Douglas Terry didn’t let an unexpected setback derail his wrestling career.
Terry is a Granville University graduate who recently won the NAIA National Championship at 157 pounds for Life University. Terry won all five games to stand atop the Running Eagles.
advertise
Terry was a senior and in the midst of a stellar career at Cleveland State when the school suddenly announced it would be discontinuing the program after the 2024-25 season.
At the NAIA Championships, Terry won by scores of 8-0, 20-3 technical fall, 8-7, and 3-0. In the final, he defeated top-seeded John Wiley of Oklahoma City 5-0.
Terry, who was studying to become a chiropractor, left his mark as a top wrestler in Granville history. He was a two-time Division II state runner-up for the Blue Aces.
Granville graduate Douglas Terry recently won the 157-pound title for Life University at the NAIA National Championships.
Newark Alum Leaves Marks on Hardwood
Several former standouts on the Newark men’s basketball team have gone on to find success at the collegiate level.
advertise
Ohio Dominican senior Elijah Hinton averaged 15 points and seven rebounds for the second consecutive season while shooting 56 percent from the field and 43 percent from three. He scored in double figures 21 times, including a high of 31 points in a 91-63 victory over Kentucky Christian on December 31 for the Panthers, who went 19-10.
Steele Meister, a sophomore from Findlay, made five starts for the Oilers (18-12), averaging nine points and four rebounds. Meester, who shot 44% from the field and 72% from the free throw line, recently announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on social media.
Braylon Morris, a freshman at Hillsdale, had a stellar first season, averaging 9 points per game and making 10 starts for the Chargers, who went 11-18. He shot 41% from three-point range and 80% from the free throw line.
Michigan State’s Emma Shumate (right) shoots during the first quarter against Ohio State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Sunday, March 1, 2026.
The Shumate Family in March Madness
The Shumate family will once again be involved in the Grand Ball.
advertise
Emma Shumate graduated from the University of Newark and was a reserve sharpshooter on the Michigan State University women’s basketball team. Shumate, a senior, shot 42 percent from three-point range and averaged six points per game for the 22-8 Spartans.
The Spartans earned the No. 5 seed and will face Colorado State University at the University of Oklahoma on March 21 at 7:30 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast live on ESPNEWS. On December 20, Shumate tied her career high with 22 points and seven three-pointers in a 115-66 victory over Indiana State.
Shumate’s father, JR, is the former Newark women’s head coach and will also serve as an assistant coach for the Miami (Ohio) women’s team in the NCAA tournament. The Redhawks won the Mid-American Conference regular season title with a 28-6 record and defeated Toledo 68-58 to win the program’s first MAC tournament title since 2008.
Miami is the No. 13 seed and will face host West Virginia on March 21 at 5 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
advertise
Fillmore ranks among nation’s best
DJ Fillmore continues to soar. The Licking Heights graduate recently broke into the ranks of the nation’s elite.
Fillmore, a junior at Ohio State University, finished 10th in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 13 at the University of Arkansas, clearing 25 feet, 8 1/4 inches. Fillmore previously won the Big Ten Indoor Championship with a personal best of 27-0 in the event, a mark that ranked him No. 2 nationally that season.
Freshman trio wielding big sticks
Former standouts at Licking County schools have shown their power as freshmen on the varsity softball diamond.
advertise
Megan Lodge, a Granville graduate, hit .300 entering the week after hitting a team-best four home runs in her first 22 games for Lehigh. Recently named a Patriot League Weekly Honorable Mention, she hit two home runs in a 5-4 win over Toledo on March 1, the first in the sixth inning to tie the game and the second in the 10th inning to give the Mountain Hawks the winning run at 14-11.
Alissa West, a Licking Heights graduate, Bryant hit a team-high .333 with one home run and five RBIs. West scored six runs and stole four bases for the Bulldogs.
Sydney Cottrell, a Heath graduate, hit two home runs for Walsh this season. Cottrell struck out nine and walked eight in 12 games for the 6-8 Knights.
This article originally appeared in the Newark Advocate: Licking County graduates stand above the rest in college sports