photo by: Photo courtesy Aaron Clark

Free State's Taryn Jones, left, Eli Ward, middle, and Annie Pilakowski pose with Sunflower League medals at the Sunflower League tennis tournament on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe.

Free State finished fourth in the Sunflower League tennis tournament at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe on Thursday, but the Firebirds’ Eli Ward won the tournament’s singles bracket.

The Firebirds scored 49 points and placed fourth behind Olathe Northwest, Shawnee Mission East and Olathe West. Lawrence placed 13th in the tournament with 4 points.

Ward entered as the No. 1 seed for singles players and went 4-0 in the tournament. After a first-round bye, Ward won her first two matches 8-1 against Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Karli Cunningham and Olathe South’s Marlie Martens. Ward beat No. 5 Heidi Baillos 8-4 to reach the first-place match, which she won 8-2 over No. 3 Seraphine Besong. Baillos and Besong both play for Olathe Northwest.

Fellow Firebird Cami Lee entered as the No. 6 seed in the singles bracket and finished sixth. Lee started with two 8-0 wins in the opening rounds. She lost her first match in the third round to Besong 8-4 and went to the fifth-to-eighth bracket. There, Lee went 1-1 to place sixth overall. Lee won 8-3 over Olathe East’s top singles player, Mia Huettenmueller, but lost 8-5 in the fifth-place match to No. 4 Lindsay Ruder of Olathe West.

For the Lions, Kate Neilson bounced back from an opening loss to Lee and won her second match 8-5. Neilson won 8-3 over Shawnee Mission West’s top singles player, Yuki Liu, to advance to the consolation semifinals. There, Neilson lost 8-1 to Mill Valley’s Clara Budimlija to conclude her tournament run. Lawrence’s Ellorie Severin lost her two matches in the tournament and finished in the consolation bracket.

In doubles, Free State’s top team of Taryn Jones and Annie Pilakowski finished 10th overall as the No. 7 seed. Jones and Pilakowski started with an 8-1 win in the first round but lost their second match of the tournament 8-5. The duo advanced to the ninth-to-16th bracket and won their next two matches, 8-4 and 8-6, to reach the ninth-place match. There, Jones and Pilakowski lost 8-4 to finish 10th in the league tournament.

Free State’s second doubles team of Violet Nelson and Laura Turner lost both of its two matches of the tournament 8-2 and finished in the consolation bracket.

The Lawrence doubles teams of Lucy Miller-Coleman and Emma Over and Makayla Denton and Lily Baldridge each went 0-2 in their tournament runs.

The Sunflower League tournament determines seeding in the regional tournament, which in turn decides who earns a state tournament berth. Both Free State and Lawrence will compete in the 6A Gardner Edgerton Regional on Oct. 11.

Free State takes seventh, Lawrence 15th in Lawrence golf invitational

Free State placed seventh with a 371 score, and Lawrence finished 15th with a 448 score in the Lawrence Invitational on Wednesday at Eagle Bend Golf Course.

Free State’s Claire Heinritz led her team by scoring an 86, which was 23rd individually. Fellow Firebird Laurel Stancil placed 29th at 88, and Tola Jankowski rounded out Free State’s top three by shooting a 95 in the tournament, which was 38th overall.

Mallory White scored a 102, and Haylee Graham shot 111 to round out the team’s top five. Avery Lonnberg finished with a 122 score as the sixth Firebird in the invitational.

For the Lions, Cami Nauholz led the team with a 106 score, and Keira Wells shot a 111 in the invitational.

Mila Morrison finished four strokes behind Wells at 115, and Isabelle Richards shot a 116. Lola Johnson rounded out the top five for the Lions with a 123 score.

Free State and Lawrence will compete in a final tournament on Monday at St. Andrews Golf Club before the postseason begins with the regional tournament the following Monday.