Press Releases

Cody Protsman of Alexandria, Missouri has signed his letter of intent with Graceland University and Men’s Basketball for the 2006-2007 school year.

Protsman standing at 6’3”, played a guard/forward position for the Clark County R-1 Indians this past season. He had two previous years of varsity experience as he earned the honor of being voted 1st Team All-Conference and 2nd Team All-District his senior year.

Cody the son of Danny and Denise Protsman chose Graceland University from among three Iowa schools that he showed interest in. “We are thrilled that Cody decided to become a Yellowjacket. He is a very versatile guard who can play either wing position or the point guard spot. He is very excited about his decision and we share those same feelings,” said Coach Ted Quinn of Protsman.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has recognized Graceland’ Chase Moore as a 2006 Daktronics-NAIA Men’s Basketball All-America Scholar-Athlete.

Moore is a 5-10 junior guard from Memphis, Mo. Moore played in 28 games for the Yellowjackets this season, averaging 3.3 points while shooting 38.5 percent from the field, 35.3 from behind the arc and 83.3 at the charity stripe. The Scotland County High School graduate is the son of Rob and Shari Moore and is studying chemistry and biology at Graceland.

To receive the award, each candidate must be a junior or above in academic standing and maintain a cumulative 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Nominated by their head coaches, each student-athlete is a contributing member of their respective varsity men’s basketball team.

The Heart of America Athletic Conference has honored Graceland’s Wendell Smith with an honorable mention all-conference award for the 2005-06 basketball season.

Smith, from Midland, Texas, hit 85 three pointers this season, just two shy of the school record set in 1997-98. Smith, a 6-0 senior guard, averaged 15.0 points in 28 games played, hitting 41.8 of his total shots, 38.3 from the arc and 82.8 at the charity stripe. Smith had a 30-point game against Culver-Stockton College and made seven of 10 threes in games against William Jewell College and Waldorf College. Along with scoring, Smith averaged 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game for the 9-19 Yellowjackets. Smith is an honorable mention selection.

The Graceland men’s basketball team pulled through the final seconds of the game to beat Baker University 63-60 Thursday night in Lamoni, Iowa. Prior to tonight, Graceland had lost nine games by five points or less, and had lost the last four games by a total of 14 points.

Against Baker, Graceland hit 25 of their 59 shots and hit 11 of 16 free throws. Josh Dalsing led the Jackets with 15 points and three assists, followed by Wendell Smith’s 14 points, two assists and two steals. Tyson Meierotto and Simon Morefield each grabbed double-digit rebounds with 10 and 11, respectively, while each scoring nine points.

Graceland ups their record to 9-18 overall and 5-14 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The Jackets travel to Springfield, Mo. to play Evangel University on Saturday, Feb. 18 for the last game of the regular season.

The Graceland men’s basketball team lost 73-78 to Avila University in overtime Thursday night in Lamoni, Iowa.

Graceland led by nine at the half, shooting 65 percent from the field and 71 percent from the three-point line in the first 20 minutes of play. In the second half, the Eagles hit their stride and tied the game with four minutes remaining. After a see-saw battle the last few minutes, Avila again took the lead with 17 seconds left in the game. Graceland was unable to take a last-second shot, forcing the game into overtime. The Jackets were then outscored 14-9 to lose the five-minute extra period.

Graceland was led by Wendell Smith’s 22 points, hitting five three-pointers and three-of-four free throws. Smith also had three steals. Tyson Meierotto had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds added to his five assists. Simon Morefield was one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Graceland drops to 8-16 overall and 4-12 in the HAAC. The Jackets travel to Liberty, Mo. on Saturday to play William Jewell College at 7:30 p.m. and return to the Closson on Thursday, Feb. 16 to host Baker University for senior night. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.

After leading the entire game, Graceland lost 63-65 to Lindenwood University on a shot made with just two seconds remaining in the game.

Graceland built a 16-point lead over the No. 23 NAIA team in the first half, but with 17:04 remaining in the second, Lindenwood began their comeback run. The Lions chipped away at the lead, going ahead of the Jackets 63-62 with just 37 seconds remaining. Graceland senior Roman Conner tied the game with a free throw at the 22-second mark, then Lindenwood’s Justin Shrake hit a jumper from the left baseline with two seconds remaining to up the Jackets 65-63. With no timeouts remaining, Graceland had to watch the last two seconds tick to zero.

Josh Dalsing scored 12 for the Jackets and had two steals and four rebounds. Wendell Smith scored 11 and hit four-of-four from the free throw line. Conner, Dan Easter and Simon Morefield each added eight points to the Graceland scoring column. Morefield pulled down 13 rebounds while teammate Tyson Meierotto grabbed 10.

Graceland is now 8-15 overall and 4-11 in the conference. The Jackets next host Avila University at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 9.

Guard Wendell Smith scored 30 points in Graceland’s 68-58 win over Culver-Stockton College Thursday night in Lamoni, Iowa.

Smith hit 10 of 18 shots, six of which were threes in the Yellowjackets’ fourth conference victory of the season. Dan Easter offered five assists and two blocks while Tyson Meierotto added seven rebounds and seven points to the Graceland attack.

Graceland ups their record to 8-12 overall and 4-8 in the conference. The Jackets next play Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo. at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Four Graceland Yellowjackets scored in double digits in the 86-62 win over Haskell Indian Nations University on Monday in Lamoni, Iowa.

Graceland shot 47 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc to score 47 points in the first half and held Haskell to 36 percent from the field and 30 points. In the second half, the Yellowjackets again shot 50 percent from the three point line and were 46 percent from the field as they outscored the Indians 39-32.

Wendell Smith lead all scorers with 19 points, hitting five of his 10 threes. Tyson Meierotto added 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals to the Graceland attack. Josh Dalsing and Chase Moore each scored 10 points and Moore grabbed six rebounds while Dalsing had five assists, four rebounds and a block. Kevin Potter had seven boards and seven points in 18 minutes for the Yellowjackets.

Graceland ups their record to 7-12 overall and now looks ahead to conference rival Culver-Stockton College. The Jackets host the Wildcats Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Closson Center.

Wendell Smith and Tyson Meierotto each scored 11 points in Graceland’s 56-77 loss to Evangel University Saturday afternoon in Lamoni, Iowa.

Meierotto also had six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots while Smith added four rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and one steal. Roman Conner chipped in eight points while Simon Morefield added seven points, four rebounds and three assists.

Graceland falls to 5-11 overall and 3-7 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

The Jackets next play non-conference Faith Baptist College on Monday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m.

With four minutes remaining in the game, freshman Simon Morefield hit a free throw to tie the game at 64, allowing Graceland to proceed to a 75-68 win over Benedictine College Monday night in Lamoni, Iowa.

The Jackets found themselves down by 10 at the half, but with a strong push from Wendell Smith and Roman Conner, Graceland outscored Benedictine 44-27 in the second half to take the conference win.

Smith hit four of eight threes and all six free throws on his way to 22 points. He also had four steals and three rebounds. Tyson Meierotto scored 17 points and pulled down six boards while Roman Conner chipped in 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals for Graceland. Morefield grabbed seven rebounds in just 13 minutes of play, and Josh Dalsing had five steals and three assists on the night.

Graceland extends its record to 5-9 overall and 3-5 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

On Thursday the Jackets play at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. before returning to the Closson on Saturday to host Evangel University at 4 p.m.

Saturday afternoon the Graceland University varsity basketball teams returned home for the new year and the second half of their busy seasons. In the nightcap game the men lost in a thrilling back and forth game to the men of William Jewell by a score of 70-78.

The men had a tough opponent in game two as they took on a Cardinal team that is currently ranked number six on the NAIA’s national poll. The Jackets held their own and kept pace in an exciting back-and-forth game.

Senior guard Wendell Smith led the Graceland cagers with 26 total points as he went 9-12 from the field and an outstanding 7-10 from beyond the three point line. Chipping in with 11 each were senior Roman Conner and junior Josh Dalsing, Conner also had six assists.

Big man Dan Easter did a great job on the glass as he swiped nine boards which just bested Dalsing who had seven.

The Yellowjacket men now post a season record of 4-9, 2-5 in the HAAC.

Both teams return home Monday as they host the Ravens of Benedictine College. The women play first as tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Closson Center in Lamoni, Iowa.

Graceland freshman Simon Morefield (Independence, Mo.) led the Jackets with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday night’s game against MidAmerica Nazarene. Morefield shot 8-10 from the field, and had three steals and two assists in Graceland’s 68-82 conference loss.

Graceland had a slow first half, falling 13 points behind the Pioneers in the first 20 minutes of play. In the second half Graceland stayed close to MidAmerica due to a 48 percent shooting effort, hitting 18 of 37 shots.

Morefield was the only Jacket to score or rebound in double-digits, but Roman Conner and DeJon Grant each had nine points and 10 of the 11 players scored in the game. Dan Leadbetter added four assists and Wendell Smith had three steals for Graceland.

Graceland will play Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. on Saturday, then following the Christmas break, the team will travel to Yankton, S.D. for a game on December 29.

The Graceland Yellowjacket men’s basketball team lost 57-59 to the Missouri Valley College Vikings on a last second shot, Saturday night in Lamoni, Iowa.

With 11 seconds remaining in the game, Missouri Valley missed a free throw, but grabbed the rebound and set up for the last second shot. After a timeout with four seconds remaining, the Vikings took a shot, got their own rebound and made the put-back before the buzzer sounded.

Graceland had a slow first half, scoring just 20 points in the first half, opposed to Missouri Valley’s 30. Wendell Smith hit a three to tie the score at 32 with 17:03 remaining in the game, beginning a see-saw battle for the lead for the remainder of the game. The Jackets got up by as many as eight points in the next 15 minutes, but the Vikings went on a 7-2 run to get back into the game.

Josh Dalsing paced the scoring for the Jackets with 14 points and five rebounds. Wendell Smith added 13 points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals. Tyson Meierotto was one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Simon Morefield also had a strong outing with nine points, eight rebounds and three steals. Roman Conner added eight assists and five points to the Graceland attack.

The Jackets will now prepare for their game against MidAmerica Nazarene University on Thursday, December 8 in Lamoni. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. following the 5:30 p.m. women’s game.

The Yellowjacket men's basketball team beat Culver-Stockton College 65-53 Thursday night in Canton, Mo., to win their second game in a row. The Jackets are now 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

Wendell Smith again led the Jackets in scoring, hitting four threes on his way to 14 points. Roman Conner added 11 points and a perfect 4-4 performance from the free throw line. Tyson Meierotto grabbed seven defensive and four offensive rebounds to add to his seven points.

"Tonight we had a good balanced scoring attack and played great team defense, continuing from our game against Bellevue," said Coach Ted Quinn. "It was good to see our guys allow only 17 points in the second half."

Graceland next plays Missouri Valley College on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Lamoni. Saturday is Yellowjacket Day at Graceland, sponsored by American State Bank. All fans will be offered free admission to the game, along with free popcorn, hotdogs and drinks.

Wendell Smith scored 13 points in Graceland’s 42-77 exhibition loss to Division II Northwest Missouri State University Tuesday night in Maryville, Mo.

Roman Conner chipped in 11 points, three assists and two steals while Josh Dalsing added 10 points on a 4-8 field goal shooting performance. Graceland is now 1-5 on the season.

The Jackets next play Bellevue University on November 29 in Lamoni, Iowa. Tip off for the game will be at 8 p.m.

The Graceland men’s basketball team took two loses this weekend in the Pizza Ranch Classic held in Orange City, Iowa.

On Friday night Graceland lost 101-65 to Briar Cliff University. Wendell Smith led Graceland with 16 points from a four of six three-point shooting performance. Josh Dalsing chipped in 10 points, three assists and two steals, and Simon Morefield was the top rebounder with five.

Saturday afternoon the Jackets were tied with Northwestern College at the half, but were outscored 37-28 in the second to lose the game 74-83. Roman Conner paced Graceland with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Smith added 13 of his own points and three assists. Simon Morefield was the only other Yellowjacket to score in double-digits, hitting five of eight free throws along the way. Morefield and Tyson Meierotto each grabbed six rebounds.

Graceland looks ahead to their next game on November 15 at Faith Baptist College in Ankeny, Iowa. Tip off is at 7 p.m.

Graceland men's basketball guard Wendell Smith earned all-tournament team accolades in the Northwestern College Pizza Ranch Classic this weekend in Orange City, Iowa.

Smith scored 16 points against Briar Cliff University on Friday and scored 13 points and had three assists in the game with Northwestern College on Saturday.

Smith is leading the Yellowjackets this season with 14.8 points per game and has shot 43 percent from the field and from behind the three-point arc. Wendell also has 2.3 rebounds per game along with seven assists and six steals in four games.

Watch Smith in action on Thursday, November 17 when Graceland hosts Central Methodist University at 7:30 p.m. in Lamoni, Iowa.

The Graceland men’s basketball team opened the 2005 season with a 83-80 win over Waldorf College Tuesday night in Forest City, Iowa.

Senior guard Wendell Smith scored 25 points on a 7-for-10 night from the three-point line. Freshman DeJon Grant scored 12 and junior Josh Dalsing had 11 in the game. Division I transfer Dan Leadbetter scored 10 points and led the Jackets in rebounds with six.

“It was a good effort for the first game of the season,” said first year head coach Ted Quinn. “Basically we came from behind after leading early to get the win.”

Graceland’s home opener is this Saturday, November 5 against William Penn University. The men tip-off at 4 p.m. following an afternoon of events including a 10 a.m. varsity women’s scrimmage, a women’s JV game at noon and a men’s JV game at 2 p.m.