By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
AUDREY APPUHN, Washburn Rural
Appuhn, a freshman swimming standout, was a part of four victories in her first Topeka City Championship Friday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, helping lead Washburn Rural to its 20th straight city team championship. Appuhn won the 200-yard freestyle in 1 minute, 57.72 seconds and the 500 free in 5:11.08 and also swam on the Junior Blues' winning 200 medley relay (1:54.84) and 400 free relay (3:40.49).
ALA'JAH BROOKS, Topeka West
A senior track and field standout, Brooks won three individual titles in Friday's Joe Schrag City Championship at Hummer Sports Park. Brooks won the long jump with a best of 16 feet, 7.50 inches, won the 400-meter dash in 57.26 seconds and won the 200 in 25.65 seconds. Brooks was the only athlete to win three individual events in the city meet.
MASON CASEBEER, Washburn Rural
A senior tennis standout, Casebeer captured a pair of singles championships last week, including earning his third Class 6A state tournament berth Friday at Wichita. Casebeer opened his week with a Centennial League title, earning a 6-0, 6-1 win over Manhattan's Advith Nataraja in the final. Casebeer followed up his league title with a regional championship Friday at Riverside Tennis Center, taking a 6-1, 6-1 win over Wichita East sophomore Bo Lu to help Rural win the regional team title by a 19-15 margin over Manhattan.
BETHANY DRUSE, Seaman
Seaman's returning senior state champion, Druse won three gold medals in Friday's Joe Schrag City Championship track and field meet at Hummer Sports Park, including a city-record performance in the 1,600-meter run in a time of 5 minutes, 13.49 seconds. Druse won the 800 in 2:26.61 and ran the anchor leg on the Vikings' winning 4x400 relay (4:12.08) as Seaman won its second straight city team championship.
DREW FAY, Cair Paravel Latin
Fay, a freshman, made school history in Cair Paravel Latin's first season of fielding a boys tennis program, earning the Lions' first Class 3A-1A state tournament berth. Fay posted a fifth-place singles finish in a 3A-1A regional at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence. Fay took a win over Bishop Seabury's Gabe Rinnert in the fifth-place match.
AVERY WALZ, Seaman
A junior swimming standout, Walz captured three gold medals in Friday's Topeka City Championship at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, helping lead the Vikings to a second-place team finish. Walz, a returning Class 5A-1A state champ, won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 07.18 seconds and the 100 freestyle in 52.38 and swam on Seaman's winning 200 free relay in 1:45.57.