Elyria’s Julius Higginbotham was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week for his performance last week in the long jump and triple jump.

Higginbotham led the ‘Berg in the Northwest Ohio Invitational with a NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 23-3 inches. His jump currently stands third in the nation.


The 2009, indoor national qualifier in the long jump, also made an impression in the triple jump, finishing second with a jump of 42-5.5.


Higginbotham concluded his day on the track where he sprinted to an eighth place finish in the 60-meter dash, in a time of 7.18.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon's Dan Smith was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Track Athlete of the Week for the week this week for the second-straight week.


Smith earned the award for his record-breaking performance at the Northwest Ohio Invitational hosted by Findlay on Friday.

In the 3,000-meter run, Smith came in first place and set a new Ohio Northern record with a time of 8:46.80.


Smith also easily qualified for the OAC Championship meet by running under the OAC A Standard of 9:04.49.

In addition to having Northern's fastest time in the 3,000-meter run this season, Smith also has turned in the fastest Polar Bear time in the mile run at 4:22.53.

Ohio Northern will compete again on Saturday when it travels to Baldwin-Wallace for the OAC Relays.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Former John Carroll University All-American and Villa Angela-St. Joseph graduate London Fletcher had a very good weekend in the National Football league, and he didn't play a single down.

On Sunday, it was announced that Fletcher was one of three finalists for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. This award is the only one in the NFL that recognizes a player’s off-the-field community service as well as his playing excellence.

On Monday, he learned that he would be making his first career appearance in the Pro Bowl.

The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award will be announced live on CBS before Super Bowl XLIV on February 7. Fletcher, along with Cleveland Brown Mike Furrey and Brian Waters of the Kansas City Chiefs, will be in South Florida during Super Bowl week and participate in a press conference on Friday, February 5, with the late Walter Payton’s family.

On Super Bowl Sunday, one of the three finalists will join an esteemed list of winners of the annual award, including 17 Pro Football Hall of Famers.

The three finalists were chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from the 32 team nominees for the award, all of whom receive a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice. The three finalists will receive an additional $5,000 donation in their name. The selection panel is comprised of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Connie Payton, Pro Football Hall of Fame members Frank Gifford and Anthony Munoz, Giants great and Executive Director of the NFL Alumni Association George Martin, 2008 winner Kurt Warner, and Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King.

The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award will receive the Gladiator statue, an original art creation by the noted sculptor, Daniel Schwartz. In addition, the player’s favorite charity will receive an additional $20,000 donation in his name.

Fletcher, a 1999 graduate of John Carroll, has made his mark on and off the field throughout his 12-year career. He has proven to be one of the most productive, consistent and durable players in the NFL, having never missed a game, while leading the NFL in tackles over the last decade (2000-09).

A starter on the Rams Super Bowl XXXIV championship team, Fletcher is a 9-time Pro Bowl alternate and 4-time Man of the Year nominee, but it is his work off the field that will leave an indelible mark. In 2003, he started London’s Bridge to "build a bridge to our future" by addressing inequities facing children through education, leadership, teamwork, and recreation by providing college test preparation, campus tours, scholarships, and bike giveaways.

He is the Sports Ambassador for Children’s Inn at the National Institute of Health in Washington, D.C., and a fixture at both NFL and team-sponsored community events, including PLAY 60, 4th & Life, and Harvest Feast.

This season, he started a curriculum, mentoring program for 25 Washington, D.C., middle school students. Alongside Fletcher, students visited Capitol Hill, talked with Congressmen, explored museums, distributed food to underserved local residents, and participated in a forum about peer pressure, health, and education.

The Pro Bowl selection adds icing to the cake for Fletcher. The starting middle linebacker for the Washington Redskins was initially selected as a first alternate, but made the roster thanks to a victory by the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, one of the two middle linebackers slated to play for the NFC, will play in the Super Bowl instead -- thus opening a spot for Fletcher.

He is the first JCU football player to participate in the Pro Bowl.

Courtesy of Christopher M. Wenzler, Sports Information Director at John Carroll University

Former Mount Union wide receiver Pierre Garcon had an AFC Championship game record 11 receptions and 151 yards receiving to help the Indianapolis Colts advance to the Super Bowl after a 30-17 win over the New York Jets.

The 151 yards is a career-high for Garcon who will be playing in the Super Bowl in Miami, FL close to his hometown as he attended high school at Leonard High School in West Palm Beach, FL.

"It's all up to awesome work from the guys ahead of me, like Reggie (Wayne), Gonzo (former Ohio State receiver and Avon Lake native Anthony Gonzalez), all the guys, they just tell me to stay motivated and keep it in there and just play hard, because that's all it about - trying to do it for the country," commented Garcon on the podium with quarterback Peyton Manning accepting the Lamar Hunt Trophy given to the AFC Champions.

It also gave Garcon another chance to show his national pride for Haiti, as Garcon's parents and many of his family members are from the Caribbean nation that was rocked last week by a devastating earthquake. Garcon draped the national flag of Haiti around the Hunt Trophy just before it was presented to the Colts.

His extended Mount Union family and the Alliance community this weekend came together to help raise over $8500 for the Pierre Garcon Hope Project which supports the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission to provide food, shelter and services to those affected by the earthquake.

"All of us are extremely proud of Pierre and all he has accomplished on the football field," stated Mount Union head football coach and director of athletics Larry Kehres. "But I am even more proud of how he is using his position in the community and how our students and Alliance have dedicated themselves to help people in need."

Courtesy of Leonard Reich, Sports Information Director at Mount Union

Perkins' Cierra Bravard hit a layup with 11 seconds left and added a free throw with 5.4 seconds left to give the 16th-seeded Florida State an Atlantic Coast Conference win over North Carolina State last Sunday.

Bravard finished with 13 points and is averaging nearly eight points and five rebounds per game. She has made 15 starts in 19 games played.

Stay tuned for a College Insider on Bravard in the upcoming weeks.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Elyria's Promis Cabbil continues to impress for Baldwin-Wallace men's team, as the Yellow Jackets won for their sixth time in the last seven games on Saturday, defeating Otterbein College, 79-63 in Ohio Athletic Conference play.

Cabbil had another game with double digits in scoring with 12 points, along with five assists. Cabbil leads the team with an average of 12.8 points and nearly five assists per game.

Wellington's Brandon Schmidt has played in all 16 games and is averaging 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Western Reserve's John Pickett has played in six games and has scored 11 points (1.8 ppg), while St. Mary's Taylor Roth has played in five games with five points (1.0 ppg). North Ridgeville's Jason Ice has played in one game, going 0-for-1 in one minute of action.

The Yellow Jackets improved to 10-6 overall and 5-4 in the OAC and play Wilmington College this Saturday at 3 p.m. at Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea. B-W then plays arch-rival John Carroll University next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the DeCarlo Center in University Heights.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

St. Mary's Catherine Spisak scored 10 points and Firelands' Ali Stack totaled career-highs with nine points and four assists to help lead the Baldwin-Wallace women's basketball team over Otterbein College, 75-53 in Ohio Athletic Conference action Saturday afternoon in the Ursprung Gymnasium. The win is its season-high seventh-straight win and sixth straight over the Cardinals.

The Yellow Jackets are now 12-4 overall and 8-1 in the OAC while Otterbein fell to 6-10 overall and 3-6 in the conference.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Open Door’s Tori Davis, who became an All-American playing basketball at Baldwin-Wallace, has been named as the Division III Men’s Basketball Best Player of the 2000s for his accomplished career as a Yellow Jacket from 2003-2007.

Davis ended his B-W career with a school-record 2,232 points. He was twice selected as a D-III All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, d3hoops.com and DIII News. In addition, he was named the National Player of the Year by DIII News in both 2005-06 and 2006-07.

For his career, Davis was a four-time All-OAC and four-time DIII All-Great Lakes Region selection and a 10-time OAC Player of the Week.

In four seasons, he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to an 81-31 (.723) record with one OAC regular season and two OAC Tournament titles and two berths in the NCAA Division III National Tournament. The 81 wins are the most by any four-year basketball player in the history of the program.

In addition to his school scoring mark, Davis finished fifth all-time in rebounding with 950 and first in blocked shots with 240.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake’s Kym Wenz became Wooster’s all-time 3-point leader last Saturday in a 53-50 loss to Kenyon College in North Coast Athletic Conference action.

Wenz’s record-breaking 3-pointer sparked Wooster’s late run that saw a 12-point deficit diminish before losing.

Wenz had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but she attempted an off-balance 3-pointer that didn’t fall.

Wenz recorded her 131st career 3-pointer, which tied the six-year old school record held by Lindsey Schaaff (2000-04). She then went on to hit four more 3’s in the game, bringing her career total to 135, and placing her alone atop the all-time list.

Wenz scored a game-high 19 points, including 17 in the second half.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Huron's Julia Butler finished her four-year volleyball career at Mercyhurst College.

Butler helped lead the Lakers to two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. The school's first-ever came in 2008 and the Lakers followed it up with another appearance this season. Mercyhurst, who were seeded seventh, had its season end with a 3-1 loss to Lock Haven in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional. The Lakers finished with a 20-13 overall record.

For her career, Butler finished second all-time in school history with 3,996 assists.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Lakers Fall Short in NCAA Tourney

Huron's Matt Grieves, who is a three-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference honoree from his defensive tackle position, was named a Second Team All-American by D3football.com for his outstanding season playing for the 'Berg.



Grieves is the 39th All-American at Heidelberg and the first since 2003.

This season, Grieves led the team in tackles with 82. He also led the 'Berg with seven sacks for a loss of 39 yards.

The 'Berg finished the regular season with a 4-6 overall record and 3-6 in the OAC.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Top pictures is this season against Michigan;

bottom picture is from last season's NCAA tournament

(courtesty of Kent State's website)

Elyria’s Danny Mitcheff suffered his first two losses of his senior season, snapping a 17-match win streak at the Southern Shuffle on Dec. 30 and then losing in a 5-3 upset to Drexel’s Steve Mytych on Friday.

His loss to snap his 17-match win streak was to Minnesota’s Jayson Ness, in a 7-3 decision, giving him second place for Kent State, who finished in seventh among 31 teams at the Southern Scuffle.

This past weekend, Kent State (10-1) overcame an 18-4 deficit against Virginia Tech to cap off a perfect 3-0 day at the Virginia Duals Saturday in the Hampton Coliseum, defeating Ohio, 33-9, followed by a 27-9 bashing of Michigan and a 25-18 comeback victory over Virginia Tech.

Danny’s record is 21-2 on the season as he looks to return to the NCAA Championships.

Stay tuned for a College Insider on Danny's road back to the NCAA Championship.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Edison’s Tristan Stoll was named the Ohio Athletic Conference’s Wrestler of the Week on Monday.

The junior 197-pounder had a 2-0 mark with a win by forfeit and a 35-second pin. For the season, he leads the Yellow Jackets with a 9-1 overall record. He also is tied for second on the squad with three pins and 13 takedowns.

Oberlin's Eric Schubert also wrestles at B-W and has a 3-8 overall record.

The Yellow Jackets (2-7 overall, 0-1 OAC) are back in action today at rival Muskingum University in New Concord. B-W also competes at the Lycoming (Pa.) College Budd Whitehill Duals in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon's Julia Monteleone was named the NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball Player of the Week.

Monteleone nailed a career high six 3-point goals three times in the past two weeks and has helped LCCC to a 3-1 record. She is averaging 19.8 points and six rebounds per game. Her season-high is a 26-point performance in a 76-61 win over CCAC-Allegheny.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake's Trey Stross didn't exactly have the game he wanted individually, but as for his team - it was everything they wanted.

Stross caught one pass for nine yards, which helped seal a 24-14 victory Tuesday night and No. 10 Iowa solved Georgia Tech’s explosive triple option and Lake Catholic's Ricky Stanzi threw two early touchdown passes in the coldest Orange Bowl ever.

Temperature at kickoff was 49 degrees, and Tech’s offense was slow to warm up. The ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets averaged 35 points during the regular season, but their only score in the first three quarters came on Jerrard Tarrant’s 40-yard interception return.

The Hawkeyes (11-2) earned their first Bowl Championship Series bowl win, matched the school record for victories and could claim their highest final ranking since finishing No. 3 in 1960.

The Yellow Jackets were first in the nation in time of possession, second in rushing and 11th in scoring at 35 points per game. But they sputtered against an Iowa defense that held four bowl-bound teams to 10 points or less during the regular season.

swalker@MorningJournal.com