Dear Shocker Nation, 
 
Happy Holidays to all of Shocker Nation! We hope you are able to spend this holiday season with your family and friends! We have many things to be thankful for and celebrate this season.
 
We had 11 student-athletes that graduated over the weekend and are proud of all they have accomplished as Shockers! We always strive to do things The Shocker Way by instilling our core values, developing our student-athletes and creating an environment of competitive excellence.

In August of 2022, Wichita State Athletics established a bold and aggressive set of five-year strategic objectives. Academically, we achieved all three benchmarks during the spring semester (3.0 10 of next 10 semesters, 3.3 five of next 10 semesters and 3.4 once in the next 10 semesters) with the school-record GPA of 3.406. Once grades are in this semester, we are confident we will cross off more of those objectives. We already have 1,300+(!!) community service hours this semester - contributed by all athletics student-athletes, coaches and staff - more than the 1,000 annual goal. We had our inaugural Shocker Serve-a-thon on November 13 that matched 173 student-athletes, coaches and staff members with different community service projects that totaled 341 hours. We are excited to make this day an annual tradition!
 
We want to wish a special congratulations to our volleyball program! This last week, they claimed the first postseason championship in team history with a sweep at UTEP in the finals of the NIVC. The team went 5-0 in the tournament and lost just one set in those five matches. It was an exciting year for the program as they finished 26-8 and in second place in the AAC. The team ended the season on a six-match winning streak and winners of nine of their last 10 matches. The 26 total victories are the most since the 2017 season. Head Coach Chris Lamb also earned his 500^th career win during the season.
 
Here are some other exciting things happening at Wichita State:

• Cross country wrapped up the season in November and had many highlights throughout the year. The men's team placed fourth at the AAC Championship, while the women placed fifth. Lucy Ndungu claimed the silver medal for the Wichita State women. For the men, Jackson Caldwell earned all-conference honors after finishing 15^th and breaking the Wichita State 8K record. Ndungu and Miranda Dick both earned all-conference honors for the women.
• Congratulations to former Wichita State men's golf coach Grier Jones on being inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame on December 4. Jones, who led the men's golf program from 1995 to 2019, is the winningest Shocker golf coach in program history, compiling 49 tournament wins as head coach which includes 15 conference championships. Jones was selected as MVC Coach of the Year 13 times and coached eight Shockers to MVC Golf of the Year awards and 60 all-MVC selections.
• The men's basketball team is off to an 8-3 start to the season. The Shockers own wins over Lipscomb, Western Kentucky, Friends, Coastal Carolina, Saint Louis, Norfolk State, Richmond and Southern Illinois. Colby Rogers is off to a hot start and has made a three-pointer in all 11 games this season and multiple in 10 of 11. He leads the AAC in three-pointers made. In the next couple of weeks, the team will make trips to Kansas City to face both in-state rivals Kansas State and Kansas. Tickets for both of those games are still available through the T-Mobile Center. The women's basketball team has started the year with wins over Presbyterian, Omaha, Akron and Saint Louis. Three Shockers are averaging double-digit scoring including Tre'Zure Jobe (12.4ppg), Daniela Abies (11.6ppg) and Salese Blow (10.3ppg). Single game tickets are available for both the men and the women and fans can call (316) 978-FANS to purchase tickets or go online at GoShockers.com.
• In November, it was announced that Wichita State and Wilkins Stadium will be hosting Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball. AU Pro Softball AUX is an intense competition featuring 18 games across two weeks with the world's best athletes competing in an innovative format to crown an individual champion. It is followed later in the summer by the AU Pro Softball Championship season in Rosemont, Ill. The 2024 event in Wichita will take place June 10-24, with season ticket deposits now being taken at www.auprosports.com. Former Wichita State star and three-time All-American Sydney McKinney has already signed on to compete in the 2024 competition.

Letter From the AD Big 3
Here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Shockers: 

1. Bring your family or a friend to Charles Koch Arena for men's and women's basketball! Wichita State is set to host two women's basketball games in the next couple of weeks and AAC play starts for the men on January 4! Click here for tickets to be part of the excitement in Koch Arena! Here is the list of promotions for upcoming games:

December 20 – WBB vs. Oral Roberts: International Student Night – WSU WBB shows support for all of the international students on the team and on campus; Ugly Sweater Competition – Wear your ugly sweater to the game! Shocker Athletic staff will secretly vote for their favorite ugly sweater at the game and that fan will win a prize.
December 30 – WBB vs. Tulane: Wichita Eagle Family Day – Purchase 4 or more adult tickets and receive vouchers for 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas and 4 bags of popcorn for only $32.
January 4 – MBB vs. North Texas: Aviation Night – Celebrate Wichita being the Air Capital of the World and recognize those that work in the aviation industry. Employees within the aviation industry can claim a special ticket offer for the game at the Shocker Ticket Office. Halftime Act: Granny Basketball
January 14 – MBB vs. Memphis: Stripe Out The Roundhouse – Koch Industries is helping us Stripe Out The Roundhouse and giving out free T-shirts in coordination with your section's assigned color. Halftime Act: Rolla Bolla
February 4 – WBB vs. ECU: National Girls and Women in Sports Day – We invite families across Wichita to join us while we celebrate our female student-athletes and show the importance of Title IX. Girls 18 and under receive FREE admission and women 19+ receive $5 tickets.
February 11 – MBB vs. Florida Atlantic: Black Out Stigma – We partner with Ascension Via Christi and Wichita State's Counseling and Psychological Services to bring awareness to mental health. Wear Black! The first 1,000 fans will receive a black Suspenders4Hope T-shirt. Halftime Act: Frisbee Dogs
February 17 – WBB vs. Tulsa: Wichita Eagle Family Day – Purchase 4 or more adult tickets and receive vouchers for 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas and 4 bags of popcorn for only $32.
February 21 – MBB vs. Tulsa: 316 Night – Join us as we celebrate being proud Wichitans and all the great things our city has to offer.
February 25 – MBB vs. Temple: Yellow Out – Yellow Out The Roundhouse for a late-season matchup with the Owls.
February 28 – WBB vs. SMU: Play4Kay Pink Out: All fans are encouraged to wear pink as we raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.
March 2 – WBB vs. UTSA: FREE Admission with a MBB vs. Rice ticket.

2. On September 8, Wichita State announced plans to add women's bowling as a NCAA Division I sport competing in Conference USA in 2024-25. It will become the 16^th sport at Wichita State, launching July 1, 2024. Current women's bowling coach Holly Harris will serve as the program's first NCAA Division I head coach. Help us in welcoming this group of student-athletes to Shocker Athletics!
3. Congratulations to our 2024 Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame Class! Click here for tickets for the dinner on January 27 to hear from Charlie Giaudrone (Baseball), Alex Harden (Women's Basketball), Taryn Torgerson (Women's Golf) and Cacy Williams (Softball) and their experiences as student-athletes at Wichita State.

Thank you for your support during our fall semester and we look forward to seeing you in The Roundhouse as AAC play begins!
 
Go Shocks!
 
 
 
Kevin Saal
Director of Athletics