Sports Spotlight
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Palmyra’s first year in Class 3 almost resulted in a trophy for the girls track team on Saturday on the final day of the Missouri state track and field championships. The Panthers tied for sixth with 29 points, four points out of a fourth-place trophy thanks to scoring points in four…
Read Full Article PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — With his Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s season on the line Saturday afternoon, Raiders coach Ryan Oden knew all hope wasn’t lost. The Raiders trailed Maroa-Forsyth by five runs going into the bottom of the seventh inning of a Class 2A sectional championship game at Reiser Field. “I knew we had…
Read Full Article NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Sophie Gramke never figured out why. So she concentrated on the how. How does she get better? How does she regain her knack for scoring? How does she find the spark that seemed to be missing? The rest of the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer players showed her how Friday night. “Coming…
Read Full Article NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team advanced to the Class 1A state championship game with a 1-0 victory over Normal U-High in Friday’s semifinals at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium on the North Central College campus. Photographer Randy Dickerman captured images throughout the contest. Check out his work in this photo gallery:
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Baseball, Lance Logsdon says, can be a humbling game. The first baseman on Quincy University’s baseball team suffered through a three-week stretch earlier this month during which he hit no home runs and drove in just four runs in 11 games. “(Baseball) can come back and bite you in the ass,” Logsdon…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Spencer Walker and Matt Schissel learned the best way to deal with last week’s disastrous ninth inning was to ignore it. Walker, a senior right-handed pitcher from Mapleton, kept one of NCAA Division II’s most prolific offenses in check for seven innings on Friday during the Quincy University baseball team’s 20-6 victory…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Lying on the turf with athletic trainer Kyle Leapley tending to her right knee, Anna Keck could have had the “oh, no, not again” scenario running through her head. Instead, she focused on “get me back out there” thoughts. “I didn’t want to let my team down,” said Keck, a junior defensive midfielder…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The newness of the state tournament experience wore off when the youthful Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team didn’t get the opportunity to play in the title game a year ago. “Disappointing,” junior forward Lia Quintero said. “I’d say it was disappointing.” So this time, it’s all business. The Raiders head back to…
Read Full Article ALTON, Mo. — Walk-off Joe didn’t get the opportunity to end the Quincy High School baseball team’s regional victory in heroic fashion So junior second baseman Joe Schroeder settled for a game-winning hit an inning earlier. Following Noah Harbin’s two-out triple in the sixth inning of Thursday’s Class 4A Alton Regional semifinal at Lloyd Hopkins…
Read Full Article JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Gabe Blakeley merely said out loud what the rest of the Brown County players were thinking to themselves. When the time arrives for the Hornets to leave the baseball field for the final time this spring, they want to be carrying one thing with them. “The state championship trophy,” Blakeley said. Thanks…
Read Full Article The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Reaper will always remember Quincy quite well, specifically the dirt track at 8000 Broadway. McKay “The Reaper” Wenger smiles when his No. 42 super late model approaches the flagman’s stand at Adams County Speedway. After winning a feature in Quincy in 2016, and moments after accepting the checkered flag in victory lane,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is a look at this week’s Adams County Speedway leaderboards: Stevie Dirt Dirty Thirty rankings Sport Mods 1. Logan Cumby: That second dominating feature win catapulted him back to the top spot. 2. Adam Birck: He’s the only Missouri sport mod driver in the rankings. Birck also extended his string of consecutive…
Read Full Article PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team ran its winning streak to 23 consecutive games and improved to 32-2 — the second-most single-season victories in program history — with Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Shelbyville in the Class 2A sectional semifinals at Reiser Field. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the Raiders’…
Read Full Article JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Karsyn Moorman waited, then delivered. The Brown County softball team’s left-handed-hitting first baseman drilled a two-run single after Havana made a pitching change in the second inning to give the Hornets a 5-0 lead in Wednesday’s Class 1A Jacksonville Routt Sectional semifinal. The Hornets were in a position to avenge their lone…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Mark Loman now knows what it’s like to hear one of his speeches and take the uniform off for the final time after a season-ending loss. The Palmyra baseball coach bid a tearful goodbye to his seniors after the Panthers lost 9-3 to Elsberry in a Class 3 sectional game Tuesday night…
Read Full Article ATHENS, Ill. — Only 13 pitches into the game, Quincy Notre Dame freshman hurler Caitlin Bunte found herself in a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam. Buffalo Tri-City capitalized on it. The Tornadoes erupted for six runs on five hits in the first inning, propelling them to a 13-4 victory in the Class 2A sectional softball semifinals at…
Read Full Article The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team kept the good times rolling, winning its 22nd consecutive game with a 6-2 victory over Beardstown in the Class 2A regional championship at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Took a look at how Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action through his camera lens:
Read Full Article The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Tommy Sheppard Jr. saved his best for last. Actually, the last four laps. Sheppard dazzled Sunday night’s big turnout at Adams County Speedway with a late-race charge that admittedly stunned frontrunners Ryan Unzicker and Jason Feger. Sheppard, who had been a bottom feeder throughout the 40-lap MARS super late model special, spent most…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Great Lakes Valley Conference is going to be represented at the NCAA Division II World Series. A best-of-3 series will decide which team it will be. On Sunday, the Quincy University baseball team learned its opponent for the Midwest Region’s super-regional as third-seeded Illinois-Springfield finished off its undefeated run through Midwest Regional…
Read Full Article CALEDONIA, Mich. — The odds were never in the Quincy University baseball team’s favor. The Hawks suffered a demoralizing 10-5, 12-inning loss to Northwood in Thursday’s opening game of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional, squandering a 5-1 lead in the ninth inning. “A lot of people would have probably bet a lot of money…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — Olivia Campbell discovered twice is nice. The defending Class 1A state discus champion, the Pittsfield senior was the only thrower in the field to break the 42-meter barrier, doing it in both the preliminaries and the finals of the Class 1A girls state track and field championships. Her toss of 42.47 meters…
Read Full Article CALEDONIA, Mich. — Some might think Alex Pribyl actually enjoys the suspense. “It’s not me if I don’t make it interesting, isn’t that right?” the Quincy University right-handed reliever said. So the fact he allowed a single and a walk to the first two Davenport hitters in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday with…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Marko Cucuk didn’t shift into cruise control just because his spot in the Illinois boys tennis state tournament field was secure. A sectional championship, a better state seed and the momentum from a string of victories mattered just as much as qualifying for the championships. The Quincy Notre Dame junior took care…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer coach Mark Longo readily admitted Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin controlled the bulk of play Friday. “It was probably 60/40 in their favor,” he said. “It may have been 62/38 or something like that.” Even so, Longo never fully fretted. His stout defense is why. Raiders sophomore goalkeeper Aly Young…
Read Full Article CALEDONIA, Mich. — Griffin Kirn couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong. Last weekend against Lewis in the Great Lakes Valley Conference baseball tournament, the Quincy University left-hander retired the first nine batters he faced without incident. Then in the fourth inning, everything unraveled. He allowed the first six Flyers to collect hits, including four…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Monroe City’s Emmalee Williams had a comfortable margin but she never felt it. The senior won the Class 2 800-meter run during the opening day of the Missouri state track and field championships Friday at Licklider Track at Jefferson City High School. Williams led from the start and won in 2…
Read Full Article MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — As usual, Taryn Moorman was in complete control. That should not have come as a surprise, considering what she had already accomplished during her junior season as the ace of the Brown County softball team. “Taryn throws strikes,” Brown County coach David Woodruff said. “She also works quickly and never gets…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — B.J. Fessler was prepared for it to happen. The Liberty softball coach had watched, time and time again this season, his team play well but lose games because of one disastrous inning. So when the Eagles took the lead in Friday afternoon’s Class 1A regional championship game with three runs in…
Read Full Article CALEDONIA, Mich. — Brock Boynton felt he had to get away. “I actually left the ballpark and took a walk in the woods,” the Quincy University sophomore center fielder said. “It was tough.” With a victory in the opening game of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional seemingly within its grasp, the fourth-seeded QU baseball…
Read Full Article CALEDONIA, Mich. — Jay Hammel never forgot. A year ago, when the Quincy University baseball team was eliminated from the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional with a 22-13 loss to Davenport, Hammel worked one inning of relief and allowed two runs and four hits. That crept into his mind as the right-handed pitcher warmed up…
Read Full Article CHARLESTON, Ill. — Shannon O’Neil keeps going faster and faster, while Olivia Campbell keeps throwing farther and farther. Saturday, they will have the chance to make a little history. O’Neil, the Liberty senior hurdler, lowered her school-record time in the 300-meter hurdles yet again Thursday during the preliminaries at the Class 1A girls state track…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Jade Blair’s hair was a bit frazzled, and her eyes carried a look that her check-engine light was probably blinking. Still, the Liberty right-hander was able to gather her wits, weather a couple of late-inning storms and pitch the Eagles past Central 5-4 in the Class 1A Central Regional softball semifinals…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Photographer Mike Pritchard found himself behind the lens of his camera for two epic softball games Wednesday in the Class 1A Central Regional with seventh-seeded Unity upsetting second-seeded Pleasant Hill 4-0 in a 13-inning marathon and fifth-seeded Liberty outlasting third-seeded Central 5-4. Here is a gallery of images Pritchard captured from…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Dead red is all Ryan Oden said. It’s all Alex Connoyer needed to hear. After Athens right-hander Davis Ishmael loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday by sandwiching a hit batter between two walks, the Quincy Notre Dame baseball coach told his junior shortstop to look for nothing but…
Read Full Article PETERSBURG, Ill. — Uncharacteristic lapses defensively didn’t cost the Quincy Notre Dame softball team a spot in the regional championship game, but it gives the Raiders a focal point to address in the coming days. Top-seeded QND committed seven errors, although none of them resulted in runs, and scratched across enough runs Tuesday to beat…
Read Full Article COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — As the scoring chances continued to pile up despite no change in the scoreboard, Edwardsville freshman Mea Hook said the team wasn’t panicking. “It wasn’t frustrating. We weren’t mad about it. It was more aggravating,” Hook said. The aggravation turned to celebration when Hook scored the game’s lone goal in the 53rd…
Read Full Article NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — Quinn Thomas’ chance to keep himself in position for a four-peat as a state golf champion faded away Tuesday. The Hannibal sophomore, who was the defending Class 4 state titleist, struggled navigating the Meadow Lake Acres Country Club course as he shot an 11-over 83 in the final round of the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The QUuncy University baseball team is making its seventh straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional this week, the longest such streak in the region. The Hawks open play at 11 a.m. Thursday against Northwood in Caledonia, Mich. QU coach Matt Schissel joined Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman on the…
Read Full Article NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — Quinn Thomas’ pursuit of successfully defending his Class 4 boys state golf championship hit a snag on the closing holes of Monday’s opening round. But he’s not out of the hunt. Thomas, a Hannibal sophomore, strung together three birdies over a five-hole span in the middle of his round at Meadow…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The expectation exists that on the second Sunday of May the Quincy University baseball team will see its name appear on the NCAA Division II Midwest Region bracket. Yet, until it does, there is always a touch of trepidation. “You really never know with the committee,” QU left-hander Tyler Carpenter said. “But we…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Tanner Klingele was living the high life. Literally. Normally, the 27-year-old driver prefers to work his way around the low groove at Adams County Speedway, but Sunday night saw Klingele take to the high line to eventually outlast Adam Birck, Joe Bliven and Nicholas Profeta in a dandy four-car battle for the checkered…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Tyler Carpenter’s effort proved inspiring. That should benefit the Quincy University baseball team in the long run, even if Sunday ended without a conference championship. A left-hander hurler who mostly had been used out of the bullpen this season, Carpenter put the Hawks in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — From the onset, first-year Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel wanted the Hawks to incorporate some small-ball mentality into the attack. So he stressed taking a “get ’em on, get ’em over, get ’em in” approach when needed. Saturday, it was needed, but the Hawks didn’t follow through. Nineteen of the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Fifteen hours didn’t change much. Friday night at the Backyard, the Pearl City softball team jumped on Quincy Notre Dame by scoring twice in the top of the first inning in what became a 7-2 victory. Saturday morning, the Wolves struck for two runs in the top of the first again. “There’s a…
Read Full Article JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Just in case anyone in the Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional showed up Saturday at Jacksonville Routt to get a peek at what the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team is capable of doing, the Raiders provided plenty of food for thought. Namely, the Raiders made them ask: How do you stop this…
Read Full Article STERLING, Ill. — Jett Rose made it a clean sweep yet again. Reid Savage nearly followed his teammate’s lead. They shared in a championship moment, too. Rose, a senior sprinter on the Quincy High School boys track and field team, repeated as the Western Big 6 Conference champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes during…
Read Full Article ST. LOUIS — Three outs away from winning a second round game in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel was surprisingly relaxed. “I was probably the calmest person in the ballpark,” Schissel said. The rest of the QU dugout was on pins and needles. “I can’t lie to you,”…
Read Full Article ST. LOUIS — Everything had to work in unison to allow the Quincy University baseball team to turn near disaster into a defining moment. With two outs in the seventh inning Friday afternoon and the bases loaded, Hawks right-handed reliever Alex Pribyl uncorked a wild pitch that bounced over catcher Luke Napleton, went to the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The first comeback showcased the Quincy Notre Dame softball team’s resiliency. The second rally never materialized. Facing Pearl City on Friday night at the Backyard, the Raiders answered the Wolves’ two-run top of the first inning with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. They couldn’t do the same when…
Read Full Article Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman talks with JWCC Athletic Director/Men’s Basketball Coach about the inaugural Muddy River Showcase high school all-star basketball game.
Read Full Article QUINCY — The hardware Kelsey Bockenfeld has collected in the past five weeks has made her trifecta of titles complete. State champion. National champion. World champion. That’s quite a resume. The Quincy native won an American Motocross Association ATV national championship during her days racing quads, but has since found a passion and a drive…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A.J. Tournear mirrors the feelings of most drivers and fans alike who have found their way back to Adams County Speedway, which in its former lifetime was known as Quincy Raceways. Tournear’s emotions can be felt through his responses. “Dirt-track racing is everything to me,” said the driver behind the wheel of the…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The local Aldi Grocery Store better work on restocking its shelves. After a visit from Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel and a few helpful parents of his players, the store’s supply of Gatorade is seriously diminished. Following the Hawks’ 12-3 victory Lindenwood in Thursday’s opening round of the Great Lakes…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Anything from a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call to Thursday’s rising temperatures could have been what made Spencer Walker feel a little out of sorts. “Something felt off mindset-wise,” the Quincy University right-handed pitcher said. “It just felt a little different. I wasn’t like my usual self.” No one outside the Hawks’…
Read Full Article LIBERTY, Ill. — Jared Schmidt’s excitement is understandable. Despite a spring in which the weather has been “absolutely atrocious,” the Liberty girls track and field team has piled up a number of school records in individual events. Now the weather is ripe for running as the Eagles head to Friday’s Class 1A Beardstown Sectional. “So…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Spencer Walker’s consistency and Luke Napleton’s power couldn’t be ignored. Neither could the stellar effort of Jay Hammel, the quality at-bats of Dayson Croes and the comeback effort of Alex Pribyl. Those five have played an integral part in the Quincy University baseball team rising to fourth in the latest NCAA Division II…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A pitchers’ duel with the West Central Conference softball championship on the line tilted in Quincy Notre Dame’s favor in the fifth inning Wednesday. The first five batters in the bottom of the frame reached base safely, leading to a three-run outburst that carried the Raiders to a 4-0 victory over Central at…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Patience is a piece of the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s arsenal that often gets overlooked. The ability to not get jumpy at the plate paid major dividends Wednesday. The Raiders capitalized on four walks from Gateway Legacy Christian Academy starter Isaac Rosario in the first inning to score three times and set…
Read Full Article QUINCY — After Brady Kindhart led off the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday with a double to deep center field, Jack Linenfelser stepped to the plate with one thing in mind. “Put the ball in play,” he said. The Quincy Notre Dame middle infielder did a little more than that. Linenfelser traded places with…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Mike Terry reminded the bottom four players in the Quincy High School boys tennis team’s singles lineup just how valuable their efforts could be. “I called them in and said, ‘We need these four matches,’” the veteran coach said. “I knew we’d have a rough time at Nos. 1 and 2, not because…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Ackeen Colley made history at the Drake Relays. The Western Illinois University senior track standout has a habit of creating historic moments. A Jamaican native, Colley was named the Summit League’s Most Outstanding Championship Performer at last year’s indoor championships when he set a league record in the 800-meter run with his…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A barrage of hits and runs in the first two innings of Monday night’s crossdown showdown between the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame baseball teams ended, and the game became a battle of zeroes until the lights went out with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. Sports Editor…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Eric Orne’s knowledge of sports films came in handy Monday evening. The veteran Quincy Notre Dame softball coach matter-of-factly referenced Raiders left fielder Laela Hernandez-Jones to the fictional Willie Mays Hayes in the classic 1989 baseball movie “Major League.” “Laela is our fastest player, just like Willie Mays Hayes,” Orne said. “She got…
Read Full Article WENTZVILLE, Mo. — Quinn Thomas gets the chance to defend his Class 4 individual golf state championship. The field he will have to topple to do so is going to be loaded. The Hannibal sophomore tied for sixth Monday in the Class 4 District 2 tournament at the Golf Club of Wentzville after shooting a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Lucas Loos went out with a bang. Three bangs in fact. The Payson Seymour product blasted three home runs during his final home doubleheader with the John Wood Community College baseball team, jacking two in the nightcap as the Trail Blazers earned a 9-4 victory over Illinois Central College in Mid-West Athletic Conference…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team’s seed for the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament wasn’t going to change with the outcome of Sunday’s regular-season finale. Only the vibe the Hawks carry into the postseason could be altered. A 12-11 loss to Missouri S&T at QU Stadium didn’t totally change that thanks to an offense…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University baseball team honored its mothers and its seniors during pregame ceremonies before playing Missouri S&T in the regular-season finale Sunday at QU Stadium. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured images that helped sum up the day.
Read Full Article COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Jett Rose showed he’s ready to run with the best. The Quincy High School senior sprinter got a glimpse of what the Class 3A O’Fallon Sectional field will be like during Saturday’s Collinsville Invitational, and he put himself in prime position to be chased. Rose won the 100-meter dash in 10.89 seconds,…
Read Full Article ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Anna Schuering’s reign over the distance races in the Western Big 6 Conference is complete. The Quincy High School senior was named the league’s co-MVP after winning the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs Friday at the WB6 girls track and field championships at Rock Island Stadium. Schuering also won the WB6…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Luke Napleton raised his right hand to ask for time and stepped backward out of the right-handed batter’s box. The home plate umpire didn’t recognize the Quincy University leadoff hitter’s request and called on a strike on a pitch thrown by Missouri S&T’s Elijah Gross. Momentarily surprised by the call, Napleton regrouped, stepped back…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team is primed for the postseason. The Raiders picked up their third straight victory in their regular-season finale Friday at Advance Physical Therapy, using two early goals from Lia Quintero to kickstart a 6-0 victory over Burlington Notre Dame. QND (16-3-3) opens the postseason at 4 p.m.…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Keaton Scott knows his frame doesn’t fit the prototype for a catcher, especially not one planning to play at the NCAA Division II level. Experience has taught him being 5-foot-7 doesn’t matter. “It’s all about how hard you work,” the Hannibal catcher said. His work ethic is unmatched. Scott is one of…
Read Full Article QUINCY — If rain cannot slow the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s offense, what can? Opposing pitchers are asking the same thing. Thursday at the Ferd, the Raiders scored in double digits for the fourth straight game and the 13th time this season while beating West Hancock 11-0. QND has outscored its opponents 49-3 in…
Read Full Article The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Ticket information will be released soon. PHILADELPHIA, Mo. — Izack Hively…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Obviously, the kid is a natural. Actually, Logan Cumby is only a “kid” in a dirt-track racing sense, but the 26-year-old is rapidly opening eyes in his sport mod rookie season at Adams County Speedway. Cumby won his first feature in just his second try at the Broadway Bullring, warding off a deep…
Read Full Article The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Ticket information will be released soon. MONROE CITY, Mo. — Brock…
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