WestChesterBuzz.com

Lakota West senior Nathan Haynes, Lakota East freshman Abbie VanFossen and Lakota East junior Kelly Burrows all performed well enough in this past weekend’s regional meet to advance to this Saturday’s Division I cross country state championships near Columbus.

Haynes, who finished sixth at the regional race at Troy Memorial Stadium, was the only runner on either Lakota East or Lakota West boys’ squads to qualify for the state meet.

His teammate, senior Brady Holmer, who won the Greater Miami Conference and district titles this fall, finished 23rd at the regional meet.

On the girls side, Lakota East finished sixth as a team at the regional – just seven points behind fourth-place Centerville, which took the final team-qualifying spot.

While the team didn’t advance, VanFossen finished sixth and Burrows finished ninth and will compete in the state meet. VanFossen posted the fastest time among freshmen runners.

The state meet will take place Saturday, Nov. 5, at National Trail Raceway in Hebron. National Trail is located approximately 25 miles east of Columbus off I-70.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Abbie VanFossen, Brady Holmer, Kelly Burrows, Lakota East, Lakota East cross country, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West cross country, Lakota West sports, Nathan Haynes, Nathaniel Haynes, Ohio cross country state championships

Lakota East and Lakota West finished in the top three at the Greater Miami Conference cross country championships Saturday. Lakota East finished second and Lakota West finished third.

Individually, Lakota West senior Brady Holmer finished first at the conference championships. Senior Tony O’Connor, who finished sixth, led Lakota East.

Holmer, O’Connor, Lakota West senior Nathaniel Haynes, Lakota East junior Matt Rice and Lakota East sophomore Ben Call were named First Team All-GMC.

On the girls’ side, Lakota East finished fourth and Lakota West finished fifth.

Lakota East freshman Abbie VanFossen finished second overall.

VanFossen and Lakota East junior Kelly Burrows were named First Team All-GMC.

Girls’ tennis – District tournament – Lakota East junior Taylor Holden won her first two matches at the Division I Southwest District tennis tournament Thursday, but lost against 2010 state champion junior Sandy Niehaus of Mount Notre Dame in the district semifinals Saturday. Holden has qualified for the state tournament in Columbus Oct. 21-22.

Girls’ soccer – Milford defeats Lakota West – The Lakota West girls’ soccer team lost its regular season finale when it fell to Milford by the score of 4-2. The loss gives Lakota West a 8-3-5 overall record. The Firebirds also finished with a 6-0-3 conference record in the GMC, good for second in the final conference standings. Lakota West will begin the postseason Thursday, Oct. 20, when it will face the winner of the Turpin/Seton game.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Abbie VanFossen, Ben Call, Brady Holmer, Kelly Burrows, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Matt Rice, Nathaniel Haynes, Tony O'Connor

Three student athletes from the Lakota school district competed at the OHSAA Division I championship track and field meet this past weekend June 3-4 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at Ohio State University.

Lakota West junior Nathan Haynes led all local students with his sixth-place finish in the 800-meter run. Haynes finished with a time of 1:54.81, which was just under three seconds off the state champions time.

Haynes qualified for the state meet by finishing third in the 800 meters at the Division I regional meet at University of Dayton’s Welcome Stadium.

Also, qualifying at the regional meet was Lakota East junior Lauren Buck (finished fourth in the shot put at the regional meet) and Lakota East freshman Autumn Heath (finished second in the 100 meters at the regional meet).

At the state meet, Buck finished 14th in the girls’ shot put and Heath finished 14th in the preliminaries in the 100-meter dash.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Autumn Heath, Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lauren Buck, Nathan Haynes, Nathaniel Haynes, OHSAA Division I championship track and field meet, state meet, track

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 East and Lakota West high schools recently named their athletes of the week. Lakota East honored Wesley Meyer and Drew Souders, while Lakota West recognized Nathan Haynes and Ashley Sharp.

Wesley Meyer (photo) is a senior on the Lakota East boys’ volleyball squad. Overall, Meyer has played a big role on his team, which is 11-3 overall and 4-0 within the Greater Miami Conference. This past Tuesday, Meyer totaled 30 kills in a 29-27, 25-16, 25-18, 25-16 win against Fairfield. Last spring, Meyer was named to the All-GMC First Team.

Drew Souders is a junior on the Lakota East boys’ tennis team. Souders has helped the Thunderhawks get off to a strong start. Through Friday, April 15, Lakota East has an 8-1 overall record and a 7-1 mark within the GMC. So far this season, Souders is 1-0 at No. 2 singles and 3-1 at No. 3 singles. This is his first year on the varsity team.

Nathan Haynes is a junior member of the Lakota West track team. Last week, he finished second in the 800-meter run at the 31-team Cincinnati Coaches Classic. Haynes also finished first in the 800-meter run at this Thursday’s Mt. Healthy Owls Classic. Furthermore, Haynes was on the 3200-meter relay team, which finished second at the Coaches Classic.

Ashley Sharp is a freshman pitcher on the Lakota West softball team. Last week, Sharp filled in for the injured Alex Caudill as the team’s starting pitcher. Sharp responded by winning three straight games – 4-3 win at Oak Hills on April 5, 11-1 win vs. Hamilton on April 6, and a 8-1 win vs. Princeton April 8. During that span, Sharp struck out 31 batters in 18 innings.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Ashley Sharp, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, Drew Souders, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Nathan Haynes, Nathaniel Haynes, softball, tennis, track, volleyball, Wesley Meyer

Both the Lakota East baseball and softball teams earned eight-inning road wins on Thursday, April 14, against Fairfield teams. The baseball team defeated Fairfield by the score of 3-2, while softball team earned a 2-1 victory.

>>>GAME STORY: LAKOTA EAST SOFTBALL<<<

Lakota East senior pitcher Evan Hills, who recently committed to the University of Cincinnati, improved his record to 4-1 on the season. Senior J.D. Whetsel (3-for-5, 2B), sophomore Jarret Rindfleish (2-for-5), junior Alex Corna (2-for-4) and senior Mitch Geers (2-for-3) led Lakota East from the plate. Meanwhile, Lakota East senior Sara Pearson homered and threw a complete game in the softball win against Fairfield. Pearson improved her record to 10-1 on the season.

>>>PHOTOS: FAIRFIELD AT LAKOTA EAST – SOFTBALL<<<

Both teams are now tied atop the Greater Miami Conference standings.

In baseball, Lakota East is 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the GMC. Mason (8-2 overall) is also 6-2 in the GMC. The Thunderhawks will host Fairfield (6-5 overall, 3-5 in GMC) today, April 15, at 5 p.m.

In softball, Lakota East is now 13-1 overall and 8-1 in the GMC. Fairfield (8-1 overall) is also 8-1 in the GMC. The Thunderhawks are scheduled to play at Middletown (3-7 overall, 3-5 in GMC) on Saturday, April 16.

Baseball – Lakota West 1, Oak Hills 0 – Lakota West earned a 1-0 win against Oak Hills on Thursday to stay a game out from the top two teams in the GMC standings. Junior Zack Farmer earned his first win on the season and struck out nine batters. With the win, Lakota West improves to 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the GMC. The Firebirds will host Oak Hills (5-4 overall, 4-4 in the GMC) today at 5 p.m.

Softball – Lakota West 2, Middletown 0 – In her second game back from injury, Lakota West senior pitcher Alex Caudill shutout Middletown and struck out 16 batters in a 2-0 victory on Thursday. Junior Amanda Lahti (3-for-3) led Lakota West at the plate. With the win, Lakota West improves to 8-2 overall and 7-1 in the GMC. The Firebirds will play at Sycamore today at 4:30 p.m.

Tennis – Lakota East def. Lakota West – Lakota East won its sixth straight team match, while Lakota West lost for the fourth straight time when the Thunderhawks defeated the Firebirds 4-1 on Thursday. Only No. 3 singles player sophomore Nick Lang won his match for Lakota West. Lakota East improves to 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the GMC. Lakota West’s record falls to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the GMC. Lakota West will play at Mason (8-1 overall, 6-1 in the GMC) this afternoon at 4 p.m.

Track – at Mt. Healthy – The Lakota West boys’ team finished third, while the girls’ team was fifth at the track competition at Mt. Healthy High School on Thursday. The boys’ team won multiple categories including the 4×800 relay, the 800M (Nathaniel Haynes), 1600M (Brady Holmer), and the 3200 run (Holmer). Meanwhile, Amanda Shelby won the girls’ 1600M. The coed track team will compete at Butler (Vandalia) High School this Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

Volleyball – Lakota East def. Princeton – Lakota East remained perfect in the GMC when it defeated Princeton by the score of 25-4, 25-9, 25-11 on Thursday. The Thunderhawks improve to 11-3 overall and 4-0 in the GMC. Lakota East’s next match will be against Badin on Monday, April 18.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Caudill, Amanda Lahti, Amanda Shelby, baseball, boys' tennis, Brady Holmer, Evan Hills, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Nathaniel Haynes, Nick Lang, Sara Pearson, softball, tennis, track, volleyball, Zack Farmer