An annual rite of passage, the Southwest District Board of the OHSAA took time Tuesday evening to honor its elite student athletes for accomplishment on the playing field and in the classroom.
Dayton – In what’s now become a final highlight of the high school athletic season, the Southwest District Board of the Ohio High School Athletic Association honored 43 area student athletes Tuesday for accomplishment on the playing field and in the classroom.
Representing the OHSAA in Columbus, deputy commissioner Beau Rugg opened the ceremonies at the downtown Marriott by making the statement, “Of all the things we do in the course of the school athletic year, this is the one thing that I enjoy most. I like to present these awards.”
In total, the SWDAB presented more than 40 scholarships ranging in value from $500 to $2,000 to students representing the Southwest district, from Hamilton County to Shelby County.
Area recipients from the Press Pros market included: Kristin Langston (Versailles), Samantha Rowland (Tipp City), Dylan Shomper (Tipp City), Peyton Esser (Jackson Center), Meredith Haddad (Troy Christian), Caroline Heitmeyer (Lehman), Collin Peters (Versailles), Allen St. Myers (Graham), Brandon Magee (Covington), Rachel Schmitmeyer (Ft. Loramie), Katherine Runner (Miami East), and Michell Poynter (Tipp City).
“It’s an honor to recognize these young people of such accomplishment and character,” said SWDAB secretary Dale Creamer. “But it’s an even greater honor to know that these same young people exhibit that same character when no one’s looking.”
And of the 43 student athletes that shared their college of choice, they spanned the country, including Duke, MIT, Penn, Dartmouth, University of Chicago, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Michigan…and four will be attending Notre Dame come fall semester.
Tuesday’s event marked the 23rd anniversary of SWDAB scholarship awards, funded in large part by the sale of T-shirts during the district tournaments throughout the school year. 13 past board members with 25 years or more service to the SWDAB and student athletes in southwest Ohio were recognized by honorary or memorial scholarships in their name. They include: Dave Gray, Fred Durkle, Dale Creamer, Bob Denney, John Rossi, Gene Klaus, Angus King, Bob Huelsman, George Rise, Emerson Brown, Harry Moore, Harold Shank, and Franklin Young.
Covington's Brandon Magee received the Bob Huelsman honorary scholarship Tuesday at the SWDAB scholar athletes banquet in Dayton. Huelsman (left) is a former coach and principal at Covington. Magee will attend Heidelberg in the fall to study criminal justice. (Press Pros Feature Photos)