October State Farm Athlete of the Month: Larkyn Vordemark

SIDNEY — Larkyn Vordemark was a defender in her first years as a soccer player while teammate Kimora Johnson was a forward. When Sidney coach Kevin Veroneau took over as their youth program’s coach several years ago, he thought they should flip positions.

The decision worked… over 100 times.

Vordemark, a senior girls soccer and basketball standout, is the first recipient of the Sidney Daily News’ Athlete of the Month, sponsored by Andrew Shaffer State Farm Insurance Agency.

She became the program’s career goals leader in an 8-0 victory over Xenia on Sept. 16 and surpassed 100 career goals in a 7-0 win over Greenville on Wednesday. She has 101 to her credit.

“Coach Veroneau has really pushed me to just go, go, go, and every time I do something wrong, he’s correcting me and showing me a different way to do it,” Vordemark said. “I feel like I’ve grown so, so much, and I would never be there without him or my teammates.”

Vordemark played on a under-11 soccer team with Johnson, who graduated last year and is playing at University of Northwestern Ohio.

“Larkyn would just dribble all the way up the field and pass it in, and Kimora was blasting them over,” Veroneau said. “That’s when we switched them, and from that point on, the rest is history.

“Larkyn, when she’s in front of goal, she’s very composed and doesn’t panic. She actually panics when she’s further away from goal.

“… She, from the very beginning, was asking, ‘What will it take to break the record? … She’s had that eye on the prize the last four years, and she’s been doing it incrementally, and it made it a lot easier for her to get the goal.”

Vordemark was a first team all-Ohio selection in Division I last year and was named the Miami Valley League athlete of the year. She was a second team all-MVL selection and was a first team all-league selection as a sophomore and junior.

Vordemark has scored 29 goals this season and ranks second among MVL players. She has made 10 assists.

“It’s been a lot of work, not even just work in practice, the extra work coming out to the field, shooting, asking to go to keeper training, all the extra stuff,” Vordemark said. “I’m just so blessed that God has given me the chance to actually be able to come out here and show what I’m capable of.”

Vordemark gave a verbal commitment to the University of Southern Indiana in July.

While Veroneau said while Vordemark’s athletic talent is apparent, she has separated herself with a strong work ethic, and it’s part of the reason why she will playing collegiately for a Division I program.

“She’s been driven to achieve her goals. She wanted to break the record, and she did. She wanted to play at a Division I school, and she’s achieved that goal,” Veroneau said. “The next question is, what’s her goals at college? Does she want to break their all-time scoring record? As long as she has something to strive for, then she says focused, and that’s what allows her to reach her goals.”

Vordemark has also been a four-year varsity girls basketball player. She was a first team all-MVL selection as a sophomore and junior and was an honorable mention selection as a freshman.

“Her competitiveness is special,” Sidney girls basketball coach Jamal Foster said. “Since her freshman year, she’s always been one of the most competitive players I’ve had. She goes out there, when the game is on the line, and she gives the game everything she has.

“You have to really respect those players who, no matter who you play, they’re giving their best effort.”

She will enter her senior basketball season with 775 career points, good for 18th place on the program’s all-time scoring list. She ranked third among MVL players with an average of 13.6 points per game last year and also averaged five rebounds, two assists and two steals per game. She has averaged at least 4.4 rebounds per game each season.

Foster said she’s come up in clutch situations several times, including by hitting two late free throws in a nonconference game against Lima Bath to force overtime last year.

He said while she’s fiercely competitive on the field or court, she’s silly when she’s not playing.

“She has a kind of playful demeanor to her, makes things easier,” Foster said. “People may not know that by the way she plays, but she comes into practice and sometimes can lighten the mood.”

It was a light mood before Sidney’s game on Wednesday, which was the squad’s senior night.

After posing with many family members and friends for pictures, Vordemark walked onto the field prior to warmups with parents Jarred and Shauna, who are former Sidney athletes. She has two older brothers, Cam and Myles, who were standout football and basketball players.

While the regular season may be done, Vordemark said the squad is hoping to make a tournament run.

To get to a Division III district final, the No. 4 seed Yellow Jackets (11-5-1) will very likely have to beat No. 2 Dayton Carroll (13-2-1) in a district semifinal. The teams are on course to meet on Oct. 21 in Dayton; both will be heavy favorites against low seed in first-round games.

Sidney lost 5-3 to Carroll in a nonconference game on Aug. 29.

“Carroll’s a winnable game for sure,” Vordemark said. “We were up 3-0 in that game at halftime, and we should have won that game. If we come out and do our job, we’ll be fine.”

ANDREW SHAFFER STATE FARM ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Who: Larkyn Vordemark

School: Sidney

Grade: Senior

Accolades: Girls soccer program all-time leading scorer, first team all-Ohio in D-I as junior, multiple first team all-MVL selections in soccer and girls basketball.

Reach Sidney Daily News editor Bryant Billing at 937-538-4822, or follow @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook or @TopBillingSport on X (Twitter).