Malone College Sports This Week
Nov. 20 (Tue.) - Women's Basketball at Shawnee State University; 5:00 p.m.
- Men's Basketball home against Cedarville University; 7:30 p.m. (RADIO - WNPQ 95.9 FM)
Nov. 24 (Sat.) - Men's Basketball at University of Rio Grande; 4:00 p.m. (RADIO - WNPQ 95.9 FM)
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country – Malone men won the NAIA national championship in Kenosha, Wisconsin last Saturday among a 28-team field (four Pioneer All-Americans crowned); Malone women finished fourth among its 29-team field (two All-Americans crowned)
Football - Malone defeats:
Geneva (PA) College 45-17
FINAL RECORD: 8-4 (4-3 MSFA Mideast)
Men's Basketball - Malone defeats:
Urbana University 88-77
Grove City (PA) College 85-61
Geneva (PA) College 83-70
CURRENT RECORD: 4-1 (0-0 AMC North)
Women's Basketball - Malone defeats:
Missouri Baptist 72-69
Malone loses to:
Urbana University 75-62
Indiana Wesleyan University 44-30
CURRENT RECORD: 1-4 (0-0 AMC North)
Men's Cross Country Captures NAIA National Title (Kienzle Second Among Four Pioneer All-Americans); Malone Women Take Fourth With Two All-Americans
The Malone men's cross country team, led by veteran head coach Jack Hazen, has captured its first NAIA national title in 35 years and its second in school history at the NAIA National Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin last Saturday. And they did so with the second-largest margin of victory (143 points) in the history of the NAIA national men's cross country meet (the 1987 Adams State, CO team won by 150 points). Malone tallied 59 points among a 28-team field to easily outdistance runner-up Black Hills State (SD) University, which had 202 points, to earn the second Malone men's cross country NAIA national title since the 1972 Pioneer squad accomplished the feat. In addition, the NAIA national title capped a "perfect" season for the Malone men as the team earned a first-place finish in each of the seven meets in which they competed this season, something that had never been done by a Pioneer cross country team in the 47-year history of the men's program. At this year's All-Ohio meet, Malone won its sixth All-Ohio title and is still the only non Div. I-A team to have won the All-Ohio meet. At this year's NAIA national meet, Lindenwood (MO) University took third with 210 points, Simon Fraser was fourth with 228 points and Cornerstone (MI) University rounded out the top five with 235 points.
The Malone women's cross country team, also led by coach Hazen, earned a fourth-place finish among its 29-team field with 164 points, just one point out of third place, as Simon Fraser (B.C.) University took the women's national title with 99 points. Cedarville University finished second with 145 points, Milligan (TN) College was third with 164 points and British Columbia University rounded out the top five with 227 points.
For the men, four Pioneer athletes earned NAIA All-America honors (top 30 runners) led by senior Ryan Kienzle (GlenOak H.S.) who finished second overall in a time of 24:24.9. Aaron Melhorn (Fr., Fairless H.S.) placed fourth in 24:44.7, Nik Schweikert (Jr., Beavercreek H.S.) came in 12th in 15:06.1 and Chris Sinick (So., Field H.S.) finished 26th in 25:25.3 to join Kienzle as NAIA All-Americans. Only the 1980 and 1989 Malone men's squads, with five All-Americans each, had more All-Americans at an NAIA national meet than this year's team. James Zeuch (Fr., Galion H.S.) narrowly missed All-America honors by finishing 33rd in 25:34.4. In addition, Michael Coates (Sr., Sandy Valley H.S.) placed 46th in 25:42.5 and Paul Robinson (So., Field H.S.) came in 123rd in 26:28.2. Also, Jack Hazen was named the NAIA National Men's Coach of the Year.
For the women, Katie Bagley (Jr., Van Wert H.S.) led the team with a 22nd-place finish in a time of 18:19.1 to earn NAIA All-America honors (top 30 runners). Kalie Hauenstein (So., Ashland H.S.) also earned the prestigious distinction by finishing 27th in 18:23.1. Rebekah Genter (Jr., Crestview H.S.) narrowly missed All-America accolades by placing 36th in 18:28.2. Also scoring for Malone was Emily Grad (Fr., Field H.S.) in 52nd (18:45.9) and Sarah Hines (So., Northmor H.S.) in 74th (18:55.5). Others who competed for the squad included Kristin Downing (Fr., Lake H.S.), who finished 127th (19:24.1), and Alanna Seamon (Fr., St. Clairsville H.S.), who placed 150th (19:36.1).
Football Tallies 45-17 Win Over Geneva In NCCAA Victory Bowl
The Malone College football team concluded its 2007 season on Saturday evening with a convincing 45-17 win over Geneva (PA) College in the 11th Annual National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Victory Bowl. The Pioneers trailed 10-7 early in the second quarter but then rattled off 31 unanswered points to take a commanding 38-10 lead into the locker room at halftime. The host Golden Tornadoes cut into the sizable deficit with an 80-yard, third-quarter touchdown drive before Malone wide receiver Derek Deardorff (Jr., Kenton H.S.) sealed the 45-17 victory after hauling in a 73-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh (Jr., Eastland, TX).
Malone racked up 226 rushing yards and 295 passing yards in the contest for a total offensive output of 521 yards. Geneva, meanwhile, posted 221 yards through the air and 72 yards on the ground for 293 total yards of offense. The Pioneers dominated time of possession as the squad held the ball for 38:32 compared to 21:28 for Geneva. Malone also recovered three Golden Tornado fumbles, tallied one interception and, for the first time all season, did not commit a turnover. With their first Victory Bowl win, the Pioneers wrapped up their 2007 campaign with an 8-4 record, marking the highest win total for the Malone football program since 1996.
Geneva took an early 7-0 lead in Saturday’s contest after quarterback Bobby Bondi connected with wide-out Ryan Forbes on a 13-yard touchdown pass just over three minutes into the game. Both offenses struggled to get on track over the next few possessions until a 28-yard punt return by Pioneer wide receiver Tyler Davis (Jr., Teays Valley H.S.) set the Malone offense up with a first-and-ten on the Golden Tornadoes’ 22-yard line. The Pioneers quickly cashed in on this opportunity as, on the first play of the possession, running back Bernard Payton (Sr., Pomona, CA) rumbled into the endzone. Place kicker Mike Skvor (Jr., Long Beach, CA) followed Payton’s TD run with an extra point to knot the contest at 7-7 with 3:25 remaining in the first quarter.
Geneva retook the lead in the opening minutes of the second frame when kicker Nick DiPietro connected on a 26-yard field goal. Skvor answered back on Malone’s ensuing drive by drilling a 45-yard kick to tie the game at 10-10 with 11:49 remaining in the first half. The Pioneers’ offense then kicked into high gear over the remainder of the quarter as the unit found the endzone on each of its next four possessions to take an imposing 38-10 halftime advantage. This 28-point scoring barrage featured touchdowns on a 20-yard run by Payton, a 39-yard pass from Orsagh to Deardorff, a three-yard run by Payton, and a 15-yard toss from Orsagh to wide receiver Mike Clapham (Sr., Elyria Catholic H.S.).
Despite being knocked out of the game in the first half after absorbing several ferocious hits, Bondi returned in the third quarter to lead the Golden Tornadoes on a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a seven-yard pass to wide receiver Parker Nuetzel. However, Malone extinguished Geneva’s comeback hopes early in the fourth quarter when Orsagh connected with Deardorff on the long TD pass to put the game out of reach at 45-17.
Payton’s final performance in a Pioneer uniform mirrored what he had consistently done throughout his outstanding two-year career at Malone. The 6’1”, 205-pound running back carried the ball 40 times in the game for 185 yards and three scores in addition to tallying five catches for 36 yards. Payton rushed for 100 or more in yards in each of the Pioneers’ final eight games of the season and he gained over 100 rushing yards in 10 of Malone’s 12 games in 2007. With his remarkable performance this year, he has established new Pioneer records for average rushing yards per game in a season (136.4) and average rushing yards per game for a career (112.7), surpassing the previous marks held by running back Joel Peterson (Peterson averaged 116.5 rushing yards per game during the 2001 season and posted 86.3 rushing yards per game during his four-year career from 2000 to 2003). In addition, with three scores in Saturday’s contest, Payton tied Norris Petty’s single-season rushing touchdown record with 19 TD’s. For his efforts in the Victory Bowl, Payton was named the game's Offensive MVP.
Orsagh completed 16 of his 33 pass attempts for 295 yards and three touchdowns. With his fourth-quarter TD pass to Deardorff that sealed the victory, Orsagh established a new Malone single-season record for touchdown passes with 24, breaking the previous mark of 23 TD passes set by former Pioneer quarterbacks Brian Magrell and Brad Reifsnyder (Magrell threw 23 TD’s in 1998 and Reifsnyder tied the mark in 2004).
Deardorff tallied four catches in the contest for 133 yards and two touchdowns. With this strong performance, the 6’4” wide-out also made an impact on the record book, establishing new single-season marks for touchdown catches and receiving yards. Deardorff’s 13 TD grabs break the previous record of 11 set by Shane Hostetler in 1998 and his 1118 receiving yards surpass Eric Miller’s 1994 total of 1027 yards (Miller and Deardorff are now the only two Malone receivers to post 1000 or more receiving yards in a single season). Clapham also made significant contributions for the Pioneer offense as he posted four catches for 82 yards and one touchdown.
On defense, linebacker Dan Hromada (Sr., Padua Franciscan H.S.) led the way with nine total tackles (seven solo, 0.5 TFL) and was named the Victory Bowl's defensive MVP. Fellow linebacker Jamal Gambrell (Sr., Maple Heights H.S.) followed with five solo tackles (two TFL) while defensive lineman Ronell Lee (So., Collinwood H.S.) notched five tackles (four solo, three TFL, two sacks) and forced two fumbles. Other important defensive contributors included defensive back Doug Alford (Jr., St. Peter Chanel H.S.) with four tackles (three solo) and two pass break-ups, defensive back Dennis Thornton (Jr., Shaker Heights H.S.) with four stops (three solo) and one pass break-up and defensive back Eric Hart (Fr., Labrae Local H.S.) with four tackles (one solo), one fumble recovery and one interception.
On special teams, Tyler Parry (Jr., North Loxahatchee, FL) punted the ball five times for 174 yards with two kicks downed inside the 20-yard line. Davis tallied over 100 return yards in the game with five punt returns for 85 yards and two kickoff returns for 22 yards.
Pioneer Notes: Malone’s only other Victory Bowl appearance occurred last season when the squad fell 56-28 at NCAA Division II North Greenville (SC) University…The Pioneers posted their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1995-1996…Skvor set a new single-season record this year with 46 extra points…Malone broke three more team records in Saturday’s contests including points scored in a season (393), first downs rushing in a season (131), and average total yards per game in a season (479.8).
Men’s Basketball Notches 3-0 Week
The Malone College men’s basketball team posted victories in all three of its contests last week beginning with an 88-77 win at Urbana University on Tuesday night. The squad then traveled to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania over the weekend where they posted two more victories at the Geneva (PA) College Golden Tornado Tip-Off Tournament. The Pioneers opened play at the event on Friday evening with an 85-61 win over Grove City (PA) College and then wrapped up the week on Saturday with an 83-70 triumph over Geneva. With the 3-0 week, Malone extended its winning streak to four games and improved its overall record to 4-1 (0-0 AMC North) on the young season.
In Tuesday night’s game at Urbana, the Pioneers took a commanding 48-33 lead into the locker room at halftime after closing out the first stanza on an 18-5 run. The squad then maintained a substantial advantage throughout the remainder of the game en route to the 88-77 final. The Pioneers have now won nine straight contests over the Blue Knights and have claimed victories in 19 out of the last 20 meetings between the two schools. Malone’s offense was firing on all cylinders from start to finish in Tuesday’s game as the squad hit 29 of its 50 shot attempts (58%), including seven of 14 three-pointers. Urbana held a slim 44-42 edge in total rebounds but converted just 29 of its 77 (37.7%) shots from the field. Guards Ben Carver (Sr., Shelby H.S.) and Andrew Weaver (Jr., Hiland H.S.) each tallied 20 points to lead a balanced Malone offensive attack. Senior forward Tyler Renner (Garaway H.S.) and senior center Shane Humphrey (Loudonville H.S.) both notched their first double-doubles of the year as Renner posted 18 points and 10 rebounds while Humphrey registered 13 points and 11 boards. The frontcourt duo also posted the top two assist totals in the game as Humphrey dished out five assists and Renner handed out four.
Against Grove City on Friday night, the Pioneers opened up a substantial 49-32 lead at halftime after hitting 14 of 25 (56%) first-half shots and outscoring the Wolverines 16-0 during a five-minute stretch late in the first half. Malone continued its strong play in the second stanza as the squad stretched its lead to as many 29 points en route to the 85-61 final. Renner led the way for the Pioneers with 21 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3PT FG, 6-6 FT) and nine rebounds while Carver followed with 20 points (5-11 FG, 1-3 3PT FG, 9-10 FT). Weaver and sophomore guard Linc Rottman (Triway H.S.) each tossed in 15 points with Humphrey contributing five points and seven boards.
The Pioneers hot shooting continued on Saturday against Geneva as the squad knocked down over 53% (15-28) of their shots from the field in the first stanza to take a 43-34 halftime lead. Malone then maintained an advantage throughout the second half en route to the 13-point victory. The Pioneers struggled somewhat from the three-point line, making just two of nine attempts on the afternoon but dominated the glass, out-rebounding Geneva 45-24. Renner paced the Pioneers with 21 points (6-15 FG, 0-3 3PT FG, 9-10 FT), three blocks and a career-high 17 rebounds. Humphrey and junior forward Jarrod Ferwerda (Lake H.S.) followed with 12 points apiece while Carver tossed in 11 points. In addition, Rottman came off the bench to tally nine points and six boards.
This week, Malone will host NAIA Division II #4 Cedarville University (1-2, 0-0 AMC South) on Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m. before traveling to the University of Rio Grande on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. contest with the Redmen (4-1, 0-0 AMC North).
This week’s opponents: Cedarville- Malone holds a 52-34 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools although the Yellow Jackets have won eight out of the last nine meetings including both of last year’s contests, an 86-79 victory at Malone and a narrow 86-83 triumph at Cedarville. Rio Grande- The Redmen lead the all-time series 39-36. The two teams split last year’s meetings with Rio winning the first game 83-78 (at Rio Grande) and Malone taking the second contest 87-70 (at Malone).
Pioneer notes: Carver currently leads the team in scoring at 19.8 points per game followed closely by Renner at 19.0…Renner paces the squad in rebounding with 10.4 boards per outing followed by Carver at 5.6 and Humphrey at 5.4…Carver and Humphrey share the team lead in assists with 2.8 assists each.
Women’s Basketball Wins One Of Three Contests On The Week
The Malone College women’s basketball team posted a 1-2 record in three contests last week starting with a 75-62 loss at Urbana University on Tuesday evening. The squad then returned home to host the Canton Comfort Inn Tip-Off Classic over the weekend. The Pioneers opened play at the event on Friday evening with a 72-69 victory over Missouri Baptist University before falling to NAIA Division II #15 Indiana Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 44-30. Following the 1-2 week, Malone’s overall record now stands at 1-4 (0-0 AMC North).
In Tuesday’s game at Urbana, the Pioneers led 34-32 at halftime and stretched their lead to as many as ten points midway through the second stanza before the Blue Knights fought back with an 11-1 run to take a 55-54 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the contest. After the two teams traded baskets over the next several possessions, Urbana was able to put the game away by outscoring Malone 15-4 over the final two and a half minutes of play. The Pioneers’ hot three-point shooting continued in Tuesday’s contest as the squad knocked down eight of 13 attempts from behind the arc. However, Malone struggled to take care of the ball with 24 turnovers and was out-rebounded by a 41-35 margin. Senior guard Kellyn Murphy (St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) and freshman guard Ashley Speicher (Plymouth H.S.) each scored 15 points in the contest with Murphy adding seven rebounds and three assists and Speicher contributing six boards and six assists. Junior guard Katie Murphy (St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) posted eight points and ten rebounds while senior guard Nicki Sisson (Wayne Trace H.S.) notched six points on a pair of three-point baskets.
Against Missouri Baptist on Saturday, the Spartans trailed 70-65 with just over a minute remaining in the game but were able to trim the deficit to 71-69 on a pair of free throws by point guard Nikia Henry with 12 ticks remaining on the clock. Malone senior guard Heather Fenner (Shelby H.S.) was then quickly fouled and sent to the free throw line where she hit one of two attempts to push the Pioneers’ lead to three points at 72-69. Following a Missouri Baptist timeout, Henry was able to get off a three-pointer just before the buzzer sounded but her shot was off the mark, cementing Malone’s 72-69 victory. Missouri Baptist knocked down 51.9% (28-54) of its shots from the field compared to 42.2% (27-64) for Malone but the Pioneers dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Spartans by a 42-26 margin. Kellyn Murphy paced the Pioneers with a career-high 25 points (10-16, 1-2 3PT FG, 4-5 FT) in addition to pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out five assists. Fenner posted 13 points, freshman guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) added 11 points and six boards while junior forward Nicole Feher (Lutheran West H.S.) tallied eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Indiana Wesleyan and Malone had met just eight days prior to Saturday’s match-up with IWU prevailing 80-55 at the Cedarville University Classic on Friday, November 9th. The Wildcats once again came out on top in Saturday’s contest at Malone but, unlike in their previous meeting, both teams struggled to generate points. The Pioneers converted on just 11 of 48 shot attempts in the game (22.9%) and were out-rebounded by a 40-28 margin. Indiana Wesleyan fared a little better, hitting 15 of its 39 (38.5%) shots from the field and 10 of 12 free throws attempts. IWU outscored Malone by identical 22-15 margins in both the first and second halves to record the 44-30 win. The Wildcats, who won the 2006-2007 NAIA Division II National Championship with a perfect 38-0 record, stretched their winning streak to 43 games with the victory. Kellyn Murphy posted 13 points, three steals and five rebounds to lead the way for Malone. In recognition of her impressive play during the Pioneers’ weekend contests, Murphy was named to the All-Tournament Team. Sisson added seven points in Saturday’s contest while Feher pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Murphy was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Porsha Garner of Missouri Baptist, Erin Farney of Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College, and Andrea Fichter and Brooke Amstutz of IWU.
This week, Malone will compete in just one contest, a 5:00 p.m. game at NAIA Division II #21 Shawnee State University (1-1, 0-0 AMC South) on Tuesday evening.
This week’s opponent: Shawnee State- The Bears lead the all-time series 19-5 although the two squads have split their last six match-ups. Malone defeated Shawnee State 69-56 at home last season (1/2/07) before later falling to the Bears on the road (1/23/07) by a 68-50 final.
Pioneer notes: Kellyn Murphy paces the squad with 15.6 points per game followed by Speicher with 7.6 and Fenner with 7.2…Feher leads the team in rebounding with 8.0 boards per contest followed by Kellyn Murphy with 6.0 and Katie Murphy with 5.8…Kellyn Murphy also leads the team in assists with 2.4 per outing.
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