National Signing Day: Which class of 2024 central Ohio athletes are heading to next level?
Wednesday marked the beginning of the first national signing period for high school athletes in the class of 2024, with dozens across central Ohio finalizing their college commitments in all sports but football.
With signatures inked and sent, the next steps for many area athletes are determined.
Here are details on some of the top athletes heading to the next level, followed by a list of central Ohio signings assembled from school submissions. The early signing period in football starts Dec. 20.
BASEBALL
Keegan Holmstrom, Grove City/Ohio State
The pitcher and first baseman helped the Greyhounds reach the Division I regional final last spring. He went 8-2 with a 2.02 ERA, 56 strikeouts and 16 walks in 62 1/3 innings and batted .310 with two doubles, two triples, 14 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Jesse Burris, Delaware Hayes/Ohio University
A 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard/forward, Burris averaged 18.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists last winter to guide the Pacers to a Division I district final. Burris was OCC-Capital Player of the Year.
Cade Norris, Hilliard Bradley/Illinois State
The 6-5 guard averaged team highs of 19.4 points, 5.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds as the Jaguars reached a Division I district final. Norris was named first-team all-district and all-state and OCC-Central Player of the Year.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Gigi Bower, Olentangy Liberty/Ohio University
The 5-9 guard, OCC-Central Player of the Year and second-team all-state honoree averaged 15.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.8 assists to lead the Patriots to a Division I district final.
Kamryn Grant, Africentric/Dayton
A 5-11 forward, Grant averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds as a sophomore and amassed considerable Division I attention the next spring, but suffered a torn right ACL in the second game of last season and missed the rest of the year.
Natiah Nelson, Africentric/DePaul
A 5-10 guard/forward, Nelson’s 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game paced the Nubians to the Division III state championship. She was first-team all-City League-South, all-district and all-state.
Berry Wallace, Pickerington Central/Illinois
The 6-1 forward, who also saw time at center, paced the Tigers to their eighth consecutive Division I district championship and first state tournament since 2019. Wallace averaged 14.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
CROSS COUNTRY
Ben Gabelman, Westerville North/Syracuse
Gabelman won the Division I state title Saturday at Fortress Obetz in 14:51.66, following up championships at regional (14:51.17) and district (14:55.06). He finished fourth at state last year.
BOYS GOLF
Vaughn Harber, DeSales/Ohio State
A year after tying for second in the Division I state tournament, Harber won the individual title this fall with a two-day total of 135. His score was a Division I boys state-tournament record, beating the previous mark by six shots.
GIRLS GOLF
Emerson Purcell, New Albany/Wyoming
Purcell was Division I district champion and tied for eighth at state, usually filling the second spot in the lineup as the Eagles finished second in the state tournament.
Bella Saur, Grove City/Youngstown State
Saur averaged 74 in the OCC-Ohio tournament, finishing second individually, and led the Greyhounds to the league title and a district berth. She tied for 26th at district.
FIELD HOCKEY
Paige Cornelius, New Albany/Harvard
A forward and first-team all-state honoree, Cornelius led the Eagles to their first state tournament and a runner-up finish. She is New Albany’s all-time leading scorer for a season (75 goals) and career (140).
Sammie Callaghan, Upper Arlington/Bellarmine
Callaghan, a forward, had 19 goals and 19 assists to lead the Golden Bears to a second consecutive regional runner-up finish. She was named first-team all-state.
BOYS LACROSSE
Tommy Janowicz, Upper Arlington/Ohio State
A forward, Janowicz had 52 goals and 40 assists as a junior to pace the Bears to a Division I state semifinal. Also a linebacker and quarterback in football, Janowicz earned first-team all-state honors.
Angelo Lamatrice, Watterson/Ohio State
A midfielder and attacker, Lamatrice was one of the Eagles’ key cogs in their run to the Division II, Region 7 final. Lamatrice earned first-team all-state and all-region.
Dominic Shaw, Pickerington Central/Ohio State
The midfielder racked up 56 goals, 45 assists and 31 caused turnovers a season ago, all of which led the Tigers. Shaw was named first-team all-state and all-region. He needs 35 goals this spring to become Central’s all-time scoring leader.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Lilly Boyle, Upper Arlington/Louisville
Boyle was a key midfielder for the Bears as they won their first state championship since 2019. She scored 36 goals, assisted on seven more and picked up 36 ground balls.
Marissa Dolciato, Worthington Kilbourne/Cincinnati
Last year’s Division I state Goalkeeper of the Year, Dolciato made 103 saves as the Wolves reached a Region 3 quarterfinal and finished the season ranked ninth statewide. Dolciato also is a three-time OCC-Capital Player of the Year.
Ellie McClelland, New Albany/Notre Dame
A midfielder, McClelland amassed 73 goals, 35 assists, 104 draw controls, 36 ground balls and 34 caused turnovers. She also was on the state runner-up field hockey team this fall.
BOYS SOCCER
Liam McClen, Olentangy/North Carolina-Greensboro
Despite an injury that cost him time at midseason, McClen was a staple in goal as the Braves won their first Division I district championship since 2006 and were ranked as high as fourth in the state this season.
A.J. Piela, Olentangy Liberty/Louisville
A goalie, Piela made 11 saves and recorded 11 shutouts for a Patriots team that reached a Division I district final. Piela earned first-team all-OCC-Central and all-district honors.
SOFTBALL
Brooke Aberle, Olentangy Liberty/Kent State
A first-team all-OCC-Central and all-district outfielder, Aberle batted .630 with 17 stolen bases as a junior. She also had a .741 slugging percentage.
Carsyn Cassady, Watkins Memorial/Michigan State
A pitcher, Cassady went 20-1 as a junior, striking out 198 and walking 27 in 106 innings with three no-hitters and a perfect game. Her only loss came in a Division I state semifinal.
Reese Poston, Lancaster/Toledo
Poston has been the Golden Gales’ primary pitcher the past two seasons, leading them to a Division I regional final in 2022. Poston was first-team all-OCC-Buckeye and all-district and honorable mention all-state last year.
Jordyn Wycuff, Watkins Memorial/Ohio University
The catcher batted .560 with 56 hits, 44 RBIs, 13 doubles and six triples — all team highs — and 11 home runs to tie for the team lead. She was named first-team all-district and all-state.
SWIMMING & DIVING
Emily Brown, Dublin Coffman/Tennessee
Brown will seek her fourth consecutive sweep of the Division I 200- and 500-yard freestyle state titles this winter. Brown set district and state records in both events at those meets a season ago.
Reid Caswell, Upper Arlington/Ohio State
Last season’s 500 free district champion and 200 free district runner-up in Division I, Caswell was fifth and seventh, respectively, in those events at state. UA was second at state as a team.
Hamish Patel, New Albany/Ohio State
Patel finished second at state diving in his third appearance at the meet. He was fourth in 2022 and fifth as a freshman. Patel is two-time defending Division I district champion.
Sophia Stamm, Marysville/Akron
A three-time state qualifier, Stamm was Division I state diving runner-up by 0.9 of a point last winter. She also was district championship.
TRACK & FIELD
Olivia Pace, Westerville Central/Southern California
Pace won the long jump (19-2 ¾) and finished second in the 100 meters (11.54) in the Division I state meet last spring. That was after she won the 100 and 200 and finished second in the long jump at regional and won all three events at district.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Lily Barron, Olentangy Orange/Houston
The outside hitter/defensive specialist has 301 kills, 268 digs, 31 aces, 26 assists and 26 blocks entering Orange's Division I state semifinal Friday against Toledo St. Ursula. Barron was named first-team all-state.
Alec Rothe, Dublin Scioto/Florida
A 6-3 middle hitter who is Scioto's career leader in kills and blocks, Rothe led the Irish to a 27-1 record this fall while earning first-team all-state honors. The Irish lost to Orange 25-23, 25-17, 25-23 in the Division I regional final.
BOYS WRESTLING
Omar Ayoub, Dublin Coffman/Nebraska
Ayoub capped a 52-2 junior season by winning the Division I state title at 138 pounds. He won the state title at 120 as a sophomore and finished second at 113 as a freshman.
Ethan Birden, Dublin Coffman/Ohio State
Birden won the Division I state championship at 157 to cap a 48-2 season. He finished second at state at 144 as a sophomore and fifth at 132 as a freshman.
Max Shulaw, DeSales/Virginia
Shulaw went 51-0 as a junior, winning the Division II state title at 215. He was second at state at 195 as a sophomore and fourth at 195 as a freshman.
National Signing Day in central Ohio, fall 2023
Africentric
Kamryn Grant, women's basketball, Dayton
Natiah Nelson, women's basketball, DePaul
Samairah Thompson, women’s basketball, Buffalo
Big Walnut
Teagan Ng, women's volleyball, West Liberty
Hatteras Welker, women's volleyball, Eastern Michigan
Bloom-Carroll
Emily Bratton, women’s basketball, Miami University
Buckeye Valley
Landon Froehlich, baseball, Mount Union
Bek Matlack, women's bowling, Mount Vernon Nazarene
Brooklyn Pfeiffer, women's soccer, Bluffton
Nate Pierson, baseball, Owens Community College
Bryson Shumate, baseball, Ohio Dominican
Jaxston Stried, baseball, Ohio Dominican
DeSales
Maggie Godfrey, women's lacrosse, Findlay
Vaughn Harber, men's golf, Ohio State
Aidan Rush, men's wrestling, Kent State
Max Shulaw, men's wrestling, Virginia
Delaware Hayes
Jesse Burris, men's basketball, Ohio University
Natalie Dye, women's soccer, Detroit Mercy
Audra Lyon, women's lacrosse, Tampa
Colin Milligan, baseball, Eastern Michigan
Dublin Coffman
Omar Ayoub, men's wrestling, Nebraska
Ethan Birden, men's wrestling, Ohio State
Emily Brown, women's swimming, Tennessee
Kylie Feeney, women's track, Tennessee
Gwen Jenkins, women's basketball, South Carolina Upstate
Julian Myers, men's golf, Ashland
Caden Ozbun, men's cross country and track, Butler
Grace Thomas, women's volleyball, Central Michigan
Dublin Jerome
Taylor Bahnaub, women's volleyball, Clemson
Julia Belli, women's soccer, Michigan State
Izzy Coplan, women's beach volleyball, North Alabama
Ella Fuller, women's soccer, Morehead State
Xander Johnson, men's lacrosse, Massachusetts
Imani Kissi, women's soccer, Howard
Brayden Krenzel, baseball, Tennessee
Sam Ricchiuti, men's cross country and track, Syracuse
Mia Ringger, women's golf, Findlay
Kyle White, men's lacrosse, Tampa
Dublin Scioto
Weston Day, men's cross country, Ohio State
Alec Rothe, women's volleyball, Florida
Sophia Schwab, women's lacrosse, Detroit Mercy
Ty Wilson, men's wrestling, Northwestern
Gahanna Lincoln
Logan Brockman, baseball, Ohio Dominican
Katie Combes, women's lacrosse, Davis and Elkins
Addy Haines, women's lacrosse, Rider
Kaitlynn Hedrick, women's lacrosse, Detroit Mercy
Kylie Lewis, women's soccer, Capital
Noel Perkins, women's volleyball, Niagara
Landon Ringhiser, baseball, Ohio Dominican
Carson Samuels, baseball, Dayton
Charlie Whitacre, baseball, Ball State
Granville
Harper Annarino, women's basketball, University of Charleston
Ava Labocki, women's soccer, Belmont
Allie Messner, women's soccer, Bloomsburg
Maxton Messner, men's lacrosse, Bellarmine
Aliyah Moore, women's basketball, Otterbein
Bella Rockwell, women's lacrosse, Rider
Lyndy Van Horn, women's soccer, Fairmont State
Grove City
Kraig Gilbert, men's basketball, Concord
Kaylyn Henson, women's golf, Malone
Keegan Holmstrom, baseball, Ohio State
Bella Saur, women's golf, Youngstown State
Hartley
Kaylee Musick, women's volleyball, Florida International
Cooper Rathburn, wrestling, Navy
Jada Shade, women's volleyball, Tiffin
Hilliard Bradley
Andrea Day, softball, Akron
Bella De La Cerda, women's lacrosse, Grand Valley State
McKenzie Miller, women's golf, Bowling Green
Cade Norris, men's basketball, Illinois State
Jonathan Alder
Carmela Dixon, women’s soccer, Tiffin
Chase Chopin, baseball, Bowling Green
Brady Fox, boys golf, Bowling Green
Peyton Heiss, men's basketball, Mount Vernon Nazarene
Paige Jestadt, women's volleyball, Lake Erie
Greg Kennedy, baseball, Lake Erie
Jack Kennedy, men's lacrosse, Otterbein
Garrett Roach, baseball, Ohio Dominican
Sidney Troesch, women's volleyball, Heidelberg
Lancaster
Reese Poston, softball, Toledo
Licking Heights
Savanna Cronin, women’s soccer, Indiana Wesleyan
Marysville
Camryn Harbold, softball, Robert Morris
Jason Moore, men's basketball, Ashland
Ella Morris, women's beach volleyball, Southeastern Louisiana
Sophia Stamm, women's diving, Akron
New Albany
Zach Casey, baseball, Findlay
Paige Cornelius, field hockey, Harvard
Jack Fischer, men's cross country and track, Davidson
Garrett Given, baseball, Findlay
Beckam Keating, baseball, Rio Grande
Kaden Kist, men's soccer, Denison
Ady Lyday, women's lacrosse, Lincoln Memorial
Addy McCallister, women's volleyball, Heidelberg
Ellie McClelland, women's lacrosse, Notre Dame
Sarah McKee, women's rowing, Villanova
Allie Metcalf, women's soccer, North Carolina-Charlotte
Ashlyn Morr, women's swimming, Auburn
Hamish Patel, men's diving, Ohio State
Maddy Paz, women's lacrosse, Ohio State
Emerson Purcell, women's golf, Wyoming
Olentangy
Ben Dorbish, men's lacrosse, Queens
Ansley Gulley, women's soccer, Findlay
Liam McClen, men's soccer, North Carolina-Greensboro
Maria Mead, women's lacrosse, Davenport
Melayna Prindle, women's cross country and track, Lake Erie
Reagan Ross, women's soccer, Belmont
Carter Shomock, men's volleyball, North Greenville
Olentangy Berlin
Taylor Bednar, baseball, Akron
Olivia Cardi, equestrian, South Carolina
Fina Davy, women's soccer, Louisville
Kyle Haag, baseball, Lake Erie
Ava Kresak, softball, Wheeling
Addison Lambert, women's soccer, Akron
Parker McDaniels, baseball, Cincinnati
Layla Merriweather, basketball, Wheeling
Cameron Moreland, men's golf, Tiffin
Brenna Mowrey, women's swimming, Stony Brook
Maddox Pulliam, baseball, Lake Erie
Mia Raines, women's golf, Eastern Michigan
Carson Repp, baseball, Lake Erie
Jin-Jae Robinson, women's swimming, St. Thomas
Kayleigh Schmehl, women's beach volleyball, Tampa
Maddie Smolenski, women's soccer, Wofford
Lily Thompson, women's lacrosse, Winthrop
Olentangy Liberty
Brooke Aberle, softball, Kent State
Julia Bockensette, women's cross country, Michigan State
Gigi Bower, women's basketball, Ohio University
Brenna Heffernan, women's lacrosse, Cincinnati
Audrey Kalmar, women's soccer, Ashland
Jake Koch, men's volleyball, North Greenville
Maddy McKee, women's soccer, Cedarville
Luca Minniti, men's lacrosse, Virginia Military Institute
Max O'Rourke, baseball, Findlay
A.J. Piela, men's soccer, Louisville
Isabelle Pohmer, women's lacrosse, Lafayette
Brady Quillin, men's wrestling, Cleveland State
Dakota Riley, women's golf, Ashland
Sophie Sampson, women's track and field, Buffalo
Ashley Shirilla, women's lacrosse, Alabama-Huntsville
Olentangy Orange
Lily Barron, women's volleyball, Houston
Pickerington Central
Landyn Dayton, women's lacrosse, Lock Haven University
Myles Etherington, bowling, Southern Nazarene
Myriah Massey, women's beach volleyball, Florida State
Dominic Shaw, men's lacrosse, Ohio State
Ben Thornberry, baseball, Johnson University
Berry Wallace, women's basketball, Illinois
Pickerington North
DesiRaye Blakely, women's volleyball, Central State
Sania Dearing, women's soccer, Ohio University
Brett Madison, baseball, Tiffin
Andrew Mendoza, baseball, University of Charleston
Reynoldsburg
Sabrina Ripple, women's volleyball, Evansville
Marley Smith, softball, Cleveland State
Annaliess Stith, women's swimming, Ohio University
Noah Smith, men's basketball, Tiffin
Alexandria Turner, softball, Alcorn State
Thomas Worthington
Sarah Forman, women's lacrosse, Longwood
Zoey Gottlieb, women's lacrosse, Marquette
Ethan Morgan, men's cross country and track, Taylor
Alexander Ramos, men's volleyball, Central State
Colin Scalise, men's lacrosse, Thomas More
Clara Scott, women's lacrosse, Seton Hill
Becca Wight, women's volleyball, Virginia
Upper Arlington
Josh Ali, men's soccer, Emory
Lilly Boyle, women's lacrosse, Louisville
Alex Burns, men's lacrosse, Boston
Sammie Callaghan, field hockey, Bellarmine
Ben Campbell, men's swimming, Denison
Reid Caswell, men's swimming, Ohio State
Brady Catalano, men's golf, Oklahoma State
Quinn Crotty, men's lacrosse, Yale
Abbie Dunlap, women's lacrosse, Louisville
McCall Freiburger, women's swimming, Kentucky
Bella Freiss, women's beach volleyball, Colorado Mesa
Tommy Janowicz, men's lacrosse, Ohio State
William King, men's soccer, Denver
Emmett O'Brien, men's soccer, Denison
Lizzie Oliphant, women's swimming, Boston College
Sally Patton, women's soccer, Northern Michigan
Jared Rabadam, men's swimming, Lehigh
Aubrey Steiner, women's soccer, Ashland
Ava Stummer, women's lacrosse, Penn State
Jack Texter, baseball, Ohio State
Watkins Memorial
Carsyn Cassady, softball, Michigan State
Gracie James, women's golf, Findlay
Ava McKee, softball, Bowling Green
Jordyn Wycuff, softball, Ohio University
Watterson
Lesley Furuta, women's volleyball, Kent State
Mia Gill, women's cross country and track, Dayton
Angelo Lamatrice, men's lacrosse, Ohio State
Olivia Milburn, women's lacrosse, Mercyhurst
Wellington
Eva Dulle, women's cross country, Ohio Dominican
Westerville Central
Olivia Pace, women's track and field, Southern California
Westerville North
Madelyn Bosler, women's swimming, Akron
Ben Gabelman, men's cross country, Syracuse
Bryce Goodsite, men's lacrosse, Ohio Northern
Chloe Shockley, women's basketball, Edison State
Jordan Smith, women's basketball, Edison State
Hayley Williamson, women's soccer, Tiffin
Ryanne Wilson, softball, Walsh
Worthington Kilbourne
Aubrey Bally, women's soccer, Bellarmine
Morgan Boone, women's lacrosse, Lock Haven
Marissa Dolciato, women's lacrosse, Cincinnati
Elyse Faler, women's lacrosse, Central Michigan
Luke James, men's lacrosse, St. John Fisher
Brady McGlone, women's soccer, Davidson
Megan Miller, women's soccer, Xavier
Addie Pardi, field hockey, Bellarmine
Ryan Smith, men's cross country and track, Furman
Ava Todd, women's lacrosse, Kent State
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: National Signing Day 2023: Central Ohio athletes heading to next level
