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Created: 14 May 2026

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural senior star Audrey Appuhn finished off her competitive swimming career Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium the same way she started it ... as a champion.

Washburn Rural senior Audrey Appuhn reacts after winning Thursday's 100-yard backstroke, her eighth Centennial League individual win in eight attempts. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Appuhn, who will turn her focus to music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, posted Centennial League wins in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard backstroke, capping an eight of eight career individual performance in the league meet.

Appuhn won the 200 IM in 2 minutes, 19.72 seconds and followed that up with a win in the 100 backstroke in 1:02.28 for her eighth individual league title, reaching the same milestone she accomplished in last week's city championships.

"It feels really good,'' Appuhn said. "I'm just happy that I got to do it alongside all these amazing people and got to see everyone succeed with me. Success looks different now and the times and emotional value of the race and how you felt while you were doing it and everything and I'm just glad that I learned all those lessons every race I did and I wouldn't not do swimming.

"In another life I would do swim because it taught me so much.''

A multi-time state medalist in her three Class 6A state meets, Appuhn added some icing on the cake when she teamed with Ava Von Lintel, Stella Berry and Sophie Heinen to win the 400 freestyle relay in 4:20.55 in her final high school race as the Junior Blues finished off a runnerup team finish behind Manhattan.

"It was good to just finish out strong and get in there and go for it,'' Appuhn said. "I was like, 'This is my last one. I literally never have to do this again if I don't want, so I might as well finish on a good note.' '' 

Hayden junior Kaelyn Gerdel won a pair of individual titles in Thursday's Centennial League swimming meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Hayden junior standout Kaelyn Gerdel also captured a pair of individual Centennial League title in Thursday's meet, winning the 200 freestyle in 2:13.23 and the 100 breast in 1:17.59.

Both Appuhn and Gerdel earned first-team All-Centennial League recognition along with Rural's Heinen and Topeka High's Avery Skinner and Hara Del Castillo.

Heinen swam on Rural's winning 400 free relay and second-place 200 medley relay (2:11.82) and was second in the 50 free (27.67) and third in the 500 free (6:26.60) while Skinner finished second in the 200 free (2:14.96) and 500 free (6:08.60) and Del Castillo was the runnerup in the 100 backstroke (1:08.88).

Manhattan won six events on the day en route to a 472-409 margin over Washburn Rural, with the Indians winning their second straight team title after ending Rural's four-year title streak in 2025. 

CENTENNIAL LEAGUE SWIMMING/DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

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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.”

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Cair Paravel Latin senior star Drew Fay plans to close the door on his competitive tennis career after this weekend's Class 3A-1A boys state tournament at Harmon Park in Prairie Village.

Cair Paravel senior Drew Fay is 26-2 and the No. 3 singles seed for this weekend's Class 3A-1A state tennis tournament. [File photo/TSN]

And Fay, a state placer in both singles and doubles in his high school career, just wants to make sure he does everything he can to make the most of his farewell event.

"It's my last tennis tournament ever,'' said Fay, who will attend college at Emporia State. "I'm not playing in college, so if I'm not having fun then I'm missing the whole point.

"So I just want to play my best and have fun while I'm doing it. Then I'll be happy.''  

Fay teamed with Eric Buchenau to finish second in 3A-1A doubles last season before switching back to singles this season, winning the city title in No. 1 singles.

"I think I enjoy them (singles and doubles) both a lot,'' Fay said. "They're a lot different, but I think they're both fun. By the time the season started I felt comfortable playing singles again.''

Fay, 26-2, enters this year's state tournament as the No. 3 seed behind Wichita Collegiate sophomores Amir Khicha (19-1) and G. Farha (26-6).

And although Fay acknowledges that Khicha is the tournament favorite, he's setting his sights on reaching a second straight state final.

"I think winning it all would probably take a miracle honestly, but I think getting second would be pretty exciting, so I'd say that's my goal,'' Fay said.

Cair Paravel also qualified freshman singles player Jonah Arnold and the doubles team of senior Joey Thoennes and junior David Toenjes after the Lions captured the team title in last Friday's 3A-1A regional at Kossover Tennis Center.

Arnold finished fourth at regionals and is the No. 14 seed with an 11-5 record while Thoennes and Toenjes also finished fourth in the regional tournament and are the No. 19 seed with a 1-2 record.

The 3A-1A state tournament will start at 10:30 a.m. Friday and continue on Saturday with a 9 a.m. start.

Class 6A at Wichita Riverside Tennis Complex

Washburn Rural completed a sweep of city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional team championships last Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center while qualifying five of six players for Friday and Saturday's state tournament at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex.

Washburn Rural seniors Cale Deutscher (left) and Dylan Willingham won a regional doubles title last Saturday to lead the Junior Blues to the team championship. [File photo/TSN]

The Junior Blues went one-two in doubles at regionals, with seniors Cale Deutscher and Dylan Willingham defeating senior teammates Kieffer O'Connor and Ben Tryhus  6-3, 6-1 in the championship match.

Deutscher and Willingham, who placed seventh in 6A doubles last season, are 28-4 this spring and earned the No. 5 state seed while O'Connor and Tryhus are 25-6 and the No. 12 seed. 

Junior singles player Greyson Jones posted a fourth-place regional finish, retiring with cramping issues in the third-place match.

Jones will take a 21-11 record into the state tournament and is the No. 20 seed.

Topeka High will also be well-represented in the state tournament, qualifying senior singles player Tres Lassister and the doubles team of seniors Victor Arriaga and Christian Sink.

Lassiter finished second at regional and will be the No. 15 state seed with a 28-9 record.

Arriaga and Sink finished fifth in last Saturday's regional and are 23-14 and the No. 21 seed. 

The 5A state tournament will start at 10:30 a.m. Friday and continue on Saturday with a 9 a.m. start.

Class 5A Andover Tennis Complex

For the second straight season Seaman qualified all six players for Friday and Saturday's Class 5A state tournament at the Andover Tennis Complex.

The Vikings are coming off back-to-back team championships in the United Kansas Conference and 5A regional tournaments.

Sophomore Camden Dutton led regional champion Seaman with a runnerup singles finish last Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [File photo/TSN]

Sophomore singles player Camden Dutton paced Seaman with a runnerup finish in last Saturday's regional tournament at Kossover while freshman Kenton Myrick finished third.

Dutton, 18-11 on the season, is the No. 13 5A singles seed for state while Myrick, 22-7, is the No. 18 seed.

The Vikings' doubles teams of seniors Dayton Schneider and Owen Stewart and sophomores Aaron Sampson and Cooper Hopeck finished third and fourth, respectively at regionals.

Schneider and Stewart are 22-6 and the No. 18 state doubles seed while Sampson and Hopeck are 23-9 and seeded No. 19.

Topeka West sophomore Collin McGee, a two-time Class 5A state qualifier, teamed with Zander Rice to finish second in doubles at regionals. [File photo/TSN]

Topeka West's doubles team of sophomore Collin McGee and junior Zander Rice followed up its runnerup finish in the UKC meet with a second-place showing at regionals.

McGee and Rice are 28-10 on the season and the No. 13 state seed.

The 5A state meet will get under way at 10:30 a.m. Friday and continue at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Class 4A at Topeka Kossover Tennis Center

Hayden posted a second-place team finish in the McPherson Class 4A regional last Friday while qualifying five of six players for the state tournament, which the Wildcats will host this weekend at the Kossover Tennis Center.

Seniors William Luke and Brock Reynoldson paced Hayden with a runnerup doubles finish at regionals while the Wildcats also qualified the doubles team of sophomore Patrick Luke and freshman Miles Allphin, who finished fifth.

Junior Brek Wahlmeier qualifed for state in singles with a third-place finish.

W. Luke and Reynoldson are now 17-18 on the season and are the No. 14 state seed while P. Luke and Allphin are 20-11 and seeded No. 21.

Wahlmeier will take a 20-15 record into state and is the No. 15 singles seed.

Hayden coach Christine Voegeli has announced that she is stepping down after this weekend's state tournament, ending a long stint as an assistant and head coach in the Hayden program.

The state tournament will get under way at 10:30 a.m. Friday and continue at 9 a.m. Saturday.

TOPEKA STATE TENNIS QUALIFIERS

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