The women’s tennis team participated in the Emporia State Invitational and the Wheatstate Fall Classic for their first games of the year.

At both of these tournaments, the team swept up wins across the board. In late September, the team had two matches against William Jewell College and Truman State. They won 9-0 and 8-1, respectively.

Washburn accomplished a historic feat, at the 2016 ITA Championship. For the first time in their history, Washburn sent players to the championship match in both singles and doubles.

Madeline Hill and Jacqueline Engelbrecht were defeated in the doubles match, but Hill was victorious in the singles championship. Madeline Hill won her way through the Oracle Cup tournament and reached the Super Bowl, but was defeated in the title match.

Play came to a close after that until Feb. 3, when spring competition started. The team started the season strong, winning nine of their first 11 matches. They then hit a road bump, losing four matches in a row.

However, they rallied and won the last four matches of the regular season. The postseason rolled around and the Ichabods were able to win their first MIAA match, moving onto the championship against Southwest Baptist University, who defeated the Ichabods.

Madeline Hill dominated the season, with a 36-2 record. That led to her receiving the Player of the Year Honors and a spot on the All-MIAA first team in singles. Hill also earned an honorable mention in doubles with Jacqueline Engelbrecht.

Logan Morrissey went 20-10 and earned a second team All-MIAA spot. Morrissey and her doubles partner, MaKenna Gonzales, earned an honorable mention to the All-MIAA team.

Lance Lysaught, coach for the tennis program, received Coach of the Year.

“We had a historically strong season,” Lysaught said. “The women made it to NCAA first round for the first time in 7 years, falling to Southwest Baptist. Madeline Hill won the ITA Oracle Cup in the fall bringing the first National Championship for Women’s tennis in Washburn History. She was the first American to win the tournament since 1993.”