Crooksville High is adding to Hall of Fame class on Jan. 3

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McLUNEY — Crooksville High School will add to its Hall of Fame on Jan. 3.

Former basketball and volleyball standout Shelbi Van Meter and the 1997-98 girls basketball team will be honored prior to the team's girls basketball game against John Glenn.

The ceremony will be held at 11:45 a.m. Here is a look at the inductees.

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Shelbi Van Meter

A 2014 grad, the 5-10 Van Meter lettered four times in basketball and twice in volleyball, where she was All-Southeast District and All-Muskingum Valley League in each sport.

She was a two-time special mention All-Ohio pick, four-time All-MVL selection and twice earned All-Southeast District and All-District 12 in basketball, where she led the team to four straight Division III sectional titles.

She averaged 20.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and shot 70% on free throws as a senior, when she set the school's all-time single-game scoring record (35 points) and finished with 1,052 career points.

In volleyball, she was All-MVL as a junior and senior and All-Southeast District in Division III both years. She left the program having led multiple statistical categories.

She later played basketball at Muskingum, where she lettered as a freshman and earned her degree in 2018.

She currently is a human resource officer at the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department and has two children, Jersey and Vinny.

She is the daughter of Tracy and Gina Van Meter.

1997-98 Girls Basketball

Arguably the best team Craig Caton produced in a lengthy and successful run as Ceramics head coach, this squad finished 18-5 and challenged for an MVL title.

Their overall record and 14-4 MVL record remain the best in school history and they remain the only girls basketball team in school history to finish as league runner-up.

The sophomores, juniors and seniors were part of three straight sectional titles and won district crowns in Division IV in 1996 and 1997.

They moved to Division III in 1998 and fell in the district finals to Wheelersburg, which had a 20-2 record behind UT-Chattanooga-signee Angela Burleson. It reached the finals a 55-52 win against Williamsport Westfall.

The team included an eventual 1,000-point scorer in junior Kristen Caton, who hit a school-record 71 3-pointers, and two other players who averaged in double figures in senior point guard Libby Nelson, who also averaged four assists, and junior Ashlee Toeller. Caton and Nelson were All-Southeast District picks.

Other team members included Melissa Reed, Erin Alloway, Amy Holcomb, Hilary Nelson, Regina Hinkle, Amanda Frash, Jeni Seals, Stephanie Baughman and Kim Harper.

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Meet the 2025 Crooksville High School Hall of Fame class

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