Beacon Journal High School Athletes of the Week featuring five Greater Akron area standouts
JANE CLARK
St. Vincent-St. Mary, softball
Clark went 12-for-17 with seven singles, five doubles, 11 RBIs, seven runs scored and three stolen bases during a five-game stretch that included wins over Cloverleaf, Cuyahoga Falls and Clearview and losses to Massillon and Medina from May 9 to May 14. She also had 24 assists and four put-outs on defense at shortstop during the five-game stretch, and finished the season batting over .400.
AVA DREHER
Norton, softball
Dreher helped Norton (19-8) win a Division II district championship and advance to the regional bracket for the first time in 21 years. She went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs in a 10-0 district semifinal victory in five innings over Buckeye and went 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored in a 5-2 district final triumph over defending state champion and host LaGrange Keystone. Prior to these games, she went 4-for-7 with two singles, two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored in regular season wins over Cloverleaf, Coventry and Ravenna.
ELLIE HARDMAN
Archbishop Hoban, softball
Hardman has gone 7-for-15 to help Hoban (20-7) win six games in a row and make a Division II regional tournament appearance. She went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a home run in a 15-0 five-inning win over Beaumont in a sectional final. At Willig Park in Canton, she went 2-for-3 with a double, triple, two RBIs and a run in a 13-1 district semifinal five-inning win over St. Vincent-St. Mary and she went 2-for-2 with a walk, triple, home run, four RBIs and two runs in an 11-0 district final five-inning victory over Tallmadge.
MATTHEW HAYES
Nordonia, track and field
Hayes, a returning Division I state qualifier, is enjoying a standout senior season in track and field. He placed first in the boys high jump (6-feet), 110-meter hurdles (15.19 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (39.38 seconds) in the Suburban League National Conference championship meet at Twinsburg.
NATALIE SUSA
Walsh Jesuit, softball
Susa (13-2) continues to be an impact pitcher and hitter as a sophomore for Walsh Jesuit (17-3) as its prepares for a Division I regional tournament appearance. She had 14 strikeouts and hit a two-run home run in a 4-2 district semifinal win over Painesville Riverside and she totaled 12 strikeouts and a single in a 2-1 district championship victory over Boardman at Massillon.
— Compiled by Michael Beaven
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Beacon Journal Spring Athletes of the Week for May 21
