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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman tennis standout Lauren Sweeney enjoyed a dream 2021 season, teaming with Grace Unruh to post a perfect 36-0 record en route to the Class 5A state doubles championship.
But with Unruh moving on to college, Sweeney is on her own this fall as a senior, playing No. 1 singles for the Vikings.
Seaman senior Lauren Sweeney went 5-0 to win the No. 1 singles title in Tuesday's Washburn Rural Invitational, helping the Vikings win the team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
So far the switch has gone well, with Sweeney 16-2 on the season after a perfect 5-0 day in Tuesday's Washburn Rural Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center.
Sweeney capped her day with an 8-3 win over Maize's Rylee Frye in the championship match, helping lead the Vikings to the team title by a 44-35 margin over host Washburn Rural.
Sweeney last played singles the first half of her freshman season but said she's satisfied with her progress.
"Singles is a lot more mentally harder and it's more running, definitely,'' Sweeney said. "Doubles with Grace was just so fun and we just jived really well together. Singles is all on you. If you miss, it's your fault.''
Sweeney used her summer to get ready to make the switch and said the transition is still ongoing.
"I'm still adjusting,'' she said. "There's a lot of things I can still improve on, but during the summer I was playing USTA tournaments and when I was taking lessons I was focused on singles more.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
By her own lofty standards, Seaman senior golf star Lois Deeter didn't have one of her better days in Monday's City Girls Golf Championship at Western Hills.
But with her second straight city individual title on the line, Deeter played her best hole of the day in a sudden death playoff with Washburn Rural junior Raegan Petersen, carding a birdie on the playoff hole to claim the title after both Deeter and Petersen shot identical 81s to force sudden death.
Seaman senior Lois Deeter (left) exchanges congratulations with Washburn Rural junior Raegan Petersen after Deeter won her second straight city title in a sudden death playoff with Petersen. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural's golf team poses for a team picture after winning its 10th straight city team title as well as the Topeka West Invitational crown Monday at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Deeter came within a few feet of driving the 288-yard No. 1 playoff hole, hit perhaps her best approach shot of the day to within a few feet and canned the short putt for her only birdie of the day to win the playoff over Petersen, who parred the hole.
"It's just one of those things where it's like, 'OK, let's make these shots the best shots of the day,' and I just really focused in on muscle memory and said, 'Let's just go do it,' '' Deeter said.
"I probably should have stuck with that the whole day.''
Deeter said she was relaxed for the playoff after Petersen's 81 was one of the last scores to be posted.
"I was, actually,'' Deeter said. "I got up there and just went and did my thing and got a birdie.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kearney, Neb. -- Washburn University opened MIAA play Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 road win at Nebraska-Kearney, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead and holding on the rest of the way.
Washburn University soccer improved to 6-1-1 on Sunday with a 2-1 road win at Nebraska-Kearney in the Ichabods' MIAA opener. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn improved to 6-1-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the conference while UNK fell to 0-7-1, 0-1-0.
The WU victory is it second over the Lopers in eight days and is also the third consecutive season Washburn has started MIAA play with a victory.
Both goals for the Ichabods came in the first 20 minutes of the game.
After the ball was deflected inside the box Khloe Schuckman ended up with it to the right of the goal and kicked it across into the lower left corner to put Washburn up in the 12th minute.
Just six minutes later Schuckman was fouled nearly 30 yards out from the goal.
Jaedyn Johnson took the free kick and drilled it high towards the middle of the goal. It deflected off the leaping goalkeeper and into the top of the net for the second goal of the day.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ma'kenttis Adams
MA'KENTTIS ADAMS, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-9, 195-pound senior running back, Adams carried the ball 16 times for 179 yards and scored two touchdowns on runs of 19 and 58 yards last Friday night as Washburn Rural improved to 3-0 on the season with a 34-10 non-league win over Piper at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.
Allen Baughman
ALLEN BAUGHMAN, Shawnee Heights
Baughman, a junior running back, continued his breakout season in Shawnee Heights' 14-7 United Kansas Conference victory at Seaman Friday night. Baughman carried the ball 27 times for 183 yards and scored both touchdowns against Seaman and has 497 rushing yards and seven TDs on 66 carries on the season for the 2-1 T-Birds.
Lenny Njoroge
LENNY NJOROGE, Topeka West
The Topeka West senior cross country star posted his second individual victory in three races on the season in Saturday's Baldwin Invitational, clocking a five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 52.87 seconds to win by just under 38 seconds. Njoroge now has two wins and a runner-up finish in his three starts this fall.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The Rossville Invitational volleyball tournament ended the way rivalry fanatics thought it would end on Saturday afternoon.
In the 10-team tournament, the schools that are six miles apart were the ones that came face to face for the championship match.
Silver Lake's volleyball team poses with the championship trophy after winning the Rossville Invitational on Saturday. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Silver Lake celebrates its championship in Saturday's Rossville Invitational volleyball tournament. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Rossville and Silver Lake’s dominant days rewarded them with a spot in the championship match at Rossville High School and it would wind up being Silver Lake which would edge Rossville, 25-23, 26-24, to claim the title.
“We didn’t feel defeated whenever we were trailing today,” Silver Lake coach Sarah Johnson said. “I have players that can come off the bench and make things happen when we need it the most. Today helped us get some valuable information on teams that we could face down the road. We will have to play Rossville, so today was a big deal.”
In the championship match, the two sets had nine different lead changes. Nobody jumped out to a lead of more than four points and the intensity was at its peak.
Ella Bolan, Alana Brewster McKinley Kruger, Kaibryn Kruger, Makenzie McDaniel, Taylor Ross, Sarah Wehrli and the Lady Eagles knew it was time to punch their ticket. The Lady Eagles were diving and swarming on every play, presenting a complex challenge to Rossville.
At certain points of the tournament, the Lady Eagles made the battles on the court look smooth and easy. Silver Lake didn’t have a single match on Saturday that went more than two sets. Out of the 12 sets that Silver Lake played, only five were decided by three points or fewer.
“I don’t truly think we played our best consistently,” Johnson said. “I felt like we had some moments of greatness and moments that we could’ve done better getting the job done. I think we are getting closer to where we need to be, but I was pleased overall.”
