By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University golf star Andrew Beckler was named TopNews.Sports' Washburn University Co-Male Athlete of the Year after earning the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year for Division II. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics}
ANDREW BECKLER
CO-MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
The Ichabod senior golf star was named the 2021 Division II Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year to cap his outstanding college career with the highest individual honor in college golf. Prior to Beckler, Washburn had never had a finalist for the Nicklaus Award, nor had there ever been a golfer from the MIAA or the NCAA Division II Central Region to win it.
Beckler, a Washburn Rural graduate, was earlier named the 2021 MIAA Player of the Year after turning in a record season for the Ichabods this spring as he claimed five individual titles in 10 competitions and placed in the top three at the other five events. He lost to just seven total golfers the entire season. At the NCAA Golf National Championships, Beckler recorded the highest individual finish in program history as he tied for second place out of 84 total golfers.
Andrew Beckler
Beckler, a former Class 6A individual and team champion for Washburn Rural, finished his career with Washburn's best scoring average with a 72.00 in 67 rounds played and he holds the best season scoring average (70.4). Beckler joined the team in 2018 after beginning his college career at Kansas State and was named to the all-MIAA team twice and received the conference Men's Golf Athlete of the Week award three times this past season.
Off the course, Beckler excelled in the classroom as he earned a place on the MIAA Academic Roll three times and was an MIAA Scholar Athlete twice.
Tyler Geiman, a third-team NCAA Division II All-American for the Washburn men's basketball team, will be honored as WU's co-men's athlete of the year Wednesday in conjunction with the Topeka Shawnee County sports awards banquet. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
TYLER GEIMAN
CO-MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Geirman earned third-team NCAA Division II All-America honors this past season, leading the Ichabods to the MIAA Tournament championship and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Geiman, who has one year of eligibility remaining, has played in 115 career games for the Ichabod basketball team, scoring 1,392 points and ranking No. 2 in career assists with 558.
Tyler Geiman
Geiman, a former star at Blue Valley High School, ranks fourth at WU in career-3-pointers with 208 and became the first Ichabod to have at least 1,000 career points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds and 100 steals during the 2020-21 regular season and recorded the first triple-double in school history with 17 poiints, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against Northeastern State.
Geiman is a four-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll member and a two-time MIAA Academic Scholar and is a three-time all-MIAA selection with two first-team awards.
Washburn star pole-vaulter Virgi Scardanzan will be honored as the WU women's athlete of the year Wednesday in conjunction with the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Awards banquet. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
VIRGI SCARDANZAN
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Scardanzan, a junior pole-vaulter from Preganziol, Italy, finished second in Italy's National Championships last weekend, capping a sensational spring season.
Scardanzan has been a three-time All-American for Washburn, recording the fifth-best mark in NCAA D2 history with a vault of 14 feet, 3.25 inches (4.35 meters) at Nebraska-Kearney, a mark that was the eighth-best mark by an Italian pole vaulter.
Virgi Scardanzan
Scardanzan holds the WU women's pole vault school record in both indoor (13-6.25) and outdoor competition (14-3.25) and has six of the top 10 indoor marks (including the top three) and the top four outdoor marks.
As of 2021, she has been the only Washburn track and field athlete, male or female, to automatically qualify for both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships. She has seven individual titles competing in 33 events and has been a six-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
