Northwest Athletics

The @NWBearcatvb squad take to its home court for the final time this Friday and Saturday with matches against Northeastern State and Arkansas-Fort Smith. Northwest seniors Mya Karrick, Gabrielle Gartner and Sophia Gartner will be honored prior to the UAFS match Saturday as a part of Senior Night festivities. Northwest will grant free admission to volleyball on Saturday with a purchase of a football ticket earlier in the day vs. Emporia State. Northwest and Northeastern State will meet for the first time as the RiverHawks added volleyball this season. The RiverHawks are 1-21 overall and 0-8 in MIAA play. The RiverHawks have lost 14 straight matches entering Friday's matchup in Bearcat Arena. Northwest will honor a trio of seniors on Saturday night at 7 p.m. when the Bearcats take on the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions. UAFS is 17-11 overall and 2-6 in MIAA play this season. UAFS's two conference wins came against Missouri Southern (W, 3-0) and Northeastern State (W, 3-0). The Lions have lost five straight MIAA matches by 3-0 scores since the victories over MSSU and NSU. UAFS holds a 2-1 series lead over Northwest. The teams are 1-1 against each other as MIAA opponents with the home team winning each match. Northwest is 7-14 overall and 4-4 in MIAA play. The Bearcats are in a tie for seventh place in the MIAA standings. Northwest is ½ game behind Central Oklahoma and Central Missouri for fifth place. Northwest is two wins away from clinching a berth for the 2026 MIAA Tournament. The top eight teams will qualify for the 2026 MIAA Tournament set for Nov. 12-14 at Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

The @NWBearcatSOC team has earned the No. 7 seed for the 2026 MIAA Tournament. Northwest will draw No. 2 seed Central Missouri in a quarterfinal matchup Sunday at 1 p.m. in Warrensburg, Mo. The Bearcats went 5-5-2 in MIAA play to tally 17 points. UCM went 8-0-4 to register 28 points and finish second behind Washburn's 29 points. The Bearcats and Jennies played to a 1-1 draw when the squads met in Maryville, Mo., on Oct. 4. It will mark the third time Northwest and UCM have matched up in the MIAA Tournament. UCM won those MIAA tournament games in 2011 in Kansas City, Mo., and in 2024 in Warrensburg, Mo. Quarterfinal matches will be played on the campuses of the four highest seeds. Semifinal and championship matches will be played at the Scheels Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kansas. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

SOC RECAP ||| MISSOURI WESTERN 3, NORTHWEST 0 The Missouri Western Griffons picked up a 3-0 victory Wednesday over the @NWBearcatSOC team to close out the MIAA regular season. Northwest finished with an 11-10 edge in shots and a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks but put three shots on goal. The Bearcats are 5-9-3 overall in the 5-5-2 in the MIAA. The Griffons are 8-3-7 overall and 5-3-4 in the MIAA. The Bearcats have qualified for the MIAA Tournament and will play Sunday at a time and site to be determined later tonight when the league unveils the 2026 MIAA Tournament bracket. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

WBB (EXH.) RECAP ||| NORTHWEST 62, DOANE 52 The @nwbearcatwbb team pulled away in the second half to score a 62-52 exhibition victory over the Doane University Tigers Tuesday in Bearcat Arena. The Bearcats used a 12-0 spurt spanning part of the third and fourth quarters to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a lead for the home squad. Boston Wand scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added eight rebounds and four assists. Sadie Maas collected 13 rebounds, including four offensive boards, and posted three blocks with eight points. Bailey Birmingham finished with 13 points and four steals. Brooklyn Stanley added 11 points with three 3-pointers, four rebounds and four assists. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

Northwest Missouri State University freshman Lydia McVey has been named the MIAA's Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week. McVey (Greenwood, Mo./Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic HS) tied the Northwest school record for assists (3) in a game against Rogers State. McVey assisted on the first three goals of Sunday's 5-2 victory vs. the Hillcats. In two Northwest wins against ESU and RSU, McVey played 77 minutes and produced two shots. The Bearcat women's soccer team will complete MIAA regular season play Wednesday at home at 3 p.m. against Missouri Western. @NWBearcatSOC bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

The @NWBearcatSOC team will close the regular season Wednesday at home against the Missouri Western Griffons. Kick is set for 3 p.m. at the Bearcat Soccer Pitch. Northwest holds a 17-11-8 lead in the all-time series against MoWest. Head coach Marc Gordon is 5-5-3 in matches vs. the Griffons. A Northwest victory would ensure a fifth-place finish in the MIAA standings for the Bearcats. A Northwest tie would mean either a fifth or sixth place finish in the league standings. A Northwest loss would put the Bearcats in either the sixth, seventh or eighth spot in the MIAA standings. The Bearcats have won three straight matches and are 4-1-2 in their last seven matches. Northwest has qualified for the 2026 MIAA Tournament. The top eight teams will qualify for the 2026 MIAA Tournament. The quarterfinal round, which will be played at campus sites of the four highest seeds, is set for Sunday, Nov. 1. The highest remaining seed will play host to the semifinals (Nov. 6) and final (Nov. 8). Ten Bearcats have scored 19 Northwest goals this season. Julia Coacher (4) Ximena Arnau (3), Jenna Lloyd (3), Lillie Shaw (2), Addy Armstrong, Nyah Aware, Mackenzie Jordan, Lydia McVey and Mallory Arehart have found the back of the net this season for the 'Cats. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

The No. 11-ranked @NWBearcat_FB team (6-1 overall, 5-1 MIAA) will play its annual Homecoming game Saturday at 2 p.m. against the No. 8-ranked Emporia State Hornets (8-0 overall, 6-0 MIAA). Emporia State stayed undefeated last week with a 58-38 home win over Central Missouri. The Hornets are 3-0 on the road this season with wins at Minot State (W, 36-30), at Pittsburg State (W, 21-10) and at Missouri Southern (W, 35-21). Northwest won its third straight game with a 27-10 road victory over Nebraska-Kearney. THE SPOT KANSAS CITY 38 Saturday's game will be broadcast on The Spot Kansas City 38. SENIOR DAY Saturday will also mark Senior Day for the Bearcat football program as 15 Northwest players and five personnel members will suit for their final regular season game at Bearcat Stadium. The Bearcat seniors will be honored prior to kickoff and will meet their parents at midfield. BEARCAT SENIORS #2 Patrick Martin (Independence, Mo.) #8 Erwin Nash (Olathe, Kan.) #9 Cody Simoncic (Smithville, Mo.) #20 Michael Harrison (Kansas City, Mo.) #38 Carter Erickson (Indianola, Iowa) #45 Drake Knobloch (Winterset, Iowa) #78 Beau Knobloch (Winterset, Iowa) #46 David Jacquez (Independence, Mo.) #58 Trevor Taylor (Lee's Summit, Mo.) #65 Zach Sherwood (Kansas City, Mo.) #69 Greyson Else (Urbandale, Iowa) #75 Harrison Merriman (Monett, Mo.) #79 Reece Trammell (Mustang, Okla.) #83 Andrew Waltke (Bennet, Neb.) #94 Patrick Brown III (Grundy Center, Iowa) Maddie Crump - Student Assistant Braden Thompson - Student Assistant Logan Cook - Student Assistant Peyton Hill - Equipment Assistant Nathan Noda - Media bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 👀🫢 ↳ presented by 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 - 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 Norah Oyler finds the back of the net off an assist from Nyah Aware for the fourth goal of the game against Rogers State. The Bearcats went on to secure a 5-2 victory. Bearcat soccer returns to action Wednesday against Missouri Western at 3 p.m. #OABAAB

𝘽𝙀𝘼𝙍𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙎 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆 📈 ↳ presented by 𝙉𝙊𝘿𝘼𝙒𝘼𝙔 𝙑𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙀𝙔 𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙆 #OABAAB

Northwest Missouri State University junior libero Ellery Luhring has been honored as the MIAA Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week. Luhring (Grundy Center, Iowa/Grundy Center HS) posted the most digs (34) in a three-set match by any NCAA Div. II volleyball player this season against Missouri Western. Luhring set the school record for digs in a three-set match as she notched 34 digs against No. 11-ranked Missouri Western. She had 14 digs in the first set, five in the second and 15 in the third. Luhring added 19 digs against No. 15-ranked Washburn in a 3-0 loss Saturday in Topeka, Kan. For the week, Luhring averaged 8.83 digs per set. The Bearcat volleyball team will be home this week with matches against Northeastern State (Friday, 6 p.m.) and Arkansas-Fort Smith (Saturday, 7 p.m.). @NWBearcatVB bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

The @NWBearcat_FB team will take on the Emporia State University Hornets as a part of its annual Homecoming festivities. Kick is set for 2 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium. Northwest will celebrate Senior Day as well prior to the game. Tailgate lots will be open four hours prior to kickoff. Fans can purchase single-game parking passes for tailgate lots 60 ($40 in advance; $45 day of game) and 62 ($10 in advance; $15 day of game). The Northwest Missouri State University department of athletics would like to encourage fans to enjoy the game-day experience at Bearcat Stadium. All tailgating activities and consumption of alcohol shall cease at kickoff. Northwest will serve alcohol at Bearcat Stadium in 2026. Bearcat Stadium is a cashless venue. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

Check out what's happening! ↳ This week with the '𝓒𝓪𝓽𝓼 📅 #OABAAB

The @NWBearcatWBB team will play an exhibition game Tuesday at 6 p.m. against the Doane Tigers in Bearcat Arena. The Bearcats are guided by ninth-year head coach Austin Meyer. Northwest was tabbed finish fourth in the MIAA preseason coaches' poll. Northwest finished fifth last season in the final MIAA standings. The Bearcats have produced 15 or more wins in each of the last five seasons. Northwest returns 94.7% of its scoring from a season ago, led by double-digit scorers Bailey Birmingham (12.2 ppg) and Andrea Lopreato (10.4 ppg). Sadie Maas returns as the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Maas led the Bearcats in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocked shots (73). Birmingham and Maas each earned honorable mention all-MIAA status last season. Doane assistant coach Mallory McConkey suited up for the Bearcats from 2017-2021. McConkey tallied 1,116 points and grabbed 581 rebounds in 127 games for the Bearcats. She was a two-time honorable mention all-MIAA selection. McConkey is a native of Guilford, Mo., and went to South Nodaway High School. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

SOC RECAP ||| NORTHWEST 5, ROGERS STATE 2 The @NWBearcatsoc team tied a program record with five first-half goals as the Bearcats rolled to a 5-2 MIAA win over the Rogers State Hillcats Sunday at home. Northwest has won three matches in a row and is 4-1-2 in its last seven matches to move into fifth place in the MIAA standings. Northwest is 5-8-3 overall and 5-4-2 in MIAA play. Rogers State is 5-8-3 overall and 3-7-1 in league matches. Northwest's five first-half goals tied the program record for most in history. Lydia McVey tied the single-game school record with three assists in the win over the Hillcats. McVey tied a mark set by Jordan Albright vs. Emporia State on Oct. 11, 2013. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

Northwest Missouri State University senior Polina Gontaryk captured the ITA Central Regional women's tennis singles title as she knocked off top-seeded Mei Hasewega of Central Oklahoma in three sets. Gontaryk came from a set down in the final to take down Hasegawa to capture the championship. Hasegawa won the first set, 6-3. Gontaryk stormed back and won the second set, 7-5. Gontaryk and Hasegawa went the distance in the third set and had to decide it with a tiebreaker. Gontaryk won the tiebreaker, 8-6. Gontaryk will compete in the ITA Cup set for Nov. 4-8 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

The @NWBearcat_FB team shifted to No. 6 in the second installation of the NCAA Division II NPI Super Region 4 Rankings. Northwest (6-1 overall, 5-1 MIAA) is among four MIAA teams in the top-10 in the region. Emporia State is No. 2, Northwest is No. 6, Central Missouri is No. 8 and Washburn is No. 10. The NPI rankings will determine playoff selection. The top eight teams will earn selection into the 2026 NCAA Div. II Playoffs. Conference champions from the MIAA, GAC, Lone Star and RMAC will receive automatic bids. The final four slots will be determined by the NPI. Northwest and Emporia State (8-0 overall, 6-0 MIAA) will collide Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Mo. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

Northwest Missouri State University senior Polina Gontaryk will play for the ITA Central Regional women's tennis title Sunday after knocking No. 2-seeded AnaMaria Zoric of Augustana in the semifinals. Gontaryk will challenge top-seeded Mei Hasegawa of Central Oklahoma Sunday at 10 a.m. for the regional crown. Gontaryk used a three-set trumph Saturday over Zoric by a count of 3-6, 6-3, 6-0. The Bearcat doubles team of Majra Djokic and Chiharu Ito reached the regional semifinals before falling to the No. 2-seeded pair of Ayaka Koga and Hasegawa, 8-1. Djokic and Ito secured an 8-2 win over Augustana's Martina Sofia Sfilio and Kristin Lucas in the quarterfinals. Gontaryk has clinched a trip to the ITA Cup set for Nov. 4-8 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB

FB RECAP ||| NO. 11 NORTHWEST 27, NEBRASKA-KEARNEY 10 The No. 11-ranked @NWBearcat_FB squad put together a 27-10 road victory against the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers at Cope Stadium. The Bearcats used a career-high 160 rushing yards from Quincy Torry and a stingy defensive unit that limited UNK to 31 rushing yards and only 11 first downs. The Lopers went 2-of-16 in third-down conversions. Northwest improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the MIAA. UNK dropped to 1-7 overall and 1-5 in the MIAA. The victory clinched the 31st consecutive winning season in program history, which is the longest active streak among NCAA Div. II schools. bearcatsports.com/news/2026/… #OABAAB