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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University present JuliAnn Mazachek released an encouraging update Saturday night from the Ballard family regarding the condition of Ichabod men's basketball coach Brett Ballard, who was injured in a one-vehicle accident Tuesday night.
Washburn University men's basketball coach Brett Ballard continues to make improvement after being severely injured in a one-vehicle crash Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
"Dear Washburn community,
I am reaching out today to share the uplifting message below from the Ballard family.
The Ballard family would like to extend our gratitude to the first responders and medical staff at Stormont Vail for caring for Brett. We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of love and support from friends, family, and the community. Your prayers are felt and are making a difference.
After suffering a medical incident, Brett is receiving the care he needs and is expected to make a full recovery.
We are truly grateful for all the support shown to our family.
The outpouring of love and encouragement for Coach and his family has been deeply meaningful. Please continue to keep them in your thoughts as Brett continues on the road to recovery.''
The accident involving the 46-year-old Ballard occurred Tuesday night on I-470 highway near mile marker 183 in Shawnee County.
Ballard's was driving westbound when his vehicle left the roadway to the left, striking a delineator post, the embankment and a bridge pillar. Emergency medical services transported Ballard to Stormont Vail Hospital.
Over his nine seasons at Washburn Ballard has compiled a 198-81 record, including a 31-2 record in the 2025-2026 season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After working his way from walk-on status and a broken hand early in his career to earn a starting position on Washburn University's offensive line, Orrin Busenitz's 2025 football season ended just two plays into the Ichabods' season-opener against Truman State when the former Shawnee Heights standout suffered a serious injury to his left knee.
Former Shawnee Heights standout Orrin Busenitz (52) has fought back from a serious knee injury on the second play of the 2025 season to return to action for the Ichabods.[Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But while the '25 injury was the unquestioned low point of his career, the 6-foot-2, 295-pound offensive guard has battled back over the past year, determined to regain his spot as a mainstay in the trenches for the Ichabods, who opened their fall camp earlier in the week.
"You don't ever want to have a serious injury like that as I did last year, but we did it early so I've had the absolute most time to recover as possible,'' said Busenitz, who suffered a torn ACL and torn miniscus. "It was definitely tough but there's always a brighter side of some things. Coach (Zach) Watkins talks all the time about how not everything is as bad as it seems at first.
"I think for me I was able to maybe gain some better perspective of our team and I think I was able to build better relationships with the guys in that locker room and get as many mental reps as possible and all that.''
Busenitz, an All-Shawnee County pick and Kansas Shrine Bowl pick as a senior at Shawnee Heights, also used his rehab time to work on his overall physical conditioning.
"Yeah, the knee was messed up, but I'll tell you what, the rest of my body felt great, the best it's felt in three years,'' Busenitz said. "My shoulders felt really good, so there's always a brighter side to it.
"People talk all the time about how with these injuries, a lot of it's more mental. And it's just getting back out here on the field and trusting what your body can do and trusting that you've done the work to recover and strengthen it up. And now it's just time to go.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Hayden star Finn Dunshee hasn't played football since helping lead the Wildcats to a runnerup finish in Class 3A in 2023 and playing for the East in the 2024 Kansas Shrine Bowl.
Finn Dunshee (33), who helped 12-1 Hayden post a runnerup Class 3A state finish in 2023, is back on the football field after a two-year absence with hometown Washburn University. [File photo/TSN]
But even though he had gone on to run Division I track at Texas Christian University after winning six state titles for the Wildcats, Dunshee never completely lost his love for the gridiron.
And as time went on, that love got stronger, prompting Dunshee, named the TopSports.news Shawnee County Male Athlete of the Year in 2024, to leave TCU and accept the opportunity to play football for the hometown Ichabods.
"I'd been thinking about it, maybe not my freshman year, but that summer going into my sophomore year I had been down there at those Texas games and Texas football's a little different,'' Dunshee said. "Everybody's going crazy and I was like, 'Man, I miss football.'
"I started to get the itch again. I went through my sophomore (track) season and I came home and I ended up hitting the portal and I was like, 'Hey, you guys interested?' ''
When Washburn reached out, Dunshee said it was a relative easy decision to come home.
"I have a big family here in Topeka and I've got all these nieces and nephews and I love them to death, so I was like, 'Why not Washburn?' '' said the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder, who is projected as a wide receiver and returner for WU.
"They were interested in me in high school and just reached out. They were like 15 dudes over their limit, but they ended up giving me a spot, so I was pretty excited.''
Dunshee, a three-time state champion in track as both a junior and senior, joined Washburn for summer workouts to get re-acquainted with the game of football before opening up fall camp this week.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University men’s basketball coach Brett Ballard remains hospitalized after being seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday evening.
Washburn University men's basketball coach Brett Ballard remains hospitalized after being seriously injured in a single-vehicle car accident Tuesday night; [File photo/TSN]
The accident involving the 46-year-old Ballard occurred shortly after 8 p.m. on I-470 highway near mile marker 183 in Shawnee County.
Ballard's was driving westbound when his vehicle left the roadway to the left, striking a delineator post, the embankment and a bridge pillar. Emergency medical services transported Ballard to Stormont Vail Hospital.
“We are deeply saddened to share that coach Brett Ballard was seriously injured in a car accident last evening,'' Washburn University president JuliAnn Mazachek said in a statement. "Our hearts are with coach Ballard, his family, the men’s basketball program and all who are affected during this difficult time.
"We ask our community to keep them in their thoughts during this time of recovery and to respect the family’s privacy. The university will share additional information when appropriate.”
Over his nine seasons at Washburn Ballard has compiled a 198-81 record, including a 31-2 record in the 2025-2026 season.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's soccer has been picked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Women's Coaches National Pre-Season Rankings released Tuesday.
Davy Phillips' Ichabods are coming off a 14-4-6 season in 2025, including 8-0-4 in MIAA play, and advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals.
Senior defender Lindsey Maul returns for No. 4-ranked Washburn soccer after earning first-team All-MIAA and all-region honors in 2025. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Sophomore Leah Henke is a top returner for No. 4-ranked Washburn University soccer after being named the MIAA freshman of the year last season. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods return a key nucleus of players from last year's team, including first-team All-MIAA picks Lindsey Maul, a senior defender, and Leah Henke, a sophomore forward. Henke was named the MIAA freshman of the year last fall.
Also returning are All-MIAA second-team pick Rilyn Snyder, a senior defender, third-team conference selections Grace Peterson (senior midfielder), Mackinly Rohn (senior midfielder) and Sam Searcey (junior forward) and honorable mention honorees Kate Hinck (sophomore forward) and Lili Everley (sophomore goalkeeper).
Washburn Rural products Rohn and Hinck are two of the five Topekans on the Washburn 2026 roster along with Rural grads Destiny Higgs, a redshirt freshman, and freshman Dayne Shriver, and Hayden freshman Reese Huscher.
Washburn will open its regular season at 6 p.m. Aug. 27 in Yager Stadium against pre-season No. 21 Maryville.
