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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Most of the names are probably already familiar to anyone who follows local sports, but a long and growing list of athletes who call Topeka/Shawnee County home have made a big impact at the college and/or professional level.
Here's a look at just some of the stars who continue to make their hometown proud:
Carly Bachelor
CARLY BACHELOR, Washburn Rural/Creighton -- Bachelor earned All-State recognition in basketball, volleyball and soccer at Washburn Rural, leading the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state basketball title and a runner-up state finish in soccer in her senior year (2019). A 6-foot guard/forward, Bachelor has gone on to carve out a successful basketball career for Creighton, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2021-2022 and is 6-0 this season. Bachelor is currently averaging 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the field and playing 27.5 minutes per game.
Corey Ballentine
COREY BALLENTINE, Shawnee Heights/Washburn/Green Bay Packers -- A 5-11, 199-pound cornerback, the former Shawnee Heights and Washburn star was promoted from the Packers' practice squad to the active roster on Nov. 12 and has played in three games, recording two tackles and forcing a fumble. The fourth-year pro has played in 35 career regular-season games for the Giants, Jets, Lions and Packers, recording 48 tackles, including 38 solo stops.
Elijah Brooks
ELIJAH BROOKS, Topeka West/North Dakota
A 6-4 freshman guard, Brooks was named Mr. Kansas Basketball as a senior at Topeka West, helping lead the Chargers to a second straight 5A state tournament berth and finishing his career as the Chargers' single-season and career scoring leader. Brooks has missed four games with injury/sickness but has started all four games that he's been available, averaging 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game. Brooks has helped the Fighting Hawks open the season 5-3 and North Dakota is only one win away from equaling last year's victory total in a 6-25 season.
DeShawn Hanika
DeSHAWN HANIKA, Hayden/Iowa State -- A 6-6, 238-pound junior tight end, Hanika played in all 12 games for 4-8 Iowa State this fall, catching 17 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. Hanika, who helped Hayden win a state championship in basketball, caught three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown in the Cyclones' final game of the regular season against TCU, which will play Kansas State for the Big 12 championship on Saturday.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University sophomore guard Levi Braun will probably always be best known as a shooter, which he's perfectly fine with.
"Shooting will always kind of be my trademark I guess,'' Braun said. "I think I can impact the game in a lot of ways, but shooting's where I can do some real damage.''
Washburn sophomore guard Levi Braun (13) is averaging 10.3 points while hitting 17 of 34 3-pointers for the 3-3 Ichabods. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But the 6-foot-4 former Hayden standout, who tied a career-high with 21 points, including six 3-pointers, in Saturday's 96-63 win over Ottawa, has also worked extremely hard to be more than a zone-buster for Brett Ballard's Ichabods.
And it's that work that has translated into a starting spot and increased minutes this season, Braun's fourth at Washburn.
"I've just been working on my body,'' Braun said. "You've got to be able to guard and rebound to get on the floor, so that's been a big emphasis. Part of that's just working, just being a dog when you're in there.
"You can do all the stuff in the offseason but it comes down to when you get in the game you've just got to work. You've got to have confidence that you can guard the guy in front of you, so I'm just trying to have confidence every day that I can play in these games and I can make an impact.''
Ballard said he's extemely proud of the progress Braun has made in all facets of his game.
"He's worked hard at that, worked hard to develop his body and become more explosive, more athletic,'' Ballard said. "He's gotten better on the defensive end. His communication's better. He talks and gets us organized. His leadership's the other place where he's really grown.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Easton Bradstreet
EASTON BRADSTREET, Washburn Rural
The Washburn Rural senior forward was named the Centennial League soccer player of the year after scoring 29 goals and leading the Junior Blues to a 16-5 record and a fourth-place finish in the 6A state tournament. Bradstreet finished his high school career with a share of Rural's career scoring record with 57 goals.
Levi Braun
LEVI BRAUN, Washburn University
A 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, Braun tied his career high with 21 points in just 19 minutes of action as Washburn men's basketball rolled to a 96-63 non-conference win over Ottawa on Saturday at Lee Arena. Braun, a former Hayden standout, hit 7 of 10 field goals overall and 6 of 8 3-pointers against Ottawa while hitting his last six shots of the game.
Brooklyn DeLeye
BROOKLYN DELEYE, Washburn Rural
Deleye, a 6-2 senior, was named the Centennial League volleyball player of the year for the second straight season after helping lead Washburn Rural to the 2022 Class 6A state championship and a 45-1 record. DeLeye was a multi-time All-Class 6A first-team selection, helping Rural finish first, second, third and fourth in four state tournament appearances.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden Catholic High School will induct its 2022 Hall of Fame class of three individuals and a state championship team on Saturday at Hayden.
Hayden will honor Father Tim Haberkorn for Alumni Achievement, Jerry Simecka for Staff Achievement, Tim Morrisey for Contributor Achievement and the 1982-83 boys basketball team as the inductees for Hayden Student Athletic/Activity Achievement.
Former Hayden coach and administrator Jerry Simecka (left) visits with Wildcat coaching legend Ben Meseke during Hayden's 2021 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Simecka and Meseke's 1982-83 boys basketball team will be inducted Saturday night as part of the 2022 Hayden Hall of Fame class. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden High School and the Hayden High School Foundation serve as the sponsoring organizations of the Hall of Fame.
Nominations for the 2022 were accepted from the public at large from December 4, 2021, thru July 31, 2022.
Doors for Saturday's festivities will open at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 5:30 and the induction ceremony at 6:30 p.m..
Hall of Fame inductee capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's men's basketball team will open MIAA play on Monday night in Tahlequah, Okla., facing Northeastern State at 7:30 p.m. in the NSU Events Center.
The 3-3 Ichabods will be making a quick turnaround after a 96-63 win over Ottawa in their non-conference finale on Saturday at Lee Arena, while the 3-1 RiverHawks are coming off a 99-65 win over Haskell. NSU's first two games of the season were canceled because of winter weather in Bismark, N.D.
Junior Connor Deffebaugh leads 3-3 Washburn men's basketball with a 12.8 scoring average and 4.3 assists per game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn sophomore Andrew Orr scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Saturday's non-conference win over Ottawa. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"We have a long (trip) out of the gate they're a good team,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "They're well-coached and have a lot of guys back.
"They've got a good group. They're very poised and have very good guard play so it will be a bigtime challenge. There's no easy ones in the league but certainly when you go on the road and play a good team it will be a good one for us.''
The Ichabods are 21-11 all-time in MIAA openers since joining the league and have won 10 of their last 12.
Washburn will be looking to snap a two-game slide to the RiverHawks, falling in both matchups last season. Prior to last year, the Ichabods had won eight in a row over the RiverHawks.
Connor Deffebaugh leads the Ichabods with a 12.8 scoring average while sophomores Andrew Orr and Levi Braun average 11.8 and 10.3 points per game.
