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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Fourteen soccer standouts have received All-State recognition from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association, led by All-Class 6A first-team pick Dylan Willingham of Washburn Rural.
Willingham, a junior midfielder, was earlier named the Centennial League player of the year and received first-team All-City recognition after helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place finish in the 6A state tournament.
Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural
Rural juniors Brandon Hamilton, Liam Morrison and Miles Cook were all named to the All-6A second team while senior Ryder Nikkel and junior Draden Chooncharoen received honorable mention.
Six city players earned All-5A honorable mention, with Shawnee Heights represented by juniors Camden Granado and Juan Garcia and sophomore Mason Haas and Seaman by seniors Blake Toyne, Logan Townsend and Kaelin Loy.
Cair Paravel Latin junior Nathan Keys received second-team honors in All-4A-1A while Lion sophomore Judah Congdon received honorable mention.
Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University volleyball was selected to its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance on Monday evening, earning the sixth seed in the Central Region.
The Ichabods will head to St. Cloud, Minn. to face No. 3 seed Nebraska-Kearney in the first round on Dec. 5.
Washburn volleyball will make its 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 5 in St. Cloud, Minn. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are back in the tournament after a one-year hiatus. Washburn earned the No. 6 seed, where the Ichabods were slotted in the previous two NCAA Regional Rankings.
WU is 20-7 overall overall and posted a fourth-place finish in the MIAA regular season with an 11-5 mark.
The Ichabods advanced to the MIAA Tournament quarterfinals where they fell to Northwest Missouri State, 3-1.
A time for Washburn's NCAA Tournament match against Nebraska-Kearney will be determined later.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It took awhile Monday night for Washburn University women basketball to prove it was the dominant team against former MIAA rival Lincoln.
Washburn junior Yibari Nwidadah (middle) posted game-high totals of 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Ichabods stretched their winning streak to three games with Monday's 80-55 in over Lincoln. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But there was no doubt who the most dominant player on the floor was, with 6-foot-2 junior center Yibari Nwidadah turning in a huge performance with 25 points and 12 rebounds as Washburn took control in the second half for an 80-55 win over the Blue Tigers in WU's home opener in Lee Arena.
"We like Bari against almost anybody,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said. "We liked Bari against the Big 12 teams (Kansas State and Kansas in exhibitions). She does the work and she's coming along, she's getting more confident, and she's going to be dominant for us.''
Nwidadah said she's worked at being more aggressive on the court.
"Coach has talked to me a lot about being dominant and stepping up into that dominant mindset and just going out and going after everyone,'' Nwidadah said. "It's just like no matter who's in front of me I'm going to go out and be the same person every time.''
Washburn, which has now posted three straight wins by at least 22 points, struggled early against the Blue Tigers, trailing 21-16 after one quarter and trailing much of the second quarter before rallying late behind Nwidadah to take a 32-29 lead at the half.
But the Ichabods, who played without guard Aniyah Wayne due to an injury, took control with a 25-11 third quarter and a 23-15 fourth stanza to record their most lopsided win of the season.
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TopSports.news has been more successful than TSN owner Bill Griffin or editor Rick Peterson ever thought possible since making its debut on Jan. 1, 2021.
Thanks to local sponsors, a crack staff with over 100 years of experience in sports journalism and avid Shawnee County high school and Washburn University sports fans, TSN continues to rack up record numbers, setting records for visitors and page views in October while going over the five-million mark for total views.
TopSports has also hosted the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Awards and Hall of Fame banquet every June since 2021, an event that recognizes high school seniors from all 10 Shawnee County high schools as well as honoring some of the top athletes and coaches in Shawnee County history.
But while everyone associated with TopSports remains fiercely committed to the website's continued success, we've unfortunately reached a crossroads due to circumstance that are beyond our control and a situation that none of us saw coming.
Griffin, who has been the heart of soul of our organization since first broaching the idea of a sports website dedicated to local high schools and WU athletics over a Las Vegas brunch in early 2020, has been involved in the biggest fight of his life since being disagnosed with esophageal cancer earlier this spring.
Despite undergoing extensive treatment since April and currently making multiple weekly trips to Kansas City, Griffin has continued his fulltime duties with TSN, which include obtaining and managing sponsorships and all the other managerial duties for TSN.
But at this point, Griffin needs to take a step back and focus his attention on doing anything he can to try and beat this debilitating disease.
That's the bad news, and all our of our thoughts and prayers are with Bill and his wife, Nancy.
Rest assured that TopSports.news plans to continue its coverage of local sports throughout the 2024-2025 school year ... and hopefully beyond.
But we will need your help!
If any local business or individual has any interest in purchasing TopSports.news, taking over the administrative duties or becoming a sponsor for the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Awards banquet, please contact TSN by email at
Long live TopSports.news!
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker, Seaman
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
A 5-foot-11 senior, Becker was named the TopSports.news All-Shawnee County co-player of the year after helping lead Seaman to the Class 5A state championship last season. Becker scored 15 points with 8 rebounds, 5 assists and two steals in the Vikings' 54-41 win over Maize South in the state final as Seaman capped a 23-2 season. A Drake signee, Becker is a three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick and has been named the United Kansas Conference player of the year the past two seasons. Becker averaged 14.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.8 steals while shooting 61.3 percent from 2-point range as a junior.
Tahtionna Broils, Highland Park
TAHTIONNA BROILS, Highland Park
A senior, Broils earned second-team All-Meadowlark Conference honors and TSN All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season for the 14-6 Scots. Broils averaged 9.7 points and 6.4 rebounds as a junior to go with 2.6 steals, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocked shots for the Scots, who won the Meadowlark Conference championship.
Tenly Bunck, Washburn Rural
TENLY BUNCK, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-5 senior guard, Bunck helped Washburn Rural reach the Class 6A state championship game for the third straight season. Bunck helped the Junior Blues post a 17-8 record on the season while averaging 3.5 points and 2.9 rebounds and shooting 66.7 percent from the free throw line. Bunck received TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention as a junior.
Nora Burdiek, Rossville
NORA BURDIEK, Rossville
Burdiek, a 5-foot-11 sophomore forward, had a breakout season for Rossville as a freshman, earning TSN All-Shawnee County Second 10 and All-Mid-East League second-team recognition. Burdiek averaged 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals per game last season as Rossville posted an 18-4 record. Burdiek earned all-county first-team honors in volleyball this fall.
Pearmella Carter, Highland Park
PEARMELLA CARTER, Highland Park
The 5-foot-10 Carter burst on the city and Meadowlark Conference scene last season as a freshman, leading the city in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.1 and 10.2 rebounds while also averaging 3.9 steals and shooting 61.4 percent on 2-point field goals. Carter was named the Meadowlark Conference Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year and also received Second 10 All-Shawnee County recognition.
Rylee Dick, Rossville
RYLEE DICK, Rossville
A junior, Dick had a big sophomore season for the Bulldawgs, helping Rossville post an 18-4 record. Dick, a 5-foot-6 guard, received TSN All-Shawnee County Second 10 and All-Mid-East second-team honors last season after averaging 15 points, 3 assists and 3 steals and shooting 36 percent from 3-point range.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
A 5-foot-7 sophomore, Emmot made an immediate impact for Shawnee Heights last season, averaging 13.5 points while connecting on 35 3-point goals and shooting 75 percent from the free throw line. Emmot earned All-United Kansas Conference second-team recognition last winter while also being named to the TSN All-Shawnee County Second 10.
Ava Esser, Seaman
AVA ESSER, Seaman
Esser, a 6-foot senior, earned All-Shawnee County Second 10 recognition last season after helping Seaman win the Class 5A state championship and post a 23-2 record. Esser, who received All-United Kansas Conference honorable mention as a junior, averaged 5.6 points and grabbed 7.3 rebounds while shooting 47.6 percent from the field.
Maddie Gragg, Seaman
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman
A 5-foot-10 junior, Gragg was an TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10 and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick for the second straight season after helping lead Seaman post a 23-2 record and win the Class 5A state title. Gragg registered a double-double in the Class 5A state final, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Vikings' 54-41 win over Maize South. Gragg averaged 12.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals last season while shooting 51.6 percent on 2-point field goals, 44.4 percent on 3-point attempts with 28 3s and 77.0 percent from the free throw line.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, a 5-foot-7 junior, had a breakout season for Silver Lake, helping the Eagles cap a perfect 26-0 season with a 66-61 win over Hesston in the Class 3A state championship game. Hanni, an All-Shawnee County Top 10 and first-team All-Mid-East League pick, scored 26 points for Silver Lake in the title game while connecting on 14 of 15 free throw attempts, with many of her charities coming in crunch time. Hanni scored a total of 50 points at state, with three double-figure games.
Karsyn Hastert, Cair Paravel
KARSYN HASTERT, Cair Paravel Latin
A junior, Hastert earned TSN All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season for the 6-16 Lions. Hastert averaged 7.3 points as a sophomore and ranked fifth in the city of Topeka with an 8.2 rebounding average and fourth with 1.4 blocked shots. Hastert is also a volleyball standout for Cair Paravel, earning All-Shawnee County second-team recognition this fall.
