Last weekend marked the final official event for a KU team of the 2025-26 school year, with members of the men’s and women’s track and field team competing at Outdoor Nationals in Oregon.
Emmah Jemutai and Anthony Meacham delivered memorable performances and claimed spots on the podium, putting an end to both a successful track season and a memorable year in the Kansas athletic department.
Like with any year, there were ups and downs throughout the last 10 or so months and several individuals who made major news.
With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the Top 10 biggest things that happened in Kansas Athletics from August of 2025 through June of 2026.
We’ll break this into two parts for easier digesting, starting with Nos. 10 through 6 first. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Top 5.
Most of this stuff you’ll probably remember. But some of it — or at least some of the details — may have slipped your mind, and early summer is the perfect time to remind you of the year that was before we start to look ahead to what comes next.
Let the list begin!
10 - Andy Kotelnicki returns
There’s little denying that the KU offense didn’t look quite the same in the two years that Kotelnicki spent as the offensive coordinator at Penn State. And while there are a few different reasons for that — players, coaches, scheme, chemistry, etc. — the fact that Coach K is back in Lawrence in his old office and in the OC chair again is reason enough to celebrate. Even if we don’t know exactly how this stint will go.
Make no mistake about it, the bar will be set high. The expectations will be through the roof. And Kotelnicki will be asked to bring to Lance Leipold’s team a potent offense without the services of Jalon Daniels, Jason Bean, Luke Grimm, Devin Neal and many others who made his offenses hum.
If he’s able to deliver — I’d bet pretty good money that he will — you’re looking at a major lift for the program, not to mention the 2026 team, and no one would call you crazy if you start to think about Kotelnicki as the next head coach at Kansas whenever Leipold decides he’s done here.
Those factors, along with the potential for the KU offense to become truly explosive again makes his return all the more exciting and certainly qualifies as one of the more interesting things to happen in KU athletics during the past 10 months.
9 - Jaliya Davis broke out big time
She came to the KU women’s basketball program as one of the highest-rated recruits in program history. On top of that, she was another local success story, following in the shoes of S’Mya Nichols as a Kansas City kid who decided to stay home and come play for Kansas coach Brandon Schneider. Davis missed some time early because of injury and her absence may have cost the Jayhawks a chance at an NCAA Tournament berth. But, boy, was she spectacular when she returned to action.
Forget the numbers, although 19.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game on 61% shooting is hardly something to ignore. It was mostly the way she played, with all-out passion, an at-times-unstoppable presence down low and the kind of drive and desire that made you think that the Jayhawks are darn lucky to have her.
Her production was second-to-none, and, as a result, she finished fourth on KU’s all-time freshman scoring list and was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Along the way, Davis earned a power-conference record nine consecutive Big 12 player of the week honors.
8 - Tyran Stokes commits
KU’s 2026 recruiting class was pretty strong even before the nation’s No. 1-ranked prospect signed his name on the dotted line. But adding Stokes gives Bill Self and company the potential to have one of the better KU classes in recent memory.
There have been a few that belong in that conversation, but none of them have included a player like Stokes, simply because I’m not sure Kansas has ever had a player quite like him. He blends power, speed and finesse with a game that’s suited to play both inside and out. Beyond that, he’s wildly comfortable letting his personality show and being the face of any program he’s a part of. Given the fact that the 2026-27 Jayhawks will be a mostly new group yet again, you can expect Stokes to shine in that role.
While adding him was a major recruiting win for Self and company when it comes to next season, it was made even more impressive because it marks the second straight season that KU will have the No. 1-ranked prospect on its roster. Darryn Peterson was last year’s top dog and we’ll find out next week where he goes in the NBA draft.
Stokes’ plan is to follow Peterson’s path to draft night, hopefully with better health and more consistent availability and production along the way.
Even with the transfer portal and NIL changing the way college teams are put together, landing the No. 1-ranked high school prospect remains a big deal, and Kansas showed, once again, that it’s as good as anyone out there at getting those guys. Credit Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend for doing the heavy lifting on this one, with an assist to fellow-freshman and McDonald’s All-American Taylen Kinney.
7 - Volleyball & Soccer host NCAAs under still-new coaches
They’re both still fairly new to Kansas and they both have shown that they’re ready and able to deliver big time results when it matters most, volleyball coach Matt Ulmer in Year 1 and soccer coach Nate Lie in Year 2.
Both reached the NCAA Tournament and both brought matches to Lawrence, Kansas, with Ulmer’s squad winning a pair of home matches over High Point and Miami (Fla.) to reach the program’s fourth Sweet 16 all-time and Lie’s team
It took Ulmer’s group a little while to get going, mostly because of the monster schedule he built and figures to continue to face in the years to come. But the tough tests early on were designed to make the Jayhawks as tough and ready as possible when the postseason arrived. And it proved to pay off. After starting the season 1-3, KU finished 24-11 overall and 13-5 in Big 12 play, good for 2nd place. If there were any concerns about the transition from KU coaching legend Ray Bechard to Ulmer, Year 1 certainly squashed them.
For Lie, the follow-up to his team’s Big 12 tourney title in his KU debut was nothing more than a 16-6-1 season that saw the Jayhawks score a home tie against perennial powerhouse Florida State and win an NCAA Tournament game at Rock Chalk Park before topping Louisville in Round 2 and falling to Duke in the third round.
The Jayhawks’ deep run was exactly the kind of thing people wanted and expected to see from Lie’s team after a strong initial showing in 2024. And he did it with an aggressive and demanding style of play and a blend of veterans and newcomers, including all-Big 12 standouts Lexi Watts, Jillian Gregorski, Saige Wimes and Caroline Castans and a deep and strong freshman class that made major contributions throughout the season.
6 - Softball success story
It took her until Year 9 to get her team to the NCAA Tournament — definitely longer than she expected and way longer than she wanted — but KU coach Jennifer McFalls finally made it happen with a solid group that benefited from driven and determined leaders and stellar freshmen.
The Jayhawks returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 11 years on the heels of an historic run. Their 35-19 record (14-10 in Big 12 playing) marked the most victories in a single season since 2015, and this club set program records for home runs (82), runs (371), doubles (97) and RBIs (353).
Shortstop Hailey Cripe closed her time as a Jayhawk with a career year in home runs (15) and RBIs (47) and she was pushed and driven by Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Ella Boyer, who led the team with 19 home runs and 60 RBIs. Senior Campbell Bagshaw joined in the power push, recording 10 home runs and 50 RBIs during her final season in crimson and blue.
Not only did McFalls’ Jayhawks get into the NCAA Tournament, they won their opener in a thrilling, 1-0, walk-off win over Michigan in Norman, Oklahoma.
Kansas dropped its next two games to end its run at 36-20, but McFalls and the players she led in 2026 left the season believing that this season will go down as the foundation for a bunch of good things to come.
The Jayhawks certainly appear to be set on the mound, with freshmen Lila Partridge and Blakeley Barber being two of their most effective arms this season, while upperclassmen Kaelee Washington and Chloe Barber also threw well in the circle for Kansas.
Check back with Wave The Wheat at R1S1 Sports for the Top 5 on Friday and be sure to let us know what you think we left out in the comments below...
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
