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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Athletic Department has announced its 2025 Hall of Fame class, which will be enshrined on Oct. 18 in a brunch ceremony prior to the Ichabod home football game with Central Missouri.
[Graphic by Washburn Athletics]
The 2025 Hall of Fame class includes four individuals, including a current head coach and a complete team.
The newest inductees include Jenna Hatlestad (women's soccer), Steve Ivanisevic (football), Matt Warnock (golf), current Ichabod volleyball coach Chris Herron and Herron's 2007 Washburn volleyball team.
Hall of Fame capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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When former Washburn University standout Trey Parker was thrust into the position of interim coach at Topeka West for the final three games of the 2022 season, he knew there was a lot of work to be done.
Topeka West football coach Trey Parker begins his third full season as head coach this fall and is counting on the Chargers to take another step in their rebuilding process. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After all, Parker was taking over a Charger program that hasn't produced a winning season since 2004.
But as Parker enters his third full season at West, he is proud of the progress the Chargers have made and thinks his team is ready to take another step forward this fall after three straight 1-8 campaigns.
"Everyone wants the big leaps in Year 1 and Year 2, but we understood that this was a multi-year process and we're starting to see the fruits of our labor,'' Parker said. "We've still got a long ways to go, but we're definitely way farther than where we were before, so we're excited about that.''
Parker will build this year's Charger team around a nucleus of players who have been with him since he got to West.
"Those are the guys that we're starting to lean on now,'' Parker said. "When I got them they were freshmen and sophomores and now they are juniors and seniors and they are leading our team.
"They understand what we expect day in and day out and now they're putting in the work in the offseason and during the season, so we're expecting big things from them.''
Parker knows that wins will still be hard to come by in the tough United Kansas Conference, but the West coach is confident that his Chargers will be able to compete.
"Being in one of the toughest leagues in Kansas, it's hard to compete right off the bat, so we understood it was going to take time for us to compete,'' Parker said. "But now we feel like we're starting to turn that corner where we can compete.
"We're going to compete in every game, and certain games we feel like we may be able to turn the tide and maybe be able to sneak out a win here or there. It's Year 3 now for us, so we feel like now we've got a little bit of momentum going.''
Top returners for Topeka West include senior lineman Logan Hunninghake, senior wide receiver Gad Munganga, junior lineman Dorian Rhoten Jr. and junior running back Damon Webb Jr.
Webb carried the ball 17 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns in last fall's 32-20 UKC win over Kansas City-Turner.
The Chargers also return sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilke, who took over as West's starter the second half of the 2024 season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Washburn volleyball was ranked No. 22 nationally in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll released on Wednesday.
Washburn volleyball is ranked No. 22 in the AVCA preseason national poll released Wednesday. [File photo/TSN]
After finishing last season ranked No. 24 the Ichabods jump two spots in the first set of rankings before the 2025 regular season.
Washburn went 21-8 a season ago and advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals.
Washburn earned 210 total points in the preseason poll.
Leading the way in the poll is last season's national champion, Lynn, with 45 of 47 first-place votes and 1,171 total points.
Angelo State comes in second with one first-place vote, followed by St. Cloud State and San Francisco State. Ferris State received the final first-place vote as it rounds out the top five.
Around the MIAA, Central Oklahoma is ranked No. 7 nationally and Nebraska Kearney sits at No. 12. Missouri Western received votes in the poll.
The Ichabods will begin the 2025 season at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic in Golden, Colo. next Friday, Sept. 5, with four matches in two days, beginning with Colorado Christian at 11 a.m. MST on Friday.
Washburn was picked to finish third in the 2025 MIAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Ichabods' first MIAA match will come on Sept. 26 against Northwest Missouri State inside of Whiting Fieldhouse at 6 p.m.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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Coming off back-to-back 1-8 seasons, Topeka High football took a big step forward in Jason Filbeck's first year at the school last fall, posting a three-win improvement in a 4-5 campaign.
Jason Filbeck led Topeka High football to a three-win improvement last season in his first year at the school. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But five straight season-ending losses, including four defeats to Centennial League schools, proved to Filbeck that the Trojans still have work to do.
"The level of competition in our league is high, so a 4-0 start is cool and it's great and everything, but having to play the Washburn Rurals and Manhattans and Junction Citys in our league, we've got work to do,'' Filbeck said. "They're good teams and we're going to have to earn it if we want to play with them.''
Filbeck said that the Trojans' improvement has to come not only during the season but over the offseason as well.
"It's a big culture shift here and we're trying to get it to where it's an expectation that you're involved in the summer and in the stuff that is, quote, optional,'' he said. "We made strides in the right direction, but it's still not where we want it to be for sure.''
Topeka High returns a solid group of returners to build around this fall, returning four starters on offense and eight on defense.
That group includes quarterback Zane Smith, offensive linemen Jeremiah Lopez and Isaac Romero-Chavez and wide receiver Courtney Sanders on offense and defensive linemen Trey Lutz, Connor McKee and Adam Humphrey, linebackers Aidan Flannagan and Rock Williamson and defensive backs Malachi Murph, Jones Erby and Ant Jones on defense.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Phil Frost completed a sweep of titles in Topeka Golf Association City Match Play, City Stroke Play and Bill McDonald Champions Stroke Play championships Monday at Shawnee Country Club to wrap up TGA Player of the Year honors while Dave Carson earned his seventh Champions Stroke Play crown.
Phil Frost wrapped up the TGA 2025 Player of the Year award Monday at Shawnee Country Club. [File photo/TSN]
Frost shot rounds of 69 and 72 to win the 40-49 age division Champions Stroke Play title with a 36-hole total of 141, closing out a dominating run to the Player of the Year crown.
Carson, who competed in the 60-64 division, carded rounds of 74 and 72 in the city event for players aged 40 and over, finishing with a 36-hole total of 146 to take overall honors for gross score.
Dennis Switzky, competing in the 70-74 age class, was the overall net champ (including handicap), carding rounds of 67 and 69.
Only competitors 50 and over were eligible for the oveall titles.
Awards were presented Monday in multiple age divisions for low gross and net scores.
The Champions event is named in honor of Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Famer Bill McDonald, who was in attendance for Monday's tournament.
Hall of Fame basketball coach Ron Slaymaker was also on hand Monday as the guest speaker for the event.
TGA BILL McDONALD CITY CHAMPIONS STROKE PLAY TOURNAMENT
