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Allen marks return to high school swimming with three golds for runnerup for Rural
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural junior swimming standout Daniel Allen had a valid reason for sitting out the 2024-2025 high school season.
After a season away from high school swimming, Washburn Rural junior Daniel Allen was a part of three wins in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Allen is happy to be back with his Rural teammates this winter, and the Junior Blues are certainly happy to have him.
"I decided to focus on the club career last year to try to get to sectionals and futures, which I made this last summer and just see how far I could get my sophomore year,'' Allen said. "And then this year I'm just doing it (high school) for the guys. This is a lot more fun than club swim and there's a lot more camaraderie on the team since we're all about the same age, and I think that's a good aspect of it.
"We're able to have more fun at the meets. It's not as high intensity (as club), it's more relaxed and there's not as much expectation from you until you get closer to state and league, so I think it's just a good experience overall. I would say all club swimmers should try high school just to feel the different atmosphere.''
Allen made his season debut in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium with a pair of individual victories while also helping Rural post a relay victory and a runnerup finish.
Allen won the 200-yard freestyle by more than nine seconds in 1:50.28 and he took a five-second win in the 100 butterfly in 52.82.
Allen also teamed with Castle Wallace, Hunter Kennedy and Joseph Jensen to win the 200 freestyle relay in 136.77and teamed with Quenten Jessop, Braeden Montgomery and Thomas Appuhn to finish second in the 400 free relay in 3:34.33.
Washburn Rural's Thomas Appuhn was a double individual winner in Wednesday's season-opening Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural's Castle Wallace (top) and Seaman's Kinser Barbosa finished one-three in the 100-yard breaststroke in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Appuhn and Wallace also had three wins on the day, with Appuhn winning the 200 individual medley (2:07.93) and the 100 backstroke (57.15) and teaming with Wallace, Andres Morao-Jaspe and Quenten Jessop to win the 200 medley relay (1:38.95) while Wallace won the 100 breaststroke (1:07.86) and swam on Rural's winning 200 medley and 200 free relays.
Washburn Rural coach Bob Burdick was thrilled with the Junior Blues' opening day performance as Rural won a meet-best seven events and posted five runnerup finishes and a third on the way to a second-place team finish behind Olathe Northwest (514-501).
"We had a lot of surprises with a lot of younger guys who had really great times and we've got to keep building to the future and not just looking at the present,'' Burdick said. "We had nine young guys who had never swam in a meet and suprised us beyond expectations and our top swimmers did great, even dropped time from where they ended last year, so that is fantastic.
"We had a good solid meet and now we can just keep working and building the team.''
Seaman finished fifth with 157 points, led by a third-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.03) by Kinser Barbosa.
Topeka High's Will Stewart posted third-place finishes in the 50 freestyle (23.52) and the 100 free (53.35).
TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL
State champion Washburn Rural dominates 2025 All-Centennial League soccer team
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 6A state champion Washburn Rural put seven players on the All-Centennial League boys soccer team, led by senior Dylan Willingham, a repeat pick as the league player of the year.
Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham (19) is a repeat pick as the Centennial League soccer player of the year. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Centennial League coach of the year Brian Hensyel hugs senior Miles Cook, a first-team all-league pick, after Washburn Rural won the Class 6A state title in penalty kicks. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Willingham, the leading goal scorer in school history, is joined on the first team by seniors Draden Chooncharoen, Liam Morrison, Brandon Hamilton, Drew Moore and Miles Cook and junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz while Junior Blues coach Brian Hensyel was voted the Centennial League coach of the year after Rural won its 31st straight league championship (outright or shared).
Topeka High is represented on the first team by senior Neri Diaz-Mayorga and juniors Carlos Acosta-Martinez and Vador Limon while Emporia seniors Kevin Magana and Brody Gilligan round out the 12-member first team.
Topeka High freshman Emyr Vargas (right) was named the Centennial League soccer newcomer of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High freshman Emyr Vargas was selected as the Centennial League newcomer of the year.
Rural seniors Brody Grogan and Jordy Schroeder and junior Myles Didde were named to the second team along with Topeka High seniors Ivan Aguilar-Soto and Billy Lutz and junior Santi Ovalle.
Six city players received honorable mention, including Hayden seniors Lane Neuman and Aiden Roberts.
ALL-CENTENNIAL LEAGUE SOCCER
