By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Five All-Americans, including a national player of the year, headline women's picks No. 41-50 on TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 list.
The late Arica Shepard, a volleyball star at Rossville and a three-time All-American for Emporia State, earned the No. 41 berth on the Top 100 while former Topeka High basketball star Kiki Smith was named the national player of the year in her first college season after helping Hutchinson Community College win the national junior college championship.
Washburn University basketball All-Americans Nikki Olberding (Seaman) and Kelly Jennings (Topeka High) and Fort Hays State All-American Tatyana Legette (Seaman) also earned spots in the latest installment of Top 100 selections as did four-time Class 6A volleyball state champion Alexa Bordewick of Washburn Rural and multi-sport standouts Cierra Ceazer (Shawnee Heights) and Erika Lane (Washburn Rural).
Lauren Mills was a state softball champion at Seaman before a standout career at Wichita State while Ceazer, Jennings, Lane and the late Tisharria Huggins (Topeka West) also won state titles at the high school level.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 WOMEN’S ATHLETES
Rossville native Arica Shepard was a three-time volleyball All-American and four-time All-MIAA selection for Emporia State. [Emporia Gazette]
41. ARICA SHEPARD, Rossville
The late Shepard (Ahlvers) was a three-time AVCA volleyball All-American for the Hornets. She was a four-time All-MIAA performer and a three-time first-team selection. She set the ESU single season and career records in kills, kills per set, double figure kills matches and 20-plus kill matches. As a senior she led the Hornets to the MIAA Championship and the NCAA Regional Championship match in 2009. Shepard passed away in 2017 at the age of 28.
Former Seaman star Nikki Olberding went on to a Hall of Fame women's basketball career at Washburn. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
42. NIKKI OLBERDING, Seaman
Olberding turned in an outstanding career at Seaman before starring at Washburn University, where she scored 1,811 career points and finished her career No. 3 on the Ichabods' career scoring list. Olberding finished her career as a 1998 All-American after scoring 498 points as a senior. Olberding averaged 16.2 points per game for her college career and started 107 of 112 games. She was a three-time, first team All-MIAA pick. As a senior, Olberding was the winner of the MIAA’s Ken B. Jones Award for the outstanding women’s student-athlete of the year. Olberding was inducted into the Washburn Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the MIAA Hall of Fame in 2019.
Lauren Mills helped lead Seaman to the Class 5A state softball tournament in 2016 before going on to a standout career at Wichita State. [Wichita State Athletics]
43. LAUREN MILLS, Seaman
Mills helped lead Seaman softball to the Class 5A state championship in 2016 and the Gatorade Kansas Softball Player of the Year and three-time All-Stater went on to a standout career at Wichita State. Mills hit .696 with 15 homers and 60 RBI as a senior for Seaman. In her final collegiate game, MIlls hit two home runs and a double vs. Nebraska. Mills was a first-team All-American Athletic Conference honoree as a junior and was named to the AAC all-tournament team, helping the Shockers advance to the NCAA tournament. Mills tied an NCAA single-game record with two grand slams vs. Memphis to go with a school record-tying eight RBI. Mills set a WSU record with three home runs in a game against Lamar.
Former Seaman multi-sport star Tatyana Legette went on to be named the MIAA women's basketball player of the year at Fort Hays State. [For Hays State Athletics]
44. TATYANA LEGETTE, Seaman
A three-sport standout at Seaman, Legette went on to an outstanding basketball career at Fort Hays State, earning MIAA Player of the Year and All-America honors as a senior after averaging a team-high 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Legette registered 10 double-doubles her senior season and had career-highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds. She finished her career No. 11 on Fort Hays State's career scoring list (1,256 points) and No. 4 in rebounds (865). She earned second-team All-MIAA honors as a junior, leading the Tigets in scoring, rebounding and assists. Legette was a three-time basketball All-Stater at Seaman and also earned three Class 5A state track and field medals as a junior and senior and was an All-City volleyball pick as a senior.
Alexa Bordewick helped lead Washburn Rural to four straight Class 6A state volleyball titles and also starred in basketball for the Junior Blues before playing collegiately at Pittsburg State. [Pittsburg State Athletics]
45. ALEXA BORDEWICK, Washburn Rural
Bordewick played for her father, Kevin, at Washburn Rural, helping lead the Junior Blues to four straight Class 6A state volleyball titles and also starred in basketball, playing on Rural's 2009 title team and earning All-City, All-Centennial League and All-State honors in both sports. Bordewick averaged 18.3 points, 3.0 steals, 3.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game as a senior in basketball at Rural and had 1,149 assists (11.5 average), 249 disgs and 41 service aces in volleyball. She went on to play basketball at Pittsburg State, twice earning All-MIAA recognition and finishing her career with 811 points and third on PSU's career list with 166 made 3-pointers.
Shawnee Heights product Cierra Ceazer was a three-sport star in high school before playing Division I basketball for Grambling and Indiana State. [Grambling Athletics]
46. CIERRA CEAZER, Shawnee Heights
Ceazer was a star at Shawnee Heights in basketball, volleyball and track and field before embarking on a successful Division I basketball career at Grambling and Indiana State, averaging double figures at both schools, including 13.8 points as a senior for Indiana State with a career-high 28 points. Ceazer played her first two college seasons at Grambling, averaging 11.8 points as a sophomore. Ceazer helped Heights to three Class 5A state basketball berths, averaging 18.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for her high school career. Ceazer helped the T-Birds win the 2009 5A state team title in track and field, including a gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay and three state medals overall. Ceazer was also an All-City pick in volleyball.
Topeka High product Kiki Smith led Hutchinson Community College to the national title as a freshman, earning the national player of the year award. [File photo/TSN]
47. KIKI SMITH, Topeka High
Smith starred in basketball for four seasons at Topeka High before leading Hutchinson Community College to the national National Junior College Athletic Association championship as a freshman and earning national player of the year honors. Now at Arkansas, Smith was also named the MVP in the national tournament and a first-team All-American, averaging 17.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Smith averaged 20.4 points as a senior for Topeka High with 50 3-pointers. Smith was a four-time All-Centennial League and All-Class 6A honoree. Smith helped the Trojans advance to three 6A state tournaments, including a semifinal performance in the COVID-shortened 2020 state event and a second-place finish in 2021.
48. TISHARRIA HUGGINS, Topeka West
Huggins, who died tragically in a 2011 car crash at the age of 29, helped lead Topeka West to the Class 5A state girls basketball championship in 2000 before playing at Wichita State (2000-04), where she started 95 games and ranked in WSU's top five in 3-pointers, free throw percentage, assists and minutes per game. Huggins helped lead Topeka West to a 22-3 record her senior season, with the Chargers beating St. Thomas Aquinas in the state championship game. She was a first-team All-Class 5A and third-team All-State pick her senior season. The 2000 Topeka West team was inducted in the Topeka West Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
49. KELLY JENNINGS, Topeka High
After helping Topeka High win a Class 6A state girls basketball title, the 6-foot-4 Jennings began her college career at Kansas before earning All-America honors at Washburn University. Jennings scored 1,090 points in just two seasons at WU, averaging 19.9 points and 8.5 rebounds as a junior and 21.0 points and 10.3 rebounds as a senior. Jennings shot 59.2 percent from the field as a junior and 58.1 percent as a senior.
A multi-sport standout for Washburn Rural, Erika Lane earned All-MIAA basketball recognition in multiple seasons for Washburn University. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
50. ERIKA LANE, Washburn Rural
Lane earned 12 total letters at Washburn Rural (2009-2013), with four in basketball and volleyball, three in track and field and one in softball. Lane earned All-State recognition in multiple seasons in both volleyball and basketball and was named the city and Centennial League player of the year in both sports. Lane helped Rural win four Class 6A state volleyball championships was also a 6A state medalist in track. Lane played Division I basketball at Tulsa before coming home to play volleyball and basketball at Washburn University, earning All-MIAA recognition multiple seasons in basketball.
51. FAITH ROTTINGHAUS, Shawnee Heights
52. AVERY CLIFTON, Washburn Rural
53. SYDNEY MESSICK, Seaman
54. JAYBE SHUFELBERGER, Washburn Rural
55. JENNIFER PERINE, Rossville
56. RHONDA MATZKE, Silver Lake
57. JAMIE BLAKELY, Washburn Rural
58. ABBY GLYNN, Washburn Rural
59. MEGAN LUCAS, Washburn Rural
60. BILLIE JEAN MOORE, Highland Park
61. BRENDA STOLLE, Silver Lake
62. TAYLOR ZORDEL, Washburn Rural
63. KADENCE JEFFRIES, Topeka West
64. LEEA MURPHY, Shawnee Heights
65. KAIRA HOUSER, Washburn Rural
66. DARBY HIRSCH, Washburn Rural
67. KATHY MOHLER, Silver Lake
68. RACHEL STOUS, Topeka High
69. HAYLEY REED, Seaman
70. KASEY HAMILTON, Washburn Rural
71. SUSAN PUNZO, Shawnee Heights
72. DANIELLE KNIPP, Washburn Rural
73. CHRIS TORREZ, Topeka West
74. MEG GRIFFIN, Topeka West
75. STEFINE PEASE, Shawnee Heights
76. LORI ROENBAUGH, Shawnee Heights
77. TONNA RIEGER, Topeka West
78. KELLI DUDLEY, Topeka West
79. ALEX O'NEAL, Hayden
80. ZEBBIE ROBERTSON, Hayden
81. KRISTIN STRECKER, Hayden
82. HALEY MOLDEN, Washburn Rural
83. SAMMIE SCHURIG, Washburn Rural
84. SANDY WERNER, Washburn Rural
85. KRISTEN CARLSON, Hayden
86. BREANNA LEWIS, Seaman
87. KATIE MERRIAM, Hayden
88. DAJIA ANDERSON, Washburn Rural
89. ADDISON BROXTERMAN, Washburn Rural
90. ALYSSA SCHULTEJANS, Silver Lake
91. KELSEY LEWIS, Washburn Rural
92. MARANDA BELL, Shawnee Heights
93. MARISSA PATTERSON, Shawnee Heights
94. CAITLIN MORRISEY, Topeka West
95. REBEKAH SMITH, Washburn Rural
96. CASSIE WASSENBERG, Shawnee Heights
97. SHAUNA BURRELL, Seaman
98. ABREANNA PARKER, Shawnee Heights
99. BROOKE LaRUE, Hayden
100. RYIN MILLER, Seaman
UPCOMING TOP 100 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
July 20 -- Men's No. 41 through 50.
July 21 -- Women's No. 31 through 40.
July 22 -- Men's No. 31 through 40.
July 23 -- Women's No. 21 through 30.
July 24 -- Men's No. 21 through 30.
July 25 -- Women's No. 11 through 20.
July 26 -- Men's No. 11 through 20.
July 27 -- Women's No.10 through 1.
July 28 -- Men's No. 10 through 1.
