CINCINNATI — Princeton High School basketball player Solè Williams and Indian Hill High School swimmer Gibson Holmes were named Sunday afternoon as the LaRosa's High School Sports most valuable players of the year for the 2022-23 school year.
Williams, a Texas A&M signee, was the Gatorade Ohio High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year as she helped to lead Princeton (28-2) to a Division I state title in March.
Williams, the Division I state player of the year and Greater Miami Conference player of the year, led the GMC by averaging 20.2 points. She also led the conference with 3.4 steals per game, was second in field goal percentage (51.7%) and third with 3.4 assists per game.
Williams is also a good student who is active in community service.
"There is no kid that I have seen work harder," Princeton coach Dee Davis told WCPO in March. "I have seen this young lady put a team on her back for two years straight. And she's faced the most box-and-1 (defense), zones, traps, everything and still managed to score 20-plus points and help her team be successful and win."
Holmes, an All-American, graduated from Indian Hill High School with 10 Ohio state swimming championships – seven in individual events and as a member of three state champion relay teams.
At this year’s state championships, he was named the Ohio Division II boys’ Most Outstanding Swimmer for the third time. He became the first Division II boys’ swimmer to win the 100-yard butterfly four times at the state competition. He also captured his third straight state title in the 200-yard individual medley and was on the team’s first-place 200-yard medley relay squad and on the winning 400 freestyle relay team.
He was the Ohio Division II Swimmer of the Year and Cincinnati Hills League Swimmer of the Year. He holds several state swimming records in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley and has been named a swimming All-American 16 times. In 2022, he set the Ohio Division II state and state tournament records in both the 200 IM (1:44.59) and the 100 butterfly (46.77).
Gibson, who also swims for the Mason Manta Rays club, had a 4.4 grade-point average. He will continue his athletic competition at Stanford University.
"Gibson may very well go down in Indian Hill history as the most decorated student-athlete to ever walk our halls," Indian Hill athletic director Brian Phelps said.
"Not only is he dedicated to the sport of swimming, but he is an outstanding student and a person of high character. We are very fortunate to have such a great person, family, student and athlete as part of our Indian Hill school community. We wish him well and will be rooting for him as he continues his journey at Stanford University."
In addition to recognizing the female and male MVPs of the Year, LaRosa’s inducted two legendary high school teams into its hall of fame –the 1997 Colerain High School Girls’ Cross Country Team and the 2002 Roger Bacon Boys’ basketball team.
Also, five former sports’ greats and a legendary coach were inducted into the LaRosa’s High School Sports Hall of Fame.
The newest individual inductees are:
Danielle Borgman, McAuley High School, Class of 1998, Soccer
Bo Cordell, Indian Hill High School, Class of 2009, Football
Missy Harpenau, Mother of Mercy High School, Class of 2008, Volleyball
Sydney Moss, Boone County High School, Class of 2012, Basketball
Ed Shuttlesworth, Woodward High School, Class of 1970, Football
Coach Jeni Case, Colerain, Lakota East, Ursuline Academy, 1996-2019, Volleyball
The latest additions to the 48th annual LaRosa’s High School Sports Hall of Fame.
The LaRosa’s High School Sports Hall of Fame has honored 295 athletes and coaches and 12 top teams since its founding in 1975.
