Created by: Brylee Huff and Jacey Peters
London Athletics Holiday & New Year Recap (Dec. 20 – Jan. 4)
London student-athletes stayed busy and competitive throughout the holiday break, turning in strong performances across the pool, lanes, mats, and courts. From tournament podium finishes to decisive wins, the Raiders showed depth, resilience, and momentum heading into the new year.
🏊 Swimming
London competed against tough fields at two major invitationals over the break. At the Butler Holiday Invitational, the Raiders finished 8th overall, highlighted by Griffin Lotton’s dominant 1st-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and a 2nd-place showing in the 200 freestyle. Caelan Mars added a 5th-place finish in the 500 free, while Gabe Scholl placed in the top ten in both the 200 freestyle and the individual medley. In between Christmas and New Year’s, the team welcomed back former Raiders Isaac Tipton and Luke Thompson, who swam for the Team Champ Alumni Team in the annual Alumni Meet. On January 3 at Ohio University’s Turn It In Gold Invitational, London placed 16th out of 32 teams, with Lotton again leading the way with a 5th-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke.
🎳 Boys Bowling
The Raiders picked up a convincing home win over Northeastern, rolling to a 2175–1690 victory. London continued to post strong scores despite a tough road loss at Ben Logan, where they faced a high-scoring opponent in a 2720–2315 defeat. Consistent pinfall throughout the break kept the Raiders competitive against quality programs.
🎳 Girls Bowling
London’s girls bowling team showed grit in a tightly contested match at Ben Logan, falling just short by a narrow 2105–2098 margin. The Lady Raiders stayed within striking distance all match long, demonstrating steady improvement and composure on the road.
🏀 Girls Basketball
The Lady Raiders dominated over the holiday stretch, earning decisive road wins at Miami Trace (66–28) and Washington Court House (49–14). London capped the run with a solid 55–40 victory at Urbana, showcasing balanced scoring, strong defense, and consistent execution.
🏀 Boys Basketball
London split a busy stretch of games, falling at home to Miami Trace (76–66) before bouncing back with road and home victories over Greenview (67–58) and Bloom-Carroll (64–54). The Raiders showed resilience and poise, finishing the break with momentum heading into conference play.
🤼 Boys Wrestling
London wrestlers turned in multiple podium finishes at West Jefferson and Logan Elm. Brody Howard consistently placed near the top, earning multiple 4th-place finishes, while Taven Huff and Thadd Crawford also cracked the top five in tournament action. Thadd Crawford highlighted the stretch with a 3rd-place finish at Logan Elm as the Raiders continued to gain valuable mat experience.
🤼♀️ Girls Wrestling
The Lady Raiders delivered an outstanding performance at the Lady Pioneer Classic, finishing 4th out of 29 teams. Khloe Jackson and Alyson Rojas each placed 4th, while Hannah Howard and Ella Ballah added 5th-place finishes. Multiple other Raiders earned top-ten placements, marking one of the program’s strongest tournament showings to date.