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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University volleyball will play the middle leg of its three-week road trip this weekend as the Ichabods face Missouri Southern at 6 p.m. on Friday and Central Missouri at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Washburn volleyball, 13-4 on the season, will remain on the road this weekend, playing at Missouri Southern and Central Missouri. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods are 13-4 on the year overall and 4-3 in the MIAA.
Washburn went 1-1 last weekend with a sweep over Fort Hays State on Friday before falling 3-0 to No. 3-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday.
Senior Jalyn Stevenson is the team leader with 189 kills (3.00 per set) while hititng .225 across her 17 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 189 and in aces with 21.
Stevenson is 11th in the MIAA in kills and 18th in kills per set while ranking 19th in total digs. The senior has six double-doubles on the year and 10 matches with 10-plus kills.
Junior Alex Dvorak leads the Washburn defense at the net with 80 blocks on the year. She sits fourth on the team in kills with 125 and is second with a .376 hitting percentage. The junior is 26th in the nation and second in the MIAA in blocks per set while ranking 28th nationally in hitting percentage and third in the conference. She has hit over .300 in 13 of 17 matches.
Sophomore Taylor Rottinghaus, a Shawnee Heights product, has a team-high 299 digs (4.75 per set) across 17 matches. She has chipped in 65 assists and served 13 aces.
She is 52nd in the nation and seventh in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking eighth among conference players in total digs. She has at least 10 digs in every match.
Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 385 assists (6.21 per set) through 17 matches with 15 starts. She is also third on the team with 138 digs while serving a team-high 24 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set, ninth in total assists and fourth in aces. She has five double-doubles on the year and three matches with at least 30 assists.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabod women's soccer team will begin a four-game road trip this weekend with matches against the Northeastern State RiverHawks and the Rogers State Hillcats.
The Ichabods, No. 16 spot in the USC National poll, will take on the RiverHawks at 7 p.m. on Friday before facing the Hillcats at 1 p.m.
No. 16-ranked Washburn soccer will put its 7-2-2 record on the line with a pair of MIAA road games this weekend in Oklahoma. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn is 7-2-2 on the season and currently in a tie for second place in the MIAA with a 4-0-1 record. Washburn and Central Missouri sit five points behind league-leader Missouri Western.
Washburn picked up a pair of home conference victories over Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State last week, each by a 3-0 margin.
Missouri Southern held the Ichabods scoreless in the first half, but Washburn exploded for three goals in the second half to earn the victory. Washburn defeated Pittsburg State in the first-ever matchup between the two schools.
Sophomore goalkeeper Hailey Beck, a Washburn Rural product, is tied for second nationally with six shutouts posted in goal. Beck's 0.371 goals against average is good for 14th in Division II, while her 0.852 save percentage places her in a tie for 41st.
Beck currently sits in first place all-time at Washburn in save percentage and goals against average.
Junior Rural grad Belle Kennedy is tied for 13th nationally with three game-winning goals.
For the second week in a row, Kennedy broke a scoreless tie in the second half with her goal in the 58th minute against Missouri Southern. Kennedy split through the Lion defense and received a short pass from Khloe Schuckman, giving Kennedy a quality scoring opportunity.
With her goal against Missouri Southern, Kennedy moved to third in game-winning goals in Washburn history.
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By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
The United Kansas Conference Cross Country meet took place on a windy and cool Thursday afternoon with local teams Seaman, Shawnee Heights, and Topeka West competing at Pierson Park in Kansas City, Kan.
Seaman junior Ryin Miller won the girls individual title in Thursday's UKC cross country meet, leading the Vikings to the team championship. [File photo/TSN]
Girls Varsity
After finishing in second place behind the De Soto Wildcats last year, the Seaman Vikings flipped the result this year and are the United Kansas Conference champions.
Junior Ryin Miller continued her excellent season by winning the individual title with a time of 17 minutes, 58.96 seconcs. Miller commented on winning the team title and the difficulty of the course, saying, “The main goal today was to have our team win, which we did and I’m proud of that. The course was very hard, so I knew my time wouldn’t be great. I heard my two-mile time and it wasn’t normal. I still feel that I ran well and happy with how I pushed through the hills.”
Coach Rick Brading commented on the race, “The course was rough, but our kids competed well. Ryin ran the course well and everybody right down the line did what they were supposed to do and we got a little extra out of freshman Avery Villines today.”
The Lady Vikings finished with four girls in the top 10. Senior Stella Applehanz finished fourth in 20:56.52, sophomore Brynn Spencer was fifth in 21:54.43 and Villines 10th with a time of 22:58.87.
Topeka West’s only runner, senior Chloe Phelps, placed 14th in a time of 23:25.72. Sophomore Abigal Lewis was the top finisher for Shawnee Heights, in 26th place.
United Kansas Conference All-Conference Awards
First Team: Ryin Miller, Stella Applehanz and Brynn Spencer (Seaman).
Second Team: Avery Villines and Kinley Robinson (Seaman); Chloe Phelps (Topeka West).
Honorable Mention: Hannah Wempe (Seaman).
Final Team Standings: Seaman 33, De Soto 68, Basehor-Linwood 77, Lansing 95, Piper 105, Leavenworth 130.
Seaman : Ryin Miller (17:58.96, 1st); Stella Applehanz (20:56.52, 4th); Brynn Spencer (21:54.43, 5th); Avery Villines (22:58.87, 10th); Kinley Robinson (23:22.18, 13th); Hannah Wempe (23:45.90, 20th); Emma Gonzalez (24:41.12; 30th); Abigail Cooper (25:16.58, 32nd); Kennedy Gatewood (28:07.51, 45th).
Shawnee Heights: Abigail Lewis (24:17.30, 26th); Adelaide Davis (26:38.25, 42nd); Kinsley Mohan (26:53.83, 43rd); Elizabeth Hogan (30:07.10, 48th).
Topeka West: Chloe Phelps (23:25.72, 14th).
Seaman junior Brody Anderson won the boys individual title in Thursday's UKC cross country meet, leading the Vikings to a runnerup team finish. [File photo/TSN]
Boys Varsity
In the boys race, junior Brody Anderson of Seaman won the individual title in a time of 16:21.42 and the Vikings finished second as a team behind conference champion De Soto.
Senior Adrian Lehman of Topeka West finished third with a time of 16:52.72 and Shawnee Heights senior Evan Carter rounded out the top five in a time of 17:49.56.
On his fifth win of the season, Anderson shared his thoughts on the race, “It was really difficult and the first mile hill was tough. I had really good guys to race against, which was good. I was able to push through and was able to come home with the conference win.”
Seaman coach Luke Wiens commented on his team’s second place finish, “I really liked the team’s tactics and toughness. We knew that the course would be challenging and we have been a little over-aggressive in races earlier in the season, so we made an effort to pack together. They responded very well and I loved the way they approached the hills in later portions of the course. It was awesome to be right with De Soto, that is a really great program.”
Seaman finished with four in the top 15 -- senior Alex Newell in 13th (18:21.71), senior Corbin Murrow in 14th (18:25.57) and sophomore Conner Bloom in 15th (18:26.92).
Shawnee Heights placed one other runner in the top 15 -- junior Max Esquibel finished in 11th with a time of 18:18.11.
Topeka West had one other runner finish in the top 15 -- sophomore Tony Lloyd finished in ninth with a time of 18:16.83.
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By NICHOLAS GAINEY
Special to TopSports.news
After a sluggish start, the Washburn Rural Junior Blues boys soccer team exploded for six unanswered goals in a 6-1 win over Seaman on Thursday night at Seaman High School.
Brodye Kocher-Munoz (8) had two goals and an assist in Thursday's 6-1 Washburn Rural non-league soccer win over Seaman. [File photo/TSN]
The Junior Blues went on the attack from the opening kickoff, with Dylan Willingham just missing the mark on a shot attempt just seconds into the match.
Washburn Rural would get another opportunity a few minutes later, when a change in possession put the host Vikings in a poor defensive position. With Seaman goalkeeper Landon Geis caught several yards outside the six-yard box, the Junior Blues appeared to have an open net, but a Viking defender stopped a shot attempt to put an end to the threat.
Despite the Junior Blues having the momentum, the Vikings were able to move the ball down the field and take the lead in the 24th minute. A shot attempt from senior forward Blake Toyne was initially blocked, but the ball fell to the feet of Kaelon Taylor, whose chip shot went just over Washburn Rural goalkeeper Miles Cook and into the net to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage.
The Seaman lead would only last about eight minutes, when Washburn Rural’s Brodye Kocher-Munoz received a pass from Drew Moore and found the equalizer to put the Junior Blues back in the game.
Washburn Rural took the lead in the 35th minute, when Willingham’s corner kick bounced off the head of a Viking defender and into the net for an own goal, putting the Junior Blues up 2-1.
Washburn Rural would find its third goal in a span of five minutes courtesy of Draden Chooncharoen’s strike in the 37th minute, giving the Junior Blues a 3-1 lead heading into halftime.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Highland Park football had no problem picking up its fifth win of the season, steamrolling a school from Kansas City, Mo. 70-0 in a Thursday night meeting at Hummer Sports Park.
Senior CJ Brown celebrates a touchdown in Highland Park's 70-0 win over KC-East Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park senior Jamon Wilson scored two touchdowns in Thursday's 70-0 non-league win over KC-East. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park enjoyed the blowout win after suffering back-to-back losses to slump to 4-2. The Scots can expect a challenge in their final regular-season contest next Thursday, a meeting with 5-1 KC-Washington in a game with Meadowlark Conference and Class 5A playoff implications.
The visiting KC-East Bears got off on the wrong foot, and it just got worse from there. An errant snap on the first play from scrimmage was recovered by Highland Park lineman Elijah Thomas, who jogged 45 yards for a defensive touchdown.
The Bear offense could do nothing against the Scots. And once Highland Park had possession of the ball, they were rarely tackled. In fact, Highland Park scored on their first four plays from scrimmage before the Bears actually got one of the Scots on the ground. In just five minutes of play, Highland Park had amassed a 36-0 lead.
The officials called for a running clock with 5:39 remaining in the second period.
Scoring offensive touchdowns for the Scots in the first half were:
• Jamon Wilson, on runs of 19 and 53 yards.
• Ricky Crawford, on a 47-yard pass from Dontrail Fox.
Sophomore G'Honi Montgomery scores a TD in Thursday's 70-0 Highland Park win over KC-East. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
• G'Honi Montgomery, on a 91-yard run and a 35-yard pass from Fox, and Fox, on a 20-yard run.
The second half, with a running clock throughout, held more of the same for the visiting Bears.
CJ Brown took a sweep 54 yards on the first play of the third period. Wilson ran 35 yards on the Scots’ next offensive play. And to cap the scoring, Brown returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown.
Thus, the Scots went untackled in the second half en route to piling up the 70-0 final score. In all, the Scots scored eight offensive touchdowns on just 12 plays from scrimmage.
Junior quarterback Dontrail Fox and the Highland Park football team improved to 5-2 with a 70-0 win over KC-East Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“It was a lot of fun,” said Fox, the Scots’ junior quarterback who praised the many options at his disposal. “Whoever I threw to, they scored. Whoever I handed off to, they scored. My offensive line gave me time and kept me from getting hit.”
Expecting a lopsided affair, Monroe experimented with a platoon made up mostly of seniors, and another consisting entirely of players he expects to be back in 2025.
“You saw a bit of what next year is going to look like. And it looked pretty good,” Monroe said. “We got a lot of young guys involved tonight.”
An easy cruise to victory may help Highland Park put behind it two painful losses, at Wichita East and at Atchison, a game that may have sealed the league title for the Phoenix.
“The whole week, we focused on what we can control and how we’re going to respond,” Monroe said. “I told the guys tonight to focus on, at the end of this game, to be better teammates. Just be a great teammate. And tonight, they were supporting each other. They were just flying around having fun.”
