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soccer
Women’s Soccer Wins MIAA
for 9th Time
The Truman
women’s
soccer
team captured its
ninth MIAA title
in 11 years and
advanced to the
2009 NCAA
tournament after
earning the
conference’s
automatic Olivia Hayes
qualifier.
The Bulldogs traveled to Canyon, Texas,
for first and second round action, taking on
rival Nebraska-Omaha in the opening
round. Senior Riley Mahn headed in a
corner kick early in the second half to send
the Bulldogs to the second round against
the region’s top seed, West Texas A&M.
However, the ’Dogs couldn’t find paydirt
in their next match and fell 1-0 to the
host Lady Buffaloes.
The squad had seven players named
MIAA all-conference, including a leaguebest
five to the first-team. Seniors Katie
Reuck, Kelsey Richters and Theresa Bauler
were joined by sophomore Megan Buri and
freshman Olivia Hayes on the first-team,
with Hayes picking up conference freshman
of the year honors.
Freshman Kelsey Twellman received
second-team accolades, while sophomore
Jayne Grisham was named an honorable
mention goalkeeper. Head coach Mike
Cannon garnered his eighth MIAA coach of
the year award.
Of those seven, five were named to the
NSCAA South Central all-region team, as
both Reuck and Hayes picked up first-team
accolades. Grisham (second-team), Bauler
(third-team) and Buri (third-team) were
also selected.
Truman graduates eight seniors – Katie
Reuck, Theresa Bauler, Jessica Wiegert,
Kristin Haluszczak, Riley Mahn, Katie
Hinrichs, Isabel Gaeta and Kelsey Richters
– from this year’s squad but will have six
starters, including four all-MIAA
performers returning for the 2010 season.
Men’s Soccer Just
Misses Postseason
Despite posting a 12-3-1 overall record, the
Bulldog men’s soccer team came up just
short in its bid to reach the NCAA
tournament. The men’s South Central Region takes
just the top two teams, and Truman finished third.
Senior Drew Pauk and sophomore Jonathan
Brown were named all-region first-team, while junior
Bobby Larkin picked up second-team accolades.
Pauk represented the Truman defense by playing
in and starting in all of the teams’ games. He added
four goals to also contribute offensively in addition
to helping the back line record a goals-againstaverage
lower than 0.75.
Brown from Perth, Scotland, led the Bulldog men
in points with 17, with 11 coming on assists. His
0.69 assists per game average ranked third in NCAA
Division II and was the most given by a Bulldog
since Martin Clayes distributed 16 in 2005.
Larkin joined Brown in representing the Truman
midfield after he led the Bulldog men with six goals
in 16 games. He finished second on the team with
14 points and logged a pair of game-winning goals.
The squad graduates six regular starters but will
return its top three-point scorers and starting
goalkeeper for the 2010 season.
Gregg Nesbitt Named New Bulldog Football Coach
Former
Bulldog
standout
Gregg Nesbitt (’80,
’87) has been
named the football
program’s next
head coach.
“We are elated
to have Coach
Nesbitt back in
Bulldog purple and
are confident that Gregg Nesbitt (left)
his experience,
knowledge, enthusiasm, and character make him
the perfect fit to lead our students participating
in our football program on and off the field,”
said Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering.
Nesbitt, a native of Hannibal, Mo., received
both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from
Truman while playing for the Bulldog football
team from 1976-1979. He earned his bachelor’s
degree in 1980 before adding his master’s
degree in 1987.
“I am tremendously excited and proud to
take over the reins of our Truman Bulldog
football program,” said Coach Nesbitt. “This
great university helped equip me for this
profession 30 years ago and also is where I was
blessed to meet my wife Jackie.”
Nesbitt returned to his hometown and was
the head coach for Hannibal High School from
1984-89 leading the Pirates to the state playoffs
in his final three seasons. Nesbitt also served as
the school’s athletic director.
In 1990, Nesbitt returned to Kirksville and
the Truman family to join Eric Holm’s staff as
linebackers coach and defensive coordinator.
During his time as a Bulldog assistant, the
program excelled with two nine-win seasons
and two trips to the NCAA Division II playoffs
(1990 and 1992).
Robert Merriman earned second team
Football Gazette all-America honors as a
defensive back under Nesbitt in 1992.
The Bulldogs, during those three seasons,
were 23-9.
In 1993, Nesbitt left Truman to become the
head coach at one of the premier high school
programs in the state of Missouri – Columbia’s
Hickman High School.
Nesbitt would spend the next 13 years on
the sidelines in Columbia and would rack up
six Missouri Class Six playoff appearances
culminating in the 2004 State Championship.
In 10 of those 13 years, Hickman was
ranked in the top 10 in Missouri’s largest
football class with 95 students receiving college
scholarships and 42 named to Missouri’s allstate
teams.
Following his state championship in 2004,
Nesbitt was named Missouri Coach of the Year
by the Associated Press, the National Federation
of High School Sports Regional Coach of the
Year and a nominee for the NFHS National
Coach of the Year Award.
Nesbitt moved back to the college ranks in
2006 as defensive coordinator and secondary
coach at Central Methodist University (NAIA)
before joining Bulldog rival Central Missouri in
Warrensburg prior to the 2007 season as codefensive
coordinator. During the past three
seasons, the Mules defense allowed just 23.3
points per game and 378 yards per game.
While his focus at the collegiate level has
been primarily on the defensive side of the
football, Nesbitt called high school offenses for
over 22 seasons giving him a unique perspective
of being a leader on both sides of the football.
Nesbitt and his wife Jackie (Snell) Nesbitt
(’83), have two sons, Kellen and Ryan.
Winter 2009-2010 39