Check out last 20 The Advocate Female Athlete of the Year winners

[ASFN Admin]

NEWARK - The Advocate sports staff later this week will announce and celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of The Advocate Female Athlete of the Year.

As part of the USA Today’s 250 for 250 celebration, however, we decided to take a look back at some of the best female athletes to play in Licking County. We of course cannot go back 250 years, but we decided to take a quick glance at The Advocate Female Athlete of the Year honorees from the past two decades.

2006 Sarah Clapper, Newark Catholic​

• Starred for the volleyball team, which compiled a 56-3 record during her last two seasons, winning a state championship in 2004 and finishing as state runner-up in 2005.

• Piled up 1,640 points and 794 rebounds for the basketball team, leading the Green Wave to three consecutive Mid-State League-Cardinal Division championships.

2007 Heather Sole, Licking Valley​

• Won back-to-back Division II state track championships in the high jump in 2006 and ‘07.

• Led the golf team to a share of its first Mid-State League championship and averaged 14.6 points per game for the basketball team, helping the Panthers to a Division II district runner-up finish.

2008 Lindsay Barrett, Lakewood​

• Starred at catcher for the softball team, hitting .409 with five home runs and 47 RBIs, leading the Lancers to their first Division III state championship.

• Led the volleyball team to a Division III district championship, setting a then state-record for aces (183) in a season and averaged 14.6 points per game as a senior for the basketball team.

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2009 Alissa Birkhimer, Lakewood​

• Starred in the circle and at the plate, leading the softball team to back-to-back Division III state championships in 2008 and ‘09, finishing as one of the winningest pitchers (93) in Ohio history.

• Struck 220 batters, recording a 0.19 ERA in 155 innings and hit .423 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs as a senior. Also had a standout senior season in volleyball.

2010 Megan White, Heath​

• Starred as a setter for the volleyball team, leading the Bulldogs to three consecutive Division III district championships.

• Averaged 21 points per game as a senior, including a career high of 42, for the basketball team, leading the Bulldogs to their first league championship in a decade.

2011 Courtney Kidwell, Lakewood​

• Hit .529 with nine home runs for the softball team, leading the Lancers to a Mid-State League-Ohio Division championship and a Division II regional runner-up finish as a senior.

• Finished as second-leading scorer and leading rebounder for the basketball team.

2012 Caroline Wollenburg, Newark Catholic​

• Helped the basketball team reach a Division IV regional final, recording 11 points and seven rebounds per game.

• Led the softball team to a Division IV district final, hitting .433 with five home runs.

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2013 Abby Barker, Granville​

• Lifted the softball team to new heights during her sophomore season, propelling the Blue Aces to their first Division II state tournament, striking out 192 batters while recording a 1.92 ERA in 120 innings and hitting .498 with seven home runs. Later pitched the Blue Aces to their first state championship as a senior in 2015.

• Averaged 12 points and three assists per game for the basketball team as a sophomore, helping the Blue Aces win the MSL-Ohio championship.

2014 Kori Caughenbaugh, Licking Valley​

• Starred at catcher for the softball team, hitting .598 with 38 RBIs as a junior, leading the Panthers to a second consecutive Division II regional championship as a junior after hitting .571 in a state championship season as a sophomore.

• Totaled 10 goals and three assists for the soccer team, helping the Panthers win a then program-record seven games and averaged 10.5 points per game for the basketball team, which finished as Division II district runner-up.

2015 Jill Blacksten, Newark Catholic​

• Recorded 221 kills and 71 solo blocks for the volleyball team as a senior, helping the Green Wave reach the Division IV state tournament.

• Racked up more than 1,700 points and 1,000 rebounds for the basketball team, leading the Green Wave to four consecutive Division IV district championships and two regional runner-up finishes.

2016 and 2017 Courtney Vierstra, Lakewood​

• Pitched the softball team to back-to-back Division II state championships after finishing runner-up in 2015. Finished 27-0 with a 0.25 ERA as a senior for the Lancers and added a .385 batting average with two home runs.

• Scored 14 points per game as a senior, leading the basketball team to a second consecutive Mid-State League-Ohio Division championship and was the top player on the volleyball team.

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2018 and 2020 Emily Londot, Utica​

• Finishing as one of the best volleyball players in Licking County history, piled up more than 2,000 kills, leading Utica to a Division III district championship her freshman season and to a Licking County League-Cardinal Division championship her senior season.

• Totaled more than 1,500 points and 1,100 rebounds in basketball, ranking No. 1 on Utica’s all-time lists in both, leading Utica to the LCL-Cardinal title her senior season.

2019 Samantha Basham, Newark Catholic​

• Starred for the volleyball team, finishing her career with 1,115 kills and led the Green Wave to an LCL-Cardinal championship and a Division III district runner-up finish as a senior.

• Averaged 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists as a senior in basketball, helping the Green Wave win LCL-Cardinal and Division IV district championships.

2021 Jenna Lucas, Watkins Memorial​

• Was an incredible four-sport athlete as a junior, capping the 2020-21 season with a third-place finish in the high jump at Division I state track meet, clearing 5 feet, 6 inches.
• Set a single-season record for blocks (149) for the volleyball team, helping the Warriors win a third consecutive LCL-Buckeye championship and finish as Division I district runner-up for the second consecutive season.
• Averaged 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds for the basketball team, helping the Warriors finish as Division I district runner-up and qualified to the Division I district tournament with doubles partner Lillia Walter in her only season of tennis.

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2022 Gwen Stare, Newark​

• Became the first Newark female athlete to compete in state competition in three sports. Helped the cross-country team win the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye championship and set the school record at 18:44.0.

• Helped the girls basketball team to a Division I district runner-up finish as a senior after helping the Wildcats finish as state runner-up, making the game-winning shot in the regional final, as a junior.

• Placed third in the 800 (2:13.71) at the Division I state track meet in 2022 after placing fifth in the event (2:13.14) as a junior.

2023 Allie Dunlap, Heath​

• Set program season (40) and career (100) scoring records for the girls soccer team, leading the Bulldogs to two double-digit win seasons and a trip to the Division II district semifinals.

• Placed seventh in the Division II state meet in the pole vault as a senior, setting the school record at 11 feet, 10 inches and helped the basketball team win its first LCL-Cardinal championship.

2024 Kylie Gibson, Newark Catholic​

• Scored 1,224 points in her basketball career, making a program single-season record 93 3-pointers as a senior, leading the Green Wave to an unbeaten regular season and a Division IV district championship.

• Hit .478 with seven home runs, leading the softball team to its first league title in 18 years as a senior and recorded 415 assists for the volleyball team, which won a Division III district championship.

2025 Ava Travis, Northridge​

• Put an exclamation point on a whirlwind junior year with two fourth-place finishes in the 200 (25.25) and 400 (57.05) during the Division III state track championships.

• Scored six goals and also played strong defense, helping the soccer win a then program-record 11 games. Averaged 18 points and four steals per game, leading the basketball team to its first winning season since 2005.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Check out last 20 The Advocate Female Athlete of the Year winners

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