Getting to Know the Truman State University Bulldogs
This past June, Truman State University (Mo.) was introduced as the newest member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after the league’s Council of Presidents voted unanimously to accept the Truman Bulldogs into the conference. The Bulldogs will begin play in the GLVC in all sports beginning in the fall of 2013, competing as the league’s 16th member.
Throughout the 2012-13 season, GLVCsports.com will highlight the performances of each in-season Bulldog team from the previous month as Truman concludes play in its final year in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
|
Sport |
Truman |
GLVC (arv - Also Receiving Votes) |
|
Men's Basketball |
-- |
#10 Southern Indiana, #11 Bellarmine, #21 Indianapolis, #23 Kentucky Wesleyan, arv Drury |
|
Women's Basketball |
- |
#24 Lewis, arv Indianapolis, UW-Parkside, Southern Indiana |
|
Men's Swimming |
-- |
#1 Drury, #6 Missouri S&T, #8 Indianapolis,
(Not a 2012-13 GLVC sponsored sport) |
|
Women's Swimming |
arv |
#1 Drury, #8 Indianapolis
(Not a 2012-13 GLVC sponsored sport) |
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
With the majority of their impressive season in the books, the Truman State women’s basketball team is 15-3 overall and 8-2 in MIAA conference play, tied for second place. With a current win streak at three, the only loss suffered by the Bulldogs in their last nine games was a five-point deficit to conference leader Washburn. The Bulldogs continue to outscore their opponents by 11 points, led by senior guard Becka McHenry and sophomore guard Allie Norton, who averaging 13.5 and 10.6 points per game, respectively. Junior forward Bianca Szafarowicz is the leader on the boards with 5.6 boards each time out. Paced by Norton, Truman tops the nation in three-point shooting and currently stands No. 19 in the USA TODAY Sports Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches' Poll.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
The Bulldogs continue to rebuild on the hardwood with an overall record of 7-11 this season, including a 4-6 mark in MIAA action. With wins coming over Lincoln (Mo.), No. 10 Washburn, and Nebraska-Kearney during the month of January, Truman has been led by junior guard Mike Carlson in almost every facet of the game. Sophomore forward Tyler Anderson and senior guard Tom Norton are also contributing offensively in the paint and from behind the arc. Dishing out the assists is freshman guard Cory Myers. As the final leg of the MIAA season tips off, the Bulldogs will look to avenge some earlier losses with conference rematches.
SWIMMING
Truman State’s men’s and women’s swimming teams recently concluded their 2012-13 regular season with losses to Missouri State and top-ranked Drury. In the Drury meet, the women’s team turned in a performance highlighted by first-place individual finishes by freshman Adrian Rudd in the 100M Fly (59.39) and sophomore Abby Hempen in the 100M Breaststroke (1:07.71). The 200M Free Relay team (1:42.27), which included Rudd, freshman Ashley Shanel, and juniors Casey Jepsen and Bailey Peterson, was also victorious in the meet. Rudd was also named the NSIC Swimmer of the Week for January 29. The men’s team made headlines during the Drury meet with wins by senior Tony Hernandez in the 100M Breaststroke (59.85), as well as the 200M Free Relay team (1:32.89) made up of freshmen George Dowdy, Ben DeVibiss, sophomore Lars Winkelmolen, and junior Seth Holbrook. Both teams will compete in the NSIC Conference Championship February 7-10 in Rochester, Minn.
TRACK & FIELD
The Indoor Track & Field season nears a close following Truman’s recent participation in the Iowa State Open and Jayhawk Classic. At the Iowa State Open, senior Rachel McCarroll took second in the weight throw (58-03.75) and junior Matt Schaefer ran the 800M run (1:53.74) to improve on their NCAA provisional marks. Also doing well in the meet was senior Karen Grauel in the 5,000M seeded (17:55.84) and sophomore Brad Hart in the 5,000M unseeded (15:46.61). The Jayhawk Classic also included some top finishes by Bulldog athletes. Sophomore Nora Kueny placed third in the 600-yard run (1:29.81), junior Rebecca Nelson placed third in the pentathlon (3,105 points), and McCarroll placed fifth in the weight throw (58-00.50). On the men’s side, Schaefer finished third in the 1,000M run (2:33.33). The teams will soon travel to Monmouth, Ill. and Columbia, Mo., to conclude the indoor segment.
BASEBALL
Armed with a group of talented, yet young Bulldogs, Truman will enter the 2013 baseball season as the 14th-place pick in the MIAA preseason coaches’ poll. With games against the GLVC’s own Maryville and Quincy buried within the MIAA schedule, Truman will take the field Feb. 16 for its first series of the year against Washburn (Kan.).
SOFTBALL
Entering their final season in the MIAA, the Bulldogs have been picked to finish 12
th in the MIAA preseason coaches’ poll. Truman’s soon-to-be familiar conference foes on the docket this season include Quincy, Southern Indiana, Maryville, Indianapolis, and Missouri-St. Louis. The Bulldogs hit the field Feb.15 in Decatur, Ala., to kick off the 2013 campaign.
TENNIS & GOLF
The Truman men’s and women’s tennis teams, along with the women’s golf program, look to begin spring competition in March.