(LEBANON, Ill., March 17)—Although the American Midwest Conference basketball seasons may be over, four of the league’s officials continued their schedules on a national level.

Mike Litzelfelner and Shawn McSparin are wrapping up their stay at the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship in Branson, Mo., while Mark Halsell and Brad Gaston are prepping to work the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship beginning March 19 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

Litzelfelner has been officiating basketball games since 1992. He has called games at the high school and collegiate levels. After working the Missouri Class 2 state championship game in 1997, Litzelfelner moved to the college ranks. He has called games at every collegiate level, and is on staff in numerous leagues throughout the country. Litzelfelner has worked the NAIA Division II national tournament since 2005, and has presided over the tournament’s championship game in both 2006 and 2007. He has been associated with the AMC since 1997, and has called the league’s title game three times.

McSparin joined the officiating ranks 16 years ago. In addition to his work in the American Midwest Conference, McSparin has called games at every level of college basketball. His resume includes work in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Great Lakes Valley Conference and the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. In addition, McSparin worked at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Tournament.

Together, Litzelfelner and McSparin worked the NAIA Division II national semifinal game on March 17 that featured defending champion MidAmerica Nazarene University and Oregon Institute of Technology.

A 21-year veteran of the officiating ranks, Halsell has worked games at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. Halsell has been selected for duty at national championship events for NCAA Division III, the NJCAA and the NAIA. Halsell was named to the staff of the NJCAA Division I national tournament four different times, while he appeared at the NCAA Division III tournament in 2001. Halsell has been part of the NAIA Division I Tournament since 2006, and has been on the AMC roster of officials since 1987.

For three years, Halsell was an official for the United States Basketball League (USBL), while he worked games for the International Basketball League (IBL) from 1999-2001.

Gaston joined the AMC in 1998. He has also been involved as an official at the NCAA Division I level since 2000. Gaston has called games in numerous conferences around the nation, including the Missouri Valley Conference, the Big 12, Conference USA and the Ohio Valley Conference. Gaston was selected to work at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in 2004 and 2005.

This will be the fourth year for Gaston at the NAIA Division I national tournament. He was part of the national semifinal crew last season.