Photo by Sarah Elizabeth via Uplash.

With December fast approaching, the autumn sports season is drawing to a close. First and foremost, congratulations to all our athletes for a great season. You should  be proud that  you made it through. Being a student athlete is very challenging, whatever the results, it’s important to recognize your dedication and efforts. This article is a recap of the fall team sports season for our William Jewell Cardinals.

Football: What a season it was for the football team, which got off to a strong start with 3 straight conference wins. It’s worth mentioning that the Cardinals had their best season in 10 years, with an overall record of 5-6. Indeed, these very encouraging results bode well for the coming years, which will hopefully enable the Cardinals to have a winning record and reach the postseason phase. In addition, the Cardinals have also made a name for themselves this season with 4 GLVC player of the week awards won, as well as a career high of 1000 rushing yards in one season for our running back, Keaundre McCullough.

Volleyball: The women’s volleyball team had a difficult season with disappointing results. With an overall record of 7-22 and 1-12 in conference, the season failed to live up to expectations, despite a conference victory over Missouri S&T on Oct. 11. Although this season was marked by lack of success and doubt, Samantha Thompson and Bella Laporta showed exceptional leadership by leading the team with very strong performances. Thompson reached the impressive milestone of 2000 career assists, a huge achievement. As for  Laporta, she was very effective offensively, with 409 kills this season. Well done to them both!

Women’s soccer: Head coach Emily Key and her staff can be proud of the women’s soccer team that has had its best season since 2018. This season could mark the start of a new era for this talented team, which won 4 games this season. Although they did not win, these 4 victories are a clear improvement on previous seasons. In fact, this team is full of potential, driven by attacking talents such as Lux Sands, with 6 goals and two assists, and Riley Frasure-Smith, with 3 goals and 4 assists. Although they didn’t make it to the conference tournament, they can be proud of their season.

Men’s soccer: The men’s soccer team is one of the great success stories of the fall season. In a season marked by very promising results, the team came close to qualifying for the GLVC conference tournament.  It was head Coach Eddie Horn’s best season since he arrived at Jewell 5 years ago, as well as the program’s best season since 2012, with an overall record of 5-8-4. What’s more, this success is partly due to Zach Nichols, a very talented forward whose 6 goals and 1 assist led the team. Let’s hope this momentum carries the team to an even better season next year.

In summation, this fall season has been full of surprises with ups and downs for every team. But it’s important to recognize the efforts, despite the final results. Congratulations to all the student athletes who work hard every day to be as good as they can be – and good luck to all the sports preparing to compete in the spring. Go Cardinals!

On Thursday, Jan. 30, William Jewell College President Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls and Director of Athletics Tom Eisenhauer introduced Mike McGlinchey as the new head coach for the Cardinal football program at a press conference. Coach McGlinchey is the 30th head coach and served four years as a co-defensive coordinator at Colorado School of Mines. In Colorado he helped lead Mines to three Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships and three NCAA Division II National Playoff appearances.

The search committee, which consisted of several Jewell faculty and administration, searched through 80 applications before deciding on McGlinchey as the new head coach. After this long and thorough search, Jewell is confident they have found the best possible fit.

“We are deeply excited about the future of William Jewell football under the leadership of our new head coach, Mike McGlinchey,” MacLeod Walls said.

At the press conference, McGlinchey spoke words of encouragement to the team.

“To our players here at Jewell, that’s the expectation: total commitment, maximum effort, and things will get better,” McGlinchey said.

He also spoke to the expectations of the team outside of football.

“To the William Jewell faithful, we have a bright future,” McGlinchey said, speaking to the college as a whole. “It starts today. Our mission is very simple. We want a positive student-athlete experience here. We want our guys to go out in the community and be proud to be Cardinals. We want our guys to graduate from William Jewell to be a proud alumnus.”

It’s clear that coach McGlinchey has high expectations for the team, as well as big goals for the future of the program. 

“Come be a part of something special, because that’s what we’re looking to build,” McGlinchey said. “We’re going to build this with a singular vision. Our goal is to be the best that we can be at everything we do, alright, and we’re never going to quit. We are going to achieve success in this vision too, and we are looking to set up William Jewell football for the next 100 years.”

The William Jewell College football team saw action at home Saturday night. Jewell students, professors and fans turned out in droves to fill Greene Stadium, eager to watch the Cardinals face off against the Southwest Baptist University Bearcats in the season home opener. The Cardinals did not disappoint their fans, ultimately defeating the Bearcats 29-9. 

From the onset, Cardinal fans’ mood was bright and boisterous, their spirits high as they inaugurated a new season of Cardinal football. 

These spirits were only raised to loftier heights when the Cardinals took an early lead over the Bearcats with a field goal.  The Cardinals would maintain their tenacity and spirit the entire game. 

Looking ahead, the Cardinals will hope to build upon their victory in the ensuing weeks. They will face off against West Texas A&M University at Greene Stadium Sept. 14 at 3 p.m. before traveling to St. Charles to play against Lindenwood Sept. 21.

The fall golf season is underway here at William Jewell College.

The William Jewell College women’s golf team opened up the year on their home turf at the Cardinal Hill golf course in Liberty, Mo., Sep. 3, 2015. The Cardinals hosted four Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) teams such as Truman State University, Rockhurst University and Maryville University.

Jewell was in front after day one. The Cardinal women were led by a strong starting five, consisting of Marissa Juliana, Courtney Wells and Alex Steinkamp, seniors, Alex Trask, sophomore, and Payton Meeks, first-year.

“As a team, we played great! We beat our team record of 309, improving it to 307 which was a great feeling,” Juliana said.

Day two, the Cards set a school record of 307, beating last year’s record of 309. The day was led by Juliana and Meeks, who shot a 74 and 76, respectively.

“Our team played really well both days of the tournament, and it’s really promising for the rest of the year. We had a great year last year, and I think this year we can be even better,” Trask said.

As individuals, the Lady Cards claimed five of the top 10 spots with Juliana taking second, Trask third, Meeks fourth, senior Alex Buford ninth and Steinkamp 10th.

“The team is going to be extremely strong this year. We had a great year last year with a fifth place conference finish, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t think we were going to beat that this year. The team needs to stay focused, stay driven and never give up while they’re playing the game. Always keep trying because every stroke counts,” Juliana said.

The Cards will get back to practice, preparing for an event in Springfield, Ill. Oct. 2, 2015.

The William Jewell College men’s golf team traveled to Eureka, Mo. to play in the Arch Cup hosted by Maryville University. The tournament involved teams from the GLVC and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

The Cardinal men were behind early on in the tournament.

“We brought in a lot of freshman this year, and this was their first tournament. The nerves were clearly there for all of us, but it was a good tournament to get those out of the way. That’s what the first tourney is for, getting the rust off mentally and physically,” said senior and captain Grant Janssen.

The men’s team was led by first-year Andy Fain, who scored a 75 in round one of the Arch Cup, winning sixth place overall.

Round two, Mitch Lummis, first-year, led the way with a score of 77.

The team for the event included Janssen, Fain, Collin Kasitz, first-year, Lummis and Carson Trent, first-year. Also participating as an individual was Josh Parker, first-year.

“As a team, we all expect improvement. This is a great group to be coaching, and we’ll get ready for our second event in Indianapolis,” said head coach Bob Cole.

The men’s golf team will compete next Sept. 20-22 at the University of Indianapolis Invitational.