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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Seaman girls soccer coach Tim Nussbaum is very appreciative of the mix on his Viking squad between proven veterans and talented newcomers.
And that mix was on full display Thursday night as Seaman bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 7-0 United Kansas Conference romp past Leavenworth at Seaman.
Seaman senior Jaycee Schumann scored three goals, all in the second half, as the Vikings improved to 7-1 with a 7-0 UKC win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman freshman Ava Huston scored the first two goals of the game in Thursday's 7-0 UKC win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Freshman Savannah Nelson had a first-half goal in Seaman's 7-0 UKC win over Leavenworth Thursday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Freshmen Ava Huston and Savannah Nelson accounted for all three of Seaman's first-half goals and seniors Jaycee Schumann and Brooklyn Yingling took over in the second half, combining for the Vikings' four goals, including a three-goal hat trick from Schumann.
Seaman's freshman class also contributed three assists, with Averi Tuck dishing out two assists and Ava Golightley one.
With senior Carstyn Anderson sidelined with an injury, Seaman is playing with just three seniors, but Schumann said the Vikings have gotten a big lift from their newcomers, who have made an immediate impact.
"I think since our first game they just really stepped up and we have good chemistry together so I feel like that works on the field, too,'' Schumann said. "They just fit in really well, they're really good.''
Nussbaum agreed.
"I love the freshmen's energy,'' he said. "I love that everybody's united, everybody's working as a unit and we're just trying to get better every day.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls swimming team won five events and posted top-three finishes in 10 of 12 events in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational en route to winning the team championship by a 501-396 margin over Manhattaat the Capitol Federal Natatorium.
Washburn Rural's Audrey Appuhn posted two individual wins and added a relay victory in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural's Makenna Pritchard won the 50-yard freestyle and was also a part of the winning 200 medley and 200 free relays in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman was third with 261 points while Topeka High was seventh with 129 points, Hayden eighth with 81.5 points and Topeka West 10th with 26 points.
Washburn Rural's Audrey Appuhn picked up individual victories in the 200-yard freestyle (2 minutes, 01.90 seconds) and the 500 freestyle (5:23.61) and teamed with Kiersten Harris, Mara Bare and Makenna Pritchard to win the 200 medley relay (2:01.14).
Pritchard added an individual win in the 50 freestyle (25.75) while the team of Genevieve Miranda, Ella Bombardier, Bare and Pritchard won the 200 free relay in 1:49.17.
Pritchard took second in the 100 freestyle (56.23) while Harris finished second in the 100 breaststroke (1:17.38).
Seaman's Avery Walz won the 200-yard individual medley in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman got wins from Avery Walz in the 200 individual medley (2:11.79) and the 100 freestyle (54.46) while Tauren Walz picked up a win in the 100 backstroke (1:03.10).
The foursome of T. Walz, Leila McCourt, Joslynn Grace and A. Walz placed second in the the 400 free relay (2:05.23) while T. Walz finished second in the 200 freestyle (2:04.71) and Grace was second in the 200 IM (2:19.38)
Topeka High's Brianna Devlin won the one-meter diving title with a score of 253.20 points while Hayden's Kaylee Gregg was third (197.70).
TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake sophomore pitcher Kendra Cook and Shawnee Heights junior track and field standout Jackson Esquibel have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2022-2023 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Cook and Esquibel over the past week:
Sophomore Kendra Cook pitched a complete-game five-hitter in Silver Lake's 5-0 second-game win over Rossville on Monday at Silver Lake after picking up a 4-2 win over Basehor-Linwood last Thursday. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
KENDRA COOK, Silver Lake
Cook picked up a pair of pitching wins over previously-unbeaten Basehor-Linwood and Rossville in her last two starts, helping Silver Lake improve to 6-0 on the season.
Cook gave up five hits while striking out four in last Thursday's 4-2 road win over Basehor-Linwood, which finished second in the Class 5A state tournament last season.
The Eagle standout followed that up with a five-hit, complete-game 5-0 shutout over rival Rossville on Monday at Silver Lake. Cook also struck out four in that win.
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel set school records in the boys 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in last Friday's Lansing Invitational. [Submitted photo]
JACKSON ESQUIBEL, Shawnee Heights
A Class 5A state medalist in both cross country and track, Esquibel set Shawnee Heights school records in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in last Friday's Lansing Invitational.
Esquibel won the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 23.37 seconds and finished second in the 3,200 in 9:31.56.
Esquibel broke the previous school record of 4:24.09 in the 1,600 and the previous record of 9:31.9, set 34 seasons ago, in the 3,200.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
As an athlete, TJ McGreevy was one of the most successful athletes in Topeka history, helping Hayden win state championships in football, basketball and baseball before going on to a solid pitching career for Wichita State.
Former Hayden three-sport state champion and Wichita State pitcher TJ McGreevy, now the head baseball coach at Topeka West, is focusing on trying to develop the Chargers into a competitive team in the city and United Kansas Conference. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Now in his second season as head baseball coach for Topeka West after taking over for another former Hayden and Shocker standout, John Tetuan, McGreevy's biggest objective these days is trying to remain patient while trying to help the Chargers develop into a competitive team.
"It's extremely tough,'' McGreevy said. "Luckily I've been around the program for awhile, and being with John Tetuan and kind of talking to him throughout the years and seeing how he did it, it's just a lot of trying to develop.''
After suffering 11-0 and 11-1 non-league losses at Hayden on Tuesday, Topeka West is now 1-8 on the season, with the Chargers' lone win a 16-1 non-league decision over city rival Highland Park.
"We've got, I think, six sophomores playing (against Hayden) so we're trying to keep it positive and hopefully in the next couple of years we'll be able to compete at a little bit higher level,'' said McGreevy, named the Topeka Shawnee County Male Athlete of the Year for the 2008-2009 school year.
"We're just trying to preach to come out every day and just keep getting better at your skills.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Despite battling throughout, Hayden's softball team suffered a pair of Centennial League losses to Class 6A state power Washburn Rural on Tuesday at Hayden.
Hayden senior pitching standout Alyssa Droge has battled through three knee injuries and a cancer fight to lead the Wildcat softball team this spring. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But after everything Wildcat senior pitching standout Alyssa Droge has battled through, it's going to take a lot more than a couple of losses to wipe the smile off her face.
Droge's problems started back in her freshman year, beginning a series of three knee surgeries that disrupted her career.
"My first one was my freshman year in December (2019) playing basketball and my second one was in March or April of my sophomore year during softball,'' Droge said. "I think I got through about half the season. The third one happened the 3rd of July this past year in 2022 during summer ball and I just had it done real fast. The third one was a meniscus and slight ACL and the other two were ACLs.''
But as tough as the injuries were to battle through, Droge received her scariest news in August of 2021 when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
"I had six months of chemo,'' Droge said. "I went to Children's Mercy (in Kansas City, Mo.) for one week every month for six months.''
Droge finally got some good news in late '21 when she found out that her cancer was in remission.
"My last chemo was on Christmas Eve and I officially began remission Jan. 11 of 2022,'' she said.
Droge admitted that she got to the point of 'Why me?' during her numerous battles, but did her best to maintain a positive attitude.
"I was like, 'When is this going to end?' '' Droge said. "But you've just got to fight through it. You're only given what you can handle and only what the Lord knows you can get through.''
Droge credits an amazing support system for helping her get through everything that was thrown at her.
"It was incredible,'' she said. "From fundraisers to getting cards from people at school while I was in the hospital, it was insane everyone that reached out and hearing everyone every time I see them just saying they were praying for me just means so much.''
