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Archives for October 2023

Lexi Thompson to play in PGA Tour’s Shriners Children’s Open

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By: Michael Collins, ESPN Senior Writer

Lexi Thompson is set to become the seventh woman ever to tee it up against the men on the PGA Tour.

Thompson, 28, accepted a sponsor invitation to play in the Shriners Children’s Open, which begins Oct. 12 in Las Vegas.

“I’m hopeful that my ability to play with the men next week at the Shriners Children’s Open sends a great message to the young women that you can chase your dream regardless of how hard it is,” Thompson said in a statement Wednesday announcing her entry. “I’m grateful to Shriners Children’s for this opportunity to spend the week alongside these inspirational kids.”

Thompson is no stranger to making history. At age 12 in 2007, she became the youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. She also became the youngest winner of an LPGA tournament when she took the Navistar LPGA Classic at age 16 in 2011.

Since joining the LPGA in 2012, Thompson has 11 victories.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lexi to the 2023 tournament,” said Patrick Lindsey, executive director of the Shriners Children’s Open. “We are eager to have Lexi on the course and continue to break through barriers.”

Brittany Lincicome was the last woman to play a PGA Tour event, teeing it up at the 2018 Barbasol Championship. Ten years before that, Michelle Wie West played in the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. Wie West played in eight PGA Tour events throughout her career. The other women who have played on the tour: Suzy Whaley, Annika Sorenstam, Shirley Spork and Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Aliyah Boston is the unanimous pick for WNBA Rookie of the Year

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By: Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Aliyah Boston is the unanimous selection for the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, receiving all 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina proved to be everything and more for the Indiana Fever this season, putting together one of the best rookie seasons on record. Her 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game helped the Fever to 13 wins, an improvement from the five games they won last season.

Boston led all rookies in scoring, rebounds, steals, blocks and minutes per game. She also became just the sixth rookie All-Star starter.

In the first six games of her career, Boston averaged 15 points per game on 70% shooting – something no other WNBA player had done before. And she’s the first player in WNBA history to average 15 points per game on 60% shooting through 20 career games.

“Aliyah’s not normal. She’s not the normal rookie,” Fever veteran Erica Wheeler said. “She understands what it means to be a great teammate, and a great sister, too. She’s a franchise player.”

In August, Boston became the fourth rookie in WNBA history to have a 25-point, 10-rebound, four-steal game. She finished the season with 11 double-doubles to lead the 2023 rookie class.

Joining Boston on the All-Rookie team are Dorka Juhász and Diamond Miller of the Minnesota Lynx, Li Meng of the Washington Mystics and Jordan Horston of the Seattle Storm.

Female kickers make a historic achievement

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CONOR NICHOLL | Great Bend Tribune

ANDALE – Andale senior Marlo Sullivan has served as the Indians’ kicker all four years and comes from an athletic family.

Marlo’s older sister, Maguire, played in 35 matches for Kansas State soccer from 2018-2021. Maguire Sullivan graduated from Wichita Carroll. Her two siblings are Malone and Marlo.

Last week, Sullivan and Nickerson kicker Ayla Ontjes delivered a rare feat in an 85-7 Andale victory.

Sullivan made multiple extra points, while Ontjes was successful on her second-quarter attempt. Nickerson assistant football coach Parker Bruce is an Andale graduate, and his mother Mindy, has worked in the Andale administration.

This marks the second time in Kansas high school football history that female kickers on opposing teams scored on kicks.
Andale, owns the nation’s longest football winning streak at 56, often tries for two points. Sullivan has consistently converted extra points when given the opportunity. 
Her statistics are similar the last three seasons.
Notably on Oct. 30, 2020, Sullivan kicked two extra points in a 74-7 win versus Larned. In 2021, she was the first girl to score in a state title game with three extra points.
In 2022, Sullivan earned second-team all league honors and finished 23-of-29 on extra points. That included 2-of-3 on extra points in the 3A state championship against Holton.

Andale coach Dylan Schmidt told SunflowerSportsSolutions.com (S3) that Sullivan converts 90% of her practice kicks.

As a freshman, she asked coach Schmidt to tryout as a kicker.

Sullivan is the second girl to score in a state title. In 2016, Maroa-Forsyth’s Reilly Fitzpatrick converted an extra point in the 2A Illinois state championship game.
Sullivan has earned numerous opportunities since Andale has tallied at least 64 points in a 5-0 start.

Sullivan made 1-of-2 extra points Week 1 against Wellington in a 75-28 victory. She made 4-of-5 extra points in a 64-13 win versus Rose Hill in Week 2.
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Sullivan will finish her career as a top-five female kicker in Kansas annals. Ontjes kicks extra points and has played volleyball, basketball and soccer.
Ontjes made 4-of-5 extra points in 2022, and missed her other extra point before Friday. Ontjes had 122 digs for Nickerson volleyball last season, and was recovering from injury in late August.
Ontjes comes from an athletic family with sisters Madison and Kieryn. Madison played soccer at Hutchinson Community College.
S3’s main sourcing came from an extensive database called LuckyShow.org, a website cited by MaxPreps and other major news outlets on various sports statistics.
LuckyShow.org is run by Paul S. Luchter, known for his documentation and database work. Luchter, a Columbia University graduate in Operations Research, wrote on his Linked In page: “It is fun and easy recording documents and associated work. I am accurate, enthusiastic, quick and personable. No one can do it better.”
Pertinent information was also confirmed by S3 through newspaper and online accounts.
On Oct. 28, 2005, Topeka’s Anne Schafer kicked a 40-yard field goal in a 57-3 loss against Lawrence. In the same contest, Lawrence’s Abby Vestal kicked three extra points. The 40-yarder is the longest reported field goal by a girl in Kansas history.
Schafer made a field goal and cut Lawrence’s deficit to 21-3. Vestal tallied her first extra point in the second quarter.

“Topeka High’s Anne Schafer showed off her leg in this attempt,” the Lawrence Journal World wrote. “She boomed this low, line drive just over the cross bar on a long field goal try, giving the Trojans their only points.”
Vestal played for Lawrence as a junior and senior. She was invited to come out by former longtime Lawrence coach Dirk Wedd, who saw her play for the LHS soccer team.
On Sept. 2, 2005, Vestal made two extra points in a 49-7 win versus Leavenworth. On Sept. 16, 2005, Schafer’s Topeka team won 36-13 versus Shawnee Mission. Vestal’s Lawrence squad won 35-14 against SM North. Schafer went 4-for-4 on extra points, and Vestal was 5-5.

Seven weeks later, the teams met up in a Week 9 matchup. Topeka was highly depleted entering the season’s final contest. Lawrence viewed itself a state contender. Both girl kickers scored.
In 2006, Vestal opened the season with 10-of-11 extra points.

“She’s done everything we’ve asked of her and more,” Wedd said to the LJ-World. “There are no gifts here.”
On Sept. 1, 2006, Vestal kicked three extra points in a 34-27 versus Olathe North.
Vestal also kicked a 25-yard extra point and 20-yard field goal in a 16-3 win versus SM East Sept. 29, 2006. Vestal had a 22-yard field goal in a 31-7 win versus Washburn Rural Oct. 13, 2006.
After high school, Vestal had successful kicking games in an indoor professional men’s league.
Two female kickers have scored in the same game for opposing teams a couple of times in different states, including Louisiana, Indiana, California, New York, Nevada, Washington D.C. and Missouri.
A Nov. 16, 1991 New York game marked the first time two females both scored in the same contest. A 2006 Illinois game featured two girls on the same team scoring on the same team. This also happened in South Carolina in ’08, Michigan in ’14 and Louisiana in 2020, per Lucky Show.
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Labette County’s Missy Dantic enjoyed a standout career. She made an extra point Sept. 13, 2013. On Sept. 5, 2014, Dantic kicked a 31-yard field goal in a 51-10 loss to Independence.
The 31-yarder marked a milestone for Dantic on several levels. Per Kpreps, it was believed to be a school record and her first field goal in a game.
Dantic was a longtime club soccer player from Owasso, Okla. and attended Labette County as a freshman. Then-LC coach Jesse Ybarra approached her midway through her freshman season if she would consider kicking for the Grizzlies. Dantic earned second team all-SEK as a junior.
“When we talk about sending her out for a field goal, it’s not one of those deals where we’re rolling the dice and she might make something happen,” Ybarra told KPreps. “We’re pretty confident that if we got a good snap and a good hold, she’s probably going to strike it well. If we stall out somewhere close, we feel pretty confident that we can at least put some points on the board and come away with something on the drive. In high school football, that’s a rarity almost.”
A week later, Dantic made a 33-yard field goal in a 43-31 loss to Osawatomie. In 2015, Dantic combined for 18 kicking points in two games and 32 for the season. That included a career-best 34-yard field goal.
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Rossville’s Alyssa Howard is also one of the top girl kickers in Kansas history. In 2005, Howard kicked an extra point in a 25-0 win versus Sabetha. Howard kicked four extra points Oct. 21, 2005.
In a 20-10 loss to Silver Lake, Howard made a 27-yard field goal Sept. 8, 2006. She kicked two extra points and two field goals on Oct. 31, 2006 in a 27-13 win versus Jefferson County North.
Wichita Collegiate showcased a brother-and-sister combination in a 52-0 win versus Wellington Sept. 30, 2016. Addison Harris was 6-of-6 on extra points and Bekah Harris kicked a field goal.
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The Centennial League has had several female kickers. Topeka High’s Ruth Fiander kicked field goals in 2014. Topeka Highland Park’s Ruth Cazier notably scored in a couple games in 2014.
Recently, Topeka High’s Talayah Thomas, a standout basketball player, kicked for the Trojans. Notably, Thomas made 7-of-7 extra points Oct. 2, 2020.
Outside of the City League, Andi Basalo made six extra points for Blue Valley North in a 48-13 win versus Blue Valley Northwest in 2017.
Hillary Krebs had seven kicking points in a 13-6 win for Sabetha against Nemaha Central.
In 2019, Goddard’s Brooke Sullivan kicked six of six extra points in a 48-0 win versus Arkansas City. Sullivan went to Goddard and played soccer for Kansas State. She played soccer, football and basketball for the Lions.
Riverton’s Chloe Parker had three extra points in a 52-0 win versus Baxter Springs in 2021.
Last year, Mission Valley had a 29-12 win versus McLouth on Sept. 30, 2022. MV’s Hemi Duejring made two of two extra points. Duejring made four extra points last year

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