Latham on CMU Champion Basketball Club Team

2016 Mar 21

Darcy Latham is a member of the women's basketball club team from Central Methodist University. The team recently claimed the Missouri state championship tournament hosted by the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

The six-member squad came away with the Missouri Intercollegiate and Recreational Sports Association (MIRSA) title in a field that included teams from host UCM, the University of Missouri, Northwest Missouri State University, and the Missouri University of Science and Technology. CMU defeated Missouri S&T for the tourney title.

Members of the CMU squad included Caroline Combs, Mackenzie Erikson, Darcy Latham, Shelby Rice, Kelsey Stuenkel, and Abby Thompson. Latham is a senior from Bismarck.

As the Missouri champions, they qualified for a regional tournament held in Lincoln, Neb. but were unable to participate because several team members had academic obligations, according to CMU's William M. Rambo, who served as head coach. CMU graduate student Austin Gardner was the assistant coach.

Club teams are not official intercollegiate sports programs. They are similar to intramural sports teams, except they play against clubs from other colleges and universities, Rambo said. A CMU team won the MIRSA state flag football crown last fall. This is the first year for club sports at CMU.

"It is such an honor to be a part a fantastic group of women who not only know how to compete but also compete as Champions of Character," Rambo said.