The final chapter

MARYVILLE — Kelsey Fields of Creston, part of a major turnaround in Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball the past four years, was among seven Bearcat seniors honored prior to Saturday’s regular season finale at Bearcat Arena.

“It went fast. I feel like I just got here,” the 6-2 center said after recording the 16th double-double of her career (10 points, 15 rebounds) in Northwest’s 70-51 victory over Emporia State.

The win, along with an 82-76 overtime win two nights earlier when Fields grabbed 21 rebounds while scoring 11 points, pushed the Bearcats into the eighth seed for this week’s Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) tournament in Kansas City. A few weeks ago the Bearcats were sitting in 11th place, one position shy of qualifying for the tournament.

The Bearcats (15-14) face No. 9 seed Missouri Southern (18-12) at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Municipal Auditorium. The winner takes on top-seeded Pittsburg State (26-3), the MIAA regular season champion, in Thursday’s quarterfinals at 6 p.m.

Head coach Austin Meyer has taken the Bearcats to the MIAA Championships the past four seasons. The tournament concludes with the semifinals Saturday evening before the title game at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

“We got off to a great start, then we lost our confidence for awhile when we had some losses, but we’re playing good team basketball again and that will help us in the tournament,” Fields said. “I’m excited to see if we can make a run in the tournament. We’re way better than our record.”

Early this season the Bearcats were ranked as high as ninth nationally and picked up two wins over top-five ranked teams. Northwest defeated No. 5 Ashland 57-49 on Nov. 2, and seven days later knocked off No. 1 and defending national champion Minnesota State, 85-67.

It’s a veteran squad, led by graduate student guards Molly Hartnett and Caely Kesten. They were the two leading scorers during a historic 23-8 season last year that included the first appearance in the NCAA Division II national tournament in 13 years.

This year’s team achieved the fourth straight season with a .500 or above record, something that was not a regular occurrence before Fields and the other seniors arrived.

“Kelsey has been a pivotal part of our climb as a program,” said Meyer, who took over in the 2018-19 campaign. “Prior to her arriving on campus the program had eight straight losing seasons. Kelsey has a 70-49 record in her four years as a Bearcat, including an NCAA Tournament appearance.

“More importantly,” Meyer added, “Kelsey represents our program at the highest level. She is a great person, teammate and leader within our community. We are so proud of all she has done and know that she has an extremely bright future.”

Teaching job

Her future includes a job as a high school special education teacher for Pella Community Schools starting next fall, where her parents moved last summer. She will graduate in May with a degree in elementary education and special education.

Creston’s all-time scoring and rebounding leader (52 double-doubles during her Panther career) has averaged 9.4 points and 7.6 rebounds during her final season. In her career, Fields has played in 117 games, including 73 starts. She has scored 851 points and ranks second all-time in Northwest Missouri State career rebounds with 894, trailing only Julie Chadwick with 1.006 rebounds from 1978-81.

All of her family accompanied Kelsey to center court prior to Saturday’s game, including sister Brianna, who one night earlier played for Grand View University in a Heart of America Conference tournament semifinal loss to Benedictine. (The Vikings, 20-5, still have hopes of an NAIA national tournament selection.)

Knowing this was her final time on the Bearcat Arena court, Fields was already feeling the emotions as she was introduced with the other 2025 seniors.

“I kind of just put a smile on my face and took it all in, telling myself to not cry,” Fields said after the win. “Just knowing it was my last home game, and having my entire family there, there was a lot of adrenaline. There’s been some ups and downs, but it’s been a really good four years.”

Fields said the small-town feel in a university setting with high-quality basketball has made it a great experience.

“When I visited here everyone talked about the culture, and it’s true,” Fields said. “You walk out after a game and people are stopping to tell you good game. Some of them you don’t even know. That really speaks volumes to the people here in Maryville, and the people that Northwest recruits. They recruit high character people who value each other. It was a good fit. I’ve made many lifelong friends.”

Support system

Fields exited her final home game with 1:34 left, along with starters Hartnett and Kesten. Reserve seniors Kendall Clatt, Evelyn Vazquez, Laini Joseph and Peyton Kelderman all checked into the contest. The finality of it seemed to hit Fields as she walked off the court for the final time.

“I held the tears in when I came off the court,” she said. “Knowing the girls who will still be here in the next few years, hoping that I left an impact on their lives. We have two freshmen who will be posts next year. I tried to be a leader for them and lead by example.”

There were times during her first year when Fields needed that kind of help from teammates to cope with the demands of being a college student-athlete.

“It’s basically like having two full-time jobs,” Fields said. “I went home a lot my first year. I think when you’re playing with other people who really love the sport, and they want you to succeed and they want the team to succeed, then you always have someone picking you up when you need it. I think I proved that I belonged with the girls who came in from 4A and 5A schools, even though I was from a smaller town. I was able to hold my own and play with those people.”

As the No. 2 all-time rebounder in program history, Fields more than held her own. She created a legacy as one of the top post players to ever wear a Bearcats uniform.