Washburn University Athletics

Chris Herron enters his 24th year at Washburn in 2025. During his tenure at Washburn, Herron has comprised an impressive 624-140 overall record with a 306-85 mark against MIAA opponents.  
 
Herron has led Washburn to six MIAA titles and to all 18 of its trips to the NCAA Tournament since taking over the program in 2002. He has coached at least one All-American in all but three seasons. Herron has seen his players earn 52 All-American awards, 92 All-Region/District awards, and 47 All-MIAA first team nods. 
 
Herron turned things around right away during his first season in 2002, winning its first MIAA title and making its first trip to the NCAA tournament. The Lady Blues went 29-5 overall and 14-2 in the league that year to earn the right to host the regional rounds of the NCAA tournament. Washburn entered the AVCA national poll for the first time in school history that year and finished the season ranked 23rd. He was named MIAA Coach of the Year that season and has since won the award four times (2011, 2007, 2005 and 2002). 
 
During the 2024 season Herron guided the Ichabods back to the NCAA Tournament earning the No. 6 seed in the Central Region after going 11-5 in the MIAA regular season to finish 4th in the conference. Washburn completed a first round upset over No. 5 nationally ranked Nebraska Kearney, 3-2, before falling in five sets to No. 6 Central Oklahoma in the regional semifinals. Both Jalyn Stevenson and Alex Dvorak were tabbed as AVCA All-American Honorable Mentions. 

In 2022, Herron led Washburn to its first-ever MIAA Tournament championship as the Ichabods, who were tabbed as the No. 5 seed, defeated three nationally-ranked opponents to capture the title and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA postseason. The season also saw four Ichabods earn All-MIAA selections, including Halle Meister and Jalyn Stevenson, who were first-team picks and also went on to receive AVCA All-American Honorable Mention accolades. 
 
In 2021, Herron guided Washburn to one of its best seasons in program history. He recorded his 17th season with 25 or more wins as the Ichabods went 31-6 on the year and 17-3 in conference play. Washburn was ranked in the top-10 nationally for the entire season and earned its first-ever No. 1 ranking in the AVCA poll and held that spot for four weeks. The Ichabods also defeated two No. 1 ranked teams on the road during the season. Washburn dropped just two sets en route to its three victories in the Central Region tournament to earn its third regional title. The Ichabods went on to win the national quarterfinal and semifinal matches to advance to the program's first appearance in the national championship match. Washburn wrapped up the season as the No. 2 team in all of Division II, its highest finish ever. The Ichabods garnered a plethora of postseason awards as Allison Maxwell (first team), Genna Berg (second team), Faith Rottinghaus (second team), and Kelsey Gordon (Honorable Mention) were all named AVCA All-Americans. Additionally, Rottinghaus was named the MIAA Female Student-Athlete of the Year/Ken B. Jones Award Winner, the CoSIDA Academic All-America Volleyball Team Member of the Year as well as earning a place on the Academic All-America first team for the third time, and recived the NCAA Elite 90 Award at the NCAA Championship Tournament to become the first Washburn student-athlete and MIAA volleyball student-athlete to attain the prestigious award. 
 
In 2019, Herron's team finished fifth in the AVCA national rankings after closing out the season with a record of 27-4 (18-2 MIAA). The Ichabods advanced to the MIAA Tournament semifinal match and returned to the NCAA Central Region tournament. Junior outside hitter Genna Berg became the third player in Washburn's history to receive MIAA Player of the Year honors as she was named the conference's Co-Player of the Year. She was one of seven Ichabods Herron led to all-MIAA honors, four of which first-team selections. Berg was also named an AVCA All-American (second team) and was also a first team selection for the AVCA Central Region and D2CCA Central Region. Junior libero Faith Rottinghaus also earned hardware as an CoSIDA Academic All-American and Academic All-Region first team selection to go with her MIAA first team honors. 
 
In 2018, Herron posted his best record in nearly nine seasons while notching his ninth 30-plus win season as the Ichabods went 33-5 on the year and 15-3 in conference play before earning third-overall in the final AVCA poll. After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and 2017, Herron and the Ichabods returned to the postseason in style. Finishing as the MIAA regular season and tournament runner-ups, Washburn entered a loaded NCAA Central Region Championship as the No. 3-seed. The Ichabods handled themselves well rattling off wins over a trio of AVCA Top 10 schools in No. 5 Northern State and No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth, before pulling out a five-set thriller over defending national champion and No. 9 Concordia-St. Paul for its second-ever appearance in the NCAA National Championship. In Pittsburgh, Pa., the run came to end for the Ichabods in the semifinals against No. 11 Tampa after cruising past No. 24 Wingate. In addition to the team success, Herron had a program-best five players (Allison Maxwell, Faith Rottinghaus, Erica Montgomery, Genna Berg, Shayla Conner) earn All-MIAA first team honors. AVCA All-Region honors were then bestowed to Maxwell (First Team) and Conner (Honorable Mention), before the duo later earned honorable mention All-America accolades. Maxwell also represented Washburn on the D2CCA All-Region Team, where she garnered a second team nod. Individual awards also stretched to the coaching side as Herron was named AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year for the second time, while assistant Lauren Ramatowski became the first coach in program-history to be name USMC/AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year. 
 
The 2015 campaign marked the 12th consecutive season Herron had guided his team to the NCAA Tournament. That season, Herron had three players (Alyssa Carney, Sarah Vicory and Leanna Willer) earned All-America nods. Willer (Second Team) and Carney (Third Team) were both CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, Willer (Third Team) and Vicory (Second Team) were named to the AVCA All-America team and Vicory (Honorable Mention) earned D2CCA All-American honors. Carney and Willer were also First Team CoSIDA Academic All-Region honorees, while Willer was a AVCA Third Team All-Region selection and Vicory was named to the AVCA All-Central Region First Team.  For the D2CCA All-Region teams, both Willer and Vicory represented Washburn on the first team.  Both hitters were All-MIAA First Team picks as well and Carney was named to the Second Team, along with Taylor Selk and Liz Powell.  Korie Thompson was picked All-MIAA honorable mention.  Willer joined the 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs club over the season, Vicory passed the 300 blocks mark and Carney recorded her 1,000 career dig at Washburn as well during 2015.   

In 2014, Herron coached two players (Marissa Cox and Sarah Vicory) to AVCA All-American honorable mention recognition.  Cox and Vicory were also named to the AVCA All-Central Region team while Cox and Leanna Willer earned Daktronics All-Central Region honors.  All three attackers were All-MIAA first team picks as well.  Cox closed her career under Herron as the 18th member of the 1,000 kills club and the 10th Ichabod to record over 1,000 kills and 300 blocks in a career.  Vicory paced the conference in 2014 with a .370 hitting percentage. 

He coached two AVCA All-Americans in 2013, Cox as a first-teamer and Abby Wittman as an honorable mention selection. Cox also earned honorable mention Daktronics All-America. She finished first in the MIAA with a .337 attack percentage and third with 3.69 kills a set. She ended the year third in Washburn career attack percentage history with a .325 mark and she was 20th with 885 kills. Wittman finished her career third in career assists at Washburn with 3,849 and third with 63 double-doubles. She is only the second Washburn player to ever record 2,000 career assists and 1,000 digs. 

Herron led Washburn to its most successful season in school history in 2007 when the Lady Blues went 38-4 and won the NCAA South Central Region tournament for the first time. After advancing out of those three rounds, Washburn toppled No. 1 Tampa in five sets during the quarterfinals of the national tournament tournament before falling to Western Washington in the semifinals. The Lady Blues finished the season ranked No. 3 in the AVCA national poll. Herron was named the AVCA South Central Region coach of the year. 

In 2005, Herron coached WU to 35 wins, a school-record .921 winning percentage and a conference championship with a 15-1 MIAA mark, earning coach of the year honors. It was Washburn’s first 30-win season since joining the MIAA. Washburn made its third trip to the NCAA tournament and Monica Miesner and Tessa Jones became the second and third WU players to be named All-Americans. 
 
Herron was named head coach of the Washburn volleyball team March 25, 2002. Prior to taking over the Washburn volleyball program, Herron led Benedictine College (Kan.) from 1999-2001 where he went 75-29 (.721) with the NAIA school. During that time guided the Ravens to their first-ever Heart of America Athletic Conference title in 1999 before recording the squad’s highest win total ever with a 30-8 record in 2000. In 2001, Herron steered the team to a 32-6 record en route to capturing the program's first-ever HAAC conference tournament championship. Benedictine also cracked the national top 25 poll for the first time in school history by finishing 23rd in the final NAIA ranking.  
 
Herron spent 14 years prior to Benedictine as a high school coach at Tonganoxie HS and Golden City HS (Golden City, Mo.). During that time his teams posted an overall record of 387-105. 
 
He is a 1980 graduate of the College of the Ozarks, where he earned a bachelor’s of science in physical education. He lives in Topeka with his wife, Kelly, and he has three children - daughter Libby and sons Thatcher Cole and Jordan. 

Herron Year-by-Year Breakdown