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According to the Pulse Journal, Lakota East senior Jesse Rait and junior Zach Mueck have verbally committed to continue their athletic careers in college. According to the report, from Pulse Journal sports reporter Steven Matthews, Rait has committed to play baseball at Bowling Green State University and Mueck has committed to play tennis at Xavier University.

According to the Greater Miami Conference website, Rait had a .381 batting average and a .461 on-base percentage this season. He also led the state championship winning Thunderhawks in hits and runs batted in.

Rait was also considering Wright State University and Miami University, according to Matthews.

Meanwhile, Mueck, who will be a senior next school year, has committed to Xavier after being named as the Greater Miami Conference boys’ tennis Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. Mueck also finished as the Division I state runner-up the past two seasons.

Mueck’s teammate Freddy Abunku signed a national letter-of-intent to play tennis at Xavier in late March. Mueck was also considering The Ohio State University, University of Kentucky and the University of Notre Dame, according to Matthews.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Bowling Green, Bowling Green State University, boys' tennis, Freddy Abunku, Jesse Rait, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, tennis, Xavier, Xavier University, Zach Mueck

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

The Lakota West baseball team saw its postseason run end with a 5-3 loss to Grove City in the Division I regional semifinal at Dublin Coffman High School on Friday, May 27.

Lakota West only managed to register two hits and committed three errors in the loss.

“We just didn’t get it done,” Lakota West head coach Bill Dreisbach told Cincinnati.com. “I think more breaks went against us than for us today.”

The Firebirds advanced to the regional final after winning four postseason games en route to a district title. Three of those wins were against teams – Anderson (No. 4 seed), Mason (No. 7 seed) and Glen Este (No. 5 seed) – who were each favored to defeat the eighth-seeded Lakota West squad.

Lakota West finishes the season with a 17-12 overall record and a 9-9 record within the Greater Miami Conference.

Tennis – Mueck advances in state tournament – Lakota East No. 1 singles player junior Zach Mueck won both of his matches at the Division I state singles tournament at Hillard Davidson High School on Friday. Mueck defeated Shaker Heights senior Tommy Marx by the score of 6-1, 6-1 in the first round before defeating Dublin Coffman junior Hiromi Nakayama in the second round by the score of 6-2, 6-1. Meanwhile, Lakota East teammate and Xavier University commit senior Freddy Abunku lost his first round match at the state tournament losing to Lodi Cloverleaf freshman Jacob Dunbar by the score of 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. The state semifinals and finals are scheduled to take place this morning, May 28.

Track – Division I regional meet – The top four finishers in each category at the Division I regional meet at University of Dayton’s Welcome Stadium on Friday automatically qualified to compete in the state competition, which will be held at Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium June 3-4. Three of Lakota’s athletes did just that; Lakota West junior Nathan Haynes finished third in the boys’ 800 meters, Lakota East junior Lauren Buck finished fourth in the shot put and Lakota East freshman Autumn Heath finished second in the girls’ 100 meters. Other top Lakota performers include Lakota West senior J.J. Webber, who finished fifth in the 1600 meters, Lakota West sophomore Hannah Womack, who finished sixth in the girls’ high jump and Lakota West sophomore Will Wilson, who finished seventh in the boys’ high jump.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Autumn Heath, baseball, Bill Dreisbach, Freddy Abunku, Hannah Womack, J.J. Webber, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lauren Buck, Nathan Haynes, Nathaniel Haynes, regional meet, regional semifinal, regional semifinals, state tournament, tennis, track, Will Wilson, William Wilson, Zach Mueck

Lakota high school varsity athletes will be competing in various postseason contests this week.

Lakota East will have two singles tennis players, junior Zack Mueck (photo) and senior Freddy Abunku, competing in the state tournament at Hillard Davidson High School May 27-28.

Lakota West and Lakota East are also still alive in the baseball and softball postseason tournaments.

Here is a quick look at the weekly postseason schedule:

Wednesday, May 25

Lakota East and Lakota West – Track – qualifiers from the district meet at Winton Woods will compete in the regional meet at Welcome Stadium (University of Dayton) at 4 p.m.
Lakota West – Softball – vs. Glen Este in regional semifinal at Mason High School at 5 p.m. (more…)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: baseball, boys' tennis, Freddy Abunku, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, OHSAA boys' state tennis tournament, postseason, regional final, regional finals, regional meet, regional semifinal, regionals, softball, state tournament, tennis, track, Zach Mueck

Lakota East advanced to the regional semifinal by defeating Centerville by the score of 10-0 in five innings in a district title match at Miamisburg High School on Saturday, May 21.

Senior Jesse Rait (3-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs, 3 runs), junior Alex Corna (3-for-3, 2 2Bs, 2 runs, 3 RBIs), senior Mitch Geers (2 runs), senior Craig Thomson (3-for-4, 2 2Bs, 4 RBIs) and senior Brain Evans (2-for-3) all performed well at the plate for the Thunderhawks.

Lakota East (20-7) will face Northmont (22-6) this Thursday, May 26, at 5 p.m. at the University of Cincinnati.

Baseball – Lakota West 5, Glen Este 1 – The Firebirds continue to advance in the postseason. Their latest win, a 5-1 decision against Glen Este on Saturday at Western Hills High School, captured a district championship. Lakota West junior Zack Farmer earned the win on the mound and was 2-for-2 with a double. The Firebirds (17-11) will face Grove City in a regional semifinal on Thursday, May 26, at 5 p.m. at Dublin Coffman High School.

Softball – Lakota West 3, Ursuline 2 – Lakota West received another good outing from senior pitcher Alex Caudill, who struck out 16 batters in a 3-2 win against Ursuline in a district title game at Lakota East High School on Saturday. The Firebirds (19-4) will face Glen Este (24-4) in a regional semifinal matchup on Wednesday, May 25, at Mason High School at 5 p.m.

Softball – Lakota East 2, Northmont 0 – The Thunderhawks won its district title matchup against Northmont by the score of 2-0 in eight innings on Saturday. Senior pitcher Sara Pearson improved her record to 21-2 and stuck out 14 batters in the victory. The win advances Lakota East (26-2) to the regional semifinal where it will face Wayne (16-10) at Mason High School on Thursday, May 26, at 5 p.m.

Tennis – district tournament – Lakota East junior Zack Mueck and senior Freddy Abunku face each other in the finals of the district tournament at Centerville on Saturday. Mueck advanced to the final by defeating Sycamore senior Adam Reinhart by the score of 6-3, 6-2, while Abunku won his district semifinal match against Princeton junior Conner Nagel by the score of 6-4, 6-2. In the final, Mueck defeated Abunku 6-4, 6-1. Both players are headed to the state tournament, May 27-28 at Hilliard Davidson High School (near Columbus).

(Photo: From earlier game against Lakota West)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Caudill, Alex Corna, baseball, Brian Evans, Craig Thomson, Freddy Abunku, Jesse Rait, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Mitch Geers, Sara Pearson, softball, tennis, Zach Mueck, Zack Farmer

Lakota East’s No. 1 and No. 2 singles players, junior Zack Mueck and senior Freddy Abunku, both advanced to the state championships by winning their first two matches in the district tournament at Centerville High School on Thursday, May 19.

“The competition at state will be intense, but if they can keep their focus I believe Freddy and Zach both have as good of chance as anyone competing to bring home a title,” Lakota East head coach Greg Mahlerwein said. “Playing the schedule we play and in the league that we are in, they see great players on a regular basis.”

Mueck and Abunku join two other Greater Miami Conference tennis players, Sycamore senior Adam Reinhart and Princeton junior Conner Nagel, in the district semifinals – both have also qualified for the state championships.

On Saturday, Mueck will face Reinhart and Abunku will face Nagel in the district semifinals. If both Lakota East athletes win, they will then face each other in the district championship match.

Just last week, the two teammates faced off in the sectional finals at Mason.

“Watching Freddy and Zach battle for the sectional championship against each other was high school tennis at its best,” Mahlerwein said. “Not only did both play at a very high level, but they are friends, who kept calling out “nice shot” and “great serve” to each other showing true sportsmanship.”

In the end, Mueck won the sectional championship by defeating Abunku by the score of 7-5, 6-2.

On Thursday, Mueck defeated Wilmington senior Justin Arehart by the score of 6-1, 6-0 in his first match and then defeated St. Xavier sophomore Elliot Bostick by the score in 6-1, 6-1 in round two.

Meanwhile, Abunku defeated Stebbins senior Brandon McClain by the score of 6-0, 6-0 in the first round before defeated Wilmington junior Marc Sodini by the score of 6-0, 6-2.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Adam Reinhart, boys' tennis, Conner Nagel, Freddie Abunku, Freddy Abunku, Greg Mahlerwein, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, tennis, Zach Mueck

Lakota West finished the regular season on a high note after outlasting rival Mason in a 1-0 victory in 16 innings on Monday, May 9. The win improves the Firebirds’ record to 16-4 overall and 15-3 within the Greater Miami Conference.

Lakota West senior pitcher Alex Caudill struck out nine batters in the game. Teammates, junior Bekah Werth (2-for-6), junior Amanda Lahti (3-for-6, 2B), freshman Ashley Sharp (2-for-7) and freshman Alyssa Hedric (2-for-6) led the Firebirds at the plate.

The Firebirds are scheduled to open the postseason against Middletown (6-13 overall, 5-11 in the GMC) this Wednesday, May 11, at 5 p.m. at Lakota West. The winner will advance to the next round of the district tournament and will face the winner of the Little Miami/Springfield game. That next round matchup will be played May 16 at 5 p.m. at West Carrollton High School.

Softball – Lakota East 28, Meadowdale 0 – The Thunderhawks opened up the postseason by defeating Meadowdale (Dayton) by the score of 28-0 in five innings during a game Monday, May 9. Lakota East, which is ranked No. 1 in the state by the Ohio High School Softball Coaches Association, received a perfect game from sophomore pitcher Lea Buckenmyer, who struck out nine batters in the win. She also went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in three runs. Lakota East junior Claire Lyons led all batters with six RBIs. Lakota East (20-2 overall, 13-2 in the GMC) will now host Stebbins (Dayton) this Wednesday, May 11, at 5 p.m. The winner will then advance to face the winner of the Beavercreek/Fairborn game. That next round matchup will be played May 16 at 5 p.m. at Fairmont High School.

Baseball – Hamilton 8, Lakota East 4 – Hamilton spoiled senior day at Lakota East by defeating the Thunderhawks by the score of 8-4 on Monday. Senior Mitch Geers led the Thunderhawks with four RBIs in the loss. Despite the defeat, Lakota East remains at the top of the GMC standings with a 15-7 overall record and a 12-5 mark within the conference. Lakota East will begin postseason play this Thursday, May 12, at 5 p.m. by hosting the winner of Tuesday’s Western Brown/Aiken game. (more…)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Caudill, Alyssa Hedric, Amanda Lahti, Ashley Sharp, baseball, Bekah Werth, boys' tennis, Freddy Abunku, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, softball, tennis

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

On a rainy afternoon, most of the varsity high school clubs had their matches rescheduled. The Lakota East boys’ tennis team was still able to play its match against Princeton at the Queen City Racquet Club.

The Thunderhawks defeated Princeton by the score of 3-2 yesterday, April 11, afternoon. Lakota East’s three singles players (junior Zach Mueck, senior Freddie Abunku and junior Drew Souders) won each of their matches, while the both of the Thunderhawks’ doubles tandems lost both of their matches.

Both the Lakota West and Lakota East baseball programs were scheduled to host baseball games yesterday, however both games have been rained out and have been rescheduled for today.

Here is what the schedule is looking like for today:

Lakota West – Boys’ tennis – vs. Sycamore at 4 p.m.
Lakota East – Track – at Colerain Inv. at 4 p.m.
Lakota West – Baseball – vs. Fairfield at 4:30 p.m.
Lakota East – Softball – at Hamilton at 4:30 p.m.
Lakota East – Baseball – vs. Middletown at 5 p.m.
Lakota East– Boys’ Volleyball – vs. Fairfield at 7 p.m.
Lakota West– Boys’ Volleyball – vs. Princeton at 7 p.m.
Lakota West – Girls’ Lacrosse – vs. Sycamore at 7 p.m.
Lakota East – Boys’ Lacrosse – vs. Elder at 7:30 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: baseball, boys' tennis, Drew Souders, Freddie Abunku, Freddy Abunku, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, tennis, 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