The top 25 Wichita-area high school athletes we wish we could have seen this spring

Unfortunately, all Class of 2020 seniors have walked off the field or gotten out of the pool for the last time in high school.

To honor some of the top student-athletes in the Wichita-area, here are the top 25 we wish we could have seen compete in this spring.

1. Tanner Leslie - Campus baseball, Sr.

The returning Class 6A Player of the Year was ready to lead Campus back to the state tournament for a push as repeat champions.

Leslie was an All-Metro selection last season as a junior after the Colts went 23-2 for their first title since 1991. Leslie hit for a .500 average and was 8-1 on the mound. His versatility makes him one of the top prospects in Kansas.

2. Angela Palmer - Maize South soccer, Sr.

As far as entertainment value, Palmer might have the best bang for your buck in the Wichita-area.

Battling through injuries as a junior, she still finished the season with her second All-Metro selection with 17 goals and eight assists. She was named the MVP of AVCTL II and is pledged to Emporia State.

3. Cooper Schultz - Andover Central golf, Sr.

Schultz landed on the inaugural All-Metro boys golf team two years ago as a sophomore and was poised to become the first to make it in three straight years.

Pledged to Kansas State, he averaged 70.9 strokes as a junior, which was No. 2 in Kansas. He finished tied for seventh at state in Class 5A and won the Jaguars’ regional tournament. Andover Central was going for its fourth straight team title.

4. Sophia Buzard - Maize softball, Sr.

Pledged to Kansas, Buzard has been one of the most consistent players in the state throughout her career at Maize.

Buzard earned an All-Metro nod as a junior on a team that featured no seniors. Maize was poised for a return-to-glory season with Buzard at the helm after hitting for a .550 average, 1.463 OPS with 44 hits. She struck out only three times.

5. Astrid Dirkzwager - Wichita East swimming, Sr.

Dirkzwager has earned individual All-Metro bids in back-to-back seasons and almost certainly was going to make it three as a senior.

Signed to Georgia Tech, she won the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard freestyle at state in Class 6A last year. She also was part of Wichita East’s 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams that won state championships.

6. Jaleel Montgomery - Wichita West track, Jr.

One of the standout sophomores in all of Kansas across all sports last year, Montgomery shined as a smooth hurdler at West.

He earned All-Metro honors winning the 110-meter hurdles at 14.17 seconds. His season-best at 14.08 was good for No. 19 all-time in Kansas. He will return for his senior season looking to make state history.

7. Taryn Lubbers - Bishop Carroll soccer, Sr.

No soccer player in the Wichita-area controls the game quite like Lubbers.

A senior pledged to K-State, she is a midfield mastermind who was set to lead Bishop Carroll in what was expected to be one of its most successful seasons. An All-Metro selection as a junior, she led the Golden Eagles to a Titan Classic title, City League championship, regional title and quarterfinal victory.

8. Katelyn Fairchild - Andale track, Jr.

Fairchild is the best javelin thrower in the Wichita area, earning All-Metro honors, and one of the best in the country.

After winning the Class 4A title with a toss of 156 feet, 11 inches. It was a personal record and No. 14 mark all-time. She also came fourth in shot put and discus. She travels across the country and will return to the high school scene in 2021 for her senior season.

9. Grant Adler - Derby baseball, Sr.

Derby’s do-it-all athlete, Adler was set to finish his career with his No. 1 sport: baseball.

A two-time All-Metro selection, Adler came on strong to finish last season with another trip to the state tournament. Signed with Cowley County Community College, one of the top juco programs in the country, he finished his career with a junior season that featured a 1.00 ERA and 65 strikeouts.

10. Elijah Mosley - Wichita Heights track, Jr.

Mosley became one of the coolest stories in Kansas track last year, following his sister, Christal Mosley, by winning the Class 5A 400 meters at 48.29 seconds.

Mosley earned All-Metro honors as just a sophomore after transferring to Heights. His state time in the 400 was the No. 1 mark across all classifications last season.

11. Ariana Dirkzwager - Wichita East swimming, So.

Dirkzwager was one of the top freshmen in the state last year and earned All-Metro honors in the 500-yard freestyle at 5:08.41, finishing runner-up.

12. Reagan Smith - Bishop Carroll softball, Sr.

Smith was already a two-time All-Metro selection and was looking to become the latest Bishop Carroll softball player to make it three straight. She helped the Eagles to a 22-3 record and runner-up finish at state last year with a 0.87 WHIP.

13. Jackson Hartley - Campus baseball, Sr.

Hartley was a two-time All-Metro selection at Campus and helped the Colts to their first state baseball title since 1991. He earned a scholarship to Iowa Western Community College.

15. Khloe Schuckman - Bishop Carroll soccer/track, Jr.

Arguably the fastest player in the Wichita-area, Schuckman is a nightmare for defenses as a sophomore and was set for more as a junior. Pledged to Washburn, she will return as a senior in 2021.

14. Koby Burdett - Goddard baseball, Sr.

Burdett jumped onto the scene in Wichita area baseball last year. He earned All-Metro honors as Goddard’s leader. He was the AVCTL II MVP and hit for a .476 average.

16. Maci McCullough - Wichita West swimming, Sr.

Perhaps Wichita West’s best swimmer in school history, she earned her second straight All-Metro selection last year in the 200-yard freestyle, setting the City League record and state championship at 1:51.87. She is signed with Arkansas-Little Rock.

17. Grace Thompson - Sedgwick track, Sr.

Thompson is one of the most dynamic track athletes in Kansas. Competing in the 100 meters, 200 meters, shot put and discus, she didn’t finish lower than sixth at state last year, earning All-Metro honors.

18. Cole Diffenbaugh - Mulvane track/baseball, Sr.

Diffenbaugh was one of the rare two-sport spring athletes in Kansas. Last year, he ran track at state and helped Mulvane to a top four finish in state baseball in the same weekend.

19. Hope Jackson - Bishop Carroll track, So.

Jackson was named the Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year in the fall and was looking to improve on an All-Metro season in which she earned a trio of top-five finishes, including runner-up in the 3,200 meters at 11:15.15.

20. Blake Mitchell - Goddard baseball, Sr.

Mitchell is one of the most powerful hitters in the area and was poised for a spot on this year’s All-Metro team. Signed with Cowley County, his game should translate well to the college level.

21. Riley Petz - Cheney track, Sr.

Petz won last year’s Class 3A 300-meter hurdles. Signed with K-State for football after a semifinal appearance, he was looking to finish his Cheney career on another high note.

22. Yossi Villagrana - Wichita East soccer, Jr.

Sometimes it seemed like Villagrana had the ball tied to her boots. With quick feet and outstanding vision, she was set to become a leader of one of the best girls soccer teams in the Wichita area this season.

23. Brooke Hammond - Garden Plain track, So.

Hammond was one of the top freshman athletes in Kansas last year. She was part of the All-Metro 4x100-meter relay team that won the Class 2A title. She won the 100 and 200 meters individually, too, along with a team title.

24. Kyla Eck - Andale softball, Jr.

Eck was a borderline All-Metro selection last year, following in the footsteps of her sister, Macie Eck. She was set to lead Andale back toward a state championship in 2020 after a runner-up finish to Augusta last year.

25. Brian Simon - Bishop Carroll track, Sr.

Signed with K-State, 2020 looked to be Simon’s time after a runner-up finish to teammate Ethan Hull at state last year with a mark of 15-foot-9 (and a seed mark of 16-4). He was one of the top athletes to never earn All-Metro honors.

Hayden Barber

The Wichita Eagle

316-269-6760

Wichita Eagle preps reporter Hayden Barber brings the area updates on all high school sports while adding those hard-to-find human-interest stories on Wichita’s student-athletes.