Avon Lake Hall of Fame Inducts Chawansky, Stives and Woolsey

Over the years, has produced some outstanding athletes in a number of sports, athletes that not only have represented the school at a high level, but also gone on to future success.

Saturday night at the three more of those individuals along with track relay teams will join the already 78 individuals and 34 teams that are part of the Avon Lake Sports Hall of Fame.

In no particular order, here is the latest pride of Avon Lake along with what they accomplished during their careers as an athlete and then some.

Megan Chawansky (Class of 1995)

Chawansky is a rare breed type of athlete, perhaps a throwback to another era, as she not only participated in four different sports,( track, basketball, cross-country and tennis) but excelled in everything she got her hands on. 

So where do you start when it comes to Chawansky's feats? How about tennis, something she excelled in, but only played for two years. Chawansky was the SWC champion in second singles her sophomore year, as well as a Lorain County champion and the team MVP.

She decided on running cross-country her senior year instead of tennis, and helped the Shoregals to a third place finish at state.

Chawansky's first year of track was more the same, as she was voted the Outstanding First Year Performer her junior year, and helped lead the 1600 meter relay to regionals. She was also a regional qualifier her senior season, this time in the 3,200 meter relay and a scholar athlete both years she competed on the track.

But her best sport was without a doubt basketball where she played all four years, and accomplished something incredible in that duration, earning MVP honors all four years and SWC MVP honors her final three seasons. Chawansky was an All-Ohio first team selection and district MVP her final three years, the Division II Co-Player of the Year her junior year and the Division II Player of the Year her senior season. She also helped take the Shoregals to the state final four.

The accolades don't stop there though. For her efforts, she was voted Lorain County’s Miss Basketball her senior year, and Chawansky was also selected to play in the prestigious North-South All-Star game.

Her senior year she was also named Avon Lake's Most Outstanding Female Athlete, and  earned All-Ohio Academic and Scholar Athlete honors her senior year.

Following graduation, Chawansky took her talents to Northwestern University where she played four years of varsity basketball. She ended her career in the top five in scoring, assists, 3-pointers made and free throws made.

Mike Stives (Class of 1987)

Stives still holds the school record in the 800 meters with a 1:54, something current senior Matt Marron says is very impressive. But that wasn't all Stives excelled in.

He was Avon Lake’s cross country MVP his sophomore, junior and senior years and qualified for state his junior year in cross country

Still track was the sport he excelled in, earning varsity letters all four years along with being named Avon Lake's Most Outstanding male senior athlete. He was a state qualifier in the 800 his junior and senior years where he also was the district champion both years, along with regional runner-up the same years. His senior season,  Stives earned All-Ohio first team status and placed seventh in the Midwest Meet of Champions in the 800 meters.

Following his career at Avon Lake, Stives moved on to Bowling Green University where he was equally as impressive winning four letters in track. He took first place at the All-Ohio Championship meet in the 800 in 1990, third in the Mid-American Conference Championship in 1991 and sixth in the MAC Championship in 1990.

Today, Stives is married with four children and works as a speech-language pathologist at EMH, where he recently was named the EMH Top Performer.

Kim Woolsey (Class of 1969)

He played just two years, but what a two years they were, as he left his mark on the courts at Avon Lake. Woolsey earned Southwestern Conference MVP honors his senior season, as well as the team MVP award. He was also named to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s 1969 Dream Team and earned the Avon Lake High School Athlete of the Year award.

In addition, Woolsey was also an all-conference linebacker for the Shoremen football team.

Following his graduation from Avon Lake, Woolsey stayed close to home and played basketball at Lorain County Community College for two years before transferring to Milton College. Here he would set records for most assists in a single game (14), most assists in a single season and most assists in a career.

He followed up his senior year by coaching freshman baseball at Milton, and complied a record of .770. Today, he can be found helping coach his kids or their kids sports teams.

The last two inductees are the track and field relay teams, the 1989 and 1990 1,600 meter and 3,200 meter relay teams.

The 1,600 meter relay team (Chris Balas, Marla Langdon, Jennifer Saul and Laura West) was fourth in 1989 while the 3,200 meter relay team  (Monica Andrews, Julie Hart, Saul and West) finished fifth in state meet action.

In 1990, the 4x400 relay team (Amy Ahlfeld, Balas, Langdon and Saul)  bettered the 1989 squad's effort taking home third in the state. That same season, the  3,200 meter relay team (Ahlfeld, Hart, Saul, West) duplicated the feat of the 89 squad taking home fifth place honors. Saul, who also took second in the 800 meter run, was named team MVP. Those point totals helped lead the Shoregals to a sixth-place finish at state.