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Jeff Stromgren is retiring as Washburn University's golf coach after nine years leading the program.
WU athletic director Loren Ferré announced the retirement of Stromgren, formerly a state-championship coach at Washburn Rural, on Monday.
"Jeff has done a great job leading the program over the last nine years," Ferré said in a statement. "From success on the course and in the classroom coaching All-MIAA, All-Region players, including an NCAA Division II Player of the Year, and the postseason tournament appearances, he has been very successful and we wish him the best in his retirement and we're going to miss him."
Jeff Stromgren has announced his retirement as Washburn University's golf coach after nine seasons. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Stromgren began his stint at Washburn prior to the 2012-13 season and the Ichabods are coming off one of the best seasons in program history with a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
While at Washburn Stromgren has coached 75 players who have been named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll as well as 13 all-MIAA golfers, 11 team tournament wins, eight individual tournament champions, seven NCAA appearances and most recently a MIAA Golfer of the Year and the Jack Nicklaus NCAA Division II Golfer of the Year in senior Andrew Beckler.
Prior to joining the Ichabod coaching staff, Stromgren won three Class 6A state titles at Washburn Rural (1997, 2005, 2008) and 17 city titles.
His Junior Blues teams finished in the top five in state 15 times and he had 25 league and 21 regional titles in his career. He was city coach of the year 19 times and state coach of the year in 2005.
Stromgren coached more than 30 players who went on to play college golf, including nine who played at NCAA Division I schools.
Stromgren is a 1979 Washburn graduate and was named the Ichabod men's basketball team most valuable player following the 1978-79, season earning all-CSIC honors as a senior.
Ferré said a national search will begin immediately.
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Former Topeka West stars Marque Wilkerson and Trevion Alexander ended their high school careers with a bang, helping lead the Blue to a 125-106 romp past the Gold in Saturday's Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina.
Wilkerson and Alexander, who led the Chargers to a runner-up finish in the Class 5A state tournament this past season, combined for 32 points and 20 rebounds as the Blue opened up a commanding 55-38 halftime advantage and cruised the rest of the way.
Wilkerson led six players in double figures for the Blue with a team-high 20 points and also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds while Alexander added 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Former Topeka West star Marque Wilkerson scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Blue rolled to a 125-106 win in Saturday's KBCA All-Star Game at Salina. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West product Trevion Alexander had 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Blue in Saturday's KBCA All-Star Game at Salina. [File photo/TSN]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Recent Topeka West graduates Trevion Alexander and Marque Wilkerson, who helped lead the Chargers to the Class 5A state championship game in 2020-21, are scheduled to play one last high school game in Saturday's 2021 Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Boys All-Star Game at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina.
The KBCA boys game is scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m., following the 4:45 girls game. Alexander and Wilkerson are scheduled to play for the Blue team.
Saturday's games will be live-streamed at kwucoyotes.com/live.
Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist is also set to be honored Saturday, receiving the KBCA's Don Jones Courage Award.
Topeka West senior Trevion Alexander is scheduled to play in Saturday's KBCA Boys All-Star Game in Salina. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West senior Marque Wilkerson and teammate Trevion Alexander will play in the KBCA All-Star game Saturday in Salina. [File photo/TSN]
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opeka High junior NiJaree Canady has been named Gatorade Kansas Softball Player of the Year after leading the Trojans to a 25-0 record and the Class 6A state championship. [File photo/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NiJaree Canady has piled up honor after honor during her junior year in basketball and softball for Topeka High and added arguably the biggest of them all on Friday when she was named the Kansas Gatorade Softball Player of the Year.
An All-Stater in both basketball and softball, Canady's Gatorade honor comes after she helped lead the Trojan to a perfect 25-0 season and High's first-ever Class 6A softball championship this spring.
The Gatorade award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.
As the state winner, Canady, Topeka High's first Gatorade softball winner, is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award to be announced later this month.
Canady was a star for the Trojans as both a pitcher and hitter en route to earning Centennial League and All-Shawnee County player of the year honors.
Canady compiled a 21-0 record in the pitching circle with a miniscule 0.26 earned run average while striking out 226 batters in 107.2 innings. Canady turned in three complete-game pitching wins in the 6A state tournament, striking out 16 batters in all three games and not allowing an earned run.
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By RICK PETERSON
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Thursday was a day to celebrate Cheryl Gleason's 45-year career in education, including the past 32 years as an Assistant Executive Director for the Kansas State High School Activities Association.
But KSHSAA Executive Director Bill Faflick admitted that it was also a day he had been dreading -- when the Association said goodbye to Gleason, who will officially retire on July 1.
"I'd really rather postpone it,'' Faflick said during Gleason's retirement reception Thursday at the KSHSAA office. "Anybody that knows me knows that we work hard, and just like I've been taught, and has been modeled here in this building, we work together as a team and we support each other, and when one of your teammates goes away it's a challenge.
"But we know we're better because Cheryl Gleason has been here and that's why we can celebrate today because we can go on to bigger and better things because of Cheryl and her work. As an administrator here at the Kansas State High School Acitivites Association, Cheryl had an impact on the athletes, the coaches, the officials, the administrators across this state and certainly on her home team here in this office.''
Retiring KSHSAA assistant executive director Cheryl Gleason talks to visitors at Thursday's reception at the KSHSAA office. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
