¡~.,. -l'l~od
Preps earn LaRosa's honors Six female and male high school dthletes - including several local candidates - have been named finalists for one of Greater Cincinnati's premier prep sports awards. The winner of the LaRosa's High School Athlete of the Year A ward will be announced at the annual Buddy LaRosa's Sports Hall of Fame Banquet June 17 at the WCET studios downtown. The six female fmalists include Nicci Fusaro, senior, Anderson High School," a two-time state diving champion; Beth Jones, senior, Mason High School, helped Jead school to its first state basketball championship; Anne Mitchell, senior; Mt. Notre Dame, led schoo~ to state volleyball championship; Michelle Munoz, junior, Mason High School, Division I basketball player of the year in Ohio and a state champ; Katie Schwegmann, junior, Bishop Brossart High School, two-time first team all-state basketball player, and Allison Zeinner, senior, Col~rain High School, the first female state track champion in school history. The male nominees include Dan Ketchum, senior, Sycamore High School, a 14-time swimming. All-American; Michael Munoz, senior, Moeller High School, a football All-American lineman and three-time all-Ohio player; Steve. Padgett, senior, LaSalle High School, a cross country state champion and running All-American; And Seitz, senior, Scott High School, named both runner and swimmer of the year in Northern Kentucky; Steve Sqllmann, senior, St. Xavier High School, a threesport star and baseball All-American, and Mason Ward, senior, Colerain High School, first-team all-Ohio in both cross country and track who won the Penn State Relays. Here's a closer look at each local nominated athlete. The past two years Mt. Notre Dame has won consecutive Divi-
sion I volleyball state championships; a big reason was the play of middle hitter Anne Mitchell. The 5foot-11 senior and Cincinnati Ketchum Division I player of the year has been a profound force for coach Donna Mechley's Cougars. Mitchell had five consecutive service points, six kills and two Munoz blocks to lead the Cougars to a 15-10, 16-14 victory in the state finals against Rocky River Magnificat. Her senior season was outstanding with 149 kills, 163 digs, 70 solo and assisted blocks, 26 aces, a .420 kill percentage, a .930 service percentage and a . 960 passing percentage. Mitchell has racked up honors like twice being n~ed first team all conference, all-city, and aliSouthwest Ohio District. This season she added first team all-state to her honors, and has been named to the state all-tournament team for the past two years; She was also in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd colunm. Mitchell will attend Mt. St. Joseph's in the fall to play volleyball. Ketchutn's six state swimming championships equals the most individual state championships ever won by a male high school swimmer in the state of Ohio. Dominating the sport, for three straight years he won the state title in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events, shattering dozens of school, league, sectional, regional_ and state records along the way. He has been Cincinnati's swimmer of the Year three times and Ohio swimmer of the year as a
junior
races at Am e r i Short Course Championships in Austin, Texas, last March, and was swimmer of the meet. Dan was the 1999 U.S. prep champion in the 200 freestyle (1:37.29), and has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in,6 events. Last summer, swimming for the Cincinnati Marlins, he fmished third in the 400 freestyle (3:44.72) at the U.S. National Championships. A two-time U.S. Scholastic All-American and National Society student, Ketchum will swim at the University of Michigan. Michael Munoz has authentic all-pro football bloodlines and was the most .recruited player in Greater Cincinnati. A 6-foot-7, 285-pound offensive tackle, Munoz accomplished a feat no one else in the storied history of Mqeller football had done; he was named first team all-Ohio three times. He was named to every major prep All-American team, including those by Parade, ESPN and USA Today. And, he was named Gatorade player of the year in the state. An outstanding member of Moeller's track and field team, Munoz has several school records and is the former league and district champion in both the shot put and discus. He recently took sixth in the state discus competition. Michael and sister Michelle are the first brother-sisler duo to be nominated for LaRosa's Athlete of the Year in the same¡ year. An outstanding student, Michael will play football next year for the University of Tennessee..