ASHLAND — The fall sports season was a big one for Ashland County-area graduates performing on the college level, and the winter season has begun with a few bangs as well.
Below, Ashland Source has put together some of those standout efforts.
Area high school athletic directors and local readers have submitted names of current athletes in action to the Source.
Anyone with information on other former Ashland County-area athletes contributing to their teams this winter can send them to doughaidet19@gmail.com.
* Before getting into a school-by-school breakdown, one high-performing local duo to point out together is Ashland graduate McKinley Mendenhall and Loudonville grad Sydney Polen.
The two were critical in one of the best seasons in the history of the NCAA Division II women’s soccer program at Ashland University.
The Eagles finished their season ranked No. 2 in the nation with a 19-1-4 record, tying a program record for wins in a season and NCAA Tournament wins in a season (two) as they advanced to the Sweet 16.
Polen was a big key to AU’s tournament run, scoring in each of the team’s postseason wins and finishing her freshman campaign with seven goals (tied for second on the team) and four assists while coming off the bench.
Mendenhall, a junior, netted five goals and added seven helpers (tied for first) as a starter in all 24 games. For the second year in a row, the former Arrow was a second-team All-Midwest Region selection and she now stands sixth all-time at Ashland in career assists (25).
ASHLAND
* Former Arrow Karli Shepherd wrapped up a huge junior season with the Division I Winthrop University volleyball team (14-14, 12-2 Big South). The Eagles finished runner-up to High Point in the Big South Tournament before losing their opener to Georgia Southern in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
For her part, Shepherd made the Big South All-Academic Team. The outside hitter closed the year with 215 kills (third on the team), 242 points (third), 118 digs, 24 blocks and 13 aces.
* For the Ashland football team (9-3, 8-1 Great Midwest Athletic Conference), junior defensive tackle Kristian Gehrisch closed his season with a four-tackle effort against McKendree in the America’s Crossroads Bowl, a 23-20 AU win.
On the year, he totaled 34 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss (third on the team) and 2.5 sacks while playing in all 12 games.
* At Division III Ohio Northern, Josh Bever closed his career on the gridiron leading the Polar Bears (4-6, 4-5 Ohio Athletic Conference) in both sacks (7) and tackles for loss (13). His total tackles (65) also were second on the squad.
Postseason honors helped him round out his career. Bever was named a third-team All-Region 4 selection – his third all-region honors – and he gathered his fifth All-OAC laurels as a three-time first-teamer. Bever owns the ONU record for consecutive starts (44), is second in career sacks (37) and tackles for loss (56), and ninth in total tackles (274).
* Also in Division III football at Kenyon, defensive tackle Cole Garrison had his best game of the season in the finale against Oberlin (a 38-10 win), putting up 3.5 tackles for loss and his first two sacks of the year.
The senior was a third-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference pick for the Owls (2-8, 2-6 NCAC).
* On the course in Division II cross country, Daniel Arimi was a key cog for Lewis University, which placed 21st in the NCAA Championships. The senior finished his 10k effort for the Flyers in 158th place (31:59.5).
* In winter sports, the Division II Anderson men’s basketball team (4-4) has been the beneficiary of the dynamic duo of brothers Garrett and Luke Denbow.
A senior guard, Garrett Denbow was named a preseason second-teamer in the South Atlantic Conference one year after averaging 15.3 points per game and leading Division II in 3-pointers made per game (3.5). So far this season, he’s averaged 18.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, pouring in a career-high 38 points in the season-opener against Flagler.
Sophomore Luke Denbow, meanwhile, has kicked off his campaign averaging 11.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. The all-time leading scorer for the Arrows (1,719 points), Denbow has started 7 of 8 games, scoring in the double-digits in five of them.
* Grayson Steury is also off to a good start in his freshman basketball season at Division III Wittenberg, averaging 5.8 points per game off the bench through nine games. The Tigers are 6-3 with help from Steury – the second-leading scorer in AHS history (1,399 points).
* In swimming, the Division III squad at John Carroll has been in action for a couple months now and sophomore Bailey Parsons has been a constant contributor. The former Arrow standout had one of his best all-around efforts in action at Westminster with top-3 finishes in the 100-yard butterfly (55.15), the 100 freestyle (51.28) and as part of the 200 freestyle relay.
* On the wrestling mat at Ohio Northern, Jayden Jones has put together a 5-6 record at 157 pounds, including a pin and three major decisions. The junior entered the season with a 37-21 career record that featured 15 pins.
CRESTVIEW
* The Division II Tiffin University volleyball team (18-14, 11-8 GMAC) closed its season after a loss in the semifinals of the GMAC Tournament recently. It ended a big year for former Cougar Kenedi Goon, who was named first-team All-GMAC as one of the league’s best in kills and blocks.
Goon, a junior, was a big reason the Dragons closed the regular season ranked second in the country in blocks. She ended the year leading the team in kills (311) and was third in blocks (115).
* On the wrestling roster at Ashland University, freshman Hayden Kuhn has been competing unattached at 149 pounds and is off to a 9-4 start to his career. The former Cougar, who was the only CHS wrestler ever to win four Firelands Conference titles, took second place at 149 among underclassmen at Case Western Reserve’s Bob Del Rosa Ohio Open at Case Western Reserve.
HILLSDALE
* Jordan Taylor has kicked off her senior season for the Division II University of Findlay indoor track and field team with flair, collecting GMAC Athlete of the Week honors this week. The Oilers won their Oiler Opener last weekend and the former Falcon won the 60-meter dash with an NCAA provisional time of 7.50 seconds.
Taylor also won the 200 in 24.78 (NCAA provisional) and was part of the first-place 4×400 relay (4:09.55). It’s a good start for the senior, who has been a GMAC first-team runner in the past.
LOUDONVILLE
* In action for the NAIA Huntington women’s basketball team, Emily Seboe’s senior season has begun. The forward has started all seven games in which she’s played for the Foresters (5-4), averaging 5.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest.
Seboe has had a double-digit scoring average the last two seasons for HU and was a preseason second-team pick in the Crossroads League this year.
* Also in NAIA women’s hoops action, Grace Vermilya has played in all eight games so far for Mount Vernon Nazarene (5-3). The junior forward netted a season-high 14 points in an 81-54 victory over Cleary and is averaging a pair of rebounds per game.
MAPLETON
* Playing as a junior linebacker for Division III Ohio Wesleyan, Bryar Ramey wrapped up his season with 73 tackles (3.5 for loss), good for third on the team.
The Battling Bishops ended the year 5-5 overall and 4-4 in the NCAC.
* In wrestling at Division III Otterbein, Andrew Sas has opened his sophomore campaign tied for the team lead in wins with a 7-2 record at 141. He’s already more than halfway past his win total as a freshman (12).
* Just like Sas, his former Mountie teammate, sophomore Joe Shoup has started well at Division III Ohio Wesleyan as one of the team’s wins leaders (9-7). The heavyweight won 17 matches last year as a freshman.
