page 2: News
Two thousand students expected to attend the K-State vs TCU game in Arlington, Texas
page 8: Arts & Culture ReadMHK brings community together
page 10: Sports Luke’s Locker: K-State’s No. 10 football ranking underestimates the team’s prowess
page 12: Sports K-State volleyball finishes its 2022 sea son with a farewell to head coach Suzie Fritz
Guests are hit with strong feelings of nostalgia immediately after walking into Ahearn Field House, Casey Lauer, Kansas State associate vice president of facilities, said. Visitors are trans ported into a 1950s old school short-shorts basketball game.
“Ahearn really speaks to who we are and this institution, and we are not knocking Ahearn Field House down,” Lauer said.
Ahearn will soon stand alone, as Ahearn’s gymnasium and natatorium will be demol ished, Lauer said. He said the university spends over $300,000
a year in operational expenses on Ahearn’s gymnasium and na tatorium.
“The gymnasium, it’s func tional, but in terms of its actual utilization, it’s not really worth the operational costs when we have other options both at K-State and in the community,” said Lauer.
The natatorium will be the first of the buildings to be torn down, followed by the gymna sium in the summer months of 2024.
“When the [natatorium] and gym get knocked down, this will really accentuate Ahearn,” said Lauer. “So we really want to do something special with it.”
Ahearn was built in 1951 and hosted the K-State men’s basketball team until 1988, following the construction of Bramlage Coliseum, Lauer said. Now the indoor track and volley ball team use the facility to host sporting events and for practice.
“Athletics is in the pro cess of building a new indoor volleyball center, and they are also planning for a new indoor track facility,” Lauer said. “Re ally when those two projects are completed, Ahearn Field House itself is a great opportunity for something different.”
Katie Heinrich, professor and interim department head of kinesiology, said demolishing
the gymnasium and natatorium will affect the kinesiology depart ment.
“The impact on our cur rent students could be the loss of the gym for research and applied fitness classes,” Heinrich said.
The kinesiology depart ment already moved to Justin Hall in preparation for the demolition, and the kinesiology research labs will move to the Lafene Health Center. Fitness classes will be held at the Chester E. Peters Recreation Complex, Heinrich said.
The demolition of the gymnasium will also impact K-State facilities, staff and com munity members, Heinrich said.
“Our department has had a noon-time fitness program since the 70s. We’ve had peo ple that come and use the track and other facilities for 30 years,” Heinrich said.
One of those community members is Terry Mason, an associate professor in account ing. Mason plays “noon ball,” a game of pick up basketball. He said he has been playing for eight years alongside other staff and faculty members.
“It’s a big staple here on campus,” Mason said. “Peo ple who come into campus even when they’re interview ing for positions, they come and play noon ball.”
The group of 40 men play at the Ahearn Gymnasium every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to relieve some stress and exercise in between their work schedule.
“Not every job has the op portunity to walk right outside your building and up the street, and you’re playing basketball,” Mason said.
Jeff Grove, K-State volley ball associate head coach, has played noon ball since he started at the university in 1998.
“It started off with a lot old er faculty and a smaller group of people,” Grove said. “In the last 10 years, it’s kind of blossomed into days where we get three full courts of players up here.”
Mason said the group is worried that their 25 year tra dition of playing noon ball may come to an end.
“If they tear Ahearn down, we are going to have to move to some other facility, and I’m afraid that we are going to lose the comradery that we have here,” Mason said.
Grove said he is sad to hear the news but understands why it has to happen.
“I understand from an economic standpoint that to maintain this building the way it is, it’s expensive,” Grove said. “They’re not going to keep something like this just for a group of people that want to play basketball.”
Although no official plans have been announced, Lauer said there are discussions of how they will reutilize Ahearn.
“We would do our best to make that a student-focused center in some fashion,” Larson said. “We want it to be utilized and for the benefit of the stu dents.”
Lauer said it is an extensive process to decide if a building needs to be torn down.
“It’s never easy to take buildings down,” Lauer said. “Ultimately, something has hap pened in that space, or there is a name associated with the build ing that just ponders up emo tions or feelings. This isn’t some thing that we have taken lightly.”
Lauer said he wants to reas sure the public that Ahearn will not be demolished under Presi dent Linton’s tenure at K-State.
After the Wildcat win against Kansas, students lined up outside Bramlage Colise um on Sunday to purchase tickets for the upcoming Big 12 Championship game. Kansas State will play TCU at the AT&T Stadium in Ar lington this Saturday.
The process for students purchasing tickets to the Big 12 game differed from the regular season, Joni Smoller, senior associate athletics director for external relations, said.
“What students did to purchase official student tick
ets for the Big 12 Champion ship through K-State was to purchase them in-person at Bramlage Coliseum at the tick et office,” Smoller said. “We opened it for ICAT at noon, and then starting at 2 o’clock, we let the general admission form in after the ICAT line.”
Justin Hodge, sopho more in milling science, said having ICAT gave him an advantage in the process for getting tickets.
“ICAT is only 40 extra dollars,” Hodge said. “It gives you special passes and things like a t-shirt, free football jer sey and maybe a basketball jersey. For the championship game specifically, there was
a separate ICAT entrance where you got in line first for tickets before anyone else.”
Hodge said even with ICAT, he stood in line for hours in order to buy a ticket.
“I went around 11 a.m., and the line wasn’t too long then,” Hodge said. “They started selling tickets at noon, and I got my ticket a little bit after one, so it was about two hours in line.”
Hodge said he found a few issues with the ticketing process.
“Most of it was outside. They didn’t put too many people inside, which I thought they could’ve,” Hodge said.
“It was cold, but everybody
dressed up for it.”
Smoller said even though some students were cutting in line, everything worked out for those in line.
“Every student that came to Bramlage that was in line got a ticket for $50,” Smoller said. “We didn’t turn away any students. There were a certain amount of lower-lev el seats, but once we ran out of those we secured an addi tional 650 tickets in the upper deck, in the fourth level, that were the same $50 rate.”
Brett Eakin, associate athletics director of fan ex perience, said it’s impossible to distribute tickets without any issues.
“It went slower than we want for anything, but that goes for any ticket line,” Eakin said. “You could ask any of our fans on any gameday, and we’d much rather the line goes faster, but I think we were pretty efficient and got through everything we thought we would.”
Hodge said he sees the advantages of in-person tick eting as opposed to distribut ing tickets online.
“It gives the more dedi cated fans a chance to get tick ets,” Hodge said. “With on line ticketing, if it’s really low supply and high demand like these tickets were, I’m sure within minutes they would’ve sold out, so I’m glad we got tickets in person.”
Smoller said the de mand for Big 12 tickets was much higher than last year’s Bowl Game against Stanford due to a decrease in student ticket prices.
“Last year, [tickets] were priced at over $100 a piece, and we thought that’s not right for students,” Smoller said. “We lowered the price, and we covered the cost difference and sold them at a lower price to students. We had about 650 buy student tickets and make the trip to Houston. We anticipated that it would be more than that this year — I don’t know if we anticipated it
would be up to 2,000.”
Smoller said she is sat isfied with how the ticketing process went.
“The students were really positive, polite, thankful and excited,” Smoller said. “To
have some of the football staff show up with the Governor’s Cup, and to see the student body showing support for the football program — that was really positive.”
Kansas State marked itself as the first university in Kansas to partake in the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Centers program on Nov. 17. According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the program intends to prepare the next generation of leaders to break down systemic racism.
TRHT is just one of many courses of action the university plans on implementing, per K-State’s diversity and inclusion action plan that began in the summer of 2020 to combat racial inequity and other social injustices at K-State.
Some of K-State’s goals for the action plan include
telling “the inclusive history of Kansas State University” and to “implement racial healing circles.”
The Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation program is not new — it was developed by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the American Association of Colleges and Universities in 2016. According to The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, TRHT is “a comprehensive, national and community-based process to bring about transformational and sustainable change.”
Caleb Chan, sophomore in computer science, said TRHT is a great step for the university.
“I think it’s pretty cool that K-State is doing that, and it makes sense to have at a big university like ours, especially for Asians. We have a very small
community, so it is important for people to think about us,” Chan said.
Chan said this could be beneficial.
“There was a big culture shock coming to K-State with all the western culture here, so TRHT can be beneficial and welcoming for us minority groups,” Chan said. “I look forward to seeing this happen.”
Timothy Larson, freshman in computer science, said he encourages these programs for students on campus.
“I think it’s great. Everybody deserves to be treated equally, especially at Kansas State where we are all pursuing a better education,” Larson said.
Daniel Valadez, freshman in marketing, said racism is a bigger issue than just what is
seen at K-State.
“I think THRT would be
expect great things from the American Association of Col-
Manhattan Jewish Congregation
1509 Wreath Ave, Manhattan www.mhkjc.org 785 477-5759 LIKE
approach to defining and advocating awareness for ra-
ALLISON DOLLAR staff writer
A new donut shop has popped up just in time for the holidays. The Donut Palace opened at 706 N 11th St. in Aggieville last month to a crowd of donut lovers clamoring for the classic childhood favorites. These donuts are light and fluffy treats that make the ideal breakfast.
It’s no surprise that Michelle Sir, the owner, has a passion for donuts.
“I love the colors,” Sir said. “I love to dip them in the colors and then sprinkle the sprinkles. They taste good, especially in the winter with coffee.”
Sir said it hasn’t always been her dream to own a donut shop. She was born in Cambodia and came to the United States after she married, where she settled in Texas with her husband. She said it was there she took a job at a donut shop and developed her magic touch. Her boss, impressed, offered her the chance to buy an already established shop in Abilene,
Kansas. In 2014, she said she jumped at the chance.
Sir said it wasn’t long before she had a loyal clientele built up. She had customers who drove over from Junction City routinely, even asking her to open other locations. After three years, she gave in and expanded to Junction City.
People drove in from as far as Manhattan on Sundays to get donuts, Sir said. Soon they were urging her to expand again, this time to Manhattan.
“They keep saying, ‘come open the store in Manhattan because your donuts — no one can do the same,’” Sir said.
After surviving the pandemic and ensuring her shop in Junction City was running smoothly, Sir began the process of opening her shop in Aggieville. Sir said she loves having a location in Manhattan because of her customers.
“They support me a lot,” Sir said. “I really appreciate the people in Manhattan. I love them so much.”
The donuts are made fresh daily. Sir and her husband,
Kevin, start making the donuts at midnight. They are made in Junction City and brought over, as her shop in Manhattan isn’t set up for cooking on site.
“We have a lot of work to do because we make [the donuts] fresh every day,” Sir said.
Her selections include standard raised yeast and cake donuts in a variety of flavors. She also makes old fashioneds, long johns, bear claws, twists, apple fritters, cinnamon rolls and the ever-popular donut holes. She also offers sausage rolls and croissants and plans to add burritos soon. Coffee, milk and hot chocolate are offered to complement the pastries.
Sir said she wants customers to know her products are affordable and delicious.
“I want everybody to be happy because they’re really cheap and everybody can eat them,” Sir said. “I’m from a poor country and it’s really important to me.”
The Donut Palace is open Monday through Saturday from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Sunday, her hours are 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“1899” begins aboard the Kerberos, a steamship bound for America. After a cryptic nightmare that may have been more of a memory than a dream, the show’s protagonist, Maura, wakes up aboard the ship. She reads a letter sent from her brother, who she believes was aboard the Kerberos’ sister ship, the Prometheus, which was lost at sea six months ago.
One of Netflix’s most recent series, “1899” handles its large cast quite well. As this ship is carrying around 1500 people from Europe to New York City, there is a wide assortment of nationalities onboard. British, German, Danish, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish and French passengers are all key characters, and some mainly speak their
own languages. Each character is more complicated than they seem at first. The show maneuvers the challenge of language barriers impressively, providing compelling backstories and emotional payoffs throughout the season.
“1899” immediately begins sneaking in details that force its audience to question what is reality and what is not –– details which only intensify as the story unfolds. The Kerberos’ captain, Eyk, receives a message that could only have been sent by the lost Prometheus, given the signal’s strength. The captain diverts course to find the Prometheus, much to the frustration of all aboard aside from Maura. Upon locating the lost ship, the crew finds it completely empty, aside from one small boy trapped in a cupboard that refuses to speak a word about
what has happened. Stranger still, they find the Prometheus’ communication technology damaged beyond repair, begging the question of who sent the distress message.
This period piece is very well made on a technical level. The insides of the ships feel very real, which is good, as they are the main setting for most of the story. Every scene on the deck is equally convincing. On clear days the sky is breathtaking, and during unfavorable weather it is clear how dangerous a place the ocean can be. Adding impressive camerawork onto that, this show does not struggle to capture the spectator’s attention.
Where “1899” does falter is its ending. The final episode feels rushed when compared to previous episodes. On a rewatch, some questions also go noticeably unanswered, but the
final twist does leave room for a second season, meaning that more may be explored later.
The show’s biggest strengths are the characters and the slow, ominous unraveling of its mystery. While not really a horror series, the tension of the circumstances the charac-
ters find themselves in will hold viewers’ attention for the show’s eight one-hour-long episodes. Although there is a huge twist at the end, the show is at its best when slowly pushing its cast towards an uncertain conclusion. “1899” is more about the journey than the destination, in
more ways than one. Those willing to read subtitles and sit through the slow burn of the first episode or two as the show establishes its characters and plot will find themselves captivated by this voyage that is not what it seems.
Walking into Man hattan Brewing Company feels like walking into a big holiday party. The space is decked out in lights, orna ments and stockings, and the air is robust with the smell of fresh brews. However, Man hattan Brewing Co. isn’t just any brewery; the local busi ness hosts countless commu nity events throughout each month.
Breezy Scroggs, tap room manager, said the company hosts live music and other festive events al most every Thursday.
“I feel like we do a good job of featuring live mu sic throughout the month,” Scroggs said. “It always brings in a good crowd and just good energy.”
Scroggs said her favor ite thing about hosting live music is getting to watch customers unwind and relax.
“The best part is just seeing groups of people in here having fun,” Scroggs said. “It’s nice to let loose, especially since we’re living through such crazy times. It’s just a break in the day and a relief for everyone.”
The bands and per formers featured at Man hattan Brewing Co. tend to range wildly in genre, from jazz to bluegrass.
“We always get real ly good feedback,” Scroggs said. “We love trying new entertainers and then we also have Mr. Direction — a jazz band — that performs here regularly as well. We just had the Lightfoot Fam ily Band a couple of weeks ago and we had great feed back from them. They were a bluegrass duet. It was re ally fun.”
Scroggs said many of the featured artists come from Kansas, but others have traveled from far away just to perform at the unique venue.
“In a couple of weeks we’ll have Allie and I from Nebraska and they’ll be here to perform,” Scroggs said. “It just kind of depends. They come from all over the Midwest.”
Debi Schmidt, a senior in communication scienc es and disorders, said she’d highly encourage any stu dent to go check out events at Manhattan Brewing Co.
“I think it’s a great at mosphere for students if you’re looking for something other than the ‘Ville. It gets you downtown and you get to see a different part of Manhattan,” Schmidt said. “It’s a little more mature and grown-up.”
Schmidt said she’s known artists who have got ten to sing at the venue.
“I’ve had two sepa rate friends perform there,” Schmidt said. “They both really enjoyed it. They said the atmosphere is great and I think they had a great time.”
Manhattan Brewing Co. hosts a variety of community events in addition to musical performances. The Banned Book Club is an event where people gather to talk about different banned books at each meeting, Scroggs said.
Science on Tap is a partner ship with the Sunset Zoo and is another popular Thursday discussion event. The Jam min Jamaican Cuisine food truck makes an appearance every Thursday and Smokin’ H’s Meats makes an appear ance on Fridays. However, Scroggs said her favorite event of all is definitely Drag Bingo.
“We work with Little Apple Pride and that’s been a lot of fun,” Scroggs said.
“We always do Drag Bingo and it sells out.”
Scroggs said she loves Manhattan Brewing Co. for its fondness of the people of Manhattan.
“They always just have loved being involved in the
Manhattan Brewing Co. hosts
Salary: $2,476.50 for coach with no years of high school wrestling coaching experience. Pay increases with previous years of experience.
Hours: Weekday practices from 3:30pm to 5:30pm
Schedule: Full schedule can be found at usd322.org under Athletics>High School>Wrestling
community,” Scroggs said. “They just love being a safe space for all types of people and I think that’s why they’ve been such a good addition to the community.”
To learn more about
Manhattan Brewing Com pany’s upcoming events, visit its Facebook page.
The Manhattan Public Library is a central place for both youth and adults in Manhattan. The library staff is challenged with creating public programs that bring community members together.
Jan Johnson, teen librarian at the Manhattan Public Library, is a founding member of the library’s ReadMHK program, a project composed of loosely guided readings and activities constructed on monthly themes. Johnson said she is a believer that everyone should develop understanding and acceptance by listening to the diverse stories of people in their community.
“When we read, we gain
understanding, and understanding leads to empathy,” Johnson said. “Empathy helps us understand more about the lives of people who aren’t just like us and that their lives are just as valuable as ours.”
Each month, the ReadMHK program challenges its participants to read something related to the monthly theme, which can range anywhere from beliefs to military life. All genres and media are fair game, as the program is inclusive of all reading levels and language barriers.
On top of organizing discussion groups, the directors of the program initiate monthly activities around the community. In the past, these have included solving escape rooms and taking various tours around town.
Jennie Jordan, the adult programs and outreach librarian, helped to coordinate this year’s challenge at the beginning of the summer.
“I started by researching celebrations and observances of each month,” Jordan said. “After that, we work with the community engagement team and I.T., setting up the challenge on Beanstack.”
Beanstack is an application that allows users to track their reading, Jordan said. If participants either complete the monthly reading challenges or participate in the monthly activity, they are entered to win a drawing for gift cards to a local business every three months.
“I love seeing people take books off of the ReadMHK displays or ask us for a recommendation for the
month,” Jordan said. “Sometimes it’s books they wouldn’t have read otherwise and they end up loving them.”
Jennifer Bergen, the program and children’s services manager, coordinates the challenge along with Jordan.
“I love helping people find something that makes them excited,” Bergen said. “Especially when you find growth in identifying yourself in books with stories different from your own.”
Bergen said she is a firm believer that reading about a new perspective, regardless of its form, is going to grow the reader as a person.
“Reading helps people to be seen,” Bergen said. “We find ourselves in others, and when we both see and are seen we develop a better
understanding of ourselves.”
To learn more about ReadMHK, visit mhklibrary. org
In the weekly ranking from the College Football Playoff Committee, the Kansas State Wildcats were ranked at No. 10 in the country, placing K-State as the highest three-loss team in the country. Even so, the idea of there being nine teams better than the Wildcats is up for judgment.
Now, losing three games and having zero wins over current top-25 teams does give the committee the right to hold it against K-State when comparing it to the best teams in the country. However, there are not nine teams better than the Wildcats at the moment.
All three losses for K-State have come against teams ranked inside the top 25: No. 3 TCU, No. 18 Tulane and No. 20 Texas. In all three matchups, K-State had the opportunity to win but fell short in the end. The Wildcats even had TCU down 18 points as quarterback Will Howard was pushed into action due to quarterback Adrian Martinez’s injury.
Howard’s performance in his five appearances, starting with the TCU game, have been the catalyst to the climb in the rankings. Howard now has full control of the offense as the starter, averaging over 47 points per game in his three starts. The Wildcats have won those three games by an average of 28.3 points per game. With a
balanced offensive attack and a defense that continues to show promise despite multiple season-ending injuries, K-State has the ability to match up with nearly any team and any style of play despite their losses.
Ahead of the Wildcats are the two-loss Clemson Tigers ranked at No. 9. Clemson started off the season with a 8-0 record before suffering two losses in their next four games. The first came to the then-unranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a 35-14 blowout. Clemson then fell to South Carolina 31-30 to finish their regular season. The Wildcats recent quality of play shows that, at the least, the Wildcats should have been placed ahead of the Tigers.
The No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers, however, have earned their ranking. Tennessee once had hopes for the playoff, but that opportunity is gone. They fell to a South Carolina team 63-38, who was just blown out by unranked Florida, and they lost potential Heisman winner quarterback Hendon Hooker. K-State does not have the resume wins of LSU and Alabama that Tennesse has, but in a matchup today, the Wildcats would have the advantage, as the addition of Howard would go favorably against the loss of Hooker.
Next comes No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Alabama, two historic programs. Each team has landed their rankings mostly due to name value. Ohio State
started the season looking like the best offense in the country. Now, as the weather has become more frigid, the high-flying offense has shown struggles, scoring only 21 points against a one-win Northwestern team and falling to No. 2 Michigan by 22 points. In a game with freezing temperatures, the Wildcats’ physicality gives them the edge against the Buckeyes.
The historic Alabama Crimson Tide, the presumed Sugar Bowl matchup for K-State by nearly all major sports outlets, is not the same as it was in past years. Alabama has been carried by quarterback Bryce Young with his game-saving performances, overcoming lackluster wide receiver and offensive line play. A Sugar Bowl victory would be a tough task for K-State, but the opportunity will be there to take down the legend that is head coach Nick Saban.
Every team outside the current top 4 of Georgia, Michigan, TCU and USC has shown major flaws this season. While none of the teams ranked ahead of K-State have lost three times, few have proven themselves to be worthy of a higher tier than the Wildcats. In a matchup today, K-State has the ability to take down any one of these five teams. A Big 12 Championship would only further show evidence toward the Wildcats being one of the top teams in the country and beg the question for how many teams are truly better than the K-State Wildcats.
Kansas State football is playing in a conference title game for the first time in nearly two decades. It is a remarkable milestone for head coach Chris Klieman, but also sets the bar for future Wildcat teams.
Every year from 1999 to 2020 when a Big 12 title game was played, it featured either Oklahoma or Texas. However, both will be leaving the conference for the SEC in the coming years, opening the door for programs like K-State. The Wildcats have been one of the most successful teams in the conference since its founding in 1996, ranking third in total wins — only behind Oklahoma and Texas.
Since the two universities announced their departure from the Big 12, their dominance in the title game has ended. Last season, Oklahoma State and Baylor snapped the streak, followed by K-State and TCU this season. These are the main four teams that will look to assume the dominant roles previously held by Texas and Oklahoma. K-State might have the edge, not only because of their winning history, but also their coaching staff.
“We get an opportunity to play one of the best teams in the country,” Klieman said in his press conference on Tuesday. “We earned the opportunity to get to this point.”
Klieman, in just his fourth year as head coach, already has the Wildcats playing for a conference title. For reference, Bill Synder, Klieman’s hall of fame predecessor, made two championship games in 27 years with the program.
While this is Klieman’s first big game with K-State, he is no stranger to cham-
pionship games. In his fiveyear tenure as head coach at North Dakota State he won four national championships. With Klieman at the helm, K-State has the opportunity to build upon this season and create a resume that includes multiple Big 12 championships.
Offensive coordinator Collin Klein will also play a key role in sustaining conference success. Klein, in just his first season calling plays, is breaking school records — just like he did as the Wildcat’s quarterback.
The Wildcats have totaled 375 yards or more in every Big 12 game this season — a team first. Klein has also only improved over the season, averaging 40.2 points per game over the last five contests. That average ranks first in the Big 12 and fifth in the nation among Power 5 schools.
“When things aren’t going right I think it’s easy to get frustrated and out of rhythm and that can make things worse,” Klein said after an offensive struggle against Tulane early in the season.
Since that point, Klein has put an emphasis on the
little things successful teams do in critical situations.
For a majority of the last five games, junior quarterback Will Howard has led the Wildcats. Given next season will be his senior year, there is still another year for Klein, Klieman and Howard to improve together. Improvement, however, won’t be easy because they’ve already set a high standard with the Big 12 Championship game.
The standard goes beyond next season as well. According to EMAW Online, the 2023 recruiting class is rated 28th in the country. This is the highest a Wildcat class has been ranked since 2008. The group is headlined by 4-star quarterback Avery Johnson, the highest rated Kansas high school player, according to 247 Sports. With this recruiting class and Johnson presumably taking the reins shortly after Howard, the opportunity exists to be highly competitive in the conference for years to come.
While K-State hasn’t made it to Arlington for the past two decades, their drought is over, and a new drought should be out of the picture for a long time.
Kansas State volleyball ends its 2022 season with a send-off to their long-tenured head coach Suzie Fritz.
Fritz helped build the program into what it is today. She leaves a legacy of winning at K-State and ends her career with the program record in all-time wins by a head coach.
“Coach Fritz has poured all of her energy into this program for the last 20-plus years,” K-State Athletics Director Gene Taylor said in an announcement on Nov. 27. “And we will forever be grateful for her leadership and advancement of K-State volleyball.”
Fritz propelled the program to prominence, earning 13 Big 12 tournament trips, a Big 12 championship, two Big 12 Coach of the
Year awards and numerous player awards under her tenure.
Entering next season, the Wildcats will have an opportunity to create a new identity with a young roster to help continue the program’s success.
Upon finishing the season, senior Sydney Bolding earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors and freshman Shaylee Meyers was named All-Big 12 Rookie Team, showing promise for the future.
“There is a lot to be proud of this season. We were very close in a lot of matches and saw a great deal of improvement throughout the season,” Fritz said after the Baylor game. “Our younger players have really worked hard to be impactful. I thought it was a breakout year for Sydney Bolding, Elena Baka and Mackenzie Morris overall.”
While not having an extremely young roster, growing talent such
as sophomore Molly Ramsey and Meyers look to bolster the core of the team.
Finishing her sophomore season, Ramsey ranked fifth on the team for serving aces and the fourth most for digs. As a defensive specialist, Ramsey will have the chance to play a large role going into next season.
Meyers made an immediate impact in her freshman campaign, recording the best points-per-set and kills-per-set at 3.75 and 3.32 respectively.
The loss of Fritz leaves many questions for the future of the program. Even so, with young players’ development and progression, there is a silver lining for K-State entering next season.
D.J. REED, CB, NEW YORK JETS
Reed has continued to ex cel in his first season with the Jets as he recorded six more tackles in the their 31-10 home victory over the Chicago Bears on Sun day. Recording 54 tackles on the season, Reed is on pace to set a career high in tackles this season.
BYRON PRINGLE, WR, CHICAGO BEARSPringle caught two passes for 12 yards and scored his first touchdown in a Bears uniform on Sunday in Chicago’s 31-10 loss to the New York Jets. He has spent most of the season on injured reserve with a calf injury.
Lockett hauled in three receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks 40-34 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. His 708 receiving yards puts him at 17th in the league in receiving yards and his six touchdown receptions have him tied for seventh in that category. He is also tied for 14th in receptions with 57 on the season.
Horne recorded three tackles in the Falcons 19-13 loss to the Washington Com manders on Sunday. Horne has now recorded multiple tackles in three consecutive
games and in four of his last five games.
The former Wildcat and Chicago Bear recorded six tackles in the Vikings Thanks giving victory over the New England Patriots. The six tack les tied a career-high for the fourth year defensive back.
Willis has spent most of the season on injured reserve but returned to the lineup two weeks ago against the Los An geles Chargers. The 49ers are 7-4 on the season and sit in first place in the NFC West.
1. K-State ranks ______ in scoring among Power 5 schools in the past games with 40.2 points per game in that span.
4. Volleyball coach who was relieved of her duties.
5. Following the destruction of Ahearn, the Kinesiology department will move to_____ Hall.
7. Students lined up outside _______ Coliseum to buy their Big 12 Championship student tickets.
9. Manhattan Brewing Company hosts the _______ Jamaican Cuisine food truck every ursday.
10. Net ix’s newest ______ piece is a mystery called “1899” and follows main character Maura as she sails the Atlantic.
2. K-State is the ____ university in Kansas to implement the THRT program.
3. Caught his rst touchdown of the season with the Chicago Bears.
6. Earlier in the season, K-State took an _________ point lead over TCU before losing 38-28.
8. e Donut ______ is a donut shop that opened last month in Aggieville.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Kansas State Moneyline and over 61.5 total points: +290
Kansas State +110
Kansas State, USC, Georgia, Tulane and Michigan all Moneyline: +603
Kansas State Moneyline and New York Jets Moneyline: +404 Fanduel Draftkings MGM -$22.73
9 9
1
2 2
6 7 7
8
8 8 8 8 5
2 2 8
1 1 4 4 3 3
Kansas State Moneyline: +116 -$20.00 $1.34 1 1
3 3 2
5 5 6
7 7 9
2
