Springfield to induct seven into Athletic Hall of Fame

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield City School District will induct six female athletes and a longtime boys basketball coach into its Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend.

The inductees include the members of the 1994 North High School state champion 800 and 1,600 relay teams — Carrie Bayless, Kaamilya Davis, Faith Foster, Maria Moss and Deidra Phillips — as well as South High School boys basketball coach Larry Ham and Springfield volleyball player Lindsey Butterfield-Roth.

The 1994 North High School relay teams finished third at the state track and field championships under late coach Tom Mann. The 800 relay team of Davis, Bayless, Phillips, and Moss and the 1,600 relay team of Foster, Bayless, Moss, and Davis each won state championships, while the 400 relay team of Phillips, Bayless, Foster and Moss also placed eighth. Davis won the 400, while Moss placed sixth in the 100.

Bayless, Davis, Foster, and Moss defended their 1600 relay championship in 1995, again finishing third at the state meet. They also finished as runner-up in the 800 relay and Moss and Davis each earned All-Ohio honors in the 100 and 400, respectively.

Moss and Davis each ran collegiately at the University of Dayton, earning all-conference honors during their careers. Davis was inducted into the UD Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

Phillips was the lone senior of the group, earning all-area honors on the volleyball court and qualifying for the state track meet four times.

Foster was a four-year letterwinner at Hanover College, becoming one the first female pole vaulters in their conference.

Faith Foster continued her career at Hanover College, where she was a four-year letterwinner in track and field and where she became one of the first women pole vaulters in her conference.

Bayless ran collegiately at Ohio University. She was a member of the Bobcats’ 1999 Mid-American Conference 1,600 relay and still holds school records in both the 1600 relay and the Sprint Medley.

Ham, a Toledo native, began his coaching career at Yellow Springs, serving as an assistant coach under former Miami of Ohio coach Charlie Coles. In 1975, he moved to Springfield, serving as an assistant coach under Don Henderson.

After stints at Yellow Springs and Mechanicsburg, Ham was hired as South boys basketball coach in 1992, guiding the Wildcats to seven conference championships and five district titles. In his 14 seasons at South, Ham went 241-79, earning coach of the year honors 18 times. He currently serves as a volunteer defensive line coach for the Wildcats football program.

Butterfield-Roth was a four-year letterwinner and three-time captain at North and Springfield High. The two-time team Most Valuable Player led the Wildcats to a Greater Western Ohio Conference championship in 2009. She earned All-GWOC honors four years in a row, earning GWOC Player of the Year and Clark County Miss Volleyball as a senior. She went on to play collegiately at Bowling Green State University, serving as captain of the 2012 squad that won the Mid-American Conference championship and won the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament game.

To purchase tickets for Saturday’s game, log on to https://spicket.events/springfield.

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