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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
As we get closer to the top of the women's selections for TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 list, the list of achievements get more and more impressive.
The latest group of picks (No. 31 through 40) include an individual national champion, six All-Americans, a four-time state high school champ, a two-sport Division I standout, a multi-event state high school record-holder and a three-sport prep All-Stater.
Former Miss Kansas Basketball Carly Bachelor of Washburn Rural led the Junior Blues to a state basketball title and also earned All-State recognition in volleyball and soccer while fellow Rural alum Madeline Hill won a national tennis title for Washburn University and Junior Blues Kelsey Chipman and Jayme Gergen established themselves as two of the school's all-time volleyball greats.
Rossville's Kendra Hurla, the second youngest Top 100 pick, captured four state titles and a team championship as a high school wrestler while former Seaman star Camryn Turner has earned All-Big 12 honors and helped Kansas advance to three straight NCAA volleyball tournaments with a season remaining for the Jayhawks.
Topeka West alum Emily Dicus made her mark as one of Kansas' all-time best swimmers before going on to earn college All-America honors while Shawnee Heights grad Deana Alexander was a Dvision I athlete in both basketball and track and field for Wichita State, winning four javelin Missouri Valley javelin titles, former Topeka High star Kristie Bahner was a 1,000-point scorer for Kansas State basketball, and three-time state softball champ Jaycee Ginter of Shawnee Heights ended her college career as Washburn's all-time leader in multiple categories.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 WOMEN’S ATHLETES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The latest men's picks in TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 are not only a testament to some of the county's all-time greats in six different sports but also provide a bit of a history test for even the most seasoned of local sports fans.
TSN's latest group of 10 Top 100 honorees (picks No. 41-50) includes athletes who achieved the bulk of their athletic greatness in seven different decades covering more than 100 years.
Included are "Dink'' Mothell, who made his professional baseball debut in 1914, while Highland Park's Ed Delk excelled in the 1950s, Seaman and Washburn star Dode Lesser and Washburn Rural grad Tom Bunger made their mark in the '60s, Silver Lake and Shawnee Heights legends Tony Leiker and Marcel Carter ruled the '80s and Seaman's Justin Glasgow was a multi-sport state champ in the 1990s.
Highland Park's Jared Huske was one of the nation's best hurdlers in the opening decade of the 21st century while Hayden's Nick Stringer celebrated an undefeated state football title before going on to an All-Big 12 career at Kansas State.
For fans that prefer more contemporary achievements, Seaman and Kansas star pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn is still blazing his path, currently pitching at the AAA level for the Boston Red Sox.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 MEN’S ATHLETES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Five All-Americans, including a national player of the year, headline women's picks No. 41-50 on TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 list.
The late Arica Shepard, a volleyball star at Rossville and a three-time All-American for Emporia State, earned the No. 41 berth on the Top 100 while former Topeka High basketball star Kiki Smith was named the national player of the year in her first college season after helping Hutchinson Community College win the national junior college championship.
Washburn University basketball All-Americans Nikki Olberding (Seaman) and Kelly Jennings (Topeka High) and Fort Hays State All-American Tatyana Legette (Seaman) also earned spots in the latest installment of Top 100 selections as did four-time Class 6A volleyball state champion Alexa Bordewick of Washburn Rural and multi-sport standouts Cierra Ceazer (Shawnee Heights) and Erika Lane (Washburn Rural).
Lauren Mills was a state softball champion at Seaman before a standout career at Wichita State while Ceazer, Jennings, Lane and the late Tisharria Huggins (Topeka West) also won state titles at the high school level.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 WOMEN’S ATHLETES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The latest men's picks in TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 range from a player who competed at the top level of professional tennis to a Major League baseball player who was teammates with legends "Shoeless Joe'' Jackson and Cy Young to local stars who made their mark in various other sports.
TSN's latest group of 10 Top 100 honorees is headed by former Topeka High tennis star Joel Hoffman, who won a pair of state titles for the Trojans before competing at the Division I level for Houston and on the International ATP men's circuit.
Picks No. 51 through 60 also includes Art Griggs, who made his big league baseball debut in the early 1900s, as well as storied amateur golfer Bill McDonald, star swimmer Glenn Trammel, pro bowling history maker Bob Benoit, MLB pitcher Jim Golden, track and field stars Dan O'Mara and Jason Stuke and multiple-sport standouts Duane "Blackie'' Melvin and Scott Leon.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 MEN’S ATHLETES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Topeka Junior Golf Association wrapped up its two-day 2024 City Championship Tuesday at Western Hills, crowning eight champions.
Eighty players competed in the city tournament, ranging in age from 7 to 17 years old.
"It's very exciting and the game of golf is growing,'' said Washburn Rural golf coach Jared Goehring, who has been the director of the TJGA program for 20 years. "Our numbers were up this year as far as registrations go with the tournament play. Kids love being on the golf course and I think that's a tribute to the success that Topeka has with Junior Golf.
"That dates back to Gary Woodland, Andrew Beckler, Lukas McCalla, Abby Glynn, a lot of those former players that went on to play either professionally or went on to play collegiately. The game is at an all-time high and I think we're seeing that with the local golf courses here in town continuing to stay busy.''
Peyton Wright (middle) won the girls 15-17-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Izzy Glotzbach (left) finished second and Reece Randall third. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Avenley Head (right) won the girls 13-14-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Chloe Schmidtlein (left) finished second. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rowan Martinek won the girls 12-and-under title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
On the girls side, Peyton Wright won the 15-17-year-old title while Avenley Head won the 13-14 division and Rowan Martinek was the 12-and-under champion.
James Kuta (middle) won the boys 15-17-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Tagan Monasmith (left) was second and Jack Donovan third. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Easton Moulin (middle) won the boys 13-14-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Brody Buessing (left) was second and Jaxson Leonardi third. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Jase Head (middle) won the boys 11-12-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Camden Swords (left) was second and Callen Baldwin third. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Nikhil Rao (middle) won the boys 9-10-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Trig Baird (second from left) was second and Beckham Schmidt (second from right) third. Cameron Anderson (left) and Dash Knowland (right) also posted top-five finishes. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Mason Walker (second from left) won the boys 8-and-under title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Jaxson McFarland (middle) was second, Grayson Gudenkauf (left) and Hayes Wempe (right) tied for third and Colby Swords (second from right) finished fifth. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN
James Kuta won a three-hole playoff to take the championship in the boys 15-17 division while Easton Moulin was the 13-14 champ, Jase Head won the 11-12 division, Nikhil Rao was the 9-10 champ and Mason Walker won the 8-and-under title.
Wright, who attends Baldwin High, recorded a 36-hole score of 156 (79-77), while Head had a winning 18-hole total of 93 and Martinek won with an 18-hole score of 122.
Kuta won with a 36-hole score of 147 (67-80) while Moulin posted a 36-hole win at 157 (76-81), Head won with an 18-hole score of 75, Rao won the 9-10 division with an 18-hole total of 76 and Mason Walker shot a winning 18-hole score of 83.
"The talent's crazy,'' Goehring said. "The future looks very bright for the city of Topeka and the most important thing is the kids enjoy it. If they love the game first the sky is the limit for them. They continue to practice and I just can't wait to see what the future holds for them.''
TJGA CITY GOLF TOURNAMENT
