Discipline has paid off for Oakwood’s Grace Davis.

After missing out on participating in track and field her senior year, Davis signed with Danville Area Community College’s cross country program at the end of May.

Davis capped off her senior year on the Oakwood/Salt Fork cross country team as captain, leading runners to a Vermilion Valley Conference championship, and qualifying for IHSA Sectionals after finishing 40th at the Class 1A regional in Tuscola.

The long-distance runner, who began in track and field as just a way to stay in shape during the spring, said she now lives for the competitive aspect of running.

By the time Davis was a sophomore she lengthened the distance she completed out, filling in for 800-meter relays whenever her coach needed her to. 

“As I became a Junior I decided to run the 1600 as well as the 800 and I realized how much I loved the longer distance races,” Davis said.

With a positive attitude leading the way, Davis learned to trust the training process.

“My coaches (Juice and Coach Ryan) have definitely shaped me into the athlete I am today. They have shown me how to work hard and gain the reward from the hard work. They have both pushed me to become a better athlete each year I have had them as a coach,” she said. 

“My dad, Troy, has also been very influential when it comes to me becoming the athlete I am today. My dad has always preached about what it takes to be a good athlete and teammate, without his motivation I wouldn’t be the athlete I am today.”

Coming into her senior season, Davis had her sights set on helping her teammates reach their full potential while working towards her own PR’s.

“My highlights of my career have just been each time I PR’d,” she said. “I feel like that is the best feeling you can have as a runner. I will look back fondly at the great memories I had running relays with my teammates and also the races I have won within my track career.

“Being an athlete has taught me self-discipline. If you don’t put in the work you won’t succeed. The grind never stops when you’re an athlete.”

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fred@mahometnews.com

The final installment (fall, winter) in our series on area all-decade athletic teams concludes today with the release of the elite spring-sport athletes.

Before we get to the particular sports, we will recognize two athletes. The designation is for Male and Female Athlete of the Decade.

In a sense, the winners picked themselves for their high level of involvement in sports during their school years. Among the boys, three persons were selected to all-decade teams for each of the three seasons: Cameron Lee, Hunter Phelps and Chase Vinson.

Although the athlete who participates in three sports per school year generally warrants the most consideration for the top all-decade athlete award, it was impossible to overlook the achievements of Jon Davis in his two sports. Davis won a combined nine state championships between cross-country and track and field.

In all, he earned 10 state medals for top two placements and was the choice as Male Athlete of the Decade.

The Female Athlete of the Decade was a choice between three athletes who were recognized on three all-decade teams: Makenzie Baker, Kylie Neuman and Katelyn Young.

Young’s credentials separated her from the field. She is a two-time state-placer in track and field, a three-time All-Area first-team selection in basketball and a three-time All-Area second-team selection in volleyball.

Ten Oakwood girls were two-sport all-decade choices: Grace Davis, Brenna Durst, Sadie Edwards, Angela Elliott, Paiton Frerichs, Makayla Gayler, Amy Martin, Shelby Mascari, Ciara Pierce and Shaelyn Turner.

Thirteen Oakwood boys were feated on two all-decade teams: Mason Ajster, Gevin Ashikyan, Cody Ayers, Skylar Bolton, Cole Burrus, Caide Borden, Jon Davis, Casey Fletcher, Cameron Helka, Parker Lee, Skyler Slade, Hunter Tharp and Cameron Wise.

Before turning our attention to the spring-sport all-decade teams, two points should be remembered. The selections are based entirely on what the athlete did during high school. Subsequent college accolades were not taken into account.

Also, a great number of athletes from the school received All-Area first- or second-team honors during their time in high school and that recognition was the foundation for compiling the all-decade lists.

OAKWOOD BASEBALL

NAME                 POS. GRAD YR.

Skylar Bolton       C         2018
Jake England        P        2013
Casey Fletcher       INF         2011
Kyle Girton            INF 2015
Zach Girton           UTL 2012
Tyler Knight         P         2012
Cameron Lee        INF 2012
Hunter Phelps       INF 2017
Isaiah Ruch          P         2021
Taylor Turner    INF        2016
Chase Vinson      P         2018

Player of the Decade – Casey Fletcher, who earned first-team All-Area honors twice and batted .467 as a senior and .516 as a junior. He also had nine wins and 93 strikeouts as a junior.

OAKWOOD SOFTBALL

NAME                 POS. GRAD YR.

Madison Carleton C            2016
Tessa England     NA    2012
Paiton Frerichs   1B     2019
Hannah Grubb    3B         2016
Shelby Mascari   OF     2016
Karissa Nelson    NA       2012
Kylie Neuman     SS        2019
Kerrigan Shafer    P          2019
Shaelyn Turner    C          2018
Somer Wells        2B        2016
Ashley Wahlfeldt C          2012

Player of the Decade – Kylie Neuman, who burst onto the scene as a freshman pitcher and won 11 games, and then later became a two-time All-Area second-team selection as an infielder.

OAKWOOD BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD

NAME                EVENT  GRAD YR.

Cole Burrus   Mid-Distance            2014
Jon Davis           Distance         2016
Bryce Dillman   Weights                 2017
Brandon Divan    Distance         2012
Shane Foley        Sprints         2012
Tyler Grey      Mid-Distance       2011
Cody Hansbraugh  Weights       2019
Cameron Helka     Distance 2019
Cameryn Taylor Sprints          2020
Erik Tharp               Jumps 2012
Cody Watson     Weights       2012
Jeremy Watson     Weights     2014
Cameron Wise       Jumps     2018

Athlete of the Decade – Jon Davis, who won both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter state championship races in Class 1A as a sophomore, junior and senior. He broke the state-meet record as a junior in the 3,200 and has overall times in the 1,600 (4:05.81) and 3,200 (8:55.17) that are among the top 11 all-time in state history. As a freshman, Davis was the state runner-up in the 1,600.

OAKWOOD GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD

NAME                   EVENTS GRAD YR.

Makenzie Baker   Hurdles    2012
Lynzie Corzine     Weights      2011
Hailey Bennett     Hurdles    2014
Grace Davis           Distance   2020
Aalijah Denius        Sprints   2021
Angela Elliott        Sprints        2012
Makayla Gayler    Hurdles     2016
Haven Harrison     Distance   2019
Summer Kitchens  Sprints    2015
Amy Martin          Jumps        2010
Shelby Mascari     Jumps         2018
Ciara Pierce            Distance   2012
Cheyenne Sadlek   Sprints    2015
Katelyn Young        Weights   2020

Athlete of the Decade – Katelyn Young, who won back-to-back state medals in Class 1A in the shot put as a sophomore and a junior, breaking her own school record along the way.

The post Kroner’s Picks: Oakwood’s All-Decade Teams (Spring), Davis and Young named Athlete of the Decade appeared first on .

For two years, Katelyn Young has been on the fast track to success as a shot-putter.

Now a junior at Oakwood High School, the three-sport athlete participated in softball as a freshman.

A year later, she decided to switch her spring sport to track and field.

She had participated in track in junior high, focusing on the hurdles and qualifying for state.

The Comets’ girls’ track and field coach, Lynn Anderson, was aware of the teen-ager’s physical strength from volleyball, another sport Anderson coaches.

“I said as strong as she is, why doesn’t she throw shot,” Anderson said.

The first time she threw in a meet, Anderson said, “she made the state-qualifying mark, and she hadn’t really had any coaching.”

A Division I recruit in basketball, Young didn’t anticipate making a major impact in track.

“I wasn’t expecting to throw,” she said. “I was doing it to stay in shape for basketball.”

And then, she had her first high school track meet.

“My first meet ever throwing, I broke the school record (throwing 39 feet),” Young said.

She hasn’t slowed down.

Young re-broke the shot put record multiple times as a sophomore and placed fifth last year in the Class 1A state meet.

She continued to improve as a junior, finishing with a flourish on Saturday. Her mark from the preliminaries, 43 feet, 1 ¾ inches, earned her all-state status for the second year in a row.

Young placed third overall based on her third attempt in Thursday’s prelims. She was disappointed to not improve further in the finals.

“It was totally bittersweet,” Young said. “I’m kind of mad how I threw (Saturday), but happy how I got there.”

Her state performance capped a dominant season. Young was the shot put winner in all but two meets she entered, placing second in the Unity Invitational and third at state.

“She hadn’t had any extreme competition until she got down there (to Charleston),” Anderson said. “She’s stronger than she was last year and understands more of the competitive level.”

Though Anderson is the Comets’ girls’ track and field head coach, she said others have been more responsible for Young’s development in the shot.

“I work on her mental part,” Anderson said.

Assistants and volunteers who have been part of the process are Lyle Hicks, Tiffany Johnson, Jim Boen and Herb Wilkins.

“She can soak up what they say and use it,” Anderson said.

Young’s current school record is 43-5, a mark she achieved last Monday in The News-Gazette Honor Roll Meet, at Urbana.

“I’m very surprised at what I’ve done,” Young said.

She’s going to raise her expectations for her senior season.

“I’m hoping to get 44 or 45 feet,” she said.

The seven points that Young earned at state enabled Oakwood to place in a tie for 37^th in the Class 1A team standings. A total of 72 schools scored points at state.

She didn’t have time to celebrate her second state medal. Young drove to Louisville, Ky., where she joined her club basketball team, the Indiana Elite, for a weekend tournament.

Basketball has less pressure associated with it after her recent commitment to Murray State University for that sport.

“It helps (relieve stress),” said Young, who hasn’t yet declared a major. “This summer is for fun.”

Before settling on Murray State, she narrowed her list of 12 scholarship offers down to three finalists. Northern Kentucky and Kent State University were the others on her short list.

“I had a good connection (with Murray State),” Young said. “It was a good family feeling.”

Anderson is not surprised at the level Young has reached in track, a sport which is not her main focus.

“She’s a strong girl, naturally talented and a real competitor,” Anderson said. “She’s also one of our fastest 200-meter runners.”

Knowing Young’s commitment, Anderson expects more broken records next spring.

“She has to be tweaked a little bit,” Anderson said. “Next year I expect her to be better.”

Baseball

After bouncing Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 2-1, in Friday’s Class 2A regional semifinal game at Georgetown, Oakwood dropped a 12-2 six-inning decision in the finals on Saturday to top-seeded Tuscola (28-2).

The Comets were held to singles by Jacob Spear and Cayden Wells by the Warriors.

Spear and Brady Howard scored the team’s runs. Spear and Koby Fletcher drove in runs.

Elijah Harden pitched five innings and allowed 11 hits. He walked one and struck out four.

Isaiah Ruch twirled a one-hitter in the semifinals.  He fanned six and didn’t allow the Blue Devils (21-7) a run until the seventh inning.

Spear and Ruch collected the Comets’ RBIs. Fletcher finished with two hits.

Oakwood ended its season with a 16-14 record.

Boys’ track and field

The Comets had three top-10 placers – but no state qualifiers – in Friday’s Class 1A sectional at St. Joseph-Ogden.

In the 400 meters, Cameryn Taylor was third in 52.37 seconds.

In the 800 meters, Cameron Helka was eighth in 2:08.97.

In the long jump, Rhett Harrison was 10^th with a leap of 16 feet, 5 inches.

Oakwood totaled six points and placed 14^th in the team standings. Meet champion Salt Fork had 111 points.

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Junior Katelyn Young was the girls’ shot put winner in Monday’s 38^th News-Gazette Honor Roll Track and Field meet at Urbana High School.

Her winning toss was a season-best 43 feet, 5 inches.

The Comets had two other girls who placed individually.

Aaliyah Denius was fifth in the 400 meters (1 minute, 9.05 seconds).

Grace Davis finished eighth in the 1,600 meters (6 minutes, 5.82 seconds).

Young is the school’s lone Class 1A state meet-qualifier and will compete in the preliminaries today at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

Softball

Kylie Neuman and Kerrigan Shafer each hit home runs on Monday as the Comets completed a three-game season sweep of Westville with a 7-4 victory over the Tigers in a Class 2A first-round regional tournament game.

Neuman, Shafer and Karsen Rupp all finished the game with two hits.

Neuman has crashed 10 of the team’s 16 home runs this spring.

Neuman earned the pitching win. She pitched all seven innings, yielding five hits, walking four and striking out nine.

On Tuesday, Unity ended the Comets’ season with a 7-2 regional semifinal victory at Tolono.

Rupp had two hits and drove in a run for Oakwood. Alaina Rockwell also had an RBI. Paiton Frerichs scored the Comets’ other run.

Shafer pitched two innings and suffered the loss.

The Comets (13-15) were held to five hits.

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Sectional shot put champion Katelyn Young was the lone Oakwood athlete to qualify for state based on performances in Friday’s Class 1A sectional meet at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.

Young’s winning toss was 42 feet, 10 inches.

The Comets placed 12^th in the 17-school field with 21 points.

Oakwood also had three others top eight placers at sectional, including Grace Davis, who ran third in the 1,600 meters (5:53.87).

Teammate Haven Harrison was eighth in the 200 meters (29.05 seconds).

The Comet’ 800-meter relay captured a fifth-place finish. Relay runners were Harrison, Young, Jalyn Bugaj and Aaliyah Denius.

Their collective time was 1:57.80.

The Class 1A state meet will start on Thursday at Eastern Illinois University, in Charleston.

Baseball

Noah Ruch and Elijah Harden drove in first-inning runs on Friday, but the Comets were held scoreless thereafter and dropped a 4-2 decision at home to Armstrong-Potomac.

Ruch and Jacob Spear scored the team’s runs.

Harden finished with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate. Howard went 2-for-4.

Isaiah Ruch pitched the first five innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out eight. He suffered the loss.

Harden worked two hitless innings of relief, walking three and striking out three.

On Saturday, the Comets were stopped by Milford, 17-3, on the Bearcats’ field. Isaiah Ruch had two of Oakwood’s six hits.

Lucas Huchel took the pitching loss.

Oakwood (15-13) returns to action on Thursday in a Class 2A regional semifinal game at Georgetown-Ridge Farm against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.

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