By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seven athletes who had a hand in eight state titles, including five multiple-event state champs, headline the 2023 All-Shawnee County boys track and field team.
Hayden senior Jake Muller (right) won his second Class 4A 300-meter hurdles state title last Saturday, one of his three state gold medals on the day. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden junior Finn Dunshee (left) was the 4A 100-meter dash champ and also won state titles in the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays last weekend. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden senior Jake Muller and junior Finn Dunshee took home three gold medals apiece, posting individual wins to go with two relay victories, while Wildcat sophomores Jensen Schrickel and Liam Stegman teamed with Muller and Dunshee for the two relay titles, including a Class 4A state meet record.
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson (middle) won the Class 5A boys 100-meter dash last Saturday at Cessna Stadium, the first of his two state titles on the day. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson won the Class 5A long jump, finished second in the triple jump and scored 33 total points in the state meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson turned in a monster individual 5A state performance, winning a pair of state titles and posting a runnerup finish while scoring 33 points by himself to outscore 22 other 5A schools.
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel won the Class 5A state title in the 3,200 meters and finished second in the 1,600 last weekend. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Topeka West sophomore Alesecio Batson won the Class 5A triple jump championship last weekend in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel and Topeka West sophomore Alesecio Batson also won 5A state titles, with Esquibel also recording a second-place finish as 16 members of the All-Shawnee County team earning state medals.
Hayden's Liam Stegman, Jake Muller, Jensen Schrickel and Finn Dunshee won Class 4A state titles in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays last Saturday in Wichita. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Muller won the second 300-meter intermediate hurdles state title of his career in 38.41 seconds while Dunshee won the 4A 100-meter dash in 10.84 and Muller and Dunshee teamed with Schrickel and Stegman to win the 4x100 (42.65) and 4x400 relay championships while setting the 4A meet record in the 4X400 relay (3:20.99). Schrickel also finished third in the 400 (49.63).
Richardson won the 5A 100-meter dash in 10.73 seconds and the long jump at 23 feet, 4.50 inches, finished second in the triple jump (46-5.75) and fourth in the 200 dash (22.49).
Esquibel won the 5A 3,200-meter run in 9 minutes, 18.67 seconds and added a runnerup finish in the 1,600 (4:15.26) while Batson won the 5A triple jump at 48-4.25.
Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge finished second in the 5A 3,200 (9:21.24) and added a fourth-place finish in the 1,600 (4:22.45) while Shawnee Heights senior Jordan Garvin finished second in the 5A 300 hurdles (39.68) and Washburn Rural junior Jamond Lane was second in the 6A discus (167-6).
Washburn Rural junior Josh Sulzen-Watson finished fourth in the 6A discus (157-4) and fifth in the javelin (168-6).
Cair Paravel Latin sophomore Ben Roeder, who competed for Topeka High during the regular season and CPLS in the postseason finished fourth in the 2A 200-meter dash (23.43) and fifth in the 400 (50.70).
Shawnee Heights senior Jeremiah Smith, a former state champ, posted a fifth-place finish in the 5A 100 (10.95) while T-Bird junior Alex Dittman took fifth in the 5A javelin (165-9) while Hayden senior Joe Otting earned a 4A state medal with an eighth-place finish in the discus (142-11) and Washburn Rural freshman Liam Morrison took eighth in the 6A 300 hurdles (46.39).
Also earning berths on the All-Shawee County boys first team were Seaman senior Branen Moore, junior Aaron Merritt, sophomore Bryce Cochran and Peyton Holmes, Washburn Rural seniors Easton Dial and Davin Johnson and junior Colin Rausch, Highland Park senior Keijuan Johnson and Topeka High senior V'Ante Peoples, juniors Jaziah Mack, Logan Murray,and Travis Shyne and freshman Malachi Murph.
All-Shawnee County picks were based on meeting minimum performance standards as well as coaches' recommendation and postseason performances.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS TRACK AND FIELD
Name, school Class Events
Alesecio Batson, Topeka West So. Triple jump
Bryce Cochran, Seaman So. Sprints, jumps
Easton Dial, Washburn Rural Sr Distance
Alex Dittman, Shawnee Heights Jr. Throws
Finn Dunshee, Hayden Jr. Sprints, relays
Jackson Esquibel, Shawnee Heights Jr. Distance
Jordan Garvin, Shawnee Heights Sr Hurdles
Peyton Holmes, Seaman So. Long jump
Davin Johnson, Washburn Rural Sr. Distance
Keijuan Johnson, Highland Park Sr. Hurdles
Jamond Lane, Washburn Rural Jr. Throws
Jaziah Mack, Topeka High Jr. Relays
Aaron Merritt, Seaman Jr. Hurdles
Branen Moore, Seaman Sr. Distance
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural Fr. Hurdles
Jake Muller, Hayden Sr. Hurdles, relays
Malachi Murph, Topeka High Fr. Sprints, relays
Logan Murray, Topeka High Jr. Relays
Lenny Njoroge, Topeka West Sr. Distance
Joe Otting, Hayden Sr. Throws
V'Ante Peoples, Topeka High Sr. Sprints, relays
Colin Rausch, Washburn Rural Jr. Pole vault
Tre Richardson, Highland Park Sr.. Sprints, jumps
Ben Roeder, Topeka High/Cair Paravel So, Sprints
Jensen Schrickel, Hayden So. Sprints, jumps
Travis Shyne, Topeka High Jr. Relays
Jeremiah Smith, Shawnee Heights Sr. Sprints, Hurdles
Liam Stegman, Hayden So. Relays
Josh Sulzen-Watson, Washburn Rural Jr. Throws
Honorable mention
Hayden: JC Cummings, Ethan Florence, Rondell Harris, Nick Lloyd, Eli Tanking. Highland Park: Gabe Davis, Jhalil McCraken. Seaman: Brody Anderson, Tristan Berg, Zach Jowers, Sean Miller, Landon Stuke, Jaxton Thomas. Shawnee Heights: Liam Benz, Payton Berry-Briggs, Xavier Fisher, Maddox Moten, Tyren Parker, Tyler Wedl. Silver Lake: Troy Heiman, Jared Johnson, Spencer Johnson, Blake Redmond. Trent Rollenhagen, Evan Scheid. Topeka High: Jaxon Cowdin, Te'Vante Ewing. Topeka West: Malachi Berg, Morris Blick, Zachary Hulse, Gregory Njoroge, Elijah Phelps, Jacob Reimer, Mark Wilkie. Washburn Rural: Ben Buesing, Draden Chooncharoen, Grayson Fink, Davin Roney, Isaiah Terry.
