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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Jaiden Wise, who helped lead Silver Lake to the Class 3A state volleyball championship, has been selected as TopSports.news' Shawnee County fall girls senior athlete of the year for the 2025-2026 season.

Jaiden Wise, Silver Lake [Photo by Jesse Newell/Special to TSN]

Wise helped the Eagles post a 46-1 record last fall, including 37 straight wins to end the season, capped by a 25-21, 25-19 win over Holton in the 3A state championship match.

Wise was named to the 3A All-State Tournament team and All-State first team by the Kansas Volleyball Association and was also an All-Shawnee County first-team selection.

Jaiden Wise [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]

As a senior Wise recorded 407 kills and 19 blocks on .378 hitting with 296 digs and 22 assists while serving 84.7 percent with 29 aces on the season.

Wise was also a state qualifier in track and field.

Other fall girls athlete of the year finalists

Lauren Borjon, Hayden 

LAUREN BORJON | Hayden

SPORT: Golf

A three-sport athlete, Borjon capped her high school golf career with her fourth straight Class 4A state medal. Borjon tied for 12th with a 36-hole total of 170 (88-82) as the Wildcats finished fourth as a team. A three-time All-Shawnee County pick, Borjon finished second in the city tournament, fifth in the Centennial League and earned second-team 4A All-State recognition. Borjon helped lead the Wildcats to the 4A golf team title as a sophomore and junior and also helped Hayden win the 4A state title in basketball and post an undefeated run to the 4A-1A state crown in soccer as a senior.

Madeline Deters, Topeka High

MADELINE DETERS | Topeka High

SPORT: Tennis

Deters earned her second straight Class 6A state tennis medal last fall in her third state tournament appearance. Deters posted a career-best sixth-place state singles finish as a senior while finishing off a 32-6 record on the season. Deters finished second in No. 1 singles in the city tournament before winning Centennial League and 6A regional singles championships. Deters posted a 3-2 record at state.  

Elise Eckert, Seaman

ELISE ECKERT | Seaman

SPORT: Golf

Eckert won her fourth straight Class 5A state golf medal to cap her first season at Seaman, tying for fifth in the state tournament with a 36-hole total of 161 (77-84). Eckert won the city title by eight strokes with a 68 and won the United Kansas Conference individual championship with a 73 before posting a runnerup finish in 5A regional competition. Eckert was a first-team All-State honoree in 5A.

Ella Foster, Hayden  

ELLA FOSTER | Hayden

SPORT: Volleyball

Foster, a 5-foot-4 libero, helped lead 33-10 Hayden to a second-place finish in the 2025 Class 4A state volleyball tournament, earning Kansas Volleyball Association All-State Tournament honors. Foster earned first-team All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League recognition and was named to the KVA 4A All-State second team. Foster helped the Wildcats win the 4A state championship in basketball and the 4A-1A state crown in soccer as a senior and was selected to play in the KVA All-Star Match, helping the Red post a 4-1 victory. 

 Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden

IZZY GLOTZBACH | Hayden

SPORT: Golf

A three-time All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Glotzbach tied for fifth in the 2025 Class 4A state tournament with a 36-hole score of 164 (85-79), finished third in the city tournament and fourth in the Centennial League before tying for second in 4A regional competition. Glotzbach, who earned first-team 4A All-State recognition as a senior, helped lead the Wildcats to 4A state team titles as a sophomore and junior and also helped Hayden win a 4A team title in tennis as a junior. 

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news 

Jeremiah Nelson made the most of his first-ever appearance in the Topeka Golf Association City Match Play event, going wire to wire to capture the championship.

Jeremiah Nelson poses with his championship trophy Sunday at Shawnee Country Club after winning the 2026 TGA City Match Play championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The former Washburn University golfer earned the top seed in qualifying with a 70 and posted four straight wins after receiving a first-round bye, capping his title run with a 4 and 3 win over Adam Head Sunday at Shawnee Country Club.

"I played really well today,'' Nelson said. "I had four birdies on the front and another one on the back, so I think I was 4-under through 15 holes and I thought I played pretty well.

"Adam just didn't enough putts to drop for him, but that's how match play goes.''

Jeremiah Nelson capped a dominating week in the TGA City Match Play tournament with a 4 and 3 win in Sunday's title match at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]   

Nelson, who tied for second in the City Stroke Play tournament in 2025, jumped out to a four-hole advantage through the opening eight holes and Head, the three-time TGA City Player of the Year, got no closer than two holes the rest of the way before Nelson clinched the championship by halving the 15th hole. 

"A couple of big par saves that kept it at a two-stroke lead on the back were huge,'' Nelson said. "I had a couple of 8-footers that I had to get to drop or it gets tighter and then anything can happen.''

 Adam Head, a three-time city player of the year, finished second in Sunday's TGA City Match Play Tournament at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Head was quick to give Nelson credit for his match-winning performance Sunday.

"He didn't make any mistakes,'' Head said. "I didn't really put pressure on him the front nine. He was 4-under and there weren't many opportunities for me.

"He had two holes where he struggled on the back and was able to recover and just didn't give me a window to do anything to make those four shots up. A guy like Jeremiah, there's not much you can do when you don't have your best stuff. There was a small window and he closed it really fast.''  

Emory Dease, a semifinalist in 2024, won the President's Flight title with a 2 and 1 decision over recent Hayden graduate Austin Bean, a Class 4A state qualifier this past spring. 

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.

Brody Anderson, Seaman

BRODY ANDERSON | Seaman

SPORT: Track and field

Anderson ended his high school career with a Class 5A state championship, winning the 800 meters in a 5A meet-record time of 1 minute, 52.08 seconds. A former state medalist in cross country, Anderson also posted second-place 5A state finishes in the 3,200 and 1,600 meters after winning the city title in the 800 and sweeping the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 titles in the United Kansas Conference meet. 

 Caleb Cleverdon, Cair Paravel/Topeka High

CALEB CLEVERDON | Cair Paravel/Topeka High

SPORT: Golf

Cleverdon, who competed for Topeka High in the regular season and Cair Paravel Latin in the postseason, posted a second-place individual finish in the Class 2A state tournament with a 36-hole total of 149 (73-76) after taking a four-shot individual win in the Flint Hills League tournament with a 73. A first-team All-Shawnee County pick, Cleverdon tied for third in the Centennial League (75) and tied for first in 2A regional competition (71), finishing second in a playoff.

Brody Cooper, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN] 

BRODY COOPER | Shawnee Heights

SPORT: Baseball

A standout pitcher, Cooper helped lead Shawnee Heights to the 2026 Class 5A state championship game and a runnerup finish. A two-time United Kansas Conference first-team selection, Cooper was named the conference pitcher of the year as a senior and was also named to the All-Shawnee County first team.

 Jack Donovan, Rossville

JACK DONOVAN | Rossville

SPORT: Golf

Donovan was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick for the third straight season after earning a state medal for the fourth straight year (two in Class 3A, two in 2A) with a fifth-place finish in the 2A state event with a 36 hole score of 155 (79-76). Donovan finished third in a 2A regional with a 76 and was the Big East League individual medalist with a 71. Donovan, who tied for sixth in the 2025 state tournament, received All-Shawnee County recognition in three sports.

Drew Fay, Cair Paravel Latin 

DREW FAY | Cair Paravel Latin

SPORT: Tennis

Fay capped an outstanding four-year high school career with a city-high fifth-place finish in the 2026 Class 3A-1A state tournament. Fay was a four-year state qualifier and a three-time state medalist, with a high finish of second place in doubles in 2025. Fay captured the city championship in No. 1 singles this past spring and also won a regional title. Fay was a three-time All-City pick.

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