By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Four new inductees joined the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame Wednesday night in a ceremony at Washburn University.
Professional bowler Chris Barnes, basketball standout Crystal Kemp, longtime coach Kevin Bordewick and sportswriter Rick Peterson took turns sharing what the honor meant to them.
The 2023 Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame class, from left -- Rick Peterson, Kevin Bordewick, Crystal Kemp and Chris Barnes. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame inductee Chris Barnes (left) begins his induction speech Wednesday night at Washburn University. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Famers pose for a pictue after Wednesday's induction ceremonies at Washburn University. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Hall of Fame induction was held in conjunction with the Topeka Shawnee County High School Sports Awards.
Washburn Rural’s Brooklyn DeLeye was named Female Athlete of the Year and Highland Park’s Tre Richardson received the Male Athlete of the Year award.
Receiving Most Inspirational Female and Male Athletes of the Year were Alyssa Droge of Hayden and Lenny Njoroge of Topeka West.
Njoroge, who will continue his running career at the University of Kansas, said combining recognition of young athletes and hall of fame inductees in the same event was meaningful.
“It really opens up your mind to see all these great people from Topeka who are known worldwide,” Njoroge said. “They’re pros, they’re hall of famers in other places as well so It really gives you motivation that pushes you forward. If these people from Topeka can do it, why can’t a kid from Kenya do it?
“Everybody in Topeka is behind you. I’m very thankful for everyone here and for the city of Topeka.”
Barnes was a basketball standout at Topeka High before he devoted himself to bowling. He described the impact Trojan coach Willie Nicklin had on his life after his father was killed in a fire when Barnes was 10.
Barnes, who has traveled the world as a member of Team USA, said it is significant to be recognized in the community where his career began.
“It is cool because you can forget about all those little things that happened along the way that seem insignificant enough at the time, but they all lead into a much bigger career,” Barnes said. “It’s interesting what the Topeka ties meant to me. The number of people from Topeka who had an influence on me is significant.”
Barnes was introduced by his wife, Lynda, who is also a professional bowler.
Kemp was introduced by her brother and spoke about the importance of family. After starring at Topeka High, she earned All-Big 12 honors at the University of Kansas.
Bordewick recounted his coaching career at schools in northeast Kansas, eventually landing at Washburn Rural. After several decades and state titles in volleyball and basketball, he thanked all the athletes who contributed to those successes. Bordewick was introduced by fellow local coach Steve Alexander.
The event was co-sponsored by TopSports.news, for which Peterson currently covers local sports after several decades with the Topeka Capital-Journal. After being introduced by his son and fellow sportswriter Rick Peterson, Jr., the elder Peterson said it has been “my pleasure” to cover the athletes, coaches and schools represented in the auditorium.
“It’s always positive,” Bordewick said of Peterson’s coverage of local sports. “No matter if it’s an athlete or a coach or whoever, he makes them look really good. It’s his style of writing, but it’s his approach to it, too. High school kids can be emotional. High school coaches can be emotional. They can say some things that might be questionable. But he makes them look good.
“(Longtime Washburn Rural tennis coach) Kevin Hedberg said, ‘Rick has made the level of athletics in Topeka and Shawnee County rise just because of his writing. Parents like to see their kids’ names in the paper. That makes kids want to work harder. It snowballs. I think Rick, whether he believes it or not, has actually made sports in Topeka more competitive and more marketable to colleges. The level of athletes we have in Shawnee County is incredible. And the places they go is incredible. I think Rick is a big part of that.”
TopSports.news partnered with University of Kansas Health Systems St. Francis Campus, A-1 Lock and Key and Washburn University to sponsor the event.
