Coyotes to play on Wednesday vs. Bluefield (Va.)
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

The NAIA-II National Championships begin Wednesday

Kansas Wesleyan will face Bluefield (Va.) on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. in the first round of the NAIA Division II National Championships at College of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri.

Bluefield, a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference qualified for the tournament after capturing the AAC Regular Season Championship, before losing to King (Tenn.) in the AAC Tournament Semifinals.

This is Bluefield’s sixth appearance in the championships. Their last trip was in the 2005 season. They are 1-5 in tournament games.

The Coyotes clinched the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 17-1 record in KCAC play, and swept the KCAC titles with a dramatic 56-55 win over Friends (Kan.) in the KCAC Tournament on Monday night at Muir Gym.

This will be Wesleyan’s first ever appearance in the NAIA-II National Tournament, and the first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament since 1950.

Curtis Dixon (6-3, So., G/F, Charleston, S.C.) leads the Rams in scoring at 17.72 points per game, and is shooting 46.6 percent from the floor on 191-of-410 shooting. Dontae Cholson (6-5, Jr., F, Petersburg, Va.) leads Bluefield in rebounding at 6.34 boards per game.

The no.6 ranked Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes (27-3) are led by unanimous KCAC Player of the Year Marcus Faubion (6-6, Sr., G/F, Glendale, Ariz.). Faubion is averaging 15.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season.

The Coyotes are currently riding an 18-game win streak heading into Wednesday’s tournament game.

More information, including tournament brackets, game times, and general information is available at the NAIA website, www.naia.org, and at the NAIA Division II National Tournament website at www.cofo.edu/naia.

-- KWU SI --