Washburn University Ichabods
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Koti Best
KOTI BEST, Seaman
A senior wrestler, Best returned from an injury to claim the 125-pound championship and reach the 100-win milestone for her career in Saturday's Class 5A West regional at Seaman. Now 17-2 on the season, Best went 4-0 on the day with none of her matches lasting longer than 1 minute, 25 seconds, including pins in 25 seconds, 30 seconds and 1:02.
KaeVon Bonner
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, scored 26 points last Tuesday as No. 7-ranked Seaman took a 68-66 home United Kansas Conference win over No. 8-ranked Shawnee Heights. Bonner scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and went 12 of 15 at the free throw line as Seaman improved to 12-4 on the season.
Jaxon Cowdin
JAXON COWDIN, Topeka High
A senior swimmer/diver, Cowdin captured his third straight Centennial League championship in one-meter diving last Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. Cowdin dominated the competition en route to a winning 11-dive score of 428.75. Cowdin's third league title came on the heels of his fourth straight city title.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball was strong on the defensive end Saturday, building a first-half lead and holding on late for a 62-52 road win over Northeastern State.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah (32) scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Washburn's 62-52 MIAA win at Northeastern State. [File photo/TSN]
With Saturday's victory Washburn improved to 14-11 overall and 8-7 in the MIAA, eclipsing its win total for the 2023-2024 campaign with a minimum of five games remaining in the current season. The 14 victories are also a high-water mark for WU under coach Lora Westling, in her third season.
It was a slow start to the game offensively for both teams, with the first field goal of the game coming from junior Yibari Nwidadah at the 7:04 mark of the first quarter.
Washburn held the RiverHawks (10-14, 6-9) without a field goal until there was just 3:16 in the quarter. The Ichabods led by as many as six in the first quarter but finished the opening 10 minutes leading 14-12.
Both teams traded baskets to open the second quarter. Separation was created by Washburn with a 6-0 run over the final 4:11 of the half, with a layup by Nwidadah pushing the Ichabod halftime lead up to 12 (31-19) as the visitors held the home team scoreless over the final four minutes of the second quarter. Northeastern State shooting 18.2 percent in the second quarter.
After the first two points of the third quarter went to the RiverHawks, the next seven all went to Washburn, capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers, first from Payton Sterk then Gabi Giovannetti to lead 38-21.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Northeastern State University Events Center continued to be a house of horrors for the Washburn University men on Saturday as the No. 1-ranked Ichabods fell 88-84, losing their fourth game in a row to the RiverHawks in Tahlequah, Okla.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter led Washburn with 21 points in Saturday's 88-84 MIAA loss at Northeastern State. [File photo/TSN]
For the second straight game the Ichabods led at the break by four, leading Northeastern State 40-36 despite the RiverHawks shooting 60 percent from the field in the opening period (15 of 25) while the Ichabods were 15 of 35 for 43 percent.
In the second half, the Ichabods (22-2 overall, 13-2 MIAA) led by as many as eight points with 14:12 to go after a layup by sophomore Jack Bachelor, who scored 10 points in the second half.
A 17-6 run by the RiverHawks that finished with back-to-back 3-pointers put NSU up 62-60 with 10:22 to go.
The RiverHawks (14-10, 8-7) pushed their lead to five at 82-77 with 3:00 to go, but a Brayden Shorter 3-pointer cut the lead to 82-80 17 seconds later.
NSU hit a pair of free throws, then after two free throws by Bachelor and Jacob Hanna pulled the Ichabods within one at 85-84 with 33 seconds left.
NSU scored a basket with 26 seconds to go and a free throw with 18 to left to wrap up the win.
Shorter scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the second half while hitting five 3-pointers, leading five Ichabods in double figures.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 1-ranked Washburn Ichabods fell for the first time this season in an 87-80 overtime loss to Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday.
Sophomore Jack Bachelor scored a career-high 25 points in Thursday's 87-80 Washburn OT loss at Arkansas-Fort Smith. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn led 69-65 in the second half with 4:43 to play but were outscored 9-4 down the stretch while going 1 of 3 from the field and committing three turnovers while the Lions (8-13 overall, 4-10 MIAA) hit all four free throws to send the game to overtime.
Washburn's jumper at the end of regulation after a fullcourt pass banked off the rim and fell out.
In the extra frame, the Lions jumped out to a 77-74 lead, but a jumper by Brady Christiansen pulled Washburn within two, but a 3-pointer by the Lions and a free throw pushed the margin back to five with 1:44 to play.
Two free throws by Jack Bachelor with 72 seconds left cut the lead to three at 81-78, but the Lions hit all six free throw attempts in the final 31 seconds, sealing the win.
The Ichabods (22-1, 13-1) led by four at the break as Jacob Hanna's driving layup just before the half sent Washburn into the locker room with a 40-36 lead.
Washburn led by as many as 10 in the first half at 33-23, but the Lions were 8 of 17 from 3-point range, hitting 13 field goals in total in the first 20 minutes.
Andrew Orr and Bachelor each had 11 in the opening 20 minutes.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball went down to the wire in its first ever meeting with Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday evening but fell just short, losing 83-81 in a high-scoring affair.
Washburn junior Payton Sterk scored 33 points in Thursday's 83-81 loss at Arkansas-Fort Smith. [File photo/TSN]
The opening minutes of the contest went back-and-forth, with Yibari Nwidadah tying the game up at seven for Washburn (13-11 overall, 7-7 MIAA) with a layup at the 6:27 mark.
Over the next 1:36 the Lions (14-8, 8-5) scored eight points in a row to force a timeout.
The Ichabods responded with a run of their own, tying the game at 19 after Payton Sterk nailed a triple. She had eight points in the opening quarter as Arkansas-Fort Smith led 21-20.
After both teams shot over 50.0 percent in the first quarter the home squad kept pace, scoring the first eight points in the second to lead 29-20 at the 7:42 mark. The margin grew to double digits in the ensuing minutes.
Washburn began to make up ground, starting with a three-point play from Amaya Davison. The score was knotted up at 40 after a 5-0 run for the Ichabods ended with a triple from Sterk. The Lions responded with one of their own to lead by three heading into the half.
Out of the break Arkansas-Fort Smith connected on three 3-pointers in the first four minutes as they built the lead up to 12 points. The WU deficit grew to as many as 13 before a 7-0 run for the Ichabods, ending with a bucket inside by Nwidadah at the 3:03 mark. The teams traded baskets the rest of the way with the Lions leading 67-60 with 10 to play.
Sterk began the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and the points kept coming for Washburn, 10 of them in a row, going from seven down to three up after a three-point play by Sterk with 7:35 to play.
With the score knotted at 72, Arkansas Fort-Smith connected on a triple, adding two more shortly after to go up by five at the 2:25 mark. The Ichabods hung around and in the final minute cut the deficit to one after an offensive rebound and layup by Nwidadah with 16 seconds remaining.
One free throw went down on the other end for the Lions and that was all they needed as Washburn came up empty on the next possession, falling 83-81.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 1-ranked Washburn University Ichabods are on the road this weekend for two MIAA contests, beginning at Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. start) for only the second meeting in program history against the Lions.
Washburn sophomore point guard Jack Bachelor leads the MIAA and is sixth in the nation in assist to turnover ratio. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods improved to 22-0 and 13-0 in the MIAA with an 83-60 home win over Central Missouri last Saturday. The Lions enter the contest 9-13 overall and 3-10 in the MIAA after a 59-53 loss at Fort Hays State.
Thursday's meeting with the Lions will be the only one between the two schools this season in the regular season. The contest with the Lions will also be only the second in program history between Washburn and Arkansas-Fort Smith, with the Ichabods winning the lone meeting on Nov. 12, 2011 in an 87-66 decision in Bartlesville, Okla.
The Ichabods are one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA Division II ranks, joining No. 2 Daemen (20-0).
Senior Andrew Orr became the 28th member of the Ichabod 1,000 point club with a free throw at Fort Hays State earlier this season. Orr now has 1,197 career points, sitting in 17th all-time. Next on the chart is Jemi Johnson in 16th with 1,215 career points from 1992-95.
Orr is 14th in the nation in field goal percentage at 63.1, leading the MIAA.
Senior Michael Keegan has 949 career points in 118 career games as an Ichabod and he has moved past Bobby Chipman into fifth place on the career blocks chart with 95. Keegan is also fourth all-time in steals with 149 and he went over the 200-assist mark earlier this season.
Keegan is eighth in the nation and leading the MIAA in steals with 58 and he is ranked ninth in steals per game at 2.64 per game.
Sophomore Washburn Rural product Jack Bachelor is sixth in the nation and leads the MIAA in assist to turnover radio at 3.47, is 14th in total assists at 125 and 12th in assists per game with 5.7. In his last nine games Bachelor has had 70 assists and 11 turnovers -- a 6.4 to 1 ratio.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball will go south for the first time in conference play this season beginning with the first ever meeting between the Ichabods and new MIAA foe Arkansas-Fort Smith at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evening.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn with 16.5 points and 7.1 rebounds a game entering Thursday's MIAA contest at Arkansas-Fort Smith. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn is 13-10 on the year, equaling its win total for the 2023-2024 season, and 7-6 in the MIAA after defeating Central Missouri 75-61 last Saturday. Last time out Arkansas-Fort Smith (13-9, 7-6) lost its fourth straight game, 82-62 to No. 8 Fort Hays State in Hays.
Yibari Nwidadah is averaging 16.5 points and 7.1 rebounds while ranking second in the nation with a 65.7 percent field goal percentage. The junior Olathe North product has started all 21 games she has played in, logging 26.9 minutes per game. She has shot at or above 50.0 percent in all but three games and has four double-doubles.
With 203 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is seventh in program history. She needs 14 offensive boards to move up to sixth. In overall rebounds she is 15th in Washburn history with 541. Her career field goal percentage of .585 is the second best in program history. In scoring she ranks 35th with 852 career points.
Junior Payton Sterk, a Colorado Springs native, is averaging 16.2 points while starting all 23 contests and playing a team-high 30.7 minutes per game. She is shooting a team-high 39.5 percent from 3-point range while drilling a team-high 49 3-pointers.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kayla Duncan
KAYLA DUNCAN, Seaman
A freshman, Duncan captured the girls individual championship in Friday's second annual Topeka City Bowling Championships, bowling a 623 three-game series to help lead the Vikings to their second straight city team title by a 3,000-2,949 margin over Washburn Rural. Duncan bowled games of 203, 235 and 185.
Logan Glinka
LOGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural
Glinka, a senior bowler, won his second straight city boys title on Friday at Gage Bowl with a 734 three-game series while leading Washburn Rural to the team championship by a 3,505-3,398 margin over runnerup Shawnee Heights. A former Class 6A state medalist, Glinka rolled games of 278, 232 and 224 in the city meet.
Ja'Corey Robinson
JACOREY ROBINSON, Highland Park
A 6-foot-6 senior basketball standout, Robinson scored 68 points on the week as undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Highland Park posted three wins. Robinson had 17 points in a 54-30 Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Washington, 32 points in a 67-50 win over city rival Topeka West and 19 points in an 81-14 conference win over KC-Wyandotte.
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Washburn University women exacted some revenge on Central Missouri by turning a close game into a 75-61 blowout at Lee Arena Saturday.
Junior Payton Sterk scored 28 points in Saturday's 75-61 Washburn MIAA win over Central Missouri in Lee Arena. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Ichabods shook off an early deficit with a third-quarter explosion. Washburn outscored the visitors 29-11 in the period to turn a close game into a 62-40 runaway. Leading the way was Payton Sterk, who knocked down 4-5 shots for 10 points in the period.
Sterk added another 11 points in the fourth period as the Ichabods cruised to the finish line. The junior closed with 28 points – 21 coming after halftime.
The Ichabods improved to 13-10 overall, 7-6 in the MIAA. They were bent on getting back at the Jennies, who defeated Washburn 85-72 in Warrensburg right before Christmas break.
“It’s our goal to never get beat twice by teams, so this was a big one,” Sterk said. “We really wanted that one and we just remembered how we lost it at Central Missouri. So, we just made sure we did the complete opposite to them.”
“We thought we gave one away at their place earlier this year,” Washburn coach Lora Westling said. “No disrespect to them. Obviously, they are a great team. But I thought we did some things that were pretty uncharacteristic (at Warrensburg).”
Gabi Giovannetti (5) scored 18 points, 14 in the first half, as Wasburn avenged an earlier loss with a 75-61 win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Saturday, Sterk picked up in the second half where fellow junior Gabi Giovannetti left off. Giovannetti, who led the Ichabods with 14 points in the first half (18 for the game), checked out late in the third period with an injury and did not return. Initial reports were that the injury would probably not affect her availability long term. Sterk praised Giovannetti’s impact when she was in.
“Gabi was hot in the first half,” Sterk said. “We were all just doing what goes together and plays well. Her going out was a big loss. She’s a key player and we all love having her out there with us. When she went out, we knew we all needed to pick up our energy.”
“Payton fills up the box score and she finishes. She’s a special scorer,” Westling said. “But that doesn’t happen without team balance. Part of the reason that frees (shooters) up is how hard our posts are working to block off the opposite block. And I thought Amaya (Davidson) and Brooke (Gomez) did a great job of game management and getting the ball where it needs to go.”
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Washburn men defended their number one position atop Division II basketball and tightened their hammerlock on the MIAA by downing Central Missouri 83-60 Saturday at Lee Arena.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter led Washburn with 18 points in Saturday's 83-60 MIAA win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Ichabods improved their record to 22-0 behind a balanced scoring effort. Sophomore Brayden Shorter led the way with 18 points, while seniors Andrew Orr and Jacob Hanna contributed 14 apiece.
Senior Andrew Orr scored 14 points in Saturday's 83-60 MIAA win over Central Missouri. [Phto by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn senior Jacob Hanna scored 14 points Saturday as the Ichabods improved to 22-0 with an 83-60 win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn stretched its lead out to 20 points early in the second half. But Central Missouri gradually whittled the deficit to nine points with 12:45 remaining.
The Ichabods extinguished the threat, outscoring the visitors 33-19 the rest of the way.
“I felt like a couple of times we had chances to bury them, and we didn’t,” Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. “We need to learn from that. We pulled away eventually, but I just didn’t feel like we had the discipline we normally had played with there for some spurts.
“In this game, we could get away with that. But we’ve got to learn from that, because eventually, coming into the MIAA tournament and the regionals, that’s going to get you.”
Ballard’s words serve as a reminder that this team has lofty goals, as well as the pressure that comes with the No. 1 ranking.
“There’s been a target on our backs from Day 1,” Shorter said. “We really like that, actually, because we get every team’s best shot.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When Brenda Holaday accepted the job as Washburn University's softball coach in the summer of 2016 after a Hall of Fame career at Washburn Rural, she had a list of things she wanted to accomplish with the Ichabods, but Holaday had nary a thing on that list about any personal achievements.
Brenda Holaday is two wins away from becoming Washburn University softball's all-time career wins leader. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But along with team success comes individual milestones, and the veteran coach is on a verge of a biggie this weekend.
Holaday is 255-151 after opening her ninth season as the Ichabod head coach with a 3-2 mark last weekend in Youngsville, La. and needs just one win in this weekend's five games in Bentonville, Ark. to pull even with her former Rural star, Lisa Carey, as the all-time WU wins leader at 256 and can take ove the No. 1 spot outright with two wins.
"What I wanted when I came here was to make Washburn a winner and I felt that there was opportunity there, just being close enough to see it from a distance,'' Holaday said. "I felt like there would have to be a lot work done on facilities and a lot of work done on recruiting and building the program and that's been my goal from Day 1.''
After Washburn went 25-30 in Holaday's Ichabods have posted eight straight winning seasons, with four seasons of at least 37 victories and a career-best 45-15 season in 2022.
"It hasn't happened just because of me,'' Holaday said. "I mean there's so many people who have contributed to that success, but in terms of any kind of a legacy or how long I want to coach and how many wins I need to get, it just doesn't cross my mind.''
"I think when you're in a head coaching position there's a thousand other things that you have to take care of before that and I think that's all just a result of surrounding yourself with the right people and having some good things happen. I was fortunate for that to happen out at Washburn Rural after several years, but it didn't start that way, and I didn't do things by myself out there either.''
As is the case in most any profession, Holaday said a major priority for her is to continue to enjoy what she's doing.
"I love it,'' Holaday said. "And to be honest with you I have such a good staff right now that I'm probably enjoying it more than I ever have because I'm able to hand some things off to some other people so that my life is a little more manageable.
"I think I'm enjoying it more now because a lot of things have been put in place with a lot of hard work from a lot of people. I also have a staff and a group of players who buy in to what we're doing, who want to take on more, who want to learn, who want to be great and, man, if you can't enjoy that why are you in this business?''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's women's basketball team jumped out to an early lead with a hot-shooting first quarter and held on down the stretch for an 85-78 MIAA win over Nebraska-Kearney Saturday in Lee Arena, getting 30 points and a 13 of 14 performance at the free throw line from junior Payton Sterk.
Junior Payton Sterk scored 30 points and went 13 of 14 at the free throw line in Washburn's 85-78 MIAA win over Nebraska-Kearney Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"I think we handled everything really well,'' Sterk said. "We started the game hot and that always helps, and then after (losses) last Saturday and Thursday, we wanted to beat them and I think our whole team had that common goal.''
"I'm proud of them,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said of her team. "I think we did a good job under pressure. I thought (the Lopers) hit some really tough shots late and you know it's difficult to guard people when they have nothing to lose, but we stepped up at the free throw line, which has been a little bit of an achilles heel for us the last few weeks so it was nice to see those points on the board.''
Washburn, 12-10 overall, 6-6 in the MIAA, never trailed and led by as many as 17 points over the Lopers (16-5, 8-3), but the Ichabods had to endure more than a few anxious moments, particularly after junior star Yibari Nwidadah (21 points, 8 of 8 shooting) fouled out in the fourth quarter.
But WU, which snapped a two-game losing streak, did an outstanding job of continuing to get the ball to Sterk, who continued to can clutch free throw after clutch free throw to keep the Lopers at bay.
"I thought Amaya Davison did a really nice job of coming in and running the team and kind of made sure the ball went to where we needed it to go,'' Westling said.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 1-ranked Washburn University Ichabods used a 21-0 second-half run to turn a 13-point lead into a 34-point advantage, holding Nebraska-Kearney scoreless for more than six minutes on the way to a 97-64 MIAA win on Saturday in Lee Arena.
Washburn sophomore point guard Jack Bachelor scored 18 points in Saturday's 97-64 MIAA win over Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn posted its 21st straight win while improving to 21-0 overall and 12-0 in the MIAA.
Nebraska-Kearney (7-12, 5-6) was still within 13 points (64-51) more than eight minutes into the second half, but after the Lopers were whistled for a flagrant foul at the 11:49 mark after a minor skirmish involving WU sophomore point guard Jack Bachelor, the Ichabods turned on the after-burners, going on to build a 40-point lead with 2:47 remaining.
Senior Jacob Hanna had 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in WU's 97-64 win over UNK on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Andrew Orr tied for game-high honors with 20 points in Saturday's 97-64 win over Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Andrew Orr, who also had 20 points for the Ichabods, agreed that the play involving Bachelor got the Ichabods' attention.
"We talk about protecting our teammates all the time, so when something like that happens, I stood up on the bench real fast,'' Orr said. "But honestly we went into halftime and we knew our defensive intensity wasn't what it needed it to be, so coming out in that second half that kind of just was a little more fuel to the fire. We knew that we had to turn it up a little bit because we can't play even. We're better than this team, so we can't play even with them.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball set a school record for the most consecutive wins to start a season Thursday night, improving to 20-0 and 11-0 in the MIAA with a 74-65 win over Fort Hays State in Lee Arena.
Sophomore Jack Bachelor led the way with 20 points as Washburn won its program-record 20th straight game to open the season Thursday night. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods scored the first pair of points on a layup by Michael Keegan, but the Tigers (13-6, 6-4) took the lead back, scoring 7 of the next 9 of the game and would go on to build a lead of as many as 7 in the opening half with 11:26 to play, 17-10.
With the Ichabods down 20-15 with 7:47 to play in the half, Washburn ripped off a 21-4 run to close the half with Jack Bachelor scoring the final nine points of the frame for the Ichabods as Washburn took a 36-24 lead into the break. Washburn was 7 of 9 during the final 7:20 of the first half while the Ichabod defense held the Tigers to 1 of 8 shooting.
In the second half, the Ichabods were holding a 17-point lead at 53-36 with 11:50 to go, but the Tigers used a 10-0 run trimming the Washburn lead to seven with 10:04 left. The Tigers would go on to cut the lead to six with 5:55 to play and for the final time with 5:16 to play before Brayden Shorter hit a 3-pointer to help push Washburn's lead back to 10 at 64-54. The Tigers would not get any closer than eight the rest of the way as Washburn hit 8 of 9 free throws in the final 3:19, securing its 20th straight win in front of a crowd of more than 3,000 in Lee Arena.
Bachelor led the Ichabods with 20 points while adding five assists.
Jacob Hanna scored 15 points and added seven boards and Brady Christiansen recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Orr finished with 10 points.
Kyle Grill led the Tigers with 25 points.
Washburn shot 47 percent from the field, hitting 22 of 47 overall, and held the Tigers to 44 percent shooting at 24 of 55. The Ichabods hit 25 of 33 free throws and held a 36 to 24 advantage on the glass.
Washburn committed 14 turnovers leading to 22 points for the Tigers and the Washburn bench outscored the Tiger bench 18 to 6.
WU women fall to No. 8-ranked Tigers
Washburn could not overcome a slow offensive start Thursday as the Ichabods fell 85-47 to No. 8 Fort Hays State in Lee Arena.
The Ichabods (11-10, 5-6) got the first bucket of the game from Yibari Nwidadah 28 seconds in. The next 10 points all went to the Tigers (17-2, 8-2) as they held Washburn to 3-12 shooting in the first quarter. All seven points for the Ichabods in the first frame came from Nwidadah as they trailed 18-7 after 10 minutes.
In the second quarter Washburn cut the lead back to single digits, scoring the first three points of the quarter, making it 18-10 after Payton Sterk got a layup to go at the 8:25 mark. Fort Hays State scored the next four points to push it back to double digits as the visitors offense began to heat up, shooting 8-14 (57.1 percent) in the quarter. The Ichabod offense wasn't able to keep pace in the final five minutes as the visitors went into the half leading 41-17.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball returns to Lee Arena for a three-game homestand, beginning with a rematch against Fort Hays State at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Washburn women's basketball will be looking to bounce back from a six-point loss to Missouri Western when the Ichabods host No. 8-ranked Fort Hays State on Thursday. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn is 11-9 on the year overall and 5-5 in the MIAA after suffering a 62-56 road loss at Missouri Western last Saturday while Fort Hays State, 16-2, 7-2, won its third straight game last time out, defeating Central Oklahoma 81-72 on the road on Saturday.
And while Lora Westling's Ichabods know they face a tough test against the No. 8-ranked Tigers, WU is determined to give FHSU a much tougher battle than it did in an 83-53 MIAA loss at Hays back on Dec. 7 when the hosts raced out to a 48-12 halftime lead.
WU played without junior star Yibari Nwidadah due to concussion protocol in that game while sophomore starter Madelyn Amekporfor was limited after just coming out of protocol.
"We're going to have our full lineup, which wasn't the case the first time,'' Westling said. "We were kind of scrambling that week, and that's not to take anything away from them, it was just that we were trying things that we hadn't tried yet early in the season.
"We have to defend better, we have to keep people out of foul trouble and we have to be solid because that's what Hays is. They're very, very solid.''
Amekporfor said she and her teammates are definitely fired up to get another shot at the Tigers.
"I was limited minutes that game and I was kind of half what I had been the whole season, so I didn't really get to do as much as I wanted to and have as much of an impact,'' Amekporfor said. "But I know that we're going into (Thursday's) game all healthy and all ready to go, so I think that will be a much different game than it was the first time.
"We're a much better, stronger team than we were the first time.''
WU also gained a little bit extra motivation from the fact that they didn't feel like they played well last Saturday against Western, a loss that snapped the Ichabods' three-game win streak.
"We played pretty poorly Saturday,'' Westling said. "Getting into the film we didn't execute the things we wanted to do, didn't defend things we knew were coming and just weren't as focused as we needed to be and had way too many unforced turnovers.
"We know progress isn't a straight line and you're going to have some of those dips and we definitely had a dip Saturday, but we've had a good response and I feel like we're ready for this week's challenge.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Coaches have a whole list of things they're concerned about and Washburn University men's basketball coach Brett Ballard is no exception.
No. 1-ranked Washburn will be aiming for its 20th straight win in Thursday's 7:30 p.m. MIAA home game against Fort Hays State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
But one thing Ballard doesn't waste time worrying about is how his Ichabods are going to handle their responsibilities on and off the court, including the pressures that go along with being 19-0 (10-0 in the MIAA) and ranked No. 1 in the nation for the third straight week.
"Ten out of ten as far as preparation on the court, off the court and how they've handled everything,'' said Ballard, whose Ichabods begin a three-game homestand at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Fort Hays State. "It's been a lot of fun. The daily preparation's been there, effort, energy, coachability, all that stuff's been off the charts, really good.''
The Ichabods blasted Missouri Western 85-52 on Saturday in St. Joseph, the largest margin of victory in series history, as WU tied a program record with its 19th straight win to open the season. Washburn can set the win mark in Thursday's game.
While the Ichabods are enjoying their success, sophomore standout Brayden Shorter said there's no over-confidence in the Washburn camp.
"I feel like one of the best parts about us is we don't look past any team,'' Shorter said. "Just the level of compete that we all have I feel like is definitely for sure what's gotten us to the point that we're at right now.
"It does feel good, but I just feel like we are really grateful for the opportunity and we get ready for every single game like it's going to be the team that could beat us and we're all just trying to keep doing what we're doing.''
The Tigers are 13-5 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA play after falling at Central Oklahoma, 75-65, on Saturday, snapping a four-game winning streak. Washburn won the first meeting of the season with the Tigers in the second MIAA game of the season, 71-57 in Hays.
Washburn is one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA Division II ranks, joining No. 2 Daemen (14-0).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Even the casual local football fan knows the name Ky Thomas, but it may have been awhile since you've heard as much about the former Topeka High legend.
Former Topeka High superstar running back Ky Thomas is back home for his final collegiate season, transferring to Washburn University. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
That will change this fall, with the 6-foot, 200-pound running back coming home to play his final collegiate season for Zach Watkins' Ichabods after previous stops at Minnesota, Kansas and, most recently, Kent State
"It feels good, it feels great,'' Thomas told TopSports.news. "Coach Watkins, speaking to him and seeing his vision that he had for this offseason and the season and for me moving forward and everything he has planned, it was easy to trust and easy to come back home and be a part of this.''
A 2020 Topeka High graduate, Thomas finished his prep football career for the Trojans in 2019 as the city's all-time rushing leader and the No. 2 rusher in state history with 7,703 yards, including 3,009 yards as a senior, when he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year.
Thomas began his college career at Minnesota, where as a redshirt freshman he led the Gophers with 824 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 166 carries and capped his Minnesota career with 144 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, earning offensive most valuable player honors in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix.
Former Kansas running back Ky Thomas scored a pair of TDs in the 2022 Liberty Bowl. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
Thomas then transferred to Kansas for the 2022 season, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries while catching five passes for 39 receiving yards and a TD. Thomas scored two touchdowns, on a 29-yard pass reception and a 2-yard run, in Kansas’ 55-53 triple-overtime loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 1-ranked Washburn University Ichabods tied the program record for the most consecutive wins to start a season on Saturday at Missouri Western, improving to 19-0 and 10-0 in an 85-52 win over Missouri Western at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter scored 22 points with four 3-pointers as No. 1-ranked Washburn improved to 19-0 with an 85-52 win at Missouri Western on Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
With Saturday's win, Brett Ballard's Ichabods have equaled their win total for the entire 2023-2024 season in a 19-11 campaign.
The Ichabods trailed 5-3 3:18 into the game but after a layup from freshman Dillon Claussen and a 3-pointer by senior Michael Keegan, Washburn found itself up 8-5.
The teams traded baskets and then the Ichabods rung up a 22-2 run over the next 7:45 to take a 32-11 lead, going 8 of 12 from the field and hitting 4 of 6 3-pointers while holding the Griffons to 1 of 7 shooting.
Washburn would go on to lead 41-26 at the break.
Washburn opened the second half hitting their first four shots, including both 3-pointers, but went 1 of 7 from the free throw line as they pushed the lead to 18 at 52-34 with 14:24 to go.
On Washburn's next possession, Brayden Shorter's third 3-pointer of the night jump-started a 17-4 run and his fourth 3-pointer finished off the run as the Ichabods led 69-38 with 7:22 to play.
Washburn would go on to lead by as many as 35 with 48 seconds to play as Washburn won its fourth-straight game in a row over the Griffons (13-7, 5-5).
Shorter, a sophomore, led the Ichabods with a game-high 22 points while adding five rebounds to pace five Washburn players in double figures.
Keegan had 12 points and four rebounds, followed by senior Jacob Hanna and junior Brady Christiansen with 11 points and senior Andrew Orr with 10 points, eight boards and two blocks.
Sophomore Jack Bachelor had double-digit assists for the second straight game with 10, adding eight points.
The Ichabods shot 54 percent from the field for the game, hitting 30 of 56 overall and 11 of 22 from deep, as Washburn held the Griffons to 35 percent shooting on 17 of 48 shooting and 3 of 16 from 3-point range.
Western did hit 15 of 17 free throws compared to 14 of 26 for the Ichabods.
Washburn had a massive 40 to 22 advantage on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds, and the Ichabods also dominated the transition game, outscoring the Griffons 21 to 0 in fastbreak points.
The Ichabods will look for their 20th win of the season on Thursday, hosting Fort Hays State in Lee Arena (7:30 p.m.).
Junior Payton Sterk led Washburn with 21 points in a 62-56 road loss to Missouri Western on Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
WU women's road bid falls short
Washburn went back and forth with Missouri Western for 40 minutes on Saturday afternoon but came up short, falling 62-56 on the road.
To begin the game Washburn (11-9 overall, 5-5 MIAA) was stingy on defense as it held the Griffons (12-6, 7-3) without a field goal until the 4:12 mark of the first quarter. In that time the Ichabods built a 9-1 lead after a driving layup by junior Payton Sterk.
Missouri Western began hitting from outside, knocking down four 3-pointers in the first quarter to erase the Ichabod lead. A 3-pointer by Sterk in the final seconds of the quarter made it a one-point game after the first.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University softball team will open its 55th season on Friday, playing five games over three days in the Mardi Gras Classic in Youngsville, La.
Junior pitcher Sadie Walker is a top returner for Washburn University's softball team, winning 20 games last season for the 37-17 Ichabods. [File photo/TSN]
Friday's Jan. 31 start date is the earliest the Ichabods have started a season since Feb. 1, 2019.
"We're all ready,'' said senior first baseman Jaden LaBarge. "We're all antsy and ready to go. We're all excited and a little nervous, but it's a good nervous and we're ready to get at it.''
Ichabod coach Brenda Holaday agreed.
"From a coach's standpoint I think our kids are prepared and ready to go,'' Holaday said. "We have a lot of room to grow. We have a lot of new players and we're at that point where I think we've grown as much as we can in practice and now we need to go play and be able to kind of re-access and also be in live action and play at the speed of the game to grow.''
Washburn is coming off its sixth NCAA appearance in program history last season, finishing the year with a 37-17 record.
The Washburn Ichabods secured their 19th season with at least 30 wins last season and their fourth under Holaday.
Hitting the 30-win mark for the third straight season is the longest streak since the Ichabods won at least 30 games in six straight seasons from 2002-07.
The Ichabods graduated five seniors off last year's team, including former All-Americans and program record-setters Jaycee Ginter and Marrit Mead, but Washburn returns a strong nucleus, including five seniors. The WU roster also includes six juniors, one sophomore and nine freshmen.
"I think we have a very good chance of getting very far with this team,'' LaBarge said. "We're already very well inter-connected and get along very well and are very close and family, so I think we have a good chance.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball returns to the road on Saturday to face Missouri Western in a 3:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, Mo.
The Ichabods moved to 18-0 overall and 9-0 in the MIAA after rallying from a 3-point halftime deficit at Northwest Missouri to win 80-69 on Wednesday.
Senior Andrew Orr and the Washburn Ichabods will be looking for their 19th straight win Saturday in a road matchup with Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Missouri Western is 13-6 overall and 5-4 in MIAA play after an 81-62 win over Central Missouri on Wednesday, with the Griffons winning their second straight contest.
The Ichabods won the first meeting this season with the Griffons 92-74 in Topeka.
Washburn is off to its best start to begin at season at 18-0 since starting the 2003-04 season 16-0 en route to the MIAA regular- season championship.
The Ichabod record for the most wins to start the season is 19 coming in the 1992-93 season. WU is one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA Division II ranks, joining No. 2 Daemen (14-0).
Senior Andrew Orr became the 28th member of the Ichabod 1,000 point club earlier this season and now has 1,143 career points, sitting 17th all-time. Next on the chart is Jemi Johnson with 1,215 career points from 1992-95. Orr will be playing in his 100th career game on Saturday.
Senior Michael Keegan has 922 career points in 114 career games as an Ichabod and he has moved into a tie for fifth all-time at Washburn in career blocks with 94, tying Bobby Chipman who had 94 from 2009-13. Keegan is also fifth all-time in steals with 144.
