Mount Vernon Babe Ruth League registration set for today
The Mount Vernon Babe Ruth Association (doing business as the Knox Babe Ruth League of Knox County) has scheduled in-person registration today for 13-to-16-year olds at the Babe Ruth field announcer’s booth at Memorial Park on Mount Vernon Avenue.
Registration dates include:
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 6-8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 19, 12-2 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 24, 6-8 p.m.
And the last day for registration:
Saturday, March 5, 12-2 p.m.
New player tryouts will take place Saturday, March 26 from 9 a.m. to noon.
NCAC Swimming and Diving Championships begin today
The NCAC Swimming & Diving Championships return to the Trumbull Aquatics Center on the campus of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, for the eighth year. The nation's top Division III conference meet begins today, Feb. 9, and runs through Saturday, Feb. 12.
The Kenyon men and the Denison women are defending champions. Overall, Kenyon has won 24 men's and 26 women's championships of the 36 NCAC titles contested. The Denison men are the only team to defeat Kenyon at the NCAC meet, claiming titles in 1997 and 2009-2019. Kenyon reclaimed the title in 2020. The Denison women snapped the Ladies' 19-year hold on the league crown in 2004, with Kenyon regaining control of the title from 2005-08, leading to Denison's run of seven straight from 2009-2015. The Kenyon Ladies won the championship in 2016, 2018 and 2019; The Big Red raised the trophy in 2017 and 2020.
On the men’s side, defending champion Kenyon enters the 2022 NCAC Swimming and Diving Championship as the No. 4 team in the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division III national rankings. The Lords are looking to earn their conference-leading 25th crown with a roster packed full of NCAC-best times this season. Junior Yurii Kosian owns the conference's top times this season in both the 100 (47.53) and 200 (1:44.44) backstrokes, while classmate Bryan Fitzgerald, the defending 400-IM champion, has posted the top NCAC time in the event this season (3:53.82). Senior David Fitch swam the conference's best time in the 100-fly (46.46) and the second-fastest time in the 200-fly (1:47.07). Sophomore Israel Vazaleta will look to score points for the Lords in the diving well after breaking several program records this season; he owns season-best 11-dive marks of 564.6 points on the one-meter board and 592.95 on the three-meter board. The Lords also enter the conference championship with the top time in the 400-medley relay (3:13.89).
In the women’s competition, Kenyon heads into the 2022 NCAC Championship ranked No. 1 in the CSCAA Division III national rankings and aims to earn the program's 27th conference crown. Senior Crile Hart is the defending NCAC champion in the 100-fly, 200-back and the 200-IM and currently holds the conference's top times this season in the 100 (55.05) and 200 (1:57.62) backstrokes, the 100-fly (53.95) and the 200-IM (1:59.30). The junior duo of Alexandra White and Ania Axas own top times in the league, as White has the fastest 50-free (23.12) and Axas, who finished as the 200-fly runner-up in 2020, enters the 2022 meet with the NCAC’s fastest time (2:03.33). Freshmen Jenna Fadely and Gabby Wei lead the NCAC in the breaststroke, as Fadely has the top time in the 100 (1:02.09) and Wei has the fastest time in the 200 (2:13.27). Kenyon also holds the fastest times in the 200 (1:31.67) and 400 (3:21.84) free relays as well as the 400-medley relay (3:41.81).
Highland hoops star commits to college
The Highland Fighting Scots have scheduled a College Signing Ceremony for team leader Jordan Bellamy on Saturday, March 26 at 4 p.m., in the HS Auditorium.
Bellamy will be playing his college basketball at UM-Dearborn and the public is welcome.
Bellamy, the Mount Vernon News Athlete of the Week for Jan. 22, is a 6-foot-2, 170-pound shooting guard/point guard who averages 14.2 points per game, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He has a free throw percentage of 85%.
