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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls tennis team, third in Class 5A a year ago, continues to build momentum for another late-season run, following up last week's city championship with the team title in Tuesday's 11-school Topeka West Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center.

Led by singles champions Emma Sweeney and Molly Gorman, Seaman won Tuesday's championship by a 51-47 margin over Washburn Rural, with the Vikings and Junior Blues repeating their one-two finish from the city meet.

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney won the No. 1 singles championship in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman won the No. 2 singles championship in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational for team champion Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Sweeney, a junior, won the No. 1 singles title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Olathe West's Lindsay Ruder, avenging a loss to Ruder in the 2024 West tournament, while Gorman, a senior, captured the No. 2 singles championship with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Manhattan's Sally Kastner.

Seaman also got a runnerup doubles finish from Peyton Henry and Camryn Lux in No. 1 doubles and a third-place finish from Kaylyn Hiebsch and Cadence Speer in No. 2 doubles.

"Another good day for the Vikings,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "The girls are trusting their shots and especially in singles Molly really played well. I feel like she's struggled a little bit and she had to take eight months off (with an injury) and now she's really getting back to form. That last match was the most comfortable I've ever seen her.

"And Emma really had a big match and she wanted this one, so that was fun to see. That tested her, that challenged her. This was good competition and we're battle tested and that's going to help in the UKC and it's going to help in regionals.''

Washburn Rural, which has put together another strong season despite graduating several key players off its 2024 team, swept the doubles titles in Tuesday's tournament.

Washburn Rural coach Michelle Rose talks to Rural No. 1 doubles players Halle Owen and Julia Katzer during Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Rural juniors Julia Katzer and Halle Owen won the No. 1 doubles championship with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Seaman's Henry and Lux. Katzer and Owen also faced Henry and Lux in the city championship match, with Rural taking an 8-3 win.

Washburn Rural junior Julia Katzer returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles final in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Halle Owen returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles final in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Alizah Chedzoy and Annie Henderson followed up their city title in No. 2 doubles with the championship in Tuesday's tournament, with Rural taking a 6-1, 6-3 decision in the finals.

TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL TENNIS

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Hall of Famer is back.

Steve Bushnell, who led one of Kansas' most dominant baseball programs for more than two decades at Seaman, will be back on the field in the spring for his second stint after his hiring was approved by the USD 345 school board last week.

Hall of Fame coach Steve Bushnell has been named Seaman's head baseball coach and will begin his second stint next spring. [File photo/TSN]

Bushnell last coached Seaman in 2019, leading the Vikings to their second straight Class 5A state championship and their ninth state title in his tenure before the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Bushnell moved into the Seaman athletic director's position for four years through 2023-2024 before retiring in the spring of 2024.

"When I left teaching and coaching and decided to go into administration, that was the most difficult decision that I had made to that time as far as my career and that side of it,'' Bushnell told TopSports.news. "It was definitely hard to step away and to go into the A.D.'s position. 

"I learned a lot and had a great time as our athletic director for four years, but I always felt like baseball was part of me and it was always there.''

Trent Oliva stepped down as Seaman's head coach after the 2025 season and Bushnell, a member of six hall of fames, eventually made the decision to pursue the opening.

"I think you're always trying to analyze and see how things fit and I was pretty thorough in that regard,'' Bushnell said. "When it all went down late mid-summer and July, the opportunity to come back was not anything that I ever thought that I would be presented and it was somewhat of a surprise.

"But it definitely was intriguing and I threw my name in and went through the process.''

In his first Seaman stint Bushnell led the Vikings to 18 state tournament appearances, the nine state championships and four runner-up finishes in his 21 seasons.

Bushnell culminated a 401-103 record (.796) which included a record of 42-9 in the state tournament. Seaman won at least 20 games for 10 consecutive years during the Bushnell era.

In 2018 he was named the American Baseball Coaches Association High School Division III National Coach of the Year.

 
 Steve Bushnell was inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame this past spring, one of the six hall of fames he's a member of. [Photo courtesy of KSHSAA Covered]

Bushnell was inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame this past spring and is also a member of the Ban Johnson Baseball, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Emporia State, Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches and the Seaman baseball shrines.

Bushnell said the Vikings will continue to strive to be a state contender moving forward.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Local sports greats Jerad Head, Trey Lewis, Brenda Stolle, Duane Zlatnik and the late Bob Davis will be inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame on Monday at Washburn University.

The Topeka Area Sports Commission will host the 20th annual Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame induction ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Washburn's Memorial Union.

Head was a multi-sport star at Hayden and Washburn University before embarking on a long career in professional baseball, including a Major League stint with the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). 

Lewis was a standout at Washburn Rural and earned NCAA Division II All-America honors as a defensive lineman before being drafted by the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons. 

Stolle, a Silver Lake graduate, was a standout pitcher for the Emporia State softball team from 1979-81.  During that time, she guided the Hornets to a national championship in 1980 and a second-place finish in 1981. 

Zlatnik was a star lineman and three-time state wrestling champion at Rossville before becoming a three-year starter in the offensive line for the University of Kansas.

A Topeka West graduate, Davis carved out a legendary broadcasting career, including long stints for the University of Kansas and the Kansas City Royals.

The 2025 Hall of Fame event will feature a luncheon followed by the official program.

Established in 2006, the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame continues its mission to preserve and honor the legacies of those who have significantly advanced athletics in Shawnee County.

Hall of Fame Class of 2025 capsules:

Jerad Head

JERAD HEAD

Head earned All-Class 4A honors in football, basketball and baseball at Hayden and played basketball and baseball at Washburn University before being signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Cleveland Indians in 2006. 

Head was promoted to the majors on August 28, 2011 and played in 10 games as a left fielder and pinch hitter.

Head also played Minor League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals organizations before ending his playing career in 2013.

He was named as manager of the Auburn Doubledays of the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League in 2016 and managed through 2018.

Trey Lewis

TREY LEWIS

After graduating from Washburn Rural, Lewis played for the Washburn Ichabod football team from 2003-06 as a defensive lineman and became the first Ichabod to be named to the Associated Press Little All-American team since 1963. Lewis was also named to the American Football Coaches Association All-American team after recording 62 tackles as a senior with 36 solo stops, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Lewis finished his career at Washburn with 156 total tackles, including 68 solo stops, 23 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Lewis was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 6th round as the 185th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

He played from 2007-11 for the Falcons, appearing in 31 games. 

Brenda Stolle

BRENDA STOLLE

A Silver Lake native, Stolle was a standout pitcher for the Emporia State softball team from 1979-81. Stolle led the Hornets to a national championship in 1980 and a second-place finish in 1981.  Her career pitching record was 66-15, and she picked up six saves during her career.

During the 1980 championship season, Stolle compiled an 0.33 earned run average.  She received numerous honors, including all-American honors twice, NAIA most valuable player in 1981, and Kansas Female Athlete of the Year from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Stolle was the first female ever inducted into the Emporia State Athletic Hall of Honor in 1988 and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Duane Zlatnik

DUANE ZLATNIK

Zlatnik starred in football and wrestling at Rossville before becoming a three-year starter in the offensive line at Kansas.

Zlatnik was a three-time state wrestling champion for the Bulldawgs and finished his career with a 148-13 record and a school-record 110 pins. He was a two-time All-Stater and Kansas Shrine Bowl pick in football.

Zlatnik was an All-Big 12 honoree for the Jayhawks and made 27 consecutive starts at right and left guard.

He is currently an assistant football and wrestling coach at Washburn Rural.

 Bob Davis

BOB DAVIS (Inducted posthumously)

A Topeka West graduate, Davis passed away on March 20 at the age of 80 after a legendary career in sports broadcasting.

Davis was the "Voice of the Jayhawks" for more than 30 years before retiring in 2016. Davis called eight KU trips to the Final Four, six football bowl games, including the 2008 Orange Bowl, and thousands of regular-season basketball and football games. Davis was also on the call for the 1988 and 2008 men's basketball national championship victories. In 1997 Davis joined the Kansas City Royals, calling games for radio and television for the franchise for 16 years.

 A 48-year veteran of broadcasting in the state of Kansas, Davis was born in Iola and grew up in Topeka, where he graduated from West in 1962. Davis stayed in Topeka to attend Washburn, where he graduated in 1967 with a degree in history.

Davis is a member of numerous Halls of Fame, including the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.