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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman showed its outstanding quality in Friday's girls City Swimming and Diving Championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, winning eight of 12 events.
But in the end it was Washburn Rural's superior depth that ruled the day, with the Junior Blues winning their 21st straight team title by a 580.50-490 margin over the Vikings.
"We do have that depth,'' Washburn Rural coach Bob Burdick said. "I felt pretty good about today overall. I knew Seaman was going to walk in and try to take first place in as many events as they could and I would do that if I had those kids, too.
"But our depth pulled it out. We worked really hard this last week to drop times to make sure we came into this with time drops with everybody and that paid off.''
Burdick said that everyone on the team contributed to the Rural championship.
"Everybody did contribute and I'm really proud of the girls,'' Burdick said. "They worked hard and they earned this.''
Seaman got two individual wins apiece from Avery Walz (100-yard freestyle, 100 backstroke), Tauren Walz (50 freestyle, 100 butterfly) and Joslynn Grace (200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke) and the Vikings' star trio teamed with Avery Samuelson to win the 200 medley and 200 free relays.
Washburn Rural, meanwhile, got individual victories from Audrey Appuhnn in the 200 freestyle and 500 free and Appuhn teamed with Sophie Heinen, Jella Belgardt and Genevieve Miranda to win the meet-ending 400 free relay while Rhiannon Good and Hayden's Kaylee Gregg shared the one-meter diving title, tying in that event in Thursday's diving competition.
The Junior Blues put Appuhn, Belgardt, Miranda, Good, Madeline O'Brien and Molly Didde on the All-City first team, while the Walz twins and Grace represent Seaman on the first team, along with Topeka High's Hara Del Castillo, Shawnee Heights' Ashtynn Landry and Kaitlyn Aldridge and Hayden's Gregg and Presley Green.
Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West will compete in the United Kansas Conference meet at the Cap Fed Natatorium on Tuesday while Hayden, Topeka High and Washburn Rural will compete in the Centennial League meet, which will be held at Cap Fed on Thursday.
CITY SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Seaman Vikings swept a softball doubleheader with Shawnee Heights at Lake Shawnee Friday, holding on to win the first game, then blasting away in the second.
“We asked our kids today to have a standard of excellence,” said Seaman coach Jay Monhollon. “When you do that, everybody’s got to buy into that standard. When that happens, that expectation creates positive feelings and you’re able to do your job for the team.”
The first game wasn’t won without some tense moments for the Vikings.
After mounting an 8-2 advantage early, Seaman watched the T-Birds begin to steadily chip away. Shawnee Heights rallied in the bottom of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to narrow the deficit to 8-6.
The T-Birds would get no closer in the final inning. Relief pitcher Addison Sibley shut down the threat in the bottom of the seventh to close it out.
“All I’m doing is just pitching the ball,” Sibley said of holding off the surging T-Birds. “My defense has got my back and is making those great plays behind me. We weren’t nervous.”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
On a night filled with outstanding individual performances, Washburn Rural used its depth to sweep the team titles in Friday's Joe Schrag City Championship at Hummer Sports Park.
The Junior Blues posted a total of 12 event wins on the night (seven boys, five girls), but more importantly had top-three finishes in 22 events (12 boys, 10 girls) en route.
The result was a 195-132 win over Seaman for the Washburn Rural boys and a 177.5-140 victory over Hayden for the Junior Blue girls in the team standings.
Highlights for the Rural boys included a pair of wins from senior Josh Sulzen-Watson in the discus (167 feet, 9 inches) and javelin (195-8), a city meet record from Shane Jueneman, Liam Morrison, Draden Chooncharoen and Isaiah Terry in the 4x400-meter relay (3:21.64) and a one-two-three finish from Morrison, Cody Ingenthron and Braylon Badger in the 300 hurdles, with Morrison winning in 39.58.
The Junior Blues also got individual wins from Titan Osburn in the high jump (6-2), Jacob Litton in the pole vault (11-6) and Terry in the 400 dash (49.53).
On the girls side, Rural got wins from Raegan Petersen in the discus (113-9), Morgan Ray in the javelin (129-10), Molly Worley in the high jump (5-0), Emily Graf in the 3,200 (11:38.14) and from Madison Blanco, Analese Estudillo, Emme Blanco and Worley in the 4x100 relay (49.83).
Other top performances:
• Seaman sophomore Ryin Miller continued to establish herself as one of Kansas' top performers (all classes, all events), setting city meet records in the girls 1,600 and 800 while also anchoring the Vikings' 4x400 relay to a victory.
Miller obliberated the previous 1,600 meet record by just under 27 seconds with a winning time of 4 minutes, 46.90 seconds and knocked more than seven seconds off the previous meet record in the 800 with a victory in 2:10.62.
Miller also ran a 56-second anchor leg on the 4x400 relay, teaming with Taylie Heston, Jaida Stallbaumer and Ally Steiner for a win in 4:03.70.
• Seaman junior Jaida Stallbaumer also had a hand in three victories on the night, sweeping the titles in the 100 hurdles (16.85) and 300 hurdles (48.3) before running on the Vikings' winning 4x400 relay.
• Shawnee Heights senior star Jackson Esquibel, a Class 5A state champ in track and cross country, was a double boys individual city winner, with the Kansas State signee winning the boys 1,600 in 4:20.63 and the 800 in 1:56.43.
• Seaman senior Aaron Merritt posted back-to-back boys wins in the 110 high hurdles (14.48) and 100 dash (10.63) while also finishing a close second in the 200 (22.09) and anchoring the Vikings' 4x100 relay to a runnerup finish in the 4x100 relay (43.33).
• Hayden senior Finn Dunshee won the boys 200 in a time of 22.05 and teamed with Jackson McGivern, Liam Stegman and Jensen Schrickel to win the 4x100 relay (42.73) while also finishing second in the 100 (10.79) and running on the Wildcats' second-place 4x400 relay (3:24.33).
Schrickel added a win in the long jump at 22-5.50, finished second in the 400 (49.84) and also ran on the Wildcats' runnerup 4x400 relay.
• Topeka High sophomore Keimara Marshall and freshman Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton were both double gold medalists in the girls division Friday night, with Marshall winning the 100 (12.62) and the 200 (26.71) and Rayton taking the city titles in the long jump (17-2) and the triple jump (37-10.25).
Marshall and Rayton also ran on Topeka High's second-place 4x100 relay team (50.78).
JOE SCHRAG CITY CHAMPIONSHIP
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
College track and field is hard enough for an incoming freshman, and embarking on her Washburn University career while nursing a lingering injury made things extra challenging for former Shawnee Heights star sprinter Ta'Mijha Nichols.
But after a somewhat slow start, Nichols has made big strides entering her first MIAA Outdoor Championships this weekend in Maryville, Mo.
"I did come out of high school with a hamstring injury and coming into college with an injury definitely made me a little injury prone, so I had some setbacks and I had to find some ways to become confident,'' Nichols said.
"But I think my sprint coach (Marshall O’Brien) helped build that confidence, and as I keep going and am gradually getting better, I think he sees me getting more confident every day and that's what's helping me push a bit more in college.''
NIchols took a big step in the recent Kansas Relays, posting a second-place finish in the women's 100-meter dash with a personal-best and an NCAA provisional mark of 11.78 seconds.
"As a freshman coming out and the first meet not doing so well and then seeing what I did at KU, it's exciting,'' Nichols said. "And I have my teammates backing me up and they're getting excited for me and that brings in great energy.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's baseball team had nine players earn All-MIAA recognition by the conference on Thursday afternoon, led by first-team picks Payton McHarg and Cash Jay.
McHarg, a junior, is a first-team selection as an outfielder in his first season with the Ichabods. With 20 home runs on the year McHarg is tied for the most in the nation while also batting a team-high .373 with 69 hits and 63 runs batted in.
McHarg is coming off a week which saw him earn MIAA Hitter of the Week honors after hitting .579 with a .704 on-base percentage and 12 runs scored. McHarg played and started in all 48 regular-season games, one of just two Ichabods to do so.
Jay joins McHarg on the first team after his first season at Washburn. He gets the nod as a utility player after hitting .365 on the year. He slugged 13 home runs and a team-high 21 doubles with 56 RBI.
Jay has started 45 of the 48 games he has appeared in, picking up hits in all but seven of them to tie for the team lead with 69. He also made 85 assists on the year in the field.
Cale Savage earns All-MIAA honors for the first time in his career as a member of the second team at first base. Along with McHarg, Savage also played and started in all 48 games this season, hitting .321 and leading the team with 41 walks for a .443 OB%. He hit 12 home runs and drove in 45 total runs while holding a .992 fielding percentage for the year.
Jett Buck joins the second team at shortstop after his junior campaign and first at Washburn. Buck hit .324 on the season and was second on the team with 14 homers for 52 RBI. He played in 45 games, making 44 starts, and was second on the team, stealing eight bases on 12 attempts.
Hayden Priest is a third-team selection in his first season as the Ichabod catcher after transferring for his junior year. Priest was third on the team with a .360 batting average on the season with 62 hits and 55 RBI along with eight home runs. He was successful on the bases, stealing six of seven bases while throwing out nine would be base-stealers from behind the plate.
Washburn had four players earn honorable mention honors with Cooper Carlgren representing the starting pitching staff in his first season with the Ichabods. The Topeka native made 13 appearances, all starts, and threw a team-high 62.1 innings along with 59 strikeouts. He went 4-3 on the year with a 6.64 earned run average.