2010-11 issue8 by Washburn Student Media

Making it a family affair

Sports • Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Student-athletes find comfort in going to school with siblings Robert Burkett WASHBURN REVIEW

Throughout life, people grow up and relationships change. Some relationships though, withstand the forces of time. For a few athletes at Washburn, such is the case. As one of the more profound experiences of life, growing up in a family with brothers and sisters is part of what can shape a person. Rarely then, is the chance to continue that relationship into college years. In the case of Ty Lewis, senior football player and his brother Xavier, sophomore baseball player, there wasn’t a conscious effort to bring the two back together. “Well I was recruited out here and then when Xavier became a senior in high school I showed [baseball head coach Steve] Anson some of what my brother was all about and he kinda came out here,” said Ty Lewis. Upon his arrival at Washburn, Xavier, who lived in the dorms at Washburn during his first years, spent more time at his brother’s house initially. “Having Ty here made things a lot easier for me,” said Xavier Lewis. “I spent a lot of time my first year at his place hanging out since I didn’t really know anyone yet.” The adjustment to college in some cases is less of a struggle for some other athletes. In the case of Sami McHenry, freshman volleyball player coming to Washburn was an easy choice for her due in part to her family connection to the University. McHenry’s father,

Ron is the head coach of the letes. In the case of Jake IverLady Blue’s basketball team. son, senior football player and For McHenry though every his brother Payton, sophomore volleyball game and practice is football player their friendship time spent with her sister, Dani and competition goes back to (McHenry) Schmidt, assistant high school where they wrestled volleyball coach. and played football together as “We have a great bond,” well. Now that they are in colsaid Sami McHenry. “We’ve lege together they play different always been pretty close.” positions and compete together Dani demonstrated ath- but that hasn’t changed their letic-excellence as a two-sport competitive drive. athlete at Washburn when she “We do stuff like friendplayed for the Lady Blues bas- ly competition in the weight ketball and volleyball teams. room,” said Jake Iverson. The athletic “[Payton]’s experience the man in allows Sami the weight to relate to It’s just one of those r o o m , her sister. though.” “[Dani] things where having In the has always your best friend close is case of the been a great just something you can’t Iversons, the athlete so two brothI’ve always really replace er’s bond is tried to take something what she that influsays beenced Paycause she ton in his - Xavier Lewis choice is just tryof Washburn pitcher college. ing to make me better,” “Havsaid Sami ing Jake here McHenry. was cerBeing in the relationship of tainly an aspect to the choice to coach and player though is one come to Washburn,” said Paything that they make a point of ton Iverson. “Having him here keeping on the court. made the move to Washburn “We try to keep it two easier for me.” separate worlds when we get In fact the two are roomtogether outside of practice,” mates which allows them to said Dani Schmidt. “My dad keep close even despite busy and I had to work around this academic and athletics schedsituation when I played with ules. him here so I kind of know how Sometimes though, sibto work through this.” lings can be close and yet lead Along with being in a sib- separate lives at Washburn. For ling relationship, come the nat- Lindsey Himpel, sophomore ural competitiveness that is part outfielder on the softball team, of being close in age and ath- and her sister Lauren, a fresh-

“

”

man outfielder, their choice of school was for similar and yet different reasons. “With our mom having graduated from Washburn, it was kind of a natural progression for me,” said Lindsey Himpel. While Lindsey chose Washburn due to family connection, Lauren came to the same school but for different reasons. “I looked all around, wanting to go somewhere else besides Washburn, but the program here for [physical therapy] is a good one so I ended up here,” said Lauren Himpel. Outside of their time on the softball diamond, the Himpel sisters who have grown accustomed to playing together spend a great deal of time in their own separate pursuits. “We don’t really think about [playing together] that much anymore,” said Lauren Himpel. “We spend time with different friends and stuff, I mean we still talk and stuff but we live apart to.” No matter what sport or what kind of relationship a sibling has with their brother or sister one thing is sure, there is a family thread that runs through Washburn and continues to help carry forward the legacy of Washburn athletics. “It’s just one of those things where having your best friend close is just something you can’t really replace,” said Xavier Lewis. Robert Burkett is a senior mass media major. Reach him at robert. burkett@washburn.edu.

KLONE: Hard work paying off Continued from page A5 our team loves to dance. I’d be the manager because I’m pretty boring and shy.” Klone’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by others around her who cannot praise her enough. “She does a fantastic job just leadership by example,”

said Tim Collins, head soccer coach. “She’s one of the hardest workers in the program. She always shows up. She always gives her best, day in, day out. Always is one of our themes. She’s the epitome of that.” Klone also puts in time breaking a mental sweat. Even with Klone’s success as a goalie, the biology major recently

applied to medical school and hopes to rise in the field as high as the neck of Apatosaurus, her favorite dinosaur. “I think the other thing that she brings is that she’s a biology major,” said Collins. “That’s a tough major here at Washburn and she’s fantastic in the classroom. She’s one of the Capital Federal scholar athletes, and

she has a terrific grade-point average. “And her dedication to being here for the right reasons, being here as a student and being here as an athlete sets a pretty high bar.” Sam Sayler is a freshman undecided major. Reach him at samuel. saylor@washburn.edu.

BODS: Large obstacle www.washburnreview.org ahead in homecoming Your resource for the latest in Washburn sports: conscious of that. The quarterback can run and throw very well, so you have to be extra conscious of that. Then defensively, they’re usually very strong up front, so you have to be very secure in your blocking assignments.” Senior linebacker Michael Wilhoite, who amassed 11 tackles and teamed up with Bryce Atagi for a sack against Pitt State, will be experiencing his sixth Homecoming game at Washburn after injuring his right tibia and sitting out his redshirt senior season last year. “It means a lot,” said Wilhoite, “I really enjoy it because I tend to play better when more people are at the game and I really enjoy people coming out and cheering us on and rooting us on. It comforts you and gives you more confidence in yourself and as a team. You’ve got the school supporting you, you’ve got family supporting you, you’ve got alumni coming. The stadium gets a little louder and it gives you energy when you might be tired on fourth down or in the fourth quarter, they feed you the energy to make you want to keep going.” While the team is looking forward to the game, the quality of the opponent certainly represents a challenge. After losing its first game of the season to Texas A&M-Kingsville, the Bearcats scored at least 42 points in each of their next five victories, including a 42-0 romp over then-No. 8 Missouri Western. “I think of it like this: we’re

playing Northwest,” said Luke Schuckman, senior linebacker. “We’re playing the defending national champs, coming to our house and we’ve got to rise to the occasion and knock them off the throne. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best and right now they claim to be the best.” Schurig said once the distractions of the week are over, the team will be ready to get down to business on the field against the Bearcats. “Once the game starts, it’s a game,” said Schurig. “We obviously are playing a very good opponent, so that’ll feature itself. Homecoming is great, it’s something you look forward to and the players hear the buzz on campus when they’re in class and things that are going on all during the week, so I think they enjoy it.” Wilhoite’s biggest concern, however, is about making the game enjoyable for the fans. He said that if they manage to get the crowd into the game, his play will take care of itself. “I’ve always looked at it like ‘If they’re willing to come out and watch us play, let’s at least put on a great show for them,’” said Wilhoite. “ It really means a lot to me, I really enjoy the family days and the senior days and the homecomings, it brings more people out and I think it’s a lot more fun of an atmosphere. If you can have fun, the game is just a lot easier.” Josh Rouse is a senior mass media major. Reach him at joshua. rouse@washburn.edu.

• • •

Blues climb to No. 2 in nation Sam Sayler WASHBURN REVIEW

The Washburn University Lady Blues volleyball team checked off another win this past Friday in a tumultuous match against Emporia State and were ranked second in the nation, the highest ranking in school history. After the Lady Blues won the first two games, the outcome became more uncertain as ESU won the next two, forcing Washburn to win in a tie-breaking fifth game. “The biggest thing is Molly Smith was really good defensively,” said Chris Herron, head coach. “Breanna Lewis was pretty much unstoppable, and that’s kind of where it was.” Herron acknowledged the difficulty in facing a team of such high caliber on the court. “We’re fortunate enough to win,” said Herron. “They’re a good team. It’s a good team. They’ve got an amazing rightside player, and we have an amazing right-side player.” Despite having only one loss this season, the Lady Blues still have room for improvement. “You know, I thought our left sides, at times, were good, but they were pretty roller coaster-ish throughout the night,” said Herron. “We need to be a little more efficient with our left sides if at all possible. Other than that, I’m sure it was fun for the crowd.” The members of the team

seemed to be in high spirits after their dramatic and suspenseful victory against the adversarial ESU Hornets. “It was a tough game for us,” said junior outside hitter for the Lady Blues Courtney Wallman. “Emporia’s always one of our biggest rivals. You know, it’s one of those deals where we hope we come out and come out strong and everyone’s on. “Tonight’s one of those nights where everyone was kind of clicking. We came together as a team and pulled it off.” Wallman offered her own thoughts on the chinks in the team’s armor and what needs to be done to mend them. “Serving is one of the things that we always have to work most on,” said Wallman. “Serving aggressive and, you know, passing and just staying consistent as hitters and all around ball control hits, too.” With several matches still yet to be played, the team still needs to stay sharp and ready for what comes next. “Right now, we need to make sure we don’t hit our peak,” said Wallman. “You know, we keep practicing, doing the little extra things that keep us in tip-top form and that way we can keep on winning the rest of the season.” Sam Sayler is a freshman undecided major. Reach him at samuel. saylor@washburn.edu.



Videos Photos Updates

Look forward to our live chat during Homecoming!

w e i v e Staff Pick ‘Em R e Th

Week Six

the staff

Continued from page A5

Photo by Mike Goehring, Washburn Review

Reaching for the win: Jessica Fey, sophomore right hitter goes up for a block against Emporia State. The Lady Blues won a close match 3-2

the games

Katoe

Washburn vs Northwest Mo.

Washburn Kansas State

Kansas State vs Baylor @ Nebraska vs Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

A. Shep.

Roboto

Roosey

Mike G.

Washburn

Northwest Mo.

Kansas State

Baylor

Kansas State Oklahoma State

R.K.

Choosey Washburn Kansas State

Nebraska

Oklahoma

MIssouri

Oklahoma

Missouri

Oklahoma

Auburn

LSU

Auburn

LSU

Chiefs

Jaguars

Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders

Broncos

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Miami Dolphins

Dolphins

Steelers

Steelers Colts

New England Patriots vs San Diego Chargers

Patriots

Chargers

Patriots

Patriots Cowboys

Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers

Vikings

Packers

Vikings

Oklahoma vs Missouri LSU vs Auburn Kansas City Chiefs vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Auburn Chiefs Georgia Tech

Nebraska

Last Week Record

4-6

7-3

5-5

7-3

3-7

OVERALL RECORDS

31-20

30-21

28-23

33-18

34-17

30-21

28-23

The Review Staff Pick ‘Em is a weekly feature where we pick the winners of college and pro football games around the country. Check back weekly to see our standings!