WU senior Andrew Orr & teammates celebrate their NCAA D-II Central Region championship.

[Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Seaman coach Matt Tinsley name UKC girls' basketball Coach of the Year.

[File Photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural senior Amare Jones named Centennial League Boys' Player of the Year.

[Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Rossville junior Rylee Dick named to All-Big East First Team.

[file photo/TSN]

WU Coach Brett Ballard’s jubilation as the Ichabod’s won the NCAA D-II Central Regional championship.

[Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake, named to All-Big East First Team.

[File Photo/TSN]

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Key Performers of the Week

Rising Stars Intro 002AA

Rick Peterson, Top Sports News Writer
Rick Peterson

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Through her first three seasons of high school swimming, Seaman's Joslynn Grace was surrounded by talented older teammates.

JoslynnGrace2025 5Seaman senior Joslynn Grace posted first and second-place individual finishes in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But after the Vikings lost a talented senior class, including twin sisters Tauren and Avery Walz, from last year's team that posted a third-place finish in Class 5A-1A, Grace is being counted on to lead the way in the pool and as a leader as Seaman enters the 2025 campaign.

"I was a little nervous at first, but it's really fun to get to be with more of the team I feel like,'' Grace said. "I was really close to the twins and now I'm like branching out and I get to meet a lot of people and cheer them all on, so it's been a lot of fun.''

Grace got her season off to a solid start on Thursday in the 16-school Topeka West Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, posting a win and a second-place individual finish while also helping the Vikings to a pair of top-six relay finishes.

Grace, a returning multi-event 5A-1A state medalist, won the 200-yard individual medley in a time of 2 minutes, 15.84 seconds and finished second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:10.72.

Grace also teamed with Reagan Greig, Lizzie Gould and Megan Strobel to finish fifth in the 200 medley relay (2:13.96) and with Greig, Gould and Strobel to finish sixth in the 200 free relay (2:05.02) as the Vikings finished fourth as a team with 234 points.

JoslynnGrace2025 2Seaman senior Joslynn Grace looks up at the scoreboard after her 200 IM victory in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"I thought today was pretty good,'' Grace said. "I wish my IM would have been a little bit faster, but I was pretty happy with it.''

Now Grace, who plans to swim collegiately at Nebraska-Kearney with older sister Gabby, is setting her sights on finishing her high school career with a bang.

"I definitely would like to medal in both my events again and maybe get like second-team All-State or first-team All-State,'' Grace said. "That would be really cool.''   

Seaman also got a third-place finish from Strobel in the 500 freestyle (7:10.03) and a third from Sydney Thoman in one-meter diving (152.75).

Hayden tied for fifth as a team with 191 points, led by Maddie Gregg and Kaylee Gregg, who finished one-two in diving. M. Gregg won with a score of 179.90 while K. Gregg was right behind her sister at 178.00. 

The Wildcats also got a fourth-place finish in the 400 free relay from Kaelyn Gerdel, Kelly Ann Chada, Lilly Charvat and Esa Herrera in 4:47.88.

AshtynnLandry2025 4Shawnee Heights senior Ashtynn Landry posted a pair of top-four finishes in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Shawnee Heights finished seventh as a team (164), getting a third-place finish from senior Ashtynn Landry in the 200 freestyle in 2:14.46.

Landry also finished fourth in the 100 freestyle (1:01.17) while sophomore Kaitlyn Aldridge was fourth in the 200 IM (2:35.22).   

TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL

At Capitol Federal Natatorium

Team scores

Lansing 400, McPherson 361, Piper 280, Seaman 234, De Soto 191, Hayden 191, Shawnee Heights 164, Wichita Collegiate 95, Basehor-Linwood 86, Wichita Trinity 79, Wichita Independent 68, Southeast-Saline 37, Bonner Springs 10, Topeka West 8, KC-Turner 5, KC-Washington 2.

Individual results

200 medley relay -- 1. Lansing, 1:58.12; 2. McPherson, 2:06.23; 3. Piper, 2:08.02. 

200 freestyle -- 1. Vorthmann, De Soto, 1:58.22; 2. Kobs, Piper, 1:59.25; 3. Landry, Shawnee Heights, 2:14.46. 

200 individual medley -- 1. Grace, Seaman, 2:15.84; 2. Hayes, Lansing, 2:17.16; 3. Pickerell, McPherson, 2:26.96.

50 freestyle -- 1. Richardson, Southeast-Saline, 25.77; 2. Verzola, Lansing, 26.26; 3. Wiens, McPherson, 26.94.

One meter diving -- 1. M. Gregg, Hayden, 179.90; 2. K. Gregg, Hayden, 1.78.00; 3. Thoman, Seaman, 152.75.

100 butterfly -- 1. Howard, Wichita Trinity, 56.42; 2. Richardson, Southeast-Saline, 1:00.61; 3. Kobs, Lansing, 1:01.52.

100 freestyle -- 1. Bruch, Basehor-Linwood, 55.45; 2. Archambault, Lansing, 55.52; 3. Wiens, McPherson, 1:00.02.

500 freestyle -- 1. Pickerell, McPherson, 5:44.63; 2. Johannes, Lansing, 5:51.50; 3. Strobel, Seaman, 7:10.03. 

200 free relay -- 1. McPherson, 1:55.15; 2. Piper, 1:57.49; 3. De Soto, 1:57.52.

100 backstroke -- 1. Hayes, Lansing, 1:04.58; 2. Carstensen, Piper, 1:06.69; 3. Walter, Lansing, 1:08.62.

100 breastroke -- 1. Howard, Wichita Trinity, 1:04.71; 2. Grace, Seaman, 1:10.72; 3. Vorthmann, De Soto, 1:12.81.

400 free relay -- 1. Lansing 'A', 3:59.30; 2. Lansing 'B', 4:23:58; 3. De Soto, 4:26.93.

 

 

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