WKU ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19 Since joining Conference USA in 2014-15, WKU has nine more championships than the closest member school and continues to graduate student-athletes and serve the greater southcentral Kentucky community at a record pace! 2018-19 Annual Report Hello Hilltopper Nation! The 2018-19 year marked continued success throughout WKU Athletics, both on and off the field of competition. We have claimed 25 total conference championships across our five years in Conference USA, which is nine more than the next closest league member. That success has been widespread throughout the department, with seven different programs winning titles since entering the league in 2014-15. For the third straight season, WKU produced a league-best 41 C-USA Player of the Week honorees, and we had 151 student-athletes named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for Academic Excellence. A total of 69 student-athletes graduated during the 2018-19 year with a combined grade point average of 3.21. Additionally, WKU Athletics has continued to serve the community through our Hilltoppers with Heart program with more than 3,000 hours of community service in Bowling Green and beyond. Men’s basketball continued to take on the best of the best, going 3-1 against the Power Five with wins over #15 Wisconsin and #13 West Virginia, and a road win at Arkansas. The Hilltoppers are 7-3 against the Power Five over the last two seasons, while Gonzaga, Seton Hall and Villanova are the only non-Power Five programs with more such wins during that span. Despite losing major contributors and facing its most difficult schedule in many years, women’s basketball earned its seventh-straight 20-win season and advanced to the third round of the WNIT. The volleyball team was also a model of consistency with its 19th-straight 20-win season. The men’s golf program sent two individuals to NCAA Regionals for the first time, while Billy Tom Sargent went on to become the first Hilltopper to ever compete in the NCAA Championships, tying for 11th with honorable mention All-American honors. On the women’s side, Lady Topper golf won its sixth team title in five years, and Mary Joiner set a new C-USA record with six career wins. Softball finished 37-13 to claim the C-USA East Division title and post the best winning percentage in program history. Our baseball team reached the C-USA Tournament for the first time after our best regular season finish since 2011 (4th). After becoming the first Triple Crown winner in league history, Jake Sanford became the fourth highest draft pick in program history when he was selected in the third round by the New York Yankees. WKU Track and Field also produced All-Americans during both its indoor and outdoor campaigns. As you know, much of our success comes against programs with far greater resources than we have. Our dominance in winning conference titles has come despite ranking 11th of 14 Conference USA schools in revenue generated by student fees, as well as 12th in total Todd Stewart budget. Our ability to succeed at such a high level through these challenges is a credit to our Director of Intercollegiate Athletics outstanding coaches, student-athletes and staff. We take great pride in going toe-to-toe with the best and putting ourselves in position each year to compete for championships. We are excited about all that is ahead of us in 2019-20 and look forward to sharing many more great moments with you over the next year. Thank you again for all of your tremendous support of our student-athletes, coaches and programs! Go Tops! Todd Stewart Director of Intercollegiate Athletics 1 2 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report TOPSY Awards For the second annual TOPSY Awards, the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers shined on the red carpet as WKU Athletics honored its best and brightest during the yearly awards dinner and celebration ceremony. Back for his second year at the microphone, former WKU letterman Doug Gorman helped hand out 24 awards ranging from Scholar-Athlete of the Year to Rookie of the Year to Team of the Year. The night began with a dinner on the floor of E.A. Diddle Arena and concluded across the Avenue of Champions in the Downing Student Union. New for 2019 were three awards including the Phillip Hatchett Hilltopper Spirit Award, named in honor of the former men’s golf coach and given to a student-athlete who best exemplified everything Coach Hatchett stood for: class, character, and a commitment to their teammates in everything they do. The first-ever winner of the award was senior men’s golfer Billy Tom Sargent. The Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year were also honored at the event for the first time. 2018-19 TOPSY Award Winners Male Community Outreach Award – Moustapha Diagne, Men’s Basketball Female Community Outreach Award – Kaylyn Bryant, Soccer Team Community Outreach Award - Volleyball Male Rookie of the Year—Charles Bassey, Men’s Basketball Female Rookie of the Year – Kennedy Sullivan, Softball Men’s Scholar Team of the Year – Men’s Cross Country Men’s Scholar Team of the Year (Runner-Up) - Men’s Golf Women’s Scholar Team of the Year – Women’s Golf Women’s Scholar Team of the Year (Runner-Up) - Soccer Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Blake Smith, Men’s Golf Female Scholar Athlete of the Year- Megan Morris, Soccer Best Male Record-Breaking Performance – Jake Sanford, Baseball Best Female Record-Breaking Performance – Katie Isenbarger, Volleyball/Track & Field Head Coach of the Year – Amy Tudor, Softball Support Staff of the Year – Sarah Hurdish, Athletic Training Administrator of the Year – Debbie Carroll, Business Administration Phillip Hatchett Hilltopper Spirit Award - Billy Tom Sargent, Men’s Golf Best Comeback Award – Men’s Golf Best Upset Award - Men’s Basketball Mr. Hilltopper Award – Julien Lewis, Football Ms. Hilltopper Award – Mary Joiner, Women’s Golf Overall Team Performance – Softball John O. Oldham Male Student-Athlete of the Year - Jake Sanford, Baseball John O. Oldham Female Student-Athlete of the Year - Dee Givens, Women’s Basketball 3 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 four 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 student-athletes, 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 20,000 hours of community service.
4 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report 5 Hilltoppers in the Pros
Courtney Lee Jack Doyle Dallas Mavericks Indianapolis Colts
Alexis Govan George Fant PAOK Thessaloniki Seattle Seahawks
6 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Ben Morrison, Burlington Bees Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams Taywan Taylor, Tennessee Titans Sarah Gorham, Lidköpings FK
Kenny Perry, PGA/Champions Tour Forrest Lamp, Los Angeles Chargers Anderson Miller, NW Arkansas Naturals Mike White, Dallas Cowboys
Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Chicago Bears Jacob Rhinesmith, Hagerstown Suns Deon Yelder, Kansas City Chiefs 7 Marquee Wins
WKU Baseball 7 WKU Football 30 WKU Basketball 83 Old Dominion 4 Louisiana Tech 15 #15 Wisconsin 76 (C-USA Tournament)
WKU Basketball 63 WKU Basketball 78 WKU Basketball 71 #13 West Virginia 57 Arkansas 77 Saint Mary’s 68
8 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report WKU Softball 4 WKU Softball 8 WKU Volleyball 3 #17 Kentucky 1 North Texas 0 Notre Dame 2
WKU Volleyball 3 WKU Women’s Basketball 67 WKU Women’s Basketball 67 (RV) Cincinnati 1 Middle Tennessee 56 Miami (Ohio) 63 (Women’s NIT)
9 10 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Hilltopper Golf The 2018-19 WKU Hilltopper Golf team endured a great tragedy after the passing of coach Phillip Hatchett in summer 2018, but the squad rallied together in his honor to turn in the best season in more than a decade. The Hilltoppers produced some of their best results in many seasons, came within two strokes of advancing to match play in the Conference USA Championship, and had a postseason to remember because of the individual play of seniors Stuart Easton and Billy Tom Sargent. Sargent capped the year in memorable fashion with an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships – the first trip ever to the top stage in college golf by a Hilltopper. Play 4 Coach The program was left reeling in June 2018 when longtime head coach Phillip Hatchett, a WKU alumnus and former standout player, was killed in a cycling accident at the age of 55. The Hilltoppers and Hatchett had been building toward the 2018-19 season, and they made sure that his efforts didn’t go unrewarded. While wearing wristbands that said “Play 4 Coach” and patches on their golf bags that read “P4C,” the players kept Hatchett with them in spirit all season and honored his memory with each outing. Conference USA also renamed its annual Coach of the Year award in Hatchett’s honor. Sargent, Easton Make Postseason History WKU seniors Billy Tom Sargent and Stuart Easton became the first pair of Hilltoppers to advance to a NCAA Regional in the same year. While they competed in separate regionals because Easton earned his spot as an alternate, Sargent emerged victorious from the Athens site after taking the individual NCAA berth in a playoff. He went birdie-birdie on his final two holes to force the playoff, then sank a 30-foot putt on the third extra hole to clinch. Sargent then competed in Fayetteville, Ark., as the first Hilltopper ever in the NCAA Championships. He was tied for sixth after the first day, made the cut after Round 3 and ultimately tied for 11th – the 10th-best result ever by a Conference USA golfer in the championships. Tops Reach New Heights under Metts With first-year head coach Chan Metts taking the reins, the Hilltoppers finished in the top five in 6 of 10 events in 2018-19. They also finished under par as a team in 5 of 10 events after doing so in 3 of 34 tournaments from 2015-18. WKU entered the C-USA Championship with a Golfstat ranking of No. 87 and a No. 3 seed – both the program’s highest in many years. The Hilltoppers shot their lowest conference tournament score since 2008, but ultimately missed advancing to the match play semifinals by two strokes.
11 Hilltopper Softball The 2019 WKU Hilltopper Softball season was one of the best in program history. WKU posted a 37-13 record for the best single-season winning percentage in the program’s 20th season. Throughout the season, the Red and White registered a double-digit win streak on two separate occasions. In the midst of one of those streaks came a 4-1 victory at No. 17 Kentucky – WKU’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2015. The Hilltoppers’ 30-win season marked the 14th of the sort in program history. WKU Softball opened Conference USA play with a perfect 9-0 start – the best conference start in program history. The success continued throughout the 24-game slate as the Hilltoppers won a program-record 18 Conference USA tilts. WKU worked its way into the fifth weekend of league play before dropping a contest and would go on to finish third overall in the conference standings. After putting together an 11-game win streak that included a win over No. 17 Kentucky in Lexington, WKU Softball garnered national attention to open the month of April. Both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll along with ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll saw the Hilltoppers earning at least one vote. In the NFCA standings, 13 total votes ranked the Red and White 30th while one vote in the USA Softball poll put the Hilltoppers in 38th. C-USA East Division Title After winning a program-record 18 Conference USA tilts during the 2019 campaign, WKU Softball locked up the East Division title. The Hilltoppers swept four of the five foes from their division including FIU, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee. WKU picked up two more series wins over teams from the West Division after sweeping UTSA on Senior Weekend and taking 2-of-3 from North Texas. Prior to the 2019 campaign, the Hilltoppers were predicted to finish seventh in the C-USA Preseason Coaches Poll, making the East Division title even sweeter. Upset at No. 17 Kentucky Riding a seven-game win streak, WKU headed up to Lexington on March 26 for a mid-week tilt with in-state SEC foe Kentucky. A pitchers’ duel into the bottom of the fourth inning, 17th-ranked UK struck for a solo home run for its third - and final - hit of the game for a 1-0 lead. Down to its final out in the squad’s next at bat, WKU’s 9-, 1- and 3-hole hitters each delivered home runs. Paige Carter’s shot to dead center evened the game at 1-1 before Jordan Thomas connected for a dinger to left-center field for a 2-1 lead. After a UK pitching change and Maddie Bowlds’ walk, Shannon Plese with a 1-2 count on her pulled a two-run home run to right field for the final 4-1 tally. WKU’s previous victory over Kentucky came back in 2007 when the Hilltoppers claimed a 10-4 decision over the Wildcats. Pick Your Poison Kelsey Aikey, Shelby Nunn and Kennedy Sullivan shined in the circle for the Hilltoppers in 2019. Across the squad’s 18-6 record in league play, the Hilltopper staff turned heads. Together, Aikey, Nunn and Sullivan combined for a 2.94 ERA while also owning the top opposing batting average (.217) and the most strikeouts (161). Across the season, all three pitchers each posted seven or more wins and at least one save this season. Individually, Aikey posted the ninth-most saves of any pitcher in NCAA Division I (6), and her 9.7 strikeouts/7 innings average was ninth-best while her 4.67 hits/7 innings sat 34th. Sullivan had the 17th-best strikeout/7 innings average at 9.3. With 184 strikeouts, Aikey ranked 51th in all of Division I. Standing nearly alone, Aikey finished as 1-of-4 pitchers across the country with at least 14 wins and six saves on the season. 12 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report 13 14 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Hilltopper Baseball With the help of a historic season from an unexpected source, the 2019 WKU Baseball club took an important step forward in head coach John Pawlowski’s fourth year. Celebrating the program’s 100th season, the Hilltoppers finished 26-29-1 overall, including a 16-13-1 record in Conference USA action to finish fourth and qualify for the postseason tournament for the first time in five years as a league member. The fourth-place finish tied for the second-best league finish for a WKU Baseball team over the past 15 years, and the Hilltoppers went on to win a game in the conference tournament for only the third time in the past 10 seasons. With 26 overall wins and 16 victories in league action, WKU recorded the most victories in both categories since joining Conference USA prior to the 2015 season. Sanford Slams Way into National Spotlight Incoming junior Jake Sanford came to The Hill from McCook Community College and put forth one of the best campaigns in Hilltopper program history. The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, native set numerous records, accumulated multiple All-American accolades and earned Conference USA Player of the Year honors. Sanford started all 56 games while playing every single inning in the outfield, slashing .398/.483/.805 with 88 hits, 178 total bases, 22 homeruns, 20 doubles, 66 runs batted in and 65 scored. With a .402 batting average, 22 homeruns and 65 runs batted in heading into the 2019 Conference USA Tournament, Sanford became the first Triple Crown winner (batting average, homerun and runs batted in leader) in the league’s 24-year history. When WKU’s season ended, he led all Division I hitters with a .805 slugging percentage, ranked second with 178 total bases and tied for sixth with 22 homeruns. Yankees Select Sanford in 2019 MLB Draft The Bronx Bombers selected junior outfielder Jake Sanford in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft with the 105th overall pick on June 4. He became the 57th Hilltopper taken in program history, including the fourth-highest overall. Sanford was also the highest Nova Scotian to ever be taken in the MLB Draft, eclipsing righty Steve Nelson, who was taken 160th overall in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2001. Since 1900, only two Nova Scotians have ever appeared in the Major Leagues. Two days later, he put ink to paper at New York’s facility in Tampa, Fla.; with a signing bonus of $597,500, he became the 111th WKU player to sign with a Major League club. Sanford joins righty Ben Morrison (2018, Los Angeles Angels), outfielder Jacob Rhinesmith (2018, Washington Nationals) and outfielder Anderson Miller (2015, Kansas City Royals) as active Hilltoppers in minor league baseball. 15 Hilltopper Basketball The 2018-19 WKU Hilltopper Basketball season saw the program advance to its second straight Conference USA title game, as well as continue its recent success against Power Five competition. The Hilltoppers won at least 20 games for the second year in a row under head coach Rick Stansbury, including marquee wins over Wisconsin, Arkansas, West Virginia and Saint Mary’s. They also once again packed Diddle Arena and sold out of general season tickets in the preseason for the first time in the venue’s existence. Although the Hilltoppers fell in the C-USA championship game, they earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament, their highest finish in five years in the league and highest overall since 2014 in the Sun Belt Conference. Overpowering the Power Five The Hilltoppers went 3-1 against Power Five opponents in 2018-19, earning a home victory over No. 15 Wisconsin, a road win at Arkansas (snapping the Razorbacks’ 28-game non-conference home winning streak) and a neutral- site triumph over No. 13 West Virginia. WKU improved to 7-3 in the last two seasons against Power Five competition. Gonzaga, Seton Hall and Villanova are the only non-Power Five programs with more wins against Power Five foes in the last two years. WKU pieced together a victory over a team from every Power Five conference in a span of just 17 games, and it defeated multiple ranked teams in the same season for the first time since 1993. Wisconsin was the highest-ranked team the Hilltoppers have beaten at home since No. 6 Providence in 1973. Selling Out Diddle There were very few tickets available in Diddle Arena throughout the season. The program sold out of general season tickets in the preseason for the first time since Diddle Arena opened in 1963. WKU averaged 5,809 fans per home game, which was the highest average attendance in the venue since the 2002 renovation. During Rick Stansbury’s coaching tenure, attendance in Diddle Arena has increased by 58 percent. The over-capacity crowd of 7,614 against No. 15 Wisconsin was the fourth-largest crowd in Diddle Arena since the 2002 renovation.
16 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report 17 18 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Hilltopper Basketball Welcome Mr. Bassey Freshman phenom Charles Bassey took Conference USA by storm in his first season as a Hilltopper. He averaged a double-double with 14.6 points and 10 rebounds per game, making him the second freshmen in the nation since 1992 – along with current NBA star Anthony Davis – to average 14 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and shoot 60 percent from the field. Bassey led C-USA with 17 double- doubles and finished in the top 30 nationally in a slew of statistical categories. Despite only turning 18 in late October, the 6-foot-11 big man was named C-USA Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and won C-USA Freshman of the Week a record-tying 10 times. He was also named one of five national finalists – including the only freshman – for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award, in addition to being named a Kyle Macy Award Freshman All-American.
19 Hilltopper Football The 2018 WKU Football season saw a young Hilltopper group mature as the season went on to conclude the year on a two-game winning streak including the program’s first-ever win in Ruston at Louisiana Tech to end the season. WKU posted its eighth- straight victory on Senior Night to send the small yet meaningful 2018 senior class out on a high note with a 40-16 victory over UTEP. Following the season, the Hilltoppers welcomed back former offensive coordinator Tyson Helton to The Hill as the program’s 21st head football coach. Hilltoppers Send Seniors Out with a Victory For the eighth-straight season, WKU’s seniors closed out their careers at home with a victory. WKU jumped all over UTEP with an FBS-era record five interceptions and raced out to a 40-0 halftime lead. The victory extended the longest streak of wins on senior nights in program history. Welcome Back Tyson Helton After three seasons away at USC and Tennessee, former WKU offensive coordinator Tyson Helton returned to The Hill to take over as WKU’s new head coach in late November 2018. Helton spent two seasons at WKU (2014-15) and mentored quarterback Brandon Doughty into one of college football’s all-time greatest quarterbacks. In his final season, working with then-head coach Jeff Brohm, the 2015 Hilltoppers went 12-2, won their first C-USA championship, and finished inside the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in FBS history. Mr. All America, Juwuan Jones For the third time in WKU’s short FBS history, a freshman was named to the FWAA Freshman All-American Team. Defensive end Juwuan Jones, who originally came to WKU as a linebacker, set WKU’s FBS-era record for sacks by a freshman and appeared on the organization’s All-America team as a result. Jones returns in 2019 as one of the nation’s rising pass rushing stars and will aim for the next All-American teams for the next three seasons.
20 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report 21 22 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Outdoor Track & Field WKU Track & Field picked up right where it left off from the indoor season, racking up 23 top-10 finishes across its first two meets of the 2019 outdoor campaign. A balance of freshmen and seniors led both the Lady Topper and Hilltopper squads with 27-of-30 of WKU’s top marks in an event coming from those two classes. The freshman class alone accounted for 16 of WKU’s best readings this season, making the future of the Red and White’s program look very bright. At the 2019 Conference USA Outdoor Championships hosted by Charlotte, WKU saw the Hilltoppers bring home a fourth-place team finish while the Lady Toppers came in 11th. Kymari Gates (400m) and Katie Isenbarger (high jump) collected individual event crowns while the Hilltopper 4x100 and 4x400 relays both secured C-USA titles as well. Earning Second Team All-Conference recognition were Oliver Alexandre (400m), Josh Davis (100m), Martin Owusu-Antwi (200m), Maor Seged (400m hurdles) and Annastacia Forrester (long jump) while Martin Owusu-Antwi (100m) and Will Bush (200m) earned Third Team All- Conference Status. WKU sent a total of 16 individuals to the NCAA East Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla. In total, four Lady Toppers qualified for five individual events while 12 Hilltoppers qualified across six events. From the East Prelims, the Red and White saw four performances qualify for the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas, as Kymari Gates (400m), Annastacia Forrester (long jump) and both the men’s 4x100 and 4x400 relays represented The Hill on the biggest stage. Relay Dominance The 2019 NCAA Championships marked the 13th-straight season that WKU was represented on the biggest stage as the team has qualified both the men’s 4x100 and 4x400 relays each of the last five campaigns. WKU was one of just 10 programs in the country sending both its men’s 4x100 and 4x400 relays to the NCAA Outdoor Championships and one of just four non-Power 5 programs to do so. Also sending both relays are Arizona, Arkansas, Coppin State, Florida Kentucky, North Carolina A&T, Purdue, UCLA and UT Arlington. The last time that WKU’s 4x400-meter relay qualified for the national championships during both the indoor and outdoor seasons of the same year was 2008. More All-Americans At the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships, WKU saw two individuals and a relay bring home All-American honors. Kymari Gates brought home a Second Team All-American honor in the men’s 400 meter while Annastacia collected WKU’s second individual accolade in the women’s long jump with an Honorable Mention All-American nod. WKU’s 4x100-meter relay unit of Will Bush, Martin Owusu-Antwi, Abdur Kelly and Kymari Gates posted a 39.24 to tie for 12th place and lock up Second Team All-American status. Across the four-day meet, WKU saw five different individuals combine for three All-America accolades from Austin, Texas. Seged, Lemberg Secure C-Usa All-Academic Honors WKU Track & Field student-athletes Maor Seged and Getter Lemberg earned spots on Conference USA’s 2019 InTouch Credit Union Men’s and Women’s Track and Field All-Academic Teams. The two seniors are both four-year letter winners at WKU. This is Seged’s second honor of the kind and Lemberg’s first. Seged is a two-time Honorable Mention All-American on the track in addition to being listed on the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll each of the last three years. Most recently, Seged took home Second Team All-Conference honors in the 400-meter hurdles at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. Seged graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from WKU. Lemberg earned C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognition twice along with the Commissioner’s Academic Medal in 2019. She completed her undergraduate degree in 2018 and is working on a master’s degree in social work on The Hill. She recorded a top- five finish at five of her eight C-USA Championships including three indoor and two outdoor meets. She owned the top C-USA outdoor pole vault mark in 2019 after notching a height of 4.01 meters at the Hilltopper Relays in April. 23 Lady Topper Basketball After losing more than 50 percent of their scoring from last season as well as program legends Tashia and Ivy Brown, the Lady Toppers rallied around first-year head coach Greg Collins to earn their seventh straight 20-win season, matching the longest streak in program history. WKU reached the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament and the third round of the WNIT while also beating archrival Middle Tennessee inside Diddle for the fifth straight year. The Lady Toppers also played their most difficult schedule in recent memory, facing nine opponents who finished in the top 50 of the final RPI rankings, including three games against top-10 foes Notre Dame, Louisville and Iowa. Sitting at 14-13 with three games remaining in the regular season, WKU finished the season strong with wins in six of its final eight games, including overcoming halftime deficits in four of those six victories. Win No. 1,000 At North Texas on March 2, WKU added another landmark to its stellar basketball history, becoming just the 11th Division I women’s basketball program to reach 1,000 victories. Joined in the group by perennial powers such as Tennessee, UConn and Stanford, the Lady Toppers have claimed 174 of those wins with Greg Collins on the sidelines. Emergence of the Big Three Dee Givens, Raneem Elgedawy and Alexis Brewer paired to give WKU one of the most potent trios in Conference USA this season. Filling the void left by the graduation of Tashia and Ivy Brown, the three combined to average 44.4 points and 15.8 rebounds per game despite Brewer battling through an injury for much of the season, continuing WKU’s recent tradition of a core “Big Three” surrounded by strong supporting actors. Comeback Queens After accomplishing the feat just four combined times in 2016-17 and 2017-18, WKU rallied from five halftime deficits this season to win. In their most impressive comeback of the season, the Lady Toppers fought back from an 11-point third-quarter hole in the opening round of the WNIT at Miami (Ohio) to stun the RedHawks. Since 2012-13 when Greg Collins joined the coaching staff, WKU has come away with 20 victories when trailing by double digits at any point in a game.
24 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report 25 26 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Lady Topper Volleyball WKU Volleyball put together the program’s 19th-straight 20-win season in 2018, as the team finished 20-10 on the year. WKU went 11-3 in its fifth season in Conference USA to tie for second place in the regular season standings. WKU is one of just five programs across Division I volleyball to own at least 19 consecutive 20-win seasons – all under head coach Travis Hudson who secured his 600th career win on The Hill during the 2018 campaign. For the first time in the Hudson era, the Lady Topper squad hosted a pair of non-conference tournaments in the Holiday Inn-University Plaza Invite and the WKU Tournament. The Red and White claimed both 2018 tournament titles en route to an 11-4 record inside Diddle Arena. In the classroom, WKU has now earned the AVCA All-Academic Team Award for 12 straight years. With a cumulative GPA of 3.61, the Lady Toppers earned the Team Academic Award for the 16th time since 1999. Hudson’s 600th Win With his Oct. 21 win over Middle Tennessee, WKU Volleyball veteran head coach Travis Hudson secured his 600th career victory. Hudson joins an elite group of leaders to hit the milestone and is just the 19th active Division I volleyball coach to achieve the feat. Hudson is the 58th DI volleyball coach all-time to win 600 or more matches in their career and is one of just 18 to do it all with the same team. Hudson is also the only coach in Conference USA history with 600 or more wins all at the DI level. Anderson Leaves Her Mark WKU Volleyball senior middle hitter Rachel Anderson wrapped up a decorated career on The Hill during the 2018 campaign. The Sturgis, Mich., native opened the season as the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year before being named a Senior CLASS Award candidate in October. On the court, Anderson delivered a rare kills-blocks double double in WKU’s win over [RV] Missouri State. She worked at a .346 offensive clip on the season with 397 kills and 486 total points – all of which led the team. Anderson was named an Honorable Mention All-American for her efforts. Win 124: I Believe in Alyssa Cavanaugh On Sept. 5, 2018, WKU Volleyball’s four-time All-American and reigning Conference USA Female Athlete of the Year Alyssa Cavanaugh was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) – an announcement that hit the entire Hilltopper community hard in the midst of the 2018 campaign. One of the fiercest competitors The Hill has ever seen, Cavanaugh helped WKU Volleyball to 123 wins during her playing career, but her biggest win – Number 124 - came off the court in the form of beating Leukemia. Cavanaugh announced she was in remission after intense radiation treatments on Jan. 28, 2019, before undergoing a bone marrow transplant - donated from her father - on Feb. 19 to secure Win 124. 27 Lady Topper Soccer Despite a slow start to the season, WKU Soccer found another gear as October rolled around, earning at least one point in the C-USA standings race in five of its final six matches of the year. That late stretch included the first time in program history that the Lady Toppers earned a point from both No. 24 North Texas and Rice in a single season, notching draws against both of the powerhouse programs in mid-October at the WKU Soccer Complex; the draw against the Mean Green marked the second time in school history that the Lady Toppers earned a positive result against a ranked opponent. WKU finished the conference season with 17 goals in 10 matches, its most in conference play since joining C-USA prior to the 2014 season, and extended its home unbeaten streak to 11 consecutive matches at the Soccer Complex. Youth Movement Despite the presence of veteran leaders like Sarah Gorham and Nicole Roseland, freshmen drew 59 cumulative starts for the Lady Toppers in 2018, nearly a third of the team’s total. Ambere Barnett and Bailee Witt started 16 of a possible 17 matches, and Chelsea Moore added 11 starts during her debut campaign. In total, freshmen scored 13 of WKU’s 32 goals and tallied 41 of the team’s 99 total points during the 2018 season. Offensive Explosions WKU enjoyed a strong season on the offensive end of the pitch, firing 32 goals for its highest total in a single season since 2012. The Lady Toppers had four matches with four or more goals, its most in one year since 2009, and had one of the top offensive performances in program history against Kentucky Christian on Sept. 3 with nine goals, tied for the second-most in a single match in school history. Home Cooking at the Soccer Complex Dating back to Oct. 13, 2017, the Lady Toppers have either won or earned a draw in their last 11 matches at the WKU Soccer Complex, currently the third-longest home unbeaten streak in school history. WKU posted a 4-0-4 record at home this season, just the second time that the Lady Toppers have finished a single season with an unblemished home mark.
28 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report 29 30 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Cross Country A very young WKU Cross Country squad hit the trails in fall 2018 but gained valuable experience as the season progressed, improving across each meet. The Hilltoppers opened the season on August 31 at the Belmont Opener with the team’s first of four-straight weekends of competition in the Volunteer State. In the season-opener, seven of the 10 WKU competitors were making their debuts for the Red and White. WKU concluded the season at the C-USA Championships in Boca Raton, Fla., on October 27. Emerson Wells led the Hilltoppers to a ninth place team finish after earning a 49th-place individual showing (27:04.91). On the women’s side, Haley Webb posted WKU’s top finish in 71st (19:47.96) while the team took 12th overall. WKU Cross Country saw seven different student-athletes compete across the season on the women’s side while six different Hilltoppers competed in at least one outing. Of those 13 student-athletes, one competed in and finished all five meets: freshman Lady Topper Heather Whitlow. She led the women’s squad in a pair of meets on the year. Seven more Toppers competed in four competitions on the season. New Look Hilltopper Squad At the 2018 Conference USA Championships, WKU was represented by eight freshmen across the men’s and women’s squads, with six coming on the men’s side. Additionally, 11 of the 12 Hilltopper competitors were underclassmen, gaining valuable postseason experience that will benefit the program for years to come. Haley Webb Joins the Tops On the women’s side, Haley Webb was the first finish for WKU at the Conference USA Championships – her second meet of the season. After transferring to The Hill for her sophomore campaign, Webb took 71st at her first C-USA Championships with a 5K mark of 19:47.96. She was the Lady Toppers’ top finisher in both events she competed at after transferring to The Hill from Murray State. Season Bests at the Greater Louisville Classic In the Hilltoppers’ lone meet within the Bluegrass State this fall, nine of the 10 WKU student-athletes to compete ran a season-best time at the Greater Louisville Classic on September 29. Haley Webb tallied the Lady Toppers’ best mark with a 20:01.8 in the women’s 5K while Emerson Wells owns the best reading in the men’s 8K for the Hilltoppers with a 26:08.6 for 67th place.
31 Indoor Track & Field The 2018-19 WKU Indoor Track and Field season saw the Hilltoppers continue to find success while peaking at the right time down the stretch. Collectively, Erik Jenkins’ squads brought home eight event titles across the season not to mention four All-Conference performances and All- American recognition for the men’s 4x400 relay squad. WKU found great success in the women’s jumps and men’s track events across the season but saw points at the conference meet contributed from all areas. Katie Isenbarger, Martin Owusu-Antwi, Annastacia Forrester and the Hilltopper 4x400 relay all earned All-Conference recognition from C-USA. In the team standings, the Hilltoppers finished ninth while the Lady Toppers placed 10th. For the first time since the 2008 indoor campaign, WKU Track & Field sent a men’s relay team to the NCAA Indoor Championships and brought home Second-Team All-American honors. Qualification for the NCAAs came at the last possible minute for the squad, however, when the combination of Lincoln Warren, Oliver Alexandre, Kymari Gates and Martin Owusu-Antwi delivered a 3:04.24 performance that gained national attention. A Race For The Ages In what could have been WKU Track and Field’s last event of the season, the squad’s 4x400 relay unit notched a facility, school and Conference USA record time of 3:04.24 to earn a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships. WKU’s Boston University-hosted Last Chance Qualifier relay mark ranked as the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA throughout the season. Warren, Alexandre, Gates and Owusu- Antwi were the Hilltoppers to deliver the record and the first-place finish. All-Conference Performances WKU Track and Field wrapped up the 2019 Conference USA Indoor Championships with four All-Conference performances across the two-day meet hosted by UAB. Martin Owusu-Antwi, Katie Isenbarger and the men’s 4x400-meter relay each recorded Second- Team All-Conference performances while Annastacia Forrester earned Third-Team All-Conference recognition. In her first C-USA Championships appearance, Isenbarger earned second place in the women’s high jump with a school-record clear of 1.80 meters (5’10.75”). Forrester joined Isenbarger on the high jump podium with a Third-Team All-Conference outing, clearing 1.71 meters (5’ 7.25”) to tie for third. Both Isenbarger and Forrester’s jumps were career bests. In the men’s 200 meter, Owusu-Antwi picked up Second-Team All-Conference honors with a 21.04. WKU concluded the meet with a Second-Team All-Conference performance by its men’s 4x400-meter relay squad. Lincoln Warren, Owusu-Antwi, Oliver Alexandre and Kymari Gates combined for a 3:09.26 reading – a mark that surpassed the prior Conference USA Championships meet record. Event Titles by Hilltoppers Across the 2019 indoor track and field campaign, WKU saw eight collective event titles brought home by its Hilltopper and Lady Topper squads. In the Red and White’s first meet of the New Year, WKU saw Oliver Alexandre (600m), Myesha Nott (triple jump) and the men’s 4x400 relay all earn event titles at the Gene Edmonds Invitational. At the Indiana University Relays, the Toppers collected three more titles as Martin Owusu-Antwi (200m), Ka’Ven Berry (600m) and Nott (triple jump). Nott went on to add WKU’s seventh title after leading the Red and White contingent at the Rod McCravy Memorial Invite as she claimed her third triple jump title in as many times competing in the event. The eighth and final title came from WKU’s men’s 4x400 relay squad at the Boston University Last Chance Qualifier. 32 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report 33 34 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Lady Topper Golf The 2018-19 WKU Lady Topper Golf team continued to rewrite the program’s record book with another highly successful campaign. Powered by the continued winning ways of Mary Joiner and a late-season surge by Megan Clarke, the Lady Toppers earned three individual victories and won a team tournament championship for the fifth straight year. WKU also shattered its previous record for lowest team score and narrowly missed winning a second team title, all while setting a new program record for lowest team stroke average for the fifth consecutive season. Joiner Takes the Top Spot Junior Mary Joiner once again found her way to the top of the leaderboard multiple times in the 2018-19 season, earning individual victories at the USA Intercollegiate and Boston College Intercollegiate to start the year. That gives her six career victories, which is both a Conference USA and WKU record. Joiner also set a new program record with a 73.4 single-season stroke average, beating her own previous mark set last year. She also holds the program record for lowest career stroke average. Clarke Breaks Through After a promising freshman season, sophomore Megan Clarke took her game to new heights the second time around. Clarke won her first career individual title at the Little Rock Golf Classic, marking the first time in program history that two different Lady Toppers have won tournaments in the same season. Clarke later tied for fourth at the Spring Break Shootout and capped the year by tying for 10th in the Conference USA Championship. She did so with a three-round total of 218, which set a new program record for lowest conference tournament score by an individual. New Benchmarks Early in the season, the Lady Toppers broke into the Golfstat Top 100 team rankings for the first time in program history. They also won the team championship at the Boston College Intercollegiate, which gives the Lady Toppers six team titles in head coach Adam Gary’s five seasons at the helm. WKU finished the season with a program-record 299.4 team stroke average, a record it’s broken each of the last five years.
35 Lady Topper Tennis Lady Topper Tennis started the year fresh with the eighth head coach in program history, Greg Davis. In Davis’ first year at the helm, WKU saw signs of success throughout the fall and spring seasons. The Lady Toppers won a total of 35 singles and 12 doubles matches over the course of the year. WKU clinched victories on the road against Tennessee State and Dayton as well as a 7-0 sweep of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on a neutral court. The Lady Toppers went head to head with strong competition including two ranked singles opponents and a ranked doubles tandem. Five Singles Wins Earned WKU Victory at Dayton Lady Topper Tennis earned five singles wins at Dayton on March 10 to take a 5-2 victory on the Flyers’ home court. This was WKU’s third win out of four matches. After losing the doubles point, the Lady Toppers knocked down all five singles matches they competed in, winning three of them in straight sets. The road victory was WKU’s second of the season after defeating Tennessee State. Singles Rally Propels WKU to First 2019 Win Lady Topper Tennis recorded its first win of the season on March 1, defeating Tennessee State in a 4-3 battle in Nashville, Tenn. Following a tough loss in the doubles column, WKU clinched the victory by winning four singles matches, each in straight sets. Greg Davis Named Head Coach of WKU Tennis Greg Davis took the reigns of the Lady Topper Tennis program on June 26 after being named the eighth head coach in program history. Across Davis’ time as a collegiate head coach from 1999 to 2010, he earned a career record of 257-110 (.700). Davis came to WKU from Walden on Lake Houston where he served as Director of Tennis and Assistant Director of Junior Tennis for seven years at the Houston City Club. Prior to his tennis leadership in the Houston area, Davis was the head men’s tennis coach for three years at Lamar University. From 2002 to 2007, he was the head coach of the women’s tennis team at Louisville. He led the team to its highest national ranking in program history at the time, No. 50 on the Intercollegiate Coaches Association Poll. Davis also coached at Auburn-Montgomery, Northwestern, Wake Forest and Rice.
36 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report 37 Western Kentucky University ‘Climbing to Greater Heights’ to provide 10-year roadmap “Climbing to Greater Heights: The WKU Strategic Plan 2018-2028” will serve as the roadmap for the university for the next 10 years. The plan is the result of an almost yearlong, community centered and inclusive process, said WKU President Timothy C. Caboni, and focuses on student success and ensuring that the campus environment attracts the highest quality faculty and staff, and renews the commitment to being fully engaged in the region and state while providing a global context to the WKU experience. “We want to shape the conversation in Southcentral Kentucky that everyone needs college as defined as some kind of education beyond a high school diploma,” he said. “The story I want told about this year is that we focused like a laser on the things that will help our students succeed, that will help our campus community succeed, and that will help our region succeed. Students are the heart of everything we do, and the strategies included in our plan ensure we focus even more aggressively on helping every student we admit graduate from WKU.” Richardson becomes WKU’s first Rangel Fellow Deven Richardson of Bowling Green has been selected as a 2019 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellow. He is one of 30 fellows selected nationwide and the first WKU student to earn this honor. The Rangel Fellowship program prepares outstanding students for careers in the U.S. Department of State foreign service. Through the fellowship, Richardson will receive $37,500 annually for a two-year graduate degree, paid internships in the U.S. Congress and embassies abroad, and numerous opportunities for mentoring and professional development. WKU unveils plans for ‘The WKU Commons at Helm Library’ A collaboration with Aramark/Restaurant Group and University Libraries is leading to the creation of a reinvented space in WKU’s Helm Library. The University has released conceptual drawings for The WKU Commons at Helm Library. The $35 million project will transform the Helm Library into a place where WKU students, faculty and staff can eat, meet, study and collaborate. “The WKU Commons will be a gathering space for people to engage at the top of the Hill,” said Susann deVries, Dean of Libraries. “It will be an open, flexible and inviting place, offering multiple dining options, places for students to gather and study or to interact with faculty and others. We envision this space to be a buzz of activity.” WKU President Timothy C. Caboni calls The WKU Commons the “intellectual hub” of the campus. “Our contract with Aramark calls for a significant investment in dining options at the top of the Hill,” President Caboni said. “This provided a wonderful opportunity to create a space that invigorates engagement, stimulates learning and creates a sense of community for the entire WKU family.” 38 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Students offered Fulbright grants, participate in Summer Institute Five WKU students have been offered Fulbright U.S. Student Grants for the 2019-20 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and one has been designated as an alternate. Nicole Childress, a graduating senior from Crestwood, will study in the MSC Marketing program at Trinity College Dublin. Keightley Dudgeon, a graduating senior from Crestwood, will teach English in Morocco. Amelia Kolb, a graduating senior from Louisville, will teach English in Mexico. Deven Richardson, a graduating senior from Bowling Green, will conduct research on Japanese university students’ perceptions of Americans and the Japanese-American relationship. Corinne Warlick, a graduating senior from Louisville, will conduct research at the Wallenberg Wood Science Center in Stockholm, Sweden, exploring the possibility of preserving byproducts of the wood pulping process for use in other applications. Max McGehee, a 2017 graduate, was named an alternate for a Fulbright to study management at the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain. For the third year in a row, two WKU students have been selected to participate in Fulbright Summer Institutes in the United Kingdom. Derek Collins of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Nathan Terrell of Morehead are the ninth and 10th WKU students to be selected for the prestigious nationally-competitive program since 2012.
WKU students finish fifth in national Concrete Canoe competition WKU civil engineering students finished fifth overall in the 2019 National Concrete Canoe Competition in Melbourne, Florida. The team also finished fifth in technical paper, fifth in final product, ninth in oral presentation, sixth in women’s slalom, seventh in men’s slalom, eighth in women’s sprint, eighth in co-ed sprint and ninth in men’s sprint. WKU’s StalacTOP (207 pounds, 20 feet long) was one of 24 entries from around the world in the American Society of Civil Engineers competition, hosted by the Florida Institute of Technology. The top five finishers in overall results were University of Florida; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Université Laval; Tongji University; and WKU.
39 Hilltopper Athletic Foundation Return on Investment While wins and losses matter, the real return on investment comes from the well-rounded experience our students receive while on The Hill. With support from the state lower than ever, all gifts allow us to continue our success and give the experience of a Western Kentucky University education to our deserving student-athletes. WKU has a budget and student fee allocation that is well below the Conference USA averages. However, WKU student-athletes have continued to outperform all other schools in the conference by bringing home 25 Conference USA titles since joining the league in 2014. Learn more about how your support makes a difference by visiting supportHAF.org. * Since Joining Conference USA... 85% Achieved our highest ever student-athlete graduation rate* 383 Student-Athletes achieving the Commissioner’s Academic Medal (3.75+ GPA)* 1,289 Student-Athletes with 3.0 or higher GPA* * as of 2018 C-USA Success/Budget Analysis Success/Budget C-USA 40 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report The Cost of Excellence Average Annual Student-Athlete Expenses
“The opportunity to play college football at the 2017-2018 In-State Tuition and Fees highest level, while also earning my college degree, is a blessing afforded to me thanks $10,202 to the members of the Hilltopper Athletic Out-of-State Tuition and Fees Foundation. Without their contributions, many of the opportunities we have as student- $25,512 athletes would not be possible.” Room and Board - Seth Joest, ‘21 $9,000 Hilltopper Football Books and Supplies
“Having the opportunity to play here at WKU $1,000 means the world to me, and it would not Equipment have been possible without support from the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation members. Being $1,898 able to have a strong four-year education in Medical Insurance addition to playing college basketball was one of the main reasons I decided to become a $2,446,50 Lady Topper, and I am proud to represent WKU Athletics on the court, in the classroom, and in Total Average Cost the community.” $24,456 - $39,856 - Sherry Porter, ‘21 Lady Topper Basketball WKU Athletics Budget: $23.3 million* Total cost of tuition paid by the athletic department in 2017-18: $6.23 million * Estimated 41 Record Setters Football Indoor Track and Field Juwuan Jones Katie Isenbarger FBS-era freshman sack record Indoor High Jump record Freshman defensive end Juwuan In her first C-USA Championships appearance, Jones tallied 5.0 sacks in his freshman Katie Isenbarger earned second place season to break Tanner Reeves’ 2014 in the women’s high jump with a WKU record for sacks by a freshman. women’s indoor record clear of 1.80 meters (5’10.75”). That mark tied her for the 14th- best mark in the NCAA following the C-USA Championships with just one freshman owning a better reading.
Football Indoor Track and Field Ben Holt Martin Owusu-Antwi FBS-era tackles per game Men’s Indoor 200-meter record Junior linebacker Ben Holt tallied Senior Hilltopper Martin Owusu-Antwi 9.6 tackles per game to break recorded WKU’s men’s indoor 200-meter WKU’s FBS-era tackles per game record with a reading of 20.81 from the Boston record previously set by Andrew University Last Chance Qualifier. His time Jackson in 2012 with 9.4 tackles earned him third place at the meet and ranked per contest. 21st in the NCAA across the season. The previous record was held by Julius Morris and set at the same meet the year prior in 2018.
Men’s Basketball Men’s Golf Charles Bassey Billy Tom Sargent Numerous WKU/C-USA Career Wins/Season Stroke Average freshman records Redshirt senior Billy Tom Sargent tied the WKU Freshman center Charles Bassey set record with his fifth career win at Vanderbilt’s new WKU freshman records for total prestigious Mason Rudolph Championship. He rebounds, blocks and double-doubles also finished the season with a stroke average in a single-season. He also tied the of 71.5, which is the program’s lowest on record Conference USA record with 10 league since at least 1994. Additionally, Sargent became Freshman of the Week awards. the first Hilltopper to ever compete in the NCAA Championships, where he tied for 11th.2018. 42 WKU Athletics 2018-19 Annual Report Outdoor Track & Field Softball Juannae Lewis Kelsey Aikey WKU women’s 400 meter record Single Season & Career In the final meet of her career on The Hill, Saves Record & Career Relief Juannae Lewis reset her own school record Appearances Record in the outdoor 400 meter event, turning in WKU junior pitcher Kelsey Aikey set WKU’s a 52.58 at the NCAA East Preliminaries. single-season save record with six during Her new mark bested the previous the 2019 campaign. She also now owns the record of 53.00 set at the 2018 C-USA program’s career save record as well as the Championships. single-season (20, 2018) and career relief appearances records (54). Soccer WKU Volleyball Ambere Barnett Home Conference Winning Streak WKU Freshman Assists Record From joining Conference USA until Sept. 30, 2018, WKU had not lost a home match While establishing herself as one of the top to a league opponent with a 32-0 mark with players in C-USA in her first season with the its first two home victories of 2018. When Lady Toppers, Ambere Barnett had at least counting both C-USA and Sun Belt opposition, one assist in six of WKU’s 17 matches to tie the streak extended back to the 2011 season the single-season freshman assist record for 57-consecutive home conference victories of eight, previously set by Hayley Marsh before Rice ended the streak with a four-set in 2008. Barnett’s eight helpers were tied victory on Sept. 30. Of those wins during the for third among all WKU players in single- stretch, 44 were straight-set sweeps while season history. only three matches lasted the full five frames. Soccer Sarah Gorham First WKU Field Player to Sign Professional Contract After a stellar career with the Lady Toppers that included a Second Team All-C-USA nod as a senior, Sarah Gorham became WKU’s first-ever field player to sign a professional contract as she joined Lidköpings FK of Sweden. Gorham joins former Lady Topper goalkeepers Nora Abolins and Libby Stout as WKU players that have advanced to the professional ranks.
43 Record Setters
Women’s Basketball Baseball Dee Givens Jake Sanford First 45-40-85 Season C-USA, D1 and WKU Records in Lady Topper History -With a .402 batting average, 22 homeruns and 65 runs batted in Stepping into a full-time starting role heading into the 2019 Conference USA for the first time in her career, Givens Tournament, Sanford became the first put together one of the top individual Triple Crown winner (batting average, seasons in school history, becoming homerun and runs batted in leader) in the the first Lady Topper ever to shoot 45 league’s 24-year history. percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 85 percent from -On March 25 and April 1, Sanford became the free throw line in a single year. only the third player in league history to earn back-to-back Conference USA Givens finished with 16 20-point games Hitter of the Week honors. In addition, his 106 total bases in 30 league games and knocked down 79 three-pointers, established a new Conference USA record. the third-most in a single year by a -With an .805 slugging percentage, Sanford led all Division I hitters, posting the Lady Topper. sixth-highest such mark by any player over the past nine seasons. -Sanford’s 66 runs batted in and 65 scored both finished ninth on the Hilltoppers’ single-season charts, while his 22 homeruns rank fifth. In addition, he hit 14 homeruns in the month of March to establish a new WKU program record.
Women’s Golf Women’s Golf Mary Joiner Lady Topper Team Conference USA individual Lowest season stroke average / wins record / single-season lowest team tournament score stroke average The Lady Toppers finished the season with a team stroke average of 299.4, Junior Mary Joiner won two tournaments meaning they’ve broken that particular to begin the 2018-19 season, giving her record each of the last five years. WKU six for her career, which is a Conference also shot a combined team score of 857 at USA record. Joiner also broke her own its own Spring Break Shootout in Florida, WKU single-season stroke average shattering the previous program record record with a mark of 73.4. for 54 holes by 11 strokes.
44 Conference Honorees
Jake Sanford Charles Bassey C-USA Male Athlete of the Year C-USA Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year C-USA Baseball Player of the Year C-USA Men’s Basketball C-USA Baseball Newcomer of the Year Freshman of the Year John O. Oldham Student-Athletes of the Year
Jake Sanford - Baseball Dee Givens - Women’s Basketball Mr. and Ms. Hilltopper
Julien Lewis - Football Mary Joiner - Women’s Golf WKU ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19