Athletic Updates
ATHLETIC UPDATES
SC Football wins KCAC Conference Title The Sterling College Football team won its first KCAC football title in the college’s history in a game against Kansas Wesleyan University. The final score was 36-19. With this win, the Sterling Warriors headed to the national tournament held November 23 in Baldwin City, Kan., against the Baker Wildcats. Baker would get a field goal on the final play of the game to defeat Sterling 10-7. With this loss, Sterling ended the season 9-3 with a KCAC record of 8-1. This season was by far the most historic season in Sterling College's history. The Warriors were a team that went on an eight game winning streak during the season, received a final NAIA Coaches ranking of 13, had a coaching staff that won Coach of the Year and Assistant Coaches of the Year, won their first KCAC championship in school history, and went to their first NAIA playoff game in school history.
Baseball stamps ticket to NAIA World Series With a 1-0 victory over No. 2 Oklahoma City, No. 15 Sterling made its first ever trip to the NAIA World Series and was the first representative from the KCAC in the event. The 57th Annual NAIA World Series was held on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, on May 24-31. The team fell two wins short of the school's first 50 win season in a 1-0 loss to Northwood (Texas) in the Avista-NAIA World Series. The Warriors, under second year Head Coach Adrian Dinkel, ended the season with a 48-14 record, a Sterling College record.
Kruse leaves legacy at Sterling College On Saturday, November 23, Head Coach Lonnie Kruse secured his 700th victory. The win put Kruse in the upper echelon of women’s basketball history. He is the all-time winningest coach in Sterling College history and the state of Kansas. He is also the second most active winningest coach in NAIA Division II Women's Basketball and is behind Garey Smith of Grand View University for most active wins.
Kruse recently announced that he will retire at the end of the 2013-2014 basketball season. Associate Head Coach K.C. Bassett will take over the reins of the program at the conclusion of the season. During his career*, Kruse accomplished: • • • • • • •
Prior to this achievement, Sterling College dedicated the basketball floor in the Gleason Center as the Lonnie Kruse Court in his honor.
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Over the last 33 years, Kruse made an impact on and has been a father figure to many Sterling College student-athletes. Kruse put his heart and soul into this College and his program. He served the College in so many different ways from coaching several different sports, teaching in the Department of Exercise Science, being the athletic director for 18 years and being a part of the administration of the College. Kruse put Sterling College on the map at the national level through his women's basketball program.
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32 Seasons 30 winning seasons 696-225 record 12 KCAC Coach of the Year Awards 20, 21+ win seasons 12 KCAC Regular Season Titles 16 Trips to the NAIA National Tournament 1 First Team All-American Player 5 Second Team All-American Players 2 Third Team All-American Players 10 Honorable Mention All-American Players 66 First Team All-KCAC Players 2 Second Team All-KCAC Players 53 All-KCAC Honorable Mention Players 10 KCAC Freshmen of the Year 42 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes All Time Winningest Coach in Kansas Women's Basketball History
Does not include the 2013-2014 season
*
Student Cedrique Smith wins NAIA National Championship Senior hurdler Cedrique Smith won the NAIA National Championship in the 110m Hurdles on May 25 on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University with a time of 13.97. The individual championship for Smith is the first in Sterling College history.
Winter 2014 Sterling
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