Buddy LaRosa’s High School Sports Hall of Fame broadcasts its 2025 class

CINCINNATI — Five excellent All-American athletes – in swimming, working, wrestling, soccer and basketball – are the newest electees into the Buddy LaRosa’s High School Sports Hall of Fame.

The 2025 class additionally features a legendary baseball coach and two celebrated highschool groups.

The 2025 LaRosa’s Sports Hall of Fame class consists of:

Cory Chitwood, Ryle High School, Class of 2007, Swimming
Annie Heffernan, St. Ursula Academy, Class of 2017, Cross Country and Track
Megan McCabe, Wyoming High School, Class of 1997, Basketball and Track
Austin Myers, Campbell County High School, Class of 2015, Wrestling
Patrick Towles, Highlands High School, Class of 2012, Football
Coach Bill Krumpelbeck, Covington Catholic High School, 1977-2025, Baseball
Roger Bacon 1994-95 Girls Basketball Team
Holmes High School 1977-78 Boys Basketball Team

The newest additions to the LaRosa’s High School Sports Hall of Fame might be formally inducted in ceremonies in summer time 2026.

The corridor of fame is in its 51st yr of recognizing excellent native highschool athletes and coaches. The corridor of fame has honored 313 athletes and coaches and 18 prime groups since its founding in 1975.

LaRosa’s Hall of Fame offered details about the 2025 class:

Cory Chitwood
Ryle High School
Class of 2007

Three-time Kentucky state swimming champion and a collegiate All-American

Cory Chitwood joins LaRosa’s Hall of Famer Nate Dusing from Covington Catholic as the 2 most interesting swimmers in Northern Kentucky historical past.

At Ryle High School, Cory gained three state titles throughout his profession. As a senior on the Kentucky state championships, he gained the 100-yard backstroke in 48.60 seconds, nearly 4 seconds sooner than the second-place finisher. He then went on to seize the 200-yard particular person medley in 1:50.41 by greater than six seconds. He was ranked No. 1 within the nation within the 200-meter backstroke, No. 2 within the 100-meter backstroke, No. 6 within the 400-meter IM and No. 7 within the 200-meter IM.

He continued his outstanding profession in faculty on the University of Arizona, the place he was a three-time NCAA champion within the 200 backstroke and a 14-time collegiate All-American. He was a member of the U.S. National workforce and completed tenth within the 200-Meter backstroke (2:00.03) within the 2012 Olympic Trials.

Chitwood lives in Unionville, Ind., along with his spouse, Beth and youngsters, Jolene and Maverick. He is the affiliate head coach of the boys’s and ladies’s swimming groups at Indiana University.

Indiana Athletics

Annie Heffernan
St. Ursula Academy
Class of 2015
Five-time Ohio state champ in cross nation and observe and a collegiate All-American

Annie Heffernan was a three-time All-American in Track by USA Track and Field. Annie collected 5 state championships in her profession. She is certainly one of solely 26 LaRosa’s Hall of Famers to be inducted on the primary poll.
Heffernan gained the Division I cross nation championship as a junior (18:13.90). As a senior, she gained each the regional observe 1600-meter run in a document time of 4:50.30, then adopted up with the 3200-meter run regional title in 10:47.12. At the state meet, she turned in state title performances within the 1600 in 4:48.39 and within the 3200 in 10:38.04.

Amazingly, her sophomore document time in profitable the 3200-meter (10:14.91) additionally set the Ohio highschool state document and the Jesse Owens Stadium information – all three information nonetheless stand. It is Ohio’s longest-running state observe meet document.

She continued her working profession on scholarship on the University of Notre Dame the place she gained six letters and was an NCAA Division I observe All-American.

Heffernan lives in Boston the place she is a Neurosurgery Research Associate at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

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Megan McCabe
Wyoming High School
Class of 1997

Basketball celebrity led the Wyoming ladies’ workforce to the 1997 Ohio state championship and set seven college information

One of essentially the most dynamic feminine athletes in Wyoming High School historical past, Megan McCabe earned eight varsity letters throughout her excellent profession for the Cowboys.

Basketball was her dominant sport and he or she performed a big function in Wyoming’s solely state ladies basketball title. With 16 seconds left within the 1996 Ohio Division III state championship sport, McCabe grabbed the defensive rebound, then drove the size of the ground, and hit a soar shot to ship the sport into additional time. She proceeded to attain all eight factors in additional time to steer the Cowboys to a 35-29 victory over Upper Sandusky and a last 25-2 document.

She set the college’s excessive soar document and was a two-time state qualifier in that occasion. She additionally performed one season of softball.

McCabe signed a scholarship with The Ohio State University, and he or she earned a varsity letter in 1999 after a redshirt freshman season.

McCabe and her spouse, Heather Grunkemeyer reside in Columbus. They have two sons Ethan and Brady Grunkemeyer. Ethan was the beginning quarterback at Penn State University this previous season.

Megan is Co-Owner of M2 Marketing, an internet growth and graphic design agency.

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Austin Myers
Campbell County High School
Class of 2015

All-American Wrestler and four-time Northern Kentucky champion arguably one of the best highschool wrestler in Kentucky historical past

Austin Meyers wrestled for 4 years within the heavyweight class with no loss.

As a senior, he completed an unimaginable 60-0 season with an overwhelming 15-4 victory within the Kentucky 220-pound state championship.

He is the one wrestler in Kentucky historical past to be chosen an All-American three straight years. He concluded his profession with a staggering 189-0 document.

Austin Myers, additionally an Academic All-American, is just one of 26 athletes inducted into the LaRosa’s High School Hall Fame in his first yr of eligibility. He signed a scholarship on the University of West Virginia and later transferred to the University of Missouri, the place he turned an NCAA qualifier within the heavyweight division.

Myers lives in Northern Kentucky, the place he’s an Environmental Health Safety Specialist at Givaudin Fragrances. He can also be the assistant wrestling coach to his brother, Stephen, at Campbell County High School.

Provided

Patrick Towles
Highlands High School
Class of 2012

Mr. Kentucky Football and highschool All-American quarterback who led Highlands to a few straight state championships

In three seasons as Highlands’ beginning quarterback, Patrick Towles led the Bluebirds to a few consecutive Kentucky state championships and a tremendous 38-1 document.

As a senior, he accomplished 181 of 279 cross makes an attempt (.648) for 3,820 yards (presently ranks in Top 20 in Kentucky historical past) and 42 touchdowns. He rushed for a team-leading 589 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.

Towles performed 4 seasons on scholarship on the University of Kentucky, then transferred to Boston College for a fifth yr.

Towles is the Director of Development at Christ the King Church on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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Coach Bill Krumpelbeck
Covington Catholic High School
1977-2025

Legendary Baseball coach with greater than 1,100 wins in 48 years at Covington Catholic High School

After 48 seasons on the helm of the Colonels’ baseball program, Bill amassed a staggering 1149-485 profession – the second most victories in Kentucky baseball historical past. He gained 22 district and 9 area titles throughout his profession.

His biggest season and fondest reminiscence was of the 2002 state championship workforce, which completed with a 40-3 document, essentially the most wins by a highschool workforce within the nation that yr.
        
Krumpelbeck taught biology at CovCath for 46 years earlier than retiring from instructing. He continued teaching baseball, and his final two groups posted information of 21-12 and 31-6.
        
Currently, Bill and his spouse, Carol, reside in Harrison and have two daughters, Fawn and Amy, and 5 grandchildren.

Roger Bacon High School
Girls basketball 1994-95
Coach Tom Singleton

The 1995 Division II state champions went an undefeated 28-0 on the season

The Spartans marched by the complete season with an distinctive “inside-outside” mixture of “Twin Towers” Jenny and Sarah Mueller, and the skin pressure of Katie Kelsey and Anne Schaefer.
        
When unbeaten Elida met up with Roger Bacon within the state finals, it was ready to cease the within twins. Schaefer had different concepts as she poured in a tournament-record 9 straight three-point objectives to interrupt the sport huge open within the first 10 minutes of play. She wound up with a career-high 27 factors. Kelsey added three extra three-pointers to set one other state event document of a complete of 12 three-pointers in a championship sport.
        
Stacy Sollmann had six assists within the sport, many organising Schaefer’s 3s and Katie Ward got here off the bench so as to add six factors and 5 assists. When the mud settled, the Spartans got here away with a 64-48 victory and the college’s first ladies’ state championship. The workforce completed 28-0 to associate with its 26-2 document in 1993-94 for a mixed mark of 54-2.

Holmes High School
Boys basketball 1977-78
Coach Reynolds Flynn
Team Record: 34-2

Many Northern Kentucky sports activities historians consider the 1977-78 Holmes boys basketball workforce to be one of the best workforce in Ninth Region historical past – “The Team Denied The State Championship.”

Never had the Ninth Region gained the Kentucky State championship, however this Holmes workforce had the makings of setting the document straight. Powered by LaRosa’s Hall of Famers Doug Schloemer and Dicky Beal, the Bulldogs dominated each workforce it confronted through the season – besides Shelby County. Schloemer, a senior, went on to win Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball that season; Beal, a sophomore, went on to be named the Ted Sanford Award winner in 1980.
        
But it’s the workforce that everybody will keep in mind because it was denied the state title.

It appeared Holmes would avenge its solely common season loss to Shelby County within the state championship sport when Beal scored a go-ahead purpose with 4 seconds left in regulation. However, a timeout was known as with two seconds left. Shelby County tossed in a three-quarters-court cross to Charles Hurt, whose financial institution shot despatched the sport into the primary additional time sport in Sweet Sixteen historical past.

In the primary 30 seconds of the additional time sport, Hurt “swatted” a Schloemer shot along with his hand clearly by the cylinder for a “blocked shot”. Not solely did it deny a subject purpose, however what ought to have been a technical foul – a made free throw and ball possession would have resulted in a possible five-point play.

Shelby County went on to register a 68-66 victory and the state title.
        
Schloemer, who scored 25 factors in that sport, graduated as Holmes’ all-time main scorer and rebounder. He and John Wimzie had been named First Team All-Tournament. Wimzie and co-captain Mark Moeves had been each named as Honorable Mention all-state alternatives. Other workforce members included: Tony Malik, Phil Davis, Todd Riley, Maurice Green and David Derkson.
        
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