The 2024 All-Shawnee County girls cross country team: Front row, from left -- Stella Appelhanz, Seaman; Kinley Robinson, Seaman; Ryin Miller, Seaman; Brynn Spencer, Seaman; Sofia Harper, Hayden; Elliot Wrench, Hayden. Back row, from left -- coach Matt Swedlund, Washburn Rural; Emily Graf, Washburn Rural; Rylee Ismert, Washburn Rural; Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural; Payton Fink, Washburn Rural; Brooklyn Nolte, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A whopping nine first-team repeat selections and seven state medalists headline the 2024 All-Shawnee County girls cross country team.
Leading the way are top-five individual state finishers Ryin Miller of Seaman and Rylee Ismert and Payton Fink of Washburn Rural, with Miller, a junior, the Class 5A runnerup and seniors Ismert and Fink finishing third and fifth in 6A.
Hayden senior Elliot Wrench posted a sixth-place finish in 4A while junior Emily Graf placed 14th in 6A and Seaman senior Stella Appelhanz and sophomore Brynn Spencer finished 17th and 18th in 5A.
Miller, Ismert, Fink, Wrench, Graf, Appelhanz and Spencer are all first-team All-Shawnee County repeat picks along with Washburn Rural senior Brooklyn Nolte and Hayden sophomore Sofia Harper.
Earning first-team all-county honors for the first time are Washburn Rural junior Kenzie Maddox and Seaman sophomore Kinley Robinson.
Washburn Rural coach Matt Swedlund was named the girls Shawnee County coach of the year after his Junior Blues swept city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional team titles and tied for the 6A team championship, finishing second to five-time champion Olathe West on a tiebreaker.
All-Shawnee County girls capsules:
STELLA APPELHANZ, Seaman -- A four-time All-Shawnee County and three-time All-United Kansas Conference first-team selection, Appelhanz capped her high school career with a 17th-place finish in the Class 5A state meet. Appelhanz finished fifth in the city meet, placed fourth in the United Kansas Conference meet and ninth in the 5A regional at Kanza Park. Appelhanz had a personal-best five-kilometer time of 19 minutes, 26 seconds and also earned Academic All-State recognition.
PAYTON FINK, Washburn Rural -- Fink, a senior, is a member of the All-Shawnee County first team for the fourth straight season after earning her fourth straight Class 6A medal. Fink was the city and Centennial League runnerup this fall before posting a third-place regional finish and placing fifth in the state meet. Fink helped Washburn Rural sweep city, Centennial League and regional team titles before the Junior Blues tied for the 6A team title and finished second on a tiebreaker. Fink had a season-best time of 18 minutes, 12 seconds.
EMILY GRAF, Washburn Rural -- A junior, Graf posted a fourth-place finish in the city meet before finishing fifth in the Centennial League and Class 6A regional meets and earning a 14th-place medal at state, her second straight state medal. Graf helped Washburn Rural sweep city, Centennial League and regional team championships before the Junior Blues tied for the 6A team title and finished second on a tiebreaker. Graf clocked a season-best five-kilometer time of 18 minutes, 52 seconds.
SOFIA HARPER, Hayden -- Harper, a sophomore first-team all-county repeat pick, displayed incredible resilience this past season despite facing health challenges. Diagnosed with walking pneumonia, Harper courageously competed at regionals with only 50 percent lung capacity, finishing 38th. Earlier in the season, she demonstrated her potential with a fifth-place finish at the Wamego Invitational and a 10th-place finish at the Topeka city championships. Harper has a career-best five-kilometer time of 20 minutes, 01 seconds.
RYLEE ISMERT, Washburn Rural -- A three-time All-Shawnee County first-teamer, the Washburn Rural senior standout won individual championships in the Centennial League and Class 6A regional meets and finished third in the 6A and city meets, earning All-State honors. Ismert, who finished 16th at state as a junior, helped lead Washburn Rural to a sweep of city, Centennial League and regional team championships before the Junior Blues tied for the 6A team title and finished second on a tiebreaker. Ismert has a personal-best five-kilometer time of 18 minutes, 02 seconds.
KENZIE MADDOX, Washburn Rural -- Maddox, a junior, moves up to the All-Shawnee County first team this fall after receiving honorable mention as a sophomore. Maddox finished ninth this fall in the city meet before placing 12th in the Centennial League, 29th in a Class 6A regional and 51st in the 6A state meet. Maddox helped Washburn Rural post a sweep of city, Centennial League and regional team championships before the Junior Blues tied for the 6A team title and finished second on a tiebreaker. Maddox has a personal best time of 19:41.
RYIN MILLER, Seaman -- Already a three-time Class 5A state medalist and three-time All-Shawnee County pick as a junior, Miller won eight races fall and was ranked No. 5 in the USA. Miller won city, United Kansas Conference and Class 5A regional individual titles before finishing second in the 5A state meet after a third-place state finish as a sophomore. Miller won the Rim Rock Classic gold race in a time of 17 minutes, 14 seconds and has a personal-best five-kilometer time of 16:32. Miller, an Academic All-Stater, was a two-time gold medalist last spring in track.
BROOKLYN NOLTE, Washburn Rural -- Nolte, a senior three-time All-Shawnee County first-team pick, placed eighth in the city meet, 10th in the Centennial League and eighth in Class 6A regional competition before posting a 31st-place finish at state. Nolte helped Washburn Rural post a sweep of city, Centennial League and regional team championships before the Junior Blues tied for the 6A team title and finished second on a tiebreaker. Nolte has a personal-best five-kilometer time of 19 minutes, 28 seconds.
KINLEY ROBINSON, Seaman -- A sophomore, Robinson earned All-Shawnee County first-team recognition for the first time. Robinson placed 11th in the city meet, 13th in the United Kansas Conference (second-team All-UKC) and 16th in Class 5A regional competition as Seaman qualifed as a team for state before she finished 58th in the state meet. Robinson clocked a personal-record five-kilometer time of 20 minutes, 39 seconds.
BRYNN SPENCER, Seaman -- A two-time All-Shawnee County selection, the Seaman sophomore ran seven races in under 20 minutes. Spencer finished seventh in the city meet, fifth in the United Kansas Conference, eighth in Class 5A regional competition and 18th at state for her first state medal and first All-5A recognition. Spencer clocked a five-kilometer season-best of 19 minutes, 26 seconds.
ELLIOT WRENCH, Hayden -- Wrench, a senior all-county first-team repeater, holds her class's top academic rank with an unweighted grade point average of 4.0 and a weighted 4.69 GPA. Wrench set a school five-kilometer record with a time of 19 minutes, 20 seconds, surpassing last year’s record of 20:01. An academic All-State and Shawnee County Honor Scholar, Wrench finished sixth in the Class 4A state meet, improving from a 30th-place finish as a junior. Wrench was sixth in the city meet, seventh in the Centennial League and fourth at regionals.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
First team
Name, school Class
Stella Appelhanz, Seaman Sr.
Payton Fink, Washburn Rural Sr.
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural Jr.
Sofia Harper, Hayden So.
Rylee Ismert, Washburn Rural Sr.
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural Jr.
Ryin Miller, Seaman Jr.
Brooklyn Nolte, Washburn Rural Sr.
Kinley Robinson, Seaman So.
Brynn Spencer, Seaman So.
Elliot Wrench, Hayden Sr.
Honorable mention
Seaman: Avery Villines, fr.; Hannah Wempe, so. Rossville: Madelyn Wonnell, so. Silver Lake: Alessandra Gerber, so.; Tessa Gerber, sr. Topeka High: Juliahnna Savago, so. Topeka West: Chloe Phelps, sr. Washburn Rural: Kate Muir, so.
Coach of the year -- Matt Swedlund, Washburn Rural.
