Breakthroughs highlight top 10 stories of 2024
Published 5:19 pm Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Western Kentucky junior guard Don McHenry is named Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament championship game MVP on March 16 in Huntsville, Alabama. (GRACE RAMEY / Daily News)
Bowling Green senior quarterback Deuce Bailey (2) celebrates as he scores a touchdown in the Purples’ 37-20 win against the Cooper Jaguars for the KHSAA Class 5A state title at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. Bowling Green wins back to back titles and three in five seasons. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Bowling Green Hot Rods pinch hitter Aidan Smith (right) is congratulated by teammate Mac Horvath after hitting a two-run homer against Hudson Valley during a game this season at Bowling Green Ballpark. (JOE IMEL / Daily News)
Butler County junior Briar Griffin (15) shoots a layup after moving past Evangel Christian freshman Davier White (23) in the Bears’ 71-60 loss to the Eagles in the first round of the KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Butler County’s season ends 23-9 with the school’s first ever appearance in the Sweet 16. (GRACE MCDOWELL / Daily News)
Western Kentucky redshirt senior linebacker Devon Lynch celebrates a play during the Hilltoppers' 27-17 loss to James Madison on Wednesday in the Boca Raton Bowl in Boca Raton, Florida. (SAVANNAH PHILPOT / WKU Athletics)
Warren Central Dragons head coach William Unseld hugs his son, senior Kade Unseld, after the Dragons won their third straight Region 4 title on March 12 at E.A. Diddle Arena. (GRACE MCDOWELL / Daily News)
Western Kentucky Head Volleyball Coach Travis Hudson brings the team together during a timeout in their 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23) loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament at the Historic Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. WKU ends its season 29-6. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Long-awaited breakthroughs featured prominently among the top sports stories in southcentral Kentucky.
For Western Kentucky’s men’s basketball team, it meant a return to the NCAA Tournament after a long absence.
At Butler County, it was a trip to Rupp Arena for the school’s first-ever appearance in the KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen.
Here are the stories that stood out the most, selected by the Daily News sports staff as the biggest stories of 2024 (in no particular order):
WKU men’s hoops wins CUSA tournament, returns to NCAA field
Steve Lutz had one job to do when he arrived as WKU’s new coach after a wildly successful two-year stint as the head men’s basketball coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – get the Hilltoppers back to the NCAA Tournament.
In his lone season leading the Hilltoppers, Lutz did just that by leading the program back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years after winning the Conference USA Tournament to secure an automatic NCAA bid. It was the first time WKU has won the CUSA Tournament since joining that league in 2014.
The 15-seeded Hilltoppers lost to No. 2 seed Marquette 87-69 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
“We are what we are – we’re not maybe the flashiest team in the world but we play hard and we play the right way and we try to make sure when we leave the floor that the people who watched the game got their money’s worth and that they are proud of the product that we put on the floor,” Lutz said after the season-ending loss to Marquette. “To me, that’s all you can really ask for as far as a coach.”
Hired to replace Rick Stansbury last March after two successful seasons leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Lutz led the Hilltoppers to a 22-12 mark that included an 8-8 record in CUSA – good for third place in the regular-season standings. Shortly after the season, Lutz left to become the head coach at Oklahoma State with top assistant coach Hank Plona named his replacement soon after.
Bowling Green football repeats at Class 5A state champs
Bowling Green entered the 2024 season as the defending Class 5A state champions, winners of the title twice in the past four years and once the runner-up.
And somehow, the Purples managed to fly under the radar for most of the season.
Despite that impressive run of success, Bowling Green was considered a contender for certain – but the favorite? No, Cooper wore that mantle for most of the year – the same Cooper squad that the Purples beat 28-14 for the 2023 state championship.
Little wonder that after surviving a rematch against arch-rival South Warren in the state semifinals – the Purples won 31-28 after losing the regular-season matchup – it would be unbeaten and favored Cooper that awaited at Kroger Field in Lexington to battle for the state crown.
Bowling Green answered the Jaguars’ opening touchdown with one of its own on quarterback Deuce Bailey’s 2-yard TD run, then pushed ahead 10-6 on a Braden Widener 41-yard field goal. Cooper responded with a touchdown to push back ahead 12-10 in the second quarter, but BG got 31-yard field goal from Widener to claim a 13-12 lead heading into halftime.
The Purples put it away in the second half – Bailey, who earned his second consecutive most valuable player award in the state championship, tallied a 14-yard touchdown run and Jaxen Smith had a 6-yard TD run as the Purples stretched their lead 27-12 by the end of the third quarter. Bailey added on with a 6-yard TD run in the fourth to make it 34-12. Widener finished off the scoring with his third field goal of the night – a 26-yarder to set the final score.
“I am not one to look at a lot of media and press myself, but our kids really felt like we were ignored coming into the game,” Bowling Green coach Mark Spader said. “There was a juggernaut of a Cooper team that we had great respect for and it was just assumed that they were going to mow over us. It motivated our team. I think it gave us a little extra this week to come out here and finish the season and finish our goals to win back-to-back championships.”
Hot Rods win SAL championship again
Another championship banner is headed to Bowling Green Ballpark after the Bowling Green Hot Rods clinched the South Atlantic League championship with a 4-1 win at Hudson Valley in Game 3 of the best-of-three series.
Bowling Green was able to bounce back from its first loss in the postseason, using strong pitching and timely pitching to finish off the Renegades and claim the title. It was Bowling Green’s third title in four years and the fourth since 2018.
“It’s not every year that you get to suit up and play playoff baseball, so I am glad that we were able to perform tonight,” BG manager Rafael Valenzuela said. “The message was just to go out and have fun and the other message was take a look around at the entire team because this might be the last time we are all together. They just wanted to go out with bang. I am glad the guys went out, played nice and relaxed the entire game and we were able to win one for Bowling Green.”
Butler County boys’ hoops makes history
The Butler County boys’ basketball team took their fans in Morgantown on quite a ride.
The high-flying Bears won the Region 3 championship for the first time in school history to earn a first-ever trip to the KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
Led by sharp-shooting point guard Ty Price and double-double machine Lawson Rice – both eventual Division I signees, Price with UT Martin and Rice with WKU – the Bears backed down from no one in their march to Lexington.
Butler County (23-9) battled it out with a talented Evangel Christian squad in the opening round, eventually falling 71-60.
“Evangel is a really good team,” Butler County coach Calvin Dockery said. “They play really hard. We didn’t execute in some positions where we needed to, but our guys fought really hard and gave a really good effort. I’m proud of them and the way they handled this stage.
“It’s the first time we’ve had the opportunity to be here. I think we learned a lot. No doubt this is something we will keep in our heart and remember. Hopefully, it will motivate us to have another opportunity to be here again.”
WKU football reaches CUSA championship game
Western Kentucky’s football team had its ups and downs, but achieved a major goal in returning to the Conference USA Championship in 2024. To get there, the Tops had to get past league unbeaten Jacksonville State — the Hilltoppers got it done with a 19-17 win at Houchens-Smith Stadium in the regular-season finale.
The following week didn’t go so well for the Tops, who dropped a 52-12 decision at Jax State in the rematch. WKU ended the season on a down note with a 27-17 loss to James Madison in the Boca Raton Bowl, a defeat that snapped the Tops’ three-bowl win streak under head coach Tyson Helton.
All in all, an 8-6 season and a CUSA championship appearance after losing starting quarterback TJ Finley to injury and seeing the emergence of redshirt sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp – who earned CUSA Offensive Player of the Year honors — still provided plenty of highlights for WKU fans.
“Of course, there were plays out there that we felt like we could’ve made,” WKU senior defensive back Keyshawn Swanson said. “But overall I feel like our guys did the best they could. I feel like everyone did everything they could and put their heart on the line. So there’s no regrets on the defensive side – I love them boys to death. I wouldn’t change anything in the world.”
Dragons repeat at Region 4 champs
Warren Central had the target on its back all season long in Region 4. Being the two-time defending regional and reigning state champion will do that.
Central had virtually a new roster to defend its titles – Kade Unseld was the only returning starter, while Caden Hammer, Braylon Boards and Jarrett Kirk are among a handful of players that saw limited action during last year’s state title run.
Facing a tough schedule, Central didn’t post the gaudy record it had the previous season, but the Dragons rose up when it mattered most, charging back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Bowling Green 64-57 in overtime in the Region 4 championship.
Warren Central made it back to Rupp Arena for the the Sweet Sixteen, but it proved a short trip this time as Central (17-12) fell 67-59 to Harlan County in the opening round.
“It meant a lot to me,” Warren Central senior guard Cadin Hammer said. “Nobody thought we could get here. Everybody doubted us in the region. It didn’t end the way we wanted to, but it was a ride to get here.”
WKU volleyball continues run of excellence
In a season loaded with challenges, Western Kentucky volleyball coach Travis Hudson watched his team overcome and excel on the court and in the locker room. That a good portion of that watching came with his leg propped on a scooter was the least rewarding part of the experience for Hudson, but a part just the same.
Hudson and associate head coach Craig Bere both sustained injuries the same night playing volleyball in late October – Hudson from a Lisfranc injury to his foot and Bere from a torn Achilles tendon, with each requiring surgery. They missed six games, including the final two road trips of the season.
The Hilltoppers pressed on – WKU (28-7) started 4-6 before winning the final three non-conference games, then went 18-0 in Conference USA and secured their sixth straight tournament title – 10th in 11 years.
The run ended with a hard-fought 3-1 loss to Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Lexington.
“We played at a high level this year,” Hudson said. “We grew to play at a high level. We didn’t start the year at a high level and anytime our season ends with a conference championship and a conference tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament berth, you can’t be anything but proud.”
Local legends pass away
Southcentral Kentucky lost a pair of iconic sports figures in 2024 with the passing for legendary Russellville coach Ken Barrett and former WKU All-American men’s basketball player Tom Marshall.
Barrett, who retired in 1998 after a 30-year career, won three state football titles (1980, 1983, 1990) in his tenure which stretched from 1976 to 1998. In his time on the sidelines, Russellville won 162 games and appeared in four state title games in all, with a 1987 runner-up finish in addition to the three state championships.
Barrett was elected to the KHSAA Hall of Fame in 1996.
“Literally, the greatest coach in our school history and obviously one of the most decorated coaches in KHSAA history,” current Russellville football coach Mikie Benton said. “Being in the hall of fame, not just in our school but KHSAA, speaks to the volumes of his legacy. Of course the name alone carries all type of weight. Someone that everybody loved and adored. With his tenure being around Russellville there were not too many people who didn’t know who coach Barrett was.
“People his age, even kids in our elementary school knew who coach Barrett was.”
Marshall was a two-time All-America selection (1953 and ’54) and narrowly missed first-team consensus honors as a senior in ’54, landing on the second team. A three-time pick on All-Ohio Valley Conference teams (1952, ’53, ’54), he was the key figure on talent-rich Hilltopper teams that earned berths in the National Invitation Tournament in all three of those seasons.
Marshall completed his stellar career at WKU with school career records for points scored (1,909) and scoring average (19.1 ppg). Those two figures, here 70 years later, still rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in Hilltopper history.
A product of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, Marshall was a member of the inaugural class of the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame inducted in 1991 and he was one of five Hilltopper greats to have a jersey retired in their honor during the 1999-00 season. He was one of just eight former Toppers to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft when the Rochester Royals made him the seventh pick in 1954 and went on to play four seasons with the Royals (two in Rochester and two in Cincinnati) and one year with the Detroit Pistons.
Spartans reach state softball semifinals
South Warren produced a record-setting year, one that nearly landed the program in the KHSAA state softball championship before losing a 2-0 decision to Henderson County in the semifinals.
South Warren (39-4) set the school record for wins in a season, eclipsing the previous mark held by the 2022 team by one game, with sophomore McLaine Hudson setting the state record for hits in a season.
After a 4-2 win over Barren County in the region title game at the WKU Softball Complex, South Warren returned to the state tournament field after a one-year absence with a large target as the No. 1 ranked team in the state.
South Warren dispatched Elizabethtown 11-2 in the opening round of the state tournament, then battled past Lexington Catholic for a 1-0 win before coming up short in the semifinals.
“I’m proud of our girls,” South Warren coach Kelly Reynolds said. “I’ve said it all year long. I think there is a lot of talent here and the future is bright for South Warren softball.”
Lady Purples win fifth straight region title
This was supposed to be the year the Purple Reign ended.
Sure, the Bowling Green girls’ basketball team was expected to be in the mix again as one of the Region 4 contenders but a fifth straight title seemed difficult at best with the odds stacked against the Lady Purples.
The top three scorers and rebounders from last season were gone, with a multitude of contenders waiting in the wings. Barren County was considered the preseason favorite of a wide-open region. Franklin-Simpson emerged as the team to beat after steamrolling through with a 17-0 record against region opponents – including an 18-point win at Bowling Green in January.
And yet, when it was all said and done the Lady Purples still came out on top after beating Todd County Central 49-35 in the final to extend its region dominance with a fifth straight title and a sixth in seven years under head coach Calvin Head.
Bowling Green (24-11) extended its season further with a 46-44 win against Owsley County in the first round of the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena before falling 47-41 to McCracken County.
“This is no disrespect to anybody, but when I tell you this group was left for dead they were left for dead,” Head said. “Grave dug. Shovels in hand. It was never about proving people wrong. It was about proving ourselves right and they did exactly that – right to the wire.”
Isenbarger, Craig, Fuller shine for WKU
Western Kentucky saw further athletic success away from the fields and gymnasiums.
Two-sport star Katie Isenbarger wrapped up her decorated collegiate track and field career with a 17th-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials, shortly after earning Honorable Mention All-American honors after taking 21st place as the first Hilltopper to ever compete in the women’s high jump at the NCAA Outdoor championships.
In her final season for WKU, Isenbarger claimed a first place finish on six occasions, etching her name in the record books, holding the program record of 1.88 meters set on April 27 at the Music City Challenge in Nashville.
“Honestly, I don’t know how she does it,” WKU coach Brent Chumbley said. “Every once in a while, there are student-athletes that come through programs that somewhat defy logic and common sense. To be at the level that she is athletically and academically, it’s just … Katie. It’s just Katie being Katie, and her ability to prioritize and having great time management and doing what she needs to do. I’ve never known her not to achieve her goals. And so it doesn’t happen very often, but she’s certainly something special. I think WKU has been very lucky to have her the last five years.”
Craig and Fuller made WKU history by both qualifying for the NCAA regionals – the first time a representative from both the men’s and women’s golf teams have accomplished that in the same year.
Fuller, who won the Conference USA championship to earn an automatic qualifying bid, was the first WKU men’s golfer to compete in a region since Billy Tom Sargent and Stuart Easton in 2019.
Craig made the NCAA regionals for the second straight year by earning a coveted at-large spot based on her play during the season. She finished in the top 10 of every tournament played leading up to the regionals, including nine straight finishes in the top five. She broke WKU’s season stroke average record (70.26), the lowest round score record (63), the lowest 36-hole score record (130) and lowest 54-hole score (201).
