By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden three-time Class 4A state singles champion Ainzley Zulueta headlines the 2024 All-City girls tennis team, which includes 13 state medalists.
Zulueta capped her high school career with an undefeated senior season, going through the postseason without losing a game as the Wildcats won their second state team title in three seasons.
All six of Hayden's players earned 4A state medals while helping the Wildcats sweep city, Centennial League, regional and state championships.
The Wildcats got a runnerup 4A double finish from senior Emily Sheetz and freshman Sophia Wichman while junior Grace Funk placed ninth in singles and juniors Izzy Glotzbach and Avery O'Bray finished 11th in doubles..
United Kansas Conference and 5A regional team champion Seaman, which finished third at state, also put six players on the All-City team.
Viking sophomore Emma Sweeney placed fourth in 5A singles while junior Molly Gorman finished 10th in singles and senior Sidney Chinn and junior Kaylyn Henry placed 12th in doubles. Seaman sophomores Kaylyn Hiebsch and Camryn Lux were also state qualifiers in doubles.
Washburn Rural's senior doubles team of Emerie Catlin and Isabelle Haggard placed ninth in the Class 6A state tournament after sweeping city, Centennial League and 6A regional titles while Junior Blue singles state qualifiers Carolina Chedzoy also earned an All-City spot.
Topeka High junior Madeline Deters finished eighth in singles in the 6A state tournament and is joined on the All-City team by state doubles qualifiers Ava Ritter, a junior and freshman Hailey Caryl.
All-City selections are based on finishes in the city meet and the recommendations of city coaches.
All-City capsules:
HAILEY CARYL, Topeka High -- Caryl advanced to the Class 6A state tournament as a freshman in doubles, teaming with junor Ava Ritter. Caryl and Ritter finished fourth in the city championships and followed that up with a third-place finish in the Centennial League meet and qualified for state with a fifth-place finish in regional competition.
EMERIE CATLIN, Washburn Rural -- A senior, Catlin teamed with senior Isabelle Haggard to earn a Class 6A state doubles medal last Saturday at Harmon Park with a ninth-place finish after qualifying for the state tournament as juniors. Catlin and Haggard won the city championship in No. 1 doubles before adding Centennial League and regional doubles titles.
CAROLINA CHEDZOY, Washburn Rural -- Chedzoy, a senior, advanced to the Class 6A state tournament in singles for the second straight season, including an eighth-place finish as a junior. Chedzoy finished fourth in the city meet in No. 1 singles, placed sixth in singles in the Centennial League and was second in 6A regional competition.
SIDNEY CHINN, Seaman -- A senior, Chinn teamed with junior Peyton Henry to earn a Class 5A state doubles medal with a 12th-place finish, helping Seaman post a third-place finish as a team. Chinn and Henry finished third in the city meet in No. 1 doubles before winning doubles championships in the United Kansas Conference and 5A regional tournaments.
MADELINE DETERS, Topeka High -- Deters, a junior, earned her first Class 6A state singles medal in her second state appearance Saturday at Harmon Park, posting an eighth-place finish. Deters finished third in the city tournament in No. 1 singles and was the singles runnerup in the Centennial League meet before finishing third at regionals to earn a state berth.
GRACE FUNK, Hayden -- A junior, Funk posted a ninth-place singles finish last Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center, helping Hayden win the Class 4A state championship. A two-time state medalist, Funk finished second in No. 2 singles in the city tournament before finishing fifth in Centennial League singles and third in 4A regional competition.
IZZY GLOTZBACH, Hayden -- Glotzbach, a junior, teamed with junior Avery O'Bray to post an 11th-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament, helping the Wildcats win the team championship. Glotzbach and O'Bray won the city title in No 2 doubles and qualified for state with a fifth-place regional finish. Glotzbach is a dual-sport athlete, tying for ninth and helping Hayden win the 4A team title in golf last fall as a sophomore.
MOLLY GORMAN, Seaman -- A junior, Gorman finished 10th in Class 5A singles to help Seaman finish third as a team. Gorman was a two-time state doubles medalist before switching to singles this fall. Gorman won the city championship in No. 2 singles before finishing second to help the Vikings repeat as United Kansas Conference and regional champions, with Seaman posting perfect team scores in both events.
ISABELLE HAGGARD, Washburn Rural -- A senior, Haggard teamed with senior Emerie Catlin to earn a Class 6A state doubles medal last Saturday at Harmon Park with a ninth-place finish after also qualifying for the state tournament as juniors. Catlin and Haggard won the city championship in No. 1 doubles before adding Centennial League and regional doubles titles.
PEYTON HENRY, Seaman -- A junior, Henry teamed with senior Sidney Chinn to earn a Class 5A state doubles medal with a 12th-place finish, helping Seaman post a third-place finish as a team. Henry and Chinn finished third in the city meet in No. 1 doubles before winning doubles championships in the United Kansas Conference and 5A regional tournaments.
KAYLYN HIEBSCH, Seaman -- Hiebsch, a sophomore, qualified for the Class 5A state tournament in doubles. Hiebsch teamed with sophomore Camryn Lux to finish second in the city tournament in No. 2 doubles and finished second to teammates Sidney Chinn and Peyton Henry in the United Kansas Conference and regional meets, with the Viking posting perfect team scores in both events.
CAMRYN LUX, Seaman -- Lux, a sophomore, teamed with sophomore Kaylyn Hiebsch to finish second in the city tournament in No. 2 doubles and Lux and Hiebsch finished second to teammates Sidney Chinn and Peyton Henry in the United Kansas Conference and regional meets, with the Viking posting perfect team scores in both events.
AVERY O'BRAY, Hayden -- A junior, O'Bray teamed with junior Izzy Glotzbach to post an 11th-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center, helping the Wildcats win the team championship. O'Bray and Glotzbach won the city title in No 2 doubles and qualified for state with a fifth-place regional finish.
AVA RITTER, Topeka High -- A junior, Ritter teamed with freshman Hailey Caryl to advance to the Class 6A state tournament in doubles. Ritter and Caryl finished fourth in the city championships and followed that up with a third-place finish in the Centennial League meet and qualified for state with a fifth-place finish in regional competition.
EMILY SHEETZ, Hayden -- Sheetz, a senior, teamed with freshman Sophia Wichman to post a second-place doubles finish in the Class 4A state meet as Hayden won its second 4A state team championship in three seasons. Sheetz finished her high school career with a pair of state doubles titles, four state medals and a pair of state team titles, with the Wildcats sweeping city, Centennial League, regional and state team titles her senior year.
EMMA SWEENEY, Seaman -- A sophomore, Sweeney earned her second straight Class 5A state medal with fourth-place single finish while leading Seaman to a third-place team finish. Sweeney finished 11th in the state meet as a freshman before winning United Kansas Conference and 5A regional championships as a sophomore as the Vikings posted perfect team scores in both of those events.
SOPHIA WICHMAN, Hayden -- Wichman, who also plays volleyball, ended her freshman season with a second-place Class 4A doubles finish with Emily Sheetz while helping the Wildcats to the 4A team championship by a 40-28 margin over McPherson. Wichman and Sheetz finished second in the city meet in No. 1 doubles and second in doubles in the Centennial League meet before earning a regional title.
AINZLEY ZULUETA, Hayden -- Zulueta finished off her high school career with her third Class 4A state singles championship while leading Hayden to its second 4A team title in three seasons. Zulueta went through her entire senior season undefeated and went through postseason without losing game, posting eight straight 6-0, 6-0 victories in regional and state competition. Zulueta will play collegiately at Ferris State (Mich).