Strong finish for men’s golf:

The men’s golf team traveled to Dallas, Texas to play in the Trinity Forest Invitational on Oct. 2-4. The men placed 17th overall with a score of 17 over a course par of 881. Out of the five golfers whose scores counted towards the team score, junior Aston Castillo led the team. Castillo tied for 32nd with a par score of 216. Michael Winslow followed closely with a score of 220, four over par.

Blake Lorenz came in third for the team with a score of 225. Right behind him was Dawson Lewis who scored only one point more awith 226. Rounding off the finishers for the men was J.T. Pittman with a 232. The team will host the next meet here in Wichita for the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational on Oct. 10 and 11. 

Women’s golf snag first team win in five years:

On Oct. 3 and 4 the Shocker women traveled to Omaha, Nebraska to play in the Big O Classic. Here the women placed first as a team for the first time since 2017. With a score of 50 over par, 926, they narrowly beat out the second place team who had a score of 928. Senior Kenni Henson played her first game of the season and finished at the top for the team in 3rd place. Henson had a score of just seven over par with a 226. In a tie for 6th was Mar Vidal with her season best with a score of 230.

The last of the Shockers to place in the top ten was Megan Lucas tying for 9th with a score of 233. Mackenzie Wilson finished with a 19 over. While Brooklyn Benn was the last of the lineup with a 29 over. The next meet will be in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas on Oct. 17 and 18 for the Little Rock Classic. 

Onto the championship for men’s tennis:

Four wins are what the men’s tennis team took home from the ITA All-American Championship this week. Senior Misha Kvantaliani won two of his three pre-qualifying singles matches. Orel Ovil and redshirt senior played two singles matches winning the first but falling to Mississippi State in his second match. 

Sophomore Kristof Minarik lost his first match but came back to win his second in a consolation match. Redshirt junior Alex Richards lost his singles match. The Shockers will play their last fall tournament next week for the ITA Central Regional Championship.

Injuries aren’t always a setback: 

After battling with injuries, senior Ben Flowers has rekindled his love with running. Taking a step back after his hip injury helped him appreciate who he was when he wasn’t a runner. A slow healing process was what Flowers was in for, he had to recover not only physically, but mentally as well. 

With the support system at WSU he was able to improve in other aspects of his life away from running. Flowers became a better student and person. Once he started back up in Jan. 2022 he was able to enjoy it on a different level. Flowers can now say he is more than just a runner. 

Hard fought game with no victory:

Even with great stats for the players, Wichita volleyball fell to UCF on Oct. 2. Junior Setter Kayce Litzau led the team in assists and digs. With 20 assists and 6 digs, Litzau fought her hardest against the Knights. Brylee Kelly, a redshirt junior scored the first points for the Shockers. Kelly also led the team in kills, with 12 in three matches.

The three matches ended in a Knights victory of 25-16, 25-14, and 25-16. With help from two aces from Natalie Foster, the Shockers were able to stick with them during the 3rd set. Though they soon fell behind. Another home game will be played in Charles Koch Arena against Memphis on Oct. 7.