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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University freshman softball star Marrit Mead has been named a third-team NCAA Division II All-American at third base as voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Washburn softball star Marrit Mead, a Santa Fe Trail product, has been named a third-team NCAA Division II softball All-American. [File photo/TSN]
Mead, a Santa Fe Trail product, is the first All-American selection for the Ichabod softball team since 2002.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights sophomore Alex Valdivia turned in an impressive performance in his first state tournament, finishing sixth in the 36-hole Class 5A event at Sand Creek Station in Newton.
Valdivia shot a 4-over-par 76 in Monday's first round and was five shots better in Round 2, carding a 1-under 71 on Tuesday to finish with a two-day total of 147, eight shots behind senior state champion Nicklaus Mason of Mill Valley (71-68).
Shawnee Heights sophomore Alex Valdivia (right) earned a sixth-place medal in the Class 5A state golf tournament at Newton Tuesday. [Submitted]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls soccer team worked all season to put itself in the position it was in Tuesday night at McElroy Field.
And with a seventh straight Class 6A final four berth on the line, the top-seeded and heavily-favored Junior Blues took advantage of that envious position, romping to a 10-0 state quarterfinal victory over Wichita North to earn a spot in Friday's 5 p.m. state semifinal against Blue Valley West at Hummer Sports Park.
Washburn Rural junior Reagan Allen advances the ball in Tuesday's 10-0 Class 6A quarterfinal win over Wichita North while teammate Brooklyn DeLeye looks for a pass. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural, which improved to 16-2-1 on the season, put 8-11-0 North away with five goals in the first 17:43 of the game and went on to build a 7-0 halftime cushion before ending the game via the 10-goal spread rule with 16:17 remaining.
"The goal all year was to be the No. 1 seed because the No. 1 seed gets some advantages by being at home and getting the best draw possible, all those things,'' said Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel, whose Junior Blues have outscored their three postseason foes by a 24-0 margin. "So we worked hard all year to get that, to create a situation where we would have the best path for ourselves.
"The best part is the girls didn't just take advantage of the path, they destroyed the path. They've played as well as they could and we've got off to fast starts the past three games and to win a quarterfinal like that is pretty amazing.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's been a hectic, but satisfying last few days for Seaman junior Gabby Grace.
Not only did Grace earn All-State second-team honors and four state medals in last Saturday's Class 5A-1A state swimming championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, but she is headed to Wichita for Thursday's 5A state track and field meet after qualifying in a pair of events at regionals.
The fact that postseason schedules in both track and swimming were altered due to COVID-19 protocols afforded Grace the opportunity to pull double duty.
"I would have had to skip the track regional meet if they overlapped, so I was really happy it worked out,'' Grace said.
Grace, a two-time All-City pick, has competed in cross country for Seaman three straight seasons and has sandwiched a pair of swimming seasons around the canceled 2020 campaign.
Seaman junior Gabby Grace (second from left) waits her turn to swim in last Saturday's 400-yard free relay in the Class 5A-1A state swimming championships. Grace helped the Vikings post a fifth-place finish, one of her four state medals on the day. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But even though she already had plenty to do, Grace decided to add track to her plate this spring, with some urging from Seaman girls cross country and track coach Rick Brading.
"Mr. Brading has been trying to get me to go out for track for awhile and I really enjoyed cross country this year so I was like, 'I should give track a go.' '' Grace said.
Juggling both sports has been a challenge, but one she was willing to take on.
"I did a lot of morning swim practices so I could get some running in in the afternoon and I ran on the weekends when I didn't have swim practice,'' Grace said. "I tried to get to my sport the day before I had a meet, so like if I had a swim meet I'd go to swim practice the day before and if I had a track meet I'd go to track practice the day before.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
GIRLS
100 METERS
Reed, Topeka West 12.23 (12.2)
Brooks, Topeka West 12.57
Hillebert, Hayden 12.69 (12.6)
200 METERS
Rottinghaus, Shawnee Heights 25.98
Reed, Topeka West 25.99
Brooks, Topeka West 26.20
Hillebert, Hayden 26.82
Ingram, Washburn Rural 27.1
400 METERS
Rottinghaus, Shawnee Heights 57.64
Reed, Topeka West 57.94
Foster, Rossville 59.91
Hillebert, Hayden 60.76
Ingram, Washburn Rural 61.23
800 METERS
Druse, Seaman 2:19.20
Carter, Washburn Rural 2:23.21
Wagner, Washburn Rural 2:24.63
Foster, Rossville 2:24.94
Bird, Washburn Rural 2:29.23
Seaman sophomore Bethany Druse (right) finished fifth in the 800 and the 1,600 meters in the Class 5A state track meet. [File photo/TSN]
