By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior shot-putter JahnAsia Anderson, the Class 5A state champion, headlines the TopSports.news All-Shawnee County girls track and field team, which includes 17 state medalists.
Anderson completed her first and only track and field season with a 5A gold medal, winning the shot put title by nearly a foot with a personal-best throw of 37 feet, 7 inches.
Anderson was the only county girls athlete to win a state championship, but Shawnee Heights junior Nadia Emperley posted a second-place finish in the 5A girls javelin and nine county athletes took home multiple state medals.
Washburn Rural sophomore Madeline Carter earned three 6A medals, posting a sixth-place individual finish in the 800 meters while also running on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 4x400 relay and fifth-place 4x800 relay.
Rural freshman Jada Ingram took fifth in the 6A high jump and ran on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 4x400-meter relay.
Seaman sophomore Bethany Druse picked up a pair of 5A state medals, placing fifth in the 1,600 meters and fifth in the 800, while Viking freshman Taylin Stallbaumer finished seventh in the 5A 100 hurdles and placed eighth in the 300 hurdles.
Shawnee Heights senior Shelby Butterfield also picked up a seventh-place state medal in the 5A javelin and finished fourth in the long jump.
Topeka West senior Adina Davis placed sixth in the 5A triple jump and freshman Victoria Reed was eighth in the 100-meter dash and both Davis and Reed earned a second state medal as part of the the Chargers' sixth-place 4x100 relay.
Rossville junior Briar Gillum posted a third-place finish in the 3A girls shot put and she added an eighth-place state finish in the discus.
Sophomore Amelia Foster was also a double state medalist for the Bulldawgs, taking sixth in the 3A girls 400 and seventh in the 800.
West freshman Mikayla Wilkerson earned a state medal with a seventh-place finish in the 5A discus while sophomore Ala'Jah Brooks picked up a medal as part of the Chargers' 4x100 relay.
T-Bird sophomore Taylor Rottinghaus placed fourth in the 400 while Hayden freshman Natalie Hillebert placed fourth in the 4A 400, Wildcat junior Jadyn Paige Falley eighth in the girls shot put and Washburn Rural senior Keely Wagner ran on the Junior Blues' fifth-place 4x800 relay.
West sophomore MaKinsey Jones and Rural freshman Raegan Petersen also earned spots on the All-Shawnee County team, with Jones a state qualifier in the 5A high jump and Petersen a 6A state qualifier in the discus.
Peterson was the Centennial League discus champ and also won a 6A regional title while Jones was the Centennial League and city high jump champ.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS TRACK
Name, school Class Events
Jahn'Asia Anderson, Seaman Sr. Throws
Ala'Jah Brooks, Topeka West So. Sprints
Shelby Butterfield, Shawnee Heights Sr. Hurdles, jumps, throws
Madeline Carter, Washburn Rural So. Distance
Adina Davis, Topeka West Sr. Jumps
Bethany Druse, Seaman So. Distance
Nadia Emperley, Shawnee Heights Jr. Throws
Jadyn Paige Falley, Hayden Jr. Throws
Amelia Foster, Rossville So. Sprints, middle distance
Briar Gillum, Rossville Jr. Throws
Natalie Hillebert, Hayden Fr. Sprints
Jada Ingram, Washburn Rural Fr. Jumps
MaKinsey Jones, Topeka West So. Jumps
Reagan Petersen, Washburn Rural Fr. Throws
Victoria Reed, Topeka West Fr. Sprints
Taylor Rottinghaus, Shawnee Heights So. Sprints
Taylin Stallbaumer, Seaman Fr. Hurdles
Keely Wagner, Washburn Rural Sr. Distance
Makayla Wilkerson, Topeka West Fr. Throws