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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With the Class 6A state championships coming up next weekend, Washburn Rural's swimming and diving team tuned up with an impressive performance Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, capturing its fourth straight Centennial League title.
Washburn Rural's swimming and diving team poses for a picture after winning its fourth straight Centennial League championship Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sophomore Audrey Appuhn and junior Genevieve Miranda both earned four gold medals on the day to lead the way as the Junior Blues claimed the championship by a 519-444 margin over Manhattan.
"As a team I would say we've really stepped it up this year,'' Appuhn said. "Manhattan is really tough competition and they really pulled through as well so good job to all of their girls because everyone worked so hard tonight and I'm so incredibly proud of everyone's progress over the season.
"Looking back at where anyone on any team started the beginning of the season to where we are now it's crazy how much everyone has grown and I'm just so proud of everyone.''
Sophomore Audrey Appuhn earned four gold medals in Thursday's Centennial League meet as Washburn Rural earned its fourth straight league title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Genevieve Miranda helped lead Washburn Rural to its fourth straight Centennial League title Thursday, posting two individual wins and swimming on two league-champion relays. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Appuhn won the 200-yard individual medley (2 minutes, 12.08 seconds) and the 500 freestyle (5:18.23) and Miranda took the 50 freestyle (26.14) and the 100 butterfly (1:03.62) to account for Washburn Rural's four individual league titles.
Appuhn and Miranda also teamed with junior Jella Belgardt and senior Molly Didde to win the 200 medley relay (2:00.94) and with Belgardt and sophomore Sophie Heinen to win the 400 free relay (3:58.46).
"I think the team overall did a wonderful job,'' Miranda said. "Everybody's worked so hard and everybody I think this year has really stepped it up.''
Miranda's big performance in the league meet continued her recovery from a midseason ankle injury.
"This year I feel pretty confident now that I'm moving back from the injury that I had,'' Miranda said. "I'm continuing to move forward and work really hard.''
Rural sophomore Madeline O'Brien added second-place finishes in the 200 freestyle (2:14.03) and the 100 free (1:01.44) while Belgardt posted a runnerup finish in the 500 free (5:45.06) and O'Brien, Didde, senior Ella Bombardier and senior Allison Reed finished second in the 200 free relay (1:52.81).
Topeka High sophomore Hara Del Castillo won the Centennial League title in the 100-yard backstroke Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden sophomore Presley Green looks up at the scoreboard after winning the Centennial League title in the 200-yard freestyle Thursday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden, which finished third as a team, got a win from sophomore Presley Green in the 200 freestyle (2:00.02) and a runnerup finish from junior Kaylee Gregg in one-meter diving (433.50) while Topeka High sophomore Hara Del Castillo won the 100 backstroke (1:04.58) and finished second in the 100 butterfly (1:04.71) and High junior Caroline Toland finished second in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.49).
The Class 6A and 5A-1A state meets will be contested May 16-18 at Lenexa's Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE SWIMMING/DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park juniors Tremaine Savage and Jamelle Williams-Sanders claimed Meadowlark Conference track and field championships to pace the host Scots in Wednesday's conference meet at Hummer Sports Park.
Highland Park junior Tremaine Savage won the Meadowlark Conference title in the boys 400-meter dash and finished third in the 100 and 200. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Savage won the boys 400-meter dash in 53.78 seconds, winning by more than a second, while Williams-Sanders won the discus with a toss of 106 feet, 9 inches. Savage also added third-place finishes in the 100 (11.32) and the 200 (23.73).
Highland Park freshman Rayshon Pollard (left) finished second in the Meadowlark Conference in the 110-meter high hurdles. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park's boys, who finished fourth as a team with 79 points, got second-place finishes from junior Elijah Thomas in the shot put (37 feet, 2 inches) and freshman Rayshon Pollard in the 110 hurdles (18.37) and thirds from Thomas in the discus (95-10), junior Cortez Johnson in the long jump (18-11), junior Christian Howell in the triple jump (39-9) and from the 4x100 relay (45.71).
Highland Park junior Jurnee Cole (right) finished second in the Meadowlark Conference in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 200. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park's girls, fifth as a team with 58.5 points, got runnerup conference finishes from junior Jurnee Cole in the 100 (13.00), junior Tahtionna Broils in the high jump (4-8) and from junior Ke'Ahjahnae Rice in the 300 hurdles (50.22) while freshman Zyi' Aonna Williams placed third in the shot put (28-6.75) and the discus (87-6) and freshman Gracey Cullens was third in the triple jump (26-6).
Kansas City-Sumner Academy swept the league team titles, with the Sabres winning the girls crown by a 126-110.5 margin over Atchison and the boys championship by a 148-125 margin over Atchison.
Highland Park will compete in a Class 5A regional meet at Bishop Carroll in Wichita on Friday, May 17.
The state meet in all classes will be held in and around Wichita State's Cessna Stadium on May 24-25.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
On day one of the double elimination MIAA Championship Tournament on Thursday Washburn baseball will face No. 2-ranked Central Missouri at 1 p.m. in Pittsburg.
Washburn baseball returns to the MIAA Championship as the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament.
Cooper Carlgren, Washburn University
Payton McHarg, Washburn University
Last time out the Ichabods won 9-7 at No. 19 Central Oklahoma to win the second game in the MIAA Quarterfinals best-two-of-three series.
Washburn is now 31-19 overall on the year and 21-12 in the MIAA. The Mules are 45-6 on the year after sweeping Fort Hays State in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.
If Washburn wins Thursday it will face the winner of the game between Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 10. If the Ichabods lose to the Mules they will face the other loser at 3 p.m. Friday.
Through 50 games Washburn is scoring 9.50 runs per game while allowing 7.32.
At the plate the Ichabods are hitting .328 with a .426 on-base percentage and are slugging .574 as a team. They have 95 home runs and have drawn 251 walks.
Washburn's pitching staff has an earned run average of 7.03 this season in 428.2 innings pitched. They have struck out 362 batters while allowing 466 hits and issuing 273 walks.
The Ichabods are third in the nation in home runs per game with 95 blasts.
Washburn is ninth in the nation and second in the conference in doubles with 124.
Junior Payton McHarg has started all 50 games for the Ichabods, hitting a team-high .369 with 21 home runs and 66 runs batted in. He has scored 65 runs and has 72 total hits. He is second in the nation in home runs, 23rd in slugging and 20th in RBI with top-five conference marks in all three.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabods will open their sixth NCAA softball postseason appearance with a familiar foe as the Ichabods will take on No. 12-ranked Central Oklahoma at 2 p.m. Thursday in Claremore, Oklahoma.
Marrit Mead, Washburn University
Jaycee Ginter, Washburn University
Washburn enters the postseason with a 37-15 record after going 1-1 at the MIAA Tournament in Edmond, Okla. last weekend.
The Ichabods and the Bronchos have not met since the opening weekend of MIAA play on March 8, with Washburn falling to UCO, 6-2 and 2-1.
Washburn trails the all-time series with UCO 30-17, losing the last nine games in a row.
The Ichabods' last win over the Bronchos was on April 20, 2019 in a 5-1 win in Edmond.
Washburn has secured its 19th season with at least 30 wins and its fourth under head coach Brenda Holaday.
Hitting the 30-win mark for the third straight season is the longest streak since the Ichabods won at least 30 games in six straight seasons from 2002-07.
Holaday is in her eighth season as the Ichabod softball head coach, recording a 252-147 overall record and 113-59 in MIAA contests. Holaday has led the Ichabods to two MIAA regular-season titles (2018, 2022) and NCAA Central Regional berths in those years as well. Holaday trails Lisa Carey as Washburn's all-time winningest coach by victories at 256.
Sophomore Sadie Walker is 28th in the nation in wins and leading the MIAA with 20 victories. She is 20th in games started (28) and 19th in shutouts (7) and 43rd in earned run average at 1.58.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Nearly 80 local football players took advantage of the opportunity to perform in front of college coaches on Tuesday, turning out for the 18th Topeka Area Football Coaches Association Junior Day Combine at Shawnee Heights.
"I think we had 77 out today and last year we had 73 so we're always in the ballpark between 70 and 85 and all the MIAA schools that are close by are here, the NAIAs from Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska are here and junior colleges,'' Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift said.
The combine was primarily geared towards next year's seniors interested in playing football at the collegiate level and players went through a series of activities, including the 40-yard dash, standing long jump, vertical jump, agility drills and bench press.
"What I told the kids is that this is an opportunity to do a combine here locally where you're going to get several colleges from all different levels to watch you compete,'' Swift said. "The kids don't have to travel far, it's low cost, so the benefit is being able to show off our talent without having to give a big commitment to travel and all of that.
"All we're trying to do is promote the great athletes we have in Shawnee County.''
