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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Narrowing down candidates for the TopSports.news Shawnee County Best of the Best women's soccer list was a tough chore.
Picking the Top 25 was even tougher, but in the end former Shawnee Heights and Washburn University star Jessica Mainz got the nod as No. 1 at the top of a a talent-heavy group of athletes.
Mainz scored 97 goals and dished out 44 assists for Shawnee Heights, helping lead the T-Birds to a state team championship in 2004 and a runner-up finish in '05, before going on to become an All-American and a two-time MIAA player of the year while setting 14 career records and 15 single-season records.
Jessica Mainz [Washburn Athletics]
Also a basketball standout for WU, Mainz was the first Washburn soccer player to be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.
Another former T-Bird, Leea Murphy, sits No. 2 on the Top 25 after starring for Heights and helping North Carolina win the '03 NCAA national championship, while perennial city, Centennial League and Class 6A state power Washburn Rural earned the next five positions and earned 11 spots overall, led by No. 3 Kaira Houser, No. 4 Darby Hirsch and No. 5 Kelly Lemke.
More than 4,200 votes were cast in Readers Choice Awards balloting, with two athletes receiving more than 1,400 votes and five receiving more than 100 votes.
Kelly Lemke [Twitter]
Lemke ended up No. 1 in the Readers Choice voting with nearly 1,900 votes while Washburn Rural alum Kate Schroeder was No. 2 and former Seaman standout Chelsea Hopkins third.
Here's a look at the Top 25 and Readers Choice Awards:
TSN TOP 25 BEST OF THE BEST WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It was something Brittany Force had long thought about, but she thought the possbility of sharing the winner's circle with her father, John, might have been an impossible dream.
Sunday at Heartland Motorsports Park the impossible came true, with John winning the Funny Car championship and Brittany the Top Fuel crown in the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor.
Brittany and John Force celebrate their wins in Sunday's Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
John Force out-ran No. 1 qualifier J.R. Todd to notch the 154th national event win of his legendary career with his 10th Topeka victory while No. 1 qualifier Brittany knocked off Clay Millican to post her first win of the season and her first at HMP.
It was the first time in Camping World Drag Racing Series history that a father and child duo shared the winner's circle.
“This will be one I'll never forget.'' said Brittany Force, who moved to second in Top Fuel points. "This has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I remember there have been so many close calls where we thought, 'Hey, this could be our day that we're gonna double up.' To win a race is hard enough and then to do it with your teammates, it’s almost impossible. So it's like you almost put it on the backburner.
“To double up with your dad on the same day, where you both run well all weekend long, and then you double up, it just seems impossible. So today, we pulled off the impossible, and it's pretty cool that we'll always share this. This will be a special racetrack for us and it's pretty cool to have that with him.”
John Force, who took over the Funny Car points lead for the first time since 2014, agreed.
“I had a good day,” Force said. “Robert (Hight) was probably my toughest race because it’s hard to beat Robert. I just had a car that was pretty fast, wasn’t the quickest, but I got the win. What was special was to do it with Brittany. With Courtney and Ashley (his daughters), I never got the chance because they were always Funny Car, and usually beat me, but with Brittany I finally got that double up. It means a lot. We’re a family of racers.''
Rookie Dallas Glenn won in Pro Stock, using a perfect .000 reaction time in the final round to top Kyle Koretsky.
It was only the sixth perfect reaction time in a final round in Pro Stock as Glenn earned his second victory.
“It's hard to put this win into words,” Glenn said. "But it's just like this is like a dream come true. This season, it's taught me a lot. I've had a lot of highs and I've had some lows where I've been struggling and we've gotten a little taste of everything this year.
“I felt like I did my job really well and the car is just working really good right now. I'm really excited for the Countdown (to the Championship) coming up here and Indy next because we’ve got a really fast car for it.”
Dallas Glenn hoists his Pro Stock championship trophy after winning the Menards NHRA Nationals Sunday at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
MENARDS NHRA NATIONALS
FINISHING ORDER
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Drag racing legend John Force sat down with TopSports.news for an extended interview Saturday before going on to win the Funny Car title Sunday in the Menards NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park. Force notched the 154th national event win of his career en route to taking over the Funny Car points lead.
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Even though he knows it was the right decision, drag racing's GOAT, John Force, said that sitting out all but two races of the 2020 NHRA season due to COVID-19 was one of the toughest things he's ever done.
But the 16-time Funny Car world champion and 21-time championship owner, is back in his happy place, racing and winning in the Camping World Drag Racing Series.
"I had to park it for a number of reasons and it hurt me more or as much as anybody not being able to race, because that's what makes me go,'' Force told TopSports.news. "I'm so happy just to come in to Topeka and people go, "Wow, your personality changes.' ''
At 72 years old, 16-time world champion Funny Car driver John Force is still one of racing's best. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Force's return to Topeka for the first time since 2019 was delayed by inclement weather that forced him to spend a nearly-sleepless Thursday night in Tulsa, Okla., but compared to what the world has gone through while fighting through the COVID-19 pandemic, Force said that was just a minor inconvenience.
"I spent the night in Tulsa, we all got stuck there, but that's where my mom was born so I got to see a little bit of the town,'' said Force, who arrived at HMP Friday in plenty of time for the first round of qualifying. "As tired as I was Friday night, two hours sleep, when I got in that car I was young again. I came alive.''
The 72-year-old Force admits that part of his life was missing when he was out of racing a year ago.
"I do it because I love it and it was gut-wrenching,'' Force said. "There were nights I stayed up and I sat in front of the TV and I cried. I just sat there and said, "They're out there and doing it. How can they do it and I can't?' Now they only ran 10 races, but if I would have kept all my people on I would have went under.
"At the end of the day it was hard on me and I don't want to get in to being corny, but I had to sit down and have mental talks. I had to go to the church. I had to go sit down and say, 'This ain't working here, somebody talk to me.' It's just a matter of you've got to find yourself in any kind of a crisis and that's what I had to do.''
Normally Force is wrapped up in racing 24/7, but took advantage of the time off to spend more time with his family, including his four grandchildren.
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Troy Coughlin Jr. was the No. 1 Pro Stock qualifier for Sunday's eliminations in the Menards NHRA Nationals. [Photo by NHRA]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The name Coughlin and Pro Stock are almost synonymous, with the family carving out a long legacy of success in the NHRA division.
Jeg Coughlin Sr. began competing in the class shortly after Pro Stock became an NHRA class followed by sons Troy Coughlin Sr. and Jeg Coughlin Jr., who five world titles and 65 races.
Now Troy Coughlin Jr.is well on his way to creating his own identity in the sport in his first full season, including earning the No. 1 Pro Stock qualifying spot Saturday in the Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park.
"It's an absolute honor to be here and to have this name,'' Coughlin Jr. said. "It's just normal to be in Pro Stock. My dad won this race when I was in the sixth grade in 2002 and I remember how exciting that was and how excited I was, so it's really cool to say that we've got this feather in our cap.''
Troy Coughlin Jr. [NHRA]
Coughlin finished off a banner day with a run of 6.600 seconds at 205.07 miles per hour in his JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro.
"It's a big testament to the Elite (Motorsports) guys and the JEGS guys,'' Coughlin said. "They're working hard and they're making great choices and giving me a great car to drive.''
Coughlin had claimed the top spot in Saturday's first qualifying session, but then had to take it back from four-time champion and current points leader Greg Anderson on the final run of the final session.
Coughlin will take on Cristian Cuadra to open eliminations (11 a.m. start) as Coughlin tries to follow up his No. 1 qualifier with his first Pro Stock win.
“The guys in the yellow and black, and the Elite group are excellent in what they do,” Coughlin said. “They know the cars, the track and the conditions we’re up against, and it’s going to be an excellent Sunday, so let’s go racing.”
Anderson just missed out on qualifying No. 1 for the ninth time in 10 Pro Stock races this season, finishing second with a 6.606 at 206.67 m.p.h.
Defending world champ Erica Enders made a pair of good runs on Saturday, qualifying third with a 6.612 at 207.18.
MENARDS NHRA NATIONALS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kalitta Racing has enjoyed a remarkable run of success at Heartland Motorsports Park, dating back to the late Scott Kalitta's six Topeka wins.
J.R. Todd continued that dominance Saturday, wrapping up the No. 1 qualifying spot in Funny Car for Sunday's elminations in the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor.
"It's definitely Scott Kalitta country, so hopefully we can work some of that magic in his car tomorrow,'' Todd said. "I feel like Scott doesn't get enough credit for everything he did. They dominated this place back in the '90s. He was one of my heroes as a kid and I'm pretty lucky to be driving his hot rod now.
"Looking at the track history from year's past, pretty much all the (Kalitta) cars have won here or really been successful, so hopefully I can add my name to that list. That would be pretty cool.''
J.R. Todd (right) drove his DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car to the No. 1 qualifying spot in the Menards NHRA Nationals. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Todd, a former Funny Car world champ, earned his second No. 1 of the season with his Friday night run of 3.884 seconds at 332.67 miles per hour in his DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car and will receive a bye in the first round of Sunday's eliminations (11 a.m.).
“You want to get every point you can, but the bigger picture is coming out of here with a trophy tomorrow,” Todd said after his qualifying effort. “We were the No. 1 qualifier and that’s nice and all, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot if you don’t finish the deal. Hats off to this team for digging deep and putting us on the pole and giving us those added points going into tomorrow.
"We’re going to have to work for it if we want it, and we definitely want it. We want to be in the hunt and I think we’ll be right there.”
Alexis DeJoria remained in the second position on the strength of her 3.894 from Friday, while Bob Tasca III also had his run from Friday hold up. He qualified third with a run of 3.905 at 328.86.
MENARDS NHRA NATIONALS
