'Best friend for life': Washburn Rural duo signs NLIs for Kansas hoops, UNLV volleyball
TOPEKA — For Washburn Rural’s Zoe Canfield and Jada Ingram, Thursday was a moment they had been thinking about forever.
The two long-time friends signed their National Letters of Intent to their future college as Canfield will play college basketball at Kansas while Ingram will move west to play volleyball at UNLV.
“We have been friends for eight years and we have played sports together that whole time,” Canfield said. “This was something that we had always dreamed of.”
“That is my best friend for life,” Ingram said with a smile. “I am so proud of her.”
Canfield committed to the Jayhawks in October of 2022. She suffered a knee injury the following basketball season that sidelined her for the remainder of the year. The sheer will and determination to get healthier were always on her mind.
The senior worked so hard that she could return to the court for Washburn Rural’s volleyball season. This wasn’t something she was going to miss in her final year with the Junior Blues.
“I have always loved volleyball so much,” Canfield said. “I think it was a great opportunity to be able to go out there with my teammates and have fun. We have been blessed with so many great teams that it is hard to pass up on that opportunity.”
Canfield will be back for Washburn Rural basketball this winter. The Junior Blues start their season on Nov. 30. But, on Thursday, it was all about celebrating the hard work that has led her to become a college basketball player.
“I always dreamed of going to KU since I was a little girl,” Canfield said. “The fact that this opportunity is here and I am getting to go there and actually wear that uniform and play in Allen Fieldhouse means everything to me.”
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Ingram committed to the Rebels last November, too. The middle blocker can also feature as an outside hitter. She was a key component for the Junior Blues state title run in 2022. Ingram was also key in helping Washburn Rural return to the state championship tournament this fall.
“When I visited, everyone there was so welcoming. I would describe it as a home away from home,” she described. “I think UNLV is a place that people will get to know for sure.”
UNLV volleyball currently holds an 18-11 record in head coach Malia Shoji’s first year at the helm. Ingram committed to the Rebels when Dawn Sullivan was still the head coach. Sullivan is now the head coach with Missouri, but Ingram shared that despite the coaching change, she never wavered from the UNLV program.
“There was never a time that I wanted to change to a different school,” Ingram said. “They were all so welcoming and it made me want to go there even more. There is no other place that I would want to be.”
Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. You can reach him at Lkeating@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Washburn Rural's Zoe Canfield, Jada Ingram sign with Kansas, UNLV
