Orrville High announces Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024
The Orrville High School Sports Hall of Fame recently announced the Class of 2024. Nominations for induction are made by the general public and voted on by the Hall of Fame Committee. This will be the 17th induction class in the history of the hall of fame, and it will be inducted on Sept. 14.
Inductees in alphabetical order include the following:
—Jamie Clymer, Class of 1993: An All-Ohioan and All-American vaulter as a senior at OHS in 1993, Clymer was the first Wayne County pole vaulter to clear both 15 feet and 16 feet. He vaulted for Kent State, where he was a four-time All-MAC honoree and won the pole vault at the Penn Relays in 1997.
—Kaitlyn Griffith Kowicki, Class of 2008: A two-time state qualifier and two-time All-Ohio in the shot put, Griffith Kowicki competed at Youngstown State, where she won multiple Horizon League titles in indoor and outdoor events and is still on the school’s top 10 list for the hammer throw and shot put. She also was a two-time NCAA East Region qualifier.
—Ben Lehman, Class of 1995: Lehman tallied 86 wins as an OHS tennis player, was a four-time OHSAA district qualifier and was a state qualifier in 1995, then went on to Bluffton College, where he was a member of the Beavers tennis team. He was an OHSAA Scholar Athlete recipient in 1995, earned his degree from Bluffton and earned an MD degree from Ohio State.
—Adam Milligan, Class of 2001: The first soccer player to earn induction, Milligan was an All-Ohio Heartland Conference selection and held the OHS goals scored record from 1999-2018. He played soccer at The College of Wooster and was the 2003 NCAC Player of the Year and All-NCAC in 2004, also earning All-Decade honors.
—Allison Plybon, Class of 2015: Plybon won the 2015 Div. II state pole vault title with a vault of 12 feet, 8 inches. She was a multiple-time district and regional pole vault champion and finished third in the state in pole vault in 2014. She also earned three letters in volleyball. She vaulted at the University of Cincinnati and was an American Athletic Conference All-Academic team honoree.
—Hannah Plybon, Class of 2013: A standout basketball player, Plybon was a 2,000-point scorer while at OHS, three-time All-Ohioan and member of the 2013 State Final Four team. She averaged 20.9 points per game in her four years as a Red Rider and was Ohio Div. III Player of the Year in 2013. She also was a state track qualifier in 2013 as a member of the 4×200 relay team. She played basketball collegiately at Akron, where she broke records for 3-point shots made in a season and career. She ended her Akron career fourth on the career scoring list.
—Erin Short, Class of 2010: Short was an All-Ohio volleyball selection in 2008 and 2009 and a four-year letterwinner in volleyball and three-year letterwinner in basketball at OHS. She was record holder at OHS for most kills and second in digs upon graduation. She earned a volleyball scholarship to Eastern Michigan, where she was a four-year starter and earned Academic All-MAC honors in 2012.
—Damian Vaughn, Class of 1993: Vaughn played tight end and defensive line at OHS and was a member of the 1992 playoff team. He walked on to Miami (Ohio) University football team and earned a scholarship and the starting tight end job. He was a seventh-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1998, had stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was an All-NFL European League honoree in 2000.
—Ralph Winters, Class of 1982: Winters was a basketball standout and two-time third-team All-Ohioan in 1981 and 1982. One of the top scorers and rebounders in OHS history, he earned a scholarship to Indiana State, where he averaged nine points and five rebounds per game for the Sycamores in 29 games during the 1984-85 season.
The committee also will present the first Red Rider Pride Award to Dr. Charles Milligan. This award is to acknowledge meritorious service in support of athletic programs in the Orrville community. Milligan was the team doctor for the football team for many years and a longtime physician in the Orrville community.
All are welcome to honor these individuals with a dinner and induction ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the OHS cafeteria. Tickets for the event are $25 with dinner at 6 p.m. and the induction at 7 p.m. For tickets call Kent Smith at 330-347-3163 or email ksmith1161@aol.com.