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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West rolled to a Class 5A regional championship Friday at De Soto, qualifying all six players for next week's state tournament at Kossover Tennis Center.
Topeka West tennis poses for a team picture after winning a Class 5A regional championship Friday at De Soto. From left to right, Coach Kurt Davids, Caden McGee, James Maag, Carter Cool, Ian Cusick, Gavin Chavez, Miles Cusick and Coach Shon Daniels. [Photo by Kamla Cusick/Special to TSN]
Topeka West juniors Ian Cusick (front) and Miles Cusick won a Class 5A regional doubles title Friday at De Soto, helping the Chargers win the team championship. [Photo by Kamla Cusick/Special to TSN]
Topeka West's James Maag posted a second-place singles finish in Friday's Class 5A regional tournament at De Soto, earning a state tournament berth. [Photo by Kamla Cusick/Special to TSN]
Seaman's Justin Kruse finished third in singles in Friday's Class 5A regional tournament at De Soto, earning a state berth. [Photo by Kamla Cusick/Special to TSN]
Juniors Ian and Miles Cusick swept city, Centennial League and regional doubles titles for the second straight season, topping Charger teammates Gavin Chavez, a senior, and junior Carter Cool in the inals, 6-1, 6-1.
West sophomore James Maag advanced to the singles final before dropping a 6-1, 6-1 decision to Leavenworth's Jack Harris in the title match.
Sophomore Caden McGee rounded out the Charger qualifiers with a fith-place singles finish.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural’s city championship win was a dominant one on Friday night.
The Junior Blues won their 19th straight city swimming and diving title by an eye-opening 161 points at the Capitol Federal Natatorium as Washburn Rural ended the day with three swimmers earning first-team All-City honors and six swimmers earning second-team honors.
“We put it all together today,” Washburn Rural coach Bob Burdick said. “All year long we’ve been trying to build a successful team. We did a lot of building this year with our freshmen, sophomores and juniors. We have ten swimmers qualified for state, which is a real positive. We are trying to build our team this year for success and many years after.”
Topeka West's Kadence Jeffries (left) celebrates with runner-up Mara Bare of Washburn Rural after Jeffries' 500-yard freestyle victory in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman's Avery Walz, celebrating her win in the 200 individual medley, won four gold medals in Friday's city swimming and diving championships. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural's Makenna Pritchard was a double individual city champion in Friday's city meet, helping lead the Junior Blues to the team title. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural took first place in three separate events and finished in the top five 24 times in various events.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
After making an oral commitment to Stanford last fall, Topeka High softball star NiJaree Canady signed her letter of intent on Friday to play softball for the Cardinal.
The newest member of the Cardinal has built up quite the resume over the past four years.
Topeka High star NiJaree Canady made if official Friday, signing her national softball letter of intent with Stanford. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Topeka High senior NaJaree Canady speaks during Friday's letter of intent signing with Stanford. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Canady earned the 2021 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year award, first-team All-Shawnee County and first-team all-state recognition, a state championship and many more laurels.
“Going to California and one of the best universities in the world is very exciting to me,” Canady said. “I go 110 percent in everything I do. Stanford softball is already amazing and I just want to add to that.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The fact that Hayden senior Tanner Newkirk posted three victories in the three longest individual races of the night in Friday's Joe Schrag City Invitational was an outstanding achievement by itself.
The fact that the Wildcat star set city meet records in all three of his events put Newkirk in rarefied air as arguably the best individual performance in the history of the meet.
Hayden distance star Tanner Newkirk set city meet records Friday night in the 1,600, 800 and 3,200 in the Joe Schrag City Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden's Tanner Newkirk flashes the No. 1 sign after finishing off his third city record in the 3,200 meters in Friday's Joe Schrag Invitational. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Newkirk started his busy night with a runaway win in the 1,600 meters in a personal-best time of 4:10.88 and he followed that up with a personal-best in the 800 in 1:55.69 and finished things off with a 22-second-plus victory in the 3,200 in 9:18.89, setting city meet records in all three races.
Newkirk said he decided to give the dificult triple a try to give the Wildcats their best shot at winning the city team title.
"I wanted to do it for the team,'' Newkirk said. "I wanted to get every point I can for the team to give us a chance to win city. It feels good to know that I did everything I can to help us try to reach that goal.''
Washburn Rural won its fifth straight boys city team championship in Friday's Joe Schrag Invitational at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Wildcats came up short in their title bid, with Washburn Rural claiming its fith straight city crown, but it was a still a day for the ages for Newkirk, who didn't know what any of the city records were entering Friday's meet.
"I didn't, but I was just hoping to PR and if they fell, they fell,'' Newkirk said. "On that last 3,200 I was going to coast through it, but when I heard (from the track announcer) I had a chance I was like, 'OK, we're going to grab this real quick.'
"I wish I could have gone sub-4:10 in that mile -- I definitely could have with some competition -- but I'm super-excited about the shape I'm in and that 800 just kind of came out of nowhere. I had no clue that I had that in me -- a 1:55 after a tough mile -- so I'm really happy with those two races and I'm really happy running a 9:18 after two races. And I think in all the races I have a lot more in me.''
Washburn Rural used its depth and a sweep of the throws by seniors Zach and Josh Sulzen-Watson to continue its city reign by a 138.5-126 margin over Hayden.
Zach Sulzen-Watson won the shot put with a throw of 51 feet, 7.50 inches and the discus at 163-0 while brother Josh captured the javelin title with a throw of 152-8.
The champion Junior Blues also got a win from Adrien Tibbetts in the high jump (6-2) while Rural posted top-three finishes in seven events and top-six finishes in 15 of 18 events.
"We knew this one was going to be extremely competitive,'' Rural coach Keith Wetzel said. "As we were looking at things ahead of time, Shawnee Heights was up there, Seaman's in there, Silver Lake's got a good team, Hayden's got a very good team so we knew it was going to be a very competitive meet.
"We talked all week about how it's great to win an event, but we needed those other places and that really helped us tonight being able to get even a fourth, fifth or sixth place.''
Runnerup Hayden also got wins from Jensen Schrickel in the 400 (51.05), Jake Muller in the 300 hurdles (39.72) and the 4 x 400 relay team of Ethan Florence, Muller, Ryan Rochford and Schrickel (3:29.66).
• Shawnee Heights junior Jeremiah Smith and Topeka West senior Zsamar Sipple both posted a pair of individual victories, with Sipple winning the long jump at 22-7 and the triple jump at 44-10 while Smith took the 110-meter hurdles in 14.26 seconds and the 100 dash in 10.45 seconds.
• Other city champions included Seaman's Lain Anderson in the pole vault (11-6), Silver Lake's Brogen Renfro in the 200 (22.40), Topeka West's 4 x 800 relay team of Louis Wilson, Mark Wilkie, Elijah Phelps and Lenny Njoroge (8:22.66) and Topeka High's 4 x 100 relay team of V'Ante Peoples, Jaziah Mack, Logan Murray and DyKestair Matlock (43.54).
Joe Schrag City Invitational
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman junior star Bethany Druse posted a pair of individual wins in Friday's Joe Schrag City Invitational track and field championships.
But Druse's most important feat may have come in the meet-ending girls 4 x 400-meter relay.
Druse, Seaman's anchor runner, took the baton in fourth place but picked off the three runners in front of her one by one while clocking a 59-second split as the Vikings rallied for a win in 4 minutes, 15.31 seconds to put a capper on their city team championship by a 146-134 margin over Washburn Rural.
Seaman girls track and field poses for a team picture after winning the title in the Joe Schrag City Invitational Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"That's exciting,'' Druse said of the team championship. "(Coach Rick Brading) said that there was going to be a real good chance that we could win, but we had to work for it.
"We had our team spread in a wide variety of events, so that really helped bring the team score together.''
Druse had earlier won the 1,600 in 5:23.31 and the 800 in 2:19.96 before teaming with Taylie Heston, Jaida Stallbaumer and Taylin Stallbaumer to win the 4 x 4.
Junior Bethany Druse won the 1,600 and 800 meters and anchored the winning 4 X 400 relay as Seaman captured the girls team title in Friday's Joe Schrag City Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer swept the girls 100 and 300-meter hurdles and won three gold medals overall in Friday's Joe Schrag City Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Taylin Stallbaumer, a sophomore, was also a triple gold medalist, winning the 100 hurdles in 16.25 and the 300s in 49.21 to go with the win in the 4 x 4 while the Vikings' foursome of Heston, Anna Becker, Leah Spurlock and Savannah Sampson won the 4 x 800 relay in 10:31.13 and Ally Trier won the javelin with a personal-record throw of 132 feet, 10 inches.
Seaman posted top-three finishes in nine events and top-six finishes in 17 of 18 events.
"When there's 18 different events you know that even if on paper it looks like you could win, anything can happen at a meet,'' Brading said. "Kids drop batons,kids fall down, issues happen, but our kids in almost every area exceeded what we thought they would so we had a good meet.''
Runner-up Rural, which had won the previous four city titles, got wins from Raegen Petersen in the discus (115-7) and from Payton Fink in the 3,200 meters (11:37.61).
• Highland Park sophomore Victoria Reed was a double individual city champ, winning the long jump at 16-7.50 and the 100 in 12.49 while also finishing second in the 400 (58.72) and taking third in the 200 (26.37).
• Shawnee Heights won four events on the day, with Molly Busenitz winning the pole vault (9-0), Taylor Rottinghaus taking the victory in the 400 (58.18), Ta'Mijha Nichols winning the 200 (25.78) and the T-Birds taking the 4 x 100 relay (50.73).
• Other city champions included Hayden's Jadyn Paige Falley in the shot put (35-4), Topeka West's MaKinsey Jones in the high jump (5-2) and Silver Lake's Kaibryn Kruger in the triple jump (33-9).
Joe Schrag City Invitational
