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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West senior Myles Alonzo had a major breakthrough individually in Monday's City Golf Championship at Topeka Country Club while it was business as usual for Washburn Rural in the team race, with the Junior Blues claiming their 14th straight city title.
Washburn Rural's golf team poses for a picture after winning its 14th straight city championship Monday at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West senior Myles Alonzo won his first city title Monday with a 27-hole total of 117 strokes. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After losing the 2023 city title in a playoff, Alonzo got the job done on Monday, finishing with a 27-hole score of 117 to win his first city crown by four strokes while Washburn Rural continued its dominating city run with a 34-stroke team win over Hayden (495-529) in the city event, which was held in conjunction with the 19-school Topeka Country Club Invitational.
Competing in a howling wind that made conditions extremely challenging, Alonzo took the lead with an opening nine-hole score of 37 and held on through an up and down final 18 holes to take the win, while senior Hayden Glynn shot a 121 to lead Washburn Rural.
"It was definitely challenging today with the wind and everything, but it was fun,'' Alonzo said. "I really wanted to do well today but I just want to win the bigger tournaments.
"It was fun, just to put this on my list that I won.''
City champion Myles Alonzo talks with Topeka West coach Richard Mariani during Monday's City Golf Championship at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Alonzo had a string of holes over his final 18 where he struggled, but the West four-year standout never relinquished the top spot.
"I just couldn't keep my driver in the fairway,'' said Alonzo, who won his second straight tournament. "If anything it was just to try to make par and keep on going.''
Junior Tagen Rodriguez finished third in the city meet with a 122 total to lead runnerup Hayden while Washburn Rural's Tadd Armstrong (126) and Tagan Monasmith (128) rounded out the top five.
The Junior Blues also got 131s from Xoaquin Overbey and Tanner Kasprznk while Camden Zimlich finished at 136.
Senior Hayden Glynn, chipping onto the 18th green, was the city runnerup on Monday, leading Washburn Rural to its 14th straight city team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I'm proud of the guys for accomplishing the goal of being city champions,'' Washburn Rural coach Jared Goehring said. "I know that that's always a goal that we set at the beginning of the season and it feels good to be city champions.
"We got off to a great start this morning (three in the 30s over the opening nine holes) and just didn't put it all together this afternoon.''
With the Centennial League meet looming next Monday at Firekeeper and Class 6A regional and state competition on the horizon, Goehring said he's hopeful that his Junior Blues can use Monday's tournament as a lesson for how to compete in unfavorable conditions.
"It's springtime in Kansas and high school golf for these guys can be a little bit unfair, especially with the weather conditions,'' Goehring said. "But the mindset that they have to have is that's something that they cannot control so hopefully they use this as great experience moving forward.''
Ayden Valdivia led third-place Shawnee Heights with a sixth-place finish at 130 while Kaleb Mack paced Seaman with a tie for seventh place (131) and Hayden's James Kuta rounded out the top 10 (132).
Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin did not compete in the city meet due to the fact that the bulk of the team's golfers were gone on a school-related trip.
Blue Valley North won the team championship in the Topeka Country Club Invitational with a four-person score of 308, one stroke ahead of Olathe West.
Blue Valley's Chase Rinkol shot an even-par 71 to claim the individual title while Free State's Jack Randall finished second with a 73 and Shawnee Mission East's Stuart Boulware third with a 74.
TOPEKA CITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TopSports.News, in partnership with A-1 Lock and Key, Washburn University, Capital Label, Peggy's Tax and Accounting and the Jamie Hornbaker State Farm Insurance Agency, will host the 19th annual Topeka Shawnee County Sports Awards/Hall of Fame induction ceremony on June 26, 2024 at Washburn's Memorial Union.
For the fourth straight year TopSports.news will serve as host for the Sports Awards/Hall of Fame banquet, a longstanding tradition for the Topeka and Shawnee County sports community.
The ceremony will highlight Shawnee County high school senior student-athletes’ achievements throughout the 2023-2024 school year along with the induction of the 2024 Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame class.
Schools have been asked to submit nominees with a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average for both female and male candidates for the fall, winter and spring seasons as well as nominees for most inspirational athlete. Overall outstanding male and female athletes for 2023-2024 will also be named.
Also recognized will be an outstanding female and male athlete from Washburn University.
The four-member 2024 Hall of Fame class and the '24 Washburn University Athletes of the Year will be announced on TopSports.news in the coming days.
The high school nominees for the 10 Shawnee County high schools will be announced in June after the conclusion of the spring sports season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn put up back-to-back five-runs innings and Seaman product Gavin Wilhelm notched his first career pitching win as the Ichabods took an 11-9 Senior Day decision over No. 21-ranked Central Oklahoma Sunday at Falley Field.
Washburn baseball honored its 12 seniors prior to Sunday's 11-9 MIAA win over No. 21 Central Oklahoma. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Before Sunday's first pitch was thrown, Washburn (24-19 overall, 18-12 MIAA) recognized its 12 seniors -- Teagan Tamiya, Trey Adams, Cal Watkins, Cole Warner, Jake Schroeder, Shane Morrow, Cale Savage, Otto Jones, Seger Holman, Ike Book, Jayden Payne and Charlie Kiefer.
The first two innings of the game were scoreless for both teams before the Bronchos (34-11, 20-10) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on a wild pitch.
In the home half of the third Savage led off the inning with a home run to left field to tie the game.
Walks to Payton McHarg and Jett Buck and a single from Hayden Priest loaded the bases before Connor Scott singled in two runs and Grant Jones singled in another run. With two outs Watkins singled to score Scott to complete the five-run inning
One inning later Buck hit a three-run homer and WU scored a run on a bases-loaded walk and Savage plated a run with a sacrifice fly to make it back-to-back five-run innings for Washburn.
The next half inning the Central Oklahoma led off with a hit batter and two walks to load the bases. An RBI grounder scored one run and the next batter walked to re-load the bases. Two straight singles scored three runs to make it a 10-5 game and with two outs the Bronchos hit a three-run homer to right field to pull within two 10-8 with the seven-run fifth.
Gavin Wilhelm
Wilhelm came on to pitch with two outs in the top of the fifth and turned in a sterling relief effort, pitching the final 4.1 innings while allowing just one unearned run and striking out seven.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly girls swimming and diving honor roll for Topeka high schools throughout the 2024 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY
Seaman 1:58.69
Washburn Rural 2:04.07
Shawnee Heights 2:13.20
Hayden 2:13.49
Topeka High 2:18.14
Avery Walz, Seaman
200-YARD FREESTYLE
Avery Walz, Seaman 2:03.60
Joslynn Grace, Seaman 2:04.96
Ashtynn Landry, Shawnee Heights 2:11.03
Bailee Heincker, Seaman 2:19.92
Madeline O'Brien, Washburn Rural 2:20.24
200-YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Avery Walz, Seaman 2:11.82
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 2:12.54
Joslynn Grace, Seaman 2:15.40
Presley Green, Hayden 2:16.62
Tauren Walz, Seaman 2:19.25
Tauren Walz, Seaman
50-YARD FREESTYLE
Tauren Walz, Seaman 26.11
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 26.93
Genevieve Miranda, Washburn Rural 27.14
Ashtynn Landry, Shawnee Heights 27.26
Jella Belgardt, Washburn Rural 28.04
ONE-METER DIVING
Kaylee Gregg, Hayden 223.05
Rhiannon Good, Washburn Rural 207.70
Natalee Grauberger, Washburn Rural 197.80
Maddie Gregg, Hayden 151.90
Giselle Soto, Washburn Rural 143.90
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Audrey Appuhn
AUDREY APPUHN, Washburn Rural
Appuhn won the 200-yard individual medley in the Topeka Invitational swimming meet by nearly seven seconds in a time of 2 minutes, 12.54 seconds and won the 500 free by more than 15 seconds in 5:15.37. Appuhn also teamed with Ava Von Lintel, Ella Bombardier and Madeline O'Brien to win the 400 free relay in 4:18.48 and swam on Rural's third-place 200 medley relay (2:04.07) as the Junior Blues finished second as a team, just a point behind Free State.
Aaron Merritt
AARON MERRITT, Seaman
Merritt, a senior track and field standout, captured the individual championship in the boys 100-meter dash in the prestigious Kansas Relays in Lawrence. Merritt won the 100 in the 101st Relays in 10.52 seconds, while Robert Collins of Staley, Mo. finished second in 10.56. Merritt also posted a third-place finish in the 110 high hurdles in 14.35 seconds.
Ryin Miller
RYIN MILLER, Seaman
Miller, a sophomore, was a double champion in the 101st Kansas Relays at Rock Chalk Park, winning the girls 3,200 in 10 minutes, 13.97 seconds and taking the 1,600 in 4:53.74. Salina Central's Katelyn Rupe, the Class 5A cross country champion, finished second to Miller in the 3,200 in 10:17.40 while Gwyn Meyers of Bishop Kelley (Tulsa, Okla.) was the runnerup in the 1,600 in 4:56.62.
