By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Geoff Poston, who won a pair of state championships at Seaman after building a state contending program at Topeka West before moving to the college level, earned the No. 1 spot on TopSports.news' Top 10 Best of the Best Coaches list for bowling.
Geoff Poston coached Seaman to boys and girls state bowling titles and Topeka West to a runner-up state finish before starting the Ottawa University bowling program. [Photo/Ottawa University]
Former PBA star Bob Benoit has coached Seaman to three Class 5A-1A state bowling championships, including a sweep of the boys and girls titles in 2022. [Pininterest.com]
Poston, a star bowler himself, led Seaman's girls to the Class 5A-1A state championship in 2011 and coached the Viking boys to the 5A-1A title in 2017 while also recording three runner-up state finishes before launching the Ottawa University bowling program. Before going to Seaman, Poston coached Topeka West to runner-up and a pair of third-place state finishes.
Bob Benoit, No. 2 on the Best of the Best list, was a standout on the PBA Tour before taking over as Seaman's head coach and leading the Vikings to the 5A-1A boys team title in 2019 and a sweep of the boys and girls crowns this past season. Benoit's teams have also recorded three other top-three state finishes.
Former Topeka West coach Mike Thompson holds down the No. 3 spot on the Best of the Best list after leading the Chargers to a 5A-1A girls team title in 2015 and the boys championship in 2018.
Rounding out the top five are current Shawnee Heights coach Scott Mercer and former T-Bird coach Nick Harris, who led Heights to the 2010 girls state title.
Poston also earned the No. 1 spot in the Reader's Choice poll, winning by more than 350 votes, while Mercer and Benoit finished second and third in balloting by TSN readers.
A five-person panel of current and past sports media professionals with more than 150 years of combined experience met to help determine the final Best of the Best Top 10.
Current Washburn Rural coach Jolene Ricard is No. 6 on the Best of the Best list while former Rural coach Ed Lee checks in at No. 7.
Former Seaman coach Bob Calderwood is No. 8, followed by longtime Shawnee Heights assistant Laurie Crimmins and longtime Topeka West assistant Mark Gingrich, who have both been a part of state championship teams.
Here's a look at the Top 10 and Readers Choice Awards:
TSN TOP 10 BEST OF THE BEST BOWLING COACHES
1. Geoff Poston -- Poston coached five seasons at Topeka West and 10 at Seaman before launching the Ottawa University bowling program. Poston coached Seaman's girls to the Class 5A-1A state title in 2011 and the Viking boys to the 2017 state crown as well as three state runner-up finishes and a third-place finish. At West, Poston led the Charger boys to a second-place state finish and the West girls to a pair of third-place finishes. Poston is a member of the Topeka and Kansas bowling halls of fame.
2. Bob Benoit -- A former standout on the PBA Tour, Benoit has coached Seaman to three state team championships, including a sweep of the Class 5A-1A state titles this past season. Benoit also led the Viking boys to the state title in 2019. Benoit's Seaman girls finished second in 2019 and third in 2020 and the Viking boys took third in 2021.
3. Mike Thompson -- Thompson coached Topeka West to Class 5A-1A state boys and girls team championships, with the Charger girls taking state in 2015 and the West boys winning in 2018. Thompson's West boys finished second in 5A-1A in 2017.
4. Scott Mercer -- Mercer has been Shawnee Heights longtime coach, leading the T-Birds to multiple team berths in the Class 5A-1A state tournament, including a second-place finish in the 2018 Class 5A-1A girls state tournament and a third-place finish in the 2017 girls state meet.
5. Nick Harris -- Harris coached Shawnee Heights' girls to the state championship in 2010, a second-place finish in 2009 and a third-place finish in 2012.
6. Jolene Ricard -- Washburn Rural has been a consistent Class 6A contender under Ricard, with the Rural boys finishing second in 2018 and the girls finishing third in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
7. Ed Lee -- Lee coached the Washburn Rural boys to a second-place Class 6A finish in 2012 and the Junior Blue girls to runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2016. Lee continues to work with Rural's Unified Bowling program.
8. Bob Calderwood -- Calderwood was Seaman's first head bowling coach, leading the Viking boys to Class 5A-1A state runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2009.
9. Laurie Crimmins -- Crimmins has been Shawnee Heights' longtime assistant coach and was an assistant for the 2010 team that won a state championship.
10. Mark Gingrich -- Gingrich has been a longtime assistant coach for Topeka West, serving on Thompson's staff for both of the Chargers' state titles in 2015 and 2018.
READERS CHOICE BOWLING AWARDS
1. Geoff Poston -- No. 1 in TSN Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
2. Scott Mercer -- No. 4 in TSN Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
3. Bob Benoit -- No. 2 in TSN Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
4. Laurie Crimmins -- No. 9 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
5. Ed Lee -- No. 7 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
6. Mike Thompson -- No. 3 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
7. Mark Gingrich -- No. 10 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
8. Nick Harris -- No. 5 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
9. (tie) Jolene Ricard -- No. 6 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
9.(tie) Wayne Sanders -- The late Sanders is a member of the Topeka and Kansas halls of fame and was a longtime youth coach.
Next up: Cross country Best of the Best Top 10 and Reader's Choice awards.
