KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Truman State Athletics enters the final stretch of the fall season with championship opportunities in three sports. Football defeated William Jewell 47-10 to move within one victory of its first outright GLVC championship, while volleyball swept Upper Iowa to secure the seventh seed in the GLVC Tournament and its first winning season under head coach David Gannon. The women's cross country team placed third at the GLVC Championships behind All-GLVC performances from Clare Stahr and Phoebe Canatsey, and men's soccer advanced to the GLVC Championship match for the first time in program history. The men's and women's swimming teams also competed in a conference dual at Missouri-St. Louis.
Football Rolls Past William Jewell, Moves One Win From GLVC Title
Truman controlled William Jewell from the opening quarter Saturday afternoon in Liberty, Missouri, defeating the Cardinals 47-10 to improve to 6-4 overall and 6-1 in GLVC play.
The Bulldogs scored on four consecutive first-half possessions and took a 27-0 lead into halftime. Madden Irving opened the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run before Dylan Hair connected with Cori Robertson for a 12-yard score early in the second quarter.
Irving added another two-yard touchdown run, and Hair found Jackson Overton for a six-yard score with 22 seconds remaining in the half.
William Jewell opened the second half with a 45-yard field goal, but Truman answered immediately. Hair connected with Irving for a 39-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 34-3. Duan McRoberts and Colt Nolin added fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns to complete the victory.
Irving accounted for three touchdowns and 133 yards from scrimmage. He rushed for 85 yards and two scores on 16 carries while catching two passes for 48 yards and another touchdown.
Hair completed 13 of 21 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Robertson led the receiving group with six catches for 68 yards and one score, while McRoberts rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts.
Truman finished with 452 yards of total offense, including 250 on the ground, and converted seven of its 11 third-down attempts. The defense limited William Jewell to 220 total yards and only 39 rushing yards on 23 attempts. AJ Gowin recorded Truman's interception, while Bryant Pool registered the Bulldogs' lone sack.
The victory sets up a championship game at Stokes Stadium. Truman will host McKendree at 3 p.m. Saturday for Senior Day. A win would give the Bulldogs their first GLVC championship since sharing the title in 2016 and their first outright conference championship as a member of the GLVC.
Football Schedule
Women Place Third at GLVC Cross Country Championships
The Truman women's cross country team recorded its best conference finish of the season Saturday, placing third among 14 teams at the GLVC Championships in Springfield, Missouri.
The Bulldogs finished with 106 points and placed five runners among the top 30. Lewis won the championship with 53 points, followed by Southwest Baptist with 63.
Clare Stahr led Truman with a 14th-place finish, completing the six-kilometer course in 21:33.5. Phoebe Canatsey followed four places behind her, finishing 18th in 21:36.1. Both runners earned All-GLVC recognition by finishing among the top 20.
Kate Yates gave Truman a third runner among the first 22 finishers, crossing in 21:42.3. Carmen Gentilia placed 25th in 22:02.6, and Anna Ripley completed the scoring group by placing 30th in 22:16.1.
Addison Barringhaus finished 36th in 22:32.5, while Kendra Zeilstra followed in 37th with a time of 22:33.0.
The third-place team finish concludes a strong conference season for the Bulldogs, who won two meets and placed fourth at the Gans Creek Classic before earning a podium finish at the GLVC Championships.
Three Bulldogs Break 26 Minutes for Men's Cross Country
The Truman men placed seventh among 12 teams at the GLVC Championships, scoring 234 points with an average time of 25:54 across their five scoring runners.
Evan Wilke led the Bulldogs in 46th place with a time of 25:30.0. Jacob Snyder followed in 54th at 25:34.0, while Nolan Meara finished 68th in 25:47.9.
The performances marked the first time Wilke, Snyder and Meara each broke the 26-minute barrier in an eight-kilometer race.
Max Hogan placed 78th in 26:03.9, and Asher Applegate completed Truman's scoring group in 101st with a time of 26:38.9. Logan Ghormley and Andrew Kuntz finished sixth and seventh among the Bulldogs.
Snyder and Zeilstra were selected as Truman's James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees. The award recognizes student-athletes who demonstrate sportsmanship and ethical conduct while remaining in good academic standing and displaying good citizenship outside competition.
Volleyball Sweeps Upper Iowa, Secures Winning Season
Truman volleyball closed its regular season with a convincing 3-0 road victory over Upper Iowa on Saturday, winning by set scores of 25-18, 25-15 and 25-21.
The Bulldogs hit .320 for the match with 40 kills and only eight attacking errors. Truman held Upper Iowa to a .104 hitting percentage and finished with eight service aces and seven total blocks.
Autumn Erickson led the attack with 13 kills and a .458 hitting percentage. Laci Neece added 10 kills without an error on 15 attempts, finishing with a .667 hitting percentage. Jessie Julius recorded seven kills, six digs and two service aces.
Tori Creason directed the offense with 30 assists while adding three kills, three digs, two aces and a block assist. Addy Janssen led the back-row defense with 16 digs.
The victory improved Truman to 14-12 overall and 8-5 in GLVC play. It clinched the first winning season of Gannon's tenure and secured the seventh seed in the GLVC Tournament.
Truman will face second-seeded Rockhurst in the quarterfinals Thursday at the Williamsville High School Fieldhouse in Williamsville, Illinois. The Bulldogs defeated the Hawks 3-1 in Pershing Arena on Oct. 10, handing Rockhurst its first conference loss of the season.
The GLVC semifinals will be played Friday, with the championship match scheduled for Saturday.
Volleyball Schedule
Swimming Teams Fall at Missouri-St. Louis
The Truman swimming teams competed in their final road dual of the fall Saturday at Missouri-St. Louis. The women fell 165-88, while the men lost 158-94.
Truman won eight individual events during the meet.
Jacob Wolf and Orin Meyer each earned two victories for the men. Wolf swept the backstroke events, winning the 100-yard race in 50.19 and the 200 in 1:52.07. Meyer captured the 1,000-yard freestyle in 9:56.19 and the 500 freestyle in 4:53.79.
Xoel Parcero Areoso won the men's 100 breaststroke in 59.19, while Dennis Bobiv captured the 50 freestyle in 21.67.
Alex Powers won the women's 100 breaststroke in 1:06.42. Maddie Lynch led a top-three Truman sweep in the 200 backstroke, winning in 2:15.16 ahead of Ella Cagle and Anabelle Cook.
Swimming Schedule
Men's Soccer Advances to First GLVC Championship Match
The seventh-seeded Truman men's soccer team continued its historic postseason run Friday night with a 2-1 victory over sixth-seeded Missouri-St. Louis in the GLVC semifinals.
Brady Lombardo gave Truman the lead just 2:35 into the match with his fourth goal of the season. UMSL tied the game in the 28th minute, and the score remained even until Jacob Panagos delivered the game-winning goal with 3:47 remaining.
Roman Scognamillo assisted Panagos on his conference-leading 15th goal of the season. Owen Robben made five saves, including a stop less than one minute after the deciding goal, to preserve the victory.
Truman will face top-seeded Lincoln at noon Sunday, Nov. 8, in the first GLVC Championship match in program history. A complete championship recap will be released following the match.
Men's Soccer Schedule
Coming Up for the Bulldogs
Men's basketball opens its regular season Monday, Nov. 9, against Delta State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Pershing Arena.
The Bulldogs will then travel to Cedarville, Ohio, for the GMAC/GLVC Crossover. Truman faces Findlay at 6:45 p.m. Friday before playing host Cedarville at 2:15 p.m. Saturday.
Men's Basketball Schedule
Women's basketball returns to action at the women's GMAC/GLVC Crossover in Pepper Pike, Ohio. The Bulldogs face Cedarville at 6 p.m. Friday and host Ursuline at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Women's Basketball Schedule
The GLVC Volleyball Tournament begins Thursday in Williamsville, Illinois. Truman will meet Rockhurst in the quarterfinals, with the semifinals scheduled for Friday and the championship match set for Saturday.
Volleyball Schedule
Football closes the regular season Saturday against McKendree. Senior Day kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Stokes Stadium, with Truman seeking its first outright GLVC championship.
Football Schedule
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