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Created: 09 May 2026

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

 Washburn Rural senior star Audrey Appuhn reached a career milestone in Friday's Topeka girls city swimming/diving championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium as the Junior Blues stretched their city title streak to 23 straight seasons.

Appuhn was a double individual winner and four-event gold medalist to lead the way as Washburn Rural took the city crown by a 588-468 margin over Seaman.

Washburn Rural's girls swimming team celebrates in the Capitol Federal Natatorium pool Friday after Rural won its 23rd straight city team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And while the two biggest meets of the year -- Centennial League and Class 6A state -- are next up for Rural, coach Bob Burdick said the city championship will always be one that the Junior Blues circle on the schedule.     

"Especially here in Topeka, we're all here in this together and the best part about this meet is not only the meet, the championship, but also that all these girls in the city all know each other, so they all get to compete with each other, cheer each other and it's just an amazing event,'' Burdick said.

Washburn Rural senior Audrey Appuhn won four gold medals in Friday's city meet as the Junior Blues captured their 23rd straight city team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Competing in her final city meet, Appuhn won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 22.00 seconds and the 100-yard freestyle in 57.28 while teaming with Sophie Heinen, Resego Mackenzie and Kaci Hodgson to win the 200 medley relay (2:13.84) and with Heinen, Ava Von Lintel and Stella Berry to win the 400 free relay (4:20.97).

With her two individual wins Appuhn finished her four-year city career with eight individual victories in as many tries. 

"It never really was a goal,'' Appuhn said. "I just realized, 'Oh, it happened.' ''

Appuhn also added seven career relay victories in eight starts to finish her city career with 15 gold medals.

Senior Rhiannon Good won the one-meter diving event with a score of 239.85 to account for Washburn Rural's fifth victory of the day while the Junior Blues posted top-three finishes in 11 of 12 events and had multiple top-three finishes in four events.

Rural began the season with several question marks, but Burdick said he's been very pleased with the Junior Blues' performance this spring.  

"They've made the progress we need,'' he said. "We picked up 12 new swimmers this year that had never swam and moved them all along and they all contributed tonight, so that was great.''

Appuhn, Good, Heinen and Von Lintel all earned spots on the All-City first team while Mackenzie, Hodgson and Sophie Reffett were second-teamers.

Other highlights: 

Hayden junior Kaelyn Gerdel won a pair of individual titles in Friday's city swimming meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

• Hayden junior Kaelyn Gerdel joined Appuhn as a double individual city champion, winning the 200-yard freestyle in 2:16.81 and the 100 backstroke in 1:19.12.

Gerdel was a first-team All-City pick while Hayden's Lilly Charvat finished second in the 100 breaststroke (1:21.11) and was a second-team All-City pick.

Shawnee Heights' Kaitlyn Aldridge (left) won the 100-yard butterfly and finished second in the 200 individual medley in Friday's city championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

• Shawnee Heights got victories from Clara Sobba in the 50-yard freestyle (26.94) and Kaitlyn Aldridge in the 100 butterfly (1:10.52) while Aldridge finished second in the 200 individual medley (2:34.61) and Sobba was second in the 100 free (58.49).

Aldridge and Sobba also teamed with Jade Kinsch and Lainey Herrera in the 200 medley relay (2:14.60).

Aldridge and Sobba were All-City first-team honorees while Kinsch was a second-team pick.

Topeka High senior Hara Del Castillo won the 100-yard backstroke in Friday's city championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

• Topeka High got city titles from Avery Skinner and Hara Del Castillo, with Skinner winning the 500 freestyle (6:01.47) and Del Castillo winning the 100 backstroke (1:10.55).

Skinner finished second in the 100 back (1:12.70) while Del Castillo was third in the 50 free (27.78) as both Trojans were first-team All-City selections.

• Team runnerup Seaman got a city title from the foursome of Ava Carlson, Gracie Scott, Isabelle Hahn and Riley Strother in the 200 free relay in 1:57.02 while the Vikings posted top-three finishes in five other events. 

Seaman's Strother, Carlson, Scott and Megan Strobel finished second in the 400 free relay (4:26.64).

Strobel and Strother were both All-City first-team honorees while Jenna Zimmerman, Manuela Diaz, Marleigh Frazier, Jurnee Jessepe and Tenley Wessel made the second team.

• Cair Paravel Latin's Avery Rosenow finished second in diving to earn a spot on the All-City second team while Topeka West's Makenna Russell was also a second-team selection.

TOPEKA GIRLS CITY SWIMMING/DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural boys tennis completed a sweep of city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional team championships Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center, with senior doubles champions Cale Deutscher and Dylan Willingham leading the Junior Blues to the regional title by an 18-13 margin over league rival Manhattan.

City and Centennial League champion Washburn Rural added a Class 6A regional title Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Submitted photo]

Deutscher and Willingham and faced off against senior teammates Ben Tryhus and Kieffer O'Connor in the doubles final for the second straight tournament, with Deutscher and Willingham avenging a league loss with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Tryhus and O'Connor.

Washburn Rural senior Cale Deutscher teamed with Dylan Willingham to win a 6A regional doubles title Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham and doubles partner Cale Deutscher are headed back to the 6A state tournament after finishing seventh a year ago. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Deutscher and Willingham improved to 28-4 on the season while Tryhus and O'Connor will take a 25-6 record into Friday's 6A state meet at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex.

Deutscher and Willingham are returning state medalists, finishing seventh last season.

The Junior Blues also qualified junior singles player Greyson Jones for state, with Jones finishing fourth after an injury default to Tyson Habhab of Junction City in the third-place match due to cramping issues.

Jones, 21-11 on the season, took a 6-2 first-set win and the second set was tied 3-3 when he was forced to default. 

"I'm super proud of all the boys,'' Washburn Rural coach Michelle Rose said. "They really battled, they showed up, they played patient and they remembered to play their games.

"It sucks Greyson got cramped up, but he battled and I'm really proud of them.''

Topeka High finished third as a team while qualifying senior singles standout Tres Lassiter and the senior doubles team of Victor Arriaga and Christian Sink for state.

Topeka High senior Tres Lassiter posted a runnerup singles finish in Saturday's Class 6A regional, earning a second straight state berth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Lassiter posted a runnerup singles finish, dropping a 6-0, 6-0 decision to Manhattan star Jay Hoke in the final while Arriaga and Sink finished fifth in doubles, ending their day with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Wichita Heights' Austin Zimmerman and Ryan King. 

Lassiter and Sink are repeat 6A state qualifiers.

CLASS 6A BOYS TENNIS REGIONAL

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman boys tennis continued its late-season run on Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center, with the Vikings capturing their second tournament championship over three days.

Seaman captured a Class 5A regional championship Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center after winning the UKC title two days earlier. [Submitted photo]

After capturing the United Kansas Conference title on Thursday, Seaman won Saturday's Class 5A regional title by a 20-17 margin over Piper, advancing all six of its players to Friday's 5A state tournament at Andover.

"It was a gutsy effort from everybody,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "They really came to play, so that was fun to watch as a spectator and a coach.

"This is the second year in a row we're going to take all six to state and I think we learned a lot from last year.'' 

After finishing second in the UKC tournament, sophomore singles player Camden Dutton added a runnerup regional finish to lead the Vikings.

The Vikings also got a third-place singles finish from Kenton Myrick and third and fourth-place doubles finishes from the teams of Owen Stewart and Dayton Schneider and Aaron Sampson and Cooper Hopeck.

Sophomore Camden Dutton led regional champion Seaman with a runnerup singles finish Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Dutton dropped a 6-1, 7-5 decision to Piper's Blake Taylor in the singles final while Myrick, a freshman, earned his first trip to state with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win over Bonner Springs' Deion Cruse in the third-place match.

Dutton will take an 18-11 into state while Myrick is 22-7. 

Seniors Schneider and Stewart (22-6) met teammates Hopeck and Sampson (23-9) in the third-place doubles match for the second straight tournament, with Stewart and Schneider taking a 6-4, 6-1 decision.

Topeka West sophomore Collin McGee earned a second straight state tournament berth with a runnerup regional doubles finish. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka West junior Zander Rice teamed with Collin McGee to post a runnerup doubles finish in Saturday's Class 5A regional. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka West got a runnerup doubles finish from Collin McGee and Zander Rice, who dropped a tight 6-4, 6-4 decision to Piper's Johnny Vogel and Baird Greenamyre in the title match after also playing the Pirates' duo in the UKC final.

McGee, a sophomore, earned his second straight 5A state berth and McGee and Rice, a junior, will take a 28-10 record into the state tournament.

CLASS 5A BOYS REGIONAL TENNIS

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