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Hayden's Foster says goodbye to competitive sports with a bang
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Recent Hayden graduate Ella Foster brought down the curtain on her outstanding multi-sport career Saturday night in Washburn University's Whiting Fieldhouse ... but not before adding a couple of final highlights.
Hayden multi-sport star Ella Foster helped lead the Red to a 4-1 win over the Blue in Saturday's KVA All-Star Match in Whiting Fieldhouse. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Foster, who helped lead the Wildcats to two state team titles and a runnerup finish as a senior, helped the Red post a 4-1 win over the Blue in the Kansas Volleyball Association's 40th annual All-Star Match while also receiving the Judy Bellamo Most Inspirational Player Award.
Foster contributed a team high 19 digs and also added three consecutive service aces in the fifth set as the Red took a 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-6 victory over the Blue.
It was a fitting farewell to competitive athletics before Foster heads off to Kansas State this fall.
"This is it,'' Foster said. "It was nice to have one final hurrah, one last game. It was really fun and I got to play with some of my best friends.
"I think I will (miss it), but I know I spent my time well. I'm really glad I did it, but we'll see what the future asks. I think it's time and I'm really excited I did it and I'm really happy and I'll still probably be around the sport. I'm coaching next year (for Topeka Impact) so I'm really excited about that.''
Foster's appearance in Saturday's All-Star Match came exactly one week after she helped the Wildcats finish off an undefeated season with the Class 4A-1A state soccer championship.
Foster admitted that she was a little rusty when she reported for KVA practice, but was able to quickly round into volleyball shape.
"It took a minute,'' Foster said. "Practice was rough for sure, but I think once I got on the court and just being on the stage it really was just like a switch flips in my brain and I'm like, 'Oh, it's go time.'
"I was ready to go. I was excited.''
Hayden Meats (Gardner-Edgerton) High School led the Red with 12 kills while
both Jade Xu (Emporia) and Katharine Engle (Halstead) added nine
kills each.
Washburn Rural product Stella Kelly contributed 24 assists in the Red's 4-1 win in Saturday's KVA All-Star Match. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural product Stella Kelly (Washburn Rural) led the Red in
assists with 24, followed by Neely Leathers (Olathe West) with 18.
Silver Lake product Paige Heiman (3) celebrates a block with her Red teammates in Saturday's KVA All-Star Match. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Delaney Childs (Nickerson) led the Red with five blocks while Olivia Nzioki (Mill Valley) and Silver Lake's Paige Heiman added four each.
Engle led the Red in aces with four.
Cami Sher (Olathe West) led the Blue in kills with 14, while Brynna Zoeller (Rock Creek) led the Blue with 22 assists.
Shawnee Heights product Avery Willey had 16 digs for the Blue in Saturday's KVA All-Star Match. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Carlie Pandjaris (Blue Valley West) had 20 digs, with Shawnee Heights product Avery Willey adding 16.
Pandjaris contributed three service aces.
Woestendick marks return to Topeka family roots with two more Jayhawk Open titles
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Cooper Woestendick's schedule is chock full of top-notch tennis events all over the nation, but the 19-year-old Texas Christian University standout always welcomes any opportunity he gets to return to where it all started ... literally.
TCU tennis standout Cooper Woestendick won his third Jayhawk Open singles title Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The 19-year-old Woestendick is the grandson of the late Delvy Lewis, a former Washburn Rural and Kansas Jayhawk basketball star, the son of Kristi (Lewis) Woestendick, who played basketball at Rural and Washburn University, and was born in Topeka.
These days Woestendick, whose family lives in Olathe, is making his own mark in the Capital City, dominating the prestigious Jayhawk Open in recent years.
Woestendick won his third career and second straight men's open singles championship Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center while also posting back-to-back doubles titles.
"I definitely try to mark it on my schedule,'' Woestendick said. "It's a great tournament and obviously I've played it a few times now, so any time I get to come back to the place I was born, it's awesome. It's a good way to start off the summer for me.
"There's probably a lot of people I see once a year here, so it's good to come back. Obviously I get to see my family more but I also get to see all the people surrounding Topeka and Topeka tennis.''
TCU tennis player Maximus Dussault (above) teamed with Cooper Woestendick to win the Jayhawk Open doubles title Friday night before dropping a 6-3, 6-3 decision to Woestendick in Saturday's singles final. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Woestendick topped TCU teammate Maximus Dussault 6-3, 6-3 in Saturday's singles final after Woestendick teamed with Dussault to take a 6-2 6-4 win over Simon Caldwell and Jelani Sarr in Friday night's doubles championship match.
Cooper Woestendick returns a shot Saturday en route to his second straight Jayhawk Open singles championship at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Woestendick says he has mixed feelings about facing a teammate in the singles final, but said he just has to take a businesslike approach to the match.
"It's definitely difficult, but you've just kind of got to put your friendship aside and just go out there and compete,'' Woestendick said. "I got used to it last year. I played doubles with Duncan (Chan) and we won the doubles, then I had to play him in the singles final last year.
"I've had enough practice with it before, but you've just got to go and compete and win for yourself.''
Jayhawk Open singles finalists Cooper Woestendick and Max Dussault pose for a picture with the young Topeka tennis players who served as ball boys/girls Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
University of Kansas player Anna Putilina, who recently completed her sophomore season, won the Jayhawk women's open singles title, taking a 6-2, 6-2 win over former Washburn University star Maja Jung.
Player of the year Newbery tops 2026 All-Shawnee County baseball
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
