The 2019-20 Wichita State athletics season came to a premature end, but the Shockers accomplished many things in their sport, in the community and in the classroom.
Classroom
In the fall of 2019, Wichita State student-athletes recorded the highest grade-point average in history with a 3.30 cumulative GPA. It was the 29th-straight semester with a 3.0 GPA or higher. The Shockers had 189 students on the AD's Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or above) and 119 on the Dean's List (3.5 GPA or above).
Leading the way were the golf teams. The men's team had a cumulative GPA of 3.61, while the women's golf team had a 3.59 GPA. Two teams set GPA records including men's basketball (3.29) and baseball (3.28).
Twenty-six student-athletes recorded 4.0 GPA's, while 10 out of 11 teams earned a cumulative GPA above 3.0.
Community
Wichita State coaches and student-athletes were active in many community service projects and accumulated more than 600 total community service hours during the fall semester. They participated in Shocks, Cops, Fire and Kids, pep rallies, camps, Reading with the Shockers, hospital visits, student mentoring and community events like the Wagonmasters Chili Cook Off. The Reading with the Shockers program even earned a Good Apple Award in April 2020 from Wichita Public Schools.
The Shocker LIFE program provides opportunities for our student-athletes for involvement in the WSU and local communities and resources to enhance the student-athlete experience. WSU Athletics believes that community outreach is a vital piece of student-athlete development as it provides the student-athlete with the opportunity to give back to the Wichita community while simultaneously experiencing invaluable life opportunities.
Cross Country
The Shockers once again saw success at the national level on the cross country course in 2019.
Winny Koskei led the way for the Shocker women all season long. She repeated as the American Athletic Conference's individual champion. Koskei went on to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships where she finished in the top 50 for a second consecutive year. The junior finished 47th at the NCAA Championships.
Rebekah Topham also helped lead the way for the Shocker women. She finished as the conference's individual runner-up and earned all-conference honors. Yazmine Wright also finished as an all-conference honoree for the Shocker women.
Those three for Wichita State's women's squad helped them finish second overall as a team at the American Athletic Conference Championships.
On the men's side, Ben Flowers had a breakout campaign. He came in seventh overall at the American Athletic Conference Championships, becoming the first male all-conference runner since joining the American Athletic Conference. Flowers went on to finish 17th at the Midwest Regional and was named an All-Region performer.
The Shocker men finished fifth overall at the American Athletic Conference Championships with Flowers, senior Zack Penrod and junior Ethan Kossover all finishing in the top 30.
Volleyball
The Wichita State University volleyball team had one of the toughest schedules in NCAA Division I volleyball during the 2019 season, facing five teams that were ranked in the AVCA top-five during the season, including hosting then third-ranked Texas and 13th-ranked BYU at Charles Koch Arena. The match against the third-ranked Longhorns Sept. 14 marked the highest ranked opponent to ever visit Charles Koch Arena.
The Shockers returned just two starters from 2018 and had one of the youngest rosters in The American with 12 underclassmen, including 10 freshmen.
Wichita State ended the season winning five of its final nine matches, including victories against American Athletic Conference tournament participants Tulane and Tulsa, finishing with an overall record of 9-19 and a conference tally of 6-10. WSU swept Tulane, 3-0, in New Orleans, La., Nov. 1, before claiming a 3-1 victory over Tulsa at home Nov. 15.
Men's Basketball
"Are the Shockers an NCAA tournament team?"
A question everyone was asking during the final weeks of the regular season will never be answered thanks to the COVID-19 coronavirus. Wichita State was a consensus at-large pick by the nation's "bracketology" experts, but a promising season ended prematurely with the cancellation of the American Athletic Conference and NCAA tournaments.
Regardless, the Shockers took a step forward in 2019-20 with 23 wins – six more than their 2018-19 regular season total.
A nine-game winning streak in December and January included noteworthy victories over Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, VCU, Ole Miss and No. 21 Memphis. Following a double-overtime thriller at UConn on Jan. 12, the Shockers were 15-1 and ranked No. 16 in both major polls.
The Shockers finished fourth in the conference race -- two games out of first-place. Highlights included a miraculous 24-point second half comeback at SMU that ranks as one of the largest in NCAA history and a 22-point win over rival Tulsa on senior day that denied the Hurricane the outright conference crown.
WSU's defense was elite, ranking eighth nationally in efficiency, per KenPom. The Shockers held 22 of their 31 opponents under 40 percent from the field and surrendered more than 70 points on just five occasions.
The lone senior, 6-11 center Jaime Echenique, was a second team all-conference pick and the team's leading scorer (11.3), rebounder (7.1) and shot-blocker (1.6).
Off the court, men's basketball players set a new program record with a 3.29 GPA during the fall semester and 11 of the 16 team members qualified for the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (semester GPA's of 3.0-and-higher).
Women's Basketball
Wichita State registered its first winning season since 2014-15 with a 16-15 record in head coach Keitha Adams' third season at the helm. Led by Third Team All-Conference selection Mariah McCully, the Shockers tied for sixth in the league standings after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll. Wichita State also picked up its first-ever win at the American Athletic Conference Championship, defeating Houston in the first round.
McCully led Wichita State in scoring (12.6) and steals (56) and scored 10 or more points in 17 straight games at one point during the season. She is just the second Shocker to collect all-conference honors since Wichita State joined The American in 2017. Notable victories from 2019-20 included a home win over Oklahoma and first-time season sweeps of ECU and Temple.
Wichita State will look to build off this season, as the Shockers should return their top five scorers in 2020-21.
Indoor Track & Field
The Shockers saw strong performances across the board in the decade's first season of competition.
Rebekah Topham won two individual conference titles at the American Athletic Conference Championships. She defended her crown in the Mile and took home a title in the 3,000 meters. She also anchored the distance medley relay squad that earned the Shockers a team point. She totaled 21 team points and won her second straight American Athletic Conference Most Valuable Performer award.
The men's distance medley relay squad also took home a conference title. The team of Jed Helker, Jace Coppoc, Josh Cable and Adam Moore took home a conference crown. Adam Moore had a spectacular anchor leg for a come-from-behind victory.
Adam Gauzy set the school record in the 400 meters in the finals at the American Athletic Conference Championships. He ran a time of 47.52 to etch his name atop the school's indoor performance list in the 400 meters.
Joseph Holthusen had an outstanding season in the 60-meter hurdles setting personal-best times almost weekly. He finished as the conference's runner-up with a time of 7.84. That time put him at No. 2 in school history in the 60-meter hurdles.
Alex Adams set personal bests in the weight throw in her final four weeks of competition. Adams' final competition (the AAC Championships) saw her throw the weight 19.70m/64-7.75, which is good for the third-best throw in school history. She came in sixth at the AAC Championships.
The Shocker men finished fifth in the team race at the AAC Championships and the women also finished fifth as a team in Birmingham, Alabama, at the conference meet.
All-in-all, the Shockers totaled seven individual all-conference awards at the American Athletic Conference Championships.
Indoor Track and Field All-Conference
Rebekah Topham – Mile (Champion)
Rebekah Topham – 3,000 Meters (Champion)
Jed Helker, Jace Coppoc, Josh Cable, Adam Moore – Men's DMR (Champion)
Sidney Sapp – High Jump (Second)
Joseph Holthusen – 60-Meter Hurdles (Second)
Winny Koskei – 5,000 Meters (Second)
Weston Lewis – High Jump (Third)
Men's Tennis
The Wichita State men's tennis team's fall season started on a high note when senior All-Americans Marius Frosa and Murkel Dellien were ranked No. 5 in the ITA preseason rankings. This was the second highest ranking for a doubles pair in Shocker men's tennis history behind Roberto Saad and Paul Smith who were ranked No. 2 during the 1982-83 season. This praise for the duo came after a historic run during the second half of the 2019 season that saw them reach the Elite 8 at the NCAA Division I Tennis Championships. The pairing showed exactly why they deserved this ranking when they traveled down to Dallas and took home the doubles championship at the Ralston Neufield Coaches Challenge on November 3. Sophomore Orel Ovil also jumped into the national spotlight when he earned a ranking of No. 107 in the final ITA fall rankings. Ovil acquired this after having one of the most successful fall seasons in recent WSU men's tennis history, finishing with a 10-4 fall record in singles.
Danny Bryan's squad held a 12-5 record and were off to their best start since the 2014-15 season before their spring campaign was cut short. The Shockers picked up a historic 4-3 win in their fourth match of the season against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Before this victory, WSU had only defeated three Southeastern Conference schools since 1987. This victory was the beginning of a run that saw the Shockers win eight of their next 10 matches, with their two losses coming to stellar Tennessee and Iowa teams that finished No. 12 and No. 20 in the ITA team rankings, respectively. After this run the Shockers came in at a season high No. 47 in the national rankings. During the team's match against the Hawkeyes, Dellien and Frosa upset Will Davies and Oliver Okonkwo who were ranked No. 10 in the country. After this upset, everything was on the up for the Shockers as Frosa was named the American Athletic Conference player of the week as well as being able to jump all the way to No. 27 in the doubles rankings with Dellien. The last matches of the season came when WSU traveled to Fresno, California to compete in the Pacific Central Valley Championship on February 29 and March 1. In what would be their last wins of the season, the Shocks would get two 4-0 shutout victories over Pacific and San Francisco on their way to a runner up finish in the tournament to conclude their 2020 campaign.
Women's Tennis
The senior-laden team was turning a corner after an underwhelming start to the season before the cancellation of competitions due to COVID-19. After winning the season opener against Abilene Christian, the Shockers dropped eight straight contests, four of them to currently ranked opponents.
Head Coach Colin Foster knew that his team had the fight and will to improve and get past a rough start. He preached this after every match and during every practice. The Shockers responded to this message by breaking their losing streak and winning two straight over Tulane and UT Arlington.
These wins marked the beginning of a new stretch of the season. Six of the teams seven wins occurred after the losing streak was broken and the team only lost twice during their last eight matches. A three-match road win streak over Xavier, Cincinnati, and Louisville before the season was cancelled proved to be the highlight of this stretch.
LingWei Kong and Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva were both named the American Athletic Conference Women's Player of the Week for their efforts in helping turn the season around. Kong's play was key in wins over Tulane and UTA, as she went undefeated in singles and doubles action to lead the team in breaking the losing streak. Saidhujaeva was excellent in the team's three-match win streak and went undefeated in singles action to pace the team in three tight singles duals.
Looking towards next season, Kong improved throughout the year and showed that she could compete as the No. 1. She tied for the team lead in dual wins (7) and went undefeated as the No. two and four. Alexandra Lazarova continued to build off a strong sophomore season and Natsumi Kurahashi showed promise, earning playing time on court six as a freshman. Coach Foster is also excited about the newcomers that will enter the program.
Men's Golf
The Shockers completed just six of their 11 scheduled tournaments but showed signs of a promise under first-year head coach Judd Easterling.
Wichita State's first team and individual titles of the Easterling Era came on the same weekend (Oct. 14-15). Dawson Lewis tied for medalist at 6-under par and the Shockers out-distanced host New Mexico State by three shots to win the Herb Wimberly Invitational in Las Cruces.
Five of the six Shockers who competed were underclassmen, led by the sophomore duo of Lewis and Zac Owens. Owens led the team in stroke average (71.3) and posted three top-20 finishes. Lewis (72.8) fired a team-high 62 birdies.
Women's Golf
A young team earned plentiful experience and showed signs of their potential in the seasons to come.
Three underclassmen earned top 20 finishes on the season. Freshman Mar Vidal earned one at her very first tournament, the Payne Stewart Memorial, by shooting 9-over 222 to finish tied for 10th. At the Johnie Imes Invitational, sophomore Hana Mirnik finished tied for 18th with a score of 8-over 224. To round out the underclassmen, freshman Aufa Rachmadya tied for ninth at the Rio Verde Invitational with a 7-over 223 performance.
Senior Michelle Ledermann paced the team throughout the board on the greens. She led the team in average with a mark of 74.7. This is also the third lowest season average in program history behind only Taryn Torgerson's two marks from 2016-2018. Her 54-hole average of 224.2 is also good for fourth best behind Torgerson and Laine Evans. She is currently second all-time in career scoring average at 76.345 and in 54-hole scoring average at 228.855.
Softball
Wichita State's season was cut short just before the opening weekend of conference play was set to begin. The 2020 Shockers had yet to really find a rhythm as they finished with an 11-16 record in an incomplete year. Due to the shortened season, Wichita State had yet to play a single home contest at Wilkins Stadium.
Senior Madison Perrigan highlighted the campaign, as she broke the American Athletic Conference career home run record during the Rock Chalk Challenge. She hit four home runs on the weekend, bringing her career total to 37. She finished three shy of breaking the school record held by Cacy Williams and Laurie Derrico (39). Her seven home runs on the season ranked third in the conference.
The Shocker offense put up some strong numbers at the plate, ranking in the top 25 nationally in doubles (5th), walks (13th), slugging percentage (15th), on base percentage (18th), batting average (22nd) and scoring (25th). Kaylee Huecker led The American and was 21st nationally in triples with three. Six different players in the lineup were hitting .333 or better, including sophomore Sydney McKinney's team-best .410 batting average.
Baseball
Under new head coach Eric Wedge, the Wichita State University baseball team posted a 13-2 overall record and won its final 12 games before the 2020 season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic in March. The 12-game winning streak was the longest since 2008, while the 13-2 start marked the best start to a season since 2006.
Junior right-hander Liam Eddy was named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for Feb. 17, while fellow junior right-hander Jake Hamilton was selected as one of Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Player of the Week on the same day.
Junior first baseman Garrett Kocis (Feb. 24) and freshman infielder/outfielder Couper Cornblum (March 2) both garnered spots on The American Weekly Honor Roll, respectively.
The Shockers broke into the Collegiate Baseball Top-30 poll March 9, and finished the season ranked 30th, marking the first time Wichita State appeared in a national poll since 2018.
