- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Nineteen-year-old Myles Alonzo, a recent Topeka West graduate, was honored Tuesday as the Topeka Golf Association 2024 Player of the Year.
Former Topeka West star Myles Alonzo was honored Monday as the Topeka Golf Association 2024 Player of the Year. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Alonzo received his award on Monday at Lake Shawnee Golf Course after the TGA wrapped up its 2024 season with the Bill McDonald Champions Stroke Play event.
The TGA Player of the Year award is based on points accumulated in all TGA events on the year, with Alonzo ending up on top with 440 points.
"I'm proud of myself and I know everybody else is proud of me,'' Alonzo said. "Hopefully, we can just keep on going and win a few more and just keep on going further and further.''
Alonzo won the city stroke play championship by nine strokes, posting a 54-hole total of 205 (68-69-68), and advanced to the quarterfinals of the match play tourney after qualifying No. 2 and teamed with brother Addison Alonzo to finish fourth in the 2-man best ball/scramble.
Former Washburn Rural and current Washburn University player Hayden Beck finished second in player of year points with 394 while James Monson (337) was third, Patrick Golden fourth (321) and Mac McFarland and Adam Head tied for fifth (316).
As a senior at Topeka West Alonzo swept city, United Kansas Conference and Class 5A regional titles before earning his third 5A state medal with a tie for 11th place. Alonzo shot a school-record 66 at regionals.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Dave Carson took command of the Topeka Golf Association Bill McDonald Champions Stroke Play Tournament with an opening-round 67 on Sunday and held on for title No. 6 Monday at Lake Shawnee.
Dave Carson captured his sixth Bill McDonald TGA Champions title Monday at Lake Shawnee, posting a three-stroke win. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Carson carded a final-round 70 in the city event for players aged 40 and over, finishing with a 36-hole total of 137 to top Dennis Switzky by three strokes. Switzky shot an opening-round 71 before carding a 69 on Monday, the low round of the day.
"The first day was a great start and I was able to hang on the second day,'' Carson said. "It was nothing special. I had a double bogey mixed in there with some other birdies but the first day was a great start.''
Carson and Switzky played in separate groups on Monday so Carson didn't exactly know how the battle for the top spot stood during the match.
"He was keeping track but I was just trying to keep my head down and play,'' Carson said. "I didn't play 16 very well and he played it one shot worse than I did and I think he kind of figured that was kind of the end of the deal there.''
Scot Duddy (71-70) finished third at 141 while Patrick Golden (74-76), Chae Yi (77-73) and Don Jacobs (78-72) tied for fourth place at 150.
Awards were presented Monday in multiple age divisions for low gross and net (including handicap) scores.
The Champions event is named in honor of Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Famer Bill McDonald.
TGA BILL McDONALD CITY CHAMPIONS STROKE PLAY TOURNAMENT
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Antonio Aguirre
ANTONIO AGUIRRE, Topeka High
Aguirre, a senior, scored five goals and added an assist in two Topeka High soccer wins on the week as the Trojans improved to 3-1. Aguirre scored four goals in last Monday's 9-1 win over USD 501 rival Highland Park at Hummer Sports Park and had a goal and an assist in Thursday's 2-1 win over city rival Shawnee Heights at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
Brody Anderson
BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman
A junior who is only in his second year of high school cross country, Anderson has opened his 2024 season with back-to-back individual titles. Seaman's five-kilometer school record-holder, Anderson won at Manhattan in his season-opener before following that up with a 21-second win in Saturday's Joe Schrag Invitational at Kanza Park, clocking a winning time of 15 minutes, 17.05 seconds.
Izzy Glotzbach
IZZY GLOTZBACH, Hayden
A two-sport fall athlete in golf and tennis, the Hayden junior won championships in both sports last week. Glotzbach teamed with senior Emily Sheetz to win the No. 1 doubles championship in last Tuesday's Hayden Invitational tennis tournament at Kossover Tennis Center with a 9-7 win over Marysville and she shared the individual title in Thursday's Seaman Invitational golf tournament on Thursday at Village Greens Golf Course with a 76, leading the Wildcats to a second-place team finish.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WAYNE, Neb. – Former Washburn Rural stars Belle Kennedy and Hailey Beck played a big role as the Washburn Ichabod soccer team earned its second straight road win with a 1-0 victory over the Wayne State College Wildcats on Sunday afternoon.
Washburn junior midfielder Belle Kennedy scored the lone goal in Sunday's 1-0 soccer win over Wayne State. [File photo/TSN]
Former Washburn Rural soccer standout Hailey Beck posted her second straight shutout in goal for Washburn University on Sunday. [File photo/TSN]
Kennedy, a junior midfielder, scored the game-winning goal for the 2-2 Ichabods, her first of the season, while sophomore goalkeeper Beck posted her second straight shutout.
Despite a scoreless first half, Washburn had several opportunities to get on the board. Early in the half, Rural product Mackinly Rohn found Lakin Rold in the center of the box, but Rold's shot attempt was saved by the Wildcat goalkeeper.
The Ichabods continued the offensive pressure, with Khloe Schuckman nearly adding a goal in the 19th minute on a shot attempt that went just wide. Washburn took seven shots in the half while holding the host Wildcats to one.
The Ichabods started the second half quickly, after Kennedy took the ball away from a Wildcat player and found an opening in the top left corner of the goal, giving Washburn the lead for good.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Washburn Rural and Washburn University golf star Andrew Beckler is now a professional champion after wrapping up the title in the 33rd Wells Fargo Nebraska Open Sunday in Columbus, Neb.
Former Washburn Rural and Washburn University golf star Andrew Beckler captured his first professional championship on Sunday in Columbus, Neb., posting a six-stroke victory in the Wells Fargo Nebraska Open. [Photo by Nebraska Open]
Topekan Andrew Beckler earned $13,200 for his victory on Sunday in the Wells Fargo Nebraska Open. [Photo by Nebraska Open]
Beckler shot a sizzling final-round 62 to finish at a tournament-record 19-under-par for the 54-hole event, posting a six-stroke victory over Zach Burry (Appleton, Wisc.), Luke Kluver (Norfolk, Neb.) and Robert Bell (Minneapolis, Minn.), who tied for second place at 13 under.
"Getting this win means I never gave up on myself,'' Beckler said. "I've had a lot of close calls and wondered if it would happen and today it did. To hoist a trophy and win in that fashion is quite satisfying.''
Beckler's 62 on Sunday came after an opening-round 65 and a second-round 67 in the event, sponsored by the Nebraska Section of the PGA.
"I have been hitting the ball well all season but the putter was a little cold,'' Beckler said. "My dad saw something in my stroke and I decided to switch the way I grip the putter for the first time ever this week, the day before the tournament.
"I made a few putts early in the round Friday and just kept building on that the rest of the tournament. Turned out I had the best putting week I've had all year.''
Ironically, Beckler's dominant performance came while he was battling a physical issue.
"I wasn't feeling the best physically,'' he said. "I was battling an eye infection this week. My left eye was almost swollen shut the morning of the final round. Fortunately, I'm right-eye dominant and found a way.''
Beckler won Class 6A individual and team state championships for Jared Goehring's Washburn Rural team, and after beginning his college career at Kansas State, transferred to Washburn, where he finished second in the NCAA Championship as a senior and was the recipient of the 2021 Jack Nicklaus Division II National Player of the Year Award.
Beckler qualified for the U.S. Open in 2022.
Beckler has been competing on the ATP All Pro Tour this summer and ranks second in earnings at $38,243.75 while posting a tour-best five top-10 finishes in nine starts.
