Category: KCKCC

KCKCC women to hold first soccer playoff Saturday

There were smiles all around after KCKCC’s 6-1 win over Coffeyville Sunday. Team members include, front row, from left, Caroline Rutledge, Hailey Coates, Jasmine Diaz, Sydney Guerra, Kayla Deaver, Arlene Ruiz, Karleigh Enyart and Makenzie Denham; second row, Jaiden Takaishi, Hannah Nystrom, Marissa Stratton, Paige Liston, Corrine Hughes, Madison Broeker, Cristina Alvarez, Ruth Nunez, Alex Schemmel, Jaiden Yingling, Katrina Sargent and Melissa Siegel. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Coach Shawn Uhlenhake will take on a close friend when the Kansas City Kansas Community College women play host to Barton County Saturday at 1 p.m. in the opening round of the NJCAA DI Region VI soccer playoffs.

“Barton’s head coach, O.C. Camara, was my assistant coach while I was at Western Texas; I know he will have his team ready to play,” Uhlenhake said.

Hopes for a tie for the Jayhawk East championship faded away Tuesday as Cowley College (10-2) clinched the title with a 3-2 home win over third place Butler County. Second in the East with a 9-3 record, the Blue Devils (12-3) will be in the playoffs for the first time while Barton County is the defending Region VI champion. The Grizzlies finished third in the Jayhawk West with an 8-4 record and are 9-7 overall.

Uhlenhake’s ties with Barton County go well beyond his coaching relationship with Camara.

“It’s come full circle for me because Barton was my first college job and I know they invest a lot in their programs and expect to compete well in postseason play,” Uhlenhake said. “Having gone far in the playoffs last year, the Cougars are a little more prepared for postseason play based on last year. I know they have some dangerous players. They do every year.”

KCKCC’s experience will come from the coaching staff. Between Uhlenhake and assistant Sara Matthews, they have been to seven national tournaments.

“There isn’t a bar that’s been set before us; we’re writing history for our program,” Matthews said. “That allows us to not walk in with a ton of pressure on our shoulders and the ability to play fearlessly. But it also doesn’t give the players the experience of having been in this situation before. As coaches, we’ve had to get through conference tournaments to even get to the final site so we know the mentality it takes to win in the post-season. We will instill a hunger in this group for more.”

KCKCC is the No. 4 seed; Barton the No. 5. The winner will play the winner of the game that sends No. 8 Johnson County to No. 1 Cloud County Saturday. In the other half of the bracket, No. 6 Butler County plays at No. 3 Hutchinson on Saturday while No. 2 Cowley College plays host to No. 7 Dodge City on Sunday. The first round winners will advance to the semifinals at the home of the higher seeded team on Thursday, Oct. 31.

KCKCC to hold program today on human trafficking

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

The Kansas City Kansas Community College Counseling and Advocacy Center is holding its monthly program Oct. 23, which will focus on human trafficking.

“BeAlert: The Reality of Sex Trafficking,” is from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 23 in Room 2325 on the KCKCC Main Campus, 7250 State Ave. The event is open to the community and is co-hosted by Women and Gender Advocacy, the Counseling and Advocacy Center, Student Health Services, the KCKCC Intercultural Center and the AAUW. A light lunch will also be served.


Presented by September Trible, the presentation will touch on a variety of topics relating to human trafficking including the myths vs. realities; characteristics of the victims; the impact of the internet and social media; identifying and reporting and most importantly keeping children safe.

Trible has been formally engaged in the battle to prevent, heal and reduce sex trafficking since 2011. As a survivor of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST), her mission is to see youth, parents, caring adults and community leaders become educated and empowered to prevent this crime. As a Certified BeAlert Presenter with the Stop Trafficking Project, she is a committed victim advocate and was a founding board member of KC Street Hope. Trible later served for more than three years as the executive director for a long-term residential recovery program serving adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation.

For more information, contact Jennifer Gieschen, coordinator of Women and Gender Advocacy, at 913-288-7193.

KCKCC women ranked No. 1 for first time in preseason poll

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

For the first time in history, Kansas City Kansas Community College is the No. 1 ranked team in NJCAA DII women’s basketball.

Receiving all but one first place vote, the defending national champions lead a quartet of Jayhawk Conference teams ranked in the Top 12 in the NJCAA’s preseason poll of Division II teams. Johnson County is ranked 8th, Labette 11th and Highland 12th. .

“Obviously this makes me very happy and proud, especially knowing it’s the first time in history,” said head coach Joe McKinstry, who in just four seasons has taken the Lady Blue Devils to two national championship (2016 and 2019). “I’m also very proud that our program has earned that much respect on the national level and very appreciative of the players we’ve had the past four years. They’ve helped build this program and are the ones who have helped to put it in the position it is now..”

The No. 1 ranking comes despite the fact the Blue Devils return only two players who played the entire 2018-19 season – and one of them will not be available to start the season which begins Friday, Nov. 1.

Caroline Hoppock, a versatile 5-10 guard/forward who played in all 36 games last season, suffered a concussion and will be sidelined indefinitely.

That leaves 5-5 guard Brodi Byrd as the only full-time returnee. Byrd moved into the starting lineup at mid-season and averaged 8.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 22 starts.

Carson Chandler, a 5-8 guard, is also back after playing only the spring semester. However, she is sidelined with a leg injury.

“As head coach of this team, I look at the ranking from two perspectives,” McKinstry said. “It is not fair to this young group. Being so young (10 freshmen) and inexperienced, it’s a lot to ask them to shoulder.

“At the same time, this kind of respect is the reason they came to this college. Having high expectations is part of the program and responsibilities that go with it. They come here knowing that they will be the target of every team we play. As the leader of this team, it is my job to see that our young ladies accept those responsibilities, staying focused and determined.”

While KCKCC has won two national championships, the Blue Devils were never ranked better than No. 3 in either national championship season although Johnson County and Highland achieved the No. 1 ranking last season. There’s no poll taken after the national tournament.

“Being No. 1 kind of brings closure to last year’s team and its accomplishments,” McKinstry said. “Not only did it win the national championship in impressive fashion but earned the national respect that’s reflected by this year’s preseason rankings.”

The Blue Devils will remain No. 1 throughout the month of November because the next rankings won’t come out until December. However, there are several big hurdles that must be cleared if the Blue Devils are to remain among the nation’s elite.

The Blue Devils play host to Graceland junior varsity in their opener Friday, Nov. 1, and then entertain St. Louis Community College the next night, a St. Louis team that received votes in the preseason poll.

What most likely will be billed as the “Game of the Year,” KCKCC will play No. 2 Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Saturday, Nov. 9. A two-game classic, KCKCC also plays Southeastern Iowa Nov. 8.