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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 3-ranked and 2026 MIAA champion Washburn University men's basketball will wrap up the regular season with two home games this week, starting with Pittsburg State at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Junior Jeremiah Jones (22) is one steal away from tying Washburn's single-season record entering Wednesday's game against Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods clinched their 12th outright MIAA title and their second in a row after topping Central Oklahoma last week.

Washburn is coming off an 81-64 win over Rogers State in their final regular-season road game last Saturday.

Washburn is 26-1 overall, 16-1 MIAA, clinched the regular-season conference title and will be the No. 1-seed in the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. and will have its opening game in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 5, at 6 p.m. against the winner of the No. 8/No. 9 game.

Pittsburg State is 15-12, 9-8 MIAA, after falling to Fort Hays State 65-56 on last Saturday in its home finale.

Wedneday's game is the only regular-season meeting between the Ichabods and the Gorillas this season. With a win over the Gorillas, Washburn will record its 28th consecutive home win, tying the 28-game streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995.

The Ichabods have the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA, putting up 86.9 points per game, and also have the No. 1-ranked scoring defense, allowing 62.2 points a game.

The Ichabods have recorded 32 20-win seasons in program history and six under Ichabod coach Brett Ballard in his nine seasons, receiving four NCAA postseason berths and coaching the 2024-25 squad to only the program's second 30-win season in school history.

Washburn is second in NCAA Division II in scoring margin at plus 24.7 points per game and is ranked third in field goal percentage at 51.3 percent.

Washburn is first in rebound margin at plus 10.9 and third in scoring defense.

Junior Jeremiah Jones leads the nation in total steals with 81 and is ranked third in steals per game at 3.00. Jones has pulled within one steal of tying the Washburn single-season steals record of 82 set by Will McNeill during the 2012-13 season.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen is ninth in the nation in field goal percentage at 62.3 percent.

Senior Brady Christiansen is 10th on the NCAA active D-II chart with 727 career rebounds and he has also moved into the top 50 all-time at Washburn in scoring with 833 career points.

Senior Sam Ungashick has scored 953 collegiate points with 594 coming at Washburn after scoring 359 in his lone season at Benedictine as a freshman before joining the Ichabods.

Senior Bryson Smith's 26 points against Rogers State were a career-best, as were his 15 field goal attempts, 11 free throws and 13 free throw attempts.

Washburn's 27-game homecourt winning streak is second in the nation behind Nova Southeastern's 98-game winning streak.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball begins its final homestand of the 2025-26 season at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday against Pittsburg State in Lee Arena.

Washburn senior Payton Sterk is coming off a season-high 31-point performance with seven 3-pointers in last Saturday's win at Rogers State. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn improved to 19-7 overall and 12-5 in the MIAA with an 87-60 win over Rogers State on the road last Saturday.

Washburn, 10-1 on the year at home, was included in the first NCAA Regional rankings released in alphabetical order on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Pittsburg State lost its third game in a row last Saturday, falling 74-71 in overtime to No. 6 Fort Hays State last Saturday, dropping to 18-8 overall and 11-6 in the MIAA.

Senior Payton Sterk leads Washburn in scoring with a 12.2 average and has hit a team-high 46 3-pointers. Sterk ranks ninth in the MIAA in 3-pointers made per game.

Sterk's career free throw percentage of 86.6 percent is the best for any Ichabod.

Sterk led the way with 31 points on 10-15 shooting and 7-10 from 3-point range in Saturday's win at Rogers State, the most points by any Ichabod this season. She also added four steals.

Senior Yibari Nwidadah averages 11.9 points for the Ichabods and leads the team with a 7.5 rebounding average while also shooting a team-high 57.6 percent from the floor. Nwidadah has scored in double figures in 16 games with six double-doubles.

Nwidadah registered a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds against Rogert State.

Senior Gabi Giovannetti averages 10.9 points and is second on the team with 38 3-pointers. She also is swiping a team-high 1.7 steals per game, ranking seventh in the MIAA in steals.

Holding opponents to 57.4 points per game, Washburn is 38th nationally and first in the MIAA in scoring defense.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls bowling team added a Class 5A regional team title to its city and United Kansas Conference crowns Tuesday at Gage Bowl, with the Vikings taking the regional championship by a 2,958-2,904 margin over Emporia.

Claire LaDuke (facing) celebrates a strike with her Seaman teammates during Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Gage Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Shawnee Heights also earned a berth for next week's state tournament at Wichita, finishing third as a team at 2,831.

Highland Park will also have a competitor in the girls state tournament, with Ra'Lynn Divers qualifying as an individual.

Claire LaDuke led the champion Vikings with a third-place individual finish, shooting a 565 three-game series while Seaman also got a sixth-place individual finish from Paige Snyder, who shot a 555 series.

The Vikings also got a 12th-place individual finish from Laci Cole (521), a 13th showing from Leah Crawford (516) and a 16th from Kayla Duncan (493) while Ava Carlson shot a 448.

Shawnee Heights bowling coach Scott Mercer talks to his girls team during Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Addison VanMetre shot a 544 series to pace third-place Shawnee Heights with a seventh-place individual finish while the T-Birds' Lauryn Valdivia placed 11th (522), Emma Wederski was 14th (509), Tatum Simpson was 18th (482) and Bailey Liby was 19th (459). Reese Bell rounded out the T-Bird lineup with a 441 series.

Highland Park's Divers shot a 456 series to garner the fifth individual qualifying berth for state.

The city boys 5A contingent will also be well-represented at state, led by Shawnee Heights, which finished second as a team by a 3,417-3,275 margin to United Kansas Conference rival De Soto while Seaman and Highland Park combined for three individual qualifiers.

Evan Jones finished fifth with a 650 series to lead Shawnee Heights to a second-place team finish in Tuesday's Class 5A bowling regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Evan Jones shot a 650 series to pace Shawnee Heights with a fifth-place individual finish while the T-Birds also got a seventh-place finish from Braden Evans (637), a ninth from Trey Donath (622), and a 14th-place showing from Henry Schattilly (637). Chevy Stallbaumer added a 581 and Kaden Evans a 523 for Heights.

Seaman's Garrett Shaw shot a 666 series to tie for second and finish third on a tiebreaker in Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman finished fourth as a team to miss a state team berth by one spot, but the Vikings got a second-place tie (third on a tiebreaker) from Garrett Shaw, who shot a 666 to earn the second individual qualifying berth.

Highland Park earned a pair of individual state berths, with Kayden King shooting a 638 to earn the third individual qualifying spot for staate and Isaac Barnes shooting a 617 to place 10th and earn the fourth individual qualifying berth.

CLASS 5A REGIONAL BOWLING

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Welcome to Top Sports News

No. 3 Washburn men's basketball to host Pittsburg State Wednesday night

Washburn women takes aim on 20th win against Pittsburg State Wednesday night

Seaman girls win 5A regional bowling title, Heights qualifies both teams for state