Baseball
The baseball team opened its season Jan. 31 at Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee, Oklahoma with a 5-3 win, but dropped the next two games there. Games Feb. 7, 8 and 9 brought them to a 1-6 record.
Next up is a 4-day series in Joplin, Missouri: 1 p.m. Feb. 14, 10 a.m. Feb. 15, 4 p.m. Feb. 16 and 10 a.m. Feb. 17. The Griffons play their first home game at 3 p.m. on Feb. 21.
Football
Griffon football signed 57 on National Signing Day Feb. 5. The signing class includes several in the area and representation from 14 states.
Men’s Basketball
Griffon men have a six-game winning streak going since winning every game since Jan. 23. On Jan. 30, they beat the University of Central Oklahoma 83-74 and on Feb. 1, Newman University 81-57. The men returned home on Feb. 5 and 8 to beat Lincoln University on Feb. 5 81-71 and the University of Central Missouri Feb. 8, 84-80.
The win on Feb. 5 matched the men’s longest MIAA winning streak in 17 years. Their then- 8-4 conference record was the best since 2010. Their win over Central Missouri on Feb. 8 kept them perfect at home this season. The men are now 13-11 overall and 9-4 in the conference.
Next up is 7:30 p.m. at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas and 3:30 p.m. Feb. 15 against Missouri Southern in Joplin. They return home at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 against Pittsburg State and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 against Missouri Southern.
Women’s Basketball
For the first time in the season, Griffon women’s basketball suffered consecutive losses with a heartbreaking defeat at Central Oklahoma, 70-69, on Jan. 30. The Griffons used a 22-4 run in the final seven minutes of regulation to take a 69-68 lead, but UCO got the game-winning put-back layup off an errant 3-point attempt with seven seconds remaining.
That two-game skid was stopped at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas on Feb. 1 with a 70-59 win. The women continued their winning ways with their next two home games. The Griffons beat Lincoln University 72-53 on Feb. 5 and University of Central Missouri 67-57 on Feb. 8.
Missouri Western handed Central Missouri its first MIAA loss of the season and snapped its 15-game winning streak. The Jennies had not lost since Feb. 9, 2019. It also snapped a streak of seven straight MWSU losses to the Jennies.
The win with Newman’s loss on Saturday clinched the team’s spot in the MIAA Women’s Basketball Championships to be held March 4-8 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
The women now stand at 17-5 overall and 9-4 in the conference. They will play Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12 in Pittsburg, Kansas and at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 15 in Joplin, Missouri against Missouri Southern. The Griffons return home at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 19 to play Pittsburg State.
Softball
Softball opens its season Feb. 14 at the Arkansas-Monticello DII Challenge in Bentonville, Arkansas. The women were ranked #2 in the MIAA preseason coaches poll. Game times are as follows:
10 a.m. Feb. 14, Southwest Baptist University; noon Feb. 14, Harding University; 2 p.m. Feb. 15, Quincy University; and 4 p.m. Feb. 15 University of Arkansas at Monticello.
Tennis
Tennis opened its season Jan. 31, Feb. 1 and 2 at the Genesis Health Club in St. Joseph for the Stoney Creek Hotel Tennis Classic. They lost to Augustana University and Arkansas Tech University, but had wins over Newman University and Truman State University.
The team will travel to Shawnee, Oklahoma to play Oklahoma Baptist University at 3 p.m. on Feb. 15 and Durant, Oklahoma to play Southeastern Oklahoma State University at 11 a.m. on Feb. 16.
Track & Field
Griffon Track traveled to Pittsburg State University to compete in the PSU Invitational on Feb. 1. Multiple Griffons finished in the top-25 of their respective events and a few hit personal bests.
On Feb. 8, Hanna Williams broke her own school record and won the 600-meter run for the second time this season on Saturday. Griffon Track finished action at the Bearcat Invite with 11 top-10 finishes, along with multiple personal bests.