Nov. 5 becomes day to savor for Olentangy Liberty athletics
Running a successful department means an athletics director can’t be in all places at once, but Olentangy Liberty's Darrin Meeker sure tries.
Meeker put some miles on his car Nov. 5, driving to watch the boys soccer and girls volleyball teams in Division I regional final matchups at noon and 2:30 p.m., respectively, and the girls cross country team in the Division I state meet at 3:45 p.m.
“This school just breeds winning,” said first-year boys soccer coach Adam Gatton, whose team lost 1-0 to New Albany to finish 14-5-4. “Our volleyball team was in the regional final, our football team is in the regional semis (playing Perrysburg on Nov. 11 at Fostoria) and cross country (competed at state). It’s crazy to have that many teams playing this late in the year.”
Both boys soccer and girls cross country — which finished 18th of 20 teams with 359 points at Fortress Obetz — dealt with winds upward of 40 mph.
Junior forward Aidan Gordon struggled to get set pieces to land in desired destinations against New Albany, especially in the first half when the wind was strong enough to knock down the ball.
Gordon had assists on both goals by senior defender Johnny Stack on set pieces in a 2-1 win over Dublin Jerome in a regional semifinal Nov. 2.
“It was definitely a game-changer,” said Gordon, who led Liberty with 16 goals and 13 assists. “We definitely felt the presence of it and it was a tough, tough environment to play in. To be able to turn it around like we did this year and get the program back where it’s supposed to be, it’s an awesome feeling.”
Liberty, which finished 4-10-4 last season, entered the postseason after going 0-2-1 in its last three regular-season games, including losses to Orange (2-0 on Oct. 11) and Olentangy (1-0 on Oct. 13).
But the Patriots emerged from a district bracket that included all four Olentangy schools, defeating the Pioneers 1-0 in a district semifinal Oct. 25 and the Braves 2-0 on Oct. 29 to win their sixth district championship.
“We didn’t score any goals the last week of the regular season, so seeing the ball hit the net a couple of times gave us a little more confidence,” Gatton said. “It doesn’t take a whole, whole lot to get up for a couple of (rivals). The pieces fell in our favor the week we played both Olentangys.”
•At the girls cross country state meet, sophomore Julia Bockenstette finished 65th in 19 minutes, 39.4 seconds to lead Liberty.
“I think the athletes that did well had an incredible amount of strength,” coach Jamie Gilbert said. “The pack was staying so close together. It was hard to move around in the pack because everyone wanted to stay in the middle and try to be protected from the elements.
Also scoring for the Patriots were freshman Elena Aldrink (73rd, 19:52.1), sophomore Madeline Pohmer (74th, 19:52.1), senior Sasha Stanfield (129th, 20:43.7) and freshman Kate Boettcher (152nd, 21:22.5).
“Our teachable moment is you can’t always choose the circumstances (of a race),” Gilbert said. “You can only control what you can control. There’s always going to be factors outside of your control, and we need to learn how to be more prepared for (that) next year.
“We have three freshmen (including Becca Henry, who was 153rd in 21:23.2) and a sophomore, (so) I think next year, they’re going to be a lot more experienced with whatever happens.”
•The girls volleyball team could not overcome a group of strong Watterson hitters, as Liberty fell to the Eagles 25-14, 24-26, 25-19, 26-24 at Hilliard Darby to finish 22-5.
The Patriots had a stretch of four losses in five matches, with three coming at the Columbus Invitational on Sept. 23 and 24. They won their next 11 matches and had prevailed in 32 consecutive sets entering their match against Watterson.
Liberty reached the state final for the first time last season, losing to Rocky River Magnificat 25-21, 24-26, 25-14, 25-19. Outside hitter Meredith Mrukowski didn’t play in that match because she was coming back from a broken wrist.
This season, however, the senior finished second on the team with 219 kills and 269 digs behind her sister, senior Claire Mrukowski (317 kills), and senior libero Abbey Queen (584 digs).
“(Meredith) is a hard-nosed, gritty player,” coach Jen Chapman said. “She’s a kid that barely left the court — a six-rotation player. I know it had to be hard for her last year to be in that situation, missing (almost) a whole season and then coming back to be a huge role player. I’m super proud of the way she came out this year.”
Queen also led the Patriots with 48 aces, senior Gabi Moulton (setter) had 670 assists and 43 aces, junior Avery Tokarski (middle hitter) had 57 blocks, Claire Mrukowski had 53 blocks and junior A.C. Loftus (outside hitter) had 171 kills.
“It was good that we had some underclassmen playing this year because we got a little experience under our belts,” Chapman said. “(They’re) going to have to fill some big shoes, for sure. And our freshman and our j.v. programs have been successful this season and last season. But it’ll be interesting. I don’t know (what next year is going to look like) yet.”
Meeker has had these kinds of days before. The girls soccer and girls volleyball teams were in regional finals and girls cross country was at state in 2021, and girls volleyball, boys soccer and girls cross country did the same in 2018.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Meeker said. “This is what it’s all about. Watching our kids have the opportunity to compete at the highest level in regional or state championships — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of them.”
mrich@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekRich
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
•OCC-Central standings: Hilliard Davidson (38), Liberty (61), Dublin Coffman (79), Orange (80), Upper Arlington (100), Hilliard Bradley (165)
•Seniors lost: Annika Albrecht, Amalia Herzog, Lucy Knoll, Avery Kreust, Betsey Lorenz, Charlotte Lorenz, Marcela Mumford, Sasha Stanfield and Joy Tawadrose
•Key returnees: Elena Aldrink, Julia Bockenstette, Katie Boettcher, Becca Henry and Madeline Pohmer
•Postseason: Second (63) at district behind Marysville (61), third (127) at regional behind champion Davidson (42), 18th (359) at state behind champion Mason (75)
BOYS SOCCER
•Record: 14-5-4 overall
•OCC-Central standings: Davidson (4-0-1), Coffman (2-2-1), Orange (2-2-1), UA (1-1-3), Liberty (1-2-2), Bradley (0-3-2)
•Seniors lost: Brad Fischer, Jackson Fuller, Wil Hornbaker, Noah Mathis, Devin Philip, Aade Rajmohan, Carson Spencer, Johnny Stack and Tristan Sze
•Key returnees: Aidan Gordon, Chris Howski, A.J. Piela, Bradon Scanlon and Brannon Spencer
•Postseason: Def. Marion Harding 9-0; def. Franklin Heights 11-1; def. Orange 1-0; def. Olentangy 2-0; def. Dublin Jerome 2-1; lost to New Albany 1-0 in Division I regional final
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
•Record: 22-5 overall
•OCC-Central standings: Liberty (9-1), Orange (8-2), Coffman (7-3), UA (3-7), Bradley (2-8), Davidson (1-9)
•Seniors lost: Mitha Hatwar, Gabi Moulton, Claire Mrukowski, Meredith Mrukowski, Abbey Queen, Nicole Russell, Bella Uliano and Hannah Zipfel
•Key returnees: A.C. Loftus, Lauren Sackett and Avery Tokarski
•Postseason: Def. Canal Winchester 25-7, 25-14, 25-14; def. Westerville Central 25-6, 25-12, 25-18; def. Watkins Memorial 25-9, 25-17, 25-11; def. Coffman 25-23, 25-17, 25-18; lost to Watterson 25-14, 24-26, 25-19, 26-24 in Division I regional final
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Nov. 5 becomes day to savor for Olentangy Liberty athletics
