WestChesterBuzz.com

Michael Conrad currently leads the GMC in strikeouts with 44. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

The athletic departments at Lakota East and Lakota West high schools recently named their athletes of the week. Junior Lea Buckenmyer and senior Michael Conrad received the honor at Lakota East, while sophomores Grant Schuermann and Ashley Sharp were honored at Lakota West.

While Buckenmyer and Conrad were the first to be acknowledged this spring at Lakota East, Lakota West has also honored seniors Alex Vohland and Amanda Shelby as athletes of the week this April.

Lea Buckenmyer has been the Thunderhawks go-to pitcher this spring, pitching in 11 games and having a 9-2 record. She also has 48 strikeouts, three shutouts and a 1.28 earned run average in 71 total innings. At the plate, she has also been one of Lakota East’s top hitters – leading the team in runs, doubles, triples, runs batted in and on-base percentage. She also has a batting average of .479. Overall, her team is currently 12-2 overall and 7-1 in the Greater Miami Conference.

Like last season, Michael Conrad has been one of the most dominating pitchers in the region. In four starts, Conrad is 2-1 and has an earned run average of 1.75. He also has 44 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. Conrad, who was honored as The Enquirer’s spring baseball athlete of the year last spring, has signed on to play baseball at the University of Cincinnati.

Grant Schuermann has excelled on the mound and at the plate for the Firebirds this season. According to the GMC website, he leads the team with a .405 batting average and is also 2-0 as a starting pitcher this spring. Schuermann received the honor, however, by pitching two complete games in wins against Princeton (12-1) April 2 and against Kings (5-0) April 7. In addition, he doubled in both contests.

Like Buckenmyer, Ashley Sharp has been go-to pitcher this spring, pitching in 13 games and having a record of 10-2. She also has 68 strikeouts, four shutouts and a 1.32 earned run average in 79.1 innings. At the plate, she is second on the team in hits, doubles and in batting average (.350). She leads the team in runs batted in. She has been a big reason why, Lakota West is currently 11-3 overall and 8-0 in the GMC.

On March 29, Alex Vohland led Lakota West with 17 kills in a win against Centerville. Since then, Lakota West has continued to play well on the court and has an overall record of 9-0 and a 3-0 mark within the GMC. Vohland has been key reason for the strong start, leading the GMC with 130 kills.

Meanwhile, Amanda Shelby took first place in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs at the Fairfield Invitational. This past Wednesday, Shelby finished second in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs at the Ralph Bergdoll Invitational in Miamisburg.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Vohland, Amanda Shelby, Ashley Sharp, Ashley Sharp Lakota West, athletes of the week, Grant Schuermann, Lakota athletes of the week, Lakota East, Lakota East athletics, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West boys' volleyball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West track, Lea Buckenmyer, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad

The Greater Miami Conference recently honored its student athletes by releasing its all-conference teams. Yesterday, June 8, the baseball and softball All-GMC teams were posted on WestChesterBuzz.com. In total, Lakota had 45 athletes named to all-conference teams this spring sports season.

Overall, it was a very successful spring sports season for the Lakota school district. In baseball, Lakota East won the GMC and the state championship. Lakota East also won a GMC title in softball, while Lakota West shared the GMC title with Oak Hills in boys’ volleyball.

In boys’ tennis, Lakota East junior Zack Mueck (photo) was named the GMC Boys’ Tennis Athlete of the Year. Mueck’s teammate’s Freddy Abunku, who will continue his career at Xavier University, was named to the All-GMC First Team. Lakota West senior Aaron Madaris and Lakota East senior Akash Unakantha were both named to the All-GMC Second Team. Also, Lakota West sophomore Nick Lang was named to the All-GMC Third Team.

In boys’ volleyball, Lakota East senior Wesley Meyer was named the GMC Boys’ Volleyball Athlete of the Year. Lakota West senior Rio Onuki, Lakota West junior Alex Vohland and Lakota East junior Michael Ricke were all named to the All-GMC First Team. Meanwhile, Lakota West junior Alex Baker and Lakota East senior Anthony Fiorenza were named to the All-GMC Second Team. (more…)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Aaron Madaris, Akash Unakantha, Alex Baker, Alex Vohland, Anthony Fiorenza, Arianna Cooper, Autumn Heath, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, Brady Holmer, Caitlin Graska, Freddy Abunku, Ian Trau, J.J. Weber, Kellsa Mbah, Kendra Thomas, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lauren Buck, Madeline Eroskey, Maria Brafford, Michael Ricke, Nathan Haynes, Nick Lang, Reid Becker, Rio Onuki, Taylor Avery, tennis, track, volleyball, Wesley Meyer, Will Clevidence, Will Wilson, Zack Mmueck

In Lakota West’s last baseball game, junior Zack Farmer was the losing pitcher in a 4-1 loss to Lakota East on Thursday, April 21. Yesterday, April 26, afternoon, Farmer broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning en route to a 4-3 win against the Lakota East Thunderhawks.

The win moves the Firebirds (10-6 overall, 7-5 in the Greater Miami Conference) into a two-way tie with Mason (9-5 overall, 7-5 in the GMC) for second place in the GMC. Meanwhile, despite the loss, Lakota East (11-5 overall, 8-3 in the GMC) remains in first place in the GMC.

Senior pitcher T.J. Belieu improved his record to 4-1, while senior Jared Schroeder led the Firebirds at the plate by going 2-for-3.

Senior J.D. Whetsel went 2-for-3 and senior Mitch Geers hit a double for Lakota East.

Both teams will host GMC opponents this afternoon. West will host Hamilton (4-10 overall, 3-9 in the GMC) at 5 p.m. and East will host Sycamore (6-5 overall, 6-5 in the GMC) at 5 p.m.

Tennis – Mason def. Lakota East – The Thunderhawks boys’ tennis program lost its second match of the season when it fell to Mason by the score of 3-2 on Tuesday. Lakota East won its No. 1 singles match and its No. 1 doubles match, but lost all three of the other matches. The loss gives the Thunderhawks a 9-2 overall record and a 7-2 mark in the GMC. Mason improves to 11-1 overall and 7-1 in the GMC. Lakota East will host Loveland at 4 p.m. today.

Volleyball – Lakota West def. Lakota East – The Firebirds handed Lakota East its first loss of the season when it defeated the Thunderhawks by the score of 25-16, 18-25, 25-15, 29-27 on Tuesday night. Junior Alex Vohland (19 kills), Sophomore Curtis Johnson (23 assists) and junior Brian Fintel (five blocks) led Lakota West. The win moves Lakota West (8-6 overall, 6-1 in the GMC) into first place in the GMC. Lakota East (12-4 overall, 4-1 in the GMC) remains near the top of the conference standings. Lakota West is scheduled to host Wayne tonight at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, Lakota East’s next match will be played at Middletown (3-15 overall, 1-6 in the GMC) on Thursday, April 28, at 7 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Vohland, baseball, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, Brian Fintel, Curtis Johnson, J.D. Whetsel, Jared Schroeder, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Mitch Geers, T.J. Belieu, tennis, volleyball

Lakota West bounced back from a 5-0 loss to Fairfield on Monday with a 10-0 victory against Sycamore on Thursday, April 21.

The Firebirds were led by another strong performance by senior pitcher Alex Caudill, who struck out nine batters in the win. Caudill is now 6-2 on the season.

At the plate, senior Yasmin Battle went 2-for-4 and scored three runs for Lakota West. Her teammates, freshman Ashley Sharp (2-for-4, 2B), junior Jessica Burke (2-for-3) and junior Becka Werth (3-for-3) also hit the ball well.

With the win, Lakota West improves to 9-3 overall and 8-2 in the Greater Miami Conference. After the loss, Sycamore falls to 2-10 overall and 2-9 in the GMC.

Next up on the schedule for the Firebirds is road game at Colerain (4-6 overall, 4-6 in the GMC) at noon.

Softball – Fairfield takes first place - While Lakota East didn’t play on Thursday; Fairfield earned its 10th conference victory when it defeated Colerain by the score of 5-4. The win improves the Indians record to 10-1 overall and 10-1 within the GMC. Being idle, the Thunderhawks remained at 14-1 overall and 9-1 within the GMC. Both teams will play out-of-conference opponents over the weekend, but will be back facing GMC foes on Monday. This upcoming Monday, East will host Colerain, while Fairfield host Mason. Both games will be played at 4:30 p.m.

Volleyball – Lakota West def. Middletown – Lakota West improved to 7-6 overall and 5-1 within the GMC with a 25-15, 25-14, 25-13 win at Middletown on Thursday. Junior Alex Vohland led Lakota West with five service aces. Senior Rio Onuki (eight kills) and junior Brian Fintel (four kills) also put in solid performances for the Firebirds. Next on the schedule, Lakota West will host rival Lakota East (12-3 overall, 4-0 in the GMC) this Tuesday, April 26, at 7 p.m.

(WestChesterBuzz also provided a game story for Lakota East’s 4-1 win against Lakota West)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Caudill, Alex Vohland, Ashley Sharp, baseball, Becka Werth, boys' volleyball, Brian Fintel, Jessica Burke, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Rio Onuki, softball, volleyball, Yasmin Battle

While both the Lakota East and Lakota West baseball teams postponed their games yesterday, April 12, the Lakota East softball team was able to get its game in and defeated Hamilton by the score of 6-1.

Senior pitcher Sara Pearson improved her record to 9-1 and struck out 11 in the win. So far this season, Pearson has struck out 101 batters in 56 innings and has an ERA of 0.38.

At the plate, senior Kelly Hardison hit her fourth home run of the season. Currently, she leads the Greater Miami Conference in home runs and runs batted in (18). Junior Ainsley Ellison, who leads the team with a .536 batting average, went for 2-for-3 on Tuesday.

The win improves Lakota East’s overall record to 11-1 and its conference record to 6-1 this season. This afternoon, Lakota East will host Sycamore (1-7 overall, 1-6 in the GMC) at 4:30 p.m. before visiting first-place Fairfield (7-0 overall, 7-0 in the GMC) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Tennis – Lakota East def. Oak Hills – The Thunderhawks won their fourth consecutive match by defeating Oak Hills by the score of 5-0 on Tuesday. Lakota East’s top singles players junior Zach Mueck and senior Freddie Abunku both won their matches 6-0, 6-0. This afternoon, Lakota East (7-1 overall, 6-1 in the GMC) will host Milford at 3 p.m. before hosting Lakota West (5-2 overall, 3-1 in the GMC) this Thursday at 4 p.m.

Tennis – Sycamore def. Lakota West – Sycamore remained perfect within the GMC when it defeated Lakota West on Tuesday by the score of 5-0. The Firebirds had won its first five matches of the spring season, but has already lost twice this week. Lakota West will visit Centerville this afternoon at 4 p.m. before visiting rival Lakota East on Thursday.

Track – Lakota East wins two events – The Lakota East boys’ track squad placed ninth and the girls’ team finished fourth in the Vince Mercure Colerain Invitational on Tuesday. Sophomore Jordan Combs finished first in the pole vault and junior Lauren Buck finished first in the discus.

Volleyball – Lakota West def. Princeton - Lakota West remained perfect within the GMC when it defeated Princeton by the score of 25-7, 25-18, 25-17 on Tuesday. Junior Alex Vohland, who had 10 kills and eight aces, led the Firebirds. Senior Rio Onuki added six kills for Lakota West, which improves to 4-3 overall and 4-0 within the GMC. The Firebirds will host Centerville this evening at 7 p.m.

Volleyball – Lakota East def. Fairfield - Like Lakota West, Lakota East hasn’t lost a conference game this season. The Thunderhawks improved to 9-3 overall and 3-0 in the conference when they defeated Fairfield by the score of 27-29, 25-16, 25-18, 25-16. Senior Wesley Meyer, who recorded 30 kills, led Lakota East. The Thunderhawks will visit Fairmont this evening at 7 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Ainsley Ellison, Alex Vohland, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, Freddie Abunku, Freddy Abunku, Jordan Combs, Kelly Hardison, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lauren Buck, Rio Onuki, Sara Pearson, softball, tennis, track, volleyball, Wesley Meyer, Zach Mueck

Lakota high school teams were victorious in all six of the reported athletic contests Thursday, April 7. Lakota West won its baseball, tennis and volleyball contests, while Lakota East earned wins in softball, tennis and volleyball.

Tennis – Lakota East def. Fairfield – The Thunderhawks rebounded from Wednesday’s loss to Sycamore by defeating Fairfield by the score of 5-0. Lakota East No. 1 and No. 2 singles Zach Mueck and Freddy Abunku (photo) didn’t lose a single game in their matches en route to 6-0, 6-0 victories. With the win, Lakota East improves to 4-1 overall and 4-1 within the GMC. This afternoon, the Thunderhawks will host Elder at 4 p.m. before hosting Westerville Central this Saturday at 2 p.m.

Baseball – Lakota West 4, Colerain 3 – Lakota West senior pitcher T.J. Belieu earned his second win of the year while striking out eight batters in a 4-3 win against Colerain on Thursday. Junior Troy Dombart led the Firebirds at the plate by going 3-for-3. Lakota West revenged a 3-2 loss to Colerain April 1 and improves to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in the GMC. The Firebirds will host Middletown (6-1 overall, 4-1 in GMC) this afternoon at 5 p.m. before hosting a doubleheader (noon and 2 p.m.) against Glen Este on Saturday.

Softball – Lakota East 7, Beavercreek 0 – Sophomore pitcher Lea Buckenmyer earned her second win of the season in a 7-0 win against Beavercreek on Thursday. Junior Alyssa Grevenkamp (2-for-4, 2 runs), senior Sara Pearson (2-for-3), senior Kelly Hardison (2-for-3, 2B) and junior Kim Rollins (2-for-3) all performed well at the plate for the Thunderhawks. Lakota East improves to 9-1 overall (4-1 in GMC) with win and will host Mason (7-2 overall, 4-1 in GMC) this afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

Tennis – Lakota West 5, Oak Hills 0 – After starting the season on Tuesday, the Firebirds have now won three straight matches in three straight days after defeating Oak Hills by the score of 5-0. This afternoon, Lakota West will go for its fourth straight win when it visits La Salle at 4 p.m.

Volleyball – Lakota West def. Fairfield – After losing its first three matches of the season, Lakota West has bounced back and won its third straight after holding off Fairfield by the score of 25-16, 25-19, 25-27, 25-17. Junior Alex Vohland led the Firebirds with 16 kills and 25 assists. Teammates senior Robert Hasselfeld (10 kills) and senior Rio Onuki (3 aces and 5 kills) also contributed to the win. Lakota West will be back in action Tuesday, April 12, when it hosts Princeton (1-0 overall, 0-0 in GMC) at 7 p.m.

Volleyball – Lakota East def. Hamilton – The Thunderhawks won its second conference match of the season by defeating Hamilton by the score of 25-4, 25-10, 25-13 on Thursday. Lakota East improves to 5-2 on the year and 2-0 within the Greater Miami Conference.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Vohland, Alyssa Grevenkamp, baseball, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, Freddy Abunku, Kelly Hardison, Kim Rollins, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lea Buckenmyer, Rio Onuki, Robert Hasselfeld, Sara Pearson, softball, T.J. Belieu, tennis, Tory Dombart, volleyball, Zach Mueck

Lakota East and Lakota West baseball teams revenged season-opening losses by defeating the same teams they lost to earlier in the week. Yesterday, March 31, Lakota East defeated Mason 3-1 after losing to Mason by the score of 2-1 on Monday, while Lakota West beat Princeton 10-1 Wednesday, March 30, after losing to the Vikings by the score of 9-6 on Monday.

Both teams improved to 1-1 on the season.

Lakota East senior Evan Hills earned the win, while senior Mark McDaniel picked up the save. Senior Jesse Rait drove in two runs. The Thunderhawks will host Princeton today, April 1, at 5 p.m.

Lakota West junior Jake Wagner drove in three runs in the win. The Firebirds will host Colerain today at 4:30 p.m.

Lacrosse – Milford 16, Lakota East 7 – The Thunderhawks fell to 1-3 on the season when it lost to Milford by the score of 16-7 yesterday, March 31. Tori Meyer led Lakota East with four goals. Lakota East’s next game will be a road contest against McAuley on Tuesday, April 5, at 6:15 p.m.

Softball – Lakota East 10, Princeton 0 – The Thunderhawks bounced back from its loss to Lakota West on Tuesday with a five-inning 10-0 win at Princeton Thursday, March 31. Senior Sara Pearson (photo) stuck out 10 batters on the mound and hit a three-run HR in the win. The win improves Lakota East to 2-1. This weekend, the Thunderhawks will compete in the Tournament of Champions at the Rivershore Sports Complex in Hebron, Kentucky.

Tennis – Lakota East def. Colerain – Lakota East defeated Colerain 5-0 yesterday, March 31, to improve to 2-0 on the season. The next tennis match on the schedule is a road contest at Middletown on Tuesday, April 5 at 4 p.m.

Volleyball – Lakota East def. Milford – The Thunderhawks improved to 4-2 on the season when they defeated Milford by the score of 26-24, 26-24, 25-23 yesterday, March 31. Next on the schedule for Lakota East will be a road match against Mason on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m.

Volleyball – Lakota West def. Hamilton – The Firebirds earned their first win of the season when they defeated Hamilton yesterday, March 31, by the score of 25-14, 25-8, 25-13. Junior Alex Vohland (14 assists, seven aces), senior Robert Hasselfeld (seven kills) and senior Mike Brewer (four kills) led Lakota West. Next up on the schedule for Lakota West (1-3) is a road match against Sycamore (0-1) at 7 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Vohland, baseball, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, Evan Hills, Jake Wagner, Jesse Rait, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Mark McDaniel, Mike Brewer, Robert Hasselfeld, Sara Pearson, softball, tennis, Tori Meyer, volleyball