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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park wrestling legend Melvin Douglas was back in his old stomping grounds on Saturday, taking in the Highland Park Invitational while on a pre-holiday trip from his home in Arizona to visit family and friends.
Topeka wrestling legend Melvin Douglas was back in Topeka on Saturday, watching the Highland Park Invitational at his alma mater. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And for Douglas, the former high school and NCAA champ and two-time United States Olympian, it felt good to be home.
"I was like, 'Wow, much hasn't changed,' and I came in and I looked and I saw that my picture's still up,'' Douglas chuckled as he eyed his Highland Park Wall of Honor display in the gym.''
This past summer Douglas was picked No. 4 on TopSports.news' list of the Top100 Athletes in Shawnee County History after winning three state high school wrestling championships for Highland Park (1979, '80 and '81), capturing a pair of NCAA titles for Oklahoma and making the United States Olympic team in 1996 and 2000.
Highland Park grad Melvin Douglas was a state high school wrestling champ, an NCAA champ and a two-time Olympian. [File photo[
But these days the 61-year-old Douglas is enjoying life away from the mat.
"I drive a semi, a flatbed 18-wheeler,'' Douglas said. "I like it. I get to stay in town and I traveled so much in my life that I hate traveling now. I like staying home and I'm home every day.
"The only bad thing about it is I get up real early, I'm at work at 4 a.m., but I'm also off early.''
Following his competitive career Douglas also did some coaching, but these days he is content to mainly keep track of the sport he loves from afar.
"I was coaching, but I got to the point to where if somebody comes to me and asks me to help them, then I help them,'' Douglas said. "But that's about it.
"I had my time and I'm enjoying the later parts of my life. I tell everybody I'm in the fourth quarter of life and I'm going to enjoy it. I'm just taking care of my grandkids and I spend time with them and sit back and watch wrestling. I still watch (USA Wrestling) and keep my eye on it.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shannon (Suddarth) Wisne's spectacular swimming career at Hayden Catholic High School and Notre Dame is well behind her, but sports are still a very important part of her life.
Former Hayden swimming and cross country star Shannon (Suddarth) Wisne was back at her alma mater Saturday to be inducted into the Hayden Hall of Fame. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"We have six children, 23 to 8 years old, and they keep me very busy,'' said Wisne, who was back at Hayden Saturday to be inducted into the Hayden Hall of Fame. "We had 13 games this just one weekend and actually my son (Brock) is going to be on ESPN+ during this (ceremony).''
"He plays D-I basketball for Northern Colorado and my daughter (Arielle) played for the Indiana Hoosiers. She played her fifth year last year and my son is a junior. I have another one in college and I have son who is highly-ranked in the state in basketball, a middle-schooler and then our baby is an 8-year-old.''
Basketball is the sport of choice for the offspring of Wisne and her husband, former Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Jerry Wisne, but Shannon still remains heavily involved with swimming, the sport that made her a six-time state champion at Hayden and a nine-time All-American at Notre Dame.
"I've coached our local swim team for 15 years and I have (my children) swim on my swim team until they're going into high school, but they're all basketball, a little bit of golf,'' said Wisne, who also works as a substitute teacher. "Actually, some of them are good at swimming, but then basketball takes over.
"I think it's because my husband's really tall, he's 6-foot-9 and I'm tall, so my daughter's listed at 6-5, my son is 6-9 and my other son is 6-6. My other daughter is over 6 feet, so that's how basketball happened and (Jerry) wouldn't let them play football. No football and they just love ball sports.''
In addition to her record-setting swimming career at Hayden, Wisne was also an integral part of three state championship cross country teams and was the individual state runnerup in cross country and Saturday gave Wisne, who now lives in Denver, a somewhat rare opportunity to get back to Topeka.
"The Streckers (Rick and Kathy) made a huge impact on me,'' Wisne said. "It's a very big community, but most of all I loved Hayden because it had God in it and the church part. And for me, that's where I grew in my relationship with the Lord and that was the foundation of what Hayden did for me and it was just a beautiful experience.
"It was so wonderful here that there are some things in life that when you appreciate them in the moment you know it's really awesome and being here was amazing.''
Wisne was part of Hayden's five-member 2024 induction class along with Mark Burghart, the late Jessica Mae Carpenter, Judy Cucciniello and Jack McGivern.
Hall of Fame capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a 5-foot-11 senior, scored 20 points and had eight assists in the Vikings' 69-67 season-opening United Kansas Conference girls basketball road win at Piper, with Becker become Seaman's all-time leader in career assists.
Maddie Gragg
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman
A 5-foot-10 junior, Gragg scored 21 points to lead defending Class 5A state girls basketball champion Seaman to a hard-earned 69-67 season-opening United Kansas Conference road victory at Piper on Friday night.
Dayne Johnson
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a 6-foot-3 junior multi-sport star, scored 21 points in the Eagles' 59-52 season-opening basketball win over Perry-Lecompton after being named to the All-Shawnee County football Top 22 earlier in the week.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High, competing in the first of two back-to-back tournaments hosted by Highland Park, claimed the boys team championship in Saturday's Highland Park Invitational by a 177.5-153.5 margin over De Soto.
Tony Canacari's Topeka High boys wrestlers won the team championship in Saturday's Highland Park Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Trojans got individual titles from sophomore Jose Gomez at 106 pounds, junior Michael Weatherly at 144, junior Brandon Blancas at 150 and senior Nick Davis at 165 while Topeka High posted top-four finishes in nine of 14 weight classes.
Gomez, Weatherly and Blancas are now 5-0 on the 2024 season while Davis is 4-0.
Hayden sophomore Caleb Menke (top) captured the 157-pound championship in Saturday's Highland Park Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden junior Jude Krentz (facing) won the 175-pound title in Saturday's Highland Park Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden finished fourth in the team standings while getting titles from sophomore Caleb Menke at 157 pounds, junior Jude Krentz at 175 and senior Hunter Diederich at 285 pounds.
Hayden senior Hunter Diederich won the 285-pound title in Saturday's Highland Park Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Menke, Krentz and Diederich are now 3-0 on the season.
Highland Park senior Adrian Burney (top) posted a second-place finish at 175 pounds in Saturday's Highland Park Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park finished fifth as a team, getting a second-place finish from senior 175-pounder Adrian Burney.
Santa Fe Trail took the girls team total by a 106-84 margin over Highland Park.
The Scots got individual championships from junior Connie Burns at 115 pounds and junior Makala Cadet at 235 pounds.
Burns is 5-0 on the season and Cadet is 5-1.
Highland Park will host the Melvin Douglas Invitational on Saturday.
Highland Park Invitational
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University men's track and field team opened the 2024-25 season in the Washburn Alumni Invitational with nine school records and nine NCAA provisional marks on Saturday in the Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility.
Tre Richardson made his track and field debut for Washburn with a school record and an NCAA provisional qualifying time. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Former Highland Park state champ Tre Richardson picked up first and second-place finishes in his first action for the Ichabods since moving inside from the football field, winning the long jump with a mark of 7.09 meters (23 feet, 03.25 inches) and then in the 60m, he ran times of 6.73 seconds in both the preliminaries and finals for an NCAA provisional mark and a school record.
Ezekiel Seamster and Richardson tied with a school record time of 6.73 as Seamster finished fourth in the finals in a time of 6.74 for an NCAA provisional mark. The previous school record was 6.80.
Seamster also picked up a school record with a second-place finish in the 200m in a time of 21.00, besting the previous school record of 21.28.
Former Hayden star Jake Muller helped Washburn set a school record and record a NCAA provisional time in Saturday's indoor season-opener. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
In the 4x400-meter relay the squad of Tyler Mooney, Seamster, Jacob Herr and former Hayden state champion Jake Muller finished second, setting the school record in the event in a time of 3:15.43 for an NCAA provisional time. Washburn smoked the previous school record of 3:20.05.
Matthew Heckman won the high jump with a school-record jump of 2.14m (7-00.25) for an NCAA provisional mark and a meet record. The previous school record was 2.13m (6-11.75).
Making his collegiate debut, Adam Woldridge recorded a school record in the pole vault with a jump of 4.91m (16-01.25) to finish second. The mark was also an NCAA provisional mark.
• Chaney Martin finished third at the Boo Rogers combined events competition at Pittsburg State. Martin tallied 5,267 points, breaking the school record and recording an NCAA provisional mark in the process.
Drew McGilton also recorded a PR and an NCAA provisional mark with 4,850 points.
The Ichabods, who were picked seventh in the MIAA preseason coaches poll, will be back in action January 17th at the Washburn Rust Buster starting the spring semester.
The Washburn women's track and field team opened the 2024-25 season with three meet records and six NCAA provisional marks while adding seven individual champions on Saturday.
Alyssa Hutcherson won the 60m prelims and finals in times of 7.58 and 7.53, respectively. Both times are NCAA provisional times.
McKenzie Hayse won the long jump with a mark of 5.67m (18-07.25) in her collegiate debut and she also finished second in the 200m with a time of 24.61 for an NCAA provisional mark. Hayse also finished second in the 60m in a time of 7.55 for another NCAA provisional time.
Isabella Kupka won the 400m in a time of 58.28 and Katelyn Jones was third in the event.
Ashley Heavner won the 600-yard, setting a meet record of 1:28.51 and Lauren Cassaday finished fourth in a time of 1:29.92.
The 4x400m relay team of Kupka, Jones, Heavner and Kaylee James won the event in a time of 3:53.93, setting a meet record. James also finished second in the 60m hurdles in a time of 8.89.
The Ichabods went 1-2 in the high jump with Alex Hart picking up the individual title at a height of 1.75m (5-08.75) for a meet and an NCAA provisional mark and Paige Platt finished second with a mark of 1.65m (5-05.00).
Reagan Housley picked up the individual title in the pole vault, setting a PR in the event with a height of 3.95m (12-11.50) and recording an NCAA provisional mark.
The Ichabods, who were picked third in the MIAA preseason coaches poll, will be back in action January 17th at the Washburn Rust Buster starting the spring semester.
WASHBURN ALUMNI INVITATIONAL
