After an impressive start to the 2025-2026 season with a pair of double-digit wins in Florida, No. 2-ranked Washburn University men's basketball will end a layoff of nearly two weeks when it plays back-to-back games in the Central Regional Challenge Friday and Saturday at Pittsburg State.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen is averaging 22.5 points and 12.5 rebounds through Washburn's first two games entering this weekend's Central Regional Challenge in Pittsburg. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods will face Minnesota State-Moorhead at 7 p.m. Friday before taking on Winona State at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Both WU foes advanced to the NCAA Central Regional Tournament last season, with the Ichabods taking a 93-65 win over the Dragons in the NCAA Central Regional Championship in Lee Arena to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight.
Washburn opened the current season in impressive fashion in Lakeland, Florda, taking a 101-53 win over Augusta, Ga. before rallying from an 11-point deficit in the first half to take an 89-77 win over No. 3-ranked Dallas Bapist.
"Going 2-0 was definitely the goal,'' said Washburn 6-foot-8 sophomore standout Dillon Claussen. "We wanted to come back 2-0 and against Dallas Baptist we got down early, but our coaches preach that it's a 40-minute fight, so we stayed with it and got the job done.
"Augusta was a litle short-handed, but DB is definitely a super good team and to be able to beat them like that is big.''
Washburn coach Brett Ballard also felt that the Florida trip was a solid showing for the Ichabods.
"Augusta was great because we got out to a great start and then didn't let our foot off the gas and got to play a lot of guys, so that was awesome,'' Ballard said. "And then Dallas Baptist, although you don't want to dig yourself a hole, it was a really good opportunity for us to see how we were going to react to that with a new team.
"I thought we didn't really ever flinch and loved how we had some guys off the bench come in and help us and then how we just responded to that challenge and rose to the moment. It's early, but I think that's a really positive sign for this team.''
In Washburn's win over Augusta Ichabod junior newcomer Jeremiah Jones had eight steals and he followed that performance with seven steals against Dallas Baptist, setting a Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic record.
Washburn also set a team record at the event with 103 rebounds in two games, recording 53 against Augusta and 50 against Dallas Baptist.
Following the conclusion of the Hall of Fame Classic, Claussen, Jones and junior Jack Bachelor were named to the 10-person all-classic team.
Junior Jack Bachelor is averaging 20 points with eight 3-pointers and 13 assists for 2-0 and No. 2-ranked Washburn. [File photo/TSN]
Claussen is averaging 22.5 points and 12.5 rebounds to lead the Ichabods, while Bachelor is averaging 20 points with eight 3-pointers and 13 assists.
Dillon Claussen probably could have started for a lot of college basketball programs accoss the country last season as a freshman.
But on a Washburn University team that was loaded with veterans, the 6-foot-8, 215-pounder knew he would have to wait his turn to crack the lineup and was perfectly content with his role off the bench while making an immediate impact for a 30-4 Ichabod team that made it all the way to the NCAA Division II semifinals.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen is averaging 22.5 points and 12.5 rebounds for 2-0 Washburn. [File photo/TSN]
"Oh man, it was amazing,'' Claussen said. "I like to say that was probably the best freshman year I could have imagined. We went to the Final Four and I got to play with a bunch of other experienced players.
"As a senior, Andrew Orr had a lot of experience in the league so he taught me a lot and then I still got to play in the games, so I was super happy with it and it definitely taught me a lot and prepared me for this year when I have a bigger role.''
Claussen played an average of 15.4 minutes per game last season and averaged 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds with 25 blocked shots while shooting 67.4 percent from the field and 70.2 percent from the free throw line.
And Claussen gives a lot of credit to last year's veterans for helping him adjust to the college game.
"Coming in as a freshman you don't know totally what it's like to be a college player and they'd been on top of their leagues,'' said Claussen, an Omaha, Neb. native. "Michael Keegan had been playing forever, Andrew Orr had been on the top of the (MIAA), really since his sophomore year.
"He'd had a huge role and (Jacob) Hanna was a super good player in his conference, so taking tips from all of them on and off the court they taught me how I could be a better person and player.''
Washburn coach Brett Ballard agreed that the season Claussen had playing behind Orr and with the other veterans was a big factor in his progress.
"I think it's really beneficial when you come into a program with great leadership and maturity,'' Ballard said. "I think Dillon would have gone a lot of places and been successful later on, but I do think it just helped elevate him and accelorated that process a little bit because he got thrown in the fire with guys that showed him how to do it.
"And then he had to go against a guy like Andrew Orr every day. So I think that competition for Dillon in practice was really beneficial, too. You saw it last year. Andrew Orr was great and there were games the last month and a half where it was basically 50-50 because we just felt like Dillon had earned that right to play. That just showed you where he was at last year and he's taken some steps this year.''
Claussen demonstrated that in Washburn's season-opening trip to Florida on Nov. 1st and 2nd while making the first-two starts of his college career.
Claussen scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Washburn's 101-53 season-opening win over Augusta, Ga. and followed that up with 23 points and 12 rebounds in an 89-77 win over No. 3-ranked Dallas Baptist.
The Junior Blues' senior goalkeeper came up huge on Saturday night at the Stryker Complex in Wichita, with Cook coming up with two saves in penalty kicks as Rural outscored Shawnee Mission East 4-2 in PKs to take a 3-2 win over the Lancers and earn its first Class 6A state soccer championship since 2012.
Connor Hanika
CONNOR HANIKA, Hayden
Hanika, a senior quarterback, completed 10 of 13 passes for 211 yards, including 62 and 63-yard touchdown passes to Kade Mitchell Friday night as 10-0 Hayden advanced to the Class 3A quarterfinals with a 42-0 home romp past Wellsville in a regional final.
Leah Henke
LEAH HENKE, Washburn University
Henke, a former Bishop Carroll star, was named the MIAA Soccer Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors after the Washburn University forward scored a team-high nine goals for the Ichabods in an 11-2-5 regular season, including an 8-0-4 conference record.
The No. 16-ranked Washburn University soccer team looked like it was headed to the MIAA Tournament semifinals after jumping out to a 2-0 lead over Emporia State in the opening 18 minutes Sunday in Yager Stadium.
Washburn junior Mackinly Rohn (24) scored her third goal of the season in Sunday's 3-2 MIAA Tournament loss to Emporia State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Freshman Kate Hinck scored goal No. 5 on the season Sunday in Washburn's 3-2 MIAA Tournament loss to Emporia State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But the No. 7-seeded Hornets answered with three unanswered goals to advance with a 3-2 win over the No. 2-seeded Ichabods.
Now Washburn will look forward to the NCAA Division II Soccer Selection Show on Monday, Nov. 17th, at 5:30 p.m. to see where the Ichabods will play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Washburn got off to a hot start when junior Washburn Rural product Mackinly Rohn scored on a corner kick in the second minute to give Washburn an early 1-0 advantage.
Another former Rural star, freshman Kate Hinck, added a second Washburn goal in the 18th minute off a Sam Searcey assist to put the Ichabods in front, 2-0.
But Hinck's goal would end WU's scoring on the day, opening the door for the Hornets' comeback.
ESU got on the board in the 34th minute on a goal from Ella Favot and Washburn took a 2-1 advantage into the halftime break.
Washburn Rural soccer came from behind to capture its first Class 6A boys state championship since 2012 with a 3-2 win over Shawnee Mission East Saturday night at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, thanks to a 4-2 edge in penalty kicks.
Washburn Rural's soccer team gets ready to raise the Class 6A championship trophy after Saturday night's 3-2 win over Shawnee Mission East in penalty kicks. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
The 19-1-1 Junior Blues, who had to come from behind in the closing minutes of regulation to force overtime, battled SM East (16-4-1) through two scoreless overtime periods before taking control in penalty kicks.
“State championship games, we told the boys the last couple of days that they're 50-50 games,'' Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel told KSHSAA Covered. "The two best teams in the state usually make their way through the playoffs. We know how good Shawnee Mission East was this year. We just told them, ‘You can't worry about the outcome. You just got to come out and enjoy the last game with your brothers, your teammates. Everybody just give everything they got.’
“When we went down one, it didn't look good. And just like we've done all year, we found a way to get another goal. We felt if we got to PKs, we were going to win it.”
In penalty kicks, seniors Dylan Willingham, Brandon Hamilton, Brody Grogan and Liam Morrison all scored, with Morrison’s shot clinching the title and setting off a wild celebration.
Washburn Rural senior Liam Morrison, also a multi-time Class 6A state champion in track, celebrates after clinching Saturday's 3-2 win over SM East with a penalty kick in the Class 6A state championship game. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Junior Blues senior goalkeeper Miles Cook stopped two shots in penalty kicks and also had big saves in the second half and overtime sessions.
“Honestly, you can't read (penalty kicks) too much,'' Cook said to KSHSAA Covered. "You just have to guess a side. Turned out to be the correct side and made two big saves.
“When your team needs you to step up big, I'm always going to do it. (East’s) student section was talking a little bit, so it gave me an extra boost to make some big saves.”
Washburn Rural senior goalkeeper Miles Cook receives a hug from coach Brian Hensyel after Saturday's 3-2 win over Shawnee Mission East in penalty kicks. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Rural’s first goal was scored with 14:50 left in the first half when junior Broyde Kocher-Munoz headed in a corner from Hamilton
But East battled back to take a 2-1 lead with goals scored by Andrew Hastert with 33:16 left in the second half and Stephen Hlobik with 8:57 remaining in regulation.
Rural junior Myles Didde scored the game-tying goal with 5:20 left in regulation, getting a foot on a loose ball that got kicked around in the box.
“I remember seeing three guys slide past the ball,” Didde told KSHSAA Covered. “I think I took a touch then shot it. When I saw it go in the net I was so happy. I went over to the sideline and got a yellow card for stepping off the field.
“It was crazy. It was a great moment.”
Hensyel agreed.
“Soccer’s a strange sport,'' he said. "You can have all these great moments and shots, and then sometimes the goals that went in are just weird bounces, and they fall to somebody's feet and guys make a play. Myles Didde really came on the last month and had some big moments for us.
"It was really cool to see, on a senior-laden team, the two goals to be by both juniors, which was kind of crazy.''
Hensyel credited Cook for coming through in crunch time.
“Miles came up big,'' Hensyel said. I told him when we went to overtime, the only reason we were even there was he made two or three unbelievable saves.
"And we just felt like if it got to the shootout, we had the right guy in the net. Really happy for Miles, because he had some ups and downs in his career, but this was a shining moment for him.''
Junior Jack Bachelor is averaging 20 points with eight 3-pointers and 13 assists for 2-0 and No. 2-ranked Washburn. [File photo/TSN]
