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Centerville grad earns national soccer honors

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By Sean McClelland, Staff Writer Updated 9:00 PM Friday, January 27, 2012

Minutes into her Ohio Northern University career, as she literally tried to put her foot on the ball for the first time, disaster struck Tara Tokar (Centerville).

“She tripped over the ball and fell to the ground,” ONU coach Mark Batman said, chuckling.

It’s funny now and a bit ironic considering Tokar, today a junior and team captain, has made few missteps since then and recently pulled off the uncommon feat of being honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as an All-American (third team) as well as an Academic All-American.

The pharmacy major and her parents attended the awards ceremony in Kansas City on Jan. 14.

“It was a big surprise,” said Tokar, a midfielder. “What I really enjoyed was that Ohio Northern got a lot of recognition, especially the women’s soccer program.

“My personality really isn’t to get the glory. It’s all about my teammates and building the program. Soccer’s just really fun.”

Tokar this past season led the Polar Bears to a 9-0 Ohio Athletic Conference record and the first NCAA Division III tournament win in program history — more impressive considering her schedule is dense with chemistry and other science classes.

ONU is widely known for pharmacy, which explains why Tokar had little trouble resisting Division I interest, even that of Wright State, whose coach, Pat Ferguson, had been her club coach.

She has company from the Miami Valley as Tokar’s teammates include junior back Nicole Grant — a former high school teammate — and sophomore forward Sandy Plunkett (Alter).

“Sometimes Division I players are treated more like soccer is their job,” Tokar said. “I wanted to pursue a pharmacy degree, so I thought I was getting the best of both worlds.”

Besides, where else could she play for a coach named “Batman.”

“Once after a game he took the team to Chipotle,” Tokar recalled, “and when he went to pay with a credit card, the guy said, ‘Your last name is ‘Batman?’ He got a 50-percent discount. We all just call him ‘Batman.’ ”

Batman had a hunch Tokar would be an impact player and hasn’t been disappointed, although that early stumble will live forever on a season highlight tape he put together.

“It definitely made our blooper reel,” Batman said. “But it definitely didn’t define her career.”

Campus tour

• Geron Johnson (Dunbar) scored 29 points with Kansas coach Bill Self in attendance Wednesday night as Garden City Community College beat Seward County Community College 81-74 in Liberal, Kan. An account of the basketball game on the GCCC website said Johnson “used his athletic ability to get to the rim continuously.” Johnson has not committed to a Division I school yet; Kansas is the frontrunner.

• In his first NFL mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Florida State offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders (Northmont) going to the New York Giants. Kiper does not have Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy (Wayne) being selected in the first round.

If you have information about an area athlete in college, please send an email to smcclelland @DaytonDailyNews.com.

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