A testament to both Oxford High School’s commitment to their athletic programs and the hard work of their student-athletes, 15 Wildcats inked their National Letters of Intent at the Ian Smith Gymnasium on Feb. 7.
The boys’ basketball program hosted the Davison Cardinals the same night, allowing the gym and its upper-level track to be packed full of friends, family and fans of Oxford Athletics.
“We could not be prouder of these student-athletes,” Jordan Ackerman, OHS’ Director of Athletics, said.
“Some of these young men and women have had this goal their entire lives, while others came into their own as high school students and were able to impress the college coaches more recently.
“The kids signing today are the same ones you see working and perfecting their abilities every day. Many of them are multi-sport athletes who have developed their skills by engaging in a wide variety of sports and activities.
“We are excited to watch them as they move on. I am confident they will continue to make Oxford proud.”
Here is a breakdown of the Wildcats who partook in the signing day festivities.

Boys’ Bowling
Luke Acton and Zach Barrows (St. Clair County Community College – Port Huron, Michigan)
Good friends outside bowling, Acton and Barrows are each three-year varsity players. “Luke was recruited by Zach to look at the school since Zach was recruited first,” head coach JR Lafnear explained. “Zach introduced Luke to the coach (Scott Badley), and they began to look into the opportunity to continue bowling together and both jumped on it.”
Justin Powell (Rochester University – Rochester Hills, Michigan)
A member of the Wildcats’ state runner-up team in 2018-19. Known as “Rochester College” until 2019, Powell is the latest in a long line of Oxford bowlers to compete for the Warriors upon graduation.
“We have sent a lot of others there before, so, Justin is following in their footsteps,” Lafnear said. “One time, I believe it was 2012, we had three guys in one class go to Rochester College. At one point, four of Rochester College’s five starting bowlers were Oxford graduates.”

Baseball
Jesse Burch (The Indiana Institute of Technology – Fort Wayne, Indiana)
“Jesse is an extremely talented, hard-working, power right-handed pitcher,” head coach Dave Herrick said. “He’s been working hard all offseason to get his arm ready for the upcoming season. Extremely proud of him for all the work he has put in to put himself in the position to go to Indiana Tech.”
Thomas Smalley (Macomb Community College – Warren, Michigan)
Regardless of the sport, many Oxford athletes embrace the underdog, gym rat mentality. As Ackerman alluded to, these are often the athletes that continue their careers post-high school.
Smalley fits this description well.
“One of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached,” Herrick immediately said. “Academically, on the field, in the weight room, Tommy’s one of the first ones to be there and one of the last ones to leave.”
An asset for a coach to have up his sleeve, Smalley offers Herrick great defensive versatility. “Tommy can play third base, second base, even shortstop, and we’d be comfortable with him there,” Herrick shared.

Competitive Cheer
Anne Cobble (Alma College – Alma, Michigan) and Cassie Darling (Eastern Michigan University – Ypsilanti, Michigan)
Both serving as flyers, Cobble and Darling have been essential pieces of the Wildcats’ back-to-back Oakland Activities Association White championship teams.
Cobble will be reunited with Breanna Maurer, a 2019 OHS graduate, at Alma College.
“She’s a really talented flyer, she’s going to do great things for that program,” head coach Alanna Weber said of Cobble’s decision to join the Scots.
“What we stressed to both the Alma and Eastern Michigan coaches was both girls have great attitudes and are easy to work with,” assistant coach Kelly Westbrook said “Anne and Cassie are both leaders on our team, as well as awesome student-athletes.”

Football
Drew Carpenter (Northwood University – Midland, Michigan)
The embodiment of the combination of size and speed college scouts look for, Carpenter likely could have pursued baseball at the next level but chose to focus on the gridiron.
A three-year starter for former head coach Bud Rowley, Carpenter lined up at several positions on both sides of the football during his time with the Wildcats, including quarterback, tailback, slot receiver, safety and outside linebacker.
Recruited by many of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) schools, he pledged to Northwood on Jan. 21. “It’s a great thing,” Rowley said of Carpenter’s decision. “I’m glad Northwood reached out to him and offered him the scholarship money they did. Plus, his mom, his dad and the rest of his family can still see him play regularly since it’s in Midland. ”

Girls’ Swimming And Diving
Ashlee Weltyk (The University of Illinois at Chicago – Chicago, Illinois)
Weltyk is an All-State swimmer, but really, that’s not even close to her most impressive accomplishment. Taking two Advanced Placement courses, serving in HOSA – Future Health Professionals for two years, earning her certification in CPR, first aid and lifeguarding, she has still managed to maintain a 4.102 cumulative GPA.
“Ashlee is an all-around swimmer, I could move her around wherever I needed her,” head coach Jackie Rank said. “Four-year varsity swimmer and was a perfect fit for one of the captain roles this past year.”
Establishing herself as a force from the moment she dove in the water, Weltyk earned the Fastest Freshman honor in 2016-17 and brought home consecutive team MVP awards as a sophomore and junior.
Her senior year, she was recognized with the Wildcat Award, an all-encompassing honor that factors in your performance in the pool, in the classroom and your level of leadership within the team. Weltyk will graduate having swam in the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) State Meet on three occasions and appears on Oxford’s top-10 record board in an astounding eight separate events.
The University of Illinois-Chicago Flames compete in the Horizon League, the same conference as the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

Softball
Sarah Tyrrell (Concordia University – Ann Arbor, Michigan)
A four-year starter at shortstop, Tyrrell’s impact on Wildcat softball goes far beyond her individual accolades.
“The first time I ever met Sarah was her freshman year (2016-17) during workouts, and she was a sparkplug for the whole program,” head coach Kenny Allen said. “It was one of those deals as a coach where you’re like, ‘I can’t believe a player like this just fell into my lap.’ She’s been the heart and soul of our teams over the last few years.”
A private Lutheran university located about three-and-a-half miles east of the University of Michigan, Concordia is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school.

Girls’ Lacrosse
Olivia Soule (Maine Maritime Academy – Castine, Maine)

Girls’ Soccer
Megan Bouren (Saginaw Valley State University – University Center, Michigan)

Girls’ Tennis
Micayla Burr (Midway University – Midway, Kentucky)

Girls’ Track And Field
Antonia Vackaro (Oakland University – Rochester Hills, Michigan)

Volleyball
Maddy Weiss (Shepherd University – Shepherdstown, West Virginia)