EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series of features on Clinton County athletes who earned SBAAC player of the year honors in their respective sports during the fall season.

It’s easy to see Caroline Diels as a competitive athlete.

Both mom (Marianne) and dad (Troy) were high-level athletes in college.

But Caroline’s first taste of competition was with her feet, not with a basketball or volleyball in her hands.

“I started dancing when I was 4 and then started competitive dancing when I was 6,” said Diels, now a senior at Wilmington High School.

Diels was named the SBAAC American Division Volleyball Player of the Year this fall. She has earned two first-team and two second-team all-league volleyball honors during her four years at WHS.

“I was very excited when I found out I was player of the year,” she said. “I did not expect it at all considering we finished third in the league and our league has been very talented over the past few years. I am extremely grateful for the talented team I was able to be part of because I would not have had the opportunity to receive this honor if it wasn’t for my teammates and coaches.”

Diels was offered and has accepted a scholarship to play volleyball at Division II Walsh University in Canton.

A competitive dancer until she was 10, Diels participated in a variety of styles such as jazz, ballet, lyrical and tap, which was her favorite. All this took place growing up in Port Clinton. When the family moved to Wilmington, “I decided it was time to try something different,” she said.

But that didn’t mean dance wouldn’t have an impact on her future.

“I think dance has helped me with all of the footwork that is needed in sports,” said Diels who plans to attend college and pursue a marketing major with a minor in sports management. “I also think it has helped me to become an athlete at a young age and establish my physical strength.”

Diels took part in a volleyball camp in second grade in Port Clinton and fell in love with the sport. She took a volleyball home with her from camp and three years later that volleyball traveled south with her to Wilmington.

“I started doing private lessons to get me prepared to tryout for club volleyball my fifth grade year and I have been playing ever since,” she said.

Alas, one thing that didn’t readily make the trip to Wilmington was her passion for reading, revitalized just this past summer from her younger days.

“Over the summer I have reconnected with the hobby of reading,” said Diels. “When I was little, I used to sit up in my bed past my bedtime and read until I got in trouble for staying up too late.”

Reach Mark Huber at 937-556-5765, via email [email protected] or on Twitter @wnjsports