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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Like most college freshmen, former Bishop Carroll soccer star Leah Henke didn't know exactly what to expect when she arrived on the Washburn University campus earlier this fall.
Former Bishop Carroll star Leah Henke leads Washburn soccer with nine goals in just 13 games as a freshman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But it's safe to say that the 5-foot-6 forward didn't expect a team-leading nine goals, including a hat trick, in 13 games for an 8-2-3 Washburn team that is in the midst of an unbeaten streak that has reached nine games.
"I did not expect to be doing this well, so I'm definitely surprised,'' Henke said.
Henke, who helped lead Bishop Carroll to the Class 5A state title as a senior, said her goal at the start of the season was just to do whatever she could to contribute to a Washburn team that graduated a talented senior class off last year's team that won a second straight MIAA regular-season title while earning a second straight NCAA Tournament berth.
"I guess I was a little bit intimidated at first,'' Henke said. "I feel like I did pretty decent in high school, but coming here I just expected that everybody's going to be better than me, so I just wanted to do well and succeed, score goals and do what I came here to do.''
Henke scored a goal in her very first college game, had two goals in her third game and was off and running.
"She was an All-American out of high school and she's really good,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "You never know though until they get on campus and how they adjust to college. One of the things we talk about it everything is different in college. In some areas, if the social piece isn't right or if academics aren't strong it's really hard to translate to on-field success, so you never really know until they get here and they compete.
"To Leah's credit, I think the first two weeks was just a lot, with me coaching and all of that, but then once she settled into it you could just see the comfort level rise with every game and every training session and it was just letting her go.''
Henke took her game to another level in Washburn's 5-1 road win at Missouri Southern on Oct. 10 when she recorded a three-goal hat trick in a four-minute span.
"Three goals in four minutes was unbelievable,'' Phillips said. "It was just that quick. Leah took over and it was like bang, bang, bang and the game just went to bed. She's been really good all year, but that night was unbelievable.''
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Locked in a battle with Topeka High, the Washburn Rural boys soccer team saw its new all-time leading scorer come through when it needed him.
Topeka High held the Junior Blues scoreless for 30 minutes Monday at Hummer Sports Park until Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham received a pass from Brodye Kocher-Munoz and broke the tie with a shot inside the right post.
Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham (middle) became Rural's career scoring leader in Monday's 3-1 Centennial League win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
With the first-half goal, Willingham matched the Washburn Rural all-time scoring record. The 57th goal of his career moved Willingham into a tie with former Junior Blues Austin Halsey and Easton Bradstreet.
The Trojans responded 10 minutes into the second half. Senior Santiago Ovalle headed a deflected ball into the net to tie the score at 1-1.
Junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz (9) assisted on both of Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham's goals in Monday's 3-1 Centennial League win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Again, when his team needed a goal, Willingham was up to the task. With another assist from Kocher-Munoz, Willingham took sole ownership of the Washburn Rural scoring record at the 13:17 mark with his 58th career goal.
Washburn Rural senior Draden Chooncharoen added an insurance goal – assisted by Willingham – with three minutes remaining for the 3-1 final.
“I know he will tell you, anytime you break a record, you’ve got great teammates around, setting you up,” Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said of Willingham. “The first goal, he gets a great pass at his feet. The second goal, same kind of deal.
“(Dylan) made the plays to make it happen, and it’s not surprising that when we needed a big play, he got it. But my favorite play of the night was, at 2-1, he could have taken a shot, and instead he chipped a ball to the back post and got the assist.”
Willingham allowed himself, briefly, to reflect on the individual accomplishment. But he said he was more happy that the Junior Blues claimed their 31st consecutive Centennial League title than he was about breaking the record.
“I was really excited. There’s really no other way to describe it, I’d say. It’s pretty great,” Willingham said about the scoring record. “I’m really most excited about the league title. As seniors, you know, we have such a long streak, you don’t want to be the class to break the streak.”
Willingham and his coach were both proud of the way the team responded in a tense battle.
“After they got their goal, we allowed no shots at all, which that’s the key to winning close games, honestly is on defense,” Willingham said. “I don’t think we changed anything after their goal. We knew we can pull out a result for sure. Even though they got one goal, we’re not going to get mad or throw a fit. We’re going to just keep playing the way we play.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After finishing sixth in the 2024 Class 5A girls state golf tournament, Seaman put itself in position to improve on that finish with a solid opening day performance Monday at Emporia Municipal.
Elise Eckert, Seaman [File photo/TSN]
The Vikings are in fourth place in the team standings entering Tuesday's final round after posting a four-person score of 354, six strokes behind third-place St. James Academy. Kapaun Mt. Carmel leads the team race by a 321-332 margin over Andover.
Senior Elise Eckert, who is looking for her fourth straight 5A state medal, is tied for third after shooting a 77 in Round 1. Andover's Regan Dusenbery is the tournament leader at 68.
The Vikings' Makenna Stuke and Chloe Schmidtlein carded 91s Monday and are tied for 16th while Kaitlynn Frye added a 95 and Molly Quintana a 98.
The top 20 individuals after Tuesday's final round will receive state medals while the top three teams will receive trophies.
Shawnee Heights' Lauryn Valdivia shot a 111 and Topeka West's Berlyn Kolean a 113 on Monday and did not advance to Tuesday's final round.
State tournaments at all sites are scheduled to get under way at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden [File photo/TSN]
Class 4A at Hutchinson
Two-time defending Class 4A state champion Hayden advanced to Tuesday's final round at Carey Park in fourth place as a team after an opening-round four-person score of 361.
The Wildcats are 25 strokes behind tournament leader Wamego, but Hayden is just two strokes behind third-place McPherson and four strokes behind second-place Wellington. Wamego and Hayden finished one-two in last Tuesday's regional at Shawnee Country Club.
Senior Izzy Glotzbach led Hayden Monday with a first-round 85 and is tied for ninth individually entering Tuesday's final round.
Lauren Borjon shot an 88 in the first round and is tied for 14th while Brooke Johnson is tied for 19th after a first-round 89.
Kellyn Specht had a 99, Morgan Johnson a 104 and Avery Becker a 116 for the Wildcats.
Wamego three-time state champion Addison Douglass holds a one-stroke lead after shooting a 77 on Monday.
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The 2025 All-City girls tennis team -- Front, left to right: Julia Katzer, Washburn Rural; Annie Henderson, Washburn Rural; Madilyn Poole, Cair Paravel Latin; Madeline Deters, Topeka High; Emma Sweeney, Seaman; Camryn Lux, Seaman. Back, left to right: Alizah Alvarez-Chedzoy, Washburn Rural; Halle Owen, Washburn Rural; Ava Ritter, Topeka High; Hailey Caryl, Topeka High; Molly Gorman, Seaman; Peyton Henry, Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seven repeat selections and six state medalists, led by Seaman Class 5A singles runnerup Emma Sweeney and four-time state medalist Molly Gorman, headline the 2025 All-City girls tennis team.
Sweeney, a junior, and senior Gorman are both All-City repeat picks along with Seaman senior Peyton Henry and junior Camryn Lux, Topeka High seniors Madeline Deters and Ava Ritter and sophomore Hailey Caryl.
Sweeney swept city, United Kansas Conference and regional titles before her second-place state finish while Gorman earned her fourth state medal -- two doubles, two singles -- with a sixth-place singles finish.
Cair Paravel Latin junior Madilyn Poole earned her first state medal last weekend with a third-place 3A-1A singles finish.
High's Deters earned her second straight 6A medal with a sixth-place singles finish while Henry and Lux placed seventh in 5A doubles as Seaman finished second as a team at state after sweeping city, United Kansas Conference and regional championships.
Also earning All-City recognition were Washburn Rural city and regional doubles champions Julia Katzer and Halle Owen, both juniors, and Rural No. 2 city doubles champions Alizah Alvarez-Chedzoy, a senior, and sophomore Annie Henderson. The four Rural picks, all state qualifiers, helped the Junior Blues win a 6A regional team championship.
All-City selections are based on finishes in the city meet.
All-City capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brody Anderson
BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman
Anderson, a senior cross country standout, won his second straight boys United Kansas Conference individual title Thursday in Kansas City, Kan. while posting his fifth individual victory of the 2025 season. A Class 5A state medalist in cross country and track, Anderson posted a winning five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 38.30 seconds while leading the Vikings to a runnerup conference team finish.
Jordan Finnesy
JORDAN FINNESY, Washburn University
Finnesy tied a school record with two interceptions while adding nine tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in Saturday's 37-17 MIAA win over Central Missouri in Yager Stadium. Finnesy helped Washburn record a school-record eight turnovers against the Mules en route to snapping a four-game losing streak and picking up the Ichabods' first conference victory of 2025.
Molly Gorman
MOLLY GORMAN, Seaman
A senior tennis standout, Gorman earned her fourth straight Class 5A state medal with a sixth-place singles finish Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. After placing in the 5A state meet in doubles as a freshman and sophomore, Gorman earned singles medals her final two high school seasons for the Vikings, helping Seaman finish second as a team to cap the 2025 season.
