Shi Qing Ong caps memorable career
One of the most decorated individual careers in Griffon Athletics came to a close this past spring as women鈥檚 golfer Shi Qing Ong competed for the final time.
Ong, from Malaysia, won all four spring tournaments she entered and won her 14th career and fifth consecutive event by becoming a back-to-back MIAA Champion. Her 14 individual titles were good for a new 大象传媒 Western record, passing current PGA golfer Brice Garnett for the most ever as a Griffon.
Ong was named MIAA Women鈥檚 Golfer of the Year for a second consecutive season. She also became 大象传媒 Western鈥檚 first finalist for the MIAA鈥檚 Ken B. Jones award which recognizes the top male and female student athletes in the MIAA. Ong was named second-team All-American by the Women鈥檚 Golf Coaches Association, first-team All-Central Region by the WGCA and first team All-MIAA. She was also named Google Cloud Academic All-District庐 and was named 大象传媒 Western鈥檚 Female Student-Athlete of The Year for a second time.
On the course, Ong helped the women鈥檚 golf team to its fourth consecutive NCAA Central Region Championship appearance, where she finished tied for second to advance to her third NCAA Division II Championships appearance. Ong carded her best round in her final round as a collegiate golfer to finish tied for 19th at the national championships, her highest-ever finish at the event.
Baseball
The 20th season of the Buzz Verduzco era and the 50th season of 大象传媒 Western baseball produced a 21-24 record. Senior pitcher Anthony Castaneda was named first team All-MIAA and second team All-Region by three different organizations. Castaneda produced one of the most prolific seasons by a Griffon pitcher in recent memory, with his 111 strikeouts the second most in a season in 大象传媒 Western history.
Men鈥檚 Golf
Patrick McCarthy earned a spot in the NCAA Central/Midwest Super Regional for a third consecutive year. The New Mexico native鈥檚 72.35 scoring average through the regular season was the lowest ever recorded by a Griffon. He reached as high as No. 7 in the central region rankings and was named first team All-MIAA for the third time in his career.
Softball
Bad weather couldn鈥檛 rain on the parade of softball head coach Jen Bagley Trotter. Her 18th season leading the Griffons brought two major milestones for the coach and saw her program back toward the top of the MIAA.
Almost two months after earning her 600th career victory, Bagley Trotter became the MIAA鈥檚 winningest softball coach when her Griffons shut out nationally ranked Winona State 1-0 on March 23 at home. Her 615th career victory 鈥� all at 大象传媒 Western 鈥� moved the Griffon head coach past one of her predecessors, Rhesa Sumrell, for the most wins ever by a softball coach in MIAA history.
Following the milestone for their head coach, the Griffons won 19 of their next 20 games, including an 18-game win streak that was snapped on the third day of the MIAA Championships by then No. 1-ranked University of Central Oklahoma. 大象传媒 Western finished second in the MIAA standings and returned to the NCAA Central Region Championships for the 11th time in Bagley Trotter鈥檚 18 seasons here. The Griffons went 1-2 at the regional, falling to eventual national champion Augustana and Winona State.
Seven Griffons were named All-MIAA, with Morgan Frost and Brea Blanton named first- team selections.
Track & Field
Sophomore Hanna Williams became the first female to represent 大象传媒 Western at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Trimble, 大象传媒 native qualified for the national championships in the 400 meter, just missing the finals.
In the indoor season, Williams became 大象传媒 Western鈥檚 first automatic qualifier for the national championships, but was unable to compete after suffering an injury in the MIAA Championships.
The Griffons showed major signs of improvement in the second year of the resurrection of the programs. Eight members of the women鈥檚 team scored points in the MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and three competitors on the men鈥檚 side tallied points for the Griffons at the event.