Spring Break
The UMKC men's soccer squad is the only team in school history to win a game in the NCAA Tournament. Under the guidance of head coach Rick Benben and his top assistant coach Fred Schlicting, the Roos have made two NCAA Tournament appearances, and have had 45 players named all-conference.
A squad that reached several peaks during the course of UMKC head softball coach Meredith Smith's second year in the Heartland landed in the valley at season's end. The Kangaroos finished up the 2008 softball season on May 4 in Macomb, Ill., losing 5-3 to Summit League foe Western Illinois University.
Positive indicators tend to be important. In 2008, the UMKC men's and women's tennis program, led by first year head coach Kendall Hale offered up several to their Kangaroo constituency. The women broke out of a 58-match losing string on their way to what turned out to be a respectable rebuilding year.
Several UMKC student athletes were honored on May 7 downtown at Pierpont's Restaurant inside Union Station. The ceremony was a celebration of the athletic department's 2007-08 campaign. Ten awards were on the table, but the spoils were received by 16 student athletes.
Finishing the recruiting season in a flurry, UMKC head basketball coach Matt Brown announced the signings of Evansville University junior transfer Jay Couisnard and Michigan prep star Latreze Mushatt. Mushatt seems to be a steal for Brown and the Kangaroos.
It's official. Kasey the Kangaroo has a new, albeit traditional look about him. After a UMKC-wide ballot initiative to determine the direction the mascot's features would extend, it was determined by more than 2,000 voting participants that Option 1 on the ballot was the likeness of choice.
Volleyball season is just around the corner. For UMKC senior middle hitter Jacqui Wood it can't come soon enough. Wood has seen career highs such as finishing her 2006 season with 231 kills. But she has also had her fair share of lows. "I blew out my ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] this past summer [2007] and was out all last season," Wood said.
