COLUMBUS, Ga. – The Southeastern University Fire have secured a spot as one of only four teams remaining in the NAIA with a come-from-behind 4-2 victory over the No. 6 seeded Indiana Wesleyan in game four of the World Series.

In the bottom of the third, a walk and an error allowed a Wildcat double to bring home the first two runs of the contest.

Three innings later, the Fire’s offensive silence was broken after a single by Jamie Mead and a walk by Haleigh Harrell set up an RBI situation for Erica Stahl. Stahl continued her clutch streak, lining a single into center field and scoring Mead to cut the deficit in half. Ashley Ellison would immediately follow it up with a two-run double into right field, giving her team the 3-2 lead.

“I just wanted to get a good pitch, hit it hard, and score the runs because I knew our pitching staff would be able to hold the lead,” Ellison said

Chapel Cunningham added one more insurance run in the sixth with a single up the middle, concluding the four run inning.

A groundout, popout, and strikeout by Sekinger in the bottom of the seventh secured the Fire victory and a spot in the final four.

Sekinger advanced to 25-6 on the season with a complete game, allowing just five hits and two earned runs and striking out seven Wildcat hitters.

“I felt really strong on the mound, especially with my changeup, and I knew my team had my back the whole time and they pulled through,” Skinner said

The Fire will now play tomorrow at 4 p.m. against the winner of Freed-Hardeman and Science and Arts.

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COLUMBUS, Ga.– The Southeastern University softball team kicked off the NAIA World Series in dramatic fashion today after taking a 5-4 victory over Webber International thanks to a one-out, game-ending home run by Haleigh Harrell in the bottom of the seventh.

The 10^th seeded Warriors got on the board first in the top of the third after two walks and a wild pitch allowed the first run of the World Series to cross.

For the second and third time in just over a week, Erica Stahl stepped up in two different big-time moments for her team. In the fourth, back-to-back singles by Jamie Mead and Katie Atkins set up a sacrifice fly scenario for Stahl. The Plant City native would then go on to give her team the lead two innings later with an RBI single up the middle that scored Chapel Cunningham. The Fire would go on to score three runs, all with two outs, in the sixth after Ashley Ellison doubled home a run and Madison Williams followed with an RBI single.

The Fire would need just one out to claim the 4-1 victory but the Warriors would manage to bring three across behind two hits, three walks, and two hit-by-pitches.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Harrell took the second pitch she saw and sent it over the left field fence, concluding the Fire’s 5-4 victory and 50^th win of the season (50-11).

Autumn Hunter threw four complete innings with just one run allowed on three hits and three walks while Claire Sekinger (23-5) was granted the win after going three innings and allowing three earned runs.

Williams ended the day as the lone Fire hitter with multiple hits with Stahl collecting two RBI’s.

The Fire will next face off against the second-seeded team in the tournament and the program with the most World Series Championships in the NAIA, Oklahoma City, tomorrow at a time to be announced.

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KANSAS CITY – The NAIA this week named a pair of graduate students in St. Mary’s Luke Skinner and Southeastern’s Zach Nichols as its National Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week.

Skinner’s 1000m time is the No. 1 NAIA mark this year as well as a school record. His 800m time is the No. 3 NAIA mark this year as well as a school record. He won both events.

Nichols posted a career-best in the Weight Throw and the No. 3 mark nationally this season with a 19.93 to win The Sun Conference title. He also hit the B qualifying standard in the Shot Put to win the event and post a 20-point day and help the Fire win their second consecutive Sun Conference Indoor championship.

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KANSAS CITY — The Southeastern University women’s basketball team moved up one spot in today’s edition of the NAIA Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
 
That’s all it was able to move up because the Fire were ranked second in the previous poll.
 
Southeastern is ranked at the top of the poll for the third time in the last five seasons, checking in with an overall record of 24-1 and have been victorious in their last 20 games.
 
Offensively, SEU averages 84.9 points per game which is fourth nationally, and is second nationally in field goal percentage at 48.5%. On defense, Southeastern is sixth nationally in steals per game at 14.4.
 
Grad transfer Angela Perry is averaging just shy of 20 points per game. Leilah Vigil has added 13 points per game and Marta Aranda another 10.7.
 
The Fire return to the floor on Thursday at St. Thomas.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Southeastern University redshirt sophomore Wyatt Kirkham was named the NAIA Wrestler of the Week for his work on Saturday to help the Fire defeat No. 15 Hastings.
 
The Stuart native defeated third-ranked Taygen Smith in his 165-pound match during the Fire Duals to help SEU to a 37-9 victory and improve to 10-2 on the year. Kirkham took a 3-2 lead to start the third after choosing bottom and being given an escape. He then had to fight off multiple shots by the returning All-American before scoring a takedown with 37 seconds left to come away with a 5-2 win and improve to 11-7 on the year.
 
Kirkham is just the second Fire wrestler since 2015 to earn this award, joining current graduate assistant Olson Delisca on November 22, 2017.
 
Southeastern returns to action this weekend at the Missouri Valley Invitational.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Southeastern University junior Riley Minix was selected as the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Player of the Week for his work in a win over No. 1 Saint Francis on Saturday.

The Vero Beach native had a game-high 29 points and hauled in eight rebounds in a 74-72 win over the Cougars Saturday afternoon. Minix connected on a pair of free throws with four seconds left to put the Fire on top and scored the final seven points of the game for the Fire in the win.

Minix is currently 15^th in the NAIA in scoring at 21.5 points per game and is averaging 33 points per 40 minutes which is third nationally. Additionally, he is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game and is 58% from the field.

The Fire take on 13^th-ranked Grace this afternoon at 4 p.m. at The Furnace.

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Individual Honors

Player of the Year: Emily Mohs, Thomas More, Sr.
Coach of the Year: Steve Wilcosky, Life

All-Southeast Sports Net Volleyball 2021

FIRST TEAM

OH – Sandy Cao, Southeastern, Fr.
OH – Giovanna Larragui-Lopez, Coastal Georgia, Jr.
OH – Emily Mohs, Thomas More, Sr.
OPP – Salma Gonzalez-Sosa, Campbellsville, Gr.
MB – Ingrid Ferrari, CIU, Jr.
MB – Leslie Flores, Bluefield, Jr.
S – Jessie Pritchard, Life, Gr.
S – Lily Witkoski, Ave Maria, Jr.
DS – Marin Black, Life, Sr.
DS – Allison Ruddick, Union, Sr.

SECOND TEAM

OH – Lily Chapman, Cumberlands, Jr.
OH – Mary Ellen Enright, Brenau, Jr.
OH – Lena Pucnik, Life, Jr.
OH – Saldy Amparo Smith, Edward Waters, Fr.
MB – Shayna Baugh, Union, Sr.
MB – Ella Maiden, Milligan, Fr.
MB – Radaisy Valdez, Lindsey Wilson, So.
S – Paige Merrick, Campbellsville, Sr.
S – Camryn Rich, Lindsey Wilson, Jr.
S – Aubry Whatcott, Bluefield, Sr.
DS – Bianci Grassi, St. Thomas, Fr.
DS – Melea Meadows, Mobile, Sr.

* The All-SESN Teams come from programs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the 16-team field and the matchups for the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series on Sunday. The 16-team FCS will kick-off on Saturday, Nov. 20 at eight campus host sites across the country, with the higher seed hosting each contest.

The full field features 12 automatic qualifiers and four at-large berths. In order to qualify for an automatic bid, teams must win their conference regular-season title. At-large berths were determined by the NAIA Football National Selection Committee. Teams earning an at-large berth must be ranked in the Top 20 of the final NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll, which can be accessed here.

The 66th Annual NAIA Football National Championship will culminate on December 18 at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C.

2021 NAIA Football Championship Series – First Round Schedule

Saturday, November 20 | Campus Sites

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the signing of three separate multi-year hosting contracts for its men’s and women’s Cross Country National Championships. Visit Tallahassee/Leon County, Columbia College (Mo.) and the Cascade Collegiate Conference have each agreed to separate deals which secure a host site for the association through the 2030 season.

Visit Tallahassee/Leon County will host the championships in both 2022 and 2025 at the Apalachee Regional Park Course in Tallahassee Florida.

“Visit Tallahassee is honored to partner with the NAIA to continue their tradition of providing exceptional championship experiences for their student athletes, coaches, and spectators,” said Kerri L. Post, Executive Director of Visit Tallahassee. “Hosting these championships in Tallahassee plays a major role in our communities continued commitment to the sport of cross country and we look forward to welcoming everyone to Tallahassee and the nationally renowned cross country course at Apalachee Regional Park,”

Columbia College, in partnership with the Columbia Sports Commission and the City of Columbia, signed an agreement to host the championships in 2024, 2027 and 2030 in Columbia, Mo. The races will be held at Gans Creek Cross Country Course.

“It is truly a special opportunity to host this Championship on our home course and it will be an experience our student-athletes will never forget,” said James Arnold, director of Athletics at Columbia College. “We are thrilled to welcome teams from around the country to Columbia and facilitate a first-class event for everyone involved.”

The Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) will extend its current agreement, which includes the 2021 and 2023 championships, in 2026 and 2029. The races will be held at Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course in Vancouver, Washington.

“The Pacific Northwest has an amazing tradition for running and we are thrilled to continue our partnership with the NAIA in hosting the Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country National Championships,” stated CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell. “The 2029 races will mark our 10th time hosting at the beautiful and unique Historic Fort Vancouver site with the outstanding folks at the National Park and Visit Vancouver fully embracing the event and participants.”

The extension for the Cascade and new host agreements are a welcome announcement for the NAIA heading into the 2021 championships.

“These three agreements display a commitment from several hosts to provide our student-athletes a quality championship experience,” said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. “We are thrilled to have all three of these hosts in the mix for years to come.”

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NAIA Volleyball Top 25

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