Washburn University Ichabods
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Yibari Nwidadah leads 15-6 Washburn in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage entering Saturday's game at Central Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brett Ballard's No. 1-ranked Washburn Ichabods will put their 22-game winning streak on the line Saturday at Central Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sophomore Brooke Gomez (1) scored a game and career-high 23 points in Saturday's 64-58 road loss at Central Missouri. [File photo/TSN]The Jennies (17-5 overall, 11-2 MIAA) jumped in front early, leading 11-6. Washburn (15-7, 8-5) battled to tie the game at 14 after a 6-0 run and bucket by Madelyn Amekporfor at the 1:04 mark of the opening quarter. Central Missouri scored the final four points of the quarter to lead 18-14 after one.
A 5-0 run from the home team pushed the lead to double figures with 5:12 to play in the first half. The Jennies offense knocked down four 3-pointers in the second quarter while shooting 50.0 percent overall as the Washburn deficit grew to 37-25 at the half.
Washburn chipped away at the lead in the third quarter, cutting it down to six points at the 5:32 mark after sophomore Brooke Gomez knocked down a 3-pointer, the first and only trey of the game for the Ichabods.
The Jennies' lead was boosted back to double figures at 49-39 after a triple from Central Missouri with 1:09 seconds left in the quarter.
The offense of Washburn got off to a fast start in the fourth quarter, scoring the first six points, with the final four from Gomez to pull within four.
The deficit was cut down to four once more with 6:07 left but the Jennies fired back with five straight points.
Senior Gabi Giovannetti got an old-fashioned 3-point play with 33 seconds left, once again making it a four-point game. But the next two offensive possessions came up empty for the Ichabods, with the Jennies putting the game away at the free throw line.
Washburn narrowly out-shot Central Missouri from the floor, 44.6 percent clip to 44.2. The Ichabods were 1-14 from deep while the home squad went 7-18.
The Jennies led on the boards, 32-30, while Washburn had a 48-28 advantage in paint scoring.
Gomez led all scorers with a career-high 23 points on 11 of 13 shooting.
Reese Schaaf had 18 points to go along with nine rebounds to lead Central Missouri.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Jack Bachelor led Washburn with 18 points in Saturday's 74-72 Ichabod loss at Central Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kate Ediger is hitting a team-high .625 for 4-1 Washburn softball with six runs and five RBI. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Jackson Mervosh is a top returner for Washburn, which opens its season this weekend in Florida. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn is coming off a fourth straight winning season in 2025, going 28-25 overall and 18-18 inside the MIAA. They finished seventh in the regular season and won two games in the MIAA Tournament before falling in the semifinal round.
They were picked to finish fifth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll for a second straight year.
Washburn will return 19 players from the 2025 roster with eight of them as seniors, four juniors and seven freshmen.
Washburn had nine players earn All-MIAA honors a season ago and will return a pair of them in 2026.
Jackson Mervosh returns to the Ichabod infield after earning All-MIAA second-team and All-Region honors last season.
As a junior he started in 52 games and played in all 53 hitting .356 with 77 total hits and 10 home runs. He set a program record with 24 doubles. He had eight games with three or more hits.
Jackson Mervosh has the 18th highest batting average in program history at .356. He is tied for 47th among all Ichabods with 24 doubles.
Mervosh led the MIAA and ranked fifth nationally last season with 24 doubles.
Caleb Lunnon returns for his senior season after earning All-MIAA third-team recognition last season.
In his first season with Washburn he appeared in 14 games making 12 starts and tossing 65.0 innings, second most on the team. He finished with a 5-1 record, a team-high in victories, with 51 strikeouts. Lunnon tossed five or more strikeouts in seven outings last season.
Washburn is adding 28 newcomers to the 2026 roster with nine freshmen and 19 transfers joining the team.
The group of transfers features a pair of seniors, 15 juniors, one sophomore and a redshirt freshman.
The transfer group includes Topeka natives Zach Sharshel, Maclane Finley and Scout Jellison, who are all pitchers.
Washburn's 47-man roster consists of players from eight different states. There are 21 players on the roster who are from Kansas.
In the 2026 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, the Ichabods were picked fifth, the same place they were picked to finish in the 2025 preseason poll as well.
Central Missouri was picked to repeat as the regular season champion, earning 12 of 13 first-place votes with 144 total points. Pittsburg State and Central Oklahoma are picked to finish second and third respectively.
Harley Douglas enters his 12th season at the helm of the Washburn baseball program.
In eleven full seasons, Douglas carries an all-time record of 284-242 with seven appearances in the MIAA Tournament and led the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2022.
Griffin Huiatt is tied for fifth in program history with seven career saves and is tied for seventh in Washburn history with 53 career appearances.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University football coach Zach Watkins announced a diverse 34-member high school recruiting class on Wednesday, including five city products.
Washburn football coach Zach Watkins announced a 2026 recruiting class on Wednesday that includes 34 high school players and 17 transfers who are already on campus. [File photo/TSN]
"Our staff did a tremendous job of identifying what we needed on the roster and going out and identifying the kids that fit those needs,'' said Watkins, who will be starting his second season as WU's head coach in 2026. "We've been recruiting these guys since February of '25, so to see a full year of recruiting come to fruition and the kids all signed is very satisfying.''
Watkins also confirmed that Washburn, which is coming off a 3-8 campaign, has picked up 17 transfers who are currently enrolled at WU for the spring semester.
"We got hired last year and had a month to recruit,'' Watkins said. "This year we had a year to recruit. We signed 34 high school kids and 17 transfers who are here on campus right now and they started in January. They're the most talented group of transfers we've ever brought in here at Washburn.
"Those transfers provide immediate help and immediate depth and then like I said from Day 1 when we got hired as a staff, we're going to be a high school-based recruiting program. We're going to recuit Topeka, we're going to recruit Kansas, the Midwest and branch out from there and the 34 kids we signed really filled the needs we have and the depth we needed to create, we got that done in this class.''
Washburn Rural's Jordy Heim (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) and John Hoytal (6-3, 200) signed on Wednesday along with Hayden's Kade Mitchell (5-9, 175), Shawnee Heights' Aiden Scott (6-5, 200) and Topeka West's Logan Hunninghake (6-2, 250).
John Hoytal, Washburn Rural
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
Hoytal, Mitchell and Scott earned TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors this past fall while Heim was a Second 22 all-county honoree and Hunninghake earned all-county honorable mention.
Hoytal played quarterback for Washburn Rural but is projected as a tight end in college while Mitchell is a running back, Scott a quarterback, Heim a linebacker and Hunninghake an offensive lineman.
"The kids we got from Topeka we're really excited about,'' Watkins said.
The Washburn recruiting class includes 11 players that played at Kansas high schools along with 12 Missouri prep products, seven from Texas, three from Florida and one from Nebraska.
There's also diversity among position groups, with eight players projected as defensive backs, six defensive linemen and five offensive linemen, four wide receivers, three linebackers and running backs, two tight ends, two punter/kickers and one quarterback.
Washburn recruiting capsules:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Daniel Allen
DANIEL ALLEN, Washburn Rural
Allen, a junior boys swimmer, captured four gold medals in Thursday's Topeka City Swimming Championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium as Washburn Rural extended its city championship streak to seven straight with a dominating 609-371 margin over Seaman. Allen won individual titles in the 100-yard butterfly (52.22 seconds) and 100 backstroke (52.82) and swam on the Junior Blues' winning 200 medley relay (1:41.75) and 400 free relay (3:24.55) teams.
BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural
A freshman basketball standout, Anderson was named the Most Valuable Player in the Glaciers Edge Tournament at Emporia after scoring a game-high 20 points in the championship game as Washburn Rural captured the tournament title with a 48-42 win over Wichita Southeast. Anderson hit 5 of 10 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer, and went 9 of 10 at the free throw line for the 10-4 Junior Blues.
Madi Blanco
MADI BLANCO, Washburn Rural
Blanco, a girls wrestling star, went 3-0 on the day with three pins to capture the 140-pound championship in Saturday's 20-school Washburn Women's Invitational. Blanco, a two-time Class 6A state medalist, needed just 37 seconds in the championship match to win the title after beginning the day with 1:31 and 2:14 pins. Blanco was ranked No. 3 in 6A and No. 5 in the All-Class rankings by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabod softball team wrapped up a 4-1 weekend at the Lone Star Classic in Mansfield, Texas with a pair of run-rule wins on Sunday, 11-3 over Lubbock Christian and 10-2 over Texas A&M-Kingsville, both in five innings.
Senior Sadie Walker turned in a pair of strong relief performances Sunday as Washburn softball capped a 4-1 season-opening weekend. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods are scheduled to be in action next weekend at the Alvy Early Memorial Tournament in Bentonville, Ark.
Washburn exploded for a nine-run third inning and never looked back, powering past Lubbock Christian 11-3 in five innings Saturday morning.
The Ichabods pounded out 12 hits, capitalized on defensive miscues and got a steady effort in the circle to improve to 3-1 on the season.
Washburn struck first in the opening frame when Makenzie Sais singled, stole second and eventually scored as Dalaney Anderson reached on an error, giving the Ichabods a 1-0 lead.
Lubbock Christian answered in the third on an RBI triple from Alexis Clark and an RBI single by Ava Castillo to briefly move in front 2-1.
But the lead lasted only moments as Anderson tied the game with a solo home run to left-center to start the bottom half, igniting Washburn's decisive rally.
Maddie McGee delivered a two-run single up the middle, Sais added an RBI single and Erin Boles brought home another run on a fielder's choice. A wild pitch plated a run before Kate Ediger capped the outburst with a two-run single, pushing the margin to 10-2 by the end of the inning.
The Lady Chaps scratched across a run in the fifth on an RBI double from Brianna Chambers-Lee, but Washburn answered immediately. Anderson drew a walk and scored from first when Seaman product Aspen Burgardt ripped an RBI double to deep left, ending the game via run rule.
Anderson finished 2 for 3 with three RBI, a home run and three runs scored, while Sais went 3 for 4 with two runs and an RBI. Ediger added two hits and four RBI and McGee drove in two as part of the Ichabods' balanced attack.
Manhattan grad Kierra Goos earned the win for Washburn, allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts over four innings. Sadie Walker closed the final frame, striking out three while surrendering one run.
Washburn did not commit an error defensively and stole multiple bases.
Washburn erupted for eight runs in the fourth inning and rode a dominant relief outing from Walker to a 10-2 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sunday afternoon.
The Ichabods collected 12 hits in the victory, improving to 4-1 on the season.
Texas A&M-Kingsville grabbed the early lead in the first when Victoria Vargas doubled and later scored on an RBI single up the middle from Alexis Soliz.
Washburn pulled even in the third after former Shawnee Heights standout Taylor Brees singled, moved around the bases, and scored on Anderson's RBI single through the left side.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball bounced back from a Thursday night loss to No. 5-ranked Fort Hays State to pull away down the stretch to defeat Nebraska-Kearney 76-65 on the road Saturday afternoon.
Junior Madelyn Amekporfor led a balanced Washburn offensive attack with 13 points in Saturday's 76-65 MIAA road win at Nebraska-Kearney. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn improved to 15-6 overall and 8-4 in the MIAA with Saturday's win, earning a regular-season sweep over the Lopers, 11-12, 4-8.
It was a quick start offensively for Washburn as the Ichabods led 8-3 after a basket by senior Gabi Giovannetti at the 7:18 mark of the first quarter.
The Lopers tied it up but the Ichabod offense shot 50.0 percent in the opening frame to build an 18-14 lead.
The first of three 3-pointers for junior Madelyn Amekporfor pushed the lead to seven to open the scoring in the second. Nebraska-Kearney chipped away before tying the game up at 28.
The Lopers scored five in a row to go in front 37-35, but Washburn sophomore Brooke Gomez knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Ichabods up 38-37 at the half.
Both sides traded baskets for much of the third quarter while the Ichabods remained in front the whole way. The Ichabods created separation with the final four points coming from Gomez and junior Britany Kogbara to lead 57-52 heading into the fourth.
The Lopers made a run early in the fourth, tying the game at 59 with a 3-pointer at the 7:28 mark.
Washburn re-gained the lead but it was cut back down to one before the the Ichabods responded with an 8-0 run to lead by nine after junior Kellyn Hunter scored on a driving layup with 2:16 left.
Senior Payton Sterk put the game away with four free throws in the final minute to finish off the 11-point win.
Washburn shot a season-high 52.1 percent from the field along with an efficient 5-12 from 3-point range and 21-24 at the line. The Ichabods held the Lopers to 37.1-percent shooting while the home squad shot 41.7 percent from deep with 10 makes.
The rebounding battle was won by the Ichabods, 34-29, helping to generate a 34-22 advantage in paint scoring. Nebraska Kearney turned the ball over four fewer times than Washburn, but the Ichabods scored seven more points off giveaways.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Top-ranked Washburn University men's basketball pushed its unbeaten streak to 22 games Saturday afternoon, taking an 89-67 road win at Nebraska-Kearney.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored a career-high 27 points in Washburn's 89-67 MIAA road win at Nebraska-Kearney Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
Now 22-0 overall and 12-0 in the MIAA, the Ichabods had to navigate a competitive opening stretch that featured six lead changes and four ties in the first 10 minutes.
UNK grabbed an early 6-3 edge, but Washburn answered with a transition-heavy surge keyed by sophomore Dillon Claussen and Jack Bachelor to regain control.
A 9-0 Washburn run late in the first half created separation, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Claussen and senior Brady Christiansen that pushed the margin to double digits.
Washburn closed the half on a 17-5 run overall and carried a 44-29 lead into the break after shooting 44 percent from the floor and forcing 10 Loper turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
Claussen opened with the second half with a three and senior Bryson Smith followed with a layup to ignite another push that ballooned the WU lead to 20 at 53-33 with 15:34 left.
Nebraska-Kearney countered with its best stretch of the afternoon, trimming the deficit to eight behind Ja'Bryant Hill and Clayton Moore during a 9-0 Loper run midway through the half.
But each time UNK threatened, Washburn responded.
Smith attacked the rim for consecutive scores, Bachelor knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Claussen controlled the paint to steady the lead.
The Ichabods eventually built their largest cushion at 22 points with 2:46 remaining and closed out the win from the free throw line.
Claussen led four Ichabods in double figures with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, adding eight rebounds and two assists.
Smith finished with 19 points, 18 in the second half, while Bachelor added 17 points and six boards, and Christiansen chipped in six points and four rebounds.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Payton Sterk is coming off a season-high 22-point performance in last Friday's 71-55 home win over Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]
Sterk scored a season-high 22 points in Friday's win over Missouri Western.
Talexa Weeter averages 27.9 points on 52.1-percent shooting overall and 42.9 percent from deep for Fort Hays State while also grabbing a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game. Weeter leads the nation in points per game, is second nationally in free throws made and is second in the conference in rebounding average.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball team hits the road for a three-game stretch, beginning with Thursday's 7:30 p.m. MIAA tilt at Fort Hays State.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen and the 20-0 Washburn Ichabods will face Fort Hays State on the road Thursday night. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn, 20-0 overall and 10-0 in the MIAA, is one of just two remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division II along with Cal State East Bay after the Ichabods beat Missouri Western 90-78 last Friday.
Fort Hays State is 15-4 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA, having won its last five in a row after turning back Central Oklahoma 58-53 last time out.
The Ichabods defeated the Tigers on Dec. 6 in Topeka, 73-66, with the 73 points a season-low for Washburn this season.
Washburn has the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA with 89.2 points per game while the Ichabods have the No. 2-ranked scoring defense at 61.8 points per game behind Fort Hays State's 59.9 average.
The Tigers are averaging 71.6 points, ranking 13th in the MIAA.
FHSU is 9-1 in home games this season, with the lone loss coming on Nov. 16 to Concordia-St. Paul in a 78-68 defeat. Since then the Tigers have won their last eight home games in a row.
The Ichabods have recorded 32 20-win seasons in program history and six under Ichabod coach Brett Ballard in his nine seasons.
Washburn leads the nation in scoring margin at plus 27.4 points per game and is ranked first in field goal percentage at 52.8 percent and second in rebound margin at plus 12.2.
Washburn has not been out-rebounded in a game this season and has only been tied twice (Lubbock Christian and Emporia State).
Ichabod sophomore standout Dillon Claussen is sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at 65.9, which also leads the MIAA.
Junior Jeremiah Jones leads the nation in total steals with 66 and is ranked third in steals per game at 3.30 per contest.
Junior Jack Bachelor is 12th in the nation in assist to turnover ration at 3.14 to 1.
The Ichabods' 20-game winning streak is the longest in the nation, ahead of Cal St. East Bay's 18-game winning streak.
The 20-game winning streak by the Ichabods is the third-longest in program history.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 1-ranked Washburn Ichabods rallied to force overtime before pulling away in the extra frame for an 81-73 road win over Fort Hays State Thursday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum, improving to 21-0 overall and 11-0 in the MIAA.
Senior Brady Christiansen led a balanced Washburn attack with 18 points as the No. 1-ranked Ichabods improved to 21-0 with an 81-73 road win at Fort Hays State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"It's as good of a win as we've had since I've been here,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard told KTPK Radio. "We've had some good ones, but against that team, which we've got the utmost respect for, in this environment with that crowd... we didn't flinch, we didn't give in, kept battling, kept fighting and made some plays late when we needed it.
"Just a gutsy, gutsy win for us and I'll remember this one for a long time.''
Washburn led 47-46 with 10:31 to go in regulation before Fort Hays State (15-5, 7-4) went on a 12–3 run, taking a 58-50 lead with 5:13 to go.
Washburn trailed by six with 55 seconds to play before a Bryson Smith layup and a Jeremiah Jones steal and layup cut the Tigers' lead to 66-64 with 29 seconds to go.
The Tigers hit two more charity stripes with 20 seconds left, but again Smith scored on a drive with 14 seconds left.
Fort Hays State drew a foul with 13 seconds to play, leading by two, but missed both free throws, and after a Jones rebound, WU sophomore Dillon Claussen was fouled with 0.9 seconds to play, and he connected on both free throws, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra session, Washburn outscored the Tigers 13–5, holding Fort Hays State without a field goal in overtime while converting 8 of 8 free throws and forcing a pair of turnovers.
Washburn trailed by one at 69-68, but had six points from Smith and five from Jack Bachelor, including a 3-pointer with 39 seconds to play, to push the Ichabod lead to four.
On the Tigers' ensuing possession, Jones swiped another ball and went the distance with a dunk as Washburn would lead 79-73 with 31 seconds left.
Smith wrapped up the scoring with two free throws with 22 seconds to play, sealing the win.
Senior Brady Christiansen led the Ichabods with 18 points going 10 of 12 from the free throw line and adding five rebounds.
Bachelor logged 42 minutes and finished with 17 points, three assists and two steals and Jones recorded his first double-double as an Ichabod with 14 points and 14 rebounds while adding four steals.
Smith tallied 16 points with six boards going 8 of 9 from the free throw line, while Claussen added nine points and seven rebounds.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball remained within striking distance most of the way Thursday night, but weren't able to overcome a late run by No. 5-ranked Fort Hays State, falling 59-47 on the road.
Senior Yibari Nwidadah led Washburn with 12 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's MIAA loss at No. 5-ranked Fort Hays State. [File photo/TSN]
With the win the Tigers snapped Washburn's four-game winning streak and avenged their only loss of the season, a 67-64 decision to Washburn on Dec. 6 in Lee Arena.
Washburn senior Yibari Nwidadah opened what would be a low-scoring first quarter with a layup at the 8:56 mark.
After a pair of ties, the Tigers (19-1 overall, 10-1 MIAA) stayed in front the rest of the way as both teams shot a combined 8-31 in the quarter. After ten minutes Washburn (14-6, 7-4) trailed 9-8.
The Ichabods continued to play catch-up to begin the second stanza. They were finally able to string together back-to-back buckets and lead 18-17 after Britany Kogbara got a basket to go with 4:23 left in the half.
Fort Hays State went back in front and led by two with 2:16 left. The hosts were held scoreless from that point on in the quarter as Ichabod senior Aniah Wayne tied the game at 24 heading into the half.
In the opening minutes of the third quarter the Tigers pushed the lead to four points at the 7:24 mark. They were held scoreless for the next four-plus minutes as Washburn was able to go in front on a Gabi Giovannetti 3-pointer at the 3:36 mark, the first 3-pointer of the game for the Ichabods.
Fort Hays State scored the final four points of the quarter to lead 36-33.
Washburn was able to tie the game up on an offensive rebound and putback by Nwidadah with 4:21 left in regulation, but the Tiger offense picked up the pace after that, scoring the next nine points in the game in just over two and a half minutes.
The lead was pushed into double figures as Fort Hays State pulled away for the 12-point win.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University opened its 56th season of softball on Friday as the Ichabods begin the 2026 season with five games over three days at the Lone Star Classic in Mansfield, Texas, just south of Dallas.
Brenda Holaday's Washburn University softball team will open the 2026 season with five games over three days this weekend in Texas. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are coming off a 31-21 season, going 13-11 in the MIAA, and will be looking to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing out last season.
After practicing for several months, in the fall and since returning from the Christmas break, senior infielder Kate Ediger said it's time for the Ichabods to play a game.
"Oh my gosh, it is so time,'' Ediger said. "We have been practicing every day since we've been back in January and we've been scrimmaging and we're just so ready to go out there and play. We're just ready.''
After an up and down season a year ago, Ediger is confident that the Ichabods are poised to take a step forward this season.
"We have five pitchers this year who all are going to be very, very great for us,'' Ediger said. "Last year we had a couple of pitchers that had to do the job every game and this year we have more depth with our pitching and the chemistry that we have in our infield is there.
"I think that we have all the potential in the world. We have a lot of great people. We've just got to get out there and see what we can do, but I know that we're ready for it.''
Senior outfielder Erin Boles, a four-year player for the Ichabods, agreed.
"I think we're all very anxious to get on the field and play different competition and get that competitiveness,'' Boles said. "We're very eager.
"Our goal this year is to start off strong and carry that over into conference and postseason. That is what we're looking for this year.''
Washburn has reached the postseason six times, including three under coach Brenda Holaday in the 2018, 2022 and 2024 seasons.
The Ichabods have hit the 30-win mark for four straight seasons, dating back to the 2022 season, which is the longest streak of 30 wins since a run between the 2002-07 seasons when the Ichabods recorded 30 wins six seasons in a row.
Washburn was tabbed sixth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches poll.
Holaday is in her 10th season as the Ichabod softball head coach, recording a 283-170 overall record and going 136-74 in MIAA contests, leading the Ichabods to two MIAA regular-season titles (2018, 2022). Holaday became Washburn's all-time winningest coach with a 13-0 win over Illinois-Springfield on Feb. 8, 2025.
WU senior pitcher Sadie Walker was 36th in the nation last season in games started (28), 17th in appearances (35) and 39th in shutouts (5) while also ranking 55th in strikeouts (142).
Jenna Sprague ranked 10th in the nation with five saves.
Makenzie Sais led Washburn with 15 multiple-hit games last season.
The Ichabods are scheduled to face Texas Woman's and Southern Nazarene on Friday, Cameron on Saturday and Lubbock Christian and St. Edward's on Sunday.
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
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]
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
It was cold outside, but Washburn University women's basketball was hot from the start on Friday afternoon in Lee Arena, scoring 47 points in the first half to down Missouri Western 71-55 and earn a fourth straight win.
Washburn senior Payton Sterk (20) scored 20 of her game-high 22 points in Friday's 71-55 MIAA win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn improved to 14-5 overall and 7-3 in the MIAA while avenging an earlier loss to the Griffons (6-13, 2-8).
"I thought we did a really nice job in the first half with a lot of things we've been working on,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said. "We were solid defensively and stayed in front of the ball and I thought we got some really good looks offensively and weren't forcing.
"I thought our shot selection was great and a great team effort.''
It was the Griffons who took an early 9-7 lead with a pair of 3-pointers, but Washburn answered back with an 8-0 run, including five points from senior Payton Sterk, who had 20 in the first half.
"I think it definitely gets me going and gets the team going, too,'' Sterk said of her hot start.
The Ichabods shot 50.0 percent in the first quarter and ended the final minute on a 4-0 run to lead 21-14 after the opening quarter.
The Washburn run continued with the first four points in the second quarter, pushing the lead to double figures. A quick 5-0 burst was capped off by a 3-pointer from senior Gabi Giovannetti that pushed the lead up over 20 points.
While Washburn shot over 50.0 percent again in the second stanza, Missouri Western was held to just 2 of 8 shooting in the frame as the Ichabods built a 47-24 lead.
Out of the break Washburn's offense cooled off as they were held scoreless until junior Kellyn Hunter knocked down a jumper with 4:24 left in the quarter. She hit another shot to push the lead back over 20 points the next possession.
The Ichabod defense helped maintain the lead, with the Griffons hitting just 4 of 11 shots in the quarter.
The Griffons' offense picked up in the fourth quarter, scoring the first 10 points to make it a single-digit game with 6:38 remaining.
But Ichabod junior Britany Kogbara got a pair of shots to fall over the next few possessions to push the lead back into double digits. Missouri Western knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:06 remaining, but that was the last time it would get on the scoreboard as the Ichabods finished the game on a 6-0 run to put away a 16-point win.
The hot start helped Washburn shoot 40.7 percent for the game along with 8 of 17 (47.1) attempts from 3-point range. The Ichabods were also 19 of 22 at the free throw line.
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
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 men's basketball will be looking for its 19th straight win Wednesday night against Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
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]The Jets, 7-10 overall, 1-7 MIAA, jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the first five minutes, but Washburn (12-5, 5-3) came back to tie the game at 10 on a triple by senior Aniah Wayne.
Wayne's 3 was part of an 18-4 end to the first quarter, highlighted by three 3-pointers from Wayne to build a 22-14 lead.
A 5-0 run by senior Yibari Nwidadah to begin the second quarter pushed the Washburn lead up to 13 points.
But Newman answered right back with a 7-0 run of its own. The Ichabod offense slowed down in the final five minutes of the quarter, shooting just 4 of 12 in the quarter.
Four 3-pointers by the Jets helped make it a tight 35-31 WU lead going into the break.
Coming out of the break Newman continued to chip away at the lead before going in front at 40-38 with 6:00 remaining in the third.
Washburn came back to score the next seven points to lead 45-40 after a steal and score by junior Kellyn Hunter.
A score late by the Jets would cut the deficit down to one after a low-scoring quarter for both teams going into the fourth.
The Ichabod defense went up a level in the fourth, holding Newman without a point until the 5:55 mark and to 4 of 14 shooting overall.
Washburn started the final quarter on a 6-0 run but still the Jets wouldn't go away.
After taking the lid off the basket the Jets scored six in a row to make it 54-53 WU with 3:36 remaining.
Another triple by Wayne with 1:56 left put the visitors up by six and started an 11-0 run in the final two minutes to help Washburn win going away, 69-55.
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
Andrew Beckler has been named an assistant coach for Washburn University golf for the remainder of the 2026 season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
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
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]That would be the last points of the quarter for Emporia State as it was held to 33.3 percent shooting in the quarter while the Ichabods built a 14-10 lead.
The first points for either team in the second quarter came from WU sophomore Brooke Gomez with 6:44 to play in the half.
Wayne knocked down a 3-pointer shortly after that, pushing the Ichabod advantage to nine. Washburn shot over 50 percent in the quarter to take a 28-21 advantage into the halftime break.
Out of the half Wayne hit a layup at the 7:39 mark to give Washburn a double-figure lead for the first time in the game. The Lady Hornets reduced their deficit to eight before the Ichabods answered with a 8-0 run, started by a basket from senior Yibari Nwidadah.
The lead remained at 16 with a last-second layup from junior Britany Kogbara to end the third quarter.
Neither team scored for the first 3:36 of the fourth until Nwidadah hit another layup that began a 7-0 run to start the quarter and push the Washburn lead to more than 20.
The Lady Hornets never got within single-digits the rest of the way as Washburn completed the regular-season series sweep.
Washburn shooting 42.6 percent overall while going 3 of 10 from 3-point range. On the other end Emporia State was held to 32.3 percent shooting and just 3 of 6 at the free throw line while WU went 8 of 16 at the stripe.
"We know we've got to hang our hat on (defense),'' Westling said. "We know we can guard. We had a couple of lapses, but for the most part we've got to continue to be one of the top defensive teams in the league.''
The rebounding battle was won 45-34 by the Ichabods, leading to a 44-22 advantage in paint scoring.
Led by Wayne, Washburn's bench provided 36 points to 25 for the Lady Hornet reserves.
Washburn senior Yibari Nwidadah scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Thursday's 63-52 road win over Emporia State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Nwidadah backed Wayne with 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting with seven rebounds. Senior Gabi Giovannetti had a team-high 10 boards along with three steals and three assists.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
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]
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]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
For the first time since Jan. 5, 2019 Washburn University women's basketball went to double overtime on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 65-61 decision at Northwest Missouri.
Senior Gabi Giovannetti scored a game-high 19 points in Saturday's 65-61 Washburn double-overtime loss at Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
After rallying late in regulation to force overtime the Ichabods came up short in the second OT, dropping a four-point decision to the Bearcats.
In the opening minutes Washburn, 10-5 overall, 3-3 MIAA, was in control, leading 8-3 at the 5:27 mark after senior Gabi Giovannetti scored her second basket of the game.
The lead stayed at six inside the final two minutes of the quarter as the Bearcats were held to 1 of 12 shooting to begin the game. The home team finished on a 4-0 run and it was a 10-8 lead for the Ichabods after one.
Offense was hard to come by for both teams in the second quarter.
Washburn was held scoreless until a hoop by junior Britany Kogbara at the 4:34 mark. Both teams managed just one field goal as they combined for nine points in the quarter. The Ichabods went into the break still in front, leading 14-13.
With 7:50 remaining in the third quarter, Washburn junior Madelyn Amekporfor hit the first 3-pointer in the game for either team.
A pair of free throws by sophomore Brooke Gomez pushed the WU lead up to six points, but in the final minutes of the quarter Northwest Missouri flipped a three-point deficit into a five-point lead, going in front 33-28 after three.
After the opening minutes of the fourth quarter the Bearcats pushed the lead to nine points with 5:15 remaining.
Washburn answered with a 12-0 run across the next four minutes, with half of the points coming from Giovannetti.
Northwest Missouri scored four in a row to go in front by one. Giovannetti got a free throw to go in the final 10 seconds of regulation to tie the game back up and send it to overtime.
In the first extra period the Ichabods built the largest lead by either side at four points after senior Payton Sterk got a layup to go with 3:26 remaining.
The Washburn offense went cold over the last three minutes of overtime as the Bearcats scored four to tie it back up. Both sides had multiple stops inside the final minute to send the game to a second overtime tied at 53.
The lead continued to trade hands in the opening minutes of the second overtime.
Giovannetti hit a layup to put the Ichabods in front 59-58 with 1:12 remaining.
Northwest Missouri answered right back with a 3-pointer in the final minute that would put it in front for good. The home team went 4-4 at the free throw line to hold off the Ichabods.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Bryson Smith led Washburn with 16 points Saturday as the Ichabods improved to 16-0 on the season. [File photo/TSN]
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.
Senior Gabi Giovannetti scored a game-high 19 points in last Saturday's 65-61 Washburn double-overtime loss at Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
The Lady Hornets have gone 7-1 inside of White Auditorium, are 1-4 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court games.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
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
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]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]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
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]
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
After a blistering start Wednesday night Washburn saw its four-game winning streak snapped, with the Ichabods falling 75-67 at Missouri Western.
Yibari Nwidadah scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 75-67 MIAA road loss at Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods return to action on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. facing Northwest Missouri in Maryville, Mo.
The game opened quickly for Washburn (10-4 overall, 3-2 MIAA) with a 7-2 run in the first 72 seconds after senior Payton Sterk hit a jumper.
The Griffons (5-9, 1-4) battled back and would go in front 9-7 before extending the lead to eight points after a 9-0 run.
The Ichabods answered with a run of their own in a high-scoring first quarter as sophomore Brooke Gomez and senior Aniah Wayne both knocked down 3-pointers before going in front on a 3-pointer by senior Gabi Giovannetti. Shooting 52.6 percent from the floor and 4-7 from deep the Ichabods led 28-26 after the first quarter.
After scores from Sterk and senior Yibari Nwidadah to open the second quarter Washburn remained in front by two, but the next 10 points came from Missouri Western to go in front by eight.
The Ichabods went into the break trailing by six at 44-38 after Nwidadah scored the final six points of the half for Washburn in a quarter that saw them shoot 2-10 from the field.
The Griffon offense stayed hot out of halftime, pushing the lead into double figures and up to as high as 15 points at 55-40 at the 6:02 mark.
Washburn worked to chip away at the lead, with Nwidadah getting it into single digits on a layup with 1:01 left in the third quarter. Missouri Western pushed it's advantage back out to 11 and led 63-52 going into the fourth.
Twice early in the fourth the Ichabods shrunk the deficit back down to nine but both times the Griffons answered with baskets.
Washburn got to the line and shot 9-10 in the final frame but were held to just 3-13 shooting in the quarter and 0-4 from deep. The Ichabods scored the final six points of the game to cut its final deficit to eight.
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
Former WIBW and Kansas State broadcaster and 17-year voice of the Nebraska Cornhuskers Greg Sharpe passed away on Feb. 14 at the age of 61 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Former WIBW broadcaster and longtime voice of the Nebraska Cornhuskers Greg Sharpe passed away on Feb. 14 of 2025. [Roper & Sons Funeral Home]
Sharpe graduated from Stanley-Blue Valley High School in 1982 before earning a broadcast journalism degree at Kansas State.
Following graduation from K-State, Sharpe worked in both radio and television for WIBW in the sports department. Sharpe was hired as the voice of Kansas State in 1996 and called games for his alma mater until 2002. He then served as program director and hosted Sports Sanity for WIBW radio until he was hired as the voice of the University of Nebraska in 2007.
Sharpe was named sportscaster of the year twice in both Kansas and Nebraska and was inducted into the Kansas Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2024.
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
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]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]Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored 16 points with five assists in Washburn's 91-66 win over Emporia State Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
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.
