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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Levi Braun
LEVI BRAUN, Washburn University
Braun, a sophomore guard, scored a game-high 20 points, with six 3-pointers, and also grabbed six rebounds as Washburn University routed No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma 75-55 in an MIAA men's basketball game Saturday at Lee Arena. Braun, a Hayden graduate, hit seven of 10 shots from the field, including six of eight 3-pointers, as the Ichabods improved to 12-11 with their second straight win.
Laiken Clark
LAIKEN CLARK, Washburn Rural
A junior girls wrestling standout, Clark won the 130-pound championship in Saturday's Class 6A-5A regional tournament, posting three straight victories by fall before taking an 8-5 decision over Wichita North senior Diana Uristo in the title match. Clark improved to 35-7 on the season while helping Washburn Rural win its fourth straight regional team title by a 221-135 margin over Wichita North.
Jaxon Cowdin
JAXON COWDIN, Topeka High
A sophomore, Cowdin captured his first Centennial League one-meter diving championship last Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium by a commanding 470.60-319.40 margin. Cowdin, who holds the Topeka High school record for six-dive competition, recently won his second straight city diving championship and will compete in his second straight Class 6A state meet this week in Shawnee Mission.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six Shawnee County wrestlers advanced out of Saturday's Rossville regional girls wrestling tournament to earn berths in the Class 4A-1A state tournament at Salina, led by Rossville individual champs Keera Lacock and Kendra Hurla.
Two-time state champion Kendra Hurla of Rossville is headed to state for a third time after winning a Class 4A-1A regional 120-pound title Saturday at Rossville. [File photo]
Lacock, a junior, won the 115-pound regional title while two-time state champ Hurla, also a junior, earned her shot at a third state championship with the 120-pound regional crown.
Lacock, who improved to 30-1 on the season, took a 4-0 decision over Wellsville freshman Kynie Stevenson in the 115-pound final while Hurla, 23-1, recorded a first-period pin (1 minute, 32 seconds) over Jefferson West freshman Sophie Waters.
The Bulldawgs also got a second-place finish from 155-pound junior Hailey Horton (28-6) and a third-place showing from 145-pound Reagan Wonnell (31-7) as Rossville finished fourth in the team standings with 103 points.
Silver Lake sophomore Karley Holmes (20-13) finished second in the 110-pound division to punch her ticket to the 4A-1A state meet while Hayden junior Elaina Wolff finished third in the 100-pound division, earning a repeat state berth for the Wildcats and improving to 23-10 on the season.
The Class 4A-1A state tournament will be contested at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina on Feb. 22 and 23.
CLASS 4A-1A GIRLS REGIONAL WRESTLING
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, which has won two state team titles as well as a runnerup finish last season, tuned up for another championship shot with a first-place finish in Saturday's Class 6A-5A girls regional wrestling tournament at Wichita Southeast.
Washburn Rural's girls wrestling team won its fourth straight regional title on Saturday in Wichita, qualifying 10 wrestlers for state with five regional champs. [Washburn Rural women's wrestling]
Damon Parker's Junior Blues captured the regional team title for the fourth straight season by a 221-135 margin over Wichita North, with Emporia third at 121.
Washburn Rural got individual titles from 105-pound junior Kristen Rezac, 125-pound senior Addi Broxterman, 130-pound junior Laiken Clark, 145-pound sophomore Madison Davison and 235-pound junior Sophia Ross while the Junior Blues qualified 10 wrestlers for state overall for the 6A-5A state meet Feb. 22-23 at Park City.
Rezac posted a 2 minute, 36-second pin over Taylor Barringer of Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the 105-pound championship match while Broxterman took a 4-2 decision over Salina Central's Lydia Dong at 125, Clark earned an 8-5 decision over Wichita North's Diana Urista at 130, Davison posted a first-period pin over Salina Central's Amelia Coykendall (1:54) in the 145-pound division and Ross pinned Topeka West's Tristyn Johnson at 235 (2:39).
Rezac improved to 31-5 on the season while Broxterman is 40-3, Clark is 35-7, Davison 23-12 and Ross 25-9.
The Junior Blues also got third-place finishes from sophomore Molly Spader (100 pounds), sophomore Maddy Blow (115), sophomore Annie Gallegos (120) and sophomore Ashley Schwarz (155) and a fourth from senior Alexis Fredrickson (135).
Topeka West qualiied two wrestlers for the state tournament, with junior Nephtali Lenth finishing third at 105 pounds to join regional runner-up Johnson in the state field.
Topeka High will also be represented at state by senior Marilena Zuniga, who finished fourth at regionals at 140 pounds.
CLASS 6A-5A GIRLS REGIONAL WRESTLING
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Saturday was the day Washburn University men's basketball coach Brett Ballard and his team have been waiting for.
In the midst of an up and down 2022-2023 season, things took a big upward turn on Saturday at Lee Arena, with the Ichabods rolling to a 75-55 MIAA win over No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma.
Washburn sophomore Levi Braun scored a game-high 20 points in Saturday's 75-55 MIAA win over No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Levi Braun reacts to one of his six 3-pointers in Saturday's 75-55 MIAA win over Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"That was probably our most complete game, especially because of the competition,'' Ballard said. "UCO's got a great team and that was a complete team effort for us. We were really good on both ends.
"All along I've really believed in this team and you see the potential there and we haven't always played to it, but we've had a lot of growth, especially this last month and have really been trending the right direction. It was nice to see it all come together against a good team.''
Hayden product Levi Braun had a big day for the Ichabods, scoring a game-high 20 points with six 3-pointers on just eight attempts in one of his best overall games as an Ichabod.
"I'm going to remember this one for awhile, this was a good one,'' Braun said. "UCO was tied for first in the conference, top 10 in the country, so we know what they're about.
"I'm just glad we could defend our home court. Everyone played to their strenghts, everyone played awesome, so I'm just really proud of the team.''
Washburn, which improved to 12-11 overall and 9-8 in the MIAA, held Central Oklahoma (21-3, 15-3) to 22 first half points and 36.7 percent shooting in the game to knock off the Bronchos.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
City and United Kansas Conference rivals Shawnee Heights and Seaman dominated Saturday's Class 6A-5A girls wrestling regional tournament at Seaman, with the T-Birds and Vikings going one-two in the team standings and the two schools combining for 18 qualifiers for the state meet at Park City.
Shawnee Heights' girls wrestling team followed up its United Kansas Conference championship with a Class 6A-5A regional team crown Saturday at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman finished second in Saturday's Class 6A-5A regional girls wrestling tournament, qualifying eight of eight wrestlers for state. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior 190-pounder Lilly Blair was Shawnee Heights' lone individual champion, but the T-Birds also posted six runner-up finishes, two thirds and a fourth en route to a 173-147.5 margin over host Seaman.
"Everybody contributes,'' Shawnee Heights coach Chad Parks said. "We're freshman and sophomore heavy, which is exciting for the future, and then we have a couple of juniors and a couple of seniors in there, but overall we're a very young team.''
Blair improved to 19-9 on the season with a win by fall over Kansas City-Washington junior Breanna Neal at the 3-minute, 44-second mark of the second period.
Shawnee Heights got runner-up finishes from freshman 100-pounder Connie Burns, sophomore 125-pounder Reece Taylor, sophomore 130-pounder Isabel Reyes, sophomore 135-pounder Madison Freeland, 140-pound senior Hannah Sixkiller and junior 145-pounder McKenna Haltom, thirds from 110-pounder Odessa Schmidt and 155-pound freshman Cianna Graves and a fourth from junior 105-pounder Emberlynn Phillips.
The Vikings also had a big day, with all eight regional entrants earlying berths for the state meet Feb. 22 and 23 at Hartman Arena.
"We're good at taking second,'' joked Seaman coach Jordan Best, whose team had six open weight classes. "I can't complain. At the beginning of the year I looked at the lineup and I was kind of guessing as to what my starting lineup was and who would make it (to state). I had seven down, so getting eight was a good number, especially when that's all we had wrestling today.''
