By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University put freshmen Jaycee Ginter and Marrit Mead and junior Ashton Friend on the All-MIAA softball first team, selected by conference coaches, while Mead was also named the MIAA freshman of the year.
Washburn third baseman Marrit Mead, a Santa Fe Trail product, earned a spot on the All-MIAA softball first team and was named the conference freshman of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Ichabod freshman Jaycee Ginter, a former Shawnee Heights star, was named to the All-MIAA softball first team. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn junor Ashton Friend was one of three Ichabods named to the All-MIAA softball first team. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Mead, a Santa Fe Trail product, hit a team-high 471 over the regular season and also leads the Ichabods in hits (71), runs scored (45) and stolen bases (22), while Shawnee Heights product Ginter has a pitching record of 13-4 with a 3.09 earned run average, 30 RBI and six home runs and Friend leads Washburn and the MIAA with 11 homers and 46 RBI.
Ichabod junior Bri Francis and freshman Hadley Kerschen received honorable mention.
Ginter was one of three former Shawnee Heights standouts to earn All-MIAA recognition, with Central Missouri's Paige Petefish earning first-team honors and Abbey Fischer a second-team pick. Washburn Rural graduate Taylor Ullery received honorable mention for Newman.
Missouri Western's Sydni Hawkins was named the MIAA player of the year while Rogers State's Andrea Morales was named pitcher of the year.
Central Oklahoma's Lexy Dobson and Northwest Missouri's Madison Friest of Northwest Missouri were named co-defensive players of the year.
Missouri Southern's Hallie Blackney was named the coach of the year.
Washburn will open its MIAA Tournament bid with a best-of-three series at Central Missouri, beginning with a 5 p.m. game on Friday.
ALL-MIAA SOFTBALL
First team
Pitcher -- Andrea Morales, Rogers State; Paige Petefish, Central Missouri. Catcher -- Abigail Taylor, Rogers State. First base -- Elexis Watson, Rogers State. Second base -- Sydni Hawkins, Missouri Western. Shortstop -- Josie Tofpi, Missouri Southern. Third base -- Marrit Mead, Washburn. Outfield -- Ashlyn Cook, Central Missouri; Olivia Daugherty, Northwest Missouri; Bailey Fowler, Central Missouri. Designated player -- Ashton Friend, Washburn. Utility/pitcher -- Jaycee Ginter, Washburn. Utility/non-pitcher -- Emma Hoffart, Missouri Western.
Second team
Pitcher -- Michaelanne Nelson, Fort Hays State; Corrina Rivas, Central Oklahoma. Catcher -- Ashlynn Williams, Missouri Southern. First base -- Allie Eicher, Central Oklahoma. Second base -- Tarin Dubler, Central Oklahoma. Shortstop -- Abbey Fischer, Central Missouri. Third base -- Kaitlyn Weis, Northwest Missouri. Outfield -- Makayla Bowman, Rogers State; Carlee Liesch, Nebraska-Kearney; Jacee Minter, Central Oklahoma. Designated player -- Danelle Day, Rogers State. Utility/pitcher -- Kara Amos, Missouri Southern. Utilty/non-pitcher -- Rhomie Bradshaw, Northeastern State.
Honorable mention
Central Missouri: Sadie Parks, Makenzie McAtee. Central Oklahoma: Shayla Harper, Kylee Lynch; Amelya Huggins, Brighton Gilbert; Taylor McKittrick. Emporia State: Gabby Biondo, Emma Furnish, Kerrigan Dixon. Fort Hays State: Sara Breckbill. Missouri Southern: Abby Atkin, Makaila Leonhart, Yazmin Vargas, Adrianna Young, Lweighton Withers. Missouri Western: Kaili Hinds, Sydney Rader. Nebraska-Kearney: Katie Goskeer, Abbie Vodicka, Abbie Jo Gaube. Newman : Taylor Ullery, Anissa Ramos. Northeastern State: Chloe Bohuslavicky, Alyssia Crick, Carly Kelley, Addie Elbon. Northwest Missouri: Madison Friest. Pittsburg State: Taylor Lambert, Kamie Zimmerman, Kaity Kukowski. Rogers State: Jaylan Gibson, M'Kayla Hillman. Washburn: Bri Francis, Hadley Kerschen.
MIAA player of the year -- Sydni Hawkins, Missouri Western.
Co-defensive players of the year -- Lexy Dobson, Central Oklahoma, and Madison Friest, Northwest Missouri.
Pitcher of the year -- Andrea Morales, Rogers State.
Freshman of the year -- Marrit Mead, Washburn.
Coach of the year -- Hallie Blackney, Missouri Southern.
BECKLER LEADS WU IN FIRST ROUND OF GOLF REGIONAL
The No. 18-ranked Washburn golf team finished the first round of the NCAA Division II Central/Midwest Regional tied for eight place at Shoal Creek Golf Club Thursday in Kansas City, Mo.
The Ichabods went 13-over par for a total score of 297, tied for eighth with Maryville University. Central Missouri held the team lead at 5-under-par.
Former Washburn Rural star Andrew Beckler shot a 2-over-par 73 to finish the first round tied for 19th.
Griffin Mott and Ian Trebilcock shot 3-over-par and were tied for 27th.
Washburn will play the second 18 holes Friday.
The top four teams from each super regional and the top individual not from a team from each super regional will advance to the finals on May 17-21 at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
ICHABODS HEADED TO MIAA TRACK AND FIELD
Washburn will travel to Pittsburg for the 2021 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Saturday and Sunday.
The MIAA Outdoor Championships will be the fourth conference meet the Ichabods have competed in after the 2020 edition was canceled due to COVID-19.
The Ichabod women's team recorded its best finish during the 2019 Outdoor Championships with a seventh-place finish while the Washburn men recorded 21 points in '19, finishing 11th.
Washburn has 14 athletes who have provisionally qualified and one who has automatically qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships May 27-29 in Allendale, Mich.
Virgi Scardanzan is ranked fourth nationally in the women's pole vault as the Ichabods' only automatic qualifier, while Romain Henry is ranked fourth in the men's 110-meter hurdles.
GEIMAN, BENTLEY EARN ACADEMIC HONORS
Washburn men's basketball senior Tyler Geiman and women's basketball senior Hunter Bentley have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team and will now advance to the All-American ballot.
Geiman was a unanimous first-team all-MIAA selection, a member of the MIAA All-Defensive team, and a D2CCA third-team All-American selection this past season.
He led the team in scoring (20.3 average), assists (6.0) and rebounds (6.3) and on Feb. 23 Geiman recorded the first triple-double in Washburn history with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against Northeastern State. Geiman surpassed the 1,000 career point milestone at Missouri Western on Jan. 9.
Bentley started all 24 games and logged 35.8 minutes per game for the WU women and was an all-MIAA second-team selection.
Bentley became the 24th Washburn player in women's program history to eclipse 1,000 career points on Jan. 23 at Emporia State. Bentley led the Ichabods in scoring (15.2 average), free throw percentage (89.8) and minutes played (35.8). She scored 10 or more points in 20 games and scored 20 or more points in seven contests.
ICHABOD TENNIS HEADED TO REGIONALS
The No. 20-ranked Washburn men's tennis team earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Central Regional Tournament, hosted by Central Oklahoma at Edmond Center Court in Edmond, Okla. The Ichabods will face No. 2 Northwest Missouri in the first round at 10 a.m. Friday.
Should the Ichabods advance, they will play the winner of No. 1 Central seed Southern Arkansas/No. 4 Central seed Harding on Saturday at 3 p.m. to compete for a spot in the final 16 teams for the NCAA Championship in Sunrise, Ariz.
This season marks Washburn's 15th NCAA Regional appearance in program's history. The last time the Ichabods went to the Central Regional Tournament was in 2018 and WU evdntually advanced to the NCAA Championship.
Five Ichabods earned spots on the All-MIAA second team -- Paul Haase, Bradley Eidenmueller, Daniel Bird and Marc Roura Casi in singles and Haase and Miguel Perez in doubles as
The No. 17-ranked Ichabod women earned the No. 3 seed in the Central Region of the NCAA Tennis Championship Tournament and will face No. 2 seed Augustana, S.D. in the first round on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Edmond, Okla.
The winner of the match advances to face either No. 1 seed Central Oklahoma, No. 4 seed Harding or No. 5 seed Northwest Missouri on Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Ichabods are 16-2 this season with a 7-1 MIAA record. The last time Washburn was in the NCAA Central Regional tournament in 2019.
