Dan Purcell, a Talawanda Athletic Hall of Fame committee member and a hall-of-famer himself, said this is the first time there’s been an induction in a few years.
“It’s been yearly,” Purcell said, “Now it’s the first class since the pandemic. But, every year they’ve had a class since 1999.”
This year’s inductees come from graduating classes that span from 1979, in the case of Randy Meador, to 2012′s Caitlyn Calhoun.
Calhoun is receiving her Hall of Fame honor through her talent and hard work as a varsity starter for Talawanda’s women’s basketball and softball teams. In softball, she holds five Talawanda single-season records and five career records. Calhoun, a pitcher, went on to play softball at the DII Voldosta State University on scholarship and she currently works as an educator in Hamilton City Schools.
2007 graduate Julia Applebaum Shriver made her athletic mark through Talawanda’s swim and soccer teams, lettering in both all four years of her career and winning Talawanda’s 2007 Outstanding Female Athlete award.
Shriver went on to captain the College of William and Mary’s swim team and graduated summa cum laude, which she followed up with a masters education at the Ohio State University. Shriver currently works within the school district as a speech language pathologist.
Talawanda’s 2004 Ice Hockey team is getting its plaudits for being the only team in school history to make it Ohio’s “Frozen Four” before losing in the semifinals to the eventual state champions. The team remains the highest placing hockey team in school history.
2000 graduate Jamie Brinck Jallick made most of her athletic achievements through four years of both soccer and basketball. She accumulated 61 career goals in soccer, and won the Butler County Player of the Year in Soccer award in 1999. Jallick went on to play for Indiana State University’s inaugural women’s soccer team.
2000 graduate Charles Byrd’s Talawanda career consisted of 11 varsity letters spread among football, hockey and track. Byrd went on to play football at Morehead State University and has built a career with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, where he’s currently in his 15th year as the assistant director of strength training.
The late David Scherrer, a 1993 graduate of Talawanda, lettered all four years in both football and track and played football at Ashland University until his death in 1994. Scherrer was a standout running back for Talawanda and holds the schools single-game rushing record at 280 yards.
And finally, 1979 graduate Randy Meador is being recognized not for his on-field performances, but for his work behind the scenes as a student manager and trainer for football, baseball and basketball.
During his time at Talawanda, Meador received training from classes at his future alma mater Miami University; and he used that knowledge to help Talawanda athletes and boost their performance. Today, Meador is in his 37th year as an athletic trainer at West Virginia University.
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