- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former city high school stars Lois Deeter and Aliyah North began their college golf careers at other universities, but coming home to Topeka was pretty much a no-brainer after Washburn University announced its plans to launch a women's progam last winter.
Former Washburn Rural golf star Aliyah North (left) and Seaman product Lois Deeter will be part of Washburn University's first women's golf program this fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And the opportunitiy to compete for the home-town Ichabods will become a reality for Deeter, North and fellow city star Raegan Petersen this fall.
Former Seaman star Deeter and Washburn Rural products North and Petersen, who all earned state medals at the high school level, are among seven members of the inaugural Ichabod team, which will open the season at the Central Regional Fall Preview at Adams Point Golf Club in Blue Springs, Mo. in early Sept.
Deeter played her freshman season at Arkansas Tech and North played a season at Fort Hays State while Petersen will be an incoming freshman after graduating from Rural this spring.
Deeter said she started thinking about coming home to Topeka immediately after women's golf at Washburn became a reality.
"I missed home a lot, I came back home a lot and there were lots of face time calls to my mom because I missed her and my sister and the farm animals, so when I saw that Washburn was opening up a women's golf program I was excited for Topeka and I'm excited for Washburn,'' Deeter said.
"I think being more comfortable here in Topeka and comfortable with the courses and the team and the community will help me play a lot better. Alilyah North and I always talked about Washburn opening up a women's golf program and always wanting that to happen and we're just filled with gratitude that that happened.''
North played for Fort Hays State as a freshman in 2022 before making the decision to transfer to Washburn for the 2023-2024 school year after hearing rumors that WU was about to launch its women's program.
"I was waiting for the team to start,'' North said. "I heard the rumor and I definitely didn't want to miss out on the opportunity. It's always been in the back of my mind and Lois and I had talked about it in the past.
"And growing up watching my brother (Alex) play basketball here, Washburn has always held a super special place in my heart so it was always kind of a dream to be able to do what I love here as well.''
The Washburn roster also includes junior Angelina Borg-Malec (Courcheval, France) and sophomores Susana Granados Carrion (Cordoba, Spain), Keira Ronsick (Wichita) and Allie Sullivan (Peoria, Arizona).
"Overall I am really happy with the roster we have came up with for our first year of competition!" Washburn coach Ronnie McHenry said. "We have six of seven players who have college golf experience and two of them have played at the regional and national tournaments. We were also able to bring back and keep the local talent in the area with three players from Topeka and one more from Wichita.
"Our goal will be to enjoy the learning process but to also strive to compete with the best teams in our region this first year. I think this group will mesh well as most are coming from different schools and will find out how great of a place Washburn is!"
Former Tonganoxie state champion and Missouri-St. Louis standout Colby Yates has been named assistant coach for the Washburn men's and women's teams.
Washburn women's player capsules:
Washburn defensive standout Jordan Finnesy chomping at the bit to get back on the field for Ichabods
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jordan Finnesy was a three-sport athlete at Plainville before immediately earning playing time for Washburn University's football team as a freshman in 2021 and quickly developing into a defensive leader for the Ichabods at safety over his first two seasons.
Junior Jordan Finnesy will be counted on as a leader for the Washburn defense this fall after returning from an injury in 2023. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
So being forced to watch from the sidelines after suffering a season-ending knee injury on the third play of the second game of the year was one of the most frustrating experiences Finnesy has ever had to deal with.
Now back at 100 percent, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior is focusing all of his attention on making up for lost time this fall, beginning with the Ichabods' Aug. 29 season-opener at Emporia State.
"I just feel like a big bundled up ball of emotion and when that first game comes I'm going to let it all out and I'm going to be ready to go,'' said Finnesy, who has played in 25 games with 13 starts for the Ichabods.
Finnesy's injury was one of many the Ichabods suffered in '23 en route to a 2-9 record and he said that, along with being picked ninth out of 10 teams in the MIAA preseason polls, should serve as motivation for the entire Washburn team.
Junior safety Jordan Finnesy has recorded 106 career tackles for Washburn entering his junior season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"All the guys, we're just hungry to get going and really just prove ourselves,'' said Finnesy, who has registered 106 career tackles with 72 solo stops. "Going out the way that we did (last season) you never really get over it. That's always on your mind and I'm just really excited for that first game for all the guys. It's going to be a different Washburn team than a lot of people have seen and we're going to go out and attack anybody they put in front of us.
"A lot of things go into a season and a record like that, but at the end of the day all you see is the record so nothing else matters. We lost nine games and that's how it is, so it's really just coming back and regrouping as a team and figuring out areas that we need to be better in and areas that we were good in that we can take to the next level.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kansas basketball legend Ron Slaymaker and veteran soccer coach Tim Collins are part of a group of 12 new varsity head coaches who have been announced by Shawnee County high schools for the 2024-2025 school year.
Former Emporia State coaching legend Ron Slaymaker will take over as the new girls basketball coach at Topeka High in the 2024-2025 season. [File photo/TSN]
Slaymaker, the former longtime Emporia State men's basketball coach who most recently coached girls basketball at Olpe after a seven-year stint with the Chase County girls, takes over as the girls coach at Topeka High.
Former Augusta coach Jason Filbeck takes over as Topeka High's football coach this fall. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High has also added former Augusta head coach Jason Filbeck as the Trojans' new football coach.
Collins, who coached a state championship team at Topeka West and also coached the women's team at Washburn University, will coach the Seaman boys soccer team this fall.
Collins is one of three new coaches for the Vikings, with Madison Lamond taking over as Seaman's new girls swimming coach and former softball assistant Daniel Ruda moving up to the head coaching position to replace Jay Monhollon, who retired at the end of the 2024 season.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University senior fullback Connor Searcy will welcome any chance he gets to carry the football this fall, but the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Tonganoxie product also knows that's toting the pigskin is not where he's most valuable to the Ichabods.
Connor Searcy, who represented Washburn football at last week's MIAA Media Day, is back for his senior season at fullback for the Ichabods. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I'll take as many as (coach Craig Schurig) will give me,'' Searcy said during last week's MIAA Media Day in Kansas City, Mo. "That's up to him, but I'll always take the ball whenever he wants to give it to me.''
Searcy, who has appeared in 30 games with 21 starts for Washburn, got just three carries for 4 yards and a touchdown in 11 games last season but was a valuable receiver for the Ichabods with 15 catches for 163 yards and three TDS and probably his most important role is to pave the way for WU's other backs.
"I just need to be the lead blocker and kind of open up holes for the running back,'' said Searcy a third-team All-MIAA pick in 2022. "I think about it like I put my life on the line -- quote, unquote -- for my running back.
"I take the hit so he doesn't have to. It's my job to lead the way for him and make sure that they stay healthy because they're the ones running the ball. I just embrace my role.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Entering Monday's final round of the Topeka Golf Association City Stroke Play championship at Topeka Country Club, the individual title was definitely up for grabs.
Recent Topeka West graduate Myles Alonzo and Washburn Rural product Luke Leonetti went into the final 18 holes locked in a tie for the lead while Max Stuckey-Halley was just a stroke back.
Recent Topeka West graduate Myles Alonzo captured the TGA City Stroke Play championship Monday at Topeka Country Club by nine strokes. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But by the end of the day, Alonzo, who won the city high school championship at TCC in April, was all alone at the top of the mountain, carding a final-round 68 to win the title by a whopping nine strokes over Leonetti, with another Rural grad, Hayden Beck, finishing third.
"I felt pretty good,'' Alonzo said. "I knew if I just kept everything the same and just chilled out and made sure everything I was supposed to do was right I knew I'd be just fine.
"I was pretty consistent. I had a few bogeys out there but then I got a few lucky shots, with a chip-in for eagle.''
Topeka West product Myles Alonzo shot a 68 on Monday to pull away for a nine-stroke victory in the TGA City Stroke Play championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Myles Alonzo claimed his first TGA City Stroke Play title Monday at Topeka Country Club with a 54-hole score of 205. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Alonzo, who will play college golf at Fort Hays State, finished with a 54-hole total of 205 (68-69-68) while Leonetti, who plays at Missouri-Kansas City, finished at 214 (70-67-77), two strokes ahead of Beck, a Washburn University golfer (75-70-71).
Former Washburn Rural standout Luke Leonetti finished second in Monday's City Stroke Play tournament at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural graduate and current Washburn University golfer Hayden Beck finished third in the TGA City Stroke Play tournament Monday at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Patrick Golden finished fourth (217) while Stuckey-Halley, 2023 champion Brian Walker and Jeremiah Nelson tied for fifth place at 218.
Nelson was one of two golfers who carded holes in one on Monday, with Jeremiah Nelson acing the No. 6 hole and Aaron Rethman acing the 11th hole.
Alonzo's championship came after older brother Addison won the Stroke Play crown in 2022.
"I'm going to try a little bit better than him,'' the 18-year-old Myles cracked. "I'm going to try to beat him (with more titles).''
TGA CITY STROKE PLAY TOURNAMENT
