The Jayhawker

Sophomore golfer Luke Kluver and the Jayhawk men's golf team have been on a hot streak. As a team, the Jayhawks recently won back-to-back tournaments for the first time since 2016, and Kluver won his first individual title earlier this fall. Kluver, who comes from an athletic family, has never looked back since he arrived in Lawrence, helping the Jayhawks to two NCAA Regional appearances and learning some valuable lessons from head coach Jamie Bermel along the way. With an experienced lineup on the course this year, the Jayhawks are aiming for big things. And individually for Kluver, he believes he's at his best on the brightest stage, which he hopes will lead to more titles for the Jayhawks and a future career on the PGA Tour.

Junior Jason Bean quietly emerged as the starting quarterback this fall in year one of the Lance Leipold era. Jayhawk fans quickly realized that the North Texas transfer belonged on the Big 12 stage. A contributor for the Mean Green for two seasons, Bean decided to transfer to Kansas in the spring of 2021, before Leipold was even hired. The one thing Jayhawk fans noticed right away with their new quarterback is speed. In high school, Bean was the third-fastest man in Texas in Class 5A, and this year, he may be the fastest quarterback in college football. Bean has always wanted to play power-five conference football and now that he's here, he is ready to help instill a new culture and raise the Jayhawk program to new heights.

Super senior Mitch Lightfoot dreamed to get a call from Jayhawk Coach Bill Self when he was growing up. He spent most of his life in Arizona, but his family's KU roots have always played a big part in who he is. Dreams have turned into reality for Lightfoot, and he has been a part of three Big 12 Jayhawk championship teams and a Final Four appearance in 2018. Lightfoot has treasured the big games and everything that has happened on the floor. He knows he has experienced some special things. Now that he is in his sixth year on campus, Lightfoot's wisdom about Kansas and how Jayhawk basketball can shape the rest of his life is starting to come into focus.

Jayhawk senior soccer player Rylan Childers' path to collegiate soccer and Kansas could have possibly been predicted early in her life. Rylan, one of seven children, has always been around the soccer pitch. Her father, Brad, also coached her throughout her youth career. Family has always taken precedence in her college career. Before she arrived in Lawrence, she played with her older sister Reagan at UMKC, where she was the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2018 and an All-WAC first-team selection in 2018 and 2019. After transferring to Kansas, she played in all 13 games for the Jayhawks in 2020 and in 2021, shares the field with another sibling, freshman Raena Childers. And from the very beginning, she has always been around the pitch.