State Fair Community College soccer programs, under new head coach Jaime Beltran, announced its respective 2017-18 freshmen classes for men’s and women’s soccer Thursday.
The Roadrunners added 22 freshmen, including Smith-Cotton graduates Carlos Aguirre, Trey Goodson and Thomas Todd.
Alex Haag, of Stover, and Ben Rossiter, of Knob Noster, are local players on the SFCC roster, while Nike burns, Owen Hessing, Jaydan Messina and Aaron Vyas hail from Australia.
The Lady Roadrunners claim four Sedalia freshmen: Jessica Coble, Kiara Williams and Kassie Wehmeyer, of Smith-Cotton, and Shelby Bain, of Sacred Heart. Cierra Sawyers, of Warsaw, joins the 11-player class.
“It has been a very busy summer building both the men and women’s soccer teams, so I am looking forward to focusing on the students and building a winning tradition at SFCC,” Beltran said in a news release. “We found players who want to listen and learn from the coaching staff and from each other. When we start with the right people, everything else falls into place.”
Beltran, hired in April from Jarvis Christian College in Texas, recruited Anthony Diaz, of Houston, and Buhirwa Issa, of Fort Worth, to the Roadrunners and Bianca Meza and Kimberly Rosas, of El Paso, to the Lady Roadrunners.
“We have many players from the region, but we also have a few players from outside Missouri who will add to the flavor of the program,” Beltran said.
Both programs begin practices Sunday, Aug. 6, play a friendly with William Woods in Fulton on Aug. 16, and open at home Aug. 31 against Barton Community College.
Roadrunners: Chad Angerer, Josh Kunkelman, Cole Mengwasser, Fatima; Tyler Gillespie, Lone Jack; Alex Haag, Stover; Nathan Hess, Alex Tomicky, Columbia; Cameron Jackson, Moberly; Turner McGlasson, Winfield; Ben Rossiter, Knob Noster; Truman Schler, Boonville; Anthony Diaz, Houston, Texas; Buhirwa Issa, Fort Worth, Texas; Vasbert Ledger, Lafayette, Louisiana, Niko Burns, Owen Hessing, Jaydan Messina, Aaron Vyas, Australia; Joshua Odulaja, Nigeria.
Lady Roadrunners: Ally Brown, Kansas City; Karina Esquivel, Jefferson City; Raleigh Johns, Osage Beach; Cierra Sawyers, Warsaw; Trinity Sigler, Waynesville; Bianca Meza, Kimberly Rosas, El Paso, Texas.
Martin, Sanchez to round out soccer staff
A former Roadrunner and Ranger join Jaime Beltran’s staff in his first campaign as head coach with State Fair Community College.
Daniel Martin, who coached 11 seasons at Cape Girardeau High School and played two seasons at SFCC in 2000-01, joins Wendy Sanchez, who played for Beltran at Ranger College in 2011-12.
Beltran said in a news release Martin will bring knowledge of the area to the State Fair coaching staff. Martin played at the University of Louisville after State Fair and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Administration.
Sanchez served as an assistant coach for a Canutillo High School girls team in that finished 15-6 in 2017. She graduated in 2016 from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Science and a nutrition minor.
“(Sanchez) was on a team at Ranger that broke a lot of records,” Beltran said. “I know that her goal is to coach. Her experience playing at the two-year and four-year college level will be a good resource for our players.”
Bassey, Walker showcased in Kansas, Texas
State Fair Community College basketball sophomores measured up at Mullen’s Junior College Showcases in Kansas and Texas in July.
Isaac Bassey played three games at the Mullen’s Junior College Top 100 event in Wichita, Kansas. A.J. Walker, a transfer from Little Priest Tribal College in Nebraska, played three games in Dallas.
“It was a good experience for Isaac to go against players that are as big as he is,” said head coach Matt Brown. “A.J. fared pretty well, and he told me that he felt pretty good about the event. It was good for him to go against players of his quickness and his ability, and it was also good for him to see what he still needs to work on.”
Bassey, listed at 6-foot-11, averaged 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Walker averaged 15 points on 42 percent shooting from the field and had 4.6 assists per game. He played at Ruskin High School in Kansas City.
Brown, with college experience at Wentworth Military Academy and University of Missouri-Kansas City, enters his first season as head coach at SFCC. He was hired in April after Kevin Thomas was named head coach at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia. The Roadrunners finished 11-19 last season.
