- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six former state champs, a pair of baseball All-Americans, a Major League Baseball alum and a current Division I football standout headline the opening men's picks in TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 project.
TSN's first group of 10 Top 100 honorees includes athletes who participated in seven different sports, including recent stars Tanner Newkirk of Hayden, Tre Richardson of Highland Park and Desmond Purnell of Hayden, who are currently participating at the college level.
The first men's Top 100 selections also include Washburn Rural product Austin Halsey, one of the city's most decorated soccer athletes, as well as former MLB pitcher Larry Miller, college baseball All-Americans Jordan Cooper (Shawnee Heights) and Ben Carlson (Seaman) and NCAA cross country qualifiers Jacob Morgan (Washburn Rural) and Rob Hays (Topeka West).
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 MEN’S ATHLETES
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A group of nine former Shawnee County standouts and one rising star who represent seven different sports kick off the TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 project.
From gymnastics, which is no longer offered at county high schools, to shooting, which was never a KSHSAA sport, to more traditional sports like volleyball, golf, track and field and cross country and the state's fastest growing sport of girls wrestling, TSN's first group of 10 Top 100 honorees includes seven individual state champions as well as three state champions, including four-time Class 6A team volleyball champ Kelsey Lewis of Washburn Rural.
The first group out of the gate also features the youngest Top 100 honoree, Seaman track and cross country star Ryin Miller, who has already earned her spot as one of Kansas' all-time bests in just two years of high school.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 WOMEN’S ATHLETES
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
On Tuesday, July 9, TopSports.news will kick off its three-week project picking its Top 100 greatest women's and men's athletes in Shawnee County history.
After receiving input from current and past media professionals with more than 100 years of combined experience, TSN will kick things off with its No. 91 through 100 picks on its all-time women's list and will continue posting women's and men's picks 10 at a time before culminating with the Women's Top 10 on July 27 and the Men's Top 10 on July 28.
County athletes have made their mark in a variety of sports at the high school, collegiate, national amateur and professional levels over the years and TSN's goal is to recognize as many of those athletes as possible.
The only Top 100 requirement is that eligible candidates must have grown up in Shawnee County or attended one of the county's 10 high schools.
While it's an impossible task to honor all the deserving individuals and not everybody will agree with TSN's selections, we hope that you enjoy this trip down memory lane that recognizes local athletes dating from those born in the 1800s to those just beginning to make their mark.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 ATHLETES TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
July 9 -- Women's No. 91 through 100.
July 10 -- Men's No. 91 through 100.
July 11 -- Women's No. 81 through 90.
July 12 -- Men's No. 81 through 90.
July 13 -- Women's No. 71 through 80.
July 14 -- Men's No. 71 through 80.
July 15 -- Women's No. 61 through 70.
July 16 -- Men's No. 61 through 70.
July 17 -- Women's No. 51 through 60.
July 18 -- Men's No. 51 through 60.
July 19 -- Women's No. 41 through 50.
July 20 -- Men's No. 41 through 50.
July 21 -- Women's No. 31 through 40.
July 22 -- Men's No. 31 through 40.
July 23 -- Women's No. 21 through 30.
July 24 -- Men's No. 21 through 30.
July 25 -- Women's No. 11 through 20.
July 26 -- Men's No. 11 through 20.
July 27 -- Women's No.10 through 1.
July 28 -- Men's No. 10 through 1.
Related Stories and Videos
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Washburn Rural multi-sport star Brooklyn DeLeye was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and Best Spiker after helping lead the U.S. Women's U21 National Team to the 2024 NORCECA Women’s U21 Continental Championship gold medal with a 25-12, 25-16, 25-16 win over Puerto Rico on Sunday in Toronto, Canada.
With the title, the U.S. automatically qualified for the 2025 Women’s U21 World Championship.
The U.S., which did not lose a set in five wins in the tournament, finished the gold medal match with significant margins in kills (46-24), blocks (9-2), and aces (7-3).
DeLeye, a 6-foot-2 Kentucky sophomore, and fellow outside hitter Julia Blyashov both reached double-digits and recorded seven kills in the final match.
DeLeye led all players with four aces to finish with 11 points, while Blyashov contributed two blocks and an ace for 10 points.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Hayden basketball star Mark Turgeon and current Hummer Sports Park director Annette Wiles are part of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame's 12-member 2024 induction class, which will be inducted on Sunday, Oct. 13, in Topeka.
Kansas Sports Hall of Fame chairman Jim Dunning, Jr. announced the selection of the 2024 inductees on Sunday.
The class includes seven individuals who have ties to Olympic competition, including a gold medalist, paralympic medalist and the only American to be named a head track and field starter for two Olympic Games.
The group also includes national champion coaches, collegiate champions, All-Americans and American-record holders.
“This is an accomplished group and one the Hall of Fame is extremely proud to recognize,” Dunning said in a release. “They bring a considerable diversity of backgrounds and talents to the Hall. In this an Olympic year, I believe it is wonderful to shine a light on seven inductees with Olympic connections.”
Turgeon helped lead Hayden to a pair of state championships, including a perfect 25-0 record in 1983.
Turgeon was an All-Stater for the Wildcats before going to play on four NCAA Tournament qualifiying teams at Kansas and carving out a successful coaching coaching career, including stints at Wichita State and Maryland.
Wiles was a two-time NAIA Basketball All-American and NAIA Tournament MVP for Fort Hays State before embarking on a successful coaching career.
The HOF Class of 2024 also includes former University of Kansas football coach Mark Mangino, former Emporia State and Kansas baseball coach Dave Bingham, former Kansas City Chiefs star and NFL Hall of Famer Will Shields, Kansas State star and Olympic high jump gold medalist Erik Kynard, national long jump champ Melvin Lister, American swimming record-holder Ron Neugent, two-time Olympic Games head starter Kelly Rankin, NCAA and Olympic javelin qualifier Scott Russell, Paralympic Games bronze medalist Kevin Saunders and All-America punter and longtime Kansas State assistant coach Sean Snyder.
The 2024 class brings the total number of inductees to 340, with the first class in 1961 including such legends as Dr. James Naismith, Mike Ahearn, Glenn Cunningham, Walter Johnson and Jess Willard.
Created by the Kansas State legislature in 1961, the hall has operated for 63 years and is located at the Wichita Boathouse.
The 2024 induction ceremonies on Oct. 13 will be held in the Sunflower Ballroom at the Hotel Topeka City Center (1717 Southwest Topeka Blvd.), beginning with a 5 p.m. reception followed by the 6 p.m. induction ceremony.
“Topeka as the location for the induction makes sense for several reasons, but the fact that all of our inductees are either from, live or competed collegiately in the Manhattan-Topeka-Lawrence-Kansas City corridor creates an opportunity for more of their family and friends to attend,” Dunning said. “This event is about the honorees, and we want to do as much as we can to make it special for them.”
Tickets for the reception and induction ceremony are $100 and will go on sale Monday, July 15, at www.kshof.org. For ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities, contact Dunning at 316-641-0162.
Hall of Fame capsules: