Seaman Vikings

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news 

The game of golf came a lot tougher for Washburn Rural and Washburn University product Hayden Beck on Sunday than it had on Saturday when Beck set a Lake Shawnee course record with a sizzling 62 en route to opening up a four-stroke lead in the Topeka Golf Association City Stroke Play tournament.

Former Washburn Rural and Washburn University golfer Hayden Beck rolled in a birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday at Shawnee Country Club to win his first TGA City Stroke Play championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But Beck, who will take over as Washburn Rural girls head coach this fall after serving as a Junior Blue boys assistant this past spring, battled through an up and down day to get the job done at Shawnee Country Club, draining a long birdie putt on the first playoff hole to top former Santa Fe Trail standout and Washburn Ichabod Blake Buessing to earn his first city championship.

Hayden Beck reacts after sinking his tournament-winning putt in Sunday's TGA City Stroke Play tournament at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"Being a coach now and getting to help out with the team this spring, I was always telling the guys, 'You're not always going to play perfect every single time. Even on your best rounds you could do some things better,' '' Beck said.

"I look back on yesterday and maybe I missed a couple of putts and got lucky a couple of times and it all kind of evens itself out. You've just got to stick in there.'' 

Beck carded a final-round 73 while Buessing shot a 69 Sunday and rallied from his four-stroke deficit at the start of the round to briefly take a one-shot lead.

Beck battled back to regain a one-stroke lead before Buessing pulled even on hole No. 17 and both players remained even on the final hole with a 54-hole total of 209 to force sudden death.

Buessing narrowly missed a birdie putt before Beck came through with his biggest shot of the day to end the tournament.

"I would have liked to win it in regulation, but rolling in the putt on the playoff hole was pretty sweet,'' Beck said. "It was nice to finally get one there at the end when it counts the most.''

TGA City Stroke Play champion Hayden Beck (left) exchanges congratulations with runnerup Blake Buessing Sunday at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Although he came up just short of the title, Buessing was pleased with his overall performance.

"It was fun, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way,'' Buessing said. "It was back and forth all day.''

Beck said that a highlight of the tournament for him was having his high school coach, Jared Goehring, serve as his caddie. Goehring is turning over the Rural girls coaching reins to his former standout while Beck will continue to serve as a boys assistant under Goehring.

"It was awesome to have coach on the bag,'' Beck said. "That was so cool just to have him out here and do that again. It kind of took me back to high school, just having him there keeping me level-headed. That was a huge help.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman track and field star Brody Anderson and Washburn Rural baseball star Aidan Newbery, who ended their high school careers with state championships, have been selected as TopSports.news' Shawnee County co-spring boys senior athletes of the year for the 2025-2026 season.

Brody Anderson, Seaman 

Anderson claimed the 2026 Class 5A state championship in the 800 meters in a 5A meet-record time of 1 minute, 52.08 seconds.

A former state medalist in cross country, Anderson also posted second-place 5A state finishes in the 3,200 and 1,600 meters after winning the city title in the 800 and sweeping the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 titles in the United Kansas Conference meet. 

Aidan Newbery, Washburn Rural 

Newbery, a catcher, was named the Shawnee County and Centennial League player of the year after helping lead Washburn Rural to its first state baseball championship since 1952, capped by a 4-3 win over Free State in the 6A state championship game.

Newbery was also named to the 6A All-State second team by the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches. 

 Other spring boys athlete of the year finalists 

 Caleb Cleverdon, Cair Paravel/Topeka High

CALEB CLEVERDON | Cair Paravel/Topeka High

SPORT: Golf

Cleverdon, who competed for Topeka High in the regular season and Cair Paravel Latin in the postseason, posted a second-place individual finish in the Class 2A state tournament with a 36-hole total of 149 (73-76) after taking a four-shot individual win in the Flint Hills League tournament with a 73. A first-team All-Shawnee County pick, Cleverdon tied for third in the Centennial League (75) and tied for first in 2A regional competition (71), finishing second in a playoff.

Brody Cooper, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN] 

BRODY COOPER | Shawnee Heights

SPORT: Baseball

A standout pitcher, Cooper helped lead Shawnee Heights to the 2026 Class 5A state championship game and a runnerup finish. A two-time United Kansas Conference first-team selection, Cooper was named the conference pitcher of the year as a senior and was also named to the All-Shawnee County first team.

 Jack Donovan, Rossville

JACK DONOVAN | Rossville

SPORT: Golf

Donovan was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick for the third straight season after earning a state medal for the fourth straight year (two in Class 3A, two in 2A) with a fifth-place finish in the 2A state event with a 36 hole score of 155 (79-76). Donovan finished third in a 2A regional with a 76 and was the Big East League individual medalist with a 71. Donovan, who tied for sixth in the 2025 state tournament, received All-Shawnee County recognition in three sports.

Drew Fay, Cair Paravel Latin 

DREW FAY | Cair Paravel Latin

SPORT: Tennis

Fay capped an outstanding four-year high school career with a city-high fifth-place finish in the 2026 Class 3A-1A state tournament. Fay was a four-year state qualifier and a three-time state medalist, with a high finish of second place in doubles in 2025. Fay captured the city championship in No. 1 singles this past spring and also won a regional title. Fay was a three-time All-City pick.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

EMPORIA -- The West put together several scoring threats in Saturday's Kansas Shrine Bowl, out-gaining the East 277 yards to 218 and reaching East territory six times.

But the East defense had an answer for each and every test it faced, posting a 14-7 win in front of 6,035 fans at Welch Stadium while not allowing a West offensive score.

Washburn Rural product Brody Haas (42) celebrates a big defensive play in the East's 14-7 Shrine Bowl win Saturday in Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Former Washburn Rural star Brody Haas and Rossville product Andre Johnson both played key roles in the East's defensive effort, combining for 10 tackles (eight solo) and three pass breakups while Haas also registered a sack.

"We had a lot of good scout from the offense throughout the week and it felt like every formation was something we had already kind of seen so nothing really surprised us,'' Haas said. "We dominated the line of scrimmage and were able to cover our spaces very well, so they really couldn't do anything about it because everyone was doing their job and that's how you play good football.''

The West scored its lone touchdown when Houston Bowlin (Derby) recovered a first-quarter East fumble in the end zone while the East got touchdown passes from former Shawnee Heights star Aiden Scott and Kansas City-Washington product Savion Stone, which proved to be enough for the East to cut its deficit in the series to 30-19-2.

Former Rossville star Andre Johnson (24) registered five tackles for the East in Saturday's 14-7 Shrine Bowl victory over the West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN] 

"We were locked in the whole week,'' Johnson said. "We were ready for this West offense all week and we proved it today and made it a goose egg. It was fun.''

The East drew first blood at the 7:03 mark of the opening quarter when Scott connected with Alec Jett (St. James Academy) for a 24-yard touchdown pass (conversion failed) after Osage City product Quenten Stark picked off a pass deep in East territory and returned it 33 yards to the West 49-yard-line.

The West took its only lead of the night on Bowlin's fumble recovery in the end zone and an extra-point kick from Brody Haskell (Augusta) with 2:54 left in the opening quarter and the West reached the 4-yard-line after recovering a fumble before Hayden Heller (Mill Valley) recorded the East's second interception of the night on the third play of the second quarter to thwart the threat.

The East scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 1:13 left in the opening half on a 27-yard pass from Stone to Blake Jay (Mill Valley) after Austin Zeller (Jackson Heights) recoverd a West fumble.

Stone, who was named the East Most Valuable Player, then ran for the two-point conversion to account for what proved to be the final margin after a scoreless second half.

"During halftime our coach was saying how we were doing such a good job with if we let a bad play happen we wouldn't let two happen right in a row and we didn't stack bad plays one after the other,'' said Haas, who is headed to Benedictine.

Shawnee Heights product Aiden Scott (20) was named the East's Most Inspirational Player after Saturday's 14-7 Shrine Bowl win. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Scott, who was voted the East's Most Inspirational Player, split time with Stone throughout the game, with Scott, a Washburn signee, completing 5 of 7 passes for 62 yards and Stone going 6 of 7 for 54 yards.

"The team had confidence in both of us back there in the backfield,'' Scott said. "The bond that we have definitely helps out. We helped each other and would could come to the sidelines and see what the other person sees and just go to work out there.

"We've both got talent, we both work hard, so it works out.'' 

Former Nemaha Central star Carter Hajek, who will play at Emporia State, led the East with 59 rushing yards on 13 attempts.

Salina Central product Cooper Reves was named the West MVP after rushing for a game-high 91 yards on 14 carries.

Rossville's Johnson plans to enlist in the Marines in the near future and said Saturday night's win was the perfect way to cap his football career.

"A great way to go out,'' he said. "I wanted to end it on a win. I ended on a win at the All-America Game and it's way better to go 2-0 to end my career after losing at state. It's way better.''      

EAST 14, WEST 7  

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Carsyn Broxterman, who helped lead Hayden to a perfect 21-0 record and the Class 4A-1A state soccer championship has been selected as TopSports.news' Shawnee County spring girls senior athlete of the year for the 2025-2026 season.

Carsyn Broxterman, Hayden 

A forward, Broxterman was named the city and Centennial League player of the year as a senior and was also named the forward of the year in 4A-1A by the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association.

Broxterman scored the game-winning goal in the Wildcats' 1-0 victory over Rose Hill in the state championship game.

Broxterman will play collegiately at Kansas City Kansas Community College. 

Other springs girls athlete of the year finalists 

Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 

AUDREY APPUHN | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Swimming

Appuhn won four gold medals (two individual, two relays) to lead Washburn Rural to its 23rd straight city team title and earned three golds (two individual, one relay) in the Centennial League meet. Appuhn went 8 for 8 in individual events over her career in the city and league meets and earned multiple Class 6A state medals as a freshman, sophomore and junior. 

Ella Foster, Hayden

ELLA FOSTER | Hayden

SPORT: Soccer

A midfielder, Foster helped Hayden go wire to wire with 21 straight victories for the 2026 Class 4A-1A state championship, capped by a 1-0 win over Rose Hill in the state final. A Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State first-team pick, Foster was also a second-team All-Centennial League and All-City honoree. As a senior Foster also helped the Wildcats win the 4A championship in basketball and post a runnerup state finish in volleyball. 

Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake

KAILYN HANNI | Silver Lake

SPORT: Softball/Track and Field

A four-sport standout, Hanni helped lead Silver Lake to the Class 3A state softball championship and also doubled up in track and field, placing third in the 3A javelin hours after the Eagles' 4-0 win over Southeast of Saline in the state softball final. Hanni, who was also a state medalist in golf and led Silver Lake to its second state basketball championship in three seasons, was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick in both softball and track and earned All-Class 3A first-team honors in softball.

Reese Huscher, Hayden 

REESE HUSCHER | Hayden

SPORT: Soccer

Huscher was named the Class 4A-1A midfielder of the year by the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association and also earned first-team All-City and All-Centennial League honors after helping lead the Wildcats to a perfect 21-0 record and the 4A-1A state title this past spring. Huscher also helped Hayden win the 4A championship in basketball and post a runnerup state finish in volleyball.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Brody Haas had an outstanding senior football season for Washburn Rural, earning All-Centennial League, All-Shawnee County and All-Class 6A recognition from the Kansas Football Coaches Association.

Brody Haas, Washburn Rural

Haas registered 114 total tackles with 80 solo stops for the 6-4 Junior Blues, recording 14 tackles for loss with a sack and two pass interceptions (one for a touchdown) while recovering two fumbles. 

Despite those lofty laurels the former Junior Blues linebacker still wasn't banking on getting the opportunity to play in the prestigious Kansas Shrine Bowl, but was one of Shawnee County's six original picks for the East roster

"I actually was pretty surprised,'' Haas said. "A funny story, my mom was watching (the selection show) and she said that I didn't make it. I was like, 'Oh alright,' and then I got a bunch of texts from everybody else and there were like, 'You made the Shrine Bowl.'

"I was really grateful and I'm excited to be here.''

Haas will play strong safety and maybe some linebacker for the East in Saturday's 7 p.m. Shrine game at Emporia State's Welch Stadium.

"I think (practice) is preparing us really well, and with it being a lot cooler,  everyone's not over-exhausted,'' Haas said earlier the week at the East's Ottawa University training camp. "Everyone's in really good spirits, we're all having a pretty good time learning and adjusting to the playbook and everything that's being taught.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural wrestling star Landen Kocher-Munoz has been selected as TopSports.news' Shawnee County winter boys senior athlete of the year for the 2025-2026 season.

Landen Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural

Kocher-Munoz was named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year after winning his third Class 6A state championship in his fourth straight trip to the state finals as a senior.

Kocher-Munoz won the 144-pound title as a senior, posting a 39-4 record on the season while helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place 6A team finish and sweeping Centennial League, regional and state individual crowns.

Other winter boys athlete of the year finalists 

KaeVon Bonner, Seaman

KAEVON BONNER | Seaman

SPORT: Basketball

Bonner was named the Shawnee County co-player of the year as a senior after leading the Vikings to a 23-5 record and a third-place finish in Class 5A. Bonner was named the All-United Kansas Conference player of the year while earning all-county and All-UKC honors for the third straight season. Bonner averaged a city-high 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 2.6 steals for the Vikings while hitting 44 3-pointers.

Jack Donovan, Rossville 

JACK DONOVAN | Rossville

SPORT: Basketball

Donovan made the All-Shawnee County Top 10 for the third straight season after being named the co-newcomer of the year as a freshman. Donovan helped lead the Bulldawgs to a 17-8 record and a second straight Class 2A state tournament berth this past season. Donovan finished his prep career No. 2 on Rossville's career scoring list, with a season-high 47 points. Donovan received all-county recognition in football, golf and basketball.

Ryder Harrison, Washburn Rural 

RYDER HARRISON | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Wrestling

An All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Harrison finished second in Class 6A at 120 pounds as a senior while posting a 28-7 record on the season and helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish. Harrison finished second in 6A regional competition after winning a Centennial League championship with a 5-0 record and five straight pins.

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

DAYNE JOHNSON | Silver Lake

SPORT: Basketball

Johnson was named the Shawnee County co-player of the year after finishing his career as Silver Lake's career leading scorer while helping lead the Eagles to a 22-7 record and a second straight third-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament. A two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection and a first-team All-Big East League pick, Johnson was also a two-time All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick in football for the Eagles.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

After leading the state in passing yards last fall, former Shawnee Heights star quarterback Aiden Scott weighed some recruiting options before deciding he didn't even need to leave his hometown to find what he was looking for, signing with Washburn University.

Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights

A two-time All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick Scott completed 197 of 319 passes for 2,991 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior and finished his career completing 420 of 691 pass attempts for 6,491 yards and 632 touchdowns. 

"I had (interest from) South Dakota and a PWO (preferred walkon) from KU and it came down to a business decision,'' said Scott, who will play quarterback for the East in Saturday's 7 p.m. Kansas Shrine Bowl at Emporia State. "It was like, 'Do I want playing time or do I want to sit for a little bit?'

"And especially when it's at home, friends and family can come watch you play and Washburn's coaching staff and facilities are top notch.''

Scott, a three-sport athlete for the T-Birds, has spent much of his summer at Washburn, getting acclimated to the college game.

"I've been there about three weeks so far and it's been fun,'' Scott said. "The upperclassmen have been really warm to me, welcoming me into the new program and helping me settle in. The freshmen are very talented guys, the whole team's very talented.

"We're growing, we're getting better, so I'm excited how the season's going to turn out.''

The decision will be made later this fall about whether or not Scott will redshirt this season, but he is preparing to play.

"They told me I'll get a shot during fall camp to be the starting guy and if I don't get that job I'll probably end up redshirting and get that extra year of experience,'' Scott said. "But my mindset is to get that starting job.''

Conner Bush, Rossville

Scott will be joined in the East backfield Saturday by another Washburn recruit, former Rossville two-time All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick Conner Bush, who helped lead the Bulldawgs to a runnerup finish in Class 1A. 

Bush carried the ball 81 times for 717 yards and scored 12 touchdowns as a senior and was in on 114 total tackles, with two pass interceptions, two tackles for loss and 10 passes broken up. 

Both Scott and Bush were added to the East as replacement players, with Bush getting the call about two weeks before the opening of the East camp at Ottawa University.

"My coach, coach (Derick) Hammes (an East assistant) called me and I was nothing but excited,'' Bush said. "I was just ready to play.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Star Silver Lake point guard Kailyn Hanni, named Miss Kansas Basketball by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association after leading the Eagles to their second Class 3A state championship in three seasons, has been selected as TopSports.news' Shawnee County winter girls senior athlete of the year for the 2025-2026 season.

 Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake

The 5-foot-7 Hanni was also named the Shawnee County Player of the Year as a senior after helping lead the Eagles to a 28-1 record, earning all-county first-team honors for the third time.

Hanni finished her high school career with 1,404 points, 585 assists, 563 rebounds and 339 steals, finishing No. 1 on Silver Lake's all-time list in assists and steals and finishing No. 3 in career scoring.

Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake

Hanni also set a single-game scoring record with 39 points and a single-game assist mark with 12, reaching that total on three occasions. 

Hanni was a four-sport standout for Silver Lake, helping the Eagles win the 3A state softball title this past spring while also helping the Eagles win a state golf championship during her career and placing third in the 3A javelin in track and field as a senior.

The Silver Lake star will play collegiately at Fort Hays State.

Other winter girls athlete of the year finalists 

Emme Blanco, Washburn Rural

EMME BLANCO | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Wrestling

Blanco posted a runnerup finish at 145 pounds in the 2026 Class 6A state tournament, helping lead Washburn Rural to a second straight third-place state team finish. Blanco, who captured Centennial League and regional championships, posted a 40-4 record on the season en route to earning a first-team berth on the All-Shawnee County team for the second straight season.

Makayla Cadet, Highland Park 

MAKAYLA CADET | Highland Park

SPORT: Wrestling

A two-time All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Cadet advanced to the 190-pound Class 5A state championship match as a junior and senior, winning the 5A state title as a junior and finishing second as a senior while posting a 23-3 record on the season. Cadet also received all-county honorable mention in softball.

Rylee Dick, Rossville

RYLEE DICK | Rossville

SPORT: Basketball

Dick put together an outstanding four-year career for the Bulldawgs, leading Rossville to a Class 2A state tournament berth as a senior, the Bulldawgs' first state appearance in 20 seasons. Dick averaged 20.6 points over the 2025-2026 season, finishing her career with 1,578 points to rank No. 2 on Rossville's all-time scoring list. She received first-team All-Big East League and All-Shawnee County honors. 

Maddie Gragg, Seaman

MADDIE GRAGG | Seaman

SPORT: Basketball

Gragg was a four-time All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick for Seaman, helping the Vikings win the Class 5A state championship her sophomore season and post a runnerup state finish as a junior. Gragg averaged 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds over the 2025-2026 campaign while hitting 32 3-pointers. 

Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights
CIANNA GRAVES | Shawnee Heights

SPORT: Wrestling

A four-time Class 5A state medalist and repeat All-Shawnee County pick, Graves saved her best for last, winning the 155-pound state championship as a senior to cap a 35-2 season. Also a United Kansas Conference and 5A regional champion, Graves helped lead Shawnee Heights to a third-place 5A team finish for the second straight season. Graves was also a standout catcher in softball, earning all-county first-team honors. 

Claire LaDuke, Seaman  

CLAIRE LADUKE | Seaman

SPORT: Bowling

LaDuke finished third in the 2026 Class 5A state tournament with a 688 three-game series as Seaman rolled to the team championship by a huge 358-pin margin over Emporia. A first-team All-City pick, LaDuke also helped the Vikings sweep city, United Kansas Conference and 5A regional team titles. LaDuke finished fourth in the city tournament, fifth in the UKC and third at regionals. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman product Cameron Brian, Rossville's Andre Johnson and Silver Lake's Dayne Johnson have put together memories that will last a lifetime over outstanding high school athletic careers.

But now the Shawnee County stars are ready to turn their focus on a future without competitive sports after experiencing one more highlight as members of the East team for Saturday's 7 p.m. Kansas Shrine Bowl all-star football game at Emporia State's Welch Stadium.

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

Dayne Johnson was a three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball, helping the Eagles post a 7-3 record in football as a senior before leading Silver Lake to a second straight third-place Class 3A state finish in basketball and a runnerup 3A finish in baseball.

But after considering his college options in football and basketball, Johnson opted to concentrate on academics at Kansas State while majoring in finance.

"I was mainly getting looks for football, but I'm just not as big of a fan for football,'' Johnson said. "I'm a basketball guy and I didn't have the looks I wanted in basketball.

"I'll definitely miss it a lot, but I knew sports have to end at some point so I'll go to school and hopefully have a good time there.'' 

But first, Johnson, who is playing wide receiver for the East, wants to take advantage of his opportunity to play in the state's premier all-star game.

"I think it's an honor to get invited and it's for a good cause and I just think being here will be a great time,'' he said. "I've enjoyed meeting all these guys and I'm excited to play in the game.''

And as Johnson, who ended his basketball career as Silver Lake's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, prepares to close his athletic career, he's proud of what he's been able to accomplish.

"Every day I tried to work as hard as I could and max out what my results could be and I'm pretty happy with the success I had in my high school career,'' said Johnson, who received All-Shawnee County recognition in all three of his sports.

Cameron Brian, Seaman (left) and Andre Johnson, Rossville.

Brian, an all-county linebacker and a starter for Seaman's basketball team that finished third in 5A, will also concentrate on academics in college, attending the University of Kansas.

"I'm just going to school,'' Brian said. "I had a few smaller (offers in football), but this is it for me. This is the last hurrah.

"It was definitely a tough decision, just growing up playing football. It's every young football player's dream to go play in the NFL, so it's definitely sad that I'm not going to play in college but at the end of the day I think it's a better decision for me.''

Brian feels like playing in the Shrine Bowl is a perfect way to say goodbye to sports.

"It definitely was important,'' he said. "I feel like every kid in high school wants to get to the Shrine Bowl. Everbody wants to be a star of their team and come out here and play and what the Shriners do is great work, so it's always good to come out here and put this on so people can come support them.''

Rossville's Andre Johnson, a linebacker for the East, plans to serve his country after helping the Bulldawgs finish second in 1A and earn all-county honors as a senior.

"My plan is go into the Marine Corps,'' Johnson said. "My family's really big into the military and I have two brothers in the Marines so that kind of interested me right there.

"My plan was to go to college and I decided I really didn't want to go to college, so I decided to go into the Marines and serve my country.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Dylan Willingham, who helped lead Washburn Rural to the Class 6A state soccer championship last fall while earning Centennial League and 6A player of the year honors, has been selected as TopSports.news' Shawnee County fall boys senior athlete of the year for the 2025-2026 school year.

Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural

Willingham, a star forward, was named the 2025-26 Gatorade Kansas Boys Soccer Player of the Year after helping lead the 19-1-1 Junior Blues to the 2025 Class 6A state championship.

Willingham set Washburn Rural's single-season scoring record with 37 goals and career record with 67 goals.

The two-time Centennial League Player of the Year was Kansas' only 2025-26 United Soccer Coaches All-American in addition to being recognized as the 6A forward of the year.

Willingham was also a four-time 6A state medalist in tennis.

Willingham will play Division I college soccer at Nebraska-Omaha.

 Other fall boys athlete of the year finalists

Brody Anderson, Seaman

BRODY ANDERSON | Seaman

SPORT: Cross Country

A first-team All-Shawnee County pick in all three years he ran cross country, Anderson won his second straight city and United Kansas Conference individual titles last fall and was a Class 5A regional runnerup. He also won the prestigious Olathe Twilight Invitational, finishing ahead of runners from over 50 schools from multiple states. Anderson won the 5A 800 meters title in track while finishing second in the 3,200 and 1,600 meters.

Camden Granado, Shawnee Heights

CAMDEN GRANADO | Shawnee Heights

SPORT: Soccer/Football

Granado, a forward, was named the United Kansas Conference soccer player of the year last fall while also earning All-City first-team honors. A second-team All-State selection, Granado finished his career as Shawnee Heights soccer's all-time leading goal scorer. The T-Bird standout doubled up in football, handling place-kicking duties for Heights and earning All-Shawnee County honorable mention.

Connor Hanika, Hayden

CONNOR HANIKA | Hayden

SPORT: Football

Hanika, a quarterback, helped lead the 12-1 Wildcats to their third straight Class 3A state championship game. Hanika completed 116 of 192 passing attempts on the season for 1,810 yards and 24 touchdowns and added 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. Hanika was also a standout for Hayden's basketball team and helped lead the Wildcats to a runnerup finish in the Class 4A state baseball tournament. 

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

DAYNE JOHNSON | Silver Lake

SPORT: Football

Johnson, a wide receiver/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat selection in 2025 after catching 75 passes for 1,053 yards and eight touchdowns and registering 59 tackles with two pass interceptions. Johnson, who earned first-team All-Big East League recognition on offense and second-team honors on defense in football, also helped lead the Eagles to a third-place Class 3A state finish in basketball and a runnerup finish in 3A baseball.

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural

BROOKS KEHOE | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Cross Country

A three-time All-Shawnee County first-team honoree, Kehoe helped lead Washburn Rural to the Class 6A state team championship by a single point. Kehoe was the Centennial League champion, placed second in the city meet, 19th in Class 6A regional competition and 25th at state. Kehoe, who helped the Junior Blues win city and league titles and finish second in a tiebreaker at regionals, finished as the 6A runnerup in the 1,600-meter run in track. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

OTTAWA -- When the East team needed a late -- very late -- replacement player for this week's Kansas Shrine Bowl, the call went out to former Shawnee Heights football star AJ Gallegos.

Former Shawnee Heights standout AJ Gallegos (while jersey) will play for the East in Saturday night's Kansas Shrine Bowl in Emporia. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And without hesitation, the 2025 All-Shawnee County Top 22 and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick was on his way to Ottawa University.

"It was the same day that we were supposed to be down here,'' Gallegos said. "It was 11 o'clock (Sunday) morning and I got right out of church when I got the call and they were like, 'Hey, we want you to head down there.'

"I dropped everything and just came straight to Ottawa. It was pretty cool.''

Gallegos said he jumped at the opportunity to be a part of Kansas' premier all-star game.

"For sure,'' Gallegos said. "It's the Shrine Bowl! Why would I not want to play in this type of game?''

Former Shawnee Height standout AJ Gallegos (center) was an All-Shawnee County Top 22and All-UKC first-team pick last fall. [File photo/TSN]

Gallegos, a two-way starter for the 4-5 T-Birds, caught 66 passes for 935 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior and joins former Heights quarterback Aiden Scott on the East roster. 

"I'm going to play with my QB, so I'm excited,'' Gallegos said. "We've had four years together and now we get one more game together.

"We thought we had our last game in October, but we're promised one more game now, so it's nice.''

Scott will play quarterback and Gallegos defensive back in Saturday's game at Emporia State's Welch Stadium, but Gallegos is hopeful of getting an opportunity to play at least one play with his former teammate. 

"Maybe I'll get an opportunity to get in and play some receiver and maybe get one more post play or something,'' Gallegos said with a smile.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Jaiden Wise, who helped lead Silver Lake to the Class 3A state volleyball championship, has been selected as TopSports.news' Shawnee County fall girls senior athlete of the year for the 2025-2026 season.

Jaiden Wise, Silver Lake [Photo by Jesse Newell/Special to TSN]

Wise helped the Eagles post a 46-1 record last fall, including 37 straight wins to end the season, capped by a 25-21, 25-19 win over Holton in the 3A state championship match.

Wise was named to the 3A All-State Tournament team and All-State first team by the Kansas Volleyball Association and was also an All-Shawnee County first-team selection.

Jaiden Wise [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]

As a senior Wise recorded 407 kills and 19 blocks on .378 hitting with 296 digs and 22 assists while serving 84.7 percent with 29 aces on the season.

Wise was also a state qualifier in track and field.

Other fall girls athlete of the year finalists

Lauren Borjon, Hayden 

LAUREN BORJON | Hayden

SPORT: Golf

A three-sport athlete, Borjon capped her high school golf career with her fourth straight Class 4A state medal. Borjon tied for 12th with a 36-hole total of 170 (88-82) as the Wildcats finished fourth as a team. A three-time All-Shawnee County pick, Borjon finished second in the city tournament, fifth in the Centennial League and earned second-team 4A All-State recognition. Borjon helped lead the Wildcats to the 4A golf team title as a sophomore and junior and also helped Hayden win the 4A state title in basketball and post an undefeated run to the 4A-1A state crown in soccer as a senior.

Madeline Deters, Topeka High

MADELINE DETERS | Topeka High

SPORT: Tennis

Deters earned her second straight Class 6A state tennis medal last fall in her third state tournament appearance. Deters posted a career-best sixth-place state singles finish as a senior while finishing off a 32-6 record on the season. Deters finished second in No. 1 singles in the city tournament before winning Centennial League and 6A regional singles championships. Deters posted a 3-2 record at state.  

Elise Eckert, Seaman

ELISE ECKERT | Seaman

SPORT: Golf

Eckert won her fourth straight Class 5A state golf medal to cap her first season at Seaman, tying for fifth in the state tournament with a 36-hole total of 161 (77-84). Eckert won the city title by eight strokes with a 68 and won the United Kansas Conference individual championship with a 73 before posting a runnerup finish in 5A regional competition. Eckert was a first-team All-State honoree in 5A.

Ella Foster, Hayden 

ELLA FOSTER | Hayden

SPORT: Volleyball

Foster, a 5-foot-4 libero, helped lead 33-10 Hayden to a second-place finish in the 2025 Class 4A state volleyball tournament, earning Kansas Volleyball Association All-State Tournament honors. Foster earned first-team All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League recognition and was named to the KVA 4A All-State second team. Foster helped the Wildcats win the 4A state championship in basketball and the 4A-1A state crown in soccer as a senior and was selected to play in the KVA All-Star Match, helping the Red post a 4-1 victory. 

 Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden

IZZY GLOTZBACH | Hayden

SPORT: Golf

A three-time All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Glotzbach tied for fifth in the 2025 Class 4A state tournament with a 36-hole score of 164 (85-79), finished third in the city tournament and fourth in the Centennial League before tying for second in 4A regional competition. Glotzbach, who earned first-team 4A All-State recognition as a senior, helped lead the Wildcats to 4A state team titles as a sophomore and junior and also helped Hayden win a 4A team title in tennis as a junior. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.

Brody Anderson, Seaman

BRODY ANDERSON | Seaman

SPORT: Track and field

Anderson ended his high school career with a Class 5A state championship, winning the 800 meters in a 5A meet-record time of 1 minute, 52.08 seconds. A former state medalist in cross country, Anderson also posted second-place 5A state finishes in the 3,200 and 1,600 meters after winning the city title in the 800 and sweeping the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 titles in the United Kansas Conference meet. 

 Caleb Cleverdon, Cair Paravel/Topeka High

CALEB CLEVERDON | Cair Paravel/Topeka High

SPORT: Golf

Cleverdon, who competed for Topeka High in the regular season and Cair Paravel Latin in the postseason, posted a second-place individual finish in the Class 2A state tournament with a 36-hole total of 149 (73-76) after taking a four-shot individual win in the Flint Hills League tournament with a 73. A first-team All-Shawnee County pick, Cleverdon tied for third in the Centennial League (75) and tied for first in 2A regional competition (71), finishing second in a playoff.

Brody Cooper, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN] 

BRODY COOPER | Shawnee Heights

SPORT: Baseball

A standout pitcher, Cooper helped lead Shawnee Heights to the 2026 Class 5A state championship game and a runnerup finish. A two-time United Kansas Conference first-team selection, Cooper was named the conference pitcher of the year as a senior and was also named to the All-Shawnee County first team.

 Jack Donovan, Rossville

JACK DONOVAN | Rossville

SPORT: Golf

Donovan was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick for the third straight season after earning a state medal for the fourth straight year (two in Class 3A, two in 2A) with a fifth-place finish in the 2A state event with a 36 hole score of 155 (79-76). Donovan finished third in a 2A regional with a 76 and was the Big East League individual medalist with a 71. Donovan, who tied for sixth in the 2025 state tournament, received All-Shawnee County recognition in three sports.

Drew Fay, Cair Paravel Latin 

DREW FAY | Cair Paravel Latin

SPORT: Tennis

Fay capped an outstanding four-year high school career with a city-high fifth-place finish in the 2026 Class 3A-1A state tournament. Fay was a four-year state qualifier and a three-time state medalist, with a high finish of second place in doubles in 2025. Fay captured the city championship in No. 1 singles this past spring and also won a regional title. Fay was a three-time All-City pick.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.

KaeVon Bonner, Seaman

KAEVON BONNER | Seaman

SPORT: Basketball

Bonner was named the Shawnee County co-player of the year as a senior after leading the Vikings to a 23-5 record and a third-place finish in Class 5A. Bonner was named the All-United Kansas Conference player of the year while earning all-county and All-UKC honors for the third straight season. Bonner averaged a city-high 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 2.6 steals for the Vikings while hitting 44 3-pointers.

Jack Donovan, Rossville 

JACK DONOVAN | Rossville

SPORT: Basketball

Donovan made the All-Shawnee County Top 10 for the third straight season after being named the co-newcomer of the year as a freshman. Donovan helped lead the Bulldawgs to a 17-8 record and a second straight Class 2A state tournament berth this past season. Donovan finished his prep career No. 2 on Rossville's career scoring list, with a season-high 47 points. Donovan received all-county recognition in football, golf and basketball.

Ryder Harrison, Washburn Rural 

RYDER HARRISON | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Wrestling

An All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Harrison finished second in Class 6A at 120 pounds as a senior while posting a 28-7 record on the season and helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish. Harrison finished second in 6A regional competition after winning a Centennial League championship with a 5-0 record and five straight pins.

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

DAYNE JOHNSON | Silver Lake

SPORT: Basketball

Johnson was named the Shawnee County co-player of the year after finishing his career as Silver Lake's career leading scorer while helping lead the Eagles to a 22-7 record and a second straight third-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament. A two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection and a first-team All-Big East League pick, Johnson was also a two-time All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick in football for the Eagles.

Landen Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural

LANDEN KOCHER-MUNOZ | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Wrestling

Kocher-Munoz was named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year after winning his third Class 6A state championship in his fourth straight trip to the state finals. Kocher-Munoz won the 144-pound title as a senior, posting a 39-4 record on the season while helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place 6A team finish and sweeping Centennial League, regional and state individual crowns.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.

Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 

AUDREY APPUHN | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Swimming

Appuhn won four gold medals (two individual, two relays) to lead Washburn Rural to its 23rd straight city team title and earned three golds (two individual, one relay) in the Centennial League meet. Appuhn went 8 for 8 in individual events over her career in the city and league meets and earned multiple Class 6A state medals as a freshman, sophomore and junior. 

Carsyn Broxterman, Hayden 

CARSYN BROXTERMAN | Hayden

SPORT: Soccer

Broxterman, a forward, helped lead Hayden to a perfect 21-0 record and the Class 4A-1A state title as a senior, scoring the game-winning goal in the Wildcats' 1-0 victory over Rose Hill in the state championship game. Broxterman was named the city and Centennial League player of the year and was also named the forward of the year in 4A-1A by the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association. 

Ella Foster, Hayden

ELLA FOSTER | Hayden

SPORT: Soccer

A midfielder, Foster helped Hayden go wire to wire with 21 straight victories for the 2026 Class 4A-1A state championship, capped by a 1-0 win over Rose Hill in the state final. A Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State first-team pick, Foster was also a second-team All-Centennial League and All-City honoree. As a senior Foster also helped the Wildcats win the 4A championship in basketball and post a runnerup state finish in volleyball. 

Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake

KAILYN HANNI | Silver Lake

SPORT: Softball/Track and Field

A four-sport standout, Hanni helped lead Silver Lake to the Class 3A state softball championship and also doubled up in track and field, placing third in the 3A javelin hours after the Eagles' 4-0 win over Southeast of Saline in the state softball final. Hanni, who was also a state medalist in golf and led Silver Lake to its second state basketball championship in three seasons, was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick in both softball and track and earned All-Class 3A first-team honors in softball.

Reese Huscher, Hayden 

REESE HUSCHER | Hayden

SPORT: Soccer

Huscher was named the Class 4A-1A midfielder of the year by the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association and also earned first-team All-City and All-Centennial League honors after helping lead the Wildcats to a perfect 21-0 record and the 4A-1A state title this past spring. Huscher also helped Hayden win the 4A championship in basketball and post a runnerup state finish in volleyball.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.

Emme Blanco, Washburn Rural

EMME BLANCO | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Wrestling

Blanco posted a runnerup finish at 145 pounds in the 2026 Class 6A state tournament, helping lead Washburn Rural to a second straight third-place state team finish. Blanco, who captured Centennial League and regional championships, posted a 40-4 record on the season en route to earning a first-team berth on the All-Shawnee County team for the second straight season.

Makayla Cadet, Highland Park 

MAKAYLA CADET | Highland Park

SPORT: Wrestling

A two-time All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Cadet advanced to the 190-pound Class 5A state championship match as a junior and senior, winning the 5A state title as a junior and finishing second as a senior while posting a 23-3 record on the season. Cadet also received all-county honorable mention in softball.

Rylee Dick, Rossville

RYLEE DICK | Rossville

SPORT: Basketball

Dick put together an outstanding four-year career for the Bulldawgs, leading Rossville to a Class 2A state tournament berth as a senior, the Bulldawgs' first state appearance in 20 seasons. Dick averaged 20.6 points over the 2025-2026 season, finishing her career with 1,578 points to rank No. 2 on Rossville's all-time scoring list. She received first-team All-Big East League and All-Shawnee County honors. 

Maddie Gragg, Seaman

MADDIE GRAGG | Seaman

SPORT: Basketball

Gragg was a four-time All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick for Seaman, helping the Vikings win the Class 5A state championship her sophomore season and post a runnerup state finish as a junior. Gragg averaged 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds over the 2025-2026 campaign while hitting 32 3-pointers. 

Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights
CIANNA GRAVES | Shawnee Heights

SPORT: Wrestling

A four-time Class 5A state medalist and repeat All-Shawnee County pick, Graves saved her best for last, winning the 155-pound state championship as a senior to cap a 35-2 season. Also a United Kansas Conference and 5A regional champion, Graves helped lead Shawnee Heights to a third-place 5A team finish for the second straight season. Graves was also a standout catcher in softball, earning all-county first-team honors.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.

Brody Anderson, Seaman

BRODY ANDERSON | Seaman

SPORT: Cross Country

A first-team All-Shawnee County pick in all three years he ran cross country, Anderson won his second straight city and United Kansas Conference individual titles last fall and was a Class 5A regional runnerup. He also won the prestigious Olathe Twilight Invitational, finishing ahead of runners from over 50 schools from multiple states. Anderson won the 5A 800 meters title in track while finishing second in the 3,200 and 1,600 meters.

Camden Granado, Shawnee Heights

CAMDEN GRANADO | Shawnee Heights

SPORT: Soccer/Football

Granado, a forward, was named the United Kansas Conference soccer player of the year last fall while also earning All-City first-team honors. A second-team All-State selection, Granado finished his career as Shawnee Heights soccer's all-time leading goal scorer. The T-Bird standout doubled up in football, handling place-kicking duties for Heights and earning All-Shawnee County honorable mention.

Connor Hanika, Hayden

CONNOR HANIKA | Hayden

SPORT: Football

Hanika, a quarterback, helped lead the 12-1 Wildcats to their third straight Class 3A state championship game. Hanika completed 116 of 192 passing attempts on the season for 1,810 yards and 24 touchdowns and added 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. Hanika was also a standout for Hayden's basketball team and helped lead the Wildcats to a runnerup finish in the Class 4A state baseball tournament. 

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

DAYNE JOHNSON | Silver Lake

SPORT: Football

Johnson, a wide receiver/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat selection in 2025 after catching 75 passes for 1,053 yards and eight touchdowns and registering 59 tackles with two pass interceptions. Johnson, who earned first-team All-Big East League recognition on offense and second-team honors on defense in football, also helped lead the Eagles to a third-place Class 3A state finish in basketball and a runnerup finish in 3A baseball.

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural

BROOKS KEHOE | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Cross Country

A three-time All-Shawnee County first-team honoree, Kehoe helped lead Washburn Rural to the Class 6A state team championship by a single point. Kehoe was the Centennial League champion, placed second in the city meet, 19th in Class 6A regional competition and 25th at state. Kehoe, who helped the Junior Blues win city and league titles and finish second in a tiebreaker at regionals, finished as the 6A runnerup in the 1,600-meter run in track. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.

Lauren Borjon, Hayden 

LAUREN BORJON | Hayden

SPORT: Golf

A three-sport athlete, Borjon capped her high school golf career with her fourth straight Class 4A state medal. Borjon tied for 12th with a 36-hole total of 170 (88-82) as the Wildcats finished fourth as a team. A three-time All-Shawnee County pick, Borjon finished second in the city tournament, fifth in the Centennial League and earned second-team 4A All-State recognition. Borjon helped lead the Wildcats to the 4A golf team title as a sophomore and junior and also helped Hayden win the 4A state title in basketball and post an undefeated run to the 4A-1A state crown in soccer as a senior.

Madeline Deters, Topeka High

MADELINE DETERS | Topeka High

SPORT: Tennis

Deters earned her second straight Class 6A state tennis medal last fall in her third state tournament appearance. Deters posted a career-best sixth-place state singles finish as a senior while finishing off a 32-6 record on the season. Deters finished second in No. 1 singles in the city tournament before winning Centennial League and 6A regional singles championships. Deters posted a 3-2 record at state.  

Elise Eckert, Seaman

ELISE ECKERT | Seaman

SPORT: Golf

Eckert won her fourth straight Class 5A state golf medal to cap her first season at Seaman, tying for fifth in the state tournament with a 36-hole total of 161 (77-84). Eckert won the city title by eight strokes with a 68 and won the United Kansas Conference individual championship with a 73 before posting a runnerup finish in 5A regional competition. Eckert was a first-team All-State honoree in 5A.

Ella Foster, Hayden 

ELLA FOSTER | Hayden

SPORT: Volleyball

Foster, a 5-foot-4 libero, helped lead 33-10 Hayden to a second-place finish in the 2025 Class 4A state volleyball tournament, earning Kansas Volleyball Association All-State Tournament honors. Foster earned first-team All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League recognition and was named to the KVA 4A All-State second team. Foster helped the Wildcats win the 4A state championship in basketball and the 4A-1A state crown in soccer as a senior and was selected to play in the KVA All-Star Match, helping the Red post a 4-1 victory. 

 Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden

IZZY GLOTZBACH | Hayden

SPORT: Golf

A three-time All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Glotzbach tied for fifth in the 2025 Class 4A state tournament with a 36-hole score of 164 (85-79), finished third in the city tournament and fourth in the Centennial League before tying for second in 4A regional competition. Glotzbach, who earned first-team 4A All-State recognition as a senior, helped lead the Wildcats to 4A state team titles as a sophomore and junior and also helped Hayden win a 4A team title in tennis as a junior. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Twenty Shawnee County softball standouts have received All-State recognition from the Kansas Softball Coaches Association, including nine first-team selections.

Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake

Riley Mohler, Silver Lake

State champion Silver Lake is represented on the All-Class 3A first team by senior outfielder Kailyn Hanni, junior pitcher Riley Mohler and sophomore infielder Saylor Liggatt. 

London Backman, Topeka High

Kenslee Young, Topeka High

Henley Rapp, Washburn Rural

Olivia Koch, Washburn Rural

Topeka High, which finished third in 6A, put sophomore infielder London Backman and junior utility/designated player Kenslee Young on the All-6A first team while Centennial League champ Washburn Rural is represented by senior catcher Henley Rapp and junior outfielder Olivia Koch on the first team.

 Aubrey Warren, Seaman

Kenna Perine, Rossville

Seaman senior infielder Aubrey Warren was named to the All-5A first team while Rossville freshman outfielder Kenna Perine was a first-team pick in 2A-1A.

Second-team All-State picks included Topeka High senior Taimane Isaia and juniors Campbell Dawson and Madilyn Poole in 6A, Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves, Seaman junior Acey Thompson and sophomore Lydia Dreher in 5A, Silver Lake senior Taylor Swygert and junior Savanah Wende in 3A and Rossville senior Brooke Springer in 2A-1A.

Shawnee Heights senior Addison Cooper and Hayden junior Emberly Connell received all-state honorable mention.  

ALL-KANSAS SOFTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION ALL-STATE

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Over the coming weeks The Jones Project and A1 Lock&Key will sponsor TopSports.news' series of stories recognizing the top senior Shawnee County athletes from the recently completed 2025-2026 school year.

TSN will name girls and boys finalists for the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the announcement of the girls and boys athletes of the year for all three seasons.

The project will culminate with the announcement of the overall outstanding girls and boys Shawnee County athletes for 2025-2026.

Six Shawnee County girls teams captured state championships in five sports in '25-26, including a Silver Lake sweep of the Class 3A volleyball, basketball and softball crowns, while Hayden won 4A basketball and put together an undefeated 4A-1A run in soccer and Seaman won the 5A bowling championship by a 358-pin margin. 

Washburn Rural's boys won Class 6A team titles in cross country, soccer and baseball while Shawnee Heights won its second 5A state bowling championship in three seasons.

Individually, 10 Shawnee County athletes captured individual state titles, including Washburn Rural senior Cody Spangler in 6A boys bowling, Rural senior Landen Kocher-Munoz in 6A boys wrestling, Seaman senior Brody Anderson in 5A boys track and field and Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves in 5A girls wrestling. 

TSN will also recognize Washburn University female and male athletes of the year for '25-26 after the Ichabods put together a banner season that included a string of NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Next up: The top 10 girls fall finalists. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Hayden, which posted a perfect season on the way to the Class 4A-1A girls state championship this spring, dominates the TopSports.news 2026 All-City girls soccer team.

The Wildcats, who wrapped up the state title with a 1-0 win over Rose Hill, put a city-high four players on the first team while sweeping the individual awards.

Three-time Hayden All-City first-team pick Carsyn Broxterman has been named the city player of the year for 2026. [File photo/TSN]

Hayden freshman Emma Slyter has been named the city soccer newcomer of the year after helping the undefeated Wildcats win the Class 4A-1A state title. [File photo/TSN]

Hayden senior Carsyn Broxterman, a three-time first-team selection, was named the city player of the year while freshman Emma Slyter was tapped for the newcomer of the year honor and Wildcat coach Klaus Kreutzer was selected as the coach of the year.

Joining Broxterman and Slyter on the All-City first team are seniors Reese Huscher and Kellyn Specht.

Washburn Rural senior Dayne Shriver earned first-team All-City soccer honors for the second straight season. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural, which posted a third-place state finish in 6A, put senior repeat pick Dayne Shriver on the first team along with senior Allie Schroeder and sophomore Ellie Vogel.

 Seaman, which earned a share of the championship in the United Kansas Conference, is represented on the All-City team by seniors Ava Huston and Savannah Nelson and junior Julia Molleker.

Topeka West junior Micah Williams is a three-time All-City soccer first-team pick. [File photo/TSN]

Shawnee Heights juniors Nina Bolanos and Brylee Garner both earned first-team berths while Topeka West junior Micah Williams earned her third straight first-team honor in her first season with the Chargers and Cair Paravel Latin senior Kelly Ann Chada rounds out the top team.

ALL-CITY 2026 GIRLS SOCCER

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Twenty city standouts have earned All-State recognition from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association, including eight first-team picks and two players of the year.

Hayden, which posted an undefeated season on the way to the Class 4A-1A girls state championship, put six players on the All-State first team, including senior forward of the year Carsyn Broxterman and senior midfielder of the year Reese Huscher.

Hayden senior Carsyn Broxterman has been named the Class 4A-1A forward of the year by the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association. [File photo/TSN]

Hayden senior Reese Huscher was named the Class 4A-1A midfielder of the year by the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association. [File photo/TSN]

Wildcat coach Klaus Kreutzer was selected as the 4A-1A coach of the year. 

The Wildcats, who wrapped up the state title with a 1-0 win over Rose Hill, also put senior midfielders Grace Funk and Ella Foster on the first team along with senior defender Kellyn Specht and sophomore defender Sawyer Wrench.

 Washburn Rural senior forward Allie Schroeder (14) has been named to the All-6A first team after helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place state finish. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman senior Ava Huston has been named to the All-5A first team by the KHSSCA. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural, which posted a third-place state finish, put senior senior forward Allie Schroeder on the All-6A first team while Seaman senior midfielder Ava Huston was named to the All-5A first team.

Rural senior defenders Dayne Shriver and Emma Wong were named to the All-6A second team along with junior midfielder Emery Hall and sophomore midfielder Ellie Vogel.

Topeka West junior Micah Williams was named to the All-5A second team by the KHSSCA. [File photo/TSN]

Topeka West junior Micah Williams has been named to the All-5A second team along with Seaman senior forward Savannah Nelson and junior forward Julia Molleker.

Cair Paravel Latin senior forward KellyAnn Chada earned second-team All-4A-1A recognition.

Seaman seniors Maya Martin and Parker Ayres received all-state honorable mention in 5A while Cair Paravel seniors Avry Stafford and Hemi Duehring received honorable mention in 4A-1A. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Class 3A state champion Silver Lake put a county-high four players on the 2026 TopSports.news All-Shawnee County softball first team, while Seaman senior Aubrey Warren and Washburn Rural junior Oliva Koch were named the co-players of the year and Rossville freshman Kenna Perine was named the newcomer of the year.

Seaman senior Aubrey Warren has been named the co-Shawnee County softball player of the year. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Olivia Koch has been named the co-Shawnee County softball player of the year for 2026. [File photo/TSN]

 Rossville freshman Kenna Perine has been selected as the 2026 Shawnee County softball newcomer of the year. [File photo/TSN]

Silver Lake, which finished off a 28-4 season with a 4-0 win over Southeast-Saline in the state championship game, is represented on the all-county first team by seniors Kailyn Hanni and Paige Heiman, junior Riley Mohler and sophomore Saylor Liggatt while Eagles coach Nick Hamilton received Shawnee County coach of the year recognition for the third straight season.

Warren was named the United Kansas Conference player of the year for the second straight season while Koch was a repeat pick as the Centennial League player of the year.

London Backman, Topeka High 

Topeka High, which finished third in 6A, is represented on the first team by sophomore London Backman and juniors Campbell Dawson and Kenslee Young while 2A quarterfinalist Rossville put senior Brooke Springer and sophomore Nora Mitchell on the first team.

Joining Koch on the first team for Washburn Rural are senior Henley Rapp and junior Justice McBurney while Warren is joined on the first team by Seaman teammate Lydia Dreher.

Shawnee Heights put seniors Addison Cooper and Cianna Graves on the first team while Hayden is represented by junior Emberly Connell and sophomore Blakely Walter.

Backman, Hanni, Warren, Koch and Rapp are all all-county first-team repeat picks.   

2026 ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY SOFTBALL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural senior player of the year Aidan Newbery headlines the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County baseball team.

Washburn Rural senior catcher Aidan Newbery has been named the Shawnee County Player of the Year after helping lead Rural to the Class 6A state championship. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/TSN]

Newbery, a catcher, helped lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state championship last Saturday in Wichita, Rural's first baseball state championship in 74 years.  

Newbery, who was also named the Centennial League player of the year, is joined on the all-county first team by senior teammates Austin Ditch and Nate Selm and junior Tyler Edmiston while Washburn Rural coach Jay Mastin was named the coach of the year after the Junior Blues posted a 22-9 record, capped by a 4-3 win over Free State in the 6A title game.

Connor Hanika, Hayden

Kade Mitchell, Hayden

Class 4A runnerup Hayden (21-6) is represented on the first team by seniors Connor Hanika, Kade Mitchell and Aiden Roberts and junior Caleb Menke while 5A runnerup Shawnee Heights (21-10) put seniors Brody Cooper and Cayden Lindsay on the all-county team and T-Bird sophomore Gabe Escobar has been tapped as the county newcomer of the year.

Brody Cooper, Shawnee Heights

Silver Lake, the 3A runnerup at 18-12, put senior Drew Womack on the first team while Rossville (25-5), third in 2A-1A, is represented by the senior trio of Jacoby McDonnell, Canann Mitchell and Cameron Miller and Seaman put juniors Axton Brewer and Beau Jessop on the first team.

Brewer, Ditch, Menke, Miller, Canann Mitchell, Kade Mitchell and Selm are all first-team All-Shawnee County repeat picks while Cooper, Edmiston, Hanika, Roberts and Womack move up from the second team and Lindsay received honorable mention last season.

Axton Brewer, Seaman 

Brewer received 5A All-State first-team honors from Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches while Womack was a first-team pick in 3A and Miller and Canann Mitchell earned first-team honors in 2A-1A.

Canann Mitchell, Rossville

Newbery was a second-team pick in 6A, Jessop a second-team selection in 5A, Hanika and Kade Mitchell second team in 4A and McDonnell second team in 2A-1A.

 2026 ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BASEBALL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

State champions Brody Anderson of Seaman, Christian Hartman-Babb of Washburn Rural and Landen Lewis of Rossville headline the 2026 All-Shawnee County boys track and field team.

Brody Anderson posted a state championship and two runnerup finishes in the Class 5A state track meet. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb won the Class 6A state 100 meters title and finished second in the 200. [File photo/TSN] 

Rossville sophomore Landen Lewis won the 2026 Class 2A-1A state title in the javelin. [Submitted photo]

Anderson, a senior, won the Class 5A 800 meters in a 5A meet-record time of 1 minute, 52.08 seconds after finishing second in the 3,200 (9:05.70) and the 1,600 (4:12.48) earlier in the meet.

Junior Hartman-Babb won the 6A 100-meter dash in 10.59 seconds and finished second on a photo-finish in the 200 (21.40) while sophomore Lewis captured the 2A javelin championship at 181-9.

Anderson finished his season as the Shawnee County leader in the 800, the 1,600 (4:08.2 converted from mile) and 3,200 while Hartman-Babb led the county in the 100 (10.36) and 200 and Lewis had a county-best performance of 202-9 in the javelin.

Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe finished second in the Class 6A 1,600 meters in last week's state meet. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe was the 6A runnerup in the 1,600 (4:22.04) while the Silver Lake foursome of senior Thomas Fisher, junior Owen Rottinghaus, senior Joel Miller and senior Braxton Rupp finished second in the 4x100 relay (43.14) and the Eagles' Rottinghaus, Fisher, Miller and sophomore Jake Workman placed third in the 4x400 relay (3:28.56).

Shawnee Heights senior Jason Slay finished third in the 5A 400 (49.51) and teamed with senior Xavier Fisher and juniors Dallas Owens and Mason Haas to place fourth in 4x400 relay (3:25.32).

Anderson, Hartman-Babb, Kehoe, Miller and Rupp are all first-team All-Shawnee County repeat picks along with Seaman junior high-jump state placer Jack Esser and Washburn Rural seniors Draden Chooncharoen and Liam Morrison.   

Chooncharoen and Morrison missed the postseason with injuries, but the two ran on back-to-back 4x400 state-champion relay teams in 2024 and 2025, including a 6A state meet record in '25, while Morrison also won the 300 hurdles in '25. 

Washburn Rural senior Liam Morrison won three Class 6A state titles during his high school career. [File photo/TSN]

Also earning spots on the all-county first team were Rural sophomore Zach Hancock, Rossville junior Charles Chance, Cair Paravel senior Lucas Marichal, Hayden junior Kelton Meier, Highland Park senior Termaine Savage and Washburn Rural junior Cohen Thiessen.

Highland Park senior Termaine Savage earned a Class 5A state medal in the 400-meter dash. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Thiessen, Hancock, Marichal and Savage were state medalists while Meier was a state qualifier.

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY 2026 BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee County girls track and filed athletes came up short in their bids for state titles in the 2026 Kansas Track and Field Championships last weekend in Wichita, but the local contingent still had plenty to celebrate, including multiple top-three finishes and 13 total top-eight medal showings in four classes overall.

Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray finished second in the Class 6A javelin event for the second straight season. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]

Hayden junior Sofia Harper was the Class 4A runnerup in the 400-meter dash. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray was the state runnerup in the Class 6A javelin at 145 feet, 1 inch, while Hayden junior Sofia Harper finished second in the 4A 400-meter dash while posting a top time of 58.83.

Washburn Rural junior Kailyn Petersen placed fourth in the Class 6A discus for the second straight season. [File photo/TSN]

Silver Lake junior Ali Gerber was a double medalist in the Class 3A state track meet. [File photo/TSN]

Silver Lake senior multi-sport star Kailyn Hanni posted a third-place finish in the 3A javelin (129-7) while Washburn Rural junior repeat 6A medalist Kailyn Petersen was fourth in the discus (133-2), Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres was fourth in the 5A high jump (5-foot-2) and Silver Lake junior Ali Gerber finished fourth in the 3A 400 (58.75) while also teaming with Eagle teammates Kinley Weber, Jaylie Whitehead and Karys Deiter to place fifth in the 4x400-meter relay (4:09.64).

Washburn Rural freshman Alyson Hinck (3) earned a pair of Class 6A state medals in her first state track meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural freshman Alyson Hinck posted a fifth-place finish in the 6A 800 (2:18.43) while Shawnee Heights freshman Tanesia Johnson earned medals with sixth-place finishes in both the 5A 100 and 200-meter dashes. 

Washburn Rural's Ray and Petersen and senior state medalists Emily Graf and Kenzie Maddox are all all-county repeat picks along with Seaman juniors Kinley Robinson and Brynn Spencer, Topeka High senior Keimara Marshall and Silver Lake's Gerber and Deiter.

Also earning spots on the first team are Hayden junior Alana Mitchell, Silver Lake junior Addy Just and Washburn Rural freshman Clara Dillon, who all earned state medals, along with seniors Jurnee Cole of Highland Park, Jayana Washington of Topeka High and Journey Manhart of Silver Lake. 

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY 2026 GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Twelve Shawnee County baseball players and one coach have received All-State recognition from the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches.

Leading the county contingent are first-team selections Axton Brewer of Seaman in Class 5A, Drew Womack of Silver Lake in 3A and Cameron Miller of Rossville and Canann Mitchell in 2A-1A, while Bulldawg coach Kenny Swart was named the 2A-1A state coach of the year.

Brewer was an All-5A first-team pick as the utility player while Womack was the All-3A first-team first baseman and Miller was an All-2A-1A first-team pitcher and Mitchell a first-team infielder.

Womack helped lead Silver Lake to a runnerup finish in 3A while Miller and Mitchell helped Rossville finish third in 2A-1A.

Class 6A state champion Washburn Rural put senior catcher Aidan Newbery on the All-6A second team while Junior Blues junior Tyler Edmiston received All-6A honorable mention.

Seaman junior Beau Jessop was named to the All-5A second team as a middle infielder.

Hayden, the 4A runnerup, put senior pitcher Connor Hanika and senior outfielder Kade Mitchell on the All-4A second team while junior Caleb Menke received honorable mention at third base.

Rossville senior outfielder Jakoby McDonnell was a second-team All-2A-1A pick and junior pitcher Cael Horgan received honorable mention.

Swart was named the 2A-1A coach of the year after leading the Bulldawgs to a 25-5 record and the third-place state finish.

KANSAS ASSOCIATION OF BASEBALL COACHES

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Five city baseball players earned All-United Kansas Conference first-team honors, led by Shawnee Heights senior pitcher of the year Brody Cooper.

Shawnee Heights senior pitcher Brody Cooper has been named the UKC pitcher of the year by conference coaches. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]

Cooper, a first-team All-UKC repeat pick, helped lead the T-Birds to a runnerup finish in the Class 5A state tournament.

Cooper is joined on the all-conference first team by Heights senior outfielder Cayden Lindsay while Seaman is represented on the first team by junior designated hitter Axton Brewer, junior infielder Beau Jessop and senior utility player Cale Rosenberger.

Brewer is a first-team repeat pick.

Shawnee Heights (21-10) put sophomore utility player Gabe Escobar, senior infielder Cambren Floberg and senior outfielder Michael Lilly on the All-UKC second team while six Heights, Seaman and Topeka West players received honorable mention.

ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE BASEBALL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

City schools Seaman and Shawnee Heights combined to put seven players on the 2026 All-United Kansas Conference softball team, led by Seaman senior infielder Aubrey Warren of Seaman, who was named the conference player of the year for the second straight season.

Seaman senior infielder Aubrey Warren has been named the United Kansas Conference player of the year by conference coaches for the second straight season. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman is represented on the first team by Warren, sophomore pitcher Lydia Dreher, junior outfielder Acey Thompson and senior designated player Addison Sibley, while Shawnee Heights is represented on the first team by senior outfielder Addison Cooper, a repeat first-team selection, senior catcher Cianna Graves and senior infielder Jaidyn Euwer. 

Seaman put junior infielder Lauren Glasgow, senior outfielder Kinsley Smith, sophomore utility player Easton Beightel and senior designated player Lilly Rumsey on the second team while Topeka West is represented on the second team by sophomore Kendall Munoz.  

Topeka West seniors Addaline Hall and Isabelle Kutina and Seaman junior Natalee Simpson received honorable mention.

ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE SOFTBALL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Eight city soccer players earned All-United Kansas Conference first-team recognition, led by Seaman co-player of the year Ava Huston, a senior midfielder.

Seaman senior midfielder Ava Huston has been named the UKC co-soccer player of the year after helping lead the Vikings to a share of the conference title. [File photo/TSN]

UKC co-champion Seaman also put senior defender Parker Ayres, senior forward Savannah Nelson and junior forward Julia Molleker on the first team while Viking coach Kyle Seevers was voted UKC coach of the year.

Shawnee Heights is represented on the first team by senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Mertel, junior defender Brylee Garner and junior midfielder Nina Bolanos.

Topeka West junior forward Micah Williams earned first-team honors in her first season in the UKC after transferring from Highland Park.

Five city players were named to the All-UKC second team and two received honorable mention.  

ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE SOCCER

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

GIRLS

100 METERS

Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights        12.27

Ciera Hartz, Topeka High                        12.51

Keimara Marshall, Topeka High              12.57

Karys Deiter, Silver Lake                         12.59

Jurnee Cole, Highland Park                    12.63

200 METERS

Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights        25.13

Jurnee Cole, Highland Park                    26.04

Sofia Harper, Hayden                             26.40

Ciera Hartz, Topeka High                       26.48

Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake                 26.72

Ali Gerber, Silver Lake

400 METERS

Ali Gerber, Silver Lake                            58.48

Sofia Harper, Hayden                             58.83

Keimara Marshall, Topeka High             59.07

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural               60.13

Julia Molleker, Seaman                           61.88

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural (3)

800 METERS

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural         2:16.83

Kinley Robinson, Seaman                 2:20.45

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural              2:20.86

Ryin Miller, Seaman                          2:23.65 

Itzel Woods, Topeka High                 2:31.24

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural

1,600 METERS

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural              5:13.49

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural          5:14.04

Brynn Spencer, Seaman                    5:15.09

Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural      5:17.54

Kinley Robinson, Seaman                  5:22.98

3,200 METERS

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural                11:06.46

Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural        11:18.10

Brynn Spencer, Seaman                      11:27.63

Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural       11:34.94

Lily McCoy, Washburn Rural                14:09.97 

100-METER HURDLES

Karys Deiter, Silver Lake                      15.70

Rylee Dick, Rossville                            16.44

Marchayla White, Topeka High           17.74

Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural      18.14

Kaylyn Smith, Topeka West                 18.23

300-METER HURDLES

Rylee Dick, Rossville                           50.00

Marchayla White, Topeka High          51.34

Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural     51.60

Journey Manhart, Silver Lake             53.33

Avery Villines, Seaman                       54.18

4x100-METER RELAY

Topeka High                                        49.60

Silver Lake                                           49.63

Washburn Rural                                   50.53

Seaman                                                51.42

Topeka West                                        52.33

4x400-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                  4:06.84

Silver Lake                                          4:07.17

Topeka High                                       4:10.27

Seaman                                               4:11.72

Topeka West                                       4:26.38

4x800-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                     9:58.99 

Topeka High                                        10:39.23

Seaman                                                11:17.22

Silver Lake                                            11:18.38

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

BOYS

100 METERS

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural  10.36

Malachi Murph, Topeka High                      10.91

Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake                            10.96

Emmitt Hochstedler, Seaman                       10.98

Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural                 11.02

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural

200 METERS

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural    21.40

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural                    22.30

Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West                        22.34

Joel Miller, Silver Lake                                    22.59

Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High                               22.60

400 METERS

Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights                         48.85

Termaine Savage, Highland Park                    49.89

Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural       50.25

Joel Miller, Silver Lake                                    50.68

Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake                              51.28

Brody Anderson, Seaman

800 METERS

Brody Anderson, Seaman                       1:52.08

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural              1:56.64

Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural           1:56.96

Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights               2:02.62

Everett Un, Washburn Rural                    2:03.26

1,600 METERS

Brody Anderson, Seaman                          4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural                 4:20.32

Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural              4:24.35

Nick Newkirk, Hayden                                4:27.18

Duke Graf, Washburn Rural                        4:32.87

3,200 METERS

Brody Anderson, Seaman                          9:05.70

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural                 9:23.61

Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural               9:24.34

Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural                9:42.46

Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural                   9:42.94

110-METER HURDLES

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural                  14.07

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural   15.31

Isiah Pennington, Seaman                            15.49

Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park                   15.54

De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High                      15.85

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural

300-METER HURDLES

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural                    37.61

Isiah Pennington, Seaman                              41.72

Jackson Tuckwin, Washburn Rural                 42.01

Kellan Parcaro, Seaman                                  42.03

Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park                     42.09

4x100-METER RELAY

Topeka High                                                    42.20

Washburn Rural                                               42.77

Highland Park                                                  42.80

Silver Lake                                                        42.95

Seaman                                                            43.03

4x400-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                            3:21.82

Shawnee Heights                                          3:21.91

Silver Lake                                                     3:28.28

Highland Park                                                3:28.48

Topeka West                                                  3:29.56

4x800-METER RELAY

Seaman                                                         8:16.32

Washburn Rural                                            8:16.60

Shawnee Heights                                          8:24.81

Silver Lake                                                     8:35.28

Topeka High                                                  9:09.82

HIGH JUMP

Jack Esser, Seaman                                      6-4

Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake                          6-0

Archer Greene, Seaman                              5-10

Creighton Frisby, Washburn Rural              5-8

Sebastian Kingcade, Washburn Rural          5-8

Cody Quy, Seaman                                      5-8

POLE VAULT

Keygan Breault, Silver Lake                       12-0

Sam Bruntz, Silver Lake                            11-6

Luke Deering, Washburn Rural                 11-6

Sawyer Hermesch, Silver Lake                  10-0

Desmond Grindol, Washburn Rural          10-0

LONG JUMP

Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park                  21-2.25

Josh Brown, Seaman                                   21-0.50

Owen Rottinghaus, Silver Lake                    21-0

Joel Miller, Silver Lake                                 20-8

Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS             20-7.25

TRIPLE JUMP

Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS            42-9.25

Cody Quy, Seaman                                     42-8.50

Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake                         42-2.50

Camden Kruger, Silver Lake                       41-7.75

Abe Heffley, Seaman                                  40-5.25

SHOT PUT

Charles Chance, Rossville                            50-5

Amir Bass, Shawnee Heights                       48-4.25

Sam Scott, Washburn Rural                         47-7

Adrian Shuler, Shawnee Heights                 46-7

Kelton Meier, Hayden                                  46-2,50

DISCUS

Zachary Hancock, Washburn Rural               163-4

Myles Fisher, Silver Lake                               158-3

Sam Garner, Shawnee Heights                     156-4

Adam Humphrey, Topeka High                    148-8

Kelton Meier, Hayden                                   142-10

JAVELIN 

Landon Lewis, Rossville                                 202-9

Kelton Meier, Hayden                                   196-6

Jackson Haas, Hayden                                   175-11

Andre Johnson, Rossville                               170-5

Dylan Tjachman, Washburn Rural                 169-11

The 2026 All-Shawnee County boys golf team: From left -- Evan Michalski, Seaman; Chase Hastert, Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin; Caleb Cleverdon, Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin; Peyton Goehring, Washburn Rural; Higgins Hawks, Washburn Rural; Michael Wilson, Washburn Rural; Wyatt Dean, Washburn Rural. Not pictured: Jack Donovan, Rossville. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Eight state qualifiers, including three state medalists and four members of a Washburn Rural team that won its 16th straight city championship, comprise the 2026 All-Shawnee County boys golf team. 

Caleb Cleverdon, who competed for Cair Paravel Latin in the postseason and Topeka High in the regular season, finished a county-high second in last week's Class 2A state tournament while Rossville senior Jack Donovan, a three-time all-county first-team selection and four-time state medalist, finished fifth in 2A and CPLS sophomore Chase Hastert placed 17th.  

Washburn Rural, which won its 16th straight city team championship, is represented on the All-Shawnee County team by senior repeat pick Higgins Hawks, senior city champion Peyton Goehring, senior Michael Wilson and sophomore Wyatt Dean.

Rounding out the first team is Seaman senior Evan Michalski, a 5A individual qualifier with a tie for sixth place at regionals after tying for fourth in the United Kansas Conference tournament. 

All-Shawnee County capsules:

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

WICHITA -- The 2026 state track and field championships began early on Friday morning in and around Crossland Stadium, formerly known as Cessna Stadium, on the campus of Wichita State University.

The morning session included Class 4A, 5A and 6A competing in preliminaries along with a few finals in the 3,200 meter run and various field events.

The morning began with the finals in the 3,200 meter races in 4A, 5A and 6A. There were also several field events where local athletes competed going on throughout the first session of the day.

Seaman senior Brody Anderson began his three-event state meet bid with a runnerup finish in Friday's Class 5A 3,200-meter run. [File photo/TSN]

The 5A boys race saw Seaman senior Brody Anderson locked in another battle with fellow senior Daniel Enriquez of Kapaun Mt. Carmel.

Enriquez was able to pull away over the last two laps to win the race in a meet-record- breaking time of 8 minutes, 59.18 seconds. Anderson ran a personal best of 9:05.70, only three-10ths of a second off the meet record as well.

Anderson commented on his second-place finish and the outstanding move by Enriquez late in the race.

“I knew the move was coming, especially if I took it out early,'' Anderson said. "I felt really comfortable over the first six laps, then I felt him making his move. Once he passed me, he was full speed, props to him, he’s a great runner.

"It was a great race and better than I could have ever expected -- running a personal best by six seconds in only my sixth 3,200 of my life.”

Anderson is now looking forward to the two races against Enriquez that will take place on Saturday -- the 1.600 and 800 meter races.

Other local results:

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

WICHITA -- The final day of the 2026 Kansas state track and field championships got underway on Saturday morning with the final track preliminary races as the 100 meters started at 8:30 a.m. on the campus of Wichita State University and due to two lengthy weather-related suspensions, the meet finally concluded around 11 p.m. Saturday night.

The marathon final day of competition produced three local boys state champions, with Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb winning the Class 6A 100-meter dash, Seaman senior Brody Anderson winning the 5A 800 and Rossville sophomore Landen Lewis earning the title in the 2A javelin.

Seaman senior Brody Anderson ended his high school career with the Class 5A state 800 meters championship Saturday night in Wichita. [File photo/TSN] 

Anderson capped his outstanding track and cross country career for the Vikings with his first career state title after finishing second to Kapaun Mt. Carmel star Daniel Enriquez in the 3,200 and 1,600 earlier in the weekend.

After finishing finished second in the 3,200 meters Friday morning, Anderson finished second to Enriquez again in the 5A boys 1,600 meters with a time of 4 minutes,12.48 seconds. 

Following Saturday's first weather delay, the duo faced one another again in the 800 meters.

In a race where 15 of the 18 runners had qualifying times under two minutes, the competition was going to be at a high level.

Anderson didn’t go immediately to the lead and after the first 400 meters, sitting in fifth place.

“I went into the race trying to play it tactical to see how the field spread out before I made my move, rather than taking the race from the lead like I did in the 3,200 and 1,600 races,'' Anderson said. "After 400 meters, I was trapped against the rail, but I found a gap and took off and never looked back.”

He came all the way back and won the race in a personal best time of 1:52.08, finishing ahead of junior Nathan Webb of Valley Center (1:52.78) and Enriquez (1:52.99).

All three of the runners broke the state meet record in 5A, but it will be Anderson’s name that goes into the record books.

“It feels amazing to wrap up the last race of my high school career with a victory and state title,'' Anderson said. "I’m so grateful for all of my coaches and family that helped me reach this point.”

Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb won the Class 6A 100-meter dash and finished second in the 200 Saturday in Wichita. [File photo/TSN]

Hartman-Babb was the first local state champion with his victory in the 6A boys 100 meters. 

He finished the final in a winning time of 10.59 seconds after qualifying early on Saturday morning with a time of 10.63.

Hartman-Babb returned later after the first weather delay for the 6A boys 200 race, where he finished second to senior Nicolas Cabral of Olathe East by only 0.003 seconds (21.397 to 21.400).

The third local state champ was Rossville's Lewis, who won the 2A javelin title with a throw of 181 feet, 9 inches.

His championship throw came on his fourth attempt, which was 18 feet further than any of his other attempts during the competition.

Lewis had a long wait for his title, with the 2A event originally scheduled for Friday evening before being pushed back to Saturday by weather. Then the event was delayed further by Saturday's inclement weather before finally being contested.

Saturday's other Shawnee County medalists:

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Coaches should designate whether times were fully automatic (FAT) or hand-timed. FAT times are considered .024 of a second faster than hand times. TopSports.news will rank the Top 5 in each event.

BOYS

100 METERS

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural  10.36

Malachi Murph, Topeka High                      10.91

Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake                            10.96

Emmitt Hochstedler, Seaman                       10.98

Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural                 11.02

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural

200 METERS

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural    21.78

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural                    22.30

Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West                        22.34

Joel Miller, Silver Lake                                    22.59

Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High                               22.60

400 METERS

Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights                         48.85

Termaine Savage, Highland Park                    49.89

Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural       50.25

Joel Miller, Silver Lake                                    50.94

Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake                              51.28

Brody Anderson, Seaman

800 METERS

Brody Anderson, Seaman                       1:53.34

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural              1:56.64

Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural           1:58.65

Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights               2:02.62

Everett Un, Washburn Rural                    2:03.26

1,600 METERS

Brody Anderson, Seaman                          4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural                 4:20.32

Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural              4:24.35

Nick Newkirk, Hayden                                4:27.18

Duke Graf, Washburn Rural                        4:32.87

3,200 METERS

Brody Anderson, Seaman                          9:11.63

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural                 9:23.61

Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural               9:24.34

Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural                9:42.46

Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural                   9:42.94

110-METER HURDLES

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural                  14.07

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural   15.31

Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park                   15.54

Isiah Pennington, Seaman                            15.53

De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High                      15.85

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural

300-METER HURDLES

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural                    37.61

Jackson Tuckwin, Washburn Rural                 42.01

Kellan Parcaro, Seaman                                  42.03

Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park                     42.09

Isiah Pennington, Seaman                              43.26

4x100-METER RELAY

Topeka High                                                    42.20

Washburn Rural                                               42.77

Highland Park                                                  42.80

Seaman                                                            43.03

Silver Lake                                                        43.28

4x400-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                            3:21.82

Shawnee Heights                                          3:21.91

Silver Lake                                                     3:28.28

Highland Park                                                3:28.48

Topeka West                                                  3:29.56

4x800-METER RELAY

Seaman                                                         8:16.32

Washburn Rural                                            8:16.60

Shawnee Heights                                          8:24.81

Silver Lake                                                     8:35.28

Topeka High                                                  9:09.82

HIGH JUMP

Jack Esser, Seaman                                      6-4

Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake                          6-0

Archer Greene, Seaman                              5-10

Creighton Frisby, Washburn Rural              5-8

Sebastian Kingcade, Washburn Rural          5-8

Cody Quy, Seaman                                      5-8

POLE VAULT

Keygan Breault, Silver Lake                       12-0

Sam Bruntz, Silver Lake                            11-6

Luke Deering, Washburn Rural                 11-6

Sawyer Hermesch, Silver Lake                  10-0

Desmond Grindol, Washburn Rural          10-0

LONG JUMP

Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park                  21-2.25

Josh Brown, Seaman                                   21-0.50

Owen Rottinghaus, Silver Lake                    21-0

Joel Miller, Silver Lake                                 20-8

Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS             20-7.25

TRIPLE JUMP

Cody Quy, Seaman                                     42-8.50

Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS            42-3.25

Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake                         42-2.50

Camden Kruger, Silver Lake                       41-7.75

Abe Heffley, Seaman                                  40-5.25

SHOT PUT

Charles Chance, Rossville                            50-5

Amir Bass, Shawnee Heights                       48-4.25

Sam Scott, Washburn Rural                         47-7

Adrian Shuler, Shawnee Heights                 46-7

Kelton Meier, Hayden                                  46-2,50

DISCUS

Zachary Hancock, Washburn Rural               163-4

Myles Fisher, Silver Lake                               158-3

Sam Garner, Shawnee Heights                     156-4

Adam Humphrey, Topeka High                    148-8

Kelton Meier, Hayden                                   142-10

JAVELIN 

Landon Lewis, Rossville                                 202-9

Kelton Meier, Hayden                                   196-6

Jackson Haas, Hayden                                   175-11

Dylan Tjachman, Washburn Rural                 169-11

Andre Johnson, Rossville                               170-5

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Coaches should designate whether times were fully automatic (FAT) or hand-timed. FAT times are considered .024 of a second faster than hand times. TopSports.news will rank the Top 5 in each event.

GIRLS

100 METERS

Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights        12.27

Ciera Hartz, Topeka High                        12.51

Keimara Marshall, Topeka High              12.57

Karys Deiter, Silver Lake                         12.59

Jurnee Cole, Highland Park                    12.63

200 METERS

Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights        25.41

Jurnee Cole, Highland Park                    26.04

Sofia Harper, Hayden                             26.40

Ciera Hartz, Topeka High                       26.48

Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake                 26.72

400 METERS

Keimara Marshall, Topeka High             59.07

Ali Gerber, Silver Lake                            59.19

Sofia Harper, Hayden                             59.44

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural               60.13

Julia Molleker, Seaman                           61.88

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural (3)

800 METERS

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural         2:16.83

Kinley Robinson, Seaman                 2:20.45

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural              2:20.86

Ryin Miller, Seaman                          2:23.65 

Itzel Woods, Topeka High                 2:31.24

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural

1,600 METERS

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural              5:13.49

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural          5:14.04

Brynn Spencer, Seaman                    5:15.09

Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural      5:17.54

Kinley Robinson, Seaman                  5:22.98

3,200 METERS

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural                11:06.46

Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural        11:18.10

Brynn Spencer, Seaman                      11:27.63

Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural       11:34.94

Lily McCoy, Washburn Rural                14:09.97 

100-METER HURDLES

Karys Deiter, Silver Lake                      15.70

Rylee Dick, Rossville                            16.44

Marchayla White, Topeka High           17.74

Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural      18.14

Kaylyn Smith, Topeka West                 18.23

300-METER HURDLES

Rylee Dick, Rossville                           50.00

Marchayla White, Topeka High          51.34

Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural     51.60

Journey Manhart, Silver Lake             53.33

Avery Villines, Seaman                       54.18

4x100-METER RELAY

Topeka High                                        49.60

Silver Lake                                           50.29

Washburn Rural                                   50.53

Seaman                                                51.42

Topeka West                                        52.33

4x400-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                  4:06.84

Silver Lake                                          4:07.17

Topeka High                                       4:10.27

Seaman                                               4:11.72

Topeka West                                       4:26.38

4x800-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                     9:58.99 

Topeka High                                        10:39.23

Seaman                                                11:17.22

Silver Lake                                            11:18.38

9By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Sixty-seven individual qualifiers in 83 events are set to represent Shawnee County in Friday and Saturday's state track and field championships in and around Wichita State's Cessna Stadium while county teams are also qualified to compete in 19 total relays.

Big-school 3,200-meter runs as well as field event competition are scheduled to get under way at 7:45 a.m. Friday, followed by preliminaties in Class 6A, 5A, 4A.

Competition will resume on Saturday, with field events at 8 a.m. and running events at 8:30.

Shawnee County athletes to watch: 

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural

• Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb swept the 100 and 200-meter titles in last Friday's Class 6A regional and ran the leadoff leg on the Junior Blues' winning 4x400-meter relay team.

Hartman-Babb recorded 6A fastest 100 regional time (10.36 seconds) and tied for the fastest time in the 200 (21.83).

Brody Anderson, Seaman

• Seaman senior Brody Anderson finished third in the Class 5A 800 meters last season and is qualified in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 this weekend.

Anderson is likely to go head to head with Kapaun Mt. Carmel star Daniel Enriquez in all three events and is ranked No. 2 based on regional times in the 1,600 (4:15.23), fifth in the 800 (1:55.12) and eighth in the 3,200 (9:29.78).

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural

• Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe helped lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state cross country championship last fall and won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in last Friday's regional meet.

Kehoe is ranked No. 10 in the 1,600 (4:26.88) and No. 12 (9:52.39) in the 3,200 based on regional performances.

Morgan Ray, Washburn Rural

• Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray placed second in the Class 6A girls javelin a season ago and is expected to challenge for the title again this weekend.

Ray captured the regional championship in her specialty with a throw of 141 feet, 6 inches and is ranked third in 6A based on regional throws.

• Shawnee Heights freshman girls sprinter Tanesia Johnson has been a star since she stepped on Heights' campus and is expected to be a factor in the 100 and 200 this weekend.

Johnson ranks No. 4 in 5A in the 100 (12.34) and 200 (25.41) based on regional times.

• Rossville's Landen Lewis and Hayden's Kelton Meier are expected to contend for state boys javelin titles this weekend.

Lewis is the No. 1 Class 2A thrower in the state at 181-8 based on regional performances while Meier ranks No. 2 in 4A at 190-7.  

SHAWNEE COUNTY STATE TRACK AND FIELD QUALIFIERS

BOYS

Class 6A

Topeka High -- Adam Humphrey (discus), De'sean Lunkins (110 hurdles), Malachi Murph (100), 4x100 relay. 

Washburn Rural -- Jaxson Adams (3,200), Christian Hartman-Babb (100, 200), Zachary Hancock (discus), Brooks Kehoe (1,600, 3,200), Sam Scott (shot put), Dylan Tajchman (javelin), Cohen Thiessen (800, 1,600), 4x400 relay, 4x800 relay.

Class 5A

Highland Park -- Termaine Savage (400), 4x100 relay.

The 2026 All-City girls swimming and diving team -- Front, from left: Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden; Riley Strother, Seaman; Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High; Rhiannon Good, Washburn Rural; Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights. Back, from left: Avery Skinner, Topeka High; Megan Strobel, Seaman; Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights; Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural; Ava Von Lintel, Wasnburn Rural; Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural senior Rhiannon Good, a two-time Class 6A state diving medalist, and senior 16-time city and Centennial League individual champion Audrey Appuhn headline the 2026 All-City girls swimming and diving team.

Good returned from ACL surgery late in the season to post her second straight top-five finish in the 6A state meet while Appuhn, a multi-time state medalist capped her oustanding career by finishing eight of eight in career individual races in both the city and Centennial League meets.

Rural, which won its 23nd straight city title, put a city-high four swimmers on the All-City first team, which is determined by performances in the city meet.

Washburn Rural put Appuhn, Good and senior repeat picks Sophie Heinen and Ava Von Lintel on the first team while Topeka High senior Hara Del Castillo joins Appuhn as a four-time All-City first-team pick.

Shawnee Heights is represented on the All-City first team by junior repeat picks Kaitlyn Aldridge and Clara Sobba while Seaman is represented by senior Megan Strobel and sophomore Riley Strother after the Vikings finished second as a team in the city meet.

Junior Kaelyn Gerdel, a two-time city and Centennial League champ, represents Hayden on the All-City first team while Topeka High freshman city champ Avery Skinner joins Del Castillo on the first team.

All-City first-team capsules:

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

Topeka West served as the host of a Class 5A track and field regional track and field meet on Friday at Hummer Sports Park, with city schools Seaman and Topeka West both competing.

The top three qualifiers of each event advanced to the 2026 state meet next Friday and Saturday (May 29-30) at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium. The remaining qualifiers will be the six best qualifiers from across the state's four regionals.

Seaman junior Jack Esser began the meet by winning the boys high jump by clearing 6-foot-4. 

Topeka West's Jayden Lindsey won a Class 5A regional title in the 200-meter dash Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [File photo/TSN]

The city contingent had one other regional champion, with Topeka West senior Jayden Lindsey winning the boys 200-meter dash in a personal-best time of 22.34,

where seven of the eight runners all finished within the 22-second window.

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer qualified for the Class 5A state meet in both the 1,600 and 3,200. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer qualified for the state meet in a pair of girls distance events.

In the girls 1,600 meters, Spencer finished third in a personal best of 5:15.09.

“I knew all the times were close going in and I was pretty nervous going through the day, but I was trying to make the most of it,'' Spencer said. "I wanted to get out fast and get a lead on the ones behind me and stick with the ones in front of me. I think I executed pretty well and stayed focused.”

In the 3,200 meter race, Spencer also finished third in a time of 11:28.99.

Her strategy was a little different in the 3,00 race.

“I knew the times were going to be more spread out, so my main goal was to run a fast time and not worry too much about the placement,'' Spencer said. "I knew the two girls in front of me were going to get out and go, so I wanted to make sure I kept a lead over the girl behind me.”

Seaman senior Brody Anderson followed up his three race sweep at the United Kansas Conference with three qualifying times in the boys 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter races.

His first event of the day, the 1,600 meters, he finished second with a time of 4:15.23, just two-hundredths of a second behind winner Daniel Enriquez of Wichita’s Kapaun Mt. Carmel (4:15.21).

“The race was smooth and at the end I wanted to save a bit for the 800 and qualify,” Anderson said.

The 800 meters was a highly contested race, with four runners going under two minutes. Anderson finished in third with a time of 1:55.12.

“The 800 felt super smooth and in the last 100 meters, I let those guys go (the top two finishers) knowing I had eight more laps to run (in the 3,200 meters),” Anderson said.

His final event of the meet was the 3,200 meters, where he also placed third in a time of 9:29.78.

“It was matter of hanging on as I was hurting the last couple of laps after the long day,'' Anderson said. "This was just my second time running in three events in one meet, so I was pleased to qualify in three events next week.''

Anderson will have an advantage next week by not having to run all three events on the same day. The 3,200 will take place on Friday morning with the remaining two events happening on Saturday.

Friday's morning session will have the preliminaries for classes 4A-6A and will begin with the finals of the 3,200 at 7:45 a.m.

The afternoon session will begin at 2:10 with the preliminaries for classes 1A-3A with the final event of the day, the 3,200 meter finals, starting at 7:00 p.m.

Championship Saturday will begin with the preliminaries of the 100 meter dash at 8:30 a.m. and conclude with the 4x400 relays at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Other city qualifiers:

• Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres finished second in the girls high jump with a clearance of 5-2.

• The Seaman boys 4x800 relay team -- Gage Geiger, Drake Spurlock, Conner Bloom and Trindon Jones -- qualified for the state meet by finishing fourth in a season best time of 8:16.32.
• Sophomore Alyssa Babcock of Topeka West finished third in the girls discus with a personal best throw of 114-0
• The girls 4x400 relay team from Seaman -- Brynn Scheid, Kinley Robinson, Jemah Cebulski and Julia Molleker -- qualified for the state meet by finishing third in a time of 4:11.72.

CLASS 5A REGIONAL TRACK & FIELD

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Brody Anderson 

BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman

A senior track star, Anderson posted a distance triple in Thursday's United Kansas Conference meet at Turner. Anderson won the 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 30.93 seconds, the 800 in a personal-record time of 1:53.34 and finished his night wiith a victory in the 3,200 in 9:48.57.   

Audrey Appuhn

AUDREY APPUHN, Washburn Rural

Appuhn, a senior, closed out her competitive swimming career with a pair of individual wins in the Centennial League meet Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, giving her eight career individual league titles in eight attempts. Appuhn won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 19.72  seconds and the 100 backstroke in 1:02.29 while also teaming with Ava Von Lintel, Stella Berry and Sophie Heinen to win the 400 free relay (4:20.55).

Caleb Cleverdon

CALEB CLEVERDON, Cair Paravel Latin

A senior golfer, Cleverdon took a four-stroke individual victory with a 73 in the Flint Hills League tournament, leading the Lions to a 32-stroke victory (338-372) over Lyndon in the team standings. Cleverdon followed that up with a runnerup finish in Monday's Class 2A regional, shooting a 71 to tie for the championship and losing in a playoff. Cleverdon led the Lions to a state berth with a second-place team finish. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Coaches should designate whether times were fully automatic (FAT) or hand-timed. FAT times are considered .024 of a second faster than hand times. TopSports.news will rank the Top 5 in each event.

GIRLS

100 METERS

Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights        12.27

Keimara Marshall, Topeka High              12.57

Karys Deiter, Silver Lake                         12.59

Jurnee Cole, Highland Park                    12.66

Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural              12.75

200 METERS

Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights        25.83

Jurnee Cole, Highland Park                    26.04

Ciera Hartz, Topeka High                       26.48

Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake                 26.72

Karys Deiter, Silver Lake                         26.82

Keimara Marshall, Topeka High

400 METERS

Keimara Marshall, Topeka High             59.07

Ali Gerber, Silver Lake                            59.19

Sofia Harper, Hayden                             59.44

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural               60.13

Julia Molleker, Seaman                           61.88

800 METERS

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural              2:20.86

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural         2:21.50

Kinley Robinson, Seaman                 2:23.63

Ryin Miller, Seaman                         2:23.65 

Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural            2:33.45

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural

1,600 METERS

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural              5:13.49

Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural          5:14.04

Brynn Spencer, Seaman                    5:15.78

Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural      5:17.54

Kinley Robinson, Seaman                  5:22.98

3,200 METERS

Emily Graf, Washburn Rural                11:06.46

Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural        11:18.36

Brynn Spencer, Seaman                      11:27.63

Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural       11:34.94

Lily McCoy, Washburn Rural                14:09.97 

100-METER HURDLES

Karys Deiter, Silver Lake                      15.70

Rylee Dick, Rossville                            16.44

Marchayla White, Topeka High           17.74

Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural      18.14

Kaylyn Smith, Topeka West                 18.23

300-METER HURDLES

Rylee Dick, Rossville                           50.00

Marchayla White, Topeka High          51.34

Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural     51.60

Journey Manhart, Silver Lake             53.33

Avery Villines, Seaman                       54.18

4x100-METER RELAY

Topeka High                                        49.60

Silver Lake                                           50.29

Washburn Rural                                   50.55

Seaman                                                51.63

Topeka West                                        52.33

4x400-METER RELAY

Silver Lake                                          4:09.56

Topeka High                                       4:10.27

Washburn Rural                                  4:11.18

Seaman                                               4:20.94

Topeka West                                       4:26.38

4x800-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                  10:12.53 

Topeka High                                        10:39.23

Seaman                                                11:17.22

Silver Lake                                            11:18.38

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Coaches should designate whether times were fully automatic (FAT) or hand-timed. FAT times are considered .024 of a second faster than hand times. TopSports.news will rank the Top 5 in each event.

BOYS

100 METERS

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural  10.43

Malachi Murph, Topeka High                      10.91

Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake                            10.96

Emmitt Hochstedler, Seaman                       10.98

Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural                 11.02

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural

200 METERS

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural    21.78

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural                    22.30

Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West                        22.38

Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High                               22.60

Joel Miller, Silver Lake                                    22.65

400 METERS

Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights                         49.89

Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural       50.25

Termaine Savage, Highland Park                    50.61

Joel Miller, Silver Lake                                    50.94

Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake                              51.28

Brody Anderson, Seaman

800 METERS

Brody Anderson, Seaman                       1:53.34

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural              1:56.64

Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural           1:59.79

Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights               2:02.62

Everett Un, Washburn Rural                    2:03.26

1,600 METERS

Brody Anderson, Seaman                          4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural                 4:20.32

Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural              4:24.35

Nick Newkirk, Hayden                                4:27.18

Duke Graf, Washburn Rural                        4:32.87

3,200 METERS

Brody Anderson, Seaman                          9:11.63

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural                 9:23.61

Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural               9:24.34

Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural                9:42.46

Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural                   9:42.94

110-METER HURDLES

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural                  14.07

Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural   15.31

Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park                   15.54

Isiah Pennington, Seaman                            15.71

De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High                      15.85

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural

300-METER HURDLES

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural                    37.61

Kellan Parcaro, Seaman                                  42.03

Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park                     42.09

Isiah Pennington, Seaman                              43.26

Colin Miller, Silver Lake                                  43.41

4x100-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                               42.77

Topeka High                                                    42.90

Seaman                                                            43.27

Silver Lake                                                        43.28

Topeka High                                                     43.52

4x400-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                            3:21.82

Shawnee Heights                                          3:23.24

Silver Lake                                                     3:28.28

Highland Park                                                3:28.48

Topeka High                                                   3:33.40

4x800-METER RELAY

Washburn Rural                                            8:21.93

Shawnee Heights                                          8:33.62

Seaman                                                         8:34.58

Silver Lake                                                     8:57.48

Topeka High                                                  9:09.82

HIGH JUMP

Jack Esser, Seaman                                      6-4

Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake                          6-0

Archer Greene, Seaman                              5-10

Creighton Frisby, Washburn Rural              5-8

Sebastian Kingcade, Washburn Rural          5-8

Cody Quy, Seaman                                      5-8

POLE VAULT

Keygan Breault, Silver Lake                       12-0

Sam Bruntz, Silver Lake                            11-6

Luke Deering, Washburn Rural                 11-6

Sawyer Hermesch, Silver Lake                  10-0

Desmond Grindol, Washburn Rural          10-0

LONG JUMP

Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park                  21-2.25

Josh Brown, Seaman                                 21-0.50

Owen Rottinghaus, Silver Lake                  21-0

Joel Miller, Silver Lake                                20-8

Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS            20-7.25

TRIPLE JUMP

Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake                         42-2.50

Camden Kruger, Silver Lake                       41-7

Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS            40-11

Abe Heffley, Seaman                                  40-5.25

De'drian Keeling, Topeka West                   40-3.75

SHOT PUT

Amir Bass, Shawnee Heights                       47-11

Sam Scott, Washburn Rural                         47-7

Kelton Meier, Hayden                                  46-2,50

Charles Chance, Rossville                             46-0

Brogen Brown, Seaman                               45-10.75

DISCUS

Zachary Hancock, Washburn Rural              163-4

Sam Garner, Shawnee Heights                     156-4

Myles Fisher, Silver Lake                               151-3

Adam Humphrey, Topeka High                     146-8

Kelton Meier, Hayden                                    142-10

JAVELIN 

Landon Lewis, Rossville                                 202-9

Kelton Meier, Hayden                                   196-6

Jackson Haas, Hayden                                   175-3

Dylan Tjachman, Washburn Rural                 167-4

Andre Johnson, Rossville                               166-5

The 2026 All-City boys tennis team -- Front, from left: Kieffer O'Connor, Washburn Rural; Greyson Jones, Washburn Rural; Jonah Arnold, Cair Paravel; Zander Rice, Topeka West; Owen Stewart, Seaman; Dayton Schneider, Seaman. Back, from left: Cale Deutscher, Washburn Rural; Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural; Ben Tryhus, Washburn Rural; Drew Fay, Cair Paravel; Collin McGee, Topeka West; Tres Lassiter, Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Twelve state qualifiers, including 10 state medalists in three different classes, comprise the 2026 All-City boys tennis team. 

Cair Paravel Latin senior singles player Drew Fay, a four-time Class 3A-1A state qualifier and three-time state medalist, posted a city-high fifth-place state finish while Lion freshman Jonah Arnold finished 12th in singles as Cair Paravel finished fourth as a team.

Four city doubles teams also earned state medals in 6A and 5A.

Washburn Rural's senior doubles teams of Kieffer O'Connor and Ben Tryhus and Cale Deutscher and Kieffer O'Connor finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in 6A while Topeka West sophomore Collin McGee and junior Zander Rice and Seaman seniors Dayton Schneider and Owen Stewart finished ninth and 10th in 5A doubles.

Rounding out the All-City team are Topeka High senior singles player Tres Lassiter and Washburn Rural junior singles player Greyson Jones.

Lassiter was a runnerup in city, Centennial League and 6A regional tournaments before posting a 2-2 record at state while Jones was the city champion in No. 2 singles and went on to qualify for state while helping the Junior Blues capture city, league and regional championships.

All-City tennis capsules:

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman and Shawnee Heights fell short of of earning state team berths in Monday's Class 5A sub-state golf regional at Shawnee Country Club, but the Vikings and T-Birds will still be well-represented in next week's state tournament at Wichita.

Shawnee Heights' Joey Hohman and Andrew Schulte and Seaman's Hunter Gerhardt and Evan Michalski all qualified as individuals for next week's Class 5A state golf tournament at Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Seaman and Shawnee Heights finished fourth and fifth in the team standings, with only the top three teams moving on, but the Vikings qualified Evan Michalski and Hunter Gerhardt for state while the T-Birds qualified Joey Hohman and Andrew Schulte.

"I'm proud of the kids,'' Seaman coach Rick Rineberg said. "We really did a good job battling today. We kind of got off to a weird start with the weather and the thunderstorm and we had a 30-minute delay, but all in all I'm really proud of the kids. I felt like they did a good job of minimizing the big scores and maximizing their opportunities for pars.

"I'm super proud of Evan and Hunter. They've done a great job for us all year. Evan especially has come on super hot lately. He did a great job last week at league and Hunter's been Mr. Consistent all year and he utilized that again today.''

Shawnee Heights coach Jane Yi was also extremely happy with her team's sub-state performance.

"I'm very excited,'' Yi said. "This was a hard field and my team's really young. I did have a senior but overall they're juniors and a sophomore and it's hard to score well when you're young. They just came out of JV last year going into varsity and regionals is very stressful.''

Seaman's Evan Michalski led the city contingent in Monday's Class 5A sub-state at Shawnee Country Club with a 77. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Joey Hohman shot an 81 to pace Shawnee Heights in Monday's Class 5A sub-state at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman's Michalski paced the city contingent with a tie for sixth place (77), while Heights' Hohman shot an 81 and Seaman's Gerhardt and Heights' Schulte both shot 83s.

St. James Academy captured the team championship with a four-person score of 302, while Blue Valley Southwest (303) and St. Thomas Aquinas (318) earned the final two team berths.

Seaman finished fourth at 332 while Shawnee Heights was fifth at 335 and Topeka West finished sixth at 389.

The 5A state tournament will be contested on Tuesday May 26 and Wednesday May 27 at Wichita's Tallgrass Golf Club.

CLASS 5A BOYS GOLF SUB-STATE

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

NOTE: TopSports.news will compile a weekly girls swimming and diving honor roll for Topeka high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY

Washburn Rural                2:11.82

Shawnee Heights              2:14.60

Seaman                             2:18.07            

Hayden                              2:25.76

Topeka High                      2:41.23

Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden

200-YARD FREESTYLE

Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden                      2:11.68

Avery Skinner, Topeka High               2:14.96

Ava Von Lintel, Washburn Rural         2:28.77

Megan Strobel, Seaman                     2:37.54

Stella Berry, Washburn Rural              2:43.23

Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural

200-YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural      2:19.72

Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High           2:34.07

Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights    2:34.20

Riley Strother, Seaman                       2:51.05

Avery Skinner, Seaman                       2:51.97 

Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights

50-YARD FREESTYLE

Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights            26.94

Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural          27.28

Riley Strother, Seaman                         27.61

Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High             27.76

Ava Carlson, Seaman                            28.56

Rhiannon Good, Washburn Rural

ONE-METER DIVING

Rhiannan Good, Washburn Rural         239.85 (six dives) 446.40 (11 dives) 

Avery Rosenow, Hayden/CPLS             188.55 (six dives) 359.65 (11 dives

Mackenzie Caryl, Topeka High             147.45

Abigail Culbertson, Topeka High          122.50

Madilyn Typer, Seaman                        105.40

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Cair Paravel Latin senior Drew Fay wrapped up his outstanding high school career Saturday in Prairie Village with a fifth-place singles finish in Class 3A-1A.

Cair Paravel senior Drew Fay finished fifth in Class 3A-1A singles Saturday, earning his third straight state medal. [File photo/TSN]

A four-time state qualifier, Fay posted his third straight top-five state finish, taking an 8-0 win over Hoisington sophomore Jasper Pawlowski in the fifth-place match.

Fay placed second in 3A-1A state doubles as a junior after finishing fourth in singles as a sophomore.

Cair Paravel freshman Jonah Arnold also earned a state singles medal in his first state tournament with a 12th-place finish, dropping an 8-4 decision to Sterling freshman Lathem Kizzar in the 11th-place match. 

Cair Paravel finished fourth in the team standings.

Washburn Rural seniors Ben Tryhus (facing) and Kieffer O'Connor placed ninth in Class 6A doubles Saturday in Wichita. [File photo/TSN]

 Washburn Rural's senior doubles teams of Kieffer O'Connor and Ben Tryhus and Cale Deutscher and Dylan Willingham faced off for the fourth time over the last three tournaments and the second time in the Class 6A state tournament in Saturday's ninth-place match in Wichita, with O'Connor and Tryhus taking an 8-5 win.

Deutscher and Willingham earned state medals for the second straight season, with Saturday's 10th-place showing following a seventh-place showing in the 2025 state tournament. 

Rural finished sixth in the 6A team standings.

Topeka West's Collin McGee (left) teamed with Zander Rice to finish ninth in Class 5A doubles Saturday in Andover. [File photo/TSN]

Topeka West's doubles team of sophomore Collin McGee and junior Zander Rice posted a ninth-place doubles finish in 5A, taking a win by default over Seaman seniors Dayton Schneider and Owen Stewart in the ninth-place match.

Related Stories and Videos

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Ten Topeka high school tennis players in three classes assured themselves of state medals (top12 places) with solid performances in Friday's opening day of state tournaments across the state.

None of the city's 25 state qualifiers got through Friday unbeaten but four city doubles teams punched their tickets to Saturday's place matches while Cair Paravel Latin advanced both singles players, Drew Fay and Jonah Arnold.

Saturday's matches will begin at 9 a.m. across the state.

Seniors Cale Deutscher (left) and Dylan Willingham went 2-1 on the opening day of the Class 6A state tournament to advance to Saturday's place matches. [File photo/TSN]

Class 6A at Wichita Riverside Tennis Complex

Washburn Rural's senior doubles teams of Cale Deutscher and Dylan Willingham and Kieffer O'Connor and Ben Tryhus both advanced to Saturday's matches and can still finish as high as fifth place.

O'Connor and Tryhus (28-7) went 3-1 on the day, with their lone loss to teammates Deutscher and Willingham while regional champions Deutscher and Willingham (29-5) went 1-1 after receiving a first-round bye.

Deutscher and Willingham, the No. 5 seed, placed seventh in the 2025 state tournament. 

Topeka High's doubles team of seniors Victor Arriaga and Christian Sink went 0-2 in the tournament while Trojan senior singles player Tres Lassiter went 2-2 Friday, missing the place matches by one win.

Washburn Rural junior singles player Greyson Jones went 0-2 Friday.

Topeka West sophomore Collin McGee and junior doubles partner Zander Rice advanced to the final day of the Class 5A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]       

Class 5A Andover Tennis Complex

Topeka West's doubles teams of sophomore Collin McGee and junior Zander Rice and the Seaman doubles team of seniors Dayton Schneider and Owen Stewart both assured themselves of Class 5A state medals Friday at the Andover Tennis Complex.

McGee and Rice (31-11) are the No. 13 seed and went 3-1 on the day while No. 18 seed Schneider and Stewart (25-10) advanced with a 2-1 record and both teams can finish as high as fifth in 5A.

Seaman sophomore singles player Camden Dutton went 2-2 on the day, coming within one win of moving on to Saturday's place matches.

The Seaman doubles team of sophomores Aaron Sampson and Cooper Hopeck and freshman singles player Kenton Myrick both went 0-2 Friday.  

Cair Paravel senior Drew Fay has assured himself of a third straight Class 3A-1A state medal. [File photo/TSN]

Class 3A-1A at Prairie Village Harmon Park Tennis Complex

Cair Paravel Latin senior singles player Drew Fay and Lion freshman singles player Jonah Arnold both advanced to the Saturday place matches in the Class 3A-1A state tournament.

Fay (28-3), who finished second in 3A-1A doubles last season, went 2-1 on the day while Arnold (14-6) went 3-1 in his first state tournament.

The Cair Paravel doubles team of senior Joey Thoennes and junior David Toenjes went 0-2.

Class 4A at Topeka Kossover Tennis Center

Hayden's senior doubles team of William Luke and Brock Reynoldson came within a win of advancing to Saturday's Class 4A place matches, going 2-2 on Friday, while the Wildcat doubles team of sophomore Patrick Luke and freshman Miles Allphin and junior singles player Brek Wahlmeier went winless in its two matches.

Related Stories and Videos

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Piper swept both team titles in Thursday's United Kansas Conference track and field championships while Seaman senior Brody Anderson swept all three of his individual events to pace the city contingent.

Piper's girls won seven total events while the Pirate boys posted five total wins in windy conditions at Turner.

Seaman senior Brody Anderson swept the 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter events in Thursday's UKC meet at Turner. [File photo/TSN]

Anderson, who had set a city meet record in the 800 meters in his previous meet, swept the titles in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in his final United Kansas Conference meet.

In his first race of the day, the 1,600, Anderson ran a comfortable 4 minute, 30.93-second winning time.

“Played it how coach (Luke) Wiens and I drew it up in our heads,'' Anderson said of his game plan. "We came into it to do enough to win, be conservative, let others lead and then finish with the win.” 

A near catastrophe occurred in the final 100 meters when Anderson encountered an athlete attempting to cross the track and they made contact.

“Someone walked out in front of me and I hesitated for a second,'' he said. "Do I just run through (them) or bounce off, but we ended up with light contact.”

The second race was the 800 meters where Brody won in a personal-best time of 1:53.34. The 800 was the most competitive of his three UKC races as four runners finished under the two-minute mark in the race.

“I expected this one to have the most competition,'' Anderson said. "I went out really smooth, felt good and closed. Coach Wiens and I had talked about if there was one race to hammer, hammer that one hard.”

Anderson's final victory came in the 3,200 meters in the second-to-last race of the meet. There was a longer break leading into the race, so he took some time for some in-meet nourishment.

“I ate and drank a little bit before the race, so my stomach was a bit heavy at the start of the race. Coach and I decided to sit on the hip of the leader (Basehor-Linwood’s Cole Hubbard) until there was 800 meters to go,'' Anderson said. "I took off and separated with about 600 meters left and felt good enough to seal the deal. I felt like it was a successful night overall.”

Next Friday Seaman and Topeka West will compete in a Class 5A regional at Hummer Sports Park, with the field events getting under way at 1 p.m. and the prelims beginning at 3. Shawnee Heights will travel to De Soto for its regional, with the field events starting at 2:30 and the prelims getting under way at 3:30.

Other local highlights: 

Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres won the UKC girls high jump title Thursday at Turner, clearing 5-foot-4. [File photo/TSN]

• Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres won the girls high jump with a clearance of 5-foot-4 while junior Alexis Burns of Shawnee Heights finished second in the girls high jump, also clearing 5-4.

• Shawnee Heights sophomore Jillian Goetz placed second in the girls discus with a throw of 110 feet while Topeka West sophomore Alyssa Babcock finished third in the event with a throw of 107-2.

• Shawnee Heights freshman Tanesia Johnson placed second in the girls 100-meter dash with a personal best 12.27 and finished third in the 200 meters

• Seaman junior Brynn Spencer placed third in the girls 1,600 meters in 5:24.61, then finished second in the 3,200 meters in 11:45.13.

• The Seaman boys 4x100 relay team of Emmitt Hochstedler, Quentin Moravec, Josh Hochard and Josh Brown finished in third place in a time of 43.58 seconds.

UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE TRACK AND FIELD

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights, winners of the United Kansas Conference baseball crown, did not like being whipped by league rival Seaman 10-0 on Tuesday at Seaman. The T-Birds were determined to make sure their Senior Night had a different outcome Thursday at Bettis Family Sports Complex.

Pitcher Brody Cooper helped lead Shawnee Heights to an 8-1 UKC win over Seaman Thursday at the Bettis Family Sports Complex. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The T-Birds fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, but then cruised behind starting pitcher Brody Cooper to an 8-1 victory to close the regular season 17-9. It was a measure of revenge for the T-Birds.

“Tuesday’s (loss) was tough. But I’m proud of them. They came back out,” T-Bird coach Jason Brown said. “They were jacked up from the start. Senior Night and everything, they were ready. After Tuesday, you could see they were upset. I was so proud of them for the way they came out.”

Falling behind in the first inning didn’t worry Brown. Not with Cooper on the mound.

“They just came back and went three, three, two (runs) in the next three innings and showed how good they can be,” Brown said of his team.

After giving up a game-opening single that led to a run, Cooper didn’t allow another hit over his five innings. Even when he allowed a walk and hit a batter in the fifth, he kept his composure. During a mound visit, Cooper and a teammate faced off in a rock, paper, scissors duel.

Was the duel to decide anything of consequence? What pitch to throw, perhaps? A strategic pickoff play?

“No, it was nothing. We were just keeping it light,” Cooper said. “I kind of learned over the years here that thinking about what’s going to happen isn’t going to help me at all.”

Camden Olson, celebrating a triple, also made a big catch in Shawnee Heights' 8-1 UKC win over Seaman Thursday at the Bettis Family Sports Complex. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

What happened was a long blast into centerfield that Camden Olson chased down in a gusting, swirling wind.

“It was real windy,” Cooper said. “I knew it was going to keep going, but with Camden out there, I never have a doubt that the ball’s going to get caught out there.”

Shawnee Heights reliever Gabe Escobar slammed the door on the Vikings in the final two frames.

Brown celebrated the close of the regular season – his second as head coach – by praising his 14 seniors.

“I could tell any new coach when they come in, if they have a class like these guys, not just baseball players, but kids in general … they make you laugh, they make practice fun, and they keep your insanity sane,” Brown said. “I love them. They’re just an awesome group.”