NEWS BRIEFS

Got a news item you’d like to share? Email us at ucmthebeat@gmail.com or Dr. Joe Moore at jhmoore@ucmo.edu.

UNION BOWLING CENTER HOSTING 9 PIN NO TAP LEAGUE

Union Bowling Center will be hosting League Night beginning June 8 at 6 p.m. with a 9 Pin No Tap League.  The League will run for eight weeks. Registration begins at 5:45 p.m. on the first night. Cost is $10 per night for each two-to-four member team, and league action is open to anyone in the community 18 years and older. Each team will bowl three games each per week.

In 9 Pin No Tap competitors score a strike when they knock down nine pins with their first ball. All other scoring is normal.  For more information, contact Tandi Cox at tacox@ucmo.edu or call 660-543-8174.

KENNEDY AWARDED FOSTER/INGLISH PRIZE

John Kennedy, a member of the UCM Integrated Marketing and Communications staff, has been recognized as the 2023 recipient of the Carl B. Foster/John M. Inglish Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Service in Public Relations.  Kennedy is well known for his creativity and skill in strategic video communication.

The Foster/Inglish award is presented annually in recognition of a staff member in IMC. It was made possible by John Inglish, who, upon retiring in 2000 as university director emeritus of public relations, established an endowment through the UCM Alumni Foundation to honor his longtime friend and mentor, Carl Foster. A pioneer in university communications, Foster retired as director emeritus of public relations in 1986 after 19 years of service to the university. Inglish, a UCM alumnus and longtime Warrensburg resident, devoted more than 27 years to UCM’s Office of Public Relations (now IMC) before he retired.

For more information, see the IMC news release.

ONLINE PR DEGREE NAMED MOST AFFORDABLE

The University of Central Missouri’s nationally recognized Public Relations degree has been designated No. 1 by academic rankings organization OnlineU on its list of colleges and universities that offer the Most Affordable Online Public Relations Degrees.

Several other university programs were named among the top 10 for Salary Score and Affordability.

DUDENDHOEFFER, CHENAULT, PLUMMER HONORED AS EDUCATION FOR SERVICE RECIPIENTS

The University of Central Missouri recently honored three individuals who embody the university motto, “Education for Service.”

Caitlin Dudendhoeffer, a senior Events Marketing Management major from Warsaw, Missouri, received the student Excellence in Service Award. The faculty award went to Scott Chenault, professor of criminal justice and criminology, and Darin Plummer, broadcast systems engineer in Communication and Digital Media Production, received the staff award.

The 2023 Education for Service Awards were presented during the Board of Governors’ plenary session on April 27 at the Elliott Student Union. The Office of Student Experience and Engagement established the program in 2022-2023 to honor a student, faculty member and staff member who have demonstrated a commitment to community, diversity, excellence, learning, opportunity and service.

WARRENSBURG COMMUNITY BAND SEEKING NEW MUSICIANS

The Warrensburg Community Band is seeking new members for this summer.  All high school graduates who played in their school band are invited to join. No audition necessary. Rehearsals are at the Warrensburg High School Band Room from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays starting June 5. For more information, contact Joe Beydler at beydler@ucmo.edu.

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR UCM COMMUNITY MEMBERS

The Ask.Listen.Refer suicide prevention training program is available for members of the University of Central Missouri community to help students, faculty, and staff at UCM learn to identify people at risk for suicide, recognize risk factors and warning signs, and get help for persons at risk. It takes about 20 minutes to complete and can be taken more than once. Additional suicide prevention resources can be found here.

In addition, the UCM Counseling Center has a 24-hour Crisis Support Line (660-543-8008) for students. Crisis line support is available for students who ant to talk with a trained professional any time of day or night. The UCM Crisis Support Line is a part of the Counseling Center and Campus Community Health’s existing services.

For scheduling at the UCM Counseling Center, student should call the Counseling Center directly at 660-543-4060.

UCM ATHLETICS CALENDAR AND UPDATE

FIVE JENNIES, TWO MULES NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT®

Five UCM Jennies track & field student-athletes have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® team for their performances in competition and in the classroom in 2022-2023.

Kayla Goodwin, Camryn Holloman, Rachael Molloy, Jana Shawver and Madi Wulfekotter all received the honor for 2022-23. See the full release here.

Mules track & field‘s Cameron Hesker and Jack Hodge were selected to the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Track & Field/Cross County Teams.  See their full release here.

All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced June 28 (women) and June 29 (men).

TWO MULES NAMED TO ALL-AMERICA BASEBALL TEAM

Reliever JD McReynolds and designated hitter Vance Tobol added some hardware Thursday as they were named to the 2023 Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-American Teams
McReynolds earned second-team All-American honors while Tobol was a third-team selection.

McReynolds, a sophomore right-hander from Sullivan, Mo., went 5-0 with six saves in 23 appearances out of the bullpen. He posted a 1.08 ERA , giving up just four earned runs on 13 hits with 51 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 33 1/3 innings. He was a first-team All-MIAA, D2CCA All-Central Region, ABCA/Rawlings Division II All-Central Region and NCBWA All-Central Region selection.

A redshirt sophomore from Rogers, Ark., Tobol hit .351 with 71 hits, 54 runs, 13 doubles, four triples, 12 homers, a team-best 64 RBI.  He also had a .634 slugging percentage, 22 walks and 14 stolen bases in 56 games. He was a first-team All-MIAA, D2CCA All-Central Region and ABCA/Rawlings Division II All-Central Region honoree, and a NCBWA second-team All-Central Region selection.

FOUR NAMED TO BASEBALL ALL-REGION TEAMS

Four UCM Mules baseball players were selected to the 2023 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division II All-Central Region Teams.  The Mules were the MIAA Regular Season and Tournament champion.

Redshirt sophomore designated hitter Vance Tobol, sophomore right-handed reliever JD McReynolds and redshirt junior outfielder Carter Young earned First Team All-Central Region honors.  Right-handed starting pitcher Conner Wolf was named to the second team.  Tobol hit .351 with 71 hits, 54 runs, 13 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs, a team-best 64 RBI and 14 stolen bases this season.  McReynolds posted a 1.08 ERA and went a perfect 5-0 with six saves in 23 appearances out of the bullpen in 2023. He had 51 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 33 1/3 innings.  Young batted .361 with a team-best 83 hits.  He had 60 runs, 13 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs and 61 RBI.  Wolf went 11-3 with a 3.90 ERA and one complete game in 16 starts. He had 71 strikeouts and only 16 walks in a team-high 83 innings pitched.

The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Division II All-America Committee.  The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division II All-America teams will be announced the evening of Friday, June 2. First Team All-Region selections are eligible for All-America honors.  The ABCA All-America team was first recognized in 1949 and now includes nine divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division, and high school. ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams were first recognized in 2007.

KLAUSNER TABBED AS WOMEN’S GOLF ALL-AMERICAN

Jennies golfer Rosie Klausner has been named a Women’s Golf Coaches Association Second Team All-American.  She is the first All-American in Jennies golf history.

A redshirt senior from Olathe, Kan., Klausner led the Jennies with a 75.97 stroke average over a team-high 31 rounds. She finished in the top-10 in eight of UCM’s 12 events during the 2022-23 season, including six top-five performances. She ended her storied Central Missouri career with the best scoring average in program history at 76.5 over 121 rounds. She was a 2022-23 First Team All-MIAA honoree and WGCA All-Central Region selection.

The 2022-23 Jennies captured the program’s first MIAA Women’s Golf Championship and posted four tournament victories. UCM finished in the top-10 in all 12 of its tournaments during the season.

JENNIES GOLFERS RICE, JONES NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT® TEAM

Jennies golfers McKenna Rice and Hayley Jones were selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® At-Large Team for their performances on the golf course and in the classroom this season.

Rice, a redshirt junior from Lee’s Summit, Mo., graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a 3.92 GPA this spring. On the course, she posted a 78.71 stroke average over 31 rounds with three top-10 finishes and two top-five showings.

A redshirt junior from Andover, Kan., Jones is a health studies major with a 3.76 GPA. She had a 77.05 stroke average in 19 rounds with three top-10 performances and a pair of top-five finishes.

Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced June 22.

COOK NAMED TO ALL-REGION SOFTBALL TEAM

Jennies softball‘s Ashlyn Cook was voted to the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association All-Central Region Second-Team after her stellar 2023 season.

The Lee’s Summit, Mo. native was a first-team All-MIAA outfielder in 2023 with a .333 batting average, 36 runs scored, a team-high 14 doubles, six home runs and 35 RBI.  This is Cook’s second time earning D2CCA All-Central Region second team honors after being named a 2021 selection.

FIVE JENNIES SOFTBALLERS NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT® TEAM

Five Central Missouri Jennies softball players were selected to the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Softball Team for their efforts on both the diamond and in the classroom.

Outfielders Abby Allnutt, Aubrie McRoberts and Ashlyn Cook along with short stop Abbey Fischer and pitcher Paige Petefish received Academic All-District® accolades and are now eligible to be voted to the Academic All-America® Teams which will be announced on Tuesday, June 6.  Click here for the full release.

The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2022-23 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.