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Washburn Rural Hall of Fame to induct Hedberg, Brennan, 2008 softball team Friday night
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Longtime former Washburn Rural teacher and tennis coach Kevin Hedberg, Brenda Holaday's 2008 Class 6A state championship softball team and the late Michael Brennan, a Rural graduate and world-renowned musician and composer, will be inducted into the Washburn Rural Hall of Fame Friday night at Rural.
A social hour will be held from 4:30-5 p.m. in the WRHS cafeteria, followed by the induction ceremony from 5-7 p.m. The inductees will also be recognized at halfcourt between the girls and boys varsity basketball games against Emporia.
2025 WRHS Hall of Fame inductees:
2008 GIRLS SOFTBALL TEAM -- Coach Brenda Holaday's Junior Blues won the 2008 Class 6A championship at Hummer Sports Park. The team defeated Olathe Northwest in the championship game by a score of 2-1 and finished with an overall record of 23-2. During the State Tournament, the team did not allow a single earned run and gave up only one run in three games. The Junior Blues also won Centennial League and regional championships. The title was the second state championship for the softball program, which also won titles in 1995 and 2014. Holaday was named the Kansas softball coach of the Year in 2008 and Paige Ladenburger was named the Gatorade Player of the Year. Many of Rural's softball players played more than one sport at Rural and their ability to multitask, be team players, develop tremendous leadership skills and build great work ethic has contributed to their adult life and the impact they continue to have on others and in this community. Four of the 2008 players went on to earn their medical doctorate degrees in their chosen field, three became nurses or work in the medical field, two became teachers in USD 437, and four became business leaders. Seven of the 13 went on to play college ball. Coach Holaday left Washburn Rural in 2016 after being a part of all three state championships and posting a 351-93 record, 14 Centennial League championships and 16 6A state tournaments. In her 19 years of coaching at Rural Holday was named Centennial League and City Coach of the Year nine times. Holaday took over the reins at Washburn University’s softball program before the 2017 season. Her teams have won two MIAA Conference titles, appeared in three NCAA tournaments and she has been named MIAA Coach of the Year twice.
Topeka High welcomes Class of 2025 into Sports Hall of Honor
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Topeka High inducted its second annual Sports Hall of Honor class on Thursday, inducting 15 individuals and two Trojan teams.
Former Topeka High track and field star Clardy Vinson, who later became the school's principal, was inducted into the Topeka High Sports Hall of Honor Thursday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High Hall of Honor inductees Shara Stafford (left) and Doshia Woods visit prior to Thursday's ceremonies. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Sports Hall of Honor inductees will also be recognized at halftime of Friday's boys varsity basketball game against Junction City, with the game starting at approximately 7:30 p.m.
The 2025 inductees included 1962 graduate John Grantham, Levi Lee (1964), Carky and Marky Alexander (1980), Glen Trammel (1985), Crystal Kemp (2002), Shara Stafford (2008), Will Geary (2013), Lee Dodson (1942), Chuck Nelson (1951), Clardy Vinson (1968), Kevin Hedberg (1970), Doshia Woods (1997), Joe Waldron (1990-2005 as staff member), Jeff Jacobsen (1969), the 1955 Trojan football team and the 1974 Trojan girls track team.
Hall of Honor capsules:
JOHN GRANTHAM -- A 1962 Topeka High graduate, Grantham was the first of only two city male tennis players to win three state championships and one of only six players to win multiple titles. During his time at Topeka High, he led the Trojans to multiple city and league team titles. After high school Grantham attended the University of Kansas, where he helped the Jayhawks win two Big 8 Conference titles. He also won one Individual title and one doubles title and helped the Jayhawks to a 14-2 record during his final Big 8 season. Grantham is a member of the Topeka Tennis Hall of Fame.
LEVI LEE -- A 1964 graduate, Lee starred in football and track at Topeka High. Lee was a three-year starter for the Trojan football team and is still considered one of the most talented players ever to come out of Topeka. He was an All-State running back in 1963, helping Topeka High win the Sunflower League championship and leading the Trojans to a 6-2 record his senior year. He also led his track and field team to the state championship while winning the state long jump championship with a leap of 21 feet. Lee was heavily recruited by some of the biggest names in college football before choosing Kansas. He eventually decided to leave school and joined the Navy, becoming a Vietnam War veteran.
Twin brothers Carky and Marky Alexander were inducted into the Topeka High Sports Hall of Honor Thursday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
CARKY AND MARKY ALEXANDER -- The twin brothers graduated from Topeka High in 1980, excelling in football, basketball and track. Contributing significantly to the Trojans their junior season they both entered their senior campaign ranked in the Preseason Top 40 prospects. Their contributions led the team to a 6-3 record and the I-70 League championship. Both Carky and Marky were named first-team All-City, All-I-70 League and All-Class 6A first team and All-State third team and selected to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl. As seniors in basketball they led the team to the I-70 League championship, a second-place finish in the Topeka Invitational, a 6A sub-state championship and a runnerup finish in 6A. The twins were part of record-setting 440 and mile relay teams in track. The Alexanders played football at KU and played in the 1981 Hall of Fame Classic Bowl game.
Former Topeka High and Kansas star swimmer Glen Trammel was inducted into the Topeka High Sports Hall of Honor Thursday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
GLEN TRAMMEL -- A 1985 graduate, Trammel was a five-time state swimming champion, specializing in the backstroke and individual medley. Trammel set three state records, including a mark in the 100 backstroke that stood for 14 years. He helped the Trojans take home second place as a team in the 1985 state championships. Trammel was a high school All-American. and nationally ranked multiple times. He went on to Kansas University, where he became a seven-time All-American. He set four school records and at one time was ranked 11th in the world in the 100 backstroke.
Sterk, Nwidadah combine for 49 points in 88-73 WU women's romp past Hornets
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University junior stars Payton Sterk and Yibari Nwidadah walked out of Lee Arena last Saturday with a sense of frustration after the Ichabods dropped a 66-61 overtime MIAA decision to Northwest Missouri State.
Washburn junior Payton Sterk scored 26 points and hit 7 of 11 3-pointers in Wednesday's 88-73 MIAA win over Emporia State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn junior Yibari Nwidadah (32) had 23 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 88-73 MIAA win over Emporia State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sterk was in foul trouble against the Bearcats for most of the game and fouled out with 3:35 remaining in regulation after scoring just six points in 19:23 of action, while Nwidadah, the national leader in field goal percentage, shot under 50 percent from the floor for the first time all season, going 5 of 16 en route to an 11-point performance, 5.6 points below her season average.
Sterk and Nwidadah were back on the court Wednesday night and took out any lingering frustrations on visiting Emporia State, combining for 49 points as the Ichabods completed a regular-season sweep over the Hornets with an 88-73 home MIAA romp.
Stert, who surpassed the 1,000-point career milestone with her first basket of the night, scored a game-high 26 points with a 7 of 11 performance from 3-point range while Nwidadah registered a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds while hitting 10 of 14 shots from the field.
"Tonight was good,'' Sterk said. "Saturday was frustrating just because I was in foul trouble so it wasn't even like I could play anymore, so it was nice to come in tonight and not even get a close win but a big win and that really helps us.''
Nwidadah agreed.
"I feel like everyone was frustrated (Saturday), everyone felt that loss and we used that as motivation,'' Nwidadah said. "We took it into practice each and every day, so we just knew we wanted to get that win (tonight).''
