Seaman Vikings
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural senior star Audrey Appuhn reached a career milestone in Friday's Topeka girls city swimming/diving championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium as the Junior Blues stretched their city title streak to 23 straight seasons.
Appuhn was a double individual winner and four-event gold medalist to lead the way as Washburn Rural took the city crown by a 588-468 margin over Seaman.
Washburn Rural's girls swimming team celebrates in the Capitol Federal Natatorium pool Friday after Rural won its 23rd straight city team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And while the two biggest meets of the year -- Centennial League and Class 6A state -- are next up for Rural, coach Bob Burdick said the city championship will always be one that the Junior Blues circle on the schedule.
"Especially here in Topeka, we're all here in this together and the best part about this meet is not only the meet, the championship, but also that all these girls in the city all know each other, so they all get to compete with each other, cheer each other and it's just an amazing event,'' Burdick said.
Washburn Rural senior Audrey Appuhn won four gold medals in Friday's city meet as the Junior Blues captured their 23rd straight city team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Competing in her final city meet, Appuhn won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 22.00 seconds and the 100-yard freestyle in 57.28 while teaming with Sophie Heinen, Resego Mackenzie and Kaci Hodgson to win the 200 medley relay (2:13.84) and with Heinen, Ava Von Lintel and Stella Berry to win the 400 free relay (4:20.97).
With her two individual wins Appuhn finished her four-year city career with eight individual victories in as many tries.
"It never really was a goal,'' Appuhn said. "I just realized, 'Oh, it happened.' ''
Appuhn also added seven career relay victories in eight starts to finish her city career with 15 gold medals.
Senior Rhiannon Good won the one-meter diving event with a score of 239.85 to account for Washburn Rural's fifth victory of the day while the Junior Blues posted top-three finishes in 11 of 12 events and had multiple top-three finishes in four events.
Rural began the season with several question marks, but Burdick said he's been very pleased with the Junior Blues' performance this spring.
"They've made the progress we need,'' he said. "We picked up 12 new swimmers this year that had never swam and moved them all along and they all contributed tonight, so that was great.''
Appuhn, Good, Heinen and Von Lintel all earned spots on the All-City first team while Mackenzie, Hodgson and Sophie Reffett were second-teamers.
Other highlights:
Hayden junior Kaelyn Gerdel won a pair of individual titles in Friday's city swimming meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Hayden junior Kaelyn Gerdel joined Appuhn as a double individual city champion, winning the 200-yard freestyle in 2:16.81 and the 100 backstroke in 1:19.12.
Gerdel was a first-team All-City pick while Hayden's Lilly Charvat finished second in the 100 breaststroke (1:21.11) and was a second-team All-City pick.
Shawnee Heights' Kaitlyn Aldridge (left) won the 100-yard butterfly and finished second in the 200 individual medley in Friday's city championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Shawnee Heights got victories from Clara Sobba in the 50-yard freestyle (26.94) and Kaitlyn Aldridge in the 100 butterfly (1:10.52) while Aldridge finished second in the 200 individual medley (2:34.61) and Sobba was second in the 100 free (58.49).
Aldridge and Sobba also teamed with Jade Kinsch and Lainey Herrera in the 200 medley relay (2:14.60).
Aldridge and Sobba were All-City first-team honorees while Kinsch was a second-team pick.
Topeka High senior Hara Del Castillo won the 100-yard backstroke in Friday's city championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Topeka High got city titles from Avery Skinner and Hara Del Castillo, with Skinner winning the 500 freestyle (6:01.47) and Del Castillo winning the 100 backstroke (1:10.55).
Skinner finished second in the 100 back (1:12.70) while Del Castillo was third in the 50 free (27.78) as both Trojans were first-team All-City selections.
• Team runnerup Seaman got a city title from the foursome of Ava Carlson, Gracie Scott, Isabelle Hahn and Riley Strother in the 200 free relay in 1:57.02 while the Vikings posted top-three finishes in five other events.
Seaman's Strother, Carlson, Scott and Megan Strobel finished second in the 400 free relay (4:26.64).
Strobel and Strother were both All-City first-team honorees while Jenna Zimmerman, Manuela Diaz, Marleigh Frazier, Jurnee Jessepe and Tenley Wessel made the second team.
• Cair Paravel Latin's Avery Rosenow finished second in diving to earn a spot on the All-City second team while Topeka West's Makenna Russell was also a second-team selection.
TOPEKA GIRLS CITY SWIMMING/DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman boys tennis continued its late-season run on Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center, with the Vikings capturing their second tournament championship over three days.
Seaman captured a Class 5A regional championship Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center after winning the UKC title two days earlier. [Submitted photo]
After capturing the United Kansas Conference title on Thursday, Seaman won Saturday's Class 5A regional title by a 20-17 margin over Piper, advancing all six of its players to Friday's 5A state tournament at Andover.
"It was a gutsy effort from everybody,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "They really came to play, so that was fun to watch as a spectator and a coach.
"This is the second year in a row we're going to take all six to state and I think we learned a lot from last year.''
After finishing second in the UKC tournament, sophomore singles player Camden Dutton added a runnerup regional finish to lead the Vikings.
The Vikings also got a third-place singles finish from Kenton Myrick and third and fourth-place doubles finishes from the teams of Owen Stewart and Dayton Schneider and Aaron Sampson and Cooper Hopeck.
Sophomore Camden Dutton led regional champion Seaman with a runnerup singles finish Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Dutton dropped a 6-1, 7-5 decision to Piper's Blake Taylor in the singles final while Myrick, a freshman, earned his first trip to state with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win over Bonner Springs' Deion Cruse in the third-place match.
Dutton will take an 18-11 into state while Myrick is 22-7.
Seniors Schneider and Stewart (22-6) met teammates Hopeck and Sampson (23-9) in the third-place doubles match for the second straight tournament, with Stewart and Schneider taking a 6-4, 6-1 decision.
Topeka West sophomore Collin McGee earned a second straight state tournament berth with a runnerup regional doubles finish. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West junior Zander Rice teamed with Collin McGee to post a runnerup doubles finish in Saturday's Class 5A regional. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West got a runnerup doubles finish from Collin McGee and Zander Rice, who dropped a tight 6-4, 6-4 decision to Piper's Johnny Vogel and Baird Greenamyre in the title match after also playing the Pirates' duo in the UKC final.
McGee, a sophomore, earned his second straight 5A state berth and McGee and Rice, a junior, will take a 28-10 record into the state tournament.
CLASS 5A BOYS REGIONAL TENNIS
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Hayden soccer fought back from a 3-1 halftime deficit to remain undefeated with a 5-3 win over Seaman on the Wildcats' Senior Night.
The Wildcats and Vikings were both undefeated entering Friday's match and Hayden was able to move to 14-0-0 while celebrating the 10 seniors on their roster.
Hayden senior Carsyn Broxterman (4), who registered a three-goal hat trick, celebrates Friday's 5-3 Senior Night win over Seaman. [Photo by Vince Lovergine/TSN]
Hayden had allowed just four goals through its first 13 matches with 10 shutouts, but gave up three goals in the first half to the Vikings.
After Sawyer Wrench scored Hayden's lone goal in the half off a Grace Funk corner kick, the Wildcats scored three goals in a span of 9:05 to lead 4-3, two of them coming from senior Carsyn Broxterman.
Broxterman would add the hat trick deep inside the box after Seaman missed a clearing attempt and Broxterman was right there to tap it in with 24:04 left in the match.
“She's just amazing,'' Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer said of Broxterman. "Her work ethic starts with practice and she does the same thing at practice and she elevates her teammates and when she gets the ball.
"She kind of sets things in motion and then she puts pressure on the other team and sometimes they have to react.''
Freshman Emma Slyter got the assist on Broxterman's first goal and Slyter also scored a goal off a Funk assist to tie the game at 3-3 with 34:17 remaining.
Seaman certainly had its chances on the offensive side to trim the deficit but could not get anything else past senior goalkeeper Lauren Borjon, who played the second half for the Wildcats.
“We started out slowly, we kind of got in a hole and I think we collected our wits at halftime and to give them credit, they came back. I mean we played a good team, but we're a good team, too, I'm surprised.''
A dog fight was the perfect way to describe Friday's match in Kreutzer’s eyes.
“They're kind of our rivals in other sports as well and not having lost a game was a little motivation for us as well,” he said.
Seaman dropped to 11-1-2 on the campaign.
The Vikings will play at home on Tuesday against Leavenworth while Hayden will play at Emporia.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural rode its dominance in the distance events and superior depth to a sweep of the team titles in Friday's Joe Schrag City Championship at Hummer Sports Park.
Rural posted a total of 16 event wins on the night (eight girls, eight boys) and had top-three finishes in 25 events (13 girls,12 boys) en route to a 216-135.5 win over Silver Lake for the Junior Blue girls and a 200-131 victory over the Eagle boys in the team standings.
Washburn Rural track had eight individual wins and 12 top-three finishes en route to the boys city championship Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural track and field had eight individual wins and 12 top-three finishes en route to the boys city championship Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"This is definitely the beginning of postseason and we want to perform well here at the city meet,'' Rural coach Keith Wetzel said. "We like to keep the city trophies in our case and use that to propel us into league and regional and state.
"We put an emphasis on this meet. We want to be the best in the city and we make it a goal that we want to continue to have success at this meet.''
Highlights for the Rural boys included a sweep of all three relays, along with wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters and second and third-place finishes in the 800.
Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe won two gold medals and also posted a third-place finish in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural senior Brooks Kehoe won the 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 26.64 seconds, teamed with Jackson Svaty, Everett Un and Christian Hartman-Babb to win the 4x400 relay (3:23.02) and posted a third-place finish in the 800 (2:00.51).
Hartman-Babb, a junior, won the 100-meter dash in 10.55 seconds before teaming with Paxton Johnson, Caleb Schwartz and Carter Frost to win the 4x100 (43.17) and ending the meet with the 4x400 victory.
Sophomore Henry Laubach won the city title in the 3,200 meters for team-champion Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sophomore Henry Laubach turned in a dominating win in the 3,200 (9:32.10) while the Junior Blues also got wins from Luke Deering in the pole vault (11 feet, 6 inches), Zachary Hancock in the discus (153-0) and the team of Everett Un, Wesley Meek, Julius Wood-Nichols and Eli Replogle in the 4x800 (8:36.89).
Senior Emily Graf won the 1,600 and 800-meter runs in Friday's city track and field meet as Washburn Rural's girls won the team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
On the girls side, Rural got a pair of individual wins from senior Emily Graf and junior Kailyn Petersen, with Graf winning the 1,600 (5:13.49) and the 800 (2:25.28) and Petersen winning the shot put (34-2) and discus (123-8) titles.
Rural's girls swept the throws and the distance races, with senior Morgan Ray winning the javelin title with a throw of 142-8 and senior Kenzie Maddox winning the 3,200 in 11:26.03.
The Junior Blues also picked up a win in the 4x800 relay (10:32.31) from the foursome of Quinn Nolte, Payton Rice, Morgan Munson and Clara Dillon while Natalie Ferguson finished first in the pole vault (8-0).
"It has been a solid day,'' Wetzel said. "We have some injuries so we've asked some people to step in, to fill in, to step up and we've been fortunate that they've done that for the most part and some young kids, both boys and girls have stepped in and given us a boost.''
Other top performances:
• Silver Lake, the smallest school in the field, turned in solid runnerup team finishes in both the girls and boys divisions.
The Eagle girls picked up three event wins and 11 top-three finishes while the Lake boys won a pair of events and placed top three in 13 of 18 events.
Silver Lake's Ali Gerber crosses the finish line for the win in the girls 4x400-meter relay in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Ali Gerber won the girls triple jump for the second straight season (34-10.25) and teamed with Kinley Weber, Jaiden Wise and Jaylie Whitehead for a win in the 4x400 relay (4:09.56), with Gerber running the anchor leg.
Addy Just notched the third win of the day for the Silver Lake girls in the long jump (16-9.25) while the boys got wins from Joel Miller in the 200 (22.65) and Bryson Burgos in the triple jump (40-7.50).
• Keimari Marshall and Marchayla White were both double individual champions for Topeka High's girls while Marshall also added a relay victory in her final city meet.
Marshall won the 100 (12.57) and 400 (59.07) and also ran on the Trojans' winning 4x100 relay (49.60) along with Kaeanna Copeland, Jayana Washington and Ciera Hartz.
White swept the girls hurdles titles, winning the 100-meter event in 17.74 seconds and the 300s in 51.34.
Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres cleared a personal-record 5-foot-5 to win the girls high jump in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres made an impressive city meet debut, winning the girls high jump with a personal-record jump of 5 feet, 5 inches, winning the event by five inches.
Seaman senior Brody Anderson won the city title in the boys 800 meters by six seconds in 1:53.65 Friday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Brody Anderson continued his outstanding senior season for the Seaman boys, winning the 800 by more than six seconds in 1:53.65.
The Vikings also got victories from Kellan Parcaro in the 300 hurdles (43.14) and Jack Esser in the high jump (6-4).
• Other individual winners included Highland Park's Jurnee Cole in the girls 200 (26.32) and Rayshon Pollard in the boys long jump (20-5.25), Shawnee Heights' Jason Slay in the boys 400 (49.89), Heights' Amir Bass in the boys shot put (47-11), Hayden's Kelton Meier in the boys javelin (186-8) and Topeka High's De'sean Lunkins in the boys 110 hurdles (15.85).
JOE SCHRAG CITY CHAMPIONSHIP
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman didn't claim an individual title in Thursday's United Kansas Conference boys tennis championships at Kossover Tennis Center, but the Vikings took home the biggest prize.
Seaman captured the United Kansas Conference boys tennis championship Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Submitted photo]
Seaman advanced all six of its players to the tournament semifinals, including a second-place singles finish from Camden Dutton, en route to earning the team crown by a 67-62 margin over Piper.
In addition to Dutton's runnerup showing, the Vikings got a fourth-place singles finish from Kenton Myrick and third and fourth-place doubles finishes from the teams of Owen Stewart and Dayton Schneider and Aaron Sampson and Cooper Hopeck.
Camden Dutton led UKC team-champion Seaman with a runnerup singles finish Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Dutton advanced to the championship singles match with an 8-3 semifinal win over Basehor-Linwood's Trevor Christenson before dropping an 8-3 decision to Piper's Blake Taylor while Myrick lost in the semifinals to Taylor before dropping an 8-1 decision to Basehor-Linwood's Trevor Christenson in the third-place match.
Schneider and Stewart met teammates Hopeck and Sampson in the third-place doubles match, with Stewart and Schneider taking an 8-4 decision.
Topeka West finished third as a team with 54 points, getting a runnerup doubles finish from Collin McGee and Zander Rice.
Topeka West's Collin McGee (left) and Zander Rice posted a runnerup doubles finish in Thursday's UKC tennis tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [Submitted photo]
McGee and Rice outlasted Seaman's Schneider and Stewart 8-6 in the doubles semifinals before dropping an 8-6 decision to Piper's Johnny Vogel and Baird Greenamyre in the title match.
Topeka West's Collin McGee (left) teamed with Zander Rice to finish second in doubles in Thursday's UKC tennis tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Wyatt Lindencrantz and Jordan Ward led Shawnee Heights with a fifth-place doubles finish.
Seaman, Topeka West and Shawnee Heights will also compete in a Class 5A regional tournament on Saturday at Kossover, vying for state tournament berths.
UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE BOYS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
Seaman senior Ryin Miller opened the 2026 track season on April 2 at the Jerry Beardslee Invitational hosted by Washburn Rural High School.
Seaman senior Ryin Miller (1), who has battled an injury since last summer, won the girls 800 meters in last month's Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. [File photo/TSN]
In her only race of the meet, she was victorious in the 800-meter run in a time of 2 minutes, 23.65 seconds.
However, getting to that point was filled with many peaks and valleys.
The seasons of 2024
The valleys began back in the spring of 2024 when she finished second in the 3,200-meter run to all-state runner Katelyn Rupe from Salina Central. They had faced one another earlier in the season at the 2024 KU Relays where Miller was victorious in the 3,200 race. When they met a month later at the state championships at Wichita State, the tables were turned and Rupe won the race, pulling away over the final 600 meters.
As both runners began the 2024 cross country season, they faced one another again at the Rim Rock Farm High School Classic in late September. Miller was able to win the race in a time of 17:14.10, defeating Rupe by a little over six seconds. Rim Rock Farm was also the host for the state cross country championships in early November and in the rematch, Rupe once again passed Miller in the final 800 meters of the race, winning the state title by almost 17 seconds.
Seaman star Ryin Miller swept the Class 5A 3,200, 1,600 and 800 meters in the 2025 state track meet. [File photo/TSN]
The track season of 2025
The valley of the 2024 state cross country race was the turning point for Miller.
“I think that race was one of the most pivotal and important races of my career,'' Miller said. "Mainly because I didn’t feel ready -- you work so hard for something, train all summer, train all fall, there’s this huge build-up -- yet I wasn’t ready because I did too much at the wrong time. I would work so hard over the summer and I would build my training block to peak in the first three races.”
Her race tactics had been the same since she began running cross country and track in high school -- she would get out front, lay it all out there -- and most of the time, she would come out victorious.
But in the championship race, those tactics didn’t work.
“At the start of the second mile, with all of the hills and then making it to the top of cemetery hill (about 1,000 meters left in race), I was fully empty and my legs were gone,'' Miller said. "I watched her go past me and I couldn’t match it. Not only did she run a smarter race than me, but a smarter season.”
These two losses provided all of the inspiration Miller needed as she prepared for the 2025 track season.
“I trained in a smarter way in order to have my legs when getting to the state track meet. My training remained the same, but I was able to balance the easy workout with the harder workouts.”
Throughout the track season, Miller began to run fewer races at individual meets, which was part of the plan to train smarter for the long haul. She would run either one or two races per meet instead of three or four.
As the season progressed, it became clear that she would attempt to qualify in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 along with the 4x400 relay.
Quite possibly the best race of the regular season for Miller came at the 2025 KU Relays in the 1,600 meter run because it was a race where she changed up her tactics.
Instead of going out and taking the early lead, she stayed even with Elyse Wilmes, a senior at Father Tilton Catholic High School in Columbia, Mo., who now runs at Oklahoma State University. When Wilmes made her move with about 300 meters left in the race, Miller stayed with her, took a brief lead, but fell back behind Wilmes.
Over the final 100 meters, Miller dug deep and won the race in a time of 4:46.03 -- by three-10ths of a second.
“I realized in that race that I was more than a one trick pony -- going out and taking the lead.”
As expected, Miller qualified for the three individual races (800, 1,600, 3,200) along with the 4x400 relay.
At the state meet, the 3,200 race took place on Friday evening, so Miller was able to rest and relax most of the day. But late in the afternoon, the preliminary race for the 4x400 relay took place, which provided a distraction for the 3,200 race.
In the 3,200, Rupe jumped out to a quick lead and Miller realized her tactic had to be different.
“She really took off, but I knew I had to stay patient because she wanted to run my kick out of me,'' Miller said. "It was the most mentally challenging race I’ve ever ran.”
At the start of the fifth lap, Rupe had about a 50-meter lead, but Miller knew she had something left.
“There was so much of the race left, I just needed to go hard over the next 2-4 minutes. The sixth lap was a huge confidence boost because I had cut the lead down to about 30 meters. In the seventh lap, I was getting closer and in the final lap, I was even with her.”
Miller was able to pull away for her first individual Class 5A state title with a time of 10:19.53.
That victory provided momentum going into Saturday’s races. She was victorious in the 1,600 with a time of 4:57.33 and followed that up with her third championship performance in the 800 in a time of 2:11.14. The 4x400 relay team medaled, finishing fourth in a time of 4:03.44.
The three state championships and medaling in all four of her races capped off an impressive two-year stretch as Miller was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 track and field seasons as well as the 2024-2025 cross country season.
The summer of 2025
The entire 2024-2025 school year for Miller was full of recruiting calls and letters. Her campus visits happened during the winter months.
“It was busy and exhausting, but it was so much fun, too,'' she said. "I got to see new places, new programs and compare the programs. Meeting new people was fun and I met people that I could cheer for and follow in their college seasons.”
The recruiting process for her parents, Justin and Tracee, was more complicated than you might think.
“You get to see new places, meet great people who believed in her, but then you realize that you have to say no to so many great people and great schools,” Tracee Miller said. “We would talk together as a family, list the pros and cons, but we knew that we would have to quiet all of the voices and allow Ryin to make the decision.”
“I didn’t want to push one way and then feel bad if it wasn’t right,” Justin Miller said.
Ryin finished her junior track season by running in the Brooks PR and the Nike Outdoor Nationals. She had a great performance at the Nike event, then took a week off. During this time, she was already a part of the Nike National program and then was asked to become part of the Nike Elite program.
She joined the program, which is about supporting the athletes through education, health and making relationships with other athletes.
“I’m super grateful for the experience in the program. We’ve done so many cool things -- we’ve watched worlds, traveled to their big meets and did many things at their headquarters in Eugene, Oregon.”
Making her college decision happened right around her visit to headquarters.
“I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to go, but it was still a big decision and I was scared to make the decision. But I knew where I wanted to go and once I returned home, I told my parents that I wanted to go to Arkansas.”
Miller said the biggest reasons for choosing Arkansas was because of the people on the team and the ones she had met through various visits to other campuses.
After taking the week off at the beginning of the summer, she returned to working out, felt rusty and maybe did too much too soon.
On the fourth of July while running in the pool, she noticed a pain in her knee and felt it the entire day.
During her long run the next day, she immediately felt a shooting pain on the outside of her knee. She stopped for a few seconds and tried to run again, but the pain persisted.
She tried once again that same evening, but the pain was still there.
She was eventually diagnosed with an IT Band injury. Throughout the entire process, she was able to receive help and support from so many people.
Cross country season 2025
Miller took two weeks off, but she became disappointed when there was no progress, which led to another week off. She continued to go to physical therapy and then the cross country season began.
“I was distraught and panicking, wondering if I would be fit by the end of the season. I continued working and correcting muscle imbalances and tightness.”
When the cross country meets started, it became really hard for her to only be able to watch and not compete.
“I never really thought about not being there, showing up and supporting my teammates.”
As the season continued and the approaching championship part of the schedule (league, regionals and state) Seaman coach Rick Brading discussed the possibility of the team winning the league meet, so the decision was made for Ryin to run in that meet.
She finished in third place with a time of 20:36 and she said it was probably the worst race of her life but one she is the most proud.
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
In the penultimate week of the regular season, the Seaman Viking baseball team hosted the Spring Hill Broncos Tuesday in its only game for the week. After jumping out to a 5-1 lead over the first three innings, the Vikings were unable to hold on and lost to the Broncos, 7-5.
Seaman jumped out to a 3-0 advantage after the first inning.
Spring Hill sophomore starting pitcher Will Pepper retired the first two batters in the inning, but Seaman junior designated hitter Axton Brewer reached on a fielding error. After a hit-by-pitch, sophomore Michael Dobbs had an RBI single which was followed by a two-run double by junior Bryson Fehr.
Spring Hill responded in the second inning with a run from a single by junior Cooper Eckert, which scored freshman Riley McEvoy, who had a two-out double.
With a 3-1 lead, the Vikings scored single runs in the bottom of the second and third innings. Senior Cooper Hayes had the RBI in the second inning thanks to a single which scored junior Jack Becker. The run in the third inning came on a fielder’s choice RBI by Becker, scoring Fehr to give the Vikings a 5-1 lead.
The starting pitcher for Seaman, senior Cale Rosenberger, had only given up four hits and one run through the first three frames, but Spring Hill matched their hit total in scoring three runs in the top of the fourth.
Three of the first four Broncos reached base with two singles and a double, who all scored, cutting the Viking lead to 5-4.
The Vikings maintained that lead as Spring Hill came to the plate for their final at-bat in the seventh. Michael Dobbs relieved Rosenberger to begin the seventh inning.
Following a leadoff single by senior Benny Ragan, he advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Dobbs recorded a strikeout, senior Hunter Hall hit a game-tying single up the middle to make it 5-5.
Pepper worked a walk, putting runners at first and second with still only one out. As Dobbs was pitching to senior Max Meade, he balked the Spring Hill base runners to second and third. With the infield drawn in, Dobbs was able to get the second out of the inning with a strikeout.
Bronco senior Jordan Miller was able to put the ball in play with a ground ball and both runs scored on a throwing error, giving Spring Hill a 7-5 lead.
The Vikings were set down in order in the bottom of the seventh by the winning pitcher, freshman Blace Rodina, who gave up one hit along with two strikeouts over the final two innings.
Spring Hill moved to 12-7 on the season with a 7-5 victory. Seaman fell to 11-11 for the year.
Seaman coach Steve Bushnell discussed the tough loss along with the good start by Rosenberger.
“It was a tough way to end it,'' Bushnell said. "I thought we did enough early in the first inning, getting those three runs. Cale was outstanding in giving up four runs over six innings, but there were a couple there in the three-run fourth inning that we could have kept off the board.
“That’s kind of where we’ve been throughout the course of the year. We’ve had some one and two-run games where we haven’t been able to get the hidden outs (not because of errors, plays you don’t make, or things that don’t go your way). Tonight, we struggled with having runners at third with less than two outs and being unable to push the run across.”
In preparation for the final two games of the regular season, Bushnell looked ahead.
“We’re just trying to get back-to-back (victories). It doesn’t get any easier. (Shawnee) Heights is going to be a handful with how they’ve been playing and the arms they have. It will be the last time for our eleven seniors to play here at John Lewis Field, so we would like to defend the home field.
"It’s hard not to get back on the field this week, but we’ll have to wait until next Tuesday with Heights.”
The Vikings will host the T-Birds on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before the T-Birds host the season finale for both schools on Thursday.
SPRING HILL 7, SEAMAN 5
Spring Hill (12-7) 010 300 3 — 7 11 2
Seaman (11-11) 311 000 x — 5 7 2
Pepper, Vanhouten (4), Rodina (6) and Hall. Cale Rosenberger, Dobbs (7) and Sextro. W — Rodina. L — Dobbs. 2B — Spring Hill : McEvoy 2. Seaman: Fehr, Brewer.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.43
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 10.91
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 11.04
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 11.15
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 21.78
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 22.30
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.38
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 22.60
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 22.66
400 METERS
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 50.71
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 50.94
Xavier Fisher, Shawnee Heights 51.34
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 51.43
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:53.37
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 1:56.64
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:59.62
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:03.30
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:24.35
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:33.03
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:33.71
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:11.63
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:23.61
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:24.34
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:44.54
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:57.60
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.31
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 16.10
De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High 16.22
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.03
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Colin Miller, Silver Lake 43.41
Michael Ruelas, Seaman 43.46
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.92
Seaman 43.27
Washburn Rural 43.27
Topeka High 43.52
Silver Lake 43.77
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:24.59
Silver Lake 3:30.04
Seaman 3:35.19
Topeka High 3:35.43
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:21.93
Seaman 8:34.58
Silver Lake 8:57.48
Topeka High 9:09.82
Topeka West 9:29.28
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: TopSports.news will compile a weekly girls swimming and diving honor roll for Topeka high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY
Shawnee Heights 2:16.07
Seaman 2:18.07
Washburn Rural 2:18.75
Hayden 2:25.76
Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden
200-YARD FREESTYLE
Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden 2:11.68
Avery Skinner, Topeka High 2:25.97
Ava Von Lintel, Washburn Rural 2:31.01
Megan Strobel, Seaman 2:37.54
Stella Berry, Washburn Rural 2:43.23
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural
200-YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 2:23.15
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 2:34.07
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights 2:34.20
Riley Strother, Seaman 2:51.05
Avery Skinner, Seaman 2:51.97
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights
50-YARD FREESTYLE
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights 27.28
Riley Strother, Seaman 27.61
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 27.76
Ava Carlson, Seaman 28.56
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 28.90
Rhiannon Good, Washburn Rural
ONE-METER DIVING
Rhiannan Good, Washburn Rural 196.00
Avery Rosenow, Hayden/CPLS 176.40
Mackenzie Caryl, Topeka High 146.60
Abigail Culbertson, Topeka High 122.50
Madilyn Typer, Seaman 105.40
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Seaman boys basketball assistant Josh Gomez felt like it was time to go after his first head coaching job at the high school level.
And after being a finalist for the Vikings' head coaching vacancy that was eventually filled by Joe Smith, the stars lined up to send the 38-year-old Gomez a few miles down Highway 24 as the new head coach at Rossville.
Topekan Josh Gomez has been named head boys basketball coach at Rossville after four season's on Craig Cox's Seaman staff. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Gomez, a Topeka High graduate, takes over the Bulldawg reins from another Trojan product, Brandon McDonnell, who replaces the legendary Ken Darting at Shawnee Heights after leading Rossville to back-to-back Class 2A state tournament berths.
"I interviewed for the Seaman job and Joe got it and Joe's a good friend of mine,'' Gomez told TopSports.news. "He and I actually coached together at the middle school for a couple of years. He left and took the Jeff West job, so I got to have head coaching experience with our senior group that were just graduating this year, and then I moved over to the high school and I have been here the last four years.
"When coach McDonnell took the Shawnee Heights job I knew that I at least wanted to apply and hopefully get an interview for the Rossville job and everything just kind of fell into place from there.''
Rossville graduated a talented senior class off last season's 17-8 team, but Gomez is confident that there are talented players in the Bulldawg program that are ready to step into key roles next winter.
"They graduated seven seniors last year so they're losing a lot, but that just means there's plenty of opportunities and playing time for these younger classmen to come in and show what they can do,'' Gomez said. "All the coaches that I've talked to out there are really high on next year's junior class, so I've heard great things about them.
"I got to go meet the team (Thursday) and we've also got some good freshmen and sophomores, so there's going to be plenty of playing time to go around and the kids are going to have a good time.''
Gomez was part of Craig Cox's final staff at Seaman this past season as the Vikings posted a 23-5 record and finished third in the Class 5A state tournament.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With the city, United Kansas Conference, Class 5A regional and state meets coming up over the next four weeks, Seaman senior track star Brody Anderson and Viking distance coach Luke Wiens decided to limit Anderson to one event in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Relays at Seaman.
Seaman senior Brody Anderson set a meet record in the boys 1,600 meters in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Relays at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Anderson made the most of that one race, setting a meet record in the boys 1,600 meters in a time of 4 minutes, 10.66 seconds.
"Coach Wiens and I were talking earlier this week and we just wanted to keep the mind in a good space,'' Anderson said. "I feel good enough to race. It's just you don't want to overdo it and make something feel bad going into championship season here next week.
"I want to run my best then and do what I can do and I don't want to jeopardize anything.''
Wamego's Peyton Parker stayed right with Anderson for the first half of Friday's race before Anderson took control over the final two laps to win in more than four seconds, with Parker second in 4:15.24.
"I could feel him on my hip behind me, which kind of pushed me,'' Anderson said. "I saw my splits afterwards and I somewhat got lazy on the backstretch and that's something I need to work on.
It's very fixable. I went into the last lap having so much left in me and I just closed pretty hard.''
Next up for Anderson, who ran a 4:06 mile in a recent showcase meet, is next Friday's Joe Schrag City Invitational at Hummer Sports Park.
Other meet highlights:
• Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe and sophomore Henry Laubach, who helped lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state cross country championship last fall, posted a one-two finish in the boys 3,200 meters.
Kehoe won the event in 9 minutes, 23.61 seconds while Laubach was right behind in 9:24.34.
Rural's Colin Thiessen finished third in the 800 meters in 1:59.62.
Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray won the girls javelin title in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Relays at Seaman with a throw of 147-5. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
• Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray, a 6A state runnerup as a junior, turned in a dominating victory in the girls javelin.
Ray won with a top throw of 147 feet, 5 inches, winning by more than 14 feet.
Ray's junior teammate, Kailyn Petersen, finished second in the discus at 122-9.
• Topeka High's girls 4 x100-meter relay team of Caeanna Copeland, Keimara Marshall, Jayanna Washington and Marchayla White finished third in a time of 50.18 seconds.
Washington also finished third in the long jump with a leap of 17-10.
• Washburn Rural junior sprinter Christian Hartman-Babb posted a third-place finish in the boys 200-meter dash, clocking a time of 21.81 seconds.
BOB CAMIEN/CLAUDIA WELCH SEAMAN RELAYS
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
The Seaman Viking baseball team played their second game of the week against conference foe Leavenworth at home on Thursday evening.
After dropping a 3-1 game on Tuesday at Leavenworth, the Vikings were victorious over the Pioneers, 6-0.
The first two innings were dominated by both starting pitchers.
Seaman senior starter Cooper Hayes only allowed a leadoff double to start the game to senior catcher Julian Simon. Meanwhile, Leavenworth senior Noah Davis did not allow a hit over the first two innings.
“Cooper set the tone for us and was able to wiggle out of a leadoff double and strand him in the top of the first,” Seaman coach Steve Bushnell said.
Following a scoreless top of the third for Leavenworth, the Vikings sent their first seven to the plate before recording an out, with five straight hits, a walk and a hit batter.
Junior Jack Becker led off the inning with a single into left field, followed by back-to-back bunt base hits by fellow juniors, Beau Jessop and Bryson Fehr.
Hayes followed with line-drive double into left field which scored the first two runs of the game.
“We took advantage of what was provided for us with a couple of timely hits.” Bushnell said.
Viking junior Axton Brewer then responded with a run-scoring single to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead.
Following a walk to senior Cale Rosenberger, sophomore Michael Dobbs was hit by a pitch, which scored the fourth and final run of the inning.
Hayes continued his dominant performance on the mound by scattering four hits and three walks over his final three innings of work.
“He (Hayes) was able to string up six straight zeroes and Cale (Rosenberger) came in and closed out the seventh,” Bushnell said.
The Vikings were able to tack on a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a two-out, pinch-hit RBI single by senior Connor Puvogel.
He came around to score on an error by the Pioneer second baseman to give the Vikings a commanding 6-0 lead.
“We’ve had a trend where we will have that one big inning, but haven’t been able to get those insurance runs,'' Bushnell said. "It’s been a challenge for us at times, but we were pleased to be able to add them on.''
Rosenberger came recorded two strikeouts in the seventh to wrap up the 6-0 victory for the Vikings.
With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, Bushnell looked ahead to what the Vikings must do in order to go into the postseason on a positive note.
“We want to try to develop some consistency and we feel that if we play to our potential, we can be a team to be reckoned with and our best baseball is in front of us,'' he said.
Following the contest, Seaman celebrated 40 years of baseball at the school by inducting nine individuals and the state championship team of 2006 into the Seaman Baseball Hall of Honor.
The inductees were former Viking players Brad Bunger (class of 1989), Marc Thompson (1995), Josh White (1996), Nick Carlson (2004) and Adam Davey (class of 2008).
They were joined by contributors Rick Davey, Scott Hildebrandt and Ron Minihan and long-time assistant coach Mark Simoneau.
The Vikings return to action next Tuesday with a home game against non-conference foe Spring Hill.
SEAMAN 6, LEAVENWORTH 0
Leavenworth (12-8) 000 000 0 — 0 5 1
Seaman (11-10) 004 020 x — 6 7 0
Davis, Sheumaker (3), Fryman (5) and Simon. Hayes, Cale Rosenberger (7) and Sextro, Moe (7) . W — Hayes. L — Davis. 2B — Leavenworth: Simon. Seaman: Hayes, Brewer.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural swept the doubles championships in Thursday's city boys tennis tournament at Kossover Tennis Center to lead the Junor Blues to a third straight city team title.
Washburn Rural tennis swept the doubles titles on the way to its third straight city team title Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural seniors Cale Deutscher and Dylan Willingham captured the No. 1 doubles title with an 8-3 win over Topeka West's Collin McGee and Zander Rice while Junior Blues seniors Ben Tryhus and Kieffer O'Connor repeated as the No. 2 doubles champs with an 8-3 decision in the final as Rural captured the team championship by a 30-27 margin over Seaman.
Cair Paravel Latin swept the singles titles, with senior Drew Fay topping 2025 champion Tres Lassiter of Topeka High in the No. 1 final and freshman Jonah Arnold capturing the No. 2 crown in his first city meet.
Deutscher and Willingham's title came after a tiebreaker loss to Cair Paravel in the 2025 final.
Washburn Rural seniors Cale Deutscher (left) and Dylan Willingham won the city title in No. 1 doubles Thursday to lead the Junior Blues to their third straight city team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I think we just put in the work in the offseason and it just helped us to push through this year,'' Deutscher said about Thursday's win. "We played good tennis today.''
"Being a senior, you want to end it off on the right foot and we did it,'' Willingham said. "I think we've got some good momentum going forward and that's good because we're going into league and regionals and state.''
The Junior Blues also got a third-place finish in No. 1 singles from Greyson Jones and a runnerup finish in No. 2 singles from Jaxon Whitehead to outdistance Seaman, which posted four top-four finishes, including a second-place showing in No. 2 doubles.
Thursday's Rural title was a tuneup for next Monday's Centennial League tournament, followed by Class 6A regional and state meets.
"I think the team's definitely doing good,'' Deutscher said. "We put in a lot of work in practice every day and a lot of us stay after, too, after our regular time. We've all been coming together really well.''
Cair Paravel senior Drew Fay won the city title in No. 1 singles Thursday after winning the No. 1 doubles championship as a junior. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Fay captured his second straight city championship, with an interesting twist.
Fay teamed with Eric Buchenau to win the No. 1 city doubles title as a junior on the way to a runnerup Class 3A-1A state finish before switching back to singles this spring and earning the No. 1 singles crown with an 8-3 win over High standout Lassiter.
Fay said he got the day off to a somewhat slow start in the quarterfinals before picking up steam as the day went on.
"It was honestly my fault,'' said Fay, who has played 13 matches over the past three days. "I didn't warm up before this so I was slowly getting better as it went on.''
Fay admitted that going from doubles back to singles did take some time.
"Especially over the summer it took awhile to even remember how to play singles,'' Fay said. "It was like re-learning almost, so it's been kind of tough, but I feel like I've gotten back to it now.
"I think I've been progressing all season, so hopefully I hit my climax when state comes around and just keep improving.''
CITY BOYS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.46
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.60
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.72
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 12.75
Jaiden Wise, Silver Lake 12.83
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 26.11
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.81
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 26.82
Sofia Harper, Hayden 27.00
Julia Molleker, Seaman 27.23
400 METERS
Sofia Harper, Hayden 59.75
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 60.07
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 60.34
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 61.03
Brynn Scheid, Seaman 62.93
800 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 2:20.86
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:23.63
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:24.26
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:14.21
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:17.54
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:26.49
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:28.35
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:39.04
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:36.26
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:36.97
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 12:05.94
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 15.70
Rylee Dick, Rossville 16.77
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.76
Ravaya Smith, Washburn Rural 18.88
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 19.13
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 54.13
Avery Villines, Seaman 55.36
Amy Hill, Silver Lake 56.03
Grace Funk, Hayden 56.44
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 50.77
Silver Lake 51.06
Washburn Rural 51.79
Seaman 52.03
Topeka West 52.33
4x400-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 4:11.03
Topeka High 4:13.96
Washburn Rural 4:18.21
Shawnee Heights 4:29.41
Seaman 4:31.03
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:47.80
Topeka High 11:13.01
Silver Lake 11:30.83
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.43
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 11.04
Josh Brown, Seaman 11.18
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 11.21
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 22.02
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 22.30
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.50
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 22.68
JaVeon Alston, Shawnee Heights 23.13
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 23.15
400 METERS
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 50.71
Xavier Fisher, Shawnee Heights 51.34
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 51.43
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 52.40
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:53.37
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 1:56.64
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:59.69
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:03.30
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:09.65 (mile) 4:11.94 (1,600)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:33.03
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:33.08
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:38.83
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:11.63
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:30.10
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:43.11
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:54.63
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:57.60
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.43
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 16.10
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 16.41
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.36
Michael Ruelas, Seaman 43.46
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 43.71
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.98
Seaman 43.27
Washburn Rural 43.27
Topeka High 43.52
Silver Lake 44.07
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:24.59
Silver Lake 3:32.89
Seaman 3:35.19
Topeka High 3:35.43
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:38.13
Seaman 8:50.45
Silver Lake 8:58.57
Topeka High 9:28.74
Topeka West 9:29.28
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.36
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.60
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 12.59
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.72
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 12.75
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 25.83
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.04
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 26.82
Ciera Hartz, Topeka High 26.48
Sofia Harper, Hayden 26.88
400 METERS
Sofia Harper, Hayden 59.75
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 59.86
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 60.34
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 61.03
Brynn Scheid, Seaman 62.93
800 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 2:20.86
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:21.50
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:23.63
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:14.21
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:17.54
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:22.98
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:25.93
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:28.35
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:18.36
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:33.69
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 12:02.15
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 15.70
Rylee Dick, Rossville 16.77
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.76
Ravaya Smith, Washburn Rural 18.88
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 19.13
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Marchayla White, Topeka High 51.68
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 53.33
Avery Villines, Seaman 55.36
Amy Hill, Silver Lake 56.03
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 50.18
Silver Lake 50.64
Washburn Rural 51.79
Seaman 52.03
Topeka West 52.33
4x400-METER RELAY
Topeka High 4:10.27
Silver Lake 4:11.03
Washburn Rural 4:15.62
Seaman 4:21.03
Shawnee Heights 4:28.06
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:12.53
Topeka High 10:59.98
Silver Lake 11:18.38
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: TopSports.news will compile a weekly girls swimming and diving honor roll for Topeka high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY
Shawnee Heights 2:16.07
Seaman 2:18.07
Washburn Rural 2:18.75
Hayden 2:25.76
Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden
200-YARD FREESTYLE
Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden 2:11.68
Avery Skinner, Topeka High 2:25.97
Ava Von Lintel, Washburn Rural 2:31.65
Megan Strobel, Seaman 2:37.54
Stella Berry, Washburn Rural 2:43.23
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural
200-YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 2:23.15
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 2:34.07
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights 2:34.20
Riley Strother, Seaman 2:51.05
Avery Skinner, Seaman 2:51.97
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights
50-YARD FREESTYLE
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights 27.39
Riley Strother, Seaman 28.15
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 28.26
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 28.90
Ava Carlson, Seaman 29.31
ONE-METER DIVING
Rhiannan Good, Washburn Rural 196.00
Avery Rosenow, Hayden/CPLS 176.40
Mackenzie Caryl, Topeka High 138.75
Abigail Culbertson, Topeka High 110.35
Madilyn Typer, Seaman 105.40
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights
100-YARD BUTTERFLY
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights 1:09.79
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 1:21.98
Avery Skinner, Topeka High 1:23.77
Sophie Reffett, Washburn Rural 1:27.54
Riley Strother, Seaman 1:31.54
100-YARD FREESTYLE
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 57.50
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights 59.15
Riley Strother, Seaman 1:02.04
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 1:03.11
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 1:03.71
500-YARD FREESTYLE
Avery Skinner, Topeka High 6:25.05
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 6:33.78
Ava Von Lintel, Washburn Rural 6:53.97
Megan Strobel, Seaman 7:11.52
Emily Groff, Hayden 7:15.29
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brody Anderson
BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman
A senior track star, Anderson won a pair of individual wins in Friday's Leitel Legacy Invitational at Lawrence Free State. Anderson, a returning Class 5A state medalist, won the 800 meters in 1 minute, 53.37 seconds and came back later to win the 3,200 in 9:11.63. Both of Anderson's winning times were personal records.
Brandt Beeby
BRANDT BEEBY, Washburn University
Beeby, a junior baseball player from Tulsa, Okla., went 3 for 3 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and a run batted on Sunday as Washburn University took a rain-delayed 6-3 MIAA win over Emporia State at Steve Anson Stadium to claim the series win.
Jacob Fratzel
JACOB FRATZEL, Washburn University
A standout men's golfer for the Ichabods, Fratzel was named an All-MIAA first-team selection and the conference freshman of the year after leading Washburn to a second-place finish in the MIAA Tournament. A St. James Academy product, Fratzel helped WU earn an NCAA Regional berth, posting six top-10 individual finishes, including a seventh-place finish in the MIAA tourney.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural had a lot to celebrate in Monday's city boys golf championship at Topeka Country Club.
The Junior Blues extended their city title streak to 16 straight seasons while sweeping the top three individual places and capping the day with a special father-son moment.
Washburn Rural boys golf ran its city championship streak to 16 straight Monday at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural took the team championship by a 326-335 margin over Seaman while the Junior Blues put four players in the top 10, led by a one-two-three sweep from Peyton Goehring, Keaton Stoner and Wyatt Dean.
Senior teammates Goehring and Stoner both shot 77s to tie for the city individual title and force a playoff, with Goehring winning with a bogey on the first playoff hole.
Washburn Rural senior teammates Peyton Goehring (left) and Keaton Stoner exchange a hug after finishing one-two in a playoff in Monday's city tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Goehring admitted that it was tough going up against a teammate in the playoff.
"Obviously it's a team game and I really didn't want to beat him because he played tremendous, too,'' Goehring said. "I'd rather beat an opponent, but a win's a win I guess.''
Peyton Goehring is congratulated by his father and coach, Jared Goehring, after winning the city title Monday at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Making Goehring's first city title even more special was the fact that it came in Peyton's final city tournament for his father, Jared Goehring, the longtime Washburn Rural coach.
"It means a lot,'' Peyton said. "He's obviously coached me my whole life and I had a goal this year to place top 10 in the city individually, but I guess I did a little bit better than that.
"It does mean a lot though to do it for my team and obviously my dad coaching.''
Dean finished third in the city meet with an 81 while Hayden's Austin Bean, Topeka West's Blake Schultz and Seaman's Hunter Gerhardt shot 82s to tie for fourth.
Rural's Michael Wilson and Seaman's Noah LaRosh tied for seventh with 83s while Topeka High's Caleb Cleverdon and Seaman's Evan Michalski tied for ninth with 84s.
Rural also got an 85 from Higgins Hawks and an 86 from Camden Ismert while Rural's Lane Witrock competed in the Topeka Country Club Invitational, held in conjunction with the city tournament, shooting an 80.
"I'm proud of all of them today because it got pretty tough there at stages in the round and I thought they put their heads down and really battled for one another,'' Jared Goehring said.
"This was a goal we had at the beginning of the season, to defend this title, and hat's off to this senior class for getting it done today.''
Blue Valley North won the team title in the Topeka Country Club Invitational by four strokes over Blue Valley West (293-297).
Drew Krystyn of Blue Valley North claimed the individual title in a playoff over Free State's Henry Thompson after both players carded 69s.
TOPEKA CITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Seaman girls soccer continued its unbeaten streak by jumping on United Kansas Conference and city rival Shawnee Heights early and holding on for a 5-0 shutout Tuesday at Bettis Family Sports Complex.
Seaman senior Ava Huston had a goal and an assist Tuesday as the Vikings improved to 6-0-2 with a 5-0 UKC win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Going against a fierce wind from the south, Seaman surprised their hosts when Savannah Nelson punched home a goal on the Vikings’ first possession, just 37 seconds into the contest. Barely five minutes into the contest, Julia Molleker added a second score. And 17 minutes into the first half, Nelson found the back of the next for a second time.
Senior Savannah Nelson (4) scored a pair of goals in Tuesday's 5-0 Seaman UKC win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“We came out super strong and pressed them really high at the beginning, which is good,” said senior Ava Huston. “It was a super-aggressive game, of course, but our defense locked them down and our forwards scored, so it was a good game.”
Seaman coach Kyle Seevers said his team has a knack for playing well into the wind. He wasn’t so certain, however, how the Vikings would perform a few days after prom.
“The effort is never there right after prom, and you’re wondering, 'Are we gonna show up against Shawnee Heights today?’ ” Seevers said. “Even in warmups, I was a little worried. I just didn’t see the effort. But this team has a pretty good nucleus, and when it’s time to kick off, they click right in.”
The Vikings added scores by Huston and Kallie Zurmely in the second half. At the back of the Seaman defense, goalkeeper Kelecia Hale held the T-Birds scoreless. It was the Vikings’ fourth shutout of the season.
The Vikings improved to 6-0-2 on the season with ties at Manhattan and at De Soto.
“We’re at the midpoint of the year, and right now we’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re in a really good place,” Seevers said.
“We’re really aggressive and give a lot of effort to push through the hard times,” Huston added. “(Leading) this team is honestly pretty easy. Everyone gets along well. We’re all friends.”
Seaman (6-0-2) 3 2 -- 5
Shawnee Heights (3-4-2) 0 0 -- 0
Seaman -- Goals: Nelson 2, Molleker, Zurmely, Huston. Assists: Huston, Golightley, Brooks. Shutouts: Hale.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.43
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 11.04
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 11.20
Josh Brown, Seaman 11.21
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 22.02
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.50
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 22.68
JaVeon Alston, Shawnee Heights 23.13
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 23.15
400 METERS
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 50.71
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 52.40
Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake 53.26
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 53.38
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:55.43
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:59.69
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 2:01.36
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:03.30
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:09.65 (mile) 4:11.94 (1,600)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:33.08
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:38.83
Connor Baldwin, Hayden 4:39.00
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:27.73
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:30.10
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:43.11
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:54.63
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:57.60
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.43
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 16.10
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 16.44
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.36
Michael Ruelas, Seaman 43.46
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 43.79
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.98
Seaman 43.27
Topeka High 43.52
Washburn Rural 43.69
Silver Lake 44.07
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:24.59
Silver Lake 3:33.24
Seaman 3:35.19
Topeka High 3:35.43
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:38.13
Seaman 8:50.45
Silver Lake 9:09.46
Topeka High 9:28.74
Topeka West 9:29.28
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.61
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.66
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.72
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 12.75
JaidenWise, Silver Lake 12.83
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 26.11
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.81
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 26.82
Sofia Harper, Hayden 27.00
Ciara Hartz, Topeka High 27.27
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 27.27
400 METERS
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 60.23
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 61.03
Sofia Harper, Hayden 62.38
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 63.26
Brynn Scheid, Seaman 63.36
Ryan Miller, Seaman
800 METERS
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:24.26
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:31.07
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Hazel Rondash, Shawnee Heights 2:36.40
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:14.21
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:24.46
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:26.49
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:28.35
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:39.04
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:36.26
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:36.97
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 12:09.09
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 16.14
Rylee Dick, Rossville 17.15
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.76
Ravaya Smith, Washburn Rural 18.88
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 19.13
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Avery Villines, Seaman 55.36
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 55.66
Grace Funk, Hayden 56.44
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 57.47
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 50.77
Silver Lake 51.19
Washburn Rural 51.92
Seaman 53.07
Topeka West 53.39
4x400-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 4:11.03
Topeka High 4:13.96
Washburn Rural 4:18.21
Shawnee Heights 4:29.41
Seaman 4:31.03
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:47.80
Topeka High 11:13.01
Silver Lake 11:38.44
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: TopSports.news will compile a weekly girls swimming and diving honor roll for Topeka high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY
Seaman 2:18.32
Washburn Rural 2:19.41
Shawnee Heights 2:21.17
Hayden 2:48.67
Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden
200-YARD FREESTYLE
Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden 2:12.42
Avery Skinner, Topeka High 2:25.97
Ava Von Lintel, Washburn Rural 2:31.65
Megan Strobel, Seaman 2:37.54
Joanna Diehl, Washburn Rural 2:47.44
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural
200-YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 2:28.23
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights 2:35.70
Riley Strother, Seaman 2:51.05
Avery Skinner, Seaman 2:51.97
Mya Bucholtz, Hayden 3:09.89
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights
50-YARD FREESTYLE
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights 27.39
Riley Strother, Seaman 28.15
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 28.26
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 28.90
Makenna Russell, Topeka West 29.77
ONE-METER DIVING
Avery Rosenow, Hayden/CPLS 176.40
Mackenzie Caryl, Topeka High 138.75
Madilyn Typer, Seaman 105.40
Abigail Culbertson, Topeka High 89.55
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights
100-YARD BUTTERFLY
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights 1:09.79
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 1:21.98
Avery Skinner, Topeka High 1:23.77
Sophie Reffett, Washburn Rural 1:28.10
Riley Strother, Seaman 1:31.54
100-YARD FREESTYLE
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 57.50
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights 59.15
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 1:03.11
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 1:03.71
Gracie Scott, Seaman 1:07.72
500-YARD FREESTYLE
Avery Skinner, Topeka High 6:25.05
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 6:33.78
Ava Von Lintel, Washburn Rural 6:53.97
Sophie Reffett, Washburn Rural 7:57.80
Jurnee Jessepe, Seaman 8:18.59
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Aidan Newbery slapped an extra-inning single through the Seaman infield to drive home Nate Selm with the winning run in a 4-3 Washburn Rural win on a cold and windy Friday night at Rural.
Senior Nate Selm scored the winning run in Washburn Rural's 4-3 eight-inning win over Seaman. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Topeka rivals waited through a rainy and blustery afternoon to get in one of the two scheduled games. When it finally came to an end, the thermometer read 52 degrees, but it felt like 39. Each team committed three errors, bobbled numerous grounders and struggled to corral high fly balls.
“These were definitely tough conditions,” said Washburn Rural coach Jay Mastin, whose Junior Blues improved to 9-2. “You saw a bunch of fly balls just keep drifting. Our second baseman had to run like 40 yards to make a couple of catches in foul territory.
“It was important to get to play at least one game tonight for sure, knowing the rest of our schedule. So, I’m grateful that we got this one in and I’m proud of these guys for the way that they played and battled.”
After Washburn Rural went up 3-0 after two innings, Seaman pitcher Cale Rosenberger settled in and shut the home team’s offense down for five scoreless frames.
The Junior Blues gave up three runs in the top of the fourth to let Seaman tie the score. It remained deadlocked for three innings until Newbery finally broke through.
“I knew it was a big moment. I didn’t let that get in my head,” Newbery said. “I knew the guy on the mound. I kind of knew what he had. So, I didn’t try to overthink it. I just looked for a ball I could square up, to put a ball in play and let Nate do his thing at second. I know he’s fast, he can score.
“I was pumped. I saw coach (Jerry) Cavitte coming over to give me a high five. I heard the fans. It was a great moment.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.61
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.72
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 12.85
Ciara Hartz, Topeka High 13.06
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 13.13
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 26.11
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.81
Sofia Harper, Hayden 27.00
Ciara Hartz, Topeka High 27.27
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 27.27
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High
400 METERS
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 61.03
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 61.65
Sofia Harper, Hayden 62.38
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 63.26
Brynn Scheid, Seaman 63.36
Ryan Miller, Seaman
800 METERS
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:24.26
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:31.07
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Hazel Rondash, Shawnee Heights 2:36.40
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:14.21
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:24.46
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:26.49
Alyson Hink, Washburn Rural 5:28.35
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:39.04
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:25.73
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:36.26
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:36.97
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 12:09.09
100-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 17.15
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.76
Ravaya Smith, Washburn Rural 18.88
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 19.13
Alana Mitchell, Hayden 19.18
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Avery Villines, Seaman 55.36
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 55.74
Grace Funk, Hayden 56.44
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 57.47
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 50.77
Silver Lake 51.19
Washburn Rural 52.33
Seaman 53.07
Topeka West 53.39
4x400-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 4:11.03
Topeka High 4:13.96
Washburn Rural 4:18.21
Shawnee Heights 4:29.41
Seaman 4:31.03
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:47.80
Topeka High 11:13.01
Silver Lake 12:15.82
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 11.20
Josh Brown, Seaman 11.21
Quortay Hailey, Topeka High 11.30
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 11.31
Nas Williams-Brown, Topeka West 11.39
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 22.02
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.50
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 22.68
JaVeon Alston, Shawnee Heights 23.13
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 23.15
400 METERS
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 50.71
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 52.40
Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake 53.26
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 53.38
Tyler Jakle, Washburn Rural 53.53
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:55.43
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 2:01.36
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:03.30
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 2:06.72
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:11.94
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:33.32
Connor Baldwin, Hayden 4:39.00
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:39.76
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:27.73
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:30.10
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:56.70
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:57.60
Max Esquibel, Seaman 10:20.82
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.32
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.43
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 16.44
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 16.60
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.36
Michael Ruelas, Seaman 43.46
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 43.79
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.98
Seaman 43.27
Topeka High 43.52
Washburn Rural 44.02
Topeka West 44.21
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:24.59
Silver Lake 3:33.24
Seaman 3:35.19
Topeka High 3:35.43
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:38.13
Seaman 8:50.45
Silver Lake 9:18.40
Topeka High 9:28.74
Topeka West 9:29.28
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman High School checked all the boxes that Joe Smith was looking for in a coaching job.
Joe Smith
Smith formerly coached middle school basketball for Seaman and works and lives and has a daughter that attends school in the district.
Now the former Washburn Ichabod, who has coached Jefferson West the past five seasons, is set to add the final piece of the puzzle after being selected to succeed retiring Craig Cox as the Vikings' head boys basketball coach pending approval from the Seaman USD 345 school board.
"Obviously opportunities present themselves and you want to continue to grow and challenge yourself professionally,'' said Smith, who works at Seaman's alternative school. "But also my daughter plays and assuming she continues to play I would have some decisions to make in a couple of years anyway. Do I keep coaching at Jeff West and miss all of her games because she would still be at Seaman or do I not coach and watch her play or does she go to Jeff West? There was just a lot of family stuff to consider.
"But honestly, everything that Seaman embodies as a school district is the stuff that I kind of live my life by, so it's just kind of the right place, right time, perfect fit for me and my family.''
Smith takes over a Viking program that Cox led to a state title in 2022 and a third-place finish in Class 5A this past season.
The Vikings graduated a talented senior class, including Shawnee County and United Kansas Conference player of the year KaeVon Bonner, but Smith is confident Seaman can continue its run of success.
"I think the word that I would use is consistent,'' Smith said. "They are consistently in the conversation every year, no matter who they have. It's kind of a changing of the guard in a bunch of different senses. This will be the first time that a Bonner boy isn't been playing for Seaman in the last 12 years, but hopefully this will give some other guys some opportunities to showcase what they can do.
"I just want to keep them consistent and keep them in the conversation and not have any letup. I definitely don't want to go in and try to re-invent the wheel. I've just got to kind of put my stamp on things and my spin on things and just see what we can make out of it.''
Smith, a native of Memphis, Tenn., played for Washburn from 2011-2013 and also played professionally in Denmark and for Michigan in the American Basketball Association before embarking on his coaching career.
Smith coached for two years at Washburn and also coached at Highland Park and Seaman Middle School before taking over the head coaching job at Jeff West, which posted a 15-10 record this past season.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Peyton Holmes, Seaman 10.73
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.82
Evan Scheid, Silver Lake 11.13
Ben Roeder, Topeka High 11.17
Sean LeDuc, Washburn Rural 11.18
200 METERS
Bryce Cochran, Seaman 21.87
Jensen Schrickel, Hayden 21.92
Isaiah Terry, Washburn Rural 22.02
Evan Scheid, Silver Lake 22.22
Matthew Houser, Washburn Rural 22.37
Isaiah Terry, Washburn Rural
400 METERS
Isaiah Terry, Washburn Rural 48.20
Jensen Schrickel, Hayden 48.30
Bryce Cochran, Seaman 48.43
Liam Benz, Shawnee Heights 49.63
Ben Roeder, Topeka High 49.82
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:56.22
Mark Wilkie, Topeka West 1:57.23
Ben Buesing, Washburn Rural 1:58.87
Adrian Lehman, Topeka West 1:59.08
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 2:00.38
1,600 METERS
Adrian Lehman, Topeka West 4:18.07
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:18.55
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:19.77
Mark Wilkie, Topeka West 4:21.37
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 4:34.44
3,200 METERS
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:16.96
Adrian Lehman, Topeka West 9:16.98
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:34.99
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:41.18
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 10:03.37
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.59
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.50
Desean Lunkins, Topeka High 15.80
Isaac Song, Shawnee Heights 15.84
Braylon Badger, Washburn Rural 15.93
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 38.83
Braylon Badger, Washburn Rural 40.60
Isaac Song, Shawnee Heights 41.07
Michael Hurla, Seaman 41.29
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 41.86
4x100-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 43.16
Seaman 43.48
Topeka High 43.48
Washburn Rural 43.49
Topeka West 44.50
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:17.38
Topeka West 3:24.56
Topeka High 3:24.64
Hayden 3:25.32
Seaman 3:26.21
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:01.63
Shawnee Heights 8:31.70
Seaman 8:43.94
Topeka High 8:46.69
Silver Lake 8:54.17
HIGH JUMP
Jack Esser, Seaman 6-5
Blake Toyne, Seaman 6-2
Brooks Ballard, Washburn Rural 6-0
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 6-0
Cody Quy, Seaman 6-0
Rondell Harris, Hayden 6-0
Tad McGee, Seaman 6-0
Deondre Razzano, Silver Lake 6-0
Tyler Wedl, Shawnee Heights
POLE VAULT
Tyler Wedl, Shawnee Heights 12-6
Luke Deering, Washburn Rural 10-6
Desmond Grindol, Washburn Rural 9-6
Emery Kearney, Seaman 9-6
Caleb Schwartz, Washburn Rural 9-6
Quinton White, Seaman 9-6
Jensen Schrickel, Hayden
LONG JUMP
Jensen Schrickel, Hayden 22-7
Peyton Holmes, Seaman 22-6
Elijah Berg, Topeka West 21-8
Te'Vante Ewing, Topeka High 21-5
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 20-11
Ethan Surey, Washburn Rural 20-11
TRIPLE JUMP
Kaden Whitehurst, Seaman 42-8
Deondre Razzano, Silver Lake 42-5.5
Cody Quy, Seaman 41-11
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 41-8
Ethan Surey, Washburn Rural 40-7.50
SHOT PUT
Brogen Brown, Seaman 50-11
Amir Bass, Shawnee Heights 47-3.5
F. Anguiano, Hayden 44-10
Adrian Shuler, Shawnee Heights 44-9.5
Clayton Johnson, Seaman 44-5
DISCUS
Brogen Brown, Seaman 146-0
Myles Fisher, Silver Lake 144-5
Treyton Tetuan, Hayden 137-4
Samuel Scott, Washburn Rural 136-0
Zachary Hancock, Washburn Rural 135-11
JAVELIN
Kelton Meier, Hayden 162-5
Oliver Perez, Washburn Rural 155-2
Andre Johnson, Rossville 155-1
Jackson Haas, Hayden 153-7
Gabriel Taylor, Washburn Rural 148-10
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: TopSports.news will compile a weekly girls swimming and diving honor roll for Topeka high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY
Seaman 2:18.32
Washburn Rural 2:19.41
Shawnee Heights 2:21.17
Hayden 2:48.67
Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden
200-YARD FREESTYLE
Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden 2:12.42
Avery Skinner, Topeka High 2:25.97
Ava Von Lintel, Washburn Rural 2:31.65
Megan Strobel, Seaman 2:37.54
Joanna Diehl, Washburn Rural 2:47.44
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural
200-YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 2:28.23
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights 2:43.29
Riley Strother, Seaman 2:51.05
Avery Skinner, Seaman 2:51.97
Mya Bucholtz, Hayden 3:09.89
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights
50-YARD FREESTYLE
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights 27.98
Riley Strother, Seaman 28.15
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 28.26
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 28.90
Makenna Russell, Topeka West 29.77
ONE-METER DIVING
Avery Rosenow, Hayden/CPLS 173.75
Mackenzie Caryl, Topeka High 138.75
Madilyn Typer, Seaman 105.40
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights
100-YARD BUTTERFLY
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights 1:11.39
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 1:21.98
Avery Skinner, Topeka High 1:23.77
Sophie Reffett, Washburn Rural 1:28.10
Riley Strother, Seaman 1:31.54
100-YARD FREESTYLE
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural 57.50
Clara Sobba, Shawnee Heights 1:00.70
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 1:03.71
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High 1:04.28
Makenna Russell, Topeka West 1:08.95
500-YARD FREESTYLE
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural 6:33.78
Ava Von Lintel, Washburn Rural 6:56.95
Sophie Reffett, Washburn Rural 7:57.80
Jurnee Jessepe, Seaman 8:18.59
Meckenah Philpott, Seaman 8:19.26
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural girls swimming entered the 2026 season with a lot of question marks.
And three meets into the year, Junior Blues coach Bob Burdick has seen steady progress.
Now the key for Rural is to continue taking strides as the city, Centennial League and state meets get closer and closer.
"We are making progress, but we have a lot more to go,'' Burdick said. "Our pool was actually broken down for five days, which took us out a whole week and set us back, but the new kids are coming on great and the older kids are pulling their weight and starting to get back down to the times they should be at, which is great.''
Washburn Rural senior Audrey Appuhn (left) and Shawnee Heights junior Clara Sobba congratulate each other after the swimmers went one-two in the 100-yard freestyle Wednesday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Led by a victory and runnerup finish from senior Audrey Appuhn, as well as a runnerup relay finish, the Junior Blues finished Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium with 284 points, finishing third behind Lawrence Free State (536 points) and Hays (337).
"Silly little mistakes tonight may have cost us second place, but that's OK,'' Burdick said. "There were just some DQs (disqualifications) for just simple little things, technical things, and we're working on them and it helps when we're consistently in the pool.
"The girls are doing great though and the team's coming together. I'm really happy with everybody and it's a lot of fun.''
Appuhn won the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 57.50 seconds and finished second in the 100 breaststroke in 1 minute, 15.99 seconds while the foursome of Sophie Heinen, Kaci Hodgson, Resego Mackenzie and Ava Von Lintel finished second in the 400 freestyle in 4:46.87.
Heinen was the runnerup in the 500 freestyle in 6:33.78 while Von Lintel finished third in 6:56.95.
Other meet highlights:
Hayden junior Kailyn Gerdel posted second and third-place finishes in Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Hayden junior Kailyn Gerdel finished second in the 200 freestyle in 2:12.42 and was third in the 100 breaststroke in 1:18.26.
Topeka High senior Hara Del Castillo had a pair of second-place finishes in Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Topeka High senior Hara Del Castillo posted a second-place finish in the 50 freestyle in 28.26 and second in the 100 backstroke in 1:11.35 while High's Mackenzie Caryl finished third in one-meter diving with a score of 137.85.
• Shawnee Heights junior Clara Sobba placed second in the 100 freestyle in 1:00.70 and third in the 50 freestyle in 28.32.
• Seaman's Riley Strother finished third in the 100 backstroke in 1:12.84.
TOPEKA HIGH INVITATIONAL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Topeka Tennis Association will add Greg Lutz, Kurt Reid, John Waltz and Corey Wilson into its Hall of Fame on Saturday at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
Greg Lutz
Kurt Reid
John Waltz
Corey Wilson
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kaitlyn Aldridge
KAITLYN ALDRIDGE, Shawnee Heights
A junior swimming standout, Aldridge won the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1 minute, 11.39 seconds and finished second in the 100 backstroke in 1:11.31 in Thursday's Topeka High Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium while also swimming on the T-Birds' third-place 200 free relay (2:03.17) and fourth-place 200 medley relay (2:21.17). Aldridge also posted an individual win and runnerup finish in last Tuesday's meet.
Brody Anderson
BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman
Anderson, a senior cross country and track star, shattered the Seaman school record in the boys 1,600 meters by nearly six seconds in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. Anderson clocked a winning time of 4 minutes, 11.94 seconds and came back later in the day to win the 800 in 1:56.49 giving him four victories in four races on the season.
Taylor Brees
TAYLOR BREES, Washburn University
A freshman outfielder, Brees had a big weekend as Washburn University softball posted a pair of MIAA doubleheader road sweeps at Nebraska-Kearney (9-1, 4-0) and Fort Hays State (12-1, 6-0). Brees went 7 of 13 at the plate in the four games with six runs batted in and five runs scored. Brees went 5 of 6 in Friday's wins over Fort Hays State with five RBI and four runs scored.
The 2026 All-City girls bowling team: From left -- Addison Van Metre, Shawnee Heights; Paige Snyder, Seaman; Claire LaDuke, Seaman; Leah Crawford, Seaman; Megan Glinka, Washburn Rural; Kenzie Lawson, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
If the 2026 All-City girls bowling team looks familiar, there's a very good reason: All six first-team members are repeat selections.
Seaman juniors Paige Snyder of Seaman and Megan Glinka of Washburn Rural are three-time first-team All-City picks while Seaman senior Claire LaDuke and sophomore Leah Crawford, Washburn Rural senior Kenzie Lawson and Shawnee Heights junior Addison Van Metre are repeat selections.
LaDuke, Crawford and Snyder all posted top-eight individual finishes as Seaman won the Class 5A state championship by a whopping 358 pins while individual runnerup Glinka and Lawson helped lead Washburn Rural to a second-place 6A state finish and Van Metre earned her second straight 5A individual medal.
All-City capsules:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman junior baseball star Axton Brewer and Hayden junior track and field standout Sofia Harper have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2025-2026 school year.
Here's a brief look at the recent accomplishments of Brewer and Harper.
Axton Brewer, Seaman
AXTON BREWER, Seaman
Brewer, an All-Shawnee County and Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches All-Class 5A first-team pick last spring, is off to a hot start for 6-2 Seaman in the 2026 season.
Brewer had a big day at the plate on Wednesday as the Vikings pushed their winning streak to five games with a home 12-0, 20-0 United Kansas Conference doubleheader sweep over city rival Topeka West.
Brewer hit a home run in the first game against the Chargers and had a three-run double in the second game to help power the Vikings' offensive attack.
Sofia Harper, Hayden
SOFIA HARPER, Hayden
Harper, a three-time first-team All-Shawnee County pick in cross country, received all-county honorable in track last spring.
Harper posted a seventh-place individual finish in the city cross country championships last fall, placed 16th in the Centennial League meet, 12th in Class 4A regional competition and was 44th at state.
Harper opened her 2026 track season in last Friday's Topeka High Invitational with wins in the 200-meter dash (27.00) and 400 (62.39).
By RICK PETERSON
Freshman Taylor Brees went 5 for 6 with five RBI and four runs scored in Friday's twinbill sweep at Fort Hays State. [File photo/TSN]By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After fighting through a lingering leg injury for nearly nine months, Seaman senior track superstar Ryin Miller chalked up Thursday as a win as soon as she stepped on the Washburn Rural track.
Seaman five-time state champion Ryin Miller (right) returned from an injury Thursday to win the girls 800 meters in the Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The fact that she took control on the final lap to win the girls 800-meter run in the Jerry Beardslee Invitational was a bonus.
"I felt good,'' said Miller, a five-time Class 5A state champion. "This injury (IT band) is kind of weird. If I get some speed it doesn't seem to bother me too much and I'm just tired of not racing, so I was like, 'You know what, I'm just going to jump in here, I'm not going to warm up, I'll just do some strides and try to warm my body up without taking a warmup jog and step in and see what happens.' ''
The Arkansas signee ran with Mill Valley junior Audrey Howard through much of the race before taking the lead down the home stretch and pulling away for the win in 2 minutes, 23.65 seconds while Howard was second in 2:25.17.
"I feel really good about it,'' Miller said. "It was a good race. Obviously, eventually I want a lot, lot more of myself, but you have to learn to celebrate the small wins along the way and I've been working so hard this winter and year in just different ways, so I have to come out here and even just toeing the line, I have to be proud of that.''
Just being on the track marked a return to Miller's happy place.
"It means everything to me,'' she said. "I was definitely nervous, but I was kind of reminding myself that it is such a gift to be nervous and it's way better than not being nervous and watching other people be nervous, so I was trying to embrace it and take the load off.
"I was like, 'I have literally nothing to lose, everything to gain. If I start, that's a win,' so I tried to take all the pressure out of it and run and enjoy it.''
Senior Brody Anderson shattered the Seaman school record in the 1,600-meter run by nearly six seconds in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Anderson shatters school record
After flirting with the Seaman school record in the 1,600-meter run in the season-opening Topeka High Invitational, Viking distance star Brody Anderson knew that the record was there for the taking in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational.
And Anderson left no doubt about who is the best metric miler in school history, shattering the previous record by right at six seconds in a winning time of 4:11.94 while winning by nearly 14 seconds.
"I went into today knowing that it was very possible and was there,'' Anderson said. "I didn't know it was going to happen, I didn't want to force anything, but it came natural and felt really smooth and I just shattered it.
"I definitely didn't think it was going to happen by six seconds at this point in the year, but it was a fun jump to take for sure.''
Anderson came back later in the evening to post a second impressive performance, winning the 800 meters by more than three seconds in a time of 1:56.49 and is now a perfect four for four on the season.
Other meet highlights:
• Washburn Rural senior multi-time Class 6A state champion Liam Morrison opened his 2026 season with a sweep in the hurdles races on Thursday.
Washburn Rural senior state champion Liam Morrison (right) won the 110 and 300-meter hurdles in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Morrison won the 110-meter highs in 14.43 seconds before coming back later to take a win in the 300s in 38.74.
The Junior Blues also got boys wins from junior Christian Hartman-Babb in the 200-meter dash (22.78) and from the 4x800 relay team (8:38.13).
• Washburn Rural's girls posted wins in two of the three throws in Thursday's meet while also adding a pair of runnerup finishes.
Rural junior Kailyn Petersen won the shot put with a throw of 36 feet, 11 inches and finished second in the discus (121-2) while junior Morgan Ray won the javelin with a throw of 144-4 while her Junior Blue teammate, Katie Smith, was second (120-5).
Washburn Rural senior Emily Graf cruised to a victory in the girls 3,200 meters in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Washburn Rural also got a win from senior Emily Graf, who won the girls 3,200 in 11:25.73 while Seaman's boys won the 4x100 relay in 43.84.
JERRY BEARDSLEE INVITATIONAL
At Washburn Rural
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
JURNEE COLE, Highland Park
Cole, a senior, was one of the city's top sprinters last spring, ranking second in the 100-meter dash (12.75 seconds) and fifth in the 200 (26.68). An All-Shawnee County honorable mention pick in 2025, Cole opened her 2026 season in last Friday's Topeka High Invitational with second-place finishes in the 100 (12.72) and 200 (27.34) and a third in the 400 (66.88).
KARYS DEITER, Silver Lake
A sophomore state champion in volleyball and basketball for the Eagles, Deiter received All-Shawnee County first-team recognition last season after posting an eighth-place finish in the Class 3A state meet in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.74 seconds. Deiter ranked No. 3 in Shawnee County in the 100 dash and the 100 hurdles. Deiter also helped lead Silver Lake to the Class 3A volleyball title last fall and the state basketball championship this past season.
RYLEE DICK, Rossville
Dick, a senior, was an All-Shawnee County first-team selection last season after finishing eighth in Class 2A in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.77 seconds. Dick ranked fourth in Shawnee County in the 100 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles. Dick was also a first-team all-county pick in basketball.
ALI GERBER, Silver Lake
A junior, Gerber, earned All-Shawnee County first-team honors in track last spring and was an all-county pick in cross country last fall. Gerber teamed with Ellen Doty, Jaylie Whitehead and Ella Bolan to finish sixth in the Class 3A 4x400-meter relay last spring in track and placed 35th in state cross country last fall. Gerber was a member of Silver Lake's 3A state championship 4x400 relay team in the 2024 state meet (4:06.64).
EMILY GRAF, Washburn Rural
An All-Shawnee County selection in both cross country and track, Graf teamed with then-seniors Rylee Ismert, Brooklyn Nolte and Payton Fink finished second in the Class 6A 4x800 relay (9:29.84) in the 2025 state track meet. A three-time first-team All-Shawnee County pick in cross country, Graf garnered the individual city title last fall before finishing eighth in the Centennial League, fifth in a 6A regional meet and 30th at state.
SOFIA HARPER, Hayden
Harper, a junior, is a three-time first-team All-Shawnee County pick in cross country and received all-county honorable in track last spring. Harper posted a seventh-place individual finish in the city cross country championships last fall, placed 16th in the Centennial League meet and 12th in Class 4A regional competition and was 44th at state. Harper opened her 2026 track season in Friday's Topeka High Inivitational with wins in the 200-meter dash (27.00) and 400 (62.39).
ALYSON HINCK, Washburn Rural
The Washburn Rural freshman was the individual runnerup in the city cross country meet for the team-champion Junior Blues and placed sixth in the Centennial League, eighth in Class 6A regional competition and a team-high 25th in the state meet.
KENZIE MADDOX, Washburn Rural
Maddox, a senior, is a two-time first-team All-Shawnee County pick in cross country and was an all-county first-team honoree in track last spring. Maddox finished fourth last fall in the city cross country meet before placing 14th in the Centennial League, 16th in a Class 6A regional and 49th in the 6A state meet.
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High
KEIMARA MARSHALL, Topeka High
A senior, Marshall has established herself as one of the area's top sprinters, earning first-team All-Shawnee County honors and sweeping the 100 and 200-meter dashes in the 2025 Joe Schrag City Championships. A former Class 6A state medalist, Marshall helped lead the Trojans to 6A state quarterfinals in basketball.
Ryin Miller, Seaman
RYIN MILLER, Seaman
Miller, who has been recovering from an injury that limited her to just one cross country meet last fall, has won five Class 5A state track titles over the past two seasons, sweeping the 3,200 meters in 10 minutes, 19.53 seconds, the 1,600 meters in 4:57.33 and the 800 in 2:11.14 in the 2025 state meet and adding a fourth state medal when she anchored the Vikings' 4x400 relay to a fourth-place finish (4:03.44). Miller made her 2026 debut Thursday with a win in the 800 at Washburn Rural.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Barring a big upset, Seaman baseball was going to sweep Wednesday's United Kansas Conference home doubleheader against city rival Topeka West.
Seaman junior Axton Brewer had a big day at the plate in Wednesday's UKC sweep over Topeka West, including a home run and a three-run double. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But there were still things, in addition to a pair of wins, that Viking coach Steve Bushnell wanted his team to accomplish.
And Seaman was able to achieve each and every one of Bushnell's goals in a 12-0, 20-0 sweep over the Chargers as the Vikings improved to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the UKC while stretching their winning streak to five games.
Wednesday's routs came on the heels of a 15-0, 11-0 UKC sweep over Turner on Tuesday.
"The big thing was just an opportunity to get on the field and being early in our season, just having an opportunity to run some situational offense and get back in tune with verbal commands and baserunning and things that you work on in practice, but it's not always a live situation,'' Bushnell said.
"So having an opportunity to run bases and just let the hitters get some on-field hacks was important over the last two days and last four games that we've played.''
Senior Cale Rosenberger (8) had a pair of doubles in Seaman's 12-0 first-game win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman sophomore Michael Dobbs and sophomore Carson Anspaugh combined to throw a five-inning no-hitter in the first game while the Vikings lashed out 12 hits and seven extra-base hits, including a home run from junior Axton Brewer.
Senior Cooper Hayes and junior Bryson Fehr combined for a one-hitter in the second game while Seaman batted around twice in the first inning en route to a 14-run first inning and tacked on six runs in the second inning, ending the game after two and a half innings by way of the 15-run spread rule.
Junior Beau Jessop and Fehr tripled in the game while Brewer had a three-run double and Dobbs delivered a two-run double.
"Our pitchers were outstanding for the most part, just throwing strikes and pitching to contact,'' Bushnell said.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brody Anderson, Seaman
BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman
Seaman senior Brody Anderson placed third in the Class 5A 800 meters in 1 minute, 55.52 seconds last spring, earning All-Shawnee County first-team recognition. Also a three-time all-county pick and former 5A state medalist in cross country, Anderson opened his 2026 track season with a sweep of the 1,600 (4:22.82) and 3,200-meter runs (9:27.73) in Friday's Topeka High Invitational.
DRADEN CHOONCHAROEN, Washburn Rural
Chooncharoen, a senior, is a two-time Class 6A state champion, running on the Junior Blues' winning 4x400-meter relay team as a sophomore and a junior and earning a spot on the 2024 and 2025 All-Shawnee County first team. The Junior Blues set a 6A state meet record in the 4x4 last season, clocking a time of 3:16.23. Chooncharoen also helped lead Rural to the 6A state soccer championship last fall.
JACK ESSER, Seaman
A junior, Esser earned All-Shawnee County first-team honors last season after tying for fourth in the Class 5A high jump at 6-foot-2. Esser finished second in a 5A regional at 6-2 and won the city high jump championship with a personal-record jump of 6-5.
CHRISTIAN HARTMAN-BABB, Washburn Rural
Hartman-Babb, a junior, was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick last season after turning in a solid season for the city-champion Junior Blues in the sprints and high hurdles. Hartman-Babb ranked second in the county in both the 100-meter dash and the 110 hurdles in 2025.
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural
BROOKS KEHOE, Washburn Rural
Kehoe, a senior, is a returning Class 6A state medalist, placing fifth in the 3,200 meters in 2025 in a time of 9:20.97 and earning All-Shawnee County first-team recognition. A three-time all-county pick in cross country, Kehoe helped lead the Junior Blues to the 6A state team title by a single point (100-101) over Blue Valley last fall. Kehoe won the Centennial League individual title and finished second in the city meet before posting a 25th-place finish at state.
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural
HENRY LAUBACH, Washburn Rural
Laubach, a sophomore, had a breakout season as a freshman in both cross country and track before returning from an injury to help lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state cross country championship last fall by a 100-101 margin over Blue Valley. Laubach led Washburn Rural with a 22nd-place individual finish. Laubach is a two-time All-Shawnee County honoree in cross country and received honorable mention in track last spring.
KELTON MEIER, Hayden
A junior, Meier earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after leading Shawnee County in the javelin. Meier was the city champion in 2025 and opened his 2026 season with an outstanding winning throw of 197 feet, 2 inches in Friday's Topeka High Invitational, winning the event by more than 49 feet. Meier is also a bowling standout for the Wildcats, placing sixth in Class 4A-1A with a 717 series.
JOEL MILLER, Silver Lake
Miller, a senior, earned a spot on the 2025 All-Shawnee County first team after teaming with then-seniors Trent Rollenhagen and Evan Scheid and then-junior Braxton Rupp to post a third-place finish in the Class 3A 4x100-meter relay in 42.57 seconds.
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
LIAM MORRISON, Washburn Rural
Morrison won the Class 6A championship in the 300-meter hurdles in 37.68 seconds before teaming with then-seniors Isaiah Terry and Matthew Houser and then-junior Draden Chooncharoen for a 6A meet-record time of 3:16.23 in the 4x400 relay. A three-time All-Shawnee County pick, Morrison also helped win the state 4x4 title as a sophomore in 2024. Morrison placed sixth in the 6A 110 hurdles (14.52) last spring.
BRAXTON RUPP, Silver Lake
A senior, Rupp earned a spot on the 2025 All-Shawnee County first team after teaming with then-seniors Trent Rollenhagen and Evan Scheid and then-junior Joel Miller to post a third-place finish in the Class 3A 4x100-meter relay in 42.57 seconds.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brody Anderson
BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman
Anderson, a returning Class 5A state medalist, opened his senior track season with a pair of dominating individual wins in Friday's Topeka High Invitational at Hummer Sports Park. Anderson posted a 24-second win in the boys 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 23.82 seconds and posted a 36-second win in the 3,200 in 9:27.73.
Brynn Anderson
BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural
A freshman multi-sport standout for the Junior Blues, the 6-foot Anderson was voted by Centennial League girls basketball coaches as the league newcomer of the year and a first-team all-league pick. Anderson averaged 14.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals while hitting 41 3-pointers.
Carsyn Broxterman
CARSYN BROXTERMAN, Hayden
Broxterman, a senior soccer standout for Hayden, scored five goals and had an assist in Friday's season-opening 8-0 road victory over Cair Paravel Latin at the Bettis Family Sports Complex. As a junior Broxterman helped lead the Wildcats to a second-place finish in the Class 4A-1A state tournament.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
DRAYDEN ACCOSTA, Topeka High
A senior, Accosta earned second-team TopSports.news All-Shawnee County recognition for the second straight season and was named to the All-Centennial League second team as a utility player.
Isaac Ansley, Washburn Rural
ISAAC ANSLEY, Washburn Rural
A senior pitcher, Ansley earned first-team TSN All-Shawnee County recognition last season and was a second-team All-Centennial League pick after helping lead Washburn Rural to a 15-12 record and a Class 6A state tournament berth.
Mason Becker, Hayden
MASON BECKER, Hayden
Becker, a junior, earned second-team TSN All-Shawnee County and Centennial League recognition last season after helping the Wildcat post a 23-1 record.
Axton Brewer, Seaman
AXTON BREWER, Seaman
A junior, Brewer was a TSN All-Shawnee County first-team pick, earned All-United Kansas Conference first-team recognition as a pitcher and designated hitter and was a Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches All-Class 5A first-team honoree at designated hitter and a second-team pitcher.
BRADY DEUTSCH, Hayden
Deutsch, a senior catcher, was a second-team All-Centennial League pick for the league-champion Wildcats, who went 23-1 last season. Deutsch receive All-Shawnee County honorable mention.
Austin Ditch, Washburn Rural
AUSTIN DITCH, Washburn Rural
A senior infielder, Ditch was a first-team TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League pick last spring after helping Washburn Rural post a 15-12 record and advance to the Class 6A state tournament.
TYLER EDMISTON, Washburn Rural
Edmiston, a junior pitcher, was a second-team All-Centennial League and All-Shawnee County selection last season for the 15-12 Junior Blues, who earned a berth in the Class 6A state tournament.
Cambren Floberg, Shawnee Heights
CAMBREN FLOBERG, Shawnee Heights
Floberg, a senior, was named the United Kansas Conference pitcher of the year last season after helping the 21-8 T-Birds advance to the Class 5A state tournament. Floberg received second-team All-Class 5A honors from the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches.
CAEL HORGAN, Rossville
A junior, Horgan was a first-team All-Big East pick last spring after helping Rossville advance to the Class 2A-1A state tournament in 2025.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
London Backman, Topeka High
LONDON BACKMAN, Topeka High
A sophomore infielder who attends Cair Paravel Latin and plays for the Trojans through a co-op agreement, Backman received TopSports.news All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League first-team recognition and was named the co-county and co-Centennial League newcomer of the year last season after helping 19-10 Topeka High advance to the Class 6A state tournament before dropping an 8-1 quarterfinal decisiont to 6A champ Olathe West. Backman received All-Class 6A honorable mention by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association.
Adda Boleski, Washburn Rural
ADDA BOLESKI, Washburn Rural
Boleski, a sophomore infielder, was an All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League second-team pick a year ago as a freshman after helping the Junior Blues post a 22-8 record and a second-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament, with Washburn Rural dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the championship game.
Reagan Chapman, Washburn Rural
REAGAN CHAPMAN, Washburn Rural
A senior pitcher/third baseman, Chapman was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County first team for the third straight season after helping lead the Junior Blues to a 22-8 record and a runnerup finish in Class 6A last spring, with Rural dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the championship game. Chapman was a first-team All-Centennial League honoree.
JOSIE CARLGREN, Washburn Rural
Carlgren, a senior outfielder, is a top returner for Washburn Rural, which posted a 22-8 record and finished second in the Class 6A state tournament last season, dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the title game. Carlgren received All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention in 2025.
Falyn Clurman, Rossville
FALYN CLURMAN, Rossville
Clurman, a sophomore pitcher, was a second-team All-Shawnee County honoree last season as a freshman for the Bulldawgs, who posted a 17-12 record in 2025. The Bulldawgs were a Class 2A-1A regional runnerup to state champion Oskaloosa.
ADDISON COOPER, Shawnee Heights
Cooper, a senior outfielder, was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection and a second-team All-Shawnee County pick last spring after helping Shawnee Heights post a 20-7 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament in 2025. The T-Birds dropped a 3-2 state quarterfinal decision to eventual state champion St. Thomas Aquinas.
Campbell Dawson, Topeka High
CAMPBELL DAWSON, Topeka High
A junior pitcher/outfielder, was a first-team All-Centennial League selection and second-team All-Shawnee County pick last spring after helping the 19-10 Trojans advance to the Class 6A state tournament before dropping an 8-1 quarterfinal decision to 6A state champ Olathe West. Dawson received All-Class 6A honorable mention by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association.
LYDIA DREHER, Seaman
Dreher, a sophomore pitcher, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection and a second-team All-United Kansas Conference pick as a freshman last season after helping the Vikings earn a berth in the Class 5A state tournament. Dreher helped Seaman post a 20-9 record last spring, with the Vikings dropping a 3-2 17-inning decision to Maize South in the state quarterfinals.
Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
A senior catcher, Graves received second-team All-Shawnee County recognition in 2025 after helping Shawnee Heights post a 20-7 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament before the T-Birds dropped a 3-2 state quarterfinal decision to eventual 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas. Graves is also a 2026 5A state wrestling champion.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, a senior left-fielder, earned first-team All-Shawnee County and first-team All-Big East League recognition last spring for the second straight season after helping Silver Lake post a 25-7 record and a runnerup finish in the Class 3A state tournament for the second straight season, with the Eagle falling 2-1 to Frontenac in nine innings. Hanni was named to the All-Class 3A first team by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association. Hanni also led Silver Lake to the 3A state basketball title this past season.
Oliva Koch, Washburn Rural
OLIVIA KOCH, Washburn Rural
A junior pitcher/outfielder, Koch was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County first team and was named the Centennial League player of the year last season after helping lead Washburn Rural to a 22-8 record and a runnerup finish in the Class 6A state tournament, with the Junior Blues dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the state title game. Koch was named to the All-Class 6A first team by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association.
Carly McAllister, Hayden
CARLEY McALLISTER, Hayden
McCallister, a sophomore, received second-team TSN All-Shawnee County recognition a year ago as a freshman while also receiving All-Centennial League second-team honors.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Five city swimming and diving teams opened the 2026 season in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational, with a sweep of the top three places in one-meter diving pacing the local contingent.
Hayden's Avery Rosenow won the diving event with a score of 173.75, while Topeka High's Mackenzie Caryl placed second at 138.75 and Seaman's Madiylyn Typer was third at 105.40.
Shawnee Heights' Clara Sobba posted a third-place finish in the 100 freestyle in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Another city highlight was turned in by Shawnee Heights' Clara Sobba, who posted a third-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 1:01.71, while Topeka High's Hara Del Castillo was fifth in 1:04.50.
Seaman's Riley Strother helped the Vikings finish fifth in the 200 medley relay in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman's Riley Strother, Lizzie Gould, Jenna Zimmerman and Ava Carlson finished fifth in the 200 medley relay in 2:18.32.
Hayden's Kaelyn Gerdel posted a pair of top-five individual finishes in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden's Kaelyn Gerdel placed fifth in the 200 freestyle (2:15.92) while Seaman's Strother was fifth (2:51.05) and Topeka High's Avery Skinner sixth (2:51.97) in the 200 individual medley.
Topeka High's Hara Del Castillo swims to a fifth-place finish in the 100 backstroke in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
High's Del Castillo added a fifth-place finish in the 100 backstroke (1:11.58) while Hayden's Gerdel placed fourth in the 100 breastroke (1:19.41) and the Wildcats' Lilly Charvat was sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:23.55).
TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior Brody Anderson is coming off an outstanding cross country season last fall, winning his second straight city and United Kansas Conference individual titles and finishing a strong second in Class 5A regional competition to qualify for his third straight state meet.
Seaman senior Brody Anderson posted individual wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in Friday's season-opening Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
However, the season didn't end the way the Viking star had envisioned, with Anderson putting himself in position for a state title before collapsing multiple times in the closing stages of the race and struggling to a 33rd-place finish.
But while that was a tough pill to swallow, it also made him even more determined entering his final high school track season, which he opened Friday with dominating victories in the boys 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in the Topeka High Invitational at Hummer Sports Park.
"Rim Rock, my legs gave out for the second time at state, when I was in second, close behind with like 400 (meters) left to go,'' Anderson said. "It was disappointing, obviously, but it just creates more of a drive for me to pick myself back up and that's what running's about, honestly.
"You're going to have the lows, but it's how you pick yourself up from that. For the first couple of weeks it left a sour taste in my mouth but as I kept going I felt stronger in my training and I put together a lot of consistent weeks and that just helped with my mindset.''
Anderson said he couldn't wait to get another season under way on Friday.
"I like to break the rust for sure and the first meet just backs all my training that I've done so I definitely always enjoy the first meet, cross country or track,'' he said. "But this one, being my last track season, is special.''
Anderson opened his day with a 24-second win in the 1,600 meters in a time of 4 minutes, 23.82 seconds and followed that up with a win by more than 36 seconds in the 3,200 in 9:27.73.
Both of those times were within seconds of the Seaman school records, which Anderson will be taking aim on in upcoming meets.
"I'm ready to get them and I'm fit enough to,'' Anderson said. "And when the right day comes it will happen. I'm positive. Coach (Luke) Wiens helps me a lot with that and to have the mindset to let things come natural.''
Other meet highlights:
• Highland Park junior Rayshon Pollard swept the titles in the boys 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 16.02 in the highs and 43.28 in the 300s.
Pollard also finished third in the long jump with a best of 20 feet, 5.50 inches.
Hayden junior Sofia Harper won the girls 200 and 400-meter dashes in Friday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Hayden junior Sofia Harper was a double champion in the girls division, winning the 200-meter dash in 27.00 seconds and the 400 in 62.39 seconds.
• Hayden junior Kelton Meier won the boys javelin championship by more than 49 feet, registering an outstanding throw of 197 feet, 2 inches.
Topeka High senior Adam Humphrey finished first in the boys discus with a throw of 131 feet, 3 inches.
• Hayden junior Alana Mitchell and Topeka High senior Jayana Washington went one-two in the girls long jump, with Mitchell winning the title by just three-quarters of an inch over Washington.
Mitchell jumped 16 feet, 3 inches while Washington had a best of 16-2.25.
Topeka West senior Jayden Lindsey won the 200 and finished second in the 400 in Friday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Topeka West senior Jayden Lindsey won the boys 200-meter dash in 22.50 seconds and finished second in the 400 in 52.40 seconds.
• Highland Park senior Jurnee Cole finished second in the girls 100-meter dash (12.72) and 200 (27.34) and third in the 400 (66.88).
• Topeka High freshman Marchayla White won the girls 100-meter hurdles (17.97) while Seaman sophomore Avery Villines won the 300 hurdles (58.40).
Hayden junior Brynn Spencer (5) posted second-place finishes in the girls 1,600 and 3,200 in Friday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Seaman junior Gage Geiger won the boys 800 meters (2:12.42) while Brynn Spencer finished second in the girls 1,600 meters (5:34.34) and the 3,200 (11:52.82).
TOPEKA HIGH INVITATIONAL
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Seaman softball opened its 2026 season with two convincing run-rule United Kansas Conference wins over city rival Topeka West Thursday at Hummer Sports Complex.
From start to finish Thursday the Vikings came out swinging early and often, taking the first game 14-1 and the nightcap 16-1 in three innings.
Seaman began the first game up 2-0 and the Vikings started a rally with no outs in the top of the second.
Senior Addison Sibley had a run-scoring single, senior Kinsley Smith had a two RBI triple and then the Vikings would score another run on a fielder’s choice from junior Acey Thompson, with the Vikings leading 6-0 after two.
Seaman would score another four runs in the top of the third, thanks to a two RBI double from junior Natalee Simpson, followed by an RBI double by senior Claire Watkins. Seaman led 10-0 at that point.
Topeka West couldn’t get much going against sophomore Kynnedi Kitzman in the circle. The Chargers did get runners at second and third, but Kitzman got out of the jam. Kitzman finished with six strikeouts on 88 pitches.
The Chargers would get on the board after a bases loaded walk to senior Samantha Stegman, but that would be it for Topeka West.
In the top of the fifth Seaman would score four more runs on five hits, ending the game by way of the mercy rule.
“I knew we brought back a lot of a lot of kids in the lineup from last year’s team and so I kind of knew what we could do, but you always have those first-game jitters and what are we going to be like and how are we going to fit together and are we where we need to be in the lineup,'' Seaman coach Daniel Ruda said.
"Tonight hopefully answered some questions but it was the best I could ask for, for a start to the season.''
In game two the Vikings put up six runs in the first inning. Seaman got five walks, two hit-by-pitches and a two-RBI triple from Kitzman that started the scoring and the rout was on.
Seaman scored seven more runs in the second inning on a variety of hits, including a sac fly, leading 13-0.
The Vikings combining for 29 runs and allowed just one run in eight combined innings.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior co-players of the year KaeVon Bonner of Seaman and Dayne Johnson of Silver Lake headline the 2026 TopSports.news All-Shawnee County boys basketball team.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
Bonner is a three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick after leading the Vikings to a 23-5 record and a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament while Johnson was an all-county repeat pick after leading the Eagles to a second straight third-place state finish in 3A and ending his high school career as Silver Lake's all-time leading scorer, eclipsing the record previously held by the legendary Lon Kruger.
Rossville senior Jack Donovan is a three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 honoree and is joined on the first time by Rossville senior point guard Jakoby McDonnell after the Bulldawgs advanced to the Class 2A state tournament for the second straight season.
Topeka West, which won the United Kansas Conference championship in a tiebreaker over Seaman and placed fourth in Class 5A is represented on the all-county top 10 by seniors Malakyah Duncan and Keimani Paul and junior Prince Lassiter.
Also earning Top 10 honors were Hayden senior Connor Hanika, Shawnee Heights junior Cam Ross and Topeka High senior Bryson McComas.
Quincy Dixon, Shawnee Heights
Shawnee Heights freshman Quincy Dixon was named the county newcomer of the year after averaging 12.4 points and helping the T-Birds advance to the Class 5A state tournament.
Chip Kueffer, Cair Paravel Latin
Robbie Sanders, Topeka High
Cair Paravel's Chip Kueffer and Topeka High's Robbie Sanders were named the Shawnee County co-coaches of the year after leading their teams to 12-win improvements in 2025-2026.
Kueffer led CPLS to a 22-3 record, including 19 straight wins and the Flint Hills League championship while first-year coach Sanders led Topeka High to a 13-11 record in '25-'26 after the Trojans posted just one win in the previous season.
All-Shawnee County capsules:
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
TopSports.news
The Seaman Viking baseball team opened the home portion of its 2026 season Tuesday with a doubleheader with United Kansas Conference foe Basehor-Linwood, winning 8-5 in Game 1 and dropping Game 2, 5-1.
The Vikings were able to jump out to an early 5-0 lead over the first two innings while only getting one hit. They were aided by four walks and three hit batsmen.
“It was nice to put up three in the first and two more in the second,'' Seaman coach Steve Bushnell said. "Their starting pitcher (junior Sam Porterfield) struggled with his control, but to come out early and get a lead with Axton Brewer (junior starting pitcher) on the hill, certainly allowed us to get comfortable and settle in.”
Following a couple of runs by the Bobcats in the top of the third inning to cut the lead to 5-2, the Vikings responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth.
Viking senior third baseman Cooper Hayes hit a fly ball over the left-fielder for a triple and came home to score on an error on the throw back to the infield from the left-fielder.
The Vikings tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend their lead to 8-2, thanks to another triple from junior Bryson Fehr and a single from senior Cole Rosenberger.
Bobcat senior first baseman Steven Zimbelman hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh off of sophomore relief pitcher Michael Dobbs, who picked up the win.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake senior point guard Kailyn Hanni has been tapped as the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County girls basketball player of the year after leading the Eagles to their second Class 3A state championship in three seasons.
Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni has been named the TopSports.news Shawnee County girls player of the year after leading the Eagles to their second Class 3A state title in three seasons. [File photo/TSN]
A three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick, Hanni helped lead Silver Lake to a 28-1 record and a third straight trip to the 3A state championship game, with the Eagles sandwiching titles in 2024 and this past season around a second-place finish in 2025.
Hanni is one of five repeat picks on the All-Shawnee County Top 10, including four-time honoree Maddie Gragg of Seaman, junior repeat selections KK Emmot of Shawnee Heights and Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton of Topeka High and sophomore repeat pick Hailey Schmidtlein of Hayden.
Schmidtlein helped lead Hayden to the 4A state championship while Emmot helped Shawnee Heights post a fourth-place state finish in 5A and Rayton helped Topeka High advance to the state quarterfinals in 6A.
Also earning All-Shawnee County Top 10 spots are Rossville senior Rylee Dick, Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter, Topeka High sophomore Hailey Caryl, Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter and Washburn Rural freshman Brynn Anderson.
Anderson was also named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year, while state-champion coaches Kyle Porter of Silver Lake and Carvel Reynoldson of Hayden were named the co-county coaches of the year.
All-Shawnee County capsules:
Brynn Anderson, Washburn Rural
BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural -- Anderson was named an All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick and the Shawnee County newcomer of the year for 2025-2026 after averaging 14.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals and canning 41 3-pointers for the Junior Blues. Anderson was also a first-team all-county selection in volleyball.
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
PEARMELLA CARTER, Shawnee Heights -- After starring for two seasons at Highland Park, the 5-foot-9 junior had a big season in her first year at Shawnee Heights, helping the 22-6 T-Birds win their first United Kansas Conference championship and post a fourth-place finish in Class 5A in Heights' first trip to state since 2011. Carter, a second-team all-county pick as a sophomore, averaged 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds for Heights while shooting 56 percent from the field on two-point attempts.
Hailey Caryl, Topeka High
HAILEY CARYL, Topeka High -- A 5-foot-10 sophomore, Caryl moves up to the All-Shawnee County Top 10 this season after being a Second 10 pick as a freshman. Caryl averaged 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists this past season while shooting 57 percent from the field from two-point range, helping lead the Trojans to a 17-9 record, the Centennial League championship and a quarterfinal berth in the Class 6A state tournament.
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake
KARYS DEITER, Silver Lake -- Deiter, a 5-foot-6 sophomore, helped Silver Lake post a 28-1 record and win the Class 3A state championship this past season. Deiter moves up to the All-Shawnee County first team this season after being a Second 10 pick as a freshman and also earned first-team All-Big East honors. Deiter was also an all-county pick in volleyball after helping Silver Lake win the 3A state title.
Rylee Dick, Rossville
RYLEE DICK, Rossville -- Dick, a 5-foot-8 senior, helped lead the Bulldawgs to a Class 2A state tournament berth for the first time in 20 years this past season, averaging 20.6 points on the season. A unanimous All-Big East League selection, Dick finished her high school career with 1,578 points, which ranks No. 2 on Rossville's all-time list. Dick scored 31 points in Rossville's quarterfinal state loss to Ellinwood.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights -- Emmot, a 5-foot-8 junior, is a two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick after earning second-team honors as a freshman. Emmot, who helped lead the T-Birds to a 22-6 record, the United Kansas Conference title and a fourth-place Class 5A finish, earned first-team All-United Kansas Conference honors for the second straight season after averaging 16.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 3.0 assists while connecting on 67 3-pointers and shooting 82 percent from the free throw line.
Maddie Gragg, Seaman
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman -- A 5-10 senior, Gragg is an All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection for the fourth straight season. Gragg, also a four-time All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick, averaged 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 steals while hitting 32 3-pointers. Gragg helped the Vikings win the Class 5A state championship in 2024 and finish second in 2025.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake -- Hanni, a 5-7 senior, was named the Shawnee County player of the year after leading Silver Lake to a 28-1 record and the Class 3A state championship this past season. Hanni also played a major role in the Eagles' 26-0 state championship run in 2024 and a runnerup state finish in 2025. Hanni is a three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection as well as an All-Big East first-team pick.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
AHSIEYRHUAJH RAYTON, Topeka High --Rayton, a 5-7 junior All-Shawnee County repeat pick, averaged a city-high 23.6 points on the season for the 17-9 Trojans while also averaging 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals and shooting 52 percent from two-point range and 37 percent on 3-point attempts. Rayton helped the Trojans win the Centennial League championship and advance to the Class 6A state tournament.
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden
HAILEY SCHMIDTLEIN, Hayden --Schmidtlein, a 6-0 sophomore, earned first-team All-Shawnee County recognition for the second straight season after helping lead the Wildcats to a 22-6 record and Hayden's first Class 4A state championship since 2004. Schmidtlein averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.7 steals, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocked shots.
2025 TSN ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS BASKETBALL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights
KAITLYN ALDRIDGE, Shawnee Heights
A junior, Aldridge earned All-City first-team honors for the second straight season in 2025, winning the city title in the 500-yard freestyle, placing second in the 100 butterfly and helping Shawnee Heights win the 200 free relay and finish third in the 400 free relay. Aldridge placed fourth in the United Kansas Conference in the 100 fly and fifth in the 500 free and swam on the T-Birds' fourth-place 400 free relay. Aldridge competed in the Class 5A-1A state meet.
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural
AUDREY APPUHN, Washburn Rural
Appuhn, a senior three-time All-City honoree, placed in multiple events in the Class 6A state meet for the third straight season last spring, taking third in the 100-yard breaststroke and sixth in the 200 freestyle to lead Rural to an 11th-place team finish. Appuhn won four golds in the city meet (200 free, 100 breast, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay) as Rural won its 22nd straight team title and four golds in the Centennial League meet (200 free, 100 breast, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay). Appuhn was a second-team All-State honoree in 6A in 2025.
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High
HARA DEL CASTILLO, Topeka High
A senior, Del Castillo earned All-City honors for the third straight season in 2025 as the Trojan junior finished second in the city meet in the 100-yard backstroke and third in the 100 freestyle. Del Castillo won Centennial League titles in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke and swam on the Trojans' fourth-place 200 medley relay. Del Castillo competed in the 6A state meet last season.
KAILYN GERDEL, Hayden
Gerdel, a junior was an All-City second-team pick last season after placing third in the city meet in the 200-yard freestyle and swimming on the Wildcats' runnerup 200 medley and 200 free relays. Gerdel finished third in the Centennial League in the 200 freestyle and swam on Hayden's second-place 200 medley and 200 free relays.
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural
SOPHIE HEINEN, Washburn Rural
Heinen, a senior, finished second in the 500-yard freestyle in the city meet and also swam on the Junior Blues' winning 200 medley and 400 free relays. Heinen finished second in the Centennial League in the 500 freestyle and swam on Rural's winning 200 medley and 400 free relays. Heinen swam on the Junior Blues' 11th-place 200 medley and 400 free relays at state.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
AUSTIN BEAN, Hayden
A senior, Bean helped Hayden post a runnerup team finish in the Class 4A state tournament last season, earning second-team All-Shawnee County recognition. Bean finished 10th in the 2025 city championships with a 27-hole score of 127 and shot a 78 in the Centennial League tournament. He tied for 12th in 4A regional competition with an 81 as the Wildcats finished second as a team.
CALEB CLEVERDON, Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin
Cleverdon, a senior, competed for Topeka High during the regular season before competing for High's co-op partner, Cair Paravel, in postseason. Cleverdon tied for sixth in the Class 2A state tournament with a 36-hole total of 155 (76-79), leading the Lions to a fourth-place team finish. A second-team All-Shawnee County pick, Cleverdon finished 10th in a 2A regional (83) for team champion CPLS.
Jack Donovan
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A senior, Donovan was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick for the second straight season last spring after earning a state medal for the second straight year with a tie for sixth in the Class 2A state event with a 36 hole score of 155 (76-79). Donovan was a 2A regional medalist, shooting a Rossville school-record 68 to win the individual championship by 12 strokes.
Peyton Goehring
PEYTON GOEHRING, Washburn Rural
Goehring is a top senior returner for Washburn Rural, which captured its 15th straight city team championship last season and advanced to the Class 6A state tournament as a team with a third-place team finish. Goehring carded a 27-hole score of 129 in the city tournament, missing the top 10 by two strokes and shot a 78 in the Centennial League tournament and finished 23rd at regionals.
Higgins Hawks
HIGGINS HAWKS, Washburn Rural
Hawks, a senior, earned his first All-Shawnee County first-team honor for the Junior Blues last season. Hawks tied for fifth in the city tournament with a 27-hole score of 124 as Rural won its 15th straight city championship. Hawks shot an 80 at regionals to tie for 10th as the Junior Blues earned a Class 6A team berth with a third-place finish and tied for 36th at state with a 36-hole score of 156 (75-81).
