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West Chester native inspired 2013 MAC Champs

West Chester’s Ellen Barhorst (front row, left) became only the second winner of women swimming’s Robin Chico Award. Photo provided by Miami Athletics.

Provided by Miami University Athletic Communications

Lakota West graduate Ellen Barhorst was awarded the Robin Chico Award this year, an honor given to a senior student athlete who has shown strength and motivation during times of challenge and adversity.

The award was established in 2010 by Miami University alumni to recognize varsity swimmer Robin Chico (’75-’78) who overcame hardships during the early stages of Title IX, which became law in 1972. The award was presented to its first recipient, Jenna Long in May 2010. Long was a four-year letter winner for Miami’s varsity women’s swimming and diving team, specializing as a sprint freestyle and butterfly competitor.

With no recipients in 2011 or 2012, Barhorst is only the second RedHawk to receive the award as a result of her perseverance and positivity both in the pool and the classroom, earning four varsity letters while maintaining a 3.80 cumulative grade point average.

“The reason we decided to give it to Ellen is because she has really been an incredible part of our program in terms of what she’s been able to do and give to the program,” head coach Dave Jennings said.

This year, in particular, Barhorst showed incredible courage and strength while facing devastating personal challenges. Barhorst remained resilient throughout the season, keeping a positive attitude and acting as a role model for her teammates. She continued to work hard on her childhood education degree, and holds one of the highest grade point averages on her team.

After watching Long receive the award four years ago, Barhorst says she was surprised, but also very proud to have been named Miami University’s second recipient of the Robin Chico Award.

“Thinking back on it, it just reminds me how I was able to get through everything with the support of my team and my coaches,” Barhorst said. “It meant everything to me that I could trust them and know that they would support me through everything.”

Barhorst will graduate December 2013 after completing her student teaching in Cincinnati. She says her goal is to be a math and science teacher for fifth and sixth graders, while also staying involved with swimming by coaching.

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Tags: Tags: Ellen Barhorst, Ellen Barhorst Miami, Ellen Barhorst Miami swimming, Ellen Barhorst Miami University, Ellen Barhorst Miami University swimming, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming

Mason, who entered postseason play No. 4 in the Associated Press Division I state poll, ended Lakota East’s season with a 64-33 win in the district semifinals on Saturday night at Kings High School.

Lakota East sophomore Leah Goodwin goes up for a basket in a 64-33 loss to Mason Feb. 23, 2013. Photo taken by Barb Trimble of TrimPhotoAndVideo.com. More photos from this game, http://proofs.trimphotoandvideo.com/g/022313east_mason

Missouri-bound forward Kayla McDowell led Mason with 20 points and 13 rebounds, both of which were game highs.

A total of 12 Thunderhawks saw action in their final game of the season. Of those 12, eight were sophomores, two were juniors and two were freshmen.

Lakota East finishes the year with a 10-15 overall record. In the regular season, East posted a 7-7 record within the Greater Miami Conference.

Lakota East (10-15) - Satterwhite 2 1 5, Rodgers 1 1 3, Wills 1 1 3, Goodwin 2 2 8, Franklin 3 0 8, Catron 1 0 3, Panzeca 1 0 2, White 0 1 1. Totals 11 6 33.

Mason (21-1) - Herren 1 4 6, McDowell 8 4 20, Ammons 3 0 6, Neal 2 0 4, Gunn 2 2 6, Mason 3 3 9, Melinick 1 3 5, Brown 2 0 4, Rutowski 2 0 4. Totals 24 16 64.

Halftime: Mason 34-24. 3-pointers L 5 (Goodwin 2, Franklin 2, Catron).

BOYS’ SWIMMING

Division I state championship

Team scores: 1. St. Xavier 270; 2. Upper Arlington 187.5; 3. St. Ignatius 186; 4. St. Francis De Sales 115; 5. Centerville 113; 6. Hudson 107; 7. North Canton Hoover 101; 8. Moeller 95; Mayfield 91; Sycamore 91; 15. Kings 39; 16. Anderson 38; 18. Talawanda 36; 25. Mason 27; 26. Lakota West 26; 28. Walnut Hills; 38. Little Miami 13; 42. Middletown 10; 43. Lakota East 9; 44. Cincinnati Turpin 7; 50. Lebanon 4; La Salle 1.

200MR–St. Ignatius 1:31.97 ; 200 free-Long (Upper Arlington) 1:38.43; 200IM–Palazzo (Hudson) 1:48.49; 50 free–Miller (Westerville North 20.87; 100Fly–Bailey (Youngstown Boardman) 49.43; 100 free–Belanger (Akron Firestone) 45.17; 500 free–Hendricks (St. Xavier) 4:27.69; 200FR–St. Xavier 1:23.74; 100Back–Appleby (Cuyahoga Falls) 49.00; 100Breast–Palazzo (Hudson) 55.00; 400FR–St. Ignatius 3:04.86.

GIRLS’ SWIMMING

Division I state championship
Team scores: 1. Ursuline 234; 2. Upper Arlington 215; 3. Mason 148; 4. Strongsville 136; 5. Fremont Ross 125; 6. Hudson 112; 7. Massillon Jackson 108; 7. Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 100; 9. Centerville 99.5; 10. St. Ursula 95; 14. Sycamore 54; Turpin 51; 36. Lakota East 12; 36. Mercy 12; 45. Mount Notre Dame 6; 48. Seton 4; 52. Lakota West 3; 54. Kings 1.

200MR–Ursuline 1:43.27; 200 free–Thatcher (Mason) 1:47.43; 200IM–Miller (Akron Firestone) 1:57.98; 50 free–Kinney (Massillon Jackson) 22.53; 100Fly–Martin (Pickerington Central) 55.37; 100 free–Kinney (Massillon Jackson) 49.70; 500 free–Thatcher (Mason) 4:47.81; 200FR–Upper Arlington 1:34.19; 100Back–Miller (Akron Firestone) 54.04; 100Breast–Blood (Ursuline) 1:03.09; 400FR–Ursuline 3:23.19.

WRESTLING

Division I District tournament At Fairfield
Team scores: 1. Moeller 195, 2. Centerville 96, 3. Loveland 85, 4. Fairfield 81, 5. Elder 76.5, 6. Laokta East 68.5, 7. Beavercreek 64, 8. Mason 62.5, 9. St. Xavier 60.5, 10. Miamisburg 58, 12. Princeton 51, 13. Colerain 49, 15. Sycamore 44, 16. Glen Este 39.5, 17. Lakota West 39, 18. Middletown 38.5, 20. Harrison 35, 23. Lebanon 28.5, 24. Edgewood 25, 27. Withrow 20, 28. La Salle 19, 29. Northwest 18, 31. Kings 9, 35. Anderson 7, 36. Hamilton 7, 37. Turpin 5, 39. Amelia 3.

Note: top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to state tournament.

First place
106-Jagel(Middletown) dec. Williams(Elder) 7-4; 113-Ziegler(Moeller) dec. Milano(LaSalle) 3-1; 120-Daly(Lakota East) dec. Barden(Fairfield) 5-2; 126-Selmon(Princeton) dec. Sicurella(Glen Este) 9-8; 132-Mendel(Moeller) dec. Denlinger(Kett. Fairmont) 3-1ot; 138-Sams(Fairfield) dec. Calvert(Sidney) 6-1; 145-Kowal(Princeton) dec. Leonhardt(Lakota West) 5-1; 152-Bair(Centerville) pin Wilson(Moeller); 160-Smith(Colerain) dec. Sizemore(Moeller) 9-6; 170-Corba(Beavercreek) dec. Schmidt(Miamisburg) 5-3; 182-Danis(Mason) dec. Rosser(Moeller) 5-3; 195-Thornberry(Moeller) dec. Scales(Colerain) 3-2ot; 220-Frueauf(Moeller) maj. dec. Isaacs(Withrow) 8-0; 285-Gutapfel(Harrison) dec. Burton(Lakota East) 6-1.

Third place
106-Heidkamp(Butler) pin Roth(Lakota East) 2:17; 113-Tucker(Loveland) dec. Logsdon(Lebanon) 5-2; 120-Ward(Moeller) dec. Clouse(Beavercreek) 3-0; 126-Parrett(Kett. Fairmont) dec. Borton(Moeller) 7-3; 132-Newell(Butler) dec. Heyob(St. Xavier) 12-7; 138-Branham(Miamisburg) dec. Morgan(Elder) 3-2; 145-Huber(Sycamore) pin Miller(Wayne) 2:33; 152-Lauffer(Fairfield) dec. Buchanan(Tecumseh) 3-1; 160-Caniglia(Loveland) dec. Globke(Middletown) 1-0; 170-Weber(Loveland) dec. Gilchrist(Centerville) 6-4; 182-Lay(Loveland) dec. McGraw(Troy) 5-1; 195-Bere(Sycamore) dec. Tonkin(Centerville) 9-8; 220-Nye(Springfield) dec. Martin(Butler) 7-3; 285-Daniels(Northwest) dec. Johnson(Elder) 5-1ot.

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Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East swimming, Lakota East wrestling, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming, Lakota West wrestling, Ohio state basketball tournament

Behind a strong effort from its seniors and a terrific night of perimeter shooting, Mason’s boys’ basketball team went into Lakota West and pulled off the upset, 59-54.

Senior guard Drew Matula led the Comets with 17 points. Senior forward Bryan King and senior guard Conner McVey each knocked down three 3-pointers, King finishing with 16 points and McVey with 14 points. Mason shot 8-16 from beyond the arc.

Lakota West, ranked No. 5 in the Enquirer Division I area coaches’ poll, took its only lead with less than four minutes remaining in the second quarter, but it was brief as the Comets nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to regain control.

Each time the Firebirds seemed poised to make a run, Mason would hit a timely outside shot to halt Lakota West’s momentum.

Sophomore guard Tyler Williams led Lakota West with 13 points. Junior guards Alex Capossela and Malik Grove chipped in 11 points and 10 points, respectively.

The Firebirds entered the week in a five-way tie for first place in the Greater Miami Conference. The loss gives West a 6-4 record within the GMC. There are three teams tied for first with 7-3 conference records on Wednesday.

Mason (7-9, 4-6) - McVey 5 1 14, Rice 1 1 3, Matula 5 6 17, King 5 3 16, Beebe 2 0 5, Young 2 0 4. Totals: 20 11 59.

Lakota West (11-5, 6-4) - Capossela 3 2 11, Bowling 1 0 2, Williams 4 4 13, Peterkin 1 1 3, Thomas 4 0 9, Moo Young 1 0 2, Grove 4 2 10, Martin 2 0 4. Totals: 20 9 54.

Halftime: Mason 23-17. 3-pointers: M 8 (McVey 3, King 3, Matula, Beebe); L 5 (Capossela 3, Williams, Thomas).

Thunderhawks fly past Big Blue - The Lakota East basketball team won its third straight game on Tuesday night when it defeated Hamilton by the score of 67-46. Senior guard Stedman Lowry paced the Thunderhawks with a game-high 22 points. So far this season, Lowry is averaging 18.8 points per game. Senior guard Robbie Harpring added 10 points, while sophomore Alex White scored nine points and pulled down nine rebounds in the win. East (14-4, 7-3 in GMC) is in a three-way tie with Fairfield (11-6, 7-3) and Sycamore (10-7, 7-3) for first place in the GMC.

Hamilton (7-9) - Reed 0 2 2, Bailey 2 0 5, Jones 2 0 5, Riggins 4 2 10, Frierson 1 0 2, Robinson 1 2 5, Daniels 5 2 12, Oliver 0 1 1, Francis 2 0 4. Totals: 17 9 46.

Lakota East (14-4) - Au Emrick 1 2 4, Harpring 3 3 10, S Lowry 9 1 22, Shaw 0 2 2, Mays 1 0 2, An Emrick 1 1 3, D Lowry 2 0 5, Panzeca 3 0 6, Baxter 2 0 4, White 3 3 9. Totals: 25 12 67.

Halftime: Lakota East 30-18. 3-pointers: H 3 (Jones, Bailey, Robinson); L 5 (S Lowry 3, Harpring, D Lowry).

Swimming

Boys: Sycamore 97, Lakota East 51, Lakota West 22
200 MR-Sycamore 1:51.23; 200 free-Hancher (S) 1:48.99; 200 IM-Jimenez (S) 2:12.35; 50 free-McDonald (LE) 24.43; 100 Fly-Fry (S) 56.32; 100 free-Seger (S) 52.21; 500 free-Abraham (S) 5:24.25; 200 FR-Sycamore 1:34.25; 100 Back-Cappel (S) 1:00.66; 100 Breast-McDonald (LE) 1:05.19; 400 FR-Sycamore 3:29.27.

Girls: Sycamore 97, Lakota East 38, Lakota West 35
200 MR-Sycamore 1:56.81; 200 free-Fry (S) 2:04.94; 200 IM-Moreno (S) 2:27.32; 50 free-Norris (S) 26.35; 100 Fly-Howard (LW) 1:03.89; 100 free-Wolkoff (S) 59.06; 500 free-Wu (S) 6:01.37; 200 FR-Sycamore 1:46.88; 100 Back-May (S) 1:06.09; 100 Breast Fry (S) 1:17.52; 400 FR-Sycamore 3:58.98.

On Monday

Cannatelli leads West past Springboro – Lakota West sophomore Lauren Cannatelli made four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points in her team’s 56-48 win at Springboro Monday night. Freshman Nia Staples added 11 points and sophomore Arianne Whitaker finished with a career-high 10 points for the Firebirds.

Lakota West (14-3, 8-3 in GMC) - Staples 5 0 11, Cannatelli 5 4 18, Carter 1 0 2, Tomasic 2 0 6, Niehaus 0 2 2, Whitaker 5 0 10, Kivell 2 2 7. Totals 20 8 56.

Springboro (12-5) - Glodowski 3 0 8, Wurth 5 8 18, Fenlon 1 1 3, DeGraaf 6 6 19. Totals 15 15 48.

Halftime: Lakota West 24-12. 3-pointers: L 8 (Staples, Cannatelli 4, Tomasic 2, Kivell); S 3 (Glodowski 2, DeGraaf).

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Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East swimming, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming

Boys’ basketball

Lakota West 55, St. Xavier 50

Lakota West (9-4)- Barnes 4 9 18, Bowling 2 0 4, Williams 3 3 12, Peterkin 2 0 4, Grove 5 1 13, Martin 2 0 4. Totals: 18 13 55.

St. Xavier (10-3)- Carroll 6 0 14, King 1 0 3, Mills 1 0 2, Blink 2 0 5, Gellenbeck 1 0 2, Barrett 5 2 13, Hadden 5 0 11. Totals: 21 2 50.

Halftime: Lakota West 31-26. 3-pointers: LW 6 (Williams 3, Grove 2, Barnes); SX 6 (Carroll 2, King, Blink, Barrett, Hadden).

Lakota West 73, Anderson 65

Anderson (7-6) – Stevlingson 4 1 11, Rogers 1 02, Cossins 6 5 17, Carroll 6 7 21, Martina 1 0 2, Murdock 5 2 12. Totals 23 15 65

Lakota West (8-4) – Barnes 2 4 8, Bowling 3 3 9, Williams 7 5 22, Grove 5 8 19, Martin 4 0 8, Peterkin 1 0 3, Higginbotham 2 0 4. Totals 24 20 73.

Halftime: Anderson 34-32. 3-pointers: A – 4 (Carroll 2, Stevlingson 2), LW – 5 (Williams 3, Grove, Peterkin).

Lakota East 55, Our Savior (N.Y.) 53

Lakota East (12-4) – Emrick 1 0 2, Harpring 4 0 6, S. Lowry 11 0 20, Norris 1 0 2, D. Lowry 5 0 8, White 6 5 17. Totals: 28 5 55.

Our Savior – Diallo 1 0 2, Little 7 0 11, Nzei 4 0 8, Diallo 10 3 23, Yakwe 4 1 9. Totals: 26 4 53.

Halftime: Lakota East 22-15. 3-Pointers L 6 (Harpring 2, S. Lowry 2, D. Lowry 2); O 3 (Little 3).

Girls’ basketball

Mason 53, Lakota East 28

Mason (16-0, 10-0) – Herren 2 1 7, McDowell 6 5 17, Ammons 4 2 11, Neal 0 2 2, Gunn 2 3 7, Vorherr 0 1 1, Mason 1 2 4, Melinick 2 0 4. Totals 17 16 53.

Lakota East (6-10, 5-5) – Satterwhite 1 1 3, Wills 1 2 4, Goodwin 1 2 5, Franklin 1 1 4, White 3 2 8, Thomas 0 1 1, Lamar 0 1 1, Panzeca 0 2 2. Totals 7 12 28.

Halftime: Mason 23-15. 3-pointers M 3 (Herren 2, Ammons); L 2 (Goodwin, Franklin)

Wrestling

On Friday, the Lakota East wrestling team took on Loveland, No. 2 in The Cincinnati Enquirer Division I coaches’ poll.

As with its recent match against No. 3 Fairfield, the Thunderhawks came out strong but fell just a bit short of claiming the upset.

East lost to Loveland by a score of 38-27. The split in matches was 7-6 in favor of Loveland.

East, again, had to give up 6 points due to a forfeit at 113 lbs. The Thunderhawks also missed a couple of opportunities in some very close bouts to turn the final score to their favor.

Winners for East included: Daniel Roth, Austin Daly, Justin Brown, Kolton Wagner, Anthony Palacio, and Jacob Burton.

Next up for the Hawks is the quarterfinals of the state dual meet series (new this season) against Edgewood at Mason High School on Wednesday at 6 p.m. East is the No. 3 seed and Edgewood is the No. 6 seed.

James V. Horning Memorial Invitational At Mason

Team scores: 1. Centerville 253.5, 2. Mason 244.5, 3. Fairmont 192, 4. Beavercreek 179, 5. Lakota West 158.5, 6. Pickerington North 152, 7. Colerain 150, 8. Glen Este 138, 9. Dublin Coffman 84, 10. Milford 35.
Finals

106-Gutierrez (Pick North) dec. Kearney (Mason) 11-7; 113-Barklay (Center) dec. DelValle (Fairmont) 3-0; 120-Watson (Center) dec. Clouse (Beavercreek) 6-3; 126-Parrett (Fairmont) major dec. Donigian (Beavercreek) 9-1; 132-Denlinger (Fairmont) dec. Scanlon (Center) 6-2; 138-Leonhardt (Lakota) dec. Keller (Beavercreek) 2-1; 145-Cress (Lakota) pin Collins (Mason) 5:27; 152-Bair (Center) dec. Boykin (Fairmont) 4-3; 160-Smith (Colerain) dec. Wooden (Dublin) 5-4; 170-Corba (Beavercreek) pin Gilchrist (Center) 4:18; 182-Danis (Mason) dec. JOnes (Center) 4-1; 195-Scales (Colerain) major dec. Tonkin (Center) 12-2; 220-Jennings (Center) pin McBurrows (Lakota) 4:44; 285-Crissman (Glen Este) by default Quick (Mason).

Boys’ swimming

Southwest Ohio Classic At Keating Natatorium Note: Saturday results

Team scores: 1. St. Xavier 321, 2. Oakwood 161, 3. Centerville 129, 4. Moeller 98, 4. Sycamore 98, 6. Kings 77, 7. Anderson 59, 8. talawanda 57, 9. Vandalia 55, 10. Versailles 54, 11. Wyoming 51, 12. Lakota West 50, 13. Walnut Hills 45, 14. Beavercreek 42, 15. Wilmington 40, 17. Mason 33, 20. Lakota East 26, 21. Indian Hill 23, 22. Fairfield 22, 23. Mariemont 21, 24. Madeira 20, 26. Turpin 19, 27. Lebanon 16, 29. Middletown 6, 29. Milford 6, 31. SEven Hills 5, 32. Little Miami 4, 35. Glen Este 2.

200FR-St. Xavier 1:26.75; 200Breast-Rutter (Wyoming) 2:07.57; 50Breast-Jones (St. X) 28.44; 500 free-Goertemiller (Oakwood) 4:30.58; 100Back-Quallen (Wilmington) 51.25; 100Fly-Quallen (Wilmington) 49.26; 50 free-Elder (Meadowdale) 21.25; 400IM-Brooks (Centerville) 4:01.14; 200 free-Goertemiller (Oakwood) 1:42.11; 400MR-St. Xavier 3:29.55.

Girls’ swimming

Southwest Ohio Classic At Keating Natatorium Note: Saturday results

Team scores: 1. Ursuline 211, 2. Oakwood 169, 3. Indian HIll 128, 4. Centerville 118, 5. Turpin 115, 6. Mason 112, 7. St. Ursula 104, 8. Mariemont 99, 9. Versailles 62, 10. Springboro 58, 13. Lakota West 41, 14. Cincinnati Country Day 37, 16. CHCA 28, 18. Fenwick 27, 18. Mercy 27, 21. Sycamore 19, 23. Mt. Notre Dame 18, 24. Seton 17, 26. Madeira 13, 27. Wilmington 12, 28. Kings 11, 29. Walnut Hills 9, 31. Anderson 8, 33. Loveland 3, 34. Milford 2.

200FR-Ursuline 1:36.66; 200Breast-Crew (Shawnee) 2:17.30; 50Breast-Massie (Carroll) 31.02; 500 free-Thatcher (Mason) 4:53.10; 100Back-Whiteley (Springboro) 56.15; 100Fly-Shaffer (Springfield) 57.59; 50 free-Tomley (Ursuline) 23.92; 400IM-Lofquist (Oakwood) 4:28.41; 200 free-Wooden (CCD) 1:49.49; 400MR-Ursuline 3:52.55.

Diving finals – Sunday results
Individual results: 1. Sewell (Mason) 494.15; 2. Lehman (Centerville) 446.05; 3. Schuermann (Alter) 443.50; 4. McConnell (Lakota East) 434.50; 5. Polk (Centerville) 422.85; 6. Brophy (Summit Country Day) 417.70; 7. DiMasso (Sycamore) 411.35; 8. Wegryn (Indian Hill) 397.25; 9. Woods (Centerville) 394.15; 10. Carr (Mason) 390.85.

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Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East swimming, Lakota East wrestling, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming

Lakota West senior Bryan McNamara decided to sign a National Letter of Intent to swim at Miami (Ohio) this week, according to the Lakota West High School athletic department.

Last winter, McNamara qualified to compete in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle at the 2011 state meet in C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton.

It was his third straight trip to the state meet.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Bryan McNamara, Bryan McNamara Miami, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming

Rachel Richardson and Adam Kiefaber report

A Lakota West graduate and former member of the Mason Manta Ray swim team will go up against some of the nation’s best swimmers Thursday at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.

Stephen Koch, who helped set school records at Lakota West and now swims at Ohio State, will compete in the 200-meter breaststroke against the likes of Michael Phelps, who won a record-breaking eight gold medals in swimming at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

Koch is vying for one of 52 spots – 26 men and 26 women – on the USA Olympic swim team to represent the nation at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Of the 300,000 registered swimmers in USA Swimming, only about 1,700 — or less than one-third of one percent — were invited to try out for the USA Olympic swim team.

The trials are being televised live each night from 8-9 p.m. on NBC. Results are also posted on the USA Swimming website.

Koch, along with Alex Hart, Michael Hart and Brendan McNamara hold the Lakota West record in the 200-meter medley relay with a time of 1.38.75, as well as in the 400-meter freestyle relay with a time of 3:15.51. Koch also holds the Lakota West record in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 1.54.24. All three school records were set in late February of 2009, according to WestFirebirds.com.

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Tags: Tags: 2012 Summer Olympics, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming, Olympics, Stephen Koch, Stephen Koch 2012 Summer Olympics, Stephen Koch Olympics

The 2012 Swimming and Diving State Championships are underway in Canton. Lakota East and Lakota West swimmers, however, will compete Friday in the preliminaries. The Division I finals are scheduled to take place Saturday.

Parents John and Susan Hall watch their daughter as she is honored during a special signing ceremony at Lakota East High School Feb. 1, 2012 National Signing Day. Hall will continue her swimming career at Michigan State. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber of WestChesterBuzz.com.

State qualifiers from Lakota East competing in the individual events include senior Paige Baisden (200-yard freestyle), senior Jessika Hall (200-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly), freshman Matt McDonald (100-yard backstroke) and senior Rob VanKirk (500-yard freestyle). McDonald and VanKirk, along with seniors Jake Spela and Billy Barren, also qualified to complete in the 200-yard medley relay.

From Lakota West, junior Bryan McNamara (200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle) and sophomore Casey Frazier (200-yard individual medley) qualified to compete in individual events. Frazier, along with junior Joanna Sauter, junior Savannah Rice and sophomore Tiffany Howard, also qualified to compete in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

The preliminaries for the Division I state swimming meet begin at 9 a.m. Friday, while the finals are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Saturday. State competition began Wednesday with the Division II diving competition. Division I diving, along with the Division II swimming preliminaries, take place Thursday.

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Tags: Tags: 2012 Swimming and Diving State Championships, Billy Barren, Bryan McNamara, Casey Frazier, Jake Spela, Jessika Hall, Joanna Sauter, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East swimming, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming, Matt McDonald, Rob VanKirk, Savannah Rice, state meet, Tiffany Howard

The athletic departments at Lakota East and Lakota West high schools recently named their athletes of the week. Freshman Lauren Cannatelli and junior Bryan McNamara received the honor at Lakota West, while seniors Alissa Bryant and Grant Wall were honored at Lakota East.

Cannatelli has played a big role in Lakota West’s recent hot streak, which has included six wins in the last seven games. During that span, the freshman has scored in double figures three times. Furthermore, against rival Lakota East Feb. 1, she made a three pointer in the final quarter to produce the ninth and final lead change of the contest.

McNamara was the only Firebird to win an individual championship in the Greater Miami Conference meet at Mason last Saturday. He earned all GMC honors in each of the four events he participated in capped by his all GMC first team honor for winning the 500-yard free style event.

Bryant is a senior cheerleader at Lakota East, while Grant Wall is on the Lakota East boys’ basketball team. According to EastThunderhawks.com, Wall is the best on ball defender on the team. He is a great example of understanding his role and being a great teammate. He is also a member of our “Black Shirt Club.”

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Tags: Tags: athletes of the week, Lakota athletes of the week, Lakota East, Lakota East athletics, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East cheerleading, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming

For the fourth consecutive year, the Sycamore boys and the Mason girls won the Greater Miami Conference swimming championship. Meanwhile, the Mason wrestling team won its third GMC title in a row. Both GMC meets took place during the weekend.

In the boys’ portion of the GMC swimming meet, Lakota East finished third and Lakota West finished fifth. Lakota West junior Bryan McNamara was the only school district athlete to win an event, winning the 500-yard freestyle.

In the girls’ portion of the GMC swimming meet, Lakota West finished third and Lakota West finished fourth. Lakota East senior Jessika Hall (photo), who has signed onto to swim at Michigan State, won the 200-yard individual medley at the meet.

• Results of the 2012 Greater Miami Conference swimming meet
• Results of the 2012 Greater Miami Conference wrestling meet

In wrestling, Lakota East finished third and Lakota West finished in eighth out of 10 GMC squads. Lakota East senior Jacob Landers (120 lbs.) was the only school district wrestler to win his weight class at the meet.

Lakota wrestlers finishing near the top of their weight class included junior Justin Brown (second place, 132 lbs.), senior Eric Sullivan (second place, 145 lbs.), senior Jacob Burton (second place, 195 lbs.), junior Austin Daly (third place, 113 lbs.), Tim Bowman (third place, 285 lbs.) and Corey Howard (fourth place, 145 lbs.) of Lakota East; and sophomore Kevin Leonhardt (third place, 126 lbs.), senior Jamie Keesling (third place, 170 lbs.) and senior John Davis (fourth place, 145 lbs.) of Lakota West.

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Tags: Tags: Greater Miami Conference, Greater Miami Conference swimming meet, Greater Miami Conference wrestling meet, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East swimming, Lakota East wrestling, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming, Lakota West wrestling

The athletic departments at Lakota East and Lakota West high schools recently named their athletes of the week. Junior Bryan McNamara and sophomore Tiffany Howard received the honor at Lakota West, while seniors Emma Lippscomb and Daniel Robbins were honored at Lakota East.

McNamara was honored as male swimmer of the meet at the Milford Invitational last Saturday. During the meet, McNamara finished first in the 500-yard freestyle and placed in the top three in all four of the events he participated in.

Meanwhile, at the same meet at Milford, Howard won the 100-yard backstroke. Howard helped Lakota West finish first out of 13 competing schools. Howard was also part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team that finished first at the Lakota Tri-Meet Tuesday. Lakota West also won that event, finishing ahead of Lakota East and Notre Dame (Ky.).

Lakota East seniors Lippscomb and Robbins are considered leaders on the academic quiz team this winter sports season. According to the Greater Miami Conference (not all of the season score have been reported), the Thunderhawks have complied a 4-2 overall record.

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Tags: Tags: athletes of the week, Bryan McNamara, Daniel Robbins, Emma Lippscomb, Greater Miami Conference, Lakota athletes of the week, Lakota East, Lakota East athletics, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming, Tiffany Howard