Key Takeaways:
-Postseason Success: Three teams and six individual athletes advanced to state competitions, athletes earned All-Ohio and All-American honors, and VB finished in second-place for the BVC all-sports banner.
-Historic Milestones & Records: The boys' cross country team made its first-ever state appearance while individual athletes broke multiple school records.
-Academic Excellence: Dozens of student-athletes earned all-academic honors, highlighted by the volleyball team's 3.878 GPA, and 11 athletes committed to competing at the collegiate level.
Three teams and six individuals advanced to state competitions, six athletes earned All-Ohio honors, and one earned All-American status during the 2025-2026 athletic seasons, but there were many more teams and individuals who excelled throughout the year as representatives of our school.
FALL SPORTS
After winning the district championship for the first time in school history, the boys’ cross country team made more history as they advanced to the state meet for the first time, finishing 15th out of 24 teams. Carter Fry led the team at state, finishing in 83rd place (17:06.37), and Griffin Ware, Carter Finley, Andrew Puperi, Colin Treece, Ramone Johnson, and Matthew Puperi also competed. At the Blanchard Valley Conference (BVC) meet, the team finished third, with Fry and Finley earning first-team honors and Ware being named to the second team.
The boys’ and girls’ golf teams also both competed at state in the fall, with each of them finishing in sixth place. Unfortunately for the girls, that score was based on the first day after the second day was cancelled because of inclement weather.
The girls started their sixth consecutive journey to state by winning the sectional championship. After finishing fourth at the district match, the team advanced to the Division II state tournament at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro. Despite only having the opportunity to play one round, Addyson Adams shot 75 to tie the school record she set on August 4, finished tied for eighth in the state, and earned first team All-Ohio honors. Lauren Hibbard, Jordan Patton, Peyton Griffin, and Lydia Roeber rounded out the competitors at state.
The boys started their journey to state by winning the BVC tournament for the fourth consecutive year. Jacob Schroeder was named BVC Player of the Year and first team BVC. Joining him on the first team were Ben Heitkamp and Cole Bishop, while Ian Wilhelm (second team) and Andrew Hibbard and Luke Grady (honorable mention) also received honors. They followed that up with a sectional championship and third place finish in the district match. At the Division III state tournament held at NorthStar Golf Club in Sunbury, Schroeder and Bishop both shot 79 on the first day (team score - 330), and Heitkamp led the way with a 77 on the second day (team score - 324). Wilhelm and Hibbard rounded out the boys’ competitors at state.
The girls’ cross country team advanced to the regional cross country meet by placing seventh in the Division IV district race. Darby Poling led the way with a 17th place finish (21:38.81), and she was joined by Kate Schroeder, Grace Harrington, Ashleigh Doyle, Taylor Smith, Elyse Clark, and Maddie Hudok in the district race. The team finished third at the BVC meet, with Poling earning first team BVC and Doyle, Harrington, and Schroeder earning second team honors.
On the pitch, the girls’ soccer team earned many honors, but the biggest was Kami Bowman being named first team All-Ohio to go along with being named first team NW District and North Central Ohio Soccer Association (NCOSA). She also represented Van Buren at the NW District All-Star game in November. The team finished with a 10-7 record, and Macey Wagner and Sophia Webster (first team NCOSA and honorable mention NW District), Brookanne Busch and Heidi Griffith (second team NCOSA), and Kayla Bowman, Lauren Dahms, Molly Finley, and Bryar Kendrick (honorable mention NCOSA) also earned post-season honors. Busch also broke the previous school record for saves in a season, finishing with 123.
The boys’ soccer team finished with a 9-7-3 record, which was good for second place in the final NCOSA standings. Gavin Fruth and Finn Martin led the way, earning first team NCOSA recognition. Jackson Boes, Carson Stone, and Kolten Wilson earned second team honors, while Travis Carey, Gideon Webb, and Lincoln Williams earned honorable mention.
On the volleyball court, the team finished as district runner-up with a 19-6 record. Selma Brant finished her career with 1128 kills (new school record) and 1026 digs, becoming the first Van Buren player to exceed both 1,000 kills and digs for a career. Those statistics led to her being named third team All-Ohio and first team District 8 and BVC. Brooklyn Wilkin, who earned first team BVC and second team District 8 honors, eclipsed the 1,000 kill plateau, and Lydia Ponn, who was named second team BVC, eclipsed the 1,000 assist plateau. Lily Grine and Brittyn Wilkin were also recognized with honorable mention BVC accolades, while coach Mark Bunn was named one of the BVC Tri-Coaches of the Year. Finally, the team received the OHVSCA Award for having a cumulative GPA of 3.878.
The football team finished with a 6-4 record and won the inaugural Battle of the Shield versus Elmwood. First team BVC honors went to Brody Scoles (running back), Brooks Hill (linebacker), and Will Rampe (defensive back). Tommy Basinger (offensive line), Alex Homan (wide receiver), and Drew Phillips (defensive lineman) earned second team BVC honors, while Brady Lance (athlete and linebacker) and Rampe (wide receiver) were named to the third team. Myka Adams, Jacob Harrington, Emmett Morey, and Haiden Orr all earned BVC honorable mention for their contributions to the team.
Finally, the fall was highlighted by the naming of the inaugural class inducted into the Van Buren Athletic Hall of Fame. The class included Kristin (Mowery) Busching (‘00), Chad Keller (‘86), Doug Martin (‘85), Mike Naus (‘66), Coach Tom Swaisgood, Bill Warren (‘70), and the 1984 boys’ golf team. To learn more about the inductees and find out how to nominate individuals and teams for consideration, visit the hall of fame website: https://www.vbblackknights.com/athletic-hall-of-fame.
WINTER SPORTS
The boys’ wrestling team earned the BVC championship this year, but that wasn’t where the hardware ended for the team or individuals. Brooks Hill finished his career with 165 wins, set a new school record for pins with 109 (top 50 in OHSAA history), and advanced to the state wrestling tournament in Columbus. After finishing second in the district at 144 pounds, he went 1-2 at the state tournament. In addition to Hill, Jackson Genzman (113), Cooper Hanna (132), Johnie Omlor (150), Drew Phillips (165), and Landon Miller (190) completed at the district tournament, with Tommy Basinger (157), Luke Martin (215), and Jack Basinger (285) making it to districts as alternates. In preparation for the tournament, the wrestlers were very successful throughout the season. They went 13-4 in dual meets, won the Ada Invitational (20 teams), and finished second out of 20 at Lincolnview, third out of 25 at Woodmore, and tenth out of 35 at the 47th annual Van Buren Invitational. At Ada, Phillips earned his 100th win, and he and Tommy Basinger also earned first team BVC honors. Genzman, Jacob Harrington, Hill, Martin, and Max Wagner earned second team BVC accolades, while coach Roman Williams was named BVC Coach of the Year.
On the girls’ wrestling mats, Josalyn Swaisgood qualified for the district tournament with a fourth place finish at the sectional meet. That came after she finished first at the Patrick Henry Invitational in January to lead the team to a fifth place finish against 26 other teams. Rachael Miller also qualified for districts as an alternate after finishing fifth at sectionals.
Excellence for the boys and girls was not limited to the mat, however, as they earned team Academic All-Ohio honors for the fourth consecutive year with a team GPA of over 3.3.
While the mat is thought of as a typical winter sport locale, the pool and track are not, but that did not stop Ava Beuschlein, Carter Finley, and Easton Wymer. Beuschlein competed for Van Buren in swimming, finishing first in the 500 Freestyle and third in the 100 Breaststroke at the sectional swim meet to advance to districts. On the indoor track, Finley qualified for the state indoor meet in the 3200M. Wymer also qualified for the state indoor meet, where she won the Division IV weight throw and finished fifth in the shot put. Her state indoor championship opened the door for her to compete in the weight throw at the Division IV Adidas Indoor Track National Championship held in Virginia Beach, where she finished seventh in the nation and earned All-American status with a throw of 48’ 5.25”.
On the basketball court, the girls’ team had three players earn all-BVC recognition: Brooklyn Wilkin (second team), Kami Bowman (honorable mention), and Maddie Hudok (honorable mention).
For the boys, their 20-4 record included a 10-0 record in the BVC, a league championship, and a district runner-up trophy. Cole Bishop, whose eight three-pointers in a game tied a school record, earned first team BVC and second team Northwest District honors. Will Rampe (first team BVC, third team Northwest District), Alex Homan (second team BVC, honorable mention Northwest District), Finn Martin (second team BVC, honorable mention Northwest District), Brady Lance (honorable mention BVC), and Anakin Ortega (honorable mention BVC) also earned post-season honors for their performances. Because of his leadership, Coach Mark Bunn was named both BVC and Northwest District Coach of the Year. While he had six seniors earn recognition for their performances this year, he was likely also encouraged by the fact that the JV team went 10-0 in the BVC (18-2 overall) and the freshmen won the VB freshman basketball tournament.
SPRING SPORTS
As the athletes moved back outside after being inside all winter, the girls’ track team continued adding hardware to the trophy case. Kaitlyn Homan (800M), Sophia Webster (3200M), the 4X800 relay team (Homan, Bryar Kendrick, Grace Harrington, Webster), and Easton Wymer (discus) all won events to lead the team to its second consecutive BVC championship. At the regional meet, three were vying for a ticket to state. Homan just missed earning her ticket, placing 7th in the 800M, but Kami Bowman (100M -3rd place) and Wymer (discus - regional champion, shot put - 6th place at-large bid) both advanced to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. At state, Bowman finished in 11th place (12.58), and Wymer made the podium for both discus (third place) and shot put (fifth place). Her 143’ 03” discus throw at state set a new school record, and it was actually the fourth time she had set a new record in the event over the course of the season (133’ 1”, 136’ 0”, 137’ 6”). Her best shot put throw at state (40’ 6”) was four inches off the new record she had set earlier in the season (40’ 10”), and her efforts at state led to her being named All-Ohio in both events. Based on the outstanding season for all of the girls on the team, coach Joe Hudok was also named BVC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.
The boys’ track team also had a state participant and a record breaker. Johnie Omlor qualified for state with an at-large bid in pole vault after clearing 13’ 8” at the regional meet. At state, he cleared 13’ 0” and finished in 13th place. At the district track meet, Carter Finley continued his excellence in the 3200M from the indoor season by setting a new school record in the event (10:04.2).
On the diamond, the softball and baseball teams had many players who earned post-season honors. Audrey Riegle was named first team BVC and Northwest District, and she and teammate Jordan Patton were named Ohio High School Fast Pitch Softball Coaches Association scholar athletes. Patton also received first team BVC and second team Northwest District honors. Claire Maag earned second team BVC recognition, and Avery Beall and Claire Miller were both BVC honorable mention recipients.
Brady Lance and Will Rampe both earned Division VI honorable mention All-Ohio honors in addition to first team BVC. Brayden Gilts was also named to the BVC first team, and both Alex Homan and Finn Martin earned honorable mention. The team also recovered from a 5-0 deficit versus Elmwood in the district semifinals to win 6-5 and finished as district runner-up with a 17-12 record.
ATHLETIC PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS
It is clear we have outstanding student-athletes in our district, but there is even more evidence of their excellence.
First, all of the following athletes were recognized by the BVC and NCOSA during at least one season as all-academic performers: Cole Bishop, Kami Bowman, Selma Brant, Brookanne Busch, Carter Finley, Gavin Fruth, Carter Fry, Lily Grine, Maddy Hardie, Ben Heitkamp, Brooks Hill, Alex Homan, Maddie Hudok, Brady Lance, Finn Martin, Landon Miller, Emmett Morey, Johnie Omlor, Andrew Puperi, Will Rampe, Kate Schroeder, Brody Scoles, Sadie Thorla-Lopez, Macey Wagner, Morgan Walters, Griffin Ware, and Easton Wymer.
Second, a number of athletes will be competing in college athletics, including Addyson Adams (Indiana University-East - golf), Cole Bishop (University of Findlay - golf), Kami Bowman (Trine University - soccer), Selma Brant (Bluffton University - volleyball), Carter Finley (University of Findlay - cross country and track & field), Ben Heitkamp (Ohio Northern University - golf), Brady Lance (Owens Community College - baseball), Drew Phillips (Defiance College - wrestling), Macey Wagner (University of Findlay - soccer), Griffin Ware (Ohio Northern University - cross country), and Easton Wymer (University of Findlay - track & field).
Finally, each year the BVC identifies the most successful school in athletics and awards the winner the all-sports banner. Schools earn points based on their ranks in final league standings for all of the sports, and our 2025-2026 athletic teams finished in second place in the banner contest with 73.5 points to the winner’s 91 points.
As we finish looking back at the outstanding achievements of our student-athletes and coaches, we want to express our appreciation for all they have done to push themselves both athletically and academically this year. We also appreciate athletic director Mr. Dan Hartsel for providing these experiences for our athletes to build connections with their teammates and coaches and maintaining our athletic facilities and equipment so our players and coaches are in a position to compete at the highest level every day. Without everyone involved, we could not achieve the success we have experienced.
Check out what else is happening at the Van Buren Local School District:
2025-2026 Fine Arts Review: Sights and Sounds of Creative Excellence
Routson Receives HancockREADS Grant for Summer Read Program
Collaborating for Impact: The Work Behind Our District Goals