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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
She took a long and winding road to get there, but Peyton Williams is finally in the WNBA.
Peyton Williams [Submitted photo]
The product of Cair Paravel Latin School and Kansas State University was listed on the roster of the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday at 5 p.m., when the league required all rosters be finalized.
The Mercury opens its season at Las Vegas on Saturday.
After going undrafted out of Kansas State, Williams played six years of professional basketball overseas, with seasons in Russia and France, then two seasons in Hungary and two in China. Having had only one opportunity to try out for a WNBA team – and that chance wiped out by a Covid diagnosis in 2021 – Williams was not sure another such opportunity would ever come.
“There was a time the past couple of years where I just focused on my international career because that seemed to be what I could expect out of my career,” Williams said. “That was not a bad thing. I enjoyed playing in Europe and then in China. But that was the expectation I had for myself, and that’s what I told my agent, that I’m going to kind of focus over here. I worked really hard over the last six years out of the view of my friends and family, not to mention the local media and the media of the United States.”
After Williams returned to Topeka from China in March, unsure of what was next for her career, her agent told her he was trying to get her into a training camp. That call finally came in late April.
With little advance notice, Williams hopped a plane to Oregon to fight for a roster spot with the expansion Portland Fire. Williams spent exactly one week with the Fire, playing in one preseason game at Seattle. Limited to just seven minutes off the bench, Williams made the most of her opportunity, knocking down a 3-pointer and a driving layup and blocking a shot.
But on May 1, Williams was summoned to the office of the Fire general manager, who informed the Topekan she was being placed on waivers. Williams spent one more evening in Portland, planning to return home unemployed.
Before she boarded a plane to return to Kansas on Saturday, May 2, Williams was told some other teams might be interested in bringing her to their camp. By the time her plane landed in Kansas City, the Phoenix team was working to claim Williams off the waiver wire.
Williams barely had time to drop off the Portland Fire sweats and T-shirts at home and do a load of laundry before she was off again on Sunday, this time to Arizona.
The Mercury coaches were scrambling to replace a recently injured player and waiting for a couple of others to come back to the United States from overseas commitments. Williams filled the void, trying to quickly learn new plays and new terminology, not to mention the names of her teammates.
When it came time for final cuts to be made to the Phoenix roster, Williams was summoned to the office of the Mercury general manager. The feeling was eerily familiar. But this time, she was told that she had made the cut.
“He said it in a nonchalant way, and I had to clarify, like ‘Really?’ He said ‘Yes, you’re on the team,’” Williams recalled. “My reaction to it was that I’d only been there for three days of practice, getting used to this system and new people, so it’s not my best basketball yet. So, I’m appreciative of the grace they’ve allowed me in this time of transition. It was excitement and a little bit of shock for sure.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Thursday was the day of the comeback in the marquee Centennial League softball matchup between Hayden and Topeka High at Hayden, who entered the day with a combined 34-7 record and 18 straight victories between the city rivals.
The Trojans rallied from a 6-2 deficit to take an 8-6 eight-inning decision and snap the Wildcats' seven-game win streak in the opener before Hayden rallied from an 8-1 deficit to take a 10-9 win in the nightcap, snapping Topeka High's 19-game win streak.
Hayden sophomore pitcher Blakely Walter turned in a strong relief performance in Thursday's 10-9 Centennial League second-game comeback win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High junior Campbell Dawson crosses the plate after hitting a game-tying two-run home run in Thursday's 8-6 Centennial League first-game comeback win over Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
With the second-game win Hayden improved to 15-6 overall and 5-5 in the Centennial League while High fell to 21-3, 5-3, losing for the first time since its second doubleheader of the season.
"We showed a lot of toughness,'' Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said of the Wildcats' second-game comeback after the first-game heartbreaker. "I thought we actually played better the first game because unofficially we had six errors in the second game.
"(The Trojans) are a really, really good hitting team and they're hard to get out. I was just glad that when we were coming back we were keeping them halfway at bay. They didn't separate from us too far. If you look at the teams they've beaten this year, they're pretty impressive and the fact that we came back and won the second one was really big for our momentum.''
Topeka High remains in position to host a Class 6A regional and Trojan coach Shane Miles said his team will now set its sights on making a strong postseason run.
"A lot of coaches say a loss is good, but a loss is never good,'' Miles said. "But having it at this point in the season I think we can come back from it. It's not a regional championship or state game. It's just a league game.''
"Both teams battled hard. Each team was throwing haymakers at each other.''
The first-game was knotted at 2-2 after the first inning before Hayden scored a run in the third and three in the fourth to go up 6-2 before the Trojans ended the contest with six straight runs.
Topeka High scored two runs in the fifth and then tied the game on a two-run home run from junior Campbell Dawson in the seventh to force extra innings.
The Trojans went up 8-6 in the top of the eighth on a two-run double from Dawson before High shut down the Wildcats in the bottom of the inning to close out the victory.
Junior Kenslee Young had a pair of doubles and a single for the Trojans while senior Taimane Isaia had a pair of singles.
Sophomore Carly McAlister-Mauldin and senior Emily Peterson both had two singles and senior Maddy Gaggero a double for Hayden.
It was the Trojans who jumped out to an early advantage in the second game, scoring five runs in the second and three in the third after falling behind 1-0 in the bottom of the first.
Topeka High got a three-run home run sophomore Masyn Chard as well as round-trippers from Young and sophomore Remi Cushinberry to build the early advantage.
But sophomore pitcher Blakely Walter, who also pitched the opener, came on in relief for the Trojans and was able to limit High to a single run the rest of the way.
Hayden scored four runs in the bottom of the third to cut its deficit to 8-5 and added a run in the fifth before scoring four in the sixth to take the 10-9 lead.
McAlister-Mauldin powered Hayden with a pair of home runs, including a two-run shot in the sixth.
Junior Emberly Connell reached base all four times, including three singles, while Gaggero had three singles, senior Katie Mead a double and a triple and Walter a pair of singles.
With the second-game win Hayden improved to 15-6 overall and 3-5 in the Centennial League while High fell to 21-3, 5-3, losing for the first time since its second doubleheader of the season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Manhattan soccer jumped on top of Hayden 1-0 in Thursday's Centennial League game and was locked in a 1-1 halftime deadlock before the host Wildcats dominated the second half with three unanswered goals, clinching at least a share of the league championship with a 4-1 victory.
Seniors Grace Funk (second from left) and Carsyn Broxterman (right), who both scored goals, congratulate Wildcat freshman Emma Slyter (16) after her second assist of the day in Hayden's 4-1 Centennial League win over Manhattan Thursday at Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I think playing a good team was good,'' said Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer, whose team improved to 13-0-0 overall and 4-0 in the Centennial League. "I think that was good for us and being down. I told them that I was proud of the fact that they came back and they kind of set the tone the second half.''
Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein scored Hayden's lone first-half goal to forge the halftime tie before senior Grace Funk scored off an assist from freshman Emma Slyter just 4:37 into the second half to put the Wildcats ahead to stay.
The Wildcats scored again just over seven minutes later on Schmidtein's second goal of the day before senior Carsyn Broxterman scored Hayden's final goal with 6:09 remaining off Slyter's second assist of the game.
"We were a little bit slow to get off the mark and I think that's because we haven't played any difficult teams lately,'' Kreutzer said. "But give them credit. I think they recovered and Manhattan's a good team, so I think it's good.''
Hayden senior Lauren Borjon pitched a second-half shutout in goal as Manhattan fell to 7-4-1 overall and 3-2 in the league.
The Wildcats will be right back in action Friday at 4 p.m., hosting city rival Seaman (11-0-2) in a battle of unbeatens.
"It will be fun,'' Kreutzer said. "Do I want to win tomorrow? Sure, but I want to make sure we stay healthy, play well and let the chips fall where they may.''
HAYDEN 4, MANHATTAN 1
Manhattan (7-5-1, 3-2-0) 1 0 -- 1
Hayden (13-0-0, 4-0-0) 1 3 -- 4
Hayden -- Goals: Hailey Schmidtlein 2, Grace Funk, Carsyn Broxterman.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman didn't claim an individual title in Thursday's United Kansas Conference boys tennis championships at Kossover Tennis Center, but the Vikings took home the biggest prize.
Seaman captured the United Kansas Conference boys tennis championship Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Submitted photo]
Seaman advanced all six of its players to the tournament semifinals, including a second-place singles finish from Camden Dutton, en route to earning the team crown by a 67-62 margin over Piper.
In addition to Dutton's runnerup showing, the Vikings got a fourth-place singles finish from Kenton Myrick and third and fourth-place doubles finishes from the teams of Owen Stewart and Dayton Schneider and Aaron Sampson and Cooper Hopeck.
Camden Dutton led UKC team-champion Seaman with a runnerup singles finish Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Dutton advanced to the championship singles match with an 8-3 semifinal win over Basehor-Linwood's Trevor Christenson before dropping an 8-3 decision to Piper's Blake Taylor while Myrick lost in the semifinals to Taylor before dropping an 8-1 decision to Basehor-Linwood's Trevor Christenson in the third-place match.
Schneider and Stewart met teammates Hopeck and Sampson in the third-place doubles match, with Stewart and Schneider taking an 8-4 decision.
Topeka West finished third as a team with 54 points, getting a runnerup doubles finish from Collin McGee and Zander Rice.
Topeka West's Collin McGee (left) and Zander Rice posted a runnerup doubles finish in Thursday's UKC tennis tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [Submitted photo]
McGee and Rice outlasted Seaman's Schneider and Stewart 8-6 in the doubles semifinals before dropping an 8-6 decision to Piper's Johnny Vogel and Baird Greenamyre in the title match.
Topeka West's Collin McGee (left) teamed with Zander Rice to finish second in doubles in Thursday's UKC tennis tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Wyatt Lindencrantz and Jordan Ward led Shawnee Heights with a fifth-place doubles finish.
Seaman, Topeka West and Shawnee Heights will also compete in a Class 5A regional tournament on Saturday at Kossover, vying for state tournament berths.
UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE BOYS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University softball earned a 4-2 win over Missouri Western in the opening game of the MIAA Tournament on Wednesday afternoon in Emporia, improving to 36–18 on the season.
Former Seaman standout Aspen Burgardt drove in two of Washburn's four runs in Wednesday's 4-2 MIAA Tournament win over Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]
With the win the Ichabods advanced to the MIAA Tournament quarterfinals where they will face top-seeded Missouri Southern at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
The Ichabods struck first in the bottom of the opening inning when All-MIAA first-team pick Makenzie Sais drew a leadoff walk, moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Brees and a wild pitch, then came home on an Aspen Burgardt single.
Missouri Western briefly tied the game in the third, but Washburn answered when Sais singled to start the bottom of the inning and advanced on another sacrifice bunt by Brees.
After Dalaney Anderson reached base on a passed ball, Burgardt lifted a sac fly to center to bring Sais home, putting WU up 2–1.
The Ichabods added to its lead in the fourth when Madi Moore led off with a double to left and pinch runner Ashlyn Gaughan came home on Maddie McGee's double.
Moments later, McGee and Sais executed a double steal, with McGee swiping home to make it 4–2 and wrap up the scoring.
Washburn senior Sadie Walker improved to 19-8 with a 4-2 win over Missouri Western Wednesday. [File photo/TSN]
Senior pitcher Sadie Walker delivered a complete-game victory, allowing just four hits and one earned run while striking out nine.
Walker retired the Griffons in order in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to close out the win, improving to 19-8 on the season.
Offensively, Sais went 2 for 2 with two runs scored, a walk and a stolen base, while Burgardt drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly.
McGee added a double and an RBI, and Moore contributed an extra-base hit as Washburn tallied five hits on the afternoon.
