KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. have been named winners of the 2024 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award, as announced tonight by Louisville Slugger.

Perez was voted a winner over three other American League finalists at the catcher position: Houston’s Yainer Diaz, Oakland’s Shea Langeliers and Seattle’s Cal Raleigh. This marks Salvy’s fifth career Silver Slugger Award, following 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021, extending his franchise record, ahead of Hall of Famer George Brett, who won the award three times.

Salvy is the ninth player to win at least five Louisville Silver Slugger Awards as a catcher since the award was established in 1980, joining Mike Piazza (10), Iván Rodríguez (7), Brian McCann (6), Lance Parrish (6), Gary Carter (5), Joe Mauer (5), Jorge Posada (5) and Buster Posey (5).

Perez, who is also a five-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award-winner, is now the second catcher to win five Rawlings Gold Gloves and five Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger awards, joining the Hall of Famer Pudge Rodríguez, who won 13 Gold Gloves and seven Silver Slugger Awards. 

Among qualified American League catchers in 2024 (min. 50% games at the position), Perez ranked 1st in RBI (104), on-base percentage (.330), slugging percentage (.456), OPS (.786) and extra-base hits (55), 2nd in batting average (.271) and hits (160) and 3rd in home runs (27).

Salvy’s 104 RBI were the 2nd most ever by a catcher (min. 50% games) in his age-34 season or older, trailing only Carlton Fisk, who had 107 RBI at age 37 in 1985.

Salvy played in 158 games in 2024, the 2nd-highest total of his 13-year career, and made 90 starts behind the plate. His 27 home runs tied for the 2nd-highest total of his career and marked his eighth season with at least 20 HR. Perez ranked 2nd among all Major League players with 29 go-ahead RBI, trailing only Aaron Judge (32).

Witt Jr. is a first-time Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award-winner, after besting two other American League finalists at shortstop: Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Texas’ Corey Seager.

Witt Jr. is the first shortstop in Royals history to win a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award. He led all Major League players in 2024 with a .332 batting average and 211 hits. Among qualified shortstops in the American League, he also ranked 1st in runs (125), RBI (109), on-base percentage (.389), slugging percentage (.588), OPS (.977), extra-base hits (88) and games (161).

Witt Jr. hit 32 home runs (2nd among AL shortstops) and had 30 stolen bases to become the first shortstop in Major League history to record consecutive 30/30 seasons. He also became the second player ever (regardless of position) to lead the Majors in batting average during a 30/30 season, joining Mookie Betts in 2018.

Witt Jr., who also won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award this season for the first time, is now the 13th different shortstop (18th occurrence) to win a Rawlings Gold Glove and a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award in the same season, and the first since Brandon Crawford in 2015.

This marks the third time in Royals history that they had two Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award winners in the same season, following 1980 (Brett and Willie Wilson) and 1982 (Wilson and Hal McRae). The Royals are one of two American League teams to have multiple winners this season, along with the Yankees.

Including Perez and Witt Jr., the Royals have had 11 players combined for 18 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717239521858.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. have been named winners of the 2024 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award, as announced tonight by Louisville Slugger.Perez was voted a winner over three other American League finalists at the catcher position: Houston’s Yainer Diaz, Oakland’s Shea Langeliers and Seattle’s Cal Raleigh. This marks Salvy’s fifth career Silver Slugger Award, following 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021, extending his franchise record, ahead of Hall of Famer George Brett, who won the award three times.Salvy is the ninth player to win at least five Louisville Silver Slugger Awards as a catcher since the award was established in 1980, joining Mike Piazza (10), Iván Rodríguez (7), Brian McCann (6), Lance Parrish (6), Gary Carter (5), Joe Mauer (5), Jorge Posada (5) and Buster Posey (5).Perez, who is also a five-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award-winner, is now the second catcher to win five Rawlings Gold Gloves and five Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger awards, joining the Hall of Famer Pudge Rodríguez, who won 13 Gold Gloves and seven Silver Slugger Awards. Among qualified American League catchers in 2024 (min. 50% games at the position), Perez ranked 1st in RBI (104), on-base percentage (.330), slugging percentage (.456), OPS (.786) and extra-base hits (55), 2nd in batting average (.271) and hits (160) and 3rd in home runs (27).Salvy’s 104 RBI were the 2nd most ever by a catcher (min. 50% games) in his age-34 season or older, trailing only Carlton Fisk, who had 107 RBI at age 37 in 1985.Salvy played in 158 games in 2024, the 2nd-highest total of his 13-year career, and made 90 starts behind the plate. His 27 home runs tied for the 2nd-highest total of his career and marked his eighth season with at least 20 HR. Perez ranked 2nd among all Major League players with 29 go-ahead RBI, trailing only Aaron Judge (32).Witt Jr. is a first-time Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award-winner, after besting two other American League finalists at shortstop: Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Texas’ Corey Seager.Witt Jr. is the first shortstop in Royals history to win a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award. He led all Major League players in 2024 with a .332 batting average and 211 hits. Among qualified shortstops in the American League, he also ranked 1st in runs (125), RBI (109), on-base percentage (.389), slugging percentage (.588), OPS (.977), extra-base hits (88) and games (161).Witt Jr. hit 32 home runs (2nd among AL shortstops) and had 30 stolen bases to become the first shortstop in Major League history to record consecutive 30/30 seasons. He also became the second player ever (regardless of position) to lead the Majors in batting average during a 30/30 season, joining Mookie Betts in 2018.Witt Jr., who also won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award this season for the first time, is now the 13th different shortstop (18th occurrence) to win a Rawlings Gold Glove and a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award in the same season, and the first since Brandon Crawford in 2015.This marks the third time in Royals history that they had two Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award winners in the same season, following 1980 (Brett and Willie Wilson) and 1982 (Wilson and Hal McRae). The Royals are one of two American League teams to have multiple winners this season, along with the Yankees.Including Perez and Witt Jr., the Royals have had 11 players combined for 18 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards.

⚾ Perez and Witt Jr. win Silver Slugger

ATLANTA (AP) — Hunter Dickinson scored 28 points and Bill Self became the winningest coach in Kansas history as the No. 1 Jayhawks pulled away from Michigan State for a 77-69 victory in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night.

Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 52 with just under nine minutes remaining. KJ Adams Jr. hit a pair of free throws to put Kansas (3-0) ahead to stay.

Self improved to 591-143 in his 22nd season coaching the Jayhawks, pushing him past Phog Allen's mark of 590-129 in 36 seasons on the Kansas sideline.

Frankie Fidler led Michigan State (2-1) with 15 points.

The Jayhawks posted their second straight win over one of the nation's prominent programs, following up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-kansas-tar-heels-jayhawks-score-top-25-9919dca6cfb7cfca72b0d3133ba1026a">a 92-89 win</a>&nbsp;over No. 10 North Carolina.

Kansas: After missing 15 straight shots from the field, Kansas ripped off a 14-2 run that turned an 18-16 deficit into a 30-20 lead.

Michigan State: The Spartans couldn't overcome a tough shooting night, especially from beyond the arc. They made just 3 of 24 from 3-point range.

Dajuan Harris Jr. gave the Jayhawks some breathing room when he laid one in off a fast break, drew a foul and completed the three-point play for a 68-59 lead with 4:25 to go. After tumbling to the court, Harris remained on his back for a few seconds, clapping furiously. He finished with 11 points and six assists.

The 7-foot-2 Dickinson made 13 of 21 shots from the field, including his only 3-point attempt, and grabbed 12 rebounds. He also had three steals and a block at the defensive end.

Kansas returns home Saturday to face Oakland. Michigan State hosts Bowling Green on Saturday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Hunter Dickinson scored 28 points and Bill Self became the winningest coach in Kansas history as the No. 1 Jayhawks pulled away from Michigan State for a 77-69 victory in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">That 591 feeling 🙌 <a href="https://t.co/3iU7RtBZJ8">pic.twitter.com/3iU7RtBZJ8</a>&mdash; Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/KUHoops/status/1856519667768000823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 52 with just under nine minutes remaining. KJ Adams Jr. hit a pair of free throws to put Kansas (3-0) ahead to stay.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The most history. The best tradition. The Winningest Coach. <a href="https://t.co/MHLyzgySbU">pic.twitter.com/MHLyzgySbU</a>&mdash; Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/KUHoops/status/1856512354957013244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Self improved to 591-143 in his 22nd season coaching the Jayhawks, pushing him past Phog Allen's mark of 590-129 in 36 seasons on the Kansas sideline.Frankie Fidler led Michigan State (2-1) with 15 points.The Jayhawks posted their second straight win over one of the nation's prominent programs, following up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-kansas-tar-heels-jayhawks-score-top-25-9919dca6cfb7cfca72b0d3133ba1026a">a 92-89 win</a>&nbsp;over No. 10 North Carolina.<h2>Takeaways</h2>Kansas: After missing 15 straight shots from the field, Kansas ripped off a 14-2 run that turned an 18-16 deficit into a 30-20 lead.Michigan State: The Spartans couldn't overcome a tough shooting night, especially from beyond the arc. They made just 3 of 24 from 3-point range.<h2>Key moment</h2>Dajuan Harris Jr. gave the Jayhawks some breathing room when he laid one in off a fast break, drew a foul and completed the three-point play for a 68-59 lead with 4:25 to go. After tumbling to the court, Harris remained on his back for a few seconds, clapping furiously. He finished with 11 points and six assists.<h2>Key stats</h2>The 7-foot-2 Dickinson made 13 of 21 shots from the field, including his only 3-point attempt, and grabbed 12 rebounds. He also had three steals and a block at the defensive end.<h2>Up next</h2>Kansas returns home Saturday to face Oakland. Michigan State hosts Bowling Green on Saturday.___

🏀 Bill Self becomes winningest coach in KU history in win over Michigan State

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The first 12 days of 2024-25 regular season saw the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team go 4-0 to start the season.

The Blue Dragons thus maintained their hold at No. 1 in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Rankings, released on Tuesday. Normally the rankings come out on Monday, but because of the Veterans Day holiday, the rankings were delayed 24 hours.

Hutchinson had three decisive wins and a 69-68 cliffhanger over Murray State to open the 2024-25 season. The Blue Dragons received all 12 first-place votes in this week's rankings.

This week, the Blue Dragons play two neutral-court games on Friday and Saturday in the Barton Classic. Hutchinson will play the Kansas Wesleyan JV on Friday and Redlands on Saturday. Both games begin at 1 p.m. The Blue Dragons were scheduled to play Gogebic Community College on Saturday, but that Michigan-based team decided not to play in the classic.

The Blue Dragons have now been ranked No. 1 in six consecutive polls dating back to last season. They have appeared in 16 consecutive rankings dating back to the first regular-season poll of the 2023-24 season.

The first regular-season Top 5 has Hutchinson, Northwest Florida State, New Mexico JC, Wabash Valley and Gulf Coast State.

Dodge City made a strong five-spot jump to No. 9 and Garden City appears in the poll at No. 25. Butler is receiving votes this week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731455591503.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wbkb/rankings/DI/index" target="_blank">CLICK FOR COMPLETE NJCAA WBB RANKINGS</a>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe first 12 days of 2024-25 regular season saw the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team go 4-0 to start the season.The Blue Dragons thus maintained their hold at No. 1 in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Rankings, released on Tuesday. Normally the rankings come out on Monday, but because of the Veterans Day holiday, the rankings were delayed 24 hours.Hutchinson had three decisive wins and a 69-68 cliffhanger over Murray State to open the 2024-25 season. The Blue Dragons received all 12 first-place votes in this week's rankings.This week, the Blue Dragons play two neutral-court games on Friday and Saturday in the Barton Classic. Hutchinson will play the Kansas Wesleyan JV on Friday and Redlands on Saturday. Both games begin at 1 p.m. The Blue Dragons were scheduled to play Gogebic Community College on Saturday, but that Michigan-based team decided not to play in the classic.The Blue Dragons have now been ranked No. 1 in six consecutive polls dating back to last season. They have appeared in 16 consecutive rankings dating back to the first regular-season poll of the 2023-24 season.The first regular-season Top 5 has Hutchinson, Northwest Florida State, New Mexico JC, Wabash Valley and Gulf Coast State.Dodge City made a strong five-spot jump to No. 9 and Garden City appears in the poll at No. 25. Butler is receiving votes this week.

🏀 HutchCC women stay No. 1 in NJCAA rankings

<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/rankings/DI/index" target="_blank">CLICK FOR COMPLETE NJCAA MEN'S DIVISION I BASKETBALL RANKINGS</a>

Off to a 3-0 start, the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team remains No. 15 in the first regular-season edition of the NJCAA Division I National Rankings, which were released on Tuesday.

The Blue Dragons defeated Hesston College, Southwestern Christian College in overtime and Labette to start the season.

Hutchinson has another three-game week this week with Kansas City at home on Tuesday night and two neutral-court games at the Barton Classic at 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Hutchinson will play the Truman State JV on Friday and NOC-Enid on Saturday.

The Blue Dragons will then return to the Barton gym the following Wednesday to take on No. 2 Barton in the KJCCC opener for both teams.

This is the 16th-consecutive poll the Blue Dragons have appeared in.

Barton remains No. 2 in the first regular-season poll of the season. Butler, at 5-0, made the biggest jump from out of the rankings in the preseason poll to No. 8 on Tuesday. Barton, Butler and Hutchinson are the only KJCCC teams in the Top 25. Cowley, Coffeyville and Garden City are in a lengthy receiving votes list.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731455518316.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/rankings/DI/index" target="_blank">CLICK FOR COMPLETE NJCAA MEN'S DIVISION I BASKETBALL RANKINGS</a>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationOff to a 3-0 start, the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team remains No. 15 in the first regular-season edition of the NJCAA Division I National Rankings, which were released on Tuesday.The Blue Dragons defeated Hesston College, Southwestern Christian College in overtime and Labette to start the season.Hutchinson has another three-game week this week with Kansas City at home on Tuesday night and two neutral-court games at the Barton Classic at 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Hutchinson will play the Truman State JV on Friday and NOC-Enid on Saturday.The Blue Dragons will then return to the Barton gym the following Wednesday to take on No. 2 Barton in the KJCCC opener for both teams.This is the 16th-consecutive poll the Blue Dragons have appeared in.Barton remains No. 2 in the first regular-season poll of the season. Butler, at 5-0, made the biggest jump from out of the rankings in the preseason poll to No. 8 on Tuesday. Barton, Butler and Hutchinson are the only KJCCC teams in the Top 25. Cowley, Coffeyville and Garden City are in a lengthy receiving votes list.

🏀 Dragon men remain No. 15 in latest rankings

<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/rankings/DI/index" target="_blank">CLICK FOR COMPLETE NJCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL RANKINGS</a>

The Hutchinson Community College football team moved into a tie for second in the latest NJCAA Division I Football Poll, which was released on Tuesday.

The Blue Dragons (8-1) are in a tie with Georgia Military (10-1) for second with 135 polling points in the latest rankings, which were released this week on Tuesday instead of the normal Monday because of the Veterans Day holiday.

The Blue Dragons defeated Highland 44-0 on Saturday at Gowans Stadium. Georgia Military closed its regular season last Saturday with a 35-33 road win at No. 9 Lackawanna.

Hutchinson's lone remaining regular-season game is at Garden City at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

The No. 2 team in the final NJCAA Rankings will play host to the No. 3 seed in the NJCAA National semifinals on the first weekend in December.

Iowa Western received all 12 first-place votes and remained No. 1. Northwest Mississippi is No. 4 and Snow is No. 5 with Navarro at No. 6. Northwest Mississippi will play East Central in the Mississippi Conference title game on Saturday. Navarro plays Cisco in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference semifinals on Saturday. Snow plays Sussex County on Saturday.

Coffeyville is No. 9 this week and Butler is tied with Lackawanna for 11th. Dodge City is receiving votes.

The Blue Dragons tied for the longest consecutive run in the national rankings with their 45th-straight appearance. This matches a run set from 2010 to 2013. The Dragons have been ranked the nation's Top 3 for 41 consecutive polls.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731455430230.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/rankings/DI/index" target="_blank">CLICK FOR COMPLETE NJCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL RANKINGS</a>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe Hutchinson Community College football team moved into a tie for second in the latest NJCAA Division I Football Poll, which was released on Tuesday.The Blue Dragons (8-1) are in a tie with Georgia Military (10-1) for second with 135 polling points in the latest rankings, which were released this week on Tuesday instead of the normal Monday because of the Veterans Day holiday.The Blue Dragons defeated Highland 44-0 on Saturday at Gowans Stadium. Georgia Military closed its regular season last Saturday with a 35-33 road win at No. 9 Lackawanna.Hutchinson's lone remaining regular-season game is at Garden City at 11 a.m. on Saturday.The No. 2 team in the final NJCAA Rankings will play host to the No. 3 seed in the NJCAA National semifinals on the first weekend in December.Iowa Western received all 12 first-place votes and remained No. 1. Northwest Mississippi is No. 4 and Snow is No. 5 with Navarro at No. 6. Northwest Mississippi will play East Central in the Mississippi Conference title game on Saturday. Navarro plays Cisco in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference semifinals on Saturday. Snow plays Sussex County on Saturday.Coffeyville is No. 9 this week and Butler is tied with Lackawanna for 11th. Dodge City is receiving votes.The Blue Dragons tied for the longest consecutive run in the national rankings with their 45th-straight appearance. This matches a run set from 2010 to 2013. The Dragons have been ranked the nation's Top 3 for 41 consecutive polls.

🏈 Dragons move into tie for 2nd in NJCAA rankings

<a href="https://golf.com/travel/courses/best-golf-courses-united-states-2024-2025/">Full list of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S. by GOLF.com</a>

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Prairie Dunes Country Club moved up two spots to No. 16 in the latest Top 100 Courses in the U.S. by GOLF.com for 2024-25, which was released earlier today.

<a href="https://golf.com/courses/prairie-dunes-golf-top-100-courses/">Prairie Dunes</a> is the only golf course in Kansas to crack the Top 100.

For more information regarding Prairie Dunes, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prairiedunes.com/">here</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656759192099.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy-Prairie Dunes Country Club" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy-Prairie Dunes Country Club</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://golf.com/travel/courses/best-golf-courses-united-states-2024-2025/">Full list of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S. by GOLF.com</a>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Prairie Dunes Country Club moved up two spots to No. 16 in the latest Top 100 Courses in the U.S. by GOLF.com for 2024-25, which was released earlier today.<a href="https://golf.com/courses/prairie-dunes-golf-top-100-courses/">Prairie Dunes</a> is the only golf course in Kansas to crack the Top 100. For more information regarding Prairie Dunes, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prairiedunes.com/">here</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;

⛳ Prairie Dunes No. 16 in Top 100 Courses in the U.S. by GOLF.com

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/files/2024_All-Conference_Soccer.pdf">CLICK FOR 2024 DIV. I ALL-KJCCC WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM</a>

Hutchinson Community College freshman defender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/pokrandt_anastasia_tzef">Anastasia Pokrandt</a>&nbsp;led a contingent of seven Blue Dragon women's soccer players to be honored on the 2024 Division I All-KJCCC team.

Pokrandt, a freshman from Karisruhe, Germany, was named the league's 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.

Pokrandt, forward&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/marx_katharina_gwqa">Katharina Marx</a>&nbsp;and midfielder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/edwards_kaitlyn_flm0">Kaitlyn Edwards</a>&nbsp;were named to the first team. Forward&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/rogers_haley_tzll">Haley Rogers</a>&nbsp;was a second-team selection. Goalkeeper&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/slothower_karsyn_oxul">Karsyn Slothower</a>, midfielder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/sales_beatrice_ey1h">Beatrice Sales</a>&nbsp;and defender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/monk_kaylee_ibka">Kaylee Monk</a>&nbsp;were honorable mention selections.

Pokrandt is the seventh Blue Dragon in the 20-year history of the Hutchinson women's soccer program to be named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. She joins Finola Corley (2010), Bekah Ramstack (2011), Siobhon Wilson (2014), Madison Pollack (2016), Chiara Soergel (2019) and Lexi Jack (2022) as KJCCC Defensive Players of the Year.

Pokrandt led a back line of Blue Dragons in 2024 that allowed only 21 goals in 20 games and posted eight shutouts.

The Blue Dragon defense put together four consecutive shutouts during the Blue Dragons 7-0-4 close to the season.

Hutchinson (11-2-7) entered the Region 6 tournament as the No. 3 overall seed and advanced all the way to the championship game for the first time since 2014. The Dragons shut out Dodge City 1-0 in double overtime, defeated Butler 2-1 and took Cowley all the way to a shootout in the championship game before falling 4-2 in PKs.

Offensively, Pokrandt had two goals and three assists this season for seven points, the most among all Blue Dragon defenders this season.

KATHARINA MARX – 1st 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.

KAITLYN EDWARDS – 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. 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's six goals off set pieces in 2015.

HALEY ROGERS – 2nd Team Rogers was the Blue Dragons leading scorer this season with 17 goals and 43 points. Rogers, a sophomore from Maize, added nine assists.

Rogers had five game-winning goals, which tied four others for eighth most in a single season, scoring a pair of postseason game winners against Dodge City and Butler this season.

Rogers had one hat trick, that came in a 7-2 win over Garden City on August 28, where she posted a career-high seven-point game. She posted four multi-goal games, two multi-assist games and she was the leader in Blue Dragon corner kicks. Rogers scored at least one point in 14 of 20 games this season.

KARSYN SLOTHOWER – Honorable Mention Slothower posted a 5-2-5 overall record this season with four shutouts. She posted an .840 saves percentage and a 1.32 goals-against average.

Slothower had three games of 10 or more saves this season to give her four for her career. She had a season-high 11 in Hutchinson's 2-1 Region 6 Tournament semifinal victory at Butler. She also had 11 against the Grizzlies in a regular-season 0-0 draw on October 9.

Slothower became Hutchinson's career leader in saves this season with 185 career saves. Her 17 career wins tied for fifth, her 11 career shutouts tied for fourth and her 2,930 career minutes played were a new program career record.

Slothower is a two-time all-KJCCC selection.

BEATRICE SALES – Honorable Mention Sales, a freshman midfielder from Santa Cruz de Minas, Brazil, missed the final eight games of the season due to injury.

Sales was a tremendous defensive player in the midfield with her aggressive style of play. Offensively she had just one assist in 12 games played.

KAYLEE MONK – Honorable Mention The sophomore from Pryor, Oklahoma, was another key piece to the Blue Dragons' successful defensive season. Not only was Monk key defensively during play, but she was a key player in marking up opponent scoring threats on set pieces and calmly clearing the ball out of danger this season.

Monk had one game-winning goal this season. That came against Dodge City in a 3-0 win over September 4 at the Salthawk Sports Complex.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731441731497.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/files/2024_All-Conference_Soccer.pdf">CLICK FOR 2024 DIV. I ALL-KJCCC WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM</a>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationHutchinson Community College freshman defender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/pokrandt_anastasia_tzef">Anastasia Pokrandt</a>&nbsp;led a contingent of seven Blue Dragon women's soccer players to be honored on the 2024 Division I All-KJCCC team.Pokrandt, a freshman from Karisruhe, Germany, was named the league's 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.Pokrandt, forward&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/marx_katharina_gwqa">Katharina Marx</a>&nbsp;and midfielder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/edwards_kaitlyn_flm0">Kaitlyn Edwards</a>&nbsp;were named to the first team. Forward&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/rogers_haley_tzll">Haley Rogers</a>&nbsp;was a second-team selection. Goalkeeper&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/slothower_karsyn_oxul">Karsyn Slothower</a>, midfielder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/sales_beatrice_ey1h">Beatrice Sales</a>&nbsp;and defender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/monk_kaylee_ibka">Kaylee Monk</a>&nbsp;were honorable mention selections.Pokrandt is the seventh Blue Dragon in the 20-year history of the Hutchinson women's soccer program to be named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. She joins Finola Corley (2010), Bekah Ramstack (2011), Siobhon Wilson (2014), Madison Pollack (2016), Chiara Soergel (2019) and Lexi Jack (2022) as KJCCC Defensive Players of the Year.Pokrandt led a back line of Blue Dragons in 2024 that allowed only 21 goals in 20 games and posted eight shutouts.The Blue Dragon defense put together four consecutive shutouts during the Blue Dragons 7-0-4 close to the season.Hutchinson (11-2-7) entered the Region 6 tournament as the No. 3 overall seed and advanced all the way to the championship game for the first time since 2014. The Dragons shut out Dodge City 1-0 in double overtime, defeated Butler 2-1 and took Cowley all the way to a shootout in the championship game before falling 4-2 in PKs.Offensively, Pokrandt had two goals and three assists this season for seven points, the most among all Blue Dragon defenders this season.KATHARINA MARX – 1st 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.KAITLYN EDWARDS – 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. 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's six goals off set pieces in 2015.HALEY ROGERS – 2nd Team Rogers was the Blue Dragons leading scorer this season with 17 goals and 43 points. Rogers, a sophomore from Maize, added nine assists.Rogers had five game-winning goals, which tied four others for eighth most in a single season, scoring a pair of postseason game winners against Dodge City and Butler this season.Rogers had one hat trick, that came in a 7-2 win over Garden City on August 28, where she posted a career-high seven-point game. She posted four multi-goal games, two multi-assist games and she was the leader in Blue Dragon corner kicks. Rogers scored at least one point in 14 of 20 games this season.KARSYN SLOTHOWER – Honorable Mention Slothower posted a 5-2-5 overall record this season with four shutouts. She posted an .840 saves percentage and a 1.32 goals-against average.Slothower had three games of 10 or more saves this season to give her four for her career. She had a season-high 11 in Hutchinson's 2-1 Region 6 Tournament semifinal victory at Butler. She also had 11 against the Grizzlies in a regular-season 0-0 draw on October 9.Slothower became Hutchinson's career leader in saves this season with 185 career saves. Her 17 career wins tied for fifth, her 11 career shutouts tied for fourth and her 2,930 career minutes played were a new program career record.Slothower is a two-time all-KJCCC selection.BEATRICE SALES – Honorable Mention Sales, a freshman midfielder from Santa Cruz de Minas, Brazil, missed the final eight games of the season due to injury.Sales was a tremendous defensive player in the midfield with her aggressive style of play. Offensively she had just one assist in 12 games played.KAYLEE MONK – Honorable Mention The sophomore from Pryor, Oklahoma, was another key piece to the Blue Dragons' successful defensive season. Not only was Monk key defensively during play, but she was a key player in marking up opponent scoring threats on set pieces and calmly clearing the ball out of danger this season.Monk had one game-winning goal this season. That came against Dodge City in a 3-0 win over September 4 at the Salthawk Sports Complex.

⚽ Blue Dragons land 7 on KJCCC postseason honors

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Gerry Faust, the gravel-voiced Cincinnati high school coach who lived a dream by becoming the coach at Notre Dame, has died. He was 89.

Notre Dame said in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the family confirmed Faust’s death. No details were immediately provided.

Faust guided the Fighting Irish from 1981 through 1985, compiling a record of 30-26-1. He succeeded Dan Devine as coach of Notre Dame and preceded Lou Holtz.

“I have always loved Notre Dame and still do,” he said after he was fired following the 1985 season.

He spent the next nine seasons as the head coach at the University of Akron, bringing the program from Division II to major-college status. His record was 43-53-3 with the Zips.

He remained at Akron after his coaching days, working as a fundraiser and in the development office before retiring in 2001.

It was as a high school coach that Faust first stepped into the spotlight.

After graduating in 1958 from the University of Dayton with a degree in marketing and management, Faust accepted his first coaching position as an assistant at his high school alma mater, Dayton Chaminade. His father, Gerry Sr., had coached at Chaminade for 49 years.

Two seasons later, Faust accepted an offer to build a football program at a new high school, Archbishop Moeller, in suburban Cincinnati.

He spent three years constructing the foundation of what would become a legendary program in high school athletics.

In 1963, Moeller’s first varsity team surprised many with a 9-1 record.

In the next 17 years, Faust’s Moeller teams posted nine undefeated seasons, won 10 city championships, eight regional titles and five big-school state championships.

Four times Faust teams were awarded mythical national championships, each following unbeaten and untied seasons in 1976, ’77, ’79 and ’80.

The 1980 team completed a 13-0 season and capped Faust’s high school coaching record at a remarkable 174-17-2, a success rate of nearly 91%.

There was a public outcry when Faust was selected to take over at Notre Dame in the spring of 1981. The school’s administrators were admonished for elevating a high school coach to the most revered position in college coaching.

Faust’s first team in South Bend went 5-6 and he followed that with marks of 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 and 5-6.

His first Akron team in 1986 went 7-4, but his teams — playing a difficult Division I-AA schedule and, eventually, some of the top teams in I-A — never reached that level again.

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Gerry Faust, the gravel-voiced Cincinnati high school coach who lived a dream by becoming the coach at Notre Dame, has died. He was 89.Notre Dame said in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the family confirmed Faust’s death. No details were immediately provided.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are deeply saddened by the loss of Gerry Faust. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Faust family and Gerry’s loved ones. → <a href="https://t.co/4emkI07LeQ">https://t.co/4emkI07LeQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/RoDIt4n1Xo">pic.twitter.com/RoDIt4n1Xo</a>&mdash; The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) <a href="https://twitter.com/FightingIrish/status/1856366849522307429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Faust guided the Fighting Irish from 1981 through 1985, compiling a record of 30-26-1. He succeeded Dan Devine as coach of Notre Dame and preceded Lou Holtz.“I have always loved Notre Dame and still do,” he said after he was fired following the 1985 season.He spent the next nine seasons as the head coach at the University of Akron, bringing the program from Division II to major-college status. His record was 43-53-3 with the Zips.He remained at Akron after his coaching days, working as a fundraiser and in the development office before retiring in 2001.It was as a high school coach that Faust first stepped into the spotlight.After graduating in 1958 from the University of Dayton with a degree in marketing and management, Faust accepted his first coaching position as an assistant at his high school alma mater, Dayton Chaminade. His father, Gerry Sr., had coached at Chaminade for 49 years.Two seasons later, Faust accepted an offer to build a football program at a new high school, Archbishop Moeller, in suburban Cincinnati.He spent three years constructing the foundation of what would become a legendary program in high school athletics.In 1963, Moeller’s first varsity team surprised many with a 9-1 record.In the next 17 years, Faust’s Moeller teams posted nine undefeated seasons, won 10 city championships, eight regional titles and five big-school state championships.Four times Faust teams were awarded mythical national championships, each following unbeaten and untied seasons in 1976, ’77, ’79 and ’80.The 1980 team completed a 13-0 season and capped Faust’s high school coaching record at a remarkable 174-17-2, a success rate of nearly 91%.There was a public outcry when Faust was selected to take over at Notre Dame in the spring of 1981. The school’s administrators were admonished for elevating a high school coach to the most revered position in college coaching.Faust’s first team in South Bend went 5-6 and he followed that with marks of 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 and 5-6.His first Akron team in 1986 went 7-4, but his teams — playing a difficult Division I-AA schedule and, eventually, some of the top teams in I-A — never reached that level again.<h2>___</h2>

Gerry Faust, former head football coach at Notre Dame, has died at 89

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731439122047.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Wichita State Athletics
 
WICHITA, Kan. &ndash;&nbsp;Wichita State Athletics has partnered with employee-owned All Sports retailer SCHEELS to become the Official Online Team Store for the Shockers. Wichita State is the first university to enter a partnership of this kind with SCHEELS. SCHEELS has been a proud supporter of Shocker Athletics since 2022, and after opening its Wichita location on July 1, 2023, the two entities have worked together to bring Shocker fans the highest quality apparel both in-store and online at&nbsp;<a href="http://scheels.com/">SCHEELS.com</a>. &nbsp; SCHEELS.com offers a massive product selection with convenient features including free returns, free in-store pickup, and live chat with customer service. Backed by the SCHEELS Guarantee, everything you buy at SCHEELS, on sale or otherwise, is guaranteed satisfactory or your money back. You don&apos;t take chances at SCHEELS, ever. Shocker apparel brands such as Under Armour, Antigua, Champion, Charlie Hustle, Colosseum, 47 Brand, Wes and Willy, YETI, and others, will be consistently restocked with the most popular sellers and newest items. Between the team assortment, product selection, category variety and brand mixture, there is truly something for every Shocker fan on the Official Online Team Shop. &quot;We are thrilled&nbsp;for the opportunity to strengthen our partnership with SCHEELS,&quot;&nbsp;said Mark Rogers, General Manager for Shocker Sports Properties.&nbsp;&quot;As our new e-commerce partner, Shocker fans now have another avenue to find and purchase first-class Shocker gear.&quot; &quot;We are excited to partner with Wichita State Athletics, a program with a rich tradition and deep ties to its local community,&quot; said Lucas Hachmeister, Wichita SCHEELS Store Leader. &quot;We strive to be the best retailer in the eyes of our customers, and partnering with the Shockers reflects our passion and dedication to offering our fans the best merchandise and experiences in the industry. With our recently opened flagship store in Wichita, we&apos;re thrilled to build on our support for the Shockers and look forward to becoming an even bigger part of this incredible fanbase.&quot; &nbsp; About SCHEELS Three acres of potatoes were the seed for the first SCHEELS store in 1902. Frederick A. Scheel, a German immigrant, used the $300 he earned from that first harvest as the down payment on the first SCHEELS, a small hardware store in Sabin, Minn. Over the years, SCHEELS opened in surrounding communities including Fargo in 1930, where the Corporate Offices are located. Customer interest grew and sports lines were added to the product mix.&nbsp; SCHEELS is now a 34-store operation with stores in 16 states including Kansas, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Nevada, Illinois, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Idaho and Oklahoma. Currently, Steve D. Scheel, the great grandson of SCHEELS founder, is the company&apos;s Chairman of the Board, and Matt Hanson is CEO. Todd Anderson serves as President and oversees SCHEELS daily operations of more than 12,000 associates.</div>

SCHEELS signs multi-year agreement to become official online team store for WSU

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Off to a 3-0 start, the No. 15-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team will close out its season-opening four-game homestand on Tuesday night at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons will play host to the Kansas City Blue Devils in a 7 p.m. matchup. Kansas City is ranked No. 24 in NJCAA Division II and is 3-1 heading into Tuesday’s game.

The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.) and sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Dan Naccarato (analyst) calling the action beginning at 6:45 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 6:45 p.m.

The Blue Dragons finished off the BSN Sports Tip-Off Classic with a 2-0 record after defeating Southwestern Christian 96-91 in overtime on Friday and Labette 72-60 on Saturday.

Against, Southwestern Christian, the Blue Dragons rallied from nine points down with 6 minutes remaining in the second half and outscored the Rams 12-7 in overtime. Jaquez Thornton led the Blue Dragons with 28 points.

Bo Aldridge had a season-high 22 points on 9-10 shooting to lead Hutchinson in Saturday’s victory over Labette.

Kansas City started its season 3-0, but lost to North-Central Missouri 86-68 on Saturday night in the Blue Devils’ latest game. Hutchinson will be one of three Division I opponents that will play the Blue Devils this season.

One tremendous early positive trend in Kyle Fisher’s first season is that the Blue Dragons have shot better than 50 percent in three-straight games.

Hutchinson is currently 11th in the NJCAA in overall shooting at 54.0 percent. The Dragons are also shooting a robust 40 percent from 3-point range, which is 23rd in the nation.

The Blue Dragons have five players currently averaging in double figures led by Thornton’s 15.3 points per game. Aldridge is averaging 14.0 points per game and Bobby Cannon is averaging 13.3 points per game to lead Hutchinson.

Tuesday’s matchup will be only the 22nd meeting between Hutchinson and Kansas City in a series that started in 1930. Tuesday’s game will be only the second game played between the Blue Dragons and Blue Devils since 2008. Hutchinson won a 2020 matchup 98-67 in early 2020.

The Blue Dragons own a 16-5 series record over Kansas City.

After Tuesday, the Dragons won’t be at the Sports Arena again until Nov. 26 vs. Colby.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731422556359.jpeg" alt="Jaquez Thornton and the No. 15 Blue Dragons play host to Kansas City at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Sports Arena. (Paityn Kaminkow/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Jaquez Thornton and the No. 15 Blue Dragons play host to Kansas City at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Sports Arena. (Paityn Kaminkow/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>HutchCC Sports InformationHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Off to a 3-0 start, the No. 15-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team will close out its season-opening four-game homestand on Tuesday night at the Sports Arena.The Blue Dragons will play host to the Kansas City Blue Devils in a 7 p.m. matchup. Kansas City is ranked No. 24 in NJCAA Division II and is 3-1 heading into Tuesday’s game.The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.) and sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Dan Naccarato (analyst) calling the action beginning at 6:45 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 6:45 p.m.The Blue Dragons finished off the BSN Sports Tip-Off Classic with a 2-0 record after defeating Southwestern Christian 96-91 in overtime on Friday and Labette 72-60 on Saturday.Against, Southwestern Christian, the Blue Dragons rallied from nine points down with 6 minutes remaining in the second half and outscored the Rams 12-7 in overtime. Jaquez Thornton led the Blue Dragons with 28 points.Bo Aldridge had a season-high 22 points on 9-10 shooting to lead Hutchinson in Saturday’s victory over Labette.Kansas City started its season 3-0, but lost to North-Central Missouri 86-68 on Saturday night in the Blue Devils’ latest game. Hutchinson will be one of three Division I opponents that will play the Blue Devils this season.One tremendous early positive trend in Kyle Fisher’s first season is that the Blue Dragons have shot better than 50 percent in three-straight games.Hutchinson is currently 11th in the NJCAA in overall shooting at 54.0 percent. The Dragons are also shooting a robust 40 percent from 3-point range, which is 23rd in the nation.The Blue Dragons have five players currently averaging in double figures led by Thornton’s 15.3 points per game. Aldridge is averaging 14.0 points per game and Bobby Cannon is averaging 13.3 points per game to lead Hutchinson.Tuesday’s matchup will be only the 22nd meeting between Hutchinson and Kansas City in a series that started in 1930. Tuesday’s game will be only the second game played between the Blue Dragons and Blue Devils since 2008. Hutchinson won a 2020 matchup 98-67 in early 2020.The Blue Dragons own a 16-5 series record over Kansas City.After Tuesday, the Dragons won’t be at the Sports Arena again until Nov. 26 vs. Colby.

🏀 Blue Dragons meet Blue Devils Tuesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Monday that Royals Manager Matt Quatraro is a finalist for the American League Manager of the Year Award, right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo is a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award and infielder Bobby Witt Jr. is a finalist for AL MVP. The Manager of the Year winners will be announced on Nov. 19, with the Cy Young winners following on Nov. 20 and the MVP winners on Nov. 21, all of which will be revealed at 5:00 p.m. CT on MLB Network.

In his second season as Royals Manager, Quatraro led the club to a remarkable turnaround in 2024 with an 86-76 record, after matching a franchise record with 106 losses in 2023. The 2024 Royals were just the third team to make the postseason following a 100-loss season, according to Elias, joining the 2020 Marlins and 2017 Twins. The Royals 86 wins in 2024 marked the 3rd most by a team following a 100-loss season, only 1 shy of the 1967 Cubs and 1989 Orioles, who each won 87 games after 103 and 107-loss seasons, respectively.

With Quatraro at the helm, Kansas City swept the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card Series before losing in 4 games to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, marking the club’s first playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2015.

Should he win the honor, Quatraro would become the second Royals Manager to win the AL Manager of the Year Award, following Tony Peña in 2003, when he led the team to an 83-79 record and their first winning season since 1994.

Lugo, who signed a two-year free agent contract with the Royals last December, established career highs this season with 33 starts and 206.2 innings, the latter of which ranked 2nd in the Majors behind only Seattle’s Logan Gilbert (208.2 IP). He also ranked among American League leaders in quality starts (T-1st, 22), wins (T-2nd, 16), ERA (6th, 3.00) and WHIP (7th, 1.09).

The right hander pitched to a 3.00 ERA (69 ER in 206.2 IP) spanning his 33 starts, which was the lowest single-season ERA by a Royals starter since Zack Greinke posted a 2.16 ERA in his 2009 Cy Young Award-winning season. Lugo’s impressive ERA was due in large part to his success in pitching with runners in scoring position, as his .212 opponents’ average in scoring situations ranked 3rd in the American League, behind only teammate Brady Singer (.192) and Houston’s Hunter Brown (.197).

Lugo, who earned his first career All-Star selection in 2024 and pitched a scoreless 7th inning in the AL’s 5-3 victory on July 16 at Globe Life Field, is seeking his first career Cy Young Award. He would become the fourth Royals pitcher to earn the honor, following Greinke in 2009, David Cone in 1994 and Bret Saberhagen in 1985 and 1989.

Witt Jr., the recipient of a 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award and finalist for a Silver Slugger Award—for which the winners will be announced tomorrow night—is seeking to become the just the second Royal to ever win the American League MVP Award, following George Brett in 1980.

In just his third Major League season, the 24-year-old led the Majors with 211 hits and a .332 batting average, becoming just the third Royal to lead the Major Leagues in average, following Brett in his 1980 MVP campaign (.390) and Willie Wilson in 1982 (.332). He was just the second player ever to lead the Majors in batting average during a 30-homer, 30-steal season, joining Mookie Betts, who went 32/30 and led MLB with a .346 batting average during his 2018 AL MVP season.

After recording 30 home runs and 49 stolen bases in 2023, Witt Jr. had 32 homers and 31 steals in 2024, becoming the first shortstop in Major League history with multiple 30/30 seasons. He’s also the first player in Major League history—regardless of position—with multiple 30/30 campaigns within his first three big league seasons.

Witt Jr. this year became the 10th player in Major League history to record at least 200 hits in a 30/30 season, following Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023), Jacoby Ellsbury (2011), Jimmy Rollins (2007), Vladimir Guerrero (2002), Alfonso Soriano (2002), Álex Rodríguez (1998), Larry Walker (1997), Ellis Burks (1996) and Hank Aaron (1963). Three of the previous nine players to turn the trick won MVP honors.

Witt Jr. boasted a 10.4 fWAR this year, which was the 5th-best single-season mark ever by a shortstop, trailing Honus Wagner (11.8 in 1908). He ranked 3rd in the Majors with 88 extra-base hits this season, establishing a new Royals record as he surpassed Hal McRae’s 86 extra-base hits in 1977.

Kansas City’s All-Star shortstop led the Majors in 2024 with a .388 batting average with runners in scoring position and led the American League with 61 multi-hit games. He recorded at least 1 hit in 128 of his team-leading 161 games (79.5%), which was 6 more such games than any other player in the Majors.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694688395555.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas City RoyalsKANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Monday that Royals Manager Matt Quatraro is a finalist for the American League Manager of the Year Award, right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo is a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award and infielder Bobby Witt Jr. is a finalist for AL MVP. The Manager of the Year winners will be announced on Nov. 19, with the Cy Young winners following on Nov. 20 and the MVP winners on Nov. 21, all of which will be revealed at 5:00 p.m. CT on MLB Network.In his second season as Royals Manager, Quatraro led the club to a remarkable turnaround in 2024 with an 86-76 record, after matching a franchise record with 106 losses in 2023. The 2024 Royals were just the third team to make the postseason following a 100-loss season, according to Elias, joining the 2020 Marlins and 2017 Twins. The Royals 86 wins in 2024 marked the 3rd most by a team following a 100-loss season, only 1 shy of the 1967 Cubs and 1989 Orioles, who each won 87 games after 103 and 107-loss seasons, respectively.With Quatraro at the helm, Kansas City swept the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card Series before losing in 4 games to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, marking the club’s first playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2015.Should he win the honor, Quatraro would become the second Royals Manager to win the AL Manager of the Year Award, following Tony Peña in 2003, when he led the team to an 83-79 record and their first winning season since 1994.Lugo, who signed a two-year free agent contract with the Royals last December, established career highs this season with 33 starts and 206.2 innings, the latter of which ranked 2nd in the Majors behind only Seattle’s Logan Gilbert (208.2 IP). He also ranked among American League leaders in quality starts (T-1st, 22), wins (T-2nd, 16), ERA (6th, 3.00) and WHIP (7th, 1.09).The right hander pitched to a 3.00 ERA (69 ER in 206.2 IP) spanning his 33 starts, which was the lowest single-season ERA by a Royals starter since Zack Greinke posted a 2.16 ERA in his 2009 Cy Young Award-winning season. Lugo’s impressive ERA was due in large part to his success in pitching with runners in scoring position, as his .212 opponents’ average in scoring situations ranked 3rd in the American League, behind only teammate Brady Singer (.192) and Houston’s Hunter Brown (.197).Lugo, who earned his first career All-Star selection in 2024 and pitched a scoreless 7th inning in the AL’s 5-3 victory on July 16 at Globe Life Field, is seeking his first career Cy Young Award. He would become the fourth Royals pitcher to earn the honor, following Greinke in 2009, David Cone in 1994 and Bret Saberhagen in 1985 and 1989.Witt Jr., the recipient of a 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award and finalist for a Silver Slugger Award—for which the winners will be announced tomorrow night—is seeking to become the just the second Royal to ever win the American League MVP Award, following George Brett in 1980.In just his third Major League season, the 24-year-old led the Majors with 211 hits and a .332 batting average, becoming just the third Royal to lead the Major Leagues in average, following Brett in his 1980 MVP campaign (.390) and Willie Wilson in 1982 (.332). He was just the second player ever to lead the Majors in batting average during a 30-homer, 30-steal season, joining Mookie Betts, who went 32/30 and led MLB with a .346 batting average during his 2018 AL MVP season.After recording 30 home runs and 49 stolen bases in 2023, Witt Jr. had 32 homers and 31 steals in 2024, becoming the first shortstop in Major League history with multiple 30/30 seasons. He’s also the first player in Major League history—regardless of position—with multiple 30/30 campaigns within his first three big league seasons.Witt Jr. this year became the 10th player in Major League history to record at least 200 hits in a 30/30 season, following Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023), Jacoby Ellsbury (2011), Jimmy Rollins (2007), Vladimir Guerrero (2002), Alfonso Soriano (2002), Álex Rodríguez (1998), Larry Walker (1997), Ellis Burks (1996) and Hank Aaron (1963). Three of the previous nine players to turn the trick won MVP honors.Witt Jr. boasted a 10.4 fWAR this year, which was the 5th-best single-season mark ever by a shortstop, trailing Honus Wagner (11.8 in 1908). He ranked 3rd in the Majors with 88 extra-base hits this season, establishing a new Royals record as he surpassed Hal McRae’s 86 extra-base hits in 1977.Kansas City’s All-Star shortstop led the Majors in 2024 with a .388 batting average with runners in scoring position and led the American League with 61 multi-hit games. He recorded at least 1 hit in 128 of his team-leading 161 games (79.5%), which was 6 more such games than any other player in the Majors.

⚾ Quartraro, Lugo, Witt Jr. finalists for BBWAA awards

AP Sports Summary for November 12th, 2024:

Tyreek Hill makes key TD catch, and the Dolphins hold off the Rams 23-15 to snap their 3-game skid

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Miami Dolphins snapped their three-game losing streak with a gritty 23-15 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Tyreek Hill caught a short touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa while playing through a wrist injury, and rookie Malik Washington rushed 18 yards for his first NFL touchdown on the opening possession of a much-needed turnaround game for the beleaguered Dolphins. Matthew Stafford passed for 293 yards and rookie Joshua Karty made five field goals for the Rams, whose three-game winning streak ended with a dramatic offensive regression. The Rams failed to score a TD for only the eighth time in coach Sean McVay's eight seasons.

Ohtani, Lindor and Marte are finalists for NL MVP. Judge, Witt and Soto contend for AL honor

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is a finalist for his first National League MVP award after winning the AL honor twice, joined among the top three in NL voting by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is a finalist for his second AL MVP in three seasons, joined by Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto. Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels. He didn't pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million deal with the Dodgers.

Rays' Wander Franco, who awaits sex abuse trial, arrested in armed altercation

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Police say Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been arrested for his involvement in an armed altercation in a parking lot in the Dominican Republic countryside. A police spokesman told The Associated Press it happened 116 miles west of Santo Domingo in San Juan de la Maguana. Franco was arrested Sunday. Another man and a woman were also detained. Police said two firearms were seized and didn't say whether there were injuries. The 23-year-old Franco is scheduled to go to trial Dec. 12 in the northern province of Puerto Plata in a sexual abuse case involving a 14-year-old girl.

John Robinson, successful football coach at USC and with the LA Rams, has died at 89

LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Robinson has died at 89. The veteran football coach enjoyed many years of success at the University of Southern California and with the Los Angeles Rams. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame after his two successful tenures with the Trojans. Robinson also became the winningest coach in Rams history during his nine-year tenure with the NFL club. Robinson never had a losing record at USC, winning five conference titles and four Rose Bowls. He moved to the Rams in 1983 and reached the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons, advancing to two NFC championship games.

Joel Embiid is expected to make his season debut for the 76ers after injuries and suspension

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid is expected to make his season debut Tuesday night for the Philadelphia 76ers. Embiid has not played this season because of what the Sixers called left knee management. Embiid also just finished serving a three-game suspension levied by the NBA for shoving a member of the media. The 76ers are 2-7 and near the bottom of the Eastern Conference headed into Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks. Embiid and fellow All-Stars Paul George and Tyrese Maxey have yet to play a game together this season because of injuries and suspension.

Kansas stays No. 1 in AP Top 25 basketball poll, Gonzaga, Auburn crack top 5, St. John's returns

Kansas remained atop the first Associated Press men's college basketball poll of the regular season after winning a matchup of basketball bluebloods. Gonzaga rose to No. 4 and Auburn to No. 5 after impressive opening-week wins. The Jayhawks received 44 of 62 first-place votes after a home win against North Carolina. That kept them ahead of Alabama and two-time reigning national champion UConn in an unchanged 1-2-3 setting. No. 21 Ohio State and No. 22 St. John's were the two new additions to the poll. Texas and UCLA fell out from the preseason AP Top 25.

South Carolina a unanimous No. 1 in women's AP Top 25, Stanford and Oregon crack rankings

South Carolina is a unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll after a pair of victories to kick off its national championship repeat bid. The top eight teams in the first regular-season rankings remained unchanged with UConn, USC, Texas and UCLA next after South Carolina. LSU and Iowa State followed the Bruins. Oklahoma was ninth and Kansas State 10th. Stanford and Oregon entered the Top 25 at No. 24 and 25, respectively.

Spurs center Victory Wembanyama joins elite company through 82 career NBA games

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama had another monstrous outing that put him in the record books among some impressive company. Wembanyama had 34 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Sacramento Kings 116-96 on Monday night. It was Wembanyama's 82nd career game, giving the 7-foot-3 No. 1 pick in 2023 from France a full season of games played. And with his outstanding performance, Wembanyama joined Oscar Robertson, Kareer Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Blake Griffin and Sidney Wicks as the only players in league history with 1,700 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in their first 82 games.

Mitchell scores 36 as the Cavs beat the Bulls 119-113 for 12th straight win

CHICAGO (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 119-113 to become the eighth NBA team to begin a season with 12 straight wins. Darius Garland scored 17 points for Cleveland, and Evan Mobley had 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Cavaliers scored at least 110 points for the 11th time. Garland rolled in a layup with 24 seconds left, and Mitchell made two free throws to help close it out. Zach LaVine scored 26 points for Chicago, which lost for the fifth time in six games. Coby White and Nicola Vucevic each had 20 points.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone bothered a little by criticism of defense after World Series meltdown

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone is bothered a little by criticism of his team's defense from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly and defended New York's fielding following a World Series of mistakes and mental errors. Boone says "it's a story that blew up too much and understandably we had a really, really tough inning." New York wasted a five-run lead in Game 5 of the World Series, making two errors and a mental mistake. Boone spoke during a Zoom news conference three days after the Yankees exercised his 2025 option.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

Final	Oklahoma City	134	L.A. Clippers	128	

Final	(15)Marquette	70	Cent. Michigan	62	

		South Alabama	at	(25)Mississippi	8 p.m.	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, November 12th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, November 12th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for November 12th, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8606769/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>Tyreek Hill makes key TD catch, and the Dolphins hold off the Rams 23-15 to snap their 3-game skidLOS ANGELES (AP) — The Miami Dolphins snapped their three-game losing streak with a gritty 23-15 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Tyreek Hill caught a short touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa while playing through a wrist injury, and rookie Malik Washington rushed 18 yards for his first NFL touchdown on the opening possession of a much-needed turnaround game for the beleaguered Dolphins. Matthew Stafford passed for 293 yards and rookie Joshua Karty made five field goals for the Rams, whose three-game winning streak ended with a dramatic offensive regression. The Rams failed to score a TD for only the eighth time in coach Sean McVay's eight seasons.Ohtani, Lindor and Marte are finalists for NL MVP. Judge, Witt and Soto contend for AL honorNEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is a finalist for his first National League MVP award after winning the AL honor twice, joined among the top three in NL voting by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is a finalist for his second AL MVP in three seasons, joined by Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto. Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels. He didn't pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million deal with the Dodgers.Rays' Wander Franco, who awaits sex abuse trial, arrested in armed altercationSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Police say Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been arrested for his involvement in an armed altercation in a parking lot in the Dominican Republic countryside. A police spokesman told The Associated Press it happened 116 miles west of Santo Domingo in San Juan de la Maguana. Franco was arrested Sunday. Another man and a woman were also detained. Police said two firearms were seized and didn't say whether there were injuries. The 23-year-old Franco is scheduled to go to trial Dec. 12 in the northern province of Puerto Plata in a sexual abuse case involving a 14-year-old girl.John Robinson, successful football coach at USC and with the LA Rams, has died at 89LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Robinson has died at 89. The veteran football coach enjoyed many years of success at the University of Southern California and with the Los Angeles Rams. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame after his two successful tenures with the Trojans. Robinson also became the winningest coach in Rams history during his nine-year tenure with the NFL club. Robinson never had a losing record at USC, winning five conference titles and four Rose Bowls. He moved to the Rams in 1983 and reached the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons, advancing to two NFC championship games.Joel Embiid is expected to make his season debut for the 76ers after injuries and suspensionPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid is expected to make his season debut Tuesday night for the Philadelphia 76ers. Embiid has not played this season because of what the Sixers called left knee management. Embiid also just finished serving a three-game suspension levied by the NBA for shoving a member of the media. The 76ers are 2-7 and near the bottom of the Eastern Conference headed into Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks. Embiid and fellow All-Stars Paul George and Tyrese Maxey have yet to play a game together this season because of injuries and suspension.Kansas stays No. 1 in AP Top 25 basketball poll, Gonzaga, Auburn crack top 5, St. John's returnsKansas remained atop the first Associated Press men's college basketball poll of the regular season after winning a matchup of basketball bluebloods. Gonzaga rose to No. 4 and Auburn to No. 5 after impressive opening-week wins. The Jayhawks received 44 of 62 first-place votes after a home win against North Carolina. That kept them ahead of Alabama and two-time reigning national champion UConn in an unchanged 1-2-3 setting. No. 21 Ohio State and No. 22 St. John's were the two new additions to the poll. Texas and UCLA fell out from the preseason AP Top 25.South Carolina a unanimous No. 1 in women's AP Top 25, Stanford and Oregon crack rankingsSouth Carolina is a unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll after a pair of victories to kick off its national championship repeat bid. The top eight teams in the first regular-season rankings remained unchanged with UConn, USC, Texas and UCLA next after South Carolina. LSU and Iowa State followed the Bruins. Oklahoma was ninth and Kansas State 10th. Stanford and Oregon entered the Top 25 at No. 24 and 25, respectively.Spurs center Victory Wembanyama joins elite company through 82 career NBA gamesSAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama had another monstrous outing that put him in the record books among some impressive company. Wembanyama had 34 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Sacramento Kings 116-96 on Monday night. It was Wembanyama's 82nd career game, giving the 7-foot-3 No. 1 pick in 2023 from France a full season of games played. And with his outstanding performance, Wembanyama joined Oscar Robertson, Kareer Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Blake Griffin and Sidney Wicks as the only players in league history with 1,700 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in their first 82 games.Mitchell scores 36 as the Cavs beat the Bulls 119-113 for 12th straight winCHICAGO (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 119-113 to become the eighth NBA team to begin a season with 12 straight wins. Darius Garland scored 17 points for Cleveland, and Evan Mobley had 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Cavaliers scored at least 110 points for the 11th time. Garland rolled in a layup with 24 seconds left, and Mitchell made two free throws to help close it out. Zach LaVine scored 26 points for Chicago, which lost for the fifth time in six games. Coby White and Nicola Vucevic each had 20 points.Yankees manager Aaron Boone bothered a little by criticism of defense after World Series meltdownNEW YORK (AP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone is bothered a little by criticism of his team's defense from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly and defended New York's fielding following a World Series of mistakes and mental errors. Boone says "it's a story that blew up too much and understandably we had a really, really tough inning." New York wasted a five-run lead in Game 5 of the World Series, making two errors and a mental mistake. Boone spoke during a Zoom news conference three days after the Yankees exercised his 2025 option.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	San Antonio	116	Sacramento	96	Final	Cleveland	119	Chicago	113	Final	Houston	107	Washington	92	Final	Oklahoma City	134	L.A. Clippers	128	Final	Brooklyn	107	New Orleans	105	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal	Montreal	7	Buffalo	5	Final	Dallas	7	Pittsburgh	1	Final SO	Philadelphia	4	San Jose	3	Final	Calgary	3	Los Angeles	1	Final OT	Colorado	3	Nashville	2	Final	Carolina	5	Vegas	2	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUEFinal	Miami	23	L.A. Rams	15	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	(2)Alabama	72	McNeese St.	64	Final	(7)Iowa St.	82	UMKC	56	Final	(13)Purdue	92	Yale	84	Final	(15)Marquette	70	Cent. Michigan	62	Final	(20)Florida	86	Grambling St.	62	Final	(21)Ohio St.	81	Youngstown St.	47	Final	(23)Texas A&amp;M	97	Lamar	71	Final	(24)Rutgers	75	St. Peter's	65	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Atlanta	at	Boston	7 p.m.			Charlotte	at	Orlando	7 p.m.			Miami	at	Detroit	7 p.m.			New York	at	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.			Toronto	at	Milwaukee	8 p.m.			Phoenix	at	Utah	9 p.m.			Dallas	at	Golden State	10 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Portland	10 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Ottawa	at	Toronto	7 p.m.			Winnipeg	at	N-Y Rangers	7 p.m.			New Jersey	at	Florida	7:30 p.m.			Boston	at	St. Louis	8 p.m.			N-Y Islanders	at	Edmonton	9 p.m.			Calgary	at	Vancouver	10 p.m.			Columbus	at	Seattle	10 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		(1)Kansas	at	Michigan St.	6:30 p.m.			(19)Kentucky	at	(6)Duke	9 p.m.			Sam Houston St.	at	(12)Baylor	8 p.m.			South Alabama	at	(25)Mississippi	8 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Tuesday

Voice of the Blue Dragons, Sean Boston visits with HutchCC women's basketball coach, John Ontjes, and men's basketball coach, Kyle Fisher, for the first 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 coach, John Ontjes, and men's basketball coach, Kyle Fisher, for the first 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 (Nov. 11, 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=b6vfk-1738103-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: DragonTalk with John Ontjes & Kyle Fisher

EAGLE&nbsp; Media's Rob Dreher visits with HutchCC head football coach Drew Dallas for the ninth edition of "Dragon Talk" of the 2024 football season. Dreher will visit with Dallas every Monday, with episodes airing on Monday at 5 p.m. throughout the football season on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5).&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731354448915.png" alt="Dragon Talk with Drew Dallas" />
 <figcaption>Dragon Talk with Drew Dallas</figcaption>
 </figure>EAGLE&nbsp; Media's Rob Dreher visits with HutchCC head football coach Drew Dallas for the ninth edition of "Dragon Talk" of the 2024 football season. Dreher will visit with Dallas every Monday, with episodes airing on Monday at 5 p.m. throughout the football season on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5).&nbsp;<div><iframe title="DragonTalk with Drew Dallas (Nov. 11, 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=ptg34-1737862-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: DragonTalk with Drew Dallas

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731352169575.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
 
LAWRENCE, Kan. &ndash; Kansas center <a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/hunter-dickinson/15488" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Hunter Dickinson</a> and guard&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/zeke-mayo/15498" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Zeke Mayo</a> have earned Big 12 men&apos;s basketball weekly honors announced Monday. Dickinson is the Big 12 Player of the Week, while Mayo is the co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league. Dickinson opened the week with 16 points, six rebounds and a career-high-tying three steals in 21 minutes in the 87-57 win versus Howard. In the 92-89 win against No. 9 North Carolina, the graduate center from Alexandria, Virginia posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three assists. With the KU-UNC game tied at 89-89 with 1:44 to play, Dickinson would score the final three points of the contest with a basket and later a free throw with 17 seconds remaining. It was Dickinson&apos;s 49th career double-double. &nbsp; This is the sixth Big 12 weekly honor for Dickinson who was a Big 12 Player of the Week twice and a three-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week last season while at Kansas. Career-wise, this is the seventh time Dickinson has been named his league&apos;s player of the week.&nbsp; &nbsp; Mayo came off the bench in both Kansas wins. Against Howard, the Lawrence, Kansas senior scored 19 points, including 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range with four rebounds. In the win against North Carolina, Mayo led Kansas with 21 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. He was also 4-for-4 from the line against UNC. Down 87-85 with 3:15 to play, Mayo scored four of Kansas&apos; final seven points in the contest, including a basket with 1:44 left to tie the game at 89-89. Mayo won the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week along with BYU&apos;s Egor Demin. A transfer from South Dakota State, this marks the sixth weekly award for Mayo in his college basketball career and his first while at Kansas. No. 1 Kansas (2-0) will play Michigan State (2-0) in the 2024 Champions Classic, Tuesday, Nov. 12, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.</div>

🏀 KU duo earns Big 12 weekly honors

South Carolina was the unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll">Top 25 women’s basketball</a>&nbsp;poll Monday after a pair of victories to kick off its national championship repeat bid while Kansas State joined the top 10 and both Stanford and Oregon cracked the first regular-season rankings of the season.

The Gamecocks earned a hard-fought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-south-carolina-score-top-25-9651ecfa8f58b5467552381799b4688c">six-point win</a>&nbsp;over Michigan in Las Vegas to open the season and beat then-No. 9 North Carolina State on Sunday by 14. The two victories made the defending champions a unanimous choice from the 31-member national media panel. In the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll-85d66823cee2b91216f38f68d462e2a0">preseason poll</a>, No. 2 UConn got two first-place votes and No. 3 USC one.

The top eight teams in the rankings remained unchanged with Texas and UCLA rounding out the top five. Notre Dame, LSU and Iowa State were next with Oklahoma ninth and Kansas State 10th. N.C. State dropped to 13th.

Former Pac-12 schools Stanford and Oregon entered the rankings after impressive starts to their season. The No. 24 Cardinal,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stanford-paye-vanderveer-7c8a3f2ab9e6702a652f0b9227089644">under new coach Kate Paye,</a>&nbsp;went 3-0 last week, winning by an average of 41 points. They had been ranked in the preseason poll every year since 2000 until this season.

The No. 25 Ducks come into the poll on the strength of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baylor-oregon-womens-basketball-score-ff81c2a2c4183dd2cc2220e53df695e8">two-point home win</a>&nbsp;over then-No. 12 Baylor. The victory snapped a 13-game losing streak to ranked opponents for Oregon. The Bears dropped to 17th.

Maryland climbed seven spots to No. 11 after an impressive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/duke-maryland-womens-score-88824bc68be8df309db24a14fe582dfd">85-80 victory</a>&nbsp;over then-No. 11 Duke. This was the Terrapins’ first matchup against the Blue Devils since they defeated their former ACC rival, 65-55, in the Sweet 16 in 2015. The victory came nearly a year after the Terrapins saw their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-south-carolina-uconn-maryland-top-25-3c0027f816c2588fe50e590dabb3cd72">13-year run</a>&nbsp;in the poll end last season. Duke fell to 16th.

Creighton, Indiana and Florida State all fell out of the poll after early losses. The Bluejays lost at South Dakota State, the Hoosiers at home to Harvard and the Seminoles at Illinois. The Illini joined the poll at No. 23.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-south-florida-score-3e25bd7a4000ee0014d022827d3be3aa">one victory behind</a>&nbsp;retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer for the most wins all-time with 1,216. He could tie VanDerveer when the Huskies play No. 15 North Carolina on Friday night. The potential record-breaking win could come at home on Nov. 20 against FDU. VanDerveer had the Stanford court named in her honor on Sunday.

No. 16 Duke at South Dakota State, Sunday. Coach Kara Lawson is challenging her team early with three of the Blue Devils’ first four games on the road. Duke opened at Liberty before playing at Maryland.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731041626639.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressSouth Carolina was the unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll">Top 25 women’s basketball</a>&nbsp;poll Monday after a pair of victories to kick off its national championship repeat bid while Kansas State joined the top 10 and both Stanford and Oregon cracked the first regular-season rankings of the season.The Gamecocks earned a hard-fought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-south-carolina-score-top-25-9651ecfa8f58b5467552381799b4688c">six-point win</a>&nbsp;over Michigan in Las Vegas to open the season and beat then-No. 9 North Carolina State on Sunday by 14. The two victories made the defending champions a unanimous choice from the 31-member national media panel. In the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll-85d66823cee2b91216f38f68d462e2a0">preseason poll</a>, No. 2 UConn got two first-place votes and No. 3 USC one.The top eight teams in the rankings remained unchanged with Texas and UCLA rounding out the top five. Notre Dame, LSU and Iowa State were next with Oklahoma ninth and Kansas State 10th. N.C. State dropped to 13th.Former Pac-12 schools Stanford and Oregon entered the rankings after impressive starts to their season. The No. 24 Cardinal,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stanford-paye-vanderveer-7c8a3f2ab9e6702a652f0b9227089644">under new coach Kate Paye,</a>&nbsp;went 3-0 last week, winning by an average of 41 points. They had been ranked in the preseason poll every year since 2000 until this season.The No. 25 Ducks come into the poll on the strength of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baylor-oregon-womens-basketball-score-ff81c2a2c4183dd2cc2220e53df695e8">two-point home win</a>&nbsp;over then-No. 12 Baylor. The victory snapped a 13-game losing streak to ranked opponents for Oregon. The Bears dropped to 17th.<h2>Moving on up</h2>Maryland climbed seven spots to No. 11 after an impressive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/duke-maryland-womens-score-88824bc68be8df309db24a14fe582dfd">85-80 victory</a>&nbsp;over then-No. 11 Duke. This was the Terrapins’ first matchup against the Blue Devils since they defeated their former ACC rival, 65-55, in the Sweet 16 in 2015. The victory came nearly a year after the Terrapins saw their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-south-carolina-uconn-maryland-top-25-3c0027f816c2588fe50e590dabb3cd72">13-year run</a>&nbsp;in the poll end last season. Duke fell to 16th.<h2>Falling out</h2>Creighton, Indiana and Florida State all fell out of the poll after early losses. The Bluejays lost at South Dakota State, the Hoosiers at home to Harvard and the Seminoles at Illinois. The Illini joined the poll at No. 23.<h2>Tying greatness</h2>UConn coach Geno Auriemma is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uconn-south-florida-score-3e25bd7a4000ee0014d022827d3be3aa">one victory behind</a>&nbsp;retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer for the most wins all-time with 1,216. He could tie VanDerveer when the Huskies play No. 15 North Carolina on Friday night. The potential record-breaking win could come at home on Nov. 20 against FDU. VanDerveer had the Stanford court named in her honor on Sunday.<h2>Game of the week</h2>No. 16 Duke at South Dakota State, Sunday. Coach Kara Lawson is challenging her team early with three of the Blue Devils’ first four games on the road. Duke opened at Liberty before playing at Maryland.

🏀 K-State women up to No. 10 in latest AP Top 25

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731351358766.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
 
LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;&ndash; After extending his own school record in Kansas&apos; 45-36 win over No. 17 Iowa State, senior cornerback&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/mello-dotson/1352" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Mello Dotson</a>&nbsp;has been named the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Week. The conference announced the weekly honors on Monday. &nbsp; Dotson was KU&apos;s highest graded defensive player against Iowa State, receiving an 85.1 grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF). Statistically, he recorded one solo tackle and one pass breakup, and his interception with 5:58 to play sealed the victory after he returned it 25 yards for a touchdown, putting Kansas up 45-28 at the time. &nbsp; The interception was historic for Dotson as it extended his own school record as his fourth career interception returned for a touchdown, which is also tops among all active FBS players. It was the fourth interception for Dotson this season, which is tied for the Big 12 lead, and the 11th of his career, which is tied for No. 4 in school history. &nbsp; This is the first career Big 12 weekly honor for Dotson, who joins KU&apos;s other senior cornerback,&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/cobee-bryant/1350" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Cobee Bryant</a>, in receiving conference recognition this season. Bryant was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 21 after tying the single-game school record with three interceptions in KU&apos;s 42-14 victory over Houston. &nbsp; Kansas returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 16, traveling to Provo, Utah for the first time to face No. 7 BYU, who will be the third-straight ranked opponent for the Jayhawks. Kickoff from LaVell Edwards Stadium is set for 9:15 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN.</div>

🏈 KU's Dotson named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week

Kansas remained atop the first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">Associated Press Top 25</a>&nbsp;men’s college basketball poll of the regular season after winning a matchup of basketball bluebloods, while Gonzaga and Auburn cracked the top five after impressive opening-week wins and St. John’s led by Rick Pitino joined the rankings.

The Jayhawks received 44 of 62 first-place votes after a home win against North Carolina, a game that saw Kansas blow a 20-point lead but hold on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-kansas-tar-heels-jayhawks-score-top-25-9919dca6cfb7cfca72b0d3133ba1026a">for a 92-89 win</a>. That kept them ahead of Alabama and two-time reigning national champion UConn in an unchanged 1-2-3 lineup in the poll, with the Crimson Tide getting six first-place votes and the Huskies getting seven.

Mark Few’s Zags moved up two spots to No. 4&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baylor-gonzaga-score-0122b4338cd7e4a183aa81c6c96cd423">after blowing out then-No. 8 Baylor</a>&nbsp;to open the season, then pushing past Arizona State. Next came Bruce Pearl’s Tigers, who jumped six spots to No. 5 for the week’s biggest leap&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auburnhoustonscore-8e663a3d6ce2f15df5b921dae4ca18ec">after beating then-No. 4 Houston</a>. The Zags and Tigers earned the remaining five first-place votes.

Auburn was the only new arrival in a largely reshuffled top 10, with Duke rising one spot to No. 6 to lead the next group. Iowa State was seventh, followed by Houston, Arizona and North Carolina, which fell one spot after the loss at KU’s Allen Fieldhouse.

St. John’s jumping in at No. 22 marked a notable return for two reasons. It marks the Red Storm’s first appearance since spending a week at No. 24 in January 2019, but it also marks a return for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.

This is the first time a Pitino-coached team has appeared in the Top 25 since the final poll of the 2016-17 season when he was at Louisville. Pitino&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-eba3e37057fd4a9d9f32b7311792cd40">was fired shortly</a>&nbsp;before the next season amid a federal corruption investigation into college basketball, which had entangled the Cardinals and multiple other programs.

Pitino spent three seasons at Iona (2020-23) before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rick-pitino-st-johns-coach-iona-e705cbdf6f60028c392ecaf670199b5a">taking over at St. John’s</a>&nbsp;before last season.

No. 21 Ohio State joined St. John’s as the week’s new arrivals, marking the Buckeyes first appearance since January 2023.

Texas (No. 19) and UCLA (No. 22) fell out from the preseason poll.

After Auburn, Kentucky had the week’s next-biggest jump by rising four spots to No. 19 to start Mark Pope’s tenure, while No. 15 Marquette and No. 17 Cincinnati were next by climbing three spots.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731041381655.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressKansas remained atop the first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">Associated Press Top 25</a>&nbsp;men’s college basketball poll of the regular season after winning a matchup of basketball bluebloods, while Gonzaga and Auburn cracked the top five after impressive opening-week wins and St. John’s led by Rick Pitino joined the rankings.The Jayhawks received 44 of 62 first-place votes after a home win against North Carolina, a game that saw Kansas blow a 20-point lead but hold on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-kansas-tar-heels-jayhawks-score-top-25-9919dca6cfb7cfca72b0d3133ba1026a">for a 92-89 win</a>. That kept them ahead of Alabama and two-time reigning national champion UConn in an unchanged 1-2-3 lineup in the poll, with the Crimson Tide getting six first-place votes and the Huskies getting seven.Mark Few’s Zags moved up two spots to No. 4&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baylor-gonzaga-score-0122b4338cd7e4a183aa81c6c96cd423">after blowing out then-No. 8 Baylor</a>&nbsp;to open the season, then pushing past Arizona State. Next came Bruce Pearl’s Tigers, who jumped six spots to No. 5 for the week’s biggest leap&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auburnhoustonscore-8e663a3d6ce2f15df5b921dae4ca18ec">after beating then-No. 4 Houston</a>. The Zags and Tigers earned the remaining five first-place votes.Auburn was the only new arrival in a largely reshuffled top 10, with Duke rising one spot to No. 6 to lead the next group. Iowa State was seventh, followed by Houston, Arizona and North Carolina, which fell one spot after the loss at KU’s Allen Fieldhouse.<h2>Welcome back</h2>St. John’s jumping in at No. 22 marked a notable return for two reasons. It marks the Red Storm’s first appearance since spending a week at No. 24 in January 2019, but it also marks a return for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.This is the first time a Pitino-coached team has appeared in the Top 25 since the final poll of the 2016-17 season when he was at Louisville. Pitino&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-eba3e37057fd4a9d9f32b7311792cd40">was fired shortly</a>&nbsp;before the next season amid a federal corruption investigation into college basketball, which had entangled the Cardinals and multiple other programs.Pitino spent three seasons at Iona (2020-23) before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rick-pitino-st-johns-coach-iona-e705cbdf6f60028c392ecaf670199b5a">taking over at St. John’s</a>&nbsp;before last season.<h2>In and out</h2>No. 21 Ohio State joined St. John’s as the week’s new arrivals, marking the Buckeyes first appearance since January 2023.Texas (No. 19) and UCLA (No. 22) fell out from the preseason poll.<h2>Rising</h2>After Auburn, Kentucky had the week’s next-biggest jump by rising four spots to No. 19 to start Mark Pope’s tenure, while No. 15 Marquette and No. 17 Cincinnati were next by climbing three spots.In all, 13 teams climbed from their preseason-poll position.<h2>Sliding</h2>Texas A&amp;M took the week’s biggest tumble, falling 10 spots to No. 23&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-am-ucf-score-95d41054984f3fb1cc03b1ba1b793f50">after losing at UCF</a>&nbsp;to open the season. Houston joined No. 12 Baylor by falling four spots after losses against ranked opponents.In all, seven teams slid from the previous poll.<h2>Conference watch</h2>The Southeastern Conference led the way with eight ranked teams, including No. 11 Tennessee, No. 18 Arkansas under new coach John Calipari, No. 20 Florida and No. 25 Mississippi.The Big 12 is next with six teams, followed by the Big East and Big Ten with four each. The Atlantic Coast Conference has two, while the West Coast Conference has one.