By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural junior cross country standout Clayton Fink and Hayden junior volleyball standout Hailey Schmidtlein have been selected as the Brandon Aldridge State Farm Insurance Agency Rising Stars of the Week.
The Brandon Aldridge Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the 2026-2027 school year.
Here's a brief look at last week's accomplishments of Fink and Schmidtlein.
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural (510) [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
CLAYTON FINK, Washburn Rural
Fink placed fifth among 99 runners in Saturday's Shufelberger Top City Classic at Washburn Rural, leading the Junior Blues to the team championship by a 50-77 margin over Blue Valley Northwest.
Fink clocked a five-kilometer time of 16 minutes, 29.49 seconds to pace three Rural runners in the top 10 individually.
As a sophomore Fink helped lead Washburn Rural to the Class 6A state team championship by a single point.
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
HAILEY SCHMIDTLEIN, Hayden
A three-sport athlete, Schmidtlein has helped lead Hayden volleyball to a 10-3 start to the 2026 season, including a sweep of the Wildcats' home-opening triangular last Thursday.
Schmidtlein played a big role as Hayden, No. 2-ranked in Class 4A by the Kansas Volleyball Association, took a 25-12, 25-21 victory over Ottawa and a 25-22, 25-17 win over city rival Shawnee Heights.
As a sophomore in 2025-2026, Schmidtlein helped the Wildcats win state championships in basketball and soccer while Hayden posted a runnerup state finish in volleyball.
