(Left to right) Adam Clark, Morgan Naber, Connor Hogan, Tanner Miller, Reese Heckman, Rosie Walchle, Audrey Swearingen, Carson Sence and Riley Massey

 

by Sam Smith

On the evening of Monday, May 14th, Loveland high school athletes were honored for their performance in the 2018 spring season.

 

Loveland athletics found success in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC), with three teams holding first place.

Baseball – Tied for 1st with Milford in the ECC; both with 11 – 3 conference records.

Softball- Fifth; 7-7

Men’s Tennis- Third; 4-2

Men’s Lacrosse- First; 5-0

Women’s Lacrosse- First; 5-0

The ceremony began with a rundown of the spring season written by coaches of each respective sport:

Baseball

The 2018 baseball season began with a difficult 2-3 spring trip to Vero Beach but the Tigers would not let the trip define their season. Returning to Loveland sparked the team to a stretch of games where the Tigers would win 12 of their next 14 games as well as win their 3rd straight ECC championship. Our Tigers also secured their 800th Program Win this season! The Tigers are currently 17-9 and are playing Lakota East in the Sectional Final on Thursday at Lebanon.

Softball

The Varsity Softball team finished the season in 5th place in a very competitive league. The young team started 2 seniors, 1 junior, 6 sophomores and 1 freshman. The team was led by Senior first baseman Audrey Swearingen and Junior outfielder Taylor Owens. Next spring, the team will travel to Tennessee to play over spring break and try to avoid the rain that plagued our girls this season. We would like to wish our three seniors the best of luck as they leave Loveland High School and continue on with their educational plans.

Boys Tennis

Boys Tennis had a terrific season with a match record of 14 – 5 and finished second overall in the ECC. The doubles team of Matt Huether and Alex Ditchen won the 1st doubles court at the Coaches Classic tournament and freshman Connor Ruble was runner up at first singles. In the ECC Tournament, Sam Greenberg won the championship at 3rd singles and the doubles team of Brendan Hogan and Liam Smith won the championship at 2nd doubles. For the first time since 2010, Loveland will be represented at districts by the doubles team of Connor Hogan and Matt Huether this Friday at the ATP in Mason.

Womens Track and Field

This Spring was a great season for the Girls Track and Field team. This team surprised a lot of people with their third-place finish at the ECC Championships. This season was highlighted by a first-place finish at our annual Dawn DeHart Invitational and a second-place finish at the Mt. Healthy Invitational. The mix of youth and senior leadership has set the groundwork for years to come, and we are certainly excited about the future. Districts begin on Wednesday of this week at Mason.

Rosie Walchle runs for Unified Track

Unified Track

This was the Unified Track Team’s premier year at Loveland High School. Co-sponsored through Special Olympics Ohio, this Unified Sports initiative is being piloted throughout the state. Loveland High School is one of 30 schools statewide and one of four in the region. From their very first meet, the team displayed an outstanding competitive spirit as well as impressive sportsmanship. Loveland went on to win their first two meets of the year, and went on to become the first Unified Regional Champion! Every team member improved their performances each meet and displayed an enormous level of support for all of those who were competing. Every member of the Unified Track Team at Loveland has become an ambassador of Unified Sports demonstrating exemplary behavior and performance both on and off the field that future teams and athletes will want to emulate.

Mens Track and Field

The 2018 Boys Track and Field team consisted of only four seniors but had great young support. The young team managed two 3rd place finishes in invitationals this spring. Our Tigers finished 3rd at our Annual Dawn Dehart Invitational here at Loveland High School and also finished 3rd at the Lebanon Invitational, which was their last invitational of the season. Junior Cooper Smeller won the ECC in Pole Vault, and Freshman Ryan Hetzel won the ECC in the high jump. The team had an overall strong performance at the ECC Championships this past week, and we look forward to Districts this Wednesday.

Ryan Batch leaps for the men’s volleyball team

Mens Volleyball

The Boys Volleyball program is having a very successful season. The Varsity team ended the regular season with the best record in program history with 16 wins and 3 losses. Currently, the team ranks 4th in the South Region behind Moeller, St. X, and Elder. The team, led by Senior Captains: Tanner Miller and Ryan Batsch went 5-1 in the ECC to capture an ECC Championship after winning a 5 set match against Walnut Hills on Senior Night. We look forward to seeing what this talented group of boys can do in tournament play which starts next week.

Womens Lacrosse

When this season began, there were many unknowns for the coaching staff. The eight seniors who graduated last year left a lot of holes to fill on the Varsity roster. The very young team with little Varsity experience demonstrated determination, hard work, and showed a relentless pursuit of accomplishing very high goals. The team’s ECC dominance continued this season with another ECC Championship and extending their ECC winning streak to 28 consecutive games. This isn’t a selfish team either. The girls assisted on an incredible 67% of all goals scored this year. With the regular season behind them, our girls are a #2 seed in the State Tournament and will have a home-field advantage in their first playoff game against Little Miami.

Mens Lacrosse

Our boys had a solid regular season and finished 12-6 overall and have secured a 4 seed for the tournament. We are confident that we are playing our best at the right time- as we head into the playoffs. Our boys earned our 100th Program Victory as a Division I Program in a win over Lakota West, and another key victory came as we defeated Moeller at home late in the season. Our team went 5-0 in the ECC to win the conference for the fifth year in a row. We are proud of our boys and all they have accomplished this year, and we look forward to hosting Oak Hills at home tomorrow night in the first round of the OHSAA Tournament!

In addition to praising teams, the event followed tradition by recognizing honoring select athletes with the Sportsperson of the Season award

Sportsperson of the Season

“One Varsity Student-Athlete from each Spring program has been chosen by their coach as the Sportsperson of the Season. These are the athletes who demonstrate respect and responsibility for their community, school, team and above all their character,” interim athletic director Brian Conatser explained.

SOFTBALL – AUDREY SWEARINGEN

Audrey Swearingen is a four-year Varsity starter for our Softball team. For the past three years, Audrey has played 1st base like a gold glove award-winner. Audrey is a solid hitter, and led the team in batting average. Audrey is our vocal leader on the field, and her leadership is very much appreciated by the coaching staff. Audrey always plays hard, and always demonstrates good sportsmanship. Audrey loves the game of softball, she is a terrific role model for our younger players, and she has been a key member of this team for the past four years. Audrey will be attending the University of Cincinnati next year on a scholarship from the Ohio National Guard. We wish Audrey only the best as she embarks on a journey of serving our country. Thank you and congratulations Audrey!

BASEBALL – CARSON SENCE

Carson Sence was projected to be the starting left fielder and closer for the 2018 baseball team, but an injury prior to tryouts changed that. Many players would have let the injury change their approach to the game, but Carson didn’t let that happen. He made every attempt to help his team during this difficult time… Carson even resorted to using a left-handed glove to shag fly balls during batting practice. His work ethic enabled him to return to the starting line-up, just in time for the state tournament. Carson is an exceptional student-athlete who always represents LHS in a positive way. Thank you and congratulations, Carson!

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD – RILEY MASSEY

Thank you Riley, for being a great leader. Thank you for sharing us with your family, friends, and faith. Thank you for representing Loveland at Regionals in the high jump. Thank you for winning Districts in 2015. Riley is truly one of the best Captains and leaders the girl’s track program has ever had. Riley leads by example and with her strong voice. It was clear every day at practice that you were going to give 100%, and that’s exactly what she did! Not only will we miss your hard work at the track, but your character can never be replaced. Thank you for everything over the last 4 years. Taylor University is getting one of a kind. Thank you and congratulations Riley!

UNIFIED TRACK – ROSE WALCHLE

Rose (or “Rosie” by her friends and family) has been the bright star on a stellar first year for the Unified Track and Field Program at Loveland High School. From the first day of practice, Rosie conveyed energy, enthusiasm and a wonderful sense of humor. She was an important part of the team from the very beginning always being the “spark” to get things going and keep them going. You never heard a complaint from Rosie, no matter the circumstances. Her competitive performances at track meets have continued to improve, but it is her rousing support and affection for her teammates that makes Rosie stand out. She always found the energy for one more joke, lead the team in a cheer, or surprise the team in an impromptu game of hide-and-seek! Thank you and congratulations Rosie!

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD – REESE HECKMAN

Reese has been a member of the Boys Track & Field team for 4 years. He has participated in the long jump, all of the sprints, and the 4 x 100 relay as well. His willingness to do anything for the team is admirable, and he always puts the team first. His sportsmanship toward other competitors is obvious, and even though Reese has endured an injury, he has excelled as a student-athlete during his career. Reese has ultimately been an integral member of two ECC Track & Field Championship teams. Thank you and congratulations Reese!

BOYS VOLLEYBALL – TANNER MILLER

Tanner was volleyball’s best leader on and off the court all year – during the season and throughout the off-season. Being a captain and the setter of the team, he was tasked with running the court and leading the team. He did just that. Tanner came to every practice to work hard and improve not only himself but the team as a whole. Tanner never gave up on the team or himself. During time-outs, you could hear in his voice that he truly believed that we were going to persevere and end up with a win. Tanner led the team in assists with 502. Without Tanner’s setting skills, athletic ability, leadership, and responsibility, we would not have gone 16-3 this season. Thank you and congratulations Tanner!

BOYS TENNIS – CONNOR HOGAN

Connor was our only team captain this season and played a huge role in our team’s success. Connor is the epid-ah-mee of a student-athlete, and represents Loveland in the best way at home and away. In a sport in which players are their own referees, Connor has proven himself in every match of every year to be the most honorable of athletes. In his four years as a Varsity player, Connor has carried himself with dignity and honor, drawing accolades from opponents and teammates alike.

Connor is a quiet leader and leads by example, but this year Connor developed our team cheer. During one of our early matches, Connor called the team together before the start of the match and said, “let’s keep the train rolling boys….Choo Choo!”

And thus, “Choo Choo” became our rallying cry, carrying the team to a 14-5 record this season. Loveland tennis has never been better represented than it has over the past four years with Connor Hogan on our team. Thank you and congratulations Connor!

GIRLS LACROSSE – MORGAN NABER

Morgan Naber is a four-year Varsity player and was one of the Captains of the team for this season. She exemplifies what it means to deserve this prestigious award by leading her team both on and off the field. Morgan is always ready to practice and give 100% effort and does so with an infectious positive attitude. Morgan is an extension of her coaches while she is on the field during games, and uses her high lacrosse IQ to help give her teammates the best chance to achieve a victory every single game. Thank you and congratulations Morgan!

BOYS LACROSSE – ADAM CLARK

Adam is a 4-year varsity player and was voted as one of the Team Captains, and has delivered this year both on and off the field. Throughout the year, Adam has been asked to step into many different roles, and he has always embraced every role because he knew that it was the best for the team. Wherever our team needed more depth or support, he embraced every role. From his ability to help us in securing possessions, to playing defense with tenacity, Adam utilized his diverse skill set in any way he could to help our coaches and team. We wish Adam the best in his next chapter at Cleveland State, and we appreciate everything you have given Loveland in your time here. You are truly deserving of this recognition in front of your classmates, your school, and your community. Thank you, and congratulations Adam!

In addition to the sportsperson, team rankings, and season wrap-up statements, the event also honored student-athletes with a high GPA, school record-setters, the Edward Jones athlete award and more. The event showed that Loveland saw much success in the conference season– success that may follow winning teams into the postseason.

Jarvis Global Investments, LLC


Jarvis Global is an investment advisory firm in Symmes Township, Ohio which offers private portfolio management and retirement services to high net worth individuals.

 

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