Final Four Team Returns
Led by All-American Dave Stallworth ’65, at left, Wichita State’s 1964-65 team is the only one to reach the Final Four. To mark the 40th anniversary of this so far singular feat, members of the Final-Four team returned to campus and were honored Feb. 5 at halftime of WSU’s home game against Indiana State.
The 1964-65 Shockers opened the season 12-2 and were ranked No. 1 for the first time ever before losing at No. 2 Michigan. Stallworth’s eligibility ended at mid-year, and the Shockers also lost Nate Bowman at the same time. Coached by Gary Thompson, a smaller and scrappier lineup went on to win the school’s first outright Missouri Valley title with an 11-3 record.
The Shockers began their NCAA postseason run with an 86-81 victory over Southern Methodist and then dispatched Oklahoma State, 54-46, to claim the Midwest Regional Championship. WSU opened Final Four play against UCLA and had three players score in double figures, including a 36-point performance by forward Jamie Thompson — but lost to the eventual national champion Bruins. In the consolation final against Princeton, all five WSU starters scored in double figures, but fell 118-82. WSU posted a 21-9 season record.
MVC Freshman of the Year
Shocker forward Kiki Stephens has been named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, becoming only the second player in Wichita State history to receive the honor.
Stephens, who was also named to the Valley’s all-freshman team, becomes the first player since Angela Buckner ’03/04 in 2000-01 to net both accolades. The freshman led the team in scoring this season with an 11.2 points per game average. She shot .396 and started every game for the Shockers. The Tulsa, Okla., native was second on the team in rebounding, pulling down 5.3 boards per contest.
Striking Fame
Wichita State bowling assistant coach Mark Lewis fs ’01 has been nominated for induction into the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame.
During his 20 years of coaching at WSU, Lewis has pieced together an impressive record: he represented the USA in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea; was named 1987 National Amateur Champion; was hailed by Bowling Digest as 1988’s Amateur Bowler of the Year; was head coach of the United Arab Emirates national team in 1995-97; and was inducted into the National Bowling Hall of Fame in March 2004.
Newest Shocker Famers
Four former WSU athletes, all in their first year of eligibility, have been named to the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame for 2005.
Kevin Hooper fs ’99, a baseball All-American in 1996 and 1999, was the Shockers’ MVP in 1999. After college, he was drafted by the Florida Marlins, played for the Triple-A Calgary Cannons and finished out 2004 with the Kansas City Royals organization. He and his wife Lindsey live in Wichita.
Katie Panek, who broke two school records between 1996-98, won every hammer event she entered in the 1996 season except for the NCAA championship, in which she took eighth place, and the U.S. Olympic trials, where she placed third.
A career .367 hitter, Jeff Ryan ’02 played as a Shocker between 1996-99. He was MVP in 1997 and Most Outstanding Player in 1998. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1999, he now lives in Arlington, Texas.
Zach Sorensen, MVP in 1998 and Most Outstanding Player in 1997, played for Team USA in 1997 and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1998, making his debut in the major leagues in 2003.
