Washburn University Ichabods

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn Ichabod soccer team returns home this weekend for a pair of MIAA contests, hosting Northeastern State at 6 p.m. on Friday and Rogers State at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

 

Leah Henke

Sam Searcey 

 

The Ichabods, 7-2-2 overall, 4-0-1 in the MIAA, are riding a seven-game unbeaten streak into Friday's match that includes six wins and one tie and Washburn coach Davy Philips said it's important to continue building. 

 

"Northeastern's really good,'' Phillips said. "They drew (Central Missouri) earlier in the year and they've been in the region top 10 most of it so they're going to be a really good challenge for us and then every game from here on out is really important to maximize our performance index points and RPI, so whether its Rogers on Sunday or Northeastern on Friday, both of those are equally important because it's important we max out all the points we can through every game now.

 

"It's a tough slate of games coming up no doubt, but one of the best things about it is I feel like we're growing every week. It feels good to see growth, but it's also important to acknowledge that we have a lot of growth still to accomplish.''

 

Last Friday night, freshman Leah Henke scored a four-minute hat trick -- the sixth in program history and the first since 2022 -- in a 5-1 win road win over Missouri Southern. Henke has eight goals this season, ranking second in the MIAA and tied for 17th nationally.

 

On Sunday sophomore Sam Searcey scored both Ichabod goals in a 2-0 shutout at Pittsburg State.

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 2 nationally ranked Washburn University volleyball is on an unquestioned hot streak... and just keeps getting hotter.

The Ichabods stretched their win streak to six straight sweeps, covering 18 straight sets, Thursday night at Whiting Fieldhouse with Washburn taking a 25-20, 25-21, 25-23 MIAA victory over No. 24 Central Missouri.

No. 2-ranked Washburn volleyball celebrates a kill from senior Austin Broadie (23) in Thursday's 3-0 MIAA sweep over No. 24 Central Missouri. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn, which posted its second straight win over a ranked opponent, improved to 18-1 overall and 7-1 in the MIAA while Central Missouri fell to 14-4, 6-2.

"Really solid,'' Washburn coach Chris Herron said of the Ichabods' performance. "But that's a really good (UCM) team. I have to be honest with you, in all my scouts this year so far, that team worried me more than anybody, just because their middles are good, their outsides are good, their (libero) is good and their setter has gotten so much better.''

But the Ichabods were definitely up to the challenge.

"Our middles both hit for a really high percentage, which opens stuff up for (Austin) Broadie and Broadie's playing at an All-American level,'' Herron said. "And our setters are smart enough to know where the gravy is on the biscuit, so I thought they did a good job as well.''

Senior Alex Dvorak, the reigning MIAA Offensive Player of the Week, also gave her team high marks for its work against the Jennies.

"I think that we've found our flow so well and being in like the middle of the season, I think we're in a great spot to just keep on rolling,'' Dvorak said.

Dvorak admitted that being ranked No. 2 and in the midst of a winning streak could bring along some pressure with it, but she said the WU team is good about just being able to concentrate on the task at hand.

"I think we're very good about always trying to get better,'' she said. "Like in practice, we're always trying to get better and we're not hesitating or slowing down, so there may be some kind of pressure on us, but with us wanting to keep growing, we're just kind of flowing with it.''

Central Missouri led 4-3 early in the opening set but Washburn's Brynne Topolski got a kill that started a 4-1 run, putting the Ichabods in front.

The Ichabods held the narrow lead until Topolski got another kill that became the first of six points for Washburn. A Corinna McMullen ace made it 19-12.

The Jennies would score five in a row later in the set to pull within three but an Ichabod offense that hit .324 in the set finished off the five-point win on another Topolski kill.

The Ichabods took control early in the second set, with a setter kill by Sydney Conner sparking a 6-2 run that put Washburn in front, 15-10.

Central Missouri stormed back, tying the set at 16 after four straight points.

With the score once again tied, this time at 19, Topolski and Keilah Rivers slashed kills and Shawnee Heights product Kali Henry served an ace. Another three-point WU run ended the set at 25-21. 

The first four points of the third set belonged to Washburn, starting with a kill by Dvorak.

The Jennies hung around, eventually coming all the way back to tie the set at ten. They would go in front with a 5-1 run at 15-14.

After five ties the Ichabods created a two-point advantage with Bella Limback making a solo block to put Washburn in front at 21-19. Central Missouri tied it back up at 23 but the final two points of the match belonged to the home squad to complete the sweep.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The 2025-2026 Washburn men's basketball team will have to replace four players who all received MIAA postseason honors from last season's 30-4 team that advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals.

Jack Bachelor

Brady Christiansen

But the Ichabods' cupboard is far from bare. In fact, Washburn coach Brett Ballard feels like the pieces are in place for the Ichabods to challenge for another MIAA championship and put together a strong postseason run.

"I think we have five guys returning that all either had started, did start or probably would have started on almost any team in the country last year,'' Ballard said. "We were just deep and talented.''

Junior Jack Bachelor, a first-team All-MIAA pick last season, is the Ichabods' lone returning starter, but Washburn also returns several other experienced players from last year's team, including seniors Sam Ungashick and Brady Christiansen, and sophomores Dillon Claussen and Tyson Ruud.

"Jack has started, Sam has started in the past, and now is healthy and playing as good as anybody,'' Ballard said. "Brady has started before and has shown that he's a high-level MIAA guy and then Dylan Claussen didn't start last year because he was playing behind Andrew Orr, but he would have started on most of the teams in our conference.

"And Tyson Ruud, when healthy, I think showed you he's a high-level MIAA guy, so yes we lost a lot, but I really feel good about the talent and leadership of the guys returning.''

Ungashick, an All-MIAA honorable mention honoree as a sophomore before battling back from knee injuries last season, agrees with his coach that the Ichabods are capable of putting together another banner season this winter.

"We definitely feel that way,'' Ungashick said. "We have a lot of guys who played real minutes in our games last year and they're all back on this team and all playing at a high level in practice so far this fall.''

Washburn was picked No. 1 in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media polls and Ungashick said the Ichabods embrace that challenge.

"We've kind of talked about that in practice, that we'd rather be No. 1 than last place, so I think that target on our back is forcing us to prepare in a good way for the season and I think that's pushing us to be the best and play to the best of our abilities,'' Ungashick said.

Bachelor, a 6-foot-2 point guard, averaged 13.6 points and 5.5 assists last season while hitting 66 3-pointers and shooting 85.6 percent from the free throw line.

Christiansen (6-7) has played 93 games as an Ichabod with 31 starts and averaged 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds with 36 3-pointers last season while Claussen (6-8) averaged 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds as a freshman, including a 17-point performance in the national quarterfinals.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Newly No. 2-ranked Washburn University volleyball will remain in Whiting Fieldhouse this week for a pair of MIAA matches, facing No. 24 Central Missouri on Thursday and Missouri Southern on Friday, with both matches starting at 6 p.m. 

No. 2 ranked Washburn volleyball will put its 15-set win streak on the line Thursday night against Central Missouri in Whiting Fieldhouse. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods enter the week with a 17-1 record overall and a 6-1 mark inside the MIAA, riding a five-match and 15-set winning streak, including a 3-0 win over then-No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday.

 

Washburn has not dropped a set since suffering its lone defeat of the season on Sept. 27 against Missouri Western, a 3-1 loss that Washburn coach Chris Herron said might have lit a fire for the Ichabods.

"It seems like it has, because we've been playing really well,'' Herron said. "Most of the time coaches feel like the world is crumbling when you get a loss, but I came back and watched the film the next day and to be honest with you, we played not that bad. It's just (the Griffons) played great.

"I told the team the next day that coaches can either be an arsonist and burn it all down or they can be an architect and build it all up so I said, 'We're going to be an architect here and we're going to build from this, we're going to go from this,' and they seemed to take from that and have kind of run with it since then.''

WU senior setter Sydney Conner agreed with her coach that the Ichabods used the loss as motivation.

"At the end of every match no matter how hard a team comes and plays against us, we just want to walk out of the gym feeling like we played our very best and we did everything we could to win the match,'' Conner said.

"And if that results in a loss then it results in a loss, but we just want to make sure that we feel good about our play.''

"That night Missouri Western played really, really well. They were firing on all cylinders and there were a few places we could have done better, but we weren't necessarily upset with our performance because we were right there every set battling with them

"Of course we were upset with the outcome, but we learned from it and I think we're better because of it.''

Central Missouri enters Thursday's match with a 14-3 record overall and 6-1 mark in the MIAA while Missouri Southern begins the week 8-10 and 2-5 in conference play. 

Senior Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 203 kills (3.44 per set) while hitting .367, third best on the team. She has started all 18 matches and has also logged 37 blocks with 40 digs. Broadie has 10 double-digit kill matches and ranks 25th nationally in hitting percentage and third in the MIAA. She is third among conference players in kills per set.

Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .553 with 119 kills (2.09 per set) while playing and starting in all 18 matches. She has also added 67 blocks (1.18 per set), a team high and served seven aces. She has hit over .400 in all but two matches this season with three double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage and is third in the MIAA in blocks per set and 26th in the nation.

Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 65 blocks (1.14 per set) on the season while starting all 18 matches. Offensively she has made 115 kills (2.02 per set) along with hitting .459, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in nine matches. The senior ranks third in the nation and second in the MIAA in hitting percentage. Dvorak is also fourth in the MIAA in blocks per set and 38th nationally. She was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week after last week's performance.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball has made steady progress in Lora Westling's previous three seasons as the Ichabods' head coach, posting a seven-win improvement during that span.

And with an experienced, talented returning cast, the Ichabods are looking forward to making another big jump in the upcoming 2025-2026 campaign.

Yibari Nwidadah

Payton Sterk

Washburn, led by All-MIAA second-team picks Yibari Nwidadah and Payton Stert, is coming off an 18-13 season with a 11-8 mark inside the MIAA and was tapped No. 2 with a conference-high six first-place votes in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the Media Poll.

And while the expectations for the Ichabods are higher than they've ever been under Westling, the former WU standout said her team welcomes the challenge.

"Nobody wants to motivate being the underdog for many years,'' said Westling, whose Ichabods are in their first full week of official preseson practice. "You kind of know when you come in that you've got to turn some things around, but if you stay the underdog something's not going well, so I'm really excited for our players and returners to kind of have some return on that investment and showing that experience matters and they're doing things the right way and setting themselves up for a chance to be really good.

''They've got to flip their mindset and make a decision that they're going to be unbeatable and they're going to be hard to beat and they're going to do their best every time and know that the results will come if their doing what they do the best they can do it.''

Nwidadah, a 6-foot-2 senior post player, and Sterk, a 5-10 senior guard, give the Ichabods two of the conference's best players to build around while Washburn also returns its other three starters -- Gabi Giovannetti (5-10 senior), Madelyn Amekporfor (5-11 junior) and Brooke Gomez (5-7 sophomore) -- along with top reserve Aniah Wayne (5-8 senior).

Nwidadah averaged 16.8 points and 8.0 rebounds last season while shooting 62.6 percent from the field and Sterk averaged 15.7 points and hit a team-high 62 3-pointers and shot 84.6 percent from the free throw line.

Giovannetti averaged 11.6 points, shot 84.6 percent from the free throw line and hit 47 3-pointers, Amekporfor averaged 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds, Gomez averaged 4.6 points with a team-high 83 assists and Wayne averaged 5.8 points.

"I could not be more excited about this season just because of how they've worked,'' Westling said. "They're hungry, they want it and it's a pleasure to be around.'' 

The Ichabods have also added three transfers, Britany Kogbara (6-0 junior), Kellyn Hunter (5-4 junior) and Kylin Shipman (5-8 sophomore), who could make an immediate impact this winter.

Kogbara was a first-team juco All-American last season for Mesa Community College when she averaged 13.4 points and 9.5 rebounds, Hunter averaged 14.1 points with 40 3-pointers last season for Spring Hill College and Shipman transferred in after seeing action as a freshman for Regis.

"They're going to be a lot of fun I think for Ichabod fans,'' Westling said. "They've got some pretty impressive skill sets that are really complimentary to what we're doing and credit to my staff, they just kind of hit a home run with our recruiting class.''

Washburn will open the season on Nov. 14 and 15 in Edmond, Okla. against St. Cloud State and Southwest Minnesota State in the Central Region Challenge.

The Ichabods will make their home debut in newly-renovated Lee Arena on Nov. 21-22 in the Washburn Classic against Southwest Baptist and Metropolitan State of Denver.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn Ichabod soccer team completed an undefeated MIAA weekend Sunday at Pittsburg State as sophomore Sam Searcey scored both goals in a 2-0 shutout over the Gorillas.

Sophomore Sam Searcey scored both Washburn goals in Sunday's 2-0 win at Pittsburg State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Washburn is unbeaten in seven straight games, while allowing just one goal.

"A great team performance from us today,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "We were able to force the game into places we felt comfortable in the first half, and in the second half, we grinded out an important team win.

"I'm so proud of the team for this weekend's performance."

Washburn would break through in the 33rd minute with Searcey's first goal of the day. 

Washburn was held to four shots in the half, with two being on goal. Ichabod goalkeeper Lili Everleyhad one first-half save, as Pitt State had six shots in the half.

Washburn would continue to defend their goal, and in the 84th minute, Searcey would score her second goal of the game and fourth on the year to put away the Gorillas.

Washburn faced 13 shots from the Gorillas, and Everley would record five second-half saves for a total of six on the day.

Washburn heads back home, where the Ichabods will host Northeastern State at 6 p.m. on Friday night at Yager Stadium.

The Ichabods will host Rogers State next Sunday at 1 p.m.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 9-ranked Washburn University volleyball picked up its first victory of the year over a nationally ranked team in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon in Whiting Fieldhouse, knocking off No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney in three sets.

Washburn volleyball knocked off No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney for its fifth straight sweep Saturday at Whiting Fieldhouse. [File photo/TSN]

It was a back-and-forth affair in the first set, but after coming away with a 25-21 win, Washburn (17-1 overall, 6-1 in the MIAA) didn't look back, winning 25-13 and 25-14 in the final two sets over the Lopers (18-2, 5-2 MIAA) to post its fifth straight 3-0 sweep.  

The win over Nebraska-Kearney was the highest-ranked victory for Washburn since Sept. 18, 2021 when the Ichabods also defeated the Lopers, who were ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time.

The Ichabods' 17-1 start matches the best start to a season since 2021 when Washburn also began the season 17-1.  

Within the first 16 points of the match there were six ties as both sides traded blows. A eight-point rally from the Ichabods began with Brynne Topolski slashing a kill and ended at 14-8 after Austin Broadie delivered back-to-back kills.

Nebraska-Kearney came nearly all the way back, getting within one point, but Washburn had an answer, landing four straight points with a block by Limback and Keilah Rivers capping off the rally. Broadie eventually landed another kill to end the set at 25-21.  

The momentum carried over into the second set for the Ichabods as they jumped out to a 6-0 run with the last three points all coming from Alex Dvorak on a solo block and two kills. Also at the net, Limback and Emery Keebaugh combined for a block to make it 10-2 and force another Loper timeout. Washburn eventually pushed the lead to double-digits at 22-12 before taking three of the final four points to win 25-13.  

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University football team dropped its fifth game in a row Saturday as the Ichabods fell on the road 34-10 to No. 15-ranked Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon at Carnie Smith Stadium.

 

Former Topeka High star Ky Thomas scored Washburn's lone touchdown in Saturday's loss at Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]

 

Washburn returns home next weekend, hosting Central Missouri at 2 p.m. as part of Hall of Fame Saturday for the Ichabods.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 9 Washburn University volleyball recorded a fourth straight sweep on Friday night in its return to Whiting Fieldhouse, taking down Fort Hays State, 25-21, 25-17, 25-22.

No. 9 Washburn volleyball improved to 16-1 Friday night with its fourth straight MIAA sweep. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods are back in action at 2 p.m. Saturday, hosting No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney in a top-10 battle.

Washburn improved to 16-1 overall and 5-1 in the MIAA Friday night.

With the score tied 4-4 in the first set against Fort Hays State, a three-point rally was finished by two straight kills by Bella Limback. 

Fort Hays State came back to tie the set at 10 before another three point burst by the Ichabods put them back in front. The lead was at five when the Tigers strung together five straight to tie the set at 19, and again at 20. An offense that hit .387 in the set led the way for WU, with Austin Broadie knocking down a kill to end the set.

A solo block at the net by Limback capped off a 5-1 start to the second set by Washburn. The lead grew to five at 10-5 on another solo rejection, this time by Alex Dvorak. Fort Hays State kept it within five until a three-point rally with kills by Dvorak, Broadie and Keilah Rivers created separation. Corinna McMullen set up Dvorak for the set-ending kill.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University women's soccer team is on a legitimate hot streak, posting four wins and a tie over its last five games while not allowing a single goal.

The Ichabods, 5-2-2 overall and 2-0-1 in the MIAA, will be looking to continue their run with road games at Missouri Southern (6 p.m.) on Friday and at Pittsburg State (1 p.m.) on Sunday.

Freshman Leah Henke has a team-high five goals on the season for Washburn soccer. [File photo/TSN]

Former Washburn Rural star Kate Hinck has scored two goals this fall for 5-2-2 Washburn soccer. [File photo/TSN]

"That's kind of what we talked about as a team is the callouses of success and how hard work prepares you for more hard work and success,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "There's a difference between trying to get a team there and then once you've reached that level, 'OK, here's the benchmark, now it's just maintaiing the benchmark.' ''

Washburn graduated a strong senior class off the team that won back-to-back MIAA titles and advanced to the NCAA tournament both seasons, but Phillips is very pleased with the progress his Ichabods have made this fall.

"They're doing a really good job,'' he said. "I had to become more patient with them the last few weeks and allow them the space to go and make decisions. I think I was trying to stifle that a little bit and it's funny how trust works because once you give them the freedom and they do it, inherently you develop more trust throughout the process.

"It's working through the unknown until it's the known.''

Washburn freshman Leah Henke starred again last Friday night in a 3-0 Ichabod win over Nebraska-Kearney, assisting on fellow freshman Kate Hinck's opening goal and then scoring the game's final goal in the second half after Shaye Taylor scored off an assist from Aubrey Tanksley to give WU a 2-0 halftime advantage.

Henke is tied for third in the conference for goals scored with five.

Freshman Lili Everley is third in the conference in shutouts with four on the season in addition to an 0-0 tie and is a two-time MIAA goalkeeper of the week.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 9-ranked Washburn University volleyball is back in Whiting Fieldhouse this weekend for a pair of MIAA matches, taking on Fort Hays State at 6 p.m. on Friday before hosting the No. 2-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Lopers in a Top 10 battle on Saturday at 2 p.m. 

Washburn volleyball improved to 15-1 on the season with a 3-0 MIAA sweep over Emporia State on Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]

Fort Hays State enters Friday's match 13-4 overall and 2-3 inside the MIAA, while the Lopers are a perfect 18-0 and 5-0 in the MIAA entering the week. 

The Ichabods enter the weekend with a 15-1 record overall and a 4-1 mark in the MIAA after completing a three-match road trip with a 3-0 sweep over Emporia State on Tuesday.

"We played great, I thought we played really well,'' Washburn coach Chris Herron said.

Senior Austin Broadie said Tuesday's win should give the Ichabods momentum going into this weekend's matches.

"It does for sure,'' Broadie said. "Maybe it will make people a little bit scared of us if they look and check what happened (Tuesday), so it's a lot of momentum.'' 

Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 185 kills (3.49 per set) while hitting .384, third best on the team. She has started all 16 matches and has logged 33 blocks with 38 digs.

Broadie has nine double-digit kill matches and ranks 20th nationally in hitting percentage and third in the MIAA. She is second among conference players in kills per set.

Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .546 with 103 kills (2.02 per set) while playing and starting in all 16 matches. She has also added 57 blocks, a team high and served seven aces. She has hit over .400 in all but two matches this season with two double-digit kill efforts. Limback leads the nation in hitting percentage and is fifth in the MIAA in total blocks and fourth in blocks per set. 

Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 55 blocks (1.08 per set) on the season while starting all 16 matches. Offensively she has made 99 kills (1.94 per set) along with hitting .438, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in seven matches. The senior ranks fourth in the nation and second in the MIAA in hitting percentage. She is also fifth in the MIAA in blocks per set. 

Corinna McMullen has started all 16 matches this season to lead Washburn with 341 assists. She has also chipped in 17 service aces while ranking second on the team with 133 digs. The senior has delivered nine matches of 20-plus assists and six double-doubles.

Taylor Rottinghaus leads the team with 210 digs (3.96 per set). She has chipped in 66 assists while serving a team-high 19 aces. The junior has two matches with at least 20 digs. She ranks eighth in the MIAA in digs per set and 10th in total digs. 

Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 127 kills while hitting .284. She has come off the bench in all 16 matches while making 33 blocks with 26 digs. She has four matches with double-digit kills.

Washburn leads the nation with a .308 team hitting percentage and the Ichabods are ninth nationally and second among MIAA teams with 2.59 blocks per set.

On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .109 hitting percentage, good for fourth nationally and first in the MIAA. 

The Ichabods are dishing out 13.81 assists per set on offense, good for third in the nation and second in the MIAA. 

Washburn knocks down 14.70 kills per set to rank fourth in NCAA D-II and second among MIAA programs.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Fresh off a bye week, the Washburn University football team will be back in action Saturday when the  Ichabods travel to Pittsburg State for a 2 p.m. MIAA contest.

 

Washburn sophomore linebackers JC Heim (9) and L.J. Minner Jr. rank one-two in the MIAA in tackles entering Saturday's 2 p.m. game at Pittsburg State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

The Ichabods are 1-4 this season and looking for their first conference win after falling 31-24 last time out to Nebraska-Kearney in Topeka.

Pittsburg State is 4-2 overall and 3-1 in MIAA play after topping Nebraska-Kearney in its last game, 23-6. The Gorillas are ranked 15th in the AFCA Coaches Poll and seventh in the d2football.com poll.

 

Ichabod coach Zach Watkins said the bye week came at a good time for the Ichabods, who have lost four games in a row but have played back to back one-possession contests against Central Oklahoma and Kearney.

 

"It came at a really good time,'' Watkins said. "We got some guys back from injury and the MIAA's a grind every week, so it kind of gives you that mid-year break. But we did not take the week off. We practiced and we got better and did academics and did all the stuff it takes and it was a really good productive week for us.''

Washburn sophomore linebacker JC Heimleads the MIAA tackles with 13.6 per game and sophomore L.J. Minner Jr. is second with 10.2 tackles per game, with the duo ranking second and 13th, respectively, in the NCAA Division II national rankings.

 

JordanFinnesy's 222 career tackles rank 19th on the NCAA D-II active chart and he is 15th on the D-II active solo tackles chart with 136.

Jake Zeller is fourth on the NCAA D-II active punting average chart at 41.7 and he is seventh in total punt yards (5,746). Zeller is second in the MIAA and 14th in the national rankings in punting average at 42.3 yards per punt.

 

Chase Allen-Jackman's six touchdown receptions lead the MIAA and is 11th in the NCAA D-II ranks.

D.J. Bellis second in the MIAA and 25th in the nation in all-purpose yards at 128.6 yards per game.

 

Watkins knows the Ichabods will need to be at their best to upset the Gorillas on the road, but said his team looks forward to the challenge.

 

"It's the MIAA, another ranked team, another tough place to play, another well-coached team, but that's why you want to play in the MIAA because you get those kind of games every week and you get to compete with guys who are as good as you or better than you each week, and that's what you want as a competitor,'' Watkins said.   

Zahmari Palode-Gary leads a one-two Pittsburg State rushing punch in rushing at 75 yards per game and Cleo Chandler, Jr. averages 71 yards per game.

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University soccer team rode freshman Leah Henke's three-goal hat trick to a 5-1 MIAA road win at Missouri Southern Friday night.

Washburn freshman Leah Henke had a hat trick in Friday's 5-1 win at Missouri Southern and now has eight goals on the season. [File photo/TSN]

"I thought we did well in most aspects of the game tonight,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "It's always tough to get points on the road in this conference, so I'm very happy with the team performance today. We have to make sure we continue to grow, but I'm really proud of the progress the team continues to make."

The first half was filled with goals. Missouri Southern opened the scoring with a goal in the 11th minute from a penalty kick. Washburn responded directly back in the 13th minute with a goal from Henke, then Henke would score two more in the 15th minute (assisted by Grace Peterson) and 17th minutes to complete her hat trick.

Henke recorded the first hat trick by an Ichabod player since 2022 by Khloe Shuckman, who also did so against Missouri Southern. Henke now has eight goals on the season and has scored in three straight games.

Washburn recorded 15 shots in the opening half, with nine of them on target, while only allowing three shots in the half.

Washburn would add a fourth in the 55th minute on freshman Kate Hinck's third goal of the season, and was assisted by Brynn Alison. Washburn would wrap up the scoring with a fifth goal by Jules Wardlaw (assist by Bricelyn Betts) in the 73rd minute. Washburn took five second-half shots with four on goal.

Washburn will be back on the road against Pittsburg State on Sunday at 1 p.m.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

For the first time since the 2012 season the Washburn University men's basketball team has been tapped for the No. 1 spot in the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media polls released Monday by the league office before the start of the MIAA Basketball Media Day in Kansas City, Mo.

 

Washburn men's basketball has been tapped for the No. 1 spot in both MIAA preseason polls after winning an NCAA regional title and reaching the national semifinals last season. [File photo/TSN]

 

In the MIAA Coaches Poll, Washburn received 13 of 14 first-place votes, tallying 169 points and finishing ahead of Rogers State, which had one first-place vote and 141 total points.

 

In the MIAA media poll, the Ichabods received 23 of 25 first-place votes from the media for 346 total points. Fort Hays State had one first-place vote and 297 points and Rogers State had a first-place vote and 286 total points.

 

The Ichabods are coming off an NCAA Final Four appearance, an NCAA Central Regional Championship and an MIAA regular season title with a 30-4 overall record after going 17-2 in MIAA play.

 

Rogers State received its best preseason rankings since joining the MIAA in 2019 after ending last season 23-10 overall and 13-6 in the MIAA.
 
Fort Hays State, the defending MIAA tournament champion, finished 22-10 overall and 12-7 in the MIAA last season.

Both MIAA coaches and media members also included Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State in their top five.

 

Washburn will open the 2025-26 season at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic facing Augusta on Nov. 1 and Dallas Baptist the following day in Lakeland, Fla.

 

By RICK PETERSON

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Former Centralia multi-sport star Kamble Haverkamp cherished his time in the Kansas State football progam. 

But Washburn University offered Haverkamp an opportunity that the 6-foot, 205-pound senior free safety wasn't sure if or when he'd ever get from the Wildcats -- a chance to play on a regular basis.

Centralia product Kamble Haverkamp's decision to transfer to Washburn has been a good one for him and the Ichabods. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

"There were a lot of great guys (at Kansas State) that taught me a lot, great leaders, as far as how you have to study and prepare and how you approach all the things you have to do as a student-athlete, so I definitely grew a lot in my time there for sure,'' Haverkamp said.

"You're there and it's awesome. It's a great place to be, you can't deny that, but whenever you look at all the time you have to put in to be a student-athlete and all the early mornings and all the lifting, eating right and all the time that it takes just to be a student-athlete, the bare minimum, if I'm going to do all of that I want to play on the field.

"I want to play and contribute to my team and make all that time worth it and get the reward of playing.''

And four seasons after making the decision to transfer to Washburn, it's safe to say the move has been a good one for both Haverkamp and the Ichabods.

"Absolutely, one of the best decisions I've ever made,'' Haverkamp said. "Obviously, playing football is great and that's awesome, but it's also just all the people that I've gotten to meet, teammates that are now brothers, and coaches that have impacted me, especially coach Wat (Ichabod coach Zach Watkins).

"I've been with him four years now and he's just a great guy to be around and he's taught me so much and he's a mentor to me.''

By RICK PETERSON

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No. 9-ranked Washburn University volleyball will go on the road Tuesday to face Emporia State in the first edition of the Turnpike Tussle at 6 p.m. in White Auditorium.

No. 9-ranked Washburn will go on the road Tuesday to face Emporia State at White Auditorium. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn enters the week with a 14-1 record overall and a 3-1 mark inside the MIAA after sweeps over Pittsburg State and Newman Thursday and Friday while Emporia State is 13-2 overall and 4-0 in the MIAA after defeating Pittsburg State 3-2 on Friday. The Hornets have won 13 straight matches.

Washburn returns to home on Friday, hosting Fort Hays State at 6 p.m.

Senior Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 175 kills (3.50 per set) while hitting .389, third best on the team. She has started all 15 matches and has also has logged 31 blocks with 37 digs.

Broadie has eight double-digit kill matches and ranks 16th nationally in hitting percentage and third in the MIAA. She is second among conference players in kills per set.

Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .552 with 98 kills (2.04 per set) while playing and starting in all 15 matches. She has also added 52 blocks, a team high, and served seven aces.

Limback has hit over .400 in all but two matches this season with two double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage and is sixth in the MIAA in total blocks and fifth in blocks per set. 

Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 51 blocks (1.06 per set) on the season while starting all 15 matches. Offensively she has 91 kills (1.98 per set) along with hitting .428, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in seven matches.

The senior ranks eighth in the nation and second in the MIAA in hitting percentage among qualified hitters. She is also sixth in the MIAA in blocks per set. 

Corinna McMullen has started all 15 matches this season to lead Washburn with 322 assists (6.57 per set). She has also chipped in 16 service aces while ranking second on the team with 124 digs (2.53 per set). The senior has delivered nine matches of 20-plus assists and six double-doubles. She ranks seventh in the conference in assists per set.  

Junior libero Taylor Rottinghaus leads the Ichabods with 204 digs (4.08 per set). She has chipped in 61 assists while serving 19 aces, a team-high. Rottinghaus has two matches with at least 20 digs. She ranks seventh in the MIAA in digs per set and 11th in total digs. 

Washburn is second in the nation and leads the MIAA with a .309 team hitting percentage. 

The Ichabods are 12th nationally and second among MIAA teams with 2.55 blocks per set. 

On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .114 hitting percentage, good for sixth nationally and second in the MIAA. 

The Ichabods are dishing out 13.82 assists per set on offense, good for third in the nation and second in the MIAA. 

Washburn knocks down 14.68 kills per set to rank fifth in all Division II and second among MIAA programs. 

The Hornets are receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll. 

By RICK PETERSON

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After playing in all 11 games last fall with three starts as a redshirt freshman, Washburn University sophomore quarterback Keller Hurla was excited for the 2025 season before a preseason injury put him on the sidelines.

Quarterback Keller Hurla is back in action for Washburn after recovering from a pre-season hamstring injury. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

But after missing the Ichabods' first three games, the former St. Marys star is back in action and hoping to help Washburn get hot over the second half of the season.

"I had a Grade 2 hamstring tear that happened late in fall camp,'' Hurla said. "At first they thought it was a Grade 1, so I thought I'd be back in a week or so and hopefully be back for Week 1 or Week 2, but then it ended up being a little worse than they thought so they held me out four or five weeks.

"I was able to return the week of (Central Oklahoma). That Wednesday I was able to get a full go and start practicing again. It's good to be back and healthy and just being with the guys out there again. I feel like (last week) I was finally getting back to 100 percent and now it feels great.''

While splitting time with graduate QB Justin Lewis, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hurla has completed 11 of 20 passes for 149 yards and two TDs and carried the ball 21 times for 60 yards and two scores as WU pushed UCO and Nebraska-Kearney to the limit in six and seven-point losses.

Hurla also split time running the offense last season when he passed for 812 yards and five TDs and ranked No. 2 on the Ichabods with 332 rushing yards and a team-high five rushing TDs. 

"It's kind of tough not knowing exactly when you're going to be thrown in, but it's always just staying ready and being prepared as if you're the starter every week and just being ready to go whenever your name's called,'' he said. 

"I've kind of learned how to deal with situations like that just in the past year, so it's really nothing new for me and I'm just trying to take advantage of every opportunity I get.''

Washburn, 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the MIAA, faces a tough test Saturday on the road at Pittsburg State, but Hurla feels like the Ichabods' best days are ahead of them in the second half of the season.

"It's going to flip,'' Hurla said. "It will, just with our culture of this new coaching staff and the leaders on this team.

"We have the same mindset every week, just attack the new seven-day season no matter what happened last week. We  flush it, we move on and attack the seven-day season and attack it to the best of our ability.''

By RICK PETERSON

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Washburn University soccer team rolled to a 3-0 victory over Nebraska-Kearney Friday in Yager Stadium in the Ichabods' MIAA home opener.

"From minute 1 to minute 90, we played the way we want to play," Washburn coach Davy Phillips said.

Washburn freshman Leah Henke had a goal and an assist in Friday's 3-0 MIAA win over Nebraska-Kearney. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn improved to 5-2-2 overall and 2-0-1 in the MIAA while Nebraska-Kearney fell to 2-4-2, 0-1-2.

Washburn picked up a goal in the eighth minute from freshman Kate Hinck, who scored her second goal of the season as fellow freshman Leah Henks assisted her.

The Ichabods would continue their pressure on the Loper's goal and in the 34th minute senior Shaye Taylor headed a shot home for her second goal of the year and her college career, assisted by freshman Lydia Keller.

Washburn would continue its pressing style and would find its third goal in the 54th minute when Aubree Tanksley found Henke, who would bury her shot in the bottom left corner for her fifth goal of the season.

Freshman Lili Everley posted her her fifth straight clean sheet in goal for the Ichabods.

Washburn has won 10 straight matches over the Lopers.

Washburn will be on the road against Missouri Southern on Friday, October 10th, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 10-ranked Washburn University volleyball posted a second straight MIAA sweep Friday, taking care of Newman in three sets in Wichita.

After taking the first set 25-15, Washburn (14-1 overall, 3-1 MIAA) improved in each of the next two sets, defeating Newman (2-13, 0-4) 25-13 and 25-12 to close out the match.

No. 10-ranked Washburn volleyball improved to 14-1 with Friday's sweep at Newman. [File photo/TSN]  

The Jets hung close to begin the first set, with both sides splitting the first 20 points.

Alex Dvorak slammed down a kill from Corinna McMullen, which opened a 7-0 Washburn scoring run capped off by an ace from Taylor Rottinghaus. The Ichabods held onto the advantage, finishing off the set with a 5-0 run and an ace by Kali Henry. 

In the second set Washburn jumped out to an 8-3 advantage that quickly grew to 15-6 after a block by Bella Limback and Brynne Topolski. After hitting under .200 in the first set it was the offense that led the charge, hitting .370 as a team in the second to take the 12-point win. 

The momentum continued into the third set, with the Ichabods leading 7-2 after a kill by Emery Keebaugh.Newman pulled back within three points before Washburn responded with a 5-0 run. The Ichabods kept the Jets out of arms reach the rest of the way, finishing the set off with four points and a kill by Layla Collins to end the match.  

Washburn out-hit Newman in the match .286 to -.009 while recording 41 kills to just 22 for the Jets with 23 errors. Digs went in favor of the Ichabods 52-39 as did assists, 38-19.  

It was a balanced effort offensively for the Ichabods with 10 players recording kills led by eight from Austin Broadie while hitting .375. Limback, Keilah Rivers and Keebaugh all had seven kills. McMullen registered a double-double with 20 assists and 10 digs while Rottinghaus led the defensive effort with 13 digs.  

Washburn volleyball coach Chris Herron reached 1,100 career wins with Friday's sweep at Newman. [File photo/TSN]

With the win, WU coach Chris Herron reached 1,100 career coaching victories between his time coaching in high school and college.

The Ichabods will wrap up their road trip on Tuesday against Emporia State.   

By RICK PETERSON

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No. 10-ranked Washburn volleyball will be on the road for a pair of MIAA matches Thursday and Friday. [File photo/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

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Freshman Leah Henke scored Washburn's game-winning goal in Sunday's 1-0 win over Newman and has a team-high four goals on the season. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn freshman goalkeeper Lili Everley and the Ichabod defense have not allowed a goal in WU's past four games. [File photo/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 10-ranked Washburn Ichabod volleyball bounced back from its first loss of the season to post a three-set MIAA road sweep over Pittsburg State on Thursday.

Senior Austin Broadie led Washburn with 13 kills in Thursday's 3-0 MIAA road sweep at Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Taylor Rottinghaus registered 14 digs in Thursday's 3-0 MIAA Washburn road sweep at Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods will stay on the road facing Newman at 6 p.m. on Friday in Wichita.  

In all three sets Washburn (13-1 overall, 2-1 MIAA) hit over .300 as a team, beginning with a commanding 25-12 first-set win followed by 25-17 and 25-19 victories over the Gorillas (7-6, 1-2). 

After Pittsburg State went up 4-1 to open the match, the Ichabods responded with a 7-1 run started by a kill from Bella Limback. The score stayed within four until nine straight points for Washburn, beginning with Corinna McMullen setting up Austin Broadie for a kill. The offense hit .379 as a team while holding the Gorillas to a below zero hitting percentage to take the set by 13 points.  

In the second set Washburn jumped out to a 3-0 lead with an ace from McMullen beginning the set. The lead continued to grow slowly until the Ichabods broke the set open with five straight points, capped off by two straight kills by Emery Keebaughto make it 17-8. After a kill by Broadie made it set point at 24-13, Pittsburg State scored four more until Broadie slashed another kill to end the second set.  

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn Ichabod soccer team picked up its first MIAA win of the season Sunday, with freshman Leah Henke's goal the difference in a 1-0 win over Newman in Wichita.

 

Washburn freshman Leah Henke (11) scored the game's only goal in Sunday's 1-0 MIAA win over Newman. [File photo/TSN]

 

"Today was a tough game in a challenging environment,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "The team was unlucky not to add one or two more, as we hit the post a few times and their keeper made a couple of really good saves. The girls, again, grew into the game pretty well and played a pretty good second half.

 

"It was a great goal by Leah and an important three points for us. We're finding ways to get results, which is an important quality in successful teams."

Washburn (4-2-2, 1-0-1) was bombarding the Newman goal in the opening 45 minutes, even putting a shot off the post in the 22nd minute. The Ichabods attempted 11 shots, with four of them on goal, forcing saves out of the Jets' goalie.

 

The Ichabods held Newman (1-6-1, 0-2-0) to zero shots in the first half.

 

Washburn started the second half right where it left off by peppering the Newman goal.

 

In the 67th minute, the Ichabods found a breakthrough by way of Henke, a Wichita native who fired home her fourth goal of the season.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 7-ranked Washburn University volleyball opened its MIAA conference schedule at home Friday night with a 3-1 win over Northwest Missouri State in Whiting Fieldhouse.

No. 7-ranked Washburn opened conference play Friday with a four-set win over Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods will look to continue their winning streak on Saturday as they host No. 24-ranked Missouri Western at 6 p.m.  

The Ichabods (12-0 overall, 1-0 MIAA) set the tone for the match, downing the Bearcats (6-4, 0-1) 25-11 in the first set. Northwest Missouri responded with a 25-23 win in the second set before Washburn put the match away with 25-16 and 25-15 victories.  

The first three points of the match went to the Ichabods. After the Bearcats pulled within one point at 5-4 a four-point streak, capped off by an ace from Bella Limback, created separation that would last.

Washburn took advantage of errors by Northwest Missouri while also hitting .423 as a team to build a 22-9 lead. Abby Leaf ended the set with a kill on her first swing.  

In the second set it was the Bearcats jumping out ahead at 5-2. A Taylor Rottinghaus ace completed a 4-0 run to give the lead back to the Ichabods.

With the Ichabods in front 11-8, a seven point rally from Northwest Missouri began, putting them in front 15-11. They remained in front until consecutive kills by Brynne Topoloski and Austin Broadie knotted the set at 22. The Bearcats recovered with three of the next four points to win, 25-23.  

Both sides split the first 16 points of the third set before a kill by Keilah Rivers on a pass by Corinna McMullen jump-starting a four-point streak for Washburn to go in front, 12-8.

Northwest Missouri kept it within four points until the Ichabods ended the set on a six-point run. Natalie Hedlund provided the final point with her kill finding the hardwood at 25-16.  

Washburn took the first point of the fourth set and never relinquished the lead, holding off five ties from the Bearcats with the final coming at 11-11.

A kill by Alex Dvorak broke the tie and was the first of five straight points for the Ichabods, who hit .325 as a team in the final set. The final four points of the set and match went to Washburn, ending at 25-15 with an ace by McMullen.  

The Ichabods finished the match hitting .329 with 63 kills while holding the Bearcats to just a .109 attacking percentage and 38 kills. Washburn led in digs, 59-52 and had a big lead in assists, 58-38.

By RICK PETERSON

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Washburn University's football team led Nebraska-Kearney 24-17 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Lopers used a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull out a 31-24 win on Saturday in front of more than 4,000 fans on Family Day in Yager Stadium.

 

Washburn junior Chase Allen-Jackman had a pair of receiving TDs in Saturday's 31-24 MIAA loss to Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Ichabod quarterback Justin Lewis passed for 99 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's 31-24 MIAA loss to Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

 

"There's no moral victories,'' Washburn coach Zach Watkins said. "We played well, but not well enough to win.''

 

Watkins said that the fact that Saturday's game came down to just a few plays was not a surprise.

 

"I've been in the MIAA a long time and I told these guys that's what it's going to come down to,'' Watkins said. "We've preached that all week and good or bad you're going to come down to a few plays and they made a few more than we did.''

 

After a 47-yard field goal by Nebraska-Kearney's Kyle Failing broke a 14-14 halftime deadlock, Washburn (1-4 overall, 0-3 MIAA) answered with a 50-yard Aidan Battle field goal to tie the game at 17 and and later in the quarter Keller Hurla found Aden Canty for a 5-yard touchdown to give the Ichabods their seven-point lead with 43 seconds left in the third quarter.

 

But Nebraska–Kearney responded with big plays in the fourth quarter, getting a 62-yard touchdown pass from Daron Bryden to Jaden Jude to tie the game with 14:18 left in the fourth and then marching 81 yards for a Jett Turner 3-yard run for the go-ahead TD after forching a Washburn punt. 

 

The opening quarter saw each team score two touchdowns each in the first 15 minutes.

 

UNK (4-1, 2-1 MIAA) got a 19-yard TD run from Bryden scored on a 19-yard run, but Washburn quickly answered with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Justin Lewis to Chase Allen-Jackman, capping a four-play drive covering 45 yards and 70 seconds.

 

After Bryden scored again on a 3-yard keeper, Lewis and Allen-Jackman connected once more, this time from 32 yards, to knot the score at 14-14 with 4:06 to play in the opening quarter. Allen-Jackman finished with three receptions for 58 yards.

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The No. 7-ranked Washburn Ichabod volleyball team fell for the first time this season Saturday night, with No. 24 Missouri Western taking a 25–23, 19-25, 25-20, 25–19 decision in the MIAA matchup inside Whiting Fieldhouse.

Washburn senior Austin Broadie contributed a match-high 23 kills Saturday night, but Missouri Western handed the Ichabods their first loss of 2025 in four sets. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"They played harder than us, they played with more urgency than we did,'' Washburn coach Chris Herron said. "They got balls up that we thought were down and they just made plays. They made hellacious plays tonight. I thought they played really, really well.

"This week will show what (the Ichabods) are made of. We just got through talking about, 'Are you soft or are you tough?' We'll see.''

 

The opening set was tightly contested, with seven ties and four lead changes, as senior Austin Broadie provided early offense for Washburn with seven kills before the Griffons, coming off a loss Friday at Emporia State, were able to outlast the Ichabods for a 25-23 victory.

In the second set the Ichabods jumped out to a commanding 13–5 lead behind sharp serving from Autumn Gibbs and timely swings from Broadie, holding the Griffons to .096 hitting while the Ichabods hit .263 to take a 25-19 win and even the match.

In the third set, the Griffons jumped out to a 6-2 lead and were in control most of the way before Washburn rallied to get within 19-16, but Western closed on a 6-4 run to go up 2-1 in the match.

The fourth set saw seven lead changes and nine ties as Broadie contributed five kills with only one error, but the Griffons hit .395 compared to .268 for the Ichabods to hand Washburn its first loss of the season.

Broadie finished with a match-high 23 kills on a .362 attack percentage, while Brynne Topolski had nine kills.

Corinna McMullen collected a double-double with 23 assists and 15 digs and Taylor Rottinghaus paced all players with 20 digs.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn Ichabod football team will be back in Yager Stadium for the first time in three weeks on Saturday, hosting MIAA foe Nebraska-Kearney in a 1 p.m. Family Day contest.

 

Zach Watkins' Washburn Ichabods will be looking to pick up their first MIAA win in Saturday's Family Day contest with Nebraska-Kearney. [File photo/TSN] 

The Ichabods are 1-3 this season with three straight losses but are coming off a strong performance last Saturday in a 34-28 MIAA loss at No. 15-ranked Central Oklahoma.

 

Now Washburn coach Zach Watkins and the Ichabods will be looking to parlay that nailbiter into their first MIAA victory.

 

"Winning's the ultimate goal and there's no moral victories in college football and if you don't win then you're disappointed,'' Watkins said. "But our kids have attacked every week, win or lose, in a really positive way.

 

"Coming off two long road trips to Colorado and Oklahoma, our two longest road trips of the year, it's so great to be back home at Yager Stadium in front of our fans, especially on Family Day. We've talked all week about Family Day and what family means in our program, so hopefully we'll play our best game this weekend.

 

''We have not played as well as we can and once we play as well as we can I think that will hopefully turn into success.'' 

 

The Lopers are 3-1 this season after a 34-20 MIAA win over Emporia State at home last Saturday and Nebraska-Kearney received votes in the latest AFCA Top 25 coaches poll.

Washburn sophomore linebacker JC Heim, a former Washburn Rural star,leads the MIAA in tackles with 59 and sophomore L.J. Minner Jr. is second with 48, with the Ichabod duo ranking third and fourth, respectively, in the NCAA Division II-2 national rankings.

Minner has recorded double-digit tackles in each of his last seven games dating back to last season. The seven-game double-digit tackle streak is the longest since Grant Gould had at least 10 tackles in seven straight from the final game of the 2004 season to the first six games of the 2005 season.

Chase Allen-Jackman'sfour touchdown receptions lead the MIAA and is 13th in the NCAA D2 ranks.

 

Allen-Jackman finished with five receptions for 118 yards and both of Washburn's passing touchdowns against UCO while sophomore Keller Hurla added two rushing scores to go with his long touchdown pass in his first game of the season.

 

Heim led the Ichabod defense with 16 tackles (eight solo stops) and also picked off a pass while Minner had 13 stops (five solo). 

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Chris Herron's Washburn University volleyball team is off to an outstanding start to the 2025 season, winning 11 straight matches while dropping just three sets en route to earning a No. 7 national ranking from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

But Herron says the task for the Ichabods only gets tougher from here, with Washburn opening MIAA play with Friday and Saturday 6 p.m. home matches against Northwest Missouri State and No. 24 Missouri Western in Whiting Fieldhouse. 

"There's 12 teams in this conference and 11 of them have winning records,'' Herron said. "Yikes! I'm looking forward to it though. It's fun.

"It makes you not sleep at night a little bit, but other than that, I'm excited about it.'' 

Washburn volleyball newcomer Autumn Gibbs (1) celebrates a point with her teammates during the recent Washburn Invitational. [File photo/TSN]

Junior defensive specialist/libero Autumn Gibbs, who transferred to WU after two seasons at Metropolitan State-Denver, said she feels like the closeknit Ichabods are up to the challenge moving forward.

"There's always room to grow,'' Gibbs said. "It's early in the season, but I think we've really done a great job and I think the reason we're so able to flow on the court is because we're able to flow off the court.

"We're a really close group and we love spending time together, so when it gets harder and the game's not going exactly our way, it's easy to rely on our teammates and I think that's going to be really powerful over the stretch of the season.'' 

While thrilled to be undefeated three weeks into the season, Herron knows there's still plenty of things for his team to work on. 

"Our setting consistency was poor last weekend and we're still missing too many serves,'' Herron said. "And then always, always, always you want to be a better serve receive team so your offense can flow and all that stuff, but I think every coach in the United States is going to say that to you that knows about volleyball. You've got to serve it and you've got to pass it better every single time.

"But I think so far offensively we've been good, our blocking has been really solid. And when we have (Gibbs) and Taylor (Rottinghaus) in the game at the same time in the back row, balls don't find the floor very easily. They're really good defensively.''

By RICK PETERSON

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The Washburn University soccer team will open MIAA play on the road this weekend, facing Central Oklahoma on Friday at 7 p.m. and Newman on Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

Washburn Rural product Kate Hinck scored her first collegiate goal in Washburn's 2-0 win over Harding last Friday. [File photo/TSN]

 

"Start of conference play always brings an elevated level of excitement and intensity,'' Ichabod coach Davy Phillips said. "I'm looking forward to watching our team apply the lessons that our difficult non-conference schedule provided."

 

"UCO is always a quality MIAA opponent that is well coached and, much like us, coming off a very difficult non-conference schedule. It will be another fantastic game to kick off MIAA play this year."

 

Washburn is coming off back-to-back wins over the weekend, with a 2-0 win over Harding last Friday and a 1-0 win Sunday over Ouachita Baptist.

 

Over the weekend, the Ichabods had two players who scored their first collegiate goals at totally different points in their careers.

 

First, on Friday night, freshman Kate Hinck scored her first goal as an Ichabod in her hometown, and then on Sunday, senior Shaye Taylor scored the game-winning goal on a long free kick.

 

Washburn averages 12 shots a game with 5.3 shots on goal per game.

 

The Ichabods only allow seven shots a game. Washburn has taken 29 corners in the first six games of the season, while their opponents have only taken 16.

 

Washburn has fouled 23 more times than their opponents this year, 73-50.

By RICK PETERSON

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Austin Broadie, Washburn University 

AUSTIN BROADIE, Washburn University

A 6-foot senior outside hitter, Broadie helped lead No. 9-ranked Washburn volleyball to a perfect 3-0 record in the Central Missouri tournament on Friday and Saturday in Warrensburg, Mo. as the Ichabods improved to 11-0 on the season. Broadie registered a career-high 25 kills in Washburn's final match of the weekend, a five-set thriller over Ouachita Baptist.

Dayne Johnson

DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake

Johnson, a senior standout on both sides of the ball for the Silver Lake football team, helped lead the way Friday night as the Eagles picked up their first win of the season, a 19-6 home Big East League decision over Perry-Lecompton. A multi-sport standout, Johnson caught 17 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown from freshman quarterback Kipton Kruger against the Kaws.

Cale Ketter

CALE KETTER, Seaman

Ketter, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound junior quarterback, completed 12 of 15 passes for 278 yards and five touchdowns Friday night as Seaman picked up its first win of the season, a 61-0 United Kansas Conference romp past Topeka West at Hummer Sports Park. Ketter hit Josh Brown for 18 and 32-yard touchdown, Noah Kobuszewski for a 78-yard score, Jayden Evans for a 39-yard strike and Coy Barta for a 27-yard TD.

By RICK PETERSON

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The first goal of senior Shaye Taylor's collegiate career was just enough for Washburn University soccer to post its second straight shutout victory with a 1-0 non-conference win over Ouachita Baptist Sunday at Yager Stadium.

Taylor, a 5-foot-7 defender, scored the game's lone goal with just 3:55 left in the opening half, ripping home a free kick that was estimated to be at least 35 yards out.

Washburn defender Shaye Taylor receives a hug from teammate Rilyn Snyder (25) after scoring the lone goal in Sunday's 1-0 win over Ouachita Baptist. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn's soccer team mobs senior defender Shaye Taylor after she scored the lone goal in Sunday's 1-0 win over Ouachita Baptist. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"Obviously I took a lot of free kicks today and on that one my goal was to shoot it, my goal was to score,'' said Taylor, who began her career at Minot State before transferring to Washburn last season. "I thought the goalie had it and then it slipped through her fingers, so honestly I was a little surprised.

"It would have been a great save on her part, but I was really excited it went in.''

Washburn coach Davy Phillips said the Ichabods' goal on free kicks is always to give themselves a chance to score.

"The most important thing is to put the ball in dangerous areas,'' Phillips said. "And then if you have bodies crashing in dangerous areas own goals happen, goalkeeper mistakes, goals, all of those things.

"So it's about putting the ball in dangerous areas and then hopefully getting dangerous runs to complement the service.''

Phillips, whose Ichabods improved to 3-2-1 and are above .500 for the first time this season, said the team still needs to continue showing improvement, but he was obviously happy to get Sunday's win and a weekend sweep.

"I wasn't overly impressed with our performance today,'' he said. "For me it's about stringing performances together versus results and we I thought missed a chance to string performances together.

"But I told the team I'm proud of them -- two wins, two shutouts -- and those are things we can take a lot of pride in and gain some confidence in and grow it as we get into conference now. Those are important things for us to accomplish this weekend, but I thought ultimately we missed the final goal a little bit.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University soccer team got back in the win column on Friday at Yager Stadium with a 2-0 victory over Harding.

Former Washburn Rural state champ Kate Hinck scored her first collegiate goal on Friday in Washburn's 2-0 win over Harding. [File photo/TSN]

Former Washburn Rural star Kate Hinck, a freshman forward, scored the first goal of her collegiate career in the seventh minute off an assist from sophomore midfielder Sam Searcey and Searcey, who added a goal of her own in the 28th minute to account for the final score.

Washburn attempted eight shots in the half, with half of them being on goal.

Ichabod freshman goalkeeper Lili Everley saved the only shot of the half from the Lady Bison.

Washburn would continue to control the game in the second half, maintaining pressure on the Harding goal while  taking five more shots, with one being saved. Washburn also took two corners in the second half to see out the match.

WU's 13 shots were the Ichabods second most in a game this season, with five of them being on goal. Washburn only allowed three shots total, which is the least amount of shots Washburn has allowed so far this season. 

Everley picked up her first collegiate shutout in goal.

The Ichabods had five corners in the match, while allowing only two from the Lady Bison.

All six of Washburn's goals on the season have been scored by underclassmen.

Washburn is back at home at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, hosting Ouachita Baptist.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The No. 9-ranked Ichabods wrapped up non-conference play on Saturday afternoon with a 3-2 win over Ouachita Baptist, also putting a finishing touch on the Comfort Inn Invitational hosted by Central Missouri.

Austin Broadie (right) had 25 kills as Washburn improved to 11-0 with a five-set win over Ouchita Baptist Saturday in Warrensburg, Mo. [File photo/TSN] 

After going up 2-0 with 25-19 and 30-28 set victories, the 11-0 Ichabods saw the match tied at two after Ouachita Baptist (10-3) won 25-23 and 25-17 in the next two sets.

Washburn rebounded to win 15-9 in the final set to tie the longest winning streak overall and to start a season since 2022.  

It was the Tigers that took an early lead in the first set. They led 11-7 before a four-point run by the Ichabods that was capped off by two straight kills from Austin Broadie to tie the set.

After two more ties, Washburn created separation with four more points in a row, starting on a kill by Bella Limback. Three kills in five points by Alex Dvorak extended the lead before she and Broadie ended the set at 25-19 with the final two kills.  

There was a faster start in set two for the Ichabods, as they led 6-3 after Keilah Rivers found the ground for a kill. Washburn led 8-6 until Ouachita Baptist got rolling with seven straight points to put the Ichabods in their biggest deficit of the day to that point.

The lead never exchanged hands until a 4-0 Washburn run, with an ace by Taylor Rottinghaus, putting them in front 23-22. The lead shifted, with the Ichabods facing set point twice and overcoming it.

Kills by Rivers and Shannon Frakes flipped the lead with an attacking error by the Tigers ending the set at 30-28.  

Washburn carried the momentum into a 5-2 lead to begin the third set. Ouachita Baptist came back with four points in a row and shortly after took six of seven to lead 13-9. The Ichabods rallied late in the set, tying it at 22 with three straight kills by Broadie. The Tigers took three of the next four points to win the set.  

In the fourth the Tigers kept the rally going, starting out with a 9-3 lead. Washburn got three straight points, pulling within two after a Limback kill. The offense for Ouachita Baptist was at its best, hitting .281 as a team while the Ichabods had a match-low .025 percentage as a team in the fourth set resulting in a 25-17 loss.  

With Washburn trailing 4-3 in the fifth, Limback delivered a kill and Rivers served up three straight aces as WU went in front 7-4. After the Tigers came back to tie twice the Ichabods went back to Broadie and Dvorak down the stretch, winning seven of the last eight points to take the set 15-9.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University football came up just short on the road Saturday night, falling 34-28 at No. 15-ranked Central Oklahoma.

Quarterback Keller Hurla had a hand in three Washburn TDs in Saturday's 34-28 road loss at Central Oklahoma. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Chase Allen-Jackman had 118 receiving yards and a pair of TDs in Saturday's 34-28 road loss at Central Oklahoma. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn wasted no time getting on the board after sophomore linebacker JC Heim picked off an early Central Oklahoma pass, with Justin Lewis capping the short-field opportunity with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Chase Allen-Jackman for a quick 7-0 lead.

The Bronchos responded with a pair of scores to move in front, but the Ichabods tied the game late in the opening quarter when sophomore quarterback Keller Hurla, seeing his first action of the season, powered in from a yard out to finish a 75-yard drive and tie the score at 14-all.

UCO scored 10 straight points to take a 24-14 halftime advantage, but the back and forth contest continued in the third quarter.

Hurla once again punched it in from the 1-yard line and moments later he struck through the air, lining up under center and connecting with Allen-Jackman for an 85-yard touchdown strike.

That big play gave the Ichabods a 28-24 lead with 7:48 to play in the third quarter, but UCO came back with a touchdown drive of its own, regaining the lead 31-28 heading into the final frame.

UCO pushed the lead to six at 34-28 on the first possession of the quarter with a 51-yard field goal wrapping up the scoring in the game.

Allen-Jackman turned in a career night, finishing with five receptions for 118 yards and both of Washburn's passing touchdowns.

Hurla added two rushing scores to go with his long touchdown pass, while Cam Robinson chipped in 32 rushing yards on nine carries.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn football team is back on the road for the second straight week as the Ichabods will face the Central Oklahoma Bronchos at 7 p.m. Saturday night in Edmond.

 Washburn Rural product JC Heim (9) and L.J. Minner rank one-two in the MIAA in tackles after three games for WU. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

The Ichabods are 1-2 this season after dropping their final non-conference matchup of the season with Colorado School of Mines 41-27 in a game that took 7 hours, 39 minutes to complete due to multiple lightning delays.

After spotting the Orediggers a 34-7 halftime lead, Washburn scored 20 points in the second half.

"I was real proud of the guys for their focus during the lightning delays and during the up and down first half,'' Washburn coach Zach Watkins said. "I think that kind of speaks to our team leaders and our culture that we're going to keep playing and we're going to fight and be mentally tough enough to keep fighting and we're going to finish the game no matter what.''  

The Bronchos are 1-1 this season and have been idle since a 27-24 over then No. 13-Pittsburg State on Sept. 6 with a bye week this past weekend.

WU sophomore JC Heim leads the MIAA in tackles with 43 and L.J. Minner Jr. is second with 35.

Minner has recorded double-digit tackles in each of his last six games, dating back to last season.

Quarterback Logan Madden, playing near his hometown of Arvada, Colo., completed  11 of 17 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in his first action as an Ichabod. Justin Lewis added 106 yards through the air on 9 of 20 passing with two scores of his own. Combined, the duo accounted for all four Ichabod touchdowns, throwing passes to eight different receivers.

Central Oklahoma moved up in one of two national polls Monday, with the Bronchos No. 8 in the D2Football.com Media Poll, up from 12th last week. The Bronchos remained at No. 15 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll.

Jaylen Cottrell leads the team in rushing with 181 total yards and 90.5 yards per game while averaging 10.1 yards per carry.

Jett Huff is 18 of 40 passing with three touchdowns and 106.5 yards per game.

Johnny Wilson leads the team with 13 total tackles adding three tackles for loss and one sack.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University soccer will host Harding Friday evening at Yager Stadium (6 p.m. start), with the Ichabods looking to bounce back from a 4-0 Sunday loss to University of Mary.

Washburn junior Mackinly Rohn (24) battles for the ball in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the University of Mary. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"This provides another great environment for us to continue to grow in pursuit of finding consistency in our performances," said Ichabod coach Davy Phillips. "I really like how our team is so resilient and committed to learning and growing after each of our setbacks so far in this young season."

In Sunday's loss to UMary the Marauders scored two quick goals, which set the tone for the match.

The Ichabods are led in scoring by freshman winger Leah Henke, who has three goals on the year, two of which were assisted by senior Belle Kennedy.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

As the 2024 college volleyball season wound down, Washburn University's Austin Broadie thought her career might also be winding down.

Austin Broadie is off to a hot start for Washburn volleyball this fall, earning Most Valuable Player honors in last weekend's Washburn Invitational. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Broadie, a 6-foot hitter, had a year of eligibility remaining due to a redshirt season, but was set to marry former Ichabod baseball standout and current minor league pitcher Casey Steward in December, shortly after the season ended, and was ready to embrace her future.

But after some serious soul-searching, the Wichita Trinity Academy product decided she wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to the sport she loves, a decision that has paid big dividends for both Boadie and the ninth-ranked and 8-0 Ichabods.

"I was going back and forth and they let me take my Senior Night with my classmates,'' Broadie said. "Four years is a long time and I got married so I was happy with that, but then I decided I really liked the girls who were going to be back and I really thought we had a good chance and I was like, 'You only get this opportunity once,' so I decided to come back for my fifth year.''

Broadie continues to make that decision pay off, leading Washburn with 77 kills while hitting .399 with 14 blocks and 19 digs. The senior has four double-digit kill matches and was named the Most Valuable Player of last weekend's Washburn Invitational.

"She came back with a purpose,'' Washburn coach Chris Herron said. "She didn't come back just to do something, she came back with a purpose because she wants to do big things. She wants to win championships and see how far we can go in the NCAA Tournament and she wants to be an All-American.

"Those are lofty goals that she has for herself and she went about it the right way, too. She kind of laid out a plan during the whole spring and summer when she decided she was going to come back. We sat down and talked about it for a long time and she said, 'This is my plan and this is what I'm going to do and this is how I'm going to do it.' I like to get my own workouts in, so I'd see her in the weight room all the time.''

Broadie, who is officially Mrs. Austin Steward -- "My name's legally changed, everywhere but here for volleyball.'' -- spent time over the summer with Casey, who pitched for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws in the Philadelphia Phillies' organization, but still got her workouts in.

"She told me she was going to be gone for a month to be with her husband and she was going to do this while she was there and this while she was there and she had all that stuff planned out,'' Herron said.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 9-ranked Washburn Ichabod volleyball, 8-0 on the season, heads to Warrensburg, Mo. for the Comfort Inn Invitational hosted by Central Missouri beginning Friday and Saturday.

Washburn volleyball will compete in the Central Missouri tournament Friday and Saturday in Warrensburg, Mo. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The Ichabods will face McKendree and Missouri S&T on Friday before taking on Ouachita Baptist on Saturday in the final day of the tournament. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Local sports greats Jerad Head, Trey Lewis, Brenda Stolle, Duane Zlatnik and the late Bob Davis were inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame on Monday at Washburn University.

Steven Davis (son of the late Bob Davis), Brenda Stolle, Duane Zlatnik, Jerad Head and Trey Lewis pose for a picture after being inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

A Silver Lake native, Stolle was a standout pitcher for the Emporia State softball team from 1979-81. Stolle led the Hornets to a national championship in 1980 and a second-place finish in 1981.  Her career pitching record was 66-15, and she picked up six saves during her career.

Former Emporia softball national champion and player of the year Brenda Stolle speaks during Monday's Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame induction ceremony. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

During the 1980 championship season, Stolle compiled an 0.33 earned run average.  She received numerous honors, including all-American honors twice, NAIA most valuable player in 1981, and Kansas Female Athlete of the Year from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Brenda Stolle receives her Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame award from Topeka Area Sports Commission executive director Mike Bell. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Stolle was the first female ever inducted into the Emporia State Athletic Hall of Honor in 1988 and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

"My experience at Emporia State was pretty unique,'' Stolle said. "Some of the things that might surprise you is that every year all of us tried out for the team. There were two weeks and every year all of us tried out and you didn't know for sure if you were on the team or who else was on the team. We all walked on and we were all Kansas girls.

"Before every game we prayed together and we played hard. We worked together as a team and it was about the team and there's something wonderful about working with a group of people where you're working on behalf of the team.''   

Head earned All-Class 4A honors in football, basketball and baseball at Hayden and played basketball and baseball at Washburn University before being signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Cleveland Indians in 2006. 

Former Major Leaguer Jerad Head was inducted into the Topeka Shawnee Sports Hall of Fame Monday at Washburn, where he was a standout in baseball and basketball. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Head was promoted to the majors on August 28, 2011 and played in 10 games as a left fielder and pinch hitter.

Jerad Head receives his Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame award from Topeka Area Sports Commission executive director Mike Bell. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Head also played Minor League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals organizations before ending his playing career in 2013. He was named as manager of the Auburn Doubledays of the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League in 2016 and managed through 2018.

"Thanks to the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame,'' Head said. "I'm very honored and very humbled. I don't think people realize the amount of people that come out of here. Just right now we have a player in the big leagues (Ryan Zeferjahn), we have the SEC volleyball player of the year (Brooklyn DeLeye) and probably the greatest softball player in Topeka history (NiJaree Canady).''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Local sports greats Jerad Head, Trey Lewis, Brenda Stolle, Duane Zlatnik and the late Bob Davis will be inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame on Monday at Washburn University.

The Topeka Area Sports Commission will host the 20th annual Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame induction ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Washburn's Memorial Union.

Head was a multi-sport star at Hayden and Washburn University before embarking on a long career in professional baseball, including a Major League stint with the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). 

Lewis was a standout at Washburn Rural and earned NCAA Division II All-America honors as a defensive lineman before being drafted by the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons. 

Stolle, a Silver Lake graduate, was a standout pitcher for the Emporia State softball team from 1979-81.  During that time, she guided the Hornets to a national championship in 1980 and a second-place finish in 1981. 

Zlatnik was a star lineman and three-time state wrestling champion at Rossville before becoming a three-year starter in the offensive line for the University of Kansas.

A Topeka West graduate, Davis carved out a legendary broadcasting career, including long stints for the University of Kansas and the Kansas City Royals.

The 2025 Hall of Fame event will feature a luncheon followed by the official program.

Established in 2006, the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame continues its mission to preserve and honor the legacies of those who have significantly advanced athletics in Shawnee County.

Hall of Fame Class of 2025 capsules:

Jerad Head

JERAD HEAD

Head earned All-Class 4A honors in football, basketball and baseball at Hayden and played basketball and baseball at Washburn University before being signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Cleveland Indians in 2006. 

Head was promoted to the majors on August 28, 2011 and played in 10 games as a left fielder and pinch hitter.

Head also played Minor League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals organizations before ending his playing career in 2013.

He was named as manager of the Auburn Doubledays of the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League in 2016 and managed through 2018.

Trey Lewis

TREY LEWIS

After graduating from Washburn Rural, Lewis played for the Washburn Ichabod football team from 2003-06 as a defensive lineman and became the first Ichabod to be named to the Associated Press Little All-American team since 1963. Lewis was also named to the American Football Coaches Association All-American team after recording 62 tackles as a senior with 36 solo stops, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Lewis finished his career at Washburn with 156 total tackles, including 68 solo stops, 23 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Lewis was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 6th round as the 185th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

He played from 2007-11 for the Falcons, appearing in 31 games. 

Brenda Stolle

BRENDA STOLLE

A Silver Lake native, Stolle was a standout pitcher for the Emporia State softball team from 1979-81. Stolle led the Hornets to a national championship in 1980 and a second-place finish in 1981.  Her career pitching record was 66-15, and she picked up six saves during her career.

During the 1980 championship season, Stolle compiled an 0.33 earned run average.  She received numerous honors, including all-American honors twice, NAIA most valuable player in 1981, and Kansas Female Athlete of the Year from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Stolle was the first female ever inducted into the Emporia State Athletic Hall of Honor in 1988 and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Duane Zlatnik

DUANE ZLATNIK

Zlatnik starred in football and wrestling at Rossville before becoming a three-year starter in the offensive line at Kansas.

Zlatnik was a three-time state wrestling champion for the Bulldawgs and finished his career with a 148-13 record and a school-record 110 pins. He was a two-time All-Stater and Kansas Shrine Bowl pick in football.

Zlatnik was an All-Big 12 honoree for the Jayhawks and made 27 consecutive starts at right and left guard.

He is currently an assistant football and wrestling coach at Washburn Rural.

 Bob Davis

BOB DAVIS (Inducted posthumously)

A Topeka West graduate, Davis passed away on March 20 at the age of 80 after a legendary career in sports broadcasting.

Davis was the "Voice of the Jayhawks" for more than 30 years before retiring in 2016. Davis called eight KU trips to the Final Four, six football bowl games, including the 2008 Orange Bowl, and thousands of regular-season basketball and football games. Davis was also on the call for the 1988 and 2008 men's basketball national championship victories. In 1997 Davis joined the Kansas City Royals, calling games for radio and television for the franchise for 16 years.

 A 48-year veteran of broadcasting in the state of Kansas, Davis was born in Iola and grew up in Topeka, where he graduated from West in 1962. Davis stayed in Topeka to attend Washburn, where he graduated in 1967 with a degree in history.

Davis is a member of numerous Halls of Fame, including the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University soccer dropped a 4-0 decision to University of Mary in the Ichabods' home opener Sunday at Yager Stadium as the Marauders took control with two goals in the opening eight minutes.

Washburn freshman forward Kate Hinck advances the ball in Sunday's 4-0 loss to University of Mary. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

In the seventh minute UMary's Dina Polanco ripped a shot from outside the box to find the top corner to take the lead and Polanco converted a penalty kick about a minute later to give the Marauders a 2-0 halftime advantage.

The Marauders added two more goals in the second half and were able to close out the shutout, dropping the Ichabods to 1-2-1 on the season.

UMary opened the second half the same way it opened the game by scoring inside the opening 10 minutes, with a goal in the 50th minute by Olivia Gardner. The visitors added another in the 69th minute to make it 4-0.

Washburn had chances in the second half to find the back of the net and finished with eight shots and three on goal.

Washburn will be back at home Friday night, hosting Harding in a 6 p.m. contest.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn Ichabod football team put together a strong second-half rally, but could not overcome a big rushing day from No. 24-ranked Colorado School of Mines, falling 41-27 on Saturday afternoon in Golden, Colo.

Zach Watkins put together a strong second half but fell at Colorado School of Mines 41-27 on Saturday in Golden, Colo. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn and Mines were forced to withstand more than four hours of lightning delays in the second half.

The Ichabods dropped to 1-2 overall while the Orediggers moved to 2-0 on the season.

Mines jumped out to a 27-7 lead at halftime, leaning on a ground attack that piled up 365 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the day.

Washburn struggled to contain the Orediggers' explosive plays, but the Ichabods battled back after the break with 20 second-half points, including a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns that narrowed the deficit.

Quarterback, Logan Madden, playing near his hometown of Arvada, Colo., completed  11 of 17 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in his first action as an Ichabod. 

Justin Lewis added 106 yards through the air on 9 of 20 passing with two scores of his own.

Combined, the duo accounted for all four Ichabod touchdowns, throwing passes to eight different receivers.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Veteran Washburn University volleyball coach Chris Herron isn't necessarily known for passing out praise freely.

So Herron's comments about Ichabod 6-foot senior rightside hitter Austin Broadie Saturday night after the Ichabods wrapped up a perfect 4-0 weekend in the Washburn Invitational should carry some real weight.

"Austin Broadie's playing like an All-American,'' Herron said. "She's hitting the crap out of the ball.''

Senior Austin Broadie (23) is congratulated by her Washburn teammates after one of her 17 kills Saturday against William Jewell in the Washburn Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Broadie was named the tournament most valuable player after helping 12th-ranked Washburn cap off a dominating weekend with 3-0 wins over Newman and William Jewell in the final day of the tournament.

Shawnee Heights product Taylor Rottinghaus was one of four Washburn players named to the Washburn Invitational All-Tournament Team after the Ichabods went 4-0 on the weekend. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Broadie was joined on the all-tournament team by WU teammates Taylor Rottinghaus, Bella Limback and Brynne Topolski after the Ichabods beat Newman 25-10, 25-16, 25-20 and William Jewell 25-22, 25-16 and 22-12.

"I felt good,'' Broadie said. "We started out a little rusty and then everyone started flowing. I felt like the setters were doing a really good job reversing the flow, so that's helpful.

"We did what we wanted to do. We know some stuff we need to work on now and I feel like that's going to give us an objective for the next weekend.''

Washburn is now 8-0 on the season, the first time the Ichabods have done so since the 2022 season that began 11-0.

The Ichabods started slowly against winless William Jewell (0-8) in the tournament finale, trailing as late as 18-17 in the opening set, but the Ichabods rallied for the three-point win and got stronger as the match wore on.

Herron admitted that he was not happy with the Ichabods' play out of the gate against the Cardinals.

"Absolutely, I was upset,'' Herron said. "This is something I try to tell these kids all the time, 'You're going to get people's best shot,' and that's the best they played all weekend, that team we just played. They were scrappy, they were hitting the crap out of the ball, they were finding holes and doing things that they hadn't done all weekend and good for them. 

"But we didn't respond in kind. We were just like, 'Oh, they'll make mistakes and we'll beat them in the end,' and that's the way we played for all of Set 1. In Set 2 we kind of found ourselves at the end and it carried into Set 3.''

With the second set score at 20-16, Washburn started a run of five straight kills, three coming from Broadie to end the set with a nine-pont win.  

The Cardinals got out to a 7-6 lead in the third set until a Topolski kill started a 6-1 Washburn rally.

The Ichabod offense took over shortly after, hitting .481 as a team in the set, including a 7-0 burst to create some separation at 20-11. The momentum carried over into a streak of five points to end the set and match on a Sydney Conner ace.

Washburn celebrates a match-ending ace from Sydney Conner (15) against William Jewell in Saturday'sWashburn Invitational. Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]  

Washburn tallied 49 kills across the three sets to hit .388 while William Jewell hit .128 and managed just 26 kills. The Ichabods nearly doubled the assist total at 46-24 while each team picked up exactly 37 digs.

Broadie started the match hot and stayed hot, registering a team-high 17 kills while hitting .607 for the match, good for the 17th highest attack percentage in a game in program history with a minimum of 20 attempts.

Corinna McMullen led the way with 23 assists while Rottinghaus snagged 10 digs from the back row.  

The Ichabods set the tone early in Saturday's first match against Newman, rolling to a 15-point win in the first set before securing 25-16 and 25-20 victories in the next two sets to top Newman (2-5).  

A 9-1 run highlighted the beginning of the match and was capped off by a kill from Natalie Hedlund that put Washburn up 10-2.

Newman was able to keep the match close until a 6-0 Ichabod burst pushed the lead to double figures, ending at 20-7 with an Abby Leaf block. Washburn's offense highlighted the first set, hitting .516 as a team with 18 kills.  

After leading just 5-4 in the second set, a 6-0 run for the Ichabods was capped off by an ace from Autumn Gibbs to create separation at 11-4.

As Washburn worked its bench into the game the lead continued to grow, reaching 10 at 21-11 after Shannon Frakes set up Josie Cleveringa for a kill. Washburn closed out the set shortly after with three straight points.  

Both teams split the first 10 points in the third set before the Ichabods took six of the next seven, with kills by four different players in the stretch.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University football team hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Golden, Colo. to face Colorado School of Mines at 1 p.m. CST on Saturday. 

Washburn linebackers J.C. Heim (9) and L.J. Minner Jr. are both among the top tacklers in the MIAA. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

The Ichabods are 1-1 after falling in their MIAA to Northwest Missouri State 34-7 last Saturday while the Orediggers are 1-0 after opening the season with a 33-31 win at West Texas A&M.

"It may sound weird, but I like the way the first two weeks have gone where we've had some success and confidence and the guys know we're doing it the right way and we can win,'' Washburn coach Zach Watkins said. "Obviously, you never want to losea game, but I think that loss and the way we lost kind of re-focused us in practice and showed us some weaknesses that we had to address.

"Sometimes wins can gloss over some things, but I think we're a better team now than we were going into last week.''

Mines took a 31-28 win over Washburn last season in Yager Stadium.

The Ichabods are 13-6 all-time against the Orediggers after having their six-game winning streak snapped last season.

"It's another playoff-caliber team on our schedule and the long road trip and the two-day travel and all of that will be a challenge, but you have to manage it and it's part of college football,'' Watkins said. "We'll have to play well to win.''

Former Washburn Rural star J.C. Heim is second in the MIAA in tackles with 26 for the Ichabods and L.J. Minner Jr. is fourth with 24 stops. Minner has recorded double-digit tackles in each of his last five games dating back to last season.

Heim led the Ichabods with a career-high 15 tackles against Northwest while Minner had 13 tackles.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

For the first time since 1984 Washburn University volleyball took to Whiting Fieldhouse Friday and the 41-year streak of not being beaten in the Fieldhouse continued with 3-0 sweeps over Truman State and Minnesota State-Moorhead on Day 1 of the Washburn Invitational.

Washburn volleyball improved to 6-0 with a pair of Friday wins in the Washburn Invitational. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

The No. 12-ranked Ichabods will finish out the tournament on Saturday with a 10 a.m. meeting with Newman and a 6 p.m. contest with William Jewell.  

Now 6-0 on the season, Washburn kicked the tournament off with a 25-15 first-set victory over Truman before knocking out the Bulldogs (1-5) with 25-20 and 25-21 wins in the next two sets.  

After falling behind 4-2 the Ichabods made up ground quickly, forcing six ties in the first 20 points.

A 5-1 run started by a kill from Keilah Rivers pulled Washburn in front, 15-11. The Ichabods held on to the advantage with a strong offensive effort, hitting .538 as a team in the set. A 6-1 run down the stretch ended set at 25-15 on a block from Rivers and Bella Limback. 

A kill by Alex Dvorak led off the second set, with Washburn pulling in front of Truman State, 6-1. The lead reached double figures on consecutive aces by Sydney Conner to give the Ichabods an 18-7 advantage. Truman State picked up its offense, hitting .150 points higher in the second set than the first, to pull within four points. Austin Broadie put the set away with a kill down the line, ending it at 25-20.  

The first three points of set three belonged to the home team, with the run capped off by an ace from Autumn Gibbs. The Bulldogs rallied with a 5-1 run to go in front. Washburn fired back, winning seven of the next eight points, going ahead 11-6 on an ace by Rivers. Truman State kept the set within six points the rest of the way but the Ichabods held off the comeback bids. Broadie ended a second consecutive set, and the match, for a 25-21 set three victory.  

Washburn out-hit the Bulldogs .317 to .183 in the match, with 44 kills to 30 for the visitors. Digs went in favor of the Ichabods, 47-38, as did assists, 40-28.  

Brodie led all players with 11 kills while hitting .364. Limback had eight kills in 10 swings along with a team-high five blocks. Corinna McMullen paced WU with 17 assists while adding 10 digs and Taylor Rottinghaus had 14 digs. 

In Washburn's second match of the day against Minnesota State-Moorhead, it required a 13-3 comeback finish in the second set, but Washburn went to 6-0 in sets for the tournament with 25-22, 25-21 and 25-22 wins over the Dragons (5-1) to hand them their first loss of the season.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University soccer team picked up its first victory of 2025 on Friday with a decisive 3-1 road triumph at Drury.

"I'm so proud of how our team prepared and executed this game,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "It was so fun and rewarding to see the team implement a week of really high-quality training into practice against a tough opponent like Drury."

Senior Belle Kennedy picked up two assists in Washburn's 3-1 win at Drury on Friday, the Ichabods' first win of the season. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods, now 1-1-1, were led by freshman Leah Henke, who scored two goals to give her three on the season.

Former Washburn Rural star Belle Kennedy, a senior, recorded the assists on both of Henke's goals, one in each half.

Sam Searcey headed home the corner from Washburn Rural product Mackinly Rohn to make it a 3-1 game with less than 15 minutes to play.

The Ichabods were applying pressure early on and broke through with a goal in the 15th minute by Henke.

Both teams had four shots in the first half, but Washburn put two of their four on goal, with one finding the back of the net.

Once again, Washburn put pressure on Drury to open the half, and in the 53rd minute, Henke snuck a shot past the keeper to find the back of the net with another assist from Kennedy.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 12-ranked Washburn University volleyball will play at home for the first time in 2025 on Friday and Saturday in the Washburn Invitational, playing four matches in the two-day event.

Washburn volleyball, 4-0 and ranked No. 12 in the nation, will host its invitational tournament this weekend in Whiting Fieldhouse. [File photo/TSN] 

Washburn will play its 2025 home schedule in Whiting Fieldhouse as renovations continue in Lee Arena.

"I think we're really excited,'' said sophomore outside hitter Keilah Rivers, who earned Oredigger Classic All-Tournament Team honors last weekend after recording 25 kills with four aces, 27 digs and seven blocks. "Unfortunately we can't play in Lee as it's getting re-done, but I think we've just kind of switched our mindset to being like, 'Oh, we can't play in Lee, but we get to play in Whiting.'

"We get to make that our own gym. We're the only team that gets to play in there, so we're just going in with the mindset that we're going to be undefeated in our own gym and we're going to make that place our own.''

Veteran Washburn coach Chris Herron had similar thoughts.

"I'm anxious to see it because we have never played up there in a match,'' Herron said. "I know it's going to be loud, I know it's going to be tight. We'd like to be playing in Lee, but we're going to make the most of this year and we're going to try to use that to our advantage, the loudness and the tightness and all of that stuff.''

The Ichabods open the tournament against Truman State at 11 a.m. on Friday and will face Minnesota State-Moorhead in the nightcap. On Day 2 Washburn will take on Newman at 10 a.m. and William Jewell at 6 p.m. in the tournament finale. 

The tournament will include Washburn, Emporia State and Newman out of the MIAA, while Truman State and William Jewell will come from the GLVC and Minnesota State-Moorhead from the NSIC. 

The Ichabods enter the weekend with a 4-0 record after opening the season at the Oredigger Classic with an undefeated record, including three sweeps and a 3-1 win in a dominating performance.

"To be honest with you, at the end of the weekend I didn't know if we were that good or maybe it was just not very good teams,'' Herron said. "And then (Tuesday night) the No. 2 team in the country is Angelo State and they got beat 3-0 by Colorado Christian, who we beat 3-0, so it makes me feel better.

"The greatest thing about the weekend for me was just seeing how well our kids get along and how much they like each other and that's really cool. And the other thing was we got to play everybody and with 22 kids I'm excited that everybody got some game experience.''

Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 34 kills while hitting .364, second best on the team. She has started all four matches and also has logged 10 blocks with nine digs. The senior has two double-digit kill matches. 

Senior Corinna McMullen has started all four matches this season to lead Washburn with 80 assists. She has also chipped in three service aces while tying for second on the team with 34 digs. McMullen has recorded two matches with 20-plus assists and two double-doubles. 

Alex Dvorak leads WU with 20 blocks on the season while starting all four matches. Offensively she has 21 kills along with hitting .362, third best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in two matches. Dvorak earned Oredigger Classic All-Tournament honors.

Junior Taylor Rottinghaus has started all four games as the libero, leading the team with 47 digs. She has chipped in 12 assists while serving four aces as well. Rottinghaus has a season-high of 15 digs this season. 

Senior Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .735 with 25 kills while starting all four matches. She has also added 10 blocks and served an ace. She has hit over .500 in every match on the season. 

Sophomore Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 32 kills while hitting .344 and recording eight blocks. She has come off the bench in all four matches and earned a spot on the Oredigger Classic All-Tournament team.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University women's soccer team will hit the road again on Friday to face off against the Drury Panthers in a 5 p.m. non-conference matchup.

Washburn soccer will play at Drury on Friday before coming home for a three-game homestand. [File photo/TSN]

"Drury will be another great test for our team. They are well coached and organized," said Washburn coach Davy Phillips. "I'm looking forward to seeing our growth from a really good week of training this week.

"We are learning some really good things about the potential of our team and games like Drury present such a great learning environment as we continue to push our performances and efforts against teams that will prepare us for MIAA play."

The Ichabods spent last weekend in St. Louis, where they tied 1-1 against No. 25 Maryville on Thursday evening and lost 3-0 to Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday afternoon. 

The Ichabods feature two freshmen in the starting lineup -- midfielder Bricelyn Betts and forward Kate Hinck.

Washburn also includes many freshmen off the bench, one being Leah Henke, who scored the equalizer in the final seconds of the opening game of the season.

Both WU goalkeepers, senior Alli Harrington and freshman Lili Everley, have played 90 minutes this season, each totaling three saves.

Washburn has out-shot opponents 26-17 and corner kicks 10-5, so far this season.

The Panthers opened their season with a 1-0 home victory over Emporia State.

Drury was previously ranked 14th in the USC preseason polls and received votes this past week.

Last season Drury was knocked out in the NCAA third round by Grand Valley State. 

Washburn will play their home opener at 1 p.m. Sunday at Yager Stadium against the University of Mary. 

Sunday's match will open a three-game homestand for the Ichabods.