One-third of the way through the 2024-25 season, there are only two undefeated Jayhawk Conference teams remaining. Those two teams will play each other Wednesday night.

The No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team (10-0, 4-0 KJCCC) will play host to the Coffeyville Red Ravens (8-0, 3-0) at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) beginning at 5:15 p.m. CT with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Dan Naccarato (analyst) calling the action. The game will be streamed on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 5:15 p.m.

BLUE DRAGON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL No. 1 Hutchinson (10-0, 4-0) vs. Coffeyville (8-0, 3-0) When: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS Time: 5:30 p.m. Radio:&nbsp;<a href="https://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KHUT" target="_blank">KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5), 5:15 p.m. - Sean Boston (PBP), Dan Naccarato (Analyst)</a> Video:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kjcccsports.net/hutchcc/?B=1716378">Blue Dragon Sports Network, 5:15 p.m.</a> X: @bluedragonsport <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/files/Game_11_-_Coffeyville_women.pdf">CLICK FOR FULL BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format)</a>

Hutchinson and Coffeyville - which is receiving votes in this week's NJCAA Rankings - are undefeated in overall season play. No. 5 Dodge City is 9-1 overall, but remains unbeaten in league play at 4-0.

The Blue Dragons turned in a third-straight defensive effort of holding an opponent to less than 40 points and 30-percent shooting in a 66-34 victory on Saturday at Independence. Hutchinson limited the Pirates to 27.9 percent overall shooting and forced 27 turnovers.

Over their last three games, the Blue Dragons have allowed an average of 35.3 points per game on 24.0 percent shooting, forcing an average of 24.0 turnovers forced.

The only team pushing those defensive numbers in the KJCCC is Coffeyville. The Red Ravens have held 5 of their last 6 opponents under 50 points and allowed Independence to score only 29 last Wednesday.

Coffeyville and Hutchinson are Nos, 1 and 2, respectively, in the KJCCC in scoring defense. The Ravens are allowing 41.0 points per game. The Blue Dragons are allowing 46.8 points per game.

Offensively, Hutchinson ranks No. 4 in scoring at 79.2 points per game, while Coffeyville ranks seventh at 73.8 points per game.

Wednesday opens a two-game homestand for Hutchinson. After Coffeyville, the Dragons have a bye week on Saturday and play host to Garden City on December 11.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733321951333.jpeg" alt="Landon Forbes and the Blue Dragon women's basketball team play host to the Coffeyville Red Ravans at 5:30 p.m. Wedneday at the Sports Arena." />
 <figcaption>Landon Forbes and the Blue Dragon women's basketball team play host to the Coffeyville Red Ravans at 5:30 p.m. Wedneday at the Sports Arena.</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationOne-third of the way through the 2024-25 season, there are only two undefeated Jayhawk Conference teams remaining. Those two teams will play each other Wednesday night.The No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team (10-0, 4-0 KJCCC) will play host to the Coffeyville Red Ravens (8-0, 3-0) at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) beginning at 5:15 p.m. CT with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Dan Naccarato (analyst) calling the action. The game will be streamed on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 5:15 p.m.BLUE DRAGON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL No. 1 Hutchinson (10-0, 4-0) vs. Coffeyville (8-0, 3-0) When: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS Time: 5:30 p.m. Radio:&nbsp;<a href="https://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KHUT" target="_blank">KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5), 5:15 p.m. - Sean Boston (PBP), Dan Naccarato (Analyst)</a> Video:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kjcccsports.net/hutchcc/?B=1716378">Blue Dragon Sports Network, 5:15 p.m.</a> X: @bluedragonsport <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/files/Game_11_-_Coffeyville_women.pdf">CLICK FOR FULL BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format)</a>Hutchinson and Coffeyville - which is receiving votes in this week's NJCAA Rankings - are undefeated in overall season play. No. 5 Dodge City is 9-1 overall, but remains unbeaten in league play at 4-0.The Blue Dragons turned in a third-straight defensive effort of holding an opponent to less than 40 points and 30-percent shooting in a 66-34 victory on Saturday at Independence. Hutchinson limited the Pirates to 27.9 percent overall shooting and forced 27 turnovers.Over their last three games, the Blue Dragons have allowed an average of 35.3 points per game on 24.0 percent shooting, forcing an average of 24.0 turnovers forced.The only team pushing those defensive numbers in the KJCCC is Coffeyville. The Red Ravens have held 5 of their last 6 opponents under 50 points and allowed Independence to score only 29 last Wednesday.Coffeyville and Hutchinson are Nos, 1 and 2, respectively, in the KJCCC in scoring defense. The Ravens are allowing 41.0 points per game. The Blue Dragons are allowing 46.8 points per game.Offensively, Hutchinson ranks No. 4 in scoring at 79.2 points per game, while Coffeyville ranks seventh at 73.8 points per game.Wednesday opens a two-game homestand for Hutchinson. After Coffeyville, the Dragons have a bye week on Saturday and play host to Garden City on December 11.

🏀 No. 1 Hutchinson meets Coffeyville in battle of unbeatens

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Six members of Kansas Volleyball have earned All Big 12 for their impressive regular season performances, including Reese Ptacek as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Caroline Bien as the Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year. 

Camryn Turner, Toyosi Onabanjo and Ayah Elnady all joined Ptacek on the First Team, while Bien and London Davis were named Second Team All Big 12. Ptacek also earned a unanimous nod to the All Rookie Team. 

Ptacek finished third among all Big 12 players with 1.27 blocks per set during the season. The freshman had the highest hitting percentage in a single regular season league match this season, hitting .813 on Oct. 12 against Cincinnati. Ptacek tied for the second most blocks by a Big 12 player in a match this season with 11 against K-State on Oct. 17.

Bien is Kansas' fourth Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winner and first since 2021. The native of Overland Park, Kansas is a senior majoring in accounting with a 4.0 GPA. Bien averaged 3.22 digs per set and 2.54 kills per set during the season while helping lead Kansas to 15 league wins and a 13th overall trip to the NCAA Championship. She was one of four Jayhawks to appear in all 100 sets of the regular season. 

Turner, the Big 12 assists/set leader, earned her second-consecutive First Team All Big 12 award. The senior out of Topeka is also No. 3 in the NCAA in assists/set, ending the regular season with an 11.40 average. She was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week once this season, and is an AVCA National Player of the Year semifinalist for the first time in her career. After Kansas, Turner will head to Michigan, as she was the first of three setters to be drafted in this year's PVF draft. She went to the Grand Rapids Rise in the third round as the No. 22 pick overall. 

Onabanjo secured her first-career Big 12 accolade as she ended the regular season with the third-best hitting percentage in the Big 12 at .399. The Houston native also posts the No. 4 block average in the conference with 1.21 blocks per set. When the AVCA first announced their Player of the Year Watchlist, Onabanjo was named to that early season list with her counterpart Turner. Onabanjo was drafted in the first round of the PVF draft as the No. 8 pick overall, and she will head to Omaha to play for the league-leading Supernovas. 

Elnady earned her spot on the first team for the second-consecutive season, as she led Kansas in kills per set with 3.24. She was one of four Jayhawks to appear in all 100 sets of the regular season, and is on a nine-match double-double streak where she has recorded double-digit kills and digs in every match since Texas Tech on October 30. The senior from Cairo, Egypt also racked up 35 aces on the year, and will be looking to add to her postseason accolades by matching last season's AVCA First Team All Region nod. 

Davis rounds things out on the second team for a second season in a row. She had another strong regular season, playing 99 sets for the Jayhawks and hitting .309 on the year so far. Davis has racked up 266 kills, the second most of all Jayhawks, and 76 total blocks as well. The Galena, Ohio native has contributed 305.5 points, which is the second-highest number at Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733315480326.jpeg" alt="Image Courtesy KU Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Image Courtesy KU Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan. — Six members of Kansas Volleyball have earned All Big 12 for their impressive regular season performances, including Reese Ptacek as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Caroline Bien as the Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year. Camryn Turner, Toyosi Onabanjo and Ayah Elnady all joined Ptacek on the First Team, while Bien and London Davis were named Second Team All Big 12. Ptacek also earned a unanimous nod to the All Rookie Team. Ptacek finished third among all Big 12 players with 1.27 blocks per set during the season. The freshman had the highest hitting percentage in a single regular season league match this season, hitting .813 on Oct. 12 against Cincinnati. Ptacek tied for the second most blocks by a Big 12 player in a match this season with 11 against K-State on Oct. 17.Bien is Kansas' fourth Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winner and first since 2021. The native of Overland Park, Kansas is a senior majoring in accounting with a 4.0 GPA. Bien averaged 3.22 digs per set and 2.54 kills per set during the season while helping lead Kansas to 15 league wins and a 13th overall trip to the NCAA Championship. She was one of four Jayhawks to appear in all 100 sets of the regular season. Turner, the Big 12 assists/set leader, earned her second-consecutive First Team All Big 12 award. The senior out of Topeka is also No. 3 in the NCAA in assists/set, ending the regular season with an 11.40 average. She was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week once this season, and is an AVCA National Player of the Year semifinalist for the first time in her career. After Kansas, Turner will head to Michigan, as she was the first of three setters to be drafted in this year's PVF draft. She went to the Grand Rapids Rise in the third round as the No. 22 pick overall. Onabanjo secured her first-career Big 12 accolade as she ended the regular season with the third-best hitting percentage in the Big 12 at .399. The Houston native also posts the No. 4 block average in the conference with 1.21 blocks per set. When the AVCA first announced their Player of the Year Watchlist, Onabanjo was named to that early season list with her counterpart Turner. Onabanjo was drafted in the first round of the PVF draft as the No. 8 pick overall, and she will head to Omaha to play for the league-leading Supernovas. Elnady earned her spot on the first team for the second-consecutive season, as she led Kansas in kills per set with 3.24. She was one of four Jayhawks to appear in all 100 sets of the regular season, and is on a nine-match double-double streak where she has recorded double-digit kills and digs in every match since Texas Tech on October 30. The senior from Cairo, Egypt also racked up 35 aces on the year, and will be looking to add to her postseason accolades by matching last season's AVCA First Team All Region nod. Davis rounds things out on the second team for a second season in a row. She had another strong regular season, playing 99 sets for the Jayhawks and hitting .309 on the year so far. Davis has racked up 266 kills, the second most of all Jayhawks, and 76 total blocks as well. The Galena, Ohio native has contributed 305.5 points, which is the second-highest number at Kansas.

🏐 KU volleyball players win league awards

<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/news/2024/12/3/womens-basketball-lee-sets-k-state-career-scoring-record-in-wildcat-win">Via K-State Athletics</a>

MANHATTAN, Kan. — K-State collected its seventh straight home win by downing Eastern Illinois, 90-43, but the highlight of Tuesday's night game came in the third quarter as Ayoka Lee broke K-State's career scoring record.

Lee registered 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, making her final seven shots of the night including the record-setting layup with 6:59 to play in the third quarter.

With the career scoring record of 2,336 points, Lee becomes the fifth player since 1980 to hold the K-State career scoring record, surpassing Kendra Wecker (2001-05; 2,333 points) who held the mark for 19 years. Lee now ranks 10th in career scoring for Big 12 history.

Lee's journey to the K-State scoring record began on November 8, 2019, against Omaha, as she registered her first career point on a free throw with 8:27 to play in the first quarter and finished her debut with 11 points. 

In addition to setting the school record for career points, Lee also holds the school career mark for scoring average (19.1 ppg), most career games with 40 or more points (2), most career games with 30 or more points (14), most points scored in a junior season (727) and the NCAA Division I, Big 12 and school records for points in a single game (61). 

Sophomore Zyanna Walker, who assisted on the record-setting basket, finished the night with her first career double-double by notching a game-high 16 points and 10 assists. She also added four steals and two blocks.

Senior Jaelyn Glenn was the third starter in double figures by adding 11 points, which included 3-of-4 from long range and also hauled in six rebounds and three steals.

Sophomore Taryn Sides (12 points) and senior Kennedy Taylor (11 points) paced a K-State bench that tallied 36 points. Taylor added seven rebounds, while Sides collected four.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642995935081.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/news/2024/12/3/womens-basketball-lee-sets-k-state-career-scoring-record-in-wildcat-win">Via K-State Athletics</a>MANHATTAN, Kan. — K-State collected its seventh straight home win by downing Eastern Illinois, 90-43, but the highlight of Tuesday's night game came in the third quarter as Ayoka Lee broke K-State's career scoring record.Lee registered 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, making her final seven shots of the night including the record-setting layup with 6:59 to play in the third quarter.With the career scoring record of 2,336 points, Lee becomes the fifth player since 1980 to hold the K-State career scoring record, surpassing Kendra Wecker (2001-05; 2,333 points) who held the mark for 19 years. Lee now ranks 10th in career scoring for Big 12 history.Lee's journey to the K-State scoring record began on November 8, 2019, against Omaha, as she registered her first career point on a free throw with 8:27 to play in the first quarter and finished her debut with 11 points. In addition to setting the school record for career points, Lee also holds the school career mark for scoring average (19.1 ppg), most career games with 40 or more points (2), most career games with 30 or more points (14), most points scored in a junior season (727) and the NCAA Division I, Big 12 and school records for points in a single game (61). Sophomore Zyanna Walker, who assisted on the record-setting basket, finished the night with her first career double-double by notching a game-high 16 points and 10 assists. She also added four steals and two blocks.Senior Jaelyn Glenn was the third starter in double figures by adding 11 points, which included 3-of-4 from long range and also hauled in six rebounds and three steals.Sophomore Taryn Sides (12 points) and senior Kennedy Taylor (11 points) paced a K-State bench that tallied 36 points. Taylor added seven rebounds, while Sides collected four.

🏀 Lee sets career scoring record

AP Sports Summary for December 4th, 2024:

Miami's playoff hopes nosedive as Alabama rises in the latest College Football Playoff rankings

Miami's playoff hopes took a nosedive while Alabama's got a boost in the last rankings before the College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend. The Hurricanes moved down six spots to No. 12 after suffering their second loss of the season. They are one spot behind the Crimson Tide, who won won last week and moved up two spots to No. 11. Alabama is projected as the last team in and the fourth from the Southeastern Conference. Oregon stayed at No. 1 for the fifth straight week and will head into Saturday's Big Ten title game as the only undefeated team in big-time college football.

Flames honor the late Johnny Gaudreau and welcome his family back to Calgary

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames paid tribute to longtime star Johnny Gaudreau before their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, months after the All-Star was killed while biking on a New Jersey road this summer. Known as "Johnny Hockey," Gaudreau played the first eight of his 10 full seasons with Calgary, where he developed into one of the NHL's top players. He spent his last two seasons with the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver. Calgary hosted several members of the Gaudreau family on Tuesday night, including Johnny's father, his wife Meredith and their two children, and his sisters.

Juan Soto starting to eliminate teams from negotiations, agent Scott Boras says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Juan Soto is starting to drop teams from negotiations ahead of baseball's winter meetings next week. Likely to approach or set a record contract, the free agent slugger has met with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Soto's agent, Scott Boras, says the outfielder has "begun the process of eliminating teams" but he doesn't think a decision is "imminent" in the near future. A four-time All-Star, Soto finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks this year to help the Yankees reach the World Series. He has a .285 career batting average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks.

USWNT beats Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's final match

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Alyssa Naher made two critical saves in her final match for the United States, Lynn Williams scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute and the Americans beat the Netherlands 2-1. The U.S., which won its fifth Olympic gold medal in France this summer, wrapped up the year on a 20-game unbeaten streak. The Americans were coming off a scoreless draw with England on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. Naeher announced two weeks ago that the European matches would be her last. The 36-year-old goalkeeper played in 115 games for the U.S., with 111 starts, 89 wins and 69 shutouts.

Wiggins, Schieffelin and Clemson's defense hold down No. 4 Kentucky for a 70-66 win

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Chauncey Wiggins scored 12 points and Ian Schieffelin had 11 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as Clemson shut down No. 4 Kentucky for a 70-66 victory in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Tigers improved to 8-1 and handed the Wildcats their first loss of the season. It's the second straight season in which Clemson has defeated a top-5 opponent, after beating No. 3 North Carolina 80-76 in January. Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 17 points.

Signing with Dodgers was really easy decision for 2-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell says it was a really easy decision to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Joining a team that includes two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani influenced the left-hander too. Snell was introduced Tuesday at Dodger Stadium after signing a $182 million, five-year deal last weekend. Snell has known Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman since he was 18. Friedman says all conversations the front office has had since the World Series ended last month involved Snell, who was 2-2 against the Dodgers during his career.

Knicks beat Magic to advance in the NBA Cup. Orlando also moves on as the East wild card

NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. New York went 4-0 in East Group A and will host Atlanta on Dec. 11. Orlando (3-1) advanced as the East wild card and will travel to Milwaukee. Mikal Bridges had 19 points and Josh Hart added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have won their last three games and eight of their last 10. Franz Wagner finished with 30 points for the Magic, who had their six-game winning streak snapped.

Iowa State and SMU athletic directors in a 'stay off my lawn' moment regarding latest rankings

Athletic directors at Iowa State and SMU are in a turf war over the latest College Football Playoff rankings, leading to a "stay off my lawn" moment on social media. Cyclones AD Jamie Pollard tweeted at his SMU counterpart Rick Hart suggesting the Mustangs' eighth ranking was inflated because of its less-than-brutal schedule and said, "looks like your lawn may be artificial." Hart responded by saying Iowa State's schedule wasn't so hot either. And, he said, "stay off my lawn."

Texans' Azeez Al-Shaair suspended 3 games without pay after violent hit on Trevor Lawrence

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended by the NFL without pay for three games for repeated violations of player safety rules following his hit to the head of Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion. Al-Shaair's punishment was announced by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan. In his letter to Al-Shaair, he noted that he has had multiple offenses for personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations in recent seasons. Runyan says "video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide."

High school recruiting isn't the only way to build a winner in the era of the transfer portal

Texas A&amp;M signed the nation's top-ranked class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won't be doing it for the Aggies. Texas A&amp;M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

Final	(22)Texas A&amp;M	57	Wake Forest	44	

		(10)Alabama	at	(20)North Carolina	7:15 p.m.	

		(18)Pittsburgh	at	Mississippi St.	9:15 p.m.	

		(24)San Diego St.	at	Fresno St.	10:30 p.m.	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for December 4th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for December 4th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for December 4th, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8618915/embed?v=202301" style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" title="Audioboom player" allow="autoplay" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe></div>Miami's playoff hopes nosedive as Alabama rises in the latest College Football Playoff rankingsMiami's playoff hopes took a nosedive while Alabama's got a boost in the last rankings before the College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend. The Hurricanes moved down six spots to No. 12 after suffering their second loss of the season. They are one spot behind the Crimson Tide, who won won last week and moved up two spots to No. 11. Alabama is projected as the last team in and the fourth from the Southeastern Conference. Oregon stayed at No. 1 for the fifth straight week and will head into Saturday's Big Ten title game as the only undefeated team in big-time college football.Flames honor the late Johnny Gaudreau and welcome his family back to CalgaryCALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames paid tribute to longtime star Johnny Gaudreau before their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, months after the All-Star was killed while biking on a New Jersey road this summer. Known as "Johnny Hockey," Gaudreau played the first eight of his 10 full seasons with Calgary, where he developed into one of the NHL's top players. He spent his last two seasons with the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver. Calgary hosted several members of the Gaudreau family on Tuesday night, including Johnny's father, his wife Meredith and their two children, and his sisters.Juan Soto starting to eliminate teams from negotiations, agent Scott Boras saysLOS ANGELES (AP) — Juan Soto is starting to drop teams from negotiations ahead of baseball's winter meetings next week. Likely to approach or set a record contract, the free agent slugger has met with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Soto's agent, Scott Boras, says the outfielder has "begun the process of eliminating teams" but he doesn't think a decision is "imminent" in the near future. A four-time All-Star, Soto finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks this year to help the Yankees reach the World Series. He has a .285 career batting average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks.USWNT beats Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's final matchTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Alyssa Naher made two critical saves in her final match for the United States, Lynn Williams scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute and the Americans beat the Netherlands 2-1. The U.S., which won its fifth Olympic gold medal in France this summer, wrapped up the year on a 20-game unbeaten streak. The Americans were coming off a scoreless draw with England on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. Naeher announced two weeks ago that the European matches would be her last. The 36-year-old goalkeeper played in 115 games for the U.S., with 111 starts, 89 wins and 69 shutouts.Wiggins, Schieffelin and Clemson's defense hold down No. 4 Kentucky for a 70-66 winCLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Chauncey Wiggins scored 12 points and Ian Schieffelin had 11 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as Clemson shut down No. 4 Kentucky for a 70-66 victory in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Tigers improved to 8-1 and handed the Wildcats their first loss of the season. It's the second straight season in which Clemson has defeated a top-5 opponent, after beating No. 3 North Carolina 80-76 in January. Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 17 points.Signing with Dodgers was really easy decision for 2-time Cy Young winner Blake SnellLOS ANGELES (AP) — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell says it was a really easy decision to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Joining a team that includes two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani influenced the left-hander too. Snell was introduced Tuesday at Dodger Stadium after signing a $182 million, five-year deal last weekend. Snell has known Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman since he was 18. Friedman says all conversations the front office has had since the World Series ended last month involved Snell, who was 2-2 against the Dodgers during his career.Knicks beat Magic to advance in the NBA Cup. Orlando also moves on as the East wild cardNEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. New York went 4-0 in East Group A and will host Atlanta on Dec. 11. Orlando (3-1) advanced as the East wild card and will travel to Milwaukee. Mikal Bridges had 19 points and Josh Hart added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have won their last three games and eight of their last 10. Franz Wagner finished with 30 points for the Magic, who had their six-game winning streak snapped.Iowa State and SMU athletic directors in a 'stay off my lawn' moment regarding latest rankingsAthletic directors at Iowa State and SMU are in a turf war over the latest College Football Playoff rankings, leading to a "stay off my lawn" moment on social media. Cyclones AD Jamie Pollard tweeted at his SMU counterpart Rick Hart suggesting the Mustangs' eighth ranking was inflated because of its less-than-brutal schedule and said, "looks like your lawn may be artificial." Hart responded by saying Iowa State's schedule wasn't so hot either. And, he said, "stay off my lawn."Texans' Azeez Al-Shaair suspended 3 games without pay after violent hit on Trevor LawrenceHOUSTON (AP) — Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended by the NFL without pay for three games for repeated violations of player safety rules following his hit to the head of Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion. Al-Shaair's punishment was announced by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan. In his letter to Al-Shaair, he noted that he has had multiple offenses for personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations in recent seasons. Runyan says "video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide."High school recruiting isn't the only way to build a winner in the era of the transfer portalTexas A&amp;M signed the nation's top-ranked class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won't be doing it for the Aggies. Texas A&amp;M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Cleveland	118	Washington	87	Final	Milwaukee	128	Detroit	107	Final	Philadelphia	110	Charlotte	104	Final	Toronto	122	Indiana	111	Final	New York	121	Orlando	106	Final	Oklahoma City	133	Utah	106	Final	Dallas	121	Memphis	116	Final	Phoenix	104	San Antonio	93	Final	Denver	119	Golden State	115	Final	L.A. Clippers	127	Portland	105	Final	Sacramento	120	Houston	111	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal OT	Montreal	2	N-Y Islanders	1	Final	Seattle	4	Carolina	2	Final	Colorado	5	Buffalo	4	Final OT	San Jose	2	Washington	1	Final OT	Pittsburgh	5	Florida	4	Final OT	Boston	3	Detroit	2	Final OT	Minnesota	3	Vancouver	2	Final	St. Louis	4	Winnipeg	1	Final	Calgary	3	Columbus	0	Final	Vegas	1	Edmonton	0	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	(3)Tennessee	96	Syracuse	70	Final	Clemson	70	(4)Kentucky	66	Final	Michigan	67	(11)Wisconsin	64	Final	Villanova	68	(14)Cincinnati	60	Final	(21)Oklahoma	76	Georgia Tech	61	Final	(22)Texas A&amp;M	57	Wake Forest	44	Final	(23)Mississippi	86	Louisville	63	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Detroit	at	Boston	7:30 p.m.			Indiana	at	Brooklyn	7:30 p.m.			L.A. Lakers	at	Miami	7:30 p.m.			Orlando	at	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.			Atlanta	at	Milwaukee	8 p.m.			Minnesota	at	L.A. Clippers	10:30 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Boston	at	Chicago	7:30 p.m.			Nashville	at	Toronto	7:30 p.m.			Dallas	at	Los Angeles	10 p.m.			Vegas	at	Anaheim	10 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		(1)Kansas	at	Creighton	8:30 p.m.			(2)Auburn	at	(9)Duke	9:15 p.m.			(5)Marquette	at	(6)Iowa St.	8 p.m.			(10)Alabama	at	(20)North Carolina	7:15 p.m.			(12)Oregon	at	Southern Cal	10:30 p.m.			Virginia	at	(13)Florida	7:15 p.m.			(15)Baylor	at	(25)UConn	6:30 p.m.			Louisiana Tech	at	(16)Memphis	8 p.m.			(18)Pittsburgh	at	Mississippi St.	9:15 p.m.			(24)San Diego St.	at	Fresno St.	10:30 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Wednesday

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733260707457.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div><a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wsoc/2024-25/div1/all-americans/index" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="color: rgb(204, 45, 55);font-size: 14px;">CLICK FOR NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN&apos;S SOCCER ALL-AMERICA TEAM</a>
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
For the fourth time in the 20-year history of Hutchinson Community College women&apos;s soccer, the Blue Dragons had multiple NJCAA All-Americans in the same season.
Sophomore midfielder <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/edwards_kaitlyn_flm0" style="color: rgb(204, 45, 55);font-size: 14px;">Kaitlyn Edwards</a> was named a first-team NJCAA All-American and sophomore forward <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/marx_katharina_gwqa" style="color: rgb(204, 45, 55);font-size: 14px;">Katharina Marx</a> was named to the third team after the NJCAA released the 2024 All-America team on Tuesday.
Edwards and Marx were two of the main pieces on a 2024 Blue Dragon team that finished 11-2-7 and was ranked as high as No. 14 in the NJCAA Rankings. Finishing third in the Jayhawk Conference, the Blue Dragons advanced to the Region 6 Tournament championship game for the first time since 2014, falling to Cowley in Penalty Kicks.
The last time the Blue Dragons had multiple NJCAA All-Americans was 2014 with Siobhon Wilson and Jen Rogers earned national postseason honors. Danielle Sheehy and Melissa Hetherington were both named All-Americans in 2012. The Blue Dragons had three All-Americans &ndash; Hetherington, Alicia Robinson and Pearl Slattery &ndash; in 2011.
Edwards and Marx are the 15th and 16th All-Americans in Blue Dragon women&apos;s soccer history.
Edwards is the first first-team All-American since Wilson in 2014 and just the fifth overall &ndash; Edwards, Wilson, Rogers in 2013, Sheehy in 2012 and Hetherington in 2011.
KAITLYN EDWARDS &ndash; 1st Team The two-year starter in the midfield for the Dragons, Edwards is also a two-year all-conference player, earning first-team honors in both of her seasons with the Blue Dragons.
The sophomore from Wichita had a 25-point season with 10 goals and five assists in 2024. She registered her only game-winning goal this season in a 3-0 home win over Coffeyville.
Edwards had a two-goal game against Garden City on August 28. Five of her 10 goals were headers of set pieces this season, the most since Courtney Boswell&apos;s six goals off set pieces in 2015.
For her career, Edwards played in 40 games (tied for eighth most in team history). She tallied 59 career points on 23 goals and 13 assists. Her 23 goals rank 17th in Blue Dragon history. She had four game-winning goals.
KATHARINA MARX &ndash; 3rd Team Marx, a sophomore from Saarbrucken, Germany, is a two-time All-KJCCC selection. She was a second-team player as a freshman.
Marx finished with 10 goals and a team-high 13 assists for 33 points this season. Marx finished with game-winning goals against Garden City, Seward County and Barton this season.
She had a pair of two-goal games in 2024 against NOC-Enid and Seward County. Marx tied a career-high with six points against NOC-Enid with two goals and two assists.
Marx played 40 games in her Blue Dragon career and scored 66 points, which is 17th in Blue Dragon career history. She had 22 goals and 22 assists with five game-wining goals. Her 22 career assists tied Brailey Moeder for 12th on the career list.</div>

⚽ HutchCC's Edwards, Marx named NJCAA All-Americans

The Kansas Basketball Coaches Association announced its preseason rankings on Tuesday. Below are the boys rankings.

1. Shawnee Mission NW 2. Wichita Heights 3. Mill Valley 4. Olathe North 5. Wichita NW 6. Shawnee Mission South 7. Blue Valley NW 8. Blue Valley North 9. Olathe South 10. Junction City

1. Kapaun Mt. Carmel 2. Topeka-Highland Park 3. Shawnee Heights 4. Andover 5. Great Bend 6. KC-Piper 7. St. Thomas Aquinas 8. Basehor-Linwood 9. Topeka West 10. Maize South

1. McPherson 2. Baldwin 3. Hugoton 4. Ottawa 5. Atchison 6. St. George-Rock Creek 7. Bishop Miege 8. Fort Scott 9. Pratt 10. Eudora

1. Wichita Collegiate 2. Goodland 3. Wellsville 4. Cheney 5. Hesston 6. Beloit 7. Southeast of Saline 8. Lakin 9. Ellsworth 10. Holcomb

1. Moundridge 2. Sterling 3. Salina-Sacred Heart 4. Conway Springs 5. Medicine Lodge 6. Pittsburg-St. Mary's Colgan 7. Bennington 8. Plainville 9. Lyndon 10. Hillsboro

1. South Gray 2. South Central 3. Olpe 4. Oxford 5. Macksville 6. Clifton-Clyde 7. Central Plains 8. La Crosse 9. Jetmore-Hodgeman County 10. Central Burden

1. Cunningham 2. Axtell 3. Dighton 4. McPherson-Elyria Christian 5. Hanover 6. Lebo 7. Weskan 8. Bucklin 9. Amena-Northern Valley 10. Logan-Palco

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712064660369.jpeg" alt="KBCA" />
 <figcaption>KBCA</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Basketball Coaches Association announced its preseason rankings on Tuesday. Below are the boys rankings.Class 6A1. Shawnee Mission NW 2. Wichita Heights 3. Mill Valley 4. Olathe North 5. Wichita NW 6. Shawnee Mission South 7. Blue Valley NW 8. Blue Valley North 9. Olathe South 10. Junction CityClass 5A1. Kapaun Mt. Carmel 2. Topeka-Highland Park 3. Shawnee Heights 4. Andover 5. Great Bend 6. KC-Piper 7. St. Thomas Aquinas 8. Basehor-Linwood 9. Topeka West 10. Maize SouthClass 4A1. McPherson 2. Baldwin 3. Hugoton 4. Ottawa 5. Atchison 6. St. George-Rock Creek 7. Bishop Miege 8. Fort Scott 9. Pratt 10. EudoraClass 3A1. Wichita Collegiate 2. Goodland 3. Wellsville 4. Cheney 5. Hesston 6. Beloit 7. Southeast of Saline 8. Lakin 9. Ellsworth 10. HolcombClass 2A1. Moundridge 2. Sterling 3. Salina-Sacred Heart 4. Conway Springs 5. Medicine Lodge 6. Pittsburg-St. Mary's Colgan 7. Bennington 8. Plainville 9. Lyndon 10. HillsboroClass 1A-I1. South Gray 2. South Central 3. Olpe 4. Oxford 5. Macksville 6. Clifton-Clyde 7. Central Plains 8. La Crosse 9. Jetmore-Hodgeman County 10. Central BurdenClass 1A-II1. Cunningham 2. Axtell 3. Dighton 4. McPherson-Elyria Christian 5. Hanover 6. Lebo 7. Weskan 8. Bucklin 9. Amena-Northern Valley 10. Logan-Palco

🏀 5 area boys teams ranked in KBCA preseason polls

The Kansas Basketball Coaches Association announced its preseason rankings on Tuesday. Below are the girls rankings.

1. Blue Valley North 2. Washburn Rural 3. Wichita Heights 4. Shawnee Mission NW 5. Shawnee Mission South 6. Olathe South 7. Olathe West 8. Derby 9. Blue Valley 10. Liberal

1. Topeka Seaman 2. St. Thomas Aquinas 3. Andover 4. Maize South 5. St. James Academy 6. Bishop Carroll 7. DeSoto 8. Emporia 9. Hays 10. KC Piper

1. Wellington 2. Bishop Miege 3. Topeka Hayden 4. Clay Center 5. McPherson 6. Wamego 7. Andale 8. Ottawa 9. Eudora 10. St. George-Rock Creek

1. Hesston 2. Silver Lake 3. Halstead 4. Cheney 5. Nemaha Central 6. Haven 7. Goodland 8. Beloit 9. Osage City 10. Girard

1. Pittsburg-St. Mary's Colgan 2. Hillsboro 3. Hoxie 4. Valley Heights 5. Eureka 6. Rossville 7. Leoti-Wichita County 8. Moundridge 9. Smith Center 10. Doniphan West

1. Little River 2. Centralia 3. Clifton-Clyde 4. St. John-Hudson 5. South Gray 6. Central Plains 7. Atwood-Rawlins County 8. Frankfort 9. Spearville 10. Olpe

1. Hanover 2. Lebo 3. Sharon Springs-Wallace County 4. Beloit-St. John's/Tipton 5. Bucklin 6. Marais des Cygnes Valley 7. Hutchinson Central Christian School 8. Ingalls 9. South Haven 10. Attica

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712064660369.jpeg" alt="KBCA" />
 <figcaption>KBCA</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Basketball Coaches Association announced its preseason rankings on Tuesday. Below are the girls rankings.Class 6A1. Blue Valley North 2. Washburn Rural 3. Wichita Heights 4. Shawnee Mission NW 5. Shawnee Mission South 6. Olathe South 7. Olathe West 8. Derby 9. Blue Valley 10. LiberalClass 5A1. Topeka Seaman 2. St. Thomas Aquinas 3. Andover 4. Maize South 5. St. James Academy 6. Bishop Carroll 7. DeSoto 8. Emporia 9. Hays 10. KC PiperClass 4A1. Wellington 2. Bishop Miege 3. Topeka Hayden 4. Clay Center 5. McPherson 6. Wamego 7. Andale 8. Ottawa 9. Eudora 10. St. George-Rock CreekClass 3A1. Hesston 2. Silver Lake 3. Halstead 4. Cheney 5. Nemaha Central 6. Haven 7. Goodland 8. Beloit 9. Osage City 10. GirardClass 2A1. Pittsburg-St. Mary's Colgan 2. Hillsboro 3. Hoxie 4. Valley Heights 5. Eureka 6. Rossville 7. Leoti-Wichita County 8. Moundridge 9. Smith Center 10. Doniphan WestClass 1A-I1. Little River 2. Centralia 3. Clifton-Clyde 4. St. John-Hudson 5. South Gray 6. Central Plains 7. Atwood-Rawlins County 8. Frankfort 9. Spearville 10. OlpeClass 1A-II1. Hanover 2. Lebo 3. Sharon Springs-Wallace County 4. Beloit-St. John's/Tipton 5. Bucklin 6. Marais des Cygnes Valley 7. Hutchinson Central Christian School 8. Ingalls 9. South Haven 10. Attica

🏀 7 area girls teams ranked in KBCA preseason polls

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals today announced an agreement with Diamond Sports Group, owner of FanDuel Sports Network. For the upcoming 2025 season, Royals games will continue to be produced and distributed by FanDuel Sports Network (recently rebranded from Bally Sports).

“Our top priority has been and always will be reaching as many fans as possible,” said Royals Chairman and CEO&nbsp;John Sherman. “We want to be available to anyone who wants to watch our exciting team as the ownership group continues to invest in the progress we’re making on the field.”

The newly rebranded FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City will continue to deliver live games to fans across cable and satellite as well as a streaming package directly through the network, similar to 2024 when the Royals’ linear viewership was up more than 30% and the streaming audience grew more than 200%.

The Royals ended last season with more than 40,000 streaming subscribers, with more than half watching each game for at least 90 minutes. The Royals had the biggest subscriber growth across baseball.

“This past season reinforced what we’ve always known about the passion of our fans and how much they enjoy watching our great athletes perform,” said Royals President of Business Operations&nbsp;Brooks Sherman. “Our viewership grew toward the top of all of baseball, and we’re excited to continue to position ourselves for the future.”

Fans who streamed Royals games in 2024 on the former Bally Sports app can update to the new FanDuel Sports Network app in preparation for the upcoming season.

Starting in 2025, streamers throughout the Royals territory will also be able to watch the Royals through Amazon Prime Video as an add-on subscription for even greater accessibility. Importantly, all fans – no matter how they consume other television – will have access.

“Our renewed partnership with the Royals highlights our shared commitment to connecting as many fans as possible to the team, however they choose to watch,” said Diamond CEO&nbsp;David Preschlack. “We are confident that our evolving partnerships with Amazon and FanDuel, and combined linear and digital platforms will provide fans with exceptional value and an unparalleled viewing experience.”

This agreement covers all non-nationally televised Royals games in 2025, starting with Spring Training. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 12, which is 71 days away.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733243658935.jpeg" alt="FanDuel Sports Network" />
 <figcaption>FanDuel Sports Network</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas City RoyalsKANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals today announced an agreement with Diamond Sports Group, owner of FanDuel Sports Network. For the upcoming 2025 season, Royals games will continue to be produced and distributed by FanDuel Sports Network (recently rebranded from Bally Sports).“Our top priority has been and always will be reaching as many fans as possible,” said Royals Chairman and CEO&nbsp;John Sherman. “We want to be available to anyone who wants to watch our exciting team as the ownership group continues to invest in the progress we’re making on the field.”The newly rebranded FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City will continue to deliver live games to fans across cable and satellite as well as a streaming package directly through the network, similar to 2024 when the Royals’ linear viewership was up more than 30% and the streaming audience grew more than 200%.The Royals ended last season with more than 40,000 streaming subscribers, with more than half watching each game for at least 90 minutes. The Royals had the biggest subscriber growth across baseball.“This past season reinforced what we’ve always known about the passion of our fans and how much they enjoy watching our great athletes perform,” said Royals President of Business Operations&nbsp;Brooks Sherman. “Our viewership grew toward the top of all of baseball, and we’re excited to continue to position ourselves for the future.”Fans who streamed Royals games in 2024 on the former Bally Sports app can update to the new FanDuel Sports Network app in preparation for the upcoming season.Starting in 2025, streamers throughout the Royals territory will also be able to watch the Royals through Amazon Prime Video as an add-on subscription for even greater accessibility. Importantly, all fans – no matter how they consume other television – will have access.“Our renewed partnership with the Royals highlights our shared commitment to connecting as many fans as possible to the team, however they choose to watch,” said Diamond CEO&nbsp;David Preschlack. “We are confident that our evolving partnerships with Amazon and FanDuel, and combined linear and digital platforms will provide fans with exceptional value and an unparalleled viewing experience.”This agreement covers all non-nationally televised Royals games in 2025, starting with Spring Training. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 12, which is 71 days away.

⚾ Royals games will be available on FanDuel Sports Network in 2025

MANHATTAN, Kan. –&nbsp;Dana Dimel, who spent 20 years as a part of Bill Snyder’s K-State coaching staff, passed away Tuesday at the age of 62, his family announced. He is survived by his wife, Julie, and children, Winston and Josey.

Dimel, who spent the 2024 season on former Wildcat assistant Bret Bielema’s staff at Illinois, served three stints on Snyder's staff at K-State following an All-America playing career as an offensive tackle for the Wildcats from 1984-86.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in Manhattan in 1987-88 leading into eight seasons (1989-96) as an assistant coach. He returned to K-State for one season in 2005 and then returned to K-State for the third time and spent nine seasons (2009-17) as the program's offensive coordinator and running backs/tight ends coach.

Overall Dimel was a part of 12 bowl teams during 19 seasons in Manhattan. The Wildcats posted an 11-win season (2012) with a Big 12 Championship, two 10-win campaigns (1995 and 2011) and five nine-win seasons (1993, 1994, 1996, 2014, and 2016) during that span, and finished in the top-25 of the BCS and CFP rankings on three occasions – 2011 (No. 8 BCS), 2012 (No. 5 BCS), and 2014 (No. 11 CFP).

Dimel, a Columbus, Ohio, native, compiled the most wins of any active offensive coordinator in college football from 2011-17 (61) and was a part of eight straight bowl appearances.&nbsp;Overall, in his 32 seasons as a head or assistant coach, Dimel mentored 37 players who went on to play in the NFL.

In addition to his time at K-State, Dimel had successful head coaching stops at Wyoming (1997-1999), Houston (2000-2002) and UTEP (2018-2023).

“Obviously, we are very saddened by the passing of Dana. He was a special friend and coaching companion. I admired his passion for helping his players and fellow coaches. He was a big part of the development of the Kansas State football program, and along with his wife Julie, very meaningful in the Manhattan community.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dimel family during this difficult time. Dana not only had a big impact on K-State Football but more importantly the lives of the players, coaches and staff he interacted with daily - some of which are still in our program today.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733242304015.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas State AthleticsMANHATTAN, Kan. –&nbsp;Dana Dimel, who spent 20 years as a part of Bill Snyder’s K-State coaching staff, passed away Tuesday at the age of 62, his family announced. He is survived by his wife, Julie, and children, Winston and Josey.Dimel, who spent the 2024 season on former Wildcat assistant Bret Bielema’s staff at Illinois, served three stints on Snyder's staff at K-State following an All-America playing career as an offensive tackle for the Wildcats from 1984-86.He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in Manhattan in 1987-88 leading into eight seasons (1989-96) as an assistant coach. He returned to K-State for one season in 2005 and then returned to K-State for the third time and spent nine seasons (2009-17) as the program's offensive coordinator and running backs/tight ends coach.Overall Dimel was a part of 12 bowl teams during 19 seasons in Manhattan. The Wildcats posted an 11-win season (2012) with a Big 12 Championship, two 10-win campaigns (1995 and 2011) and five nine-win seasons (1993, 1994, 1996, 2014, and 2016) during that span, and finished in the top-25 of the BCS and CFP rankings on three occasions – 2011 (No. 8 BCS), 2012 (No. 5 BCS), and 2014 (No. 11 CFP).Dimel, a Columbus, Ohio, native, compiled the most wins of any active offensive coordinator in college football from 2011-17 (61) and was a part of eight straight bowl appearances.&nbsp;Overall, in his 32 seasons as a head or assistant coach, Dimel mentored 37 players who went on to play in the NFL.In addition to his time at K-State, Dimel had successful head coaching stops at Wyoming (1997-1999), Houston (2000-2002) and UTEP (2018-2023).Bill Snyder“Obviously, we are very saddened by the passing of Dana. He was a special friend and coaching companion. I admired his passion for helping his players and fellow coaches. He was a big part of the development of the Kansas State football program, and along with his wife Julie, very meaningful in the Manhattan community.”Head Coach Chris Klieman“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dimel family during this difficult time. Dana not only had a big impact on K-State Football but more importantly the lives of the players, coaches and staff he interacted with daily - some of which are still in our program today.”

🏈 Longtime K-State coach Dana Dimel passes away

<a href="https://goshockers.com/news/2024/12/2/womens-basketball-anderson-murray-career-nights-lead-shockers-to-29-point-victory.aspx">Via GoShockers.com</a>

WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita State's Princess Anderson and Jayla Murray each put up a career-high 17 points in the Shockers' 74-45 win over Prairie View A&amp;M Monday night in Charles Koch Arena.

Anderson, a transfer from Pratt CC where she led the NJCAA with 26.7 points per game as a sophomore, scored 12 of her 17 points in the first half, matching her previous season best before halftime. Prior to this game, over half of her shots this season were three pointers, but she finished the game 7-for-13 from the field without hitting a three.

Anderson also recorded four of Wichita State's 13 steals in a strong team defensive effort as the Shockers scored 24 points off 23 Panther turnovers.

Murray recorded her second career-high in scoring in three games as she shot 8-for-14 from the field and grabbed six rebounds, and Salese Blow notched her fourth double figure scoring game of the season with 13 points.

Bre'Yon White recorded a team-high eight rebounds with nine points of her own, her fifth game leading the Shockers in rebounding.

Wichita State dished out a season best tying 17 assists courtesy of four apiece from Blow and Jameson and three from Murray.

The Shockers held Prairie View A&amp;M to just 45 points, their lowest scoring game this season, as the Panthers shot 16-for-59 (.271) from the field, 16 percent lower than their season average.

A slow start in the first quarter for both teams had Prairie View leading 8-7 with two minutes left in the quarter, but White and Anderson sparked some momentum for the Shockers, going on an 8-0 run by themselves to end the first.

Anderson carried that momentum into the second quarter where she scored seven more, and the Shockers, again, finished the quarter on a run with Jameson hitting a three in the last minute to give Wichita State an 18-point lead at half.

Prairie View's Nyam Thornton scored the Panthers' first six points of the second half, but six points from Blow and a pair of threes from Jasmine Peaks and Ornella Niankan did not allow the Panthers to make up any ground.

Murray got hot in the fourth quarter, shooting 5-for-6 from the floor and scoring 10 of her 17 points, and Aicha Ndour scored all four of her points in the final period as the Shockers outscored the Panthers 19-7 in the final period to claim their largest margin of victory in the Terry Nooner era.

Wichita State improves to 3-5, and the Panthers fall to 2-4.

The Shockers take on Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse Thursday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733228118673.jpeg" alt="Image Courtesy Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Image Courtesy Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://goshockers.com/news/2024/12/2/womens-basketball-anderson-murray-career-nights-lead-shockers-to-29-point-victory.aspx">Via GoShockers.com</a>WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita State's Princess Anderson and Jayla Murray each put up a career-high 17 points in the Shockers' 74-45 win over Prairie View A&amp;M Monday night in Charles Koch Arena.Anderson, a transfer from Pratt CC where she led the NJCAA with 26.7 points per game as a sophomore, scored 12 of her 17 points in the first half, matching her previous season best before halftime. Prior to this game, over half of her shots this season were three pointers, but she finished the game 7-for-13 from the field without hitting a three.Anderson also recorded four of Wichita State's 13 steals in a strong team defensive effort as the Shockers scored 24 points off 23 Panther turnovers.Murray recorded her second career-high in scoring in three games as she shot 8-for-14 from the field and grabbed six rebounds, and Salese Blow notched her fourth double figure scoring game of the season with 13 points.Bre'Yon White recorded a team-high eight rebounds with nine points of her own, her fifth game leading the Shockers in rebounding.Wichita State dished out a season best tying 17 assists courtesy of four apiece from Blow and Jameson and three from Murray.The Shockers held Prairie View A&amp;M to just 45 points, their lowest scoring game this season, as the Panthers shot 16-for-59 (.271) from the field, 16 percent lower than their season average.A slow start in the first quarter for both teams had Prairie View leading 8-7 with two minutes left in the quarter, but White and Anderson sparked some momentum for the Shockers, going on an 8-0 run by themselves to end the first.Anderson carried that momentum into the second quarter where she scored seven more, and the Shockers, again, finished the quarter on a run with Jameson hitting a three in the last minute to give Wichita State an 18-point lead at half.Prairie View's Nyam Thornton scored the Panthers' first six points of the second half, but six points from Blow and a pair of threes from Jasmine Peaks and Ornella Niankan did not allow the Panthers to make up any ground.Murray got hot in the fourth quarter, shooting 5-for-6 from the floor and scoring 10 of her 17 points, and Aicha Ndour scored all four of her points in the final period as the Shockers outscored the Panthers 19-7 in the final period to claim their largest margin of victory in the Terry Nooner era.Wichita State improves to 3-5, and the Panthers fall to 2-4.The Shockers take on Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse Thursday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m.

🏀 Shocker women win Monday

AP Sports Summary for December 3rd, 2024:

McMillian's pick 6 helps Broncos spoil career nights by Winston, Jeudy and beat Browns 41-32

DENVER (AP) — Ja'Quan McMillian returned an interception for a game-sealing 44-yard touchdown with 1:48 remaining, and the Denver Broncos spoiled career-best performances by Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston and receiver Jerry Jeudy, beating the Browns 41-32. Winston threw for a franchise-record 497 yards and four touchdowns, and Jeudy had nine catches for 235 yards — the most in NFL history by a receiver against his former team. Winston's electric night included three picks, two of which were returned for TDs. Bo Nix threw for 294 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for Denver. The Broncos moved to 8-5 while the Browns fell to 3-9.

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey headed to IR with an injured right knee

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will not need surgery on his injured right knee but he will miss the rest of the regular season. Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey will be out at least six weeks after injuring his posterior cruciate ligament in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. McCaffrey will be placed on injured reserve for the second time this season after previously missing the first eight games with Achilles tendinitis The 49ers also lost McCaffrey's backup to an injury. Jordan Mason is also set to go on injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain in the game.

Houston's Al-Shaair apologizes for hit on Jacksonville's Lawrence that led to concussion

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair took to X to apologize to Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence after his violent blow to the quarterback's facemask led to him being carted off the field with a concussion. Back in the starting lineup after missing two games with a sprained left shoulder, Lawrence scrambled left on a second-and-7 play in the second quarter of Houston's 23-20 win on Sunday. He initiated a slide before Al-Shaair raised his forearm and unleashed on the defenseless quarterback. In the long post, Al-Shaair says "To Trevor I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening."

Jets are sticking with struggling Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback

Aaron Rodgers will remain the New York Jets' starting quarterback despite speculation the team could bench him in what has been a disappointing season. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said during a video call that he still believes Rodgers, who turned 41 on Monday, gives the Jets their best chance to win. Rodgers was 21 of 39 for 185 yards and touchdown passes to Davante Adams and Isaiah Davis but also had an interception returned 92 yards for a touchdown by Leonard Williams in the Jets' 26-21 loss to Seattle on Sunday.

College playoff bracket offers last dress rehearsal and one more chance to see where the SEC stands

The next set of College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday night under heavy scrutiny before the final bracket is set on Sunday. It will be one last chance to see just how much the selection committee loves the Southeastern Conference. The best gauge will be whether Miami, which suffered its second loss over the weekend, is placed behind any or all three SEC teams with three losses — Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina, all of which are coming off wins. Whatever happens, the SEC is likely to have at least five teams in the 12-team field when the final bracket comes out.

LeBron's jumper is off, and the Lakers are struggling on offense

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James is in quite the shooting slump, especially from long distance. James missed all four of his 3-point attempts for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 109-80 loss at Minnesota, stretching his skid to 0 for 19 from deep over the last four games. He went 4 for 16 from the floor with six of his team's 20 turnovers for a season-low 10 points against the Timberwolves. The Lakers are 12-9 at the quarter mark of their schedule under rookie coach J.J. Redick. James wants to play all 82 games in his age-40 season.

Fueled by boos, Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy turns in 235-yard performance in return to Denver

DENVER (AP) — The boos only brought out the best in Jerry Jeudy as he returned to Denver. The explosive Cleveland Browns wideout turned in an electric performance Monday night with nine catches for 235 yards, the most in NFL history by a receiver against his former team. He also had a 70-yard touchdown in a 41-32 loss to the Broncos. Jeudy, who played his first four seasons with Denver, was jeered every time he caught the ball. He loved all the noise directed at him, even motioning at times for the crowd to get even louder. His only regret was the Browns couldn't close out the win.

Mollie Marcoux Samaan stepping down as LPGA commissioner after 3 1/2 years of record prize money

Mollie Marcoux Samaan is leaving after more than three years as LPGA commissioner. In a surprise announcement Monday, Marcoux Samaan said she will step down in January, just three weeks before the LPGA starts its 75th season. Liz Moore is the chief legal and technology officer. She'll be serving as interim commissioner until a search committee can find a permanent replacement. Marcoux Samaan was the athletic director at Princeton when she took over the LPGA in May 2021. Prize money has soared during her tenure. She also has faced criticism for the LPGA not gaining in popularity during a rise in women's sports.

Kansas holds off Auburn for No. 1 in AP Top 25 as SEC grabs 3 of top 4 spots; UConn slides to No. 25

Kansas continues to hold the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll. Auburn is pushing the Jayhawks in the latest poll after winning the Maui Invitational and checked in at No. 2. Two-time reigning national champion UConn nearly fell out entirely after an 0-3 week at Maui, falling from No. 2 to 25th. The Southeastern Conference had three of the top four teams with No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky behind the Tigers. The poll featured six new teams, headlined by No. 13 Oregon, No. 16 Memphis and No. 18 Pittsburgh.

TCU, Duke climb into top 10, Notre Dame drops in women's AP Top 25; UCLA and UConn remain 1-2

TCU has its best ranking ever in The Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll after a convincing win over Notre Dame. The Horned Frogs jumped eight spots to No. 9, the first time the school has ever been in the top 10. The Fighting Irish, who were third last week, fell seven spots to 10th after losses to TCU and Utah. UCLA remained No. 1, followed by UConn, South Carolina, Texas and LSU. USC, Maryland and Duke are next.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for December 3rd, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for December 3rd, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for December 3rd, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8618306/embed?v=202301" style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" title="Audioboom player" allow="autoplay" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe></div>McMillian's pick 6 helps Broncos spoil career nights by Winston, Jeudy and beat Browns 41-32DENVER (AP) — Ja'Quan McMillian returned an interception for a game-sealing 44-yard touchdown with 1:48 remaining, and the Denver Broncos spoiled career-best performances by Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston and receiver Jerry Jeudy, beating the Browns 41-32. Winston threw for a franchise-record 497 yards and four touchdowns, and Jeudy had nine catches for 235 yards — the most in NFL history by a receiver against his former team. Winston's electric night included three picks, two of which were returned for TDs. Bo Nix threw for 294 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for Denver. The Broncos moved to 8-5 while the Browns fell to 3-9.49ers running back Christian McCaffrey headed to IR with an injured right kneeSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will not need surgery on his injured right knee but he will miss the rest of the regular season. Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey will be out at least six weeks after injuring his posterior cruciate ligament in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. McCaffrey will be placed on injured reserve for the second time this season after previously missing the first eight games with Achilles tendinitis The 49ers also lost McCaffrey's backup to an injury. Jordan Mason is also set to go on injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain in the game.Houston's Al-Shaair apologizes for hit on Jacksonville's Lawrence that led to concussionHOUSTON (AP) — Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair took to X to apologize to Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence after his violent blow to the quarterback's facemask led to him being carted off the field with a concussion. Back in the starting lineup after missing two games with a sprained left shoulder, Lawrence scrambled left on a second-and-7 play in the second quarter of Houston's 23-20 win on Sunday. He initiated a slide before Al-Shaair raised his forearm and unleashed on the defenseless quarterback. In the long post, Al-Shaair says "To Trevor I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening."Jets are sticking with struggling Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterbackAaron Rodgers will remain the New York Jets' starting quarterback despite speculation the team could bench him in what has been a disappointing season. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said during a video call that he still believes Rodgers, who turned 41 on Monday, gives the Jets their best chance to win. Rodgers was 21 of 39 for 185 yards and touchdown passes to Davante Adams and Isaiah Davis but also had an interception returned 92 yards for a touchdown by Leonard Williams in the Jets' 26-21 loss to Seattle on Sunday.College playoff bracket offers last dress rehearsal and one more chance to see where the SEC standsThe next set of College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday night under heavy scrutiny before the final bracket is set on Sunday. It will be one last chance to see just how much the selection committee loves the Southeastern Conference. The best gauge will be whether Miami, which suffered its second loss over the weekend, is placed behind any or all three SEC teams with three losses — Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina, all of which are coming off wins. Whatever happens, the SEC is likely to have at least five teams in the 12-team field when the final bracket comes out.LeBron's jumper is off, and the Lakers are struggling on offenseMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James is in quite the shooting slump, especially from long distance. James missed all four of his 3-point attempts for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 109-80 loss at Minnesota, stretching his skid to 0 for 19 from deep over the last four games. He went 4 for 16 from the floor with six of his team's 20 turnovers for a season-low 10 points against the Timberwolves. The Lakers are 12-9 at the quarter mark of their schedule under rookie coach J.J. Redick. James wants to play all 82 games in his age-40 season.Fueled by boos, Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy turns in 235-yard performance in return to DenverDENVER (AP) — The boos only brought out the best in Jerry Jeudy as he returned to Denver. The explosive Cleveland Browns wideout turned in an electric performance Monday night with nine catches for 235 yards, the most in NFL history by a receiver against his former team. He also had a 70-yard touchdown in a 41-32 loss to the Broncos. Jeudy, who played his first four seasons with Denver, was jeered every time he caught the ball. He loved all the noise directed at him, even motioning at times for the crowd to get even louder. His only regret was the Browns couldn't close out the win.Mollie Marcoux Samaan stepping down as LPGA commissioner after 3 1/2 years of record prize moneyMollie Marcoux Samaan is leaving after more than three years as LPGA commissioner. In a surprise announcement Monday, Marcoux Samaan said she will step down in January, just three weeks before the LPGA starts its 75th season. Liz Moore is the chief legal and technology officer. She'll be serving as interim commissioner until a search committee can find a permanent replacement. Marcoux Samaan was the athletic director at Princeton when she took over the LPGA in May 2021. Prize money has soared during her tenure. She also has faced criticism for the LPGA not gaining in popularity during a rise in women's sports.Kansas holds off Auburn for No. 1 in AP Top 25 as SEC grabs 3 of top 4 spots; UConn slides to No. 25Kansas continues to hold the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll. Auburn is pushing the Jayhawks in the latest poll after winning the Maui Invitational and checked in at No. 2. Two-time reigning national champion UConn nearly fell out entirely after an 0-3 week at Maui, falling from No. 2 to 25th. The Southeastern Conference had three of the top four teams with No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky behind the Tigers. The poll featured six new teams, headlined by No. 13 Oregon, No. 16 Memphis and No. 18 Pittsburgh.TCU, Duke climb into top 10, Notre Dame drops in women's AP Top 25; UCLA and UConn remain 1-2TCU has its best ranking ever in The Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll after a convincing win over Notre Dame. The Horned Frogs jumped eight spots to No. 9, the first time the school has ever been in the top 10. The Fighting Irish, who were third last week, fell seven spots to 10th after losses to TCU and Utah. UCLA remained No. 1, followed by UConn, South Carolina, Texas and LSU. USC, Maryland and Duke are next.AP Sports SummaryBrief at 2:34 a.m. ESTMcMillian's pick 6 helps Broncos spoil career nights by Winston, Jeudy and beat Browns 41-32DENVER (AP) — Ja'Quan McMillian returned an interception for a game-sealing 44-yard touchdown with 1:48 remaining, and the Denver Broncos spoiled career-best performances by Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston and receiver Jerry Jeudy, beating the Browns 41-32. Winston threw for a franchise-record 497 yards and four touchdowns, and Jeudy had nine catches for 235 yards — the most in NFL history by a receiver against his former team. Winston's electric night included three picks, two of which were returned for TDs. Bo Nix threw for 294 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for Denver. The Broncos moved to 8-5 while the Browns fell to 3-9.49ers running back Christian McCaffrey headed to IR with an injured right kneeSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will not need surgery on his injured right knee but he will miss the rest of the regular season. Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey will be out at least six weeks after injuring his posterior cruciate ligament in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. McCaffrey will be placed on injured reserve for the second time this season after previously missing the first eight games with Achilles tendinitis The 49ers also lost McCaffrey's backup to an injury. Jordan Mason is also set to go on injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain in the game.Houston's Al-Shaair apologizes for hit on Jacksonville's Lawrence that led to concussionHOUSTON (AP) — Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair took to X to apologize to Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence after his violent blow to the quarterback's facemask led to him being carted off the field with a concussion. Back in the starting lineup after missing two games with a sprained left shoulder, Lawrence scrambled left on a second-and-7 play in the second quarter of Houston's 23-20 win on Sunday. He initiated a slide before Al-Shaair raised his forearm and unleashed on the defenseless quarterback. In the long post, Al-Shaair says "To Trevor I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening."Jets are sticking with struggling Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterbackAaron Rodgers will remain the New York Jets' starting quarterback despite speculation the team could bench him in what has been a disappointing season. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said during a video call that he still believes Rodgers, who turned 41 on Monday, gives the Jets their best chance to win. Rodgers was 21 of 39 for 185 yards and touchdown passes to Davante Adams and Isaiah Davis but also had an interception returned 92 yards for a touchdown by Leonard Williams in the Jets' 26-21 loss to Seattle on Sunday.College playoff bracket offers last dress rehearsal and one more chance to see where the SEC standsThe next set of College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday night under heavy scrutiny before the final bracket is set on Sunday. It will be one last chance to see just how much the selection committee loves the Southeastern Conference. The best gauge will be whether Miami, which suffered its second loss over the weekend, is placed behind any or all three SEC teams with three losses — Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina, all of which are coming off wins. Whatever happens, the SEC is likely to have at least five teams in the 12-team field when the final bracket comes out.LeBron's jumper is off, and the Lakers are struggling on offenseMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James is in quite the shooting slump, especially from long distance. James missed all four of his 3-point attempts for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 109-80 loss at Minnesota, stretching his skid to 0 for 19 from deep over the last four games. He went 4 for 16 from the floor with six of his team's 20 turnovers for a season-low 10 points against the Timberwolves. The Lakers are 12-9 at the quarter mark of their schedule under rookie coach J.J. Redick. James wants to play all 82 games in his age-40 season.Fueled by boos, Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy turns in 235-yard performance in return to DenverDENVER (AP) — The boos only brought out the best in Jerry Jeudy as he returned to Denver. The explosive Cleveland Browns wideout turned in an electric performance Monday night with nine catches for 235 yards, the most in NFL history by a receiver against his former team. He also had a 70-yard touchdown in a 41-32 loss to the Broncos. Jeudy, who played his first four seasons with Denver, was jeered every time he caught the ball. He loved all the noise directed at him, even motioning at times for the crowd to get even louder. His only regret was the Browns couldn't close out the win.Mollie Marcoux Samaan stepping down as LPGA commissioner after 3 1/2 years of record prize moneyMollie Marcoux Samaan is leaving after more than three years as LPGA commissioner. In a surprise announcement Monday, Marcoux Samaan said she will step down in January, just three weeks before the LPGA starts its 75th season. Liz Moore is the chief legal and technology officer. She'll be serving as interim commissioner until a search committee can find a permanent replacement. Marcoux Samaan was the athletic director at Princeton when she took over the LPGA in May 2021. Prize money has soared during her tenure. She also has faced criticism for the LPGA not gaining in popularity during a rise in women's sports.Kansas holds off Auburn for No. 1 in AP Top 25 as SEC grabs 3 of top 4 spots; UConn slides to No. 25Kansas continues to hold the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll. Auburn is pushing the Jayhawks in the latest poll after winning the Maui Invitational and checked in at No. 2. Two-time reigning national champion UConn nearly fell out entirely after an 0-3 week at Maui, falling from No. 2 to 25th. The Southeastern Conference had three of the top four teams with No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky behind the Tigers. The poll featured six new teams, headlined by No. 13 Oregon, No. 16 Memphis and No. 18 Pittsburgh.TCU, Duke climb into top 10, Notre Dame drops in women's AP Top 25; UCLA and UConn remain 1-2TCU has its best ranking ever in The Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll after a convincing win over Notre Dame. The Horned Frogs jumped eight spots to No. 9, the first time the school has ever been in the top 10. The Fighting Irish, who were third last week, fell seven spots to 10th after losses to TCU and Utah. UCLA remained No. 1, followed by UConn, South Carolina, Texas and LSU. USC, Maryland and Duke are next.

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Tuesday

Voice of the Blue Dragons, Sean Boston visits with HutchCC women's basketball head coach, John Ontjes, sophomore Madi Denison, and then men's basketball head coach, Kyle Fisher, for the fourth edition of DragonTalk of the 2024-25 basketball season.

DragonTalk is live at Chick-fil-A in Hutchinson each Monday during the basketball season from 6-7 p.m. and airs live on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731377147711.png" alt="Basketball DragonTalk logo" />
 <figcaption>Basketball DragonTalk logo</figcaption>
 </figure>Voice of the Blue Dragons, Sean Boston visits with HutchCC women's basketball head coach, John Ontjes, sophomore Madi Denison, and then men's basketball head coach, Kyle Fisher, for the fourth edition of DragonTalk of the 2024-25 basketball season.DragonTalk is live at Chick-fil-A in Hutchinson each Monday during the basketball season from 6-7 p.m. and airs live on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5).<div><iframe title="DragonTalk with John Ontjes & Kyle Fisher (Dec. 2, 2024)" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=zuxgh-175a0b6-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: DragonTalk with John Ontjes & Kyle Fisher

TCU has grabbed its best ranking ever in The Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll">Top 25 women’s basketball poll</a>&nbsp;on Monday after a convincing win over Notre Dame as the rankings got a shakeup following a holiday tournament week marked by key losses.

The Horned Frogs climbed eight spots to No. 9, the first time the school has ever been in the top 10. The team’s best previous ranking was 13th in 2004.

The Fighting Irish, who were third last week, fell seven spots to 10th after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tcu-notre-dame-score-7cfc45adc84b05f4dbee7bc30a3a812c">losses to TCU</a>&nbsp;and Utah in the Cayman Islands.

UCLA remained No. 1 with UConn right behind them. The Bruins received 25 first-place votes from a national media panel while the Huskies garnered the other seven. The Bruins&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ucla-hawaii-score-top-25-06d03fa9baa2cfeb86305202021d0194">won three games</a>&nbsp;in three days in Hawaii over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Huskies had two wins in a holiday tournament in the Bahamas.

South Carolina, Texas and LSU follow UConn in the poll. The Tigers leaped past USC to move up to fifth. The Trojans, Maryland, Duke, TCU and Notre Dame round out the top 10.

The Blue Devils moved up five spots to eighth after beating then-No. 9 Kansas State and No. 8 Oklahoma in a tournament in Las Vegas. It’s the highest ranking for Duke in a decade, matching the No. 8 ranking on Nov. 24, 2014. The Wildcats fell to 13th and the Sooners 11th.

Both Michigan and Michigan State entered the poll for the first time this season. The last time the two schools both were ranked was Jan. 4, 2021. That was the No. 24 Spartans’ last appearance in the Top 25. The 23rd-ranked Wolverines were in the final poll of the 2023 season.

N.C. State dropped out of the poll for the first time in 24 weeks, which had been the 10th longest active streak. The Wolfpack are 4-3 with all of those losses coming to current top 10 opponents (South Carolina, TCU and LSU). Wes Moore’s squad faces No. 18 Ole Miss on Thursday in the SEC/ACC challenge. Oregon also fell out.

Alabama moved up four spots to No. 19, the school’s best ranking in 25 years. The Crimson Tide were 8-0 ahead of a Monday matinee against Georgia State. They equaled the team’s best start since the 2020-21 season.

The Big Ten has nine teams ranked in the poll, most of any conference. The SEC is second with seven. The ACC and Big 12 each have four Top 25 teams and the Big East has one.

No. 4 Texas at No. 10 Notre Dame, Thursday. The SEC/ACC challenge brings a lot of great matchups, including the Longhorns visiting the Irish. The game features two of the best duos in the game with Texas stars Madison Booker and Rori Harmon playing against Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo. The Irish are looking to snap a two-game skid.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732549867106.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressTCU has grabbed its best ranking ever in The Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll">Top 25 women’s basketball poll</a>&nbsp;on Monday after a convincing win over Notre Dame as the rankings got a shakeup following a holiday tournament week marked by key losses.The Horned Frogs climbed eight spots to No. 9, the first time the school has ever been in the top 10. The team’s best previous ranking was 13th in 2004.The Fighting Irish, who were third last week, fell seven spots to 10th after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tcu-notre-dame-score-7cfc45adc84b05f4dbee7bc30a3a812c">losses to TCU</a>&nbsp;and Utah in the Cayman Islands.UCLA remained No. 1 with UConn right behind them. The Bruins received 25 first-place votes from a national media panel while the Huskies garnered the other seven. The Bruins&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ucla-hawaii-score-top-25-06d03fa9baa2cfeb86305202021d0194">won three games</a>&nbsp;in three days in Hawaii over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Huskies had two wins in a holiday tournament in the Bahamas.South Carolina, Texas and LSU follow UConn in the poll. The Tigers leaped past USC to move up to fifth. The Trojans, Maryland, Duke, TCU and Notre Dame round out the top 10.The Blue Devils moved up five spots to eighth after beating then-No. 9 Kansas State and No. 8 Oklahoma in a tournament in Las Vegas. It’s the highest ranking for Duke in a decade, matching the No. 8 ranking on Nov. 24, 2014. The Wildcats fell to 13th and the Sooners 11th.<h2>Moving in</h2>Both Michigan and Michigan State entered the poll for the first time this season. The last time the two schools both were ranked was Jan. 4, 2021. That was the No. 24 Spartans’ last appearance in the Top 25. The 23rd-ranked Wolverines were in the final poll of the 2023 season.<h2>Moving out</h2>N.C. State dropped out of the poll for the first time in 24 weeks, which had been the 10th longest active streak. The Wolfpack are 4-3 with all of those losses coming to current top 10 opponents (South Carolina, TCU and LSU). Wes Moore’s squad faces No. 18 Ole Miss on Thursday in the SEC/ACC challenge. Oregon also fell out.<h2>Rising Tide</h2>Alabama moved up four spots to No. 19, the school’s best ranking in 25 years. The Crimson Tide were 8-0 ahead of a Monday matinee against Georgia State. They equaled the team’s best start since the 2020-21 season.<h2>Conference breakdown</h2>The Big Ten has nine teams ranked in the poll, most of any conference. The SEC is second with seven. The ACC and Big 12 each have four Top 25 teams and the Big East has one.<h2>Game of the week</h2>No. 4 Texas at No. 10 Notre Dame, Thursday. The SEC/ACC challenge brings a lot of great matchups, including the Longhorns visiting the Irish. The game features two of the best duos in the game with Texas stars Madison Booker and Rori Harmon playing against Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo. The Irish are looking to snap a two-game skid.

🏀 K-State women drop to No. 13 in AP poll

Kansas held off Auburn for the No. 1 ranking in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll</a>&nbsp;on Monday as Southeastern Conference teams grabbed three of the top four spots and two-time reigning national champion UConn nearly fell out entirely after an 0-3 week at the Maui Invitational.

The Jayhawks earned 35 of 61 first-place votes in the poll, while the Tigers got the remaining 26 and climbed two spots to No. 2 after wining the Maui title. The Huskies fell all the way to No. 25, barely avoiding becoming only the second team to go from No. 2 to unranked in a week in nearly four decades.

It was part of a turbulent week with holiday-week tournaments, leading to six new teams entering the rankings headlined by No. 12 Oregon and No. 16 Memphis.

Kansas (7-0), which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-duke-basketball-score-19ef64a030f58f6ed7428470c54f9b48">beat Duke last week</a>, had increased its margin on the No. 2-ranked team each week since the preseason poll and had a 107-point margin on the Huskies last week. But with the Tigers — ranked No. 1 in KenPom’s metrics — beating ranked Iowa State and North Carolina teams in the Maui title run, that margin is just nine points this week.

Auburn was joined by fellow SEC schools No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky, with each team climbing four spots. Marquette was next at No. 5, followed by Iowa State, Gonzaga, Purdue, Duke and Alabama to round out the top 10.

The Huskies (5-3) had won 17 straight games entering the Maui Invitational, but things quickly went awry with an opening-round overtime&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-uconn-score-maui-invitational-e105477ada6054a1c5da2626d51a662a">loss to Memphis</a>&nbsp;in a game that had coach Dan Hurley&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-maui-invitational-dan-hurley-92d757440da71dd18839b65f34989a47">fuming about officiating</a>. UConn lost the next day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-colorado-score-maui-invitational-c5e5dcaa07b41d4a0be5781734dcf4e1">to Colorado</a>, then lost&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-dayton-score-8e4fd4e0d61893c20fb176f64e9d8ad8">to Dayton</a>&nbsp;in the seventh-place game to finish last in the prestigious tournament.

It was reminiscent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ap-top-25-mens-college-basketball-poll-928a506365564efeabe56e1b36446159">No. 2 Arizona’s 0-3 crash</a>&nbsp;at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in November 2017. But the Huskies avoided the same poll fate as the Wildcats, who became the first team to go from No. 2 to unranked in a week since Louisville in November 1986 after its tournament flop in the Great Alaska Shootout.

While Oregon jumped 26 spots to enter the AP Top 25, Marquette, Purdue and No. 13 Florida had the week’s biggest climbs within the poll, each rising five spots. No. 11 Wisconsin joined Tennessee and Kentucky with four-spot jumps as 10 teams rose from their spots in last week’s poll.

In all, seven teams fell from last week’s poll.

While UConn’s tumble stood out, No. 17 Houston fell 11 spots after losses&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-houston-score-67e7acafbe90811ef67eea341641f93b">to Alabama</a>&nbsp;and now-No. 24&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/san-diego-houston-score-top-25-ba3247ef0a350b606a0bd388e1514c70">San Diego State</a>&nbsp;in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.

North Carolina also had a big fall, sliding eight spots to No. 20 after losses&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auburn-north-carolina-basketball-score-maui-invitational-5d77a23ca550816e3ab301c080cc138a">to Auburn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-michigan-state-score-0f6e6c7387f1d7538d1b599f622f5681">Michigan State</a>&nbsp;in Maui. Gonzaga tumbled four spots to seventh after losing its Battle 4 Atlantis opener&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-gonzaga-top-25-score-35a9af5e9bfa81def40203ac26f0670b">to West Virginia</a>.

No. 23 Mississippi joined Kansas as the only teams to hold their position from last week.

Oregon led the week’s six new teams after beating Alabama&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-oregon-score-76d987ad675426185ea66fe23ae981b0">to win the Players Era Festival</a>&nbsp;championship, followed by Memphis after finishing second to Auburn in Maui.

No. 18 Pittsburgh, No. 19 Illinois, No. 21 Oklahoma – which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-louisville-score-f0d61e0eed79e0bda5c7982a96369a8d">won the Atlantis title</a>&nbsp;– and San Diego State were the week’s other new additions.

Indiana (No. 14), Arkansas (No. 19), Creighton (No. 21), Xavier (No. 22), Arizona (No. 24) and Mississippi State (No. 25) fell out of the poll.

The SEC led all conferences with eight ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 with five. The Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference each had three ranked teams, while the West Coast, American Athletic and Mountain West conferences each had one.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731957163086.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Men's Basketball" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Men's Basketball</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressKansas held off Auburn for the No. 1 ranking in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll</a>&nbsp;on Monday as Southeastern Conference teams grabbed three of the top four spots and two-time reigning national champion UConn nearly fell out entirely after an 0-3 week at the Maui Invitational.The Jayhawks earned 35 of 61 first-place votes in the poll, while the Tigers got the remaining 26 and climbed two spots to No. 2 after wining the Maui title. The Huskies fell all the way to No. 25, barely avoiding becoming only the second team to go from No. 2 to unranked in a week in nearly four decades.It was part of a turbulent week with holiday-week tournaments, leading to six new teams entering the rankings headlined by No. 12 Oregon and No. 16 Memphis.Kansas (7-0), which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-duke-basketball-score-19ef64a030f58f6ed7428470c54f9b48">beat Duke last week</a>, had increased its margin on the No. 2-ranked team each week since the preseason poll and had a 107-point margin on the Huskies last week. But with the Tigers — ranked No. 1 in KenPom’s metrics — beating ranked Iowa State and North Carolina teams in the Maui title run, that margin is just nine points this week.Auburn was joined by fellow SEC schools No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky, with each team climbing four spots. Marquette was next at No. 5, followed by Iowa State, Gonzaga, Purdue, Duke and Alabama to round out the top 10.<h2>UConn’s slide</h2>The Huskies (5-3) had won 17 straight games entering the Maui Invitational, but things quickly went awry with an opening-round overtime&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-uconn-score-maui-invitational-e105477ada6054a1c5da2626d51a662a">loss to Memphis</a>&nbsp;in a game that had coach Dan Hurley&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-maui-invitational-dan-hurley-92d757440da71dd18839b65f34989a47">fuming about officiating</a>. UConn lost the next day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-colorado-score-maui-invitational-c5e5dcaa07b41d4a0be5781734dcf4e1">to Colorado</a>, then lost&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-dayton-score-8e4fd4e0d61893c20fb176f64e9d8ad8">to Dayton</a>&nbsp;in the seventh-place game to finish last in the prestigious tournament.It was reminiscent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ap-top-25-mens-college-basketball-poll-928a506365564efeabe56e1b36446159">No. 2 Arizona’s 0-3 crash</a>&nbsp;at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in November 2017. But the Huskies avoided the same poll fate as the Wildcats, who became the first team to go from No. 2 to unranked in a week since Louisville in November 1986 after its tournament flop in the Great Alaska Shootout.<h2>Rising and falling</h2>While Oregon jumped 26 spots to enter the AP Top 25, Marquette, Purdue and No. 13 Florida had the week’s biggest climbs within the poll, each rising five spots. No. 11 Wisconsin joined Tennessee and Kentucky with four-spot jumps as 10 teams rose from their spots in last week’s poll.In all, seven teams fell from last week’s poll.While UConn’s tumble stood out, No. 17 Houston fell 11 spots after losses&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-houston-score-67e7acafbe90811ef67eea341641f93b">to Alabama</a>&nbsp;and now-No. 24&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/san-diego-houston-score-top-25-ba3247ef0a350b606a0bd388e1514c70">San Diego State</a>&nbsp;in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.North Carolina also had a big fall, sliding eight spots to No. 20 after losses&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auburn-north-carolina-basketball-score-maui-invitational-5d77a23ca550816e3ab301c080cc138a">to Auburn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-michigan-state-score-0f6e6c7387f1d7538d1b599f622f5681">Michigan State</a>&nbsp;in Maui. Gonzaga tumbled four spots to seventh after losing its Battle 4 Atlantis opener&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-gonzaga-top-25-score-35a9af5e9bfa81def40203ac26f0670b">to West Virginia</a>.<h2>Status quo</h2>No. 23 Mississippi joined Kansas as the only teams to hold their position from last week.<h2>Welcome</h2>Oregon led the week’s six new teams after beating Alabama&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-oregon-score-76d987ad675426185ea66fe23ae981b0">to win the Players Era Festival</a>&nbsp;championship, followed by Memphis after finishing second to Auburn in Maui.No. 18 Pittsburgh, No. 19 Illinois, No. 21 Oklahoma – which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-louisville-score-f0d61e0eed79e0bda5c7982a96369a8d">won the Atlantis title</a>&nbsp;– and San Diego State were the week’s other new additions.<h2>Farewell (for now)</h2>Indiana (No. 14), Arkansas (No. 19), Creighton (No. 21), Xavier (No. 22), Arizona (No. 24) and Mississippi State (No. 25) fell out of the poll.<h2>Conference watch</h2>The SEC led all conferences with eight ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 with five. The Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference each had three ranked teams, while the West Coast, American Athletic and Mountain West conferences each had one.

🏀 KU stays put at No. 1 in latest AP men's poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced their 2024 team award winners today, which were voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the BBWAA.

Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;was unanimously named the&nbsp;Les Milgram&nbsp;Player of the Year, an award named in honor of the late Kansas City businessman, community leader and Royals board member. Right hander&nbsp;Seth Lugo&nbsp;was named&nbsp;Bruce Rice&nbsp;Pitcher of the Year, named in honor of the late Kansas City-area sportscaster.

Cole Ragans&nbsp;earned the&nbsp;Joe Burke&nbsp;Special Achievement Award, named in honor of the Royals Hall of Famer, who was the club’s GM and President during his 20 years with the Royals from 1973-92. The award is given to an unsung player who contributed beyond what was expected or someone voters felt deserved recognition for an outstanding season.

Witt Jr. has won Royals Player of the Year in each of his three seasons in the Majors, including unanimous selections in 2023 and 2024. He is the first to win Royals Player of the Year honors in three&nbsp;consecutive&nbsp;seasons. Since the award was established in 1971, Witt Jr.’s three Royals Player of the Year Awards are tied for 2nd most with&nbsp;Amos Otis,&nbsp;Billy Butler,&nbsp;Eric Hosmer&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mike Sweeney, trailing only&nbsp;George Brett, who won the award a club-record eight times.

Witt Jr., 24, led Major League Baseball in 2024 with 211 hits and a .332 batting average, becoming the third Royal to lead the Majors in average, following Brett in 1980 (.390) and&nbsp;Willie Wilson&nbsp;in 1982 (.332). He had 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases, becoming the first shortstop in Major League history with multiple 30/30 seasons.

Witt Jr. is the second player ever to lead the Majors in batting average during a 30/30 season, joining&nbsp;Mookie Betts, who had 32 homers and 30 steals while leading the Majors with a .346 average during his 2018 American League MVP season.

Witt Jr.’s 2024 honors include All-MLB First Team at shortstop, the American League&nbsp;Rawlings&nbsp;Gold Glove Award and Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award. He was named runner up for the American League Most Valuable Player Award and was named the overall winner of the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award.

Lugo was named Royals Pitcher of the Year in his first season with the club, after signing as a free agent last December. He set career highs in 2024 with 33 starts and 206.2 innings, and ranked among American League leaders in quality starts (22, T-1st), innings (2nd), wins (16, T-2nd), ERA (3.00, 6th) and WHIP (1.09, 7th).

Lugo’s 3.00 ERA (69 ER in 206.2 IP) was the lowest by a Royals starting pitcher since&nbsp;Zack Greinke’s&nbsp;2.16 ERA during his 2009&nbsp;Cy Young&nbsp;Award-winning season, and Lugo’s 16 wins were the most by a Royal since&nbsp;Jason Vargas&nbsp;went 18-11 in 2017.

Lugo was the runner up in the American League Cy Young Award voting and was named All-MLB Second Team. He won the American League&nbsp;Rawlings&nbsp;Gold Glove Award among pitchers.

Ragans went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA (65 ER in 186.1 IP) in 32 starts in 2024 and set career highs in wins, starts, quality starts (21), innings and strikeouts (223). His 223 strikeouts were the 3rd most in a single season in Royals history, trailing&nbsp;Dennis Leonard’s&nbsp;244 strikeouts in 1977 and Greinke’s 242 strikeouts in 2009. Ragans’ 29.3 K% set a new single-season franchise record, besting Greinke’s mark of 26.4% in 2009.

Ragans’ 10.77 K/9 was the highest in the American League, ahead of&nbsp;Tarik Skubal&nbsp;(10.69). He ranked 2nd among American League pitchers with a 4.9 fWAR, trailing only Skubal (5.9).

Ragans placed 4th in the American League Cy Young Award voting and was a finalist for the American League&nbsp;Rawlings&nbsp;Gold Glove Award.

All three Royals award winners were named first-time American League All-Stars in 2024. Along with&nbsp;Salvador Perez, who was selected to the All-Star Game for the ninth time, Kansas City had four All-Stars for the first time since 2016.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695315090950.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas City RoyalsKANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced their 2024 team award winners today, which were voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the BBWAA.Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;was unanimously named the&nbsp;Les Milgram&nbsp;Player of the Year, an award named in honor of the late Kansas City businessman, community leader and Royals board member. Right hander&nbsp;Seth Lugo&nbsp;was named&nbsp;Bruce Rice&nbsp;Pitcher of the Year, named in honor of the late Kansas City-area sportscaster.Cole Ragans&nbsp;earned the&nbsp;Joe Burke&nbsp;Special Achievement Award, named in honor of the Royals Hall of Famer, who was the club’s GM and President during his 20 years with the Royals from 1973-92. The award is given to an unsung player who contributed beyond what was expected or someone voters felt deserved recognition for an outstanding season.Witt Jr. has won Royals Player of the Year in each of his three seasons in the Majors, including unanimous selections in 2023 and 2024. He is the first to win Royals Player of the Year honors in three&nbsp;consecutive&nbsp;seasons. Since the award was established in 1971, Witt Jr.’s three Royals Player of the Year Awards are tied for 2nd most with&nbsp;Amos Otis,&nbsp;Billy Butler,&nbsp;Eric Hosmer&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mike Sweeney, trailing only&nbsp;George Brett, who won the award a club-record eight times.Witt Jr., 24, led Major League Baseball in 2024 with 211 hits and a .332 batting average, becoming the third Royal to lead the Majors in average, following Brett in 1980 (.390) and&nbsp;Willie Wilson&nbsp;in 1982 (.332). He had 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases, becoming the first shortstop in Major League history with multiple 30/30 seasons.Witt Jr. is the second player ever to lead the Majors in batting average during a 30/30 season, joining&nbsp;Mookie Betts, who had 32 homers and 30 steals while leading the Majors with a .346 average during his 2018 American League MVP season.Witt Jr.’s 2024 honors include All-MLB First Team at shortstop, the American League&nbsp;Rawlings&nbsp;Gold Glove Award and Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award. He was named runner up for the American League Most Valuable Player Award and was named the overall winner of the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award.Lugo was named Royals Pitcher of the Year in his first season with the club, after signing as a free agent last December. He set career highs in 2024 with 33 starts and 206.2 innings, and ranked among American League leaders in quality starts (22, T-1st), innings (2nd), wins (16, T-2nd), ERA (3.00, 6th) and WHIP (1.09, 7th).Lugo’s 3.00 ERA (69 ER in 206.2 IP) was the lowest by a Royals starting pitcher since&nbsp;Zack Greinke’s&nbsp;2.16 ERA during his 2009&nbsp;Cy Young&nbsp;Award-winning season, and Lugo’s 16 wins were the most by a Royal since&nbsp;Jason Vargas&nbsp;went 18-11 in 2017.Lugo was the runner up in the American League Cy Young Award voting and was named All-MLB Second Team. He won the American League&nbsp;Rawlings&nbsp;Gold Glove Award among pitchers.Ragans went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA (65 ER in 186.1 IP) in 32 starts in 2024 and set career highs in wins, starts, quality starts (21), innings and strikeouts (223). His 223 strikeouts were the 3rd most in a single season in Royals history, trailing&nbsp;Dennis Leonard’s&nbsp;244 strikeouts in 1977 and Greinke’s 242 strikeouts in 2009. Ragans’ 29.3 K% set a new single-season franchise record, besting Greinke’s mark of 26.4% in 2009.Ragans’ 10.77 K/9 was the highest in the American League, ahead of&nbsp;Tarik Skubal&nbsp;(10.69). He ranked 2nd among American League pitchers with a 4.9 fWAR, trailing only Skubal (5.9).Ragans placed 4th in the American League Cy Young Award voting and was a finalist for the American League&nbsp;Rawlings&nbsp;Gold Glove Award.All three Royals award winners were named first-time American League All-Stars in 2024. Along with&nbsp;Salvador Perez, who was selected to the All-Star Game for the ninth time, Kansas City had four All-Stars for the first time since 2016.

⚾ Royals announce 2024 team awards

DragonTalk (Live from Chick-fil-A) - 6 p.m. (KWBW) Chiefs Kingdom Show - 7 p.m. (KWBW)&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

HutchCC WBB/MBB vs. Coffeyville - 5:15 p.m. pregame, 5:30 p.m. tipoff (KHUT, KWBW)

K-State MBB at St. John's - 9:30 a.m. pregame, 10:30 a.m. tipoff (KHMY)

HutchCC FB at Georgia Military College - 2 p.m. pregame, 2:30 p.m. kickoff (KHUT) Chiefs vs. Chargers - 6 p.m. pregame, 7:20 p.m. kickoff (KWBW)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725282945901.png" alt="EAGLE Media" />
 <figcaption>EAGLE Media</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/ce/index.cfm?stationCallSign=KHMY2">KHMY-FM (93.1)</a> <a href="https://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KHUT">KHUT-FM (102.9)</a> <a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWBW">KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5)</a>Monday, Dec. 2&nbsp;DragonTalk (Live from Chick-fil-A) - 6 p.m. (KWBW) Chiefs Kingdom Show - 7 p.m. (KWBW)&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Tuesday, Dec. 3Wednesday, Dec. 4HutchCC WBB/MBB vs. Coffeyville - 5:15 p.m. pregame, 5:30 p.m. tipoff (KHUT, KWBW)Thursday, Dec. 5Reno County Coaches Show - 6 p.m. (KWBW)Friday, Dec. 6Saturday, Dec. 7K-State MBB at St. John's - 9:30 a.m. pregame, 10:30 a.m. tipoff (KHMY)Sunday, Dec. 8HutchCC FB at Georgia Military College - 2 p.m. pregame, 2:30 p.m. kickoff (KHUT) Chiefs vs. Chargers - 6 p.m. pregame, 7:20 p.m. kickoff (KWBW)