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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ten city girls soccer standouts have earned All-State recognition from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association, led by Washburn Rural co-midfielder of the year Belle Kennedy and Junior Blue All-Class 6A first-team midfielder Reagan Allen.
Washburn Rural senior Belle Kennedy has received Class 6A midfielder of the year recognition for the second straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Reagan Allen received first-team All-Class 6A honors from the KHSSCA. [File photo/TSN]
Kennedy, who earned midfielder of the year honors for the second straight season, and Allen, both seniors, helped lead Washburn Rural to a runner-up finish in the 6A state tournament.
Rural seniors Hunter McWilliams and McKenna Merrick both received second-team All-6A honors while Rural junior Mackinly Rohn, Topeka High senior Luxanna Sands and High sophomore Avery Zimmerman earned All-6A honorable mention.
Shawnee Heights senior goalkeeper Tatum Hoge received second-team All-Class 5A recognition while T-Bird freshmen Isabell Van Fleet and Lailah Benz earned All-5A honorable mention.
Cair Paravel Latin freshman Zahra Lewis was named to the All-4A-1A first team after helping lead the Lions to a fourth-place finish in the state tournament.
Coaches have to be members of the KHSSCA to have players nominated and selected.
CLASS 6A
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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings at the mid-month:
• Happy for Topeka’s Andrew Beckler to qualify for the U.S. Open.
• Seems like he should pick up some points for that to help with qualifications for, oh, the Korn Ferry Tour.
• At the very least, maybe some exemptions could be in order when your first event on the PGA Tour happens to be the U.S. Open.
• Glad Andrew could escape being known primarily as the son of Kevin Haskin’s dentist.
• Kidding. His exploits for Washburn made him a top player in Division II and again proved that the level of talent is deep in golf.
• Enough that we now have the LIV Tour.
• Of course, Scottie Scheffler put it best when he said he didn’t notice that start-up robbing the PGA Tour of anyone consequential except Dustin Johnson.
• The point is valid. The LIV Tour seems like a place for the 40-somethings to kick around and make incredible money before joining the senior circuit.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's been right at 15 months since former Missouri Southern All-American Cam Martin played a college basketball game, making the decision to sit out the 2021-2022 season as a redshirt after transferring to Kansas.
But although the long layoff has been hard on the 6-foot-9 super senior forward, he feels confident that his decision is going to pay dividends this coming season.
Kansas super senior forward Cam Martin assists campers during Tuesday's Washburn Basketball Camp at Lee Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Kansas super senior forward Cam Martin signs an autograph for a fan during Tuesday's Washburn Basketball Camp at Lee Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"It was definitely mentally tough just because I love the game so much,'' Martin said during a Tuesday appearance at Washburn University's basketball camp. "I think it was a unique situation, redshirting so late in your career and it was something that was never really on my mind, but everything happens for a reason and I take the best of every situation and I'm just excited to be able to have basketball back and I'm ready for this next year.
"It was a great decision I think for the team this upcoming year but also for me individually. I think it was a really good decision for me and I'm glad I made it.''
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WINTER SPORTS: OUTSTANDING FEMALE NOMINEES
Jaley Barkley
JALEY BARKLEY | Cair Paravel Latin
PARENTS: Shane and Valerie Barkley
SPORT: Basketball | GPA: 4.53
"Jaley is a fantastic leader and worker,'' Cair Paravel coach Brian Ewing said. "She knew my expectations for her senior year and led the team through her dedication and desire. Jaley has always been a hard worker during the season but out of season as well. She put up tens of thousands of shots during COVID, which showed up in her stats this past season. Jaley loves to interact with, and encourage, the younger kids, especially the girls. She knows that eyes are on her for not only how she plays on the court but how she leads throughour her school day and practice.'' Barkey will play college basketball next season for Sterling College.
Celeste Gonzalez
CELESTE GONZALEZ | Highland Park
PARENTS: Raul Gonzalez and Clara Caro
SPORT: Wrestling | GPA: 4.2
Gonzalez posted a 17-7 record as a senior and was a two-year letter-winner for Highland Park's girls wrestling team. Gonzalez won the Centennial League indiviual championship at 191 pounds her senior season, qualified for the Class 6A-5A state meet with a runner-up regional finish and earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention. "She had a desire to demonstrate dominance on the mat but was friendly to everyone off the mat,'' Highland Park coach Shannon Keller said. Gonzalez, who also earned All-City honorable mention in soccer, plans to attend college at Washburn University.
Emma Krueger
EMMA KRUEGER | Washburn Rural
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University softball stars Jaycee Ginter and Marrit Mead have a lot in common.
In fact, the pair probably has more in common than not.
Washburn University softball stars Marrit Mead (left) and Jaycee Ginter are teammates, classmates, roommates, co-workers and now both All-Americans. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights product Ginter and Santa Fe Trail grad Mead have played club softball together since middle school, are roommates, take most of the same classes at WU as nursing majors and even have the same part-time job.
"I wouldn't say we were as close as ever from the start, but when you start playing sports together and are always on the field together you build a connection,’’ Mead said. “Obviously from eighth grade till now that's a lot of years and that's a lot of time spent together, on the softball field, on the volleyball court and just hanging out.
”All those things you just build so many connections and I think (our closeness) has just built up over time.''
Ginter agreed.
"I think we started playing club softball together in seventh or eighth grade and then we also joined the same volleyball team, so we also played volleyball together and kind of just were always hanging out,’’ Ginter said.
Recently the two added one more element to their unbreakable bond – sharing the title of NCAA Division II All-American as sophomores – after helping lead Brenda Holaday’s Ichabods to the MIAA regular-season championship, an NCAA Tournament berth and a 45-15 overall record.
A pitcher/outfielder, Ginter earned first-team All-America accolades from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association while Mead, a third baseman, earned All-America honors for the second straight season, earning third-team recognition from the NFCA and honorable mention from D2CCA.
