A standout Manhattan High softball player is returning to northeast Kansas.
Junior-to-be Kierra Goos, who played her freshman and sophomore years at South Dakota State, will join Washburn in Topeka for the 2026 season, Ichabods head coach Brenda Holaday announced Monday.
“We are excited to welcome Kierra to our softball program,” Holaday said in a written statement. “We believe she will make an immediate impact on our pitching staff and our program in general. She has a great work ethic and a strong desire to showcase her talents on the field. It’s great to have an area athlete come back closer to home and we can’t wait to get her on campus.”
Goos pitched in nine games during her two seasons with the Jackrabbits and was a Summit League Academic Honor Roll member. She announced on social media May 18 her intent to enter the transfer portal.
“Washburn was the right choice for me because of the support from the coaching staff and the opportunity to add to a great team,” Goos said.
In the 2025 season, the Division II Ichabods finished 31-21 overall and sixth (13-11) in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association standings.
During her senior year in the spring of 2023, Goos helped lead Manhattan to its first state tournament appearance since 2004. In the circle, she pitched 112 innings and struck out 204 batters while recording a 2.18 ERA.
At the plate, Goos led the Indians with a .462 batting average to go along with five home runs and 27 RBI. For that all-around performance, she was named The Mercury’s Spring All-Flint Hills Female Athlete of the Year, in addition to earning other postseason honors from the Centennial League and Kansas Softball Coaches Association.
Before Goos and her family moved to Manhattan in early 2020, she was part of Blue Springs South High School’s Missouri Class 4 state championship team in the fall of 2019. As the Jaguars’ secondary pitcher, she tossed 66 innings with 41 strikeouts.