Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Tuesday afternoon that all indoor sporting events in Ohio, including high school, collegiate and professional sports, shall continue without most spectators in attendance as Ohio seeks to contain the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19.
“This will be a very difficult time for our schools and fans, but we cannot ignore the directive of the Governor,” OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass said.
“We are pleased that our tournaments can continue and we will soon determine who can attend. However, we can already say that it will most likely be no more than the immediate family of the student-athletes participating in the event.”
Ada HS grad and ONU freshman Chase Sumner was a late addition to the 180-man field for the 2020 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships March 13-14 at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Sumner received a bid on Monday after a Central Regional qualifier from his 149-pound weight class became injured and could not compete.
Per NCAA rules, the fourth place finisher from the same region as the injured wrestler assumes that spot in the tournament.
Sumner joins ONU senior Seth Transue (Plain City/Jerome) and junior Cash Thompson (Lake Odessa, Mich./Lakewood) as Polar Bears at the Championships.
By Cort Reynolds
TROY - Three members of the Ada varsity wrestling team competed in the Div. III district meet at Troy's Hobart Arena Friday and Saturday.
Troy Christian won the team title with 170 points. Xenia Christian came in second with 148, while Allen East finished third with 134.5 points.
The Bulldogs scored four points at the double-elimination district event to tie for 42nd out of 51 teams. Ada individuals won two out of eight matches at the competition.
Bulldog senior Reece Evans lost his first match Friday in the 152 lbs. class by pin at 3:37 to Mason Starnes, a sophomore from Brookville.
The Ohio Northern softball team welcomes back a lion's share of its team in 2020. Seven of the eight players who logged at least 100 at-bats in 2019 come back along with two of the four pitchers who saw action last season.
"We do have a solid group returning," ONU head coach Jackie Price said. "We started a good amount of freshmen last year, and for them to get that experience, it was really good. So having those kids come back and teaching our younger kids the expectations and what we want from them, I think that will definitely help us this year."
When the Ohio Northern baseball team takes the diamond this spring, head coach Gene Stechschulte is confident in one thing above all others.
"The bulk of our season will be dependent on how our senior-dominant pitching staff does," Stechschulte said. "It's a pretty good situation, pitching wise, to have those guys. If we stay healthy on the pitching side, that will take some of the pressure off the hitting side."
And while Stechschulte is confident in his pitching staff's ability to be effective and carry the team, he wants even more out of them.
The Ohio Athletic Conference announced its 2019-20 All-OAC honorees Wednesday. A couple Polar Bears made the list.
Brynn Serbin (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) was named Freshman of the Year after averaging 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, a team-high 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game. She scored double figures in five games, which included a career-high 15 points in the OAC Tournament semifinals.
Senior Emily Mescher (Maria Stein/Marion Local) earned first-team All-OAC recognition. She poured in a team-best 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest.
