Northwest Athletics

Welcome to the official @X account for Northwest Missouri State University Athletics. Check here for daily updates on your Bearcats!

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔-𝟏𝟕 𝐌𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

The 2016-17 Bearcat men's basketball team captured the program's first NCAA Division II National Championship with a 35-1 record. The Bearcats began the season by winning its first 24 straight games. Following an 88-71 loss at Missouri Southern on Feb. 18 in Joplin, Mo., Northwest ran off 11 consecutive wins to hoist the trophy at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Northwest set a league record with 28 consecutive MIAA victories in the 2016-17 season. The previous MIAA record was 19 set by Northwest in 1931. Northwest claimed the MIAA regular season title with an 18-1 mark. The Bearcats stormed through the MIAA Tournament with wins over Lincoln (80-76), Missouri Southern (67-63) and Central Missouri (69-61). For the first time in school history, Northwest served as the host for the 2017 NCAA Central Region Tournament in Bearcat Arena. Northwest narrowly escaped a first-round scare as it bested Upper Iowa in overtime (79-74). The Bearcats advanced to the Elite Eight with triumphs over Augustana (74-53) and Southwest Minnesota State (55-52). Northwest took down St. Thomas Aquinas (79-70) in the Elite Eight. Northwest downed Lincoln Memorial in the national semifinals, 79-67. The Bearcats recorded a 71-61 victory against Fairmont State in the national title game. Head coach Ben McCollum was named the NABC National Coach of the Year. Junior guard Justin Pitts was honored as the NABC National Player of the Year and the Bevo Francis Award winner. Zach Schneider captured second-team all-MIAA honors, while Chris-Ebou Ndow landed third-team all-MIAA accolades. Anthony Woods and D'Vante Mosby were all-MIAA honorable mention selections.

𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔-𝟏𝟕 𝐌𝐁𝐁 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫
Brett Dougherty
Tyler Dougherty
Kirk Finley
Grant Graham
Ryan Hawkins
Xavier Kurth
Daric Laing
D'Vante Mosby
Chris-Ebou Ndow
Justin Pitts
Zach Schneider
Dray Starzl
Ryan Welty
Anthony Woods
Head Coach: Ben McCollum
Assistant Coaches: Austin Meyer, Andy Peterson
Graduate Assistant: Christian Phelps
Student Manager/Assistant: Cole Quick, Andrew Wright
Athletic Trainer: Nick Peters

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐬 – 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 & 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 (𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟕-𝟖𝟗)

Kim Spriggs was a three-time NCAA All-America performer from 1987-1989. She was also a five-time MIAA champion. Spriggs placed third in the nation in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1988 NCAA Div. II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She notched her second All-America honor as a part of the 4x800m relay at the 1988 NCAA indoor championships with a sixth-place finish alongside teammates Yoland Alexaner, Angela Howard and Venus Harris. She earned her first All-America accolade with a fifth-place finish in the triple jump at the 1987 NCAA indoor championships. Spriggs landed three MIAA titles as the league's 1988 outdoor meet as she finished first in the 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles and triple jump. She captured two more league crowns at the 1988 MIAA indoor championships in the 60-yard hurdles and triple jump. She is the only Bearcat woman to have captured both the indoor and outdoor MIAA titles in the triple jump. She was the top scorer (34.5 points) at the 1988 Northwest Open held at the Herschel Neil Track. She was a part of seven different school records, of which five still rank among the top-five performances in program history. She was inducted into the Pennsylvania Track & Field Hall of Fame. Spriggs tallied 13 state medals and seven individual state championships (100m hurdles in 1983; 100m hurdles in 1984; triple jump in 1984; long jump in 1984; 55m hurdles in 1984; indoor triple jump in 1984; 300m hurdles in 1985) competing at McConnellsburg High School in McConnellsburg, Pa. She attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M before transferring to Northwest.

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐬 – 𝐌𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 (𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟑-𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖)

Justin Pitts was the first Bearcat men's basketball player to be named the NABC's NCAA Division II Player of the Year in 2017. Pitts, a native of Blue Springs, Mo., was named Small College Basketball's Bevo Francis Award winner in 2017. Pitts was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 Elite Eight as he helped guide Northwest to the school's first men's basketball national title with a 71-61 victory over Fairmont State in the championship game at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Pitts became the program's second player to capture NABC First-Team All-America status (DeShaun Cooper – 2014) with first-team status in both 2017 and 2018. Pitts was a three-time MIAA Player of the Year (2016, 2017, 2018). He was the first four-time first-team all-MIAA men's basketball player in program history. Pitts helped guide the Bearcats to four MIAA regular season titles and three conference tournament crowns. Pitts was the first Bearcat to eclipse 2,000 career points and finished his career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,459 points. He also left Northwest with the most career assists (575). Northwest went 114-18 (including 68-11 in MIAA regular season play) in his four seasons of competition. His Bearcat teams went 20-4 in MIAA/NCAA postseason play over those four years.

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝐁𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦 – 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 (𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟗-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒)

The trophies and titles piled up as high as the awards and accolades during the 15-year reign of head men's basketball coach Ben McCollum. The Storm Lake, Iowa, native guided the Bearcats to an elite level among NCAA Div. II teams with four national championships – including an unprecedented three-peat. McCollum posted a record of 394-91 which featured a 32-7 mark in NCAA Tournament play and a perfect 12-0 mark in Elite Eight games. He is the only five-time NABC National Coach of the Year in the history of NCAA Div. II basketball. He captured nine MIAA Coach of the Year awards. Three times he was honored as the Clarence "Big House" Gaines National Coach of the Year. McCollum led the Bearcats to 13 consecutive 20-win seasons, 10 25-win seasons and five 30-win campaigns. He guided the Bearcats to 12 MIAA regular season titles and eight MIAA Tournament championships. McCollum produced 10 MIAA Players of the Year, five MIAA Defensive Players of the Year, five MIAA Freshmen of Year, eight first-team NABC All-Americans and four NCAA Div. II National Players of the Year. After leaving Northwest, McCollum led the Drake Bulldogs to a 31-4 record, Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament victory over the Missouri Tigers. McCollum took over the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2025-26 and led them an Elite Eight appearance in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, which included a win over No. 1 seed Florida in the second round.

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐲 – 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 (𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟓-𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬.)

John Coffey has served as the Radio Voice of the Bearcats for more than 40 years and has called 508 consecutive Northwest football games entering the 2026 season. Coffey, a 1982 Northwest graduate and Albany, Mo., native, began his radio career at KXCV, the University's National Public Radio affiliate, as a student reporter. He was employed shortly after graduating from Northwest as a news director at a radio station in Fairbury, Neb. He returned to Maryville to work at KNIM Radio in 1983 and began calling Bearcat football games in 1985 – and hasn't missed one since. Coffey, an Albany, Mo., native, returned to KXCV-KRNW in 1999 to help launch the Bearcat Radio Network, and he has served as station manager since 2019. Coffey been a part of 10 national championship football and men's basketball teams in his time at Northwest. Coffey was inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame this past June.

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫 – 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 (𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟓-𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖)

Maddy Bruder set the standard for Bearcat volleyball as she became the program's first AVCA First-Team All-America selection in 2018. Bruder, a native of Firth, Neb., was chosen as the MIAA Player of the Year in 2018. Bruder was a four-time first-team all-MIAA performer from 2015-2018. She was also Northwest's first AVCA all-region selection when she gained first-team status in 2018. Bruder ranks No. 4 in school history with 1,654 kills. She is No. 1 in program history in career kills per set (3.82), career attacks (4,727) and career attacks per set (10.91). She is fourth in points (1,822) and ninth in digs (1,306). She completed her career with 59 double-doubles. She was a four-time MIAA Scholar-Athlete award winner.

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐬 – 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 (𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟑)

Trevor Adams, a native of Odessa, Texas, and Permian High School, capped a spectacular student-athlete experience at Northwest with a national championship, Ken B. Jones Award and was named the NCAA D-II Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Adams was chosen as a finalist for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell trophy, recognized as the academic Heisman Trophy. At quarterback, Adams was a three-time Academic All-America selection that led the Bearcats to a 36-6 record, which included a 25-5 mark in the MIAA, and a perfect 15-0 season capped by the 2013 NCAA Div. II National Championship. Adams posted a program-best 18 touchdown passes in the NCAA Div. II playoffs and he ranks second in Bearcat history with 74 touchdown passes. He also ranks second in program history with 7,791 passing yards. Adams was a first-team all-MIAA pick and a Don Hansen's Gazette third-team All-America selection as a senior.

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

🚨Current Season Ticket Holders: 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙭!

Football season ticket 𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙨 for the 2026 home season are now live!

Renew today to keep your seats for another exciting season at Bearcat Stadium!
📧 Check your email now to renew!

#OABAAB ||| @NWBearcat_FB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

The 2026 Northwest Missouri State University M-Club Hall of Fame class has been announced. Six individuals and the 2016-17 men's basketball national championship team will be enshrined.

The Class of 2026's individual inductees include early age inductee John Coffey (Bearcat Radio) along with modern age inductees Trevor Adams (Football), Maddy Bruder (Volleyball), Ben McCollum (Men's Basketball Coach), Justin Pitts (Men's Basketball) and Kim Spriggs (Women's Track & Field). The 2016-17 men's basketball team captured the program's first NCAA Division II national championship with a 35-1 overall record. The season included MIAA regular season and tournament titles.
📰: https://t.co/v15mwKe99a

#OABAAB ||| @NWMOSTATE

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its final academic honors from the 2025-26 academic year.

These awards include the Academic Excellence award recipients, Scholar-Athletes and the Academic Honor Roll members for all MIAA freshman and first-year transfers who competed in an NCAA Division II season during the 2025-26 academic year.

A total of 127 Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat newcomers were honored by the MIAA for their work in the classroom and on the competition field.

https://t.co/VoeOWeX0aG

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

Former Northwest Missouri State University point guard Bennett Stirtz was chosen as the 16th pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Stirtz (Liberty, Mo.) was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies and his rights were then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Stirtz played two seasons as a Bearcat and was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2023. Stirtz averaged 13.9 points per game and handed out 232 assists in 68 games as a Bearcat. He was a two-time second-team all-MIAA performer for head coach Ben McCollum. Stirtz led Northwest to back-to-back MIAA regular season and tournament titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Northwest went 60-8 over his two seasons, including 40-4 in MIAA play, in a Bearcat uniform.

Stirtz is the fourth Bearcat to be selected in an NBA Draft joining Vic Coleman (1984), Gene Jordan (1960) and Al Henningsen (1950).

https://t.co/9iisBQ1p4I

@NWBearcatMBB

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

The Northwest Missouri State University men's cross country and track & field squads had six student-athletes selected on the 2025-26 Academic All-District® teams.

Logan Arellano (3.69 GPA), Austin Goetsche (4.00 GPA), Moses Koroma (3.75 GPA), Christian Lanphier (3.95 GPA), Maxime Touron (3.56 GPA) and Riley Witt (3.95 GPA) gained all-district honors. Touron and Witt were also chosen for consideration for Academic All-America honors, which will be announced July 14.

The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Men's Track & Field/Cross Country teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes men's track & field/cross country honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

@NWBearcatXCTF

https://t.co/r11BuekNoo

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

The Northwest Missouri State University women's cross country and track & field squads are represented by six individuals on the 2025-26 Academic All-District® teams.

Krysta Abel (3.77 GPA), Jadyn Barnes (4.00 GPA), Anjelena Carder (3.98 GPA), Marie Dea (3.89 GPA), Mayson Hartley (3.77 GPA) and Kiki Witt (4.00 GPA) gained all-district honors. Barnes Dea and Witt were also selected for consideration for Academic All-America honors, which will be announced July 15.

The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Women's Track & Field/Cross Country teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes women's track & field/cross country honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

@NWBearcatXCTF

https://t.co/r11BuekfyQ

#OABAAB

[Eliot Clough @EliotClough]

Tuesday night, Bennett Stirtz is expected to be taken in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.

Now done with the combine, team workouts and all the other preparation, Stirtz is set to be Ben McCollum's first-ever NBA Draft selection tomorrow evening.
https://t.co/wWgDZGxcYi

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

Celebrate Freedom. Honor History.

#OABAAB ||| #Juneteenth2026

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝘼 𝙈𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘿𝙧. 𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙮 𝙋𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣

"𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝘽𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙚𝙧𝙖 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨."

The Bearcats Bleed Green Fund honors the legacy of the Bearcat Booster Club while creating new opportunities to support student-athletes for 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚.

Together, we're building a 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 for Bearcat Athletics.
📰: https://t.co/IyRVjdLyRU

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙢𝙚

While some things are changing, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩.

Your support will continue to:
👉 Benefit Bearcat student-athletes
👉 Strengthen athletic programs
👉 Provide opportunities for success
And donors can still choose whether to receive associated benefits.

Your impact remains at the heart of 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤.

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

Football season ticket holders: 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬.

The new process is designed to be simpler and more convenient.
𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚:
👉 Purchase tickets
👉 Make a separate Booster Club donation
𝙉𝙤𝙬:
👉 One transaction
👉 Donation integrated into the purchase process
👉Same support for Bearcat Athletics

Less paperwork. 𝙎𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩.

#OABAAB

[Northwest Athletics @bearcatsports]

𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙨

The Bearcats Bleed Green Fund 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨 for fans, alumni, and supporters who want to invest in Northwest student-athletes.

𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬?
Bearcats Bleed Green Fund supporters may qualify for donor recognition benefits including:
👉 Autographed items
👉 Football VIP parking opportunities
👉 MIAA Network access

Recognition levels are available through both 𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙮 giving options.
👉 Find the level that's right for you.

#OABAAB

[Northwest Football @NWBearcat_FB]

Congrats to Kaden Davis, Keep up the hard work!!

#NextLevelCats #VisitTheVille