By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – For its 50th anniversary, Bedford North Lawrence produced some memorable, silver-lined, gold-medal performances during the 2023-24 school year.
Championships, state records and awards dominated the headlines during successful campaigns in multiple sports. That’s been the norm since the school was founded five decades ago, and the tradition of excellence was continued.
The Stars continued to shine, even during an eclipse.
So here are the top moments during another amazing year:
10. Football wins sectional opener in Evansville: For the first time in program history, BNL won a road game in Evansville, overcoming a slow start for a 27-6 victory over Harrison in the Class 4A Sectional 24 opening round. Cal Gates and Memphis Louden accounted for the touchdowns, the defense had four fourth-down stops, and Tyler Webb blocked a punt as the Stars recorded sectional wins in back-to-back seasons for only the second time.
9. Eicle dominates swimming sectional: Isaiah Eicle won two individual events, and was a member of two winning relays, as BNL qualified for the IHSAA state finals in five events. Eicle slashed 12 seconds off his seed time in the 200-yard freestyle and won the 500 free by over seven seconds. BNL’s Adam Young was voted the sectional Coach of the Year.
8. Burton, Godlevske named basketball coaches: BNL’s two flagship programs went through regime changes. Kurt Godlevske, who won a girls state championship with the Stars in 2013, was named the new boys coach (the 10th in program history) in June, and he guided the Stars to a 13-9 record in his first season. Greg Burton was selected as the new girls basketball coach in April. Burton took over as the 12th girls coach in school history after guiding Eminence to two straight Class A sectional titles.
7. Girls tennis wins sectional title: The Stars won their first sectional crown since 2010, topping Trinity Lutheran and Seymour during a one-day marathon finish to the semifinal and final. Joni Stigall, in her final season as the head coach, guided her alma mater to the seventh title in program history as Izzy Alldredge and Kenley Craig recorded big wins at No.1 doubles while Nadia Anderson came back from a tough knee injury a season ago to solidly the lineup at No.3 singles.
6. Girls golf claims regional crown: BNL ended a 38-year regional drought, claiming its first title since 1985 (and second overall) after winning its 11th straight sectional title. Chloe McFaddin paced the Stars with an 80 at Country Oaks as BNL posted a team total of 332 to top runner-up Terre Haute South by 13 shots and advance to the IHSAA state finals for the second straight year.
5. Callahan announces retirement: After 30-plus years in education at his alma mater and 21 years as BNL’s athletic director, Jeff Callahan announced his retirement. Callahan, only the fourth man to hold the office, took over that position in 2003. He also coached BNL baseball for 12 seasons and guided the Stars to a sectional crown in 2017. Adam Yates was named as his successor in the AD office.
4. BNL wins 13th straight sectional: With a dramatic comeback victory over No.5 Jennings County, the Stars extended their amazing postseason streak with a thrilling 43-39 triumph over the Panthers. Madisyn Bailey scored a career-high 24 points and Chloe Spreen added 16 as the Stars avenged a 58-41 regular-season loss at Jennings and rallied from an early nine-point deficit in the title clash. BNL stretched its sectional winning streak to 39 consecutive games.
3. Jeff Allen retires: After a decade of excellence, Jeff Allen stepped down as the head coach of the ultra-successful girls basketball program. Allen went 226-45 in those 10 years, the second-best number of wins in program history, and won the 2023 Class 4A state championship. He also won 10 sectionals, 3 regionals and 5 Hoosier Hills Conference titles during his tenure.
2. Ratliff sets state record: Softball slugging sensation Ava Ratliff blasted her way into the record books when she clubbed her 51st career home run during a clash with Floyd Central. The junior catcher finished 2024 with 57 homers, and she was named All-State after hitting .482 with 14 homers and 35 RBIs.
1. Spreen wins Miss Basketball: Chloe Spreen, an Alabama recruit, became the third Miss Basketball in program history, joining Marla Inman (1992) and Jorie Allen (2019) on that exclusive list. Spreen finished second on the career scoring list with 1,869 points, and she powered the Indiana All-Stars to a sweep of Kentucky in the annual series, totaling 12 points in a victory in Lexington and a team-high 16 points in the Indianapolis rematch.
Other noteworthy stories included Patric Matson scoring 39 points against New Albany; Memphis Louden reaching 5,000 career total yards in football; Jorj Filler and Ethan Stancombe advancing to wrestling semistate; the IHSAA adjusting BNL’s football sectional assignment in midseason; and Brayden Patterson qualifying for the state finals in the high jump.
Kline Woodward was named male Athlete of the Year, while Chloe Spreen was selected as female Athlete of the Year.
That’s a wrap! Get ready for great things ahead in 2024-25.
