Wellington celebrates Lady Crusader Basketball state championship

Sat, 03/29/2025 - 14:38

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Wednesday evening’s celebration of this extraordinary basketball team honored their historic accomplishment in its own right, but it was also a testament to family, to community, and to everyone who laid the foundation for and inspired this moment.

Photos by Tanner Ford, Katie Ford, and Kelsey Whaley

Throngs of people gathered downtown on Wednesday evening, March 8, to celebrate the Lady Crusaders' historic victory over Bishop Miege to earn WHS Girls Basketball its first state title in program history. The evening began with a parade and pep rally and concluded with a poster-signing event and screening of the championship game at the Regent Theater.

Ashley Koerner, Debbie Kimball, Cindy Adams, and Janice Lucas Horsch arrive early for the parade. — *Ashley Koerner, Debbie Kimball, Cindy Adams, and Janice Lucas Horsch arrive early to the parade.*

The parade participants included, of course, the 2025 Class 4A State Champions, high school marching band, cheer squad, and the dance team. Touchingly, the procession also included many *future* Lady Crusaders: the participants of the Wellington Recreation Commission's youth basketball program this winter and the 7th and 8th grade girls teams of WMS. Bringing up the rear of the procession--driven in a golf cart by her father Nate--was Lady Crusader Kylan Gregory, just one day out of an ACL surgery that she postponed until after the season to ensure that she was able to contribute to the team's success while playing through her injury in the state games.

gregory cart — Kylan Gregory rides in the parade in a golf cart driven by her father Nate. Kylan had ACL surgery on her knee the day prior to the parade after holding off on the procedure for three months so that she could finish out the season playing through her injury.

From the USD 353 Central Office, the champions paraded up main street to rally at Heritage Park, where WHS Activities Director Elly Carter-Johnson introduced the crowd to Wellington alumna Betty Kay Zeka, who congratulated the team and coaching staff on their season and state victory. She then regaled the crowd with the origin story of women's basketball in Wellington: In the 70's after the Zekas moved from Oklahoma to Wellington, Kansas, their mother Ethel Zeka was discouraged to discover that there was no girls basketball team at Wellington High School like her older daughter had participated in at their old school. Ethel took the matter to the school board, and her advocacy is directly responsible for establishing the girls program that exists today. Fifty years later, Ethel Zeka's great-granddaughters Brittan Zeka, Elle Wright, Dru Zeka, and Vivienne Wright are members of the team bringing home Wellington's first state title for the sport.

betty zeka — *Betty Zeka speaks before the crowd gathered at Heritage Park. Betty was part of the first Lady Crusaders basketball team that started the program that exists today.*

Kelly Adams, younger brother of Lady Crusaders Head Coach Eric Adams, introduced his big brother and shared with the crowd Coach Adams' path to the head coach position through coaching his daughters and nieces when they were young and listed the many accolades in his coaching career. Coach Adams recognized each of his seniors by name and praised them individually: team manager Anna Ewing and players Kyndal Rusk, Ella Goodrum, Val Norwood, and Britt Zeka. Adams paid tribute to the dedication and tenacity of his whole team, and Coach Adams and his assistant coach Kelly Nance thoroughly thanked everyone--in the school, the student body, their own families and players' families, and the community--for their support and contributions to the success of the team. They and designated speaker for the seniors, Britt Zeka, noted how special a place Wellington is. Zeka also brought many of the players' parents to tears--and notably her dad Colby--with her heartfelt thanks to them on her behalf and on behalf of her teammates.

britt — *Senior Britt Zeka continues the "thank you's" from the team, showing appreciation for all the parents and families and giving shout outs to Ryan Jenkins and Crusader Radio, Big Cheese, and Pizza Hut.*

Many attendees then followed the team to the Regent Theater, where posters were available for purchase and the Lady Crusaders were posted up at tables prepared to autograph said posters for their many fans. Once the lines of people died down, the lights were dimmed and attendees settled in to watch the stream of the game with color commentary originally recorded at the game by Ryan Jenkins and Shane Farley and broadcast on the radio. But before the "game film" "rolled," there were a couple of special features!

First was a message from some former Lady Crusaders: Erianne Adams (eldest daughter of Coach Adams) and Dani Anderson Reisman, two 2012 senior players--along with current assistant coach Ashlyn Whaley--who led the Lady Crusaders to their first ever state berth under then-coach Kevin Hackerott. The pair appeared via an earlier-recorded video meeting app, and gave an engaging nearly 10-minute message that enthusiastically congratulated this team on taking their place in history while lovingly paying respect to the journey that led them there.

dani anderson and erianne adams — Dani Anderson and Erianne Adams, Class of 2012, playing in home games in 2011 photographed by the late Steve Sturgis. Anderson and Adams were both coached by Eric Adams growing up and in middle school, and both athletes were part of Kevin Hackerott's Crusader team who were the first to qualify for the 4A state tournament in 2012. Eric Adams has led the Lady Crusaders to State seven times since during his tenure as WHS's head coach.

Dani, who lives in Tampa, Florida, and Erianne, who lives in Chicago, Illinois, told the 2025 championship team that the important memories will stay with them through the years. Reismen said, "You play in so many games...you don't remember how many points you scored--you won't remember all those little things. It's the trips on the bus. It's the sisters next to you." Erianne added, " it's not just who was on court with you...it's also the people who showed up for you time and time again behind the scenes." She then brought up two gentlemen who are not here to celebrate in the 2025 team's success: her grandfather Kenny Adams and Crusader website founder Steve Sturgis.

Of Steve, Erianne said, "He photographed nearly every event, every game, not just to document the score but to capture the most precious memories with our friends and with our families," and she assured the athletes present that Steve was smiling down on them and is very proud of them today. "I also have to mention my Papa [Ken Adams]. He was a lifelong Crusader fan and the unofficial 'official' statistician...He loved watching every single team that my dad produced. He loved this town and everything it stood for. So I know he's smiling down right now on this team, but especially on my dad because he would be so incredibly proud of the dedication my dad has poured into this program...My Papa believed in us because he believed in my dad first."

steve and kenny — Left: Steve Sturgis photographs Maddie Lewellen in the 2015 basketball season during which the girls sported shoes memorializing Ken Adams with the handwritten message "Play4PaPa" after he passed away on January 25, 2015. Sturgis created what is now the wellington.cc website in 1999 and documented the Crusaders' successes and memories with his words and photographs until his death on January 25, 2022. (Photo by Katie Ford) Right: Kenny Adams sits with wife Cindy among the fans at a 2004 home football game to support Wellington and the Adams' assistant coach son Kelly Adams. (Photo by Steve Sturgis)

Dani also paid homage to other Lady Crusaders who made their mark on Wellington basketball, including reminiscing that as kids their dreams were fueled by watching hometown "legends" Lindsey Davis (WHS '05) and Courtney Goodrum (WHS '07, and daughter of Lady Crusader Basketball record-holder Lori Goodrum Phelps who graduated in 1987). "We've had strong standout players who laid the bricks for this foundation...Lauryn Snipes, Mekenna Adams, Grace Mitchell, Ali Zeka, Sarah Amrein, Caitie Williams, all these girls..." Reisman acknowledged that there were surely many names she was forgetting to mention and praised these past Crusaders for their contributions to the "growth and respect of Wellington basketball."

Before the main feature began, a little mini-documentary of sorts played, edited by AD Elly Carter-Johnson with clips recorded by team manager Tatum Edwards of all the activities the girls participated in to prepare for their rematch with Miege. Senior manager Anna Ewing said in conversation to me on the day of the game, "The girls are determined to make history and ready to finally beat Miege!!! Tatum is taking lots of videos today to document each moment leading up to tonight's game." Anna's comments and the videos reinforce the coaches' observations of the team made during the rally earlier in the evening: that they could see it in the players’ eyes and in their body language and in their behavior. This team was ready for this moment.

screenshot for edwards johnson video — Watch the "Day in the Life of the Champions" Video
Videoed by Tatum Edwards & Edited by Elly Carter-Johnson

In all, the evening's celebrations were the perfect tribute to a team and a moment that was a long time coming for the Lady Crusaders in a season that just felt meant to be. Kudos to everyone who organized and aided in every aspect of the celebration Wednesday night. It was a fitting end to an incredible season for an incredible team.

Members of the 2024-2025 Lady Crusaders are Ella Goodrum, Kyndal Rusk, Britt Zeka, Val Norwood, Lyndi Barton, Cruz Cornejo, Kylan Gregory, Kirstyn Gregory, Dru Zeka, Vivienne Wright, Claire Ginter, Addy Schnelle, Isabelle Newman, Caydence Taylor, Anna Ewing, Elle Wright, Tatum Edwards. The coaches are Eric Adams, Kelly Nance, Cat Robert, and Ashlyn Whaley. We are proud of every single one of them.