Football
Under the direction of third-year coach Fran Schwenk, the football team finished 6-4 overall and finished in a tie for fifth place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference standings.

Ten members of the 2007 William Jewell football team were named to the Heart of America All-Conference teams. Defensive Lineman Wade Smith and linebacker John Egorugwu were named to the All-Conference first team. Defensive back Ryan Florence was named to the All-Conference second team. Quarterback Benny Palmer, running back Leon Wiggins, wide receiver Evan Adams and place kicker Stephen Bader were named to the All-Conference third team. Offensive lineman Matt Calloway, defensive lineman Shane Spencer and linebacker Daniel Lanning were named as All-Conference honorable mention selections.

For the fifth consecutive year, the William Jewell College men’s athletic teams were honored with the Heart of America Athletic Conference Commissioners Scholarship Award. Jewell’s men’s athletic teams had the highest GPA in the conference with a 2.98.

For the second consecutive year the HAAC Commissioners Male Scholarship winner was senior football player Stephen Bader with a GPA of 3.81. Stephen was the starting kicker for the Cardinals and is a physics major.

Volleyball
Led by head coach Allison Jones, the volleyball team finished 23-11 overall, and finished second in the HAAC standings. The Cardinals also advanced to regional play, where they lost in the regional semi-finals to Columbia College. This marks the second year in a row the Cardinals advanced to the regional semi-finals.

At the conclusion of the season, setter Tori Hallett and outside hitter Danielle Miller were both named to the HAAC All-Conference first team. In addition, Hallett was also named the co-setter of the year in the HAAC. Middle hitters Jamie Johnson and Anna Dickerson were named to the All-Conference second team. Libero Nickey Crail and right setter Lindsay Weisz were named to the All-Conference honorable mention team. Miller was also named as an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American.

Five players earned Academic All-American status from the NAIA. Players honored from the team are seniors Christy Cavender, Nickey Crail and Lindsay Weisz, along with juniors Erin Gerkovich and Phillis Mutembete. In order to earn NAIA Academic All-American status, a player must be a junior or above in academic standing, be in attendance at their nominating institution for one full year, and have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year.

Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team was led by third-year head coach Paul Worstell this fall and played in two tournaments and two dual matches. The first tournament of the season was held in Wichita, Kan. The weekend started out with a first round singles win from sophomore player Cole Stretch. Stretch was able to reach the semi-final of his bracket. Sophomore Cody Pflugradt, first-year player Kyle Taylor, sophomore Cooper Payne and sophomore Brandon Ambroske competed fiercely but did not make it out of the first round.

In doubles action, the team of first-year player Kyle Lehenbauer and junior Michael Holmes was able to advance to the semi-finals of their doubles flight, where they lost a hard-fought match 8-5 to the number-one doubles team from Baker University. Ambroske and Stretch were able to win their doubles flight by defeating a team from Oklahoma Baptist 9-8, 8-6.

At the Fall Regional Intercollegiate Tennis Association tournament, the men faced some tough competition. Pflugradt advanced to the quarterfinals in singles before losing to eventual runner up Brett Waite from Graceland 6-4, 6-1. Pflugradt and Taylor also advanced to the quarterfinals in doubles but lost a competitive match to a doubles team from Benedictine 8-6. Holmes and Lehenbauer also reached the quarterfinal round before losing to a team from Graceland. In dual meet action the team defeated Simpson College 9-0 and lost to Johnson County Community College 9-0. The men began their spring season February 8 in Lincoln, Neb.

Women’s Tennis
The women’s tennis team also competed in two fall tournaments and three duals. At the Wichita tournament, senior Allison Cobb, senior Brittany Goldschmidt, sophomore Angela Gambino, junior Ann Lewis and first-year player Megan Groninger all won their first-round matches. First-year player Nikki Chambers, junior Rachel Ibok and senior Debra Bowman all lost their first-round matches. Chambers battled back to win the consolation bracket of her flight, while Bowman reached the consolation finals in her draw.

On the doubles side, all four teams were playing with new partners. Cobb and Chambers played well but lost to the number-one doubles team from Emporia State 8-5. Ibok and Gambino won their first-round match but then lost a tough match to a team from Bethel College. Goldschmidt and Groninger won their first-round match but lost in the second round; Bowman and Lewis lost in the first round.

The Fall Regional Intercollegiate Tennis Association tournament proved to be a historic event for the Cardinals. The Jewell women’s doubles team of senior Allison Cobb and first-year player Nikki Chambers won the Small College Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Regional Championship. The three-day tournament was held September 21-23 at The Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo. Cobb and Chambers defeated Paulina Ojeda and Kristin Canon from Benedictine College 9-7 in the finals. Ojeda and Canon were the number-one seeds of the tournament. The win sent the Jewell doubles duo to National Competition October 11-14 in Mobile, Ala., where they placed sixth. Cobb is the first player in the history of the tennis program at Jewell to qualify for the ITA National Tournament four years in a row.

After their sixth-place finish at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Tournament, the William Jewell College doubles team of senior Allison Cobb and first-year player Nikki Chambers was ranked #15 in the nation in the latest ITA National Poll for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In dual play the Cardinals defeated Buena Vista University 9-0, Simpson College 6-3 and Johnson County Community College 5-4.  

Women’s Soccer
The William Jewell College women’s soccer season saw the Cardinals finish 16-3, good for second place in the HAAC standings. They were able to continue their outstanding season at the NAIA National Tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Cardinals came into the tournament as the sixth-seed but lost to 11th-seed Northwood University of West Palm Beach, Fla., 2-1. Jewell ended the season ranked #10 in NAIA national rankings. They also placed nine members on HAAC All-Conference teams.

Defenders Erica Greco and Theresa Noll, midfielder Shannon Eberle and forward Nicole Revenaugh were named to the Heart of America All-Conference first team. Midfielder Megan Gray and goalkeeper Rebecca Ewing were named to the All-Conference second team. Forward Danielle Doerfler, midfielder Katie Brooks and defender Kathleen Hatfield were named to the All-Conference third team. In addition, Revenaugh was named the HAAC Women’s Soccer Co-Offensive Player of the Year and Eberle was named the HAAC Women’s Soccer Player of the Year.

In addition, four members of the William Jewell women’s soccer team were named NAIA All-Americans. Forward Nicole Revenaugh was named as a first team All-American. Midfielder Shannon Eberle was selected to the second team, while defender Theresa Noll was named to the third team. Defender Erica Greco was named to the All-American Honorable Mention squad.

Revenaugh finished the season as one of the nation’s top scoring forwards, compiling 35 goals and 5 assists. Senior midfielder Shannon Eberle was one of the nation’s most productive midfielders with 15 goals and 16 assists. Sophomore defender Theresa Noll and senior defender Erica Greco were key contributors in leading the William Jewell defense that allowed only 9 goals in 19 games.

The team excelled in the classroom as well, with four Cardinals being named to the NAIA Academic All-American team. Players honored from the team are seniors Megan Gray, Erica Greco and Nicole Revenaugh, along with juniors Kathleen Hatfield and Anne Henry.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced their NSCAA Team Academic awards for 2007. Both the men’s and women’s soccer programs of William Jewell College received the team academic honor.

Of the 1,100 four-year colleges in the nation with varsity soccer programs (NAIA, NCAA I, II, III), only 71 schools were given the NSCAA Team Academic Award in men’s and women’s soccer. William Jewell College is one of only five NAIA schools in the nation to have both their men’s and women’s teams earn the award. Teams must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 to be eligible for the award.

Men’s Soccer
Coming on the heels of a historic 2006 season, the men’s soccer team scored an impressive start. Early in the season the Cardinals found themselves ranked number one in the NAIA National poll. The team struggled from there and finished the season 9-7, good for sixth place in the HAAC.

Jewell placed five players on the Heart of America Conference All-Conference teams. Midfielder Kevin Nekuda and forward Matt Happy were named to the Heart of America All-Conference first team. Forward John Barber and defender Josh Howard were named to the All-Conference second team. Defender Justin Park was named to the All-Conference third team. In addition, seniors Garrett Jahn and Jacob Patton were selected as NAIA Academic All-Americans.

Cross Country
The Cross Country team competed in the very competitive HAAC this year. The men finished in 7th place, while the women finished 6th at the Conference meet. Both teams saw players record some personal best times during the season. Senior Jennifer Ghidoni and junior Michaela Taylor were selected to the HAAC All-Conference team.

Redd named to Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Dr. James C. Redd, left

William Jewell College Athletic Director Dr. James C. Redd was among 15 individuals and two sports teams inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame recently in Springfield, Mo.

Redd was a stellar high school athlete and excelled in football, basketball and baseball. In college, he turned his attention to football, his first athletic love. While attending Northwest Missouri State University, he captained the team for three years and played on both sides of the ball, garnering First Team Defensive Lineman and Second Team Offensive Tackle awards in 1965. He landed his first head coaching job in 1976 at his alma mater.

Redd’s service to NWMSU dates to 1967, when he was named instructor of physical education and assistant football coach. He was assistant professor of physical education and head football coach from 1976-1982; assistant professor of physical education from 1983-1986; graduate coordinator in health and physical education from 1986-1990; director of the freshman seminar from 1989-1990; associate professor of physical education from 1989-2001; director of athletics from 1994-2001; and chair of the department of Heath, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance from 1998-2001.

Redd’s teams won 30 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championships between 1994 and 2001 and was the Athletic Director when Northwest Missouri won back-to-back national championships in football for NCAA Division II in 1998 and 1999. He coached the 1979 MIAA football champions and was selected “Coach of the Year” for 1979. He has been published in The Journal for Practical Business Leaders and the Missouri Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and co-authored a chapter in the Physical Education Activities Handbook published by Hunter Textbook, Inc.

Redd received his doctorate of education in health, physical education and recreation in 1986 from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater; an M.S. in physical education in 1967 from the University of Colorado at Boulder; and a B.S. in secondary education, physical education and social sciences in 1966 from Northwest Missouri State University. He completed additional study at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Redd held the position of athletic director at Northwest Missouri State until his retirement in 2001. After only a year away from the college scene, Redd was named director of athletics and physical education chair at William Jewell. While at Jewell, Redd has helped re-introduce the Physical Education and Recreation and Sport Management majors.

Along the way he has touched many lives, including current Jewell head football coach Fran Schwenk. “I have known Dr. Redd since my freshmen year in college,” said Schwenk. “He and I were teammates on the Northwest Missouri State University varsity football team. He was a senior captain when I was a first-year player. If it had not been for Dr. Redd I probably would have quit playing football my senior year. By my senior year he had graduated, attended graduate school and returned as a teacher and coach. Because of Dr. Redd’s guidance, I was encouraged to stay with the sport I loved so much. I owe much of the success in my career to Dr. Jim Redd.”

Redd has also spent numerous years serving the needs of organizations such as Pony League Baseball, AAU Basketball, American Youth Soccer and Special Olympics.

For more information on the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, visit them on the web at www.mosportshalloffame.com.

Schwenk inducted into Doane College Athletic Hall of Fame
Fran Schwenk, instructor of physical education, assistant athletic director and head football coach at William Jewell, has been inducted into the Doane College Athletic Hall of Fame in Crete, Neb. 
Schwenk’s career at Doane spanned 21 years and shaped the lives of hundreds of young men and women. From 1984 to 2005 he served as head football coach and associate professor of physical education. He also served as athletic director from 2000-2005. He became Doane’s winningest football coach, completing a record of 114 wins, 87 losses and three ties, part of a career head coaching record of 166-118-5.
He earned his bachelor’s and master of science degrees in education from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., where he was a four-year letterman and earned outstanding running back honors during the 1968 season. He coached at several high schools in Missouri, establishing winning programs before becoming defensive backs coach at Missouri Western in St. Joseph in 1980. He arrived at Doane in 1984, the same year Doane won the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC) championship. He led Doane teams to the national football playoffs in 1993, 1997 and 1999. Besides his playoff teams, his 2001 and 2002 teams were also rated in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Top 20.
Schwenk was a three-time conference coach-of-the-year. He developed 35 All-American athletes while at Doane along with 60 Academic All-American athletes. He was named the State College Coach of the Year by the Omaha World Herald in 1997, and the Lincoln Journal Star’s Nebraska State College Coach of the Year in 1993. Additionally, he was the District 11 Coach of the Year and the National Kodak Region IV Coach of the Year in 1993. He joined the Jewell faculty in 2005.

Holley moves higher
A 79-55 win over Avila University on February 7 propelled William Jewell College head men’s basketball coach Larry Holley past legendary coach Phog Allen, who coached for 48 years at Baker, Haskell, Central Missouri State University and the University of Kansas, into the #20 slot on the all-time career wins list (NCAA/NAIA) with victory number 747. Holley is currently in his 29th year at the helm of the Cardinals, and his 37th year overall as a head collegiate coach. Holley, who was named Jewell’s “Mr. School Spirit” as a student at the college, lettered four times in basketball from 1963-1967.

Jewell Athletes of the Year
The William Jewell College Athletics Department has named its annual Male and Female Athletes of The Year. Kyli Hufford (volleyball) has been selected as the Female Athlete of the Year. For the first time in Jewell history, two male athletes will share the designation of Male Athlete of the Year. Allan Nekuda is being honored for his achievements on the soccer field, and Mark Brackman will be honored for his contributions in baseball.

Hufford, a Circleville, Kan., native, finished the 2006 volleyball season with 338 kills and 57 service aces in regular season play and earned first team Heart of America Athletic Conference honors and first team Region V honors. She finished the season ranked seventh in the conference in kills, and sixth in service aces. She also finished fourth in the HAAC in total digs with 568. Kyli was named to the All-Tournament Teams at the Baker and Lindenwood tournaments, respectively. Hufford was also part of Jewell’s second-ever HAAC Championship.

Nekuda, a Liberty, Mo., native, was a vital part of the historic 2006 men’s soccer season for William Jewell. The Cardinals became the first team in Heart of America Conference history to go undefeated in the conference without any ties. They also won the HAAC Championship for the first time in over 20 years. The men’s team finished the 2006 campaign with a record of 18-3-2. Nekuda was named to the HAAC first team, and also was awarded the title of MVP of the Conference. He was also named to the Region V All-Region team and was the Region Player of the Year. Nekuda was also named as an NAIA first team All-American performer. In addition, he was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Ignition in the 2007 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) college draft.

Brackman, an Olathe, Kan., native, was named to the HAAC first team in baseball, and also earned HAAC pitcher of the year by going 12-0 with an ERA of 2.27. Brackman was also named Region V Pitcher of the Year and was a National Associate of Intercollegiate Athletics first team All-American. In addition, Brackman has become the latest member of the Cardinal baseball team to be drafted in the Major Leagues. He was drafted in the 16th round by the Detroit Tigers in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. He was assigned to Detroit’s Single A Affiliate Oneonta Tigers in Oneonta, N.Y., where he completed a successful first season. Brackman started 14 games for Oneonta, and finished the season 4-4 with a 4.05 earned run average. His last win in September saw him give up a single in the second inning, and that would turn out to be the only hit against him as he came one out short of going the distance. He finished that game with seven strikeouts in 8 2/3 shutout innings.

Brackman hopes for a steady climb toward the major leagues. He will report back to Lakeland, Fla., on March 1 for a month before he will be assigned an affiliate by the Tigers organization. “It is hard to think about the majors right now,” said Brackman. “I'd like to continue to improve and see what happens. But playing in the majors is my ultimate goal.”

During the season Brackman had some memorable moments. He struck out New York Mets All-Star catcher Paul LoDuca, who was on a minor league rehab stint at the time. His team also won their division but lost in the playoffs to the Toronto Blue Jays class A minor league affiliate. The division win was complete with a champagne shower like they have in the majors when a team wins a division or world series title.

“It was a fun year and I learned a lot,” said Brackman. “I am looking forward to 2008 and trying to move up in the organization.”

Brackman follows eight other Cardinals teammates who have gone on to play professional baseball in the last five years. In 2007, Brackman was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference pitcher of the year by going 12-0 with an era of 2.27. He was also named to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American first team.

Nekuda drafted by Orlando Sharks
Kevin Nekuda, a senior on the William Jewell College men’s soccer team, has been selected in the second round of the 2008 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) College Draft by the Orlando Sharks. Nekuda has been a four-year starter with the Cardinals, earning Heart of America Athletic Conference first team honors in 2006 & 2007. In 2006, Nekuda helped lead William Jewell College to a conference championship, regional championship and a national Final Four appearance.

“Kevin has been a great player for our program,” said William Jewell’s head coach Chris Cissell. “He’s going to be a great player for Orlando.”

This is the third time in the last four years that a William Jewell College soccer player has been drafted in the MISL College Draft. In 2007 former William Jewell All-American midfielder Allan Nekuda, Kevin’s older brother, was drafted by the Detroit Ignition; in 2005 former William Jewell All-American midfielder Blake Ryan was drafted by the Kansas City Comets.

Nekuda played high school soccer at Liberty High School and youth club soccer for the KC Legends. He also excelled in the Olympic Development Program and with the Kansas City Brass men’s soccer team.