Mules Track and Field adds another All-American
Both the Mules and Jennies were competing at the 2018 Indoor National Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas over the weekend. Three UCM athletes earned All-American honors for their performances during the event.
Senior Jace Kaleikau had a record-setting day in the weight throw. His 65-6.75 throw earned him seventh place and All-American honors. Kaleikau’s throw moved him to third on UCM’s all-time record list.
Sophomore Hannah VanBuskirk finished fifth in the high jump with a personal best of 5-8.5 to earn All-American honors.
On the final day, freshman Jesse Miller finished fourth in the high jump clearing the bar at 6-11 to tie his personal best. The mark earned Miller his first-ever All-American award.
The Mules finished in 26^th place while the Jennies came in 43^rd place in the final event of the indoor track and field season. Outdoor competition will begin on March 21 at the Wichita State Heptathlon/Decathlon.
Reaves and Lowrance named Academic All-Americans
Mules basketball had two players earn Academic All-American honors this season awarded by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Both senior guard Spencer Reaves and junior center Jakob Lowrance, earned Second Team honors.
For Reaves, this is his second season as an Academic All-American in three seasons at UCM. Reaves is a physical education major that achieved a 3.9 GPA while leading the Mules with 17 points per game and shooting 52 percent from the field, both totals were top-10 in the MIAA. Reaves finished his career at UCM at seventh on the all-time Mules scoring list.
Lowrance earned his first Academic All-American while having his best season as a Mule. He averaged a career-high 14.3 points per game and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. His 58 percent shooting was good for second highest in the conference. His performance this season earned him Third-Team All MIAA honors all while he held down a 3.96 GPA as a sports management major.
Bowling stops at Vanderbilt before postseason
Jennies bowling will head to Smyrna, Tennessee, for the Vanderbilt Music City Classic March 16-18. The competition will be the final of the regular season for the Jens before the MIAA Championships in Wheaton, Illinois and the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.
The Jens come into the competition with impressive finishes over their last couple of matches. A second-place finish at the UCM/Lincoln Women’s Invitational and fourth place at the Nebraska Big Red Invitational has the Jennies in good position heading toward the postseason.
Jennies split series to open conference play
Jennies softball followed their sweep of Rockhurst in the home opener with a series split against Southwest Baptist last Friday. After losing game one 6-1, the Jens scored eight runs on seven hits and shut out the Bearcats 8-0 in the second game. The Jennies overall record is 7-13 and 1-1 in MIAA play.
The Jennies will head to St. Joseph for the Missouri Western Regional Crossover held March 16-18 where they will play six games over three days. Their first matchup will be with the Augustana Vikings, the game is scheduled to be played Friday at noon.