Momentum builds at Wichita State as athletics thrive

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Wichita State University athletics is heating up, and the excitement can be felt across the campus.

The women’s tennis team is riding a dominant season, earning its first bid to the NCAA tournament since 2018. The softball team is sitting in second in the American Conference standings, and the baseball team is in fourth.

Roy Ombati, a junior mechanical engineering student, said this moment is unique.

“As a student, it kind of feels nice because I’ve always been a fan of WSU since I was young,” Ombati said. “And I wanted to come here to do engineering, but then I never really heard people speak about athletics being good.”

He is watching the rise in real time and said it is inspiring.

“Being in a school that’s winning, I want to win too.”

The idea that winning is spreading beyond the scoreboard is something coaches are seeing too.

“Doubles has been a huge part of our succes this year,” said Women’s Tennis Head Coach Jacob Eddins. “We’ve won I think maybe 18 doubles points, and that’s been really key to a lot of our wins and it gives us a little bit of momentum going into singles.”

And once that momentum started, it didn’t stop.

“I feel like winning gives them some confidence,” Eddins said. “I feel like we just kept riding the wave.”

A wave fueled by depth, experience and a competitive identity.

“Competitors, they want to win, and they work hard,” Eddins said. “And they’re not only representing themselves but Wichita State and their teammates and coaches. And so they’re playing for something bigger than themselves.”

That mindset is showing up across the athletic department.

“We put all of our resources and all of our attention into all 16 of our sports,” said Deputy Athletic Director Taylor Spiker.

The results are hard to ignore. They’ve already had winning streaks, top conference races and postseason pushes.

“The success with tennis, they have 18-straight wins, which is the longest streak,” Spiker said. “They’re the number one seed with their first NCAA tournament since 2018.”