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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

When I first covered Gary Woodland back in 1998, it sometimes seemed like success came easy for the Shawnee Heights multi-sport star.

I saw Woodland lead the T-Birds to Class 5A state basketball championships in 2000 and 2002 while he also captured three city boys golf titles.

Woodland also turned in an impressive basketball season for Washburn before opting to concentrate on golf and prior to high school Woodland was also a baseball star, which his father, Dan, told me might have been Gary's best sport.    

Of course, it wasn't easy then -- with Woodland's success a combination of talent and an incredible work ethic and support system -- and it certainly isn't easy now, with Woodland batting through brain surgery and an ongoing battle with post-traumatic stress disorder that would have ended the careers of most athletes long ago.

But Woodland proved in Sunday's Houston Open that he still has what it takes to win, coming through with an emotional five-stroke victory -- his fifth tour win and first since his three-stroke 2019 U.S. Open triumph.

It was a victory for the ages, and should provide inspiration for those inside and out of sports in a time that good news seems to be increasingly harder to come by.   

The 41-year-old Woodland's emotions bubbled over after he sank his final putt and especially when he engaged in a long, tearful hug with Gabby, his wife and mother of the couple's three children. 

“We play an individual sport out here, but I wasn’t alone today,” Woodland told NBC after his win at 21-under-par. “I got a lot of people behind me, my team, my family and this golf world.

"Anybody that’s struggling with something, I hope they see me and don’t give up. Just keep fighting.”

Woodland received his brain tumor diagnosis in May of 2023 and underwent brain surgery later in the year to remove part of the tumor.

And just recently Woodland went public to discuss his battle with PTSD, which is related to his brain surgery. Woodland received the PGA Tour Courage Award last month.

Sunday's victory moved Woodland to No. 51 in the world, his highest ranking in five years, and punched his ticket to the upcoming Masters.

“Today was a good day, but I’m going to keep fighting,” Woodland told NBC after setting the tournament scoring record. “I’ve got a big fight ahead of me, and I’m going to keep going. But I’m proud of myself right now.”

The rest of the world, and particularly his hometown of Topeka, should be proud, too. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

London Backman, Topeka High

LONDON BACKMAN, Topeka High

A sophomore infielder who attends Cair Paravel Latin and plays for the Trojans through a co-op agreement, Backman received TopSports.news All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League first-team recognition and was named the co-county and co-Centennial League newcomer of the year last season after helping 19-10 Topeka High advance to the Class 6A state tournament before dropping an 8-1 quarterfinal decisiont to 6A champ Olathe West. Backman received All-Class 6A honorable mention by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association.

Adda Boleski, Washburn Rural  

ADDA BOLESKI, Washburn Rural 

Boleski, a sophomore infielder, was an All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League second-team pick a year ago as a freshman after helping the Junior Blues post a 22-8 record and a second-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament, with Washburn Rural dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the championship game.    

Reagan Chapman, Washburn Rural

REAGAN CHAPMAN, Washburn Rural

A senior pitcher/third baseman, Chapman was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County first team for the third straight season after helping lead the Junior Blues to a 22-8 record and a runnerup finish in Class 6A last spring, with Rural dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the championship game. Chapman was a first-team All-Centennial League honoree.

JOSIE CARLGREN, Washburn Rural

Carlgren, a senior outfielder, is a top returner for Washburn Rural, which posted a 22-8 record and finished second in the Class 6A state tournament last season, dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the title game. Carlgren received All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention in 2025.

Falyn Clurman, Rossville 

FALYN CLURMAN, Rossville 

Clurman, a sophomore pitcher, was a second-team All-Shawnee County honoree last season as a freshman for the Bulldawgs, who posted a 17-12 record in 2025. The Bulldawgs were a Class 2A-1A regional runnerup to state champion Oskaloosa. 

ADDISON COOPER, Shawnee Heights

Cooper, a senior outfielder, was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection and a second-team All-Shawnee County pick last spring after helping Shawnee Heights post a 20-7 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament in 2025. The T-Birds dropped a 3-2 state quarterfinal decision to eventual state champion St. Thomas Aquinas.

Campbell Dawson, Topeka High  

CAMPBELL DAWSON, Topeka High

A junior pitcher/outfielder, was a first-team All-Centennial League selection and second-team All-Shawnee County pick last spring after helping the 19-10 Trojans advance to the Class 6A state tournament before dropping an 8-1 quarterfinal decision to 6A state champ Olathe West. Dawson received All-Class 6A honorable mention by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association.  

LYDIA DREHER, Seaman

Dreher, a sophomore pitcher, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection and a second-team All-United Kansas Conference pick as a freshman last season after helping the Vikings earn a berth in the Class 5A state tournament. Dreher helped Seaman post a 20-9 record last spring, with the Vikings dropping a 3-2 17-inning decision to Maize South in the state quarterfinals.

Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights   

CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights

A senior catcher, Graves received second-team All-Shawnee County recognition in 2025 after helping Shawnee Heights post a 20-7 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament before the T-Birds dropped a 3-2 state quarterfinal decision to eventual 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas. Graves is also a 2026 5A state wrestling champion.

Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake                        

KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake

Hanni, a senior left-fielder, earned first-team All-Shawnee County and first-team All-Big East League recognition last spring for the second straight season after helping Silver Lake post a 25-7 record and a runnerup finish in the Class 3A state tournament for the second straight season, with the Eagle falling 2-1 to Frontenac in nine innings. Hanni was named to the All-Class 3A first team by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association. Hanni also led Silver Lake to the 3A state basketball title this past season.

Oliva Koch, Washburn Rural

OLIVIA KOCH, Washburn Rural 

A junior pitcher/outfielder, Koch was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County first team and was named the Centennial League player of the year last season after helping lead Washburn Rural to a 22-8 record and a runnerup finish in the Class 6A state tournament, with the Junior Blues dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the state title game. Koch was named to the All-Class 6A first team by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association.

Carly McAllister, Hayden

CARLEY McALLISTER, Hayden

McCallister, a sophomore, received second-team TSN All-Shawnee County recognition a year ago as a freshman while also receiving All-Centennial League second-team honors.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

 Washburn University baseball coach Harley Douglas was less than pleased after his Ichabods let a late lead get away in Saturday's home 9-8 MIAA loss to Northeastern State and he told his team that in no uncertain terms in a long postgame talk.

Former Seaman standout Maclane Finley is congratulated by his teammates after throwing a scoreless inning in Sunday's 11-2 Washburn win over Northeastern State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

And the Ichabods, who committed five errors in Saturday's loss, apparently took Douglas' message to heart, responding with one of their best overall performances of the season on Sunday, rolling to an 11-2 win to take the series over the RiverHawks.

"We kind of had a little bit of a come to Jesus meeting with what happened (Saturday),'' Douglas said. (Northeastern) did a good job and came out and took advantage of our mistakes, but we have to put more into it with what we're trying to do. And I think yesterday put that all into perspective and we told them, 'You need to take a step back and realize what you're doing this for.'

"I think a lot of them did some thinking and realized it was time for us to kind of start trying to focus on each other instead of just ourselves. Anytime you can get a series win in this conference is huge. It's huge for us because it's the first time in a very long time we've put together a complete game. We hit, we pitched, we played defense and it explained to them just how good we can be if we just pay attention to what we're doing and pay attention to details.''  

The Ichabods took control with five runs over the first two innings, got solid pitching performances from former Seaman standout Maclane Finley and Blake Priest and played error-free baseball en route to the decisive win.

Washburn, 12-19 overall, 9-10 MIAA, struck first on offense, with Trenton Barry leading off with a walk and scoring on a two-out double into right by Brandt Beeby in the bottom of the first.

After Beeby stole third he came home on the throw down to second on a stolen base by Jack Borgmann to put Washburn up 2-0.

Eli Dean (2) is greeted by his Washburn teammates after scoring a run in Sunday's 11-2 MIAA romp past Northeastern State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]  

In the second inning Eli Dean led off with a single and scored on a sacrifice fly from Barry.

Ian Luce followed with a triple that scored Owen Laessig to make a it 4-0 game and Levi Risenhoover capped off the three-run inning with a double.  

After a pair of scoreless innings by Washburn starter Finley, the RiverHawks (11-21, 6-14) got on the board in the third, with a pair of hits scoring a run with no outs. 

Northeastern State loaded the bases but Finley was able to escape the jam with a strikeout.  

The Ichabods got the run back in the third, with Dean stroking a leadoff single and scoring on a two-out single from Laessig to give Washburn a 6-1 advantage.

The score stayed that way until the sixth inning when Northeastern State scratched out a run on three hits.  

In the home half of the sixth Washburn loaded the bases with one out, scoring one run on a double play groundout to go up 7-2.

Priest took over on the mound in the seventh inning and tossed a scoreless frame.  

In its next at bat Washburn loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk with one out before Luce singled up the middle to score two runs.

The Ichabods continued to add on to its lead in the eighth as Easton Wasinger and Borgmann slashed singles and Kolby Wheeler followed with a single that scored both runners to make it an 11-2 game.  

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