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Nov. 2, 2020

Issue 10

Track and Field hopes to recapture lost competitions with fall scrimmages BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

For the second time this spring, the Track and Field program hosted a fall scrimmage with competition taking place throughout the week. Just like many different programs across the country, Wichita State hasn’t been able to compete in any fashion after the season was canceled last spring. Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Steve Rainbolt said that was a major reason in hosting the scrimmage this past week. “I began thinking about this since last spring when we missed out on an entire spring of track and field competition and feeling like it’d be great this fall to create some type of way for our athletes to recapture some of those missed competitive experiences,” Rainbolt said. “This is an attempt to do that.” Although it is difficult to replicate competition through these scrimmages, Rainbolt said he was pleased with how the team was able to embrace this experience. “When I say an attempt it’s good and we’ve had some good experiences and I’m pleased but it ain’t the same,” Rainbolt said. “There’s no other team opponents, there’s not fully automatic timing. I could name a whole bunch of differences between this and legitimate competitive meets. But these are pretty good and the athletes have looked forward to it. They have embraced and competed pretty hard.” Rainbolt said that there were some notable performances throughout the week, but it was tough to name anyone specifically because of the number of solid performances across the board. “I shouldn’t mention anyone, there were quite a few darn good performances this week and three weeks ago there were some nice performances,” Rainbolt said. “That’s always hard right after a track meet because I’d like to name everybody that had a pretty darn good performance and I can’t even remember them all.” Although this was a good opportunity for the athletes to get out there and compete, Rainbolt said it was “a bit of a stretch” to compare it to other legitimate competition. “The athletes looked forward to it but really and truly this is a glorified time trial,” Rainbolt said. “If the basketball team had a preseason scrimmage and had fans and they played the music and did the whole game experience that would be way closer to a gametime experience than what we’re doing. This isn’t like that.” Despite it not being as competitive as a true track meet, Rainbolt said that these kinds of competitions can have an impact on the team and give them a sense of what they need to work on prior to the upcoming season. “Where they’re at is one thing,” Rainbolt said. “‘I’m here, oh my gosh I better get going if I want to get to American Athletic Conference Championship level’ or also some technical issues that we can identify on film and we can figure out what we can do round into form. There’s a variety of different ways that an exercise like this can help prepare a team for a season.” For the track and field student-athletes, it was a good experience after being away from it for such a long period of time. “On the [one] hand this is very good,” Rainbolt said. “We’re very

PHOTOS BY KAYLEE STOUT/THE SUNFLOWER

Top, Wichita State junior Yuben Goncalves jumps over a hurdle during a scrimmage on Friday, Oct. 30 at Cessna Stadium. Above, Junior Davis Dubbert stretches on a hurdle before competing in the scrimmage on Friday at Cessna Stadium. This was the second scrimmage of the season.

SEE TRACK AND FIELD PAGE 6

Hacking for Defense course teaches students skills to solve national security challenges BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE copyeditor@thesunflower.com / @JuliaNightengale

In the era of education during COVID, college students are having to trade a lot of hands-on activities for ZOOM calls and discussion boards. But a new course is still providing students with hands-on activities while keeping students safe and providing them with a quality education. Kristyn Smith is one of the instructors for the course. She said that the course is designed to get students from diverse backgrounds to come together as one in order to try and solve some of America’s

toughest national security challenges. In the class, students will be pitched a problem statement and then as a group will brainstorm and build an idea, create a prototype, then pitch the idea to the Department of Defense. “There is a great benefit from getting students from different programs that learn differently or have different insights or backgrounds to kinda build an idea together as a team,” Smith said. The course has minimal lecture time and leans heavily on hands-on opportunities. In Smith’s

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experience, that makes students even more motivated to learn. Smith said that students will also become stronger public speakers and better interviewers. “Interviewing is something that— no matter what degree you’re in or what area of life you move into after college— it’s very important to be able to talk to someone, ask them questions, and get relevant information that can help you move forward,” Smith said. COURTESY OF KRYSTIN SMITH

SEE HACKING PAGE 3

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Students from the ID 752 Prototyping course use cardboard boxes to build toasters for an activity.

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Young professionals sit down with senate candidates for virtual town hall series Roger Marshall addresses economic recovery, social injustice and other issues BY RACHEL LYONS ralyons@shockers.wichita.edu

Roger Marshall, the Republican Candidate for Kansas’ District One Senate Seat, took part in a student and young professional virtual town hall Tuesday, Oct. 27 to discuss his current platform and address student questions and concerns surrounding economic recovery, diversity, and more. The town hall began with a question asked by moderator Olivia Babin, Political Science Major at Wichita State University, about economic recovery in the time of COVID. According to statistics provided in the question, the economy has gained back half of the approximately 20 million jobs lost this year. A little over 97 thousand businesses have closed permanently, according to Yelp. Marshall said that he is in favor of what business owners are wanting when it comes to recovery. “I’m in favor of what business folks want,” Marshall said. “Liability protection, paycheck protection program, [and] we need more money to keep our kids in schools, more money for testing vaccines and getting those out, and some money for unemployment insurance.” Marshall also discussed the current unemployment rate and some of what he hopes to do in terms of jobs. According to Marshall, the unemployment rate is between 3-4% across the state and about 8% in Sedgwick County. Marshall said the lack of available jobs is a big concern he has. “Outside of Sedgwick County, the biggest concern I hear from folks is that we don’t have enough people for the jobs we have,” Marshall said. Marshall said that he is working to bring more manufacturing jobs to

Wichita, and that there are opportunities with NASA and the Space Force. Marshall also said that he believes the Black and Hispanic communities are at a disadvantage. He said that he has worked with those communities. “Even though Kansas City, for instance isn’t in my district, the local minority chambers, the Hispanic chambers, reached out to me because of our previous relationships and we went in there and helped get more paycheck protection dollars to those folks,” Marshall said. When asked about racial injustice, Marshall said that he doesn’t understand how racism is still a problem in 2020. “I have hired African American doctors and nurses,” Marshall said. “It’s just hard for me to understand that. I understand that, you know, decades ago, there were problems with it, but I think we’ve made great strides, and let’s keep moving forward in that direction.” When asked how Kansas is different from other states who suffer from racism, Marshall said that Christian upbringings help. “Our Christian upbringing taught us to love everybody,” Marshall said. “Maybe, you know, some other states have [forgotten] who God is and [forgotten what] faith really means. “I think it is just the way we are raised, our Kansas values.” Marshall also took some time to share his support of men and women in law enforcement. “I just want to remind people that this is a nation of law and order and that I think we should be standing up for our men and women in blue, and that they need our support and love,” Marshall said.

The Sunflower, founded in 1896, is the student-run newspaper covering Wichita State University. The print edition is published Monday during the fall and spring semesters. The staff publishes daily online at www.thesunflower.com.

MISSION The Sunflower — both in print and online — will be a timely resource of information about the Wichita State University community. It will report on news, issues, activities, academics and athletics, in addition to offering a forum for discussion, reviews and commentary. It will also be an effective learning experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.

LEGAL One free copy of The Sunflower is available to members of the WSU community. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 in the newsroom, Elliott Hall 019. The Sunflower is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. The Sunflower is funded by a combination of print and online advertisment sales and student fees allocated by the Student Government Association. The Sunflower is a member of Kansas Collegiate Media, the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association. Copyright © 2020 The Sunflower. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

Barbara Bollier emphasizes the importance of working together and equality BY ELENA KUCKELMAN emkuckelman@shcokers.wichita.edu

The importance of working together and voting was the overarching message democrat senate candidate Barbara Bollier emphasized during a student and young professionals virtual town hall on Monday, Oct. 26. The meeting featured students from Wichita State, WSU Tech, Friends University, and Newman University to ask Bollier questions about some of the issues affecting the nation currently such as economic recovery, election fraud, and access to COVID tests. “We need to be more diligent about following social distancing guidelines,” Bollier said. “That’s how we stop spreading [the virus]. We’ve got to stop politicizing it. A virus isn’t political, it’s science.” Bollier recognized some of the ways in which the pandemic has affected life for college students, including finding jobs and education affordability. When asked about what she would do to make high quality, high paying jobs available to students, Bollier said a bill should be brought forward. “We should bring a bill forward-and pass it-that will allow people to refinance their loans and we need more access to capital through pell grants, etc,” Bollier said. “It doesn’t all have to come from the government. I think there can be public, private partnerships that are looking at opportunities for funding to get people into jobs that we can work together to help pay down the tuition costs for jobs that need to be filled.” Bollier also responded to a question

EDITOR IN CHIEF Lindsay Smith news@thesunflower.com

COPY EDITOR Julia Nightengale copyeditor@thesunflower.com

MANAGING EDITOR Morgan Anderson visuals@thesunflower.com

PHOTO EDITOR Khanh Nguyen photoeditor@thesunflower.com

OPINION EDITOR Jeromiah Taylor opinion@thesunflower.com

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Kaylee Stout photos@thesunflower.com

SPORTS EDITOR Sean Marty sports@thesunflower.com

PODCAST DIRECTOR Audrey Korte podcast@thesunflower.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Karen Galindo arts@thesunfower.com

ADVERTISING MANAGER Noah Merrell admanager@thesunflower.com

FACULTY ADVISOR Amy DeVault amy.devault@wichita.edu

regarding presidential candidate Joe Biden’s proposed tax raise. Although she supports certain elements of the current tax plan, she understands the need for some changes. “Our tax system needs to be fair to all, particularly to our middle class and not only help the very very wealthiest,” Bollier said. Bollier said that immigration reform is important in her plan to move forward economically. “Washington has been broken on immigration reform,” Bollier said. “We cannot get the workers that we need. There aren’t enough produced in the U.S. and there is a real problem with immigration right now for us to get what we need so all people can then get jobs. If certain elements are missing in a business then the whole thing can’t function together.” Bollier expressed her strong belief in medicaid expansion. She affirmed the issue was one of her reasons for leaving the Republican party. “They [Republicans] wouldn’t do what the people of Kansas want,” Bollier said. “80% want medicaid expansion.” As far as racial and social inequalities, Bollier made her pledge to helping minority voices heard. “My pledge: I will listen,” Bollier said. “Listening to communities of color, I know you all are crying out for help and support and we have to end these inequalities. After asserting the importance of elections, Bollier promised to focus on inclusion. “I’m running to be an independent voice of reason for you, as Kansans, in Washington,” Bollier said. “Someone who will put politics aside and ... work together.”

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Corrections

The Sunflower is committed to accuracy in its publications. If you find an error in any of its publications, please email the editor at editor@thesunflower.com immediately.

NEWS

MONDAY, NOV. 2, 2020 | 3

Student Senate appoints six members at meeting BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com/ @Lindsay_ KSmith

The Student Senate appointed six members to positions during Wednesday’s meeting.

AMBROSIA NARAMOREWINFREY, LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES SENATOR Ambrosia Naramore-Winfrey, a sophomore studying social work and minoring in spanish, was appointed to the Liberal Arts and Sciences Senator position. “I was really interested in being a senator because I recognize how important it is to make sure senate seats are filled so that we can represent the student body to the best of our abilities,” Naramore-Winfrey said. Naramore-Winfrey previously served in last year’s student fees committee. Senator John Kirk said this was one of the reasons he thought she was fit for the senator position. “She knows exactly what she wants to do, she has a plan [and] she knows where she’s going,” Kirk said.

ASRAYRAM GOPALAKRISHNAN, ELECTION COMMISSIONER Asrayram Gopalakrishnan, a masters student studying industrial engineering, was appointed to the position of election

commissioner. He said that with this position, he hopes to ensure a fair election. “My primary goal here is to ensure a very fair election … [and] to ensure that the best candidates and the most deserving candidates get elected,” he said. Senator Tayton Majors spoke in favor of Gopalakrishnan. He said he thinks Gopalakrishnan is good for the role because of his passion for representing all students. “He is an extremely fair person,” Majors said. “Last year when I was in SGA he often came to me with concerns for international students, students that were in the same major, graduate students, he is very interested in providing students with the best possible experience at Wichita State University.”

OLGA LESNIK, HEALTH PROFESSIONS SENATOR Olga Lesnik, a freshman nursing student, was appointed to the position of health professions senator. Lesnik said she has always wanted to work in student government. “The reason I applied as senator … was to learn something new about the community and bring new change with the knowledge I acquire,” Lesnik said. Senator John Kirk spoke in favor of the bill because of Lesnik’s passion for the position.

“You can see and tell about her passion within her voice and what she’s intending,” Kirk said.

MARCHA GLENN, RETURNING ADULT SENATOR Marcha Glenn, a sophomore studying secondary education, was appointed returning adult senator. “It has been so long since I have been active at WSU,” Glenn said. “I decided since I wanted to be active again, I wanted to be involved in groups on campus that definitely make a difference.” Glenn said she can relate to multiple issues college students are facing, which is one of the reasons she said she was fit for the role. Vice President Mackenzie Haas said Glenn’s goal of providing opportunities for non traditional students was one of the reasons she wanted the senate to appoint Glenn. “She wants to see more events and activities geared towards non residential and more non traditional students so I think she’ll be a great advocate for her constituencies,” Haas said.

LILA KOHLER, UNDERSERVED SENATOR Lila Kohler, a transfer student from Butler Community College and Kansas State University, was appointed into the underserved

senator position. Kohler said that her experiences at other schools have shaped her goals going into the position of senator at SGA. “While I’ve been at all my different colleges as well as something I’ve noticed at Wichita State so far is there not many tutoring options for students with a busy schedule … there’s not a lot of flexibility,” Kohler said. “I would like to work on expanding times, whether that be on Zoom or in person so people with busy lives can still get the help they need.”

ZOEY NORTON, ELECTION COMMISSIONER Zoey Norton, a sophomore studying anthropology and spanish, was appointed as election commissioner. She said she applied for the position after a friend brought it up to her. “I like trying new things … being able to get involved more with WSU and be able to have my own impact really captured my attention and I felt like this was a good opportunity to do so,” Norton said. Norton said in the position she hopes to educate students about candidates and keep students involved in elections. “I’m a huge advocate for voting,” Norton said.

HACKING

FROM PAGE 1 Through the course, Smith also hopes that students will learn how to see different perspectives than their own. “Not all the time do we get that opportunity to have empathy for others and I think whichever way you go in life, it’s really important to have empathy in planning things and building relationships,” Smith said. Smith said that along with learning how to communicate with people who don’t think the same, students will also be able to build friendships with students they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have otherwise. Students will also have the opportunity to work with industry partners. “Once they finish this course, it would be great if their idea got picked and they got to move forward and actually launch a business around this, if they are interested in doing it, that would be fantastic,” Smith said. “That would be a reach goal.” Smith said her favorite part of teaching the course is being able to watch students grow in their abilities. “I’m excited for that ‘glow-up’, which sounds silly, but that really truly is my favorite part of teaching anything, and I think this hacking for defense class is going to be transformative for a lot of people from start to end,” Smith said.

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TAKE THE DESIGNATED DRIVER PLEDGE I pledge that when my friends are drinking, I am the designated sober driver.

Full name: ______________ e-mail: Signature: __________________________________

*Redeem for free 16 oz Coke or CocaCola product at Shocker softball. baseball. and other designated Shocker Athletics Events. Win New Market Square and Rhatigan Student Center Gift Cards and Vouchers. Earn bonus Shocker Maniac Points.

IN KANSAS, YOU DRINK. YOU DRIVE. YOU LOSE. www.ktsro.com/impaired-driving

OPINION/A&E

MONDAY, NOV. 2, 2020 | 5

What my dirty house says about me INTO THE ZEITGEIST Jeromiah Taylor Opinion Editor opinion@thesunflower.com

I have always been startled by how debris accumulates. By how if I clean the house on Sunday night for guests, I must then clean up after the very same guests on Monday morning. Today is one such Monday morning. I feel inadequate in the face of this mildly unhygienic reality. Apple slices, from a cheese plate, were left out overnight and now gnats circle the plate. Dirty plates and glasses are placed at random throughout the living room. The kitchen is overwhelmed with cooking dishes. The trash overflows. This seems too large a destruction for a simple dinner for three. I am sitting on the couch smoking, most of the way through my first cup of coffee. Music plays. I am skilled at living amidst disorder. I am adept at tolerating

mess while also loathing it. I am the son of a temperamental, migrainous woman who although she cleaned houses for a living, never demonstrated any more ability to keep her own room than that of a spoilt, developmentally delayed teenager. This is a woman who will dust beneath a pile of debris and then replace the debris. She does not like dust. I myself am prone to be overwhelmed by the common task of keeping a house. I resent the dishes and the trash and the cat shit for their self-generating power. Their constant accrual which can only be contained at the expense of my limited time and energy. To most readers, to the competent, the orderly, this must seem to be an obtuse, neurotic way of thinking. Well, of course you have to wash the dishes everyday. Obviously, the trash will fill again and again and again into all eternity. If I am being honest with myself, I am not very different from my mother. We both have striking pre-Raphaelite faces that are only

thought beautiful by those with an affinity for acquiring tastes. And we both fit all too well into that prescribed mythology of the hysteric, the person afflicted with nerves, the person who benefits from rest more than others. And we are both masters at hiding it; with jokes in my mother’s case, stoicism in mine. Being well dressed, pleasant and generous. Very often the only way to understand the sicknesses that live in our minds and bodies is to view our homes. If you have been invited, the living room will look presentable, though to the well trained eye there will be cracks in the façade. But deeper in the house is an inner sanctum, often a bedroom, that reveals such inner chaos as to disturb most healthy people. This room is a great source of shame and must never be seen by anyone who one wants to be liked by. Whenever I bring home a significant other to my mother’s house, I am always warned beforehand to not take them upstairs. Because upstairs is a pastiche of discarded clothing, cat food tins, liquor bottles and an impressive

SALSA SHOWCASE

collection of costume jewelry which for as long as I can remember has been strewn at random around the house. Upstairs is the place where you can indulge in entropy. Where the constant application of the strong force required to maintain a semblance of order in the more visible parts of your life can be eased. Where one can take one’s true form: a mess. Chemistry knows that the universe is in a constant battle within itself to maintain order against the inevitable disorder that erodes all things in the end. This battle is happening now at the atomic level. What is not commonly known, what you may not know, is that within some people, maybe even all people, is this same battle. My mother and I are two people in which this battle is very close; inconclusive results, slow progress, a kind of trench warfare where we are both combatants and there are no allies. This precarious situation at the front is perceptible in our behaviors. Our inabilities. My mother’s inability to be punctual no matter the incentive. My inability to

History of voting in the U.S. BY KAREN GALINDO arts@thesunflower.com

LENA ALHALLAQ/THE SUNFLOWER

Guest vocalist Jessica Perez dances at Salsa on the Amphitheater. The event was hosted by WSU School of Music on Sunday night.

achieve academic success anywhere close to proportionate with my demonstrated intelligence. My mother’s inability to overcome her crippling cognitive dissonance. My inability to claim a 2 year old inheritance that is equal to my yearly income. Inability. Our psychologies are false economies based on the aforementioned warfare. For some people the battle is, to use the United State’s favorite euphemism, a mere “conflict.” For my mother and I, it is a total war effort. Everything produced and consumed is attributable to the war effort. It is not sugar and meat that are tightly rationed but energy, time, focus, motivation, the simple ability to do as one intends. The fundamental dignity of efficacy. My attention returns to the plate of apples. The yellowed flesh, the dessicated red skin curling in on itself. The cigarette is burnt to its filter. I extinguish it in the coffee cup I use as an ashtray. The song changes. I rise. Time to begin.

1787: The three-fifths compromise is approved by delegates in the north and south. Southern slaveholders wanted enslaved Blacks to count as part of the population for the sake of increasing Southern congressional representation. The three-fifths compromise stated that only three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining taxation and representation. 1789: George Washington is elected as the first President of the United States. 1820–1830: State’s create their own constitutions outlining who is allowed to vote. Eligible voters are mostly white men who own property-- less than half of the population. 1840: Women’s Suffrage Movement begins. 1830’s: Some states begin to create and tighten literacy laws, which declare the teaching of reading or writing to African Americans illegal. These laws were an attempt to hold onto slavery as anti-slavery sentiments began to spread across the nation. These literacy laws will have an effect on voter rights in the years to come. 1865: The 13th amendment is ratified and abolishes slavery across the nation. 1870: The 15th Amendment is adopted into the Constitution. This amendment grants all men the right to vote regardless of race, color, or if they were formally slaves. In this same year, the Wyoming territory became

the first to give women the right to vote. 1890: The use of secret ballots becomes popular across the nation, allowing citizens to cast their vote without fear of retribution or humiliation. 1920: Women earn the right to vote with the passing of the 19th Amendment. 1924: Native Americans are given the right to vote through The Indian Citizenship Act. In the following decades, some states continue their efforts to keep Native Americans from voting, just as they did with Black men and women and other people of color. 1964: The 24th Amendment is ratified, outlawing poll taxes which were used to keep lower income people from voting. 1965: The Voting Rights Act is signed by President Lyndon Johnson. The act enforces the 15th Amendment by stating that obstacles, such as literacy tests, are against federal law. Literacy tests are suspended. 1971: The voting age is lowered from 21 to 18. 1975: The Voting Rights Act is renewed and permanently bans literacy tests nationwide. 1984: Polling places are required to be accessible to people with disabilities through the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act. 2000: For the first time in United States history, the President is chosen based on a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. (Search Al Gore V. George W. Bush) 2020: An increase in early and mail voting is seen as the

WSU Theater debuts their first online-only show BY WYMAN WHEELER wjwheeler@shockers.wichita.edu

Theatrical productions have been few and far between since mid-March due to the pandemic. While the performing arts are yet to make their live return at Wichita State, “The Monty Hall Problem” is the online solution to the absence of theater at Wichita State. “The Monty Hall Problem” was written by Ben Connor. The show was premiered on WSUtv’s Youtube Channel on Thursday, Oct. 29. The show is about the true story of Marilyn Vos Savant, a columnist who solved math equations and appears to have been stumped by a problem for the first time in her life. She is played by student Sydeny Alder. The show plays off of the vintage game show, “Let’s Make a Deal” because the problem involves the probability of selecting the correct door. During the show, Savant stars among

characters such as Victoria, played by Gabi Johnson, and game show host, Monty Hall, played by Gary Woodburn. Jeannine Russel, Assistant Educating Professor of the School of Performing Arts for 20 years, serves as the show’s creative director. She is also the director of the National Student Playwriting Competition; the competition that “The Monty Hall Problem” won last year. The show was selected by the theater department, pre-pandemic; it was after the pandemic hit, when it was decided that “The Monty Hall Problem” would debut online. This is the first time that the theater department has experimented with an exclusively online show. Conveniently, the show was able to be shot with social distancing in mind. While the challenge of doing something for the first time is daunting, Russel says the students were willing to face it head on. “Outside of me, everybody

involved is a student. They were very aware of the safety requirements, but also really dedicated to making this happen.” Since there is no clear end to the pandemic, Russel believes that WSU Theatre will continue using an online format until it is deemed safe for audiences to return to theaters. She hopes that time is fast approaching. “[My colleagues and I] are excited and ready to return to having live audiences, because that is the only thing we can’t replicate; that energy between an audience and a performer on stage. There’s no replacement for that,” Russel said. “So absolutely we want to but I also think it’s great for our students to experience this. There is kind of a crisis here, and how do you come together to solve that problem? They’ve done a really great job.” Watch “Monty Hall Problem” on WSUtv YouTube Channel.

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Sports

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contact The Sunflower’s sports editor, Sean Marty sports@thesunflower.com

AAC MEN’S COACHES POLL

AAC WOMEN’S COACHES POLL

1. HOUSTON

1. SOUTH FLORIDA

2. MEMPHIS

2. CENTRAL FLORIDA

3. SMU

3. TULANE

4. CINCINNATI

5. SOUTH FLORIDA

6. TULSA

7. WICHITA STATE

8. CENTRAL FLORIDA

9. EAST CAROLINA

10. TEMPLE

11. TULANE

TRACK AND FIELD

FROM PAGE 1 glad we’re doing this. We might just as prefer as coaches to get a long stretch of training and foundation in preparation for the season. But I feel like the athletes need these competitive experiences. If they didn’t do this they’d be away from competition for eight months, heck ten months. So this is good, giving them an opportunity.” Although Rainbolt said that he was pleased with this, he still feels that serves as a disruption to the team’s training, from a coaches’ perspective. “This is a disruption to our preparation,” Rainbolt. “It’s also an enhancement to our preparation mentally, emotionally, technically, things like that this is an enhancement. But in terms of a long stretch of effective training, there’s things about this that are disruptive.” According to Rainbolt, the program is planning to host an inter-squad scrimmage sometime in the next three weeks. Rainbolt said he still thinks this experience will be meaningful down the road. “This does not stack up to being a legitimate competition but it is a meaningful time trial for these athletes and maybe helps them to test themselves and see where they’re at after having missed an entire outdoor track season in the springtime.”

AAC releases preseason polls Men’s basketball picked to finish seventh in AAC preseason poll BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com/@TheSeanMarty

The American Athletic Conference released its preseason poll and awards on Wednesday, and coaches picked Wichita State to finish seventh out of 11 teams. The Shockers are coming off a 23-8 season that ended prematurely due to COVID-19. This offseason, six scholarship players transferred away from the program resulting in a retooling of the roster. Despite that, WSU returns six key players from last year’s squad. Dexter Dennis and Tyson Etienne both return as major contributors from a season ago, combining for 18.6 points per game. This year’s roster features seven upperclassmen

including seniors Trey Wade and Alterique Gilbert. Houston was selected as the preseason favorite in the conference, receiving 99 votes. Memphis is close behind the Cougars as the second-place team and received two of the 11 first-place votes. SMU, Cincinnati, South Florida and Tulsa rounded out the top-six, and all finished higher than WSU. For the second consecutive season, No WSU player earned all-conference honors. Houston’s sophomore guard Caleb Mills was also selected as the Preseason Player of the Year. For the second consecutive season, Memphis had the Preseason Rookie of the Year this time in the form of Moussa Cisse.

Women’s basketball projected to finish sixth in AAC preseason poll BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com/@TheSeanMarty

The American Athletic Conference released its preseason poll on Wednesday and ranked Wichita State sixth out of 11 teams. Last season, the Shockers were picked to finish ninth in the conference. In the 2019-20, the Shockers finished the season with a record of 16-15 and seventh place in the AAC. This year, WSU returns eight players from last season, including Mariah McCully who finished third-team All-AAC last year. Unlike in recent years, this team features eight upperclassmen on the roster with McCully being the lone senior on the roster. Despite losing three seniors

from last year’s team, the Shockers have two more upperclassmen than a year ago. In the poll, South Florida was selected as the conference favorite, receiving eight of the 11 first-place votes. UConn, the typical conference favorite, departed from the AAC for the Big East this summer. McCully was the lone Shocker to be selected on either of the AllConference teams and was selected onto the second team. McCully also became the first Shocker to be selected to either team since WSU joined the AAC. Last season, the Shockers had no players on either team. Cincinnati’s Illmar’l Thomas and Temple’s Mia Davis were also selected as the preseason players of the year.

5. TEMPLE

6. WICHITA STATE

7. HOUSTON

8. MEMPHIS

9. EAST CAROLINA

10. SMU

11. TULSA

‘Dream come true:’ Bartlett completes full circle journey as he wraps up collegiate career BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

Just like many college seniors, Corrigan Bartlett was unsure what his final season of college baseball would like. Bartlett, a Maize, Kansas native, had spent the last past two seasons at Saint Louis University and was prepared to graduate. But after the baseball season was canceled by the NCAA, it opened up another door for Bartlett to continue his collegiate career for one more season. “Right when it happened, it was crazy because none of us knew exactly what was going to happen,” Bartlett said. “But after hearing that year of eligibility, I knew I was going to have to push for my future and look for that. So, Wichita State kind of came to mind for schooling and got in the transfer portal. We made things happen over here.” Growing up in the area, Bartlett said the baseball program’s tradition that has been developed over the years was a big reason why he came back home for his final season of college baseball. “I grew up in Wichita so being able to live out this dream of playing for my hometown school was just a dream come true,” Bartlett said. “That’s really what stood out was being able to come home and

be part of something that’s been here for years.” For WSU baseball coach Eric Wedge, one of the things that intrigued him about Bartlett was the collegiate experience he could bring to the table. “He’s obviously proven himself to be a good collegiate player,” Wedge said. “I think he’s excited to be back here, excited to be a part of our program and we’re hopeful he’ll be a big part of what we’re trying to do next spring.” In the abbreviated 2020 season at SLU, Bartlett hit for an average of .322 along with a homerun in 16 games played. For Bartlett, he feels given his Division-I experience, the transition to WSU has been much easier than it could have been. “Definitely the aspects of playing at the Division I level, having that experience has slowed things down,” Bartlett said. “Being able to come into a program like Wichita State, it’s made the transition easier than coming from high school.” Given the difficulties with COVID-19, the team has spent less time in the locker room together, and Bartlett said he has been surprised how easy it has been to build team chemistry. “It’s been like a family since day one,” Bartlett said. “Eric Wedge, Mike Sirianni, (Mike) Pelfrey,

(Loren) Hibbs, all these coaches, they do a great job of pushing each other to be good men and baseball kind of takes care of itself. It’s about building the person and the baseball will play itself out.” Wedge said that it might be difficult for Bartlett to make an impact leadership-wise but that he has still been able to make an impact to this point. “It’s tough because it’s his first year here but yet he’s the veteran regarding college baseball. It’s kind of a fine line. It’s not like he’s been here for four or five years. So, he’s already made an impact but ultimately the impact he could have would be a little bit different if he was here previously.” Since coming to WSU, Bartlett’s main takeaway from the coaching staff, has been their focus on the mental side of the game. “That’s helped me the most and that’s kind of spread throughout the clubhouse too,” Bartlett said. “That’s what everybody takes away from it. It’s how tough it is to be a winner, it’s a small road traveled but Wichita State tries to take that road every single day and that’s what’s helped build this program up to where it was last year and where we’re looking for this year.” Earlier this fall, the baseball program was able to host a fivegame Fall World Series. Bartlett

was able hit for an average of .526. In game one of the series, Bartlett was able to launch a three-run home run in the black team’s 10-3 victory. For Bartlett, this Fall World Series was one of the coolest things the program got to do this fall. “Seeing parents and family members cheering us on, it brought adrenaline into the veins,” Bartlett said. “It really pumped everyone up. Obviously, this was my first one at Wichita State but it’s like a full circle has come around in my life. Growing up here and then finally being able to play in that stadium for the first time was a pretty surreal moment.” Currently, Bartlett is in the process of getting his master’s degree in the school of psychology and getting his doctorate sometime in the future. Bartlett said his goal is to help people all reach their full potential. “I want to help families and help kids reach their full potential,” Bartlett said. “It’s a mandatory time where a lot of people are brought together from different realms of life and I think that social aspect of being able to help people maneuver through life through academics is something I look forward to helping with every single day. ”