Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Goods was great story for Kirkwood

Simone Goods admits she was scared.

She played basketball at Western Kentucky last season as a freshman, but did not feel comfortable there and transferred to Kirkwood this season for the next step in her career.

All of a sudden, she went from an NCAA Division I basketball program with all expenses paid to a junior college. It helped that Deleyah Harris, one of her best friends from Omaha, was already playing at  Kirkwood, but there were some anxious moments.

"I was definitely scared," Goods said Saturday night, "but I just had a lot of support."

That support came from her family, her new teammates and from Kirkwood Coach Kim Muhl and his entire staff.

"Coach Muhl always talks to me about how I've blossomed," she said, "because when I first got here he always tells me I was like a sad little dog."

Goods laughed when she made that last remark, because it came shortly after the 6-foot-2 center helped the Eagles win the NJCAA Division II  national title in Arkansas Saturday night.

Goods had a big double-double in the championship game with 19 points and 17 rebounds against Johnson County, despite being double-teamed  most of the night. She was named the MVP of the national tournament, adding to her collection as the league MVP and regional MVP this season.

Goods averaged 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds this season and likely will be named a first team All-American when the postseason honors are announced. Keep in mind, she compiled those numbers despite playing only 21.7 minutes per game on a team that won all 37 of its games by more than 30 points per contest.

Goods shot 67.5 percent from the field, a mark that led the nation, and also displayed a fine touch at the foul line, hitting 76 percent  of her free throws.

Read more...

KCC baseball team pounds Ellsworth

IOWA FALLS - The Kirkwood baseball team flexed its muscles Monday and belted Ellsworth, 16-1 and 9-0, in an ICCAC conference doubleheader in Iowa Falls.

The Eagles raised their records to 16-7 overall and 2-0 in the league in their conference openers.

Korry Howell drove in four runs in the 16-1 onslaught in the opener, which lasted only five innings due to the mercy rule. Kirkwood scored seven runs in the first inning and added seven more runs in the fourth.

Colin Kreiter collected three RBIs in the first game. Ellison Hanna, Tyler Bordner and Toran Shahidi had two RBIs. Shahidi had two hits and scored three times. Cal Clark also had two hits.

Austin Miller pitched four strong innings for the victory in Game 1. He allowed three hits and one unearned run, with five strikeouts and two walks.

Kreiter went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in the 9-0 victory in the nightcap. Hanna went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. Howell, Bordner, Shahidi and Clark had two hits.

Read more...

No. 2 Eagles sock 6 more homers in sweep

The second-ranked Kirkwood softball team walloped six more home runs Monday and swept Ellsworth, 7-1 and 19-0, in an ICCAC conference doubleheader at the Kirkwood field.

Lexi Ferrari hit two homers, giving her five home runs in two days. Maddie Hansen, Angie McBeain, Megan Kublik and DoniRae Mayhew also knocked the ball over the fence.

Ferrari is batting .513 with eight homers and 43 RBIs. Hansen is hitting .518 with six homers and 42 RBIs. Mayhew has eight home runs this season and McBeain has six. Kublik socked her first round-tripper of the year.

The Eagles belted eight home runs on Sunday when they swept Iowa Central, giving them 14 homers in two days.

Lexi Kinnaird (11-1, 1.58 ERA) tossed a two-hitter in the 7-1 victory with 12 strikeouts and no walks. The sophomore right-hander has now collected 115 strikeouts in 71 innings, with only five walks.

McBeain (8-0, 1.94 ERA) pitched a one-hitter in the 19-0 triumph, with five strikeouts and no walks.

Read more...

No. 2 Eagles belt 8 homers in sweep

The Kirkwood Eagles did the long ball.

The second-ranked Kirkwood softball team belted eight home runs Sunday  and swept an ICCAC conference doubleheader from 17th-ranked Iowa  Central, 13-3 and 11-6, at Kirkwood.

Lexi Ferrari and Maddie Hansen shared top billing for the Eagles in their home opener and conference opener.

Ferrari went 6-for-6 with two doubles, three home runs, seven RBIs and  six runs scored. Hansen was 6-for-6 with two doubles, two homers and eight RBIs on a gray day with the temperature straining to reach 50  degrees.

DoniRae Mayhew socked two homers for the Eagles, including a walk-off grand slam in the sixth inning of the opener, and Chaise Light hit a  solo shot in the first game.

Kirkwood raised its records to 20-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference with the twin-killing.

The Eagles have collected 35 home runs in 21 games, on pace once again for 100 homers this season. Mayhew leads the club with seven home runs, Ferrari has six and Hansen five.

Read more...

Perfection! Kirkwood claims 7th national title

HARRISON, Ark. - It took Kim Muhl seven years to claim his seventh national title at Kirkwood after winning his sixth crown in 2010, but it was worth the wait.

The top-ranked Eagles put an exclamation point on their perfect season Saturday night with a 61-46 victory over third-ranked Johnson County in the championship game of the NJCAA Division II tournament at Pioneer Pavilion.

Kirkwood finished the season with a 37-0 record and became the first women's basketball team in school history to roll through an entire campaign without losing a single contest.

The Eagles won their 37 games by an average margin of 30.5 points with  a deep and talented club that refused to lose.

Muhl has pocketed national titles in 1997, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009,  2010 and now 2017, adding to his status as one of the most successful coaches in junior college history.

Read more...

Usher helps Kirkwood reach national finals

HARRISON, Ark. - Kirkwood's quest for the national title and a perfect season is one step away.

Olivia Usher and Deleyah Harris popped in 17 points apiece Friday night as the top-ranked Eagles punished fourth-ranked Kankakee, 76-49, in the semifinals of the NJCAA Division II national tournament at Pioneer Pavilion.

Kirkwood (36-0) will face third-ranked Johnson County (33-2) in the championship game Saturday night at 7:30.

The Eagles survived a big scare in the quarterfinals Thursday against Cincinnati State, needing a late rally to escape with a 65-63 victory, but there was little suspense Friday.

Usher, a freshman from Cedar Rapids Prairie who averages 6.3 points, scored 12 points in the first half to help Kirkwood grab a commanding 40-21 lead at intermission and the Eagles took it home from there.

It took Usher only five seconds to score her first basket after Kirkwood controlled the opening tip. She finished with three 3-pointers in the game and had three assists.

The Eagles were sitting on a slim 19-17 lead early in the second quarter when they took control with a 16-0 run for a 35-17 bulge. Niaja Taylor got the spurt started with a follow shot, then Usher tallied inside and hit a 3-pointer to make it 26-17.

Read more...

Axcell saves No. 1 Eagles at national tourney

HARRISON, Ark. - Megan Axcell hit the biggest 3-pointer of her life Thursday night to rescue the Kirkwood Eagles at the NJCAA Division II national tournament.

Axcell swished a 3-pointer from the corner with 34 seconds left to erase a 63-62 deficit and help the top-ranked Eagles nip Cincinnati State, 65-63, in the quarterfinals at Pioneer Pavilion.

Kirkwood trailed by eight points, 61-53, with less than four minutes left before mounting a furious comeback to keep their hopes alive of winning the national title.

Kirkwood (35-0) will face fourth-ranked Kankakee (30-2) in the semifinals Friday at 8 p.m. Johnson County will meet Monroe Community College in the first semifinal at 6 p.m., with the championship game slated for Saturday night.

The Eagles committed a whopping 26 turnovers and missed 11 free throws Thursday, putting their season in serious jeopardy, but they pulled  things together by outscoring Cincinnati 12-2 down the stretch.

Read more...

KCC's Kinnaird wins national softball award

Kirkwood sophomore Lexi Kinnaird has been named the NJCAA Division II National Pitcher of the Week for her performances in games that were  played from March 13-19.

Kinnaird went 2-0 in her two outings for the Eagles and did not allow any runs in 12 innings. She struck out 26 batters, walked only two and allowed just two hits.

Kinnaird has a 9-1 record and 1.45 ERA for second-ranked Kirkwood this season. She has fanned 97 batters in 58 innings, with only four walks.

Kirkwood's scheduled doubleheader at Spoon River (Mo.) on Wednesday was called off due to inclement weather.

Kirkwood baseball team sweeps Marshalltown

MARSHALLTOWN - The Kirkwood baseball team swept a doubleheader from Marshalltown, 11-5 and 2-0, in non-conference games in Marshalltown Wednesday.

The sweep lifted the Eagles to 14-7 for the season.

General McArthur drove in three runs and scored three times in the 11-5 victory. Colin Kreiter and Lorenzo Elion had two RBIs.

Brody Alberts sparkled in relief for Kirkwood in the 2-0 victory in the nightcap. Alberts tossed five shutout innings, with seven  strikeouts, no walks and only three hits.

Korry Howell had two hits for the Eagles in the second game.

GAME 1

Kirkwood        233 001 2 - 11 6 1
Marshalltown    002 300 0 - 5 10 2

GAME 2

Kirkwood        000 001 1 - 2 6 0
Marshalltown    000 000 0 - 0 5 3