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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Coming off an injury-riddled 2-9 season in 2023, Washburn University didn't expect to get a high ranking in the MIAA Coaches and MIAA Preseason Media polls that were released Tuesday as part of the 2024 MIAA Football Media Day at the Kauffman Foundation.
Veteran Washburn football coach Craig Schurig talks to the media during Tuesday's MIAA Media Day in Kansas City, Mo. {Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But the Ichabods hope that being ranked ninth among 10 teams in both polls can serve as a source of motivation this fall.
"You could anticipate that (the low spot in the polls) because that's where we finished last year,'' veteran Washburn coach Craig Schurig said. "With the teams that are back we actually finished last, but I've been really proud of (the players) since the season ended that they didn't hang their heads, they just said, 'Let's get to work, let's flip this thing.' ''
"You let it fuel you a little, but you're already fueled,'' WU standout senior safety Jordan Finnesy said about the polls. "All the guys, we're just hungry to get going and really just prove ourselves because at this point nobody's respecting us. Coming in with that fire every single day with the goal of flipping that (record) this coming season is a lot of motivation in itself. And as far as the polls I couldn't care less what those things say.''
Washburn, 1-9 in the conference a year ago, had 16 points in the MIAA Coaches poll, trailing preseason favorite Central Missouri, who had eight first-place votes and 80 points overall.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The latest women's selections for TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 encompasses a group of athletes who are probably household names for most any local household that has a sports fan.
The group of 10 include a national player of the year (Stacey Slavens), an MIAA player of the year (Jessica Mainz), an All-Big 12 honoree (Crystal Kemp), seven total college All-Americans in five different sports (Slavens, Mainz, Dani McHenry, Shannon Suddarth, Laura Klamm, Latisha Yarnell, JaNelle Wright) and three of Kansas' best ever in high school track and field (Jocelyn Bentley, Lori Green, Wright).
Here's a look at picks No. 21 through 30:
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 WOMEN’S ATHLETES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The latest men's picks in TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 Athletes (No. 31-40) are a vastly varied group, featuring All-Americans in three different sports as well as the most successful Paralympic athletes in county history.
Shawnee Heights wrestling great Tanner Gardner went on to become Stanford's first three-time NCAA All-American while Hayden two-sport state champ John Tetuan was an All-American pitcher for Wichita State and Highland Park star Dale Cushinberry was a two-time basketball All-American for Emporia State.
Tetuan had a stint as a minor league pitcher while Topeka High product Ted Evans and former Highland Park All-Stater Jahmal McMurray both played professional basketball.
Picks No. 31-40 also include local legends Mark Turgeon and Dan Davis, who helped lead Hayden to undefeated state championships in basketball and football, as well as former Seaman hoops star Johnny Johnson, who put together a Hall of Fame career at Washburn University, and world-renowned Paralympic athletes Dan Cnossen (Shawnee Heights) and Austin Hanson (Seaman).
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 MEN’S ATHLETES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
As we get closer to the top of the women's selections for TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 list, the list of achievements get more and more impressive.
The latest group of picks (No. 31 through 40) include an individual national champion, six All-Americans, a four-time state high school champ, a two-sport Division I standout, a multi-event state high school record-holder and a three-sport prep All-Stater.
Former Miss Kansas Basketball Carly Bachelor of Washburn Rural led the Junior Blues to a state basketball title and also earned All-State recognition in volleyball and soccer while fellow Rural alum Madeline Hill won a national tennis title for Washburn University and Junior Blues Kelsey Chipman and Jayme Gergen established themselves as two of the school's all-time volleyball greats.
Rossville's Kendra Hurla, the second youngest Top 100 pick, captured four state titles and a team championship as a high school wrestler while former Seaman star Camryn Turner has earned All-Big 12 honors and helped Kansas advance to three straight NCAA volleyball tournaments with a season remaining for the Jayhawks.
Topeka West alum Emily Dicus made her mark as one of Kansas' all-time best swimmers before going on to earn college All-America honors while Shawnee Heights grad Deana Alexander was a Dvision I athlete in both basketball and track and field for Wichita State, winning four javelin Missouri Valley javelin titles, former Topeka High star Kristie Bahner was a 1,000-point scorer for Kansas State basketball, and three-time state softball champ Jaycee Ginter of Shawnee Heights ended her college career as Washburn's all-time leader in multiple categories.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 WOMEN’S ATHLETES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The latest men's picks in TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 are not only a testament to some of the county's all-time greats in six different sports but also provide a bit of a history test for even the most seasoned of local sports fans.
TSN's latest group of 10 Top 100 honorees (picks No. 41-50) includes athletes who achieved the bulk of their athletic greatness in seven different decades covering more than 100 years.
Included are "Dink'' Mothell, who made his professional baseball debut in 1914, while Highland Park's Ed Delk excelled in the 1950s, Seaman and Washburn star Dode Lesser and Washburn Rural grad Tom Bunger made their mark in the '60s, Silver Lake and Shawnee Heights legends Tony Leiker and Marcel Carter ruled the '80s and Seaman's Justin Glasgow was a multi-sport state champ in the 1990s.
Highland Park's Jared Huske was one of the nation's best hurdlers in the opening decade of the 21st century while Hayden's Nick Stringer celebrated an undefeated state football title before going on to an All-Big 12 career at Kansas State.
For fans that prefer more contemporary achievements, Seaman and Kansas star pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn is still blazing his path, currently pitching at the AAA level for the Boston Red Sox.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 MEN’S ATHLETES
