By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Seaman's girls swimming team fell just short of winning an event in Saturday's Class 5A-1A state championship at the Shawnee Mission District Aquatic Center, but three runnerup finishes and six trips to the finals paved the way for a strong third-place team finish for the Vikings.
Seaman senior Avery Walz closed out a banner high school career with a pair of second-place finishes and four medals overall in Saturday's Class 5A-1A state meet. [File photo/TSN]
Senior star Avery Walz finished second in both the 200-yard individual medley (2 minutes, 9.40 seconds) and the 100 freestyle (53.17) and she also teamed with junior Joslynn Grace and seniors Tauren Walz and Avery Samuelson to post a runnerup finish in the 200 medley relay (1:56.90) and a fifth-place finish in the 200 free relay (1:44.47).
Seaman senior Tauren Walz earned four Class 5A-1A top-eight finishes on Saturday, helping the Vikings post a third-place team finish. [File photo/TSN]
eaman junior Joslynn Grace placed in four events in the Class 5A-1A state events, helping the Vikings finish third in 5A-1A as a team. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman also got a fourth-place finish from Tauren Walz in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.95) and an eighth in the 100 butterfly (59.97) while Grace finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.12) and eighth in the 200 individual medley (2:15.23).
It all added up to 147 points, with the Vikings third behind team champion Blue Valley Southwest (253) and Andover (198).
Saturday was Seaman's fourth straight top-five state team finish.
Washburn Rural sophomore Audrey Appuhn was a double Class 6A state medalist for the second straight season on Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
Appuhn earns pair of state medals in 6A
For the second straight season Washburn Rural sophomore standout Audrey Appuhn captured a pair of individual state medals in the 6A state championships.
Appuhn finished fifth in the 200 individual medley (2:12.72) and sixth in the 500 freestyle (5:17.70) to lead Rural to a 13th-place team finish with 73 points.
Sophomore Rhiannon Good posted a seventh-place finish in the one-meter diving event (359.40).
Appuhn, Genevieve Miranda, Jella Belgardt and Molly Didde won the 'B' final (ninth place) in the 200 medley relay (1:59.01) while Miranda, a junior, finished 11th in the 'B' final in the 50 freestyle (25.84).
Hayden sophomore Kaylee Gregg finished fifth in the Class 5A-1A state meet in the one-meter diving event Saturday, her second straight top-10 state finish. [File photo/TSN]
Gregg posts fifth-place finish in 5A-1A diving
Hayden junior Kaylee Gregg posted a fifth-place finish in the 5A-1A one-meter diving event, advancing to the finals for the second straight season.
Kaylee Gregg posted a score of 364.80 while her younger sister Maddie, a freshman, finished 11th with a score of 280.95.
Kaylee Gregg had finished 10th as a sophomore in the 2023 state meet.
Emporia sophomore Allisyn Weiss captured the state title with a winning score of 451.20.
