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THE PENNANT PLAYER PROFILE
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
How big were Kevin Neal Jr.'s defensive takeaways in back-to-back Washburn University wins over then-No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri and Central Oklahoma?
Big enough that Neal himself isn't sure which play he enjoyed the most.
Neal, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior defensive back, came up with a game-saving interception at the goal line in the Ichabods' 17-16 win over perennial MIAA power Northwest two weeks ago and turned in another huge takeaway in 6-2 Washburn's 29-17 road win at Central Oklahoma last Saturday, preventing a Broncho touchdown when he stripped the ball away from a UCO ball-carrier in the first half.
"To be honest, in both circumstances I was just trying to make a play for the team, do whatever I could to help the team,'' Neal said. "They were both super cool and both big plays in the game obviously, but neither one of them sticks out.
"I was just glad to make the plays for the team.''
Kevin Neal Jr. is congratulated by his Washburn teammates after a game-saving interception against Northwest Missouri. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Neal said big defensive plays, particularly the strip against Central Oklahoma, come down to anticipation and a little bit of gambling.
"It was just taking a chance,'' said Neal, a native of Platte City, Mo. "I saw the ball-carrier running with the ball and I could tell that he didn't know I was behind him, so I thought if I could get close enough before he got to the end zone hopefully I could pop it out.
"I saw the ball at the last second so I just took a chance and it worked out.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's always a challenge to make the jump from high school to college athletics, and making the leap from a Class 1A school to the NCAA Division II ranks can be an even more formidable task.
But it's one that former Cair Paravel Latin standout Hannah Woolery has seemingly handled with ease, becoming a key player for Emporia State's women's soccer team from the time she stepped on campus in 2019 and helping lead the Lady Hornets to a 14-1-1 record and No. 11 national ranking this fall.
"I think any transition is going to be difficult, especially the physicality of it and just the speed of play, but I had played for Bryan (Sailer, ESU coach) before so I kind of knew what I was getting into and just the team atmosphere, you catch on pretty quick,'' Woolery said.
Emporia State soccer standout Hannah Woolery (10), a Cair Paravel Latin graduate, has helped the Hornets post a 14-1-1 record this fall while earning a No. 11 national ranking. [Photo courtesy of ESU Photography]
A midfielder, Woolery started all 17 games for the Hornets as a true freshman, scoring four goals and dishing out six assists en route to earning All-MIAA honorable mention.
After having the 2020 fall season wiped out by COVID-19, Woolery and ESU turned in a strong abbreviated spring season and picked up right where they left off this fall, with Woolery contributing eight goals and six assists this season, including a goal and two assists in Sunday's 4-3 double-overtime win over Central Missouri.
"I think last year was definitely the most mentally difficult year we've had because we still prepared like we were going to have a season and then we came in and there was no season,'' Woolery said. "It just kept getting postponed so we were practicing, we were doing all the conditioning and the fitness tests, but we didn't have the reward of actually playing a game.
"That made it very difficult but thankfully in the spring we got kind of a shortened season and that was just a small glimpse of what it was going to turn into in the fall, so I was very grateful for that.''
Former Cair Paravel Latin soccer standout Hannah Woolery has scored eight goals and contributed six assists for Emporia State's 14-1-1 soccer team this fall. [Photo courtesy of ESU Photography]
Woolery, who also played basketball and volleyball for Cair Paravel as well as club soccer for Sporting Kaw Valley, said that the uncertainty of '20-'21 served as motivation for her and her teammates.
"It just kind of made us thirsty for more and the fact that we were going to have a full season we just wanted to keep growing and keep pushing and see how far we really could go, especially since we had everybody coming back,'' she said.
"I would say that we are growing as a team and there is still room for improvement but I think as a team we're really happy with where we are right now.''
Emporia State will take on Washburn at Yager Stadium Friday (6 p.m.) before closing out the regular season Sunday at Nebraska-Kearney and Woolery said the goal for the Hornets now is to close out the season with a bang.
"We have made it the furthest in ESU history and we're still capable of a lot but I don't want to overstep anything by saying how we're going to finish,'' Woolery said.
"I just think we need to keep working hard and keep pushing and just challenge ourselves to grow and finish the season strong.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 4-ranked Washburn volleyball captured its 14th sweep of the season in a 3-0 win at rival Emporia State on Tuesday evening, with senior outside hitter Genna Berg becoming the 10th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career digs and 1,000 career kills.
Washburn took a 25-16, 25-16, 25-21 win over the Hornets to improve to 20-3 overall and 12-2 in the MIAA.
Washburn senior Genna Berg became the 10th player in school history to surpass 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career Tuesday night at Emporia State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods got off to a slow start and trailed 3-0 in the first set before responding with three consecutive points of their own to even the match.
The Hornets (4-17, 2-12 MIAA) knotted the score at four when a kill by Kelsey Gordon, a former Emporia High standout, ignited an 8-1 scoring run to give Washburn the lead for good. Emporia State pulled within five points at 20-15, but the Ichabods won five of the next six points to claim the opening set.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural continued its perfect 2021 season Tuesday night, opening postseason with a 7-0 Class 6A regional romp past Wichita Northwest.
The Junior Blues, now 16-0-0 on the year, got two goals apiece from junior Easton Bradstreet and senior Porter Schafersman while junior Ty Stead, senior Mason Grogan and senior Jonah Molina added a goal apiece.
Senior captain Porter Schafersman had two goals and two assists in Washburn Rural's 7-0 Class 6A regional win over Wichita Northwest Monday night. [File photo by Doug Walker/TSN]
Schafersman also contrbuted a pair of assists for Rural, while sophomore Devon Rutschmann, junior Jaxon Padilla and junior Cayden Lee were also credited with assists.
Senior Wyatt Arnold and sophomore Ethan Uhlrig combined for the shutout in goal for the Junior Blues against Northwest, which ended its season 6-12-0.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's men's basketball team was tabbed No. 11 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches 2021-22 Preseason Poll announced Tuesday.
The Ichabods, who finished No. 17 in the final NCAA Division II poll last season, will open the year in Kansas City, Mo. on Nov. 12, facing off against No. 15 Northern State at 12:45 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium. The Ichabods will then take on Augustana (S.D.), which received votes in the poll, at 6 p.m. on Nov. 13 as part of the Central Region Tipoff Challenge.
Washburn was picked second behind defending national champion Northwest Missouri in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls that were released at the 2021 Basketball Media Day earlier this month.
The Ichabods return four starters from last season's 20-7 team that finished second in the MIAA in the regular season and won the MIAA Tournament Championship before reaching the second round of the NCAA Regional.
Senior point guard Tyler Geiman returns to lead Washburn, which will start the season ranked No. 11 in NCAA Division II. [File photo]
The Ichabods will be led by senior guard Tyler Geiman, who was a third-team D2CCA All-American and first-team all-MIAA pick after averaging 20.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists while starting all 27 contests.
The Ichabods also return honorable mention All-MIAA selection and MIAA Tournament Most Valuable Player Jalen Lewis, a junior who averaged 13.4 points a year ago. Jonny Clausing was an honorable mention all-MIAA pick after averagin 9.6 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the field.
This season the Ichabods return 85 percent of their scoring, 67 percent of their rebounds, 84 percent of their field goals, 93 percent of their 3-pointers, 83 percent of their free throws and 89 percent of their minutes played from a season ago.
