Washburn University Ichabods

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Dillon Claussen

DILLON CLAUSSEN, Washburn University

A 6-foot-8 sophomore basketball standout, Claussen scored 36 points on the week as No. 1-ranked Washburn improved to 20-0 with a pair of home double-digit MIAA victories. Claussen scored 18 points in Wednesday's 94-44 win over Northwest Missouri State, going 4 of 5 from the field and 10 of 10 from the free throw line. The Omaha, Neb. native also scored 18 points in Friday's 90-78 win over Missouri Western, hitting 7 of 10 shots from the floor and grabbing six rebounds.   

Rylee Dick 

RYLEE DICK, Rossville

Dick, a senior guard, scored a total of 58 points in three Rossville wins on the week as the Bulldawgs won the Jefferson County North Invitational girls basketball tournament. The Rockhurst signee had 27 points in a 60-22 first-round victory over JCN, scored 16 points in a 54-44 semifinal win over Perry-Lecompton and had 15 points in Friday's 59-51 championship game decision over Oskaloosa, moving into the No. 2 spot on Rossville's career scoring list with 1,310 points.

Jack Donovan   

JACK DONOVAN, Rossville

A senior guard, Donovan scored 47 points in two Bulldawg victories on the week as Rossville basketball advanced to the championship game of the Valley Falls Invitational before the title game was postponed due to inclement weather. Donovan scored 13 points with three 3-pointers in a 63-54 win over Jefferson West and scored 34 points with six 3-pointers in a 64-29 semifinal victory over Christ Prep. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Due to forecasted weather this weekend Washburn University's women's basketball's game with Missouri Western has been moved up to 4 p.m. Friday in Lee Arena.

 

Washburn women's basketball will host Missouri Western at 4 p.m. Friday in a game that was moved up a day to due to forecasted inclement weather. [File photo/TSN]

 

Washburn improved to 13-5 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA with a 45-38 Wednesday night win over Northwest Missouri State while Missouri Western fell to 6-12, 2-7 with an 80-71 road loss at Central Missouri on Wednesday.

 

The Ichabods will be looking to avenge a 75-67 loss to the Griffons on Jan. 7 in St. Joseph, Mo.

 

Senior Yibari Nwidadah is averaging team-highs of 13.2 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Ichabods and coming off a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds in the win over Northwest Missouri.

 

With 278 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is third in program history and she ranks fifth in overall rebounding with with 761 career boards. 

 

Her career field goal percentage of .579 is the second best in program history and she ranks 13th among all Ichabods with 1,216 career points. 

 

Nwidadah had 23 points and 13 rebounds in the earlier loss to Missouri Western.

 

Senior Payton Sterk led all scorers with 16 points on 7-13 shooting against the Bearcats and is averaging 11.7 points with a team-high 29 3-pointers.

 

Sterk's career free throw percentage of 85.4 percent is the best for any Ichabod. 

 

Senior Gabi Giovannetti averages 10.8 points for the Ichabods with a 27 3-pointers and a team-high 1.8 steals per game.

 

Missouri Western leads the MIAA and is 14th in the nation in 3-pointers per game at 8.3. The Griffons are second in the conference in 3-point percentage and fourth in field goal percentage.

 

Mia Morel leads Missouri Western with a 14.3 scoring average along with 3.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game for the Ichabods.

 

Ana Olivera Dias is averaging 13.5 points and Nakiya Harris 11.5 points.

 

Washburn has a 58-49 lead in the all-time series with Missouri Western and the Ichabods are 29-18 against Missouri Western in Lee Arena. 

 

After Friday's game Washburn heads back on the road for three games, beginning with Fort Hays State on Thursday. 

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The No. 1-ranked Washburn Ichabods men's basketball team will look for its 20th win of the season as the Ichabods play host to Missouri Western at 6 p.m. on Friday in Lee Arena in a game that has been moved up a day because of the weather forecast.

No. 1-ranked Washburn will be aiming for its 20th straight win in Friday's 6 p.m. MIAA home game against Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn enters the game with a 19-0 and is 9-0 in the MIAA, one of two remaining undefeated teams in Division II after topping Northwest Missouri by 50 in a 94-44 home win on Wednesday.

The Griffons are 13-7 overall and 5-4 in the conference after falling at Central Missouri 97-83 last time out.

The Ichabods defeated the Griffons on Jan. 7 in St. Joseph, 87-75.

Washburn is looking for its 32nd 20-win season in program history and their sixth under coach Brett Ballard in his ninth season on the Ichabod bench.

The Ichabods lead NCAA Division II in scoring margin at plus 28.2 points per game and are ranked third in field goal percentage at 52.3 percent.

WU is second in rebound margin (plus 12.7) and has not been out-rebounded in a game this season and has only been tied twice (Lubbock Christian and Emporia State).

The Ichabods' 19-game winning streak is the longest in D-II after Daemen lost on Jan. 21 to Gannon, ending its 20-game winning streak.

The 19-game winning streak by the Ichabods is tied for the fourth-longest in program history. 

Washburn's 50-point Wednesday win over the Bearcats was the largest in the series history.

Junior Jeremiah Jones' nine steals tied the school record with Larry Farmer set vs. Friends on Nov. 26, 1996.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen paced Washburn with 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting night and a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line while junior Jack Bachelor added 14 points, including three 3-pointers.

Noah King averages a team-high 17.6 points for Missouri Western while Seaman product Ty Henry is scoring 11.5 points per game, Marko Pavlovic 11.4 and William Kiburis 10.4. 

Friday's game will be the 110th between the two schools, with Washburn leading the series, 65-44.

Washburn has won the last five in the series and 10 of the last 13. However, each time the Griffons threatened, Washburn answered, keeping Western at arm's length.

Claussen led Washburn with 18 points in the earlier Ichabod win over the Griffons and eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Senior Sam Ungashick provided a big lift off the bench against Western with a season-high 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting and Bachelor added 16 points.

After Friday Washburn is back on the road for a three-game road trip starting at Fort Hays State on Jan. 29.

Washburn will then face Nebraska-Kearney on Jan. 31 and Central Missouri on Feb. 7 before returning home on Feb. 12 to host Arkansas-Fort Smith.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball posted its 20th straight win to open the season Friday at Lee Arena, posting a 90-78 MIAA decision over Missouri Western.

Senior Sam Ungashick came off the bench to score 17 points for No. 1-ranked Washburn in Friday's 90-78 MIAA win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

The Ichabods used efficient shooting, balanced scoring and several timely runs to keep the Griffons at arm's length, improving to 20-0 overall and 10-0 in the conference.

And while Washburn coach Brett Ballard wasn't necessarily pleased with every aspect of Friday's win, he also knew it was solid enough to get the job done.

"We got up 22 there in the first half with about three minutes left and had a chance to kind of slam the door,'' Ballard said. "We didn't finish the half real well, so that was disappointing, and then we just never could never string together enough stops to put this thing away.

"But I've got to remind myself that we're so spoiled with the teams we've had here the last couple of years and how we've won a lot of these games. You crush a team on Wednesday (94-44 over Northwest Missouri) and I think sometimes you assume that's how it's going to go every time, but in this league that's just not the reality. You're going to have to grind through some of these and ultimately that will be good for us.'' 

Washburn weathered an early back-and-forth stretch that featured six ties and one lead change in the opening minutes before exploding offensively.

After Missouri Western (13-8, 5-5) briefly led 3–0, Washburn responded with a surge fueled by transition baskets and inside touches, eventually stretching the margin to as many as 22 points late in the first half.

Washburn turned a 42-30 lead with 5:34 to go in the first half into a 54-32 margin with 2:44 to play in the half after a 12-2 run.

However, Missouri Western closed the half on a 10-2 run, trimming the Washburn advantage back to 14 at 56-42.

The Ichabods shot a scorching 81.5 percent from the field and 75 percent from deep in the opening period, building the lead.

Missouri Western mounted multiple challenges in the second half, trimming the deficit into single digits midway through the period, but every run was answered by the Ichabods.

A sequence of interior buckets and fastbreak finishes helped Washburn stabilize the lead, and a late push pushed the margin back into double figures down the stretch.

The Ichabods finished with 25 fast-break points and 48 points in the paint, consistently beating the Griffons down the floor and attacking the rim.

Washburn placed eight players in the scoring column, with several delivering standout performances. 

Sophomore Dillon Claussen led the way for the Ichabods with 18 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting night while adding six rebounds and four assists.

Senior Sam Ungashick provided a major spark off the bench, knocking down shots in transition and finishing with 17 points in 17 minutes on 7-of-9 shooting from the field while making his first six shots of the game.

Ungashick's top two scoring games of the season have both come against the Griffons as has his Washburn career-high.

"I think it might be a little bit of chance,'' Ungashick said. "But it's always a matchup game and all my guys are always instilling confidence in me and having faith in me to go out there and prove it.

"When you see those first couple go in it helps and when I hit the late stepback 3 (in the first half) that's kind of when I felt it was a good game for me.'' 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball scored 94 points Wednesday night against Northwest Missouri State, had four players crack double figures and shot 54.4 percent from the field.

But it was the Ichabods' defense that stole the show as Washburn improved to 19-0 overall and 9-0 in the MIAA with a 94-44 home MIAA win over the Bearcats in Lee Arena.

Junior Jeremiah Jones tied a Washburn school record with nine steals in Wednesday's 94-44 MIAA win over Northwest Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Jeremiah Jones tied a school record with nine steals, seven in the first half, while the Ichabods limited Northwest Missouri (9-11, 2-7) to a meager 14 first-half points as Washburn took command, 40-14. 

"Defense was great,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "I think JJ had more steals in this game than I had in my entire college career. He was great and I thought we were really connected on that end.

"I thought we did a good job of keeping everything in front and really challenging everything. Just really a team effort and we forced a lot of turnovers (26) as well. From the last time we played them we definitely played a better, more complete game.''

"We came out and we knew if we pressured them early and we trapped them and we contained the ball and kept them out of the paint we knew they weren't going to be able to score,'' Jones said. "Their point guard, No. 4 (Royce Williams) is really, really good and me putting pressure on him throughout the whole game and taking him out of his game, he wasn't confident at all.'' 

The Ichabods controlled the game from the opening tip and never looked back en route to its 24th straight win at home, tying for the second-longest streak in program history, and Washburn now owns the longest winning streak in the nation at 19 with Daemen's 79-61 loss to Gannon.

Washburn jumped out to a 20-8 lead at the midway point of the first half and would turn a 24-12 advantage into a 26-point halftime lead, closing the final seven minutes of the half on an 18-2 run while holding the Bearcats to one of 10 shooting, including zero of seven from 3-point range.

Overall, the Ichabods shot 50 percent (15 of 30) in the opening half while the Bearcats were limited to six of 24 from the field.

In the second half, Washburn doubled up the Bearcats at 56-28 with 13:38 to go and then went on a 20-3 run over the next 5:06 of the game, moving the lead to 74-31 with 8:53 to play.

From that point on, the Ichabods outscored Northwest Missouri 20-13, rolling to the 50-point win.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored a game-high 18 points, going 10 of 10 at the free throw line, in Wednesday's 94-44 MIAA win over Northwest Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Sophomore Dillon Claussen paced Washburn with a game-high 18 points on a 4-of-5 shooting night from the field while going a perfect 10 for 10 at the free-throw line.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball didn't have a great offensive night Wednesday against Northwest Missouri, shooting 31.5 percent while scoring just 45 points.

But thanks to an outstanding defensive effort, that was enough for the Ichabods to stretch their winning streak to three games with a 45-38 MIAA win over the Bearcats at Lee Arena.

Senior Payton Sterk scored a game-high 16 points in Wednesday's 45-38 Washburn home MIAA win over Northwest Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

"I think that's a credit to both teams,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said of the low-scoring contest. "Both teams are just not going to give you what you want. We both have a couple of things we do really well and we're both not going to give it to the other one, so you just hope that you get enough breaks and enough toughness plays to find a way and that's why I'm proud of my players because they did tonight.'' 

Playing at home for the first time in almost two weeks, Washburn improved to 13-5 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA while avenging an earlier double-overtime loss to Northwest.

"You don't ever want to get swept in league and they're a good team and they're going to get some people, so we really needed to get this one back to make sure we didn't get swept and we're thankful for home court,'' Westling said.

Washburn trailed Northwest Missouri (10-9, 3-6) 16-9 at the end of the opening quarter.   

The Bearcats still held a 21-15 advantage with 6:27 left in the opening half, but the Ichabods held Northwest scorelss for the remainder of the second quarter and finished the half on a 9-0 run to take a 24-21 lead into the locker room at the break.  

Northwest Missouri scored five points in the first two minutes of the second half to go in front, but were held to just four points the rest of the quarter.

A pair of jumpers by senior Payton Sterk put Washburn in front by four points before the Bearcats scored the final four to tie the game at 30 going to the fourth.  

A pair of 3-pointers from seniors Aniah Wayne and Gavi Giovannetti opened the fourth quarter for Washburn, with the second trey putting the Ichabods in front, 36-35. 

Northwest Missouri knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 38 with 5:51 left but once again the Bearcats were held scoreless for more than five minutes.

Sterk knocked down what would be the go-ahead bucket with 3:18 remaining to start a 7-0 finish that finished off Washburn's seven-point win.  

Washburn won despite shooting hitting just 17 of 54 shots from the floor and 3 of 10 attempts from 3-point range as the Ichabod defense limited the Bearcats to 27.5 percent shooting while going 5 of 19 from behind the arc.  

Rebounding also went in favor of the Ichabods, 42-33, while Washburn held the visitors to zero fast break points and just five second-chance points.

Senior Yibari Nwidadah recorded a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds in Wednesday's 45-38 MIAA win over Northwest Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]  

Ichabod senior Yibari Nwidadah tied her career-high with 16 rebounds while scoring 13 points.

"I just go into pursuit,'' Nwidadah said of her big rebounding night. "I feel like we had really great perimeter defense and not letting their two shooters get hot. Their shots created long rebounds so I was just going to get it.

"We learned from (the earlier loss) and we executed better and that was our goal. We talk a lot about holding teams under 60, so we did a really good job there, and we take pride (in defense) because it fuels our offense. We just put a lot of energy into our defense.'' 

Sterk scored a game-high 16 points on seven of 13 shooting from the field.

Normally a shooting guard, Sterk saw a lot of time Wednesday night running the WU offense from the point guard position.

"Good for Payton for stepping up,'' Westling said. "She just wants to win. That's the thing about Payton, she'd play post if I asked her to.'' 

Sterk said she played the point earlier in her career, so Wednesday's stint wasn't completely foreign for her.

"I haven't done it in awhile, but it was good,'' Sterk said. "It's a little nerve-wracking at first once I get back into it, but it seemed to work.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn women's basketball will be back in Lee Arena for the first time in almost three weeks Wednesday, hosting Northwest Missouri State at 5:30 p.m.

 

Lora Westling's Washburn women's basketball team returns home Thursday after a four-game road trip. [File photo/TSN]

 

Washburn, 12-5 overall, 5-3 in the MIAA after a 69-55 win at Newman on Saturday, will be looking to avenge a 65-61 double-overtime loss to the Bearcats 11 days ago. 

Northwest Missouri State is 10-8 overall and 3-5 in the conference after a 60-46 loss to No. 6-ranked Fort Hays State last time out at home.

Senior Yibari Nwidadah is averaging a team-high 13.2 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Ichabods while also shooting a team-high 57.9 percent from the floor.

With 274 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is third in program history and she ranks sixth in overall rebounding with 745 career boards. Her career field goal percentage of .580 is the second best in program history and Nwidadah ranks 13th among all Ichabods with 1,203 career points. 

Senior Payton Sterk is averaging 11.4 points and has hit a team-high 28 3-pointers for Washburn while senior Gabi Giovannetti averages 11.1 points with 26 3-pointers. She also averages a team-high 1.8 steals.

Giovannetti led Washburn with 19 points in the earlier loss to Northwest. 

Senior Aniah Wayne has come off the bench in every game this season, playing 19.6 minutes per game and averaging 6.3 points. Wayne is coming off a big week last week, scoring 17 points in the Ichabods' Thursday night win at Emporia State and 13 points with four 3-pointers in Saturday's win over Newman.

Ichabod junior Kellyn Hunter also scored 13 points off the bench against the Jets, her Washburn career high. 

Andrea Lopreato leads Northwest in scoring at 12.7 points per game on 36.5 percent shooting while also leading the Bearcats with 1.6 steals per game and averaging 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. 

Bailey Birmingham is averaging 10.8 points while hitting a team-high 42 3-pointers.

Washburn has a 63-16 advantage in the all-time series with Northwest.

The Ichabods are 35-5 against the Bearcats in Topeka. 

Washburn will host Missouri Western at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Ichabods dropped a 75-67 loss at Western in the first game of the Ichabods' recent road trip.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball returns to Lee Arena on Wednesday night after a four-game road swing, hosting Northwest Missouri in a 7:30 p.m. MIAA game.

 

No. 1-ranked Washburn men's basketball will be looking for its 19th straight win Wednesday night against Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn enters the game 18-0 overall and 7-0 in the conference, one of three remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division II after rolling past Newman 107-74 last Saturday.

The Bearcats, 9-10 overall and 2-6 in the MIAA, are fighting a four-game losing streak. Northwest lost 66-50 to Fort Hays State last time out.

The Ichabods have the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA, putting up 88.8 points per game, and Washburn has the No. 2-ranked scoring defense in the conference, allowing 61.9 points per game.

 

Washburn leads NCAA Division II in scoring margin at plus 26.6 points per game and is fourth in field goal percentage at 51.8 percent and second in rebound margin at plus 12.6.

Washburn has not been out-rebounded in a game this season and has only been tied twice (Lubbock Christian and Emporia State).

 

Ichabod junior Jeremiah Jones leads the nation in total steals with 53 and is ranked third in steals per game with 3.12 per contest.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen is sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at 66.2 which leads the MIAA.

Junior Jack Bachelor is fourth in the nation in assist to turnover ratio at 3.33 to 1.

The Ichabods' 18-game winning streak is second in the nation behind Daemen, which has won its last 20 games.

The Ichabods' 18-game winning streak is the fifth-longest in program history and Washburn's 23-game homecourt winning streak is tied for second in the nation.

Bachelor tied a career-high with nine field goals en route to a 23-point game against Newman while sophomore Marcus Glock recorded his Washburn best with 21 points and sophomore Tyson Ruud scored a career-high 17points in his first career start.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

KaeVon Bonner

KAEVON BONNER, Seaman

Bonner, a 6-foot-4 senior, had another big week as Seaman boys basketball improved to 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the United Kansas Conference with a pair of victories. Bonner scored 28 points on Tuesday as the Vikings avenged their only loss of the season in a 57-52 win at Topeka West and scored 24 points on 9 of 10 shooting in Friday's 72-50 home win over Leavenworth. Bonner is averaging 30.25 points over his past four games.

Koralee Jones

KORALEE JONES, Highland Park

Jones, a senior, recorded what Highland Park officials have been told is the first quadruple-double in Kansas girls basketball history in last Tuesday's 68-10 Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Sumner Academy. Jones scored 22 points with 13 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals for the Scots.

JoJo Kingcannon

JOJO KINGCANNON, Highland Park

A junior basketball standout, Kingcannon scored a total 57 points in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday, including a career-high 35 points in Friday's 80-43 home Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Harmon as he hit 14 of 16 shots with four 3-pointers. On Thursday Kingcannon scored 22 points in the Scots' 76-53 loss at city rival Shawnee Heights. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Senior Aniah Wayne (24) had 13 points and four 3-pointers in Saturday's MIAA 69-55 win at Newman. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Kellyn Hunter tied for game-high scoring honors with a Washburn career-high 13 points in Saturday's 69-55 MIAA win over Newman. [File photo/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball wrapped up a four-game road trip with a dominating wire-to-wire 107–74 MIAA victory over Newman on Saturday in Wichita.

Washburn junior Jack Bachelor scored 23 points in Saturday's 107-74 MIAA road win at Newman. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods, who improved to 18-0 and 8-0 in the MIAA, set the tone immediately Saturday, jumping out to an 11-2 lead with junior Jack Bachelor scoring seven points in the early going and pacing the Ichabods in the 33-point win.

Offensively, Washburn shot 58.9 percent from the field (43 of 73) while hitting 50 percent of its shots from 3-point range (12 of 24) and knocking down 75 percent of its free throw attempts (9 of 12).

The Ichabods also dominated the paint with 58 points, added 19 fast-break points and 19 second-chance points.

Bachelor scored a game-high 23 points on 9 of 12 shooting, including a 5 of 7 performance from beyond the 3-point arc.

The former Washburn Rural star, who added four assists and three steals, connected on his first five 3-pointers in the game.

Sophomore Marcus Glock followed with a Washburn career-high 21 points, scoring 16 in the opening half, hitting four 3-pointers and going a perfect 3 for 3 at the line.

Sophomore Tyson Ruud slams home a dunk in Washburn's 107-74 MIAA win at Newman on Saturday. [File photo/TSN]

Making his first start as an Ichabod, sophomore Tyson Ruud scored a career-high 17 points with eight rebounds and junior Jeremiah Jones chipped in 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting. 

Freshman Amalachi Wilkins provided a spark off the bench with 11 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored seven points and had a career-high seven assists, while adding four rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Newman shot 47.5 percent overall and 40.9 percent from three while turning the ball over 19 times, leading to 29 Ichabod points.

Washburn also won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Jets (5-12, 1-7) by a 36-24 margin.

Washburn returns to Lee Arena on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. MIAA tilt with Northwest Missouri.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Former Washburn Rural and Washburn University star Andrew Beckler has been named to the Ichabod golf staff as an assistant coach for the remainder of the 2026 season.

 

Andrew Beckler has been named an assistant coach for Washburn University golf for the remainder of the 2026 season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

 

"Having the opportunity to bring Andrew back and help the team this spring was a no-brainer," said Washburn director of folf Ronnie McHenry. " Anytime you have the chance for a future Hall of Famer, National Player of the Year, MIAA Player of the Year and a professional athlete who's played in a U.S. Open to teach your team, you jump at that.

 

"We are excited to get him back to Washburn and are looking forward to our players learning from him."

 

Beckler was an individual and Class 6A state team champion for Washburn Rural before playing collegiately at Kansas State and Washburn.

 

During his time for the Ichabods, Beckler was the 2020-21 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year, 2020-21 MIAA Player of the Year, 2020-21 GCAA PING First Team All-American and a two-time All-MIAA pick while winning four tournaments.

 

He also holds the lowest scoring average in Washburn men's golf history with a 72.00 average over 67 rounds. Beckler is also tied for the third lowest round in history with 64, which he did twice in the 2020-21 season.

 

Beckler qualified for the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., where he shot a 71 in round 2. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 1 nationally-ranked Washburn University men's basketball will put its perfect 16-0 record on the line Thursday in a 7:30 p.m. MIAA road game against Emporia State in White Auditorium.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen leads 16-0 Washburn with 16.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game entering Thursday's MIAA game at Emporia State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Ichabods, 6-0 in the MIAA, will be facing the Hornets for the second time in 12 days after taking a 91-66 win over Emporia State on Jan. 3 in Lee Arena.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

EMPORIA -- When Washburn University women's basketball junior starter Madelyn Amekporfor was sidelined with an ankle injury five minutes into Thursday's MIAA road game against Emporia State, Ichabod senior Aniah Wayne knew it was up to her to help take up the slack.

 

Senior Aniah Wayne came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points in Thursday's 63-52 Washburn road win over Emporia State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

 

Wayne filled that role in a big way, coming off the bench to score a game-high 17 points in 26 minutes, 21 seconds as  Washburn snapped a two-game losing skid with a 63-52 win over the Hornets in White Auditorium.

 

"Going in I knew I just had to do it for the team and with Maddie out it was time to step up and help the team out,'' Wayne said. "I just knew I was doing it for Maddie and doing it for the rest of the team because she was out.''

 

Wayne hit 6 of 9 shots from the floor, including 3 of 5 3-pointers, to lead the way as Washburn improved to 11-5 overall and 4-3 in the MIAA in its third game of a four-game road stretch.

 

"I thought we did a nice job of bouncing back,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said. "And after last week (losses at Missouri Western and a double overtime loss at Northwest Missouri), we were disappointed and we wanted to keep this week's focus about us.

 

"It's easy to get emotional about some of these rivalry games, or your head's down so you want to do a ton to get back, but I thought we were really solid.''

 

A pair of baskets early on by Amekporfor put Washburn in front early, but the Lady Hornets (8-8, 2-5) rallied to go in front 10-9 with 5:13 remaining in the opening quarter.

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

EMPORIA – After taking a 25-point win over Emporia State 12 days earlier, No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball had to fight off Emporia State from start to finish Thursday, but never trailed en route to gutting out a 75-64 road victory over the Hornets at White Auditorium.

 

Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Thursday's 75-64 MIAA road win over Emporia State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

 

"Gut it out is a great way to put it,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "I think that's kind of what we did. It was sort of an ugly game, really physical, and they did a great job of limiting our opportunities in the paint, so we kind of had to grind through that offensively.

 

"Defensively we were really, really good again. We held them to 64 and a low shooting percentage and rebounded the ball at a pretty high clip. So, on a night when our offense wasn't exactly humming, defense got it done.'' 

 

Washburn, which improved to 17-0 overall and 7-0 in the MIAA, opened the game with five  straight points and led by as many as eight points (31-23) with 3:47 left in the first half, but Emporia State (5-11, 1-6) hung around, getting as close as two points and trailing 35-29 at the break.

 

Washburn built its lead to nine points three times in the first 16 minutes of the second half, but the the Hornets were still within four points (68-64) with 1:31 remaining before the Ichabods ended the game with a 7-0 run to build its biggest lead of the night.

 

Senior Bryson Smith scored 12 points and hit four straight free throws in the final seconds as Washburn improved to 17-0 Thursday night at Emporia State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

 

Senior Bryson Smith hit four straight free throws over the final 32.8 seconds to close out the win.

 

"I feel like in those moments I excel in those moments,'' Smith said. "I look for those moments because being a leader on the team I just want to pull through and make those big plays at the end for my team and come out victorius.''

 

Washburn finished the night shooting 49.1 percent from the field (26 of 53) and was 70 percent from the field on two-point attempts (19 of 27).

 

The Ichabods hit seven of 26 3-pointers and went 16 of 25 at the free throw line.

 

Washburn scored 36 points in the paint and added 12 fastbreak points.

 

Emporia State shot 38 percent overall and 29 percent from beyond the arc. 

 

Individually, sophomore Dillon Claussen led Washburn with 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds.

 

Claussen scored 15 points in the second half while going 6 of 7 from the field.

 

"It was definitely a lot tougher game than last time,'' Claussen said. "They were very physical with me in the first half and their physicality caused some turnovers and bad plays, but we came back the second half and played through it.

 

"We had to get in the paint and be strong on our finishes. They hit some tough shots, which is going to happen sometimes. We just have to stay with it for 40 minutes.''

 

Smith added 12 points, four assists and four rebounds and went 5 of 7 at the free throw line.

 

Sophomore Tyson Ruud came off the bench to register nine points, nine rebounds and two assists, while senior Sam Ungashick had nine points and seven boards.

 

Sophomore Marcus Glock and junior Jeremiah Jones both added eight points, with Glock knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

 

 The top-ranked Washburn Ichabods men's basketball team continued its perfect start to the 2025-2026 season Saturday in Maryville, Mo, pulling away in the second half for a 76-53 MIAA road win over Northwest Missouri State.

 

Senior Bryson Smith led Washburn with 16 points Saturday as the Ichabods improved to 16-0 on the season. [File photo/TSN]

 

The Ichabods improved to 16–0 overall and 6–0 in MIAA play, going wire-to-wire for the victory.

 

Washburn jumped out quickly, scoring the first 10 points of the game and holding the Bearcats without a field goal for nearly three minutes.

 

The Ichabods went on to build a 21-2 lead at the 12:38 mark of the opening half, but the Bearcats clawed back into the game, trimming the Ichabod advantage to two at 29-27 with 1:33 to play in the first half before the Ichabods closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 36–27 lead into break.

 

Washburn dominated the paint early, outscoring the Bearcats 24 to 2 while the Bearcats finished the first 20 minutes with seven 3-pointers out of their nine first-half field goals.

 

Washburn pushed its lead to 11 at 41-30 with 19:02 to play in the game before the Bearcats (9-8, 2-4) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Ichabod lead back to three with 16:19 to play.

 

After a free throw by WU senior Bryson Smith, a basket from Northwest's Jack Ratigan cut the lead down to two with 14:47 remaining.

 

But Washburn outscored the Bearcats 22-7 to open up a 64-47 lead with 7:41 to play.

 

Northwest scored the next two points of the game, and then another 9-0 spurt by Washburn stretched the lead to 73-49.

 

For the game, Washburn hit 30 of 59 shots from the field (50.8 percent), including a strong 26-of-39 (66.7) on two-point attempts, leading to a 50 to 14 advantage in points in the paint.

 

The Ichabods went 4 of 20 from 3-point range (20.0%) and 12 of 16 at the free throw line (75.0%).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Coming off consecutive losses for the first time this season, Washburn women's basketball will be looking to get back on track in Thursday's 5:30 p.m. MIAA road game against Emporia State in White Auditorium. 

Washburn senior Yibari Nwidadah (middle) will be looking for her fourth straight double-double in Thursday's road game at Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods will be facing the Hornets in the second edition of the Turnpike Tussle after taking a 86-59 home win over Emporia State on Jan. 3 in Lee Arena.

Washburn is 10-5 overall and 3-3 in the MIAA after a 65-61 double-overtime loss at Northwest Missouri last Saturday while Emporia State improved to 8-7 overall and 2-4 in the MIAA after defeating Nebraska Kearney 82-78 last time out.

Senior Yibari Nwidadah averages team-highs of 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 58.7 percent shooting from the floor for the Ichabods while registering double-doubles in three straight games, including 13 points and 14 rebounds at Northwest.

With 271 career offensive rebounds, Nwidadah ranks third in program history and she is eighth with 732 total boards. Her career field goal percentage of .582 is the second best in program history. In scoring she ranks 13th with 1,179 career points. Nwidadah is also 11th in program history with 69 career blocked shots. 

Senior Payton Sterk is second for Washburn with a 12.2 scoring average on while hitting a team-high 28 3-pointers.

Sterk scored a game-high 21 points for Washburn in the earlier meeting with Emporia State with five 3-pointers while Nwidadah had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Senior Gabi Giovannetti is averaging 12.1 points with 26 3-pointers while shooting a team-high 41.3 percent from deep. Giovannetti leads the Ichabods with 1.9 steals per game.

Giovannetti is eighth in program history with 138 career 3-pointers made and scored a game-high 19 points on 8 of 15 shooting with four steals and five rebounds at Northwest Missouri. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball will be looking to rebound from Wednesday's loss to Missouri Western in Saturday's 1:30 p.m. road tilt at Northwest Missouri State.

Washburn senior Yibari Nwidadah recorded a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds in Thursday's loss to Missouri Western, Nwidadah's second straight double-double. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn, now 10-4 overall and 3-2 in the MIAA, had its four-game winning streak snapped in Wednesday's 75-67 road loss to Missouri Western, while Northwest Missouri, which has dropped three straight games, is 9-6 overall and 2-3 in the MIAA after a 66-61 loss to Central Missouri. 

Senior Yibari Nwidadah, who had 23 points and 13 rebounds against the Griffons, averages a team-high 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Ichabods while shooting 58.5 percent from the floor, which also leads the team.

With 266 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah ranks third in program history and ranks eighth in overall rebounding with 718 career boards. Nwidadah's career field goal percentage of .581 is the second best in program history and she is 13th in school history with 1,166 career points and 11th in program history with 69 career blocked shots.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball continues its four-game road trip on Saturday, traveling to Northwest Missouri for a 3:30 p.m. contest.

Washburn, 15-0 overall and 5-0 in the MIAA, is one of four remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division II after starting the trip with an 87-75 win at Missouri Western on Wednesday.

Dillon Claussen, Washburn University

The Bearcats are 9-7 overall and 2-3 in the MIAA after falling at home to Central Missouri last time out, 76-72.

The Ichabods have the No. 2-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA (89.4 points per game) and the No. 2-ranked scoring defense (61.5-point average).

Washburn leads NCAA Division II in scoring margin at plus 27.9 points per game and is fifth in field goal percentage at 51.9 percent.

Washburn has not been out-rebounded in a game and has only been tied twice (Lubbock Christian and Emporia State).

Junior Jeremiah Jones is first the nation in total steals with 50 and is ranked second in steals per game at 3.33.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen is fifth in the nation in field goal percentage at 66.9.

Ichabod sophomore Marcus Glock played his freshman season at Northwest Missouri where he started 19 of 28 games, averaging 9.1 points while hitting a team-high 51 3-pointers and averaging 13.5 points in two games against Washburn.

Junior Jack Bachelor is 17th in the nation in total assists with 75 and second in assist to turnover ration at 3.57 to 1.

Claussen scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half in Wednesday's win over Missouri Western, going 6 of 10 for the game and adding eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Senior Sam Ungashick provided a big lift off the bench with a season-high 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting and Bachelor added 16 points and senior Brady Christiansen contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.

The Ichabods' 15-game winning streak is second in the nation behind Daemen, which has won its last 16.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Top-ranked Washburn University men's basketball, one of just five remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division II, will begin a four-game MIAA road trip on Wednesday at Missouri Western (7:30 p.m. start).

 

Washburn junior Jeremiah Jones scored 20 points with four 3-pointers, 4 assists and 4 steals in last Saturday's 91-66 win over Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]

 

The Ichabods will continue their road trip at Northwest Missouri on Saturday. Washburn will then face Emporia State for the second time in 12 days and then travel to Wichita to take on Newman before returning to Lee Arena on Jan. 21, facing Northwest Missouri.

 

 

And while Washburn coach Brett Ballard knows the upcoming road stretch will be tough, he thinks the Ichabods are ready to embrace the challenge.

 

"I think the silver lining is we've played really well on the road so far this year for whatever reason,'' Ballard said. "I don't have all the answers for that other than we've got good players, but we've played really well on the road, so I think our guys can take some confidence from that, hopefully.''

 

Ichabod sophomore Marcus Glock, who has been a key contributor off the bench after transferring from Northwest Missouri, said he feels like WU will approach the upcoming stretch as business as usual.

 

"I think a big thing for us is we just go out there and play,'' said Glock, who had 10 points in Saturday's win over ESU. "We don't talk about our No. 1 ranking that much. It's a long season and we know things happen, so we just go out there and play as hard as we can every time out.''

 

Washburn moved to 14-0 overall and 4-0 in the MIAA after opening 2026 with a 91-66 win over Emporia State on Saturday in Lee Arena.

 

Junior Jeremiah Jones paced Washburn with a career-high 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc against Emporia State. He added four assists and four steals.

 

Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored 16 points with 4 steals and 3 blocks in Saturday's 91-66 win over Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Jack Bachelor scored 16 points with four 3-pointers and nine assists in last Saturday's 91-66 win over Emporia State. [File photo/TSN] 

 

Sophomore Dillon Claussen finished with 16 points, four steals and three blocks and junior Jack Bachelor also scored 16 points, hitting four 3-pointers, while dishing out nine assists with just one turnover. Senior Brady Christiansen led the Ichabods with eight rebounds.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

A four-game road trip gets underway for Washburn University women's basketball on Wednesday with a 5:30 p.m. MIAA contest against Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo.

 

Senior Payton Sterk scored 21 points and hit 5 of 7 3-pointers in last Saturday's 86-59 MIAA win over Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]

Senior Yibari Nwidadah recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds in last Saturday's win over Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]
 

Washburn, 10-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference, will take a four-game winning streak into the Missouri Western game after rolling to an 86-59 win over Emporia State on Saturday in Lee Arena.

 

"I think we're definitely up for the challenge,'' said sophomore point guard Brooke Gomez, who leads the Ichabods with 3.3 assists per game, ranking sixth in the MIAA in assists per game and seventh in assist to turnover ratio. "I think us playing at home and getting good wins at home has really put us in a good spot to start these away trips very good.

 

"Our starting five is mostly veterans, so I think we're all prepared and ready to go play hard.''

 

Buoyed by its current winning streak, Lora Westling feels like the Ichabods are getting to the point where they are confident they can win every time out.

 

"I think we've been a long time for this feeling and I don't know if we're there yet, where everybody's like, 'Oh yeah, it's automatic,' but we're certainly close and I feel like our leadership is getting there with consistency,'' Westling said. "And our new players are kind of figuring out where they're going to thrive and get a lot of credit and praise and really add value for us.

 

"It's kind of a calming competitiveness around our program right now, which is exactly what you want as a coach.'' 

 

Senior Payton Sterk scored a game-high 21 points with five 3-pointers against the Hornets while senior Yibari Nwidadah had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. 

 

Senior Gabi Giovannetti added nine points on three 3-pointers shooting with seven rebounds, a steal and block while senior Aniah Wayne also had nine points off the bench.  

 

Missouri Western enters the matchup 4-9 on the year and 0-4 in the MIAA after falling 87-56 on the road to No. 6 Fort Hays State last time out.

 

Sterk is leading the Ichabods with a 13.2 scoring average while drilling a team-high 27 3-pointers. Sterk ranks third in the MIAA in 3-point percentage and is sixth in the conference in 3-pointers made.

 

Nwidadah is averaging 12.6 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds while also shooting a team-high 57.4 percent from the floor. Nwidadah leads the MIAA and ranks 18th nationally in field goal percentage.

 

Giovannetti scored 12.1 points and is second on the team with 25 3-pointers while also recording a team-high 1.8 steals per game.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball remained perfect on the season Wednesday night with an 87–75 road win at Missouri Western, improving to 15-0 overall and 5-0 in the MIAA.

Senior Sam Ungashick came off the bench to score 18 points in Wednesday's 87-75 MIAA road win over Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]

 The Ichabods never trailed, building a commanding 48-29 first-half lead, and then withstood a second-half push by the Griffons to secure the victory.

Washburn shot a scorching 65.5 percent from the floor in the opening half (19 of 29) and knocked down 4 of 9 attempts from 3-point range while scoring 48 first-half points.

Missouri Western, meanwhile, struggled to find rhythm early, shooting just 25.0 percent (8 of 32) in the first half.

Missouri Western (11-5 overall, 3-2 MIAA) played its best basketball after halftime, shooting 53.3 percent in the second half and outscoring Washburn 46-39 over the final 20 minutes while dropping to 6-1 in home games this season.

The Griffons trimmed the Ichabod advantage into the mid-teens on multiple occasions.

However, each time the Griffons threatened, Washburn answered, keeping Western at arm's length.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half, going 6 of 10 from the field for the game while adding eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Senior Sam Ungashick provided a big lift off the bench with a season-high 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting and junior Jack Bachelor added 16 points while senior Brady Christiansen contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, helping Washburn win the rebounding battle, 42–24.

As a team, Washburn finished the night shooting 56.4 percent from the field (31 of 55), 33.3 percent from 3-point range (7 of 21) and 72.0 percent at the free-throw line (18 of 25). Missouri Western shot 38.7 percent overall and just 21.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Washburn returns to the road on Saturday, continuing its four-game road trip at Northwest Missouri (3:30 p.m. start).

Wednesday's win was the fifth in a row by the Ichabods over the Griffons while improving to 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

As we wade into the first full week of a new year, it's natural to get excited about the future.

But while we look ahead to 2026, it’s also important that we don't forget those we lost in 2025.

In '25 we said goodbye to Bob Uecker (baseball). George Foreman (boxing), D. Wayne Lukas (horse racing), Dave Parker (baseball), Ryne Sandberg (baseball), Davey Johnson (baseball), Ken Dryden (hockey), Bob Trumpy (football), Lenny Wilkens (basketball), Fuzzy Zoeller (golf) and Greg Biffle (auto racing), but the losses were also felt close to home.

Longtime local radio broadaster and TopSports.news founder Bill Griffin passed away at the age of 69 just 20 days into 2025 while WIBW, Kansas state and University of Nebraska broadcaster Greg Sharpe passed away on Feb. 14 at the age of 61.

The year was also marked by the passing of Hayden Hall of Famer Rick Strecker on June 28 at 67 years old, Washburn University basketball Hall of Famer Ryan Murphy on July 9 at 45 years old and Hayden Hall of Famer Tom Stringer on Nov. 28 at the age of 64 .

Here’s a brief look at the legacy the five Topeka sports figures left:

BILL GRIFFIN

TopSports.news founder and longtime local radio broadcaster Bill Griffin passed away on Jan. 20, 2025 at the age of 69 after a 10-month battle with esophageal cancer.

Bill Griffin, who passed away Monday at the age of 69, was recognized during a 2022 Washburn University football game in Yager Stadium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Griffin grew up in the greater Kansas City area and played baseball and football at the University of Kansas before carving out a long multi-faceted business career in Topeka, including a stint as the general manager of the Heartland Park Topeka racing facility.  

It was Griffin's brainchild in 2020 to launch TopSports.news, a website dedicated to Shawnee County high school and Washburn University sports, and he was the heart and soul of the organization from its debut on Jan. 1, 2021.

Griffin also put together a 30-year career broadcasting high school sports with Hall of Famer Mike Manns, with Griffin continuing to broadcast games during his cancer fight, working his final high school basketball doubleheader six days prior to his death.

Manns said his longtime broadcast partner was a perfectionist in everything he did.

"Even if he made a little mistake he just knocked himself out, feeling bad about making a mistake and making sure he never ever made that mistake again,'' Manns said. "He told me one time, 'This is something I really enjoy, I love doing games and I wouldn't want to be doing anything else with my life right now than doing games.' '' 

GREG SHARPE

RICK STRECKER

Rick Strecker, a member of Hayden Catholic High School's first class of inductees into the school's Hall of Fame in 2021, passed away on June 28 at the age of 67 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Rick Strecker, who led Hayden to five state titles and served his alma mater in a variety of roles, passed away on June 28 after a battle with cancer. [File photo/TSN]

A 1976 Hayden graduate, Strecker served his alma mater as a physics and chemistry teacher, state championship coach, athletic director, principal and the school's president for nearly two decades before moving on to Blue Valley West in 2016.

Strecker, the student council president and athlete of the year as a senior at Hayden, led the Wildcats to three Class 4A  state championships in girls basketball and two in track during his coaching career at the school.

Strecker continued to teach and coach in multiple sports at Blue Valley West, including serving as the Jaguars' head girls basketball coach, until being forced to step away after receiving his cancer diagnosis early in 2025.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

There was very little that Washburn University women's basketball coach Lora Westling was happy about at halftime of Tuesday's home non-conference game against Truman State and Westling imparted that displeasure to her team in no uncertain terms.

Junior Britany Kogbara scored a team-high 18 points in her first Washburn start, helping lead the Ichabods to a 68-52 win over Truman State. {Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

And although Westling didn't get everything she was looking for out of her team in the second half, the Ichabods did plenty enough to take control on the way to a 68-52 victory in Lee Arena while improving to 7-3 on the season.

"It's sad that with the experienced group that we have, with that many seniors, that I have to raise my voice like that to get any sort of response,'' Westling said. "It's disappointing, but I'm glad it worked. Aniah (Wayne) came out and had a great second half with effort and I thought Britany (Kogbara) wanted the ball a little more, but we still didn't get as much as we needed.

"We had a great opportunity for some players to step up and show some things tonight and that level of effort and execution is just not to the standard that we've set here.''   

Early offense built a lead in the opening minutes for Washburn as the Ichabods led 9-6 after Kogbara, a junior, got a layup to go.

But the next six points went to the Bulldogs (4-6) to go in front. The Ichabods finished the opening quarter on a 5-0 run and led 16-14 after a 3-pointer by Wayne, a senior, with 32 seconds left in the quarter.  

Washburn extended its lead to 21-14 after senior Gabi Giovannetti connected from deep, but the Ichabod offense went cold and was held scoreless for the next five minutes as Truman State pulled within two.

The lead went back to the Bulldogs in the final minute before half as they went into the locker room leading 28-27 after both teams shot under 30 percent in the half. 

Washburn shot 28.6 percent in the second quarter while committing 12 first-half turnovers and giving up 18 first-half points to Truman State's Emajin McCallop, a former Ichabod. 

But Washburn came out of the break with the first five points to go in front and the lead quickly grew to double-digits with a triple by junior Madelyn Amekporfor at the 3:26 mark of the third quarter as part of a 15-0 run.

The Ichabods hit 8 of 15 shots in the third while holding the Bulldogs to 25 percent shooting and led 47-35 heading to the fourth quarter.  

The Washburn offense continued to churn in the fourth as the Ichabod lead reached 24 points before Truman State cut its final deficit to 16 points.

"I think we're very capable of bouncing back from adversity,'' Wayne said. "I think we kind of were shocked in the first half, but I think as a team we made sure to get in tight huddles and just know that we could do it and play our game.

"We had a big bounce back in the third quarter and that really set the tone for the rest of the game.''  

After a 41-point second half the Ichabods shot 43.5 percent for the game while holding the Bulldogs to 18-57 (31.6 percent) shooting overall. 

The rebounding battle was won 44-29 by Washburn, which led 42-24 in paint scoring as well.

Kogbara, making her first start for the Ichabods in the absence of injured senior star Yibari Nwidadah, led four players in double figures for the Ichabods with 18 points on 9 of 12 shooting while also adding five rebounds and two blocks.

"I wasn't nervous coming in,'' Kogbara said. "I've been in this position before and just knew I had to be aggressive.

"Me and Yibari, we've been competing since Day 1 in practice and we're different players, but we're kind of similar in many ways. I really love how she's been competing with me and she pretty much prepared me for this moment.'' 

Amekporfor had 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting while Giovannetti chippped in 12 points and senior Payton Sterk finished with 10.

Senior Aniah Wayne grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds with 7 points and four steals in Tuesday's 68-52 Washburn win over Truman State. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Wayne scored seven points while adding a career and game-high 10 rebounds and registering four steals. 

"We've emphasized rebounding in practice and we know it can be a game changer,'' Wayne said. "Rebounding was big in this game and I think taking on that role was very important and just knowing that I could do it.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball rung in the new year with its fourth straight win on Saturday, rolling to an 86-59 MIAA decision over rival Emporia State in the Turnpike Tussle at Lee Arena. 

Washburn seniors Yibari Nwidadah (32) and Payton Sterk (20) combined for 41 points in Saturday's 86-59 win over Emporia State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Ichabods, now 10-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference, went wire to wire for the win after scoring the first seven points of the game and leading by as many as 33 points.

"We wanted to see the momentum build from Oklahoma (16 and 29-point wins), where we started defending well,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said. "That's what we challenged our players to do and I thought that gave us a great cushion early.

"It was just a great team effort on both ends of the floor.''

Senior Payton Sterk scored 21 points and hit 5 of 7 3-pointers in Saturday's 86-59 MIAA win over Emporia State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Senior Payton Sterk led Washburn with a game-high 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting overall and a 5 of 7 performance from 3-point range while also adding four assists.

Sterk had gone 0 of 8 on 3-point attempts in her first three conference games before Saturday's breakout game.

"I think the Christmas break was good,'' Sterk said. "We were shooting a lot at practice and that kind of thing, so it got us going.''

Senior Yibari Nwidadah scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Saturday's 86-59 win over Emporia State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Senior Yibari Nwidadah had a double-double with 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting along with 12 rebounds. Senior Gabi Giovannetti added nine points on 3 of 4 shooting from 3-point range along with seven rebounds, a steal and block. Senior Aniah Wayne also had nine points off the bench.

After entering concussion protocol following an injury against Central Missouri, Nwidadah missed one game and played limited minutes in WU's next two games before Saturday's big game.

"I feel great,'' Nwidadah said. "We talked in the locker room about just making sure that everyone knew we were ready to go and just pouring energy into everyone else.

"I felt like we did a really good job of that and it started from the beginning of the game.''

The Lady Hornets (7-6, 1-3) were held in check for nearly the first four minutes before getting on the board.

Washburn responded by scoring the next 11 points, leading 18-2 after two straight 3-pointers by Sterk.

Sterk connected on another trey to end the first quarter with the Ichabods leading 23-6 after holding Emporia State to 1 of 11 shooting from the floor.  

The hot shooting for the Ichabods continued to start the second quarter as Washburn pushed its lead to 20 points after another set of back-to-back 3s by Sterk.

Washburn shot 6 of 11 from deep in the quarter and finished the first half with 11 makes from behind the arc on 17 attempts.

The Ichabods scored 26 points in the second quarter to take a 49-26 advantage into halftime.  

Nwidadah scored the first six points of the second half for Washburn to push its lead to 25. The Lady Hornets eventually reduced their deficit to 18 points, but a pair of buckets inside by Nwidadah pushed the lead back over 20 with the Ichabods shooting 9 of 12 from the floor in the quarter to lead 73-49 after three.  

A 5-0 run for Washburn early in the fourth quarter gave the Ichabods their game-high 33-point advantage after a 3-pointer by Giovannetti and a layup from Nwidadah.

The Ichabods held Emporia State without a field goal in the final quarter until the final 30 seconds of the game.  

The quick offensive start offensively pushed the Ichabods to their most efficient game of the year, with Washburn hitting 33 of 65 attempts from the floor (50.8 percent), including a 12 of 20 showing from outside the 3-point arc (60.0%).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball turned a six-point halftime lead into a 91-66 MIAA win over Emporia State Saturday in Lee Arena, improving to 14-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference.

 

Junior Jeremiah Jones scored 20 points with four 3-pointers, four assists and four steals in Washburn's 91-66 win over Emporia State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

After trailing by as many as five points in the opening half, Washburn rallied for a 45-39 halftime lead, closing the half with a Jack Bachelor 3-pointer, and opened the second half with a 7-0 run to boost its lead to 52-39 at the 18:11 mark.

 

Washburn went up 59-43 at the 15:40 mark of the second half and increased its cushion to 18 (64-46) with 14 minutes remaining before leading by as many as 28 points late in the game.

 

"The beginning of halves are important,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "I kind of think we gave them life in the first half and in the second half did a much better job. There may have been a little bit of rust in that first half that we needed to knock off, but second half that first five minutes really set the tone. We got steals and converted in transition, which is big.''

 

Washburn knows that as the top-ranked team in the nation the Ichabods are going to get opponents' best effort and Ballard was happy with how the Ichabods have handled that challenge.

 

"I think it's going to make us tougher and better as the year goes along,'' Ballard said. "That's what we said at halftime, 'Guys, this is obviously a rivalry game, but a big game for them to try to knock off No. 1. We've got to respond to the challenge.'

 

"And I think our guys have done a good job of that, just understanding that everybody's going to come in here and give it their best shot.''

 

Junior Jack Bachelor scored 16 points with four 3-pointers and nine assists in Washburn's 91-66 win over Emporia State Saturday in Lee Arena. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

 

Junior guard Jack Bachelor was also pleased with how the Ichabods handled Emporia State's early challenge.

 

"I thought we responded well,'' Bachelor said. "Emporia, props to them. They're a really good team and they've got a lot of shooters and were knocking them down to start the game. but I thought we responded well, especially in the second half. I thought we did a really good job of locking in defensively and trying to make it tougher for them to score.

 

"I was really proud of our guys' response and how we buckled down on defense.''

 

Junior Jeremiah Jones paced Washburn with a career-high 20 points on 8 of 10 shooting, including 4 of 5 from beyond the 3-point arc, and added four assists and four steals.

 

Jones, who has led the nation in steals virtually all season, may be best known for his defense, but showed on Saturday that he is just as dangerous on the offensive end.

 

"Just knowing that I'm a 3 and 'D' type of player, I can knock it down, I can create for my teammates and just realize that I can help my team on offense and defense,'' Jones said.

 

Jones admitted that he was 'feeling it' on Saturday, scoring 15 first-half points while hitting all three of his 3-point attempts and coming up with three steals.

 

"I was feeling great,'' Jones said. "After that first one went in I just knew it was going to be over with after then.''

 

Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored 16 points with five assists in Washburn's 91-66 win over Emporia State Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

 

Sophomore Dillon Claussen finished with 16 points, five assists, four steals and three blocks and Bachelor scored 16 points while hitting four 3-pointers and dishing out nine assists.

 

Senior Brady Christiansen led the ichabods with eight rebounds.

 

Washburn also got key contributions off the bench, with Marcus Glock scoring 10 points with five rebounds, sophomore Tyson Ruud scoring nine points and grabbing three rebounds and Sam Ungashick hitting a pair of 3-pointers.

 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball will ring in 2026 at 3 p.m. on Saturday, hosting Emporia State in the long-standing Turnpike Tussle.

Junior Jack Bachelor is averaging 16.2 points with 36 3-pointers and 64 assists for 13-0 and No. 1-ranked Washburn. [File photo/TSN] 

Saturday's game will be the 223th meeting between Emporia State and Washburn, with the Ichabods leading 114-108.

The ESU series is the most-played series for Washburn, with the two teams starting the series in 1905-06, Washburn's first recorded year of basketball.

"We've talked to our guys about how important this game is for our program and our fans,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "I like it because it's got our guys excited that we're at home against a rival after when you've had a long week of practice.''

Washburn is 13-0 overall and 3-0 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, one of six remaining undefeated teams in Division II, while Emporia State is 4-8 overall and 0-3 in the MIAA after falling 78-71 at Central Missouri on Thursday.

The Ichabods took an eight-day holiday break after beating then-No. 4 Lubbock Christian on Dec. 16 and No. 4 West Texas A&M 74-48 on Dec. 17 in the River City Classic in San Antonio.

"Coming off San Antonio you're kind of wanting to keep playing because you're really rolling, but it was a good time for a break, just mentally and physically,'' Ballard said. "Everybody got to go home.''

Washburn returned to practice on Monday and Ballard has been pleased with the Ichabods' work this week as they prepare for the Hornets while also trying to continue building on their hot start to the season.

"We're really harping on battling complacency,'' Ballard said. "It's human nature when things are going well to get complacent, so we're trying to challenge them as much as we can mentally to battle that with competitive practices.'' 

Washburn leads the nation in scoring margin in the NCAA Division II ranks at plus 29.3 points per game and is seventh in field goal percentage at 51.3 percent, which leads the conference.

Washburn is fifth in rebound margin at plus 12.5 and ranks sixth in scoring defense (60.2 points per game). The Ichabods have not been out-rebounded in a game and have only been tied once (vs. Lubbock Christian).

Ichabod sophomore Dillon Claussen, who is averaging 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds, ranks sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at 68.1, which also leads the MIAA.

Junior Jeremiah Jones leads the nation in total steals with 43 and he is ranked fourth in steals per game at 3.31.

Junior Jack Bachelor, a former Washburn Rural star, now has 1,017 career points in his 77 career games played. He is tied with former teammate Michael Keegan on Washburn's all-time scoring chart at No. 24 overall.

Bachelor, who is averaging 16.2 points with 36 3-pointers, is 19th in the nation in total assists with 64 and second in assist to turnover ration at 3.76 to 1.

The Ichabods' 13-game winning streak is second in the nation behind Daemen, which has won its last 15 contests.

Washburn's 22-game homecourt winning streak is third in the nation behind Nova Southeastern's 93 wins and Miles' 23 victories. The Ichabods' homecourt winning streak is tied for the fourth longest in program history.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

After ending 2025 with three straight double-digit victories, Washburn University women's basketball will tip off 2026 on Saturday with a 1 p.m. home Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association contest against longtime rival Emporia State in the season's first edition of the Turnpike Tussle.

Washburn will ride a three-game win streak into Saturday's Turnpike Tussle matchup with Emporia State in Lee Arena. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn is 9-3 on the season and 2-1 in the MIAA while Emporia State enters the game 7-5 overall and 1-2 in the MIAA after a 70-61 road loss to Central Missouri on Thursday.

The Ichabods got a holiday break after a 78-49 win over Cameron on Dec. 20 before returning to practice on Monday.

"I've been very pleased,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said. "This group has some goals in mind and they came back ready to go and we've had really good practices. They've been excited to be here and that makes it fun.''

Westling got her first taste of the Washburn-Emporia State rivalry as a standout for the Ichabods from 2001-05 and said the Turnpike Tussle continues to be very important. 

"We're getting some of our new kids aware of what this game means to everybody in this community,'' Westling said. "We love this rivalry game. It's mattered since when the two schools started and it certainly mattered when I played here and it matters a lot as a coach.

"It's fun to have rivalries in college sports and it's one thing Division II still has and does really well.''

Senior Payton Sterk leads the Ichabods with a 12.6 scoring average with 22 3-pointers while also registering 1.8 steals. Sterk ranks seventh in the MIAA in steals and eighth in total 3-pointers made.

Senior Gabi Giovannetti is scoring 12.3 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting and a team-high 40.7% from deep with 22 3-pointers. Giovannetti also leads the team with 1.9 steals per game to go with 3.9 rebounds per game. The former Bishop Miege star is fourth in the MIAA in steals and ranks ninth in 3-pointers per game.

Senior Yiibari Nwidadah is averaging 11.9 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds despite missing one game and playing limited minutes the past two games after suffering an injury (concussion protocol) against Central Missouri. Nwidadah is shooting 56.7% from the floor. 

Newcomer Britany Kogbara, a junior, has given Washburn a big lift, averaging 8.9 points in just 16.9 minutes per game while shooting 57.1% from the floor and averaging 3.8 rebounds. 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

A soccer run to the NCAA Division II Final Four and first-team All-Americans Austin Broadie and Belle Kennedy headline the TopSports.news Top 10 list of Washburn University women's sports stories for 2025.

Davy Phillips' Ichabods won the Central Region championship to advance to the soccer Final Four before dropping a 2-1 decision to Franklin Pierce in the national semifinals while Washburn senior volleyball star Broadie and WU senior soccer star Kennedy both earned first-team All-American honors for the first time in their careers.

The Ichabod volleyball team earned a share of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular-season championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament while Ichabod softball coach Brenda Holaday and Phillips became the winninest coaches in Washburn history in their respective sports.

Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Washburn women's stories of 2025:

Washburn soccer advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four to cap the 2025 season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

1. SEMIFINAL SOCCER RUN --Washburn soccer posted a final national ranking of No. 4 from the United Soccer Coaches after posting a 14-4-6 record on the year and winning a Central Region championship to advance to the Final Four for the second time in three seasons. The Ichabods' run at the title ended with a 2-1 loss to Franklin Pierce in the national semifinals.

Washburn fifth-year senior Austin Broadie (23) was named the MIAA Player of the Year and a first-team AVCA All-American in 2025. [File photo/TSN]

2. ENDING THINGS WITH A BANG -- Ichabod fifth-year senior Austin Broadie ended her Washburn volleyball career as a first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American after being named the MIAA player of the Year for the 2025 season. A Wichita Trinity product, Broadie led the Ichabods with 348 kills while hitting .302 on the season. Broadie also recorded 72 blocks and 72 digs for 25-7 WU.

Washburn senior Belle Kennedy (12) earned first-team All-America honors this fall for the Ichabods. [File photo/TSN] 

3. ENDING THINGS WITH A BANG PART II -- Former Washburn Rural soccer star Belle Kennedy, a senior midfielder, was named a United Soccer Coaches first-team All-American after helping lead Washburn to its second NCAA Division II Final Four in three seasons. Kennedy was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year while being named to the all-conference first team for the third time. Kennedy finished her Ichabod career with 12 goals and four assists.

Washburn volleyball earned a share of the MIAA regular-season title before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]  

4. ADDING ANOTHER CHAPTER TO PROUD TRADITION -- Washburn volleyball, a consistent MIAA and national power under longtime coach Chris Herron, posted a 27-5 record in 2025 while garnering a share of the MIAA regular-season championship with a 13-3 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament while ending the season with a No. 8 national ranking. In addition to first-team All-American Broadie, Ichabod junior Bella Limback was a first-team all-conference pick and earned All-America honorable mention.

Brenda Holaday became Washburn University softball's all-time career wins leader in 2025. [File photo/TSN]   

5. LEADING THE PACK -- Already the career win leader at Washburn Rural, Ichabod softball coach Brenda Holaday became Washburn's all-time victory leader early in WU's 31-21 2025 season. Holaday, who took over the No. 1 spot at Washburn from her former Washburn Rural star Lisa Carey (256 wins), enters the 2026 campaign with a 283-172 record and eight straight winning seasons.    

Davy Phillips became Washburn soccer's career wins leader with a 2-0 NCAA Central Region win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

6. LEADING THE PACK PART II -- Washburn soccer coach Davy Phillips became WU's career wins leader when he picked up victory No. 91 in the Ichabods' 2-0 victory over Missouri Western in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Phillips, who led the 14-4-6 Ichabods to their second Final Four appearance in three seasons, will enter the 2026 season with 93 career wins. 

Washburn women's basketball posted a five-win improvement last season and is off to a 9-3 start this winter. [File photo/TSN]

7. CONTINUING THEIR CLIMB -- Lora Westling's Washburn women's basketball team continued to make progress in Westling's third season at her alma mater, finishing the season with an 18-13 record to make a five-win improvement. Current seniors Yibari Nwidadah and Payton Sterk were second-team All-MIAA picks last season. The Ichabods have continued their climb in the early stages of the 2025-2026 campaign, taking a 9-3 record into the holiday break after posting a 6-6 record at this stage a year ago. 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

Washburn University men's basketball has followed up a 30-4 season and a trip to the NCAA Division II semifinals in 2024-2025 with a 13-0 start and a No. 1 national ranking to open its new season, putting the Ichabods squarely on top of the TopSports.news Top 10 list of Washburn University men's sports stories for 2025.

Brett Ballard's Ichabods rolled to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular-season championship with a 17-2 record before capturing the Central Region championship with three double-digit victories and winning its quarterfinal contest before losing to eventual national champion Nova Southeastern in the semifinals.

Despite losing four of five starters off last year's team, junior Jack Bachelor and sophomore Dillon Claussen have led the way as Washburn has reeled off 13 straight victories, 10 by double-digits, to close out 2025.  

Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Washburn men's stories of 2025:

Washburn men's basketball celebrates its NCAA Division II Central Region championship in March in Lee Arena. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn junior Jack Bachelor is the Ichabods' lone returning starter from last season's team that posted a 30-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four. [File photo/TSN]

1. A MAGICAL YEAR --Washburn men's basketball started off 2025 with a run to the NCAA Division II national semifinals and a season-ending mark of 30-4. And even though the Ichabods graduated seniors Andrew Orr, Jacob Hanna and Michael Keegan off that team and then-sophomore Brayden Shorter transferred to Division I Murray State, WU has continued to pile up wins to close out '25. Junior guard Jack Bachelor, the team's lone returning starter after earning first-team All-MIAA honors a year ago, is averaging 16.2 points with 36 3-pointers and 64 assists, while sophomore Dillon Claussen, a valuable reserve as a freshman, is averaging team-highs of 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in his first season as a starter.  

2. LEAPING TO GREATNESS --Justin Forde, who began his college career at Division I Miami, Fla., ended his junior season and first year at Washburn with first-team NCAA Division II All-America honors. Forde, a Norwalk, Conn. native, finished second in the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colo. with a school-record jump of 16.19 meters (53 feet, 1.50 inches). Forde also won the MIAA Outdoor and Kansas Relays triple jump championships.

3. LEAPING TO GREATNESS PART II --A five-time All-American, Hays native Justin Dale finished fifth in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 11.50 inches in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colo. after also earning All-America honors in the indoor championships with a fifth-place finish in that meet while sweeping the MIAA indoor and outdoor titles. Dale owns the school record in the outdoor high jump at 7-01.50 and ranks second indoors at 7-01. Dale's Washburn teammate, Alessandro Di Gregorio, finished 10th in the NCAA outdoor meet at 2.07 meters (6-9.50), earning second-team All-America recognition.

4. LEAPING TO GREATNESS PART III -- Matteo Madrassi, who competed at Washburn as a graduate student in 2025, earned second-team NCAA Division II All-America recognition after posting a ninth-place finish in the pole vault at 5.12 meters (16 feet, 9.50 inches) in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colo. Madrassi holds the Washburn outdoor pole vault record at 17-1 and has the top four vaults in Ichabod history.

Washburn shortstop Jett Buck earned All-America honors on three different teams as a senior in 2025. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

5. DIAMOND KING -- Washburn star shortstop Jett Buck closed out his college baseball career by earning spots on three different All-America teams after leading the 28-25 Ichabods with a .365 batting average, 21 home runs and 68 runs batted in. A native of Kansas City, Mo., Buck earned second-team All-America honors from NCBWA and third-team recognition from ABCA/Rawlings and D2CCA while also earning All-MIAA and All-Central Region first-team status. 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

The names are probably well known to anyone who has followed local sports over the past several years, but a long and growing list of athletes who starred at Shawnee County high schools made a big impact at the college and/or professional level in 2025.

Here's a look at just some of the stars who continued to make their fans proud over the past year:

Junior Jack Bachelor has helped lead Washburn to a 13-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking this season. [File photo/TSN]

JACK BACHELOR, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A year after helping lead 30-4 Washburn to the NCAA Division II Final Four and earning All-MIAA first-team honors, the 6-foot-2 junior guard has played a major role as the Ichabods are off to a 13-0 start this season while achieving the No. 1 national ranking in D-II. Bachelor, named the MIAA Player of the Week last week, is averaging 16.2 points with 36 3-pointers while hitting 34 of 38 free throws (89.5 percent). Bachelor has a team-high 64 assists with 24 steals.

COREY BALLENTINE, Shawnee Heights/Washburn/Dallas Cowboys -- A 6-foot, 191-pound defensive back, Ballentine is in his seventh season in the NFL and currently on the active roster for the Dallas Cowboys. Ballentine previously played for the New York Giants, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots. Ballentine has played in 71 games with 11 starts, registering 102 tackles with one interception.

ANNA BECKER, Seaman/Drake -- Becker, a 5-foot-10 freshman guard, has started all 11 games for Division I Drake after helping lead Seaman to a Class 5A state championship as a junior and a runnerup state finish as a senior. Becker is averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Becker was a four-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection, a two-time county player of the year and a three-time United Kansas Conference player of the year.   

Former Topeka West star Elijah Brooks leads Houston Christian with a 12.3 scoring average. [Houston Christian Athletics]

ELIJAH BROOKS, Topeka West/Houston Christian -- A 6-foot-3 senior guard, the former Mr. Kansas Basketball for Topeka West has started all eight games he's appeared in for the 5-7 Huskies, averaging a team-high12.3 points along with 4.5 rebounds and 25 assists. Brooks, who began his college career at North Dakota, averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds last season for Houston Christian with a career-high 29-point game.

NIJAREE CANADY, Topeka High/Texas Tech

A senior pitcher/first baseman, the former Topeka High two-time Class 6A state champion was named the 2025 NCAA Division I Pitcher of the Year as a junior in her first season at Texas Tech while also earning first-team All-American honors. Canady, the Big 12 Player of the Year, finished her season with a 34-7 pitching record, a 1.11 earned run average and 319 strikeouts while also leading Tech with 11 home runs and slugging .639. Canady was the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for the Trojans.

BROOKLYN DELEYE, Washburn Rural/Kentucky -- The former three-sport Washburn Rural star, DeLeye, a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter, was named a first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America selection for the second straight season. DeLeye helped lead the 30-3 Wildcats to a runnerup finish in the NCAA Tournament, starting all 33 matches with 545 kills while also compiling 279 digs and 42 blocks.

Washburn sophomore linebacker JC Heim ranked second in the nation with 142 tackles this fall, earning second-team All-MIAA honors. [File photo/TSN]

JC HEIM, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A sophomore linebacker, Heim earned second-team All-MIAA recognition after leading the Ichabods and the MIAA and ranking second in the nation with 142 total tackles, splitting 71 solo and 71 assisted tackles. Heim added seven tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. He was also third in solo tackles in the national rankings.

TEVEN JENKINS, Topeka High/Cleveland Browns -- After starring at Topeka High and earning All-Big 12 honors at Oklahoma State as an offensive lineman, Jenkins, 6-foot-6, 321 pounds, was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bears. After playing four seasons with the Bears, Jenkins is in his first season with the Cleveland Browns. An offensive guard, Jenkins has played in 15 games with three starts this season and has played in 60 games in his career with 41 starts.

Washburn senior Belle Kennedy (12) earned first-team All-America honors this fall for the Ichabods. [File photo/TSN]

BELLE KENNEDY, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A 5-foot-3 senior midfielder, the former Washburn Rural star was named a first-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches after helping lead Washburn University soccer to its second NCAA Final Four in three seasons. A three-time All-MIAA first-team pick, Kennedy was named the conference defensive player of the year this fall. Kennedy scored 12 goals and had four assists in her career for the Ichabods.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Jack Bachelor

JACK BACHELOR, Washburn University

A junior guard, Bachelor was named the MIAA Player of the Week after averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds as No. 1-ranked Ichabod men's basketball went 2-0 with victories over two top-five teams. The former Washburn Rural star went 8 of 13 from 3-point range and 9 of 10 from the free thow line as WU improved to 13-0, scoring 20 points against Lubbock Christian and 19 against West Texas A&M. Bachelor's first basket of the game against West Texas A&M pushed him over the career 1,000-point mark and he now has 1,017 career points.

Madi Blanco

MADI BLANCO, Washburn Rural

Blanco, a senior, won the 140-pound championship in Saturday's 35-school Ladycat Classic wrestling tournament, improving to 13-1 on the season as Washburn Rural captured the team title by a 184.5-147 margin over host Basehor-Linwood. Blanco battled back from a 7-2 deficit in the championship match to record a second-period pin.

Kailyn Hanni 

KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake

Hanni, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career, was named the Most Valuable Player in the Flurry In Flush girls basketball tournament at Rock Creek after Silver Lake clinched the tournament championship with a 72-44 win over Eudora on Saturday. Hanni helped the Eagles go 4-0 on the week, including a 69-53 regular-season win over Rossville, a 56-38 win over Hesston, a 62-41 win over Hays and Saturday's win over Eudora.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

For the second time in as many weeks, a Washburn Ichabod has been selected as the MIAA Player of the Week, as junior guard Jack Bachelor takes the honor for action ending on Dec. 21 following WU sophomore Dillon Claussen, who won the award last week.

 

Junior Jack Bachelor, the newest member of Washburn's 1,000-point club, was named the MIAA Player of the Week on Monday. [File photo/TSN]

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball delivered a full 40-minute effort on Friday night in Day 1 of the Fairfield Inn and Suites Holiday Classic in Lawton, Okla., knocking off Western Colorado, 59-43.

Senior Payton Sterk led a balanced Washburn attack with 15 points in Friday's 59-43 tournament win over Western Colorado. [File photo/TSN]

Ichabod senior Payton Sterk opened the scoring in the game's first 15 seconds with a 3-pointer as 8-3 Washburn scored the first five points of the game.

The Mountaineers (5-4) responded with an 8-3 run to pull within three. Defensively the Ichabods were able to hold Western Colorado in check after that in the opening quarter as it shot just 25.0 percent overall, helping Washburn lead 15-9.  

Both sides slowed down to begin the second quarter with just nine total points in the first five minutes of action. With the lead at just two points the Ichabods got four in a row from senior Gabi Giovannetti in the final minutes of the quarter to lead 26-20 heading into the break.  

After trading baskets to open the third quarter Washburn pushed the lead to double figures, with Sterk drilling another 3-pointer to make it 35-25 at the 5:18 mark. An old-fashioned three-point play late in the quarter by Nia McKenzie made it a 15-point game as the Ichabod defense held the Mountaineers to under 30.0 percent shooting in the quarter once again. 

Western Colorado turned around its offensive attack in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, cutting the lead down to six points at the 5:08 mark. Ichabod junior Britany Kogbara put a stop to the run with an and-one conversion that started a 12-0 run for Washburn that lasted into the final minute of action as they went on to win, 59-43.  

The Ichabod offense shot 42.6 percent from the floor while going 5 of 11 from deep and 14-17 at the free throw line line in an all-around efficient effort. The defense was equally as stifling, holding the Mountaineers to just 31.9 percent  shooting and 5-18 from three-point range.  

Washburn won the turnover battle 22-14 leading to a 14-9 advantage in points off giveaways. They also had a 26-14 edge in paint scoring.  

Sterk led the Ichabods with 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting to go along with four steals.

Sophomore Brooke Gomez had a season-high 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting and three steals while Giovannetti had 10 points. Six players finished with five or more points while all 14 Ichabods logged minutes.  

Alyssa Eckroth had a team-high 10 points for Western Colorado.  

The Ichabods will finish off the tournament on Saturday, facing the host Cameron at 4 p.m.  

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball heads to Lawton, Okla. this weekend for its final two non-conference games of the regular season, taking on Western Colorado at 5 p.m. Friday and Cameron at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Fairfield Inn and Suites Holiday Classic.

Washburn, 7-3 on the season, will be in Oklahoma this weekend for its final two non-conference games of the regular season. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN] 

Washburn is 7-3 on the season while Western Colorado enters Friday's game with a 5-3 record and Cameron enters its tournament 0-9.

Washburn coach Lora Westling wasn't pleased with the Ichabods' play, particularly in the first half, in Tuesday's non-conference game against Truman State, but the WU coach acknowledged that the fact that the Ichabods were still able to post a 16-point win without being at their best was a sign of continuing progress for the program.

"The win's huge and we've got to have that,'' Westling said. "I've been on the other side of effort like that and it's like a smack in the face twice, so I am proud that we did enough to find a way to win a region game.

"I know we've had a little adversity this week, but we'll be better. I know these kids, I know they want to do well, but we are also going to take this (the performance against Truman) very seriously and understand it's not acceptable.''  

Senior Yibari Nwidadah, who missed the Truman State game with an injury, averages a team-high 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds for Washburn while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor. Nwidadah is expected to play this weekend.

Senior Payton Sterk averages 12.6 points and a team-high 1.8 steals while hitting 17 3-pointers and senior Gabi Giovannetti averages 12.5 points with a team-high 20 3-pointers. 

Juniors Britany Kogbara and Madelyn Amekporfor average 8.7 and 6.4 points for the Ichabods. 

Four players cracked double figures for the Ichabods in Tuesday's win over Truman State, led by 18 points on 9 of 12 shooting by Kogbara, who added five rebounds and two blocks. Amekporfor had 13 points on 6-9 shooting, Giovannetti 12 points and Sterk 10. 

Senior Aniah Wayne scored seven points while adding a career-high 10 rebounds and swiping four steals.  

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Junior Jack Bachelor led the way Wednesday as newly-named No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball raced past No. 4 West Texas A&M, 74-48, in San Antonio as the Ichabods topped their second straight No. 4-ranked foe.

Junior Jack Bachelor scored a game-high 19 points Wednesday to join Washburn's 1,000-point club for career points. [File photo/TSN]

Bachelor's first basket of the game – a 3-pointer with 15:33 to go in the first half – pushed him over the career 1,000-point mark for his career at Washburn, becoming the 30th Ichabod in program history to reach 1,000 points.

The former Washburn Rural star went on to score a game-high 19 points, hitting 5 of 10 shots from the floor and going a perfect 6 of 6 at the free throw line while adding five assists. 

Bachelor now has 1,017 career points in 77 career games and he is tied with former teammate Michael Keegan at No. 24 overall on Washburn's all-time scoring chart.

Now 13-0 on the season, Washburn seized control in the opening minutes, answering an early West Texas A&M push with a 12-0 run midway through the first half to take control.

The Ichabods shot a sizzling 58.6 percent from the floor in the first half and knocked down seven three-pointers, opening up a commanding 44-24 advantage at the break.

The Ichabods turned 11 Buffs first-half turnovers into 19 points, leading to a 16-0 advantage in fastbreak points.

Bachelor and junior Jeremiah Jones led the Ichabods' first-half charge with with 10 points apiece while sophomore Tyson Ruud added nine points.

The Ichabods maintained control in the second half, weathering a brief West Texas A&M rally before responding with timely baskets and defensive stops.

Washburn outscored the Buffs 30-24 after the break, holding the Buffs to 33.3 percent shooting (6 of 18) shooting while continuing to generate offense off turnovers and in the paint.

The WU lead ballooned to as many as 27 points late.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University men's basketball continued its perfect start to the 2025-2026 season on Tuesday in San Antonio, taking a 78-66 win over then-No. 4 Lubbock Christian in the Ichabods' first of two games in the River City Classic.

Senior Brady Christiansen scored a career-high 21 points Tuesday as Washburn rolled to a 78-66 win over Lubbock Christian. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Moments after Tuesday's win over the Chapparals, 12-0 Washburn jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 in the national rankings. The Ichabods had been ranked No. 2 in every poll this season, but moved up to the top spot after Nova Southeastern fell to Palm Beach Atlantic last time out.

The Ichabods have been ranked in the top 10 in the last 19 polls dating back to last year and in the top five in the last 17 consecutive polls.

Washburn seized control early against Lubbock Christian behind hot perimeter shooting and strong work on the glass, shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent from 3-point range in the opening half.

A pair of late 3-pointers helped Washburn turn a tight contest into a 43-34 halftime lead.

Washburn pushed the advantage to as many as 15 points early in the second half, using a 9-0 run capped by a fast-break finish and a second-chance three to take firm control at 53-38 with 15:43 remaining.

Lubbock Christian (9-2) trimmed the margin to four midway through the half, but the Ichabods responded by closing out the game on a 19-11 spurt, jump-started by a 3-pointer from Marcus Glock with 6:33 to play.

For the game, Washburn shot 46.6 percent from the field and an efficient 44.4 percent from beyond the arc, knocking down 12 3-pointers.

The Ichabods also capitalized at the foul line, hitting 12 of 16 free throws, while also earning an advantage in fastbreak points (16–5) and second-chance points (11–0).

Washburn finished with 32 rebounds and forced 14 turnovers, converting those miscues into 14 points.

Senior Brady Christiansen led the way for Washburn with a career-high 21 points on 6 of 12 shooting, including three triples, while going a perfect 6 for 6 at the free throw line and adding five rebounds.

Junior Jack Bachelor is now two points away from 1,000 career points after scoring 20 in Tuesday's 78-66 Washburn win over Lubbock Christian. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN] 

Junior Jack Bachelor added 20 points and drilled 5 of 8 attempts from 3-point range while also contributing four assists and three steals. Bachelor moved within two points of becoming the 28th member of the Washburn 1,000 point, lifting his career total to 998 points in 76 career games.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen posted 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting while adding six rebounds and three assists.

Junior Jeremiah Jones had eight points, a career-high nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Lubbock Christian was led by Antonio Pusateri with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Amondo Miller Jr. added 16 points and nine boards.

On Wednesday, the Ichabods will face No. 4-ranked West Texas A&M at 1 p.m. in their second game in the River City Classic.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Austin Broadie

AUSTIN BROADIE, Washburn University

A 6-foot senior rightside hitter, Broadie was named a first-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association after helping lead the Ichabods to a share of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular-season title and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The MIAA Player of the Year, Broadie registered 348 kills on the year with a .302 hitting percentage, 72 blocks and 72 digs. 

Dillon Claussen 

DILLON CLAUSSEN, Washburn University

Claussen, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, scored 21 points with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocked shots Saturday as No. 2-ranked Washburn men's basketball improved to 11-0 on the season with a 78-72 double-overtime Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association victory over Central Missouri in Lee Arena. 

Malakyah Duncan

MALAKYAH DUNCAN, Topeka West

Duncan, a senior basketball standout, scored 23 points Friday, hitting 8 of 11 shots from the floor and 7 of 11 free throws, as No. 4-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West remained unbeaten with a 71-57 United Kansas Conference road romp past No. 2-ranked Seaman. Duncan scored 17 points earlier in the week as the Chargers posted a 79-44 non-league win over Shawnee Mission West.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Saturday's 78-72 Washburn double-overtime Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association victory over Central Missouri included big individual offensive performances for both teams, including eight individual scorers who notched between 11 and 21 points.

But 7 -- the number of steals registered by Ichabod junior Jeremiah Jones -- was just as big as Washburn improved to 11-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

Junior Jeremiah Jones scored 13 points and had seven steals in Washburn's 78-72 double-overtime MIAA victory over Central Missouri on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

A 6-foot-3 transfer from Mary, Jones scored 13 points in Saturday's win, but it was his seven steals that were his personal highlight of the day and a key factor in the Ichabods' come-from-behind win.

"It's just based off my instincts,'' Jones said. "I'm really watching people's eyes and trying not to gamble too much and give up easy plays, but just play my game.''

Jones leads the nation in total steals with 37 and is ranked seventh in steals per game at 3.36 per contest. Jones recorded a school-record eight in his first game as an Ichabod to open the season.

"I would rather get a steal than a shot, honestly, that how it feels for me,'' Jones said. "When I get a steal, it's a rush.''

"He's a great athlete and he's got great anticipation,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "And what I'm really proud of with JJ is that he's become better on the ball and then off the ball he's just got a knack for getting those steals.''

The Ichabods will now step out of MIAA play, traveling to San Antonio, Texas for the annual River City Holiday Classic.

Washburn will face No. 4 ranked Lubbock Christian at 11 a.m. on Tuesday before wrapping up the 2025 calendar year with a 1 p.m. contest on Wenesday against No. 8 ranked West Texas A&M.

Ballard said Saturday's thriller against the Mules should give the Ichabods a boost heading into this week's top-10 matchups.

"We've won some games in the 90s and we can do that, but sometimes in some of these games, especially in the MIAA, you're going to have to grind a few out and I think we showed that,'' Ballard said. "And just the response on a night when offensively it was kind of janky, our guys stayed resilient on the defensive end and that was good and I'm proud of them.''

Lubbock Christian fell for the first time this season in an 87-83 loss at Cameron last time out, dropping its record to 9-1 on the season.

The Ichabods lead the all-time series with the Chapps 1-0 after winning the only meeting on Nov. 26, 2016 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

West Texas A&M is 10-0 after defeating Texas-Dallas 94-82 last time out.

Washburn is 2-1 all-time against the Buffs, falling 98-93 in the last meeting in overtime in Las Vegas in Ballard's second season as the Ichabods' head coach.

The Ichabods are likely to move into the No. 1 ranking in the NABC poll this week after Nova Southeastern fell to Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday, 88-83.

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The Ichabods lead the NCAA Division II ranks in scoring margin at plus 31.2 points per game.

Washburn ranks seventh in field goal percentage at 51.7 percent and is also eighth in assists per game (19.5), seventh in assist/turnover ration (1.68) and first in rebound margin (plus 13.6).

Washburn has not been out-rebounded in a game.

WU sophomore Dillon Claussen is sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at 69.1 percent while junior Jack Bachelor  is 16th in the nation in total assists with 55 and fourth in assist to turnover ration at 3.93 to 1.

The Ichabods' 11-game winning streak is second in the nation behind Daemen, which has won its last 12.

Amondo Miller, Jr. leads Lubbock Christian with a 22.6 scoring average while hitting 20 of 43 3-point attempts. Kendal Dow is averaging 14.9 points while Antonio Pusateri is scoring 13.5 points per game, Alex Anamekwe is 12.2 points and Lucas Mercandino 11.2.

Undefeated West Texas A&M owns three wins over MIAA foes this season, posting an 87-75 win over Missouri Western, a 76-70 win over Pittsburg State and an 81-70 win over Central Oklahoma.

Fontaine Williams leads the team in scoring at 19.0 points per game, hitting 19 of 49 3-point attempts, while Brock Mishak is averaging 10.8 points, Camden Cowgill 10.7 and James Parlow, Jr. 10.6 points per game. Williams is a Wichita native and transferred from Barton County as did Parlow.

The Ichabods return to MIAA play on Jan. 3, hosting Emporia State.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball will wrap up a four-game homestand at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Truman State in Lee Arena.

Washburn will close out its four-game homestand with a Tuesday non-conference game against Truman State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Washburn is 6-3 on the season after a 67-56 MIAA loss to Central Missouri on Saturday while Truman State moved to 4-5 after defeating Southwest Baptist 90-55 last time out.

Senior Yibari Nwidadah is averaging 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Ichabods while also shooting 55.7 percent from the floor. She swats away a team-high 1.1 blocks per game and has scored in double figures in six games.

With 253 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is fourth in program history and she is 10th with 684 career total boards. Her career field goal percentage of .578 is the second best in program history. In scoring she ranks 15th among all Ichabods with 1,108 career points and is tied for 11th in program history with 68 career blocked shots. 

Senior Payton Sterk is also averaging 12.9 points while drilling 16 3-pointers and leads the Ichabods with 1.9 steals per game.

Senior Gabi Giovannetti averages 12.6 points for the Ichabods and has hit a team-high 18 3-pointers.

Giovannetti is eighth in program history with 130 career 3-pointers made. She is tied for 19th among all Ichabods with 54 blocked shots.

Junior Madelyn Amekporfor led Washburn with 16 points in Saturday's loss to Central Missouri on 5 of 11 shooting and grabbed a team-high five rebounds. 

Sterk added 10 points against the Jennies while Giovannetti added nine.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball played the entire fourth quarter without senior star Yibari Nwidadah as Central Missouri pulled away down the stretch for a 67-56 MIAA win over the Ichabods Saturday in Lee Arena.

Junior Madelyn Amekporfor led Washburn with 16 points, including three 3-pointers, in Saturday's 67-56 loss to Central Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Nwidadah, Washburn's leading scorer and rebounder, did not return after hitting her head on the floor after a collision late in the third quarter, but Ichabod coach Lora Westling refused to use Nwidadah's injury as an excuse as WU suffered its first conference loss.

"They're a big team, we knew that, and I think I'm most frustrated by just our lack of awareness,'' Westling said. "We knew what they were going to do and we let them to do it, and I think that's just poor execution of our game plan because we had some counters to their size, we didn't execute it.

"I thought we were really selfish tonight and trying to do a lot on our own. We've been doing a good job of getting into 17, 18 assists a game and we were back to eight tonight because we were trying to do too much. We just didn't have enough juice and energy and we can make all the execuses we want, but at the end of the day we didn't show up tonight and you're not going to beat anybody like that, let alone a really good team like Central.''   

The Jennies (6-3 overall, 2-1 MIAA) opened the game with the first five points, but Washburn (6-3, 2-1) was able to get going offensively, pulling ahead at 10-9 after a layup by Gabi Giovannetti at the 2:46 mark. Central Missouri kept connecting from outside, hitting 4 of 6 shots from 3-point range in the quarter to lead 18-12 after 10 minutes.  

Both sides traded baskets to begin the second quarter, the Ichabods pulled within three points after a steal and score by Nwidadah at the 5:02 mark. The Washburn offense bounced back after a slow first quarter to shoot 50.0 percent in the second.

The Ichabods went in front briefly in the final minute of the half after Payton Sterk hit a pair of free throws. The Jennies hit a free throw on the other end to forge a 29-29 tie at halftime.  

Washburn got five straight points from Aniah Wayne to go up 39-35 with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter, but the next six points came from the Jennies, who would lead by 45-42 heading to the fourth quarter.  

Sterk hit a jumper with 7:29 to go in regulation that tied the game up at 45, but the Ichabod offense slowed down while Central Missouri scored the next 10 points to lead by double figures inside of five minutes remaining. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University men's basketball's most experienced player came through huge when it mattered the most Saturday in Lee Arena.

Senior Brady Christiansen scored 8 of his 12 points in the second overtime as Washburn outlasted Central Missouri, 78-72. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Senior Brady Christiansen, who has played 104 games in an Ichabod uniform, scored eight of his 12 points in the second overtime period as the Ichabods outlasted Central Missouri 78-72 to improve to 11-0 overall and 3-0 in the MIAA.

Christiansen, who also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds with three assists, scored five straight points in the second OT to put Washburn in front 69-63 with 2:51 remaining in the second five-minute extra session and later drained a huge 3-pointer to give the Ichabods a 74-69 advantage with 59 seconds left.

"I kind of just got lost in the moment,'' Christiansen said. "I'm still a little bit lost for words right now, but I think when the team needed plays I was ready to step up.

"It's someone else's night every night, but credit to how tough we played on defense I think that was what really kept us in the game because we didn't shoot it worth a lick. They got 72 points in two overtimes and that's really good defense and coach is proud of that. It was a really good team-effort win.''

Washburn coach Brett Ballard wasn't surprised that his 6-foot-7 frontliner, who has been a steady performer for the Ichabods since his freshman season, came through in the clutch.

"He's always consistent and he really rises in big moments,'' Ballard said. "He made a huge shot in Florida when we needed it early in the season and this game those plays late, he's not afraid of that moment. He's put the time into it and I'm really happy for him because he's just been consistent for us for four years.'' 

The No. 2-ranked Ichabods erased multiple deficits, including a seven-point deficit with five minutes left in regulation and a five-point deficit in the first OT, to pull out their 22nd straight home victory.

The Ichabods finished the game with a decisive 15-9 advantage in the second overtime after the teams were deadlocked at 63 following the first extra period.

Washburn trailed by as many as seven points in the first half but closed the opening period strong and carried that momentum into the second half, where the game tightened into a possession-by-possession battle.

Washburn shot 42.3 percent in the second half and forced key turnovers late to send the game to overtime tied at 56.

Both teams scored 7 points in the first overtime to force a second extra session.

Washburn took control for good in the second overtime.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen led Washburn with 21 points in Saturday's 78-72 double-overtime win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Sophomore Dillon Claussen opened the period with a free throw and followed with strong finishes at the rim as part of a game-defining 9-0 run that stretched the lead to six.

Claussen capped the run with a fastbreak dunk off a Jeremiah Jones steal to push the margin to 78-69 in the final seconds.

Junior Jack Bachelor scored 16 points in Washburn's 78-72 double-overtime win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Jeremiah Jones scored 13 points and had seven steals in Washburn's 78-72 double-overtime MIAA victory over Central Missouri. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Claussen led all Washburn scorers with 21 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 40 minutes. Bachelor chipped in 16 points while Jones finished with 13 points and seven steals.

Tyson Ruud provided a spark off the bench with nine points and seven boards.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The No. 2-ranked Washburn University men will play their final MIAA game of the 2025 calendar year on Saturday when the Ichabods host Central Missouri at 3 p.m. in Lee Arena.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen is averaging 16.9 points and 6.7 rebounds for No. 2-ranked Washburn men's basketball. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn moved to 10-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA with a 73-66 win over Fort Hays State last Saturday while Central Missouri enters the game 9-2 overall and 2-0 in league play after a 99-69 win over Nebraska-Kearney. The Mules defeated Fort Hays State 64-50 in their MIAA opener.

Washburn leads the all-time series 61-53 and Saturday's meeting will be the 115th between the two schools. The Ichabods have won the last three in the series and nine of the last 10.

The Ichabods lead the NCAA Division II ranks in scoring margin at plus 33.7 points per game and are fourth in field goal percentage at 52.7 percent. Washburn is third in rebound margin at plus 14.3 and second in scoring defense (59.6 points per game). Washburn has not been out-rebounded in a game.

WU junior Jack Bachelor is sixth in the nation in total assists with 52 and 14th in the nation in 3-pointers made with 27 and sophomore Dillon Claussen is third in the nation in field goal percentage at 72.3 percent and junior Jeremiah Jones is third in the nation in total steals with 30 and is ranked 10th in steals per game at 3.0 per contest.

The Ichabods' 10-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest in the nation with Daemen. The longest streak belongs to Nova Southeastern, which has won its last 29 games.

Washburn has won 21 home games in a row, the second-longest streak in the nation and the sixth-longest streak in Washburn program history. Nova Southeastern has won its last 91 games in a row at home.

Junior Bryson Smith finished with a Washburn-high 22 points against Fort Hays State while going 9-of-10 at the free throw line. He added five rebounds, one assist and four steals, scoring 18 of his 22 points in the second half.

Claussen scored 21 points against Fort Hays State on 7 of 10 shooting and knocking down 7 of 8 free throws while grabbing six rebounds.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Fresh off a win over No. 3-ranked Fort Hays State, Washburn University women's basketball remains at Lee Arena Saturday to host Central Missouri in a 1 p.m. MIAA contest.

Yibari Nwidadah, Washburn University 

Saturday's game will feature the Student Athlete Advisory Committee Teddy Bear Toss. Bears can be brought to the game or purchased at the entrance. 

Washburn is 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA after last Saturday's 67-64 win over Fort Hays State, which snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Tigers. Central Missouri moved to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA after defeating Nebraska Kearney 72-69 at home last Saturday.

Senior Yibari Nwidadah is averaging 14.0 points and 7.1 rebounds to lead Washburn while also shooting 55.3 percent from the floor. Nwidadah leads the MIAA and ranks 32nd nationally in field goal percentage.

With 252 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is fourth in program history and in overall rebounding she is 10th with 680 career boards. Her career field goal percentage of .578 is the second best in program history. In scoring Nwidadah ranks 15th among all Ichabods with 1,104 career points. 

Senior Payton Sterk averages 13.3 points for the Ichabods while registering 1.8 steals per game and hitting 16 3-pointers.

Senior Gabi Giovannetti is averaging 13.0 points and is shooting a team-high 47.4 percent from deep with a team-high 18 3-pointers. Giovannetti leads the MIAA and is 14th nationally in 3-point percentage and is third in the conference in triples per game.

Giovannetti is eighth in program history with 130 career 3-pointers made.

Nwidadah registered her first double-double of the season in the win over Fort Hays State with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Giovannetti had 22 points with three 3-pointers.

Taylor Weishaar leads Central Missouri with a 15.3 scoring average and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Reese Schaaf is averaging 13.9 points for the Jennies and is shooting a team-high 44.0 percent from deep with 11 triples. 

Washburn takes a break from MIAA play host Truman State at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University soccer team's 2025 season came to an end Thursday evening with a 2-1 NCAA Division II semifinal defeat to Franklin Pierce in Colorado Springs.

Washburn soccer dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 decision to Franklin Pierce in Thursday's NCAA Division II semifinal in Colorado Springs. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

"Thought we played really well, thought we had a really good mentality, really proud of how our team played," Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "The program is in such a healthy place because the girls invest so much on a daily basis."

"These girls are so special,'' Washburn senior Shaye Taylor said. "This team was built on love, so much love in everything we did. I couldn't be more grateful -- these girls made it the best experience I've ever had." 

Washburn came out of the gates strong, as in the opening minute, freshman Leah Henke had a header go over the bar.

Washburn had six shots in the half, while the Ravens took four.

The second half would start the same, as Washburn had four shots in the opening 10 minutes with two on target

In the 66th minute WU freshman Kate Hinck, a Washburn Rural product, would open the scoring after a ball over the top from Sam Searcey.

Franklin Pierce would then score two goals 62 seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead late in the match and held off the Ichabods the rest of the way.

Hinck scored her seventh goal of the season while Searcey picked up her sixth assist.

Freshman goalkeeper made five saves in the match for Washburn.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Before the 2025 season ever started, Washburn University soccer coach Davy Phillips knew his Ichabods had the potential to field a good team this fall.

Washburn soccer celebrated after last Saturday's 3-2 Elite Eight road win over Missouri-St. Louis. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

"From the very beginning we talked as a team that the purpose and the goal of the team was to maximize our potential,'' Phillips said. "And I think the potential in this group has always been there, it was just working to maximinze that.''

And early in the conference season, the Ichabods discovered they could be really, really good.

"Out of conference play you're kind of still figuring out the groove of the team, and the strengths and the weaknesses  of each individual player, but by the time conference started and we tied (Central Oklahoma) and beat (Central Missouri), we were on a roll,'' said senior midfielder Belle Kennedy, the MIAA defensive player of the year and a third-team All-American. There was nothing stopping us once we found our chemistry.''

Washburn freshman Leah Henke, the conference freshman of the year, agreed.

"Coming out first game (of conference) we tied UCO and I think we played really, really good that game,'' Henke said. "And then we beat UCM off of (Mackinly Rohn's) goal very late in the game and it was like, 'Wow, we've got something really special here. We've got everything we need to go far.' ''

And now Washburn, which is in the NCAA Division II Final Four for the second time in three seasons, is just two wins away from being the best. 

"We just keep getting better and better and I think we can go all the way,'' Henke said. "I've felt it from the beginning of the tournament. I think we've just got to play our game, stick to our game model and do what we do best.''

"The cool thing about is the group is I still feel like we're growing,'' Phillips said.

Now 14-3-6 on the season, No. 1 seed Washburn will take on No. 4 seed Franklin Pierce in a 4 p.m. (Central time) national semifinal Thursday in Colorado Springs.

Washburn advanced to the Final Four with a 3-2 road win over Missouri-St. Louis last Saturday in the Elite Eight.

Henke scored the game-winning goal against the Tritons, recording her 12th goal of the season to moved her into fourth place in program history for goals in a single season.

"I didn't really expect all of this to happen, but I'm thankful for it,'' Henke said.

Washburn soccer displayed its NCAA Final Four sign after last Saturday's 3-2 win over Missouri-St. Louis. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Shaye Taylor and Aubrey Tanksley scored Washburn's first two goals against UMSL while Ichabod freshman goalkeeper Lili Everley came up with five saves and now has 64 saves on the year with a save percentage of 82 percent.