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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
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Five All-Americans, including a national player of the year, headline women's picks No. 41-50 on TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 list.
The late Arica Shepard, a volleyball star at Rossville and a three-time All-American for Emporia State, earned the No. 41 berth on the Top 100 while former Topeka High basketball star Kiki Smith was named the national player of the year in her first college season after helping Hutchinson Community College win the national junior college championship.
Washburn University basketball All-Americans Nikki Olberding (Seaman) and Kelly Jennings (Topeka High) and Fort Hays State All-American Tatyana Legette (Seaman) also earned spots in the latest installment of Top 100 selections as did four-time Class 6A volleyball state champion Alexa Bordewick of Washburn Rural and multi-sport standouts Cierra Ceazer (Shawnee Heights) and Erika Lane (Washburn Rural).
Lauren Mills was a state softball champion at Seaman before a standout career at Wichita State while Ceazer, Jennings, Lane and the late Tisharria Huggins (Topeka West) also won state titles at the high school level.
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 range from a player who competed at the top level of professional tennis to a Major League baseball player who was teammates with legends "Shoeless Joe'' Jackson and Cy Young to local stars who made their mark in various other sports.
TSN's latest group of 10 Top 100 honorees is headed by former Topeka High tennis star Joel Hoffman, who won a pair of state titles for the Trojans before competing at the Division I level for Houston and on the International ATP men's circuit.
Picks No. 51 through 60 also includes Art Griggs, who made his big league baseball debut in the early 1900s, as well as storied amateur golfer Bill McDonald, star swimmer Glenn Trammel, pro bowling history maker Bob Benoit, MLB pitcher Jim Golden, track and field stars Dan O'Mara and Jason Stuke and multiple-sport standouts Duane "Blackie'' Melvin and Scott Leon.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 MEN’S ATHLETES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Topeka Junior Golf Association wrapped up its two-day 2024 City Championship Tuesday at Western Hills, crowning eight champions.
Eighty players competed in the city tournament, ranging in age from 7 to 17 years old.
"It's very exciting and the game of golf is growing,'' said Washburn Rural golf coach Jared Goehring, who has been the director of the TJGA program for 20 years. "Our numbers were up this year as far as registrations go with the tournament play. Kids love being on the golf course and I think that's a tribute to the success that Topeka has with Junior Golf.
"That dates back to Gary Woodland, Andrew Beckler, Lukas McCalla, Abby Glynn, a lot of those former players that went on to play either professionally or went on to play collegiately. The game is at an all-time high and I think we're seeing that with the local golf courses here in town continuing to stay busy.''
Peyton Wright (middle) won the girls 15-17-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Izzy Glotzbach (left) finished second and Reece Randall third. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Avenley Head (right) won the girls 13-14-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Chloe Schmidtlein (left) finished second. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rowan Martinek won the girls 12-and-under title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
On the girls side, Peyton Wright won the 15-17-year-old title while Avenley Head won the 13-14 division and Rowan Martinek was the 12-and-under champion.
James Kuta (middle) won the boys 15-17-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Tagan Monasmith (left) was second and Jack Donovan third. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Easton Moulin (middle) won the boys 13-14-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Brody Buessing (left) was second and Jaxson Leonardi third. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Jase Head (middle) won the boys 11-12-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Camden Swords (left) was second and Callen Baldwin third. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Nikhil Rao (middle) won the boys 9-10-year-old title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Trig Baird (second from left) was second and Beckham Schmidt (second from right) third. Cameron Anderson (left) and Dash Knowland (right) also posted top-five finishes. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Mason Walker (second from left) won the boys 8-and-under title in the Topeka Junior Golf Association City Championship, while Jaxson McFarland (middle) was second, Grayson Gudenkauf (left) and Hayes Wempe (right) tied for third and Colby Swords (second from right) finished fifth. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN
James Kuta won a three-hole playoff to take the championship in the boys 15-17 division while Easton Moulin was the 13-14 champ, Jase Head won the 11-12 division, Nikhil Rao was the 9-10 champ and Mason Walker won the 8-and-under title.
Wright, who attends Baldwin High, recorded a 36-hole score of 156 (79-77), while Head had a winning 18-hole total of 93 and Martinek won with an 18-hole score of 122.
Kuta won with a 36-hole score of 147 (67-80) while Moulin posted a 36-hole win at 157 (76-81), Head won with an 18-hole score of 75, Rao won the 9-10 division with an 18-hole total of 76 and Mason Walker shot a winning 18-hole score of 83.
"The talent's crazy,'' Goehring said. "The future looks very bright for the city of Topeka and the most important thing is the kids enjoy it. If they love the game first the sky is the limit for them. They continue to practice and I just can't wait to see what the future holds for them.''
TJGA CITY GOLF TOURNAMENT
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Local greats who made their mark in six sports at the high school, college and amateur level earned spots No. 51-60 on TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 list.
Shawnee Heights product Faith Rottinghaus, No. 51 on the Top 100 list, helped the T-Birds win Class 5A state titles in volleyball and softball before going on to earn first-team All-America honors for Washburn University, which posted a second-place national finish her senior season.
Rottinghaus is joined on the Top 100 by Washburn Hall of Famers Rhonda Matzke (Silver Lake) and Billie Jean Moore (Highland Park), with the late Moore going down in history as a legendary women's basketball coach.
In addition to hoops star Matzke, the latest group of 10 honorees include prolific Rossville scorer Jennifer Perine and Washburn Rural state champion Jamie Blakely, who both went on to standout careers at Emporia State.
Three of the county's most decorated cross country and track performers -- Washburn Rural's Avery Clifton and Jaybe Shufelberger and Seaman's Sydney Messick -- all earned spots in TSN's fifth installment of Top 100 picks as did former Rural multi-time state golf champions Abby Glynn and Megan Lucas, who both went on to Division I college careers.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 WOMEN’S ATHLETES
