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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University athletic director Loren Ferre had nothing but kind words to say about long-time Ichabods football coach Craig Schurig's contributions to the university in a Wednesday meeting with local media members.
But Ferre said WU believed it a time for a change after announcing Monday afternoon that Schurig would not return in 2025.
Washburn athletic director Loren Ferre said the university will move as quickly as possible to get a new football coach in place after Monday's firing of veteran Ichabod coach Craig Schurig. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"We made the decision on Monday that we needed to make a change in the head coaching position,'' Ferre said. "I just think it was a decision we made that was best for the program at this time. Obviously the last two years we haven't been successful (in) win-loss record. This past year we had a lot of close losses, but still the name of the game is winning and we just felt we needed to make a change to improve that record.''
Schurig wrapped up his 23rd year at the school and 22nd football season as Washburn's head coach last Saturday with a 35-28 road win over Northeastern State, finishing a 3-8 season which included five one-possession losses, including four losses by three or fewer points and two one-point defeats. The Ichabods posted a 2-9 record in 2023 after a 7-4 mark in 2022 and a trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2021 (9-3).
Schurig is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a record of 142-109 (.566) and went 122-91 (.603) against MIAA opponents and won the MIAA regular-season championship outright in 2005. Also that year the program recorded its first 10-win season.
"Craig over the years has just been great for the community and for Washburn,'' Ferre said. "When he came here we didn't have near the facilities we have now. He came here on a promise that we would get this built and we would get things done, like the renovations to the football stadium, the weight room, the locker room, a variety of things and he just believed that we would do those things and we got them accomplished and he was a big part of that and has had a big impact on this program and in the community.''
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[Graphic courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six members of the No. 25-ranked Washburn University volleyball team were recognized as All-MIAA selections by the conference on Wednesday morning, led by three-time first-team pick Jalyn Stevenson.
Washburn senior Jalyn Stevenson has been named to the All-MIAA volleyball first team for the third straight season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
A senior outside hitter, Stevenson receive her fourth All-MIAA honor in four years, earning honorable mention as a freshman. In 2024 she has played and started in all 26 matches to lead the team with 286 kills (2.92 per set) while hitting .196 and is second on the team with 298 digs (3.04 per set). She has added 51 blocks while serving 51 aces on the year. Among the conference she ranks top-20 in kills, kills per set, points per set and total digs. Her 16 matches with double-digit kills are the most on the team.
Washburn juniors Alex Dvorak and Corinna McMullen and sophomore Taylor Rottinghaus were named to the All-MIAA second team while Austin Broadie and Bella Limback received honorable mention.
Former Washburn Rural star Taylor Russell (3), a Missouri Western sophomore, has been named to the All-MIAA volleyball first team. [File photo/TSN]
Former Washburn Rural state champion Taylor Russell, a Missouri Western sophomore, was named to the All-MIAA first team after being a seond-team pick and an All-MIAA Tournament pick as a freshman.
Russell was named a unanimous All-MIAA first-team selection after recording the third-highest number of kills in league play, achieving a total of 198 kills (3.30 AVG/S). Additionally, Russell contributed the third-highest point total in the conference in the regular season, amassing a total of 227 in 60 sets.
Dvorak lands on the second team as a middle hitter in her first season wearing blue while starting in all 26 matches. The junior is the most efficient hitter on the Ichabods, slashing .381 for the year, and is second with 215 kills (2.19 per set).
Defensively, Dvorak also leads the team in blocks with 126, including 14 solo stops. Her hitting percentage is tops in the conference and she ranks second among all MIAA players in both blocks and blocks per set. Nationally, she ranks in the top-25 in all three categories. She has hit over .400 in 13 of 26 matches on the year.
McMullen earns second team honors for a second straight season after receiving honorable mention as a freshman. The junior leads the passing attack for Washburn with 620 assists (6.39 per set) while ranking third on the team with 231 digs (2.38 per set). Her 41 service aces also lead the team while playing all 26 matches with 24 starts. She ranks third in the MIAA in aces per set and total service aces while sitting eighth in both total assists and assists per set. She has a team-high 13 double-doubles, including one in five of the last six matches.
Rottinghaus, a former Shawnee Heights star, is a second-team selection for the second straight year. Rottinghaus has 498 digs (5.08 per set) to anchor the Washburn back line on defense while playing in all 26 matches. She has a .962 reception percentage on 523 attempts while adding 80 assists and 26 aces on the offensive end. Among the MIAA she is sixth in both total digs and digs per set while ranking in the top-40 nationally in both categories. She scooped a career-high 40 digs earlier in the year against Nebraska Kearney.
Broadie earns All-MIAA honorable mention honors for the first time in her career after playing in 26 matches and making 11 starts. The senior is third on the team with 210 kills (2.14 per set) and a .254 hitting percentage. Defensively, she has made 62 total blocks while adding 50 digs. She has seven matches with double-digits kills.
Limback also received All-MIAA honorable mention for the first time in her career as a junior. She is second on the team with a .359 hitting percentage while accumulating 165 kills (1.72 per set). On the defensive end she is second on the squad with 95 blocks while adding 55 digs. She is one of three players to start in all 26 matches during the regular season. Among the MIAA she is third in hitting percentage and eighth in total blocks. Nationally she is top-100 in both categories.
Former Silver Lake standout Camilla Ossola (18), an Emporia State junior, received All-MIAA volleyball honorable mention. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Former Silver Lake standout Camilla Ossola, an Emporia State junior, also received All-MIAA honorable mention.
Washburn enters postseason play as the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Championship Tournament and will face No. 5 Northwest Missouri on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, Mo. at the Civic Arena.
2024 ALL-MIAA VOLLEYBALL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball rolled to its first win of the season Tuesday night as the Ichabods downed William Jewell 80-58 in Liberty, Mo.
Ichabod newcomer Payton Sterk scored a Washburn career-high 25 points Tuesday night as the Ichabods picked up their first victory, 80-58 at William Jewell. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods will play one more road contest against Truman State at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 22 in Kirksville, Mo. before hosting Lincoln in their home-opener next Monday.
Through the first three minutes of Tuesday's game it was all Washburn (1-4) as the Ichabods jumped out to a 5-0 lead, starting with a triple by Gavi Giovannetti to open the game.
The Cardinals (1-2) nudged their way back to tie the game at seven before back-to-back Washburn 3-pointers, first by Giovannetti then by Payton Sterk, started a 10-2 run to put the Ichabods up 17-9 at the 2:07 mark of the opening quarter. William Jewell finished the quarter on a 6-0 run to make it just a two-point game.
Both sides got off to a slow start in the second quarter with just one basket for either team in the first two and a half minutes. A layup by Giovannetti and an and-one by Madelyn Amekporfor ignited what would become a 24-point quarter for Washburn.
The Ichabod lead grew to double digits as Sterk connected on a triple with 4:18 to play in the half. On the defensive end, the Ichabods held William Jewell to 2-13 shooting in the quarter.
Giovannetti ended the half with a buzzer-beating triple to cap off a 7-0 run and make it a 41-23 WU lead at the break.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University men's basketball moved up five spots to No. 5 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches national rankings on Tuesday and then went out and showed why.
The Ichabods improved to a perfect 5-0 on the season with their fifth straight victory by at least 17 points, rolling to an 89-71 win over MIAA foe Pittsburg State in a non-conference game in Lee Arena.
Senior Jacob Hanna scored a game-high 20 points to lead five players in double figures for Washburn, which improved to 5-0 with an 89-71 win over Pittsburg State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Andrew Orr scored 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting from the field in Washburn's 89-71 win over Pittsburg State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
As they have all season, Brett Ballard's Ichabods rode their balance to the decisive victory, with all five WU starters cracking double figures. Washburn has had no fewer than four double-digit scorers in any of its five games while having as many six players reach double figures in a game.
"We have so many weapons and Ballard preaches that every single day,'' Washburn senior Andrew Orr said. "It doesn't matter who it is, we have seven, eight guys that can score 20 points on you any given night and that's the most dangerous part about our team, that we can do that and everyone plays really good defense.''
"It's a great team,'' added senior Jacob Hanna, who is his first season with the Ichabods after transferring from Illinois-Springfield. "We have a bunch of different options than get it done offensively and also on the defensive end. This team we know offense is going to come so we all just have to focus on defense and focus on the very important things.''
Hanna led the Ichabods with a game-high 20 points added seven rebounds while Orr scored 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting, Shorter finished with 15 points and Michael Keegan and Jack Bachelor added 13 points each.
"We've had some good teams but this is probably the deepest team we've had and you combine that with the experience that we have and a confident group in the right ways,'' Ballard said.
Bachelor had four steals in the game and Christiansen had seven rebounds to tie Hanna for game-high honors.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Twelve Rossville and Silver Lake football standouts have received All-Big East football recognition for the 2024 season, including four first-team selections.
Silver Lake junior Dayne Johnson earned All-Big East first-team honors on both offense and defense for the 7-3 Eagles. [File photo/TSN]
Rossville senior Tayson Horak, who has helped lead the Bulldawgs to the Class 1A sub-state round, earned All-Big East first-team honors as an all-purpose pick. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake junior Dayne Johnson received first-team honors at both wide receiver and defensive back while senior Braden Strausbaugh was a first-team pick as an offensive lineman and defensive end/outside linebacker for the 7-3 Eagles.
Rossville, which will play in a Class 1A sub-state game Friday at Centralia, is represented on the All-Big East first team by senior defensive lineman Leo Wehrli and senior all-purpose pick Tayson Horak. The Bulldawgs are 8-3 with eight straight wins entering Friday night's playoff game.
Silver Lake senior quarterback Dysen Schooler and senior defensive back Logan Cathcart were second-team all-league picks along with Rossville senior defensive end/outside linebacker Will Koch and senior linebacker Brock Bush.
Rossville juniors Jack Donovan and Conner Bush both received honorable mention as did Horak as a returner in addition to his first-team selection on offense, while Silver Lake senior Trent Rollenhagen and junior Grady Bergmann also received honorable mention.
2024 ALL-BIG EAST FOOTBALL TEAM
