K-State Athletics to Present Brown with IMPACT Award
Feb 03, 2026 | Women's Basketball, Athletics
MANHATTAN, Kan. – During its celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day at Saturday's K-State women's basketball game against BYU, K-State Athletics will present K-State's 2026 Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award to former Wildcat letter winner Susan (Haas) Brown.
Brown is the fifth recipient of the K-State Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award, joining previous recipients: Patricia (Drake) Potts, Tamie (Peugh) Preston, Lynn Holzman and Betsy (Sloan) Meeks.
The K-State Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award was established to recognize a member of the K-State Family who has directly impacted the lives of girls and women through the power of sport.
"Susan had a tremendous coaching career at Johnson County. The impact she had coaching young women, and the sustained success that she achieved is impressive. Winning the Jayhawk East Conference title 14 out of her 16 seasons speaks volumes. She was a proven leader and not only led with her coaching but also directed her program in such a way as to produce champions in the classroom too," said K-State Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Women's Administrator Jill Shields.
In addition to the presentation of the Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award, K-State Athletics will host its annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic prior to the women's basketball game. Saturday's clinic has been at full capacity for over two weeks.
Brown, a native of Mission, Kansas, was a K-State letter winner with the volleyball team from 1977-80.
After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from K-State in 1980, Brown accepted the head volleyball coaching position at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), a role she held from 1981 to 1996. During that time, Brown guided the program to 527 wins including three seasons with 40 or more wins and 14 conference titles. Her 527 career wins ranks 25th in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) by an inactive coach among all divisions.
She led JCCC to three Region VI titles in 1981, 1982 and 1983 and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament with finishes of 13th, fourth and fifth. She also steered JCCC to 14 Jayhawk East Conference crowns.
On the floor, Brown coached two First-Team All-Americans, 28 All-Region VI recipients, 44 Jayhawk All-Conference selections and four NJCAA Academic All-Americans.
During her coaching career, Brown was a three-time NJCAA Region Coach of the Year (1981, 1982, 1983). At the conclusion of her time on the sidelines, Brown was elected to the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001 and was elected to the JCCC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.
Brown continues to mentor students at JCCC, as she serves as a professor of Health and Wellness.
K-State hosts BYU on Saturday at 4 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221 CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.
Saturday's game will air on ESPN+ and will also be available on the K-State Sports Network and the flagship stations of K-State women's basketball in Manhattan, Sunny 102.5 and 1350 KMAN.
K-State Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award recipients
2026 Susan (Haas) Brown - volleyball
2025 Betsy (Sloan) Meeks – women's basketball
2024 Lynn Holzman – women's basketball
2023 Tamie (Peugh) Preston - tennis
2022 Patricia (Drake) Potts – women's basketball
Brown is the fifth recipient of the K-State Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award, joining previous recipients: Patricia (Drake) Potts, Tamie (Peugh) Preston, Lynn Holzman and Betsy (Sloan) Meeks.
The K-State Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award was established to recognize a member of the K-State Family who has directly impacted the lives of girls and women through the power of sport.
"Susan had a tremendous coaching career at Johnson County. The impact she had coaching young women, and the sustained success that she achieved is impressive. Winning the Jayhawk East Conference title 14 out of her 16 seasons speaks volumes. She was a proven leader and not only led with her coaching but also directed her program in such a way as to produce champions in the classroom too," said K-State Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Women's Administrator Jill Shields.
In addition to the presentation of the Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award, K-State Athletics will host its annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic prior to the women's basketball game. Saturday's clinic has been at full capacity for over two weeks.
Brown, a native of Mission, Kansas, was a K-State letter winner with the volleyball team from 1977-80.
After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from K-State in 1980, Brown accepted the head volleyball coaching position at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), a role she held from 1981 to 1996. During that time, Brown guided the program to 527 wins including three seasons with 40 or more wins and 14 conference titles. Her 527 career wins ranks 25th in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) by an inactive coach among all divisions.
She led JCCC to three Region VI titles in 1981, 1982 and 1983 and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament with finishes of 13th, fourth and fifth. She also steered JCCC to 14 Jayhawk East Conference crowns.
On the floor, Brown coached two First-Team All-Americans, 28 All-Region VI recipients, 44 Jayhawk All-Conference selections and four NJCAA Academic All-Americans.
During her coaching career, Brown was a three-time NJCAA Region Coach of the Year (1981, 1982, 1983). At the conclusion of her time on the sidelines, Brown was elected to the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001 and was elected to the JCCC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.
Brown continues to mentor students at JCCC, as she serves as a professor of Health and Wellness.
K-State hosts BYU on Saturday at 4 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221 CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.
Saturday's game will air on ESPN+ and will also be available on the K-State Sports Network and the flagship stations of K-State women's basketball in Manhattan, Sunny 102.5 and 1350 KMAN.
K-State Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award recipients
2026 Susan (Haas) Brown - volleyball
2025 Betsy (Sloan) Meeks – women's basketball
2024 Lynn Holzman – women's basketball
2023 Tamie (Peugh) Preston - tennis
2022 Patricia (Drake) Potts – women's basketball
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Women's Basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
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