By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NiJaree Canady
NiJAREE CANADY, Topeka High
A junior, Canady pitched a three-hitter with 17 strikeouts in a 5-0 win over Centennial League rival Washburn Rural last Tuesday and followed that up with a two-hit, 11-strikeout performance in a 10-0 second-game win over the Junior Blues while also hitting a home run. Canady added two more pitching wins over Olathe West and Shawnee Mission North and allowed just one earned run on the week while hitting three home runs.
Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli
TYLER CLARK-CHIAPPARELLI, Washburn University
Clark-Chiapparelli, a sophomore left-fielder, had a big day at the plate as Washburn's baseball team split a doubleheader with Rogers State Sunday to win its second straight MIAA series. Clark-Chiapparelli went 3 for 4 in the opener with a home run, two runs batted, a stolen base and three runs scored and went 3 for 3 in the second game with a three-run homer, a run-scoring double and four RBI.
Emmerson Cope
EMMERSON COPE, Washburn Rural
A sophomore, Cope went 3-3 with a pair of home runs and four runs batted in for Rural in a 9-2 win over Olathe Northwest and had two hits, including a double, and pitched a five-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and zero walks in a 7-0 victory over Olathe South. A day earlier, Cope helped Rural knock off defending Class 6A champion Free State 3-2 and pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 19-4 win over Olathe West while picking up a pair of hits with a double.
Kadence Jeffries
KADENCE JEFFRIES, Topeka West
Jeffries, a junior was a double-event winner in the Topeka West Invitational swimming meet, taking a victory in the 200-yard freestyle in 1 minute, 59.07 seconds and winning the 500 freestyle in 5:21.45. Jeffries was the Class 5A-1A state champion in both the 200 free and 500 free as a freshman before having her sophomore season wiped out by COVID-19.
Marrit Mead
MARRIT MEAD, Washburn University
A freshman third baseman, Mead went 5 for 7 with a double and two home runs in Washburn's 5-4, 11-1 MIAA doubleheader softball sweep over Newman on Sunday, raising her team-leading batting average to .484. The Santa Fe Trail graduate had started all 27 games for the 21-6 Ichabods through Sunday and leads Washburn in most offensive categories.
Taylin Stallbaumer
TAYLIN STALLBAUMER, Seaman
Stallbaumer, a freshman, continues to be a force in the girls 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles, sweeping both races in last Thursday's Manhattan Invitational. Stallbaumer posted a winning time of 16.41 seconds in the 100-meter race and came back to win the 300s by more than two seconds in 49.25 seconds.
