Fall signing day: Three Shoregals make college choices

AVON LAKE — Avon Lake held its fall signing day Wednesday, with three athletes signing their letters of intent to play at the next level. Emily Loeffler committed to play volleyball at Slippery Rock after a senior season in which she led the Shoregals to a 14-10 record, a third-place finish in the Southwestern Conference, and a pair of postseason wins. "I've wanted to go to Slippery Rock for such a long time," Loeffler said. "And now that it's finally official, it just feels amazing. I love the group of seniors that we had this year, and I'm super proud of all of us." Loeffler is part of a seven-player senior class that had a winning record in all four seasons to continue Avon Lake's strong volleyball tradition. "All seven of these seniors really wanted to make a change in the program and lay the groundwork," said Avon Lake volleyball coach Kristin Primozic. "But Emily was the one really leading the way. Her absence will be felt, but her lingering presence will be felt at the same time." Camryn Koski signed to play soccer at Northern Kentucky, where she will join former Avon Lake defender Olivia Lengel. "I've been to two of these for my teammates," Koski said. "So it's exciting that this is finally me on the other end of it. I'm super excited (to play with Olivia). She was one of my best friends on the team, and now I get to play with her for three more years." Koski scored 10 goals in her senior season and added nine assists, bringing her career totals to 32 goals and 34 assists, both of which rank in the top 10 in Avon Lake history. "In my freshman and sophomore years, I was more of a passer," Koski said. "But I eventually developed over my junior and senior years to be able to score and do it myself." In Koski's first three years with the program, the Shoregals won three straight Southwestern Conference championships, and she ended her career by helping her team win a pair of playoff games, including an upset over Kenston in the district semifinals. "I really enjoyed playing with this team," Koski said. "We improved a lot, and I'm super happy with how we ended the season. Our team didn't expect to make it as far as we did, so I thought it was pretty incredible the way we came together at the end of the season." The third commitment came from Olivia Miller, who signed her letter of intent to play basketball at Wayne State. "I'm excited, and a little nervous," Miller said. "But it's more exciting to be able to be committed and not have to stress about it." Miller averaged 10.2 points per game in 2024 and was key in leading a Shoregals defense that allowed just 34.6 points per game over the course of their state runner-up season. "It's just exciting for Olivia," Avon Lake girls basketball coach Paul Appel said. "She's been a big part of our team since she was a freshman. We had three seniors who did a ton last year, but Olivia felt like a fourth senior, and, luckily, we get her back for another year." While Miller still has a senior season to play, she is looking forward to taking the next step and beginning her college career. "I'm just excited to see the college experience of basketball," she said. "I've always wanted to play (in college), and I'm just excited to be able to because it's always been my dream." Contact Will Cunningham at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.