Kickhaefer, Wallace Named Finalists for Junior College Athlete of the Year Awards by Wichita Sports Commission

WICHITA, Kan. – Two Butler Community College student-athletes were named as finalists for the Wichita Sports Commission's Junior College Male and Female Athlete of the Year Award, the commission announced Tuesday.

Caden Kickhaefer of Butler baseball and Freddie Wallace of Butler women's basketball are the two Grizzly finalists as both just recently capped off stellar careers in the purple and gold.

Kickhaefer joins Jeff Nwankwo of Cowley men's basketball and Cooper Weslund of Hutchinson baseball as the three finalists. Wallace joins Kiki Smith of Hutchinson women's basketball and Rossana Papa of Cowley volleyball as the three finalists.

Winners will be announced at the 2024 Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 26th at Intrust Bank Arena. The reception will start at 5:45 p.m. and banquet will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by clicking this link.

Kickhaefer served as Butler baseball's ace this season, earning honorable mention All-Jayhawk Conference honors as he turned in a 9-4 record with 79 strikeouts in 71.2 innings pitched, holding a 5.40 ERA with 15 starts. Kickhaefer was named the KJCCC West Pitcher of the Week on April 23rd after tossing a complete game 7.0 inning shutout, striking out a career-high 10 as the Grizzlies won 2-0 over Seward. Another big-time performance from Kickhaefer came in the Region VI Playoffs as he threw 6.0 shutout innings vs. Neosho, striking out eight and walking two as Butler grabbed a 10-0 win. Following his two-year pitching career at Butler, Kickhaefer has his name scattered across the Grizzly record books. He is tied for second all-time with 19 pitching wins, fifth all-time with 154 strikeouts and fourth all-time in innings pitched with 154.0. Kickhaefer has signed to pitch for SEMO in the fall.

Wallace wrapped up her two-year career for the Grizzlies this season. The sophomore forward was named a first team All-Jayhawk Conference selection and a second team NJCAA All-American as she led the Grizzlies to a 25-8 record and a Region VI Tournament runner-up finish. Wallace became Butler women's basketball's all-time scoring leader on March 6th in a win over Cowley as she surpassed Jamillah Bonner's 1,086 career points (2012-13), finishing with 18 in the game. Wallace now sits atop the Grizzly record books with 1,138 career points. This season she led Butler in both points (18.4) and rebounds (7.3) per game. She was second in the KJCCC in scoring per game and 15th in NJCAA Division 1. Wallace has signed to play for the University of Kansas in the fall.

Butler student-athletes have a strong history with this award as past winners include Brooklyn Hunter (soccer) in 2023 and Madi Young (softball) in 2021 and 2022.