MEGAN PATRICK = AK 2.0
So the Sterling women’s basketball team has got this forward, she’s around six-feet tall, she can play outside and inside, she’s a small-town girl from Kansas and she’s really, really good … and she’s not Ashley Kraft.
Sunflower Slate-ians, meet Sterling freshman Megan Patrick. Or, better yet, AK 2.0
The Hutch Central Christian product is the KCAC women’s player of the week after averaging 15 points, 10.5 rebounds and hitting 5 of 9 threes in wins over Tabor and Friends. She’s averaging 9.5 points and 4.2 rebounds for the first-place, No. 7 Warriors. So this begs the question: How good a recruiter is Lonnie Kruse?
That he keeps getting these type of players — hybrids, really — to keep coming to school there is pretty incredible. Recruiting at the NAIA level is never easy, and with the sheer number of schools that compete for these kids … man! Doesn’t seem like much fun, but dude does it. And does it well. And, she’s a freshman.
DAVID BIRCH
Ottawa’s David Birch was the men’s player of the week for the second time in a row, if you need him. Oh, and he broke the school’s all-time scoring record in a 106-100 win over Southwestern. He’s currently fourth in the country in scoring at 23.7 points per game.
MIAA
CASSONDRA BOSTON
Indoor track season started last week, but before we get to that lemme just tell you something about the MIAA basketball races: ESU is not messing around. Neither team. The seventh-ranked Hornet women won their battle with No. 9 Washburn Saturday in Emporia thanks to 24 points from Cassondra Boston and another double-double from Ida Edwards, which puts them alone in first place. This is not unexpected.
DUSTIN ANDREWS
Now here’s something that is totally unexpected: nine games into the MIAA schedule and the ESU men are in first place. People, they were picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll. I liked Washburn Saturday and the Hornets put them down pretty easily at William Allen White, 85-75. Junior Dustin Andrews had a career-high 19 points and five assists and Lamar Wilbern had 18 points and seven rebounds. Wilbern’s the constant. This is a solid team. This is not a test. This is really happening.
Indoor Track & Field
Yep, indoor track & field is underway, and at Sunflower Slate we’re throwing them into the roll call.
Emporia State’s Kenton Lonberger was the men’s track athlete of the week for his performances in the 60-meter dash at the Kansas State All-Comers Meet, Missouri Invitaional and KSU Invitatonal, where he also won the 300. Pitt State’s Brian Allen was the field winner — getting wins in the shot put and the weight throw at the Missouri Southern/Fazoli’s/Baymont Inn Invite (I know that’s a ridiculous name). ESU’s Brooke Kent was the women’s field selection for her efforts in the pentathlon and the long jump.
On a personal note … I’ve got a couple of days off to get myself situated in a new apartment — and watch Season 4 of Lost before the Season 5 premiere Wednesday night. And I also need to go see Notorious at some point. Now that I’ve solidified myself in my nerdness …. I’M OUT!
-TA
PS. I’m not ignoring our Jayhawk Conference friends, but like I said before, they don’t put them out until Tuesday or Wednesday.