NAIA announces the end of the spring, winter sports

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on Monday, March 16, that it is canceling the spring 2020 sports season, effective immediately.

That means the Park athletic season has came to a close.

“All possible scenarios that would have supported a spring sports season were seriously considered by multiple NAIA governance groups,” NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr said. “However, the growing state of emergency due to COVID-19, as well as the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation yesterday to limit gatherings to fewer than 50 people for eight weeks, meant we could not in good conscience move forward with the spring sports season and championships.”

In an effort to provide relief, no spring sport student-athlete will be charged a season of competition. Any spring sport student-athlete who was enrolled full-time in 2020 will be awarded two additional semester terms of attendance or the equivalent.

Park announced on Friday, March 13, it would be be stopping practices, games and team activities through the rest of the season.

The American Midwest Conference council of presidents voted unanimously Friday morning to cancel all remaining intercollegiate activities including conference championships for the 2020 spring season.

“This was a tough decision by our Council of Presidents knowing the impact it would have on so many young women and men that compete for our institutions and the Conference,” AMC commissioner Will Wolper said. “On the other hand our number one priority is the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and community; with that in mind, this is the right decision.”

On Thursday, March 12, the NAIA announced the cancelation of all winter sports. That included the NAIA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The men’s tournament was slated to be held in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.

Park, the co-champion of the American Midwest Conference, didn’t get a bid to the tournament despite sharing the regular season league title with Central Baptist.

The tournament bracket was unveiled on Wednesday, March 11, but the next day the tournament was called off.

Kline honored

The American Midwest Conference announced its postseason awards on Monday, March 9 and coach Jason Kline highlighted the announcement, as he was named the 2020 AMC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the Pirates to its first regular season conference championship since 1998.

This marks his first coach of the year award since he won the honor in 2009-10.

Three Pirates found spots on the All-Conference teams, as Cory Reeves was named to the first team All-Conference, Ernest Myles III was selected to the third team and the All-Defensive team, while Allen Hyatt garnered a spot on the honorable mention squad.

Kline celebrated his 400th career victory this season on Dec. 21, 2019, when the Pirates defeated St. Louis College of Pharmacy, 71-55. He has guided five Pirate teams to the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Tournament in 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016 and 2017.

Reeves has made a huge impact on the offensive and defensive sides of the floor for Park in his first season after transferring from Niagara Community College. He leads the Pirates in scoring at 17.04 points per game and 2.07 steals per game, which was is 17th best in the NAIA.

Reeves scored in double figures in 23 games this season and had a season-high 30 points at William Woods on Feb. 18.

Myles, a Detroit native, had nine double-doubles this season and nearly averaged a double-double on the season, with his 11 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. He also tied for the team lead in blocks with 18 and shot 53.6 percent from the floor.

This is the second-straight season Hyatt has earned a spot on the AMC All-Conference, as the Park Hill South product and Drury transfer was a third team pick last year.

He averaged 7.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season and tied Myles for the team lead in blocks with 18.

Smith named to AMC team

Park junior guard Kiana Smith earned a spot on the 2020 American Midwest Conference Women’s Basketball All-Conference team, announced on Tuesday, March 10.

The Kansas City product who played at Lincoln College Prep appeared in all 27 games for Park this season and finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.4 rebounds per game.

Smith started in 23 games and made a team high 98 field goals and shot 44.5-percent from the field. She also averaged 3.0 rebounds per game and had 28 steals.

Amanda Alexander, a Park Hill graduate, was chosen as the Pirates’ Champions of Character award winner.

Diamond updates

The softball team finished the season with a 4-10 record after a 3-3 showing in Arizona. The trip there featured the first Park vs. Park-Gilbert showdown on the diamond, with each school winning one. Park also beat Benedictine – a future conference foe – as well as Ottawa-Arizona.

Lexie Duncan (Smithville) hit a three-run homer, drove in six runs and blanked Benedictine over five innings of work on the mound. Duncan also got the win in the circle against Park-Gilbert.

The baseball team ended the season with a two-game sweep at the hands of William Woods on Wednesday, March 11.

The Pirates finished the season with a 10-12 record.

On the links

The Park men’s golf team opened up the spring season with a first-place victory on Tuesday, March 10, as they won the Ottawa University Spring Invitational at Eagle Bend Golf Course in Lawrence, Kansas.

Matt Percy, an Ottawa, Kan., native, won the event by two strokes with a 1-over finish after rounds of 74 and 71. Three of his teammates joined him in the top 10, as Lewis Hopkinson finished tied for sixth with rounds of 75 and 79.

Also in the Top 10 was Raphael Sippel and Scott Swayne who each finished tied for eighth, firing rounds of 82, 74 and 81, 75 respectively.

The Park women’s golf team was second at the Ottawa University Spring Invitational.

Savannah Oesterle  (Smithville) and Laetitia Solombrino each finished in the top 10, as Oesterle placed fourth with rounds of 87 and 78, while Solombrino fired an 87 and 80.

Volleyball ends with loss

The No. 3-ranked Park men’s volleyball team traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, to take on No. 1 ranked Grand View in a non-conference match on Wednesday, March 11 and were swept by the Vikings 25-16, 30-28, 30-28.

The Pirates finished the year with a 12-1 record.