Washburn University Ichabods

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Washburn University men's golf will begin its eighth trip to the NCAA Men's Golf Championship on Monday at the Avalon Lakes Golf Course in Warren, Ohio.

Washburn's men's golf team will compete in the NCAA Men's Golf Championship Monday in Ohio after finishing fourth in the regional tournament. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

The three-round stroke play portion of the tournament will last until Wednesday before the field is cut.  

The championship event will begin at 7:30 a.m. Monday as each competing team and the individual qualifiers will play three rounds of stroke play 

The Ichabods will be represented by Cade Uhlenhake, Dawson Wills, Jack Baker, Kade Prentice and Max Ullan.

There will be 20 total teams competing with a total of eight individuals, four from each regional tournament, for a total of 108 players 

Following Wednesday's third round the championship field will be cut to eight teams for the medal-match play rounds.

The quarterfinals will be played on Thursday morning, with the semifinals following on Thursday afternoon as the field will be cut to four 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Local sports icons Kyle Weems and Michael Wilhoite will be back in Topeka June 30 to host the second annual Big Kev Give Back Camp, a one-of-a-kind dual basketball/football camp on fhe campus of Washburn University

Both Weems and Wilhoite graduated from Highland Park and Wilhoite was a standout at Washburn and Weems at Missouri State before both players went on to long-time professional careers.

Weems and Wilhoite, who were inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame in 2021, will be joined by many other special guests to host the camp, in conjunction with Washburn, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The June 30 camp, open to athletes 9 through 17, is named in honor of Kyle's late father, Kevin, a former Washburn University basketball player, who had a big impact on the athletic careers of both Weems and Wilhoite.

Athletes will have the option between all-day basketball or football camps or can split their time between half-day basketball and football camps. Athletes wishing to split their time between football and basketball are encouraged to attend the football camp in the morning session.

The cost of the camp is $20 and athletes are encouraged to register online at www.wusports.com. Go to the list of Washburn Football Camps and scroll down to the Big Kev Give Back Camp. Those interested in attending the camp can also go to www.bkgiveback.com and click the signup link.

The football portion of the camp will be held at Yager Stadium while the basketball camp will be held in Lee Arena.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Joy Marie Galliart, who will take the reins of the highly-successful Washburn Rural softball program in the 2023-2024 school year, was born and raised in Oklahoma, where she has also spent her entire high school softball coaching career.

Joy Marie Galliart speaks to her future Washburn Rural softball team and Rural parents Monday at the school. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But Galliart's ties to Kansas also run deep.

Galliart played softball at Washburn University and graduated from WU with a bachelor’s degree in biology and while one of her daughters currently attends Washburn her other daughter is right down the road at Kanas State.

"They are two of the big reasons why this job was appealing to me, so that I could come up here and be closer to them,'' said Galliart, who met her new team and Rural parents Monday night at Rural. "When they gave me their approval I was super excited about the possibility and I knew it was something that I wanted to pursue pretty heavily.''

Galliart comes to Washburn Rural from Bixby High School in Bixby, Okla. after previously coaching at her alma mater, Bishop Kelley High in Tulsa, Okla.

"I've been at Bixby the last 14 years, so I've been there for a long time and now here I am, ready to start another chapter in my teaching and coaching book, so to speak.''

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Washburn University baseball will host Northeastern State this weekend in an MIAA Tournament first round best-of-three series starting Friday at Falley Field.

Washburn pitcher Rane Pfeifer, a second-team All-MIAA pick, and the Ichabods will open MIAA Tournament play this weekend at Falley Field. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

The series opener is set for 5 p.m. Friday, with Game 2 scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday. If necessary, the third game will be Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Ichabods are the tournament's No. 3 seed and finished the regular season with a series win at Pittsburg State for an overall record of 29-20 and 21-12 in MIAA play.

Washburn's 29 MIAA victories is its most conference wins since the 2016 season.

The RiverHawks (21-25, 15-18) are the sixth seed and closed out the regular season winning four of their last five games.

The two teams have already played a series in Topeka this season back on March 10-12, with the Ichabods winning the series, 2-1.

Washburn was picked fifth in the 2023 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll and the RiverHawks were selected third after going 38-18 (22-11 MIAA) last year.

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

The Washburn University softball team overcame multiple rain and lightning delays.to avoid elimination in the MIAA Tournament on Thursday at the Envista Softball Complex at Lake Shawne, posting a 3-1 win over Fort Hays State 

Danielle Schlader is congratulated by Washburn softball coach Brenda Holaday after hitting a two-run homer in Thursday's 3-1 MIAA Tournament win over Fort Hays State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Jaycee Ginter came on in relief to pick up her 24th win of the season in Thursday's 3-1 MIAA Tournament win over Fort Hays State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Washburn (37-15) will play the loser of the Missouri Southern and Rogers State game at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The Ichabods never trailed against the Tigers.

Washburn took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first after Marrit Mead reached on a single to start the game, stole second and came around to score on a throwing error by the Fort Hays State pitcher.

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Wednesday was a triumphant return to Topeka for the Central Missouri sotball trio of Paige Peteish, Abbey Fischer and coach Susan (Punzo) Anderson as the fourth-seeded Jennies took a 5-2 first-round MIAA Tournament victory over fifth seed Washburn at the Envista Softball Complex at Lake Shawnee.

Former Shawnee Heights standout Abbey Fischer (7) is mobbed by her teammates after hitting a two-run home run in Central Missouri's 5-2 MIAA Tournament win over Washburn Wednesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights prodduct Paige Petefish (left), being congratulated by teammate Jessica Sader, picked up a complete-game 5-2 pitching victory for Central Missouri against Washburn Wednesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Petefish. Fischer and Anderson, who are all Shawnee Heights graduates, returned to a Lake Shawnee complex which is where the T-Birds play their home games, and Petefish and Fischer set the tone as the Jennies advanced to the winner's bracket semifinals.

The Ichabods jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a home run by Shawnee Heights product Jaycee Ginter, a former teammate of Petefish and Fischer, in the Ichabods' first at bat and Washburn held the lead until the bottom of the third when Fischer hit a two-run home run to put UCM (33-19) up 2-1.

Washburn standout Marrit Mead connects on a home run in Wednesday's 5-2 MIAA Tournament loss Wednesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Jennies added a solo run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-1 advantage before WU's Marrit Mead connected on a home run to cut the UCM lead to 3-2.

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

The Washburn Ichabod softball team had three players honored in five categories on the All-MIAA team announced Tuesday prior to Wednesday's start of the conference tournament at the Envista Softball Complex at Lake Shawnee in Topeka.

Washburn junior Jaycee Ginter has received first-team All-MIAA honors for the third straight season. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Marrit Mead has earned All-MIAA second-team recognition for Washburn at third base. [File photo]

The Ichabods had two MIAA Gold Glove winners as well as a first-team, second-team and honorable mention All-MIAA pick this season.

The Ichabods will open the MIAA tournament at 3 p.m. Wednesday as the No. 5 seed when the Ichabods face No. 4 seed Central Missouri.

Junior pitcher Jayce Ginter, a Shawnee Heights product, earned first-team All-MIAA honors as a pitcher after earning first-team all-MIAA honors as a freshman and sophomore as a pitcher/utility player.

Ginter leads the MIAA in victories with 23 and is second in the league with a 1.68 ERA. Her 244 strikeouts are first in the league as are her games started (28), complete games (20) and innings pitched (203 2/3).

Junior third basemen Marrit Mead was a second-team All-MIAA selection this season. She is third in the MIAA in hitting with a .409 batting average and her 67 hits is second this season. She is a perfect 27 of 27 in stolen base attempts.

Mead is also second in the MIAA in runs scored with 50, seventh in doubles with 14 and seventh in on-base percentage at .478. Mead was a first-team All-MIAA pick her freshman and sophomore seasons as an Ichabod.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

TopSports.news will honor All-America football player Grant Bruner and All-America softball player Jaycee Ginter as Washburn University's outstanding male and female athletes for 2022-2023 at the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Awards and Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on June 28 at Washburn's Memorial Union.

Grant Bruner earned a pair of first-team NCAA D-II All-America awards as a senior for Washburn after leading the nation in tackles. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn junior Jaycee Ginter, a Shawnee Heights product, was a first-team All-American last season and has won 23 games this season. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Bruner, a native of Gretna, Neb., capped his Ichabod career with a monster season for 7-4 WU last fall, leading the nation in tackles and earning Associated Press Division II and Conference Commissioners Association first-team All-America honors.

Shawnee Heights product Ginter, a junior, was a first-team Division II All-American and the MIAA Player of the Year in 2022 and ended the 2023 regular season on Saturday with a 23-8 pitching record and 1.69 earned run average for the 36-14 Ichabods.

TopSports.news will honor outstanding Washburn athletes for the third time in conjunction with the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Awards and Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

In 2022 Faith Rottinghaus and James Letcher Jr. were named Washburn outstanding female and male athletes of the year. 

Washburn Athlete of the Year capsules:

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

TopSports.News, in partnership with the University of Kansas Health System St Francis Campus, A-1 Lock and Key and Washburn University, will host the 18th annual Topeka Shawnee County Sports Awards/Hall of Fame induction ceremony on June 28, 2023 at Washburn's Memorial Union.

For the third straight year TopSports.news will serve as host for the Sports Awards/Hall of Fame banquet, a longstanding tradition for the Topeka and Shawnee County sports community.

The ceremony will highlight Shawnee County high school senior student-athletes’ achievements throughout the 2022-2023 school year along with the induction of the 2023 Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame Class.

Schools have been asked to submit nominees with a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average for both female and male candidates for the fall, winter and spring seasons as well as nominees for most inspirational athlete. Over-all outstanding male and female athletes for 2022-2023 will also be named.

Also recognized will be an outstanding female and male athlete from Washburn University.

The four-member 2023 Hall of Fame class and the '23 Washburn University Athletes of the Year will be announced on TopSports.news on May 1.

The high school nominees for the 10 Shawnee County high schools will be announced in June after the conclusion of the spring sports season.

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Washburn baseball finished out the 2023 regular season with a 6-4 victory to clinch the series win at Pittsburg State on Sunday afternoon.

Rane Pfeifer picked up the pitching win as Washburn earned the No. 3 seed for the MIAA Tournament with a 6-4 win over Pittsburg State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

With the win the Ichabods claimed the tiebreaker over the Gorillas in the conference standings to earn the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament and will host a best-of-three first- round series next weekend against No. 6 seed Northeastern State.
 
The Ichabods (29-20 overall, 21-12 MIAA) scored four runs with two outs in the opening inning and forced Pittsburg State to make a pitching change after facing eight batters.

Hayden product Andrew Schmidtlein led off the game with a single up the middle and a single from Ike Book and then a walk to Cal Watkins loaded the bases.

With two outs Easton Bruce drew a walk to bring in a run.

Up next was Blake Scott, who sent the first pitch he saw up the middle for a two-run single. Washburn finished its scoring in the inning with an unearned run after a fielding error by Pittsburg State.
 
Washburn starter Rane Pfeifer left a pair of runners stranded in the bottom of the first and then retired the side in order in the second inning, needing only six pitches.