Here are the 50 women you need to know making a difference in Wichita sports right now
The Eagle’s list of 50 most influential people in the Wichita sports scene, published earlier this month, included a fairly glaring oversight.
Of the 50 people we listed, only four were women.
So for the last two weeks, we spent some time getting better acquainted with some of the female difference-makers in Wichita-area sports. We’ve identified 50 of these standout influencers, from all walks of life, here.
In case you missed our first list, this one follows the same guidelines: It is not a ranking of the 50 best athletes, coaches and organizers in Wichita history. Rather, we’re shining a light on women who are making a difference in their communities right now.
You won’t find famous athletes and coaches like Lynette Woodard, Jackie Stiles, Linda Hargrove and Catherine McAndrew (Bruce) or historically important figures such as Judy Bell or Natasha Fife on this list.
But you will meet some incredibly special and powerful — and empowering — figures on the local sports scene, sorted alphabetically and not ranked by importance.
At the college level
1. Keitha Adams
Role: Wichita State women’s basketball head coach since 2017
The case: Tasked with turning around the WSU women’s basketball program, Adams is entering her fourth season at the helm. And the Shockers have shown some encouraging signs. On top of hosting a youth basketball camp in the summer, the Oxford native and her top assistant, Ewa Laskowska, are starting to make WSU a presence in recruiting the Wichita area’s top high school talent.
2. Heidi Benton
Role: Wichita State track and field jumps coach since 2004
The case: Benton (formerly Yost) has been a staple of Steve Rainbolt’s coaching staff with the WSU track and field team as the Shockers’ long jump and triple jump coach for the last 15 seasons. Benton, who was a six-time state champion at Perry-Lecompton before enjoying a standout career as a jumper at WSU, has coached nine NCAA All-Americans and 26 conference champions.
3. Kristi Bredbenner
Role: Wichita State softball head coach since 2012
The case: It didn’t take long for Bredbenner to turn around the WSU softball program, as the Shockers have won at least 30 games in six straight seasons, including two NCAA Regional appearances and the first NCAA Regional finals game in program history. Bredbenner has traditionally recruited the Wichita area well and many local products have become standouts for the Shockers. She also hosts a skills camp for the Wichita community every offseason.
4. Becky Endicott
Role: Wichita State associate athletic director since 1994
The case: Any female athlete who has come through Wichita State in the last two decades can vouch for Endicott, who has been a strong advocate for women’s sports at WSU in the Missouri Valley and now in the American. Endicott makes sure the women’s sports at WSU get the attention, funding, resources and care they need from her senior position in the athletic department.
5. Holly Harris
Role: Wichita State women’s bowling head coach since 2016
The case: Harris is the face of women’s bowling at WSU, assuming head coach duties following the retirement of Gordon Vadakin last year. After wrapping up an All-American career as a Shocker from 2010-14, Harris has remained a prominent name in the local women’s bowling scene. Now she’s the coach of one of the top programs in the country.
6. Shannon Lamb
Role: Wichita State volleyball staff since 2000
The case: Outsiders know Chris Lamb as the head coach behind WSU volleyball’s rise to becoming a powerhouse. But those closer to the program realize how vital his wife, Shannon, has been to that success. She spent her first nine years as an assistant, then transitioned to director of operations for the past 11. Lamb is also heavily involved in volleyball around town, from hosting camps at WSU to organizing events for the club Shockwave.
7. Sandy Nixon
Role: Friends women’s tennis head coach since 2016
The case: There aren’t many female coaches in the state who have the resume of Nixon, who has been a standout player and coach for the last three decades. On top of coaching the Friends’ women’s tennis team, Nixon also helped start the girls tennis program at West.
8. Joanna Pryor
Role: Newman athletic department since 2011
The case: Pryor is crucial to this list because, as the athletic director at Newman, the Attica native is the only female athletic director in the 14-school MIAA. The face of Newman athletics has been at the school since 2009, first as the school’s volleyball coach and then as a compliance coordinator from 2011-19. And you can’t talk about Newman athletics without mentioning Mo Rohleder, who has been in the athletic department for the last 15 years following a successful career as Bishop Carroll’s volleyball coach, where she won four state titles and 10 City League championships in 13 seasons.
9. Kelli Rappard
Role: Wichita State spirit head coach since 2008
The case: Although she recently stepped down as the spirit coach at WSU after 12 years, there’s no denying the impact Rappard has had in the cheer community for the past decade. She’s been a coach and judge on top of leading the Shockers’ cheer and dance squads to a handful of top-five finishes at national competitions.
10. Taryn Torgerson
Role: Newman golf coach since 2019
The case: Few have made the impact in women’s golf that Torgerson has recently. After winning a state title at Buhler, Torgerson became a standout golfer for Wichita State and won the AAC championship in record-setting fashion in 2018. Less than one year later, Torgerson was named the head coach of the men’s and women’s golf teams at Newman.
11. Gretchen Torline
Role: Wichita State director of athletic academic services since 1990
The case: She might not be a household name to Shockers fans, but Torline has been an integral part of WSU athletics for the last three decades. Ask WSU’s men’s basketball players who was crucial to their earning a college degree and their answer will often be Torline, who makes sure these student-athletes are doing what they need to do in order to graduate.
Professional athletes
12. Tiffany Bias
Role: Professional basketball player
The case: In recent years, no women’s basketball player from the Wichita area has accomplished more than Bias. She led Andover Central to a pair of undefeated state championships in high school, then became an all-Big 12 guard during her four-year career at Oklahoma State, which led to her No. 17 overall selection in the 2014 WNBA Draft. Bias has since played four seasons in the WNBA, winning a championship in 2014 with the Phoenix Mercury. Jaylyn Agnew is another name to watch, as the fellow Andover native recently wrapped up a stellar collegiate career at Creighton, where she won a Big East Player of the Year award and was just signed by the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
13. Mya Kretzer
Role: Girls wrestling pioneer
The case: What started as a local push in McPherson almost a decade ago grew into a national story last year when Kansas became the 15th state to make girls wrestling a sanctioned high school sport. That doesn’t happen without Kretzer, who became the face of the movement during her four years at McPherson High. Although Kretzer wasn’t able to reap the benefits of the rule change — Kansas hosted its first official girls wrestling state championships just this spring — she spearheaded those efforts alongside her father and coach, Doug. Mya just wrapped up her freshman season as a college wrestler at Baker.
14. Lucy Kovalova
Role: Professional pickleball player
The case: After a successful four-year career as a tennis player at Wichita State, Kovalova stuck around in Wichita and transitioned to pickleball. Kovalova, a four-time national champion, is now one of the best pickleball players in the world — she claimed the women’s triple crown at the 2018 USA Pickleball National Championships by winning gold in women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles. And you can’t talk about pickleball in Wichita without mentioning Becky Middleton, who’s been instrumental in growing the sport here.
15. Katie McClure
Role: Professional soccer player
The case: McClure is set to become the first Wichita native to play in the National Women’s Soccer League. The Washington Spirit drafted her with the No. 23 overall pick this year. McClure had a standout career at Kansas, scoring a career-high 17 goals with nine assists while leading the Jayhawks to the Sweet 16. McClure still owns the Maize High career scoring (110) and single-season scoring (52) record. Another name to watch is Maycee Bell, a Wichita native who just completed her freshman season at North Carolina and plays for the U.S. National Team’s under-20 squad.
16. Hannah Mortimer
Role: Globetrotters and women’s basketball coach
The case: After wrapping up her playing career at Wichita State, Mortimer became a viral sensation with her dribbling and ball-spinning skills. She became just the 17th woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters in more than 90 years and spent two years traveling with the team. Now an assistant coach for the Butler women’s basketball team, Mortimer has used her platform to highlight women athletes and gender equality.
17. Kelsey Stewart
Role: Professional softball player
The case: Stewart is the most accomplished softball player to have come from the Wichita area. The Arkansas City native had a stellar high school career; she finished at Maize, earning the 2010 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year award, and was a four-time All-State selection. After an All-America career as a stellar defensive infielder for Florida, Stewart has played for the U.S. national softball team and will play in an upcoming Olympics.
18. Emily Stockman
Role: Professional beach volleyball player
The case: Since wrapping up an All-American volleyball career at Wichita State in 2009, Stockman has transitioned to the sand and become one of the top beach volleyball players in the country. Stockman and her partner, Kelley Larsen, are currently the fourth-ranked team in the U.S. and the seventh-ranked team in the world, with a chance of qualifying for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Jody Larson, a Maize South graduate and another former Shocker, has enjoyed a three-year professional volleyball career overseas.
19. Katie Swan and Katherine Kirk
Role: Professional tennis player, pro golfer
The case: Although originally from Great Britain, Swan has made Wichita her home away from home, and training base, since her family moved here in 2013. Now 21, Swan is a regular on the ITF World Tennis Tour and even won a match at Wimbledon in 2018 as a wildcard entry. Kirk, originally from Australia, has been playing on the LPGA Tour since 2004 and has three career wins.
20. Deja Young and Liz Willis
Role: Paralympians
The case: Young, who was born with limited mobility in her right shoulder, earned second-team All-America honors while running for the WSU track and field team as a member of the women’s 400-meter relay that finished 16th at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The former Shocker is one of the top Paralympic athletes in the world, with four world golds and a pair of golds from the 2016 Paralympic Games in the short sprints. Willis, who had her left leg amputated after childbirth complications in 2010, is an Augusta native who qualified for the 2016 Paralympics and finished runner-up in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the 2015 Paralympics national championships.
At the organizational level
21. Holly Anderson
Role: Wichita Junior Golf Foundation trustee
The case: The Wichita Junior Golf Foundation has been a staple of the Wichita golf community, offering an eight-week summer program at public courses around Wichita. She’s been able to help make that happen as a Junior Golf Foundation trustee.
22. Linda Bruring
Role: Wichita Gymnastics owner
The case: The Brurings, Dan and Linda, have owned Wichita Gymnastics since 1977, with Linda serving as the program director. They have been serving recreational and competitive gymnasts from across the region for more than four decades with the help of coaches Dorothy McManis and Shannon Turner.
23. Angela Buckner
Role: Lynette Woodard Center director
The case: Buckner was a standout basketball player for WSU from 2000-04 and has remained in her hometown as director of the Lynette Woodard Center. She gives young people opportunities to participate in sports at the most famous rec center in Wichita.
24. Joanna Chadwick
Role: Long-time journalist, now a teacher
The case: Chadwick worked at The Eagle as a high school sports reporter for 20 years, creating the Varsity Kansas brand and organizing a free community event for young athletes that included an array of different sports. She has since joined Derby High as a journalism teacher and has remained influential by continuing to recognize high school athletes with her work as a reporter for VYPE magazine.
25. Michelle Kuhns
Role: Hellas Construction VP of business development
The case: Notice a nice turf field in the Wichita area? There’s a good chance it was made by Hellas Construction with Kuhns leading the way. Some might recognize Kuhns from her two-plus decades with the Wichita public school district, most notably as South’s athletic director. In her new role, Kuhns is still finding a way to make an difference for athletes around town.
26. Emily McVay and Tara Murphy
Role: Infant Swimming Resource instructors
The case: Infant Swimming Resource isn’t just about swimming lessons for children; it offers survival swimming lessons for children 6 months to 6 years old. McVay and Murphy are the only two certified instructors in the Wichita area and have made it their mission to ensure “not one more child drowns.” McVay is also the director of the Wichita Swim School.
27. Kim Mudd
Role: Special Olympics Kansas director
The case: Special Olympics Kansas gives more than 1,000 athletes the opportunity to compete on a prominent stage, and Mudd has been a driving force for the organization for nearly four decades. She is the South Central director for Special Olympics Kansas and runs a local program, the Wichita Independents, in which she has coached and mentored hundreds of athletes with special needs for the last 38 years.
28. Bree O’Connell
Role: Fleet Feet Wichita operating partner
The case: The running community in Wichita has been booming in recent years, and Fleet Feet Wichita has become a go-to for runners throughout the region. O’Connell operates both of the Fleet Feet stores in Wichita along with her husband, Thomas, a former state-champion distance runner at Andover and now one of the top distance runners in the Wichita area.
29. Deena Flanigan Kreutzer and Jodie Hearlson
Role: She Runs This Town administrators
The case: With more than 1,300 members in the Facebook group for the Wichita chapter of She Runs This Town, Kreutzer and Hearlson are a big deal to moms in Wichita who are looking for running, walking or jogging partners. Kreutzer and Hearlson are veterans on the Wichita running scene and started the Facebook group to provide an online community for women in Wichita to get answers to questions about running, encourage one another and socialize with fellow runners and moms.
30. Raquel Rios-Reed
Role: First Gear Running Company co-owner
The case: Not only is Rios-Reed one of the most accomplished runners in Wichita, she’s also extremely involved in the running community as co-owner of First Gear. Rios-Reed competed in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials and still owns the state’s fastest marathon time from her 2014 victory in the Prairie Fire Marathon.
31. Catherine Seals
Role: YMCA Farha Sports Centers program director
The case: Seals has steadily climbed the ranks within the YMCA and was recently promoted to senior program director at the Farha Sports Centers. That means if your child is playing youth sports through the YMCA, Seals is overseeing his or her participation. Considering the thousands of athletes who compete at the Farha Sports Centers, there are few on this list who make as big of an impact right now in Wichita.
32. Christy Thomas
Role: Girls on the Run Kansas executive director
The case: Thomas created Girls on the Run to empower third- to eighth-graders. The program ends every session with the girls running a 5-kilometer race alongside their coaches, but Thomas and program director Robyn Davis have made it their mission to teach them the importance of community service, increase their self-confidence and help them develop healthy relationships while feeling good about themselves.
33. Kelly Thorne
Role: Kansas Fellowship of Christian Athletes director
The case: The Fellowship of Christian Athletes hosts numerous camps and conferences throughout the year and Thorne now oversees the operation for the entire state. She has been serving the Wichita area for the last 14 years and was recently promoted to state director. She is still based in Wichita but also now oversees Central and Western Kansas.
At the high school level
34. Rita Frakes
Role: Andover Central softball coach
The case: There are few softball coaches in the Wichita area who have touched as many lives as Frakes. She’s turned the Jaguars into one of the area’s strongest programs and has been inspirational in her fight against breast cancer. She beat it back in 2018, then coached Andover Central to a state championship, and now she is currently fighting it again after doctors discovered the cancer had returned in May. Frakes isn’t alone as a long-time, standout softball coach in the Wichita community, as Goddard’s Rita Smith, Derby’s Christy Weve, Maize’s Jenny Meirowsky and Southeast’s Loren Hatfield are all worth mentioning, as well.
35. Janet Glaser
Role: Andover Central and Collegiate tennis coach
The case: Few women have made a larger impact on the state’s tennis community, let alone Wichita. Glaser was honored as the 2017-18 girls tennis National Coach of the Year by the NFSHSA and has four decades of experience coaching at Collegiate and Andover Central. She also helps the Wichita tennis community year-round with efforts through the USTA Missouri Valley. Another influential woman coach at the high school level is Kapaun Mount Carmel’s Kathy Schulte, who has guided the Crusaders to two team state titles and eight individual state titles since taking over in 2009. Like Glaser, Schulte also helps grow the game across Wichita when she’s not coaching: She started a tennis program to help teach the game to at-risk youths.
36. Betsey Goering
Role: South cross country coach
The case: There are only a handful of female running coaches at the high school level in the Wichita area, and Goering stands apart for her work at South during the last decade. Not only is she one of the most inspiring coaches in the area, she also volunteers in the local running community. An up-and-coming coach to watch is Traci Nigg, head cross country coach at North and another helping hand in Wichita running.
37. Stana Jefferson
Role: Andover Central girls basketball coach
The case: In 15 years at Andover Central, Jefferson has guided the Jaguars to two undefeated seasons that have culminated in state championships (2008 and 2010) and a total of five state-semifinal appearances. She’s one of the most animated coaches around, but she’s also one of the most successful in the state, having developed a handful of Division I players over the years.
38. Jodie Karsak
Role: Derby girls basketball coach
The case: It hasn’t taken Karsak long to turn Derby’s girls basketball program into one of the state’s best. The Panthers have reached the state semifinals four straight years. A former standout player at WSU, she has led the Panthers to a Class 6A title in 2018, a second-place finish in 2017 and a third-place finish in 2019. Not only is she one of the state’s best coaches, she empowers fellow women by giving them opportunities as assistants on her coaching staff. Taylor Dugan is doing similar things as Bishop Carroll’s head coach.
39. Sara Walkup
Role: Cheney volleyball coach
The case: No former WSU volleyball player has had a greater impression on Wichita volleyball. Walkup (formerly Lungren) enjoyed an All-America career as an outside hitter and is now in the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame. She has turned the Cheney volleyball program into one of the top Class 3A programs in the state. The local high school volleyball scene features many top-notch female coaches who’ve been with their respective programs for at least a decade, including: Mary Askren (Campus), Leanna Braddy (Douglass), Gina Clark (Garden Plain), Jamie Dibbens (Newton), Marie Goscha (Trinity Academy), Shelby Kraus (Derby), Teri Larson (Maize South), Betsy Manning (Maize), Rita Mernaugh (Bishop Carroll), Val Most (Southeast), Shelly Nibarger (Circle) and Melissa Segovia (Rose Hill).
At the youth-sports level
40. Sue Brummer
Role: Cheer Eclipse owner
The case: Cheer Eclipse has become a national cheerleading power in the short time it’s been in business. While competitive cheer is its calling card, Cheer Eclipse also offers recreational classes, open gyms, judging and choreography. Another name to watch is Wichita native Chanel McCray, who has returned after graduating from Southwestern and serves as a local cheer coach.
41. Emily Donahue and Kristin Mountain
Role: ICT Cheer Legacy co-owners
The case: The former college teammates have teamed up to make ICT Cheer Legacy one of the top organizations for competitive cheer in the Wichita area. The team operates out of the Wichita Sports Forum and has found success at the national level, recently winning a Level 4 national championship at the D2 Summit in Orlando.
42. Donna Lee
Role: Volleyball official and coach
The case: A former standout volleyball player at Iowa State, Lee has been an influential coach at the youth level in the Wichita area for nearly three decades. She formerly coached at Heights and currently coaches club volleyball at Shockwave, but many know her as a top-notch high school volleyball official who was named the best in the state in 2019. Not only is Lee a vital figure in the Wichita volleyball community, she’s also a superb teacher in the Wichita public school district who has won the Golden Apple Award.
43. LaVonnda McCabe
Role: Wichita United Basketball Club owner
The case: Known simply as “Coach LA,” McCabe has gone out of her way to create an alternative to expensive clubs. The Wichita United Basketball Club is run entirely by volunteers, so there is no cost for the athletes, and it served more than 400 children last year alone. McCabe’s also recognizable as a high school basketball official.
44. Ronda Moore
Role: Youth basketball coach
The case: Moore has been coaching the Wichita Lady Blazers for more than two decades. She’s coached and mentored hundreds of girls in the Wichita area and has been known to help with costs for underprivileged players. Other popular female coaches in the club world: Kimbi Evans and Toya Scott of the Wichita Express.
45. Bobbie Paull-Forney and Jessica Beal
Role: Youth softball coaches
The case: These are two of the most successful club softball coaches not just in Wichita but the state and region. Both have led their respective programs (Paull-Forney with the Kansas Renegades, Beal at Central Elite) to multiple state championships and are known as strong mentors and role models for their athletes. Paull-Forney was a standout softball player at WSU from 1993-96 and later played professionally.
46. Alison Pick
Role: Wichita Swim Club coach
The case: The Wichita Swim Club is the go-to place for competitive swimmers in the Wichita area, and Pick has been its head coach since 2015. In that amount of time, she’s carved out a reputation as one of the top swim coaches in the state.
47. LaToya Randle
Role: Pretty Girls Pound the Rock owner
The case: Many will recognize Randle from her days coaching high school girls basketball in the City League, but she has since moved on to form her own skill-development club specifically for female athletes. She donates some of the money she makes from training to girls sporting events around the city. She and her team of Pretty Girls Pound the Rock trainers focus on basketball skills and empowerment for female athletes.
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48. Kristi Shaw
Role: Advanced Cheer Crew owner
The case: What started as a small gym in Arkansas City grew into one of the most popular competitive cheerleading facilities in the state. ACC today is one of the top competitive cheer squads around, winning more than 150 national championships, and has inspired thousands of cheerleaders from the South Central area over the last two decades. Shaw’s infectious personality makes her an inspirational figure throughout the community.
49. Gayla Soyez
Role: Youth basketball trainer and coach
The case: Soyez is a longtime women’s basketball coach here, with previous stops at Newman, Friends and Tabor. She currently runs a top girls club basketball team in the area at Kansas United. And she and her daughter, Sam, are both top-notch trainers in the Wichita area.
50. Alexi Thackery
Role: Youth volleyball coach
The case: No one’s more influential to young local volleyball players than Thackery, who runs the largest club in Wichita through the YMCA: the FSC Cougars. On top of that, she is also the director of volleyball for the YMCA. In the competitive club world, Roslyn Brittain (Shockwave), Deb Phillips (OneVA) and Sarah Sampson (Air Capital Aces) are all prominent figures, too. Emily Hiebert is a former standout Shockers volleyball player who now trains and coaches through Shockwave, while Alexis Head has had similar influence coaching at Shockwave and as head coach at East.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 7:07 AM.
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