Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

KCC's Sneed bounces back at right time

Ariel Sneed was a junior college All-American for Kirkwood last season, but she's been slowed by a pair of knee injuries this year and has lost her spot in the starting lineup.

That's OK with Sneed. Compared to what she's been through in her young life, a few injuries and coming off the bench are child's play.

"I lost my grandma a few years ago. That's who raised me," Sneed said after starring for Kirkwood in the regional tournament Thursday night. "I know my mom and stuff, but I've just been kind of on my own.

"It's been tough," she said, "but I've been able to manage."

Sneed, a 6-foot sophomore from Harvey, Ill., looked like her old self Thursday as the seventh-ranked Eagles destroyed Iowa Central, 95-48, in the semifinals of the Region XI tournament at Johnson Hall.

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No. 7 KCC women cruise in opener

The Kirkwood women's basketball team went for a stroll in the park Tuesday night in the opening round of the Region XI tournament at Johnson Hall, but it figures to get a lot harder from here.

The seventh-ranked Eagles scored 27 straight points in the first half and demolished Ellsworth, 75-30, with stringent defense and a productive bench.

Kirkwood (26-5) will host Iowa Central (20-11) in the semifinals Thursday at 5:30 p.m., with a possible date with No. 6 NIACC in the finals here Saturday afternoon.

Kirkwood is the No. 1 seed for the tournament and will host all the games it plays.

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No. 8 Kirkwood men sink Iowa Lakes

The Kirkwood men's basketball team is healthy, playing fairly well and playing at home so far in the Region XI tournament.

It was a good combination Tuesday night.

The eighth-ranked Eagles dunked Iowa Lakes for the third time this season, 83-59, in the quarterfinals of the postseason tournament and will host the semifinals on Thursday.

Kirkwood (24-6) will play Southwestern on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Southwestern downed Iowa Central, 86-74, to advance on Tuesday night.

Jordan Ashton popped in 22 points and the Eagles got strong contributions up and down the lineup Tuesday. The Eagles have been practicing and playing for six months and have the normal amount of wear and tear, but they appear to be on an up-tick in March.

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No.9 Eagles crush Iowa Central by 50

The Kirkwood men's basketball team will be riding a wave of confidence into the regional tournament after crushing Iowa Central, 95-45, in the final game of the regular season at Johnson Hall Saturday.

It was Kirkwood's most lopsided victory in the ICCAC conference this season and lifted the ninth-ranked Eagles to a 23-6 overall record heading into the postseason. The Eagles finished second in the league with a 9-3 record behind DMACC.

Kirkwood will host Iowa Lakes (16-14) in the quarterfinals of the Region XI NJCAA Division II tournament Tuesday at 7:30. The Kirkwood women will meet Ellsworth in the first tournament game Tuesday at 5:30.

"It was a fun win, a good win" said Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen after the easy 50-point victory on Sophomore Day.

Jordan Ashton popped in four 3-pointers and led Kirkwood with 16 points. Jacob Olson, a Cedar Rapids Jefferson grad, pitched in 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench. Matt Lassen hit three triples and scored 13 points and Hunter Rhodes had 11 points.

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Muhl nets 19th ICCAC title with Eagles

Tyra Polite was looking forward to helping the Kirkwood women's basketball team compete for the regional title this season and a possible run at the national tournament, but that's not how it turned out for the talented 5-foot-9 sophomore from Pennsylvania.

Polite spent the final game of the regular season at the end of the Kirkwood bench Saturday with a broken bone in her ankle and crutches at her side, done for the year with an untimely injury that has finished her career with the Eagles.

Kirkwood defeated Iowa Central without her, 63-48, and will be the No. 1 seed for the regional tournament, but Polite's absence is a big loss for the seventh-ranked Eagles.

"Leadership," said Kirkwood Coach Kim Muhl, pointing to Polite's best attribute. "She's left-handed, she's our assist leader, she'd hit a three. She was just good with the ball."

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No.9 Kirkwood softball team rolls

ROCHESTER, Minn. - The ninth-ranked Kirkwood softball team belted its two opponents by a combined score of 42-1 in the season openers Friday in Rochester (Minn.).

The Eagles blanked Riverland, 17-0, and walloped Rochester Tech, 25-1. Both games lasted only five innings.

Chasney Jenkins went 4-for-4 for Kirkwood in the first game. Tara Walls was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Alicia Crivaro was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Lexi Quandt was 3-for-3 with a double, triple and three RBIs.

Freshman Nicky Simpson pitched a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts.

Jenkins hit a home run in the second game. Alex Finn was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. Erin Weno socked a home run and drove in three runs. Lexie Biehl was 4-for-4 with a homer. Brooke Prior went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and four runs.

Freshmen Hannah Cole and Ellie Mengler combined on a three-hitter with six strikeouts.

Kirkwood men lose showdown to DMACC

BOONE - The Kirkwood men's basketball team will have to settle for second place in the ICCAC conference this season after losing to DMACC, 66-60, in a showdown for the league title Thursday night.

The Eagles (22-6, 8-3) needed a victory to pull into a tie with DMACC (24-4, 10-1) with one game left in the regular season. Instead, the second-ranked Bears now own a two-game lead over the eighth-ranked Eagles and cannot be caught.

DMACC will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and Kirkwood will be the No. 2 seed. If they both reach the tournament finals, the game would be played on DMACC's home court in Boone.

Matt Lassen pumped in six 3-pointers and scored 22 points for Kirkwood. Ajay Lawton hit three triples and scored 20 points, but the rest of the club combined for only 18 points.

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Kirkwood women clinch tie for title

BOONE - The seventh-ranked Kirkwood women's basketball team topped DMACC, 85-67, Thursday night and clinched at least a tie for the ICCAC conference title.

The Eagles (24-5, 12-1) have a one-game lead over NIACC heading into the final game of the regular and can win the outright championship by defeating Iowa Central Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hall.

Taylor Silva played a strong all-around game for Kirkwood with nine points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

Cassidy Clark topped a balanced scoring attack with 13 points. Ariel Sneed and Kirsten Larson scored 11 points apiece. A.J. Downs and Peyton Bockholt had 10 points apiece.

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Kirkwood softball opens in Minnesota

The Kirkwood softball team is heading north this Friday to escape the cold and snow instead of heading south to begin the 2015 campaign, but there's no reason to question their sanity.

The ninth-ranked Eagles will be playing two games Friday inside a bubble in Rochester, Minn., against NIACC and Rochester Tech.

"The good thing about it is, it will be dry but it probably will be 40 degrees," Kirkwood Coach Joe Yegge said Wednesday as the snow fell in Cedar Rapids.

This will be a long one-day excursion for the Eagles. They'll leave for Rochester Friday morning, play their games at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., then turn around and come home.

Kirkwood returns eight experienced players who helped the Eagles finish 52-8 last season, but three of the top four pitchers are freshmen who are just starting their college careers.

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