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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: The 20 girls wrestlers to watch are primarily based on performances in the 2023-2024 season. TopSports.news is still in the process of receiving preseason information from local coaches and will update information as needed.
Koti Best, Seaman
KOTI BEST, Seaman
Best, a senior, had her junior season disrupted by injury after finishing second in Class 5A as a sophomore. Best received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season and is ranked No. 1 at 115 pounds in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association's second of two preseason state 5A rankings.
MADISON BLANCO, Washburn Rural
A junior, Blanco earned first-team All-Shawnee County recognition last season at 130 pounds after helping Washburn Rural win its second straight Class 6A state team title. Blanco posted a 28-9 record and placed sixth in 6A. She is ranked No. 3 in 6A at 135 pounds in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Assocation's second preseason rankings.
MADDY BLOW, Washburn Rural
Blow, a senior, was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick for the second straight season at 115 pounds after qualifying for the Class 6A state tournament and posting a 22-12 record on the season. Blow is ranked sixth at 115 in 6A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its second of two preseason rankings.
CONNIE BURNS, Highland Park
Burns, a junior, posted a 23-6 record and was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season at 105 pounds for Shawne Heights before transferring to Highland Park this season. Burns is 5-0 on the season for the Scots after winning the 115-pound title in Saturday's Highland Park Invitational.
MAKAYLA CADET, Highland Park
A junior, Cadet earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention in the 2023-2024 season and is ranked No. 6 in Class 5A at 190 pounds by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its second preseason rankings. Cadet won the 235-pound title in Saturday's Highland Park Invitational.
Maddie Freeland, Shawnee Heights
MADDIE FREELAND, Shawnee Heights
A senior, Freeland is a three-time state qualfier and finished second in Class 5A at 135 pounds in 2023 while compiling a 27-4 record. Freeland was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection as a junior and is ranked No. 2 at 135 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its second preseason state rankings.
ANNIE GALLEGOS, Washburn Rural
Gallegos, a senior, received second-team All-Shawnee County honors last season at 125 pounds and is a two-time state medalist. Gallegos was a state qualifier last season, posting a 19-5 record on the season, and is ranked No. 3 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association's first preseason rankings.
TESSA GERBER, Silver Lake
A senior multi-sport standout for Silver Lake, Gerber is currently ranked No. 3 in Class 3A-1A at 135 pounds by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its second of two preseason staate rankings.
Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
A junior, Graves received first-team All-Shawnee County honors at 155 pounds last season after posting a 32-8 record and finishing fifth in the Class 5A state tournament. Graves, a two-time state placer, is currently top-ranked in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its second preseason state rankings.
McKENNA HARRIS, Silver Lake
Harris, a junior for the Eagles, is currently ranked No. 4 at 125 pounds in Class 3A-1A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in the second of two preseason rankings.
Taylie Heston, Seaman
TAYLIE HESTON, Seaman
Heston, a senior, finished fourth in Class 5A last season at 120 pounds and posted a 30-10 record en route to earning All-Shawnee County first-team recognition for the second straight season. Heston is ranked second in 5A in the second Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association preseason state rankings at 120.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When Andrew Orr first stepped on the basketball court for Washburn University in 2021, his career goals were pretty simple.
"I wanted to play, I wanted to be a contributor,'' Orr said. "It was really about having a good college experience when I first came here and basketball was a bonus.''
Washburn senior Andrew Orr scored 14 points in Saturday's 82-56 win over Peru State and is on the verge of becoming the 28th member of the Ichabods' 1,000-point club. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Fast forward to his senior season for the Ichabods and the 6-foot-8 frontliner is just nine points away from becoming 28th member of the Ichabods' coveted 1,000 point club entering Thursday's 7:30 p.m. MAA opener at Nebraska-Kearney.
"I was just happy I was getting to come here, so to be even close to something like that is more than a dream, it's awesome,'' Orr said.
Obviously, Orr's main focus is on doing whatever he can to help the 7-0 and No. 3-ranked Ichabods continue their success and the former Blue Valley North Class 6A state champ said the 1,000-point club is probably something he'll appreciate down the road after his playing days are done.
"One of my friends was talking to me about this the other day and it's like you don't realize how good something is until it's already happened,'' Orr said. "So I'm going to try to appreciate it when it happens, hopefully the next game or two, but I think I'll definitely appreciate it more when I come back here when I'm older and I'm watching Washburn play and I can undertand that I was part of that culture and part of that legacy.''
Washburn coach Brett Ballard said that reaching the 1,000-point milestone will be a great accomplishment for Orr.
"You score 1,000 points in college in four years and that says you've been very good, and he didn't really play much his freshman year,'' Ballard said. "I knew what his family was about, I knew he was well-coached in high school, I knew he was a great kid with a great motor and those young men usually figure it out. Not always, but usually, so I thought he could be very solid for us.
"You always hope they take that jump and he's continued to work and his body has really filled out so physically he's gotten better and he's just an every day guy with a great attitude.''
Washburn senior Andrew Orr (24) enters Thursday's game at Nebraska-Kearney with 991 career points after scoring 14 points in the Ichabods' 82-56 win over Peru State Saturday [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Ichabods are coming off an 82-56 non-conference win over Peru State last Saturday and continue to be ranked No. 3 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 poll and fourth in the latest D2CIDA poll.
Ichabod volleyball to kick off 18th NCAA tournament appearance against familiar foe Nebraska-Kearney
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University volleyball will begin its 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed in the Central Region, facing No. 3 seed and MIAA rival Nebraska-Kearney at 11 a.m. Thursday in St. Cloud, Minn. in a tournament quarterfinal.
Washburn volleyball will take a 20-7 record into its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance on Thursday in St. Cloud, Minn. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods begin the national tournament with a 20-7 record while Nebraska-Kearney is 30-2.
Thursday's match will be the third of the season between WU and UNK, with the Lopers taking a 3-0 win at home and a 3-2 win over the Ichabods in Lee Arena.
Washburn was knocked out of the MIAA Championship Tournament with a 3-1 quarterfinal round loss to Northwest Missouri on Nov. 21 while the Lopers went 15-1 in the MIAA regular season and came up short in the MIAA Championship Tournament final, falling to Central Oklahoma 3-1 on Nov. 23.
Washburn, which had made all 18 of its NCAA tournament appearances under coach Chris Herron, is 20-17 all-time in the national tournament and 8-9 in the opening round.
With a win in the first round the Ichabods would take on the quarterfinal winner between No. 2 seed Central Oklahoma and No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State at 4 p.m. on Friday.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Washburn Rural three-sport star Brooklyn DeLeye, now a volleyball star at Kentucky, has been named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year after helping lead the Wildcats to the outright conference championship.
[Kentucky Athletics]
A 6-foot-2 sophomore outside hitter, DeLeye registered 450 kills with a .282 hitting percentage, 155 digs, 31 total blocks and 46 service aces as Kentucky posted a 20-7 regular-season record and went 14-2 in the SEC.
DeLeye became the sixth different Kentucky Wildcat to win SEC Player of the Year as a Kentucky player has now won the award for a seventh time. DeLeye joins Sarah Rumley (2008), Leah Edmond (2018, 2019), Madison Lilley (2020), Alli Stumler (2021) and Emma Grome (2022) as winners of the conference’s top honor. Kentucky has now won the award six of the last seven years.
With its SEC title Kentucky earned the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Pairings will be announced Sunday.
After an outstanding freshman season for Kentucky's volleyball team, including SEC Freshman of the Year and AVCA All-America honorable mention honors, DeLeye helped lead the U.S. Volleyball U21 team to the title in the NORCECA Continental Championship in Toronto, earning MVP and Top Spiker awards.
DeLeye led Washburn Rural to state titles in volleyball and basketball and was also a standout in soccer.
DeLeye was a two-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year in volleyball and was named to the All-State first team four straight years. She finished her high school career with 2,090 kills.
DeLeye was a three-time All-Shawnee County pick in basketball, helping Rural win the Class 6A title as a junior and to a second-place finish as a senior.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
For the second consecutive year, the Hayden Wildcats came up short in their bid for the school’s first state football title since 2008. In their return to Gowans Stadium at Hutchinson Community College, the Wildcats fell to Andale 36-19 Saturday.
Hayden senior Jensen Schrickel (9) scores the Wildcats' first touchdown on a 5-yard run in Saturday's 36-19 loss to Andale in the Class 3A state championship game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
The Indians took home their fifth Class 3A trophy in the past six seasons, finishing the season 13-0. Hayden finished the season 11-2, the Wildcats' other loss coming at the hands of 4A Wamego.
The field conditions were infinitely better than the blizzard conditions that affected the outcome of last year’s championship, claimed by Cheney, 34-7. But the pain of defeat was the same.
“It sucks, point blank,” Hayden coach Bill Arnold said. “You come in here with one goal in mind. Anything less than that, you’re not going to feel very good about it.”
The Wildcats battled back from a deficit to take a 19-12 lead into halftime. But Andale powered its way to three second-half touchdowns to put the game away.
Andale opened the game with two dominant drives to establish the tone of the first period. Although Hayden answered with a score, the first period went decidedly in the Indians’ favor at 12-6. The Indians rushed for 127 yards on just 12 carries in the quarter.
The momentum shifted early in the second period when the Wildcats stopped an Indian drive at midfield. Even a punt that rolled to the Hayden 1-yard line didn’t deter the Wildcats. Hayden mounted a 15-play drive that covered 99 yards and ended with a Jett Wahlmeier scoring pass to Treyton Tetuan.
Hayden senior Treyton Tetuan scores a touchdown on a 2-yard pass from Jett Wahlmeier in Saturday's 36-19 loss to Andale in the Class 3A state championship game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Junior Kade Mitchell (25) hauls in a touchdown pass from Jett Wahlmeier in Saturday's 36-19 loss to Andale. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Leading 13-12, the Wildcats pooched a kickoff which the Andale returner lost in the sun. Hayden recovered at the Andale 31-yard line. Six plays later, Hayden went up 19-12 on a Wahlmeier pass to Kade Mitchell.
Though Hayden was unable to take advantage of a second fumbled pooch kick, it used up most of the remaining period. The Wildcats went to halftime leading 19-12.
But Andale dominated the second half. After scoring to retake the lead midway through the third period, the Indians recovered a Hayden fumble and turned it into another quick score to go up 28-19.
“Obviously, we knew we weren’t going to be able to come in here and turn the ball over,” Arnold said. “That initial turnover (in the) third quarter was a killer.”
Desperate to keep pace, Hayden drove the length of the field in 17 plays but stalled at the Andale 17-yard line. Andale scored three plays later to put the game on ice.
“We were in the right spots. We just couldn’t finish plays off,” Arnold said. “Part of that’s a tribute to Andale. They’re a good team. They made some adjustments. But at the same time, we had some opportunities that we squandered in the third quarter.”
Hayden senior quarterback Jett Wahlmeier (7) passed for 202 yards and two TDs in Saturday's 36-19 loss to Andale. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Hayden managed 105 yards rushing but averaged just 2.9 yards per carry. The Wildcats relied heavily on Wahlmeier to advance the ball through the air. The senior completed 21 of his 40 passing attempts for 202 yards.
“We knew we could be balanced,” Wahlmeier said. “We called our plays based off the situation we were in. We knew what we were capable of (in the passing game). We repped it out in practice and it worked well. It worked even better in the game, which worked out well, but not well enough, I guess.”
All-purpose threat Jensen Schrickel accounted for much of the Hayden output. He ran for 47 yards and caught nine passes for 106 yards in his final game for Hayden.
But in the end, the rushing attack of Andale was too much for Hayden. The Indians ran for 419 yards on 40 carries. Junior quarterback Sam Harp ran for 163 yards on 16 carries, while his older brother, Landon Harp, rushed for 148 on 12 carries. The brothers accounted for four of Andale’s five touchdowns.
"(The Indians are) good. They’re a hell of a lot bigger than we are, too,” Arnold said. “But I thought our kids played extremely hard. You get in a situation, you’ve got to make the tackle. One guy’s not going to bring them down. You’ve got to get guys rallied to the ball.
“I thought our kids played hard all day long. We played the whole third quarter backed up on our (end) of the field. We made some mistakes, and they took advantage of it.”
Wahlmeier was unable to play in last year’s championship due to injury. He recalled how difficult it was to watch that title game from the sideline. This time, he was his team’s leader, and he spoke on the Wildcats’ behalf following the loss.
“It's awful. It’s worse than last year,” the senior quarterback said. “I gave it everything I had, but it just wasn’t enough.
“But I’m proud of this team. It was special. All the bonds we had and the team we had. Special teams don’t get here by accident. We knew we were special.”
Recognizing how painful it is for the players to come up short in back-to-back seasons, Arnold provided some big-picture perspective.
“I think as time goes on, in the next few weeks, next month or so, it’s a tribute to the kids,” Arnold said. “They put together a really good year. To get back to the state championship game two years in a row is hard. They fought through a lot of adversity to get here. I’m extremely proud of them. It just doesn’t feel very good right now.”
ANDALE 36, HAYDEN 19
