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WU Final Four soccer run, All-Americans top TSN list of Top 10 women's stories of 2025
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A soccer run to the NCAA Division II Final Four and first-team All-Americans Austin Broadie and Belle Kennedy headline the TopSports.news Top 10 list of Washburn University women's sports stories for 2025.
Davy Phillips' Ichabods won the Central Region championship to advance to the soccer Final Four before dropping a 2-1 decision to Franklin Pierce in the national semifinals while Washburn senior volleyball star Broadie and WU senior soccer star Kennedy both earned first-team All-American honors for the first time in their careers.
The Ichabod volleyball team earned a share of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular-season championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament while Ichabod softball coach Brenda Holaday and Phillips became the winninest coaches in Washburn history in their respective sports.
Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Washburn women's stories of 2025:
Washburn soccer advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four to cap the 2025 season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
1. SEMIFINAL SOCCER RUN -- Washburn soccer posted a final national ranking of No. 4 from the United Soccer Coaches after posting a 14-4-6 record on the year and winning a Central Region championship to advance to the Final Four for the second time in three seasons. The Ichabods' run at the title ended with a 2-1 loss to Franklin Pierce in the national semifinals.
Washburn fifth-year senior Austin Broadie (23) was named the MIAA Player of the Year and a first-team AVCA All-American in 2025. [File photo/TSN]
2. ENDING THINGS WITH A BANG -- Ichabod fifth-year senior Austin Broadie ended her Washburn volleyball career as a first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American after being named the MIAA player of the Year for the 2025 season. A Wichita Trinity product, Broadie led the Ichabods with 348 kills while hitting .302 on the season. Broadie also recorded 72 blocks and 72 digs for 25-7 WU.
Washburn senior Belle Kennedy (12) earned first-team All-America honors this fall for the Ichabods. [File photo/TSN]
3. ENDING THINGS WITH A BANG PART II -- Former Washburn Rural soccer star Belle Kennedy, a senior midfielder, was named a United Soccer Coaches first-team All-American after helping lead Washburn to its second NCAA Division II Final Four in three seasons. Kennedy was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year while being named to the all-conference first team for the third time. Kennedy finished her Ichabod career with 12 goals and four assists.
Washburn volleyball earned a share of the MIAA regular-season title before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
4. ADDING ANOTHER CHAPTER TO PROUD TRADITION -- Washburn volleyball, a consistent MIAA and national power under longtime coach Chris Herron, posted a 27-5 record in 2025 while garnering a share of the MIAA regular-season championship with a 13-3 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament while ending the season with a No. 8 national ranking. In addition to first-team All-American Broadie, Ichabod junior Bella Limback was a first-team all-conference pick and earned All-America honorable mention.
Brenda Holaday became Washburn University softball's all-time career wins leader in 2025. [File photo/TSN]
5. LEADING THE PACK -- Already the career win leader at Washburn Rural, Ichabod softball coach Brenda Holaday became Washburn's all-time victory leader early in WU's 31-21 2025 season. Holaday, who took over the No. 1 spot at Washburn from her former Washburn Rural star Lisa Carey (256 wins), enters the 2026 campaign with a 283-172 record and eight straight winning seasons.
Davy Phillips became Washburn soccer's career wins leader with a 2-0 NCAA Central Region win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
6. LEADING THE PACK PART II -- Washburn soccer coach Davy Phillips became WU's career wins leader when he picked up victory No. 91 in the Ichabods' 2-0 victory over Missouri Western in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Phillips, who led the 14-4-6 Ichabods to their second Final Four appearance in three seasons, will enter the 2026 season with 93 career wins.
Washburn women's basketball posted a five-win improvement last season and is off to a 9-3 start this winter. [File photo/TSN]
7. CONTINUING THEIR CLIMB -- Lora Westling's Washburn women's basketball team continued to make progress in Westling's third season at her alma mater, finishing the season with an 18-13 record to make a five-win improvement. Current seniors Yibari Nwidadah and Payton Sterk were second-team All-MIAA picks last season. The Ichabods have continued their climb in the early stages of the 2025-2026 campaign, taking a 9-3 record into the holiday break after posting a 6-6 record at this stage a year ago.
Final Four, 13-0 start put Washburn hoops on top of TSN list of Top 10 men's stories of 2025
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University men's basketball has followed up a 30-4 season and a trip to the NCAA Division II semifinals in 2024-2025 with a 13-0 start and a No. 1 national ranking to open its new season, putting the Ichabods squarely on top of the TopSports.news Top 10 list of Washburn University men's sports stories for 2025.
Brett Ballard's Ichabods rolled to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular-season championship with a 17-2 record before capturing the Central Region championship with three double-digit victories and winning its quarterfinal contest before losing to eventual national champion Nova Southeastern in the semifinals.
Despite losing four of five starters off last year's team, junior Jack Bachelor and sophomore Dillon Claussen have led the way as Washburn has reeled off 13 straight victories, 10 by double-digits, to close out 2025.
Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Washburn men's stories of 2025:
Washburn men's basketball celebrates its NCAA Division II Central Region championship in March in Lee Arena. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn junior Jack Bachelor is the Ichabods' lone returning starter from last season's team that posted a 30-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four. [File photo/TSN]
1. A MAGICAL YEAR -- Washburn men's basketball started off 2025 with a run to the NCAA Division II national semifinals and a season-ending mark of 30-4. And even though the Ichabods graduated seniors Andrew Orr, Jacob Hanna and Michael Keegan off that team and then-sophomore Brayden Shorter transferred to Division I Murray State, WU has continued to pile up wins to close out '25. Junior guard Jack Bachelor, the team's lone returning starter after earning first-team All-MIAA honors a year ago, is averaging 16.2 points with 36 3-pointers and 64 assists, while sophomore Dillon Claussen, a valuable reserve as a freshman, is averaging team-highs of 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in his first season as a starter.
2. LEAPING TO GREATNESS -- Justin Forde, who began his college career at Division I Miami, Fla., ended his junior season and first year at Washburn with first-team NCAA Division II All-America honors. Forde, a Norwalk, Conn. native, finished second in the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colo. with a school-record jump of 16.19 meters (53 feet, 1.50 inches). Forde also won the MIAA Outdoor and Kansas Relays triple jump championships.
3. LEAPING TO GREATNESS PART II -- A five-time All-American, Hays native Justin Dale finished fifth in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 11.50 inches in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colo. after also earning All-America honors in the indoor championships with a fifth-place finish in that meet while sweeping the MIAA indoor and outdoor titles. Dale owns the school record in the outdoor high jump at 7-01.50 and ranks second indoors at 7-01. Dale's Washburn teammate, Alessandro Di Gregorio, finished 10th in the NCAA outdoor meet at 2.07 meters (6-9.50), earning second-team All-America recognition.
4. LEAPING TO GREATNESS PART III -- Matteo Madrassi, who competed at Washburn as a graduate student in 2025, earned second-team NCAA Division II All-America recognition after posting a ninth-place finish in the pole vault at 5.12 meters (16 feet, 9.50 inches) in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colo. Madrassi holds the Washburn outdoor pole vault record at 17-1 and has the top four vaults in Ichabod history.
Washburn shortstop Jett Buck earned All-America honors on three different teams as a senior in 2025. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
5. DIAMOND KING -- Washburn star shortstop Jett Buck closed out his college baseball career by earning spots on three different All-America teams after leading the 28-25 Ichabods with a .365 batting average, 21 home runs and 68 runs batted in. A native of Kansas City, Mo., Buck earned second-team All-America honors from NCBWA and third-team recognition from ABCA/Rawlings and D2CCA while also earning All-MIAA and All-Central Region first-team status.
IHRA announces purchase of Heartland Motorsports Park
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Drag racing legend John Force, a 10-time national event winner in Topeka, watches qualifying during the final NHRA national event at Heartland Motorsports Park in 2023. [File photo/TSN]Heartland Park Topeka opened in 1989 and became a storied track on the National Hot Rod Association circuit, with Topeka hosting at least one national event every season from 1989 through 2023, with the exception of the 2020 event which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Heartland, which shut down in 2023, also hosted NASCAR Truck Series events along with hosting the SCCA Runoffs, ARCA events and numerous other national-level events in addition to hosting a regular bracket racing series for local racers.
The list of racing legends that either raced or made appearances at the Topeka facility includes Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison and NHRA's John Force, who earned a track-record 10 victories in Topeka.
At least 26 drivers who have competed in the Indianapolis 500 have visited or raced at Heartland.
“Heartland Motorsports Park is one of those places that simply matters to racing,” Darryl Cuttell, owner of the International Hot Rod Association, said in the IHRA release. “It has history, soul, and a footprint that allows us to think bigger than just a racetrack. Our goal is to restore this facility with respect for its legacy while building something that serves racers, fans, and the community for generations.”
The IHRA release said that the organization's long-term vision for Heartland Motorsports Park extends well beyond competition weekends. Planned restoration and redevelopment efforts will focus on creating a year-round destination that blends motorsports with live entertainment and community engagement, including:
- Revitalized drag racing operations with improved racer and fan amenities
- Expanded motorsports and special event programming
- Live music, concerts, and festival experiences
- Enhanced hospitality, vendor, and fan-experience areas
- Community-focused events designed to drive tourism and economic impact
“Motorsports has to evolve to stay strong,” Cuttell said. “The future is about creating places where racing, music, entertainment, and community come together. Heartland has all the pieces to become one of the premier motorsports and entertainment destinations in the country.”
