IRVING, Texas –&nbsp;Kansas sophomore Kodey Shojinaga was named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday. Shojinaga wins the honor in the first week of Big 12 awards this season.

Shojinaga hit .462/.533/1.077 (6-for-13), with two doubles, two home runs, five RBIs, four runs scored and a 1.610 OPS in three games against Illinois-Chicago this past weekend. In the season opener, Shojinaga had four hits, two home runs and five RBIs, which were all the most in a Kansas season opener since at least 2003.

His two home runs in the season opener marked his first career multi-homer game. One of those home runs was his first career grand slam. Shojinaga hit the first home run of the season for the Jayhawks in 2023 and now in 2024. The two home runs are tied for the most in the Big 12 through the first weekend. He also had 14 total bases, which is tied for the most in the conference.

Shojinaga earns the first Big 12 weekly honor of his career and becomes the first Kansas player to win Big 12 Player of the Week since Caleb Upshaw on May 2, 2022. He is the 19th player in Kansas history to win the honor.

Kansas (1-2) plays a midweek contest against Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT at Whataburger Field.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708440634193.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas AthleticsIRVING, Texas –&nbsp;Kansas sophomore Kodey Shojinaga was named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday. Shojinaga wins the honor in the first week of Big 12 awards this season.Shojinaga hit .462/.533/1.077 (6-for-13), with two doubles, two home runs, five RBIs, four runs scored and a 1.610 OPS in three games against Illinois-Chicago this past weekend. In the season opener, Shojinaga had four hits, two home runs and five RBIs, which were all the most in a Kansas season opener since at least 2003.His two home runs in the season opener marked his first career multi-homer game. One of those home runs was his first career grand slam. Shojinaga hit the first home run of the season for the Jayhawks in 2023 and now in 2024. The two home runs are tied for the most in the Big 12 through the first weekend. He also had 14 total bases, which is tied for the most in the conference.Shojinaga earns the first Big 12 weekly honor of his career and becomes the first Kansas player to win Big 12 Player of the Week since Caleb Upshaw on May 2, 2022. He is the 19th player in Kansas history to win the honor.Kansas (1-2) plays a midweek contest against Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT at Whataburger Field.

⚾ KU's Shojinaga named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Tuesday, February 29th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Tuesday, February 29th, 2024.</figcaption>
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🎧 LISTEN: 🏀 Texas gets by K-State; 🏀 Hutch High on the road to Derby

HOUSTON (AP) — Jamal Shead had 26 points, including 20 in the second half, and No. 2 Houston took sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with a 73-65 win over No. 6 Iowa State. Emanuel Sharp added 20 points for the Cougars, who won their 20th consecutive home game — the longest active streak in the country. They hold a one-game lead over the Cyclones with five games remaining in the regular season for both teams. Shead shot 5 of 7 from the field and 8 for 9 at the free-throw line in the second half. He finished 6 of 10 from the floor and added six assists. Houston, which never trailed, turned 16 Iowa State turnovers into 20 points. Keshon Gilbert had 17 points for the Cyclones.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Max Abmas became the 12th player in men’s Division I history to reach 3,000 career points and Texas held off Kansas State 62-56. Abmas, a graduate transfer who played his first four seasons for Oral Roberts University, entered play needing six points to reach the milestone. He finished with eight and has scored 450 points for the Longhorns (17-9, 6-7 Big 12 Conference) this season. Dylan Disu scored 20 to lead Texas. Arthur Kaluma paced the Wildcats (15-11, 5-8) with 15 points and seven rebounds.

UNDATED (AP) — UConn became the first unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll this season, earning all 62 votes from a national media panel. The Huskies picked up the 16 that went to Purdue last week after the Boilermakers lost to Ohio State. Houston was second, with Purdue, Arizona and Tennessee rounding out the top five. San Diego State returned to the poll at No. 19 and Washington State entered at No. 21 to end a 302-week poll drought. Colorado State, Texas Tech and Florida also entered the poll at the expense of Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida Atlantic, Indiana State and Oklahoma.

NEW YORK (AP) — Southern California has climbed three spots to No. 7 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll while South Carolina remains a unanimous No. 1. USC swept Oregon and then-No. 11 Oregon State over the weekend. The Trojans moved into a tie for second place in the Pac-12. The six teams in front of USC didn’t change, with South Carolina leading the way as it has since the regular season began. The Gamecocks received all 35 votes from a national media panel. Ohio State was right behind South Carolina, marking the first time in seven weeks that a No. 2 team held its place for two consecutive polls. Stanford, Iowa, Texas and North Carolina State followed the Buckeyes.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — William Byron launched Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season by snapping the team’s nine-year Daytona 500 losing streak with his Monday win in the rain-postponed “Great American Race.” The last Hendrick driver to win the Daytona 500 was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014. The 26 year old from Charlotte, North Carolina is the sixth different driver to win the 500 for Rick Hendrick, the winningest team owner in NASCAR history who made his way to victory lane on the actual 40th anniversary of his first Cup win. Byron beat Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman as the race ended under one lap of caution.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Alex Bowman never saw how the big wreck started that marred the end of the Daytona 500. He was surprised to learn he triggered the big one. Bowman sparked the crash that involved nearly two dozen cars and knocked six former NASCAR champions out of contention in the Daytona 500. Bowman bump-drafted Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron on the backstretch with nine laps to go when Byron lost control, turned into Brad Keselowski and pretty much wrecked the field. Byron and Bowman were the biggest beneficiaries of the melee. They escaped with little damage to their cars and went on to give Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2 finish in “The Great American Race.”

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Defense wasn’t really played in the All-Star Game, which explains why the Eastern Conference scored a record 211 points and the game saw nearly 400 points combined on Sunday night. Points couldn’t have been easier to come by. But in the regular season — although some might dispute this — defense does get played. And points just keep piling up anyway with the NBA on pace to see its highest-scoring season in more than 50 years with teams averaging more than 115 points per game, up about 1% from last year and up a staggering 15.5% from where it was a decade ago.

UNDATED (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets have fired Jacque Vaughn after ending a disappointing first half of the season with a 50-point loss in Boston in their final game before the All-Star break. About a year after giving Vaughn a contract extension, the Nets changed course on Monday and said an interim coach would be named soon. The Nets are 21-33 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. They dropped five of their last six games. Nets general manager Sean Marks says “this was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward.”

UNDATED (AP) — It was a bruising opening weekend in college baseball for Sacramento State’s Matt Masciangelo. The Hornets’ junior left fielder was hit by pitch on eight of his first nine plate appearances against Loyola Marymount. The teams played a doubleheader Friday, with Masciangelo plunked three times in the first game and four times in the second. The teams didn’t play Saturday. He got on base his first time up Sunday when a pitch grazed his jersey. Masciangelo says he and his teammates got a good laugh and he was happy to get on base so often.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, February 20th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, February 20th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>HOUSTON (AP) — Jamal Shead had 26 points, including 20 in the second half, and No. 2 Houston took sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with a 73-65 win over No. 6 Iowa State. Emanuel Sharp added 20 points for the Cougars, who won their 20th consecutive home game — the longest active streak in the country. They hold a one-game lead over the Cyclones with five games remaining in the regular season for both teams. Shead shot 5 of 7 from the field and 8 for 9 at the free-throw line in the second half. He finished 6 of 10 from the floor and added six assists. Houston, which never trailed, turned 16 Iowa State turnovers into 20 points. Keshon Gilbert had 17 points for the Cyclones.AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Max Abmas became the 12th player in men’s Division I history to reach 3,000 career points and Texas held off Kansas State 62-56. Abmas, a graduate transfer who played his first four seasons for Oral Roberts University, entered play needing six points to reach the milestone. He finished with eight and has scored 450 points for the Longhorns (17-9, 6-7 Big 12 Conference) this season. Dylan Disu scored 20 to lead Texas. Arthur Kaluma paced the Wildcats (15-11, 5-8) with 15 points and seven rebounds.UNDATED (AP) — UConn became the first unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll this season, earning all 62 votes from a national media panel. The Huskies picked up the 16 that went to Purdue last week after the Boilermakers lost to Ohio State. Houston was second, with Purdue, Arizona and Tennessee rounding out the top five. San Diego State returned to the poll at No. 19 and Washington State entered at No. 21 to end a 302-week poll drought. Colorado State, Texas Tech and Florida also entered the poll at the expense of Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida Atlantic, Indiana State and Oklahoma.NEW YORK (AP) — Southern California has climbed three spots to No. 7 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll while South Carolina remains a unanimous No. 1. USC swept Oregon and then-No. 11 Oregon State over the weekend. The Trojans moved into a tie for second place in the Pac-12. The six teams in front of USC didn’t change, with South Carolina leading the way as it has since the regular season began. The Gamecocks received all 35 votes from a national media panel. Ohio State was right behind South Carolina, marking the first time in seven weeks that a No. 2 team held its place for two consecutive polls. Stanford, Iowa, Texas and North Carolina State followed the Buckeyes.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — William Byron launched Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season by snapping the team’s nine-year Daytona 500 losing streak with his Monday win in the rain-postponed “Great American Race.” The last Hendrick driver to win the Daytona 500 was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014. The 26 year old from Charlotte, North Carolina is the sixth different driver to win the 500 for Rick Hendrick, the winningest team owner in NASCAR history who made his way to victory lane on the actual 40th anniversary of his first Cup win. Byron beat Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman as the race ended under one lap of caution.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Alex Bowman never saw how the big wreck started that marred the end of the Daytona 500. He was surprised to learn he triggered the big one. Bowman sparked the crash that involved nearly two dozen cars and knocked six former NASCAR champions out of contention in the Daytona 500. Bowman bump-drafted Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron on the backstretch with nine laps to go when Byron lost control, turned into Brad Keselowski and pretty much wrecked the field. Byron and Bowman were the biggest beneficiaries of the melee. They escaped with little damage to their cars and went on to give Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2 finish in “The Great American Race.”INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Defense wasn’t really played in the All-Star Game, which explains why the Eastern Conference scored a record 211 points and the game saw nearly 400 points combined on Sunday night. Points couldn’t have been easier to come by. But in the regular season — although some might dispute this — defense does get played. And points just keep piling up anyway with the NBA on pace to see its highest-scoring season in more than 50 years with teams averaging more than 115 points per game, up about 1% from last year and up a staggering 15.5% from where it was a decade ago.UNDATED (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets have fired Jacque Vaughn after ending a disappointing first half of the season with a 50-point loss in Boston in their final game before the All-Star break. About a year after giving Vaughn a contract extension, the Nets changed course on Monday and said an interim coach would be named soon. The Nets are 21-33 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. They dropped five of their last six games. Nets general manager Sean Marks says “this was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward.”UNDATED (AP) — It was a bruising opening weekend in college baseball for Sacramento State’s Matt Masciangelo. The Hornets’ junior left fielder was hit by pitch on eight of his first nine plate appearances against Loyola Marymount. The teams played a doubleheader Friday, with Masciangelo plunked three times in the first game and four times in the second. The teams didn’t play Saturday. He got on base his first time up Sunday when a pitch grazed his jersey. Masciangelo says he and his teammates got a good laugh and he was happy to get on base so often.MONDAY SCORESTOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal (2)Houston 73 (6)Iowa St. 65NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal Anaheim 4 Buffalo 3Final Toronto 4 St. Louis 2Final SO Boston 4 Dallas 3Final Minnesota 10 Vancouver 7Final OT Detroit 4 Seattle 3Final Calgary 6 Winnipeg 3Final Vegas 4 San Jose 0Final Edmonton 6 Arizona 3Final Carolina 6 Chicago 3Final Ottawa 4 Tampa Bay 2

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Tuesday

DERBY, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawk basketball teams travel to Derby tonight for two key AVCTL-I matchups.

Catch all the action on KWBW Radio 1450-AM/98.5-FM with the award winning EAGLE Media sportscast crew, consisting of Glen Grunwald with the play-by-play call and Dan "Coach Nac" Naccarato.&nbsp;

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 6 p.m. followed by boys action at 7:30 p.m.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708431443453.png" alt="Derby Gameday Feb. 20th" />
 <figcaption>Derby Gameday Feb. 20th</figcaption>
 </figure>DERBY, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawk basketball teams travel to Derby tonight for two key AVCTL-I matchups.Catch all the action on KWBW Radio 1450-AM/98.5-FM with the award winning EAGLE Media sportscast crew, consisting of Glen Grunwald with the play-by-play call and Dan "Coach Nac" Naccarato.&nbsp;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 6 p.m. followed by boys action at 7:30 p.m.<div><iframe src="https://player.nfhsnetwork.com/#/events/hutchinson-high-school-hutchinson-ks/gamcd431196a4" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe>
</div>

🎧🎥🏀 Hutch High travel to Derby for key AVCTL matchup

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Max Abmas became the 12th player in men's Division I history to reach 3,000 career points and Texas held off Kansas State 62-56 on Monday night.

Abmas, a graduate transfer who played his first four seasons for Oral Roberts University, entered play needing six points to reach the milestone. He finished with eight and has scored 450 points for the Longhorns (17-9, 6-7 Big 12 Conference) this season.

Dylan Disu finished with a game-high 20 points for Texas. He made 5 of 11 shots from the floor and 10 of his 11 free throws, adding eight rebounds and three steals. Tyrese Hunter had nine points and seven boards. Dillon Mitchell totaled eight points and 10 rebounds with a pair of blocked shots.

Arthur Kaluma paced the Wildcats (15-11, 5-8) with 15 points and seven rebounds. Tylor Perry added 13 points and four assists, but he also had six of K-State's 13 turnovers. David N'Guessan pitched in with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Disu had eight points, Mitchell scored six and the pair combined for half of Texas' 22 rebounds as the Longhorns took a 27-22 advantage into halftime. N'Guessan had seven points to keep Kansas State close.

Both teams struggled to 32.3% shooting in the first half. That included Texas missing 10 of 12 attempts from 3-point range and the Wildcats misfiring on 9 of 10. The Longhorns were 5 for 7 at the free-throw line, while K-State made 1 of 4.

Abmas reached the milestone on a jumper with 14:04 remaining in the second half, giving Texas a 35-31 lead. Ithiel Horton followed with a 3-pointer and Hunter's layup capped a 7-0 run as the Longhorns moved in front 40-31.

Kansas State closed within 48-42 on a layup by N'Guessan with five minutes left. Texas pushed its lead to 12 — its largest of the game — but Kaluma had a four-point play and Will McNair added a layup to get the Wildcats within 54-48 with 2:12 left to play.

Cam Carter hit two free throws with 50 seconds remaining to cut K-State's deficit to 56-52, but Disu sank four foul shots in a row to seal it.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Max Abmas became the 12th player in men's Division I history to reach 3,000 career points and Texas held off Kansas State 62-56 on Monday night.Abmas, a graduate transfer who played his first four seasons for Oral Roberts University, entered play needing six points to reach the milestone. He finished with eight and has scored 450 points for the Longhorns (17-9, 6-7 Big 12 Conference) this season.Dylan Disu finished with a game-high 20 points for Texas. He made 5 of 11 shots from the floor and 10 of his 11 free throws, adding eight rebounds and three steals. Tyrese Hunter had nine points and seven boards. Dillon Mitchell totaled eight points and 10 rebounds with a pair of blocked shots.Arthur Kaluma paced the Wildcats (15-11, 5-8) with 15 points and seven rebounds. Tylor Perry added 13 points and four assists, but he also had six of K-State's 13 turnovers. David N'Guessan pitched in with 12 points and seven rebounds.Disu had eight points, Mitchell scored six and the pair combined for half of Texas' 22 rebounds as the Longhorns took a 27-22 advantage into halftime. N'Guessan had seven points to keep Kansas State close.Both teams struggled to 32.3% shooting in the first half. That included Texas missing 10 of 12 attempts from 3-point range and the Wildcats misfiring on 9 of 10. The Longhorns were 5 for 7 at the free-throw line, while K-State made 1 of 4.Abmas reached the milestone on a jumper with 14:04 remaining in the second half, giving Texas a 35-31 lead. Ithiel Horton followed with a 3-pointer and Hunter's layup capped a 7-0 run as the Longhorns moved in front 40-31.Kansas State closed within 48-42 on a layup by N'Guessan with five minutes left. Texas pushed its lead to 12 — its largest of the game — but Kaluma had a four-point play and Will McNair added a layup to get the Wildcats within 54-48 with 2:12 left to play.Cam Carter hit two free throws with 50 seconds remaining to cut K-State's deficit to 56-52, but Disu sank four foul shots in a row to seal it.

🏀 Abmas leads Texas over Kansas State 

NEW YORK (AP) — Southern California, which has won six straight games, climbed three spots to No. 7 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll" target="_blank">The Associated Press women’s basketball poll</a>&nbsp;Monday while South Carolina remained a unanimous No. 1.

USC swept Oregon and then-No. 11 Oregon State over the weekend. The Trojans moved into a tie for second place in the Pac-12 Conference, two games behind Stanford. They host Colorado and Utah this weekend.

The six teams in front of USC didn’t change, with South Carolina leading the way, as it has since the regular season began. The Gamecocks received all 35 votes from a national media panel. South Carolina was tested in both its game last week, rallying to beat Tennessee and Georgia. Coach Dawn Staley’s team&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bulldogs-gamecocks-basketball-score-8149d14d2cf1061de873ef0660279fb3" target="_blank">trailed at halftime at home</a>&nbsp;against Georgia on Sunday before winning by 14 points.

Ohio State was right behind South Carolina, marking the first time in seven weeks that a No. 2 team held its place for two consecutive polls. No. 3 Stanford, Iowa, Texas and North Carolina State followed the Buckeyes.

Virginia Tech climbed four spots to eighth after beating Duke and Louisville. The Hokies have won nine in a row and sit in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a game in front of Syracuse.

Oregon State moved up to ninth despite the loss to USC after beating then-No. 9 UCLA.

Kansas State fell three places to No. 10, while Colorado and UCLA also dropped three places.

With the NCAA career&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-ncaa-womens-record-kelsey-plum-885e58a5e600eb2961542408b9167af7" target="_blank">scoring record in the rearview mirror,</a>&nbsp;Caitlin Clark leads Iowa into Indiana for a key Big Ten Conference matchup. Iowa is tied for second, a game behind Ohio State. The Hawkeyes beat the Hoosiers by 27 points at home last month. Expect Thursday’s rematch to be a bit more competitive.

It was an exciting weekend in the Pac-12 Conference, with Oregon State topping UCLA on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ucla-oregon-state-women-34d1350d07d6dd1a3899b6a444475bc8" target="_blank">shot at the buzzer</a>&nbsp;as well as Utah beating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-utah-score-23c4fd49c595698f57911c0cbe57039a" target="_blank">Colorado in the last second as well.</a>&nbsp;The conference is still tops in the poll, with five teams in the first 12 and six ranked in the Top 25 overall.

The ACC and Big 12 are next with five teams each. The Big 12 has three teams and the Big East and SEC each have two. The Ivy and West Coast each have one.

The NCAA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/womens-ncaa-tournament-top-seeds-reveal-8fd25e3a2360d557e0c5b29be67d359a" target="_blank">had its first reveal last Thursday</a>&nbsp;of the top 16 teams at that point. South Carolina, Ohio State, Stanford and Colorado were the 1 seeds. The Buffaloes went on to lose after that. The next reveal will be on Feb. 29.

No. 25 Princeton has won 15 straight games and sits a game in front of Columba in the Ivy League standings. The Tigers won the first meeting last month, and the two teams play in New York on Saturday with first place in the conference on the line. They shared the regular-season title last year, the first in Columbia’s history.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699875693382.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Southern California, which has won six straight games, climbed three spots to No. 7 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll" target="_blank">The Associated Press women’s basketball poll</a>&nbsp;Monday while South Carolina remained a unanimous No. 1.USC swept Oregon and then-No. 11 Oregon State over the weekend. The Trojans moved into a tie for second place in the Pac-12 Conference, two games behind Stanford. They host Colorado and Utah this weekend.The six teams in front of USC didn’t change, with South Carolina leading the way, as it has since the regular season began. The Gamecocks received all 35 votes from a national media panel. South Carolina was tested in both its game last week, rallying to beat Tennessee and Georgia. Coach Dawn Staley’s team&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bulldogs-gamecocks-basketball-score-8149d14d2cf1061de873ef0660279fb3" target="_blank">trailed at halftime at home</a>&nbsp;against Georgia on Sunday before winning by 14 points.Ohio State was right behind South Carolina, marking the first time in seven weeks that a No. 2 team held its place for two consecutive polls. No. 3 Stanford, Iowa, Texas and North Carolina State followed the Buckeyes.Virginia Tech climbed four spots to eighth after beating Duke and Louisville. The Hokies have won nine in a row and sit in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a game in front of Syracuse.Oregon State moved up to ninth despite the loss to USC after beating then-No. 9 UCLA.Kansas State fell three places to No. 10, while Colorado and UCLA also dropped three places.<h2>GAME OF THE WEEK</h2>With the NCAA career&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-ncaa-womens-record-kelsey-plum-885e58a5e600eb2961542408b9167af7" target="_blank">scoring record in the rearview mirror,</a>&nbsp;Caitlin Clark leads Iowa into Indiana for a key Big Ten Conference matchup. Iowa is tied for second, a game behind Ohio State. The Hawkeyes beat the Hoosiers by 27 points at home last month. Expect Thursday’s rematch to be a bit more competitive.<h2>EXCITEMENT OUT WEST</h2>It was an exciting weekend in the Pac-12 Conference, with Oregon State topping UCLA on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ucla-oregon-state-women-34d1350d07d6dd1a3899b6a444475bc8" target="_blank">shot at the buzzer</a>&nbsp;as well as Utah beating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-utah-score-23c4fd49c595698f57911c0cbe57039a" target="_blank">Colorado in the last second as well.</a>&nbsp;The conference is still tops in the poll, with five teams in the first 12 and six ranked in the Top 25 overall.The ACC and Big 12 are next with five teams each. The Big 12 has three teams and the Big East and SEC each have two. The Ivy and West Coast each have one.<h2>OPENING REVEAL</h2>The NCAA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/womens-ncaa-tournament-top-seeds-reveal-8fd25e3a2360d557e0c5b29be67d359a" target="_blank">had its first reveal last Thursday</a>&nbsp;of the top 16 teams at that point. South Carolina, Ohio State, Stanford and Colorado were the 1 seeds. The Buffaloes went on to lose after that. The next reveal will be on Feb. 29.<h2>IVY LEAGUE SHOWDOWN</h2>No. 25 Princeton has won 15 straight games and sits a game in front of Columba in the Ivy League standings. The Tigers won the first meeting last month, and the two teams play in New York on Saturday with first place in the conference on the line. They shared the regular-season title last year, the first in Columbia’s history.

🏀 WBB: K-State slips to No. 10 in latest AP poll

BY&nbsp;DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press

UConn became the first unanimous No. 1 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll" target="_blank">The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll</a>&nbsp;this season, while Washington State jumped into the rankings Monday at No. 21 to end a 302-week drought stretching back to the 2007-08 season.

The Huskies remained atop the poll for the sixth consecutive week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-depaul-score-8427d5793be1980b7ec3d865dd242be8" target="_blank">a blowout of DePaul</a>&nbsp;and an impressive 81-53&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marquette-uconn-score-3af15ded2bcb19517338ed633a344a32" target="_blank">win over then-No. 4 Marquette</a>&nbsp;over the weekend. They received all 62 first-place votes from a panel of national media members, scooping up the 16 first-place votes that Purdue lost when the Boilermakers fell to Ohio State on Sunday.

UConn is riding the second-longest streak at No. 1 in school history behind a 10-week stay during the 1998-99 season, when the team coached by Jim Calhoun and led by Richard Hamilton and Khalid El-Amin beat Duke for the national championship.

“All we can control is taking a championship approach to the next game,” said UConn coach Dan Hurley, whose team was the No. 2 overall seed behind Purdue in the first look provided by the NCAA Tournament selection committee over the weekend.

UConn has won 14 straight games, the longest streak in men’s Division I basketball.

“We just talk about a championship-level approach, mentality, execution,” said Hurley, whose team is aiming for the first repeat national championship since Florida in 2006-07. “We’re not going to talk about standings. There’s no reason to talk about that.”

Houston rode&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-houston-basketball-score-a69253016ffb6fb15a007f41510af384" target="_blank">an easy win against Texas</a>&nbsp;over the weekend into the second spot ahead of Purdue, while Arizona moved up one spot into fourth and Tennessee climbed three spots to round out the top five.

Iowa State ran its winning streak to four straight in the rugged Big 12 with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-tech-iowa-state-basketball-score-fe4d5cc9e1744bcfce3cac62b9893cf8" target="_blank">wins over Cincinnati and Texas Tech</a>&nbsp;last week, and that sent the Cyclones up four spots to No. 6. That’s the highest the program has been ranked since Dec. 14, 2015.

Marquette dropped three spots following its loss to the Huskies and was seventh. Duke was eighth, Kansas fell three positions to ninth after a lopsided loss to Texas Tech and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-oklahoma-basketball-score-cc64884948e1c89c59c6470bcba37f32" target="_blank">a win over Oklahoma</a>, and North Carolina rounded out the top 10.

Baylor was 11th and was followed by Illinois, Alabama, Auburn and Creighton. Dayton stayed put at No. 16, with Kentucky up five spots to No. 17. Saint Mary’s was next after extending its winning streak to 13 games, and San Diego State leaped back into the poll at No. 19. South Carolina fell nine spots to No. 20 after losses to Auburn and LSU.

There were four newcomers or returning teams among the final five on Monday: Washington State at No. 21, followed by Colorado State, Texas Tech and Florida. BYU fell six spots but held down the final position in the Top 25.

The Cougars,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stanford-washington-state-basketball-score-26878477b1c57bc32a03de3b8aae1c42" target="_blank">who have won seven straight</a>, returned to the poll for the first time since they were No. 21 in the final ranking of the 2007-08 season. That team reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Final Four participant North Carolina.

Their first test as a ranked team will be a trip to No. 4 Arizona on Thursday night.

“It’s the hardest place to play in the country,” Washington State coach Kyle Smith said. “They’re going to have a really good crowd. You’re going to have to handle the onslaught. There’s going to be a lot of juice in the building. That’s the No. 1 challenge — can we handle that environment? But it’s a privilege. Pressure is a privilege.”

The volatility that has marked the back half of the poll all season continued this week. The Aztecs, Cougars, Rams, Red Raiders and Gators all moved into the ranking at the expense of Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida Atlantic, Indiana State and Oklahoma.

The Badgers have been in free-fall since climbing to sixth the final week of January, losing five of their last six. FAU climbed to No. 7 the final week of December before last year’s NCAA Tournament darling finally slipped from the poll altogether.

Kentucky made the biggest jump among teams that were ranked last week, using impressive wins over Ole Miss and then-No. 13 Auburn to climb five spots to No. 17. Iowa State jumped four positions to land at sixth.

South Carolina’s wild ride also continued this week. The Gamecocks vaulted from out of the poll to No. 15 two weeks ago, moved up four spots to No. 11 last week, then plummeted nine spots to No. 20 after a pair of losses last week.

The SEC moved into a tie with the Big 12 for the most teams in the poll with six apiece. The Big East had three, while the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC and Mountain West each had two teams in the Top 25.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699875693382.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;DAVE SKRETTA Associated PressUConn became the first unanimous No. 1 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll" target="_blank">The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll</a>&nbsp;this season, while Washington State jumped into the rankings Monday at No. 21 to end a 302-week drought stretching back to the 2007-08 season.The Huskies remained atop the poll for the sixth consecutive week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-depaul-score-8427d5793be1980b7ec3d865dd242be8" target="_blank">a blowout of DePaul</a>&nbsp;and an impressive 81-53&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marquette-uconn-score-3af15ded2bcb19517338ed633a344a32" target="_blank">win over then-No. 4 Marquette</a>&nbsp;over the weekend. They received all 62 first-place votes from a panel of national media members, scooping up the 16 first-place votes that Purdue lost when the Boilermakers fell to Ohio State on Sunday.UConn is riding the second-longest streak at No. 1 in school history behind a 10-week stay during the 1998-99 season, when the team coached by Jim Calhoun and led by Richard Hamilton and Khalid El-Amin beat Duke for the national championship.“All we can control is taking a championship approach to the next game,” said UConn coach Dan Hurley, whose team was the No. 2 overall seed behind Purdue in the first look provided by the NCAA Tournament selection committee over the weekend.UConn has won 14 straight games, the longest streak in men’s Division I basketball.“We just talk about a championship-level approach, mentality, execution,” said Hurley, whose team is aiming for the first repeat national championship since Florida in 2006-07. “We’re not going to talk about standings. There’s no reason to talk about that.”Houston rode&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-houston-basketball-score-a69253016ffb6fb15a007f41510af384" target="_blank">an easy win against Texas</a>&nbsp;over the weekend into the second spot ahead of Purdue, while Arizona moved up one spot into fourth and Tennessee climbed three spots to round out the top five.Iowa State ran its winning streak to four straight in the rugged Big 12 with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-tech-iowa-state-basketball-score-fe4d5cc9e1744bcfce3cac62b9893cf8" target="_blank">wins over Cincinnati and Texas Tech</a>&nbsp;last week, and that sent the Cyclones up four spots to No. 6. That’s the highest the program has been ranked since Dec. 14, 2015.Marquette dropped three spots following its loss to the Huskies and was seventh. Duke was eighth, Kansas fell three positions to ninth after a lopsided loss to Texas Tech and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-oklahoma-basketball-score-cc64884948e1c89c59c6470bcba37f32" target="_blank">a win over Oklahoma</a>, and North Carolina rounded out the top 10.Baylor was 11th and was followed by Illinois, Alabama, Auburn and Creighton. Dayton stayed put at No. 16, with Kentucky up five spots to No. 17. Saint Mary’s was next after extending its winning streak to 13 games, and San Diego State leaped back into the poll at No. 19. South Carolina fell nine spots to No. 20 after losses to Auburn and LSU.There were four newcomers or returning teams among the final five on Monday: Washington State at No. 21, followed by Colorado State, Texas Tech and Florida. BYU fell six spots but held down the final position in the Top 25.The Cougars,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stanford-washington-state-basketball-score-26878477b1c57bc32a03de3b8aae1c42" target="_blank">who have won seven straight</a>, returned to the poll for the first time since they were No. 21 in the final ranking of the 2007-08 season. That team reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Final Four participant North Carolina.Their first test as a ranked team will be a trip to No. 4 Arizona on Thursday night.“It’s the hardest place to play in the country,” Washington State coach Kyle Smith said. “They’re going to have a really good crowd. You’re going to have to handle the onslaught. There’s going to be a lot of juice in the building. That’s the No. 1 challenge — can we handle that environment? But it’s a privilege. Pressure is a privilege.”<h2>IN AND OUT</h2>The volatility that has marked the back half of the poll all season continued this week. The Aztecs, Cougars, Rams, Red Raiders and Gators all moved into the ranking at the expense of Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida Atlantic, Indiana State and Oklahoma.The Badgers have been in free-fall since climbing to sixth the final week of January, losing five of their last six. FAU climbed to No. 7 the final week of December before last year’s NCAA Tournament darling finally slipped from the poll altogether.<h2>RISING AND FALLING</h2>Kentucky made the biggest jump among teams that were ranked last week, using impressive wins over Ole Miss and then-No. 13 Auburn to climb five spots to No. 17. Iowa State jumped four positions to land at sixth.South Carolina’s wild ride also continued this week. The Gamecocks vaulted from out of the poll to No. 15 two weeks ago, moved up four spots to No. 11 last week, then plummeted nine spots to No. 20 after a pair of losses last week.<h2>CONFERENCE WATCH</h2>The SEC moved into a tie with the Big 12 for the most teams in the poll with six apiece. The Big East had three, while the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC and Mountain West each had two teams in the Top 25.

🏀 MBB: KU drops to No. 9 in latest AP Top 25

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Monday, February 19th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Monday, February 19th, 2024.</figcaption>
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🎧 LISTEN: 🏀 NBA scores point record; 🏀 WSU drops 9th straight road game; 🏀 HutchCC splits with Butler; HHS Wrestling regional finals

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead — more than ever before.

And once again, the All-Star Game was all offense.

All-Star MVP Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks scored 39 points and the Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 211-186 on Sunday night, with the winners putting up the most points in the game's 73-year history. The previous mark: 196 by the West in 2016.

“We had fun,” East captain Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks said.

It was a flurry of records: The total points of 397 smashed the record of 374 set in 2017, while the East made 42 3-pointers to break the mark of 35 set by Team LeBron in 2019. The sides combined for 193 points in the first half to break the any-half record of 191 set last year, and the East tied an any-half record by scoring 104 by intermission.

Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics had 36 and Tyrese Haliburton from the hometown Indiana Pacers finished with 32 for the East, while Antetokounmpo had 23 and Jayson Tatum finished with 20.

“To be able to have this kind of accomplishment, it's special,” Lillard said.

Perhaps unnoticed: Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves scored 50 points for the West in just 28 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder scored 31 points for the West.

“The shot-making from the East was incredible,” West forward Kevin Durant said. “Hard to play defense when somebody's shooting 30-, 40-footers over you.”

The West scored a ton of points, too: At 186, it had the fourth-most by any team in All-Star history. And obviously, the most ever in a loss.

— The East tried 97 3-pointers; the previous record was 90 by Team LeBron in 2019.

— The teams combined for 66 3s made and 168 3s attempted (previous records were 62 and 167 in 2019).

— The teams combined for 163 field goals made and 289 attempted (previous records were 162 in 2017 and 286 in 2016).

“Obviously, it wasn’t high intensity, at all,” Haliburton said.

Lillard made some history, too. He defended his 3-point shootout title on Saturday night — then won MVP on Sunday night. The only other player to win a Saturday event and All-Star MVP in the same weekend was Michael Jordan in 1988, when he won the dunk contest as well as the MVP trophy.

“Dame put on a show,” Tatum said, “and I was happy for him.”

The highlights were from everywhere. Lillard pulled up from halfcourt in the third quarter — swish. Luka Doncic tried a shot from about 70 feet late in the first half; it hit near the top of the backboard. Towns even threw an alley-oop to Stephen Curry; the Warriors star is much more of a shooter than a dunker, so he simply laid it in instead.

The only drama in the fourth was about the record — and really, that wasn’t in doubt. The East had 160 points through three quarters, only needing 37 more to set the team All-Star record.

Brown’s 3-pointer with 1:54 left broke the mark, giving the East 197. Haliburton made the shot that sent a scoreboard to the 200-point mark for the first time in any sort of official NBA history, connecting from deep with 1:27 left.

“Everybody was asking what the record was,” Lillard said. “We found out and went after it.”

And Lillard ended it in style — a 44-footer to close the scoring. He made 11 3-pointers on the night, with the official distance of those recorded at 347 feet. A typical NBA 3-pointer is 24 or 25 feet; Lillard averaged 31 1/2 feet on his 3s Sunday night.

Durant said he was watching Lillard on the West bench while sitting with the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard. “We were in awe,” Durant said.

Defense was optional, sometimes accidental. There were 14 steals, most of those coming off wayward passes. And there were even three blocked shots.

Otherwise, it was shooting practice. And the tone was set quickly — Haliburton had five 3-pointers in a wild span of just 1:32 in the first quarter, helping the East take a 53-47 lead after the opening 12 minutes.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and other league executives were seeking a more competitive All-Star Game after last season's 184-175 matchup was widely panned — and television ratings plummeted.

Even Hall of Famer Larry Bird, honored Sunday at the NBA Legends Brunch, said was hoping the message from the league resonated and players took the All-Star Game a little more seriously.

“I know what this league’s all about and I’m very proud of it,” Bird said. “I’m proud of today’s players. I like the game they play. ... I think it’s very important when you have the best players in the world together, you’ve got to compete and you’ve got to play hard and you’ve got to show the fans how good they really are.”

They might not have competed the way Bird wanted — but they showed the fans plenty about how good they are.

It had a big-game, Finals-type atmosphere — but obviously, nothing near a playoff feel. Donovan Mitchell threw a 50-foot inbounds pass underhand, Bam Adebayo inbounded a ball off Nikola Jokic’s backside before dribbling downcourt and making a 3, and Devin Booker went through pregame with a hat on backwards.

Fun was had, and LeBron James — in his 20th All-Star Game, extending his record — said there was one big takeaway.

“The good thing that came out of tonight is none of the players were injured,” James said. “Everybody came out unscathed.”

The 74th NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2025, at Chase Center in San Francisco, the home of the Golden State Warriors. It’ll be the first time for the game in the Bay Area since 2000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675877206884.jpeg" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, left, hands the ball to Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James after passing Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis).jpg" />
 <figcaption>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, left, hands the ball to Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James after passing Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis).jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead — more than ever before.And once again, the All-Star Game was all offense.All-Star MVP Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks scored 39 points and the Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 211-186 on Sunday night, with the winners putting up the most points in the game's 73-year history. The previous mark: 196 by the West in 2016.“We had fun,” East captain Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks said.It was a flurry of records: The total points of 397 smashed the record of 374 set in 2017, while the East made 42 3-pointers to break the mark of 35 set by Team LeBron in 2019. The sides combined for 193 points in the first half to break the any-half record of 191 set last year, and the East tied an any-half record by scoring 104 by intermission.Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics had 36 and Tyrese Haliburton from the hometown Indiana Pacers finished with 32 for the East, while Antetokounmpo had 23 and Jayson Tatum finished with 20.“To be able to have this kind of accomplishment, it's special,” Lillard said.Perhaps unnoticed: Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves scored 50 points for the West in just 28 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder scored 31 points for the West.“The shot-making from the East was incredible,” West forward Kevin Durant said. “Hard to play defense when somebody's shooting 30-, 40-footers over you.”The West scored a ton of points, too: At 186, it had the fourth-most by any team in All-Star history. And obviously, the most ever in a loss.Among the other records:— The East tried 97 3-pointers; the previous record was 90 by Team LeBron in 2019.— The teams combined for 66 3s made and 168 3s attempted (previous records were 62 and 167 in 2019).— The teams combined for 163 field goals made and 289 attempted (previous records were 162 in 2017 and 286 in 2016).“Obviously, it wasn’t high intensity, at all,” Haliburton said.Lillard made some history, too. He defended his 3-point shootout title on Saturday night — then won MVP on Sunday night. The only other player to win a Saturday event and All-Star MVP in the same weekend was Michael Jordan in 1988, when he won the dunk contest as well as the MVP trophy.“Dame put on a show,” Tatum said, “and I was happy for him.”The highlights were from everywhere. Lillard pulled up from halfcourt in the third quarter — swish. Luka Doncic tried a shot from about 70 feet late in the first half; it hit near the top of the backboard. Towns even threw an alley-oop to Stephen Curry; the Warriors star is much more of a shooter than a dunker, so he simply laid it in instead.The only drama in the fourth was about the record — and really, that wasn’t in doubt. The East had 160 points through three quarters, only needing 37 more to set the team All-Star record.Brown’s 3-pointer with 1:54 left broke the mark, giving the East 197. Haliburton made the shot that sent a scoreboard to the 200-point mark for the first time in any sort of official NBA history, connecting from deep with 1:27 left.Lillard said the East wanted the record.“Everybody was asking what the record was,” Lillard said. “We found out and went after it.”And Lillard ended it in style — a 44-footer to close the scoring. He made 11 3-pointers on the night, with the official distance of those recorded at 347 feet. A typical NBA 3-pointer is 24 or 25 feet; Lillard averaged 31 1/2 feet on his 3s Sunday night.Durant said he was watching Lillard on the West bench while sitting with the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard. “We were in awe,” Durant said.Defense was optional, sometimes accidental. There were 14 steals, most of those coming off wayward passes. And there were even three blocked shots.Otherwise, it was shooting practice. And the tone was set quickly — Haliburton had five 3-pointers in a wild span of just 1:32 in the first quarter, helping the East take a 53-47 lead after the opening 12 minutes.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and other league executives were seeking a more competitive All-Star Game after last season's 184-175 matchup was widely panned — and television ratings plummeted.Even Hall of Famer Larry Bird, honored Sunday at the NBA Legends Brunch, said was hoping the message from the league resonated and players took the All-Star Game a little more seriously.“I know what this league’s all about and I’m very proud of it,” Bird said. “I’m proud of today’s players. I like the game they play. ... I think it’s very important when you have the best players in the world together, you’ve got to compete and you’ve got to play hard and you’ve got to show the fans how good they really are.”They might not have competed the way Bird wanted — but they showed the fans plenty about how good they are.It had a big-game, Finals-type atmosphere — but obviously, nothing near a playoff feel. Donovan Mitchell threw a 50-foot inbounds pass underhand, Bam Adebayo inbounded a ball off Nikola Jokic’s backside before dribbling downcourt and making a 3, and Devin Booker went through pregame with a hat on backwards.Fun was had, and LeBron James — in his 20th All-Star Game, extending his record — said there was one big takeaway.“The good thing that came out of tonight is none of the players were injured,” James said. “Everybody came out unscathed.”Except the scoreboard, perhaps.UP NEXTThe 74th NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2025, at Chase Center in San Francisco, the home of the Golden State Warriors. It’ll be the first time for the game in the Bay Area since 2000.

🏀 Points records fall at the NBA All-Star Game, with the East beating the West

CHARLOTTE, N.C. –&nbsp;Wichita State's road woes continued in a loss at Charlotte, 72-61, Sunday afternoon, dropping its ninth consecutive game away from Charles Koch Arena.Wichita State (10-16, 2-11) couldn't overcome a slow start that saw Charlotte score the first seven points of the game. The Shockers only had 10 turnovers in the game, but eight of those came in the first half, part of what allowed the Niners to build a double digit lead early.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/xavier-bell/7579">Xavier Bell</a>&nbsp;tallied a team-high 16 points off the bench and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/quincy-ballard/7586">Quincy Ballard</a>&nbsp;added 11.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/colby-rogers/7582">Colby Rogers</a>&nbsp;saw his streak of games with at least one made three-pointer come to an end at 25, tied for the fourth longest in school history. He finished with nine points – all after halftime – on 3-of-9 shooting and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Wichita State's free throw shooting over the last eight games had improved, but Sunday Wichita State was just 7-of-16. Meanwhile Charlotte converted 17-of-23.Charlotte built an early 10-point lead, 14-4, behind Wichita State's struggles on offense. The Shockers missed six of their first eight shots and had four turnovers. The Niners turned those early miscues into six points.

After a Wichita State timeout and two more turnovers, Charlotte pushed it to 17-4 with more than 11:00 minutes left in the half.

Wichita State finally started getting into a rhythm cutting the lead to 24-16 on back-to-back scores from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/ronnie-degray-iii/7581">Ronnie DeGray III</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/xavier-bell/7579">Xavier Bell</a>. After a Charlotte bucket pushed it back to 10, a three-point play from Cortes had the Shockers within seven at the 4:04 mark.

The Niners had its own answer behind an 8-2 run once again pushing it back to 14.

An alley-oop connection between Cortes and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/quincy-ballard/7586">Quincy Ballard</a>&nbsp;on the final possession of the half sent the Shockers into the locker room trailing, 36-25.Bell had 11 of Wichita State's 25 points and Cortes chipped in seven.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/colby-rogers/7582">Colby Rogers</a>&nbsp;was held scoreless and played only three minutes due to foul trouble.

After Charlotte grabbed its largest lead, 48-32, with 14:14 to go, Wichita State started to slowly chip away at the deficit. The Shockers finally got the margin to single digits at the 8:11 mark following scores from DeGray and Ballard.

On the next trip down Wichita State got an offensive rebound, tip-in from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jacob-germany/7589">Jacob Germany</a>&nbsp;to pull within six.

Wichita State had a couple chances to make it a two-possession game in the final 5:00 minutes, but Charlotte always had an answer. The free throw line proved costly down the stretch, as the Shockers went 6-for-12 after halftime.

Up NextWichita State opens a two-game homestand vs. Tulsa on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708348272272.jpeg" alt="WSU drops 9th straight road loss" />
 <figcaption>WSU drops 9th straight road loss</figcaption>
 </figure>CHARLOTTE, N.C. –&nbsp;Wichita State's road woes continued in a loss at Charlotte, 72-61, Sunday afternoon, dropping its ninth consecutive game away from Charles Koch Arena.Wichita State (10-16, 2-11) couldn't overcome a slow start that saw Charlotte score the first seven points of the game. The Shockers only had 10 turnovers in the game, but eight of those came in the first half, part of what allowed the Niners to build a double digit lead early.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/xavier-bell/7579">Xavier Bell</a>&nbsp;tallied a team-high 16 points off the bench and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/quincy-ballard/7586">Quincy Ballard</a>&nbsp;added 11.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/colby-rogers/7582">Colby Rogers</a>&nbsp;saw his streak of games with at least one made three-pointer come to an end at 25, tied for the fourth longest in school history. He finished with nine points – all after halftime – on 3-of-9 shooting and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.Wichita State's free throw shooting over the last eight games had improved, but Sunday Wichita State was just 7-of-16. Meanwhile Charlotte converted 17-of-23.Charlotte built an early 10-point lead, 14-4, behind Wichita State's struggles on offense. The Shockers missed six of their first eight shots and had four turnovers. The Niners turned those early miscues into six points.After a Wichita State timeout and two more turnovers, Charlotte pushed it to 17-4 with more than 11:00 minutes left in the half.Wichita State finally started getting into a rhythm cutting the lead to 24-16 on back-to-back scores from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/ronnie-degray-iii/7581">Ronnie DeGray III</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/xavier-bell/7579">Xavier Bell</a>. After a Charlotte bucket pushed it back to 10, a three-point play from Cortes had the Shockers within seven at the 4:04 mark.The Niners had its own answer behind an 8-2 run once again pushing it back to 14.An alley-oop connection between Cortes and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/quincy-ballard/7586">Quincy Ballard</a>&nbsp;on the final possession of the half sent the Shockers into the locker room trailing, 36-25.Bell had 11 of Wichita State's 25 points and Cortes chipped in seven.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/colby-rogers/7582">Colby Rogers</a>&nbsp;was held scoreless and played only three minutes due to foul trouble.After Charlotte grabbed its largest lead, 48-32, with 14:14 to go, Wichita State started to slowly chip away at the deficit. The Shockers finally got the margin to single digits at the 8:11 mark following scores from DeGray and Ballard.On the next trip down Wichita State got an offensive rebound, tip-in from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jacob-germany/7589">Jacob Germany</a>&nbsp;to pull within six.Wichita State had a couple chances to make it a two-possession game in the final 5:00 minutes, but Charlotte always had an answer. The free throw line proved costly down the stretch, as the Shockers went 6-for-12 after halftime.Up NextWichita State opens a two-game homestand vs. Tulsa on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 MBB: Charlotte hands Wichita State ninth straight road loss

200 medley relay: Jordon Graham, Lakin Franz, Zion Hayes, Trent McClelland finished 14th 

400 Free relay: Zion Hayes, Trent McClelland, Lakin Franz, Logan Most 7th

Team finished 15th out of 35 schools that scored and scored 41 points.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708345769824.jpeg" alt="Hutch High finishes 15th at 5A State Swimming and Diving event" />
 <figcaption>Hutch High finishes 15th at 5A State Swimming and Diving event</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutch High State swim results:200 medley relay: Jordon Graham, Lakin Franz, Zion Hayes, Trent McClelland finished 14th 200 Free: Logan Most 12th500 Free: Logan Most 11th400 Free relay: Zion Hayes, Trent McClelland, Lakin Franz, Logan Most 7thTeam finished 15th out of 35 schools that scored and scored 41 points.

🏊‍♂️ Salthawks place 15th at state

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. — Seven Salthawk wrestlers punch their ticket to the Kansas Class 5A State Wrestling Tournament next weekend in Park City. 

Those wrestlers would include: Freshman Cruz Cannon (106), Sophomore Jair Maciel (120), Freshman Max Harris (144), Sophomore Jackson Anderson (150), Junior Kade Smith (157), Junior Skylar Ray (190) and Senior Camden Jensen (285). 

As a team the Salthawk's wrap up the 5A West Regional with a 9th Place team finish.&nbsp;The Salthawk's would once again show the grit throuhout the weekend by battling their way through the brackets to earn a spot in next weekends state tournament. 

The Salthawks would be led by Freshman Cruz Cannon who would pin his way to the regional finals for a matchup with Goddard's Oscar Gaunna. The remainder of the Salthawk's would punch their ticket by battling through the consolation side of the bracket.&nbsp;

The Salthawks will head to Hartman Arena in Park City for Kansas Class 5A State Tournament action on Thursday. This year's state tournament will look a little different as it will include a 3-day split session tournament including 5A/6A girls, 5A Boys and 6A Boys.&nbsp;

285 - Camden Jensen 4-1 - 3rd Place&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708345330005.jpeg" alt="7 Salthawks qualify for State" />
 <figcaption>7 Salthawks qualify for State</figcaption>
 </figure>ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. — Seven Salthawk wrestlers punch their ticket to the Kansas Class 5A State Wrestling Tournament next weekend in Park City. Those wrestlers would include: Freshman Cruz Cannon (106), Sophomore Jair Maciel (120), Freshman Max Harris (144), Sophomore Jackson Anderson (150), Junior Kade Smith (157), Junior Skylar Ray (190) and Senior Camden Jensen (285). As a team the Salthawk's wrap up the 5A West Regional with a 9th Place team finish.&nbsp;The Salthawk's would once again show the grit throuhout the weekend by battling their way through the brackets to earn a spot in next weekends state tournament. The Salthawks would be led by Freshman Cruz Cannon who would pin his way to the regional finals for a matchup with Goddard's Oscar Gaunna. The remainder of the Salthawk's would punch their ticket by battling through the consolation side of the bracket.&nbsp;The Salthawks will head to Hartman Arena in Park City for Kansas Class 5A State Tournament action on Thursday. This year's state tournament will look a little different as it will include a 3-day split session tournament including 5A/6A girls, 5A Boys and 6A Boys.&nbsp;State Qualifiers&nbsp;106 - Cruz Cannon 3-1 - 2nd Place120 - Jair Maciel 2-3 - 8th Place&nbsp;144 - Max Harris 3-2 - 5th Place&nbsp;150 - Jackson Anderson 4-3 - 6th Place157 - Kade Smith 2-1 (MF) - 6th Place&nbsp;190 - Skylar Ray 3-2 - 7th Place285 - Camden Jensen 4-1 - 3rd Place&nbsp;Non-Qualifiers&nbsp;126 - Luis Zuniga 1-2132 - Jose Zuniga 1-2138 - Jaden Vetter 1-2&nbsp;165 - Skyler Graham 1-2&nbsp;175 - Adarius Miller 1-2215 - Bailey Bishop 0-2

🤼 Salthawks qualify 7 for state

AP Sports Summary for February 19th, 2024.

Points records fall at the All-Star Game, with the East beating the West 211-186

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead — more than ever before. And once again, the All-Star Game was all offense. The Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 211-186 on Sunday night in the All-Star Game, with the winners putting up the most points in the game's 73-year history. The previous mark: 196 by the West in 2016. It was a barrage of records: The total points of 397 smashed the 374 points that were scored in 2017.

LeBron James still committed to Paris Olympics, but health remains the big key

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James still wants to participate in the Paris Olympics this summer, sure sounds like extending his NBA career for at least a couple more seasons is an option and said he would like to see his playing days end as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, not even he knows if any or all of that is possible. James was playing in his 20th All-Star Game on Sunday, extending his record for appearances in the NBA's midseason showcase, but arrived with a plan to not be on the court in Indianapolis for very long because of an ongoing treatment plan for his problematic left ankle.

Ohio State upsets No. 2 Purdue in interim coach's debut, capping week of turmoil with court-storming

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State has stunned No. 2 Purdue in its interim coach's debut, winning 73-69 a day after the NCAA Tournament selection committee picked the Boilermakers as the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall seed during March Madness. Bruce Thornton scored 22 points and Jamison Battle added 19 points to help Ohio State pull off the upset in Jake Diebler's first game at the helm on Sunday. The Ohio State fans stormed the court. Chris Holtmann was fired Wednesday after the beleaguered Buckeyes had lost nine of their last eleven games. Zach Edey finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds for Purdue.

Rain pushes Daytona 500 to Monday in first outright postponement since 2012

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR has postponed the season-opening Daytona 500 until Monday because of two days of rain at Daytona International Speedway. The race had been scheduled for Sunday afternoon, although the weather forecast put that in doubt all week. The final practice for drivers was canceled Saturday, as was the Xfinity Series race. The Xfinity Series race is now scheduled to be held Monday morning, hours ahead of the 4 p.m. start for the Daytona 500. Joey Logano is set to start from the pole for Team Penske.

NASCAR teams tell AP they've hired top antitrust lawyer on eve of Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR teams have hired one of the country's top antitrust and sports lawyers to advise them in their ongoing dispute with the family-owned stock car series over a new revenue-sharing model. The decision to hire Jeffrey Kessler followed a Saturday meeting at Daytona International Speedway that included the majority owner from each of the 15 chartered teams in NASCAR. Kessler's hiring was revealed to The Associated Press on Sunday, the eve of the rain-postponed Daytona 500, by the five members of the team ownership negotiating committee.

Hideki Matsuyama wins at Riviera with 62. He becomes Asia's most prolific PGA Tour winner

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama now has more PGA Tour wins than any Asian-born player. Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational with another record. His 62 was the lowest closing round by a winner at Riviera. He needed a round like that to make up a six-shot deficit at the start of the day. There was a five-way tie for the lead at one point on the back nine. Matsuyama pulled away with three straight birdies. Two of them were inside a foot from the hole. Matsuyama now has nine PGA Tour wins. That's one more than K.J. Choi of South Korea.

Shohei Ohtani won't play in Dodgers' spring training opener, stays away from live batting practice

Shohei Ohtani did not participate in live batting practice Sunday, and his Los Angeles Dodgers spring training debut is on hold. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani, who is coming back from elbow surgery, will not play in Thursday's opener against the San Diego Padres. The two-time MVP signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract as a free agent in December. Roberts, though, has been encouraged by Ohtani's progress physically. The two-time AL MVP won't pitch this season following right elbow surgery on Sept. 19, but hopes to be ready as a hitter by the team's March 20 opener.

Panarin rallies Rangers to 6-5 win over Islanders in outdoor game at MetLife Stadium

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Artemi Panarin scored 10 seconds into overtime and the New York Rangers rallied from three goals down to beat the rival Islanders 6-5 in a Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium. Vincent Trocheck had two goals and an assist, and Erik Gustafsson and Chris Kreider also scored for the Rangers, who won their seventh straight and remained perfect in five outdoor games. Igor Shesterkin finished with 36 saves. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette was behind the bench for his fifth outdoor game, tying Joel Quenneville for the most in NHL history.

Jaromir Jagr's return to Pittsburgh ends with his No. 68 being retired — and catharsis

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have retired Jaromir Jagr's iconic No. 68. The NHL's second all-time leading scorer was on hand as his jersey was raised to the rafters at PPG Paints Arena. The 52-year-old Jagr spent 11 seasons in Pittsburgh from 1990 to 2001, helping the franchise win a pair of Stanley Cups. Jagr is the third Penguins player to have his number retired, joining Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and Michel Briere. While Jagr has played for nine different NHL teams, he says he knows he will be forever linked with Pittsburgh.

IOC won't change boxing age limit to let Manny Pacquiao compete at Paris Olympics at age 45

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee will not change its rules on age limits to let boxing great Manny Pacquiao compete at the Paris Games. Pacquiao wanted to come out of retirement to box at age 45 in the Olympic tournament in Paris where medal bouts will be staged at the Roland Garros tennis complex. The IOC says it wrote to Olympic officials in Philippines explaining the age limit of 40 will be upheld. Pacquiao ended his storied career in September 2021 after winning 12 world titles at a record eight different weight divisions.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

Final	East NBA All Stars	211	West NBA All Stars	186	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Monday, February 19th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Monday, February 19th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for February 19th, 2024.Points records fall at the All-Star Game, with the East beating the West 211-186INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead — more than ever before. And once again, the All-Star Game was all offense. The Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 211-186 on Sunday night in the All-Star Game, with the winners putting up the most points in the game's 73-year history. The previous mark: 196 by the West in 2016. It was a barrage of records: The total points of 397 smashed the 374 points that were scored in 2017.LeBron James still committed to Paris Olympics, but health remains the big keyINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James still wants to participate in the Paris Olympics this summer, sure sounds like extending his NBA career for at least a couple more seasons is an option and said he would like to see his playing days end as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, not even he knows if any or all of that is possible. James was playing in his 20th All-Star Game on Sunday, extending his record for appearances in the NBA's midseason showcase, but arrived with a plan to not be on the court in Indianapolis for very long because of an ongoing treatment plan for his problematic left ankle.Ohio State upsets No. 2 Purdue in interim coach's debut, capping week of turmoil with court-stormingCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State has stunned No. 2 Purdue in its interim coach's debut, winning 73-69 a day after the NCAA Tournament selection committee picked the Boilermakers as the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall seed during March Madness. Bruce Thornton scored 22 points and Jamison Battle added 19 points to help Ohio State pull off the upset in Jake Diebler's first game at the helm on Sunday. The Ohio State fans stormed the court. Chris Holtmann was fired Wednesday after the beleaguered Buckeyes had lost nine of their last eleven games. Zach Edey finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds for Purdue.Rain pushes Daytona 500 to Monday in first outright postponement since 2012DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR has postponed the season-opening Daytona 500 until Monday because of two days of rain at Daytona International Speedway. The race had been scheduled for Sunday afternoon, although the weather forecast put that in doubt all week. The final practice for drivers was canceled Saturday, as was the Xfinity Series race. The Xfinity Series race is now scheduled to be held Monday morning, hours ahead of the 4 p.m. start for the Daytona 500. Joey Logano is set to start from the pole for Team Penske.NASCAR teams tell AP they've hired top antitrust lawyer on eve of Daytona 500DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR teams have hired one of the country's top antitrust and sports lawyers to advise them in their ongoing dispute with the family-owned stock car series over a new revenue-sharing model. The decision to hire Jeffrey Kessler followed a Saturday meeting at Daytona International Speedway that included the majority owner from each of the 15 chartered teams in NASCAR. Kessler's hiring was revealed to The Associated Press on Sunday, the eve of the rain-postponed Daytona 500, by the five members of the team ownership negotiating committee.Hideki Matsuyama wins at Riviera with 62. He becomes Asia's most prolific PGA Tour winnerLOS ANGELES (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama now has more PGA Tour wins than any Asian-born player. Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational with another record. His 62 was the lowest closing round by a winner at Riviera. He needed a round like that to make up a six-shot deficit at the start of the day. There was a five-way tie for the lead at one point on the back nine. Matsuyama pulled away with three straight birdies. Two of them were inside a foot from the hole. Matsuyama now has nine PGA Tour wins. That's one more than K.J. Choi of South Korea.Shohei Ohtani won't play in Dodgers' spring training opener, stays away from live batting practiceShohei Ohtani did not participate in live batting practice Sunday, and his Los Angeles Dodgers spring training debut is on hold. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani, who is coming back from elbow surgery, will not play in Thursday's opener against the San Diego Padres. The two-time MVP signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract as a free agent in December. Roberts, though, has been encouraged by Ohtani's progress physically. The two-time AL MVP won't pitch this season following right elbow surgery on Sept. 19, but hopes to be ready as a hitter by the team's March 20 opener.Panarin rallies Rangers to 6-5 win over Islanders in outdoor game at MetLife StadiumEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Artemi Panarin scored 10 seconds into overtime and the New York Rangers rallied from three goals down to beat the rival Islanders 6-5 in a Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium. Vincent Trocheck had two goals and an assist, and Erik Gustafsson and Chris Kreider also scored for the Rangers, who won their seventh straight and remained perfect in five outdoor games. Igor Shesterkin finished with 36 saves. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette was behind the bench for his fifth outdoor game, tying Joel Quenneville for the most in NHL history.Jaromir Jagr's return to Pittsburgh ends with his No. 68 being retired — and catharsisPITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have retired Jaromir Jagr's iconic No. 68. The NHL's second all-time leading scorer was on hand as his jersey was raised to the rafters at PPG Paints Arena. The 52-year-old Jagr spent 11 seasons in Pittsburgh from 1990 to 2001, helping the franchise win a pair of Stanley Cups. Jagr is the third Penguins player to have his number retired, joining Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and Michel Briere. While Jagr has played for nine different NHL teams, he says he knows he will be forever linked with Pittsburgh.IOC won't change boxing age limit to let Manny Pacquiao compete at Paris Olympics at age 45LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee will not change its rules on age limits to let boxing great Manny Pacquiao compete at the Paris Games. Pacquiao wanted to come out of retirement to box at age 45 in the Olympic tournament in Paris where medal bouts will be staged at the Roland Garros tennis complex. The IOC says it wrote to Olympic officials in Philippines explaining the age limit of 40 will be upheld. Pacquiao ended his storied career in September 2021 after winning 12 world titles at a record eight different weight divisions.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Final	East NBA All Stars	211	West NBA All Stars	186	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Final OT	N-Y Rangers	6	N-Y Islanders	5	Final	Los Angeles	2	Pittsburgh	1	Final	Colorado	4	Arizona	3	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL Final	Ohio St.	73	(2)Purdue	69	Final	South Florida	90	(24)FAU	86	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Anaheim	at	Buffalo	12:30 p.m.	Dallas	at	Boston	1 p.m.	Toronto	at	St. Louis	1 p.m.	Vancouver	at	Minnesota	2 p.m.	Detroit	at	Seattle	3:30 p.m.	Edmonton	at	Arizona	4 p.m.	Vegas	at	San Jose	4 p.m.	Winnipeg	at	Calgary	4 p.m.	Chicago	at	Carolina	7 p.m.	Ottawa	at	Tampa Bay	7 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL (10)Iowa St.	at	(3)Houston	9 p.m.	(21)Virginia	at	Virginia Tech	7 p.m.	___

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Monday

Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports Information

PITTSBURG –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/seamster_ezekiel_gysy">Ezekiel Seamster</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/johnson_chris_pj8c">Chris Johnson</a>&nbsp;claimed individual regional championships and the Hutchinson Community College men's track and field team had its first Top 5 finish at the Region VI Indoor Championships since 2020.

The Blue Dragons placed fifth on Sunday at Pittsburg State University's Robert Plaster Center scoring 73 team points. That's the most in an indoor regional championship since scoring 59 in 2020.

The Blue Dragons had six new national qualifiers to take a total of 14 qualifiers to the 2024 NJCAA Indoor Championships on March 1-2 in Gainesville, Florida.

Seamster captured his fourth 60-meter championship in five events in the indoor season. The Blue Dragon sophomore ran 6.76 seconds in Sunday's finals, winning the event by .006 second.

Johnson, who set a Blue Dragon indoor pole vault record earlier this season, won the 2024 Region VI championship going 15 feet, 6.5 inches (4.74m).

Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/legrand_leo_j8dp">Leo LeGrand</a>&nbsp;earned his second and third individual national qualifications on Sunday. LeGrand placed third in the Mile run with a time of 4:16.25, the fourth-fastest time in Blue Dragon indoor history. He then placed fourth in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:32.25, the third-fastest time in the event in Blue Dragon indoor history.

LeGrand also ran the third leg of Hutchinson's national qualifying Distance Medley Relay team. The relay group of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/darrah_christian_vppx">Christian Darrah</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/smith_omari_gc69">Omari Smith</a>, LeGrand and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/kiprotich_titus_r5zd">Titus Kiprotich</a>&nbsp;placed third in the regional with a time of 10:14.38, which is the third-fastest time in Blue Dragon indoor history.

Other Blue Dragon highlights from this weekend's Region VI championships:+ Freshman Jayse Spencer placed third in the pole vault with a national qualifying mark of 13-11, a PR for Spencer.

+ Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/mangelson_farrin_odwt">Farrin Mangelson</a>&nbsp;qualified in the 5,000 meters late on Saturday night with a time of 14:59.86, the third-fastest time in Blue Dragon indoor history. Mangelson also placed sixth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:47.14.

+ The Blue Dragon 4x400 relay team qualified for nationals with a time of 3:17.44, which was good for fifth place at regionals on Sunday. The relay team of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/telemaque_rickyle_suiu">Rickyle Telemaque</a>, Seamster,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/warren_d-antonio_xcf2">D'Antonio Warren</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/williams_elisha_pv1w">Elisha Williams</a>&nbsp;posted the third-best relay time in Blue Dragon indoor history.

+ Kiprotich was a regional runner-up in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:41.65. Kiprotich has already qualified for nationals in the event.

+ The 4x800-meter relay team of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/avitia_evan_glrt">Evan Avitia</a>, Kiprotich,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/ulteras_david_k6mz">David Ulteras</a>&nbsp;placed fourth on Sunday with a time of 806.64.

+ Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/roland_ty-rique_n9sc">Ty'Rique Roland</a>&nbsp;tied for fifth in the high jump going 6-4.5 (1.94m).

+ Williams was seventh in the 400 meters with a time of 48.59 seconds.

Cloud County won the team title with 127 points. Barton was runner-up with 119 points. Fort Scott was third with 114 points and Butler was fourth with 101 points.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708344129163.jpeg" alt="Blue Dragon sprinter Ezekiel Seamster won the Region VI Indoor 60-meter championship on Sunday by .006 seconds to lead the Blue Dragon men to a fifth-place finish at Pittsburg State's Plaster Center. (Photo by Ed Bailey)" />
 <figcaption>Blue Dragon sprinter Ezekiel Seamster won the Region VI Indoor 60-meter championship on Sunday by .006 seconds to lead the Blue Dragon men to a fifth-place finish at Pittsburg State's Plaster Center. (Photo by Ed Bailey)</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports InformationPITTSBURG –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/seamster_ezekiel_gysy">Ezekiel Seamster</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/johnson_chris_pj8c">Chris Johnson</a>&nbsp;claimed individual regional championships and the Hutchinson Community College men's track and field team had its first Top 5 finish at the Region VI Indoor Championships since 2020.The Blue Dragons placed fifth on Sunday at Pittsburg State University's Robert Plaster Center scoring 73 team points. That's the most in an indoor regional championship since scoring 59 in 2020.The Blue Dragons had six new national qualifiers to take a total of 14 qualifiers to the 2024 NJCAA Indoor Championships on March 1-2 in Gainesville, Florida.Seamster captured his fourth 60-meter championship in five events in the indoor season. The Blue Dragon sophomore ran 6.76 seconds in Sunday's finals, winning the event by .006 second.Johnson, who set a Blue Dragon indoor pole vault record earlier this season, won the 2024 Region VI championship going 15 feet, 6.5 inches (4.74m).Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/legrand_leo_j8dp">Leo LeGrand</a>&nbsp;earned his second and third individual national qualifications on Sunday. LeGrand placed third in the Mile run with a time of 4:16.25, the fourth-fastest time in Blue Dragon indoor history. He then placed fourth in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:32.25, the third-fastest time in the event in Blue Dragon indoor history.LeGrand also ran the third leg of Hutchinson's national qualifying Distance Medley Relay team. The relay group of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/darrah_christian_vppx">Christian Darrah</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/smith_omari_gc69">Omari Smith</a>, LeGrand and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/kiprotich_titus_r5zd">Titus Kiprotich</a>&nbsp;placed third in the regional with a time of 10:14.38, which is the third-fastest time in Blue Dragon indoor history.Other Blue Dragon highlights from this weekend's Region VI championships:+ Freshman Jayse Spencer placed third in the pole vault with a national qualifying mark of 13-11, a PR for Spencer.+ Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/mangelson_farrin_odwt">Farrin Mangelson</a>&nbsp;qualified in the 5,000 meters late on Saturday night with a time of 14:59.86, the third-fastest time in Blue Dragon indoor history. Mangelson also placed sixth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:47.14.+ The Blue Dragon 4x400 relay team qualified for nationals with a time of 3:17.44, which was good for fifth place at regionals on Sunday. The relay team of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/telemaque_rickyle_suiu">Rickyle Telemaque</a>, Seamster,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/warren_d-antonio_xcf2">D'Antonio Warren</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/williams_elisha_pv1w">Elisha Williams</a>&nbsp;posted the third-best relay time in Blue Dragon indoor history.+ Kiprotich was a regional runner-up in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:41.65. Kiprotich has already qualified for nationals in the event.+ The 4x800-meter relay team of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/avitia_evan_glrt">Evan Avitia</a>, Kiprotich,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/ulteras_david_k6mz">David Ulteras</a>&nbsp;placed fourth on Sunday with a time of 806.64.+ Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/roland_ty-rique_n9sc">Ty'Rique Roland</a>&nbsp;tied for fifth in the high jump going 6-4.5 (1.94m).+ Williams was seventh in the 400 meters with a time of 48.59 seconds.Cloud County won the team title with 127 points. Barton was runner-up with 119 points. Fort Scott was third with 114 points and Butler was fourth with 101 points.

🥇Blue Dragon men place fifth at Region VI Championship

PITTSBURG – The Hutchinson Community College women's Distance Medley Relay team broke a school record to lead the Blue Dragons to a seventh-place finish at the 2024 Region VI Indoor Championship at Pittsburg State University's Robert Plaster Center.

The Blue Dragon relay team of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/van_zelfden_ellie_7nqg">Ellie Van Zelfden</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/hampton_tanasia_plg6">Tanasia Hampton</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/grantham_abigail_cxzg">Abigail Grantham</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/hoskinson_taylor_qmkp">Taylor Hoskinson</a>&nbsp;beat the 2005 Blue Dragon record with a time of 12:31.04, which also eclipsed the 2024 national qualifying standard.

The DMR relay finished third on Day 1 of the championship meet on Saturday. That was one of five Top 3 regional finishes this weekend.

The Blue Dragons finished with 57 team points. Cloud County won the team regional title with 180.5 points. Barton was second with 141 and Fort Scott was third with 70 points.

Hutchinson added five new national qualifiers at regionals, giving it a total of 11 national qualifiers for the 2024 NJCAA Indoor Championships March 1-2 at Gainesville, Florida.

Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/hawkins_brooke_1fkd">Brooke Hawkins</a>&nbsp;had a pair of runner-up finishes to lead the Blue Dragons individually with 16 points. Hawkins was the Region VI runner-up in the triple jump with a top effort of 38 feet, 5.75 inches (11.73 meters). Later on Sunday, Hawkins finished second in the high jump with a PR mark of 5-5.75. That mark is fourth in Blue Dragon indoor history.

Hoskinson punched her ticket in an individual event for the third time with a fifth-place performance in the 1,000 meters. Hoskinson ran a PR time of 3:04.83 and moved into second place on the Blue Dragon all-time charts.

Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/larson_serenity_tezp">Serenity Larson</a>&nbsp;qualified for nationals late on Saturday with a regional runner-up finish in the 5,000 meters. Larson ran a career-best time of 18:41.76, improving her second-best time in Blue Dragon indoor history.

Other Blue Dragon highlights from the Region VI Championships:+ Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/james_kaylee_rvey">Kaylee James</a>&nbsp;qualified for nationals in the 60-meter hurdles with a third-place regional time of 8.93 seconds.

+ Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/green_ayranna_o09z">Aiyanna Green</a>&nbsp;qualified for nationals with a ninth-place performance in the shot put. Her top throw was her second in the preliminary round of 40-9 (12.42), which ranks 10th in Blue Dragon indoor history.

+ The 4x400 relay team of James,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/coney_nhubia_dade">Nhubia Coney</a>, Hampton and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/dominique_kemisha_fekc">Kemisha Dominique</a>&nbsp;posted the second-team time in Blue Dragon relay history of 4:02.57, which placed fifth on Sunday.

+ The 4x800 relay team of Larson, Avila,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/inskeep_chloe_lsp8">Chloe Inskeep</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/orozco_daisy_vzw4">Daisy Orozco</a>&nbsp;placed fifth in a time of 10:44.02.

+&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/noll_alivia_6yww">Alivia Noll</a>&nbsp;placed sixth in the pole vault going 9-4.5 (2.86m).&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/johnson_raylee_boc1">Raylee Johnson</a>&nbsp;was eighth at 8-6.75 (2.61m).

+ Van Zelfden placed eighth in the Mile run with a PR time of 5:25.44, the fifth-best time in Blue Dragon indoor history.

+ Laura Avila placed eighth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 19:24.31, which is No. 5 in Blue Dragon indoor history. Her 11th-place time of 11:14.26 in the 3,000 meters ranks sixth in Blue Dragon history.

+ Grantham posted the sixth-fastest Blue Dragon time of 3:11.65 in a ninth-place finish in the 1,000 meters.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708343751127.jpeg" alt="The Blue Dragon distance medley relay team of (l to r) Ellie Van Zelfden, Tanasia Hampton, Abigail Grantham and Taylor Hoskinson set a school record in the event at the Region VI Indoor Championships in Pittsburg. (Photo by Jafet Molinares)" />
 <figcaption>The Blue Dragon distance medley relay team of (l to r) Ellie Van Zelfden, Tanasia Hampton, Abigail Grantham and Taylor Hoskinson set a school record in the event at the Region VI Indoor Championships in Pittsburg. (Photo by Jafet Molinares)</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports InformationPITTSBURG – The Hutchinson Community College women's Distance Medley Relay team broke a school record to lead the Blue Dragons to a seventh-place finish at the 2024 Region VI Indoor Championship at Pittsburg State University's Robert Plaster Center.The Blue Dragon relay team of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/van_zelfden_ellie_7nqg">Ellie Van Zelfden</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/hampton_tanasia_plg6">Tanasia Hampton</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/grantham_abigail_cxzg">Abigail Grantham</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/hoskinson_taylor_qmkp">Taylor Hoskinson</a>&nbsp;beat the 2005 Blue Dragon record with a time of 12:31.04, which also eclipsed the 2024 national qualifying standard.The DMR relay finished third on Day 1 of the championship meet on Saturday. That was one of five Top 3 regional finishes this weekend.The Blue Dragons finished with 57 team points. Cloud County won the team regional title with 180.5 points. Barton was second with 141 and Fort Scott was third with 70 points.Hutchinson added five new national qualifiers at regionals, giving it a total of 11 national qualifiers for the 2024 NJCAA Indoor Championships March 1-2 at Gainesville, Florida.Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/hawkins_brooke_1fkd">Brooke Hawkins</a>&nbsp;had a pair of runner-up finishes to lead the Blue Dragons individually with 16 points. Hawkins was the Region VI runner-up in the triple jump with a top effort of 38 feet, 5.75 inches (11.73 meters). Later on Sunday, Hawkins finished second in the high jump with a PR mark of 5-5.75. That mark is fourth in Blue Dragon indoor history.Hoskinson punched her ticket in an individual event for the third time with a fifth-place performance in the 1,000 meters. Hoskinson ran a PR time of 3:04.83 and moved into second place on the Blue Dragon all-time charts.Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/larson_serenity_tezp">Serenity Larson</a>&nbsp;qualified for nationals late on Saturday with a regional runner-up finish in the 5,000 meters. Larson ran a career-best time of 18:41.76, improving her second-best time in Blue Dragon indoor history.Other Blue Dragon highlights from the Region VI Championships:+ Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/james_kaylee_rvey">Kaylee James</a>&nbsp;qualified for nationals in the 60-meter hurdles with a third-place regional time of 8.93 seconds.+ Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/green_ayranna_o09z">Aiyanna Green</a>&nbsp;qualified for nationals with a ninth-place performance in the shot put. Her top throw was her second in the preliminary round of 40-9 (12.42), which ranks 10th in Blue Dragon indoor history.+ The 4x400 relay team of James,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/coney_nhubia_dade">Nhubia Coney</a>, Hampton and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/dominique_kemisha_fekc">Kemisha Dominique</a>&nbsp;posted the second-team time in Blue Dragon relay history of 4:02.57, which placed fifth on Sunday.+ The 4x800 relay team of Larson, Avila,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/inskeep_chloe_lsp8">Chloe Inskeep</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/orozco_daisy_vzw4">Daisy Orozco</a>&nbsp;placed fifth in a time of 10:44.02.+&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/noll_alivia_6yww">Alivia Noll</a>&nbsp;placed sixth in the pole vault going 9-4.5 (2.86m).&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wtrack/2023-24/bios/johnson_raylee_boc1">Raylee Johnson</a>&nbsp;was eighth at 8-6.75 (2.61m).+ Van Zelfden placed eighth in the Mile run with a PR time of 5:25.44, the fifth-best time in Blue Dragon indoor history.+ Laura Avila placed eighth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 19:24.31, which is No. 5 in Blue Dragon indoor history. Her 11th-place time of 11:14.26 in the 3,000 meters ranks sixth in Blue Dragon history.+ Grantham posted the sixth-fastest Blue Dragon time of 3:11.65 in a ninth-place finish in the 1,000 meters.

 🥇Distance Medley Relay team leads HutchCC Women to 7th-place Region VI Finish

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;(7/6) K-State saw an 11-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter evaporate late, but a layup from&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;in the final seconds pushed the Wildcats past UCF, 60-58, on Saturday evening at Bramlage Coliseum.

Dating back to the final two home wins of last season, the Wildcats have now won 16 consecutive home games.K-State had four players reach double figures on Saturday and were led by senior guard&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a>&nbsp;with a season-high 19 points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal.

Sophomore forward&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/eliza-maupin/11194">Eliza Maupin</a>&nbsp;came off the bench to record her third career double-double and her first this season with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting and a career-high 11 rebounds and added three steals in a career-best 34 minutes of action. Maupin scored 12 of her 15 points in the first half.Junior guard and All-American candidate&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/serena-sundell/11197">Serena Sundell</a>&nbsp;recorded 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, five assists, three rebounds and a blocked shot. This was Sundell's 12th straight game in double figures.

Redshirt freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/zyanna-walker/11200">Zyanna Walker</a>&nbsp;also came off the bench to register 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708265002148.png" alt="K-State WBB" />
 <figcaption>K-State WBB</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;(7/6) K-State saw an 11-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter evaporate late, but a layup from&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jaelyn-glenn/11189">Jaelyn Glenn</a>&nbsp;in the final seconds pushed the Wildcats past UCF, 60-58, on Saturday evening at Bramlage Coliseum. Dating back to the final two home wins of last season, the Wildcats have now won 16 consecutive home games.K-State had four players reach double figures on Saturday and were led by senior guard&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/gabby-gregory/11191">Gabby Gregory</a>&nbsp;with a season-high 19 points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal.Sophomore forward&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/eliza-maupin/11194">Eliza Maupin</a>&nbsp;came off the bench to record her third career double-double and her first this season with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting and a career-high 11 rebounds and added three steals in a career-best 34 minutes of action. Maupin scored 12 of her 15 points in the first half.Junior guard and All-American candidate&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/serena-sundell/11197">Serena Sundell</a>&nbsp;recorded 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, five assists, three rebounds and a blocked shot. This was Sundell's 12th straight game in double figures.Redshirt freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://kstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/zyanna-walker/11200">Zyanna Walker</a>&nbsp;also came off the bench to register 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.UP NEXTK-State concludes a two-game home stand on Wednesday, as the Wildcats host (24/23) West Virginia on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.