Withrow's Yancy Gates was the most dominating big man in Greater Cincinnati over the last 25 years; he went on to become a force for the University of Cincinnati, and later as a professional.

Gates averaged a double-double his last two seasons for the Tigers. He scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds per game as a junior, then posted 21.2 points and 11 rebounds as a senior. In those two seasons, he led Withrow to a 40-10 record, two District championships and a Regional runners-up title.

He was named to the prestigious Parade Magazine All-America team in 2008 after being named the Ohio Player of the Year. Yancy Gates went on to play collegiately at the University of Cincinnati, where he still ranks as the only player in Bearcats' history to lead the team in rebounding for four consecutive seasons. He is one of only six players to score at least 1,400 points and collect more than 900 rebounds in his college career. He went on to enjoy a nine-year professional career overseas, playing on teams in Europe, China and Mexico. Currently, Yancy Gates lives with his daughter, Yamari, in Cincinnati and is pursuing various business and possible coaching opportunities.

Go to the top

One of the finest soccer players in St. Ursula Academy history, Amanda Gruber earned 10 varsity letters in three different sports. She was named a soccer All-American both in high school and in college at Xavier University. She was the driving force behind two St. Ursula Ohio state championships (1991 and 1993) as those two teams finished ranked #3 and #4, respectively, in the nation in USA Today rankings.

Among her many honors, she was named Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post Player of the Year (1993), Striker of the Year by Soccer Cincinnati magazine and was two-time Metro Country Conference Player of the Year. Amanda was a first -team all-state selection and was named to the All-Midwest Regional team. She was voted MVP of the East-West All-Star game in a 4-1 victory in which she scored all four goals!

Amanda was also a four-year varsity starter in basketball. She set three school records (assists, career 3-point field goals, and single game 3- and was a second-team All-City pick by The Cincinnati Enquirer. She also played two seasons of fast-pitch softball.

Amanda took her soccer game to Xavier University where she set many Musketeer and Atlantic-10 records. She still ranks as XU's all-time points (160), goals scored (67) and single-season shots (112) leader. She ranks #2 all-time in assists (26) and career shots (339).

As a senior in 1997, Amanda set an Atlantic-10 single-season record with 59 points. She was named first-team A-10 for the third straight season and was picked as the A-10 Player of the Year.

Amanda joined her father, Jim, in the Xavier University Hall of Fame in 2003.

Currently, Amanda and her husband, Dan Creech (a Hall of Fame soccer player at Miami University), have five children - Tanner, Macy, Molly, Cody, and Hudson.

Go to the top

Annette Gruber had a tough act to follow in her older sister Amanda's footsteps, but the younger sister set her own pace and posted amazing numbers during her high school and collegiate career. She earned eight varsity letters for the Bulldogs in soccer and basketball.

She teamed with sister Amanda in leading St. Ursula to the 1993 Ohio Division I state title and a No. 4 national ranking. Annette went on become a nominee for the Wendy's National Heisman Soccer Athlete of the Year.

A four-year varsity starter at St. Ursula, Annette wound up as the school's No. 3 all-time scorer. She was twice named first-team All-City by Soccer Cincinnati magazine, and once by The Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post (1996). She was a three-time academic All-State selection.

In basketball, she was a three-year varsity starter, playing all five positions. She led the team in rebounds twice.

Annette followed both her father, Jim, and her sister Amanda to Xavier University, where she enjoyed a record-setting career for the Musketeers. She wound up as the school's No. 2 all-time leader in career points and goals scored. She still ranks as the No. 1 all-time leader in single-season assists and career assists. She stands No. 3 overall in career shots.

She was selected first-team Atlantic-10 four times in her collegiate career as she joined the family in the Xavier University Hall of Fame in 2008.

Annette and her husband, Ricky Bell (LaRosa's Hall of Fame 2009), have three children, Jake, Bailey, and Brooklyn.

Go to the top

A football jack-of-all-trades, Danny Milligan left an indelible mark during his storied career at St. Xavier High School. A three-year starter and a football high school All-American, Danny played six different positions for the Bombers and was an integral force on the 2007 undefeated football team. St. Xavier went 15-0 and won the Ohio Division I state title and the mythic national championship. Danny accounted for 15 of St. X's points in its 27-0 victory over Mentor in the state title game.

As a senior, Milligan scored 176 points - 9 receiving touchdowns, 5 rushing TDs, kicked 13 field goals and 53 PATs. He had 726 yards receiving on 49 receptions and rushed for 166 yards. Danny's 40 career field goals set the Ohio state record at the time and is currently No. 2 all-time in Ohio history.

In 2007, he was The Cincinnati Enquirer Player of the Year, the Associated Press Co-Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Ohio as a kicker.

Milligan, a finalist for Ohio's prestigious Mr. Football award, was selected an All-American by both Rise Magazine and PrepNation.com. He was the Ohio/U.S. Army “Iron Man” Player of the Year.

A three-time First-Team All-City selection, he played in both the Cincinnati East-West and the in the Big 33 Ohio/Pennsylvania all-star game. He went on to play football at the University of Cincinnati where he was a four-year letterman. He and his wife, Kylee, live in Milford with their daughters, Ryann and Avery. He is a Project Manager for Cintas.

Go to the top

Princeton High School's Kelsey Mitchell is perhaps the finest female basketballer to play in Greater Cincinnati history. She was a three-time prep All-American and powered the Vikings to the 2014 Ohio Division I state championship. Nominated as LaRosa's Player of Year as a junior, Kelsey won the award as a senior. She is only the 24th athlete to be inducted into the LaRosa's Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.

She went on to be a collegiate All-American at Ohio State University, then the No. 2 pick in the 2018 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, where she currently enjoys an outstanding professional career.

At Princeton, Kelsey helped lead the Vikings to the Ohio Division I state championship with a 30-point performance in the 61-55 victory over North Canton Hoover.

Over her four-year career at Princeton, Kelsey set 15 career records, including points, free-throws made, steals and three-point field-goals . In one game, she set the Wright State University Nutter Center scoring record with 50 points in the game.

Her high school honors were amazing as she was named Ohio Ms. Basketball in 2014. She was selected Parade All-America, McDonald's All-America, and second-team All-America by USA TODAY. Kelsey was the Associated Press Ohio Division I Player of the Year; SW Ohio District Player of the Year, and the Player of the Year by The Cincinnati Enquirer four times.

Kelsey went on to play at Ohio State with her twin sister, Chelsea, where she was named National Freshman of the Year (2015), first-team All-America (2016), second-team All-America (2015, 2017, 2018) and Big Ten Player of the Year (2018). She is the Buckeyes' No. 2 all-time scorer (3,402 points).

Drafted No. 2 in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, Kelsey Mitchell has had a remarkable career. Kelsey has played 233 games, has scored 3923 career points, 558 three-point field-goals, 471 rebounds, 649 assists, 178 steals and 33 blocked shots. She won the Gold Medal on the 2023 FIBA USA Team in 3 x 3 AmeriCup.

Go to the top

The winningest coach in Greater Cincinnati over the last 25 years is swimming coach Tim Beerman, who won Ohio state titles at both Ursuline Academy and St. Xavier High School. In more than 20 years as head coach, Coach Beerman's swimming teams have won 10 Ohio Division I state championships and eight national titles (by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association).

Tim Beerman began his head coaching career in 1996 at Ursuline Academy and during his 13-year career, he captured four state titles and was Ohio runner-up seven times. His teams at Ursuline Academy produced more than 80 High School swimming All-Americans.

Perhaps his finest team was the 2001-02 Ursuline Academy team which featured a host of exceptional talent led by LaRosa's Hall of Famer, Whitney Myers. The Lions finished that year regarded as the nation's best team by NISCA and No. 3 by Swimming World magazine. Coach Beerman was named the National Swimming Federation Coach of the Year.

The entire 2001-02 Ursuline team is being inducted into the LaRosa's High School Hall of Fame this year as well.

After stepping down from Ursuline as head coach in 2009 - having won 13 Girls Greater Cincinnati League titles during his run - Coach Beerman served as assistant coach at St. Xavier High School before taking over the reins in 2016.

As St. Xavier, Coach Beerman continued both his and the Aquabombers' winning tradition. A member of St. X's coaching staff for more than 25 years, he captured the Ohio State Division I title all six years he was head coach, giving him a grand total of 10 Ohio state titles. Perhaps his finest team was the 2016-17 team that was led by future collegiate All-American Grant House.

During his tenure as St. Xavier's head coach, Beerman was fortunate enough to work with over 112 All-American Award recipients. Coach Beerman's teams at St. Xavier were five-time national champions by the NISCA and the 2017 team was regarded by Swimming World as the national champion as well.

Having won numerous state and league Coach of the Year titles, it is no wonder he has been inducted into the Ohio High School Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Currently, Tim Beerman is a campus minister & religious educator and swim coach at St. Xavier.

Go to the top

The 1983 Princeton football team was special as it marched through the Ohio state tournament, capturing the state championship and was ranked the No. 2 team in the nation in the final USA TODAY national poll. In the state tournament, the Vikings destroyed Fremont Ross, 35-7, in the semifinals. They went on to face Akron Garfield - then ranked No. 3 in the nation - and registered a 24-6 victory to earn the Ohio state championship.

“We didn't have superstars,” says Princeton head coach Pat Mancuso, a LaRosa's Hall of Fame coach. “We had kids who weren't afraid of practicing hard. Everyone was committed to the team. Our best team? It's difficult to say. Talented, yes. Hard working, yes. Dedicated, without a doubt.”

The Vikings, however, did have superstars - defensive back Harlon Barnett would go on to star for seven seasons in the NFL before becoming a head college football coach at Michigan State University; tight end Alex Higdon played four seasons at Ohio State and two years with the Atlanta Falcons; quarterback Michael Taylor had a record-setting career at the University of Michigan.

All in all, the team boasted an incredibly gifted squad as nine other players went on to play Division I college football in James Brown (Michigan), William Reice (Michigan State), Bill Franklin (North Carolina), Michael Brown (Iowa State), Vince Munlin (Cincinnati), Shane Curry (Miami), Mark Mitchell (Eastern Kentucky), George Thomas and Curtis Williams (Akron), and John McKinney.

“I don't care what USA TODAY says,” said Harlon Barnett after the victory. “We're still the No. 1 team in the nation.”

Go to the top

Behind the coaching of Tim Beerman, the 2001-02 Ursuline Academy swim team - winners of two previous Ohio state championships - showed the tenacity to three-peat behind a true team of individual swimmers. It marked the school's fifth state swimming title.

Powered by LaRosa's Hall of Famer Whitney Myers, and freshman Abby Cooper, the Ursuline Lions compiled a 9-1 dual meet record and captured first place in every Invitational during the season.

When tournament time came around, Ursuline powered through the Girls Greater Cincinnati League, as well as the sectional and district championships. Ursuline would go on to qualify 13 team members to the state meet. At the state meet, Myers started it off by setting a state record in the 200-freestyle in the prelims, then broke that mark again in the finals with a blistering pace of 1:47.19. She repeated that performance in the 100 Butterfly, setting the state mark in 54.08.

Team depth proved Ursuline's true championship caliber. Team tri-captain Maggie Bulla placed second in her first-ever 100-freestyle event, then fourth in the 100-backstroke. Abby Cooper finished 4th in the 50 free and 3rd in the 100 breaststroke. Other point scorers included: Margy Keefe, Katie Greiner, Meredith French, Kelli Krallman, Kelly Hagen, Tiffany Lipari and Marisa Mackos.

Ursuline capped off the meet with a state record 1:35.28 time in the 200-free relay (Bulla, Lipari, Cooper and Myers). Whitney Myers wound up being named Ohio Female Swimmer of the Year.

The team placed third in the Speedo National Rankings and second in the NICSCA Powerpoint Rankings - finishing first in its division for a third straight year!

Go to the top