New Richmond High School adds 4 alumni to athletic Hall of Fame

The newest class of the New Richmond High School Athletic Hall of Fame was inducted on Saturday, January 21. The ceremony took place following the boys basketball team's 52-45 victory over West Clermont, according to a press release from the school.

Matthew Dean (Class of 2003), Austin Skaggs (Class of 2012), Katie Middeler (2005) and Kevin Walriven (Class of 1974) made up the latest batch of Hall-of-Famers in New Richmond history.

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Dean, a three-sport athlete, helped lead the Lions football program to its first playoff appearances, posting a 29-1 overall record from 2000-2002. He was a first-team all-star in football in 2001 and 2002 and was the The Clermont Sun's male athlete of the year for the 2002-2003 school year.

In the spring, Dean help lead the Lions' baseball team to the 2003 regional title game, hitting .453 on the year. In the winter, Dean qualified for the district wrestling tournament in the heavyweight division.

Dean attended Wright State University on a full Army ROTC scholarship and graduated in 2007 with a degree in biology. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Army that same year, serving two tours in Iraq from 2007-2011.

Skaggs was inducted into the New Richmond Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility after a stellar three-sport career at the school. The 2012 graduate wrestled, golfed and was on the baseball team.

Skaggs earned second-team all-conference honors in 2011 and first-team in 2012 for the Lions' golf team. On the mat, he was a two-time sectional champion and three-time qualifier for the district tournament while also receiving first-team all-league honors. Skaggs twice advanced to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II state championship (2010, 2012). He ranks sixth in school history for all-time wins with 117.

A four-year baseball player, Skaggs hit .460 as a senior with 28 RBI, 37 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. On the mound, he led the SBAAC in wins, finishing 7-2 with a 2.94 ERA over 50-plus innings. He was a first-team All-Ohio selection.

Skaggs attended the University of Kentucky and graduated with a degree in accounting and marketing in 2016.

Katie (Middeler) Flaugh was another three-sport standout for the Lions, earning four varsity letters in soccer, basketball and track.

In the spring, Flaugh was a two-time first-team all-league selection for the New Richmond track team. She was named the team's MVP in 2002 and earned the most valuable field event award in 2003 after setting the school's shot-put record with a throw of 35 feet, 10 inches. She also anchored the team's 800-meter relay squad, which broke the SBAAC record with a time of 1:49.60.

In basketball, Flaugh finished her career as the district's all-time leading scorer with 1,376 points. She averaged over 20 points per game, which is a single-season record. Flaugh was the SBAAC and District 16 Player of the Year in 2005.

In the fall, Flaugh helped lead New Richmond to three SBAAC-American Division titles and was a first-team all-conference selection as a senior.

Flaugh attended the University of Cincinnati and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 2015 and a master's degree in Nursing in 2018.

Walriven graduated from New Richmond in 1974 and was inducted into the school's hall of fame last Saturday. While at New Richmond, he was on the school's Clermont County League champion baseball team in 1972 and lettered in tennis as a senior in 1974.

He served as the New Richmond JV and varsity basketball clock operator for over 20 years from 1997-2020 and ran the middle school boys basketball clock for three seasons from 1994 to 1996. In the fall, he served as the varsity footall spotter from 1995-2002 and was the middle school wrestling tournament's clock operator from 1994-2000.

"A stalwart volunteer, his (Walriven's) passion, warmth, devotion and spirit have earned him admiration and respect of the New Richmond community and far beyond," the school's press release said.

Walriven earned the Mercy Health Most Valuable Person Award at Batavia High School in 2017. He was also awarded the Dale Creamer Friends of Athletics Award from the Southwest District Athletic Board in 2020 and a hall of honor award from the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association in 2022.

Walriven also served on the New Richmond Exempted Village Board of Education.

"He was a key figure in the planning and construction of the New Richmond football complex in 2004 and the New Richmond baseball and softball complex in 2010," the press release said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: High school sports: New Richmond adds 4 to athletic Hall of Fame