By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West junior soccer standout Diego Gonzalez-Talavera and Hayden sophomore volleyball star Hailey Schmidtlein have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2025-2026 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Gonzalez-Talavera and Schmidtlein over the past week:
Diego Gonzalez-Talavera, Topeka West
DIEGO GONZALEZ-TALAVERA, Topeka West
Gonzalez-Talavera was named the Most Valuable Player in the Salina South Invitational after the Chargers won the tournament championship with three straight wins, capped by a 3-2 victory over tournament host Salina South in last Saturday's championship game.
Gonzalez-Talavera's tournament performance was highlighted by four goals and an assist in an 8-0 first-round West win over Salina Central.
The Topeka West standout added a goal and an assist on Thursday as the Chargers improved to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the United Kansas Conference with a 4-2 home win over Seaman.
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden
HAILEY SCHMIDTLEIN, Hayden
Schmidtlein played a big role last Saturday as the Wildcats, top-ranked in Class 4A by the Kansas Volleyball Association, won the Baldwin Invitational with five straight wins to improve to a perfect 12-0 on the season.
Schmidtlein registered 40 kills in 11 sets on the day while hitting .377 with 51 digs and five blocks.
"Hailey is an incredible multi-sport athlete,'' Wildcat coach Corrinne McGreevy said. "She is a fierce leader and has great court awareness. I'm really proud of how she is playing and leading this team.''
