Category: KCKCC

KCKCC to hold Women’s History Month events

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College is convening several events in honor of Women’s History Month.

As 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in the United States, this year’s theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote.” The programs will honor the women who worked for 70 years to win women’s suffrage. All events are free and open to community members.

The first event, “Voices of the Suffrage Movement: Read-In and Writer’s Workshop,” is from 10 a.m. to noon, March 4 in the KCKCC Intercultural Center. Associate Professor of English Polly Hawk, and her Women in Literature class, will share readings on the topic of women’s suffrage. That session will be immediately followed by a writer’s workshop to learn political letter writing led by Carrie Dimino, coordinator of the Writing Lab.

The second Women’s History Month event, “Politics on the Platform: Woman Suffrage in Kansas,” is from 10 to 11 a.m., March 11 in the KCKCC Art Gallery. Led by Dr. Sarah Bell, development officer at the Watkins Museum, the program will focus on Kansas as a progressive leader and the eighth state to grant women the right to vote. Bell received a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Kansas and a doctorate in history, also from KU. Her research interests include women’s political activism at the turn of the 20th century, particularly suffrage and temperance.

The final event in March is “The ERA: Why Is It So Important?” It is from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. March 26 in Room 2325. The program will be led by Erica Benson, from Project 28 MO, and will focus on how the United States Constitution does not have gender-specific protections and how the Equal Rights Amendment can help.

Women’s History Month programs are co-hosted by Women and Gender Advocacy, the Counseling and Advocacy Center, Women’s Studies, AAUW, the Intercultural Center and the KCKCC Learning Commons.

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

KCKCC men and women in playoffs today

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

It’s an all Labette-Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball semifinals Tuesday.

The No. 4 seeded Lady Blue Devils play No. 1 Labette at Parsons Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. while the No. 5 Cardinal men come to KCKCC for a 7 p.m. tipoff against the No. 1 seeded Blue Devils.

The games will be the third meetings of each team. The KCKCC women fell 79-63 at Parsons in the Jayhawk Conference opener Jan. 22 and 66-62 at home Feb. 8 while the Blue Devil men split, losing 79-71 at Labette and then winning 81-77 at home.

KCKCC won the Jayhawk men’s championship with an 8-2 record. The Blue Devils are 16-13 while Labette is 17-12 after finishing fifth in the conference at 4-6.

Labette’s women (23-4) won their first Jayhawk DII championship with a 9-1 record while KCKCC finished fourth (5-5). The Lady Blue Devils are 25-6 overall.

Tuesday’s winners will advance to the NJCAA Region VI championship games to be played at the Hutchinson Sports Arena Friday.

Johnson County is at Highland in the other women’s semifinal while Johnson County’s men play host to Highland. The women’s final is set for 5 p.m., the men’s at 7:30 p.m.

KCKCC drops softball opener but rebounds to win three in row

Bradi Basler’s slide into third beat a throw from the outfield in KCKCC’s 7-3 win over Metropolitan Sunday. Basler gave up five hits and struck out 11 to get her first collegiate pitching win. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)
Freshman Leah Seichepine slid home safely as she and Devin Purcell (9) scored on Shay Grosstephan’s single that opened the scoring in KCKCC’s 7-3 nightcap win over Metropolitan Sunday. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Bouncing back after a 3-2 extra inning loss on Saturday, Kansas City Kansas Community College swept the final three games of the Blue Devils’ season opening series.

The Blue Devils defeated Marshalltown 8-3 after the 3-2 loss Saturday, then swept Metropolitan 8-3 and 7-3 on Sunday. The Blue Devils are right back in action Tuesday when they play host to State Fair at 1 and 3 p.m. At Crowder Thursday, KCKCC is also home Friday against No. 9 ranked Kirkwood.

Back-to-back doubles with two out in the top of the eighth inning scored the winning run in Marshalltown’s 3-2 win. The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on two singles and an error. The Blue Devils got one run back in the third on two errors and then tied it in the fifth on a triple by Leah Seichepine and Hannah Redick’s single.

Freshman Bradi Basler of Lansing was the hard-luck loser, allowing just five hits and two earned runs in eight innings. She struck out 12, walked three. Jennica Messer and Seichepine each had two of KCKCC’s six hits.

“I don’t know if it was first game jitters but we just weren’t tuned in offensively,” KCKCC coach Lana Ross said. “Our pitching was good and the hitting improved the next three games.”

Lansing twins Leah and Alyssa Seichepine powered the Blue Devils to their first win, combining for six hits and four RBI in the 8-3 win over Marshalltown. Leah had four hits and drove in one run; Allyssa drove in three with a pair of hits.

Alaina Howe and Devin Purcell each added a pair of singles and Abby Henson a double.

Trailing 3-0, KCKCC tied the game in the second. After singles by Howe and Purcell, Alyssa Seichepine singled in two runs and Leah Seichepine the third.

The Blue Devils then went ahead 6-3 in the third, scoring three times on hits by Messer, Purcell and Alyssa Seichepine and added two more runs in the fifth on a double by Henson and single by Howe.

Sophomore Shay Grosstephan got the win, allowing five hits and two earned runs in six innings. She struck out five, walked four before freshman Nerida Elson pitched a scoreless seventh. Grosstephan also got the win in KCKCC’s 8-3 win over Metropolitan Sunday, scattering 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings before Basler finished up.

Piper sophomore Alexis Rymer drove in three runs with a second-inning single and a two-run home run in the third while Basler belted a solo home run and singled twice to drive in a pair. Henson and Messer each doubled and singled and Redick singled twice in a 12-hit attack.

Singles by Messer, Henson and Rymer scored KCKCC’s first two runs in the second and the Blue Devils went ahead 6-0 in the third highlighted by an RBI double by Henson and Rymer’s 2-run homer.

The first five Blue Devils to come to the plate reached base in Sunday’s 7-3 second game win. After singles by Purcell and Leah Seichepine and a walk loaded the bases, Grosstephan singled in two runs, Redick singled in the third and Henson’s squeeze bunt scored the fourth. Grosstephan led offensively with three hits and three RBI while Redick drove in a pair of runs with two hits.

Basler (1-1) got her first pitching win, allowing five hits and three runs over seven innings. She struck out 11, walked one.