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Depth carries Washburn Rural to 21st straight city girls swimming and diving championship
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman showed its outstanding quality in Friday's girls City Swimming and Diving Championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, winning eight of 12 events.
But in the end it was Washburn Rural's superior depth that ruled the day, with the Junior Blues winning their 21st straight team title by a 580.50-490 margin over the Vikings.
"We do have that depth,'' Washburn Rural coach Bob Burdick said. "I felt pretty good about today overall. I knew Seaman was going to walk in and try to take first place in as many events as they could and I would do that if I had those kids, too.
"But our depth pulled it out. We worked really hard this last week to drop times to make sure we came into this with time drops with everybody and that paid off.''
Burdick said that everyone on the team contributed to the Rural championship.
"Everybody did contribute and I'm really proud of the girls,'' Burdick said. "They worked hard and they earned this.''
Seaman got two individual wins apiece from Avery Walz (100-yard freestyle, 100 backstroke), Tauren Walz (50 freestyle, 100 butterfly) and Joslynn Grace (200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke) and the Vikings' star trio teamed with Avery Samuelson to win the 200 medley and 200 free relays.
Washburn Rural, meanwhile, got individual victories from Audrey Appuhnn in the 200 freestyle and 500 free and Appuhn teamed with Sophie Heinen, Jella Belgardt and Genevieve Miranda to win the meet-ending 400 free relay while Rhiannon Good and Hayden's Kaylee Gregg shared the one-meter diving title, tying in that event in Thursday's diving competition.
The Junior Blues put Appuhn, Belgardt, Miranda, Good, Madeline O'Brien and Molly Didde on the All-City first team, while the Walz twins and Grace represent Seaman on the first team, along with Topeka High's Hara Del Castillo, Shawnee Heights' Ashtynn Landry and Kaitlyn Aldridge and Hayden's Gregg and Presley Green.
Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West will compete in the United Kansas Conference meet at the Cap Fed Natatorium on Tuesday while Hayden, Topeka High and Washburn Rural will compete in the Centennial League meet, which will be held at Cap Fed on Thursday.
CITY SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Seaman softball takes UKC sweep over rival Shawnee Heights, improves to 15-6
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Seaman Vikings swept a softball doubleheader with Shawnee Heights at Lake Shawnee Friday, holding on to win the first game, then blasting away in the second.
“We asked our kids today to have a standard of excellence,” said Seaman coach Jay Monhollon. “When you do that, everybody’s got to buy into that standard. When that happens, that expectation creates positive feelings and you’re able to do your job for the team.”
The first game wasn’t won without some tense moments for the Vikings.
After mounting an 8-2 advantage early, Seaman watched the T-Birds begin to steadily chip away. Shawnee Heights rallied in the bottom of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to narrow the deficit to 8-6.
The T-Birds would get no closer in the final inning. Relief pitcher Addison Sibley shut down the threat in the bottom of the seventh to close it out.
“All I’m doing is just pitching the ball,” Sibley said of holding off the surging T-Birds. “My defense has got my back and is making those great plays behind me. We weren’t nervous.”
Seven city schools to send 18 players to state boys tennis tournaments
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A total of 18 players representing seven city high schools will compete in state tennis tournments next Friday and Saturday at three sites.
Leading the city contingent for state is Centennial League and city team champ Washburn Rural, which added a Class 6A regional championship on Friday at Junction City by a 23-14 margin over Maize while qualifying all six players for the 6A state tournament at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex.
Rural senior Lawsen Lobatos and sophomore Dylan Willingham captured the regional doubles title with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Manhattan's Michael Hwang and Jack Spiegel while senior Dylan Dodge also advanced to the final, finishing second after a 6-4, 6-1 loss to Hayden Herrera of Maize.
Sophomore Keegan Knudtson posted a third-place regional finish for the Junior Blues, taking a 6-2, 6-2 win over Maize's Anvith Natarajan in the third-place match at regionals while sophomores Cale Deutscher and Brayden Kohls finished third in doubles with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 win over Topeka High senior Tate Hodges and junior Alex Raymond in the third-place matches.
Hodges and Raymond also punched their ticket to state, giving the city eight state qualifiers.
CLASS 5A REGIONAL AT EMPORIA
Topeka West, Seaman and Shawnee Heights will send a total of six players to the 5A state tournament at the Andover District Tennis Complex.
United Kansas Conference champion Topeka West, the 2023 5A state champion, will send three players to state, with seniors Caden McGee and Caleb Weybrew finishing second at regionals in doubles while Charger senior James Maag finished third in singles.
McGee and Weybrew dropped a tough three-set decision in the finals to Blue Valley Southwest's Saket Jogannath and Vidhu Reddy, with the Southwest duo taking a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 win.
Maag finished third at regionals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Patrick Lacy of St. Thomas Aquinas in the third-place match as Topeka West finished third as a team.
Seaman senior Gavin Dutton qualified for state with a sixth-place regional finish in singles while Shawnee Heights seniors Roscoe Poyner and Alex Austin finished sixth in doubles.