Washburn University softball hits the road Friday for a 2 p.m. MIAA doubleheader against No. 17-ranked Central Oklahoma.
The Ichabods enter the weekend 24-9 overall after going 1-3 in their opening MIAA action last weekend after being swept by Northeastern State last Friday and splitting a twinbill with No. 18-ranked Rogers State on Saturday.
Washburn sophomore Makenzie Sais leads the nation in stolen bases entering Friday's twinbill at Central Oklahoma. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Makenzie Sais became the Ichabods' single-season leader in stolen bases earlier this season and enters the weekend with a nation-best 55 steals, 25 ahead of the No. 2-ranked player on the chart.
The MIAA single-season record is 65 by Becca Alt from Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri S&T) set in 1997. Sais' 55 stolen bases are second on the MIAA top-10 single-season chart.
Sais' 72 career stolen bases at Washburn trail Torrie Beauchamp's 87 steals from 1996-1999 and Marrit Mead's 96 from 2021-24.
Sais is also eighth in the nation in hits with 44 and 13th in runs scored with 33.
WU's Dalaney Anderson is 10th in the nation with 40 RBI and she is 18th in home runs with eight.
Seaman product Aspen Burgardt is 28th in runs scored with 30 and she is 40th in the nation in home runs with seven.
Pitcher Sadie Walker is third in the nation in shutouts with five and she is ninth in strikeouts with 96.
As a team the Ichabods are ranked fifth in the NCAA with 59 doubles while also ranking seventh in hits (283), eighth in RBI (189), 11th in shutouts (7), ninth in stolen bases per game (2.85), second in stolen bases (94), second in walks (141) and seventh in total runs (212).
Central Oklahoma is 22-5 and has won its last four games going into the weekend. Friday's doubleheader against the Ichabods will be the Bronchos' first two MIAA games of the season.
Brooklyn Ryan leads UCO with a .402 batting average, leading the team with 35 hits.
Shelby Beard is 11-3 in the pitcher's circle with a 2.87 ERA in 19 appearances and Carleigh Kinnaird is 10-1 with a 3.56 ERA.
The Ichabods return to Gahnstrom Field next weekend, hosting Missouri Southern on March 27 and Pittsburg State on March 28 in MIAA doubleheaders.
Very little has come easy for Washburn University baseball thus far in 2026 and that trend continued Wednesday at Steve Anson Stadium.
But after visiting Fort Hays State rallied from a 4-1 deficit to force extra innings and took a one-run lead in the top of the 10th, the Ichabods came through with two runs in the bottom of the inning to earn a much-needed 6-5 MIAA win over the Tigers and snap a five-game losing streak.
Chase Littrell is mobbed by his Washburn teammates after delivering a walkoff double in Wednesday's 6-5 10-inning win over Fort Hays State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn, which has been plagued by close losses in the early going this season, improved to 9-15 overall and 6-6 in the conference while Fort Hays State fell to 9-15, 6-8.
"We haven't had one of those in awhile,'' Washburn coach Harley Douglas said. "We had talked about the adversity the whole time and we had lost eight games where it was either one or two-run ballgames and five of them being one-run games.
"You're just like, man, one of these times we've got to come through when it's time and you want to face the adversity and want to take the moment, don't let it define who you are You need to go get it and I thought our guys did a pretty good job of that today.''
Fort Hays State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third after the Tigers took advantage of a double, a hit batter and a Washburn error to score an unearned run.
Levi Risenhoover went 3 for 5 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Washburn's 6-5 win over Fort Hays State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But left-fielder Ian Luce doubled for Washburn with two outs in the bottom of the third and right-fielder Levi Risenhoover followed with a home run that cleared the trees in left field, putting the Ichabods up, 2-1.
Ichabod shortstop Jackson Mervosh led off the fourth inning with a double, moved to third on a balk and scored on a sacrifice fly by center-fielder Chase Littrell to put Washburn up 3-1.
Washburn took a 4-1 advantage in the fifth, beginning with a leadoff walk from third baseman Trenton Barry. Luce and Risenhoover both followed with singles to produce the Ichabod run.
Washburn starter Mark Hoffman pitched 5 and 1/3 innings without allowing an unearned run in Wednesday's 6-5 10-inning win over Fort Hays State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Ichabod left-hander Mark Hoffman started and pitched 5 and 1/3 innings, allowing just one unearned run with two strikeouts.
The score remained 4-1 into the seventh inning before Antonio Avila hit a two-run homer to pull Fort Hays State pull within one and the Tigers tied the game with a two-out single.
Griffin Huiatt, the fourth of five pitchers used by Washburn, came on in the top of the eighth and tossed a scoreless inning.
Washburn loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth but was unable to push the go-ahead run across.
Ichabod reliever Fidel Hatch pitched a scoreless ninth before Fort Hays state took advantage of a Washburn error to go up 5-4 in the top of the 10th.
A Tiger error with one out put the Ichabods in business in the bottom of the 10th and first baseman Jack Borgmann followed with a triple into the right-field corner that tied the game.
Littrell then blasted a ball to deep center that served as a walkoff ground-rule double to win the game.
"We hope this sparks us,'' Littrell said. "It feels really good. We had a team talk a couple of days ago and we talked about these moments and kind of coming together as a team and finding a way to win these games.
"It's these close games that we know we've got to win and today was just bonding together and finding a way.''
Top seed Washburn University men's basketball saw its 2025-2026 season come to an end Saturday as No. 8 seed Minnesota-Duluth survived a second-half Ichabod rally for a 64-62 win in an NCAA Central Regional quarterfinal at Lee Arena.
Washburn junior Jack Bachelor drives for a basket in Saturday's 64-62 NCAA Central Regional loss to Minnesota-Duluth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Ichabods ended their season 31-2, winning the MIAA regular-season and tournament championships, while Minnesota-Duluth improved to 22-11 with its ninth straight win, advancing to a 7:30 p.m. regional semifinal on Sunday to face No. 4 seed St. Cloud State, an 83-65 winner over Missouri Western.
Minnesota-Duluth, which snapped Washburn's 29-game home winning streak, led 32-29 at halftime and survived a strong second-half surge by the Ichabods, who outscored the Bulldogs 33-32 over the final 20 minutes but could not overcome a cold shooting night from beyond the 3-point arc.
"Give Duluth a lot of credit,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "They were better tonight and I just didn't have us well enough prepared, so that's on me.
"We just didn't have it tonight. We just couldn't get in a rhythm offensively. Their length bothered us and we just couldn't get shots to go and some things didn't go our way, but they had a lot to do with that, so I don't want to take any credit from them, they were great.''
Senior Bryson Smith led Washburn with 15 points in Saturday's 64-62 NCAA Central Regional loss to Minnesota-Duluth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn was led by senior Bryson Smith, who scored 15 points while adding five assists and two steals, before fouling out with 1:31 remaining.
Sophomore Tyson Ruud (2) scored 12 points for Washburn in Saturday's 64-62 NCAA Central Regional loss to Minnesota-Duluth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sophomore Tyson Ruud scored 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting and pulled down three rebounds while senior Brady Christiansen, junior Jack Bachelor and senior Isaiah Saams-Hoy all finished with eight points for the Ichabods.
Christiansen also led Washburn with a game-high eight rebounds.
The Ichabods played their third straight game without injured 6-foot-8 sophomore standout Dillon Claussen, a first-team All-MIAA pick.
Washburn finished just 3 of 18 (16.7 percent) from 3-point range, going 1 of 13 in the opening half, but found success in the paint, where it outscored Minnesota-Duluth, 40-20.
Minnesota Duluth placed three players in double figures, led by Matt Thompson and Caleb Siwek with 13 points each, while Noah Paulson added 12 points and six rebounds.
The Bulldogs shot 47.8 percent from the field and knocked down 9 of 23 3-pointers, helping offset Washburn's advantage inside.
The Bulldogs built their biggest lead of the game at 12 points midway through the second half, but Washburn responded with a 15-point run to take a three-point lead with just over nine minutes remaining.
The Ichabods tied the score with 2:23 to play and took the lead on a traditional 3-point play, putting Washburn up 58-56.
Minnesota-Duluth went up 62-59 after a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left but WU cut the lead to one with eight seconds to play after Bachelor was fouled on a 3-point attempt.
UMD hit two free throws with five seconds to play and Washburn's attempt on a rebound off an intentional missed free throw went the way of the Bulldogs, finishing up the game.
No. 3-ranked Washburn University men's basketball, the MIAA regular-season and conference tournament champion, will host the NCAA Central Regional for the second straight season, with the Ichabods facing Minnesota-Duluth in their opening game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Lee Arena.
The 31-1 Ichabods are the No. 1 regional seed and coming off a dominating 91-59 win over Rogers State in Sunday's MIAA Tournament final in Kansas City, Mo.
MIAA Tournament MVP Jack Bachelor hoists the championship trophy Sunday after Washburn's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
But senior guard Bryson Smith, who led the Ichabods with 21 points in Sunday's championship game said the Ichabods still have things they want to work on and get better at this week and beyond.
"At practice we've worked on a lot of stuff that we need to hone in on and just get a good grasp of,'' Smith said. "We always say that you can get better every day, so I always feel like we can still improve.''
While Smith is in his first season with the Ichabods, he has national tournament experience, helping Dallas College North Lake claim a national junior college championship.
"I felt like it was good experience to prepare me for something like this because even though it's a different format, at the end of the day you've still got to come out and compete,'' Smith said. "Coach feels like that and we still feel like we haven't hit our ceiling.''
Washburn coach Brett Ballard cuts down the nets after the Ichabods' MIAA Tournament championship Sunday in Kansas City, Mo. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn coach Brett Ballard doesn't feel like he'll have to say much to get the Ichabods fired up for the regional.
"I think these guys understand that this is a great opportunity and playing at home is pretty special, so my big thing is not to get them excited but make sure they're focused and appreciate how hard it's going to be to win,'' Ballard said. "Just because we played great last week doesn't mean you just show up and do the same thing this weekend.''
Minnesota-Duluth, winners of the Northern Sun Tournament, is 21-11 this season and enters the NCAA Tournament on an eight-game winning streak.
The Bulldogs were the No. 6 seed in the Northern Sun Tournament, winning the title with a 76-65 win over top-seeded St. Cloud State.
Washburn rolled through the MIAA Tournament, outscoring their opponents 267-180, including an MIAA championship game record for margin of victory record in its 32-point win over Rogers State.
The Ichabods never trailed in any of their MIAA Tournament games.
The Ichabods are making their 18th NCAA appearance and enter the tournament with a 20-17 overall record in the event. Washburn reached the 2025 NCAA Division II Final Four.
Washburn won its first MIAA Tournament championship since 2021 and its first in Kansas City since 2012.
The Ichabods have recorded their third 30-win season program history and their second straight after last season's 30-4 record.
Washburn has won 29 straight games at home, breaking the previous 28-game streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995.
The Ichabods have recorded 32 20-win seasons in program history and six under Ichabod coach Brett Ballard in his nine seasons with four NCAA postseason berths.
Washburn is first in NCAA Division II in scoring margin at plus 25.1 points per game and are ranked fourth in field goal percentage at 50.9 percent.
Washburn is third in assists per game (18.9), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.58) and second in rebound margin (plus 10.7) and scoring defense (61.9 points per game).
Sophomore All-MIAA first-team pick Dillon Claussen, who has missed the Ichabods' last two games with a leg injury, is eighth in the nation in field goal percentage at 62.5 percent. Claussen is questionable for Saturday.
Junior Jeremiah Jones is first the nation in total steals with 102 and is ranked second in steals per game at 3.19 per contest.
Jones set an MIAA single-game tournament record in the semis against Missouri Western with eight steals en route to earning all-tournament team honors.
Junior first-team All-MIAA pick and MIAA Tournament MVP Jack Bachelor is 21st in the nation in total assists with 149 and seventh in assist to turnover ratio at 3.10 to 1. Bachelor is 10th in 3-pointers made with 95 and 19th in 3-pointers per game with 2.97.
Bachelor was named the tournament MVP after games of 24, 27 and 14 points while also dishing out 22 assists with only two turnovers and hitting 16 3s during the three games.
Senior Brady Christiansen joined Bachelor and Jones on the all-tournament team after averaging 14.3 points 10 rebounds in the tournament and hitting 50 percent of his 3-point shots, going 7 of 14 overall from deep.
MANKATO, Minn. -- No. 5 seed Washburn University women's basketball saw its season come to an end Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Central Region tournament with a 64-55 loss to No. 4 seed Central Missouri.
Senior Yibari Nwidadah ended her Washburn career with a team-high 14 points in Friday's 64-55 NCAA Central Regional loss to Central Missouri in Mankato, Minn. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods ended the season 24-8 record with an MIAA Tournament Championship.
"It's hard to swallow right now because I know how much our team and our players wanted (a win), but I think the standard has been re-set in our program and a couple of weeks and we'll get started to be back here again,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said in her post-game press conference.
"That's what makes it difficult right now is that you have this tough game, but getting that 20-win season again and getting back into a championship scenario and getting back into the regional tournament for the first time in 13 years, geez we have so much to be proud of and so much to be grateful for. I think that speaks for itself.''
Washburn opened the game with a hot start, leading 6-3 after the second bucket of the game for senior Yibari Nwidadah in the first four minutes.
The Jennies (26-6) would come back to tie the game at eight to start what would turn into a 11-2 run to end the first quarter with UCM leading 16-10.
Nwidadah opened the second quarter with an old-fashioned three-point play that cut the Jennies' lead in half, but the next 11 points came from Central Missouri as the lead reached 14 points at the 4:48 mark in the quarter.
A quick five-point burst from Kellyn Hunter inside the final three minutes helped bring the Central Missouri lead back down to single digits, sending the Ichabods to halftime trailing 29-22.
Both sides traded baskets out of the break with the deficit staying between seven and 11 points until a 4-0 burst by the Jennies pushed the lead back up to 13.
Washburn senior Payton Sterk drained 3-pointers on back-to-back trips down the court, cutting the WU deficit back down to seven points with 4:07 left in the quarter.
A steal and a score from Hunter brought Washburn within five, but that was answered by five straight for Central Missouri as it went into the fourth leading 50-41.
The fourth quarter started like the third with alternating baskets on each side.
Washburn shot it efficiently, going 6-14 in the quarter, but could not connect from deep going 0-7 from 3-point range in the comeback attempt.
Madelyn Amekporfor got a layup to go inside of two minutes that made it an eight-point game for the first time all quarter, but that was as close as the Ichabods would get as the Jennies held on to post the nine-point win.
Washburn University women's basketball makes its return to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed in the Central Region, where the Ichabods will square off with the No. 4 seed Central Missouri for a fourth time this season and the second straight game at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Mankato, Minn.
Washburn is back in the NCAA Tournament field for the 18th time in program history and the first time since the 2012-2013 season.
Washburn women's basketball celebrates its MIAA Tournament championship with a team dogpile after Sunday's 53-44 win over top seed Central Missouri. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Friday's Washburn-Central Missouri game is a rematch of Sunday's MIAA Tournament championship game, won by the Ichabods, 53-44.
And while playing the Jennies again in just five days is not a ideal situation, Washburn junior Madelyn Amekporfor said the Ichabods will be trying to duplicate the performance they put together on Sunday.
"I think when we played them on Sunday in the championship, that was one of the best defensive games we've had all year and it was fun honestly, playing together, playing for each other,'' Amekporfor said. "It was so fun, so I know that it's not ideal but we're excited for that challenge and excited to go out and do it again and hopefully execute our game plan even better than we did on Sunday because I know we're ready for it.''
Washburn, now 24-7, won its 10th MIAA Tournament championship in program history.
Central Missouri heads to the NCAA Tournament with a 25-6 record overall after going 17-2 inside the MIAA. The Jennies' loss to Washburn snapped a 13-game UCM winning streak.
Sunday's win came after the Jennies had topped Washburn twice in the regular season and Amekporfor knows Friday will be another battle.
"We definitely know what's at stake and we're wanting to succeed so much for our seniors because they've done so much for this program,'' Amekporfor said. "They just give it their all every day, so I know making it to the national tournament was big for them, big for us and big for our program.
"I think UCM is going to be a great first game for us just because we have our heads up from this weekend and we know what we have to do to beat them. We know we have to execute and give it our all, so I think we're very confident now.''
Washburn coach Lora Westling said the Ichabods' goals this weekend would be the same no matter who they drew in the regional.
"We've told our players it doesn't matter who you play, it's about you and how well you execute and perform, how ready you can be for the day at hand,'' Westling said. "That's no different if its Central Missouri or whoever else we would have gotten lined up with. The approach is no different.
"I think that's what we've been focusing on is just it's business as usual for how we're preparing.''
The Ichabods are 26-16 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 23-12 in the Central Region Tournament. Washburn is 9-3 in the opening round game of the regional.
The NCAA Central Region Tournament will be held between Friday and Sunday in the Taylor Center. The championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Monday, March 16.
With a win on Friday, the Ichabods would face the winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 1 seed Minnesota State and No. 8 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It's hard to beat the same team three straight times in a season.
And sometimes it's impossible.
Washburn celebrates its MIAA Tournament championship after Sunday's 53-44 win over top seed Central Missouri in Kansas City, Mo. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Central Missouri women's basketball beat Washburn University twice in the regular season en route to the MIAA regular-season championship, with the Jennies the only conference opponent to sweep the Ichabods.
But No. 3 seed Washburn gained a big measure of revenge over top seed Central Missiouri in Sunday's MIAA Tournament championship game, with the Ichabods rallying from a nine-point deficit in the first half to take a 53-44 win and clinch the conference's automatic berth for the NCAA Tournament.
Washburn women's basketball celebrates its MIAA Tournament championship with a team dogpile after Sunday's 53-44 win over top seed Central Missouri. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"Hats off to Central Missouri,'' said Washburn coach Lora Westling. "They played a great game and they're tough as nails, but my players, my team just continue to show how much depth we have, the selflessness.
"We found a combination that worked tonight and that's been kind of the story of the last few weeks for us is finding the combination that works for the job that needs to be done. And I can't say enough about the humility that that takes to have that kind of game plan. We have so many of them sacrificing for a greater purpose and that paid off tonight in a championship.''
Sunday's win gave 24-7 Washburn, winners of nine straight games, its 10th MIAA Tournament title in program history and first since the 2011-12 season while seniors Yibari Nwidadah and Gabi Giovannetti were named to the MIAA All-Tournament team and Nwidadah was named the tournament's most valauble player.
Washburn is heading to the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in program history and the first time since the 2012-13 season, earning the No. 5 seed in the Central Region. Washburn will now face No. 4 seed Central Missouri for a second straight game and fourth time this season in the first round on Friday in Mankato, Minn.
The Jennies (25-6) hit four 3-pointers in seven attempts in the first quarter en route to an 18-10 first-quarter advantage and Central Missouri pushed its lead to nine points in the second quarter before the Ichabods finished the half on a 9-2 run to trail by just a 25-23 margin at the half.
Junior Madelyn Amekporfor ended the first-half scoring for Washburn and also began the third stanza with a hoop to tie the game at 25 before Central Missouri scored the next four points.
Giovannetti hit Washburn's first 3-pointer of the game at the 5:48 mark to pull the Ichabods within a point and shortly thereafter sophomore Brooke Gomez converted an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Ichabods in front for the first time since the first five minutes of the game at 31-30.
The lead went back and forth five times the rest of the quarter and ended with Central Missouri hitting a pair of free throws to lead 36-35 going into the fourth quarter.
It was at that point that Washburn took control, scoring the first 10 points of the quarter, including back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Payton Sterk to build a 45-36 advantage with 5:32 left, as the Ichabods held the Jennies scoreless until the 4:38 mark of the quarter.
Central Missouri cut its deficit to six points with 1:48 left but never got closer as Giovannetti went six of six at the free throw line in the final 50.5 seconds to close out the championship with the nine-point decision.
The Ichabods won despite shooting just 27.4 percent from the field and hitting 3 of 13 3-point attempts as Washburn went 16-19 at the free throw line and limited Central Missouri to 30.6 percent shooting overall and 4-16 from deep.
Washburn was plus 10 in rebounding margin (45-35) while grabbing 16 offensive boards.
"I think the most fun part of it is I'm not surprised,'' Westling said. "I know maybe this group had a little slower start and had to kind of find our own footing, but they've just been electric on the defensive end the past few weeks and that's a hard sell to young people these days and they are defending with passion and they are playing together.''
Giovannetti scored a game-high 17 points, including a 10 of 10 performance at the free throw line, while also adding eight rebounds and two steals.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The No. 3-ranked and top-seeded Washburn Ichabods delivered a wire-to-wire rout Sunday, overwhelming Rogers State 91-59 to capture the 2026 MIAA Tournament championship at Municipal Auditorium.
MIAA Tournament MVP Jack Bachelor hoists the championship trophy after Sunday's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods never trailed, controlling all 40 minutes and improving to 31-1 on the season while securing the MIAA's automatic bid and surpassing their 30-win total in 2024-2025.
"I'm really proud of our guys,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "We came out ready to play. I thought our intensity and our focus to start that game was at a really high level. That first half was about as good as you can play basketball.
"We probably caught Rogers on a little bit of an off night. They obviously weren't on their 'A' game. I think we had a lot to do with that, but they clearly didn't play as well as they're capable and sometimes that happens.''
Washburn will host the NCAA Central Regional Tournament for the second year in a row starting Saturday in Lee Arena. WU will host Minnesota-Duluth (21-11) on Saturday, with game times to be announced as soon as available.
"I just love the way our guys have approached the daily process to this,'' Ballard said. "Our shoot-around this morning was good and every part of the process has been good and when you prepare that way it gives you a chance to play at a high level.''
Washburn senior Bryson Smith opened the game with a hoop and junior Jeremiah Jones followed with a 3-pointer, setting the tone for the day with an early 5-0 burst.
Washburn dominated the glass from the outset, piling up 15 offensive rebounds in the first half alone while holding Rogers State to zero.
Washburn junior Jack Bachelor received the MIAA Tournament MVP award Sunday after Washburn's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior Jack Bachelor, who was named the tournament most valuable player, connected on multiple threes in the opening minutes and a transition trey by Smith pushed the Ichabod lead to 22-10 just before the 13-minute mark.
Washburn senior Brady Christiansen cuts down the nets after a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double in Sunday's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Brady Christiansen was a force, collecting 12 first-half rebounds -- eight on the offensive end – and his follow shot at the 6:39 mark pushed the Washburn margin to 36-20 and the Ichabods carried a huge 49-25 margin into the halftime break.
Rogers State (21-10) never had an answer as Washburn opened the second half with a 14-1 run.
Christiansen drilled a three to make it a 54-25 game, and moments later a Jones tip-in extended the lead to 31 points.
Bachelor scored on a fastbreak layup with 8:19 remaining to give Washburn its largest lead of the afternoon at 77-38, a 39-point cushion.
Smith led the Ichabods with 21 points, knocking down two threes and adding five rebounds.
Christiansen, an all-tournament pick, registered a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds for his second double double in as many games.
"It's championship Sunday and I was going to give it my all,'' Christiansen said. "I just think from the start, that first offensive rebound that I got kind of set the tone for the game.
"We had 52 rebounds and I don't know if that's a season high but that's incredible. It wasn't just me, it was everyone and I just couldn't be more proud of the team.''
Bachelor added 14 points, with four 3-pointers, and dished out nine assists.
All-tourney pick Jones recorded 10 points, seven rebounds, and three steals while sophomore Tyson Ruud, making his second straight start in place of injured Ichabod standout Dillon Claussen, scored 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting.
All five Ichabod starters reached double figures.
Washburn finished with a huge 52-25 rebounding advantage and the Ichabods shot 46.5 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from three, while holding Rogers State to 38.8 percent shooting overall and 33.3 percent from outside the 3-point arc.
The Ichabods won their first MIAA Tournament title since the 2021 season and the first in Kansas City since 2012.
Bachelor was named the MVP after games of 24, 27 and 14 points while also dishing out 22 assists with only two turnovers and hitting 16 3s during the three games.
"Dudes have been locked in,'' Bachelor said. "Like coach said, we were very focused this week. We got here Wednesday and that's a long trip and it could be easy to get your eyes off what the goal is, but our guys were locked in and that's what we showed tonight.
"We'll get locked back in this week and ready for that national tournament.''
Christiansen was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 14.3 points and 10 rebounds in the tournament while hitting 50 percent of his 3-point shots (7 of 14).
Fellow all-tourney pick Jones set an MIAA single-game tournament steals record with eight in the semis against Missouri Western.
The Ichabods recorded the largest margin of victory in an MIAA Tournament game, with the 32-point win topping the previous mark of 29 set in 2019.
Washburn's men's title followed a championship by the Ichabod women in the first game of the day, a 53-44 win over Central Missouri.
The short-handed Washburn Ichabods registered their second consecutive 30-win season with Saturday's 85-69 win over Missouri Western, advancing into the MIAA Tournament championship game in Kansas City, Mo.'s Municipal Auditorium.
Washburn improved to 30-1 despite being without injured sophomore star Dillon Claussen, who sat out the game with a leg injury.
Sophomore Tyson Ruud scored 16 points in his second career start, helping Washburn advance to the MIAA Tournament title game with an 85-69 win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"That's a good team and a really good win for us, especially when you find out the morning of the game Dillon's not going to play,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard told KTPK Radio.
"The guy's really rallied around that and rallied around him. Obviously losing that caliber of player is not easy.''
The Ichabods, now 30-1, will face Rogers State in the championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday after the Hillcats' 72-70 win over Missouri Southern.
The Ichabods jumped out to a 15-6 lead, starting the game 6 of 11 from the field as junior All-MIAA guard Jack Bachleor led with eight early points.
Bachelor, the Washburn Rural product, would go on to score 18 points in the first 20 minutes as the Ichabods carried a 10-point lead at 41-31 lead into the break.
Washburn continued its steady play in the second half, matching Missouri Western basket-for-basket before gradually stretching the advantage to a game-high 22 midway through the half.
The Griffons (21-11) did trim the lead to nine with 4:17 to play, but a 3-pointer from Bachelor sparked a 14-7 advantage for the Ichabods the rest of the contest as the Ichabods won their seventh in a row over the Griffons in the 16-point win.
Junior Jack Bachelor scored a career-high 27 points with seven treys in Saturday's 85-69 Washburn win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Bachelor led the Ichabods with a career and game-high 27 points.
Bachelor connected on seven 3-pointers while also adding six assists and three boards.
"Jack Bachelor was the best player on the court again tonight,'' Ballard said. "He just loves this gym and he's really playing at a high level.''
Senior Brady Christiansen recorded the sixth double-double of his Ichabod career with 17 points and 10 rebounds, going 7 of 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from deep.
Sophomore Tyson Ruud made his second start of the season in place of Claussen and recorded 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting while adding five rebounds and a block.
"I think starting or not it's the same mentality,'' Ruud told KTPK Radio. "We're so deep. We're one of the most talented teams in the nation, so starting or not the mentality's the same.''
Junior Jeremiah Jones scored eight points, and an MIAA Tournament game record of eight steals, recording six in the first half alone.
Senior Bryson Smith added six points, four assists and two steals.
The Ichabods were efficient as a team, shooting 49 percent from the field (33 of 68) and 44 percent from 3-point range (12 of 27).
Missouri Western was paced by former Seaman star Ty Henry, who scored 15 points to pace four Griffons in double figures.
Washburn University women's basketball enters the MIAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will face off with No. 6 seed Pittsburg State at 2:15 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinal round in Kansas City, Mo.
All-MIAA first-team pick Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn women's basketball into Friday's MIAA Tournament quarterfinal against Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are 21-7 on the season, a three-win improvement over last season, and are trying to wrap up a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2012-2013 season. Washburn is currently ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Central Region rankings with eight teams advancing to the tournament.
"We're just trying not to look too much in advance,'' Washburn senior standout Yibari Nwidadah said. "We're trying to take each day as it is and we're trying to get better still.
"We still have things we can improve on and I feel like everyone in our locker room has that same mindset of getting better today, getting better tomorrow and better the day after that.''
If the Ichabods are able to garner an NCAA berth, Nwidadah said it would be a major accomplishment for the program, which has made a 10-win improvement from her freshman season in 2022-2023.
"It would be amazing,'' Nwidadah said. "That's been the goal for me and the goal for the program overall, to bring the program back to tournament level, so just getting the opportunity to do that would be special for all of us.
"We're just trying to take care of business like we need to and not leave anything up to chance.''
Washburn coach Lora Westling agreed.
"I think that's been the message to our team is that (the selection process) is out of our control and trust me, that gets a little more wild than you think,'' Westling said. "But what we do have control over is our effort and our execution against Pitt State, a really good team that has the talent and the ability to play really well.
"So all of our energy is into that game. I think this program, thankfully, is starting to move past the, 'Just happy to be here' mentality and focused on, 'How do we get the job done?' I know this group really wants to get the job done in Kansas City and hopefully we're mature enough to make a run at it. ''
Washburn finished the regular season on a six-game win streak, defeating Missouri Southern 83-64 last Saturday, while Pittsburg State closed out the regular season with a 73-58 road loss to Central Missouri and is 18-10 on the season.
Washburn is 43-25 overall in the MIAA Tournament.
Washburn landed three players on the 2025-26 All-MIAA squad, headlined by first-team pick Nwidadah, who also earned All-Defensive team recognition.
Nwidadah is the first Washburn first-team All-MIAA selection since Laura Kinderknecht in 2012-13.
"I was pretty surprised and obviously excited, too,'' Nwidadah said. "It just goes back to everything we've done as a team. I could never have done that without our team.''
Senior Payton Sterk earned All-MIAA second-team honors for the second time in her two seasons with Washburn while senior Gabi Giovannetti received all-conference honorable mention.
Nwidadah is averaging 11.5 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds while also shooting a team-high 57.5 percent from the floor.
Sterk leads the Ichabods with a 12.3 scoring averag while hitting a team-high 48 3-pointers.
Giovannetti is scoring 11.1 points per game and is second on the team with 40 3-pointers.
The Washburn Ichabod softball team returns to the road for four games this weekend at the Grand Slam Classic in Branson, Mo. where Washburn will face Illinois-Springfield for two of the games with single contests against Lincoln and Truman.Sophomore Makenzie Sais has helped lead Washburn softball to a 21-4 record in 2026, leading the nation with 50 stolen bases. [File photo/TSN] Washburn will open the tournament at 3 p.m. Friday against Illinois-Springfield and will take on Lincoln at 5 p.m.On Saturday the Ichabods will face Illinois-Springfield at 11 a.m. and Truman State at 3 p.m.The 21-4 start by the Ichabods this season is the best 25-game start in program history. Washburn received votes for the second straight week in the NFCA Top 25 coaches poll. The Ichabods went 4-1 last weekend at the Midwest College Classic in Shawnee and will enter this weekend on a three-game winning streak. The Ichabods have hit the 30-win mark for four straight seasons dating back to the 2022 season, the longest streak of 30 wins since a run between the 2002-07 seasons when the Ichabods recorded 30 wins six seasons in a row. Brenda Holaday is in her 10th season as the Ichabod softball coach, recording a 304-174 overall record while going 136-74 in MIAA contests and leading the Ichabods to two MIAA regular-season titles (2018, 2022) and three NCAA Central Regional berths (2018, 2022, 2024). Holaday became Washburn's all-time winningest coach with a 13-0 win over Illinois-Springfield on Feb. 8, 2025.
Sophomore Makenzie Sais became the Ichabod single-season leader in stolen bases against Montana State Billings with her 34th and she enters the weekend with a nation-best 50 stolen bases, 26 ahead of the No. 2-ranked player on the chart.
Sais' stolen bases total is also 24 more than the NCAA Division I leader and 29 ahead of the NCAA Division III leader.
Sais is also second in the nation in hits with 37 and second in runs scored with 30. Dalaney Anderson leads the nation in RBI with 36 and she is 11th in home runs with seven. Anderson also ranks 13th in hits with 32 and 18th in runs scored. Pitcher Sadie Walker is third in the nation in shutouts and she is seventh in strikeouts with 71. Jenna Sprague is seventh in the nation in saves.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Top seed and No. 3-ranked Washburn University men's basketball was good enough in the first half Thursday night to open up a 10-point advantage over Central Oklahoma.
Junior All-MIAA guard Jack Bachelor celebrates one of his five 3-pointers in Thursday's 91-52 Washburn MIAA Tournament win over Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Washburn Athletics]
But the Ichabods were unstoppable after halftime, riding a 55-point second half to a dominating 91-52 quarterfinal win over the Bronchos in the MIAA Tournament in Municipal Auditorium.
"I'm really pleased with how we came out at halftime,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "I kind of challenged the guys at halftime just to stay in the moment and stay mentally locked in one possession at a time and I thought we were as good as we've been probably all year that first seven, eight minutes of the second half.
"We get going and these guys are turned up like that we can play at a pretty high level.''
The Ichabods, who avenged a loss to UCO in the 2025 MIAA tournament, will now face the winner of Friday's game between Missouri Western and Arkansas-Fort Smith at 6 p.m. on Saturday in a semifinal.
Washburn, which improved to 29-1, set the tone early as junior point guard Jack Bachelor opened things up with a 3-pointer and the Ichabods would never trail.
The Ichabods went on to push their advantage to 16-6 five minutes into the game and Washburn would go on to lead by as many as 13 points in the half.
Central Oklahoma (17-16) cut its deficit to 27-21 with 3:02 left in the half, but the Ichabods closed the half with a 9-5 run, including six straight points from Bachelor in the final 1:16 to take a 36-26 lead into halftime.
The second half belonged entirely to Washburn, which opened the final 20 minutes with a 17-1 run in the first 4:32, including a 15-0 run to start the half.
Washburn went on to lead by as many 42 points, going 10 for 15 from 3-point range in the second half while shooting a blistering 70 percent overall (21 of 30).
The Ichabods shot 58.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range on the night while holding Central Oklahoma to 31.3 percent shooting and just 2 for 20 on 3-point attempts.
Washburn also forced 16 Broncho turnovers, converting them into 28 points, and dominated the paint with 44 points inside.
Bachelor, a Washburn Rural product, led the Ichabods with a game-high 24 points, hitting 9 of 17 shots from the field and 5 of 11 from 3-point range, while also adding seven assists with no turnovers.
"Municipal's awesome, this MIAA Tournament's awesome,'' Bachelor said. "We kind of had a bad taste in our mouth from last year. We were fired up, we were ready to go and this is postseason basketball. This is March, this is what you dream of.''
Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored 21 points in just 18:26 of work in Thursday's 91-52 Washburn MIAA Tournament win over Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Washburn Athletics]
Sophomore Dillon Claussen finished with 21 points on 7 of 7 shooting from the field, including 2 of 2 from 3-point range while senior Brady Christiansen added 11 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Tyson Ruud led the Ichabods with six rebounds off the bench.
Washburn University Ichabods
MIAA Tournament MVP Jack Bachelor hoists the championship trophy Sunday after Washburn's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn coach Brett Ballard cuts down the nets after the Ichabods' MIAA Tournament championship Sunday in Kansas City, Mo. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 
Senior Yibari Nwidadah ended her Washburn career with a team-high 14 points in Friday's 64-55 NCAA Central Regional loss to Central Missouri in Mankato, Minn. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics] 
Washburn women's basketball celebrates its MIAA Tournament championship with a team dogpile after Sunday's 53-44 win over top seed Central Missouri. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn celebrates its MIAA Tournament championship after Sunday's 53-44 win over top seed Central Missouri in Kansas City, Mo. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics] 
Washburn junior Jack Bachelor received the MIAA Tournament MVP award Sunday after Washburn's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 
Washburn senior Brady Christiansen cuts down the nets after a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double in Sunday's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sophomore Tyson Ruud scored 16 points in his second career start, helping Washburn advance to the MIAA Tournament title game with an 85-69 win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Junior Jack Bachelor scored a career-high 27 points with seven treys in Saturday's 85-69 Washburn win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
All-MIAA first-team pick Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn women's basketball into Friday's MIAA Tournament quarterfinal against Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Makenzie Sais has helped lead Washburn softball to a 21-4 record in 2026, leading the nation with 50 stolen bases. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored 21 points in just 18:26 of work in Thursday's 91-52 Washburn MIAA Tournament win over Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Washburn Athletics]