2008 Woodie Awards
Ben Wade is crazy. This is really all anybody needs to know about the head women's soccer coach at Southwest Baptist University. Well, I take that back, there is something else people should know: he is a winner. Very few at SBU exhibit the kind winning attitude Wade has shown.
The wait for the new Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach is now over. Southwest Baptist President Dr. C. Pat Taylor and Athletic Director Brent Good announced Wednesday afternoon that Corey McElhaney will be taking over the reigns of the fast-rising programs.
Southwest Baptist baseball snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 12-2 demolishing of Pittsburg State in game two of a doubleheader Tuesday. A six run inning by the Bearcats in the fourth was more than enough to support a dominant junior Zane Montgomery. Montgomery, who pitched all seven innings before the game was called due to the run spread rule, struck out four and was charged with only one of the two runs he allowed.
The Southwest Baptist men's track and field team battled inclement weather again this past weekend. Their most recent meet was delayed three different times because of thunderstorms, and once due to the electronic timing equipment being flooded at the Bill Williams / Bob Laptad Open Invite on the campus of Missouri Southern State.
They're back! After a one-year absence, the Southwest Baptist men's tennis team is back in the national spotlight. For the 16th time in the past 19 seasons, the Bearcats have earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Tennis Championships. SBU, ranked 33rd nationally in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association Poll, is one of 64 teams competing in the 16 Regional Round meets that make up the national championships tournament.
The Southwest Baptist University softball team returned home to begin their second to last series of the season last week. After falling twice to Missouri Southern State in Joplin last week, it was SBU's turn to host MSSU in an April 25 doubleheader in Bolivar.
For the first time in three years, the Southwest Baptist golf team will be going as a team to the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships. Friday, April 27, the Bearcats learned that they were one of 80 teams selected to participate in the five Super Regional Tournaments that make up the first round of the national tournament.
Competing in flood-like conditions, the Southwest Baptist women's track-and-field team readied themselves for the MIAA Championships. Leading the way for the Lady 'Cats was freshman Jennifer Gillespie. Gillespie won the 200-meter dash (26.57 seconds) and finished second in the 400-meter dash (58.