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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn, a former Seaman and Kansas star, will make an appearance on Friday, Nov. 29, at Westridge Mall for a free autograph signing.
Zeferjahn, who made his Major League debut this past season for the Angels, is scheduled to appear from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at R & D Collectibles in an event sponsored by Par's Sports Cards and R & D Collectibles.
A 2016 Seaman graduate, Zeferjahn was a multi-sport for the Vikings, earning All-State honors in baseball and being named the Co-City Player of the Year in basketball as a senior.
Zeferjahn went on to pitch three seasons for KU, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors in his final season for the Jayhawks after posting a 5-2 record with a 3.97 earned run average and 107 strikeouts in 88.1 innings pitched.
Zeferjahn was a third-round pick of the Boston Red Sox and rose to the AAA level before being traded to the Angels on July 30.
The Angels called up Zeferjahn on Aug. 22 from AAA Salt Lake and he made his Major League debut on Aug. 25.
Zeferjahn appeared in 12 games for the Angels as a relief pitcher, recording a 2.12 ERA in 17 innings with 18 strikeouts. He compiled an 0.76 WHIP (walks, hits per innings pitched).
Zeferjahn was picked No. 48 this past summer on TopSports.news' list of the Top 100 athletes in Shawnee County history.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
MIAA regular-season champion Washburn University put eight members on the All-MIAA soccer team released by the conference office Friday morning.
[Graphic courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods earned three first-team spots along with three second-team berths, one third-team pick and one honorable mention.
Senior forward Khloe Schuckman earned first-team All-MIAA honors for the third straight season. Schuckman, a Wichita Bishop Carroll product, tied for the conference lead in all scoring categories, recording seven goals and four assists for 18 total points. Schuckman has earned All-MIAA recognition each of her four seasons for the Ichabods.
Former Washburn Rural star Belle Kennedy was a first-team All-MIAA selection as a midfielder for the second consecutive year. The junior played in all 12 conference games, tallying 629 minutes. Kennedy scored two goals and added one assist in MIAA play, with both goals being game-winners.
Baldwin native Josie Boyle, a senior defender, was named to the All-MIAA first team after receiving honorable mention in 2023. The senior played 1,035 minutes across all 12 games in conference play, scoring two goals and contributing to 11 shutouts in conference play.
Washburn Rural product Hailey Beck was named the All-MIAA second-team goalkeeper. The sophomore did not allow a goal in the seven conference matches she played in, making 18 saves before missing the final five conference games with an injury. Beck posted a 6-0-1 record in goal, playing 630 shutout minutes.
Senior defender Jordan Tenpas was a second-team pick at defender, her second all-conference selection in her second year as an Ichabod. Tenpas played in 11 conference matches, recording 959 minutes played and contributing to 10 shutouts. Tenpas recorded six shots from the back line, with three on target.
Viviana Soto-Herrera made the all-conference second team as a midfielder for the second straight year. The senior started all 12 conference games, scoring three goals and making one assist. Soto-Herrera was highly efficient on offense, recording a 0.643 shots on goal percentage.
Lindsey Maul earned All-MIAA honors for the first time in her career, making the All-MIAA third team at defender. Maul played in all 12 conference games, playing 621 minutes and making one assist. The sophomore helped the Washburn defense post 11 shutouts in conference play.
Junior Lakin received all-conference honorable mention for the first time in her career. Rold played 905 minutes across 12 starts in conference play. The junior was part of a Washburn defense that only allowed two goals in MIAA action.
The Ichabods, who have won back-to-back regular-season conference titles, open MIAA Tournament play as the No. 1 seed, hosting No. 8 seed Fort Hays State to Yager Stadium on Sunday for a 1 p.m. quarterfinal.
ALL-MIAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topekan Peyton Williams is headed overseas for her fifth season of professional basketball, this time to China.
The product of Cair Paravel Latin and Kansas State University is now a veteran of four professional seasons. She played in Russia upon graduation, then spent a season in France and two in Hungary.
Former Cair Paravel and Kansas State star Peyton Williams is getting ready for her fifth professional basketball season and her first in China. [Submitted photo]
Williams will play this season for the Wuhan Shengfan Basketball Club.
“My agent and I talked about Spain, Turkey and China, all of which have really good leagues. Because China is a little bit farther away, he wanted to make sure I was actually interested in that. I said, ‘Let’s give it a try,’ '' Williams said. "He was able to connect with some people and help me find a team.”
An anthropology major at K-State, Williams is looking forward to the opportunity to experience a different part of the world.
“I have really enjoyed playing in the Europe circuit. But I’ve never been to China and have been really interested in the culture, as well as to see what basketball is like there.” Williams said. “I know that they have a really competitive league. So, it’s a chance to push myself as a professional and also to experience a different culture.”
Williams said the Chinese league, made up of 21 teams, covers such a large geographic area that the league is split into divisions. She said unlike Europe, where most of the travel was done in vans or on commuter trains, the team in China will travel primarily by airplane or on the country’s “bullet trains.”
“It will be somewhat similar to what we did in Russia,” Williams said. “There, almost all our travel was by plane, and sometimes those flights were across four or five time zones.”
Williams said the level of play she has experienced thus far in her career would be a step up from what she saw in the Big 12. She noted that a lot of the best players from the Big 12 have been among her opponents in Europe. She expects the Chinese league to be as challenging as anywhere she’s played, if not more so.
“I think every league that I’ve played in has had a lot of talent, but I’ve heard the Chinese league is really good because it attracts a lot of really good players from the U.S.,” Williams said.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Rossville junior football standout Conner Bush and Washburn Rural junior cross country standout Emily Graf 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 2024-2025 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Bush and Graf over the past week:
Rossville junior Conner Bush (5) has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency male Rising Star of the Week after helping lead the Bulldawgs to the second round of the Class 1A playoffs with a 47-13 win over Wabaunsee. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
CONNER BUSH, Rossville
A 5-foot-11, 176-pound running back, Bush scored three touchdowns last Friday night as Rossville advanced to the second round of the Class 1A football playoffs with a 47-13 win over Wabaunsee.
Bush scored TDs on runs of 51, 9 and 25 yards as the Bulldawgs improved to 6-3 on the 2024 season while posting their sixth straight victory.
Bush has carried the ball 54 times on the season for 551 yards and nine touchdowns.
Washburn Rural junior Emily Graf has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency female Rising Star of the Week after earning her second straight Class 6A state medal last Saturday at Rim Rock Farm. [File photo/TSN]
EMILY GRAF, Washburn Rural
Graf earned her second straight Class 6A state medal in last Saturday's state cross country meet at Rim Rock Farm as Washburn Rural tied Olathe West for the team championship and finished second on a tiebreaker.
Graf posted a career-best 14th-place state finish in a five-kilometer time of 19 minutes, 26.3 seconds.
Graf, who helped the Junior Blues sweep city, Centennial League and regional team titles this fall, placed 19th in the state meet as a sophomore.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University will open its 120th season of men's basketball with a pair of games in Kansas City, Mo.'s storied Municipal Auditorium, starting on Friday at 3 p.m. when the Ichabods will face Sioux Falls (S.D).
Washburn will then face preseason No. 1 and defending NCAA Division II champion Minnesota State (Mankato) at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Seniors Andrew Orr (24) and Michael Keegan (23) are part of a strong returning nucleus for the Washburn Ichabods, who posted a 19-11 record a year ago. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods played their lone exhibition game on Oct. 29, facing NCAA Division I top-ranked Kansas and falling 84-53 in Allen Fieldhouse.
Washburn coach Brett Ballard said he feels like the Ichabods got what they needed to out of the KU game and will get an idea this weekend how they will stack up against top Division II competition.
"It's two really challenging games out of the gate and two regional games, which have implications on the postseason, so we're jumping right into the deep end, but we've had a good preseason and I feel like the KU exhibition and our closed door scrimmages were really beneficial for us,'' Ballard said.
Sioux Falls will also be playing its first games of the season in Kansas City, while Minnesota State opened the season with a pair of losses to fellow ranked teams at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, falling to No. 19-ranked Florida Southern 91-86 in overtime and 57-49 to No. 9-ranked North Georgia the following day.
Washburn finished the 2023-24 season with a 19-11 record, advancing to the MIAA Tournament semifinals.
The Ichabods have recorded 30 20-win seasons and four under Ballard in his seven seasons, receiving four NCAA postseason berths.
Washburn returns four players who started at least half of last season's 30 games and eight players return who saw action last year for the Ichabods.
WU senior Andrew Orr received second-team All-MIAA honors last season after averaging 13.3 points and 5.6 rebounds while junior Sam Ungashick received all-conference honorable mention after averaging 12.2 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Other returning starters include junior Brady Christiansen (7.9 points, 6.6 rebounds) and senior Michael Keegan (7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds) while sophomore Jack Bachelor started 11 games and averaged 11.5 points and 3.8 rebounds with 3.9 assists.
