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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 6A state champion Topeka High and Centennial League champ and 6A runner-up headline the 2022 TopSports.news All-Shawnee County softball team.
Trojan senior star NiJaree Canady and Junior Blues junior star Emmerson Cope were named the Shawnee County co-players of the year while Silver Lake freshman Taylor Zordel got the nod as newcomer of the year and Topeka High coach Shane Miles was named the county coach of the year ater leading the Trojans to back-to-back 6A state softball championships.
Canady, a Stanford signee, is joined on the all-county first team by High senior Elycia Joyce and juniors Alecia Alvarez and Adisyn Caryl, while Cope is one of four Washburn Rural players on the first team, along with seniors Campbell Bagshaw, Baylee Dial and Mikaila Herring.
Topeka High senior NiJaree Canady has been named the Shawnee County co-player of the year after helping lead the Trojans to a second straight Class 6A state title. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Emmerson Cope has been named the Shawnee County co-player of the year after helping lead the Junior Blues to the Centennial League title and a second-place finish in Class 6A. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High junior shortstop Adisyn Caryl is one of four Trojans on the TopSports.news All-Shawnee County softball first team after helping lead the Trojans to a second straight Class 6A state championship. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Campbell Bagshaw, sliding safely into base, is one of four Junior Blues on the TSN All-Shawnee County softball first team. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman, a 5A state qualifier, put seniors Skylar Duncan and Emma Smith on the first team while Rossville, which finished fourth in 3A, is represented by senior Vanesa Quinones and sophomore Kinsey Perine.
Shawnee Heights put senior Ariah Durkes and freshman Grace Proctor on the all-county first team while Hayden is represented by senior Carly Stuke and Silver Lake by senior Taryn Burkhardt.
2022 ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY SOFTBALL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Notre Dame became the frontrunner to land Joe Otting from the time the Irish made an official offer to the Hayden star junior lineman back on May 4.
Hayden three-sport standout Joe Otting (65) announced his oral commitment to Notre Dame football Tuesday afternoon. [File photo/TSN]
"Especially growing up in the catholic community at Hayden, just wearing the blue and gold has always been a dream of mine,'' Otting said.
But his college choice still wasn't a slam dunk, with the 6-foot-4, 275-pound Otting seriously weighing several other offers, including Kansas State and Iowa, before making an oral commitment to the Irish on Tuesday after a pair of visits to the school.
Otting's commitment came after he participated in Notre Dame’s lineman’s challenge camp last week. Otting also attended Notre Dame’s 55-0 win over Georgia Tech last Nov. 20.
"It was pretty tough, just because of the relationships I've built over time, especially with K-State,'' Otting said. "They've been with me from the start. It was a tough decision, no doubt, and saying no to Iowa as well and all the other schools.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A large group of young campers waited patiently in line during Tuesday's Washburn University basketball camp to get an autograph from Kansas Jayhawk highly-touted freshman Gradey Dick.
It wasn't that long ago that the Wichita native was one of those kids.
Kansas freshman Gradey Dick signs an autograph for a young fan during Tuesday's Washburn University basketball tournament at Lee Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"When I was a little kid I was the same way,'' said Dick, the former Wichita Collegiate and Sunrise Christian Academy star. "I'd go to these camps in Wichita and go around and see KU players come to Collegiate, guys like Wayne Selden and some of those guys, and I was excited just to see what KU guy was going to come the next day.
"I was literally in the exact same spot so for me to be in this spot is kind of funny.''
Being in the limelight is becoming somewhat common for the McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit these days, but Dick, a 6-foot-7 small forward, still recalls the first time he was asked for his autograph.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
State champions Bethany Druse, Briar Gillum and Victoria Reed headline the TopSports.news All-Shawnee County girls track and field team, which includes 17 state medalists.
Gillum, a Rossville senior, won the Class 3A discus championship after finishing second in the shot put while Seaman junior Druse was the 5A 800 meters champion and Highland Park sophomore Reed won the 5A 400-meter dash.
All-Shawnee County girls track and field members -- Front, from left: Payton Fink, Washburn Rural; Natalie Hillebert, Hayden; Jadyn Paige Falley, Hayden; Victoria Reed, Highland Park; Taylie Heston, Seaman; Bethany Druse, Seaman. Back, from left: Madeline Carter, Washburn Rural; Raegan Petersen, Washburn Rural; Ally Trier, Seaman; Anna Becker, Seaman; Taylin Stallbaumer, Seaman. Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rossville senior Briar Gillum won the 3A state championship in the girls discus event and finished second in the shot put. [Twitter]
Shawnee Heights junior Ta'Mijha Nichols posted a second-place finish in the 5A 100 while T-Bird junior Taylor Rottinghaus was second to Reed in the 5A 400.
Heights' 4 x 100 relay team of Nichols, Rottinghaus and seniors Hailey Anderson and Haley Haltom finished second in 5A while Hayden sophomore Natalie Hillebert placed third in the 4A 400. Hillebert also picked up a state medal in the 4 x 400 relay as part of the Wildcats' eighth-place team.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Triple gold medalist Tanner Newkirk is one of three state champions on the TopSports.news 2022 All-Shawnee County boys track and field team.
All-Shawnee County track and field picks, from left: Jake Muller, Hayden; Jensen Schrickel, Hayden; Tanner Newkirk, Hayden; Aaron Merritt, Seaman; Zach Sulzen-Watson, Washburn Rural; Alex Holmes, Washburn Rural, and Tre Richardson, Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Jeremiah Smith missed the 2022 state meet with an injury after winning three state Class 5A titles in 2021. [File photo/TSN]
Newkirk, a Shawnee Heights sophomore, turned in a dominating performance in his final Class 4A state meet at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium, going three for three in his individual events with wins in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs and setting 4A state meet records in the 1,600 and 3,200.
And while Newkirk was undoubtedly the biggest star of Shawnee County's state boys contingent, he wasn't the only star, with Highland Park junior Tre Richardson and Hayden freshman Jensen Schrickel also making it to the top of the podium and 15 members of the All-Shawnee County team earning state medals.
Richardson won the 5A 200-meter dash, finished second in the triple jump and fith in the long jump while Schrickel won the 4A long jump and was a three-time state medalist.
Hayden junior Jake Muller was the runner-up in the 4A 300-meter hurdles, finished seventh in the 110 high hurdles and was part of the Wildcats' third-place 4 x 400 relay team along with Schrickel.
Silver Lake senior Carson Johnson was the 3A runner-up in the 300 hurdles while Washburn Rural senior thrower Zach Sulzen-Watson finished second in the 6A discus and added a third-place finish in the shot put.
Topeka West senior Zsamar Sipple finished third in the 5A long jump and fourth in the triple jump while Charger junior Lenny Njoroge took fourth in the 3,200.
Silver Lake senior Brogan Renfro captured four 3A state medals for the second straight season, placing fourth in the 200-meter dash, sixth in the 100, seventh in the triple jump and sixth as part of the Eagles' 4 x 400 relay. Johnson was also part of the Eagles' 4 x 400 relay and the Eagles' seventh-place 4 x 100 relay.
Highland Park junior Tyrell Reed finished seventh in the 5A 100 while Scot senior Keijuan Johnson placed seventh in the 300 hurdles.
Shawnee Heights junior Jordan Garvin finished fourth in the 5A 300 hurdles while senior Ja'Laven January took fourth in the 200 and sophomore Jackson Esquibel was sixth in the 3,200. T-Bird star junior sprinter and hurdler Jeremiah Smith missed the state meet with an injury after winning three events in the 2021 state meet.
Washburn Rural senior Alex Holmes joined teammate Sulzen-Watson on the all-county team for the Junior Blues while sophomore hurdler Aaron Merritt represents Seaman on the all-county team.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS TRACK AND FIELD
