Several Clermont County athletes notched all-Ohio honors in their respective spring sports, and two Milford lacrosse players were named among the nation’s best.
Clay Barkimer and Elena Ditchen were each named All-American lacrosse players for the Eagles this spring.
Leading the ECC with 57 goals, Barkimer also ranked third in assists with 34. Additionally, he secured 49 ground balls and caused 14 turnovers, contributing to the Eagles’ Eastern Cincinnati Conference championship this past spring.
Bakimer also was named a first-team all-state selection.
A four-year varsity letterman, Ditchen recorded 81 goals and 22 assists during her senior season. She contributed 49 ground balls, 18 draw controls, and caused 20 turnovers. Over her high school career, she accumulated 212 goals, 41 assists, 98 ground balls, 33 draw controls, and 47 turnovers across 63 games.
Ditchen also was named second-team all-Ohio, along with Karis Pepin. The junior defenseman recorded 19 ground balls and caused 34 turnovers.
Milford’s Natalie Chiapelli was on the Academic All-American list.
Milford’s success carried over to softball, with former Eagle starting pitcher Meghan McClellan earning second-team all-state honors from the Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association.
After her recent graduation, McClellan led the ECC with 20 wins, tying Kings’ Neely McElhaney. She also recorded 246 strikeouts in 25 senior-year appearances, posting a 20-4 record with one save in 152 1/3 innings pitched, and logged seven shutouts.
Capping her high school softball career, McClellan delivered a complete-game, 16-strikeout effort in a 2-1 district championship loss to Mason. She graduates as Milford’s all-time strikeout leader with 832, surpassing Sarah Alley’s 812, and leaves with a 68-22 record over 551 1/3 innings.
In Division III, Goshen’s Skye Shaw was named a second-team honoree, while teammate Macee Steele earned honorable mention recognition. In Division V, Williamsburg’s KK Pollitt was a first-team all-state player.
Shaw led the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference in ERA with a microscopic 0.94. She was tied for second in wins with 13 and fourth in strikeouts with 178. She also was in the top five offensively in batting average with a .577 and tied for second with a school-record 12 home runs.
Pitching in 20 games, Shaw started 14, completing 12 for a total of 104 1/3 innings. She finished 13-3 with three saves and a 0.757 WHIP. At the plate, Shaw scored 95 runs, tallied 56 hits, and drove in 37 runs, boasting a .619 on-base percentage and slugging 1.134 with 27 extra-base hits.
Steele was fifth in the SBAAC with a .527 average. The junior recorded a career-high 49 hits with 29 runs scored and 33 RBIs — also career-bests. Steele hit 15 doubles, had an OBP of .589 and slugged .710.
Finishing second in the conference with a .587 average for the Wildcats, Pollitt also tied for fourth in RBIs with 49. The junior enjoyed a career-best season, setting highs in runs (40), hits (44), RBIs (49), average (.587), doubles (10), triples (three), home runs (nine), and walks (21). Her OBP was .684 and her slugging rate was 1.160.
Baseball also saw local representation. Milford outfielder Sam Kiger earned honorable mention in Division I play, named by the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association. Kiger averaged .420 with a .484 OBP. The junior recorded 24 runs scored, 34 hits, 12 RBIs, four doubles, three triples and four stolen bases.
All-Ohio selections for Milford boys lacrosse included second-team, Alden Gooch, Gabe Arbino and Keegan Oldendick; and third-team, Tyler Allard, Nolan Burch and Trey Wagner. Head coach Conor Peck was the Division I state and Region 4 coach of the year. Craig Hunt was named the Region 4 assistant coach of the year.
All-region selections for Milford girls lacrosse went to Kennedy Schneider, Ditchen, Karis Pepin, Rose Cardell, Olivia Zaya, Zari Pepin, Carmen Stilphen and Chiapelli.
Schneider broke the single-season draw control record with 110 and broke her own career record with 275.
In volleyball, more local athletes were recognized. Milford’s Bryce Fielman earned honorable mention all-Ohio in Division I from the Ohio Boys Scholastic Volleyball Coaches Association on June 8.
Fielman, for the second consecutive season, led the ECC in kills with 489. The junior posted a 53 percent kill rate along with 83 service aces, 171 digs and 31 blocks.