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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

A former soccer standout at Cair Paravel and Emporia State is pursuing a lifelong dream as a member of the Guatemalan national team. It’s been an arduous journey for the 2019 high school graduate, but her determination and faith have been rewarded.

Former Cair Paravel and Emporia State soccer star Hannah (Woolery) Mondi celebrates a big play for the Guatemalan national team. [Submitted photo from Hannah Mondi]

Hannah Mondi née Woolery played her first game with the Guatemalan team on December 1, a 4-1 win over Bermuda in Guatemala City. She will play three matches in the coming months that could lead to a berth in next year’s eight-team Concacaf Championship, which will ultimately produce four of the participants in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027

“I talked recently to my brother about it because I remember when we were little kids watching the men’s World Cup in Brazil (in 2014),” Mondi said. “That was the first one we were old enough to soak in and understand. And now I’m playing in qualifiers to play for a World Cup in Brazil. Little me would be just overwhelmed and would not believe that I actually got to do that.”

Mondi was born in Guatemala and spent the first six years of her life there before moving with her family to the United States. The daughter of Cair Paravel soccer coach Doug Woolery helped transform the Topeka private school’s team into the state title contender it has become, then enjoyed an All-American career at Emporia State, where she remains the college’s all-time assist leader.

Hannah (Woolery) Mondi (back row, left) said that playing for Guatemala's national team is an "overwhelming feeling.'' [Submitted photo from Hannah Mondi]

“Playing in Guatemala for the national team is just a very overwhelming feeling,” said Mondi, who retains dual citizenship in both Guatemala and the U.S. “Guatemala means so much to me. That’s where I was born. That’s where my first memories are. That’s where I got married. So it’s always had such a special place in my heart.

“I couldn’t believe it when I got to step on that field and see my relatives in the stands. All my mom’s family is down there. They had a big banner with my name on it. That was the first time that I got to play in front of them. I had about 30 people come to the game. It meant so much to be able to represent them. Especially my grandpa. He played for the Guatemalan National Team when he was younger, and he’s such a big soccer guy. I know it meant a lot for him to see me play for Guatemala.”

It’s an accomplishment that could easily not have happened.

In the spring of 2022, while a junior at Emporia State, Mondi tried out for the Guatemalan national team and was told she had a spot. But before she was able to complete the qualification process, the coaching staff was relieved. By the time the next group of coaches were ready to bring her down, it was in the heart of her fourth college season. She declined the invitation because she didn’t want to miss a critical part of the season.

Next up, Mondi tried to join a professional club in Austria, but they wanted her to come in the spring of 2024, when she was student teaching to earn her degree. She considered that offer seriously, but ultimately decided not to delay her graduation. Still, the prospect of playing in Europe was a motivator.

“After I (committed to) the Austrian team, I was practicing with a goal. I had a team to go on,” Mondi said. “But probably two weeks before I was supposed to go to join them, they told me that they were just going to recruit European players for that season. I had spent that whole summer preparing (to play in Austria), so obviously that was kind of a blow.

“But I realized through it that I still had the dream and I still wanted to play. But I had no knowledge of how to get in touch with teams and how to put myself out there. I was on my own and I thought, 'I will just keep on practicing and keep trying.’ But that takes a lot of physical and mental toughness to do that, practicing and working out by yourself without any motivators.”

Her next offer, in December 2024, was equally poorly timed.

“I ended up finding an agent. He wanted to put me a Mexico team. But their season started the same week that I was going to get married. I said, 'I want to get married and I want to enjoy my wedding,' ” said Mondi, who married January 10 of this year. “We had all these things planned. The coach told my agent he would think about bringing me in later, but he didn’t respond.”

Newly married with a degree, it would have been easy to think that the soccer door of her life had closed.

“It’s been so difficult to keep the dream alive,” Mondi said. “It was a series of ups and downs, but God is faithful. Without that keeping me going, I probably would have given up a long time ago. But He provided an opportunity finally and it felt like a big answer to prayer. If I hadn’t gone through all that, I wouldn’t be the player that I have become.”

To permit herself the opportunity to pursue a soccer career, Mondi works as a substitute teacher in Lawrence, De Soto and Eudora. She credits her husband, Caleb Mondi, a football player at Lawrence High School and Emporia State, with helping her stay on track during those challenging stretches.

“He’s been so supportive and great about it,” Mondi said of her husband. “There have definitely been times when I say, 'Maybe soccer isn’t it. Maybe I should just give it up.' And he said, 'No you should keep going.'

“He really understands the discipline of it all. He knows my training is really important. He knows when I need to push or when to lay back.”

In 2025, Mondi tried to re-insert herself into the pipeline for the Guatemalan national team but would have to try out with yet another new group of coaches. That opportunity finally came in October. She went for a tryout, then was asked to stay to help the team prepare for the Central American Games.

“They asked me to stay for another week to bond with the girls even though I wasn’t eligible to play on the team back in October,” said Mondi, who watched four of the team’s Central American Games matches. “It felt kind of like a college recruitment trip. You practice with the team and do everything they do, but I wasn’t on the roster and couldn’t suit up for the games. They wanted to see how I melded with the girls.”

With her knowledge of Spanish and familiarity with the country, Mondi connected quickly with her new teammates.

“We were confined for 15 days together and we didn’t really leave the compound,” Mondi said. “They were so welcoming and so kind. A lot of the girls are actually American in some capacity. I’m the only American who was actually born in Guatemala. So there are a lot of English speakers.”

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Senior individual champions Lacey Middleton and Madi Blanco led the way as Washburn Rural girls wrestling reigned supreme in Saturday's 35-school eighth annual Ladycat Classic at Basehor-Linwood, taking the team championship by an 184.5-147 margin over the host Bobcats.

Washburn Rural senior Lacey Middleton has her hand raised after winning the 125-pound title in Saturday's Ladycat Invitational at Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]

Washburn Rural senior Madi Blanco fought back from a 7-2 deficit to win the 140-pound championship with a pin in Saturday's Ladycat Invitational at Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]

“I was impressed with our mental fortitude (Saturday), because this is always a crazy tough tournament,'' Washburn Rural coach Damon Parker told KSHSAA Covered. "We go to a national level tournament the week before this, and then they've got finals week. And then we come to this, which is the toughest tournament in the state of Kansas. 

“It's the fact that they were able to keep it together. We always have some kids that struggle this week because of all of those external stressors. And this is the first time that I really saw them mat-side supporting each other and doing the relationship stuff that we really preach. They showed what they're capable of. I was impressed.”

Middleton, now 14-2 on the season, won the 125-pound title with a 4-1 decision over Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Courtney Nye.

Middleton won with a takedown with 15 seconds left in the third period. 

“I stopped being surprised by Lacey Middleton a long time ago,'' Parker said. “She's going to surprise other people because she's not a household name with everybody, but she will be. There is nobody here that went through more hammers than Lacey Middleton did today.”

Blanco, 13-1, took the 140 crown, rallying from a 7-2 deficit to record a second-period (3:18) win by pin over Dodge City junior Alejandra DeLaRosa.

“She's down 7-2, fights off her back and gets up with the biggest smile ever on her face,” Parker said. “That's who she is as a human. It’s such a rare gift to be able to look at the scoreboard, see yourself in a humongous hole, and be like, ‘Oh, cool, what a challenge. I can't wait.’ She is that kid.”

The Junior Blues also got third-place finishes from freshman 105-pounder Aliyah Tangpricha (12-2) and senior 170-pounder Elia Smith (12-2), a fourth from senior Emme Blanco (12-2) and sixth-place finishes from junior 130-pounder Rylee-Jade Ebanez (12-6) and 235-pound sophomore Emma Mehl (9-5).

“Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with the way that they wrestled (Saturday),'' Parker said. "But the coolest thing about this squad is they understand the way we performed here has absolutely no bearing on what's going to happen six weeks from now in February. They're going to enjoy it today, go home and we'll get back to work once we get back from the Christmas break.”

Shawnee Heights sophomore Olive Jones won the 135-pound championship in Saturday's 35-school Ladycat Classic at Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]

Shawnee Heights fnished 11th as a team with 87.5 points as T-Bird sophomore Olive Jones captured the 135-pound championship with a pin at the 3:46 mark over Nemaha Central junior Autumn Feldkamp, improving to 13-1 on the season.

The T-Birds also got a fourth-place finish from junior 125-pounder Audry Hinkly (8-5), a fifth from senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens (9-2) and a seventh from junior 190-pounder Brooklyn Binkley (6-5).

Rossville junior 145-pounder Madelyn Wonnell (9-4) posted a sixth-place finish, while Bulldawg sophomore Nora Mitchell (11-4) finished seventh at 105 pounds.

Seaman sophomore Hollister Olson-Thomas (6-6) placed sixth at 135 pounds while Viking sophomore Avery Villines (7-5) finished eighth at 125.

Silver Lake junior Kamiryn Clark (6-5) finished eighth at 100 pounds.

Rural won the Basehor-Linwood LadyCat Classic with 184.5 points. Basehor-Linwood’s was second with 147 points. Lacey Middleton (125) and Madi Blanco (140) won their weight classes. 

T-Birds' Bonebrake claims title in Scott Bacon Classic

Shawnee Heights freshman Jacob Bonebrake earned the 113-pound championship in Saturday's Scott Bacon Classic at Blue Valley.

Bonebrake, now 14-1 on the season, took a 6-2 decision over Blue Valley junior Rocco Lanzisero in the title match, leading Shawnee Heights to a sixth-place team finish (319.5).

The T-Birds also got a third-place finish from 150-pound junior Brody Brown (17-1), a fourth from senior 175-pounder Evan Johnson (12-4) and a sixth from sophomore 144-pounder Carter Kamanda (8-10).

Seaman finished fourth as a team with 335 points, led by a third-place finish from senior 157-pounder Brennen Bowers (18-1).

The Vikings also got a fourth-place showing from junior 150-pounder Deegan Frazier (15-3), fifths from 138-pound junior Ross Shipley (15-3) and 285-pound junior Henry Reichart (15-4) and a sixth from 126-pound freshman Cale Heston (11-7).

Lawrence Free State won the team championship with 386 points.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Jack Bachelor

JACK BACHELOR, Washburn University

A junior guard, Bachelor was named the MIAA Player of the Week after averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds as No. 1-ranked Ichabod men's basketball went 2-0 with victories over two top-five teams. The former Washburn Rural star went 8 of 13 from 3-point range and 9 of 10 from the free thow line as WU improved to 13-0, scoring 20 points against Lubbock Christian and 19 against West Texas A&M. Bachelor's first basket of the game against West Texas A&M pushed him over the career 1,000-point mark and he now has 1,017 career points.

Madi Blanco

MADI BLANCO, Washburn Rural

Blanco, a senior, won the 140-pound championship in Saturday's 35-school Ladycat Classic wrestling tournament, improving to 13-1 on the season as Washburn Rural captured the team title by a 184.5-147 margin over host Basehor-Linwood. Blanco battled back from a 7-2 deficit in the championship match to record a second-period pin.

Kailyn Hanni 

KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake

Hanni, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career, was named the Most Valuable Player in the Flurry In Flush girls basketball tournament at Rock Creek after Silver Lake clinched the tournament championship with a 72-44 win over Eudora on Saturday. Hanni helped the Eagles go 4-0 on the week, including a 69-53 regular-season win over Rossville, a 56-38 win over Hesston, a 62-41 win over Hays and Saturday's win over Eudora.

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