The Rams repeated as Division III state champions this season in dominant fashion behind the leadership of three Division I college-bound seniors.
On Wednesday, the trio of Madi Kah (Ohio University), Morgan Langhammer (Evansville) and Annika Pater (Eastern Kentucky) inked letters of intent during a national signing day reception in Mulcahey Gym.
“Winning a state championship is all about teamwork, but when you have the skill level of players like Madi, Morgan and Annika on your team, winning becomes that much easier,” Badin coach Todd Berkely said. “Those schools are getting the absolute cream of the crop out of Badin.”
As a four-year starter for the Rams, Kah finished her senior season with eight goals and 10 assists, earning a second-team Division III All-Ohio selection to go along with the first-team all-league and all-district honors she collected each of her four years.
Pater had 12 goals and six assists this season and was first team all-league and all-district, and Langhammer was second-team all-league after recording eight goals and six assists.
Kah, a center midfielder, was the first of the three to make her college pledge, committing to Ohio the summer before her junior year. She choose the Bobcats over Dayton and Miami.
“I loved Ohio’s campus, and I liked the coaches, and they had my major, meteorology, so it was the total package,” said Kah, who is taking her official visit this weekend. “It feels good to have it all official now and be a serious Bobcat.”
Pater, a forward who committed to Eastern Kentucky this past summer, said signing makes college soccer “actually feel real now.” She had visited her school a couple times to check out the soccer program, but said she was surprised how quickly she fell in love with it.
“It’s about two hours away, so it’s not too far but not too close,” she said. “It’s not a huge school, but it’s not too small, and they had my programs, so that was important. Plus, I got along with the girls on the team really well and the coaches were really professional. Everything just came together.”
Similarly, Langhammer said she “loved everything about Evansville.” The midfielder had missed most of her freshman season and all of her sophomore season at Badin because of two separate knee injuries, so the chance to fulfill her dream felt especially satisfying.
“Since freshman year, I wanted to be a college player, and if anything, getting hurt reaffirmed that,” she said. “To have gotten to this point is very exciting. Just not being able to play showed me how important the game is in my life, so I had to get back. I’m really grateful.”
VV senior Florida-bound: Alyssa Howell thought Duke was her dream school until she checked out Florida.
The Valley View senior attacker originally committed to the Blue Devils spontaneously during a visit last fall, but switched her pledge to the Gators that winter shortly after visiting Gainesville.
More than 12 months later, Howell made it official on Wednesday, signing her letter of intent with Florida in a ceremony in her school library. The Gators finished 17-4-2 (9-2 SEC) last season, exiting in the NCAA quarterfinals.
“It’s a dream come true,” Howell said. “It’s always something I wanted to do, and it’s great.
The four-year varsity starter led Valley View (9-8-1) with 14 goals and 7 assists her senior season, as she ended her career with two first-team and two second-team All-League honors.
Also an all-district player, Howell was her team’s “Offensive Player of the Year” three times, a two-time MVP for the Spartans and holds three program records – for goals in a season (24 as a junior), assists in a season her sophomore year and career assists.
Howell said she never wavered once committing to Florida, which she chose because of its “great vet program” and how “everyone seemed so nice and open.” Texas was the other school in her top three.
“I had committed on the spot to Duke because it was always my dream school. It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m here. I have to commit.’ But when I looked more at Florida, I realized it was a great school for me,” Howell said. “I didn’t want to decommit from my dream school, but I realized Florida should have been my dream school. I’m really excited.”
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