Editor’s note: While the coronavirus has shut down spring sports, we thought we would look back at the area’s best athletes from the past decade, the 2010s.
In January, we gave you our All-Decade Boys and Girls Basketball teams, and in April, we looked at the rest of the winter sports from the past decade. Over the next 14 weeks — until fall sports (hopefully) begin — we’ll look at the six spring sports and the eight fall sports that are sponsored by the IHSAA and give you what we feel were the area’s top athletes in each of those sports.
One requirement to be considered for these All-Decade teams is that the athlete must have competed at least half their careers (at least two years) in the years 2010-19 for in the sport for which they are being considered and must have finished their careers at an area school. So for example, 2011 graduates would be eligible for spring sports (since they would have competed in 2010 and 2011), but not 2010 graduates (since they would have only competed in 2010).
Today, the All-Decade Girls Tennis team:
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Player of the Decade: Allie Smith, Columbus North (2012 graduate)
After playing No. 2 singles on the Bull Dogs’ state runner-up team as a sophomore in 2010, Smith played No. 1 singles her final two years. She finished with a career record of 89-15 in singles and 1-0 in doubles, earning second-team All-State honors her first two years and first-team her final two seasons.
Smith qualified for the State Singles Tournament as a senior in 2012 and was The Republic Girls Tennis Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012. She went on to play four years of tennis at University of Indianapolis.
The rest of The Republic All-Decade Girls Tennis team:
Rachael Miller, Columbus North (2012)
Miller was a four-year doubles player, teaming with Melissa Sanders at No. 1 doubles their final three years, beginning with the 2010 state runner-up team. The pair earned All-State honors in 2011 and 2012.
Miller finished with a career doubles record of 88-14. She went on to play two years at Ohio Northern.
Melissa Sanders, Columbus North (2012)
Sanders was a three-year varsity player, teaming with Miller at No. 1 doubles for three years, beginning with the 2010 state runner-up team. The pair were named All-State in 2011 and 2012.
Sanders finished with a three-year doubles record of 69-11. She went on to play four years at Franklin College, where she earned Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors.
Ashlee Hasson, Columbus East (2014)
Hasson played No. 1 singles all four years for the Olympians, posting a 67-14 record. She led East to a sectional title in 2013.
Hasson was named honorable mention All-State in 2011 and 2012 and second-team All-State in 2013 and was The Republic Girls Tennis Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014. She went on to play one year at University of Southern Indiana.
Megan Galle, Columbus East (2015)
Galle played No. 2 singles her first three years and No. 1 singles in an injury-shortened final year with the Olympians. She finished with a career record of 60-7.
Galle earned honorable mention All-State honors in 2015. Also a four-year varsity player in basketball, Galle went on to play four years of tennis at DePauw.
Paige Littrell, Columbus North (2016)
Littrell also was a four-year varsity player in both basketball and tennis. She shuttled between No. 1 and No. 2 singles for most of her career, going 60-39 in singles and 2-0 in doubles.
Littrell helped the Bull Dogs win regional tennis titles in 2015 and 2016 and reach the state tournament in 2016. She also helped North to a state basketball title in 2014 and a state runner-up finish in 2015 and went on to play one year of basketball at DePauw.
Aubrey Smith, Columbus North (2017)
Smith, Allie’s younger sister, played mostly No. 1 singles and a little No. 2 singles during her career. She led the Bull Dogs to regional titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and a trip to the state tournament in 2016.
Aubrey Smith finished with career records of 71-30 in singles and 1-0 in doubles and was a three-time The Republic Girls Tennis Player of the Year from 2015-17. She currently is finishing her third year at Bellarmine, where she has continued her tennis career.
Madelyn Sanders, Columbus North (2018)
Sanders, Melissa’s younger sister, played No. 3 singles, No. 2 singles, No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Bull Dogs in helping them win four consecutive regional titles and a trip to the 2016 state finals.
Madelyn Sanders posted career records of 39-8 in singles and 38-10 in doubles. She teamed with Eva Chevalier in 2018 to reach the semifinals of the State Doubles Tournament and was The Republic Girls Tennis co-Player of the Year with East’s Megna Chari that year.
Megna Chari, Columbus East (2019)
Chari played No. 1 singles her first two years, No. 1 doubles most of her junior year and No. 2 singles while battling an injury her senior year. She teamed with Kathryn Hodzen in 2018 to finish runner-up in the State Doubles Tournament.
Chari finished with career records of 49-10 in singles and 15-1 in doubles. She was The Republic Girls Tennis co-Player of the Year with North’s Madelyn Sanders in 2018.
Kathryn Hodzen, Columbus East (2020)
Hodzen’s career was highlighted by her state runner-up finish with Chari in 2018. Hodzen played No. 1 singles last season.
Hozden posted career records of 20-6 in singles and 30-3 in doubles. She did not get to play her senior season this year because of the coronavirus shutdown.
Eva Chevalier, Columbus North (2020)
Chevalier teamed with Madelyn Sanders in 2018 to reach the semifinals of the State Doubles Tournament. Chevalier moved to No. 2 singles last year and helped the Bull Dogs reach the state finals as a team.
Chevalier finished with career records of 26-4 in singles and 39-5 in doubles. She did not get to play her senior season this year because of the coronavirus shutdown.
