Four teams express interest in expanding conference from 12 schools to 16
Less than a month after Nebraska and Colorado left the Big 12 for the Big Ten and Pac 10, respectively, conference expansion is once again an area of interest—this time in Division II. The MIAA, which is officially expanding to 12 schools this school year in every sport but football, is considering the addition of a few more schools than originally planned. Lincoln, a member of the MIAA for 29 years until it left in 1999 to join the Heartland Conference, is returning to the MIAA in all sports except football, which will not become affiliated with the MIAA until the 2011 season.
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Banquet to precede Washburn Lecture Series event featuring ESPN analyst Dick Vitale
Washburn University will host an array of big-name sports figures April 28 at the Washburn Coaches vs. Cancer Banquet in the Washburn Room of the Memorial Union. Guests will include ESPN analyst Dick Vitale, University of Kansas basketball coaches Bill Self and Bonnie Henrickson, Kansas State University basketball coaches Frank Martin and Deb Patterson, Kansas State University athletic director John Currie, Washburn basketball coaches Bob Chipman and Ron McHenry, 15-year NFL center Casey Wiegmann and “Survivor: Guatemala” winner Danni Boatwright.
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Blues will play today at 5 p.m. against Northeastern State
The No. 7 Washburn Lady Blues jumped out to a big lead and staved off a Central Missouri comeback to win 72-61 in the NCAA South Central regional on Friday afternoon at the First United Bank Center. The Lady Blues advance to the semifinals where they will take on Northeastern State on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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Seeded No. 2 in NCAA South Central Regional, face Central Missouri Friday at 2:30 p.m.
In the past eight years, the Lady Blues have taken six MIAA tournament titles. The most recent was claimed Sunday when the team beat Central Missouri with a tired starting lineup. The Blues had to turn around from their Saturday game against Northwest Missouri.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The 10th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues advanced into the MIAA tournament Championship game with an 80-66 win over Northwest Missouri State on Saturday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium. Washburn will take on Central Missouri at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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Washburn defeats SW Baptist 80-60, will face winner of Pittsburg State-NW Missouri game
The No. 1 seed Lady Blues started the MIAA tournament off in stellar fashion Thursday, knocking off 8 seed Southwest Baptist 80-60 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
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Ulsaker named MIAA's Defensive MVP, McHenry named MIAA Coach of the Year
Washburn's Dayna Rodriguez was named first team all-MIAA and Brette Ulsaker was named the Defensive Player of the Year, the fifth straight year a Lady Blue has won the award. Hope Gregory was named to the second team and Ron McHenry won his third Coach of the Year award on Tuesday.
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Washburn takes on SW Baptist in Thursday’s first round matchup
The Lady Blues prevailed against Emporia State on Wednesday, earning their seventh MIAA championship title. The game jumped into a blowout early on with a seven point advantage by the Blues. Hope Gregory, junior guard, scored the first four points, and Amanda Fessenden, senior guard, sank a couple of threes—bringing the score to 13-8 within the first four minutes of play.
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The Lady Blues will begin to get it in for the end of the season in 2010. They face Emporia State tonight at 5:30 to determine the top seed of the MIAA tournament. The raucous rivalry perpetually ensues with more fervor than ever after the loss the Lady Blues suffered against the Hornets, Jan. 16.
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Lady Blues beat Pittsburg State 80-45 behind 16 points from Hope Gregory
The No. 13 Lady Blues (22-3, 16-3) defeated Pittsburg State (12-13, 10-8) 80-45 on Saturday’s Senior Night in Lee Arena, setting up a high-stakes game against rival Emporia State Wednesday night in Emporia that will decide which team will be the No. 1 seed in the MIAA tournament.
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The No. 13-ranked Washburn Lady Blues rallied from five down in the final two minutes to force overtime then ran away from Central Missouri in the extra period for a 66-54 win on Wednesday night in Lee Arena. Washburn is back in action on Saturday night against Southwest Baptist in the "Think Pink" game at 5:30. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
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Dayna Rodriguez, the 6’2 senior phenomenon from Havana, may have only seen snow for the first time during her 2008-09 season at Washburn, but she makes it rain under the glass every game. Rodriguez played for the Cuban Jr. National Team in Mexico, but there is little recorded history of her playtime. However, she said she has strong memories of playing basketball in Cuba, which is something her parents encouraged her to do after recognizing her skill for the game.
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The Lady Blues introduced their one-day winning streak on Saturday, when the team licked Nebraska-Omaha, 63-55—ending a three game skid from a 13 win run. Ranked eighth nationally, the team held a 10 point lead for most of the second half. A feat attributed to the 6’2 forward, Dayna Rodriguez, who managed eight rebounds for the game. Before the win, however, the Blues were breaking a loss record, which had been standing since the 2000-01 season.
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Washburn defeats Nebraska-Omaha 63-55
The No. 15 Washburn Lady Blues (14-3, 8-3, second in MIAA) have been a team of streaks this season. After starting the season on a 13-0 run, the Blues dropped three straight games - two home games and a tough 58-57 overtime loss at Pittsburg State (9-9, 7-4, third in MIAA). Following a loss at home to rival Emporia State (17-1, 10-1, first in MIAA) last week, however, the Blues seemed on a mission as they cruised to a 63-55 Saturday night victory against Nebraska-Omaha in Lee Arena.
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Five Blues, one WNBA draft pick highlight all-decade team
Under the leadership of coach Ron McHenry, the Lady Blues transformed from a team that had a losing record to a consistent MIAA contender with a national championship on its resume.
After going 13-14 in 2000-01, Washburn finished first or second in the conference standings each of the last nine seasons, including four consecutive MIAA titles from 2003-06 and a win against Seattle Pacific in the 2005 national championship game.
McHenry was recognized by “D2 Bulletin” as national Coach of the Year and MIAA Coach of the Year, while guard Jennifer Harris was named national Player of the Year following the Lady Blues’ first national championship.
Led by Harris in the backcourt, Washburn set an NCAA Division II record with 51 consecutive wins from 2004-06, and overall, the Lady Blues posted a 241-49 record in the 2000s.
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HAYS, Kan. -- The No. 8-ranked Washburn Lady Blues won their 14th straight game over Fort Hays State with a 57-47 win over the Tigers at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Washburn (11-0, 5-0 MIAA) will continue their three-game road streak at Central Missouri on Saturday in Warrensburg.
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The Washburn Ichabods were ranked preseason No. 9 in the USA Today Preseason Division II poll which was released today as part of their College Football Preview Magazine. The Ichabods will open the 2010 season on Aug. 28 when they travel to face the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. The Ichabods (8-3 in 2009), were one of four MIAA squads in the preseason poll joining defending national champion Northwest Missouri at No. 1, Missouri Western at No. 16 and Nebraska-Omaha at No. 21. The Ichabods will face No. 6-ranked Abilene Christian in their home opener on Sept. 4 in Yager Stadium.
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Washburn Ichabod golfer Dustin Yeager, who wrapped up his career this spring at the NCAA regionals, was named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America scholar which was announced yesterday by the Golf Coaches Association of America. To be eligible for Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar status an individual must be a junior or senior academically, compete in at least two full years at the collegiate level, participate in 70-percent of his team's competitive rounds or compete in the NCAA Championships, have a stroke-average under 78.0 for Division II while maintaining a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2.
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Four teams express interest in expanding conference from 12 schools to 16
Less than a month after Nebraska and Colorado left the Big 12 for the Big Ten and Pac 10, respectively, conference expansion is once again an area of interest—this time in Division II. The MIAA, which is officially expanding to 12 schools this school year in every sport but football, is considering the addition of a few more schools than originally planned. Lincoln, a member of the MIAA for 29 years until it left in 1999 to join the Heartland Conference, is returning to the MIAA in all sports except football, which will not become affiliated with the MIAA until the 2011 season.
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Koyotes win playoff opener day after coach announces retirement plans
Jim Green’s last Kansas Koyotes home game went as if it had been scripted. Taking a 34-6 lead into halftime after taking advantage of many Junction City Force miscues, the Koyotes (5-5) kept the heat turned up during the second half on their way to a 54-18 victory to advance to play the Iowa Blackhawks in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, next weekend in the American Professional Football League playoffs.
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Junction City Force at Kansas Koyotes
A live chat of the Kansas-Junction City APFL opening round playoffs matchup July 2 at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan. Gametime is set for 7:35 p.m., chat opens at 7:30 p.m. The Koyotes (4-5) are the No. 4 seed, with Junction City (0-4) the No. 5 seed. The winner of this game will face the No. 1 seed Iowa Blackhawks (8-1) next week in Iowa. The APFL championship will be July 17 at the higher-seeded team's venue.
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Koyotes face Blackhawks in Iowa for final game of season Saturday
After a tough loss in their previous game, the Kansas Koyotes wanted to come out with a strong start. They accomplished exactly that, leading 21-6 after the first quarter on their way to a 62-26 victory against the Junction City Force in their final regular season home game at Landon Arena. Koyotes head coach Jim Green was very satisfied with his team’s all-around effort from the start and all through the game.
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A live chat of the June 19 Kansas-Junction City APFL football matchup at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan. Gametime is set for 7:05 p.m., chat opens at 7 p.m. The game is the last home game of the regular season for the Koyotes, and they are needing to win out to have a winning record this season.
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Washburn's sophomore defensive back Pierre Desir has added his second preseason All-American honor as he was named to the Lindy's Preseason Division II All-American team. Desir was named to the Consensus Draft Service All-American Team last week. Desir is a returning starter a defensive back who was named All-American as a redshirt freshman for the Ichabods.
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With only two games left on the regular season schedule, the Kansas Koyotes will have to win out to have a winning record for the season. In a hard fought game, the Koyotes cut the Mid-Missouri Outlaw (7-1) lead to just three points late in the game, but an ensuing onside kick failed and the Outlaws held on for a 26-23 victory in Sedalia, Mo. The loss drops the Koyotes to 3-4 on the season, with the home finale at 7:05 p.m. Saturday against the Junction City Force. Mid-Missouri moves to 6-1 on the season.
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Coming off a three game losing streak, the Kansas Koyotes were ready to get back on track. Behind a solid performance from quarterback Jordan Brill, who threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns, they did just that as Koyotes ousted the Springfield Wolfpack 58-47 Saturday at Landon Arena to get back to 3-3. Donnell Smith, who scored the Koyotes first three touchdowns, was proud of his team for their game.
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Washburn's sophomore returning All-American defensive back Pierre Desir has been named to the first team Consensus Draft Services 2010 Preseason All-American first team for the upcoming season. He was the only sophomore listed in either of the first two teams on both offense and defense by the publication.
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A live chat of the Kansas-Springfield APFL football matchup at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan. Gametime is set for 7:05 p.m., chat opens at 6:30 p.m. The Koyotes enter the game coming off a bye week with a 2-3 record, the result of a three-game losing skid. The Wolfpack is 4-2 after suffering a 33-20 loss to the Iowa Blackhawks.
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National Guard sponsoring free game June 5 against Springfield
The Kansas Koyotes are handing out more than 28,000 free ticket vouchers for the June 5 match up with the Springfield Wolf Pack. The free admission is courtesy of the National Guard, which is sponsoring the game as a way for people who have never seen an indoor professional football game to attend their first one, according to the Koyote’s website, www.koyotefootball.com.
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Former Washburn Ichabod football player Zach Watkins has been named a finalist for the Ken B. Jones MIAA Student Athlete of the Year which was announced today by the conference office. Watkins is looking to become the first Washburn student-athlete to win the award since Michael Dritlein, a fellow football player, won the award in 1996. Nikki Olberding, a former Lady Blues Basketball player, won the award in 1998. Watkins is joined by Northwest Missouri's Myles Burnsides (football) and Nebraska-Omaha's Mike Higgins (football) as the other two finalists.
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'Runners holding two open tryouts for undrafted players
The Topeka RoadRunners added some fresh talent Wednesday, May 26, during the 2010 NAHL Entry Draft. The RoadRunners drafted four forwards--Scott Snyder from Culver Academy, Logan Smith from Colorado Thunderbirds U18, Billy Coole from DeLaSalle High School and Dominick Bellevia from US Chicago Mission U18--as well as goalie Luke Hernandez from the Jr. Kings T1 Major.
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Redesign delayed by technical difficulties, launched Friday morning
The new WUsports.com is now up and running. The athletic department's website redesign was delayed by technical difficulties, as it was originally supposed to launch Thursday, May 27, at 10:15 a.m. However, the site made it's debut Friday morning.
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Loss to Mid-Missouri marks franchise-worst losing skid
The Kansas Koyotes (2-3) dropped their third straight game Saturday night to the Mid-Missouri Outlaws (4-1)- a franchise first. Led by a strong rushing attack and an opportunistic defense, the Outlaws outscored the Koyotes 56-46 at the Kansas Expocentre, despite a strong passing performance by Washburn graduate Jordan Brill.
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Washburn Lady Blues tennis player Trang Le Nguyen was the South Central Regional winner of the ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award given out prior to the beginning of NCAA national tennis tournament. Le Nguyen, who picked up her second MIAA Most Valuable Player award this fall leading the Lady Blues to the MIAA Tournament Championship and a NCAA South Central Regional Tournament berth, was one of eight regional winners.
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Washburn head basketball coach Bob Chipman has announced Topeka native and Division I transfer Jeff Reid has signed a scholarship agreement with the Ichabods to play this fall. He joins Alex North (Topeka, Kan./Topeka West), Andre Quarles (Chicago, Ill/South Suburban), Brandon Scaife (Blue Springs, Mo./State Fair) and Zack Riggins (Leavenworth, Kan./NorthFlorida) who have already inked with the Ichabods.
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The Lady Blues season came to an end with a 24-26 record after back-to-back losses in the first day of the MIAA Softball Championship Tournament at the Blue Valley Sports Complex in Overland Park, Kan. The Lady Blues fell to No. 17 Emporia State 8-0 before falling in an elimination game to Central Missouri 4-1.
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Washburn Ichabod head basketball coach Bob Chipman has announced four new players who have signed with the Ichabods in the spring signing period and will play for the Ichabods this fall. Washburn is coming off a 16-14 season reaching the championship game of the MIAA postseason tournament and return all five starters from that team as well as nine letterwinners.
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It’s simple at this point for the Washburn men’s and women’s tennis teams as they enter the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament. Win or go home. In semifinal match-ups that start tomorrow in Abilene, Texas, WU’s tennis teams will be entering the proving point of their seasons. The men’s team (13-7), which made it into the tournament due to a strong season, will play Incarnate Word (11-2) at 11 a.m., while the women (14-5) will play Abilene Christian (23-7) at 3 p.m after winning the MIAA Championship for an automatic bid.
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Next year, the Washburn Ichabods men’s tennis team will see major changes, as five of its six current players are seniors. Adam Rens, Branden Joost, and Ryan Ward, all seniors, make up the American half of the team, and they shared their thoughts about their beginnings in tennis, their current season, and heading into the NCAA Championships.
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Coaches vs. Cancer banquet brings celebrities together to raise money
Dick Vitale’s presentation “How to Win at the Game of Life” could be summarized in one thought: follow your dreams. While providing a moving and motivational speech to nearly 1,000 people in Lee Arena Wednesday night, Vitale, 70, gave stories of his life, sharing experiences that have shaped who he is today and providing goals to pursue and strong ways to live.
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It was another blowout victory for the Kansas Koyotes. Following their 78-6 win in the season opener, former Washburn quarterback Jordan Brill went 14-for-23 and threw for 164 yards as the Koyotes scored 27 points in the first quarter on their way to a 61-14 victory over the Missouri Mustangs Saturday night at Landon Arena.
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The Ichabods will not be advancing to the MIAA post-season tournament. The team faced Emporia State last week in two double-headers. They were swept in the away games on April 25 and split the next day. Before the second double header, coach Steve Anson said he wanted to go 4-2 in MIAA games and end up 21-23 for the regular season—giving Washburn a chance to make it to the MIAA tournament.
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WSGA president Onek, Vitale connected through grandfather's admiration
To the audience attending tonight’s lecture in Lee Arena, the name Dick Vitale may mean an array of different things. To WSGA president Caley Onek, the name reminds her of one of the biggest inspirations in her life: Don Oliver.
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Blues, Bods advance to NCAA Tournament
Washburn men’s and women’s tennis were both in the MIAA Tennis Tournament Championship on Sunday. And although only one of them came out victorious, neither team is hanging their head. After losing to Northwest Missouri State during MIAA regular season play, 6-3, the Lady Blues came out and played strong singles and doubles on their way to avenging that loss by a score of 5-3 and capturing a MIAA Tennis Tournament Championship crown and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Washburn dominated the doubles play, with the team of Trang Le Nyugen and Alyssa Castillo picking up an 8-2 victory, followed by Morgan Rainey and Whitley Zitsch capturing an 8-4 victory.
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College basketball is defined by passion and pageantry. The screaming, excitement and thrilling contests are what separate it from any other sport. The game’s most famous announcer can be described by all the same words, and that’s why he’s such a fitting ambassador for the sport he loves.
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With the referee’s hand raised in the air, Alec Hagaman of the Topeka RoadRunners skated off to the penalty box for a slashing penalty Monday night. It ended up being one of five first-period penalties on Topeka’s way to 15 for the contest. On the night of the fifth and final match for the North American Hockey League South Division between the Topeka RoadRunners and the St. Louis Bandits, the Bandits took advantage of a tough and questionable outing by the officiating crew on their way to a 5-0 win in front of 2,722 at Landon Arena.
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Golf finishes second at MIAA Championship
The Washburn University golf team’s season was met with disappointment this year. After finishing in the eighth position in the MSSU Spring Invitational April 12 in Joplin, Mo., the team finished second at the MIAA Championships April 19 in Kansas City, Mo. Though the team finished in a higher position at the second tournament, it still fell far behind the lead with Central Missouri’s 29-over-par, as opposed to Washburn’s 43-over-par.
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Former Bods dominate for Kansas
Brill to Wrecke, Brill to Wrecke. That is all you would have heard Saturday, April 17, at the Kansas Koyotes’ home opener. The home opener was a success for the Koyotes as they beat the Kansas City Bulldogs 78-6. The big success though was getting the offense where it needed to be, and getting quarterback Jordan Brill on a roll.
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Outside hitter tears ACL for second time, set to undergo surgery May 12
Washburn volleyball took a tough hit this spring. Redshirt senior-to-be Ashley Shepard, an outside hitter, is once again rehabbing an ACL tear—this time her left knee. The 5'10 Rossville product will undergo surgery May 12.
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Banquet to precede Washburn Lecture Series event featuring ESPN analyst Dick Vitale
Washburn University will host an array of big-name sports figures April 28 at the Washburn Coaches vs. Cancer Banquet in the Washburn Room of the Memorial Union. Guests will include ESPN analyst Dick Vitale, University of Kansas basketball coaches Bill Self and Bonnie Henrickson, Kansas State University basketball coaches Frank Martin and Deb Patterson, Kansas State University athletic director John Currie, Washburn basketball coaches Bob Chipman and Ron McHenry, 15-year NFL center Casey Wiegmann and “Survivor: Guatemala” winner Danni Boatwright.
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For a second straight season, the South Division title for the North American Hockey League will come down to the Topeka RoadRunners and the St. Louis Bandits. After losing the first game of the South Division’s first round match-up with the Springfield Jr. Blues, the Topeka RoadRunners successfully pulled off three straight wins, including an 8-1 romp over the Jr. Blues last Friday night and a 4-3 victory over Springfield on Saturday to wrap up the series.
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If sports were puzzle pieces, Dave Alden has tried to fit almost all of them. But one of the last ones he tried, tennis, was the piece that finally fit. Washburn men’s and women’s tennis head coach Dave Alden grew up around athletics. With a dad that was a semi-professional baseball player at one point on the east coast, Alden played football, basketball, baseball, track and even swimming. But tennis came later on and was an interest off the start.
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It’s football season already for Topeka with the Koyotes having their season opener April 17 against the Independence Bulldogs. The Koyotes are coming off of a strange year last season in that they are not the returning conference champions. Last year, they took second, something the Koyotes are not used to doing. The team looks to respond well and has high hopes for the conference title this year.
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Senior defending MIAA's MVP title
As it played a large role early in her life, it wasn’t tough for Trang Le Nyugen to think she might stay interested in tennis. But, she never expected it would help bring her to America.
Le Nyugen, the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player last season, is expecting a promising end to her senior year as she and her team hopes to win the MIAA Conference Championship, after finishing as runner-up last year.
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