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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Jaycee Ginter has earned first-team honors for the fourth straight year, leading five members of the the Washburn Ichabod softball team to receive All-MIAA recognition.
Washburn senior Jaycee Ginter has received first-team All-MIAA honors for the fourth straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Ginter earned first-team All-MIAA honors as a pitcher/utility player after leading the Ichabods with a .401 regular-season batting average while collecting a team-high 55 hits, five home runs, 26 walks and 38 runs batted in.
Ginter, a former three-time Class 5A state champion at Shawnee Heights is fifth in the MIAA in batting average, second in on-base percentage, 10th in RBI and eighth in walks.
As a pitcher this season, she enters the MIAA Tournament with a 16-7 overall record with a 2.22 earned run average in 20 starts, striking out 152 batters and holding opponents to a .221 batting average. She is 10th in the MIAA in earned run average, ninth in opposing batting average, second in strikeouts and sixth in wins.
Ginter was also a first-team All-MIAA choice at pitcher/utility as a junior, sophomore and freshman, becoming the first Ichabod in program history to earn first-team All-MIAA honors all four years.
Senior Marrit Mead was a second-team All-MIAA selection at third base and was a Gold Glove Award winner. Sadie Walker was a second-team selection at pitcher while Alexis Tanguma received honorable mention at second base and Madi Moore was the recipient of the Gold Glove Award at catcher.
The Ichabods will be in action on Thursday at the MIAA Tournament, facing Northwest Missouri at 1:30 p.m. in Edmond, Okla.
Mead enters the MIAA Tournament with a .301 batting average, stealing a team-high 24 bases. Mead is second on the team with 46 hits and leads the team with 41 runs scored and tied for the lead with 11 doubles.
Mead has been a four-time All-MIAA selection, earning second-team honors as a junior and first-team All-MIAA honors as a sophomore and freshman. Mead has been the MIAA's Gold Glove selection at third base the last three seasons.
Walker was a second-team All-MIAA pick in the circle, leading the Ichabods with a 1.45 earned run average while going 20-7 in the circle with 16 complete games and six shutouts. Walker added three saves and struck out 148 batters.
Walker's 20 wins leads the MIAA as does her 159 innings pitched. She is also ranked third in strikeouts and fifth in saves.
Tanguma has hit .376 with 41 hits, seven doubles and 21 RBI. During MIAA play she batted .400 with 32 hits driving in 16 in 25 games. Her five sac flies is tied for second in the MIAA.
Moore was one of two freshmen named to the MIAA's Gold Glove team. In 218 chances, Moore had no errors and threw out seven of 17 would-be base stealers.
Emporia State senior Alexis Dial has earned first-team All-MIAA softball honors as an outfielder. [Photo courtesy of Emporia State Athletics]
Emporia State senior Alexis Dial, a former Shawnee Heights standout, earned a berth on the All-MIAA first team as an outfielder.
Dial is batting .432 on the season with a .781 slugging percentage, 20 doubles, five triples, eight home runs, 38 runs and 60 RBI with 15 stolen bases.
She leads the MIAA and ranks ninth nationally in doubles while ranking third in the MIAA and 21st in the nation in RBI.
She is second in the conference in slugging percentage, and total bases, third in batting average, fourth in hits and triples, fifth in on- base percentage and eighth in home runs.
2024 MIAA Softball Postseason Awards
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
A historic win for the Silver Lake softball team could not have been more anti-climactic. Or inconclusive. Or weird.
The afternoon started with the announcement that a doubleheader at Hayden would be played on the Eagles’ home field due to field conditions at Hayden.
Throwing off the Eagles’ pregame routine didn’t affect their bats, however. They reeled off six runs before the visiting “home team” could come to bat.
With the Eagles leading 12-1 after four innings, and storm clouds rapidly blotting the sky, the umpires huddled with coaches and school administrators.
Lightning in the area presaged tornado warnings across northeast Kansas. The umpires determined to rule the game complete with just four innings in the books. The scorekeeper was told to mark zeros in the fifth frame to make the game official.
“They control what they can control,” Silver Lake coach Nick Hamilton said about his players. “They show up and play ball. They were ready to do that. They handled (the changes) well and they came out hot in the first inning.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Two years, two United Kansas Conference titles for Topeka West tennis.
The Chargers, who won the 2023 UKC crown in their first year in the league on the way to the Class 5A championship, swept the singles and doubles titles in Tuesday's meet at Kossover Tennis Center on the way to a title repeat by a 65-61 margin over Piper.
"Today was a little bit tighter of a tournament than last year was,'' Topeka West coach Kurt Davids said. "Hats off to Piper, their first year of having a program and placing second in league and pushing us right to the end.''
Topeka West tennis poses for a team picture after winning its second straight United Kansas Conference team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West seniors Caden McGee (left) and James Maag both reached the 100-win miletone in Tuesday's UKC tennis meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West's senior trio of doubles players Caden McGee and Caleb Weybrew and singles player James Maag keyed the Chargers' title run, with McGee and Weybrew taking an 8-1 win over Piper in the doubles final while Maag took an 8-0 win over Piper's John Vogel.
Both McGee and Weybrew and Maag entered Tuesday's tournament as favorites and came through for the Chargers.
"They kind of did what was expected of them,'' Davids said of McGee, Weybrew and Maag, all returning 5A state placers.
The Chargers also got a fifth-place finish from the doubles team of seniors Alex Engel and Cori Bidwell.
"My (No.) 2 doubles, players of the day guess,'' Davids said. "They were seeded 10th coming in and they finished fifth and their only loss on the day was to the team that finished second, so they really stepped up and come through for us. Without that we wouldn't have done it.''
McGee and Maag also reached career milestones on Tuesday, with both Charger standouts reaching the 100-win mark.
"It's a good milestone, and I didn't even know it was happening,'' Davids said. "I'm just kind of accustomed to those guys being successful and congrats to them and hopefully we'll add a few more than that.''
Seaman finished third as a team in Tuesday's meet while Shawnee Heights tied for fifth.
West, Seaman and Shawnee Heights are also scheduled to compete in the city championship at Kossover on Wednesday before competing in a 5A regional Friday at Emporia.
"I think we're picking at the right time and we're moving in the right direction,'' Davids said.
UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE TENNIS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sophomore Allie Schroeder, freshman Erika Bovell and junior Delaney Hill all scored two goals apiece Monday at Bettis Sports Complex as Washburn Rural's girls soccer team rolled to a 6-0 non-league decision over Shawnee Heights.
Sophomore Allie Schroeder (14) had two goals and two assists in Washburn Rural's 6-0 non-league win over Shawnee Heights at Bettis Family Sports Complex. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Freshman Erika Bovell (10) scored a pair of goals and added an assist in Washburn Rural's 6-0 non-league soccer win over Shawnee Heights Monday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Trinity Schattilly (18) advances the ball as Washburn Rural junior Kate Hinck (9) defends in the Junior Blues' 6-0 non-league win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural, the No. 1 Class 6A West seed, improved to 9-2-0 on the season while extending its win streak to six games.
In addition to her two goals, Schroeder was credited with two assists while Bovell, senior Hayley Legg and junior Kate Hinck also had assists.
Senior Mackenzie Flood and junior Madison Lemke combined for the shutout in goal against the 7-5-0 T-Birds, the sixth straight shutout for the Junior Blues.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Aaron Merritt missed a fourth gold medal in Monday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Seaman Relays by an eyelash, but that did nothing to detract from a spectacular day for the Seaman senior.
Seaman senior Aaron Merritt and Topeka High junior Jaxon Cowdin finished one-two in the boys 110-meter high hurdles Monday at Seaman. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/Special to TSN]
Seaman senior Aaron Merritt (left) and Hayden senior Finn Dunshee (second from left) went one-two in the boys 100-meter dash Monday at Seaman. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/Special to TSN]
Merritt posted individual victories in the boys 100-meter dash in 10.48 seconds and in the 110 high hurdles in 14.31 seconds and also teamed with Peyton Holmes, Bryce Cochran and Jacob Anderson to give Seaman a win in the 4x100 relay in 42.62 seconds.
Merritt posted personal records in both of his individual wins while the Viking relay also improved its best time.
"It was a very good day,'' he said.
Merritt capped his performance with a nailbiting loss in the 200 dash, with Olathe North's Joseph Ouellette, running in another heat, taking the win in 22.13 seconds, with Merritt second in 22.20.
"I talked to (Ouellette) and he hadn't ran it for awhile and I'm happy for him,'' Merritt said. "He ran a big (personal record) and good for him. I wish I could have raced against him.''
After fighting through an ankle injury earlier in the season, Merritt said he's ready for the end-of-the-year grind of city, United Kansas Conference, Class 5A regional and state competition.
"I'm all the way back now,'' Merritt said. "I just need to get some reps in and I'll be back to where I was. I'm pretty confident in where I am and where I need to be.
"Today showed me that my 200 needs some work, some speed and endurance work, but I'm very happy with my 110, 100 and 4x1. Those were all great.''
Other meet highlights:
Seaman sophomore Brody Anderson was the boys 1,600 meters champion in Monday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Seaman Relays. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Seaman also got a win from sophomore Brody Anderson in the boys 1,600 meters in 4:31.11 while Silver Lake senior Eli Ferguson finished third in 4:33.55 while setting a school record.
• Topeka West senior Alesecio Batson, the defending 5A state champion, won the boys triple jump at 44-7.
Seaman junior Jaida Stallbaumer (middle) won the girls 100-meter hurdles in Monday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Seaman Relays. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
• Seaman junior Jaida Stallbaumer won the girls 100 hurdles in 16.06.
• Hayden's boys won the 4x400 relay in 3:26.00 and finished second in the 4x100 relay in 43.02 while senior Finn Dunshee finished second in the 100 in 10.73 and third in the 200 in 22.25 and junior Jensen Schrickel was fourth in the 400 in 49.31.
• Washburn Rural's team of Payton Fink, Emily Graf, Brooklyn Nolte and Rylee Ismert won the 4x800 relay in 9:38.21.
• Topeka High junior Jaxon Cowdin finished a strong second in both the boys 110 and 300 hurdles, clocking a time of 15.35 in the 110 highs and 41.59 in the 300s.
• Topeka High finished second in the girls 4x100 relay in 50.86 while sophomore Keimara Marshall was third in the 100 (12.42) and fourth in the 200 (26.54) and freshman Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton was second in the triple jump (37-7.50) and third in the long jump (17-8).
Hayden senior Natalie Hillebert finished second in the girls 400-meter dash Monday at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Hayden senior Natalie Hillebert was the runnerup in the 400 dash in 59.59.
Silver Lake senior Ava Rottinghaus finished second in the girls javelin in Monday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Seaman Relays. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Silver Lake senior Ava Rottinghaus finished second in the girls javelin with a best throw of 128 feet.
• Silver Lake senior Blake Redmond topped the 22-foot in the boys long jump, finishing fourth at 22-3.50.
BOB CAMIEN/CLAUDIA WELCH SEAMAN RELAYS
