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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
For many elite swimmers, high school swimming can take a backseat to training and competing at the club level.
But for Shawnee Heights senior star Luke Perkins, an eight-time state medalist, representing the T-Birds in what very well could be the final season of his competitive career is his main focus.
Shawnee Heights swimming star Luke Perkins opened his senior season with three wins in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"I'm not really swimming club much anymore,'' Perkins said. "I worked a lot over the summer and I swam a little bit but it wasn't my top priority. But I'm getting back into it for high school and it's my last year.''
At this point Perkins is not planning to pursue a college career which makes the upcoming season even more important.
"I think (high school swimming) is more fun and I enjoy the team aspect of it,'' Perkins said. "I really like the team this year. We've got a lot of good guys and they're improving a lot and it's been really fun for us.
"It's really a tight-knit team. We don't have a lot of kids, but we really get along and they all try their best.''
Perkins, who won four Class 5A-1A state medals as a junior, kicked off the 2022-2023 season in Wednesday's 11-school Topeka West Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium with a sweep of his two individual events as well as first and third-place relay finishes.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn volleyball added two more names to the program's All-American list on Wednesday as Halle Meister and Jalyn Stevenson earned AVCA All-America honorable mention accolades.
[Photos courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn volleyball has now collected 32 AVCA All-American awards with all of those coming since 2002 under the leadership of head coach Chris Herr
Meister, a senior middle hitter from Omaha, Neb., started 31 of the 32 matches this fall and turned in a career year as she was second on the team with 269 kills (2.24 kills per set) with a conference-best .360 hitting percentage for the season and made a team-high 103 total blocks.
Meister was efficient on the attack all season as she hit above .400 in 13 matches including nine above .500. Meister recorded five or more kills in 30 matches and had at least one block in every match except two.
Against Saint Leo on Sept. 3, Meister knocked down 16 kills on 23 swings and finished with a sizzling .565 attacking percentage.
After seeing limited action the prior three seasons and totaling 34 kills and nine blocks during that time, Meister will now have her name hanging on the All-American banner in Lee Arena.
In addition to being an AVCA All-American this season, Meister was also named to the AVCA All-Central Region first team, D2CCA All-Central Region second team, All-MIAA first team, the MIAA All-Tournament Team, and was the Lee Invitational MVP.
Stevenson, a sophomore outside hitter from Spring Hill, also played in all 32 matches with 31 starts and received All-MIAA first-team honors as she led the Ichabods with 386 kills (3.22 kills per set) and tied for the team-high in double-doubles (14), was second on the team in aces (36) and third in digs (392).
Stevenson recorded 20 matches with double-figure kills and ended the fall on a 17-match streak of double-digit digs.
At No. 24 Central Missouri on Nov. 4, she recorded a career-high 24 kills and had a .370 attacking percentage to go with 17 digs in the four-set win.
Stevenson becomes the youngest Ichabod to earn All-America status since Allison Maxwell also earned honorable mention accolades as a sophomore in 2018. There have been just six total Washburn players to earn All-American honors as sophomores.
Washburn volleyball went 24-8 this past fall and earned the program's first-ever MIAA Tournament championship and went on to make its 17th appearance in the NCAA postseason.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Emporia State senior Hannah Woolery, a Cair Paravel Latin product, and Hornet teammate Mackenzie Dimarco have received first-team All-America soccer honors from the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) as selected by the College Sports Communicators.
Cair Paravel Latin graduate Hannah Woolery, a senior soccer standout for Emporia State, has received first-team All-America honors. [Photo courtesy of Emporia State Athletics]
Woolery also earned first-team All-MIAA honors this season after ranking fourth in the MIAA in goals, third in shots on goal, fourth in points and sixth in assists.
Woolery holds the Emporia State career record with 21 assists. She also ranks second in shots on goal while ranking third in both career goals and career points.
Off the pitch, Woolery was named CSC Academic All-District with a 3.90 GPA in English.
Dimarco, also a senior, was unanimously named first-team All-MIAA at forward after leading the MIAA in goals, shots, shots on goal and points while ranking second in game-winning goals.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Nine Silver Lake and Rossville players have earned first-team berths on the All-Mid-East League football team, with the 6-3 Eagles putting five players and the 5-5 Bulldawgs four players on the first team.
Silver Lake juniors Tanner Martin (left) and Eli Barnes (24) have been named to the All-Mid-League football first team at specialist and receiver. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
![Silver Lake senior Troy Heiman (11) received All-Mid-East League first-team honors at receiver. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]](/images/aa-images/TroyHeiman1.jpg)
Silver Lake senior Troy Heiman (11) received All-Mid-East League first-team honors at receiver. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Eagles are represented on the first-team offense by juniors Tanner Martin (specialist) and Eli Barnes (receiver) and seniors Kaden Walker (line) and Troy Heiman (receiver) while senior Chase Root (linebacker) was named to the first-team defense.
Rossville senior back Braiden Hensley (2) earned first-team All-Mid-East League football honors. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Rossville senior Kade Perine (22) earned All-Mid-East League first-team honors at defensive back. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Bulldawgs put seniors Jacob Carver (line) and Braiden Hensley (back) on the first-team offense and senior Kade Perine (back) and junior Barrett Lietz (line) on the first-team defense.
Rossville and Silver Lake combined for eight players who received honorable mention.
ALL-MID-EAST LEAGUE FOOTBALL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University men's basketball closed the second half on a 5-2 run to force overtime, but the Ichabods were whistled for a season-high 32 fouls, including the game-deciding call with nine seconds remaining in OT, falling 81-78 in their MIAA opener at Northeastern State on Monday night in Tahlequah, Okla.
Washburn sophomore Andrew Orr scored a career-high 24 points in Monday night's 81-78 overtime loss at Northeastern State. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
In the extra period NSU drew first blood, scoring on a layup by Obi Agu with 3:40 to play The RiverHawks hit a jumper with 2:45 to go to take a 76-72 lead before WU sophomore Andrew Orr, who had a monster night for the Ichabods, scored off an offensive rebound with 2:12 left.
NSU hit two of three free throws after a foul on a 3-point attempt by Damon Bailey as the RiverHawks pushed the lead to 78-74, but Orr hit a pair of free throws as Washburn pulled with two at 78-76 with 1:24 to go.
NSU came up empty on its next possession and Orr scored again with 37 seconds to go, tying the score at 78.
In overtime NSU's Christian Cook was fouled on a 3-point attempt with two seconds left on the shot clock and nine on the game clock and hit all three charities tp put the RiverHawk up by the final margin.
Washburn's potential game-tying 3-pointer was off the target and the Ichabods fell to the RiverHawks for the third game in a row.
The 32 fouls by the Ichabods were the most by a Washburn squad since being called for 30 at Central Oklahoma on Dec. 9, 2021. Three of Washburn's starters fouled out in the game while Orr finished with four.
Orr led the Ichabods with a career-high 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line.
