Month: July 2014

Pat Atwell, AD at Drury Resigns

Pat Atwell, Drury AD, at soccer match in 2010
Pat Atwell, Drury AD, at soccer match in 2010
Pat Atwell, Drury’s Director of Athletics for the past seven years, has resigned from his position to pursue other interests, the university announced on Tuesday.

Atwell has overseen the DU Athletics department since 2007, after serving in the same capacity at fellow Great Lakes Valley Conference member Quincy (Ill.) University.

In Atwell’s time at Drury, the Panther squads captured 13 NCAA-II national championships (12 by the swimming programs), and won a GLVC All-Sports Trophy in 2009-10 while finishing in the Top 30 of the Learfield Sports Director’s Cup all-sports competition in each of his seven years, with an 11th-place finish for 2013-14. Continue reading “Pat Atwell, AD at Drury Resigns” →

Evangel University Adding Mens and Womens Soccer

Evangel-LOGOVia Evangel Athletics – Evangel University has announced the addition of men’s and women’s soccer to its intercollegiate athletic offerings, beginning in the 2015-16 school year.

This will be the first time the university has offered women’s soccer and the first time to offer men’s soccer since the 1974 season. A Men’s Coach will be hired this Fall and a Women’s Coach sometime in 2015.

Evangel will play home matches at the Lake Country Soccer Complex on East Pythian Street in Springfield. Read more at Evangel.edu

Good news as it offers another opportunity for area players. When I last looked at this topic, in 2006 shortly after a $1 million upgrade the athletic facilities at the school, I pointed out that Evangel was the only school in the Heart of America Conference that did NOT offer soccer.

I pointed out in the story that there were nine area players who were playing the game at other HAAC schools, a list that has changed somewhat since then (Jewell and Lindenwood are now D2). I think the same opportunities to attract local players as well as from their core missionary students bode well.

Kindra Lierz, Glendale Falcons

Howard, Lierz and Snow Named to NSCAA All-Region Squad

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region Team, formerly All-Midwest, for 2014 spring campaign includes eleven players from Missouri. Of the eleven, three come from the Ozark Conference – Nicole Howard of the Rolla Bulldogs, Kindra Lierz of the Glendale Falcons and Whitney Snow of the Camdenton Lakers. Continue reading “Howard, Lierz and Snow Named to NSCAA All-Region Squad” →