LEBANON ATHLETICS LOOKS BACK AT 2023

We made an effort to highlight ten big storylines from 2023 to celebrate our programs.  It's likely we'll miss something impactful. There were many memorable moments including girls basketball beating Springboro for the first time in 17 years last January, the annual Hall of Fame induction, so many record-breaking performances and individual accolades, college signings, boys bowling made their tenth straight district tournament, the annual ESPY's Awards, and more… Here's ten of the best from 2023 in chronological order: 

1. We saw a record number of district (19) and state (9) qualifiers for Lebanon swimming. Senior Katie Fisher made her 4th consecutive trip to state and finished 13th in the 100 fly and 14th in the breaststroke in Canton! Freshman Emma Palmer finished 7th in the para-Finals in the 50 Free.

2. Lebanon Boys Wrestling produced 10 district qualifiers of the 14 weight classes. Five female wrestlers reached the podium at the regional meet where the Lady Warriors finished 2nd overall. Seven warriors advanced to State at OSU - Jack McCall, Flint Guerra (7th), Liam Schram, Andi Addis (8th), Sophia Rohrs (2nd), Lexi Fornshell (2nd), and Elisa Guerra. Seniors Jack McCall and Flint Guerra earned their 100th wins.  

3. Jackson Newman '23 of Lebanon Boys Lacrosse took over the top spot for career points, surpassing Jack Kilgallon and his brother Bennett Newman. Jackson also broke the program record for points in a game (15) when he netted 5 goals and 10 assists on March 29th vs. Anderson. 

4. Girls lacrosse achieved the program's first ever playoff win, defeating MND 20-6 on May 15. Jada Seuberling '23 and Arlene Planicka both reached 100 career goals! 

5. Softball finished as co-champs of the ECC (17-1) then captured a District Title with a walk-off win in the 8th inning! After topping Miamisburg in the regional semifinals, softball's run continued with a Regional Championship win over Fairfield at Mason on May 26th. Aubrey Smith earned ECC co-offensive player of the year and Regan Vunak was named ECC Defensive player of the year. The program made its' 4th trip to Akron in the last 11 years for the Final Four. They fell short to Austintown Fitch in the semifinals. 

6. Baseball finished as co-champs of the ECC (14-4) then walked-off Kings in the district semis! Colton Hartman threw a no-hitter against Walnut Hills at Prasco Park on April 25. Jaden Upper was named ECC Offensive Player of the Year while Colton Hartman was named ECC Defensive Player of the Year. We sent off long-time coach Larry Price with a special ceremony on May 11th. Larry accumulated over 365 wins in his career. He spent the last 11 seasons at LHS. 

7. Girls golf won their first conference title in school history! The Warriors topped then-undefeated Anderson 156-160 at Harmon on September 28 to finish 7-0. Pam Russell, who is the only coach in program history (29 years), was named coach of the year and Riley Johnson was named golfer of the year. Senior Anna Spahr had a hole-in-one on September 7th. The Warriors advanced to the District tournament after finishing runner-up at sectionals where freshman Olivia Donovan tied for the lead with a 70! The Warriors set the new school record for team-score on two different occasions this season. 

8. Seniors Calvin Kilgallon and Alynna Wilson advanced to the State Cross Country Championship! Calvin also competed in the State Track & Field Meet where he finished 3rd overall in the 800 meter run with a new school record run of 1:52.73! 

9. Mya White set a new school record for career points (1,209) on August 29th. She surpassed 1,500 by season's end. She also reached 1,000 career digs on September 30. On September 12, Lily Bolen recorded her 2,000th career assist. One week later she became the all-time record holder when she reached 2,063 on September 19. 

10. Lebanon Football secured all 3 rivalry trophies (Springboro, Little Miami, Kings) en route to a 7-3 regular season record, their best since 2016. Lebanon has played Springboro and Kings annually since 2008 and only beat both teams in the same season just one other time, way back in 2009. This was the first win over Kings since 2013. 

Here's to a memorable 2024!