Each week during the University of Kansas’ sports seasons, the Journal-World staff will select one athlete from a KU men’s sports team and one from a women’s sports team as athletes of the week.
For the week of Sept. 1-7, the selections are DeShawn Hanika and Rhian Swanson.
DeShawn Hanika, football
KU lost the Border War against Missouri, but the Topeka native Hanika took advantage of his first and only opportunity to play in the rivalry game. The tight end’s six catches, 74 yards and two touchdowns were all career highs, as he experiences significant playing time for the first time since the 2022 season.
Rhian Swanson, volleyball
A longtime rotational player for the Jayhawks in years past, Swanson is off to a strong start to her senior season in KU’s first year with head coach Matt Ulmer. The senior outside hitter from McPherson broke out at the Stacey Clark Classic hosted by Purdue, averaging 4.6 kills per set across matches against Bowling Green, Georgia Tech and Purdue, as KU went 2-1 at the event.
