Since joining Conference USA in 2014-15, WKU has doubled the next-closest member school in total championships while graduating student-athletes and serving the community at a record pace!
HELLO HILLTOPPER NATION! The 2017-18 year was one of triumph, as we captured three Conference USA titles, went to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive year, our women’s basketball and volleyball teams reached the NCAA Tournament and men’s basketball reached the NIT semi-finals. Sadly, it was also a year of tragedy as we lost two staff members who were a part of our WKU family, head men’s golf coach Phillip Hatchett and assistant track and field coach Willie Johnson. Their impact was monumental, and they leave a legacy of success built on a foundation of compassion, dedication and determination. We have now completed four years in Conference USA, a period in which our 24 total conference championships are twice as many as any other league member. Our success is also wide spread, as seven different sport programs have won league titles since entering the league in 2014-15. A league-best 43 WKU student-athletes earned C-USA Player of the Week honors, and we had 140 students named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for Academic Excellence. A total of 100 student-athletes graduated, and the graduation success rate for all studentathletes in WKU’s 16 sport programs was an alltime best 85 percent. Through our Hilltoppers with Heart program, WKU Athletics annually
devotes over 3,000 hours of community service in Bowling Green and beyond. Men’s basketball posted 27 wins, the ninthhighest total in the 99 years of Hilltopper basketball, while reaching the NIT semi-finals for the fourth time in program history but first since 1954. The 2017-18 team also became the first in program history to defeat teams from the Big Ten (Purdue), Big 12 (Oklahoma State), Pac 12 (Southern California) and ACC (Boston College) in the same season. Our volleyball team went 31-4 and compiled another historic campaign. For the fourth consecutive season the program won 30+ games, won the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships, and reached the NCAA Tournament where we swept Notre Dame 3-0 in the first round before losing an epic 3-2 match to Kentucky in Lexington. Alyssa Cavanaugh capped her incredible career by being named Conference USA’s Female StudentAthlete of the Year. Women’s basketball posted a 24-9 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons after winning the Conference USA Tournament. The Lady Toppers’ 154 wins since 2012-13 are the most in any sixyear period in school history. Joel Iyiegbuniwe (4th round - Bears) and Mike White (5th round - Cowboys) were selected in
the 2018 National Football League draft. WKU has now had nine players selected in the NFL draft since 2014, the second highest total of all Group of 5 programs, trailing only Boise State. Your commitment to our athletics programs is also more vital than ever. Many of our wins come against programs with far greater resources than we have. Of the 14 schools in Conference USA, we rank 11th in revenue generated from student fees and 12th in total budget. Our many successes are a credit to tremendous coaches, very dedicated studentathletes who are motivated to succeed on the field of play and in the classroom, and an outstanding athletics administrative staff. You are known by the company you keep, and we take pride in the nationwide respect WKU Athletics enjoys along with our standing among the top programs in the country. We are excited about conquering the challenges ahead and look forward to sharing more great moments with you in 2018-19. Thank you for the numerous ways you support our studentathletes, coaches and programs. We truly appreciate you! Go Tops!
Todd Stewart Director of Intercollegiate Athletics ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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In Memoriam
WILLIE JOHNSON WKU Athletics lost Hilltopper Track & Field assistant coach Willie Johnson on November 19, 2017. A devoted husband, father, son, friend, coach and active member of Crossland Community Church, Johnson, assisted head coach Erik Jenkins with the Hilltopper and Lady Topper sprinters, hurdlers, and jumpers. In his fifth season on the WKU staff, Johnson coached 28 student-athletes to All-America honors and 105 to All-Conference honors while also serving as WKU’s recruiting coordinator. Combined, 84 of Johnson’s student-athletes set program records. His work with Conference USA Female Track Athlete of the Year Chioma Agwunobi, First Team All-American Ventavius Sears and Second Team AllAmerican Emmanuel Dasor in 2015 was the driving force behind a dominant C-USA debut for WKU. In total, the Red and White racked up seven conference championships across the Sun Belt and Conference USA during Johnson’s time on The Hill. The men claimed indoor titles in 2015 and ’16 along with outdoor crowns in 2016 and ’17. On the women’s side, the Lady Toppers won the 2014 indoor SBC championship as well as the 2014 and ’15 outdoor titles. 2
WKU HILLTOPPER IN MEMORIAM
In Memoriam
PHILLIP HATCHETT WKU men’s golf coach Phillip Hatchett passed away on June 17, 2018. He was an outstanding individual in every respect, a kind soul liked and respected by all and someone who cared deeply for his players whom he considered family. A 1985 graduate of Western Kentucky University and four-year letterman for the men’s golf program, he spent eight seasons as head coach of the program and led a resurgence in recent years since taking over in 2010. Perhaps more than the success on the course, education took an even greater role in Hatchett’s program, and in 2012-13, 2016-17, and 2017-18, his teams were the standard for academic success on The Hill as they earned the men’s sport program Academic Team of the Year award for posting the top cumulative grade point average among all WKU men’s sport programs. Two individuals were also named WKU’s Male Academic Student-Athlete of the Year during his tenure.
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPER
TOPSY AWARDS WKU rolled out the red carpet, literally, this year as Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers from all of WKU’s sport programs joined in an evening of dinner, highlights, memories and of course, awards. Emceed by former WKU letterman Doug Gorman, WKU Athletics handed out 20 awards ranging from Scholar-Athlete of the Year to Rookie of the Year to Team of the Year. Beginning with a dinner and photo opportunity on the floor of E.A. Diddle Arena, WKU’s student-athletes celebrated the achievements of their fellow red towel wavers.
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WKU HILLTOPPER TOPSY AWARDS
2018 TOPSY AWARD WINNERS Male Community Outreach Award – Julien Lewis, Football Female Community Outreach Award – Sydney Engle, Volleyball Team Community Outreach Award - Football Male Rookie of the Year—Taveion Hollingsworth, Men’s Basketball Female Rookie of the Year – Raneem Elgedawy, Women’s Basketball Men’s Scholar Team of the Year – Men’s Golf Women’s Scholar Team of the Year – Women’s Tennis (tie) Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Ben Morrison, Baseball (tie) Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Nicholas Coffey, Football Female Scholar Athlete of the Year- Sarah Gorham, Soccer Best Male Record-Breaking Performance – Taveion Hollingsworth, Men’s Basketball Best Female Record-Breaking Performance – Volleyball Head Coach of the Year – Travis Hudson, Volleyball Support Staff of the Year – Duane Hall, Strength & Conditioning Administrator of the Year – Lisa Schneider, Senior Woman Administrator Best Comeback Award – Track & Field Best Upset Award - Men’s Basketball Mr. Hilltopper Award – Justin Johnson, Men’s Basketball Ms. Hilltopper Award – Jessica Lucas, Volleyball Overall Team Performance – Men’s Basketball
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPERS
WITH HEART
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WKU HILLTOPPERS WITH HEART
Each year, WKU Athletics’ community service initiative “Hilltoppers with Heart” aims to give student-athletes, coaches and staff the chance to give back to their communities, both in southcentral Kentucky and beyond. For three consecutive years, the program has eclipsed the 3,000 hour benchmark in community service hours after crossing the mark for the first time in program history in 2016. Hilltoppers with Heart is designed to give WKU studentathletes, coaches and staff the unique opportunity to make an impact in the community by volunteering their time and talents. Since its inception, the program has contributed over 15,000 hours of community service.
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPERS
IN THE PROS
JACK DOYLE 8
WKU HILLTOPPERS IN THE PROS
KENDALL NOBLE
TAYWAN TAYLOR
COURTNEY LEE
DEON YELDER
ALEXIS GOVAN
FORREST LAMP
GEORGE FANT
JEREMY EVANS
MIKE WHITE
JOEL IYIEGBUNIWE
TYLER HIGBEE
NORA ABOLINS
ANDERSON MILLER ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPER
MARQUEE WINS NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT
WKU Football 41 MTSU 38
WKU Men’s Basketball 92 Oklahoma State 84
NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT
WKU Baseball 7 #13 Southern Miss 1
WKU Men’s Basketball 79 USC 75 NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT
WKU Men’s Basketball 77 #16 Purdue 73 10
WKU HILLTOPPER MARQUEE WINS
WKU Men’s Basketball 79 Boston College 62
WKU proved in 2017-18 that it can hang with the best, as evidenced by marquee victories over some of the nation’s best including wins over teams from the Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and SEC. They might have more resources, but they can’t measure determination and heart.
WKU Women’s Basketball 79 #16 Missouri 76
WKU Volleyball 3 Pittsburgh 2
WKU Women’s Basketball 72 UAB 57
WKU Volleyball 3 North Texas 1
WKU Volleyball 3 #25 Ohio State 0
WKU Volleyball 3 Notre Dame 0 ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPER
BASKETBALL From the Bahamas to New York City, the 2017-18 WKU Hilltopper Basketball season provided plenty of memories. A team that competed with seven scholarship players for half of the season won over the fans and notched big-time victories at the same time. The Hilltoppers won 27 games, their most in 10 years, and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT in New York City for the first time since 1954. They finished the year 4-2 against teams from the Power 5 conferences, and they were one of just four teams in the nation – including the only non-Power 5 – to defeat teams from each of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12 conferences. One of those victories came at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, where WKU went toe-to-toe with eventual national champion Villanova, knocked off then-No. 18 Purdue and beat SMU on a shot in the final seconds. With 12
WKU HILLTOPPER BASKETBALL
momentum behind them, the Hilltoppers sold out E.A. Diddle Arena for the final four Saturdays of the season and produced three over-capacity crowds. WKU suffered a heartbreaking 67-66 loss to Marshall in the Conference USA Tournament championship game, but turned that disappointment into a NIT run Hilltopper Nation won’t soon forget. The team routed Boston College at home and then earned massive road wins over USC and Oklahoma State in a span of three days to advance to the semifinals against Utah at Madison Square Garden, where the special run came to an end. Capping a stellar career from senior Justin Johnson and creating new stars such as freshman phenom Taveion Hollingsworth, the Hilltoppers left their mark all over the school’s record book. But more than anything, they brought back belief to a storied program with a rich tradition.
JJ LEAVES HIS MARK Any record book changes for WKU this season start with Justin Johnson. The senior finished his career ranked 10th in program history in all-time scoring (1,715 points) and fifth in all-time rebounding (1,057). He’s one of just five players in program history with at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, and the first since Jim McDaniels in 1971. Johnson also finishes his career tied for third in career games played (135), fourth in career minutes played (3,785), tied for third in career double-doubles (40), eighth in career free throws attempted (522) and ninth in career field-goal percentage (.539). The Hazard, Ky., native is the first Hilltopper to lead the program in scoring and rebounding for three straight seasons since McDaniels from 1968-71.
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A STAR IS BORN Taveion Hollingsworth took just about every freshman record WKU has and ran with it. The Lexington native and 2017 Kentucky High School Mr. Basketball shattered Courtney Lee’s record for most points in a season by a WKU varsity freshman (461) with 506 of his own. He also played the most minutes of any Hilltopper freshman ever (1,312) and started the most games (38). When the 2018-19 season begins, Hollingsworth will be well on pace to become one of the highest-scoring players in the history of Hilltopper Basketball.
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WKU HILLTOPPER BASKETBALL
RECORDS SET/BROKEN Taveion Hollingsworth Justin Johnson
Darius Thompson
Most Points Scored by a WKU Freshman
Most Minutes Played in a WKU Season
Hollingsworth scored 506 points in his first year as a Hilltopper, shattering WKU great Courtney Lee’s previous record of 461. He was one of just 20 freshmen in the nation to score 500-plus points in 2017-18. Hollingsworth also set new WKU freshman records for minutes played (1,312) and games started (38).
1,000-1,000 Club Johnson became just the fifth player in WKU history with 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, and the first since Jim McDaniels in 1971. He finished his career ranked 10th in WKU history with 1,715 career points and fifth in rebounding with 1,057 boards.
Thompson, a graduate transfer, played 1,354 minutes in the 2017-18 campaign for the Hilltoppers, more than any WKU player ever in a single season. He finished the season ranked eighth nationally in total minutes played.
#SellOutDiddle As the wins came for WKU, so did the fans. The Hilltoppers’ fast start reached a fever pitch in a home game against Middle Tennessee on Jan. 20. An over-capacity crowd of 7,759 – the largest regular-season crowd in Diddle Arena since the 2002 renovation – packed the venue to see the top two teams in the league at the time. Although WKU fell short that day in a narrow loss, it started a streak of four straight Saturdays with a sellout and was the first of three over-capacity crowds the rest of the season. The Hilltoppers’ final average attendance of 5,487 was the highest since the 2007-08 Sweet 16 season, and the program averaged 6,500 fans (88.7 percent capacity) over the final eight games.
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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LADY TOPPER
BASKETBALL Coming off a C-USA regular season and tournament championship double in 2016-17, Lady Topper Basketball kicked off its 2017-18 campaign with a bang in its season opener, knocking off then-No. 16 Missouri, 79-76, in the Hawkeye Challenge. The next day in front of a raucous crowd of nearly 4,000, WKU went toe-to-toe with Iowa on its home court, battling the Hawkeyes into overtime in a high-scoring shootout. Despite losing both Kendall Noble and Micah Jones from the previous season, WKU had already proven it would still be a threat. On Nov. 14, WKU hosted eventual national champion Notre Dame inside Diddle Arena in one of the most hotly anticipated home games in years. A crowd of 5,061, WKU’s largest nonEducation Day attendance since 2005, watched the Lady Toppers hang tight with the Fighting Irish, keeping the game within one possession until the third quarter. Over the rest of non-conference play, the Lady Toppers claimed an impressive win over Mercer in the Georgia State Thanksgiving Classic, dealing the Bears their final loss before Mercer’s 27-game winning streak. WKU also took down Toledo in the West Palm Beach Invitational in what was a top-30 RPI win at the time. 16
WKU LADY TOPPER BASKETBALL
Following Michelle Clark-Heard’s departure for Cincinnati, Associate Head Coach Greg Collins was promoted to the head coaching position on March 27. Collins brings 16 years of assistant coaching experience, including the last six seasons with the Lady Toppers, and has helped the program to 154 wins during his tenure, the most in a six-year span in program history.
WKU powered through C-USA play with a 12-4 record, including two wins over Middle Tennessee to push the winning streak against the Blue Raiders to five straight games. Seeded second entering the C-USA Tournament, the Lady Toppers knocked off UTSA and North Texas before avenging a regular-season loss against UAB in the championship game. WKU then made its fourth appearance in six years in the NCAA Tournament
and battled hard before closing its season against Elite Eight participant Oregon State. Following the season, Michelle Clark-Heard left the program to take the head coaching position at Cincinnati and Director of Athletics Todd Stewart made the decision to promote Greg Collins to the head job as the 11th head coach in Lady Topper Basketball history.
LADY TOPPERS REPEAT AS C-USA TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS WKU became only the second school in C-USA history to repeat as C-USA Tournament champions and also won all three tournament outings by double digits for the second straight season. Despite falling, 79-61, at UAB during the regular season, WKU led for all but two minutes during the championship game and held one of the top-shooting three-point teams in the nation to just 28 percent from beyond the arc. The championship guaranteed WKU’s 20th trip to the NCAA Tournament, one of only 26 schools in the nation to accomplish that feat. ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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RECORDS SET/BROKEN
Tashia Brown
Raneem Elgedawy
Ivy Brown
2,000-Point Club
Freshman Double-Doubles and Single-Game Rebounds
First Lady Topper Season with 500+ Points, 300+ Rebounds and 75+ Steals
The first WKU player to capture the C-USA Freshman of the Year award, Elgedawy enjoyed one of the strongest opening seasons on The Hill in nearly 15 years. She tallied five double-doubles in 2017-18, the most by a freshman since Lady Topper legend Crystal Kelly in 2004-05. In her best performance of the season, Elgedawy pulled down 23 rebounds against FIU on Jan. 11, the most by a freshman in both WKU and C-USA history in a single game. Elgedawy’s 23 rebounds also were the most by a Division I freshman in a single game since the 2015-16 season.
The other half of WKU’s dynamic duo, Brown put together a senior season never before seen by a Lady Topper in program history. A nightly double-double threat with 17 as a senior and 35 for her career, Brown consistently disrupted opponents’ offensive sets en route to 78 steals, becoming the first Lady Topper in school history with at least 500 points (558), 300 rebounds (322) and 75 steals (78) in a single campaign. Brown was named First Team All-C-USA for the second straight year and earned the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year honor, WKU’s third time claiming that award in four seasons as a league member.
Brown put together one of the top individual seasons in program history, becoming just the fourth Lady Topper to score 2,000 career points and finishing third on the all-time list with 2,073 points. As a senior, the C-USA Player of the Year scored 742 points, the third-most in a single season in school history, and finished eighth in the country among Division I players with 22.5 points per game. Not only do Brown’s 2,073 points rank among the best in WKU history, but in C-USA history as well as the Lake Park, Ga., native ranks eighth on the all-time conference scoring list.
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WKU LADY TOPPER BASKETBALL
WKU’S C-USA AWARDS HAUL Never before in the history of C-USA had a team claimed as many postseason individual honors as the Lady Toppers did in 2017-18. Tashia Brown was named the C-USA Player of the Year, Ivy Brown brought home C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, Raneem Elgedawy was selected as the C-USA Freshman of the Year and Dee Givens captured the C-USA Sixth Player of the Year honor. Since becoming a member of C-USA prior to the 2014-15 season, WKU has now won the Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards in three out of four seasons, while the Freshman and Sixth Player honors were a first for the Lady Toppers.
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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LADY TOPPER
VOLLEYBALL
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WKU LADY TOPPER VOLLEYBALL
In 2017, head coach Travis Hudson and company are coming off their fourth-straight 30-win season (31-4), putting together a final mark of 123-17 over the last four campaigns. WKU Volleyball matched its programbest streak of seven-consecutive regular season conference titles with the 2017 C-USA crown and is the only NCAA Division I program with an active streak at seven or more. Upon winning the C-USA postseason championship on their home court for the first time as a C-USA member, the Lady Toppers went up to Lexington and swept Notre Dame in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before dropping a heartbreaking fiveset decision to No. 6 Kentucky the following night.
RECORDS SET/BROKEN
WKU Volleyball Team Conference USA record 38-straight wins over league opponents
Jessica Lucas Career all-time assists: 5,338 Passed Melanie Stutsman’s (2010-13) previous career assists record of 5,294 during the first set of WKU’s NCAA Tournament second round match against No. 6 Kentucky.
The Lady Toppers now own sole possession of the most-consecutive wins over C-USA opponents in league history with 38. A 3-0 sweep of Southern Miss pushed WKU past former C-USA member Louisville for the record at 30.
Modern-scoring era team NCAA-best 23 sweeps during single-match record for blocks 2017 season WKU’s five-set thriller over Pittsburgh was nothing short of electrifying as the squad registered a 2017 NCAA match high (at the time) 23.0 team blocks against the Panthers. Amara Listenbee and Rachel Anderson each led the way with 10 stops each becoming just the second and third players to ever record double-digit blocks in a match from Diddle Arena. Additionally, 23.0 team blocks in one match is a Conference USA modern-scoring-era record.
Going 23-1 in three-set matches during the 2017 campaign, WKU Volleyball owned the most three-set victories across the nation. The next closest squads were Colorado State (21-1), North Dakota (18-4) and FGCU (19-4). North Texas is the closest among C-USA units, sitting at 15-0 in such matches.
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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THIRD-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN WKU Volleyball’s Alyssa Cavanaugh, Jessica Lucas and Rachel Anderson were named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans, the AVCA announced in mid-December. Cavanaugh landed Third Team All-American status, becoming the first Lady Topper in program history to land on one of the three 14-person teams named by the AVCA. Joining Cavanaugh as a fourtime All-American while on The Hill was senior setter Lucas while junior Anderson collected her first honor from the AVCA. Cavanaugh and Lucas become just the second and third players in program history to garner AVCA All-America honors all four years on The Hill, joining the program’s only four-time honoree – Megan Argabright. All three earned first-team all-region honors all four seasons. Of the 10 Region Player of the Year honorees across the country, Cavanaugh was the only non-Power 5 selection and is one of just five to land on an AVCA All-America team across the 42 honored spots. 22
WKU LADY TOPPER VOLLEYBALL
Elite Company Announced prior to the Conference USA Tournament, WKU Volleyball’s Alyssa Cavanaugh repeated as the C-USA Player of the Year. Jessica Lucas also secured her third-straight C-USA Setter of the Year nod on the same day. Cavanaugh is just the fifth player in league history to win multiple Player of the Year honors while Lucas becomes the first setter to win three Setter of the Year awards. During the history of the Conference USA superlative awards, only 16 student-athletes have claimed multiple awards including Cavanaugh and Lucas.
SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATES Announced in early October, two WKU Volleyball players were named to the list of the 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Alyssa Cavanaugh and Jessica Lucas mark the first Lady Toppers to be recognized by the prestigious award since Ashley Potts was named a second-team All-American in 2013. In November, Lucas was announced as one of the 10 finalists and went on to win the fan vote, which counted for one-third of the final decision. The Lady Topper ultimately claimed a First-Team All-American honor, becoming the first WKU player to ever land first team honors.
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPER
FOOTBALL Highlighted by wins over longtime foe Eastern Kentucky, a third consecutive victory over Middle Tennessee, a bowl trip for the fourth consecutive season, and bowl eligibility for the seventh-straight year, it was an eventful year for a young group of Hilltoppers on the gridiron under first-year head coach Mike Sanford. With the graduation of three senior offensive linemen, including two to NFL rosters, as well as the top two receivers in school history, it was going to be a year of development for the team. With the return of quarterback Mike White providing some stability on the offensive front, WKU ran off to a 5-2 start including road wins at UTEP and Old Dominion before concluding the regular season with a 6-6 mark. The Hilltoppers defeated Middle Tennessee at home in dramatic fashion on senior night with a triple-overtime victory, sending the Hilltoppers to the Cure Bowl in Orlando. 24
WKU HILLTOPPER FOOTBALL
Deon Who? You’ll Know. No yards. No catches. One blocked field goal to his name. A year later, former walk-on tight end Deon Yelder was a household name among WKU fans. Entering his final season on The Hill, Yelder had mainly contributed only on special teams – blocking an overtime extra point at Middle Tennessee in 2016 to help secure WKU’s victory – with no receiving credits to his name. But, as the leader of a thin tight end group, Yelder put in the work in the offseason to become one of the nation’s top tight ends and rewriting the record books in the process. Yelder caught 52 passes for 688 yards, the most yards in a single season by a tight end in school history and the second-most receptions in a season by a tight end. Yelder’s 52 total points scored were also the most ever in a season by a WKU tight end.
MORE PRO TOPS ADDED TO NFL ROSTERS Following the season, quarterback Mike White and linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe heard their names called in the 2018 NFL Draft. Iyiegbuniwe, having finished his degree and with an intent to eventually enroll in medical school, decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the draft a year early. His decision paid off as he became the first Hilltopper to hear his name called in the draft when his hometown Chicago Bears selected him in the fourth round. White didn’t have to wait much longer as he was selected in the fifth round by the Dallas Cowboys where he will be coached by former Boise State quarterback, and friend of head coach Mike Sanford, Kellen Moore.
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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LADY TOPPER
SOCCER
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WKU LADY TOPPER SOCCER
Facing a tough non-conference schedule that included dates against Power 5 opponents Texas and Vanderbilt, WKU Soccer battled through the daunting slate to post a 3-4 overall record. The Lady Toppers claimed a thrilling overtime win over UT Martin at the WKU Soccer Complex on Ashley Leonard’s golden goal in the 94th minute and added another convincing 4-1 home victory over Evansville to pair with a road win at Lipscomb in the season opener. In C-USA play, the Lady Toppers struggled over their first five matches and were unable to find the back of the net against some of the perennial powers in the league like Rice and North Texas. WKU pushed both Old Dominion and Southern Miss to double overtime in road tilts, but had to settle for a draw against the Golden Eagles and fell on a late golden goal in Norfolk, Va., against the Monarchs. With Tally Bishop’s ninth-minute breakthrough against Florida Atlantic on Oct. 15, WKU kicked off its late-season turnaround. The Lady Toppers closed the regular season with wins in four of their final five matches, including a tight 2-1 win in the middle of a rainstorm against Marshall on Senior Night, to come within a tiebreaker of reaching the conference tournament despite an 0-4-1 start to conference action.
RECORDS SET/BROKEN
JACKSON HEADS TO NEW ZEALAND U-20 WORLD CUP TRAINING CAMP In mid-April, Deven Jackson received a call-up to New Zealand’s training camp for the 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup following her first season on The Hill. Jackson, who has previously spent time with New Zealand’s U-17 and U-19 national teams, will be competing for a spot on the roster for the event hosted by France in August.
Allison Leone
Chandler Backes
Most Weekly Awards in Program History
Top 10 in Goals Scored in Program History
With her fourth career C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week honor on Oct. 16, Leone passed former WKU standout Amanda Buechel for the most weekly conference awards in program history.
In just two seasons on The Hill, Backes has already moved into the top 10 in WKU Soccer history in career goals. After finding the back of the net 10 times as a freshman in 2016, Backes added six more scores this season to move into 10th place on the list with 16 goals. ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPER
CROSS COUNTRY For WKU Cross Country, the 2017 season was one focused around growth as the team saw 10 underclassmen each run at least two races during the year. Savannah Ames led the way for the Lady Toppers while Julien Cuyeu and Endalow Takele assumed senior leadership roles on the men’s side. The Red and White did not leave the states of Kentucky or Tennessee for competition until the Conference USA Championships, which were held in Jackson, Miss.
with a 23rd-place finish (25:28.54) in the men’s 8K competition, narrowly missing All-Conference USA recognition. The Hilltoppers finished sixth as a team at the outing.
Growth at the C-USA Championships
Overall, six of WKU’s 12 competitors at the event were freshmen. At the end of the day nine Red and White representatives had posted season-best times in their respective races.
WKU Cross Country produced another strong showing at this year’s C-USA Championships in Jackson, Miss. On the men’s side, Julien Cuyeu led the way 28
WKU HILLTOPPER CROSS COUNTRY
In the women’s 5K race, Savannah Ames (18:35.93) led the Lady Topper squad to a 13th place team finish. In her senior Championships showing, Ames’ 37thplace performance led the otherwise underclassman-composed Red and White squad at the event.
Jenkins, Former Runners Honored at KTCCCA/USATFKentucky Awards Program WKU Track & Field head coach Erik Jenkins and former Hilltopper standouts Sharika Smith and Christina Brown Wells were recognized in the Jan. 7 KTCCCA/ USATF-Kentucky Awards Program for their accomplishments. Jenkins was tabbed as the 2017 University Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year while Smith and Wells were both inducted into the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Association Hall of Fame in Lexington.
IN THE CLASSROOM The Hilltoppers’ Taylor Scarbrough was recognized for his efforts in the classroom as the sophomore became one of six male runners named to the InTouch Credit Union Conference USA All-Academic Team. Scarbrough owned a 4.0 GPA at the time of nomination. The finance major was joined by 16 fellow track and field teammates on the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and was one of six Hilltopper track and field competitors to earn a C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal.
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INDOOR
TRACK/FIELD The 2017-18 indoor season saw WKU Track & Field produce continued improvements throughout the season, culminating in five all-conference performances at the Conference USA Championships held at the Birmingham CrossPlex in mid-February. WKU saw Morgan McIntyre extend her reign as the league’s top female pole vaulter to three-straight championships.
Conference USA Indoor Championships In their fourth consecutive Conference USA Indoor Championships since joining the league, the WKU men took home an eighth-place team finish while the Lady Toppers finished 11th. In total, four individuals earned five All-Conference honors at the 2018 event. Additionally, 12 individual performances and a relay ranked in the top-eight of the standings and earned points for the Hilltoppers. Morgan McIntyre won her second-consecutive indoor pole vault championships while extending her Conference USA reign to the last three championships. McIntyre won the event with a clear of 3.90 meters while fellow Lady Topper Getter Lemberg finished third with a jump of 3.70 meters. 30
WKU HILLTOPPER INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
On the men’s side, Jonathan Hayden brought home his third career All-Conference honor in the 60-meter hurdles, earning runner-up status. Julius Morris picked up a pair of honors with a second place showing in the 200-meter and a third-place finish in the 60-meter. WKU Track & Field has claimed nine of the 12 possible Indoor All-Conference spots in the men’s 200-meter dash since joining Conference USA prior to the 2014-15 season.
McIntyre Takes Control of C-USA Pole Vault Senior Lady Topper pole vaulter Morgan McIntyre collected a pair of Conference USA Women’s Field Athlete of the Week awards during the 2017-18 indoor campaign. The honors came back-toback weeks with the second secured following a personal-record clear of 3.98 meters for the Ashland, Ky., native. At the C-USA Championships, McIntyre’s clear of 3.90 meters secured her thirdstraight pole vault championship and was more than eight inches better than the second-place finisher’s jump.
RECORDS SET/BROKEN
HAVE A SENIOR YEAR, JULIUS MORRIS A native of Montserrat, Julius Morris put together an impressive final indoor campaign on The Hill. Morris tied the WKU indoor program 200-meter record at the Boston University Last Chance Qualifier with a 20.89. Morris’ 200-meter reading tied former Hilltopper Emmanuel Dasor’s indoor record set in 2016. Morris also returned from the C-USA Indoor Championships with a pair of All-Conference honors coming in both the 60-meter and 200-meter sprints. With his second-place finish in the 200-meter race, Morris secured his fourth indoor All-Conference recognition in the event.
Julius Morris
Eli Minor
Indoor 200-Meter
Indoor 60-Meter
Morris tied Emmanuel Dasor’s indoor 200-meter dash school record (2016) of 20.89 at the Boston University Last Chance Qualifier on Feb. 25, 2018.
Minor tied Emmanuel Dasor’s indoor 60-meter dash school record (2016) of 6.68 in a preliminary run at the Conference USA Indoor Championships on Feb. 17, 2018. ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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The Lady Topper Golf program continued to reach new heights under head coach Adam Gary in 2017-18, boasting the best team stroke average in its history. WKU finished the season with seven topfive team performances in 11 events, including six straight – and the first five of the spring – leading into the Conference USA Championship. The Lady Toppers tallied 29 top-20 individual finishes, as well as 17 top10s and two victories by sophomore Mary Joiner. WKU also won the title at its own Spring Break Shootout in March. That was the program’s fifth team championship in Gary’s four seasons at the helm. The Lady Toppers succeeded with a strong mix of talent, including standout senior Georgina Blackman, the surging sophomore Joiner and a rising freshman in Megan Clarke, who tied for 11th at the C-USA Championship. Joiner and Blackman were both named to the All-Conference USA teams, marking the third time in four seasons that the Lady Toppers have had multiple all-league selections.
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WKU LADY TOPPER GOLF
LADY TOPPER
GOLF
Joiner Makes History
Blackman Puts Bow on Career
Spring Break Victory
In just two seasons, Mary Joiner has etched her name into the Lady Topper record books. The sophomore won two individual tournaments in 2017-18, giving her a programrecord four career victories. She finished the season with nine top-25 results, five top-10s and four top-fives, including a commanding win at the Spring Break Shootout and a playoff victory at the EKU Colonel Classic. Joiner was named C-USA Golfer of the Week three times during a fiveweek span in the spring. She was also named to the All-CUSA First Team and the C-USA All-Academic Team. Joiner competed in all 11 events for the Lady Toppers and led the team with a stroke average of 73.9.
As far as four-year careers go, Georgina Blackman has no rival in Lady Topper history. The senior became the first golfer in program history to be named all-conference in all four seasons when she was named to the C-USA Second Team this year. In her final season, Blackman was WKU’s top finisher in 7 of 10 events. She finished the year with a stroke average of 74.3. Blackman tallied eight top-20 finishes, as well as six top-10s and five top-fives. She finished fourth in the 2018 C-USA Championship, the best result by a Lady Topper in 20 years, and she broke her own program record with a three-round total of 219 in the conference tournament. Blackman was named to the C-USA All-Tournament Team.
The Lady Toppers didn’t just win their own Spring Break Shootout tournament in Florida in March – they dominated it. WKU won the team crown by a convincing 24 strokes with an 880 score, while Mary Joiner won the individual title and placed eight strokes ahead of secondplace teammate Georgina Blackman. The Lady Toppers had three golfers in the top five and all five in the top 20. It was the fifth team championship in head coach Adam Gary’s four seasons at the helm. Gary’s five titles are the secondmost for a Lady Topper coach, and he’s the second coach in program history to win a tournament each of his/her first four seasons with the reins. ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPER
GOLF
Catching Fire in Mobile
Easton Starts a Streak
The Hilltoppers finished the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate in February with a 6-under 858 team total, but it was the second round where they really hit their stride. WKU shot a 9-under 279 at the South Alabama event with all four contributing scores under par. It was the program’s lowest team score to par in head coach Phillip Hatchett’s tenure, which dates back to 2010, and the 279 was the team’s best single-round score since carding a 278 at the Dayton Flyer Invitational in October 2013. The Hilltoppers finished the tournament with four golfers in the top 20.
Junior Stuart Easton finished in the top five in three events in 201718, but it was the way he did – back-to-back-to-back in the fall – that proved so special. Easton tied for fifth at both the Memphis Intercollegiate and Pinetree Intercollegiate, and finished a careerbest third at the Southern Dunes Invitational inbetween. Easton’s 7-under 209 at Southern Dunes was also a career low, and he was named C-USA Golfer of the Week for his efforts. He’s the only Hilltopper in recent years to finish in the top five individually in three consecutive events.
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WKU HILLTOPPER GOLF
With a roster featuring just one senior, the Hilltopper Golf team registered five top-five performances during the 2017-18 campaign, including two 6-under scores of 858. Those were the first team scores under par since April 2016. WKU also had 21 top-25 individual results, including 11 top10s, six top-fives and one victory by Billy Tom Sargent at the Border Olympics. The redshirt junior Sargent led the way for the Hilltoppers all season and capped the year with the first NCAA Regional appearance by a WKU golfer since 2008. Sargent registered as the team’s top finisher seven times and caught fire in the middle of the season with 6 of 9 rounds at 69 or lower before he was slowed somewhat by a knee injury down the stretch. That didn’t keep him from finishing 11th in the Conference USA Championship, however, nor did it keep WKU from capping the conference tournament with a 2-over 290, the program’s best team score in a league tourney since 2008. The Hilltoppers graduate one senior in Bryant Evans and return all five players who competed in the C-USA Championship.
SARGENT STAYS STRONG Redshirt junior Billy Tom Sargent continued to cement his name as one of the top Hilltopper golfers in recent memory, recording nine top-20 finishes, five top-10s, three top-fives and one victory at the Border Olympics during the 2017-18 campaign. The individual win was the third of his career. He won it with a memorable effort, shooting a career-low, 12-under 204. That was the lowest 54-hole score by a Hilltopper since 2009, and it earned him C-USA Golfer of the Week honors as a result. Two weeks prior, Sargent went nearly just as low with a 10-under 206 tally that earned him third place at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate. Sargent tied for 11th at the C-USA Championship, the best result by a Hilltopper since 2010. His 219 total was the best by a Hilltopper since 2014. Sargent was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team, the first all-conference selection for the program since Alex Yost in 2010. He finished the year with an individual berth to the NCAA Regionals, making him the second Hilltopper to qualify for the NCAAs as an individual, and the first since 2008. ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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OUTDOOR
TRACK/FIELD WKU Outdoor Track and Field continued its tradition of success in the 2018 season. Across seven regular season meets, WKU took home a combined 28 event titles from individual events and relays, including in highly competitive meets like the Mt. SAC Relays. When it came time for “championship season” as head coach Erik Jenkins names it, the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers were ready for the tough road ahead. At the 2018 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, WKU claimed seven event titles: Desmond Mobley, men’s long jump; Denzel Villaman, men’s 400-meter hurdles; Julius Morris, men’s 200-meter; men’s 4x400meter relay; Morgan McIntyre, women’s pole vault; Ariel Terrell, women’s 400-meter hurdles; and Juannae Lewis, women’s 400-meter. In the NCAA East Preliminaries, 16 competitors represented WKU across 36
WKU HILLTOPPER OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
13 events. Out of the Preliminaries, both Hilltopper relay teams and Julius Morris as an individual advanced to the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. This was the 11th straight season WKU was represented by multiple student-athletes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. At the national championships, the 4x100-meter relay posted a season best time of 38.94, the fourth best in outdoor program history, earning Second-Team All-American honors and a seventh-place finish in the semifinals. Morris ran as an individual in the 200-meter dash, posting a time of 20.63 and finishing with Second-Team All-American honors as well, his fifth All-American accolade of his career. The 4x400-meter relay unit finished with Honorable Mention All-American honors after running a 3:07.48.
Key First Place Finishes and Personal Records Carry WKU Track and Field WKU Track and Field split squads on a weekend in April as some Hilltoppers traveled to the Golden State to compete in the Mt. SAC Relays while other members of the Red and White competed in the Peach State at the Georgia Tech Invitational. Between both events, there were 15 top-10 finishes including three first-place finishes and eight personal records. In the Mt. SAC Relays, the men’s 4x100-meter relay squad finished first while the 4x400meter relay placed sixth. At the Georgia Tech Invitational, Ariel Terrell scored first in the 400-meter hurdles for the third weekend in a row while Brianna Eskridge finished first in the triple jump.
RECORDS SET/BROKEN Ariel Terrell
Juannae Lewis
Julius Morris
WKU Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles, 57.67, at C-USA Championships
WKU Women’s 400-Meter, 53.00, at C-USA Championships
Previously held by Vata Allen in 1981 with a time of 58.10. She became third Lady Topper in school history to earn the 400-meter hurdle conference title and the first to do so in 37 years. The last was Allen in 1981.
Previously held by Valerie Brown in 2008 with a time of 53.68, Lewis notched a schoolrecord mark of 53.07 in the preliminary round before resetting the top mark at 53.00 in the event finals to become the fifth Lady Topper to win a conference championship in the 400-meter outdoor event.
Conference USA Outdoor Championships Men’s 100-Meter, 10.12, at C-USA Championships Previously held by himself in 2017 with a time of 10.15. The time of 10.12 marked a new PR and season best for the Hilltopper. He ultimately claimed second place in the event at the conference championships.
WKU Claims Six Event Titles In Final Day of C-USA Championships WKU Track and Field finished the 2018 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a total of seven event titles, picking up six of them in the final day of competition. The Hilltoppers finished tied with Rice for fourth while the Lady Toppers finished in ninth. On Sunday alone, seven WKU student-athletes cracked the top five program marks in their respective events, including two new school records. The seven total title winners were Desmond Mobley, Morgan McIntyre, Ariel Terrell, Juannae Lewis, Denzel Villaman, Julius Morris and the men’s 4x400meter relay team. ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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LADY TOPPER
TENNIS WKU Tennis finished its season with a record of 9-8 having completed the second-best conference tournament run in program history after advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2018 C-USA Women’s tennis championship. In six of the nine matches WKU won, the Lady Toppers defeated their opponent by three or more points. WKU faced a difficult non-conference schedule, playing opponents like the eventual OVC Champion EKU and No. 38, at the time, Tennessee. In regular season conference play the Lady Toppers defeated UAB and UTEP 4-1. In the conference championship, WKU swept LA Tech 4-0 for its second first round conference tournament win in program history. In the quarterfinals, the Lady Toppers fell to No. 43 Rice, the eventual C-USA Championship Runner-Up. Moka Ito led the team, notching a singles record of 12-1 and finishing the season on an 38
WKU LADY TOPPER TENNIS
eight-win streak. She often teamed up with sophomore partner Monica Malinen as the two held a 9-3 record together playing all 12 matches in the No. 1 spot for WKU.
WKU Claims Its Third Road Win Defeating ETSU 4-3
WKU bounced back after losing the doubles point to win four of six singles matches, claiming the win over ETSU on its home court. The Buccaneers of ETSU were 2-0 on their home court before the Lady Toppers won the match.
WKU Tennis Opens Spring Season at Alabama
WKU Lady Topper Tennis headed south for its season opener against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility. In 2017, Alabama was ranked for 11 straight weeks in the ITA polls.
SINGLES RALLY ALLOWS WKU TO DEFEAT EKU 5-2
RECORDS SET/BROKEN
WKU defeated in-state foe EKU 5-2 in a neutral site spring break match at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. After losing the doubles point, the Lady Toppers rallied to win five of six singles matches, claiming the overall victory.
Elpida Malamou
Moka Ito
Most Singles Wins in a Career (44), Most Doubles Wins in a Career (27)
Tied for Sixth Most Singles Wins in a Season, Tied for Eighth Most Doubles Wins in a Season
Olga Kosaka (2001-04) previously held the singles record with 32 wins. Malamou’s former teammate and fellow Greece native Andreanna Christopoulou (2014-17) held the previous doubles record with 26 wins.
Ito was one of four Lady Toppers in the past 12 years to crack the top-10 in singles wins in a season and doubles wins in a season. ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPER
SOFTBALL A young WKU Softball squad made some noise in Conference USA – as well as the program record book – en route to a 28-26 2018 campaign. Graduating just one senior and bringing back an experienced core, the future is bright for the Hilltoppers. WKU earned its second-consecutive berth in the Conference USA Championships, grabbing the eight seed, and once again pulled off an upset of the fifth seed – defeating Marshall 5-2 from Charlotte, N.C., before suffering a loss to preseason favorite Louisiana Tech.
Decorated Rookies All four of the Hilltoppers’ rookies were recognized for their contributions on the diamond. Outfielder Jordan Thomas became the program’s first-ever freshman named to an NFCA All-Region team, earning third team honors in the Mideast Region. Catcher Kendall Smith was selected 40
WKU HILLTOPPER SOFTBALL
as the only backstop to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team after her postseason showing. Pitcher Shelby Nunn and first baseman Maddie Bowlds, along with Thomas, were all named to the C-USA AllFreshman Team.
McElroy Named CoSIDA Academic All District Hilltopper sophomore Morgan McElroy became the first WKU Softball studentathlete to earn Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-District honors since 2014. The Madisonville, Ky., native is the 12th Hilltopper in program history to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District distinctions. McElroy started 47 of the Red and White’s games in 2018 – primarily at second base – and owns a perfect 4.0 GPA while studying accounting on The Hill.
DOMINANT SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN BY AIKEY In her second season on The Hill, Kelsey Aikey found her groove and wrote her name all over the record books. Aikey got the nod as WKU’s starter for the first time of the season on Feb. 15 and proceeded to take the 12th no-hitter in program history through 8 innings before the Hilltoppers walked off with a 1-0 win in the bottom of the frame over Sacred Heart. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native also threw a one-hitter (W 1-0 vs. Dayton), a two-hitter (W 1-0 vs. FIU) and a three-hitter (W 4-1 at Southern Miss) over the course of the season. The win over the Panthers saw the righty out-duel reigning Freshman of the Year in FIU’s pitcher, Shannon Saile and secured WKU’s spot in the C-USA Tournament. In Charlotte for postseason play, Aikey set a new career high with nine punchouts over Marshall to get the Red and White into the next round.
RECORDS SET/BROKEN
Jordan Thomas
Kelsey Aikey
Tied Program’s Single-Season Reset Single-Season Relief Doubles Record (16) & Set the Appearances Record, Threw Walks Record (40) Program’s First Extra-Inning In her first collegiate season, Thomas No-Hitter matched WKU’s 17-year-old single-season doubles record with 16 and surpassed the previous walks record (37) by three, finishing with 40.
Kelsey Aikey broke her own single-season pitching relief appearances record 918) with 20 in 2018. She now owns 38 in her career, good for second all-time, and the sophomore tossed the program’s 12th-ever no-hitter on Feb. 15, an eight-inning 1-0 win for the first extra-inning no-no in program history.
Maddie Bowlds
Shelby Nunn
Tied Program’s Single-Game Tied WKU’s Single-Season At Bats Record (6), Third-Most Appearances Record (44) by a Hits in a Game (4) Pitcher In her first collegiate game, Bowlds went 4-for-5 for the third-most hits in a single game in program history. An 11-inning affair at UAB (4/14) saw Bowlds register 6 at bats to make the single-game program record.
In her rookie campaign, Shelby Nunn made a Conference USA-best 44 appearances throughout the 2018 campaign, tying WKU’s single-season record.
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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HILLTOPPER
BASEBALL With 20 new faces to the program for the 2018 season, WKU Baseball made major improvements in all areas and it showed on the field for head coach John Pawlowski. The Hilltoppers finished 21-31, and 11-18 in Conference USA action after going 16-39 overall and 6-24 in league play in 2017. Junior outfielder Jacob Rhinesmith earned C-USA First Team honors as 1-of-2 players in the league to finish with double-digit homerun (14) and stolen base (13) totals. Senior Steven Kraft finished third in both batting average (.382) and on-base percentage (.483), and was voted to the C-USA Second Team. Senior righty Ben Morrison had a career-high seven saves and ranked second among league relievers with a 2.21 ERA, which put him second among WKU pitchers (with 35-plus innings) dating back to at least 2005. Outfielder Luke Brown led all league hitters with a .415 batting average in 29 C-USA games, which was the second-best mark dating back to 2011. His .369 overall effort ranked third among freshmen across Division I. The Hilltopper offense produced 23 double-digit hit performances after 18 in 2017, while the pitching staff held opponents to zero or one run on 42
WKU HILLTOPPER BASEBALL
six occasions after not doing so once in the previous season. With the gloves, WKU made only 52 errors and led C-USA with a .973 fielding percentage, after committing 80 miscues in 2017. WKU turned the tables on many league opponents in 2018, ending multiple losing slides in the alltime series while writing a new script. After losing 11 straight to Rice, WKU won the final two games of the series in Houston. The Hilltoppers won 5-4 on Saturday with three doubles by senior Colie Currie and five shutout innings from the bullpen, then 4-0 on Sunday with a completegame shutout by senior Paul Kirkpatrick. The righty spun the program’s first complete-game shutout on the road since 2007 with only four hits allowed, zero walks and seven strikeouts. After losing nine straight to Southern Miss, WKU won Game 2 of the series in Hattiesburg by a score of 7-1. The Hilltoppers handed the No. 13 Golden Eagles their worst home loss of 2018 behind six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts by senior Ryan Thurston. Junior Jacob Rhinesmith hit a three-run homerun to help WKU clinch its first win over a ranked opponent in the previous 25 tries.
The Hilltoppers won the final two games of a home series against Marshall after the Thundering Herd had taken the previous seven games against the Hilltoppers. Finally, after falling in seven straight contests to Louisiana Tech, Thurston fired eight innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts for the 6-1 win to stop that skid as well. Junior Colin Butkiewicz and sophomore Ray Zuberer III homered to help WKU jump out to an early 5-0 lead. In a March 9-10 series vs. Bowling Green, WKU won all three games over the Falcons for the program’s first sweep of a nonconference opponent since 2015. The Hilltoppers swept a doubleheader over BGSU on March 10 after sweeping Northern Illinois in a twin-bill on Feb. 23, the program’s first two doubleheader sweeps since 2015, as well. Although WKU did not pull out the wins, one-run defeats on the road to No. 7 Kentucky, No. 15 Vanderbilt and in-state rival Louisville show just how much the program has grown over the course of the past year under Coach Pawlowski.
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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WHAT IS THE HAF:
THE OFFICIAL FUNDRAISING ENTITY FOR WKU ATHLETICS
Since 1965, the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation and its donors have raised support for WKU student-athletes, along with the WKU athletic budget, sport specific enhancement funds, and necessary capital improvements. Through the financial support of our donors, we serve a key role in connecting our fans, friends, and alumni to the WKU Athletics mission.
= 200 Financial Supporters
OVER 2,200
Financial Supporters
= 50 Student-Athletes
NEARLY 350
Student-Athletes supported
MORE THAN JUST TICKETS: EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES While it is true that support of the HAF offers an opportunity for priority seating, access to premium amenities & parking, and other special perks, as an investor in our Foundation, it is about more than just the benefits. Your support directly contributes to the educational opportunities of the student-athletes representing Western Kentucky University. These student-athletes are true ambassadors for the University – competing as CHAMPIONS in the classroom and in competition. 44
WKU HILLTOPPER ATHLETIC FOUNDATION
INVEST IN EXCELLENCE: YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS
24
Conference Championships
12K+
3.0
Community Service Hours
Average GPA (Cumulative)
Since Joining Conference USA
WHY YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS: EXCELLENCE DOESN’T COME WITHOUT A COST The cost of the student-athlete experience at WKU has risen over 34 percent in the past five years. With support from the state lower than ever, every gift allows us to continue our success and gives the experience of Western Kentucky University education to a deserving studentathlete. Additionally, the student-athlete experience is more than just tuition and books. Your support helps us to support the full slate of financial needs for our student-athletes and teams, including:
2017-2018 TUITION & FEES
ROOM & BOARD
BOOKS & SUPPLIES
EQUIPMENT
MEDICAL INSURANCE
In State: $10,202 Out of State: $25,512
Average 2017-18: $9,000
Average per year: $1,000
$1,898
$2,446.50
AVERAGE TOTAL: $32,201.50 HELP US CONTINUE THE TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE BY RENEWING YOUR COMMITMENT TO WKU TODAY. ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
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INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE HONOREES
Alyssa Cavanaugh
Jessica Lucas
Moka Ito
C-USA Female Athlete of the Year & C-USA Volleyball Player of the Year
C-USA Volleyball Setter of the Year
C-USA Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Year
Raneem Elgedawy
Dee Givens
Tashia Brown
Ivy Brown
C-USA Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Year
C-USA Women’s Basketball Sixth Player of the Year
C-USA Women’s Basketball Player of the Year
C-USA Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year