NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN
C A N I K I S S Y O U ? CAN I KISS YOU?
Annual consent lecture date pushed back
The annual freshman-mandatory consent-centered event was moved to the middle of September instead of being held during Northwest’s Advantage weekend for first-year students.
The presentation titled “Can I Kiss You?” is an event that promotes consent and teaches students how to have and maintain healthy relationships in college. This year, “Can I Kiss You?” is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 in Lamkin Activity Center.
“Can I Kiss You?” now takes place in the middle of what the American Psychological Association calls the Red Zone. The Red Zone is the beginning period of a new school year, mid-August to November, where there is a direct correlation between increased frequency of social gatherings and increased rates of sexual assault.
Research has found that 50% of college sexual assaults occur during the Red Zone, especially with students who are
new to campus according to the American Psychological Association. Changing the timing of “Can I Kiss You?” has raised concerns across campus. Chief of University Police Amanda Cullin said she sees the pros and cons.
“The pro of moving the event is new students have so much new information thrown at them, and this is an extremely serious topic, so moving it gives them time to process the first few weeks of school and be able to be more aware of the presentation,” Cullin said. “The con however, is new students are not getting this serious topic until later in the year.”
During their freshman year, students will now attend the event with their University Seminar classes, whereas in the past their residence hall resident assistants have taken them. Leslie Abarr-Cuenca, the director of student academic success and retention, said the scheduling change was due to prior commitments of Speaker Mike Domitrz.
“Basically, the reason we changed it is due to speaker scheduling,” Abarr-Cuenca said in an email to the Missourian. “He is a great speaker and in high demand, so in working
Social media personality gives lecture focused on education
Longtime close friend of University President Lance Tatum, Gerry Brooks, came to speak Sept. 22 at the Ron Houston Center of Performing Arts. Brooks creates online teacher-related content and currently works as a principal at an elementary school in Lexington, Kentucky.
Brooks said he’s known he wanted to be an educator since childhood. He dedicated himself to his collegiate studies at Troy University and his students in the classroom. He believes his position as an educator was his calling, but his career as a speaker was coincidental.
“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, and then this happened by accident,” Brooks said. “I put a video up about snow days, and it went viral, and I just continued to put videos up.” Online, he makes YouTube videos about topics teachers may find relatable. Brooks said he tries to find the humor in subjects that are hard to talk about. He hopes this makes it so people are more likely to listen. He wants to ease tension so people are open to his ideas.
Before being known by educators around the world, Brooks was the college roommate of Tatum. Tatum said his commitment to learning how to teach was inspiring. He said the advice Brooks gives on and offstage can be useful for everybody.
“If nothing else, he gave me
perspective (on) this job,” Tatum said. “The President’s job is a 24-hour a day, seven day a week job at times. What I’ve taken to heart is this idea of turning the light switch off on occasion just to be able to rest.”
Sexual assault is a problem we see on campus, however, we don’t see the reports to back up the statistics. We want people to know we as a department are here 24/7 for anyone who needs us.”
AMANDA CULLIN
UNIVERSITY POLICE CHIEF
with his schedule, that’s simply what worked.” Throughout the presentation, Domitrz talks about the importance of consent in all aspects of a relationship, not just sexual ones. Domitrz tells his personal story with someone close to him being sexually assaulted. He also highlights the importance of being a supporter when someone you care about has been assaulted.
All-academic meeting overviews enrollment, academic restructure
Enrollment numbers and an academic restructuring policy were topics of discussion at the University’s Fall 2024 Academic Affairs meeting Aug. 21. Faculty and staff from varying departments around campus were in attendance.
Last year, the fall census showed a record number of students enrolled at Northwest. The University’s enrollment recently hit over 10,000 for the first time in Northwest history, and that headcount was expected once again this semester.
Allison Hoffman, the associate provost of enrollment management and student success, explained to faculty and staff how the census is taken.
“We talk a lot about census, and the census is the twentieth day of class,” Hoffman said at the meeting. “And so those are when our (numbers) are locked in, they become official, and our Institutional Research and Effectiveness team sends out that information on the twentieth day.”
Last year’s first-time freshman enrollment was 1,035 for the fall semester. Hoffman said preliminary freshman enrollment was about 1,030 by Aug. 21, 2024.
She said international student enrollment, especially in graduate programs, has been high the past few years due to post-COVID-19 effects like VISA deferrals and similar impacts. While numbers are still expected to be strong, Hoffman said international student enrollment numbers will probably decrease this year.
“We still have very strong connections, very strong relationships in international enrollment, (we) just won’t see the record high numbers that we’ve seen the last couple of years,” Hoffman said.
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BROOKLYN FARNAN Missourian Reporter | @TheMissourian
Speaker Gerry Brooks discusses his work as a media influencer during a lecture for people working in the education field Sept. 22.
AARON HARE PHOTO EDITOR
Bri Fitzpatrick delivers her “Sex Rules” presentation to the freshman class Aug. 19, 2023. The “Sex Rules” was switched out this year for “Can I Kiss You?” held by Mike Domitrz 12:40 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Lamkin Activity Center.
ALLI DUARTE COPY EDITOR
NW alum Andy Peake releases second album
riety of different hirings and another band called “Big Shoes.”
Northwest alum Andy Peake said “Yes” once in eighth grade, and since then he has been performing and, more recently, producing music. His second original album “Pocket Change” was released Sept. 20.
Throughout his career, Peake worked in multiple bands, stood on stages of many sizes and released one original album. He said his lifelong career began after a conversation he had was overheard in church one day.
“I was in the eighth grade and standing in the aisle at church in Maryville at First Christian Church where my dad was a pastor, Tom Peake,” Peake said. “I was talking to a friend of mine at the church, telling him that I owned a snare drum… the person standing next to me just happened to be the band director at Maryville High School. And he tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘You own a snare drum?’ and I said ‘Yes, I do.’”
After this, Peake said the band director introduced him to the band. Since then, music has been a part of his life.
Peake went to Northwest for two years. While in college, he studied to become a music teacher. Eventually, Peake decided he did not want to dedicate his life to being a teacher and left Northwest to become an independent musician.
“I had an opportunity to move to another city with some other great musicians that I knew,” Peake said. “We decided to form a band and move to Gainesville, Florida.”
Peake was in this band, called “Homer,” for a year and a half. After he was no longer a part “Homer,” he continued his career by looking for ways to make an income while still playing music. This brought him to a va-
In August 2021, Peake released his first album, titled “Mood Swings.” He said he felt qualified enough to make an album of his own and he also simply wanted to make his own music.
“I had been backing up other musicians for years as a drummer, and I knew that I had studied music enough both formally and informally to have an aptitude for melodic and harmonic music, as opposed to just rhythmic music,” Peake said. “And I just thought, ‘You know, I’m getting older in my life. I want to create my own music.’”
Peake said his inspiration for the music he creates comes from the entirety of his life. He said it would be impossible to not take the influence he gained as a listener and enjoyer of music, and not incorporate it into his own creations.
From his life, specifically, Peake said inspiration came from his high school years and seeing both his parents work in the church, as well as other musical influences within his household. He said he absorbed all the types of music people showed him and it all went into creating his album.
“Everything from Broadway plays to rhythm and blues, Ray Charles to jazz music to 1964, the Beatles came out and that became a huge influence on me,” Peake said.
Peake said artists such as The Supremes and Al Green were some of the more prominent inspirations part of the making of his first album.
While thinking about the inspiration for this second album, Peake said living in Nashville in recent years allowed him to include other aspects into the album that have not previously been added. In this album, Peake said he has been able to borrow a couple of
songs from a neighbor of his. He also took inspiration from the social state and political affairs of the country.
For “Pocket Change,” Peake said he was able to feature many of his talents. One of these includes his already showcased percussion abilities. However, Peake exhibited more than just his percussion in this album.
“I got a chance to do some things with my voice, my vocals, that I had not been able to do on the first album,” Peake said.
In preparation for the release of his second album, Peake said he also put a band together that, once released, will perform his new music live at various locations. This band is called “The Peake Pockets.”
Fraternity Sorority Life members talk national hazing prevention
National Hazing Prevention Week is Sept. 22-27 this year. Northwest has an event it holds to spread awareness of hazing. There is a booth on the second
floor of the J.W. Jones Student Union titled These Hands Don’t Haze for the remainder of National Hazing Prevention Week. Hazing is defined by Northwest as “Any action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off chapter prem-
Bass guitarist Paul Ossola will be performing as a part of The Peake Pockets. Not only will Ossola be performing with the band, he also recorded bass guitar on the album. He said has known Peake for about 10 years, working together on and off throughout that time. Ossola said working with Peake again while creating the album allowed him to see a new side of his old friend.
“It was great, it was easy, it was, for me, it was a new side of him,” Ossola said. “I knew that he was good, but I didn’t really know his music and where it came from. Working on his music was great. It was challenging because it was creating something, for me it was on the spot.
He had done it previously so he kind of knew what he wanted but for me it was hearing it for the first time and creating a bass line.”
Ossola said there are always goals to sell the album or find investors in the music but primarily the goal is to perform the music for people and have them enjoy it.
Peake said as his journey with this second album continues, he knows the band he put together is well qualified and he is going to see how far he can get with this new set of music.
“I’m just going to use what I’ve got at this point and see how far I can take it and try to give everyone a good time along the way,” Peake said.
ises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule.”
Missouri laws state hazing sentences those involved with a class A misdemeanor, which can result in up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. This, however, does not apply if the hazing results in substantial risk to a person’s safety, in which case the violator has the potential to be charged with a class D felony. According to the Missouri Sentencing Advisory Commission, this can result in a maximum of seven years in federal prison.
Senior Drew Belden, holds the title of vice president for Phi Sigma Kappa - Epsilon Nu Chapter on campus. He said his organization tries to prevent hazing by paying attention to the way new members feel.
“One thing that we do specifically is try to make our new members feel as equal as we can,” Belden said. “Just making sure they’re included in everything that we do.”
His thoughts on hazing are parroted by the new members who were welcomed home by their chapter on Bid Day Sept. 9th.
Freshman Norah Seeley, ran home to Phi Mu - Zeta Lambda Chapter on Bid Day.
tions, each member shared that they’ve had no experiences with hazing in their organizations since starting at Northwest.
“Right away they make it clear that they don’t support it, and it’s very against what they value in Phi Mu,” Seeley said. “They immediately make us all feel so comfortable and like you could talk to them about anything.”
New member of Alpha Kappa Lambda - Alpha Zeta Chapter freshman Chase Amos, said he feels very comfortable within his organization and that they do a good job of protecting him and defending the chapter’s values.
Although none are from the same chapters or organiza-
There are ways to help prevent hazing and its outcomes, according to the Hazing Prevention Network. This includes wearing purple to show off support for the cause. The Hazing Prevention Network also promotes webinars and other resources that teach about hazing and its ramifications.
Fundraising events are also available to attend and/or donate to. Since 2014, Alpha Delta Pi, the Theta Alpha chapter located at Northwest, as a nation-
al organization has hosted campaigns countrywide, such as the Stop the Hazing campaign. The Stop the Hazing campaign is held at campuses across the nation. It is supported by multiple fraternities and sororities across the nation who donate and hold events to spread awareness. One event is These Hands Don’t Haze, which has been held here on campus in previous years, according to the Alpha Delta Pi - Theta Alpha Chapter website. For any students who may need this resource, the National Hazing Hotline is 1-888-NOTHAZE (1-888-668-4293).
ZOEY SMITH Missourian Reporter | @TheMissourian
Northwest alumn and independent musician Andy Peake performs on a drum set during a performance. Peake’s new album titled “Pocket Change” will include his own percussion and vocals.
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ANNA BAILEY Asst. News Editor | @AmBailey1
Management group shares options for off campus living, student needs
Maryville offers off-campus housing options that range from one-bedroom apartments to houses holding five or more people. Nathan Little, vice president of Guardian Property Management LLC, said there has been a steady number of students who look for off campus housing options in Maryville.
Guardian Property Management manages over 320 units in and around Maryville, according to its website. Little said every tenant who is looking for a place to live is unique, but if they are students, there are a couple of items they usually look for.
“We have Bearcat Village, which is right next to campus, and we have a lot of amazing tenants who are there for, well one year clear to three or four years while they're in school, and what they seem to be looking for is, they wanted to be off campus and yet close enough to where they could walk,” Little said. “They wanted a safe environment.”
Keeping these in mind, junior elementary and special education major Meagan Moreland said she and her roommates were looking for a home with enough space to comfortably fit all of them. Moreland said looking for a home was an overall positive experience.
Moreland said some people may think staying involved with the campus when moving off of it becomes harder. She said as long as people get involved with organizations, it is just as easy to stay connected on campus.
“If you didn’t have a lot of like connections or you were not as involved… it could be a little bit harder to know all those activities,” Moreland said. “You know when you come home you kind of shut out that campus life and get your homework done, but I think
that if you stay involved and have those connections on campus then you move off campus that it’s gonna be just as fun.”
This is Moreland's first semester living off campus and she said it has been an amazing experience so far. She said living off campus has allowed her to not only stay involved with campus, but also involve herself within the Maryville community.
“It’s been really fun this summer just get to kind of explore Maryville more, get to know more of the locals and more of the local gems that we didn’t know existed or didn’t necessarily take the time to explore while we were living on campus, so it’s been really fun to kind of invite that Maryville community into our life more then we previously had living on campus,” Moreland said.
While looking for her home, Moreland said Maryville has plenty of good options for housing off campus. Little said when Guardian Property Management takes on a new building, they go through quarterly inspections to make sure everything in the building is working properly.
While doing these inspections, the team at Guardian Property Management make sure all the locks are working, all windows are secure and all the lights are working. The team also walks across every floor and makes sure there is no flooding within the building.
“Things along those lines, those are the kind of things that we're looking at to make sure that me, personally, I want my son to be able to live,” Little said. “Yeah, like I said, I'll repeat it one more time. I want to take over rentals that my family could live in, that I would feel comfortable putting my family in.”
Moreland said her experience has been exciting. While Moreland will only be living in her house off campus for one year, she said if it were not for her major she could see herself in this house for multiple years. Her roommates are all planning to live in the home for the rest of their time at Northwest.
Creating a home and adding her own personal touches to the house has been a process that Moreland said she has also enjoyed. She said although the house is old, it has a lot of character.
“We’ve had no issues and honestly some of the older details like the crown molding in the house and stuff really give it a lot of character,” Moreland said. “We absolutely love it and have had no issues with our house so far, it’s been great.”
Residential Life surveys reflect campus dorm preferences, housing trends
DAKOTA OSWALT News Editor | @doswalt_NWMSRN
There are five on-campus housing options Northwest provides for both freshman and upperclassmen.
In spring 2024, students were informed Dieterich Hall would no longer be an option for housing, being replaced with Millikan Hall. Rose Viau, the assistant vice president of student affairs for residential and auxiliary services, said this was because Millikan Hall was in better shape than Dieterich Hall, despite both buildings being constructed at the same time.
One reason northwest decides to tear down residential halls is a building’s ranking on an industry standard Facility Conditions Index. In September 2022, Hudson-Perrin Halls were ranked at 10% and in fair condition, while Dieterich and Millikan Halls both sit at 78% and 65%, respectively, and in critical condition.
Also in September 2022, the Residential Facility Plan outlined over $8 million for every residential hall to either receive renovations or be demolished. Despite Dieterich Hall and Millikan Hall scoring the poorest on the Federal Conditions Index, no plans were put in place for either of them.
Renovations are made based on student feedback. One way this is analyzed is through surveys Residential Life sends students each semester. Two years ago, students said they wanted to see more apartment-style options. Now, Viau said it’s mostly just upperclassmen who want private space in dorm rooms.
“When we asked students about it, they wanted that community living and they wanted that experience…they did not want a private room,” Viau said. “Now, as soon as the student gets a little bit older and really gets that, that’s where we start seeing more requests for that private space or, you know, something a little bit more, it's their own space.”
Viau said freshmen are not allowed to live in the apartment dorms for intentional reasons. She said there’s a sense of community when there are centralized places. It makes it so students have to leave their rooms to complete everyday activities.
When designing residence halls in the future, Viau said trends in student housing will be taken into consideration. However, the buildings also have to be able to adapt to future popular styles.
“We will look into that when we are able to start building and things, we'll take a look at what the trends are at that time,” Viau said. “And we really want space that can be flexible, we don't want to be stuck into one specific design as trends change, and then you can kind of use spaces for multi uses. And that would be really where our goal would be.”
Viau said Residential Life usually gets positive feedback on the housing options offered. However, Viau said only about 33-38% of returning students come back to live on campus. Viau said this is higher than other universities, which typically house about 18-20% of upperclassmen. Viau said at Northwest, four semesters living on campus is the optimal number of semesters for any student to have the highest grade-point averages. This is because living off campus can cause students to adjust to a new work-life balance. Campus interactions are another way Viau said living on campus can impact student life.
Max Ferris is a second-year student who lives in Franken Hall. He said his favorite part about living there is that there’s always somebody there to talk to, but he thinks all housing options offer unique assets. Ferris said his peers’ opinions on the housing options at Northwest are usually based on personal preference.
While there are rules to living on campus, Ferris said he likes the structure of it, and having established boundaries.
“I feel like if you're living on campus, you're more closer to resources and you’re always getting reminded constantly of what resources are on campus,” Ferris said. “So I think living on campus just brings more of that resources to you, instead of you having to go find them.”
When it comes to accessibility, Ferris, who is legally blind, said the accommodation office is always willing to make arrangements for students with various disabilities. Freshman Kylee Bell also lives in Franken Hall. She said students will always get a good dorm no matter what at Northwest.
“I know all the dorms are different, and some are better than others,” Bell said. “But no matter what dorm you get, it's always going to be good, because I think they keep it pretty clean, all the dorms really. And I just think that there's a lot of options that you can choose from.”
While Bell said she enjoys living in a singular room with her roommate, she also said she would like more privacy.
Bell said she doesn’t think it’s the dorm options itself that have an impact on the overall on-campus experience, but rather the people who are in it with you.
She said people can make the place they live their own, while also having a community of people to interact with.
“Living in the dorms is such a unique experience, and you get to meet so many great people from different ethnicities, groups, social standards, anything like that,” Bell said. “You meet so many different people, and it's such a great experience, really.”
ANNA BAILEY Asst. News Editor | @AmBailey1
South Complex Resident Assistant Azure Radford hands a packet of housing information to an incoming freshman during Freshmen Move-in Day Aug. 22.
AARON HARE PHOTO EDITOR
CRIME LOG
for the week of Sept.
26
Northwest Missouri State University Police Department
Sept. 14
There is a closed investigation for a liquor violation in Parking Lot 20.
There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation in Tower Suites East.
Sept. 13
There is a closed investigation for property damage in Everett W. Brown Education Hall.
There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in Colden Hall.
Sept. 11
There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in South Complex.
Sept. 10
There is an open investigation for harassment in Franken Hall.
Maryville Department of Public Safety
Sept. 19
There was an accident between Timothy R. Westfall, 57, and Cody B. Cline, 21, on East Fourth Street and North Depot Street. Westfall was charged with failure to maintain the right half of the roadway and failure to maintain financial responsibility.
There was an accident between Addie M. Clay, 18, and James W. Eiswert, 73, on East Third Street and North Davis Street. There was an accident between Bradley S. Shain 39, and Lanee J. Harmsen, 20, on the 1700 block of East First Street.
Sept. 18
There was a summons issued to Diane G. Jones, 60, for driving while suspended and speeding on the 2900 block of South Main Street.
There was a summons issued to Richard L. Russell, 35, for no valid driver’s license on the 1500 block of North College Drive.
There is an ongoing investigation for larceny from a motor vehicle on the 400 block of West Fourth Street.
Sept. 17
There was a summons issued to Brooklyn P. Ellis, 22, for failure to obey a school bus stop sign on the 200 block of West Sixteenth Street.
There is a warrant out for the arrest of Harold Garcia, 27, for failure to appear on the 400 block of North Vine Street.
Sept. 16
There was an accident between Charles L. Allen, 67, and Daniella R. Bratcher, 35, on the 2900 block of Fountain Parkway.
There was an accident between Miler Poynter, 16, and Alaina B. Thompson, 20, on the 100 block of East South Avenue.
Sept. 15
There is an ongoing investigation for a domestic disturbance on the 300 block of West First Street.
There was a summons issued to Landin D. Katzer, 20, for minor in possession and possession of a fake ID on the 100 block of East Third Street.
Sept. 14
There was an accident between Cole E. Findling 20, and Linda L. Richardson 75, on East Fourth Street and North Laura Street. Findling was charged with careless and imprudent driving. There is an ongoing investigation for a domestic disturbance on the 100 block of South Buchanan Street.
There was a summons issued to Daniel E. Ahrens 50, for driving while suspended on the 100 block of South Dewey Street. There was a summons issued to Jaylend A. Caldwell, 19, for driving while intoxicated, minor in possession and possession of a fake ID on the 400 block of North College Drive.
There was a summons issued to Ethan J. Hunder for disorderly conduct and minor in possession on the 400 block of North Mulberry Street. There is an ongoing investigation for stealing by deceit on the 1000 block of South Main Street.
Esports hosts its open house, meets potential new members
Esports — electronic sports — recently had its open house event working with Residential Life Sept. 11. This event was meant for potential new members to come and play a few games and get to know the Esports organization.
The club’s president junior Trey Duncan shed some light on how this organization came to be. The Esports lab is located on the third floor of the J.W. Jones Student Union.
“It was started the year before COVID, so 2019, and it was originally called the Fighting Games Club, so it was just people that played Super Smash Bros.,” Duncan said. “It grew from that and in either 2021 or 2020 they opened the lab, which can give people a place to go, but it just started with six not very good computers. Last year we got 10 new computers that are top-of-the-line.”
Since its beginning, Esports has thrived under the eye of Andrew Murphy, as its coordinator and coach. Murphy said he has high hopes for the organization’s future. He said he hopes it will become an integral part of the campus and academics.
Murphy said he wishes Esports could one day be used to further develop the courses students already have to take to complete their degrees. He said his goal is that there will not only be courses on esports content and management, but also internships and resume-building opportunities.
“We do marketing and media, so they can learn how to apply what they’re doing with their major into Esports,
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Something else affecting enrollment numbers nationwide —not just at Northwest —is the changes made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Some changes to FAFSA have caused issues for both students and universities.
Hoffman said the financial aid team has seen these issues, one of which includes students not being able to apply for federal aid if their parents are without a Social Security number. The financial aid team has been working hard to overcome the issues, but also said the new simplified FAFSA is anything but simple.
“We feel really good about where we are within the challenges that we’ve had this semester with the types of students that we enroll on our campus,” Hoffman said. “And so we are seeing the impact of that, but every institution in the nation is feeling the impacts of this.”
Finally, Hoffman said Northwest has had record-high graduation rates compared to previous years. She said those large graduating classes, paired with smaller freshman classes, impacts the overall undergraduate enrollment numbers.
Graduation rates are at an all-time high by over 3%, going from the previous record of 54.4% to this year’s 57.5%. Hoffman said emphasizing student enrollment retention is important.
Provost Jamie Hooyman then took the stage to explain how enrollment can also affect academic aspects of the University. She said there will be an academic restructure at Northwest, and that she hopes it will be approved by the Board of Regents and set in place by fall 2025. An academic restructure is a reassessment of the way the education system is organized.
Hooyman said the academic restructure will focus on how the University can better serve the students. She said faculty helps with a big part of this aspect, but the load shouldn’t fall on them alone.
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Tatum said Brooks doesn’t use a script, and he finds this inspiring as well. Tatum said he has seen Brooks go from having a conversation with him backstage, and then when Brooks receives his cue, he walks on stage and starts talking. Tatum said he never knows what Brooks will say, but he knows it will be good.
Brooks’s audience of educators agree that his content is enjoyable.
Jamie Casteel, a technology teacher at St. Gregory Barbarigo Cath-
whether that means Esports branding or running our social media,” Murphy said. “ We have a group of students that help us run our social media. We also have another side called live streaming and production, live streaming is such a huge aspect of Esports and gaming, whether that’s like Twitch, TV or YouTube or any of those, it’s something everyone in the Esports industry knows of.”
Murphy also said there could be an entirely new major or minor dedicated to Esports, especially with how Esports has blown up in popularity and profit in the past few years.
Murphy referenced a book in the meeting called “100 Jobs in Esports”, which he believes is a good representation of the opportunities that could be given to students if they had a course that taught them about the jobs and opportunities that exist.
“On the competitive side, we have coaches, on the business side, we have managers — that could be an Esports major or minor,” Murphy said. “An Esports management degree, I just think we are going to work towards what students find the most popular here and what could give them a really good chance at the job they want to get.”
There were many opportunities Murphy discusses, as a way of expanding the Esports organization, however, as it stands now, these have not been brought into existence. In the meantime, the esports organization is looking for new members.
Duncan said the Esports Lab is open for anyone from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Monday nights are reserved for board games, and Thursday nights are reserved for Fighting Game Club. There are multiple options for everyone on campus.
ENROLLMENT STATISTICS
“Hopefully, what it (academic restructure) allows them (faculty) to do is take more time mentoring their students; professional based experiences, research, internship, all those kind of things that they do every day,” Hooyman said at the meeting. “But that’s some of the things we’ll be looking at this year.”
olic School, said she can tell what Brooks says comes from experience. She said what he says feels genuine and relatable.
“It’s very clear that he’s very active within his building, and he’s very realistic about where his teachers are,” Casteel said.
Casteel also said Brooks’s presentation reminds her that each child is still a child. She said, especially with a job like hers, where she deals with grades from kindergarten to eighth grade, she can forget the eighth graders are children too.
Brooks said in his presentation no matter what grade level
you educate at, the people you educate are still someone’s baby. This is just one of the many points he discussed. Brooks put a lot of emphasis on loving children where they are at.
He said teaching is a passion profession. Brooks said in a passion profession you are going to end up carrying someone else when they need it. He said this is important to do because one day you may need it too. He believes it is the job of the individual to engage and create the climate you want to be in.
“The most important thing you can give to a child is their
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There are 433,648 people over the age of 12 who are sexually assaulted each year, according to The Sexual Assault Victims Advocacy Center in a 2021 study. Sexual assault has become an increasing issue on college campuses, according to the American Psychological Association.
“Sexual assault is a problem we see on campus,” Cullin said. “However, we don’t see the reports to back up the statistics. We want people to know we as a department are here 24/7 for anyone who needs us.”
More than 90% of on campus sexual assaults go unreported, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. This isn’t the first time concerns have been raised about the consent event that Northwest holds every year. Last year, Northwest hosted the program “Sex Rules” — a change in itself, as “Can I Kiss You?” had been the program hosted for years prior.
“Sex Rules” was changed due to public backlash. Students made the point that the presentation made light of serious situations. While the speaker continued to make generalized sex jokes and bring people from the audience to play games while attempting to teach about consent. “Sex Rules” reactions were split because some students felt the presentation went over better due to the speaker being a woman. A comment on an Instagram post voiced concerns about the program as well as the college following the presentation last year.
“This was the worst presentation yet,” the commenter said. “Do you realize how many people are now reliving their worst nightmares? Their trauma and pain unveiled for sh**s and giggles. There needs to be an apology of some sort. You did some real damage Northwest, and your reputation will and has been affected by this.”
INFOGRAPHIC BY VAL CARVAJAL DESIGN EDITOR
ZOEY SMITH News Reporter | @TheMissourian
Northwest freshmen Mading Majuec, Dionte Harris II and Christopher Darkis JR compete against each other in a video game during the Esports Open House, held in collaboration with Residential Life Sept. 11.
AKASH THANNEERU PHOTOGRAPHER
Students need to network, take risks
There are so many ways to progress your career and prepare for your future, including going to job fairs and being a part of organizations on campus. One of the best ways to put yourself out there is to network and make social contacts.
Networking is so important, especially for college students. Many jobs require at least a couple of years of experience, even for starting positions. When you build a network, you can make your time looking for positions easier, without these time frames.
Your network doesn’t only include professional connections. Everyone you meet on campus can be a networking opportunity. You never know when someone can put in a good word for you or even have an offer you might be interested in.
Build a LinkedIn account and make sure to set it up completely. Employers will have the opportunity to reach out to you, and if your account looks unfinished, they won’t.
Connect with anyone you can, most of our professors here at Northwest are more than willing to connect with their students on LinkedIn. Connect with people in your desired field and see what they are posting or working on. It can be a great baseline for yourself and your goals.
I message people on LinkedIn if I think they can give me good advice. Do they respond all the time? No, of course not, but I still am giving myself the possibility to network with someone else.
Post your different achievements. LinkedIn is a place to hype yourself up and make sure potential employers know who you are and what you have done. If you are proud of something, why wouldn’t you want to share that?
LinkedIn is a forgotten tool for younger generations, but it is still helpful when looking to connect with others, when looking for a job and when looking for professional advice in general.
Build up all of your social media. We live in a time where a lot of employers want to see what you’re posting, and a lot of us use our social media accounts as professional or promotional accounts anyway.
Follow people on your social media accounts who are in similar positions as you or as you want to be. I know that can be daunting and feel weird at first, but I promise no one cares that much. Even if they do, who cares? You shouldn’t.
The last thing I’ll recommend is to use the resources Northwest offers us. We have a ton of different opportunities to get involved on campus and to network. Mock Interview Days and Career Day are just a couple of events Northwest gives students the opportunity to network at. If your academic department is holding some sort of information session, go to it. The worst that can happen is you just get some information you might not have known. I will always advocate for networking and making yourself known. So, build your network. You never know what you’re going to get out of it.
Spreading fake news only causes divide, do research
We’ve seen it before and we’ll continue to see it. Stereotypes and fake news continue to marginalize groups and give rampant racism a platform. We saw it after 9/11 with practicing Muslims and anyone who looks middle-eastern, we saw it during and after COVID with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and now we’re seeing it again because of the recent presidential debate.
Haitian children and teenagers are scared to go to school. Springfield, Ohio has received bomb threats against its schools and government buildings, shutting down the whole town, after former President Donald Trump claimed Haitian people in the city were abducting and eating cats and dogs.
Trump said, “They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” Both the mayor of Springfield and the governor of Ohio said this is not true.
This is a harmful rhetoric against immigrants and cannot continue. Just because a terrorist group identifies with a religion, doesn’t mean everyone in that religion is a terrorist. Just because a disease started in an Asian country — thousands of miles away — doesn’t mean everyone living here who you assume has Asian her-
BROCK ENDORF Sophomore English Education
itage is in some form responsible for the pandemic. Just because Trump makes a claim on a large public platform, doesn’t mean Haitian people are eating cats and dogs.
Right now, there’s a lot of false news, especially because of the elections. Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stated misleading information in the presidential debates. The Editorial Board encourages you to do your own research and look into trusted sources to get your information. Following someone blindly isn’t going to help anyone — including yourself.
False information has become a pandemic of its own in the world. An alarming amount of people state they get their news from TikTok — 39% of people under 30 years old. You cannot trust a random person on an app meant for entertainment to provide real news and factual information.
It is extremely important to be politically aware and inform yourself. Being naive to the state of the country and blindly trusting what you hear on the internet is harmful and an extremely privileged way of living. There are people who are scared for their lives because of the political state right now and spreading misinformation is only making it worse.
The jokes being made out of the presidential debate are not helping either. There is mostly no intent to harm someone by making these jokes about eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio, but this is a serious problem. We are so clearly desensitized, so much so that everything turns into a joke, while children can’t even go to school. This is real — not a joke — and we can’t keep treating it as such. We’ve all heard it before, “Don’t trust everything you read on the internet.” It’s time to take a step back and remember that. We live in a world where everything is online and at our fingertips, but that means lies are easier to spread; and no, not everyone has your best interest in mind when posting. As we head into election season, do your research, and be an informed citizen. Spreading hate and misinformation is just going to continue to divide this country.
TRUSTED NEWS SOURCES
Where do you get your news from? “I get my news from online newspaper sources. I’m a social studies student, so a lot of my news is from in class as well.”
THE STROLLER:
“I get my news from either Twitter or notifications from Yahoo News. It’s very interesting sources, but that’s where I get my news.”
“I would say most of it is from Twitter, or just things you hear around then research on your own to learn more about it.”
Your Bearcat hates the Northwest 2028 story
Dear freshmen Bearcats, Please stop posting your personal TikToks on the Northwest 2028 community Snapchat story. Sincerely, the rest of us. But seriously — this needs to stop. Snapchat created high school and college community stories as a way for students to make new friends. Most of us here at Northwest use this story to ask each other questions or to advertise campus and community
events. People even use the story to tell others about lost items they may have found while walking, or warn other students about various things, like weather or walking conditions. This is not a story to post your personal TikTok dances. Maybe try posting those using Snapchat’s Spotlight feature instead, which functions similarly to TikTok. Nearly every day for the past few weeks, I have had the unpleasant experience of wak-
ing up and seeing yet another personal post on the Northwest 2028 story. None of the other class levels seem to have this issue. Even last year’s freshman class never did this, and that’s saying something. Honestly, using the college community stories on Snapchat as a way to boost your own social media status should be considered abuse of the story, and I think it should result in you being kicked out of the group en-
NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN
tirely. But, unfortunately, I can’t make those decisions. And, you might think I’m just calling out one person or one group of people, but that’s entirely untrue. I have seen literally every single freshman post personal content on this story. Some post rather frequently, and I simply don’t want to see it.
OUR VIEW:
ANNA CASE CARTOONIST
The Stroller has been a tradition since 1918 and does not reflect the views of the Northwest Missourian.
HANNAH CLAYWELL Managing Editor @Hannah_9504
WEEK IN SPORTS
NW FB
vs. Emporia State
1:35 p.m. Sept. 28
Bearcat Stadium
NW MEN’S TENNIS
@ ITA Regional Tournament Sept. 27-29
Topeka, Kansas
NW SOCCER
vs. Northeastern State
1 p.m. Sept. 29
Bearcat Arena
6 p.m. Sept. 27
Bearcat Arena
vs. Emporia State
6 p.m. Sept. 28 Bearcat Arena
MHS BOYS SOCCER vs. Washburn
vs. Cameron
5 p.m. Sept. 26
Cameron High School
vs. Bishop LeBlond
5 p.m. Oct. 3
Bishop LeBlond High School
MHS FB
vs. Cameron
7 p.m. Sept. 27
Cameron High School
MHS VB
vs. Cameron
6 p.m. Sept. 26
Cameron High School
vs. TBA
9 a.m. Sept. 28 Hy-Vee Arena
vs. Lafayette Fighting Irish
7 p.m. Sept. 30
Lafayette Senior High School
vs. Savannah
7 p.m. Oct. 3
Maryville High School
Cross country claims title
TREY HOUCHIN Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports
Northwest men’s cross country finished at the top of the leaderboard for the first time this season, beating out 14 other teams in the Roy Griak Invitational Sept. 20 at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.
The men’s team claimed the Maroon 8K title with three runners finishing in the top four — senior Grant Bradley, and juniors Nate Mueller and Drew Atkins. The three athletes paved the way for a first-place win for the Bearcats with a two-three-four finish in the race. Bradley said the execution from himself and his team was what he was most proud of in the victory.
“I think we were looking to come in and just win,” Bradley said. “Whoever was the first of our guys across the line and whoever followed behind, the goal was to win. We almost exceeded that by winning by over 50 points, so we’re all really pleased with it.”
Northwest won the race with 36 points, the next closest team was
Michigan Tech with 91. Junior Tyler Blay just missed the top ten, finishing in 11th. With senior Brandon Mundorf finishing in 16th and sophomore Grayson Tapp finishing in 19th, the Bearcats concluded the race with six runners inside the top 20.
Coach Wick Cunningham said he was most proud of the way his team competed and executed in Minnesota.
“All we’re focused on is the team results and not necessarily the individual aspect,” Cunningham said. “I thought the execution on both the men’s and women’s side was fantastic, and we went out there and put ourselves in the position we needed to and executed the race.”
The women’s cross country team finished in fourth place for the Maroon 6K, with four runners finishing inside the top 30 — junior Lydia McGlocklin, senior Alyna Thibault, sophomore Mayson Hartley and freshman Reagan McGuire. McGlocklin and Thibault paved the way for Northwest finishing in 13th and 16th. Hartley and McGuire concluded the race back-toback in 27th and 28th.
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“They’re well coached,” Giagiari said. “They got three down lineman, they’re dropping eight. We’re going to take what they give us. If they want to do that, we’ll run the ball. If they want to load the box, we’ll pass the ball. That’s really the game plan for us.”
The Bearcats are currently standing at No. 1 in the MIAA conference and No. 6 for their third-down conversions. In the first two wins of the season, the Bearcats went 10-of-16 on third downs against Fort Hays State, and 12-of-16 against Missouri Southern. Northwest is the only MIAA school converting better than 50% of its third-down chances this season.
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“There’s really no team competition (in the exhibition matches), it’s more individual,” Rosewell said. “Now, you can look and see what all the rest of the teams have and so forth, basically, kind of see where you’re at going into the spring.”
Northwest will head back to Topeka Sept. 27 after concluding its final friendly matches of the fall season Sept. 14 at the Washburn
“We’re a really unselfish group,” Giagiari said. “We got a chip on our shoulder. We want to bring it every game. We believe we can create big explosives in every game we play, and we want to help this offense win games.”
Giagiari played all 11 games last season. He also had 19 receptions and 271 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a career high against Emporia State, with five passes and 59 yards.
“As an offense, we want to take the pressure off the defense, especially in this game,” Giagiari said. “If we can hold the ball longer, keep more possession longer, we can give that defense fresh legs to get in there get more three and outs.”
The ‘Cats are set to kickoff at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 at Bearcat Stadium.
Invite. Mascitti said going back to the same place where the previous event was held is a competitive advantage for him and his team.
“From the spring, playing different places every week, it’s tough,” Mascitti said. “So, having that psychological edge of playing on those courts just last week makes a massive difference. It’s only two hours away as well, so that’s also a big benefit for us that we’re not on the road for too long.”
Mascitti said the two week preparation before the ITA Regional Tournament will be a
huge advantage for him and his team as they move forward and prepare for the bigger stage.
“Compared to the spring, where everything’s back to back to back, that’s very tough,” Mascitti said.
“But a two-week break means you can go in fresh, you can take a few days off, recover and then build up properly, mentally and physically. Everyone’s different, so it really allows everyone to do whatever they need to, and know their body and what they need to do best to perform. That’s why having a little bit of a longer break is really good.”
SOCCER
The men’s team competed in consecutive invites as they headed to the Woody Greeno/Jay Dirksen Invitational Sept. 21 in Lincoln, Nebraska, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Wesleyan University at Mahoney Golf Course. Northwest finished in 18th place out of 26 teams, with freshman Owen Wise leading the way in 99th. The competition in Nebraska consisted of 11 teams, each nationally ranked in their respective divisions.
The Bearcats next competition will be the Griffon Invite Oct. 5 in St. Joseph at the Missouri Western Cross Country Course. Cunningham said he is excited to see what the men’s and women’s teams have in store as the season continues.
“Huge meet, the team was going there trying to do some big stuff and it’s nice when it all comes together,” Cunningham said. “It’s just something we can build off the rest of the year. We got to keep looking forward because when we get to November and the big meets, no one is gonna ask us what we did in September. We can’t hang our hats on this performance and get content.”
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The Bearcats finished off a long stretch of away games with a match against Augustana University Sept. 18. A 35-yard free kick strike in the 70th minute from senior defender Emily Yakle for her first collegiate goal gave the Bearcats the 1-0 lead late, but they managed to hold it for the remainder of the contest to come out of South Dakota with a victory.
The first half ended scoreless, with both teams struggling to convert chances. Northwest had four attempts but none on target, while Augustana had six shots, three of which were on goal. Junior goalkeeper Lily Ellis made three saves to keep the game tied. Northwest’s strong defense secured its second shutout of the season.
Gordon said the playing surface wasn’t the best, but his team stayed determined and finished the match strong.
“Playing on a grass field, the game plays a little bit differently on the natural surface than the turf,” Gordon said. “It is a soft surface. It’s almost like running on the beach, so in order for us to be successful, we had to let the ball do the work.”
Gordon said the goal was created tactically and scored spectacularly.
“I think you know the set piece was set up on a really smart play to draw the foul,” Gordon said. “I had a gut feeling and asked Emily earlier in the game to take another free kick. It was, you know, 3640 yards out and she put it in a place where the goalkeeper struggled to get to it. From there I felt like we just managed the game, still played the game of course, but didn’t put ourselves in high risk situations, so we’re happy to get that win.”
Northwest women’s cross country junior Lou Maquaire, seniors Alyna Thibault and Taylor McCreedy and junior Lydia McGlocklin run laps around the track at practice Sept 17. The team placed third at the Platte River Rumble “Gold” meet Sept. 6.
LANEY PACE MISSOURIAN PHOTOGRAPHER
Northwest football redshirt freshman defensive back Holden Zigmant and junior linebacker Carter Edwards converge on a Fort Hays wide receiver to tackle him out of bounds Sept 14.
NATHAN VANDRUFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Volleyball team welcomes Austrian player
RAIEA SALERNO News Reporter | @Raiea_Salerno
Athletes position themselves to claim the volleyball as the crowd cheers from behind. The sounds and positivity rise from the stadium, allowing the players to form a community on the court.
However, outside the court, Bearcat volleyball outside hitter freshman Maja Noehrer has felt a little bit more lonely. Since leaving Austria to study applied health science at Northwest, Noehrer said she has been feeling homesick.
Originally from the municipality of Hausmannstätten, Noehrer said she strives to pursue her volleyball career despite her homesickness. Her brother and mother were also volleyball players, so she grew up being involved in the sport. She eventually decided to attend Northwest and continue playing in order to pursue a more professional career in volleyball.
However, Noehrer said does miss Austria. Staying busy and making friends has helped, but Noehrer can’t help but miss her friends and family back in her home country. While she loves her volleyball team at Northwest, she also loves her team in Austria.
“I was in a couple of teams, but some of them were kind of my best friends,” Noehrer said. “I also know that I don’t lose them as my friends. I’m just happy to make new friends here and new connections.”
Northwest was only one of the colleges she considered for study abroad before she transferred from the University of Graz in Austria. With all of the options available to her, Noehrer said she chose Northwest because of head coach Amy Woerth, as well as the community at Northwest. She said it was the right choice and she’s glad she chose to attend Northwest.
“Northwest was one of my favorites from the moment on because I was just feeling really comfortable with my coach, Amy (Woerth),” Noehrer said. “There were other schools, but I was really hoping to come here.”
Like many other international students, Noehrer said she experienced culture shock coming from her home country to the United States. For her, this includes how important sports are in the United States compared to in Austria. She said sports are more of a hobby back home. In comparison, the United States values sports in collegiate levels much more than many other countries, according to College Sports America.
Noehrer said she can train more often and improve on her skills in a more professional setting compared to the Uni-
versity of Graz due to the lack of training in Austria.
“I kind of expected the practice and the volleyball things to be kind of exactly how they were,” Noehrer said. “It was a big focus on, like, weightlifting at the beginning of the season, like preseason,
which I was really excited for. I was really excited to improve my strength.”
She said playing in a team is something she loves about volleyball and she appreciates the importance of teamwork at Northwest.
Her interactions with her volleyball
team, the students and the teachers at the University helped her find a sense of community at Northwest. Noehrer said the community and interaction has helped her overcome homesickness. She loves both her Northwest and University of Graz teams, and said she appreciates the efforts her team and coach make to hep her feel accepted.
“
My teammates are the best. They’re so friendly, and they make me feel so welcome from the first day on.”
MAJA NOEHRER
“My teammates are the best,” Noehrer said. “They’re so friendly, and they make me feel so welcome from the first day on.” She said she can’t wait to visit her family and friends in Austria during school breaks. Noehrer said she wishes to continue her volleyball career and wants to bring her experiences at Northwest back to Austria.
Noehrer said she has learned a lot so far and feels her academic and athletic progress is taken seriously by her supervisors.
“They’re just really understanding, and it feels like they care about us,” Noehrer said. “They really just want us to learn something.”
Noehrer said she wants to remember both her cultural and academic experiences at Northwest in a positive way. She said international students should be prepared for homesickness before leaving their country to study abroad. She suggests they also think back on their study abroad experiences positively, even if some things might have been negative.
“Be prepared to feel homesick and to be not OK sometimes,” Noehrer said. “It’s just a once in a lifetime experience. And it’s like a great opportunity to learn new things about another culture. So just go for it and take all the experiences with you in a positive way.”
Boy’s soccer to hit the road again, work on scoring
Maryville High School boys soccer hosted its second-consecutive home game at 5 p.m. Sept. 25 against Midland Empire Conference (MEC) opponent Savannah High School.
Head coach Matt Stoecklein said he is eager to get the most out of these conference matchups.
“The guys will be ready for this one,” Stoecklein said. “You know the rivalry there between us and Savannah, how much they dislike us. So it’s always
good to go into it the best you possibly can and to win by as much as possible.”
Maryville has been historically dominant thus far, but will look to keep its foot on the gas this season.
Coach Stoecklein provided insight into the rivalry and how the frustration of the Savages, as well as his team’s success, are common occurrences when these teams go head-to-head.
“I mean, if they (Savannah) were to beat Maryville, it’d be huge,” Stoecklein said. “Now, in some sports they can, but in most sports, we usually have
won over the years, time and time again.”
Following the Savannah match-up, Maryville will hit the road once again for double MEC opponent games. First is Cameron High School at 5 p.m. Sept. 26 in Cameron, Missouri, and a couple of days later the team will pay a visit to Bishop LeBlond in St. Joseph at 5 p.m. Oct. 3. Both games are important for the ‘Hounds as they aim for a better conference performance this year. Last season, they missed the MEC conference by one game, so every match matters.
Stoecklein said he is ready to take a big step in the conference race early on.
“We’re looking to go 3-0 in these upcoming games in conference,” Stoecklein said. “So that’s the start. You know, I mean, last year, we came up one game short in conference. So we would like to, you know, try to, you know, beat St. Pius, that’s gonna be the team that’s gonna be the toughest to beat, maybe Benton too.”
Following four losses and a tie, Stoecklein’s team returned to its winning ways Sept. 17 versus MEC foe Chillicothe by a scoreline of 8-0. With Maryville only scoring two goals in its last eight matches, finding success hitting the back of the net eight times against a lower opponent is important.
Stoecklein said he was pleased with the result but there’s no room to become complacent, as there is a long season ahead to reach their goal.
“It was great that we scored eight goals, but unfortunately, the opponents we played early on were a lot more solid,” Stoecklein said. “Chillicothe graduated so many seniors (18) in the last two years. So what we need to work on is getting the goals scored against those other teams, because that’s how we’re
going to win districts. That’s how we move on.”
The Spoofhounds now have a key piece in the heart of the team. Senior midfielder captain Anmol Prabhakar missed the first six games due to an aggravated foot, after twisting it prior to the first game.
Prabhakar said he is glad to be back on the field with his team.
“I think I’m one of the key players in the middle,” Prabhakar said. “For the games I was gone we still did a pretty good job, considering we weren’t used to the formation, but if we had more practice, and if maybe I was there helping out, I feel like we could have moved the ball around and had a better shot at the top of those tournaments.”
LANDON CLOUSE Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports
Lunging toward the ball, Northwest volleyball freshman outside hitter Maja Noehrer prepares for a bump during practice Sept. 11. Noehrer’s influence to play volleyball came from her brother and mother.
AARON HARE PHOTO EDITOR
Maryville boys soccer then-senior striker Lane Hazen pushes the ball up the pitch during a match against Savannah Oct. 16, 2023. FILE
Regionals approach for men’s tennis, test strengths
With two weeks until the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division II Men’s Central Regional Championships, the competition is heating up for Northwest men’s tennis. The tournament, Sept. 2729, will take the Bearcats back to Topeka, Kansas.
The ITA Division II Men’s Central Regional Championships consists of a series of singles and doubles matches between some of the top men’s tennis players in Junior and Community Colleges and Division II and III. For Northwest, this event allows its players to represent its school and shoot for regional, potentially national, rankings in singles and doubles early in the year before the spring season.
SHUT DOWN
Bearcats claim big win, talk trying new tactics next game
OLIVIA WALLACE
The Bearcat football team is set to play the undefeated No. 11 Emporia State Hornets during Family Weekend Saturday, Sept. 28.
Coming off of the 59-0 win against the Missouri Southern Lions, head coach Rich Wright has recently changed some plays for the upcoming game.
“We wanted to start fast on both sides of the ball,” Wright said. “We accomplished that. We went three and out in our first series defensively and went down the field and scored. We just continued to play and push on both sides of the football.”
In the first quarter, the Bearcats held the Lions to zero first downs and only 19 yards. On the other hand, the ‘Cats had 199 yards on 20 first-quarter plays. A key player was senior wide receiver John Giagiari, who had his first touchdown of the year against the Lions.
“We talk about all the time, momentum,” Giagiari said. “Momentum was huge.”
The Bearcats are now 31-4 all-time versus the Lions, winning 29 straight games against the team.
In the next game, the ‘Cats are trying new tactics against the Hornets. The team is looking at this game as a challenge. This time last season the Bearcats fell to the Hornets in a 33-13 loss.
“They’re going to throw the football,” Wright said. “Their run game has become more established than when they first started with coach Higgins. I think he does as good of a job as anybody in the league offensively. So we just have to be prepared, I think we’ve got a good plan.”
Last season the Hornets had six interceptions against the Bearcats. The Hornets also had their first win against the ‘Cats since 1994.
Senior Luc Mascitti said regionals allow him and his team to gain playing time together before the spring.
“Everyone’s gonna be there to support each other,” Mascitti said. “Making sure everyone knows what it feels like, that they’re all supported, even though it’s an individual tournament, everyone still wants all the team members to do well. It’s about getting some of that match toughness in their early and seeing where everyone’s strengths and weaknesses are, and seeing how we can work that into a successful spring season.”
The purpose of the three friendly competitions in the fall season have been to gain competitive experiences. Coach Mark Rosewell said he is excited to see how the group will battle when it counts in the Regional Tournament.
Bearcats to prepare for senior night, second shut out
CLOUSE Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports
After six matches in 13 days, Northwest women’s soccer set its eyes on playing neighbor Missouri Western at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Missouri Western (5-0-1) sits 2nd in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) ahead of the game, whereas Northwest (2-1-3) sitting in 6th place looks to claw its way back towards the top.
Head coach Marc Gordon said they look forward to playing Missouri Western and they are a team to be ready for.
“They’re playing really well,” Gordon said. “Very organized team on both sides of the ball, very balanced attacking with possession of the ball. They do a really good job of staying spread out defensively, again, like I said, organized behind the ball. And so we’re gonna have to work to create some scoring opportunities for ourselves on Wednesday.”
Senior day celebration is also approaching for the Bearcats with eight seniors being recognized as they host MIAA firstplace undefeated Northeastern State (6-0) 1 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Bearcat Pitch. Gordon acknowledged how talented the Northeastern team is, but said there is a big opportunity to make the fans and seniors proud on their special night.
“This is a really gritty, super organized team,” Gordon said. “They are playing with a lot of confidence right now and have found some really good results.”
TREY HOUCHIN Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports
LANDON