Seven members of the Hutchinson Community College football team earned 2023 NJCAA All-America honors on Tuesday. &nbsp;

Defensive End Daniel Brown, safety Ryan Nolan and return specialist Tre Richardson were first-team All-America selections. Offensive lineman Jayven Richardson, defensive tackle Danny Saili and running back Tyrell Reed Jr., were second-team selections. Punter Stefaan Forbes was named honorable mention.&nbsp;

The Blue Dragons went 10-1 this past season and won their fourth-straight Jayhawk Conference championship. The Dragons played in the NJCAA National Playoff semifinals for the second-straight season. The Blue Dragons were ranked No. 1 for 11 consecutive weeks and finished No. 3 in the final national poll released on Monday. &nbsp;

Over head coach Drew Dallas’ four seasons with the Blue Dragons, he has produced 33 overall NJCAA All-Americans, including 11 first-team selections.&nbsp;

This is the sixth-straight season Blue Dragon Football has produced at least one first-team All-American and the 16th consecutive season of having at least one All-American.&nbsp;

DANIEL BROWN – First-Team -- Defense&nbsp; Brown led the nation in quarterback sacks this season with 18 and was third in total tackles for loss with 23. &nbsp;

The 6-foot-1, 240-pound defensive end from Kansas City (Bishop Ward), Kansas, had an exceptional season. He was named the Jayhawk Conference Defensive Player of the Year in November.&nbsp;

Brown registered a sack in 10-straight games, the second-longest streak in Blue Dragon history. Troy West (1996-97) had a streak of 14-straight games with a sack. Brown’s 18 sacks are second-most in Blue Dragon single-season history to West’s 19 in 1996. He ranks sixth on the Blue Dragon career sacks list.&nbsp;

Brown finished the 2023 season with 52 total tackles, 32 tackles were unassisted. His 18 sacks totaled 130 yards in losses and his 23 tackles for loss accumulated 163 yards in opposition losses. Brown also had 13 quarterback hurries.&nbsp;

Brown forced two fumbles, recovered one and had one pass broken up. Brown was also credited with two safeties this season against Ellsworth and Independence. &nbsp;

RYAN NOLAN – First-Team -- Defense&nbsp; Nolan tied for the NJCAA national lead in interceptions with seven this season. &nbsp;

The 5-10, 185-pound safety from Gainesville, Florida, played in eight games this season, missing the final two games with injuries.&nbsp;

Nolan had 21 total tackles this year, including two tackles for loss. Nolan broke up five other passes this season.&nbsp;

His seven interceptions were seventh most on the Blue Dragon single-season list.&nbsp;

Nolan tied a team single-game record with three interceptions against No. 5 Iowa Central on September 9 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. All three interceptions came in the second quarter against the Tritons.&nbsp;

Nolan also had a two-interception game in a 13-0 win over Highland on October 28.&nbsp;

TRE RICHARDSON – First-Team – Special Teams&nbsp; From opening night, the 5-11, 195-pound freshman from Topeka (Highland Park) made it known he would be one of the top return specialists in the nation.&nbsp;

Richardson had two kickoff returns, including a 92-yard touchdown, and accounted for 268 all-purpose yards in a 42-6 road victory at No. 13 Navarro on August 26. The 268 all-purpose yards were fifth most in single-game Blue Dragon history.&nbsp;

The Blue Dragon return specialist was second in the nation in kickoff return average at 27.1 yards per return with a touchdown. Richards returned 22 kickoffs for 596 yards this season. He was also second in punt-return average at 16.2 yards per return with two touchdowns. He returned two punts for touchdowns against Coffeyville on September 23.&nbsp;

Richardson produced 1,332 all-purpose yards this season. Averaging 133.2 all-purpose yards per game, he ranked fifth in the NJCAA. Richardson had 15 pass receptions for 365 yards and four touchdowns. He had six rushes for 31 yards and one touchdown.&nbsp;

TYRELL REED JR. – Second-Team – Offense&nbsp; Reed rushed for a team-high 831 yards on 131 carries with 13 touchdowns this season. &nbsp;

The 5-10, 195-pound running back from Topeka (Lawrence High School) finished 10th in the NJCAA in rushing average at 74.1 yards per game. That mark was second in the KJCCC. His 831 rushing yards were eighth most in the nation and his 13 rushing touchdowns were second most in the NJCAA in 2023.&nbsp;

Reed had four 100-yard rushing games with a season-high 171 yards coming against Ellsworth only nine carries and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 124 against East Mississippi, 117 against Butler and 115 against Dodge City. &nbsp;

Reed’s 13 rushing touchdowns ties Dezmon Jackson (2018) for fifth most in Blue Dragon history. His 6.2 yards per carry ties Tyren Jones (2015) for 12th on the Blue Dragon single-season list.&nbsp;

JAYVEN RICHARDSON – Second-Team – Offense&nbsp; As a left tackle, Richardson anchored an offensive line that helped produce the third-best scoring offense and fifth-best rushing offense in the NJCAA this season.&nbsp;

Richardson, a 6-7, 305-pound from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, started all 11 games for the Blue Dragons.&nbsp;

He helped pave the way for the Blue Dragons to score 37.6 points per game this season. The Blue Dragons rushed for 227.3 yards per game and had 32 rushing touchdowns, seventh most in Blue Dragon single-season history.&nbsp;

Richardson was a first-team All-KJCCC performer this season.&nbsp;

DANNY SAILI – Second-Team – Defense&nbsp; Saili led a defensive line that helped the Blue Dragons produce the No. 1 scoring defense, the second-best rushing defense and the second-most quarterback sacks in the NJCAA this season.&nbsp;

A 6-2, 355-pound defensive lineman from Topeka, had 21 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss (28 yards) and 4.0 quarterback sacks (22 yards). Saili had four other quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a pass broken up.&nbsp;

Saili also had a blocked field-goal attempt against Independence on November 4.&nbsp;

Saili had a season-high four tackles with a sack against Dodge City on October 7.&nbsp;

Saili and the Blue Dragon front seven allowed 11.7 points per game, which led the nation. The Dragons allowed only 67.2 rushing yards and 246.5 total yards per game.&nbsp;

STEFAAN FORBES – Honorable Mention – Special Teams&nbsp;Forbes is the first Blue Dragon punter to earn NJCAA All-America honors since John Racette in 2004.&nbsp;

The 6-1, 170-pound sophomore transfer from Tulsa, Oklahoma led the Jayhawk Conference and ranked fifth in the nation in punting average at 39.6 yards per punt.&nbsp;

His long punt of 66 yards tied for fourth-best in the NJCAA and his 20 punts inside the 20 were sixth most in the nation this season.&nbsp;

Forbes had eight punts of 50 yards or longer.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573996270191.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of HutchCC AthleticsSeven members of the Hutchinson Community College football team earned 2023 NJCAA All-America honors on Tuesday. &nbsp;Defensive End Daniel Brown, safety Ryan Nolan and return specialist Tre Richardson were first-team All-America selections. Offensive lineman Jayven Richardson, defensive tackle Danny Saili and running back Tyrell Reed Jr., were second-team selections. Punter Stefaan Forbes was named honorable mention.&nbsp;The Blue Dragons went 10-1 this past season and won their fourth-straight Jayhawk Conference championship. The Dragons played in the NJCAA National Playoff semifinals for the second-straight season. The Blue Dragons were ranked No. 1 for 11 consecutive weeks and finished No. 3 in the final national poll released on Monday. &nbsp;Over head coach Drew Dallas’ four seasons with the Blue Dragons, he has produced 33 overall NJCAA All-Americans, including 11 first-team selections.&nbsp;This is the sixth-straight season Blue Dragon Football has produced at least one first-team All-American and the 16th consecutive season of having at least one All-American.&nbsp;DANIEL BROWN – First-Team -- Defense&nbsp; Brown led the nation in quarterback sacks this season with 18 and was third in total tackles for loss with 23. &nbsp;The 6-foot-1, 240-pound defensive end from Kansas City (Bishop Ward), Kansas, had an exceptional season. He was named the Jayhawk Conference Defensive Player of the Year in November.&nbsp;Brown registered a sack in 10-straight games, the second-longest streak in Blue Dragon history. Troy West (1996-97) had a streak of 14-straight games with a sack. Brown’s 18 sacks are second-most in Blue Dragon single-season history to West’s 19 in 1996. He ranks sixth on the Blue Dragon career sacks list.&nbsp;Brown finished the 2023 season with 52 total tackles, 32 tackles were unassisted. His 18 sacks totaled 130 yards in losses and his 23 tackles for loss accumulated 163 yards in opposition losses. Brown also had 13 quarterback hurries.&nbsp;Brown forced two fumbles, recovered one and had one pass broken up. Brown was also credited with two safeties this season against Ellsworth and Independence. &nbsp;RYAN NOLAN – First-Team -- Defense&nbsp; Nolan tied for the NJCAA national lead in interceptions with seven this season. &nbsp;The 5-10, 185-pound safety from Gainesville, Florida, played in eight games this season, missing the final two games with injuries.&nbsp;Nolan had 21 total tackles this year, including two tackles for loss. Nolan broke up five other passes this season.&nbsp;His seven interceptions were seventh most on the Blue Dragon single-season list.&nbsp;Nolan tied a team single-game record with three interceptions against No. 5 Iowa Central on September 9 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. All three interceptions came in the second quarter against the Tritons.&nbsp;Nolan also had a two-interception game in a 13-0 win over Highland on October 28.&nbsp;TRE RICHARDSON – First-Team – Special Teams&nbsp; From opening night, the 5-11, 195-pound freshman from Topeka (Highland Park) made it known he would be one of the top return specialists in the nation.&nbsp;Richardson had two kickoff returns, including a 92-yard touchdown, and accounted for 268 all-purpose yards in a 42-6 road victory at No. 13 Navarro on August 26. The 268 all-purpose yards were fifth most in single-game Blue Dragon history.&nbsp;The Blue Dragon return specialist was second in the nation in kickoff return average at 27.1 yards per return with a touchdown. Richards returned 22 kickoffs for 596 yards this season. He was also second in punt-return average at 16.2 yards per return with two touchdowns. He returned two punts for touchdowns against Coffeyville on September 23.&nbsp;Richardson produced 1,332 all-purpose yards this season. Averaging 133.2 all-purpose yards per game, he ranked fifth in the NJCAA. Richardson had 15 pass receptions for 365 yards and four touchdowns. He had six rushes for 31 yards and one touchdown.&nbsp;TYRELL REED JR. – Second-Team – Offense&nbsp; Reed rushed for a team-high 831 yards on 131 carries with 13 touchdowns this season. &nbsp;The 5-10, 195-pound running back from Topeka (Lawrence High School) finished 10th in the NJCAA in rushing average at 74.1 yards per game. That mark was second in the KJCCC. His 831 rushing yards were eighth most in the nation and his 13 rushing touchdowns were second most in the NJCAA in 2023.&nbsp;Reed had four 100-yard rushing games with a season-high 171 yards coming against Ellsworth only nine carries and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 124 against East Mississippi, 117 against Butler and 115 against Dodge City. &nbsp;Reed’s 13 rushing touchdowns ties Dezmon Jackson (2018) for fifth most in Blue Dragon history. His 6.2 yards per carry ties Tyren Jones (2015) for 12th on the Blue Dragon single-season list.&nbsp;JAYVEN RICHARDSON – Second-Team – Offense&nbsp; As a left tackle, Richardson anchored an offensive line that helped produce the third-best scoring offense and fifth-best rushing offense in the NJCAA this season.&nbsp;Richardson, a 6-7, 305-pound from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, started all 11 games for the Blue Dragons.&nbsp;He helped pave the way for the Blue Dragons to score 37.6 points per game this season. The Blue Dragons rushed for 227.3 yards per game and had 32 rushing touchdowns, seventh most in Blue Dragon single-season history.&nbsp;Richardson was a first-team All-KJCCC performer this season.&nbsp;DANNY SAILI – Second-Team – Defense&nbsp; Saili led a defensive line that helped the Blue Dragons produce the No. 1 scoring defense, the second-best rushing defense and the second-most quarterback sacks in the NJCAA this season.&nbsp;A 6-2, 355-pound defensive lineman from Topeka, had 21 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss (28 yards) and 4.0 quarterback sacks (22 yards). Saili had four other quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a pass broken up.&nbsp;Saili also had a blocked field-goal attempt against Independence on November 4.&nbsp;Saili had a season-high four tackles with a sack against Dodge City on October 7.&nbsp;Saili and the Blue Dragon front seven allowed 11.7 points per game, which led the nation. The Dragons allowed only 67.2 rushing yards and 246.5 total yards per game.&nbsp;STEFAAN FORBES – Honorable Mention – Special Teams&nbsp;Forbes is the first Blue Dragon punter to earn NJCAA All-America honors since John Racette in 2004.&nbsp;The 6-1, 170-pound sophomore transfer from Tulsa, Oklahoma led the Jayhawk Conference and ranked fifth in the nation in punting average at 39.6 yards per punt.&nbsp;His long punt of 66 yards tied for fourth-best in the NJCAA and his 20 punts inside the 20 were sixth most in the nation this season.&nbsp;Forbes had eight punts of 50 yards or longer.&nbsp;

🏈 HutchCC places 7 on NJCAA All-America teams

Courtesy of the Kansas Shrine Bowl

KANSAS-&nbsp;As the 50th&nbsp;anniversary year of the Kansas Shrine Bowl concludes, the Kansas Shrine Bowl Board of Directors, along with the staff, participants, ambassadors, corporate partners, supporters, and nobles from across Kansas are proud to announce a donation of $100,000 as a result of the 2023 event held Saturday, July 15th&nbsp;in Hays. Since 1974, the Kansas Shrine Bowl has now donated more than $3.8 million to Shriners Children’s.

“I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. It takes a village to pull off the Kansas Shrine Bowl every year,” said Kansas Shrine Bowl Board of Directors President Donnie Bohannon. “To everyone who contributed, your act of kindness and generosity may have been a moment to you, but it will stay with me and all of the children your support has benefitted always.”

In addition to this significant contribution, the Kansas Shrine Bowl also provided programming for all-star athletes and musicians from across the state. With the support of Shriners, corporate partners, and participant fundraising, the Kansas Shrine Bowl was able to house, feed, transport, coach, train, and entertain 80 football players, 169 band participants, 190 cheerleaders, 16 patient ambassadors, and more than 30 camp staff for nearly a week. These participants get to experience first-hand the incredible work of Shriners Children’s during weeklong camps that create a lasting impact for participants, ambassadors, and families.

The 2024 Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth is scheduled for Saturday, June 29th, 2024 at Welch Stadium on the campus of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. To learn more about how you can contribute to the wonderful work of Shriners and the Kansas Shrine Bowl, please contact the Kansas Shrine Bowl office at 913-602-8656 or reach out by email to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:events@KansasShrineBowl.com" target="_blank">events@KansasShrineBowl.com</a>. For additional event information and to learn more about the cause, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasshrinebowl.com/" target="_blank">www.KansasShrineBowl.com</a>.

The Kansas Shrine Bowl is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that produces annual events and related activities presented to benefit Shriners Children’s. Shriners Children’s offers care for a range of orthopedic issues, as well as care for burn injuries, craniofacial conditions, spine care and spinal cord injuries, colorectal and gastrointestinal care, and sports medicine. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients' ability to pay.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1578430839100.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of the Kansas Shrine BowlKANSAS-&nbsp;As the 50th&nbsp;anniversary year of the Kansas Shrine Bowl concludes, the Kansas Shrine Bowl Board of Directors, along with the staff, participants, ambassadors, corporate partners, supporters, and nobles from across Kansas are proud to announce a donation of $100,000 as a result of the 2023 event held Saturday, July 15th&nbsp;in Hays. Since 1974, the Kansas Shrine Bowl has now donated more than $3.8 million to Shriners Children’s.“I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. It takes a village to pull off the Kansas Shrine Bowl every year,” said Kansas Shrine Bowl Board of Directors President Donnie Bohannon. “To everyone who contributed, your act of kindness and generosity may have been a moment to you, but it will stay with me and all of the children your support has benefitted always.”In addition to this significant contribution, the Kansas Shrine Bowl also provided programming for all-star athletes and musicians from across the state. With the support of Shriners, corporate partners, and participant fundraising, the Kansas Shrine Bowl was able to house, feed, transport, coach, train, and entertain 80 football players, 169 band participants, 190 cheerleaders, 16 patient ambassadors, and more than 30 camp staff for nearly a week. These participants get to experience first-hand the incredible work of Shriners Children’s during weeklong camps that create a lasting impact for participants, ambassadors, and families.The 2024 Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth is scheduled for Saturday, June 29th, 2024 at Welch Stadium on the campus of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. To learn more about how you can contribute to the wonderful work of Shriners and the Kansas Shrine Bowl, please contact the Kansas Shrine Bowl office at 913-602-8656 or reach out by email to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:events@KansasShrineBowl.com" target="_blank">events@KansasShrineBowl.com</a>. For additional event information and to learn more about the cause, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasshrinebowl.com/" target="_blank">www.KansasShrineBowl.com</a>.The Kansas Shrine Bowl is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that produces annual events and related activities presented to benefit Shriners Children’s. Shriners Children’s offers care for a range of orthopedic issues, as well as care for burn injuries, craniofacial conditions, spine care and spinal cord injuries, colorectal and gastrointestinal care, and sports medicine. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients' ability to pay.&nbsp;

🏈 Kansas Shrine Bowl announces $100,000 donation

Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp;

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;Entering Monday night's game, All-American&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>&nbsp;sat in a tie for the K-State career double-doubles record, she would break the record in grand fashion as the 12th-ranked Wildcats cruised past Oral Roberts, 102-59, on Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum.

K-State improved its record to 11-1 for the first time under the direction of head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>. This is the best start for K-State since opening the 2008-09 season with a 12-0 mark.&nbsp;Lee, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, registered her second career game and just the second in school history with 20 or more points and 20 or more rebounds as she finished with 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting, a career-high 21 rebounds, five blocks and a steal in 23 minutes of action. With the performance, Lee broke the tie with Kendra Wecker for career double-doubles at K-State with her 53rd.

Lee's 21 rebounds were one off the single-game school record of 22 by Peyton Williams set at TCU on Feb. 1, 2021.

Joining Lee in double figures were senior guard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a>&nbsp;with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.

Redshirt freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/zyanna-walker/11200">Zyanna Walker</a>&nbsp;notched 14 points, four rebounds, two steals, a career-high two blocks and an assist, while redshirt sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gisela-sanchez/11196">Gisela Sanchez</a>&nbsp;chipped in with 13 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED - Following a tightly contested first quarter that saw the Wildcats in front by two, 19-17, K-State raced to a 30-point second quarter to build a 49-32 lead at halftime. The 49 points were a season-high for the Wildcats in a first half. - Over a four-minute stretch in the second quarter, K-State went on a 19-3 run, turning a five-point lead into a 17-point advantage, 40-23. The run started with three straight 3-pointers from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/serena-sundell/11197">Serena Sundell</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a>. Lee then added an old-fashioned three-point play with 5:54 remaining and was followed by a layup from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;and a steal and layup from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/zyanna-walker/11200">Zyanna Walker</a>. Lee capped the run with a jumper following a scramble for a loose ball in front of the Oral Roberts bench.&nbsp; - Lee led the charge in the opening half with 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots. The product of Byron, Minnesota, surpassed the school double-doubles record on a jumper with 4:23 to play in the second quarter.&nbsp;- K-State kept its foot on the accelerator in the third quarter, outscoring the Golden Eagles, 33-14, in the frame. The Wildcats shot 70.0 percent (14-of-20). This was the third time this season K-State has shot 70.0 percent or better in a quarter including a season-high 76.9 percent against Western Kentucky on Nov. 24, 2023. - The Wildcats turned a 15-point lead, 49-34, with 9:19 remaining into a 29-point advantage, 63-34, with 4:53 to play in the third quarter with a 14-0 run. Five different Wildcats scored during the run to blow open the game. - Over the second and third quarters, the Wildcats outscored the Golden Eagles, 63-29, while shooting 60.5 percent (26-of-43) from the field. - In the fourth quarter,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ja-mia-harris/11192">Ja'Mia Harris</a>&nbsp;took a fast break feed from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/taryn-sides/11198">Taryn Sides</a>&nbsp;and finished a layup with just over a minute remaining to push K-State over the century mark for the second time this season. - For the night, K-State shot 49.4 percent (40-of-81) and held Oral Roberts (6-4), who entered the game averaging 85.4 points per game to 59 points on 28.4 percent (19-of-67) shooting.

QUICK FACTS - K-State leads the series with Oral Roberts, 8-2, including a current win streak of six straight. The Wildcats are 43-6 against current members of the Summit League. This was the second straight meeting between the schools in which K-State scored 100 or more points. - The Wildcats are 5-0 in the month of December. In its history, K-State is 242-103 (.701) in the 12th month and 41-18 (.695) in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>&nbsp;era. The Wildcats have recorded a .500 or better record in the month of December 48 times including a current streak of 28 consecutive seasons. - K-State head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>&nbsp;owns a career record of 629-363 (.634) and is 175-128 (.578) during his 10-seasons at K-State. - K-State owns a record of 386-154 (.715) during its 36-seasons in Bramlage Coliseum. Head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>&nbsp;is 116-46 (.716) in home games with the Wildcats. - K-State has won 27 straight non-conference home games dating back to December of 2020. Kansas State is 227-29 (.887) against non-conference foes, while Mittie is 73-8 (.901).&nbsp;- K-State owns a record of 233-88 (.726) as an AP ranked team. K-State is 15-4 (.789) all-time when ranked 12th in the nation.

TEAM NOTES - K-State's starting five consisted of guards:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/serena-sundell/11197">Serena Sundell</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/brylee-glenn/11188">Brylee Glenn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a>&nbsp;and center&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>. This was the 12th time this starting five has been used this season. This was the 99th career start for Lee, the 90th collegiate career start and the 44th start at K-State for Gregory, the 81st career start for Sundell, the 77th career start for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;and the 71st career start for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/brylee-glenn/11188">Brylee Glenn</a>. - The Wildcats held a 49-32 lead at halftime on Monday. Under head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>, K-State is 139-17 (.891) when leading at halftime, including a 10-0 record this season. - K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in two quarters on Monday night. For the season, K-State owns 19 quarters with a field goal percentage of 50.0 percent or better. - The Wildcats dished out 28 assists on Monday. When K-State hands out 20 or more assists over the last 16 seasons, the Wildcats are 87-7 (.926), including a 6-0 record this season. The Wildcats have handed out 20 or more assists in five straight games. - K-State registered a 61-35 advantage in rebounds on Monday. This is the 11th time K-State has outrebounded its opponent this season (10-1). The 61 rebounds were the most by the Wildcats this season and the most since pulling in 61 against Northwestern State on Nov. 27, 2021. The 61 rebounds are tied for the third-most in a single-game in school history. - K-State recorded its third game this season with a combined 20 or more blocks and steals in a game (12 steals/10 blocks). The Wildcats are 22-1 when achieving a combination of 20 or more steals and blocks in a game.

PLAYER NOTES - Lee recorded her 91st career game with 10 or more points and her 42nd career game with 20 or more points. Lee has scored in every game of her career (99 games). - Lee hauled in a career-high 21 rebounds on Monday. With her total, Lee passed former teammate Peyton Williams (2016-20; 967) for third in school history for career rebounds with 988. She needs eight rebounds to pass Nicole Ohlde (2000-04; 995) for second in school history. - With her five blocks on Monday, Lee improved her career total to 260 and ranks second in program history, passing Marlies Gipson (2005-09; 257) for second in school history. This was her 17th career game with five or more blocks, which improves upon her own school record. - Gregory registered her 74th career game and her fourth this season with 10 or more points. - Gregory made three 3-pointers on Monday, which is the 61st time in her career with two or more connections from long range. With her three connections, Gregory reached the 200-mark for three-point field goals made in her collegiate career. During her time at K-State, Gregory has made 103 from long range. - Gregory hauled in six rebounds on Monday. This was her 52nd career game and her sixth this season with five or more boards. -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/taryn-sides/11198">Taryn Sides</a>&nbsp;handed out a career-high 10 assists on Monday. This was her sixth game this season with five or more assists and her first in double figures. She is the first Wildcat to hand out 10 or more assists this season and the first since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/serena-sundell/11197">Serena Sundell</a>&nbsp;dished out 10 against Oklahoma State on Jan. 4, 2023. -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;pocketed three steals on Monday. This was Glenn's 45th career game with two or more steals. - Walker secured her fifth game this season with 10 or more points.&nbsp;- This was Walker's second game this season with two or more connections from 3-point range.&nbsp;- Sanchez reached double figures for the fourth time in her career and the third time this season.

FROM THE HEAD COACH K-State Head Coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a> On the frustration he felt after the first quarter…"There's a couple things. I think it's one thing to not play well because the other team plays well. The things I didn't like were things that I didn't like in our preparation. It's one of the few times a year I haven't liked our preparation. Shootaround was not sharp, shootaround was not focused. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't to the standard that we've talked about getting to. I did not like our defensive talk, which I thought was going to be stressed against them because they could stretch [Ayoka] Lee out to the perimeter. So in communicating where that player was, was going to be critical. We talked about finding the point guard early. We talked about finding 10 [Taleyah Jones]] early, and I just didn't like the things that we pride ourselves on doing, talking defensively, offensively playing together. I just didn't think we were doing those things very well." On&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee's</a>&nbsp;performance…"Yeah, I thought Yokie {<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>] battled. I don't think we were as timely getting her the basketball tonight. I credit Oral Roberts for that. They had good awareness. Anytime we took a cutter through the lane, that cutter stopped with Lee, and they did a good job of that. So I thought Yokie really battled. [I'm] obviously really impressed with the rebounds because when you're being stretched out to the three point line, that's really hard for a center to get the amount of defensive rebounds as she got tonight." On&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gisela-sanchez/11196">Gisela Sanchez's</a>&nbsp;performance…"Yeah, I thought she did some good things tonight. She was rested from her lack of shootaround. She played well tonight and I was glad to see it because she did not have a good shootaround, she was not very talkative. I almost wondered if she was sick. And I thought she responded well tonight and I thought she did play with a good pace. And thought she did some good things. She continues to grow in her understanding of things and that's really big for us because she's a matchup problem for another team." On holding the opponent under 60 points for the fifth straight game…"I thought our one-on-one defense got better as the game wore on. I thought it was a little soft early in the game and I thought they were getting to spots, particularly in the last four or five minutes of that first quarter. I thought they were getting deep against us but I thought we got better as the game went on. I thought our talk got better. That was probably the thing that I was the least happy with. We have been a really good team at shootaround of talking our way through either problems, the scout, or both. And we did not do that very well at all today, but I thought in the game we got better. I'll be honest, at halftime I didn't talk at all. I asked them questions because I said 'alright, you tell me what you need to do better, you tell me what's working, you tell me how we play better.' So I was pleased with that communication at halftime, but to hold them under 60; this team can really score, and they've scored all year long, and we did some decent things tonight to do that." On what&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>&nbsp;means to K-State Women's Basketball…"I think it's a lot deeper than just basketball. This is a young lady that's been Scholar Athlete of the Year in the Big 12. She has represented Kansas State Athletics at numerous events, whether it be the Cat-Backer tour or Ahearn Fund dinners, whether it be pep rallies at the start of the year or Student Athlete Council, or all the above. Now her being an outstanding basketball player gives her a wider platform, and I think she just uses that really, really well. She has as good of an appreciation of the opportunities that are provided to student athletes as any player I've ever had, and in this era where there's a lot of entitlement, there's a lot of 'this is what I'm owed' out there, she sets the tone in that locker room. We don't have that in our locker room. We're owed nothing, we earn everything we get, we're owed nothing. We're lucky to be at Kansas State, we're lucky we represent Kansas State. I don't think there's a better representative. And I think we've got a lot of really good ones in our athletic department but there's no one better than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>. Now when you talk about nationally, 61 points [in a game], breaking the record. Comes off of a knee injury that is a challenging knee injury to recover from, and to do it the way she's done it and to come back and play the way she's played. I don't think that whole story is written. But yeah, she's meant a lot to us, but not just us, I think the athletic department overall and the university as well, because she does it so well. And I'm lucky to coach her and I'm lucky to coach this group because we've got a lot of really good ones in here. But they've got a good leader in her that has shown the way."

FROM THE FLOOR K-State Senior Center&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a> On what it means to break the double-double school record…"What does that mean me? Um, good question. It's really cool. I think it's a testament to just like all the workouts, just all the work I've put in here, like all the way back to like my first year playing, you know, that doesn't happen just in one year, two seasons playing. So I think it's just really cool to reflect on how much time it takes to get there." On being close to breaking the single game rebound record …"I've always been told rebounding is effort, I would say I believe that. So yeah, I think with teams like this, just like taking advantage of, I think we were a little bit longer in some areas and then just going hard to the boards and being aggressive. I'm trying to be in the right spot when the shot goes up, but yeah, effort I think is a big thing." On her preference of games with lots of possessions…"I like us in transition. So I think whenever we can get fast breaks I think that's like really good and really fun. Teams that like to shoot it in like the first five seconds of the shot clock, not my jam, I don't love that. But I think we can guard it so that's really all that matters."

K-State Senior Guard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a> On playing with a teammate like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>…"It's been fun, obviously. I mean, I've never played with somebody like this before. So it's just been a lot of fun and a work in progress. And I think every game, everyone's just getting the offense and everything is just flowing so much better every game so I think it'll be scary come March." On the tally for the GAP Goat…"Seven. Yeah, he put his chain on so I don't know if we got another one after that. I think it was just seven but still, we got it." On her preference of games with lots of possessions…"I like that. I was a little tired a little bit. It was fun, I mean, I like it. We get up and down the floor running. I think sometimes it gets a little boring when it's just everyone's holding the ball and just running offense. But I think there's good things to learn from both styles of play and different things to execute out of them."

UP NEXT K-State completes its three-game home stand on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats host Southern at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.

Wednesday's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ &nbsp;and can be heard on the K-State Sports Network, online at kstatesports.com and on the K-State Sports app. The game will also be available on SIRIUSXM channels 85 or 204 and on the SIRIUSXM app.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702996208261.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics." />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp;MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;Entering Monday night's game, All-American&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>&nbsp;sat in a tie for the K-State career double-doubles record, she would break the record in grand fashion as the 12th-ranked Wildcats cruised past Oral Roberts, 102-59, on Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum.K-State improved its record to 11-1 for the first time under the direction of head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>. This is the best start for K-State since opening the 2008-09 season with a 12-0 mark.&nbsp;Lee, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, registered her second career game and just the second in school history with 20 or more points and 20 or more rebounds as she finished with 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting, a career-high 21 rebounds, five blocks and a steal in 23 minutes of action. With the performance, Lee broke the tie with Kendra Wecker for career double-doubles at K-State with her 53rd.Lee's 21 rebounds were one off the single-game school record of 22 by Peyton Williams set at TCU on Feb. 1, 2021.Joining Lee in double figures were senior guard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a>&nbsp;with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.Redshirt freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/zyanna-walker/11200">Zyanna Walker</a>&nbsp;notched 14 points, four rebounds, two steals, a career-high two blocks and an assist, while redshirt sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gisela-sanchez/11196">Gisela Sanchez</a>&nbsp;chipped in with 13 points.HOW IT HAPPENED - Following a tightly contested first quarter that saw the Wildcats in front by two, 19-17, K-State raced to a 30-point second quarter to build a 49-32 lead at halftime. The 49 points were a season-high for the Wildcats in a first half. - Over a four-minute stretch in the second quarter, K-State went on a 19-3 run, turning a five-point lead into a 17-point advantage, 40-23. The run started with three straight 3-pointers from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/serena-sundell/11197">Serena Sundell</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a>. Lee then added an old-fashioned three-point play with 5:54 remaining and was followed by a layup from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;and a steal and layup from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/zyanna-walker/11200">Zyanna Walker</a>. Lee capped the run with a jumper following a scramble for a loose ball in front of the Oral Roberts bench.&nbsp; - Lee led the charge in the opening half with 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots. The product of Byron, Minnesota, surpassed the school double-doubles record on a jumper with 4:23 to play in the second quarter.&nbsp;- K-State kept its foot on the accelerator in the third quarter, outscoring the Golden Eagles, 33-14, in the frame. The Wildcats shot 70.0 percent (14-of-20). This was the third time this season K-State has shot 70.0 percent or better in a quarter including a season-high 76.9 percent against Western Kentucky on Nov. 24, 2023. - The Wildcats turned a 15-point lead, 49-34, with 9:19 remaining into a 29-point advantage, 63-34, with 4:53 to play in the third quarter with a 14-0 run. Five different Wildcats scored during the run to blow open the game. - Over the second and third quarters, the Wildcats outscored the Golden Eagles, 63-29, while shooting 60.5 percent (26-of-43) from the field. - In the fourth quarter,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ja-mia-harris/11192">Ja'Mia Harris</a>&nbsp;took a fast break feed from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/taryn-sides/11198">Taryn Sides</a>&nbsp;and finished a layup with just over a minute remaining to push K-State over the century mark for the second time this season. - For the night, K-State shot 49.4 percent (40-of-81) and held Oral Roberts (6-4), who entered the game averaging 85.4 points per game to 59 points on 28.4 percent (19-of-67) shooting.QUICK FACTS - K-State leads the series with Oral Roberts, 8-2, including a current win streak of six straight. The Wildcats are 43-6 against current members of the Summit League. This was the second straight meeting between the schools in which K-State scored 100 or more points. - The Wildcats are 5-0 in the month of December. In its history, K-State is 242-103 (.701) in the 12th month and 41-18 (.695) in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>&nbsp;era. The Wildcats have recorded a .500 or better record in the month of December 48 times including a current streak of 28 consecutive seasons. - K-State head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>&nbsp;owns a career record of 629-363 (.634) and is 175-128 (.578) during his 10-seasons at K-State. - K-State owns a record of 386-154 (.715) during its 36-seasons in Bramlage Coliseum. Head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>&nbsp;is 116-46 (.716) in home games with the Wildcats. - K-State has won 27 straight non-conference home games dating back to December of 2020. Kansas State is 227-29 (.887) against non-conference foes, while Mittie is 73-8 (.901).&nbsp;- K-State owns a record of 233-88 (.726) as an AP ranked team. K-State is 15-4 (.789) all-time when ranked 12th in the nation.TEAM NOTES - K-State's starting five consisted of guards:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/serena-sundell/11197">Serena Sundell</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/brylee-glenn/11188">Brylee Glenn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a>&nbsp;and center&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>. This was the 12th time this starting five has been used this season. This was the 99th career start for Lee, the 90th collegiate career start and the 44th start at K-State for Gregory, the 81st career start for Sundell, the 77th career start for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;and the 71st career start for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/brylee-glenn/11188">Brylee Glenn</a>. - The Wildcats held a 49-32 lead at halftime on Monday. Under head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a>, K-State is 139-17 (.891) when leading at halftime, including a 10-0 record this season. - K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in two quarters on Monday night. For the season, K-State owns 19 quarters with a field goal percentage of 50.0 percent or better. - The Wildcats dished out 28 assists on Monday. When K-State hands out 20 or more assists over the last 16 seasons, the Wildcats are 87-7 (.926), including a 6-0 record this season. The Wildcats have handed out 20 or more assists in five straight games. - K-State registered a 61-35 advantage in rebounds on Monday. This is the 11th time K-State has outrebounded its opponent this season (10-1). The 61 rebounds were the most by the Wildcats this season and the most since pulling in 61 against Northwestern State on Nov. 27, 2021. The 61 rebounds are tied for the third-most in a single-game in school history. - K-State recorded its third game this season with a combined 20 or more blocks and steals in a game (12 steals/10 blocks). The Wildcats are 22-1 when achieving a combination of 20 or more steals and blocks in a game.PLAYER NOTES - Lee recorded her 91st career game with 10 or more points and her 42nd career game with 20 or more points. Lee has scored in every game of her career (99 games). - Lee hauled in a career-high 21 rebounds on Monday. With her total, Lee passed former teammate Peyton Williams (2016-20; 967) for third in school history for career rebounds with 988. She needs eight rebounds to pass Nicole Ohlde (2000-04; 995) for second in school history. - With her five blocks on Monday, Lee improved her career total to 260 and ranks second in program history, passing Marlies Gipson (2005-09; 257) for second in school history. This was her 17th career game with five or more blocks, which improves upon her own school record. - Gregory registered her 74th career game and her fourth this season with 10 or more points. - Gregory made three 3-pointers on Monday, which is the 61st time in her career with two or more connections from long range. With her three connections, Gregory reached the 200-mark for three-point field goals made in her collegiate career. During her time at K-State, Gregory has made 103 from long range. - Gregory hauled in six rebounds on Monday. This was her 52nd career game and her sixth this season with five or more boards. -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/taryn-sides/11198">Taryn Sides</a>&nbsp;handed out a career-high 10 assists on Monday. This was her sixth game this season with five or more assists and her first in double figures. She is the first Wildcat to hand out 10 or more assists this season and the first since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/serena-sundell/11197">Serena Sundell</a>&nbsp;dished out 10 against Oklahoma State on Jan. 4, 2023. -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;pocketed three steals on Monday. This was Glenn's 45th career game with two or more steals. - Walker secured her fifth game this season with 10 or more points.&nbsp;- This was Walker's second game this season with two or more connections from 3-point range.&nbsp;- Sanchez reached double figures for the fourth time in her career and the third time this season.FROM THE HEAD COACH K-State Head Coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/jeff-mittie/2161">Jeff Mittie</a> On the frustration he felt after the first quarter…"There's a couple things. I think it's one thing to not play well because the other team plays well. The things I didn't like were things that I didn't like in our preparation. It's one of the few times a year I haven't liked our preparation. Shootaround was not sharp, shootaround was not focused. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't to the standard that we've talked about getting to. I did not like our defensive talk, which I thought was going to be stressed against them because they could stretch [Ayoka] Lee out to the perimeter. So in communicating where that player was, was going to be critical. We talked about finding the point guard early. We talked about finding 10 [Taleyah Jones]] early, and I just didn't like the things that we pride ourselves on doing, talking defensively, offensively playing together. I just didn't think we were doing those things very well." On&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee's</a>&nbsp;performance…"Yeah, I thought Yokie {<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>] battled. I don't think we were as timely getting her the basketball tonight. I credit Oral Roberts for that. They had good awareness. Anytime we took a cutter through the lane, that cutter stopped with Lee, and they did a good job of that. So I thought Yokie really battled. [I'm] obviously really impressed with the rebounds because when you're being stretched out to the three point line, that's really hard for a center to get the amount of defensive rebounds as she got tonight." On&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gisela-sanchez/11196">Gisela Sanchez's</a>&nbsp;performance…"Yeah, I thought she did some good things tonight. She was rested from her lack of shootaround. She played well tonight and I was glad to see it because she did not have a good shootaround, she was not very talkative. I almost wondered if she was sick. And I thought she responded well tonight and I thought she did play with a good pace. And thought she did some good things. She continues to grow in her understanding of things and that's really big for us because she's a matchup problem for another team." On holding the opponent under 60 points for the fifth straight game…"I thought our one-on-one defense got better as the game wore on. I thought it was a little soft early in the game and I thought they were getting to spots, particularly in the last four or five minutes of that first quarter. I thought they were getting deep against us but I thought we got better as the game went on. I thought our talk got better. That was probably the thing that I was the least happy with. We have been a really good team at shootaround of talking our way through either problems, the scout, or both. And we did not do that very well at all today, but I thought in the game we got better. I'll be honest, at halftime I didn't talk at all. I asked them questions because I said 'alright, you tell me what you need to do better, you tell me what's working, you tell me how we play better.' So I was pleased with that communication at halftime, but to hold them under 60; this team can really score, and they've scored all year long, and we did some decent things tonight to do that." On what&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>&nbsp;means to K-State Women's Basketball…"I think it's a lot deeper than just basketball. This is a young lady that's been Scholar Athlete of the Year in the Big 12. She has represented Kansas State Athletics at numerous events, whether it be the Cat-Backer tour or Ahearn Fund dinners, whether it be pep rallies at the start of the year or Student Athlete Council, or all the above. Now her being an outstanding basketball player gives her a wider platform, and I think she just uses that really, really well. She has as good of an appreciation of the opportunities that are provided to student athletes as any player I've ever had, and in this era where there's a lot of entitlement, there's a lot of 'this is what I'm owed' out there, she sets the tone in that locker room. We don't have that in our locker room. We're owed nothing, we earn everything we get, we're owed nothing. We're lucky to be at Kansas State, we're lucky we represent Kansas State. I don't think there's a better representative. And I think we've got a lot of really good ones in our athletic department but there's no one better than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>. Now when you talk about nationally, 61 points [in a game], breaking the record. Comes off of a knee injury that is a challenging knee injury to recover from, and to do it the way she's done it and to come back and play the way she's played. I don't think that whole story is written. But yeah, she's meant a lot to us, but not just us, I think the athletic department overall and the university as well, because she does it so well. And I'm lucky to coach her and I'm lucky to coach this group because we've got a lot of really good ones in here. But they've got a good leader in her that has shown the way." FROM THE FLOOR K-State Senior Center&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a> On what it means to break the double-double school record…"What does that mean me? Um, good question. It's really cool. I think it's a testament to just like all the workouts, just all the work I've put in here, like all the way back to like my first year playing, you know, that doesn't happen just in one year, two seasons playing. So I think it's just really cool to reflect on how much time it takes to get there." On being close to breaking the single game rebound record …"I've always been told rebounding is effort, I would say I believe that. So yeah, I think with teams like this, just like taking advantage of, I think we were a little bit longer in some areas and then just going hard to the boards and being aggressive. I'm trying to be in the right spot when the shot goes up, but yeah, effort I think is a big thing." On her preference of games with lots of possessions…"I like us in transition. So I think whenever we can get fast breaks I think that's like really good and really fun. Teams that like to shoot it in like the first five seconds of the shot clock, not my jam, I don't love that. But I think we can guard it so that's really all that matters."K-State Senior Guard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a> On playing with a teammate like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>…"It's been fun, obviously. I mean, I've never played with somebody like this before. So it's just been a lot of fun and a work in progress. And I think every game, everyone's just getting the offense and everything is just flowing so much better every game so I think it'll be scary come March." On the tally for the GAP Goat…"Seven. Yeah, he put his chain on so I don't know if we got another one after that. I think it was just seven but still, we got it." On her preference of games with lots of possessions…"I like that. I was a little tired a little bit. It was fun, I mean, I like it. We get up and down the floor running. I think sometimes it gets a little boring when it's just everyone's holding the ball and just running offense. But I think there's good things to learn from both styles of play and different things to execute out of them."UP NEXT K-State completes its three-game home stand on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats host Southern at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.Wednesday's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ &nbsp;and can be heard on the K-State Sports Network, online at kstatesports.com and on the K-State Sports app. The game will also be available on SIRIUSXM channels 85 or 204 and on the SIRIUSXM app.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 WBB: Lee sets double-double record as No. 12 K-State rolls

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 </figure><div><iframe title="December 19th, 2023 Eagle Media Sports" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=rgthr-152cc59-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: 🏈 MNF Seattle shocks Eagles; 🏈 HutchCC No. 3 ; 🏈 Will Howard to USC; 🏀 Salthawks @ Campus

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawk Basketball teams travel to Haysville-Campus tonight.

Catch all the action on KWBW Radio 1450am/98.5fm with the award winning EAGLE Media sportscast crew, consisting of Glen Grunwald with the play-by-play and color analysts Dan "Coach Nac" Naccarato. Hutch High's Matt Peterson will provide the varsity's video stream on the Hutch High <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/hutchinson-high-school-hutchinson-ks/game16f8725a9">NFHS Network channel.</a>

The broadcast is available and archived on the Hutch High&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/">NFHS Video Stream</a>. The stream&nbsp;is free but you must register to watch if you don't have a NFHS Network account.&nbsp;

Here is a "How to Video" to assist you in setting up your NFHS Network account. &nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/yzsjAoVP5Ts">CLICK HERE</a>

The Girls game will tip at 6pm followed by boys action at 7:30pm.

Video stream for both Freshman and JV teams plus varsity will be on the <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/hutchinson-high-school-hutchinson-ks">Hutch Sports Network</a>.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702992190819.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawk Basketball teams travel to Haysville-Campus tonight.Catch all the action on KWBW Radio 1450am/98.5fm with the award winning EAGLE Media sportscast crew, consisting of Glen Grunwald with the play-by-play and color analysts Dan "Coach Nac" Naccarato. Hutch High's Matt Peterson will provide the varsity's video stream on the Hutch High <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/hutchinson-high-school-hutchinson-ks/game16f8725a9">NFHS Network channel.</a>The broadcast is available and archived on the Hutch High&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/">NFHS Video Stream</a>. The stream&nbsp;is free but you must register to watch if you don't have a NFHS Network account.&nbsp;

Here is a "How to Video" to assist you in setting up your NFHS Network account. &nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/yzsjAoVP5Ts">CLICK HERE</a>The Girls game will tip at 6pm followed by boys action at 7:30pm.Video stream for both Freshman and JV teams plus varsity will be on the <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/hutchinson-high-school-hutchinson-ks">Hutch Sports Network</a>.Girl's Game Replay:<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vkMslXBP-4g?si=JW9cBANKQQ7ajgkb" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>




</div>Boy's Game Replay:<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aDL08SOY5a8?si=eTHiZ45Z4lLYuNKI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

🎧🎥🏀 Hutch High travels to Campus tonight (REPLAY)

Salina Sacred Heart 60, Southeast of Saline 36

Wichita Life Prep 51, Lawrence Free State 48

Hutchinson Central Christian 38, Elyria Christian 29

Southeast of Saline 35, Salina Sacred Heart 25

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701785757574.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Monday AP ScoresBOYS SCORESBlue Valley Randolph 49, Frankfort 38Girard 59, Baxter Springs 47Lyndon 68, West Franklin 42Pawnee City, Neb. 52, Linn 48Pratt Skyline 66, Lyons 65Riley County 52, Rock Creek 40Salina Sacred Heart 60, Southeast of Saline 36Wichita Life Prep 51, Lawrence Free State 48GIRLS SCORESEudora 46, SM North 32Frankfort 44, Blue Valley Randolph 31Girard 56, Baxter Springs 13Hutchinson Central Christian 38, Elyria Christian 29Linn 49, Pawnee City, Neb. 20Lyndon 49, West Franklin 37Lyons 36, Pratt Skyline 25Riley County 46, Rock Creek 29Southeast of Saline 35, Salina Sacred Heart 25

🏀 EAGLE Media Scoreboard from Monday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs showed in their win over New England on Sunday who they are and what they can be. Who they are is a team that commits too many penalties, drops too many passes and makes far too many mental mistakes, which left them in a tough game in the first half against the three-win Patriots. Who they can be is a defensive-minded team capable of overcoming most of those miscues to win games anyway, as they did in a 27-17 victory in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Skyy Moore on injured reserve Monday, ending what had been a disappointing second season for him. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier in the day that Moore had some swelling in his knee, which caused him to play limited snaps during Sunday’s 27-17 win in New England. In the time that he was on the field, Moore once again fumbled the ball away after a catch, only to be bailed out by a defensive holding penalty that gave Kansas City the ball back. His roster spot could be taken up by wide receiver Justyn Ross, who is returning from the exempt list this week.

SEATTLE (AP) — Drew Lock threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 28 seconds left to cap a 92-yard drive, and the Seattle Seahawks stunned the Philadelphia Eagles 20-17, ending a four-game skid and getting back into NFC playoff contention. Seattle rallied behind its backup quarterback, who moved the team the length of the field for its longest touchdown drive this season and found the Seahawks’ rookie first-round pick for the biggest catch of his young career. Philadelphia had one last chance, but Julian Love made his second interception of the fourth quarter, picking off Jalen Hurts’ deep pass. The Eagles dropped their third straight game.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Can college football programs rely on the transfer portal to build talented offensive lines? Deion Sanders is trying to do just that at Colorado, which had one of the worst lines in football last season. Sanders has brought in several linemen through the portal ahead of signing day this week. Offensive linemen are a highly coveted commodity in the portal. Every team out there is searching for them. Play in just one game, on any level, and a center, tackle or guard can expect to receive the red-carpet treatment. The next step is getting them to work well together.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — College athletes who have transferred multiple times but were denied the chance to compete can now play through the remainder of the academic year. A federal judge in West Virginia agreed with a motion filed last week by the NCAA and a coalition of states suing the organization. The judge on Monday extended a small competition window through the spring while an eligibility lawsuit is being heard. It means the NCAA cannot enforce its transfer rule. Several multiple-transfer men’s basketball players competed in games over the weekend, including West Virginia’s Noah Farrakhan, Cincinnati’s Jamille Reynolds and UT Arlington’s Phillip Russell.

UNDATED (AP) — Purdue’s slide from No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll turned out to be brief. The Boilermakers headlined Monday’s latest poll for the second time this season after beating former No. 1 Arizona over the weekend. The Wildcats had spent two weeks at No. 1 after Purdue’s loss to Northwestern ended the Boilermakers’ stint at the top after one week. Preseason No. 1 Kansas stayed at No. 2, while Houston moved up one spot to No. 3. Arizona fell to fourth. No. 23 Memphis and No. 25 Mississippi were the week’s new additions.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Ayoka Lee posted her school-record 53rd career double-double to spark 12th-ranked Kansas State to a 102-59 rout of Oral Roberts. Lee had her record double-double in the books by early in the second quarter, scoring 24 points and grabbing a career-high 21 rebounds, two shy of the school record, to move into third all-time. Lee hit 11 of 17 shots from the floor but was just 2 of 7 from the free-throw line. She also blocked five shots while pulling down 15 rebounds off the defensive glass.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Darius Johnson came off the bench to score 16 points and lead UCF to a 74-51 victory over Maine. Johnson made 5 of 6 shots, including all four of his 3-point attempts, and added three assists for the Knights (7-3). Jaylin Sellers had 13 points and reserve Marchelus Avery scored 12 with six rebounds. Freshman reserve Logan Carey led the Black Bears (8-5) with nine points.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is recovering from surgery for a broken hip after falling at a concert in Los Angeles. His business partner and spokeswoman, Deborah Morales, says the NBA Hall of Famer had surgery “with no complications.” She says Abdul-Jabbar is facing three months of recovery. The six-time NBA MVP was attending the Manhattan Transfer's final show before calling it a career. Paramedics responded and took the 76-year-old by ambulance to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Abdul-Jabbar began his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. He helped the Lakers win five NBA titles.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have hung a modest black banner at their downtown arena to celebrate their unbeaten run to victory in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. The Lakers unveiled the black-and-gold banner nestled near the franchise’s 17 NBA championship banners on Monday night before they hosted the New York Knicks. The players paused their pregame warmups for a brief tribute video and a celebration with the NBA Cup as their fans clapped politely. The Lakers deliberately put a subdued nature on their celebrations nine days after they beat Indiana in Las Vegas to win the tournament title.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A court hearing will resume this week in a lawsuit filed by a Memphis teen who alleges that NBA star Ja Morant assaulted him during a pickup basketball game two summers ago. The hearing has already featured testimony from the Memphis Grizzlies All-Star, who says he punched Joshua Holloway after the then-17-year-old aggressively threw the basketball at him and hit him in the face. The case is a test of Tennessee's so-called stand your ground law and has offered an intimate glimpse into the NBA star's family life. The hearing resumes Wednesday, a day after Morant is expected to return to the court from an unrelated 25-game suspension.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, December 19th, 2023" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, December 19th, 2023</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs showed in their win over New England on Sunday who they are and what they can be. Who they are is a team that commits too many penalties, drops too many passes and makes far too many mental mistakes, which left them in a tough game in the first half against the three-win Patriots. Who they can be is a defensive-minded team capable of overcoming most of those miscues to win games anyway, as they did in a 27-17 victory in Foxborough, Massachusetts.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Skyy Moore on injured reserve Monday, ending what had been a disappointing second season for him. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier in the day that Moore had some swelling in his knee, which caused him to play limited snaps during Sunday’s 27-17 win in New England. In the time that he was on the field, Moore once again fumbled the ball away after a catch, only to be bailed out by a defensive holding penalty that gave Kansas City the ball back. His roster spot could be taken up by wide receiver Justyn Ross, who is returning from the exempt list this week.SEATTLE (AP) — Drew Lock threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 28 seconds left to cap a 92-yard drive, and the Seattle Seahawks stunned the Philadelphia Eagles 20-17, ending a four-game skid and getting back into NFC playoff contention. Seattle rallied behind its backup quarterback, who moved the team the length of the field for its longest touchdown drive this season and found the Seahawks’ rookie first-round pick for the biggest catch of his young career. Philadelphia had one last chance, but Julian Love made his second interception of the fourth quarter, picking off Jalen Hurts’ deep pass. The Eagles dropped their third straight game.BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Can college football programs rely on the transfer portal to build talented offensive lines? Deion Sanders is trying to do just that at Colorado, which had one of the worst lines in football last season. Sanders has brought in several linemen through the portal ahead of signing day this week. Offensive linemen are a highly coveted commodity in the portal. Every team out there is searching for them. Play in just one game, on any level, and a center, tackle or guard can expect to receive the red-carpet treatment. The next step is getting them to work well together.CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — College athletes who have transferred multiple times but were denied the chance to compete can now play through the remainder of the academic year. A federal judge in West Virginia agreed with a motion filed last week by the NCAA and a coalition of states suing the organization. The judge on Monday extended a small competition window through the spring while an eligibility lawsuit is being heard. It means the NCAA cannot enforce its transfer rule. Several multiple-transfer men’s basketball players competed in games over the weekend, including West Virginia’s Noah Farrakhan, Cincinnati’s Jamille Reynolds and UT Arlington’s Phillip Russell.UNDATED (AP) — Purdue’s slide from No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll turned out to be brief. The Boilermakers headlined Monday’s latest poll for the second time this season after beating former No. 1 Arizona over the weekend. The Wildcats had spent two weeks at No. 1 after Purdue’s loss to Northwestern ended the Boilermakers’ stint at the top after one week. Preseason No. 1 Kansas stayed at No. 2, while Houston moved up one spot to No. 3. Arizona fell to fourth. No. 23 Memphis and No. 25 Mississippi were the week’s new additions.MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Ayoka Lee posted her school-record 53rd career double-double to spark 12th-ranked Kansas State to a 102-59 rout of Oral Roberts. Lee had her record double-double in the books by early in the second quarter, scoring 24 points and grabbing a career-high 21 rebounds, two shy of the school record, to move into third all-time. Lee hit 11 of 17 shots from the floor but was just 2 of 7 from the free-throw line. She also blocked five shots while pulling down 15 rebounds off the defensive glass.ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Darius Johnson came off the bench to score 16 points and lead UCF to a 74-51 victory over Maine. Johnson made 5 of 6 shots, including all four of his 3-point attempts, and added three assists for the Knights (7-3). Jaylin Sellers had 13 points and reserve Marchelus Avery scored 12 with six rebounds. Freshman reserve Logan Carey led the Black Bears (8-5) with nine points.LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is recovering from surgery for a broken hip after falling at a concert in Los Angeles. His business partner and spokeswoman, Deborah Morales, says the NBA Hall of Famer had surgery “with no complications.” She says Abdul-Jabbar is facing three months of recovery. The six-time NBA MVP was attending the Manhattan Transfer's final show before calling it a career. Paramedics responded and took the 76-year-old by ambulance to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Abdul-Jabbar began his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. He helped the Lakers win five NBA titles.LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have hung a modest black banner at their downtown arena to celebrate their unbeaten run to victory in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. The Lakers unveiled the black-and-gold banner nestled near the franchise’s 17 NBA championship banners on Monday night before they hosted the New York Knicks. The players paused their pregame warmups for a brief tribute video and a celebration with the NBA Cup as their fans clapped politely. The Lakers deliberately put a subdued nature on their celebrations nine days after they beat Indiana in Las Vegas to win the tournament title.MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A court hearing will resume this week in a lawsuit filed by a Memphis teen who alleges that NBA star Ja Morant assaulted him during a pickup basketball game two summers ago. The hearing has already featured testimony from the Memphis Grizzlies All-Star, who says he punched Joshua Holloway after the then-17-year-old aggressively threw the basketball at him and hit him in the face. The case is a test of Tennessee's so-called stand your ground law and has offered an intimate glimpse into the NBA star's family life. The hearing resumes Wednesday, a day after Morant is expected to return to the court from an unrelated 25-game suspension.MONDAY SCORESNATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUEFinal Seattle 20 Philadelphia 17COLLEGE FOOTBALLBAHAMAS BOWLWestern Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal Chicago 108 Philadelphia 104Final L.A. Clippers 151 Indiana 127Final Toronto 114 Charlotte 99Final OT Cleveland 135 Houston 130Final Minnesota 112 Miami 108Final Atlanta 130 Detroit 124Final Oklahoma City 116 Memphis 97Final Denver 130 Dallas 104Final Utah 125 Brooklyn 108Final Sacramento 143 Washington 131Final New York 114 L.A. Lakers 109NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal Pittsburgh 4 Minnesota 3Final Anaheim 4 Detroit 3Final OT Montreal 3 Winnipeg 2Final OT Dallas 4 Seattle 3

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Tuesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals made official their deal with starting pitcher Michael Wacha on Monday, a $32 million, two-year pact that includes a player option for 2025 and incentives based on the number of innings he pitches.

The Royals have been among the busiest teams in the majors this offseason, bolstering their rotation in free agency by signing Wacha and Seth Lugo along with their bullpen by signing Chris Stratton and Will Smith. They also landed power-hitting outfielder Hunter Renfroe to give their lineup a veteran presence along with some additional pop.

The deal for Wacha includes a $16 million salary next year, a $16 million option and $50,000 bonuses for pitching 105, 110, 115 and 120 innings each season. When it is combined with the other contracts given out, the Royals have committed well over $100 million in free agency to improve the club.

The Royals are coming off a 106-loss season in manager Matt Quatraro's first season, and the first full season in which J.J. Picollo has been general manager. But in a division without a clear-cut favorite, and with promising young talents such as Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino already on the roster, the Royals saw an opportunity to go from worst to first in the AL Central.

“We feel like it's time for us to make a significant move,” Picollo acknowledged last week.

The Royals also are trying to rally public support for a new downtown ballpark to replace aging Kauffman Stadium, and putting a winning team on the field would help. They hoped to announce a location for the new stadium by the end of September, but their ongoing discussions with political leaders in multiple locations have slowed the progress on their plans.

The 32-year-old Wacha, a former first-round pick of the Cardinals, spent last season with Lugo in San Diego. He went 14-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 starts for the Padres, the third time he has had at least 10 wins and a 3.40-or-better ERA in his career.

Wacha has pitched in parts of 11 seasons for the Cardinals (2013-19), Mets (2020), Rays (2021), Red Sox (2022) and Padres (2023), going a combined 88-54 with a 3.96 ERA. Along the way, Wacha has been the NLCS MVP as a rookie with St. Louis in 2013, when he threw 13 2/3 scoreless innings over the course of two games with the Dodgers.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals made official their deal with starting pitcher Michael Wacha on Monday, a $32 million, two-year pact that includes a player option for 2025 and incentives based on the number of innings he pitches.The Royals have been among the busiest teams in the majors this offseason, bolstering their rotation in free agency by signing Wacha and Seth Lugo along with their bullpen by signing Chris Stratton and Will Smith. They also landed power-hitting outfielder Hunter Renfroe to give their lineup a veteran presence along with some additional pop.The deal for Wacha includes a $16 million salary next year, a $16 million option and $50,000 bonuses for pitching 105, 110, 115 and 120 innings each season. When it is combined with the other contracts given out, the Royals have committed well over $100 million in free agency to improve the club.The Royals are coming off a 106-loss season in manager Matt Quatraro's first season, and the first full season in which J.J. Picollo has been general manager. But in a division without a clear-cut favorite, and with promising young talents such as Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino already on the roster, the Royals saw an opportunity to go from worst to first in the AL Central.“We feel like it's time for us to make a significant move,” Picollo acknowledged last week.The Royals also are trying to rally public support for a new downtown ballpark to replace aging Kauffman Stadium, and putting a winning team on the field would help. They hoped to announce a location for the new stadium by the end of September, but their ongoing discussions with political leaders in multiple locations have slowed the progress on their plans.The 32-year-old Wacha, a former first-round pick of the Cardinals, spent last season with Lugo in San Diego. He went 14-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 starts for the Padres, the third time he has had at least 10 wins and a 3.40-or-better ERA in his career.Wacha has pitched in parts of 11 seasons for the Cardinals (2013-19), Mets (2020), Rays (2021), Red Sox (2022) and Padres (2023), going a combined 88-54 with a 3.96 ERA. Along the way, Wacha has been the NLCS MVP as a rookie with St. Louis in 2013, when he threw 13 2/3 scoreless innings over the course of two games with the Dodgers.

⚾ Michael Wacha and Royals finalize $32 million, 2-year contract

🎧 LISTEN: KU MBB & KSU WBB ranked, KS ⚾ HOF class announced, Lee named Big 12 POW

Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;For the sixth time in her career and second time this season, K-State center&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>&nbsp;has been named the Big 12 Conference co-Player of the Week. Lee shared this week's honor with Texas' Rori Harmon.

Lee joins Nicole Ohlde (7) and Kendra Wecker (7) as the only Wildcats in program history with six or more Big 12 Player of the Week honors. When including her Big 12 record 12 Freshman of the Week recognitions from the 2019-20 season, Lee has received 18 Big 12 weekly honors during her K-State career.

Playing just one game last week due to finals, Lee made it a near perfect performance in the Wildcats' fourth straight win and 10th of the season.

Against North Florida, Lee registered a season-high 36 points on 15-of-17 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the foul line in just under 24 minutes of action. She also recorded four rebounds, a season-high three steals and a blocked shot.

Lee is the only player in the nation since at least the 1999-00 season to score 36 or more points, while shooting 88.0 percent or better from the field in under 25 minutes of action.

The product of Byron, Minnesota, extended her school record for 30-point games with her 13th, including her sixth career game with 35 or more points, and tallied the second-highest point total by a Big 12 player this season.

With her field goal percentage of .882, Lee's performance ranks second in school history for a single-game with a minimum of 15 attempts, trailing her own school record of .889 at Oklahoma on March 7, 2021. Her 15 made field goals are tied for the second-most in the nation this season.

This season, Lee is averaging 20.6 points on a .681 field goal percentage, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 25.0 minutes per game. She ranks fourth in the nation in field goals made (94), fifth in the nation in field goal percentage and 12th in the country for total points scored (227).

The 12th-ranked Wildcats continue a three-game home stand tonight, as the Wildcats host Oral Roberts at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.

Tonight's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ &nbsp;and can be heard on the K-State Sports Network, online at kstatesports.com and on the K-State Sports app. The game will also be available on SIRIUSXM channels 132 or 199 and on the SIRIUSXM app.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702935669196.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics." />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State AthleticsMANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;For the sixth time in her career and second time this season, K-State center&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ayoka-lee/11193">Ayoka Lee</a>&nbsp;has been named the Big 12 Conference co-Player of the Week. Lee shared this week's honor with Texas' Rori Harmon.Lee joins Nicole Ohlde (7) and Kendra Wecker (7) as the only Wildcats in program history with six or more Big 12 Player of the Week honors. When including her Big 12 record 12 Freshman of the Week recognitions from the 2019-20 season, Lee has received 18 Big 12 weekly honors during her K-State career.Playing just one game last week due to finals, Lee made it a near perfect performance in the Wildcats' fourth straight win and 10th of the season.Against North Florida, Lee registered a season-high 36 points on 15-of-17 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the foul line in just under 24 minutes of action. She also recorded four rebounds, a season-high three steals and a blocked shot.Lee is the only player in the nation since at least the 1999-00 season to score 36 or more points, while shooting 88.0 percent or better from the field in under 25 minutes of action.The product of Byron, Minnesota, extended her school record for 30-point games with her 13th, including her sixth career game with 35 or more points, and tallied the second-highest point total by a Big 12 player this season.With her field goal percentage of .882, Lee's performance ranks second in school history for a single-game with a minimum of 15 attempts, trailing her own school record of .889 at Oklahoma on March 7, 2021. Her 15 made field goals are tied for the second-most in the nation this season.This season, Lee is averaging 20.6 points on a .681 field goal percentage, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 25.0 minutes per game. She ranks fourth in the nation in field goals made (94), fifth in the nation in field goal percentage and 12th in the country for total points scored (227).The 12th-ranked Wildcats continue a three-game home stand tonight, as the Wildcats host Oral Roberts at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.Tonight's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ &nbsp;and can be heard on the K-State Sports Network, online at kstatesports.com and on the K-State Sports app. The game will also be available on SIRIUSXM channels 132 or 199 and on the SIRIUSXM app.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 WBB: K-State's Lee named Big 12 Player of the Week

CHARLOTTE, NC&nbsp;— The Hutchinson Community College football team ends the 2023 season ranked No. 3 in the final poll released by the NJCAA, which was released on Monday afternoon.

The Blue Dragons ended the 2023 campaign with a semifinal loss to eventual national runner-up, East Mississippi. Hutchinson had a 10-1 overall record and claimed their fourth straight Jayhawk Conference title, going 6-0 in conference play.

National champion Iowa Western finishes No. 1 in the postseason poll, followed by East Mississippi, Hutchinson, Copiah-Lincoln and Kilgore in the top five.

Two other Jayhawk Conference teams cracked the Top 15 poll, led by Dodge City at No. 6 and Highland at No. 15.

The final Top 15 postseason poll can be found <a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/rankings/DI/index">here</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701471719206.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics." />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics.</figcaption>
 </figure>CHARLOTTE, NC&nbsp;— The Hutchinson Community College football team ends the 2023 season ranked No. 3 in the final poll released by the NJCAA, which was released on Monday afternoon.The Blue Dragons ended the 2023 campaign with a semifinal loss to eventual national runner-up, East Mississippi. Hutchinson had a 10-1 overall record and claimed their fourth straight Jayhawk Conference title, going 6-0 in conference play.National champion Iowa Western finishes No. 1 in the postseason poll, followed by East Mississippi, Hutchinson, Copiah-Lincoln and Kilgore in the top five.Two other Jayhawk Conference teams cracked the Top 15 poll, led by Dodge City at No. 6 and Highland at No. 15.The final Top 15 postseason poll can be found <a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/rankings/DI/index">here</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The 𝙉𝒂𝙩𝒊𝙤𝒏𝙖𝒍 𝑪𝙝𝒂𝙢𝒑𝙞𝒐𝙣𝒔 claim the throne 👑 Iowa Western sits in the #⃣1⃣ spot of the 2023 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJCAAFootball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJCAAFootball</a> DI Postseason rankings! 🏈 #⃣2⃣ East Mississippi #⃣3⃣ Hutchinson #⃣4⃣ Copiah-Lincoln #⃣5⃣ Kilgore Full Rankings | <a href="https://t.co/pnq1oeuqZ0">https://t.co/pnq1oeuqZ0</a> <a href="https://t.co/A7cz7GPx5Z">pic.twitter.com/A7cz7GPx5Z</a>&mdash; NJCAA Football (@NJCAAFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/NJCAAFootball/status/1736824267457654957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🏈 HutchCC No. 3 in final NJCAA poll of 2023

The Kansas State Wildcats remain No. 12 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll released on Monday.

The Wildcats are 10-1 on the season and winners of four straight games, including a 79-63 victory over North Florida on Saturday afternoon.

Kansas State is one of three Big 12 Conference teams in the top 15, and one of four total teams from the conference in the Top 25 poll.

Texas is No. 5, Baylor No. 10, K-State No. 12 and TCU No. 25.

South Carolina remains the unanimous decision at No. 1, followed by UCLA, North Carolina State, Iowa and Texas to round out the top five.

The Wildcats will host Oral Roberts on Monday at 6:30 p.m. inside of Bramlage Coliseum.

Find the complete AP Top 25 poll <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll">here</a>.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/eagle-media-broadcast-calendar" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702656663963.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics." />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas State Wildcats remain No. 12 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll released on Monday.The Wildcats are 10-1 on the season and winners of four straight games, including a 79-63 victory over North Florida on Saturday afternoon.Kansas State is one of three Big 12 Conference teams in the top 15, and one of four total teams from the conference in the Top 25 poll.Texas is No. 5, Baylor No. 10, K-State No. 12 and TCU No. 25.South Carolina remains the unanimous decision at No. 1, followed by UCLA, North Carolina State, Iowa and Texas to round out the top five.The Wildcats will host Oral Roberts on Monday at 6:30 p.m. inside of Bramlage Coliseum.Find the complete AP Top 25 poll <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll">here</a>.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/eagle-media-broadcast-calendar" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 WBB: K-State remains No. 12 in AP Top 25

The Kansas Jayhawks remain No. 2 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Men's College Basketball Poll released on Monday morning.&nbsp;

Purdue made the leap to No. 1 after knocking off then-No. 1 Arizona on Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Boilermakers were No. 1 earlier in the season, but have spent the last two weeks at No.3 after suffering their lone loss to Northwestern. Purdue received 48 of the 62 first-place votes.

Kansas received six first-place votes following a 75-71 win at Indiana on Saturday. The Jayhawks return to Allen Fieldhouse on Friday to host Yale.

Houston moved up one spot to No. 3 and had the other eight first-place votes. Arizona dropped three spots to No. 4.

The Big 12 Conference has four in the top 10 with Kansas, Houston, Oklahoma (No. 7) and Baylor (No. 10).

Find the complete Top 25 Poll <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">here</a>.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/eagle-media-broadcast-calendar" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693941910870.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Jayhawks remain No. 2 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Men's College Basketball Poll released on Monday morning.&nbsp;Purdue made the leap to No. 1 after knocking off then-No. 1 Arizona on Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Boilermakers were No. 1 earlier in the season, but have spent the last two weeks at No.3 after suffering their lone loss to Northwestern. Purdue received 48 of the 62 first-place votes.Kansas received six first-place votes following a 75-71 win at Indiana on Saturday. The Jayhawks return to Allen Fieldhouse on Friday to host Yale.Houston moved up one spot to No. 3 and had the other eight first-place votes. Arizona dropped three spots to No. 4.The Big 12 Conference has four in the top 10 with Kansas, Houston, Oklahoma (No. 7) and Baylor (No. 10).Find the complete Top 25 Poll <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">here</a>.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/eagle-media-broadcast-calendar" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 MBB: Kansas remains No. 2 in latest AP Top 25 

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;— Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard will transfer to the University of Southern California, and become the starting quarterback for the Trojans.

Howard entered the transfer portal on December 4, and visited the USC campus recently.&nbsp;

Howard threw for 2,643 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over a 12-game span for the Wildcats this fall. He completed just over 61 percent of his passes.

He will play for head coach Lincoln Riley, who has a proven track record with quarterbacks. Riley was the head coach at Oklahoma from 2017-21, and would have coached against Howard during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697944013214.jpeg" alt="Kansas State quarterback Will Howard passes under pressure from TCU linebacker Namdi Obiazor (4) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas State quarterback Will Howard passes under pressure from TCU linebacker Namdi Obiazor (4) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;— Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard will transfer to the University of Southern California, and become the starting quarterback for the Trojans.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 | BREAKING: Kansas State QB Will Howard will be transferring to USC Howard started all 12 games for KSU this past season, throwing for 2,600 yards with 24 TDs-10 INTs Player announcement soon, Trojans found their QB1! (Via <a href="https://twitter.com/247Sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@247Sports</a>) (📸 | <a href="https://twitter.com/kansasdotcom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kansasdotcom</a>, The Wichita Eagle) <a href="https://t.co/hQylKMPJV4">pic.twitter.com/hQylKMPJV4</a>&mdash; Blue Bloods Bias (@bluebloodsbias) <a href="https://twitter.com/bluebloodsbias/status/1736752425568981052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Howard entered the transfer portal on December 4, and visited the USC campus recently.&nbsp;Howard threw for 2,643 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over a 12-game span for the Wildcats this fall. He completed just over 61 percent of his passes.He will play for head coach Lincoln Riley, who has a proven track record with quarterbacks. Riley was the head coach at Oklahoma from 2017-21, and would have coached against Howard during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/eagle-media-broadcast-calendar" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏈 K-State's Howard will transfer to USC

Courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs will begin selling tickets to a potential AFC Divisional home game for the 2023 Playoffs presented by Hy-Vee beginning Wednesday.

Single-game tickets for a potential AFC Divisional home game will go on sale to the public at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, December 20. Single-game tickets for a potential AFC Wild Card home game are currently on sale. All tickets will be sold online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chiefs.com/tickets/">www.chiefs.com/tickets/</a>.

In continuation of the club's long-standing policy that honors the commitment of the residents of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County taxpayers will have a presale opportunity to purchase single-game postseason tickets from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 20. The Jackson County taxpayer presale will take place online only and purchasers must use a credit card with a billing zip code within Jackson County to participate.

Chiefs Season Ticket Members have been provided an opportunity to opt-in to their playoff tickets on a pay-as-we-play basis, with accounts only being charged once each home postseason game is confirmed. Season Ticket Members will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase additional single-game tickets beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 20. Information on how to participate will be communicated directly to Season Ticket Members via email.

Non-Season Ticket Members interested in securing tickets for all potential home playoff games can do so through a new season ticket purchase, available at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chiefs.com/tickets/">www.chiefs.com/tickets/</a>. A deposit for 2024 Season Ticket Membership will secure exclusive STM pricing for the 2023 postseason on a pay-as-we-play basis.

All ticket delivery will be mobile only and the ticket office will not be open for any walk-up sales for postseason tickets.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669408667473.png" alt="A red-clad crowd packs Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play (Eric Thomas/Kansas Reflector)." />
 <figcaption>A red-clad crowd packs Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play (Eric Thomas/Kansas Reflector).</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of the Kansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs will begin selling tickets to a potential AFC Divisional home game for the 2023 Playoffs presented by Hy-Vee beginning Wednesday.Single-game tickets for a potential AFC Divisional home game will go on sale to the public at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, December 20. Single-game tickets for a potential AFC Wild Card home game are currently on sale. All tickets will be sold online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chiefs.com/tickets/">www.chiefs.com/tickets/</a>.In continuation of the club's long-standing policy that honors the commitment of the residents of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County taxpayers will have a presale opportunity to purchase single-game postseason tickets from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 20. The Jackson County taxpayer presale will take place online only and purchasers must use a credit card with a billing zip code within Jackson County to participate.Chiefs Season Ticket Members have been provided an opportunity to opt-in to their playoff tickets on a pay-as-we-play basis, with accounts only being charged once each home postseason game is confirmed. Season Ticket Members will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase additional single-game tickets beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 20. Information on how to participate will be communicated directly to Season Ticket Members via email.Non-Season Ticket Members interested in securing tickets for all potential home playoff games can do so through a new season ticket purchase, available at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chiefs.com/tickets/">www.chiefs.com/tickets/</a>. A deposit for 2024 Season Ticket Membership will secure exclusive STM pricing for the 2023 postseason on a pay-as-we-play basis.All ticket delivery will be mobile only and the ticket office will not be open for any walk-up sales for postseason tickets.2023 NFL Postseason Game Schedule<ul>
 <li>Super Wild Card Weekend – Saturday, Jan. 13 – Monday, Jan. 15, 2024</li><li>Divisional Weekend – Saturday, Jan. 20 – Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024</li><li>AFC/NFC Championship Games – Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024</li>
 </ul>

🏈 Tickets for Chiefs potential AFC Divisional Game go on sale this week

WICHITA, Kan.&nbsp;— The Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame has announced its newest Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted on January 27, 2024 at the LaVela in Wichita. For more information on purchasing tickets for the event, <a href="https://ksbaseballhof.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-Flyer.pdf">click here</a>.

Hutchinson native, Haven High School graduate and former HutchCC Blue Dragon, Andy Dirks will be inducted in the class of 2024.

The class of 2024 features Andy Dirks, Aaron Crow, Ron Gardenhire, Braden Looper, Ted Power, Ronn Reynolds, Joe Ruocco, and the 1887 Topeka Golden Giants.

Information below courtesy of the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame

ANDY DIRKS Born in Hutchinson, Andy Dirks graduated from Haven High School in 2004 after lettering four years each in football, basketball and baseball.&nbsp; He was all-state in baseball three times and was named the Male Athlete of the Year by the&nbsp;Hutchinson News&nbsp;in 2004.

Dirks went on to play at Hutchinson Community College for two seasons, then Wichita State.&nbsp; At WSU, he hit .354 over two seasons and twice received the team’s Charlie Hustle Award.&nbsp; In his senior season, Dirks hit .388 with a thirty-game hitting streak.&nbsp; His on base percentage was .498 and he slugged .697.&nbsp; Dirks was named the Shockers’ Most Valuable Player and Most Inspirational Player, in addition to being named third team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Selected in the eighth round of the 2008 MLB draft by Detroit, Dirks made his major league debut with the Tigers in May of 2011.&nbsp; He appeared in 78 games for the American League Central champions, hitting .251 with seven home runs as a rookie.

In 2013, Dirks was the Tigers’ regular leftfielder, hitting .256 with nine home runs and was a finalist for a Gold Glove award.&nbsp; He missed the entire 2014 season after back surgery.&nbsp; A second back surgery in 2015 ended his playing career.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dirks and his family live in the Detroit area where he is a real estate broker and part-time member of the Tigers broadcast team.

AARON CROW Aaron Crow was born in Topeka, grew up in nearby Wakarusa and graduated from Topeka’s Washburn Rural High School in 2005.&nbsp; He went on to pitch at the University of Missouri, where he went 23-8 in three years and was Big 12 Pitcher of the Year in 2008.

Following his junior season, Crow was drafted ninth overall by Washington.&nbsp; He did not sign with the Nationals and pitched for the independent Fort Worth Cats in 2009.&nbsp; He was again drafted in the first round, this time by Kansas City with the twelfth overall pick.

Crow made the Royals roster as a reliever in 2011 and was selected to the American League All-Star team.&nbsp; Between 2011-2014, Crow was a workhorse out of the Royals bullpen, appearing in 254 games from 2011-2014.&nbsp; He was 20-11 with a 3.43 earned run average, striking out 208 hitters in 233 innings.

Following the 2014 season, Crow was traded to Miami for former Wichita State pitcher Brian Flynn.&nbsp; Before the 2015 season, Crow hurt his arm and had Tommy John surgery.&nbsp; He would pitch only three innings of professional ball in 2016-17.&nbsp; Unable to regain his full velocity, Crow’s final season was with the Acereros de Monclova&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Mexican Baseball League in 2018.

RON GARDENHIRE While playing for Wichita Coors in the summers of 1977 and 1978, Ron Gardenhire played in the NBC World Series and met his future wife at Pogos, a legendary Wichita disco.&nbsp; The couple made their home in Wichita for several years.

Born on an Army base in West Germany, Gardenhire played high school baseball in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.&nbsp; Recruited by Wichita State, Gardenhire instead played collegiately at the University of Texas.

He was a sixth-round draft pick of the New York Mets in 1979 and played five seasons for them.&nbsp; A middle infielder, Gardenhire was the Mets’ starting shortstop in 1982 in which he hit .240 with three home runs.

After his playing career ended in 1985, Gardenhire managed teams in Minnesota’s minor league system.&nbsp; He was promoted to become the Twins’ third base coach in 1991, the same year in which the Twins won the World Series.

After 11 seasons as a coach, Gardenhire succeeded Tom Kelly as manager.&nbsp; The Twins won 90+ games in four of Gardenhire’s first five seasons.&nbsp; All told, he led the Twins to six American League Central titles and 1,039 wins in 13 seasons, ending in 2014.&nbsp; He was named American League manager of the year in 2010 and was runner-up five times for the award.

In 2017, Gardenhire served as bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.&nbsp; During that season, he battled prostate cancer and was given a clean bill of health.

The following year, Gardenhire took over as manager in Detroit.&nbsp; He led the Tigers for three seasons, retiring with 1,280 career managerial wins.

Gardenhire and his wife, Carol, make their home in Florida.

BRADEN LOOPER After a promising freshman year at Wichita State, Braden Looper became a dominant relief pitcher as a sophomore, saving thirteen games with a 1.77 earned run average.

A preseason All-American as a junior, Looper lived up to the billing, recording twelve saves with a 2.09 ERA on a Shocker team that made the College World Series field.&nbsp; Looper was a consensus All-American and pitched for the bronze medal-winning Team USA in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Drafted third overall by St. Louis, Looper signed with the Cardinals after his junior year.&nbsp; He made his major league debut in 1998 but was traded to Florida after just one season.

Looper quickly established himself in the Marlins’ bullpen, appearing in 70+ games for five straight seasons.&nbsp; He assumed the closer role in 2002 and had 28 saves for the World Series Champions in 2003.

In 2004, Looper signed with the New York Mets and saved 29 games in his first season, followed by 28 saves in 2005.

In 2006, he went back to the Cardinals as a set-up man.&nbsp; In 2007, he became a starter for the first time in his career.&nbsp; He started 30 games, posting a 12-12 record with a 4.94 ERA.&nbsp; He again won twelve games in 2008, then fourteen games in his final season, pitching for Milwaukee.

In twelve major league seasons, Looper appeared in 670 games, winning 72 and saving 103.

Originally from Mangum, Oklahoma, Looper and his family make their home in Chicago.

TED POWER Ted Power graduated from Abilene High School, which did not field a baseball team while he was in school.&nbsp; Still, Power went on to set strikeout records at Kansas State University and pitched thirteen years in the major leagues.

Power joined the K-State rotation as a freshman, starting nine games and striking out 48 in 43 innings of work.&nbsp; The 1974 Wildcats won 31 games and were runners-up in the Big 8, their highest conference finish until the 2013 team won the Big 12.&nbsp; Besides Power, the 1974 team had future big league pitcher Andy Replogle and future College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lon Kruger.

After arm injuries limited his sophomore year, Power won six games the next season&nbsp; with a 2.34 earned run average.&nbsp; He struck out a then-season record 99 batters, including a still-standing record 19 against Wayne State.&nbsp; Power was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the 1976 MLB draft.

Power broke in with the Dodgers in 1981 and was traded to Cincinnati following the 1982 season.&nbsp; He pitched out of the Reds bullpen and led the National League in appearances in 1984 with 78.&nbsp; In 1985, he saved 27 games.&nbsp; In 1986 and 1987, Power moved to the rotation and won ten games each season.

Following the 1987 season, Power was traded to Kansas City, along with Kurt Stilwell in return for Danny Jackson and Angel Salazar.&nbsp; He was a reliever and spot starter for one season for the Royals and pitched for six teams in seven years.&nbsp; Power pitched in the National League Championship Series for Pittsburgh, starting game six.

Over thirteen major league seasons, Power won 69 games.&nbsp; For nearly two decades, he served as a minor and major league coach for Cincinnati.&nbsp; In 2023, he was the pitching coach for the collegiate summer league Bristol (VA) State Liners.

In 2000, Power was named to the K-State All-Century baseball team.

RONN REYNOLDS Born in Wichita, Ronn Reynolds caught and led Southeast High School to a state championship in 1976.&nbsp; From there, he attended Garden City Community College on a football scholarship and would later become the first Broncbuster to play in the major leagues.

After Garden City, Reynolds went to Arkansas and led the Razorbacks to a runner-up finish in their first-ever College World Series.&nbsp; On a team that included future major leaguers Kevin McReynolds and Johnny Ray, Reynolds hit .347, was named all-Southwest Conference and All-American.&nbsp; He was drafted by Oakland in the fifth round but elected to return to Arkansas for his senior season.

After his senior year, Reynolds was again drafted in the fifth round, this time by the New York Mets.&nbsp; He signed with the Mets and made his major league debut with them in 1982.&nbsp; Reynolds served as a back-up to John Stearns and, later, Hall of Fame member Gary Carter.

While with the Mets, Reynolds took part of one of the most famous and elaborate pranks in sports history.&nbsp; In George Plimpton’s&nbsp;Sports Illustrated&nbsp;story on April 1, 1985, Reynolds is quoted and pictured with his hand in pain from catching the 168-mph fastball of Sidd Finch.&nbsp; Finch was concocted by Plimpton as an April Fool’s joke.

Reynolds played for Philadelphia, Houston and San Diego over the final three seasons of his career.&nbsp; In all, he played in 143 games over six major league seasons.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702915411200.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan.&nbsp;— The Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame has announced its newest Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted on January 27, 2024 at the LaVela in Wichita. For more information on purchasing tickets for the event, <a href="https://ksbaseballhof.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-Flyer.pdf">click here</a>.Hutchinson native, Haven High School graduate and former HutchCC Blue Dragon, Andy Dirks will be inducted in the class of 2024.The class of 2024 features Andy Dirks, Aaron Crow, Ron Gardenhire, Braden Looper, Ted Power, Ronn Reynolds, Joe Ruocco, and the 1887 Topeka Golden Giants.Information below courtesy of the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702916137260.jpeg" alt="Andy Dirks. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame." />
 <figcaption>Andy Dirks. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.</figcaption>
 </figure>ANDY DIRKS Born in Hutchinson, Andy Dirks graduated from Haven High School in 2004 after lettering four years each in football, basketball and baseball.&nbsp; He was all-state in baseball three times and was named the Male Athlete of the Year by the&nbsp;Hutchinson News&nbsp;in 2004.Dirks went on to play at Hutchinson Community College for two seasons, then Wichita State.&nbsp; At WSU, he hit .354 over two seasons and twice received the team’s Charlie Hustle Award.&nbsp; In his senior season, Dirks hit .388 with a thirty-game hitting streak.&nbsp; His on base percentage was .498 and he slugged .697.&nbsp; Dirks was named the Shockers’ Most Valuable Player and Most Inspirational Player, in addition to being named third team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association.Selected in the eighth round of the 2008 MLB draft by Detroit, Dirks made his major league debut with the Tigers in May of 2011.&nbsp; He appeared in 78 games for the American League Central champions, hitting .251 with seven home runs as a rookie.In 2013, Dirks was the Tigers’ regular leftfielder, hitting .256 with nine home runs and was a finalist for a Gold Glove award.&nbsp; He missed the entire 2014 season after back surgery.&nbsp; A second back surgery in 2015 ended his playing career.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dirks and his family live in the Detroit area where he is a real estate broker and part-time member of the Tigers broadcast team.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702916163354.jpeg" alt="Aaron Crow. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame." />
 <figcaption>Aaron Crow. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.</figcaption>
 </figure>AARON CROW Aaron Crow was born in Topeka, grew up in nearby Wakarusa and graduated from Topeka’s Washburn Rural High School in 2005.&nbsp; He went on to pitch at the University of Missouri, where he went 23-8 in three years and was Big 12 Pitcher of the Year in 2008.Following his junior season, Crow was drafted ninth overall by Washington.&nbsp; He did not sign with the Nationals and pitched for the independent Fort Worth Cats in 2009.&nbsp; He was again drafted in the first round, this time by Kansas City with the twelfth overall pick.Crow made the Royals roster as a reliever in 2011 and was selected to the American League All-Star team.&nbsp; Between 2011-2014, Crow was a workhorse out of the Royals bullpen, appearing in 254 games from 2011-2014.&nbsp; He was 20-11 with a 3.43 earned run average, striking out 208 hitters in 233 innings.Following the 2014 season, Crow was traded to Miami for former Wichita State pitcher Brian Flynn.&nbsp; Before the 2015 season, Crow hurt his arm and had Tommy John surgery.&nbsp; He would pitch only three innings of professional ball in 2016-17.&nbsp; Unable to regain his full velocity, Crow’s final season was with the Acereros de Monclova&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Mexican Baseball League in 2018.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702916191787.jpeg" alt="Ron Gardenhire. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame." />
 <figcaption>Ron Gardenhire. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.</figcaption>
 </figure>RON GARDENHIRE While playing for Wichita Coors in the summers of 1977 and 1978, Ron Gardenhire played in the NBC World Series and met his future wife at Pogos, a legendary Wichita disco.&nbsp; The couple made their home in Wichita for several years.Born on an Army base in West Germany, Gardenhire played high school baseball in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.&nbsp; Recruited by Wichita State, Gardenhire instead played collegiately at the University of Texas.He was a sixth-round draft pick of the New York Mets in 1979 and played five seasons for them.&nbsp; A middle infielder, Gardenhire was the Mets’ starting shortstop in 1982 in which he hit .240 with three home runs.After his playing career ended in 1985, Gardenhire managed teams in Minnesota’s minor league system.&nbsp; He was promoted to become the Twins’ third base coach in 1991, the same year in which the Twins won the World Series.After 11 seasons as a coach, Gardenhire succeeded Tom Kelly as manager.&nbsp; The Twins won 90+ games in four of Gardenhire’s first five seasons.&nbsp; All told, he led the Twins to six American League Central titles and 1,039 wins in 13 seasons, ending in 2014.&nbsp; He was named American League manager of the year in 2010 and was runner-up five times for the award.In 2017, Gardenhire served as bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.&nbsp; During that season, he battled prostate cancer and was given a clean bill of health.The following year, Gardenhire took over as manager in Detroit.&nbsp; He led the Tigers for three seasons, retiring with 1,280 career managerial wins.Gardenhire and his wife, Carol, make their home in Florida.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702916213400.jpeg" alt="Braden Looper. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame." />
 <figcaption>Braden Looper. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.</figcaption>
 </figure>BRADEN LOOPER After a promising freshman year at Wichita State, Braden Looper became a dominant relief pitcher as a sophomore, saving thirteen games with a 1.77 earned run average.A preseason All-American as a junior, Looper lived up to the billing, recording twelve saves with a 2.09 ERA on a Shocker team that made the College World Series field.&nbsp; Looper was a consensus All-American and pitched for the bronze medal-winning Team USA in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.Drafted third overall by St. Louis, Looper signed with the Cardinals after his junior year.&nbsp; He made his major league debut in 1998 but was traded to Florida after just one season.Looper quickly established himself in the Marlins’ bullpen, appearing in 70+ games for five straight seasons.&nbsp; He assumed the closer role in 2002 and had 28 saves for the World Series Champions in 2003.In 2004, Looper signed with the New York Mets and saved 29 games in his first season, followed by 28 saves in 2005.In 2006, he went back to the Cardinals as a set-up man.&nbsp; In 2007, he became a starter for the first time in his career.&nbsp; He started 30 games, posting a 12-12 record with a 4.94 ERA.&nbsp; He again won twelve games in 2008, then fourteen games in his final season, pitching for Milwaukee.In twelve major league seasons, Looper appeared in 670 games, winning 72 and saving 103.Originally from Mangum, Oklahoma, Looper and his family make their home in Chicago.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702916237941.jpeg" alt="Ted Power. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame." />
 <figcaption>Ted Power. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.</figcaption>
 </figure>TED POWER Ted Power graduated from Abilene High School, which did not field a baseball team while he was in school.&nbsp; Still, Power went on to set strikeout records at Kansas State University and pitched thirteen years in the major leagues.Power joined the K-State rotation as a freshman, starting nine games and striking out 48 in 43 innings of work.&nbsp; The 1974 Wildcats won 31 games and were runners-up in the Big 8, their highest conference finish until the 2013 team won the Big 12.&nbsp; Besides Power, the 1974 team had future big league pitcher Andy Replogle and future College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lon Kruger.After arm injuries limited his sophomore year, Power won six games the next season&nbsp; with a 2.34 earned run average.&nbsp; He struck out a then-season record 99 batters, including a still-standing record 19 against Wayne State.&nbsp; Power was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the 1976 MLB draft.Power broke in with the Dodgers in 1981 and was traded to Cincinnati following the 1982 season.&nbsp; He pitched out of the Reds bullpen and led the National League in appearances in 1984 with 78.&nbsp; In 1985, he saved 27 games.&nbsp; In 1986 and 1987, Power moved to the rotation and won ten games each season.Following the 1987 season, Power was traded to Kansas City, along with Kurt Stilwell in return for Danny Jackson and Angel Salazar.&nbsp; He was a reliever and spot starter for one season for the Royals and pitched for six teams in seven years.&nbsp; Power pitched in the National League Championship Series for Pittsburgh, starting game six.Over thirteen major league seasons, Power won 69 games.&nbsp; For nearly two decades, he served as a minor and major league coach for Cincinnati.&nbsp; In 2023, he was the pitching coach for the collegiate summer league Bristol (VA) State Liners.In 2000, Power was named to the K-State All-Century baseball team.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702916258472.jpeg" alt="Ronn Reynolds. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame." />
 <figcaption>Ronn Reynolds. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.</figcaption>
 </figure>RONN REYNOLDS Born in Wichita, Ronn Reynolds caught and led Southeast High School to a state championship in 1976.&nbsp; From there, he attended Garden City Community College on a football scholarship and would later become the first Broncbuster to play in the major leagues.After Garden City, Reynolds went to Arkansas and led the Razorbacks to a runner-up finish in their first-ever College World Series.&nbsp; On a team that included future major leaguers Kevin McReynolds and Johnny Ray, Reynolds hit .347, was named all-Southwest Conference and All-American.&nbsp; He was drafted by Oakland in the fifth round but elected to return to Arkansas for his senior season.After his senior year, Reynolds was again drafted in the fifth round, this time by the New York Mets.&nbsp; He signed with the Mets and made his major league debut with them in 1982.&nbsp; Reynolds served as a back-up to John Stearns and, later, Hall of Fame member Gary Carter.While with the Mets, Reynolds took part of one of the most famous and elaborate pranks in sports history.&nbsp; In George Plimpton’s&nbsp;Sports Illustrated&nbsp;story on April 1, 1985, Reynolds is quoted and pictured with his hand in pain from catching the 168-mph fastball of Sidd Finch.&nbsp; Finch was concocted by Plimpton as an April Fool’s joke.Reynolds played for Philadelphia, Houston and San Diego over the final three seasons of his career.&nbsp; In all, he played in 143 games over six major league seasons.Reynolds began working in the construction industry following his baseball career.&nbsp; He held project manager and business development positions with Key Construction in Wichita.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702916279798.jpeg" alt="Joe Ruocco. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame." />
 <figcaption>Joe Ruocco. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOE RUOCCO There is hardly a sports fan who grew up in Wichita in the past 40 years who hasn’t visited – and delighted in – Rock’s Dugout and its owner, Joe Ruocco.Ruocco grew up in The Bronx as a Yankees fan collecting baseball cards.&nbsp; He left New York to attend college at St. Mary’s of the Plains in Dodge City.&nbsp; He planned to return to New York but was offered a job while student teaching in Wichita.&nbsp; Ruocco taught elementary school in Wichita from 1969 until he retired in 2003.In 1977, Ruocco, a lifelong bowler, opened Rock’s Dugout in the basement of Rose Bowl East in Wichita.&nbsp; His original inventory was his own personal collection.In 2003, Rose Bowl East closed so Rock’s Dugout moved to another bowling alley, Northrock Lanes.&nbsp; Like its predecessor, Rock’s Dugout has bats, balls and sports gear hanging from the ceiling.&nbsp; Memorabilia adorns every wall with one wall dominated by a photo collage that once hung in Yankee Stadium.&nbsp; And, most of all, there are hundreds of thousands of sports cards.Known for his honesty and integrity, Ruocco regularly hosts card and memorabilia shows.&nbsp; He hired national sports figures – like Stan Musial, Phil Rizzuto and both Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca – to come to Wichita to sign autographs.In 2022, Ruocco retired a second time, this time from Rock’s Dugout after 45 years of business.&nbsp; He sold Rock’s Dugout to a long-time customer, so it continues to be the oldest-running card shop in Kansas.Ruocco and his wife, Cathy, live in Wichita.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702916300338.jpeg" alt="1887 Topeka Golden Giants. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame." />
 <figcaption>1887 Topeka Golden Giants. Photo Courtesy Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.</figcaption>
 </figure>1887 TOPEKA GOLDEN GIANTS Led by a remarkable ten future major league players, the Topeka Golden Giants dominated the Western League in 1887.&nbsp; The Golden Giants finished with a 90-25 (.785) record, easily finishing 15 games ahead of the Lincoln Tree-Planters.They also beat the defending World Series champion St. Louis Browns, 12-9, in an exhibition game.In Western League play, the team batting average was .390, led by Jimmy Macullar’s league-leading .464 and Dan Stearns’ .438.&nbsp; Stearns led the team in hits and runs.&nbsp; Outfielder Bug Holliday hit 16 home runs to lead the league.Pitcher Tom Sullivan led the Western Association with 36 wins.Besides Macullar, Stearns, Holliday and Sullivan, major league players from that team were player-manager Walt Goldsby, Joe “Old Hoss” Ardner, Jim Conway, Perry Werden, Joe Gunson and Buster Hoover.