Topeka High's Jaxon Cowdin wins high school athlete of the week for Jan. 22-27
TOPEKA — High school athletes from the Topeka-area shined last week in their basketball tournaments, wrestling meets and swim and dive competitions. The winter season is still rolling on and these athletes have been nominated for the athlete of the week.
Topeka High’s Jaxon Cowdin was named the Capital-Journal’s athlete of the week for Jan. 22-27. Read below about Cowdin’s achievements along with the rest of the nominees.
Andrew Bonebrake, Shawnee Heights wrestling
Bonebrake dominated the competition in the Junction City Invitational on Saturday. He secured first place in the 138-pound division. Bonebrake won his first three matches via pin to send him to the championship bout. The Thunderbird wrestler wasted no time dispatching his opponent as he won via pin in just over a minute. His season record has moved to 26-5 this year.
Jaxon Cowdin, Topeka High diving
Cowdin, one of the top divers in the Topeka-area, finished with another incredible performance last week. He took the title of the Topeka City Championships with a final score of 207.85 which was over 50 points better than the field.
Angelique Gowan-Britt, Highland Park basketball
The senior led the Scots with 18 points in the Scots’ 64-53 defeat to Derby in the third place of the Glacier’s Edge Tournament on Saturday. Gowan-Britt was a key force in the weekend for Highland Park especially in their first round win over Lawrence Free State.
Brylee Meier, Hayden basketball
The junior led the Wildcats in scoring on Saturday. She finished with 17 points as Hayden won the Hiawatha Tournament over Lafayette. Hayden secured the win over Lafayette by a score of 55-45 thanks to Meier’s performance. She was also named to the all-tournament team.
Emma Mitchell, Rossville basketball
Rossville basketball continues to shine thanks to their Emporia State commit Mitchell. She helped the Bulldogs claim the Jefferson County North Tournament championship by defeating the hosts 87-39. Mitchell scored 16 points which helped her secure her 1,000 career points.
Hunter Reno, Seaman wrestling
Reno finished on top of the podium in the 215-pound weight class at last weekend’s SEK Invitational. He was awarded a bye in the first round and followed it with two pins to set him into the first place match. Reno came out victorious via an 11-3 major decision to collect the title. Reno has a season record of 33-8.
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Molly Spader, Washburn Rural wrestling
Spader defender her team’s home meet as she came out on top in the 105-pound division on Saturday. She took the title of the Washburn Rural Women’s Invitational as she won via pin in her first two bouts. Spader secured an 8-2 decision in the semifinal which led to her championship bout victory via pin. She has an overall record of 23-2 this season. Spader helped Washburn Rural secured the team title by over 100 points.
Maddie Vickery, Washburn Rural basketball
The freshman was rock solid for the Junior Blues at the Capital City Classic last weekend. Vickery scored a game-high 25 points in the semifinal win against No. 2 ranked Wichita Heights. Vickery followed it with a 16-point performance against Wichita South in the championship game. Washburn Rural fell to Wichita South in overtime 44-38, but it was Vickery’s solid play that kept the team alive all tournament.
Previous Winners
Dec. 4-9: Will Powell, Washburn Rural swimming
Dec. 11-16: Kendra Hurla, Rossville wrestling
Jan. 2-6: Detrick Johnson, Topeka High wrestling
Jan. 8-13: Maddie Gragg, Seaman basketball
Jan. 15-21: Imani McGlory, Topeka West basketball
Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka High's Jaxon Cowdin named HS athlete of the week for Jan. 22-27