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Details: Created: 14 November 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The outlook for a victory by No. 8-ranked Washburn volleyball over No. 7 Central Oklahoma didn't look particularly promising late in the second set Friday night in Whiting Fieldhouse.

Washburn celebrates one of three service aces from junior Autumn Gibbs (1) late in the second set that sparked the No. 8-ranked Ichabods to a 3-1 win over No. 7 Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn junior Autumn Gibbs (right) celebrates her set-ending ace that gave the Ichabods a 25-22 win in the second set in Friday's 3-1 win over Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

After dropping a 25-23 first-set decision to the Bronchos and trailing most of the second set, six straight service points from junior Autumn Gibbs, with three aces including the final two points of the set, turned the tide as the Ichabods went on to post a 3-1 win to keep its MIAA regular-season championship hopes alive.

"Autumn turned the entire match around,'' Washburn coach Chris Herron said. "We were down and she goes six in a row, so it completely turned the match around.''

"I feel confident being able to serve aggressively because I know my teammates have got my back and I feel like I can go out there and no matter how I perform they're going to have my back,'' Gibbs said.

"I had a run like that at MSU and that was pretty exciting, but it's awesome when it happens because it doesn't happen often. This is a huge win and we're super excited. We've got another one tomorrow, but it's a great win.''

After rallying for the 25-22 second-set win, Washburn (23-3 overall, 12-3 MIAA) closed out the win with 25-19 and 25-16 wins over the Bronchos (26-4, 12-4).

Washburn will close out its regular season with a 2 p.m. home match against Arkansas-Fort Smith Saturday and the Ichabods can earn a share of the MIAA regular-season championship with a win.

Both sides went back and forth early in Friday's first set, with nine ties in the first 22 points of the match.

The Ichabods went in front with a 3-0 run that started and ended with kills by Brynne Topolski, making the score 14-11.

Central Oklahoma answered right back, going on an 8-2 run. Washburn pulled back within one point at 24-23 after two more kills from Topolski but the Bronchos held on to take the first set.

The Bronchos carried the momentum into an early 7-3 lead in the second set. The Ichabods came alive going on a 4-1 run to pull within one after Keilah Rivers landed an ace.

Central Oklahoma came right back with three in a row and kept the lead between four and five points late in the set before Gibbs and Co. took control to even the match.

Washburn quickly jumped in front in the third and led 12-6 after a 5-1 run that included three kills by Natalie Hedlund. The Bronchos came back to pull within two but were turned away with three straight kills from the Ichabod offense that hit .459 in the set on the way to taking a 2-1 lead.

The rally continued into the fourth set, with Washburn leading 11-5 after Taylor Rottinghaus set up Hedlund for a kill.

Central Oklahoma never got closer than five the rest of the set, with the Ichabod defense holding the Bronchos to .103 hitting as WU closed out the nine-point decision to cement the come-from-behind victory.

Details: Created: 13 November 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

There's no doubt that the 2025 season has been a tough one for the Washburn University football team, with the 2-8 Ichabods suffering four one-possession losses, including a pair of three-point defeats and an overtime heartbreaker.

Senior Jordan Finnesy (1) is one of 15 Washburn seniors who will play their final collegiate game for the Ichabods Saturday at Missouri Southern. [File photo/TSN]

But Washburn will have the opportunity to finish off the season on a high note in Saturday's 1 p.m. MIAA contest at Missouri Southern.

"We want to do whatever we can this week to get that win,'' said Washburn standout senior safety Jordan Finnesy. "Not just for the seniors but for the guys who will be going through the offseason. It just leaves a better taste in your mouth and gives you a little bit of momentum going into the offseason and then into next season.

"So it would be big to get a win this week and go out that way.''

The Ichabods, 1-7 in the MIAA, are coming off a 45-17 loss to Emporia State while Missouri Southern is 3-7 overall and has a matching 1-7 record in the conference after a 44-17 loss at Central Oklahoma last Saturday in Edmond.

Sophomore JC Heim leads the MIAA and is second in the national rankings in tackles per game with 12.9 per contest while L.J. Minner Jr. is third in the conference with 9.9 tackles per game, ranking 16th in the NCAA D-II national rankings.

Heim's 6.6 solo tackles per game also leads the MIAA and is second nationally. Heim's 130 tackles this season ranks fifth on the Ichabod single-season chart, trailing Derrick McGreevy (131), Grant Bruner (137), current Washburn coach Zach Watkins (143) and Bill Guidetti (152).

Finnesy's 253 career tackles rank 15th on the NCAA D-II active chart and he is 15th on the D-II active solo tackles chart with 158 and 15th on the Ichabod career tackles chart.

Senior Jake Zeller is fifth on the NCAA D-II active punting average chart at 42.2 and he is seventh in total punt yards (7,047). Zeller is second in the MIAA and ninth in the national rankings in punting average at 43.5. Zeller is second on the Ichabod all-time punting average chart at 42.2 and ninth in total yards at 7,047.

Details: Created: 13 November 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural's girls golf coach Jared Goehring is stepping down after a 15-year run that included four Class 6A state championships, two runnerup finishes and three thirds while qualifying for state as a team 14 times.

Jared Goehring is stepping down as Washburn Rural's girls golf coach after leading the Junior Blues to four Class 6A state team championships and nine top-three state finishes in 15 seasons. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Goehring, who informed his Junior Blues girls team of his decision on Thursday, plans to continue as the head boys coach at Rural in the spring but cited family factors as his major reason for turning over the reins of the girls program.

Goehring's daughter, Preslee, is a freshman three-sport athlete at Rural and he said that it was hard to juggle all the schedules, particularly with volleyball in the fall.

"I missed a couple of games this year and I don't want to do that,'' Goehring said. "That definitely played a huge factor in this decision, one that I've been kicking around for the last couple of years. With Preslee being in high school now I wanted to be a part of her successes and watch her play and family's the most important thing and continuing to spend time with my immediate family and help out where I can.''

But although Goehring knew he needed to step away from his fall coaching duties, he said he still struggled with the decision .

"I did,'' Goehring said. "I was probably 80 percent certain I was going to do this a year ago and this year's senior class is kind of what ultimately made me decide to come back. Plus, I wanted to see how my daughter adapted to high school and what she fell in love with as far as activities go.

"She's definitely on the right path and we finished on a strong note this year with this senior group, so it's time for a change.''

Goehring's son, Peyton, will be a senior for the Junior Blues' boys team next spring and Jared, who led Rural to the 2015 boys state title and will be entering his 20th season, said he plans to remain in that role for the foreseeable future.

"Springtime is a little bit more relaxed and continuing on in the springtime will fit my schedule a little bit better,'' he said.

Rick Peterson, Top Sports News Writer — Rick Peterson

Details: Created: 13 November 2025

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

CLASS 3A

JEFFERSON WEST (8-2) at HAYDEN (10-0)

Connor Hanika, Hayden

Kade Mitchell, Hayden

Hayden, the No. 1 East seed in Class 3A, has outscored its first two playoff opponents by a huge 112-7 margin, including a 42-0 romp past Wellsville last Friday night. Friday's state quarterfinal game is a rematch of the Week 8 Hayden-Jefferson West district matchup, with the Wildcats taking a 42-0 win over the Tigers in that game. Jefferson West advanced to Friday's game with a 49-14 win over Prairie View. Hayden senior quarterback Connor Hanika has completed 88 of 146 passes for 1,422 yards and 20 touchdowns with just one interception while senior Kade Mitchell has carried the ball 89 times for 900 yards, caught 19 passes for 410 yards and has scored 21 total TDs. Wildcat senior Jackson McGivern has carried the ball 55 times for 378 yards and scored nine TDs while recording 65 tackles (41) on defense with seven tackles for loss. Senior Jude Krentz leads Hayden with 89 tackles (47 solo) and six tackles for loss while rushing for 317 yards on 49 attempts. Senior Xander Blasing has 66 stops (48 solo) and seven tackles for loss and has caught 18 passes for 230 yards while senior Makhi Kidd has caught a team-high 26 passes for 277 yards. Jefferson West freshman quarterback Brixton Schwinn has completed 150 of 255 passes for 2,101 yards and 29 touchdowns while senior Crayton Holmes has 55 receptions for 689 yards and eight TDs and junior Brody Schwinn has 47 catches for 883 yards and 17 TDs. The winner of Friday's game will move on to a 3A sub-state game to face the winner of Friday's game between Holton (6-4) and Santa Fe Trail (10-0). Game time: 7 p.m.

Xander Blasing, Hayden

Jackson McGivern, Hayden

CLASS 1A

ROSSVILLE (9-1) at PITTSBURG-ST. MARY'S COLGAN (10-0)

Canann Mitchell, Rossville

Cameron Miller, Rossville

Rossville, the No. 4 Class 1A East seed, is coming off a 53-18 home win over Jefferson County North last Friday while Pittsburg Colgan remained undefeated at 10-0 with a 56-0 win over Troy. Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell has completed 87 of 127 passes for 1,311 yards and 16 touchdowns with just one interception and has rushed for 821 yards and 15 TDs on 101 attempts. Senior Cameron Miller has 30 catches for 502 yards and eight TDs while senior Jack Donovan has 34 grabs for 426 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Conner Bush has rushed for 656 yards and 10 TDs on 61 carries while senior Andre Johnson leads the Bulldawgs with 85 tackles. Junior Charlie Chance has registered 40 stops, including 12.5 tackles for loss. Colgan has yet to give up a point in postseason, outscoring its opponents by a 119-0 margin. The winner of Friday's game will advance to the state semifinals to face the winner of Friday's game between Riverside (8-2) and Jackson Heights (10-0). Game time: 6 p.m.

Jack Donovan, Rossville

Andre Johnson, Rossville

Details: Created: 12 November 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball will head to Edmond, Okla. to tip off the 2025-26 season Friday and Saturday in the Central Region Crossover.

The Ichabods will face St. Cloud State at 5 p.m. on Friday and will take on No. 18-ranked Southwest Minnesota State at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with both games on the campus of Central Oklahoma.

Senior Yibari Nwidadah averaged 16.8 points and 8.0 rebounds last season for Washburn, earning second-team All-MIAA honors. [File photo/TSN]

Senior Payton Sterk averaged 15.7 points with 62 3-pointers last season for 18-13 Washburn, earning second-team All-MIAA recognition. [File photo/TSN]

WU coach Lora Westling, whose team went 18-13 last season and returns all five starters, said the Ichabod coaches and players are excited to get the season under way.

"It's time,'' Westling said. "We get those three scrimmage dates to break it up, but it's hard to simulate actual game play. Our players have been working hard, it's just we've got to figure out who we are and you can't do that until you compete.''

Ichabod standout senior guard Payton Sterk agreed that it's time to face off against another team.

"We've only played each other for however long it's been, so we're really excited to play someone else and use what we've been working on against someone else,'' Sterk said. "Both of these teams we're playing this weekend beat us last year, so we'd all like to get some revenge and want to be able to beat them and show that we've gotten better.''

Westling admits that she hasn't always been pleased with her team's practices over the past four weeks, but understands that some of that is because of the high hopes for this year's team.

"I think part of that is because my expectations are so high for this team, which they should be,'' Westling said. "They're capable of doing some really special things. We have great people, we have talented players, so it's going to be very hard to please me this year and I think they've earned that.

"You want higher expectations and I think we've gotten better out of every scrimmage situation we've had, but the bar's high for this group.''

Sterk said the Washburn players also have extremely high hopes for the season.

"We have a unique opportunity this year and I think that having everyone basically returning and then adding key people, I think we all expect a lot and I think we all know that we should do a lot,'' Sterk said. "I think everyone on our team expects greatness and is striving for greatness.''

Washburn finished fifth in the MIAA regular season last winter with an 11-8 record and advanced to the MIAA Tournament semifinals. The Ichabods were picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and were tabbed third by the media. Washburn received votes in the first WBCA Poll of the year.

Washburn is 41-15 all-time in season openers after falling 82-72 to Southwest Minnesota State last season.

Washburn returns 10 letter-winners from last season's roster while adding four new faces in the form of three transfers and one freshman.

The experienced Ichabod roster consists of four seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and one freshman.

Yibari Nwidadah is back for year four with the Ichabods as a senior, earning All-MIAA second-team and MIAA All-defensive team recognition as a junior after starting in 29 games and logging 28.4 minutes per game.

Nwidadah led Washburn in scoring with 16.8 points per game on 62.6 percent shooting from the floor while averaging 8.0 rebounds. The Olathe North product had 12 scoring efforts of 20-plus points and had eight double-doubles on the year. She finished first in the MIAA and third nationally in field goal percentage.

Sterk also earned All-MIAA second-team honors as a junior and was named the MIAA co-newcomer of the Year. Sterk started in all 31 contests, logging a team-high 31.1 minutes per game while averaging 15.7 points on 41.5 percent shooting overall. She led the team with 62 3-pointers while also shooting a team-best 38.0 percent from deep.

The Colorado Springs, Colo. native grabbed 3.4 rebounds per game and averaged 2.3 assists, second most on the team. She had 10 20-plus scoring games, including three 30-plus point games. She finished second in the MIAA with 84.6 percent shooting at the free throw line and was third in the MIAA and 25th in the nation in 3-point percentage. She was also eighth in the conference in points per game.

Gabi Giovannetti enters her senior season with Washburn after being one of two players to start in all 31 games last season. She logged 27.3 minutes per game and was third on the team with an 11.6 scoring average on 41.7 percent shooting from the floor and 32.0 percent from deep with 47 made 3s, second most on the team. The Bishop Miege product also averaged 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals. Giovannetti delivered 18 double-digit scoring efforts and finished 11th in the MIAA in total 3-pointers made.

Madelyn Amekporfor returns for her junior season after playing in 30 games and making 29 starts last season and logging 26.7 minutes per game. She averaged 7.8 points on 47.0 percent shooting from the floor while grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game, second most on the team. Defensively the Andover product averaged a team-high 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks and had nine games with 10-plus points and seven games with either three steals or blocks.

Sophomore Brooke Gomez played in all 31 games and made 30 starts as a freshman, averaging 4.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team-high 2.7 assists. The Northglenn, Colo. native had five games with 5-plus assists, tops on the team.

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