HAYLEE GARDINER

Active barely begins to accurately describe Champion’s ace softball pitcher Haylee Gardiner, who closed her four-year varsity career by tossing a two-hit shutout against Bloom-Carroll in the Division III state championship game.

“Volleyball was my second-favorite sport,” said Gardiner who gave it up as a sophomore to concentrate on academics and softball. “I had to make a lot of choices because I did gymnastics. I did dance, track, softball, volleyball, basketball, even a little bit of soccer,” she said of growing up. “I was part of student council, Key Club, Rotary Interactive, National Honor Society. I had to prioritize my time to what I felt was most important.”

The win over Bloom-Carroll was her last competitive softball game. This fall, the Champion valedictorian will be enrolled at Ohio State University as a pre-med student.

“In my household, it’s always academics first, and everything else follows.”

Led by seniors Gardiner and third baseman Brittany Allen, Champion captured its third state title in five seasons. Gardiner was a member of the 2012 team led by Lindsay Swipas who pitched the Golden Flashes to back-to-back titles.

“She definitely set a good example on how to achieve success and how to have humility,” Gardiner said of Swipas, who also chose to not pitch in college so as to attend Ohio State. “She’s an amazing person and athlete. It was an honor to play with her. She never made anyone feel like she was superior.”

Gardiner said she decided in eighth grade that going to Ohio State was her top priority.

“I always knew that academics was going to come first. I’ve been in love with becoming a Buckeye since I was little.” Gardiner will major in biochemistry, hoping to someday become a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology. “They have one of the best medical schools.”

One of her best memories from this season was the regional semifinal victory over Waynedale when the Flashes rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to force extra innings.

“That was my moment that I knew” state was a possibility. “It was an amazing time, ... seeing [her teammates] blossom.”