Category: Shocker Athletics

Wichita State’s Yared Kidane and Jason Parrish claimed Second Team All-American honors on day one of the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field, University of Oregon.

Kidane, a redshirt-junior from Sweden, ran the sixth-fastest 800-meter time of the day, missing the final by one spot. The American Athletic Conference champion finished sixth in the first and fastest heat, clocking a time of 1:46.86 to claim 10th place overall and Second Team All-America status.

Parrish, a sophomore from Olathe, Kansas, also finished 10th in his event, running 50.26 in the 400-meter hurdles, missing the final by one placement.

Shocker women’s tennis players, Anne Knuettel and Xin Tong Wang, each earned regional awards in the Central Region from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

Knuettel earned the Cissie Leary Sportsmanship award for the Central Region. The award is given to a Division I women’s tennis player from each region who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team’s performance and exemplifies to the spirit of college tennis. The award dates back to 1997 and is in memory of the late and widely admired Penn women’s tennis coach Cissie Leary.

Wang was named the ITA Player to Watch from the Central Region. The award recognizes a player from each region who had an outstanding season on the court and is expected to continue improving and performing at a higher level in the near future. 

The NCAA announced that the 2026 and 2027 Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) semifinals and finals will be at Charles Koch Arena on the Wichita State campus. This will be the first year that Wichita will host the final WBIT games. Wichita has experience hosting women’s basketball tournament games, most recently when it hosted a March Madness regional in 2022.

WBIT semifinals and finals will be broadcast on ESPN platforms. Below are the dates for the semifinals and finals in Wichita:

• 2026: March 30 (semifinals), April 1 (final).
• 2027: March 29 (semifinals), March 31 (final).

The Wichita State women’s tennis team was mentioned multiple times June 4 when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced the Mid-Major and Regional Rankings for the 2025 season.

The Shockers were ranked No. 15 in the ITA Mid-Major Poll, their highest ranking in the poll since its establishment in 2021, surpassing their previous No. 25 ranking from the 2023 season. In the Central Region, the Shockers were ranked seventh as a team. Their highest Central Region ranking since 2018, when they were fourth.

Additionally, sophomore standout Xin Tong Wang became the first Shocker since 2018 to be ranked in the Central Region top 20 in singles, appearing at No. 11.

After a year marked by significant improvement, the Wichita State men’s tennis team was ranked No. 7 in the Central Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in their end-of-year regional rankings June 4.

Additionally, Kristof Minarik was ranked No. 20 in the Central Region in singles, marking the first ranking since 2023, when Minarik was also ranked No. 20. 

The Wichita State men’s track and field team punched four more tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships May 30 at the NCAA West Preliminaries at E.B. Cushing Station.

Sophomore Josh Parrish earned his second entry to the NCAA Championships, finishing third in his 110-meter hurdles quarterfinal with a time of 13.56 claim an auto-qualifying spot.

Shortly after, redshirt-junior Yared Kidane punched his ticket with a gutsy finish in the 800-meter quarterfinals, running 1:47.35 to finish 12th overall claim the final qualifying spot.

In the next race, sophomore Jason Parrish auto-qualified in the 400-meter hurdles, running his third-straight sub-50 second race to finish third in his quarterfinal and get the big Q.

Capping the night, the Wichita State quartet of Joakim Genereux, Josh Parrish, Kidane, and Jason Parrish clocked another school record time in the 4×400-meter relay, running 3:06.38 to finish fourth in the second heat. With three heats of quarterfinals, the top three in each heat automatically advanced to the NCAA Championships, and the next three fastest times would fill out the field.

If you’re attending the Shocker baseball games this coming weekend, May 15-17, swing by the Shocker Store’s Shocker baseball Sidewalk Sale at the Eck Stadium Store and enjoy 30% off select Shocker baseball merchandise. The store is open one hour prior to first pitch through the seventh inning.

Bring your friends and family to Eck Stadium this week for Shocker baseball’s series against Memphis with special events every day:

• Thursday, May 15: Eat for cheap at $1 hot dog night during Shocker baseball’s first game of the series. First pitch is at 6 p.m. with gates opening at 5 p.m.
• Friday, May 16: May 16 is National Barbecue Day, and Shocker baseball is bringing the backyard to the ballpark. The first 300 fans will receive a free Shocker baseball oven mitt, and don’t miss out on the one game only $8 pulled pork sandwiches at concessions. First pitch is at 6 p.m. with gates opening at 5 p.m.
• Saturday, May 17: Shocker baseball hosts its final home game of the year. Join the team as it honors its graduating seniors in their final home game. Help send them off in style with a heartfelt farewell and a day full of memories. First pitch is at 1 p.m. with gates opening at noon.

All general admission tickets are just $7 all weekend. And remember, WSU students get in at no additional charge with their Shocker ID, thanks to the Student Government Association.

Shocker women’s tennis sophomores Xin Tong Wang and Giorgia Roselli were named to the 2025 American Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis All-Conference team April 30.

The pair became the fifth and sixth All-Conference selections for the Shockers since the team joined the American in 2018. It also marks the second consecutive year the team has had an All-Conference selection.

For Wang, it is her second All-Conference selection in as many years. The China native piled up 19 singles wins on the year, with 10 wins in dual matches. She has been ranked in each ITA top 125 singles poll this year and currently sits ranked at No. 104 in college tennis. Her nine wins at No. 1 singles were the most by any Shocker at the top singles spot since 2018, when Fatima Bizhukova had ten wins.

For Roselli, this is her first All-Conference honor in her career. She was second on the team in total singles wins with 20, and she had a record of 10-7 in dual matches. Roselli ended the year hot in singles, winning her final four matches of the year, and she went 9-3 across her final 12 decisions in singles.

Shocker baseball welcomes traditional powerhouse ECU to Eck Stadium Friday, May 2-May 4. The weekend features several popular promotions for fans to enjoy.

• 6 p.m. May 2 – It’s Little League Night. There will be no cost for admission for youth 12 and under wearing their little league team’s jersey. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Shocker baseball jersey koozie.
• 2 p.m. May 3 – Bark in the Park is back. Bring your dogs to the game to cheer on the Shockers out on Coleman Hill. Stick around after the game for postgame autographs.
• 1 p.m. May 4 – May the Fourth Be With You on Star Wars Day at Eck Stadium. Additionally, all military, police, fire/EMS and healthcare personnel can receive admission at no cost when they present their badge/employee ID at the Eck Stadium box office.

View all promos at goshockers.com/Promotions, and get tickets at goshockers.com/Tickets. WSU students receive admission to all games at no additional cost when they present their Shocker ID at the Eck Stadium box office, thanks to the Student Government Association.