2026 KSHSAA Oscar Stauffer Awards Announced
TOPEKA, Kan. — The KSHSAA is pleased to announce the selection of Lane Gillespie and Sharon Sahlfeld as the 2026 Oscar Stauffer Award recipients.
The awards will be presented at a KSHSAA State Championship event this winter, designated by recipients.
The KSHSAA Oscar Stauffer Sportscaster of the Year award winner is Lane Gillespie, Ad Astra Radio KMCP McPherson.
Lane Gillespie is a native of Topeka, graduating from Seaman High School in 2018 where his announcing career began broadcasting football games for the Vikings.
Gillespie became a journalism student at the University of Kansas and joined the sports staff at KJHK, KU’s student radio station, where he announced select KU football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball games, while also hosting pregame, halftime, and postgame shows. During his freshman year, he had the opportunity to announce the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship and the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City, both for KJHK. In his final semester at KU, Gillespie was hired to be the Voice of Kansas Baseball for the 2022 season, announcing all 55 games, both home and away.
After working for WIBW-TV for a year, Gillespie moved to McPherson to be the Sports Director at Ad Astra Radio. While working at Ad Astra Radio, he was also hired to be the voice of McPherson High School and McPherson College. As the Voice of the Bullpups, Gillespie has announced two state titles for the boys basketball team. Following the 2025 basketball season, he was named the Media Person of the Year by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
“To be part of a list that includes amazing broadcasters, such as Bob Davis, Wyatt Thompson, Brian Hanni, Glen Grunwald, and Dustin Armbruster, to name a few, is humbling,” said Gillespie. “Thank you to KSHSAA and the KAB (Kansas Association of Broadcasters) for this award!”
The KSHSAA Oscar Stauffer Sportswriter of the Year award winner is Sharon Sahlfeld, Beloit Call Newspaper.
Sharon (Hesket) Sahlfeld started her newspaper career at the past Solomon Valley Post as the darkroom photo processor and wrote articles and took photos for the then St. John’s Catholic High School in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. She grew up learning from her father and mother, Gary and Judy Hesket in Mankato through a home darkroom there and carried on in high school journalism class.
Sahlfeld attended Fort Hays State University (1981-83). Sharon started her sports editor career in 2004 for the Beloit Call newspaper (now owned by Sweet Tea Media of Seward, Nebraska) and then was added as managing editor in 2014.
Sahlfeld has won several Kansas Press Awards during her years. “I am so appreciative of this award and want to also name my other writer, Brian DeBey, as part of this award as well,” said Sahlfeld. “He is always there for me when needed and deserves recognition. Thank you to the coaches for the needed information they provide as well.”
Sharon and husband Mark were blessed to raise three boys Matthew, Mitchell, and Monty ( the M&M’s) which is her “greatest achievement.”
