NEW PARIS — The National Trail Athletic Hall of Fame committee will induct five new members this year. Jeremy Ballard, Jona Bettelon Friedman, Allison Hampton Osborne and Norman and Carolyn Mull have been selected as the 2019 inductees.
These candidates will be formally inducted between the junior varsity and varsity basketball games on Friday, Dec. 20.
Ballard graduated in 2002 and earned six varsity letters – four in track and field and two in football. In 2002 he was the state champion in the discus throw and also placed 7th in the shot put. He placed 5th in the state in the discus in 2001 making him a three-time All Ohioan. He still holds the school records in both events with throws of 173’10” in the discus and 54’9 ¾” in the shot put. He was the Cross County Conference and Preble County Champion in both events in 2001 and 2002. He also holds the school indoor record for the shot put. In football, Ballard played offensive tackle and defensive end.
Friedman graduated in 1986 and earned 10 varsity letters – four in softball, three in basketball, and two in volleyball. In softball she was selected 1st Team CCC three times and Honorable Mention once. She was the starting pitcher for the 1986 state runner-up team whose only loss was in the state semi-final game. She had a career record of 31 wins with only four losses and her ERA was 1.59. She also had a career batting average of .469 with 138 RBI. In basketball, she received CCC honors three times and still ranks in the top 10 in several categories. She played volleyball for three years and was honorable mention CCC her senior season.
Osborne graduated in 1997 and earned 11 varsity letters – four in basketball, four in track, two in cross-country, and one in volleyball. In basketball, she was twice selected to the District All-Star Team and in 1996 received honorable mention All State. In her senior season, she was Player of the Year in CCC and won Player of the Year honors for Preble County both as a junior and senior. Three times she was named to the first team for Preble County, the CCC, and the Richmond Area. Statistically, she is National Trail’s second leading scorer of all time. In track, she was all CCC four years with a total of 12 top three finishes including seven gold medals and twice was a regional qualifier. She helped lead Trail teams to CCC Championships in both basketball and track. She was a nominee for the Rae Burick Woman in Sports Award and played basketball at Hanover College.
Norman and Carolyn Mull provided their Running Springs property as the official National Trail Cross Country course for almost 25 years. They were involved in forging new trails, mowing grass, removing fallen trees, making water crossings more manageable, and even maintaining restrooms. They were helpful in setting up each year for the Blazer Invitational and in some years the Preble County and Cross County Conference Meets. Their facility was always available for practice for National Trail and for other teams. Above all, they always supported Blazer runners.
