CENTERBURG — By the time Brooke Otto entered her freshman year at Centerburg High School, her soccer talents had attracted the interest of high-major colleges across the nation.
She’d played since the age of 3, and was about to begin a successful four-year run with Ohio Premier, a Dublin-based club program that competes in the Elite Clubs National League (Centerburg does not offer soccer as a varsity sport). Otto had her choosing of Division I schools across the country, including down south, where she initially thought she’d want to play.
But by the time spring rolled around, and she’d narrowed her list down to 15 schools, one stood out from the pack. And it was located just 30 minutes down the road, in central Ohio.
Otto verbally committed to Ohio State University that March, and on Wednesday, she made it official, signing with the Buckeyes in front of a small crowd of friends and family.
“The fact that I committed my freshman year, too, and this is finally a reality – my whole family, grandparents on my mom’s side and dad’s side, we’re all big OSU fans. When I even decided to commit to OSU, it was such a big deal, and especially to play soccer (there),” said Otto, now a senior at CHS.
“It’s just so overwhelming, but I’m so grateful. It’s awesome.”
Centerburg athletic director Rich Porter said Wednesday that in his seven years at the school, Otto is the district’s first student-athlete to sign with a Division I program. She will play for Lori Walker-Hock, who has led the Buckeyes to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 19 years (and 10 in the last 12).
Walker-Hock raved about Otto’s versatility Wednesday, and said she would likely have an “immediate impact” on the team. Otto will enter college having earned first-team all-conference honors the last three years; she will be one of nine players in next year’s freshman class.
“Brooke is a special defender who is capable of playing with either foot and has tremendous range of passing from the back,” Walker-Hock said in an email. “She is capable of stretching the opposition’s defense and is very accurate on her set piece services from both corners. Brooke has had tremendous success at the youth level and we are anticipating she will have an immediate impact on our back line.”
Otto’s path to Columbus began at the age of 3, when she played in a youth league in Sunbury. She began playing club soccer at the age of 8, and eventually moved to Ohio Premier in eighth grade. That’s when the recruiting process began.
“Soccer’s completely different from other sports you’d think about. They started coming to games when girls were 13 years old,” Otto said. “So you’re obviously an eighth grader, seventh grader, and you have to start thinking about what you want to do five years from now. So for me, it was very overwhelming at first, and it was one of the most stressful times of my life.”
Otto called the year-and-a-half before she committed “insane,” as she was constantly traveling to showcases and college visits across the country. Ohio State came onto her radar late, Otto said, but the Buckeyes made an immediate impression.
“Obviously going to college, you think about going far away, trying to get out of your hometown. But my coach was like, ‘Maybe try Ohio State. They’re really interested, just think about them.’ And I did, and I have no regrets,” Otto said. “I loved it so much and I’m so excited to go there.”
Otto plans to major in business at Ohio State. While she called the recruiting process stressful, particularly during her eighth- and ninth-grade years, she said Wednesday she wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything.
“It was just such a competitive atmosphere, and I don’t doubt one second of it. I don’t regret any of it. I loved it the whole time,” said Otto, who has been playing soccer year-round since the age of 12. “It’s been my passion. … I just love soccer.”
Goulter to continue softball career at UNOH
Otto wasn’t the only Trojan to sign on Wednesday. Fellow senior Chloe Goulter, a multi-sport athlete at Centerburg, signed to continue her softball career at the University of Northwestern Ohio, located in Lima.
Goulter will graduate next spring as a two-year varsity letter-winner in softball, a three-year varsity letter-winner in track, and a four-year varsity letter-winner in basketball. She’s earned all-conference recognition in all three sports, and qualified for last year’s state track meet in the 200-meter dash.
But she could only pick one sport to carry forward into college. And despite her success on the court and track, Goulter said the decision to choose softball was simple.
“I guess I’ve just always had a special place for softball, because I’ve been playing it since I was 9 and I played t-ball before that,” Goulter said Wednesday.
“I think softball’s just always been special, especially with me and my dad, it’s how we built our bond. And Jackson, my older brother, went to play college baseball. So it was just cool. I think there’s just always been a feeling of support there.”
Goulter said it came down to two schools – Wittenberg University (Division III) for track and UNOH (NAIA) for softball – and she decided upon the latter.
“I went to Wittenberg for track and I really liked it there, and then I went to UNOH after. And I still wasn’t sure if I wanted track or softball, because it’s always been between those two, and then it just felt like such a right fit at UNOH,” said Goulter, who plans to study sports marketing and management there.
“I loved the coach and all the girls, so it just felt right. So really, it was like a last-minute decision, and I just (went with) what felt right.”
Goulter played softball her freshman year, earning second-team all-KMAC honors. Her sophomore season was derailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she chose to focus solely on track her junior year. But the senior said she plans to return to the diamond this spring, much to the liking of Centerburg softball coach Tim Rioux, who believes she has all-state potential at center field.
“As much as I wanted her to play softball, I was extremely supportive of her running track. I mean, let’s face it, it wasn’t like she was not good at track – she was a state qualifier, not only in one event, but three. So I was supportive of her doing that, but am I happy that she’s playing softball (this year)? Absolutely,” Rioux said Wednesday. “The bottom line is, I wanted what was best for her. We’re happy to have her back.”
Rioux raved about Goulter’s versatility and intelligence on the diamond. He recalled a moment during her freshman year that seemed to foreshadow her long-term potential.
“We were up at Mount Gilead her freshman year, and they had a kid named McKenzie Bump (who would eventually play at Ohio State),” Rioux recalled.
“McKenzie hit one to right-center, went to the fence, tried to stretch it into a triple and it’s probably the best softball play I’ve ever seen – Chloe runs over, picks up the ball at the fence in deep right-center field, and just throws a strike to third base and gets her out by half-a-step. One of the best plays I’ve ever seen.”
Rioux called Goulter a “phenomenal” defensive player and baserunner, and said her hitting continues to improve. But most of all, the longtime head coach raved about the senior’s intangibles.
“Her game knowledge, it’s outstanding. I mean, really, she just knows the game probably better than any player I’ve ever coached. And I’ve coached some all-state kids when I was at Big Walnut, but her game presence, her game knowledge is just outstanding. …” Rioux said.
“And she’s a highly, highly competitive kid. She’s one of the few players (who) makes the other kids around her better. And not every student-athlete can do that, but she does. She makes everybody around her better. She’s a gamer, highly competitive, has a positive attitude, she’s respectful, she’s coachable – she’s a great asset. She’s a great teammate to the other kids, she’s a great example who works hard.”
Goulter thanked her friends, family and community for their support over the last four years, and said she was grateful for the opportunity to play multiple sports during her high school career.
“It means everything because Centerburg’s such a small town, but we all gel together as a grade. And growing up with a girl like Brooke, and she’s going to play D-I soccer, it’s just meant everything,” Goulter said. “Playing three different sports, I’ve created completely different friendships within the school. I love Centerburg and what it’s offered me, so I’ll always be grateful for it.”
