The Northwest Missouri State fall sports season officially begins this week as soccer, volleyball and football all take the stage on the road.
Bearcat football, ranked No. 8 in the initial AFCA Division 2 poll of the fall, opens the slate in the Lone Star State with a bout against Texas A&M Kingsville Saturday night. This marks year two for Northwest under head coach John McMenamin. He, along with junior offensive tackle Kaleb McCullough, joined today's Coaches Show to discuss the progress through fall practice on both sides of the ball.
Northwest soccer will head north to face Northern State in Aberdeen, South Dakota to open the season Friday afternoon, then head east to face Bemidji State. The 'Cats have posted five straight winning seasons and went 2-1 in a trio of exhibitions. Head coach Marc Gordon, senior Makenna West and junior Lillie Shaw spoke about the opportunity ahead on today's program.
Amy Woerth enters into her 15th season as the leader of Northwest volleyball looking for a bounce back season. The 'Cats open up with nine non-conference matches, and they're hoping to use those nine to mesh before MIAA play begins. Seniors Gabby Gartner and Mya Karrick joined Woerth on the show to highlight the work the team has put in ahead of Thursday's season-opening match against Maryville University in the McKendree Invitational.
Northwest cross country has one more week to gear up for its first competition — a September 4 meet in St. Joseph. The Bearcats have been one of the top programs in the MIAA in recent years, winning the conference title on the men's side two years in a row, while building the up-and-coming women's program. Northwest is under new leadership with Myles Bach being hired onto the coaching staff during the off-season. Bach, junior Olivia Bakker, and freshman Kenley Halferty were guests on today's program.
Full audio from the Bearcat Coaches Show is available above.