Chris Wristen Shawnee/Bonner Springs/Basehor Sports Editor
Chris Wristen is the sports editor for The Shawnee Dispatch, Bonner Springs Chieftain and Basehor Sentinel. Prior to this appointment, he helped launch The Lansing Current, a weekly newspaper in Lansing, Kan. He spent 3 1/2 years there as the sports editor and helped The Current become an award-winning publication on the state and national levels. The Current finished second in the Inland Press Association's Nation's Best Non-Daily Newspaper Competition in the under-5,000 circulation division in 2007. Chris also has been a sports reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal and the Lawrence Journal-World. Chris is a Kansas native. He earned his bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas in Spring 2002 and completed his Masters Degree in Sports Administration at KU in December 2003. While at KU, his in-depth feature "Players get the hollers, KU keeps the dollars," placed third nationally in the William Randolph Hearst Sportswriting Competition. Chris was recognized numerous times by the Kansas Press Association for his work at The Lansing Current. He has been a frequent winner in the KPA's Awards of Excellence competition. His KPA honors in the Nondaily Division 2 category include: 2005 First place - Sports feature story, "The rise of Logan Ryan." 2006 First place - Sports column writing. 2006 Third place - Sports feature story, "Remembering a legend." 2006 Honorable mention - Sports story, "Nietzke ignites Lions." 2006 Honorable mention - Youth story, "Lansing band in spotlight." 2007 First place - Sports column writing. 2007 First place - Headline writing. 2007 Third place - Sports story, "A day for Sean." 2007 Honorable mention - Sports feature story, "Kroll intentions." 2008 Third place - Sports column writing. 2008 First place - Sports photography for "A family affair." Chris also was recognized by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association as a 2005-2006 Wrestling Media of the Year award winner for his coverage of Lansing High wrestling. In addition, Chris is a regular contributor to KUsports.com.
Recent stories
- Missed opportunities cost Cougars in loss to Lancers
- September 2, 2010
- If there is any solace to be taken in Shawnee Mission Northwest’s football loss to rival Shawnee Mission East, it’s that it wasn’t season-ending.
- East leads SMNW at halftime
- September 2, 2010
- The Shawnee Mission Northwest-Shawnee Mission East season-opening football grudge match was an all-out war in the first half as the Lancers took a 7-0 lead into the locker room.
- Mill Valley plans balanced attack under first-year coach Applebee
- September 1, 2010
- For the past 10 years, Mill Valley has been a somewhat predictable football program.
- Playoff hopes high for local prep football programs
- September 1, 2010
- High school football coaches cringe at the thought that their teams might overlook a single opponent, let alone look to the end of the season before those games arrive.
- St. James Academy eyes playoff berth
- September 1, 2010
- John Muehlberger has spent the past five years building a football program at St. James Academy.
- New SM North coach sets goals of daily progress, overall success
- September 1, 2010
- Let the critics say what they want. Shawnee Mission North first-year head football coach Dennis Grayless prefers to let the results speak for themselves — and Grayless expects the results to be much better at North this fall.
- Change of command at MVHS, SMN
- August 18, 2010
- Monday marked the first “official” day of football practice for the 2010 season — and the first as head football coaches for Joel Applebee at Mill Valley and Dennis Grayless at Shawnee Mission North — but neither program’s new boss had much anxiety waiting for the season to arrive.
- Wristen: 5 questions as fall sports season starts
- August 18, 2010
- High school sports in Shawnee officially began at 12:01 a.m. Monday when the Maranatha Academy cross country team gathered for its first practice of the season.
- Football season kicks off in Shawnee
- August 16, 2010
- A light fog lingered over the practice fields as the Mill Valley High School football team kicked off fall practices Monday morning.
- Old-school athlete Hartman a multi-sport star at MVHS
- August 4, 2010
- Her track resume alone makes her a Mill Valley High School legend, but Whitney Hartman was much more than a one-sport star during her four-year career with the Jaguars.
Recent photos
Dennis Grayless hopes to point Shawnee Mission North to a brighter future in his first season as the Indians' head football coach.
Shawnee Mission North football players run through agility drills on the first day of practice Monday.
Shawnee Mission North's running backs ran through drills on Monday at North District Stadium. The Indians opened fall practices on Monday afternoon.
Mill Valley senior quarterback Macauley Garton fires a pass under the watchful eye of first-year coach Joel Applebee.
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Point of View
Do you think it is important for Shawnee to be bicycle-friendly?
I think it’s important. I do love and use the paths, but it would be nice to have lanes so we could use bikes to run errands - saving gas!
