Women's basketball

Cougar honored by Ohio Valley Conference

EDWARDSVILLE -- With another season-best performance, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville women's basketball standout CoCo Moore has another honor from the Ohio Valley Conference.

Moore was named the Co-Freshman of the Week in the OVC with Murray State's Erika Sisk. It was the third time Moore has received the honor, having previously earned it Nov. 20 and Jan. 3

She recorded career highs in points (19), field goals made (8), three-pointers made (2), and field goal attempted (17) in SIUE's contest Saturday against Eastern Illinois.

Her two three-pointers came in the final two minutes of the game, including one that cut the lead to two points. Moore also grabbed six rebounds and added a steal and an assist against the Panthers.

Also receiving OVC honors this week were Tennessee Tech's Jala Harris for Player of the Week and Belmont's Jordan Coleman for Newcomer of the Week.

SIUE returns to action Saturday at Tennessee-Martin. Game time in Martin, Tenn., is 2:30 p.m.

Wrestling

Cougar grapplers to compete against Truman

LENOIR, N.C. -- The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville wrestling team traveled east for the Davidson Duals in Lenoir, N.C., and four Cougars picked up multiple wins on the road.

SIUE has a midweek dual meet at Truman State on Wednesday. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m.

In the Davidson Duals, SIUE faced Southern Conference opponents Davidson and Campbell, as well as non-conference foe Duke. The Cougars were edged 25-24 by Davidson and lost 38-9 to Duke. They finished the day by falling 41-8 to Campbell.

"We've got a long ways to go," coach David Ray said. "We just have to keep working hard and adjust. We're learning on the road. Now we need to correct our mistakes when we get home."

Patrick Myers (133 pounds), Jake Residori (174), Derek Nagel (184), and David Devine (285) all won two of their three matches on the day.

Myers scored a 5-1 decision over Davidson's Anthony Elias before earning an 18-3 technical fall over Campbell's Trent Little.

Residori, Nagel, and Devine all pinned their opponents against Davidson. Residori also earned a 7-4 decision over Cody Ryba of Campbell, while Nagel and Devine each won by decision in their matches against Duke.

Also picking up wins Saturday were Deshoun White(197) and Brandon Brindley (141).

"We've got to go back to basics," Ray added. "We have to find the will to win, and we have to work harder."

Track and field

Ward named OVC co-male Field Athlete of Week

EDWARDSVILLE --The Ohio Valley Conference honored Southern Illinois University Edwardsville sophomore La'Derrick Ward as the adidas(*168*) Co-Male Field Athlete of the Week.

It was the first time this season that a member of either the men's or women's track and field programs were given an Athlete of the Week award by the OVC.

"In lieu of this award, what means most to me and the team is how well La'Derrick performed this past weekend," Head Coach Kareem Jackson said.

Ward has only competed in two indoor meets for the Cougars so far this season, but his talents have already been on display.

Last Friday at Southeast Missouri State, the sophomore placed first in the long jump while breaking his own school record with a leap of 24 feet, 1.75 inches. He also took second-place honors in the high jump with a mark of 6-8.

Ward's jumps over the weekend have him currently ranked third in the OVC in the long jump and the high jump. He is also fourth in the conference in the triple jump with a mark of 46-8.25 set at Illinois State Jan. 26.

SIUE will travel to Allendale, Mich., for The Big Meet Invitational at Grand Valley State on Friday and Saturday. It will be the Cougars' final competition before OVC Indoor Championships Feb. 22-23.

Cougar thinclads give back to the community

EDWARDSVILLE -- The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville track and field program participated in a community service project over the weekend, as the Cougars helped build trails recently for the Gateway Off-Road Cyclists.

The athletes assisted in building new trails just east of North University Drive on the SIUE campus, using various tools to chop, clear, and level parts of the new trail ways.

The trails are used year-round by SIUE student-athletes as well as members of the Edwardsville community. The athletes also learned about trail safety, engineering, and maintenance.

"It's easy to take things like trails for granted," Assistant Coach Eileen McAllister said. "Without the help of volunteers, they wouldn't be available for our community to enjoy."

Saturday was the third community service project that the Cougar track and field program has taken part in during this school year. In the fall, the team volunteered at the Metro East Humane Society, and took time to interact with students from Liberty and Lincoln Middle Schools in Edwardsville.

"Most of our athletes have never done anything like this," McAllister added. "It's so important for them to see how being an active citizen directly impacts their community."

SIUE will travel to Allendale, Mich., for The Big Meet Invitational at Grand Valley State this weekend. It will be the Cougars' final indoor meet before Ohio Valley Conference Championships Feb. 22-23.

Cougar women win score victory, men fall

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville women's track & field team knocked off Ohio Valley Conference foe Southeast Missouri State 80-76 in dual meet action,and the Cougars boasted both the men's and women's track athletes of the meet.

The SIUE men fell 87-64 to their OVC counterparts.

"This was a great meet for us," coach Kareem Jackson said. "The atmosphere was great, the meet came down to the wire, and the sportsmanship between both schools was awesome."

On the women's side, Aftan Noon earned women's track athlete of the meet honors after taking first place in the mile, 800 meters, and the distance medley relay, in which she ran the anchor leg.

On the men's side, sophomore Braxton Klavins was named the men's track athlete of the meet after taking first place in the 600 meters with a time of 1:20.06. The finish set a new facility record at SEMO's Student North Recreation Center by more than 2 seconds.

"I was very impressed with our team today," Jackson said. "All the athletes who needed to step up today did just that; it was a total team effort."

La'Derrick Ward continued his impressive start to the indoor season, jumping 24 feet, 1.75 inches in the long jump, while posting a high jump of 6 feet, 8 inches. The sophomore broke his own school record in the long jump, with the previous best set at 23-11.75.

Hilary Conrad also came up big for the Cougar women, as she helped SIUE take home first place in the 4x400 meter relay. Conrad's leg of the relay allowed the Cougars to cross the finish line in 4:01.37, just .52 seconds faster than SEMO.

"I'm very glad this meet finally came to fruition," Jackson added. "This is something I've wanted to do for several years now, and I'm thankful that the SEMO coaching staff agreed to make this meet happen."

Jackson stated that both schools agreed to hold the dual meet again in 2014, this time at Principia College in Elsah.

Baseball

Two Cougars earn preseason honors

EDWARDSVILLE -- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville baseball's Travis Felax (Troy) and Matt Highland have been named to collegesportsmadness.com's All-Ohio Valley Conference preseason teams.

Felax, a junior starting pitcher, was selected to the first team, while Highland, a senior infielder, was named to the second team.

Felax was among the OVC leaders in numerous categories in 2012. He led the conference with 15 starts and 95 2/3 innings pitched. He was 6-5 with a 3.67 ERA. His six wins were tied for fourth in the league, and his ERA was good for seventh. He led SIUE with 69 strikeouts, which also was seventh in the OVC. Felax tossed both of SIUE's complete games in 2012, which also tied for the lead in the conference.

Felax was honored by collegesportsmadness.com on its All-OVC team following the season last year.

Highland led the team and was 10th in the OVC in hitting with a career-best .338 batting average. His average jumped to .368 in OVC games. Highland, who made 39 starts for the Cougars in 2012, also recorded career highs in hits (53), doubles (6), home runs (3) and RBIs (21).

The Cougars open the 2013 season Feb. 15 at Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn.

Lynx sign three players for 2014 campaign

BELLEVILLE -- The Lindenwood-Belleville baseball team has signed three players for the 2014 season, as announced by coach Logan Johnson.

Fory Albert will join the Lynx pitching staff from Kaskaskia College. The 6-foot right hander, originally from Centralia, is expected to make an immediate impact on the mound.

"Albert has the ability to come into any situation out of the bullpen and perform," said Johnson. "He's got the mindset of a closer, and that will be a huge help to us as we move forward."

J.B. Arnold, a 5-10 Arnold, Mo., native, will transfer onto the Lynx squad from Southwestern Illinois College as an outfielder.

"Defensively, he can be the difference in saving runs and winning games," said Johnson. "He also finds ways on base and fits well into our offensive game plan."

Dylan Arvai marks the third signing for the 2014 season. The 6-2 Royalton native is a versatile player, with the athletic ability to be a position player as well as see time on the mound.

"He can play any spot on the infield or outfield, and on the mound he's going to be a guy that gives us quality innings," said Johnson. "His work ethic and game experience are going to be a huge asset to us next fall."

Johnson said he looks forward to the addition of Albert, Arnold and Arvai and the role each of them will play in the team's success next season.

"We're currently a young team and adding players with college game experience helps us take the next step in becoming successful year in and year out," said Johnson. "Our expectation is to compete at a high level, and all three of these guys understand that. They're committed to helping our program attain that goal."

Women's soccer

Cougars to hold identification camp

EDWARDSVILLE -- The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville women's soccer program has announced it will hold an identification camp this spring. The camp will take place March 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the practice soccer fields on the SIUE campus.

The cost is $60.00 per player.

The camp is designed to give high school-aged players an understanding of what skills players should be developing before embarking on a collegiate soccer career.

Players will have the opportunity to receive instruction from the SIUE coaching staff as well as train with current members of the team and check out the campus and facilities.

Camp Schedule:

10 a.m.- Noon -- Technical Training, GK Training

Noon.-1:30 p.m. -- Lunch on your own

1:30-3:30 p.m. -- 11 v 11 Game

Intersted players can receive more information by contacting assistant coach Holly Cox by email at hocox@siue.edu.

Women's tennis

Cougar netwomen fall to Bradley

EDWARDSVILLE -- The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville women's tennis team lost its first match of the season, suffering a 4-3 defeat to Bradley at the Edwardsville YMCA.

The Cougars (2-1) were able to split the six singles matches, but the Braves picked up the doubles point which proved to be the difference.

"We were on the winning side of 4-3 decisions in our first two matches, and today we found out what it's like to be on the other side," coach Jason Coomer said. "Getting off to a slow start in doubles came back to hurt us. We knew that the doubles point would be critical and unfortunately we didn't come out on top."

Picking up victories in singles for SIUE were Monique Krutak, Haley Ilcewicz, and McKenzie Thomas.

All three won their matches in straight sets. Krutak defeated Corey Mattson 6-3, 6-2, Ilcewicz took down Sarah Rodefeld 6-2, 6-4, and Thomas wrapped up the day's action by beating Jessie Bertino 6-2, 6-3.

"I was very pleased with the way McKenzie played today," Coomer said. "She's a tough kid and we look for her to continue showing that toughness this season."

Krutak also teamed up with Amanda Miller to win a doubles match for SIUE, defeating the pair of Rodefeld and Cassia Wojtalik 8-3.

"Monique played very well today," Coomer added. "She's still getting adjusted to the college game but she's improving every week."

The Cougars will look to get back in the win column when they travel to Kansas City to face UMKC Friday. The match is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.