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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior Bryson Vawter has been named the United Kansas Conference baseball player of the year, one of five city players named to the All-UKC first team.
Seaman senior Bryson Vawter has been named the United Kansas Conference baseball player of the year in the Vikings' first season in the league. [File photo/TSN]
Vawter, a pitcher/first baseman, helped lead the Vikings to an 18-5 record and a state-record 19th straight state tournament berth this spring.
Vawter is joined on the first team by Seaman sophomore infielder Max Huston and senior outfielder Cameron Selbach.
Shawnee Heights sophomore catcher Deacon Pomeroy was named to the all-conference first team for the second straight season while T-Bird senior Zack Cole was named the first-team designated hitter.
Heights seniors Nic Perez, Gavin Zuperku and Evan Smith and juniors Brayden Wheatley and Jordan Armruster received All-UKC second-team recognition as did Seaman junior Holden Finley.
Leaavenworth senior Charlie Rambo was named the UKC pitcher of the year while De Soto's Joel Thaemert was named the coach of the year.
.ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE BASEBALL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Alesecio Batson
ALESECIO BATSON, Topeka West
After advancing to the Class 5A state track and field championships as a freshman, the Topeka West sophomore captured a Class 5A state championship in the triple jump Friday at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium. Batson took the event lead on his first jump and went wire to wire for the title, jumping a best of 48 feet, 4.25 inches.
Finn Dunshee
FINN DUNSHEE, Hayden
The Wildcat sophomore won three Class 4A gold medals Saturday at Cessna Stadium, helping Hayden finish fifth as a team. Dunshee won the 100-meter dash in 10.84 seconds and also ran on the Wildcats' winning 4x100-meter and 4x400 relay teams. Hayden won the 4x100 relay in 42.65 seconds and the 4x400 in a 4A state meet-record time of 3:20.99.
Brinley Dyche
BRINLEY DYCHE, Rossville
A senior, Dyche picked up the pitching win in all three games as Rossvillle won its first Class 3A state softball title since 2000, capped by Friday's 2-0 win over Santa Fe Trail in the championship game. Dyche was credited with the victory in a 19-7 first-round win over Columbus, pitched the Bulldawgs to a come-from-behind 6-4 win over Southeast-Saline in the semifinals and twirled a complete-game two-hitter In the title game while striking out 10 and not allowing a walk.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Four city players earned first-team recognition on the All-Centennial League baseball team, including three players from Class 6A state qualifier Topeka High.
Topeka High junior pitcher Nate Plankinton was named to the All-Centennial League first team after helping lead the Trojans to a Class 6A state tournament berth. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High junior Isaiah Kincade (21) earned All-Centennial League first team honors for the 16-7 Trojans. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High senior Elijah Kincade (32) has been named to the All-Centennial League first team after helping the Trojans reach the Class 6A state tournament. [File photo//TSN]
Hayden sophomore Cooper Grace earned a berth on the All-Centennial League first team. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High put juniors Nate Plankinton and Isaiah Kincade and senior Elijah Kincade on the the 11-member first team, selected by league coaches, after the Trojans posted a 16-7 record and earned their first trip to state in more than seven decades.
Hayden, which went 11-6 on the season, is represented on the first team by sophomore Cooper Grace.
Topeka High is represented on the second team by junior Matt Genrich while Hayden put seniors Konnor Becker and Jackson Summers on the second team and Washburn Rural put junior Kyle Walker, senior Zach Sharshel, sophomore Sam Bettis and senior Ty Weber on the second 11.
Hayden senior Braydn Rose and Washburn Rural seniors Dayten Smoot, Aiden Rea and Kaleb Wellshear earned all-league honorable mention.
Centennial League champion Manhattan, which put a league-high five players on the first team, swept the individual awards.
Manhattan senior Kyler Horsman was named the league player of the year while junior Jake Wolcott was named the newcomer of the year and Don Hess the coach of the year.
ALL-CENTENNIAL LEAGUE BASEBALL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Saturday was a special day all the way through for Hayden's boys track team at Cessna Stadium, but the Wildcats saved their best for last, setting a meet record in their final event of the day.
Hayden junior Finn Dunshee (left) crosses the finish line with the Class 4A state championship in the 100-meter dash. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden's Jake Muller (right) and Eudora's Conor Dunback run virtually even late in the Class 4A 300-meter hurdles event Saturday at Cessna Stadium. Muller won the state title in 38.41 seconds. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden sophomore Jensen Schrickel celebrates the Wildcats' victory at the end of Saturday night's Class 4x400 relay at Cessna Stadium. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
The Wildcats got individual Class 4A state championships from senior Jake Muller and junior Finn Dunshee, who also teamed with sophomores Jensen Schrickel and Liam Stegman to add a pair of relay wins as Hayden posted a top-five team finish.
Dunshee set the tone for the day when he was the top qualifier in the 4A 100-meter dash and followed that up with his first state championship in a time of 10.84 seconds.
"Based off my first run in our prelims I felt pretty good,'' Dunshee said. "I knew if I went out there and ran my race -- just didn't fall out of the blocks or false start -- I had an OK chance but it was my first time in the finals of the 100 so anything can happen.''
Dunshee was competing in his second state meet, making it to state as a freshman before spending his sophomore year at St. Martin's Academy in Fort Scott to play rugby.
"I'm definitely a lot faster than I was so I knew I had a better chance of doing something good,'' Dunshee said. "I think I was a lot more confident. This felt great.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- It's not really a secret that Highland Park senior star Tre Richardson has never been a big fan of track and field.
In fact, he considers track his No. 4 sport behind football, basketball and baseball.
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson (center) won the Class 5A boys 100-meter dash Saturday at Cessna Stadium, the first of his two state titles on the day. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson won the Class 5A long jump, finished second in the triple jump and scored 33 total points in the state meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But like the sport or not, Richardson will be remembered as one of Highland Park's all-time greats track greats after capping his final appearance with a pair of state titles, a second-place finish and an injury-affected fourth in the Class 5A state meet at Cessna Stadium.
Richardson was a multiple-time state medalist for the third straight season and a state champ for the second straight year.
Richardson scored 33 points on the weekend, outscoring 22 other 5A schools that cracked the scoring column by himself as HIghland Park finished ninth as a team.
"I took my senior season out good,'' Richardson said
After finishing second to Topeka West's Alesecio Batson in Friday's triple jump with a best of 46 feet, 5.75 inches, Richardson won the 100-meter dash in 10.73 seconds and the long jump at 23-4.50 before limping to a fourth-place finish in the 200 in 22.49 on Saturday.
"I hurt myself doing long jump earlier on my last jump, pulled my groin,'' Richardson said. "That's why I didn't use blocks to get down. I just did enough to get in the top places.''
Richardson still threatened to win the event until coming up short at the end
"Without the injury I feel like I would have had three golds, one silver,'' said Richardson, who won the 200 in 2022.
