WICHITA, Kan. – Friends University Falcon student-athletes and coaches will be well-represented at the upcoming 2026 Greater Wichita Sports Banquet, hosted by the Wichita Sports Commission. The banquet will be held on June 25 at the INTRUST Bank Arena.
Junior women's track athlete Tiyna Ridge is a finalist for College Female Athlete of the Year, while senior men's golfer Trinton Nobles made the final cut for the College Male Athlete of the Year award.
On the coaches' side, football head coach Terry Harrison will receive the Gene Stephenson Co-Coach of the Year and men's golf head coach Dustin Galyon will receive the Excellence award.
Ridge's historic season included finishing as the NAIA National runner-up in both the 100 (11.46) & 200 (23.86) meter runs at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championship to earn a Double All-America honor. The Edmond, Okla. native also recorded a national runner-up and All-America finish in the 60 Meters at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championship with a PR time of 7.32, coming within .01 seconds of a national title. The time is a new school record and the eighth fastest time in NAIA history. Additionally, Ridge set a new school record at the Arkansas Spring Invitational (Apr. 11) with a PR time of 11.26 in the 100m race that not only set a new school and KCAC record but ranked second in the NAIA this season and also second in NAIA history. As the only NAIA runner, Ridge bested 47 other athletes, including multiple NCAA D-I, D-II and JUCO competitors and was clipped only by 2024 Paris Olympian Gladymar Torres Crespo in a photo finish (.002).
Nobles, a three-time NAIA All-American, won the KCAC individual championship and was named the KCAC Men's Golf Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. A native of McKinney, Texas, Nobles helped the Falcons place second nationally at the NAIA Men's Golf National Championship for best national finish in Friends history. In leading the Falcons to their fourth straight KCAC title, Nobles was also a first-team All-KCAC performer and earned NAIA PING second-team All-America honors.
In his fourth season at the helm, Harrison led the Football Falcons to their second straight KCAC championship with a program record 12 victories in the 2025 season. The Falcons advanced to the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) quarterfinals for the team's furthest national advancement in school history. The Falcons averaged 54.2 ppg to stand alone as the highest scoring team in all levels of four-year college football. Friends was dominant on both sides of the ball, breaking their own NAIA single-season rushing record with 5,979 rushing yards and ranking third in the NAIA in points allowed per game (13.8 ppg) and tied for first in sacks (41). The Falcons success earned Harrison both the KCAC Coach of the Year and KCAC Bissell Division Coach of the Year nods while the team received prestigious recognition at Wichita City Hall.
As the architect of the Falcon men's golf program restart in 2021, Galyon found immediate success in leading the team to the past four KCAC team championships in addition to coaching the past five KCAC individual winners (Trenton Sutherland, Gerado Alemany, Caleb Knight, Tomas Vazquez, Nobles). The four straight KCAC titles resulted in four consecutive NAIA National Championship appearances for the Falcons, capped in historic fashion with this past season's runner-up finish for the best national showing in Friends history. A four-time KCAC Coach of the Year, Galyon proved to be an ideal missional fit, partnering with Friends University VP of Athletics & Strategic Expansion Dr. Rob Ramseyer in launching the Impactful Coaching Project that focuses on training coaches to develop the whole person.
Tickets for the Greater Wichita Sports Banquet can be purchased at https://wichitasports.com/events/wichita-sports-banquet
About the Wichita Sports Commission
The Wichita Sports Commission is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization dedicated to celebrating and advancing sports as a vital part of our city's culture and community life. Since 1997, our team of passionate sports advocates, community supporters, and event professionals has supported local talent, elevated sports initiatives, and helped build a thriving sports environment in Wichita. We collaborate with local leaders, organizations, and partners to create meaningful experiences, foster community pride, and highlight the unifying power of sports. The Sports Commission owns and operates five community annual events, including the Prairie Fire Race Series, Greater Wichita Sports Banquet featuring the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, Wichita Corporate Challenge, and the annual Wichita Turkey Trot.
