Former Lions coordinator leaves NFL to take Head Coach position
In the cases of Bart Tatum and Daryl Daye, the student has bested the master.
Missouri Southern's department of athletics announced Friday morning that it had hired the former defensive coordinator on Tatum's staff to be the 11th football Head Coach in University history.
Leading the charge for Missouri Southern's men's basketball team this year are Jason Adams and Keane Thomann, players destined to finish on some post-season award lists. Last year's leader, though, was Skyler Bowlin. Bowlin, a May 2011 graduate, is now the starting point guard for the BG Leitershofen/Stadtbergen Red Kangaroos of the German Pro A league.
After using a road victory against the University of Central Missouri last Saturday to propel itself to the school's first ever national No. 1 ranking, Missouri Southern was upset Wednesday. After Bellarmine was beaten last week, Southern vaulted to the country's top spot before the Griffons dashed the Lions' perfect record, pushing them to 9-1.
The No. 25 and undefeated University of Central Missouri Jennies hosted the Lions of Missouri Southern in a conference game in Warrensburg on Dec. 3. The game saw the Lions carry a five-point lead into halftime and hold the Jennies to just 23 percent shooting from the field.
Albert Pujols is an Angel. No, I don't mean literally, although I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue for God to give him his wings once the time comes. The Machine is the newest member of the Anaheim Angels, a move that has Cardinals fans everywhere burning his jerseys and asking for his head on a platter, sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively.
Jordan Larimore: As a fan of a team in the Big XII conference in Division-I college football, I would have loved to have seen Oklahoma State University get a chance to take on Louisiana State University in this year's title game, but thanks to the BCS, it won't happen.
Southern beats Truman to move to 7-0, travels to face Central tomorrow
According to the National Association of Basketball Coaches, there is only one Division-II men's basketball team better than the one at Missouri Southern. "It's a nice honor to think people around the country think you've got one of the better basketball teams in the country," Head Coach Robert Corn said.
The Pizza Hut/Fairfield Inn Classic featured some of the first home matchups women's basketball schedule this season. The Lions played Newman University on Nov. 25, a game Head Coach MaryAnn Mitts said was a great game for the team, except for eight minutes in the second half where the game seemed to get away from the Lions.
Former coach resigns after 6 seasons at helm
Bart Tatum's six-year tenure as Head Coach of the football team at Missouri Southern has come to an end. Southern announced via a press release that Tatum had resigned Monday afternoon. Tuesday, Athletics Director Jared Bruggeman told members of the media that he approached Tatum about, "where we were at and where we needed to go.
Women beat Avila, sit at 2-1
With an impressive road victory at future conference foe, the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers, the Missouri Southern women's basketball team pulled its record to an even 1-1 on the season. Junior Erin Rice was the team's top scorer as she put up 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Men start off perfect 3-0
For someone who wasn't even originally supposed to be on the floor for his team's first games, Jason Adams has been difficult to stop this season. Actually, he's been a handful for opposing teams by anyone's standards. Offseason back surgery has not slowed Adams as he's led the Missouri Southern men's basketball team to a 3-0 start, setting a career-high single-game scoring mark in one of the Lions' wins against the University of Arkansas-Monticello.
The up and down season of women's soccer at Missouri Southern has come to its conclusion, which featured the Lions making it to the MIAA tournament championship game. In the beginning of the season, it did not look like the Lions would have a successful season, as they dropped their first seven games.
The fundraising exhibition basketball games of the One State, One Spirit and I-44 Hoops Classics have come and gone, and there is a regular season to play. That slate begins today for MaryAnn Mitts, entering season 11 at the helm of Southern's women's basketball program.
Lions look to avoid 18 straight losses in annual matchup with PSU Gorillas
After last Saturday's loss to the Fort Hays State University Tigers, Missouri Southern football Head Coach Bart Tatum chalked it up to a lack of preparation. Tomorrow marks the 44th meeting of one of the MIAA's most heated rivalries. The Sonic Miner's Bowl pits Southern against what Tatum calls "the best Pittsburg [State University Gorillas] team I've seen in a long time.
Robert Corn's team is going straight from one South Central Regional tournament to another. After a 26-win season in which Corn's men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the regional tournament, the Lions open their regular season with the South Central Regional Challenge this weekend.
The women's cross country season has come and gone at Missouri Southern, as the women placed sixth at the 2011 NCAA Division-II South Central regional meet on Nov. 5th. "I saw great effort from these young ladies at the meet, they battled tough and continued to improve on their times, but it takes a whole team to be solid to win regionals, we just didn't have enough firepower to make it happen," Vavra said.
The men's cross country season has come to a close for Missouri Southern. Coming into the regional meet, the Lions finished third at the conference championships, and were hungry to go out and make a statement at the regional meet. The results may not have been what Head Coach Tom Rutledge would have liked, but he says that the team ran well, and each runner showed toughness and heart.
As the month of November rolls in, it signals the near end of the cross country season here at Missouri Southern. The Lions are coming off a second place finish at the MIAA championships the team hosted on Oct. 22 in Joplin. Coming into the conference meet Head Coach Patty Vavra mentioned the tough competition that the conference was stacking up, and that Pittsburg State University would be the team to beat.
The cross country season has almost run its course at Missouri Southern, with conference championships over with, regional and national championship meets remain. The Lions are coming off of a third place showing at the MIAA championship meet, which was held on their home cross country course.
Intramurals are in full swing this semester, with several sports having wrapped up their seasons. Four-on-four sand volleyball was the first to complete its schedule, doing so on Sept. 27. After a short playoff series where all teams participating qualified, "Green Back Gettas" was crowned men's champion, "Fab Four" won co-ed, and "MOSO Soccer" won women's.
After winning two of their last three games, the Lions' endured one of this season's most disappointing losses last Saturday at the hands of Northwest Missouri. In the Oct. 15 home matchup with Truman State University, Southern narrowly escaped defeat, as two last-second Hail Mary passes by the Bulldogs nearly tied the game, but the Lions came away with a 24-17 victory.
Wednesday, the women's basketball team played its first game of 2011, an exhibition against Livin' the Dream, winning by a score of 85-45. Southern's regular season will get underway next Friday as it hosts Harding University in a non-conference matchup.
I hate to be the jackass who points out a negative aspect of such an admirable event as this past Sunday's One State, One Spirit Classic. It really doesn't give me pleasure to point out the thing that disgusted me Sunday. I have even reviewed photos of the game, days afterward, to make sure that I did indeed see what rubbed me so wrong as I walked around the gym.
The rough start for Missouri Southern women's soccer seems to be smoothing out as they have strung together four straight wins. The season had exclusively brought hard times for the Lions, as their record heading into the month of October was 0-7-1 [0-1 in MIAA].
The Missouri S&T Jockling Jacks invitational marked the final meet of the women's cross country season before the MIAA Championship meet begins on Oct. 22. Missouri Southern put up a third-place showing at the meet, finishing just behind conference foe Pittsburg State University in the team standings.
After a heart-wrenching loss to Emporia State University, the second consecutive of such nature at the hands of the Hornets, Bart Tatum's Missouri Southern Lions will return home to host the Truman State University Bulldogs tomorrow. "It was a difficult game to swallow," he said.
With the MIAA Championships approaching, the Missouri S&T Jockling Jacks Invitational capped off the regular season for Missouri Southern men's cross country. The Lions competed against nine other teams and were able to claim the team title at the meet, along with finishing four spots in front of rival Pittsburg State University.
Splitting a pair of matches last weekend with a win over Fort Hays State and falling in set three to Emporia State University, the Missouri Southern volleyball team stands 2-4 in the MIAA. The Lions ran the Fort Hays State Tigers all the way to the fifth set to send the Tigers home with a 15-12 loss.
The saying goes, history repeats itself. Bart Tatum certainly hopes not. Tomorrow, Tatum's team will travel to Emporia, Kan. to take on the Hornets of Emporia State University. In the two schools' game last season, the Lions handed Emporia a win with four fouth-quarter interceptions and six such penalties.
The three-game road trip for the Missouri Southern Lions this season started off with a 4-1 loss to Northwest Missouri State University, but the Lions bounced back against Emporia State University with a 2-1 victory, capturing their first win of the season.
Southern Volleyball took a hard hit, losing four straight matches last weekend in the Pittsburg State Regional Challenge, falling 3-1 to St. Mary's University and Newman University in day one. Day two didn't bring much hope with 3-1 loss to West Texas A&M and then a dropped 3-0 match at the hands of Midwestern State.
Missouri Southern was able to beat out three Division-I teams at last week's Oklahoma State University Jamboree. The team placed sixth among the Division-II teams, resulting in a No. 16 finish out of 28 teams. "I felt the team competed considerably well, given that it was virtually the first big meet of the season for us," Head Coach Tom Rutledge said.
Hundreds of runners and several Division-I and Division-II college teams were on the campus of Oklahoma State University on Saturday, Oct. 1, for the Oklahoma State Jamboree. Southern was one of three MIAA teams in action with over half of the field being Division-I teams.
Quarterback Howard suffers concussion against Lincoln, week 5 status in question
Coming off the first win of the year, Missouri Southern's football team will face a team it has beaten the last two games in a row. Tomorrow, the Lions will welcome the Griffons of Missouri Western State University for Southern's homecoming. The Lions may be without their starting quarterback, senior Collin Howard, for tomorrow's game after he suffered a blow to the head against Lincoln last week.
Three Lions earned MIAA Player of the Week honors for their achievements last week. Representing women's cross country was junior Marlee Tegenkamp who was the top finisher in the Sept. 21 dual meet with Pittsburg State University, finishing only behind former Lion Ashley Bunch, who ran unattached.
Missouri Southern's volleyball team fell to Central Missouri last Friday, 3-0. With a motivational win over Pittsburg State University on Sept. 21, the Lions started set one with UCM on a bad note. With the first set score of 12-25, the Lions pushed for set two at 19-25 and set three 20-25.
With only two meets left before the MIAA Championships, Missouri Southern will try to make a big impact at the Oklahoma State University Jamboree tomorrow. The Lions will have the pleasure of running at home for the MIAA Championships this year as they are the host.
With a big meet on the horizon, the Missouri Southern Lions are gearing up for what they hope will be a successful road meet in Oklahoma tomorrow. At last Wednesday's dual with PSU, the Lions had runners place first, third and seventh.
Mother Nature dished out hours of nasty weather Saturday, Sept. 17, in Joplin, resulting in the first-ever cancelation of the Missouri Southern Stampede. The 23rd annual Southern Stampede was one of the Lions' biggest meets of the season, but with nearly two inches of rain dropping down on the course, the meet had to be canceled.
With non-stop rain and spotty lightning the Missouri Southern Stampede, which has never been canceled before, had to be called off. The cross country course was drenched with rain, and the weather never let up to even start the races. "I was greatly disappointed that I had to call the meet off, I know all the coaches and runners were frustrated and felt helpless that they couldn't compete," Head coach Tom Rutledge said.
A tough early season schedule seems to be weighing heavily on the Missouri Southern Lions, as a close home loss to Southwest Baptist dropped the Lions to 0-4-1 on the season. "The season is a little slow going for us, we're not getting the results we want yet, but I'm still very pleased with the effort being put out by the team," Head Coach Alese Woolard said.
Lions travel to St. Louis to face Lincoln at Edward Jones
If the turnaround is going to happen, it may as well happen here. A week after 20 unanswered points from Washburn University dropped Missouri Southern's football team to 0-2, they are preparing to face Lincoln University at the Edward Jones Dome in St.
Last weekend, Missouri Southern volleyball took a rough hit to Southwest Baptist. Falling 3-2, the Lions were set at 0-2 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Atheletics Association. With only falling 15-13 in the fifth set, Head Coach Trish Knight is optimistic.
FROM REPORTS — Missouri Southern softball Head Coach Bill Gray has announced the signing of Hannah Cooke, a junior college transfer, to a national letter of intent to play softball and attend Southern beginning this fall. Cooke is a 5'10" right-handed pitcher from San Ramon, Calif.
TJ Williams is no stranger to playing televised games, but when the University of Missouri comes to Leggett & Platt Athletic Center Oct. 30, the audience will be full of strangers. ESPN and Missouri Southern announced Wednesday that the One State, One Spirit Classic exhibition basketball game will be carried nationally by ESPNU.
4-on-4 sand volleyball, 7-on-7 flag football give students chance to compete
Last week, the intramural athletics season opened up at Missouri Southern with four-on-four sand volleyball. Games were played on Tuesday and Thursday between the six men's teams, two women's teams, and nine co-ed teams. Games continued this week on Tuesday and Thursday.
Rutledge’s squad ‘turning up volume’
Last week the Lions had the week off to get themselves mentally and physically prepared for a big home meet tomorrow. "I ran my guys pretty hard last week, they may be a little tired this week, but they are ready to put on a good show for the home crowd this Saturday," Head Coach Tom Rutledge said.
Lions look to take ‘giant strides’
With a week off of competition, the Lions were able to get an extra week to prepare for their much anticipated home meet, the Southern Stampede. The Lions have faced some injuries on the season, as four young runners have been hurt or ill, but Head Coach Patty Vavra says the team still had a good week of practice.
The Lions' soccer season is moving right along, but the Lions are experiencing a few hitches early on in their season. "I gave us a tough schedule early in the season to prepare my team for good competition," Head Coach Alese Woolard said. "Things are not yet going our way, but the players are staying hungry and dedicated to winning.
One might think two weeks of preparation after a defeat to the No. 15 team in the nation would create a welcome environment for a home opener. For Bart Tatum however, that home opener will match his team up against an even higher ranked team, No. 12 Washburn.
Missouri Southern Volleyball struggled this past weekend at the Dallas Baptist Invitational. Dropping two matches in day one and starting out day two with a 3-1 win over East Central University, and crumbled to host school, Dallas Baptist. "Inconsistency" is the word that Coach Trish Knight uses to describe the season so far.
Lions beaten by Quincy, UMSL, head to Texas for St. Edwards, St. Mary’s
The Lions' soccer season has started off a bit rocky as it began the season 0-2 with losses at home to the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Quincy University. "It's not the start that I was looking for when we started the season," Head Coach Alese Woolard said.
Lions use late lineup shakeup to drop Newman University in tourney finale
Lions volleyball took a hard hit this past weekend in the Missouri Southern Invitational. With a change in lineup and win over Newman University, Head Coach Trish Knight feels confident about the future. "They are very talented, and the young kids I have are very, very, good," Knight said.
When the MIAA lost a member institution last year, Missouri Southern lost an opponent in its 2011 football schedule. The Lions' week two game with the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks has left an open date in their schedule, which Head Coach Bart Tatum said last week may be an advantage for his team.
The cross country season has started here at Missouri Southern as the Lions competed in their first meet of the season Friday, Sept. 2 in Fayetteville, Ark. Sophomore Jacob Benton and freshman Eric Schott were the top finishers for the Lions placing 8 and 9.
Cross country season is up and running now as Patty Vavra's team got its first taste of competition when they traveled to Fayetteville, Ark, on Friday, Sept. 2 to compete in the Arkansas Invitational. Two of the veterans on the team proved why they are the leaders thus far, as both Marlee Tegenkamp and Rachel Schrader turned in Top-10 finishes against Division-I opponents.
It's not easy to improve something that's already the best. In 2011, the Missouri Southern football team's defense will have an opportunity to do just that. A season ago, that group led the MIAA in total defense. That unit returns six starters in preseason All-American Brandon Williams, Kenny Smith and Maurice Pearl on the defensive line.
Fresh-cut green grass awaits the Lions to grace its presence and kick off another season here at Missouri Southern soccer team. Last year the Lions compiled a 5-8-5 overall record, including 5-6-5 in the MIAA. "We had great work ethics, and the team showed lots of effort, we just couldn't put it all together at times, which lead to a rough season," Head Coach Alese Woolard said.
Trish Knight is facing an uphill battle. The first-year head coach at Missouri Southern takes over for widely popular Chris Willis, who left the University after last season to take the head coach job at Division-I Davidson College. Although she is new to Southern, Knight has a good amount of experience as a collegiate head coach to her name.
Rutledge’s goals always stay constant
Another year of Missouri Southern cross country has arrived as the Lions prepare for their first meet of the season. Last year, the Lions just missed out on a conference title, as they finished No. 2 in the MIAA Championship meet. The team also placed 8 out of 15 teams at the NCAA Division-II South Central Regional meet last year.
Tegenkamp, Schrader to lead young Lions
Another school year has begun here at Missouri Southern as the fall teams and their coaches start gearing up for what they hope will be successful seasons. The women's cross country team is coming off a No. 2 showing at the MIAA Championships last year.
Skyler Bowlin had better invest in some German lessons. Actually, he won't have to pay a dime, ahem, a euro for them.
Despite poor weather conditions at last weekend's John McDonnell Invite at the University of Arkansas, seniors Aki Nummela and Corey Reynolds both picked up provisionals in their respective events.
With the conference championships looming for the Missouri Southern women's track and field team, the Lions will start looking to peak at just the right time.
This week might be the biggest of the Missouri Southern softball season as the Lions take on Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist in doubleheaders today and tomorrow.
Southern is coming off a sweep of rival Pittsburg State last week to help the University win the Sonic Trophy Series, as well as splitting games with Emporia State, the No. 14 team in the nation, losing 8-0 and winning 4-0 in the second game, and beating Missouri Western 7-0 in the first matchup, but falling 5-4 in extra innings in the nightcap.
Bryce Darnell's team is going to have to have some help.
After dropping four-game set, Southern hosts Lincoln for Senior weekend
After being swept by the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the Missouri Southern baseball team finds itself on the outside looking in.
The momentum has been stopped for the Missouri Southern Lions softball team, but it wasn't because of a loss. Southern, 22-17, 5-5 in the MIAA, was scheduled to play in the MIAA Crossover in Kirksville last week, but the tournament was forced to cancel due to weather conditions.
The Lions had just started to build momentum toward the postseason as they have gone 9-4 in their last 13 games.
The Missouri Southern Lions are coming off of their last meet at Pittsburg State University, the Gorilla Classic.
"The weather was not great," Head Coach Patty Vavra said. "Brandy [Simpson] showed some good performances, but she can always improve on her events, as well."
The Lions were able to take home two titles at the meet and also had one athlete break her own school record.
The Lions competed at two different locations last weekend. Aki Nummela and Viktor Kuk competed at the Mt. Sac Relays in Calif., while the rest of the team competed at the Gorilla Classic in Pittsburg.
Head Coach Tom Rutledge thinks that Nummela's time should be fast enough to punch his ticket to Division-II Outdoor Track & Field Nationals. Nummela's time is currently places him eighth in the nation in Division-II.
The roster is getting closer and closer to set.
And best of all, the starting five will only lose one player before next season.
Men's basketball Head Coach Robert Corn has announced the signing of two new recruits to letters of intent to play at Missouri Southern in the fall of 2011.
23-4 Hornets to host 14-14 MSSU
There may never be a good time to have to face one of the nation's Top-10 teams. For the Missouri Southern baseball team, this weekend is that time.
After splitting with Washburn University, the Lions will head to Emporia, KS this weekend to face the No. 9 team in the country.
The Missouri Southern Lions got their first taste of the 2011 outdoor track season while competing at the University of Arkansas April 1.
But according to head coach Patty Vavra, the team is a bit rusty coming off of indoor season.
After their short break, the mens' track & field team was back at it again this past weekend. Their first meet of the outdoor season was held at Arkansas, and sophomore pole vaulter Michael Juergens continued his success from the indoor season. Juergens placed second and received a provisional as he vaulted himself to the height of 16 feet six and three-quarter inches.
It was a rough start to in conference play as the Missouri Southern Lions (15-14) have stumbled to a 1-3 start in the MIAA.
The MIAA may be in the process of expansion, but it recently lost one of its member institutions. The University of Nebraska-Omaha announced a move into Division-I athletics last week, forcing them to cut their football and wrestling programs altogether.
Two Missouri Southern icons have been named to the 2011 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Hall of Fame class.
His season may be over, but the honors are still piling in for Skyler Bowlin.
Since the end of the 2010-11 men's basketball season, Bowlin has been named to three All-America teams.
He was also a starter in the 2011 Reese's NABC Division-II All-Star Game, in which he scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds.
Sophomore Michael Juergens and freshman Clark Tanksley represented Missouri Southern at the Division-II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., on March 11 and 12.
As the calendars roll over to a new month, so does Track & Field at Missouri Southern.
With the indoor track season finishing in late March, coaches and athletes are transitioning from the climate-controlled arenas of indoor track, to the open and unpredictable elements of the outdoor track season.
After splitting series with PSU, Truman, Lions drop 3 of 4 to Central Missouri, 1 to Drury
As the weather warms in southwest Missouri, Bryce Darnell hopes his team's bats follow suit.
Stuck at 12-12 after spring break, the Missouri Southern baseball Head Coach says offensive consistency has plagued the Lions in recent weeks.
Spring break was not as kind to the Lions' softball team as it is to most students.
Missouri Southern went 2-4 over the break at the MIAA crossover in Springfield, Mo.
One of the most successful seasons in Missouri Southern men's basketball history has come to a close.
The success of the season is reflected in the fact that Head Coach Robert Corn has been named one of 17 finalists for collegeinsider.com's Coach of the Year award. The winner will be announced at the website's awards banquet Friday in Houston.
2 Lions, 3 from MIAA Tournament champion Fort Hays make up team
Skyler Bowlin
Senior guard
The MIAA's player of the year showed why he's one of the conference's best, scoring 65 points in the Lions' three games in Kansas City, averaging just under 22 per game.
"Skyler obviously had a nice tournament," Head Coach Robert Corn said. "So it's always nice to have guys get recognized."
"All year it's been us two [Thomann] and Jason [Adams] I guess being depended upon for the scoring and we just thought we had to do that to win some games," Bowlin said.
The Missouri Southern women's basketball Lions might be through for the season, but the awards for one player keep coming.
Senior Jasmine Lovejoy was named to the second team of the All-South Central Regional team that was announced Wednesday.
Skyler Bowlin's trophy case is getting more and more crowded.
Wednesday, it was announced that the senior guard, MIAA Player of the Year, Co-Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-MIAA selection, All-MIAA Championship Tournament team member, and Missouri Southern's all-time 3-pointers leader had been named the South Central Regional Player of the Year.
Southern to face MIAA opponent in first round play
It may not be in Joplin, but the Lions have made the dance.
Missouri Southern's men's basketball team begins play in the South Central Regional tournament tomorrow.
Rutledge ‘lucky to coach great kids’
Today and tomorrow, sophomore Michael Juergens and freshman Clark Tanksley will represent Missouri Southern at the 2011 NCAA Division-II Indoor Track & Field Championships.
On February 27, Missouri Southern sophomore Michael Juergens won the pole-vault at the MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, qualifying for the national meet in the process.
When Robert Corn's team hosts new conference opponent Lincoln University tomorrow afternoon, it will do so with a seven-game season-opening win streak intact.
After defeating Missouri Western State University Wednesday night, the Lions are now 3-0 in MIAA play in 2010.
The newest addition to the MIAA in men's basketball, the Blue Tigers, will come to Legett & Platt Athletic Center for a 3 p.m. matchup.
It almost seemed like the Missouri Southern Women's basketball team could not miss from behind the arc in Wednesday night's first half action with Missouri Western, as the Lions took down the Griffons 67-59.
The Missouri Southern women's Cross Country season has now concluded, with the Lions finishing 16th at the 2010 NCAA Division-II Cross Country National Championship meet Saturday.
Jarkko Jarvenpaa has completed his career as a distance runner at Missouri Southern State University.
Through a few inches of snow, the senior was able to finish 99 out of 182 runners with a time of 32:45.
WR tells his facebook friends Friday afternoon
Friday, at approximately 1 p.m., Lions' wide receiver Landon Zerkel posted on his facebook page, "Is I'm gona miss all my boyz at moso, but the papers have been signed. Now for the next chapter in my life."
Missouri Southern senior distance runner Victoria Kline has been selected as the NCAA Division II Elite 88 Award recipient for the sport of Women's Cross Country as announced by the NCAA today. She was presented her award at the Cross Country Championships.
Robert Corn's team made it through it's non-conference schedule undeafeated.
Saturday, men's basketball will host the University of Central Missouri Mules, the defending MIAA Champions. Central won 27 games last year, going 18-2 in conference play.
Plenty of talented players have come to play basketball at Missouri Southern State University. Many have gone on to be successful in both their personal and professional lives.
One player, though, will always hold a special place in the heart and mind of veteran Missouri Southern men's basketball coach Robert Corn.
Missouri Southern is off to another sizzling start heading into MIAA play, and even though a new generation has an opportunity to leave their legacy, there should be no downplaying just how important it is to remember the life of Chris Tucker.
From the beginning of the season the Missouri Southern women's cross country team had one main goal this season, to make it to the National Championship meet.
With a third place showing at the regional meet Saturday, the Lions were able to qualify for the National Championship meet, and achieve their main goal they set for themselves months ago.
Two weeks ago, the Missouri Southern Men's Cross Country team competed in the NCAA Division-II South Central Regional Meet.
A Top-2 finish would have catapulted the team to the National meet, but it just wasn't meant to be for the Lions.
It took a little longer than hoped for the Missouri Southern women's basketball team to get going, but for now they seem to have righted the ship after hosting last week's Pizza Hut/Fairfield Inn Thanksgiving Classic.
Staffers hand out own BBWAA awards
Jordan Larimore: So far, the Baseball Writer's Association of America has really screwed up their voting for Major League Baseball's most prestigious individual awards.
Nathan Mills: I think you're just hurt because your Cardinals couldn't muster any awards except for a couple measely Gold Gloves for Pujols and Molina.
‘More: Well for one thing, they were both the front-runners hands-down. Shortstop Brendan Ryan should have been given one too by the way. But the award that really kills me is Rookie Of The Year. Jaime Garcia was a rock in the Cardinals' rotation all year long. Often more consistent than Cy Young runner-up, and total snub, Adam Wainwright.
Mills: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: all Cardinals fans are crybabies. Something doesn't go your way, and all of you are instantly crying foul. Let's be honest - Wainwright never had a shot at that Cy Young behind Halladay, and Garcia didn't do much to deserve the ROY award. I know mediocrity seems great for you Cardinal fans, but a 13-8 record isn't at all impressive.
Men go into Regional meet ranked No. 3
The stage is set for the NCAA Men's Regional Cross Country Meet, and Missouri Southern's runners are right in the thick of the drama.
The Lions finished second last week in the MIAA Conference meet to the University of Central Missouri. This week, the Lions travel to Warrensburg for a chance to avenge the loss.
With a strong showing as the runner's up at the MIAA championships, the Missouri Southern Lions look to go into battle at the NCAA Division-II South Central Regional meet this weekend. The Lions will be fighting for a Top-3 spot in order to punch their ticket to the NCAA Division-II national championships in Louisville, Ky.
Robert Corn's team is 1-0 in 2010.
After defeating Northeastern State Monday, the men's basketball team will host Central Bible College today and Ozarks tomorrow in the Freeman Sports Medicine/Chris Tucker Memorial Classic. Uncharacteristically, the Lions will have only one non-conference game after this weekend before getting into MIAA play.
Jasmine Lovejoy picked up right where she left off last season as she led the Missouri Southern Lions Women's basketball team (0-1) in scoring with 36 points, 15 rebounds, and two steals in the Tuesday night's opening season loss to Arkansas-Fort Smith (3-0) by a score of 72-70.
The football Lions have wrapped up a 4-7 season after dropping their finale at home to Washburn University.
Southern's season ended not with a bang, but a whimper as a forgettable 23-7 defeat ended the 2010 campaign. The Lions lone score came on a pass from Collin Howard to Kellen Cox, who caught eight passes for 107 yards on the day.
The season did not end as planned for the Missouri Southern Women's Volleyball team. The Lions lost two out of their last three matches which inevitably left them out of the playoffs.
The Lions went into the final week of the season as the ninth ranked team in the Division II South Central Rankings, with the top eight teams making the National Tournament.
Southern started off the week with a rocky with a 3-2 loss to rival Pittsburg State on Wednesday, but had a chance to rebound on Friday against Southwest Baptist.
Three years ago, Michael Vick was a broken man serving a 23-month prison sentence for his role in a dog fighting ring. But now, Vick is back and playing statistically the best football of his career. Vick, the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, currently has the highest quarterback rating in the National Football League, and a strong argument could be made for him being awarded the MVP of the league. All year long, Vick has turned doubters into believers, proving that he hasn't lost a step; if anything, he has gained a step or two.
After a conference championship, a South Central regional championship, and an eleventh place finish at the NCAA Division-II nationals, it's no surprise that the men's cross country team was voted number one in the MIAA pre-season poll.
The Missouri southern women's cross country team is coming off an outstanding season from last year, which featured another regional title, making it three in a row for the Lions. They were also able to claim a handful of All-MIAA runners as well. The Lions' successful campaign last season has them sitting atop of this year's preseason regional ranking as the No. 1 team.
Alese Woolard enjoyed a stellar soccer career playing for former Missouri Southern women's soccer coach Trevor Wachsman.
Since her playing career ended, Woolard has spent the past four seasons as Wachsman's assistant. During that span, Missouri Southern won 33 matches and made an NCAA Division II Regional appearance after the team went 11-4-5 in 2006.
Before The Chart could publish it's first issue, Bart Tatum's 2010 team had a win under its belt.
In their opening game last Thursday, the Lions hosted the Minnesota State University-Moorhead Dragons.
There is a wave of new faces on the Missouri Southern volleyball court this year.
The Lions have brought in seven new players to help the team rebound after a disappointing 13-21 season in 2009.
During the offseason, Head Coach Chris Willis signed three junior college transfers including Rachel Olinyk, Kelsey Erwin, and Shakila Balkhi to add depth to the roster.
Sitting at sixth place in the MIAA, the Missouri Southern baseball Lions' have a couple of tests left on their schedule.
Missouri Southern's men's track and field team has kicked off the 2010 outdoor season with 5 provisional qualifying marks.
Just three meets in, Missouri Southern's women's track and field team has already picked up 12 provisional or automatic qualifying marks.
The Missouri Southern women's softball team is steadily improving. The Lions had a busy week going 4-6 in the last 10 games.
The Missouri Southern softball team rebounded last week after losing six games in a row. Two of those games were losses to Drury on March 31 by scores of 6-3 and 10-2, but the Lions turned it around against MIAA bottom-feeder Southwest Baptist.
As of yesterday, Tiger is back.
The greatest golfer on the planet is finally back to doing what he was known for doing before a four-and-a-half month tabloid-fueled public debacle, ultimately forcing him to take a leave of absence from the game.
is a member of the 
