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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Generally speaking, football linemen are very rarely in the spotlight.
That will change on Monday, June 21, when Shawnee Heights hosts the "Battle of the Bigs'' lineman challenge (5:30 p.m. start).
Shawnee Heights football coach Jason Swift said that the event "is a great way for linemen to build unity and compete in a non-contact competitive setting.''
Prizes and plaques will be given to the top five individuals and top five-man team.
Participating athetes will take part in nine measured events:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University senior golf star Andrew Beckler has been named the 2021 Division II Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year.
Beckler, a Washburn Rural graduate, was announced as the player of the year Sunday morning during The Memorial Tournament at Dublin, Ohio.
Washburn senior golf standout Andrew Beckler has been named the winner of the Division II Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Beckler capped off his collegiate career by earning the highest individual honor in college golf, which was announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
The award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate golfer across Divisions I, II and III, plus the NAIA and NJCAA, is one of college golf's most esteemed honors.
Andrew Beckler
Prior to Beckler, Washburn had never had a finalist for the Nicklaus Award, nor had there ever been a golfer from the MIAA or NCAA Division II Central Region to win it.
The award was first given out to only Division I golfers from 1988-2002 until Divisions II and III were added in 2003. Many notable golfers have won the award, including Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Justin Thomas.
"If you look at the records of these recipients, each one put together dominating seasons and are very deserving of this honor," Jack Nicklaus said.
The 2021 MIAA Player of the Year turned in a record season for the Ichabods this spring as he claimed five individual titles in 10 competitions and placed in the top-three at the other five events. He lost to just seven total golfers the entire season.
At the NCAA Golf National Championships, he recorded the highest individual finish in program history as he tied for second place out of 84 total golfers.
Beckler, a former Class 6A individual and team champion for Washburn Rural, finished his career with Washburn's best scoring average with a 72.00 in 67 rounds played and he holds the best season scoring average (70.4).
Beckler joined the team in 2018 after beginning his college career at Kansas State and was named to the all-MIAA team twice and received the conference Men's Golf Athlete of the Week award three times this season.
Off the course, Beckler also excelled in the classroom as he earned a place on the MIAA Academic Roll three times and was an MIAA Scholar Athlete twice.
2021 JACK NICKLAUS AWARD WINNERS
Division I -- John Pak, Florida State.
Division II -- Andrew Beckler, Washburn.
Division III -- James Mishoe, Guilford.
NAIA -- Ruan Pretorius, Point.
NJCAA -- Ben Partridge, Hutchinson Community College.
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Shawnee Heights sophomore Jeremiah Smith headlines the 2021 All-Shawnee County boys track and field team after winning three events in the Class 5A state meet. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Triple gold medalist Jeremiah Smith is one of five state champions on the TopSports.news 2021 All-Shawnee County boys track and field team.
Smith, a Shawnee Heights sophomore, turned in a dominating performance in his first Class 5A state meet at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium, going three for three with wins in the 110-meter high hurdles and the 100 and 200-meter dashes.
And while Smith was undoubtedly the biggest star of Shawnee County's large state boys contingent, he certainly wasn't the only star, with four other county athletes making it to the top of the podium and 17 members of the All-Shawnee County team earning state medals.
Joining Smith as state champions were 6A state champions Marquel Russell and Zsamar Sipple of Washburn Rural, 4A champ Jake Muller of Hayden and 3A titlist Woodrow Rezac of Rossville.
Sipple won the 6A long jump while his Junior Blue teammate, Russell, won the championship in the 110-meter hurdles.
Washburn Rural senior Marquel Russell won the Class 6A title in the 110-meter hurdles. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Zsamar Sipple won the Class 6A state long jump championship. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Muller became the third Shawnee County hurdler to win a state title when he won the 4A 300-meter event while Rezac added a 3A crown in the 200.
Rezac also posted a runner-up finish in the 100 while Muller picked up second state medal when he helped the Wildcats to a fifth-place finish in the meet-ending 4x400 relay while Sipple finished seventh in the triple jump.
Rossville's Woodrow Rezac (3249) won the Class 3A 200-meter dash and finished second in the 100 while Silver Lake's Brogan Renfro earned four state medals. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Silver Lake junior Brogan Renfro captured four 3A state medals, placing second in the triple jump, fourth in the 200 (22.27), fifth in the 100 and eighth as part of the Eagles' 4x100 relay.
Renfro's Eagles teammate, junior Carson Johnson, took home three 3A medals, finishing third in the 300 hurdles, seventh in the 110 hurdles and ran on Silver Lake's 4x400 relay as the Eagles finished fourth as a team while junior Cameron TenEyck placed seventh in the boys 3,200 and he ran on the Eagles' 4x800 relay team that finished third.
Highland Park sophomore Tre Richardson earned a pair of 5A state medals, finishing third in the triple jump and fourth in the 200 while Seaman senior Cadin Worcester tied for third in the 5A high jump and helped the Vikings place sixth in the 4x100 relay.
Rural senior Joel Goering placed fourth in the 6A pole vault while his Junior Blue teammate, senior Sam Shonka, tied for third in the high jump, and Rural junior Zach Sulzen Watson took fifth in the discus.
Topeka West sophomore Tyrell Reed finished third in the 5A 100 while Shawnee Heights senior Aidan Hicks placed fourth in the javelin (167-10), T-Bird freshman Jackson Esquibel seventh in the 3,200 and Hayden senior Jack Konrade third in the 4A long jump.
Star distance runners Tanner Newkirk of Hayden and Lenny Njoroge of Topeka West were unable to compete in the state meet due to injuries.
Newkirk, the 4A state cross country champion last fall, ranked No. 1 in the county in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs while Njoroge, a two-time 5A state placer in cross country, was the city champion in the 3,200
Hayden sophomore Jake Muller won the Class 4A state title in the boys 300 hurdles. [File photo/TSN]
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS TRACK AND FIELD
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior shot-putter JahnAsia Anderson, the Class 5A state champion, headlines the TopSports.news All-Shawnee County girls track and field team, which includes 17 state medalists.
Anderson completed her first and only track and field season with a 5A gold medal, winning the shot put title by nearly a foot with a personal-best throw of 37 feet, 7 inches.
Seaman senior JahnAsia Anderson, won the Class 5A state shot put title with a throw of 37 feet, 7 inches, headlines the TopSports.news 2021 All-Shawnee County girls track and field team. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Anderson was the only county girls athlete to win a state championship, but Shawnee Heights junior Nadia Emperley posted a second-place finish in the 5A girls javelin and nine county athletes took home multiple state medals.
Washburn Rural sophomore Madeline Carter (left) and senior Keely Wagner both earned spots on the TopSports.news All-Shawnee County girls track and field team after earning Class 6A state medals.. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural sophomore Madeline Carter earned three 6A medals, posting a sixth-place individual finish in the 800 meters while also running on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 4x400 relay and fifth-place 4x800 relay.
Rural freshman Jada Ingram took fifth in the 6A high jump and ran on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 4x400-meter relay.
Seaman sophomore Bethany Druse picked up a pair of 5A state medals, placing fifth in the 1,600 meters and fifth in the 800, while Viking freshman Taylin Stallbaumer finished seventh in the 5A 100 hurdles and placed eighth in the 300 hurdles.
Shawnee Heights senior Shelby Butterfield also picked up a seventh-place state medal in the 5A javelin and finished fourth in the long jump.
Topeka West freshman Victoria Reed (middle) and Charger sophomore Ala'Jah Brooks (left) were Class 5A regional champions and state medalists. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West senior Adina Davis placed sixth in the 5A triple jump and freshman Victoria Reed was eighth in the 100-meter dash and both Davis and Reed earned a second state medal as part of the the Chargers' sixth-place 4x100 relay.
Rossville junior Briar Gillum posted a third-place finish in the 3A girls shot put and she added an eighth-place state finish in the discus.
Sophomore Amelia Foster was also a double state medalist for the Bulldawgs, taking sixth in the 3A girls 400 and seventh in the 800.
West freshman Mikayla Wilkerson earned a state medal with a seventh-place finish in the 5A discus while sophomore Ala'Jah Brooks picked up a medal as part of the Chargers' 4x100 relay.
T-Bird sophomore Taylor Rottinghaus placed fourth in the 400 while Hayden freshman Natalie Hillebert placed fourth in the 4A 400, Wildcat junior Jadyn Paige Falley eighth in the girls shot put and Washburn Rural senior Keely Wagner ran on the Junior Blues' fifth-place 4x800 relay.
West sophomore MaKinsey Jones and Rural freshman Raegan Petersen also earned spots on the All-Shawnee County team, with Jones a state qualifier in the 5A high jump and Petersen a 6A state qualifier in the discus.
Peterson was the Centennial League discus champ and also won a 6A regional title while Jones was the Centennial League and city high jump champ.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS TRACK
Name, school Class Events
Jahn'Asia Anderson, Seaman Sr. Throws
Ala'Jah Brooks, Topeka West So. Sprints
Shelby Butterfield, Shawnee Heights Sr. Hurdles, jumps, throws
Madeline Carter, Washburn Rural So. Distance
Adina Davis, Topeka West Sr. Jumps
Bethany Druse, Seaman So. Distance
Nadia Emperley, Shawnee Heights Jr. Throws
Jadyn Paige Falley, Hayden Jr. Throws
Amelia Foster, Rossville So. Sprints, middle distance
Briar Gillum, Rossville Jr. Throws
Natalie Hillebert, Hayden Fr. Sprints
Jada Ingram, Washburn Rural Fr. Jumps
MaKinsey Jones, Topeka West So. Jumps
Reagan Petersen, Washburn Rural Fr. Throws
Victoria Reed, Topeka West Fr. Sprints
Taylor Rottinghaus, Shawnee Heights So. Sprints
Taylin Stallbaumer, Seaman Fr. Hurdles
Keely Wagner, Washburn Rural Sr. Distance
Makayla Wilkerson, Topeka West Fr. Throws
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Topeka High junior NiJaree Canady has been named TopSports.news' All-Shawnee County softball player of the year after leading the Trojans to a 25-0 record and the Class 6A state championship. [Photo by Jeff Jacobsen/Action Images Photography]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Fresh off a historic 25-0 season and a first-ever Class 6A state championship, Topeka High headlines the 2021 TopSports.news All-Shawnee County softball team.
Trojan junior star NiJaree Canady was named the Shawnee County player of the year while sophomore Adisyn Caryl got the nod as newcomer of the year and High coach Shane Miles was named the county coach of the year.
Canady posted a perfect 21-0 pitching record this spring with an 0.26 earned run average and 226 strikeouts while also hitting .478 with 13 home runs.
Canady was at her best in the 6A state tournament, not allowing an earned run in three complete-game pitching performances while hitting a solo home run in a 1-0 semifinal win over Gardner-Edgerton that provided the impetus for the Trojans' 7-1 win over Olathe North in the state championship game.
Topeka High sophomore shortstop Adisyn Caryl has been named the Shawnee County softball newcomer of the year after helping lead the Trojans to the Class 6A state championship. [File photo/TSN]
Adisyn Caryl, a shortstop, was tapped as Shawnee County's top newcomer after completing her first high school season while Miles led Topeka High to its second straight Class 6A state tournament berth and its first Centennial League title.
Topeka High star senior catcher Zoe Caryl joined Canady and Adisyn Caryl on the first team while Class 6A state quarterfinalist Washburn Rural (20-3) also put three players on the All-Shawnee County first team, with the Junior Blues represented by senior Olivia Bruno, junior Campbell Bagshaw and sophomore Emmerson Cope. Bruno was earlier named the Centennial League player of the year.
Washburn Rural senior Olivia Bruno, earned first-team honors on the All-Shawnee County softball team after helping lead the Junior Blues to a Class 6A state tournament berth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN
Silver Lake senior Ellington Hogle, (15) has been named to the All-Shawnee County softball first team after helping lead the Eagles to a runner-up finish in the Class 3A state tournament. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Class 3A state runner-up Silver Lake (22-4) landed senior Ellington Hogle and freshman Makenzie McDaniel on the first team while 5A state qualifier Shawnee Heights is represented by senior Adysen Burghart and junior Abby Schulte on the all-county squad after helping the T-Birds post an 18-5 record.
Seaman (16-6) put senior Raigan Kramer and junior Emma Smith on the first team while Hayden (12-9) is represented by senior Lauren Cook and junior Carly Stuke and Rossville (19-4) by senior Destiy Bergstresser.
2021 ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY SOFTBALL
