; 1:00 p.m.

Last Week at a Glance

 

Cross Country - Malone men capture the AMC/NAIA Region IX Championships in Portsmouth, Ohio last Saturday among a 15-team field; women place second among 16 teams but still qualify for NAIA Nationals

Women's Soccer - Malone defeats:
                                              * Mt. Vernon Nazarene University  2-0
                                   CURRENT RECORD:  10-6-3 
                                              * - NCCAA East Region Championship Game

Football - Malone defeats:
                           Taylor (IN) University  34-32
                  CURRENT RECORD:  3-6   (2-4 MSFA Mideast)

Note:  For statistics and standings of Malone teams, check out www.amcsports.org and/or www.mid-statesfootball.org.

Men's, Women's Cross Country Teams Qualify For NAIA National Championships; Nik Schweikert, Joanna Genter Win Individual Titles

     The Malone College men's and women's cross country teams competed at the AMC/NAIA Region IX Championships in Portsmouth, Ohio last Saturday and both again qualified for the NAIA National Championships.  The men, with a final NAIA ranking of fifth, again qualified by winning the conference/district/region qualifier meet for an incredible 38th straight time, having never lost the meet since their first appearance in 1968.  The Pioneer women will make the trip to NAIA nationals by virtue of their runner-up finish at the meet, coupled with their final NAIA ranking of ninth.
     In the men's event, Malone cruised to victory with just 24 points as the runner-up, Shawnee State University, had 92 points.  St. Vincent (PA) College took third (97), Cedarville University was fourth (105) and Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College rounded out the top five (139) points among a 15-team men's field.
     In the women's race, Malone tallied 60 points as NAIA #4 Cedarville took the women's title with 34 points.  St. Vincent (PA) placed third (98), Shawnee State was fourth (128) and Geneva (PA) College rounded out the top five (130) in a 16-team women's field.
     For the men, Nik Schweikert (Fr., Beavercreek H.S.) won the individual title in a time of 25:34.60 after trailing by 25 yards with 300 yards to go and overtaking the leader for a dramatic 1.4 second win.  Ryan Kienzle (So., GlenOak H.S.) was second for Malone and third overall in a time of 25:56.25.  Joining Schweikert and Kienzle as First Team All-AMC runners were Luke McCluggage (So., Jackson-Milton H.S.), who finished fifth overall (26:05.80), Bryan Straniero (Sr., Berkshire H.S.), who placed seventh (26:17.80), and Curtis Mortenson (Sr., Kodiak, Alaska), who came in eighth (26:25.35).
     Brandon Myers (Fr., Marlington H.S.) earned Second Team All-AMC honors by finishing 11th overall in a time of 26:43.60 while Justin Baum (So., Kenston H.S.) was named All-AMC Honorable Mention after placing 18th in 27:04.65.  In addition, Malone head coach Jack Hazen was named the AMC/NAIA Region IX Coach of the Year.
     Others who competed for the men were Ryan Hurley (Sr., Coldwater, MI) in 24th (27:25.90), Michael Coates (So., Sandy Valley H.S.) in 36th (27:48.55), Ryan Crocker (Fr., CVCA) in 43rd (27:59.15), Matt Orwick (So., East Canton H.S.) in 54th (28:22.70), Nathan Hughes (Jr., Worthington Christian H.S.) in 61st (28:35.85) and Joe Siebert (So., Sandy Valley H.S.) in 125th (31:28.85).
     For the women, Joanna Genter (Jr., Crestview H.S.) took home the individual title in a time of 17:45.50, which was just one second off the course record time set by Renee Peck (University of Rio Grande) in 1992.  Genter's time was also the third-best time in the history of Malone women's cross country (5K).  While Genter earned First Team All-AMC honors, teammate Lauren Sloan (Jr., Kent Roosevelt H.S.) earned Second Team honors by placing ninth overall in 19:09.25.
     Loren Reineke (Jr., Anna H.S.) and Katie Bagley (Fr., Van Wert H.S.) were named All-AMC Honorable Mention as they placed 15th and 16th, respectively, in times of 19:23.50 and 19:24.95.  Also scoring for Malone was Caity Schneider (Jr., Sandy Valley H.S.), who finished 19th in 19:34.55.  Ashley Thomas (Sr., Anchorage, Alaska) and Carrie Hart (Jr., La Brae H.S.) also competed on the varsity squad and finished close behind in 20th (19:41.45) and 21st (19:47.85), respectively.  Rachel Heflen (Jr., Orrville H.S.) also competed for Malone and finished in 41st (20:50.90).
     This week, the Malone teams will compete at the NCCAA National Championships in Yellow Springs, Ohio on Saturday.  The women’s race begins at 10:00 a.m. while the men’s race is set for 11:00 a.m.

Women’s Soccer Blanks Mt. Vernon Nazarene 2-0 In NCCAA East Region Title Game; Qualifies For NCCAA National Tourney

     The Malone College women’s soccer team defeated Mt. Vernon Nazarene University 2-0 (at MVNU) last Saturday in the NCCAA East Regional Championship Game to secure a bid to the NCCAA National Tournament in Kissimmee, Florida November 16-21.  As it turned out, two at-large berths to the national event that were potentially available heading into the weekend were not awarded and so only the winner of the Malone-MVNU contest qualified for the NCCAA national tourney.  With the win, Malone improved to 10-6-3 overall on the season.
     At MVNU, the two teams battled to a 0-0 tie at the half.  Then in the 77th minute, Aleesha Denmeade (Fr., North Canton Hoover H.S.) found the back of the goal off a feed from Kara Wenger (Jr., St. Clairsville H.S.).  Julie Herbst (Jr., Dyer, IN) headed in a goal off a direct kick by Taryn Carlson (Jr., Poland H.S.) in the 82nd minute securing the 2-0 victory for the Pioneers.  Malone tallied six shots on goal and goalie Sam Brown (Fr., Butler, PA) posted 11 saves.  MVNU took 11 shots and made four saves.
     This week, Malone (10-6-3, 4-3-1 AMC S) will prepare for the upcoming NCCAA National Tournament -- again, held in Kissimmee, Florida November 16-21.  The last time the team competed in the NCCAA national event, which was 2002, the Pioneers won three straight contests to capture the NCCAA national title.

Football Team Defeats Taylor 34-32 In '05 Home Finale 

     The Malone College football team picked up a 34-32 win over Taylor (IN) University in its last home game of the 2005 season last Saturday.  The game was as close in total yardage as it was on the scoreboard as the Pioneers posted 150 yards rushing and 271 yards passing for a total of 421 yards while Taylor tallied 174 yards rushing and 248 yards passing for a total of 422 yards.  With the win, Malone is now 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the MSFA Mideast while Taylor dropped to 0-9 on the season and 0-6 in the conference.
     The Pioneers struck early with wide receiver Tyler Davis (Fr., Teays Valley H.S.) catching a 50-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brad Reifsnyder (Jr., North Canton Hoover H.S.).  Shawn O’Halloran (So., Poland Seminary H.S.) added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.  Taylor then evened the score at 7-7 on a two-yard run (PAT good) with 6:38 left in the quarter.
     Malone began the second period with a 33-yard field goal by O’Halloran to go ahead 10-7 but Taylor again stormed back by traveling 61 yards in 13 plays to score on a four-yard rush for its first and only lead of the contest 13-10.  Taylor’s extra point attempt was blocked by defensive lineman Jeremy Rogers (Jr., Tuscarawas Valley H.S.).  The Pioneers bounced back, though, by scoring on a nine-yard pass to wide receiver A.J. Owen (So., Cleveland Heights H.S.) from Reifsnyder (O’Halloran PAT good) with 36 seconds remaining in the half for a 17-13 halftime advantage.
     Once again, O’Halloran began the third quarter with a field goal.  This one was from 25 yards and gave Malone a 20-13 lead.  With just over four minutes in the third stanza, David Eastaugh (Fr., Amherst Steele H.S.), who was recently switched from offensive lineman to running back, crossed the goal line on a five-yard rush (O’Halloran PAT good) extending the Pioneer lead to 27-13.  Then, with just 16 ticks left in the quarter, the Trojans capped off a 77-yard drive with a seven-yard rush into the end zone (PAT good) to battle back to within seven points (27-20) heading into the final period.
     Midway through the fourth quarter, Taylor scored on a three-yard rush but missed tying the game as defensive lineman Brian Landies (Sr., Chardon H.S.) blocked the extra point attempt.  With just a one-point lead (27-26), Malone then drove 66 yards in 13 plays, culminated by a three-yard TD pass from Reifsnyder to Owen.  O’Halloran’s extra point was good giving the Pioneers a 34-26 lead with only 1:29 left in the game.  But the Trojans managed to travel 64 yards in 55 seconds to score on another three-yard rush cutting the lead to 34-32.  Taylor then attempted to tie the game with a two-point conversion but Malone’s defense forced an incomplete pass to secure the 34-32 victory.
     Reifsnyder finished the game with 19 of 24 completions for 271 yards, including three touchdowns.  He also rushed for 44 yards on 15 carries.  Davis led the receivers with seven catches for 134 yards and a TD while Owen snagged three catches (23 yards), two of which were touchdowns.  Wide receiver Josh Settlemire (So., Howland H.S.) also tallied three receptions for 37 yards while fullback Trent Dibell (So., Fairless H.S.) paced the ground game with 70 yards on 10 carries. 
     On special teams, Davis returned two kickoffs for 50 yards while Owen returned three kickoffs for 44 yards.  O’Halloran was two for two in field goals (33 yards and 25 yards) while Tyler Parry (Fr., Loxahatchee, FL) punted twice for 84 yards.
     Defensively, defensive back Rayshawn Cole (Jr., Firestone H.S.) paced the squad in tackles for the third straight game with 12 (eight solo) followed by linebacker Jamal Gambrell (So., Maple Heights H.S.) who had 10 tackles (three solo).  Linebacker Dan Hromada (So., Padua Franciscan H.S.) added nine tackles (four solo) while linebacker Justin Murphy (So., Minerva H.S.) posted seven (six solo, two TFL) and a pass deflection.  Linebacker Kevin Andrysek (Sr., Brunswick H.S.) recorded three tackles, an interception and a pass deflection while linebacker Kevin Kapostasy (So., Fairport H.S.) collected two tackles (one TFL, one sack).
     This week, Malone (3-6, 2-4 MSFA Mideast) will conclude its season on Saturday at Quincy (IL) University (4-6, 3-3) at 12:00 p.m. CST.