Knox College

Medina named to all-region first team
Knox College guard Bria Medina made program history March 16, becoming the first Knox women’s basketball player to earn first-team all-region honors from D3hoops.com.

Medina was named to the Division III Region 9 first team, recognizing top players in the region.

Knox College guard Bria Medina was named this week to the D3hoops.com NCAA Division III Region 9 first team. (Photo courtesy of Knox College)

Medina ranked second in NCAA Division III in scoring at 23.6 points per game and finished fourth with 614 total points. Her 199 made free throws led the country.

Players selected to the D3hoops.com All-Region team are eligible for All-America honors, with no separate nomination process.

This is the 25th year D3hoops.com has named All-Region teams. The All-America team will be the 29th annual selection and will be announced prior to the Division III national championship game Saturday, March 22.

Carl Sandburg College

Sandburg men place four on All-Arrowhead first team
The Carl Sandburg College men’s basketball team had a league-high four players selected to the All-Arrowhead Conference team.

Sophomore Keauntrey Barnes and freshman Rylan Carton earned first-team honors, while sophomores Matt Bockman and Ralph Wires were named to the second team by conference coaches.

The quartet started all six conference games, helping the Chargers to a 4-2 record in Arrowhead play and a 22-10 overall mark.

Barnes averaged 16.5 points per game in conference play and led the team in field goal percentage (53 percent), 3-pointers made (15), 3-point percentage (44 percent), free throws made (18), free throw percentage (82 percent), rebounding (8.3 per game) and blocked shots (six). He had two 20-point games, including 25 points Jan. 22 at Black Hawk.

Carton, a 6-foot-6 forward from Sherrard High School, averaged 16.2 points per game in conference play. He led the team with 35 field goals and averaged 1.2 steals per game while shooting 52 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 78 percent from the free throw line. He scored in double figures in five of six conference games, including 23 points at Black Hawk.

Bockman, a 6-2 guard from Decorah, Iowa, averaged 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 49 percent in conference play. He matched his career high with 16 points in a Sophomore Night win Feb. 17 over Black Hawk.

Wires, a 5-10 point guard from Quincy, averaged 6.2 assists per game to lead Sandburg in conference play. He also averaged 7.5 points and one steal per game. Wires recorded 10 assists and two steals in a 73-56 win Feb. 3 over eventual conference champion Kishwaukee.

Barnes earns all-region honors
Sandburg sophomore Keauntrey Barnes was named to the All-Region 4 Division II second team by coaches after leading the Chargers in multiple statistical categories this season.

The selection comes after Barnes was named to the All-Arrowhead Conference first team. The 6-foot-6 forward from Farmington was the only Arrowhead Conference player to earn all-region honors.

Barnes provided consistent production in his lone season at Sandburg after transferring from Kirkwood, helping the Chargers to a 22-10 overall record. A starter in all 32 games, Barnes led the team with 7.7 rebounds per game. He also led Sandburg with 58 made 3-pointers, shot 77 percent from the free throw line and recorded 16 blocks.

Carl Sandburg College sophomore Keauntrey Barnes was named to the All-Region 4 Division II second team. (Photo courtesy of Carl Sandburg College)

Barnes ranked second on the team in scoring (13.1 points per game), field goal percentage (50 percent), 3-point percentage (38 percent), assists (2.2 per game) and steals (1.2 per game).

He scored a season-high 28 points in Sandburg’s Dec. 19 win over DuPage and matched that total in the Chargers’ Region 4 quarterfinal win at Madison on Feb. 26, when he made 8 of 11 3-point attempts. Barnes had six games with 20 or more points and recorded five double-doubles.

More Knox College news

Knox baseball drops opening games in Florida
The Knox College baseball team dropped its first two games at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on March 17-18.

Miles Hoops collected four hits in Knox’s first two games at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. (Photo courtesy of Knox College)

Knox (1-8) lost 16-3 in seven innings to Hamilton College on Tuesday and fell 8-1 to Macalester College on Wednesday.

Knox will face Simpson College in a Thursday doubleheader.

In Tuesday’s game, Hamilton scored in each of the first six innings and led 16-1 after six. Miles Hoops led Knox with two hits and two RBIs, while Hayden Derlein added a hit and an RBI. Tyler Kemp scored two runs.

In Wednesday’s loss, Macalester scored three runs in the first inning and added single runs in the second and third. Hoops again led Knox with two hits. Owen Shannon had the team’s lone RBI, and Parker Engel scored the only run.

Knox softball splits doubleheader in Florida

The Knox College softball team split a doubleheader March 18 in Florida.

Weather delays pushed back the team’s arrival and canceled two games earlier in the week, but Knox improved to 3-1 — its best start since 2002.

After losing 9-1 to Fredonia in the opener, Knox rallied for an 11-10 win over Augsburg.

Trailing 10-5 after five innings, Knox scored four runs in the sixth inning and added two more in the seventh to take the lead.

Taylor Goudschaal’s sacrifice fly in the first inning gave Knox an early lead. The Prairie Fire added four runs in the second inning, highlighted by RBIs from Victoria Torres, Cheyanne Merkel and Chelsea McKee.

Augsburg responded with four runs in the second inning and built a 10-5 lead after five.

Knox outfielder Becca Strode slides home during softball action in Florida. The Prairie Fire split two games March 18. (Photo courtesy of Knox College)

Knox rallied in the sixth, sparked by Merkel’s two-run home run. Goudschaal and Mia Gladden added RBI groundouts to cut the deficit to one.

In the seventh, McKee’s sacrifice fly tied the game before Goudschaal’s single drove in the go-ahead run.

Augsburg put runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Torres secured the win with a groundout and a strikeout.

Merkel and Zoe Abbott had three hits each. Olivas and Torres added two hits apiece. Merkel drove in four runs, Goudschaal had three RBIs, and McKee added two.

In the opener, Merkel drove in Knox’s only run. Kylie Thomson scored and had the team’s other hit.

Knox will play Salem State and Westminster College on March 19.