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State champion Washburn Rural headlines 2025 All-Shawnee County boys cross country team
The 2025 All-Shawnee County boys cross country team: Front row, from left -- Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural; Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural; Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural; Nick Newkirk, Hayden; Connor Baldwin, Hayden. Back row, from left -- coach Matt Swedlund, Washburn Rural; Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural; Duke Graf, Washburn Rural; Max Esquibel, Shawnee Heights; Brody Anderson, Seaman; Conner Bloom, Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 6A state champion Washburn Rural put five runners, including three repeaters on the 2025 boys All-Shawnee County cross country team.
Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe is a three-time all-county first-teamer while sophomores Clayton Fink and Henry Laubach are also repeat first-teamers after helping the Junior Blues win the state team title by a single point (100-101) over Blue Valley.
Rural sophomores Jaxson Adams and Duke Graf are first-time All-Shawnee County honorees.
Washburn Rural coach Matt Swedlund was named the county boys coach of the year, sweeping the county girls and boys coach of the year awards.
Seaman two-time city and United Kansas Conference individual champion Brody Anderson is a three-time all-county pick while Hayden senior Connor Baldwin and Shawnee Heights senior Max Esquibel are two-time picks.
Seaman junior Conner Bloom and Hayden sophomore Nick Newkirk round out the first team, selected by local coaches.
All-Shawnee County boys capsules:
Hornets rally past No. 16-ranked Ichabods for 3-2 MIAA quarterfinal win
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 16-ranked Washburn University soccer team looked like it was headed to the MIAA Tournament semifinals after jumping out to a 2-0 lead over Emporia State in the opening 18 minutes Sunday in Yager Stadium.
Washburn junior Mackinly Rohn (24) scored her third goal of the season in Sunday's 3-2 MIAA Tournament loss to Emporia State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Freshman Kate Hinck scored goal No. 5 on the season Sunday in Washburn's 3-2 MIAA Tournament loss to Emporia State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But the No. 7-seeded Hornets answered with three unanswered goals to advance with a 3-2 win over the No. 2-seeded Ichabods.
Now Washburn will look forward to the NCAA Division II Soccer Selection Show on Monday, Nov. 17th, at 5:30 p.m. to see where the Ichabods will play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Washburn got off to a hot start when junior Washburn Rural product Mackinly Rohn scored on a corner kick in the second minute to give Washburn an early 1-0 advantage.
Another former Rural star, freshman Kate Hinck, added a second Washburn goal in the 18th minute off a Sam Searcey assist to put the Ichabods in front, 2-0.
But Hinck's goal would end WU's scoring on the day, opening the door for the Hornets' comeback.
ESU got on the board in the 34th minute on a goal from Ella Favot and Washburn took a 2-1 advantage into the halftime break.
No. 6-ranked Ichabods complete regular-season road slate with sweep over Tigers
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After dropping a four-set MIAA match Friday night at No. 3-ranked Nebraska-Kearney, No. 6 Washburn University volleyball bounced back on Saturday afternoon to finish its regular-season road schedule with a 3-0 sweep over Fort Hays State.
Washburn sophomore Brynne Topolski (3) posted a match-high 13 kills in Saturday's 3-0 MIAA sweep at Fort Hays State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods will return to Whiting Fieldhouse next Friday to face Central Oklahoma in a 6 p.m. ranked matchup.
Washburn, 22-3 overall and 11-3 in the MIAA, started hot against the Tigers with a 25-12 win in the first set and built a 2-0 advantage in the match with a 25-23 win in the second set over the Tigers (15-11, 4-10).
The Ichabods then closed out the match with a 25-17 win in the third set to surpass last season's win total.
After Fort Hays State opened the match with a quick start, Washburn used a 5-0 run to lead 8-5 after a kill from sophomore Brynne Topolski. The Ichabods created separation with four points in a row, starting with a kill by senior Austin Broadie.
Defensively, the Ichabods held the Tigers to a minus-.024 hitting percentage while winning the final seven points to take the 13-point first-set victory.
Washburn trailed briefly in the second set before using an early run to go in front, this time with a 6-0 burst capped off by an ace from junior Taylor Rottinghaus to make it 9-4.
Fort Hays State pulled within two with a 5-1 run that was answered by four in a row for the Ichabods.
The Tigers scored six in a row to tie things up at 21-all, but kills from Broadie and Topolski gave Washburn an advantage and three points later sophomore Keilah Rivers ended the set with a kill.
In the third set the Ichabods jumped out to a 10-5 lead with three kills by Topolski in a 5-0 run.
The score got within two points before Washburn scored four straight starting with senior Corinnna McMullen sneaking over a kill. The Ichabods hit a clean .400 in the set to finish off the sweep.
Washburn finished the match hitting .280 overall with 52 kills while Fort Hays State registered 30 kills and an .098 hitting percentage. The Ichabods led in digs 65-45 and had a 40-28 advantage in assists.
Topolski led the Washburn offense with 13 kills while hitting .458 and adding five digs. Rivers added 10 kills and hit .364 with six scoops.
McMullen delivered a double-double with 18 assists and 14 digs while Rottinghaus had a team-high 15 digs in the back row.
Gracie Rains led the Tigers with 10 kills and Kirsten Evans had a match-high 17 digs.
