Richland 200: Time to meet some of Richland County's 57 returning All-Ohioans with Nos. 51-60

MANSFIELD — Richland County will have 57 returning All-Ohioans in 2024-25.

And we finally get to meet the first batch with this edition of the Richland 200 as well as three others who likely deserved All-Ohio honors during the 2023-24 athletic season but are locks to get them in 2024-25.

Let's meet them.

51. Owen Walter, Ontario

As a freshman last year, Walter earned All-Ohio honors in two swimming events as part of the 200 and 400 free relay teams at Ontario. He helped the team take sixth in the 200 and eighth in the 400 finishing on the podium in both events. He helped the 200 team go 1:29.17 in the finals and the 400 team finish in 3:19.29. With three years left, Walter could make quite a name for himself in the Ontario swimming circle.

52. Evan Ruhe, Ontario

As a junior swimmer last year, Ruhe earned two All-Ohio honors at the 2024 state swim meet. He was one of the leaders of those 200 and 400 free relay teams as the anchor of both squads. In 2023, he took All-Ohio honors in the 200 medley relay so he is a two-time state meet qualifier and a three-event All-Ohioan. He won four Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championships and was the MOAC Male Swimmer of the Year setting the stage for quite a senior year. Ruhe is also an accomplished soccer player earning honorable mention All-District and honorable mention All-MOAC last season when he scored two goals and handed out three assists while standing out on the defensive side of the pitch. Watch for Ruhe to have a huge senior year.

53. Kayla Caldwell, Lexington

The next four swimmers on the list all competed for the Lexington 400 freestyle relay squad that finished 16th in the state with a time of 3:48.29 to earn All-Ohio honors. Caldwell, who was just a freshman last year, swam the first leg for the relay team finishing her part in 55.88 before handing things off to Emily Woods.

54. Emily Woods, Lexington

Woods then took the second leg and finished in 58.46 to put Lady Lex in a great spot to finish near the podium. Woods was just a sophomore in 2023-24 and will be back as one of the team leaders in 2024-25. She left things to Julia Wyant to put the team in All-Ohio contention.

55. Julia Wyant, Lexington

Wyant took her turn in the third leg of the state championship race and posted a time of 58.14 doing her part to give Lex a real chance and finishing in the Top 16. Wyant is also an accomplished cross country runner and will be back for her senior year where she is finally completely healthy and ready to go out on a high note. She overcame some serious health concerns after being diagnosed with Grave's Disease but she doesn't let that stop her from handing things off to Emma Caldwell to bring things home for the relay squad.

56. Emma Caldwell, Lexington

Caldwell anchored the team to an All-Ohio finish posting a time of 55.81 during her leg of the race to snag All-Ohio honors for the whole squad. Like Wyant, Caldwell was just a junior last year so she will be back as half of the squad's veteran leadership and the sky has to be the limit for the team.

57. Macey Wade, Mansfield Senior

Wade is the first All-Ohio honoree to appear on the Richland 200 list. She is a returning All-Ohio diver for the Mansfield Senior Tygers. At last year's state meet, she started off with a solid dive of 147.15 before jumping her total to a 234.20 to advance to the finals. She finished the meet with a score of 305.30 to take 16th overall and earn All-Ohio honors for the first time in her career. She will be back for her senior season looking to make it back to state and maybe even a podium spot.

58. Lena Creed, Ontario

Creed is our final athlete in the Richland 200 that didn't earn All-Ohio honors despite doing enough to likely deserve a spot. She was first team All-District 6 and first team All-MOAC in volleyball last year as a defensive specialist who piled up 554 digs. She also collected 15 aces, 42 assists and 467 serve receptions and only committed 30 errors on those receptions. She is as sure-handed as any player in Richland County and should give the Warriors a great defensive presence in 2024.

59. PJ Endicott, Crestview

What more does a softball player have to do to earn All-Ohio honors? Endicott did everything imaginable to be placed on the list, but somehow, someway, she was overlooked. Well, she isn't going to be overlooked in the Richland 200. She earned first team All-Northwest District and first team All-Firelands Conference while also being named News Journal Small School Player of the Year. How she didn't get All-Ohio honors is baffling. She hit .519 with 42 hits, 13 doubles and eight home runs. She collected 37 RBIs and 34 runs scored in 23 games. She only committed three errors while catching nearly every single innings for the Cougars. She will be back for her senior year and if she puts up another year like she did in 2024, it will be a travesty if she doesn't earn All-Ohio honors.

60. Seven Allen, Lexington

There may not be a single athlete in Richland County who is in line for a bigger junior year than Allen. Last year in football, he earned honorable mention All-Northwest District and second team All-OCC honors after catching 28 passes for 427 yards and four touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff for a score and recorded 28 tackles with an interception on defense. In basketball, he was a third team All-Northwest District, second team All-District 6 and first team All-OCC player after averaging 11 points and handing out over 100 assists on the season. Allen is going to have a special junior year in both sports and don't be surprised if he ends up as a two-sport All-Ohioan.

jfurr@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Richland 200: Time to meet some of Richland County's 57 returning All-Ohioans with Nos. 51-60