Spotlight Athlete: Ashley Barron, Notre Dame
8/30/2018
Notre Dame Academy senior Ashley Barron moves the ball against Findlay's Chase Ebanks (7) during a soccer game Wednesday.
THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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Gifted with size, speed, and strength, Notre Dame senior Ashley Barron is a force on the soccer field.
Barron, a 6-foot formidable forward, earned first-team All-Ohio honors last year. Going into her senior season, the four-year starter had scored 40 goals in her career.
Barron, who has committed to play at the University of Cincinnati, has twice been named the Three Rivers Athletic Conference player of the year.
Notre Dame coach Chip Smith said Barron is a natural athlete.
“She's one of the most athletic girls I've ever coached,” Smith said. “She knows it, but is humble about it. She has an uncanny ability to put herself in good spots. There is a lot to her game. She is such a talent on the field. She's also progressed as a leader. She means the world to us.”
Barron, who also is an exceptional basketball player and track and field athlete, has stepped up as a leader after being named one of the Eagles' tri-captains this season.
“I can get very competitive,” Barron said. “As a captain, you have to be there for everyone on and off the field. You have to be willing to sacrifice for your team. We push each other to get better.”
WATCH: Spotlight athlete Ashley Barron
As a junior, Barron scored 19 goals to go along with five assists. But she also displayed a defensive prowess with 234 intercepts (14.6 steals per game).
She earned All-America honors after leading Notre Dame to a 12-5-3 record and to the Division I regional semifinals.
“Ashley competes at a high level and does her best to impact the game,” Smith said. “Her mentality in this manner has really approved. She is a big part of what we try to do. Within the framework of what we're asking, Ashley tries her best to do her job and takes her responsibilities on the field seriously. She has made a real point to lead by example and serve others. Right now, her biggest jump is in how she's trying to impact her teammates in such a positive way.”
Barron burst onto the local soccer scene as a freshman. She earned All-TRAC first-team honors after producing five goals and six assists. She followed that up with a sensational sophomore season as she had 16 goals and seven assists with 201 intercepts (13.4 per contest) to earn all-league and all-district first-team honors.
In the early going this season, Barron has two assists for the Eagles (1-0-2).
On the basketball court, Barron earned first-team all-district honors last winter. The forward averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.5 steals for the perennially strong Notre Dame basketball team. She helped the Eagles post a 21-5 overall record and a trip to the Division I regional semifinals along with a No. 10 state ranking and a second straight 14-0 TRAC championship.
“She has a great passion to compete,” Smith said.
Barron has played both defender and forward for the Eagles, but has a emerged as a scoring threat every time she touches the ball.
Barron said she simply hopes to pull her team together as a senior captain.
“I hope to leave my mark,” Barron said. “But I'm hoping my team knows … I'm always there for them. We're going to make a good run this year.”
Contact Mark Monroe at mmonroe@theblade.com, 419-724-6354, or on Twitter @MonroeBlade.