Graham Lucas – Page 2 – The Transcript

All-Ohio selection latest in Cagney’s honors

Senior Bishops tight end Calvin Cagney recently won an NCAA Division III all-Ohio second team selection. Photo: battlingbishops.com

It’s a good thing senior tight-end Calvin Cagney decided to follow in his fathers’ footsteps when he opted to start playing football as a freshman in high school.

“The first year I played football was freshman year,” Cagney said. “After being on the freshman team, I told my dad ‘I don’t want to play football, I don’t like it.’ He told me I didn’t have to play just because he did. He said that it was my decision to make.”

The NCAA recently honored Cagney as a preseason Division III second-team all-Ohio selection. This comes as no surprise, since Cagney has led the team in receptions (66) and garnered 2nd team all-NCAC selections in both of the past two seasons.

Although Cagney’s success really took off with the hiring of current head coach, Tom Watts in 2012, Cagney was originally recruited by former gridders head coach Mike Hollway. Cagney says he will always be thankful for the opportunity Holloway gave him.

“One of the reasons I came here was because Holloway said he was adding a 3 tight end formation so I knew I could get some playing time in there,” Cagney said. “I appreciate Holloway for giving me that chance it made freshman year a good experience.”

Since he began playing in Watts’ up-tempo offense, Cagney has accumulated over 1,500 yds of total offense and 15 touchdowns. He also earned the prestigious D-III All-American tag following his sophomore season.

Cagney’s hard-working mentality has also translated to the classroom where he has earned a 3.6 gpa as a pre-physical therapy major. Following last season, Capital One recognized Cagney as an Academic All-District pick out of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

An insider’s look at central Ohio’s heroin problem

“When an oxycodone cost $80 and 30 milligrams of Percocet is $30 you can’t afford to sustain that habit for long. I told my dealer I couldn’t keep spending $120 a day, so he suggested I try his pure white heroin. Like that, I was hooked,” said 35-year-old Delaware native and recovering addict, Danielle Adkins.

Heroin originally became popular in the 1960s, but after four decades, it is now back funneling through U.S. streets at a high rate. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, from 2007 to 2012 the number of Americans using heroin increased from 373,000 to 669,000.

Steve Hedge, executive-director of Delaware Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services, said heroin is their No.1 problem.

“Heroin and opioids are some of the most addictive drugs you can take. You’ll hear former abusers say I got hooked the first time I injected it,” he said.

The narcotic analgesic directly depresses the central nervous system causing an intense high. Heroin can be naturally derived from the opium poppy or formulated synthetically in a lab.

Adkins said she had to learn how to hide her addiction from her husband, child and friends.

“While I was slamming (injecting through the veins), I shot up in my lower extremities, in between my toes, and in the veins on my breasts,” she said. “I always made sure the lights were off when I made love to my husband so he would not know my secret.”

The country-wide epidemic has severely affected. Ohio In 2011, there were 1,765 unintentional drug overdoses, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That means nearly five Ohioans died every day from unintentional drug overdose that year.

Judge David Sunderman of the Delaware County Municipal Court said heroin addicts are not worried about overdosing.

“I had a guy in court recently that was on probation, and he was a heroin user. His best friend and girlfriend had both died from an overdose. I mentioned to the court that he had tested dirty even after that occurred,” said Sunderman. “I said, ‘A logical person would conclude that once you see someone close to you die, you’re just not going to use again.’ He responded, ‘Judge to be honest, there’s no logic involved in this. I know that is how I should think, but when you’re a heroin addict you don’t care about that. There are times I’d be happy dead anyways.”

Adkins, a former registered nurse at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, said the addiction is extremely strong.

“I would go to work high, inject myself while I was at work, and then get high when I got home. I still feel very guilty for taking an oath as a nurse to care for the sick, not to hurt them,” she said.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, from 1997 to 2011 the amount of unintentional drug overdose death rates and distribution rates of prescription opioids showed a strong relationship as both are currently at all-time highs.

Prescription opioid pills such as OxyContin and Percocet are the gateways to heroin. These prescription pills can be obtained from a pharmacy with a valid prescription or from “pill mills” where patient’s leftover prescription medication is distributed illegally.

Delaware Police Chief Bruce Pijanowski said the source of addiction is doctors over-prescribing opiate pain medication to some of their patients.

“My daughter just had very minor knee surgery, and she got a 30-day supply of Percocet when she only needed a one-day supply. Part of the problem is the left-over pain pills are just sitting there and they get diverted,” he said.

Dr. Andy Lee of the Smith Clinic said heroin addicts are solely worried about where the cheapest fix is coming from.

“As the supply of prescription opiates has dried up, they’ve become more and more expensive and more difficult to get. Simple economics dictates that I’m going to buy whatever is cheapest,” he said.

Addicts often resort to burglaries, shoplifting and home invasions, selling or pawning their stolen goods for their next cheap fix. Judge Sunderman said desperate addicts will do anything for a balloon of heroin.

“Since we are the municipal court, we see a tremendous amount of shoplifting cases,” he said. “Big shopping areas such as Polaris, all the stores down on Route 23 and stores in town are unfortunately convenient places for people to go get items. Their plan is they steal merchandise worth $300, to go get enough money out if it for their next fix.”

After months of being consistently using heroin, Adkins had a scare and decided to finally admit her addiction to her husband. He immediately took her to inpatient rehabilitation where she endured withdrawal.

Adkins then was admitted to outpatient rehabilitation at Maryhaven, a rehabilitation and addiction recovery care center in Delaware. Adkins has been clean for almost two years, and she said the road to recovery is rewarding.

“When I was high, my body was there, but I wasn’t,” she said. “Maryhaven saved my life, and I am now a more attentive mother to my child and better wife to my husband.”

Adkins said she is now pursuing her bachelor’s degree online to become a social worker to help other addicts and get her story out. Adkins explained she has learned one major lesson through her journey.

“I had a great family, nice house and a good paying job, but I still became addicted,” she said. “If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”

First family of Wesleyan sports honored with baseball renovations

Photos by Jane Suttmeier

Athletic Director, and former OWU Head baseball Coach Roger Ingles and his wife Jo, an award winning journalist for Ohio Public Radio, were honored Sat April 5 at. Littick Field for the dedication and hard work they have given to OWU athletics. Donations from alumni Mark and Ginny Shipps, Dale and Marilyn Bruce, and Chris McComish and his wife were used in honor of the Ingles’ to replace the backstop’s netting system, add new fencing and a new warning track. The Athletic Director said it was an honor to see his wife honored for her years as an honorary piece of the OWU community.

“I was honored that these donors felt moved enough to make our current athletes experience even better through their generous gifts,” he said. “If I contributed in some small way that is great and the event was special but it really was a recognition of the Ohio Wesleyan spirit that lives within our alumni each and every day.”

Impossible to ignore

Junior post LaNiece McRae drives to the basket at Branch Rickey Arena. McRae was honored as a member of the all-NCAC second team.
Photo from battlingbishops.com

Why the 2013-2014 women’s basketball season will never be forgotten

For NCAC Coach of the Year, Stacey Ungashick-Lobdell, her troop of assistants and her 16 players, the 2013-2014 women’s basketball season was one to remember.

The Lady Bishops finished 12-4 in the NCAC, going 18-9 overall by riding an 8 game win streak at the end of the season that started Jan. 29 and ended Feb. 25.

Ungashick-Lobdell said the team’s non-conference schedule difficulty helped prepare them for a tough season.

“St. Lawrence University, Emmanuel College, and Calvin College were all receiving votes for the top 25 preseason. I really just think that playing those games set the bar for the level we wanted to play on.”

The team’s finest win happened Feb. 22 against conference powerhouse DePauw University. The team won 65-64, a result of their two rebound advantage on the boards and 54 percent shooting from the field.

The win snapped DePauw’s 58 game winning streak and 77 game regular season win streak. Also, the two-time defending NCAC champs’ 55 game conference winning streak was erased.

Senior Tamra Londot said she will remember the DePauw win for the rest of her life.

“Words can’t even describe the feeling after beating DePauw! I couldn’t have asked for a better senior day” Landot said. “We had a really great week of practices leading up to it and our confidence level was right where it needed to be. We never let down the momentum the entire game and we left everything on the court. It was by far the best memory while playing at OWU.”

Junior Sarah McQuade and junior LaNiece McRae earned second team all-NCAC laurels at the seasons end. McQuade ranked third in the conference in assist, while McRae ranked second in blocks.

McRae also led her team in points with 10.3 per game, and in rebounds, 7.4 per game. She said her coaches have attributed tremendously to her growth as a player.

“In practice they demand my teammates and I to use moves that we aren’t usually comfortable with. This added to the moves we could successfully use during games,” she said. “The coaches also continued to remind us how much better we could be if we didn’t settle with where we were at, no matter how many ‘good games’ we had.”

Ungashick-Lobdell said this season is a tribute to her players’ and assistant coaches’ hard work.

“I think going from winning nine games our first year, eight games our second season and 18 now definitely shows all the work we’ve been putting in is paying off,” she said.

“We’re at a place now where we expect to win which was an obstacle for two years. Believing in each other and knowing how to make each other better is how a team grows into reaching their potential every season.”

Track and field take NCAC by storm

Junior Matt Hunter competes in the high jump portion of the heptathlon event during the NCAC championship at Denison University on March 8. Photo by Dianne DeAngelis

The men’s and women’s indoor track team emerged victorious at the NCAC indoor track and field championships in Lincoln, Nebraska on March 7 and 8.

The women’s team brought home their eighth straight conference title and the men’s team placed second behind Wabash College.

Head Track and Field Coach Kris Boey said both the men’s and women’s team put forth efforts in all events throughout the season.

“This season our women’s team posted 39 performances that rank top 10 in the program’s history with seven school records being set,” said Boey.

“The men’s team had 27 top 10 performances and set four school records.”

Boey said that some team highlights include senior, Sarah Bechtel winning her fourth consecutive NCAC pole vault title senior Cara DeAngelis being named NCAC distance runner of the year and team members, senior Holly Fouch; freshman Sierra Wright; freshman Paige Springhetti, and sophomore Sara Johnson setting a conference record for the 4×400 relay.

The men also had impressive highlights, freshman Colin McShane received the NCAC sprinter of the year award and set a conference record in the 200 dash, while, junior Matt Hunter also set a conference record in the heptathlon.

Boey said that the teams are full of leaders, which help contribute to the “winning culture” of this season.

Sophomore Sara Johnson said that women’s captains Fouch, junior Olivia DeMeio, senior Sarah Bechtel, senior Antoinette Jollif, and DeAngelis guided the women’s indoor track team throughout a successful season.

“They have truly helped our team this past season from the amount of effort they have brought in,” said Johnson.

“From keeping our heard on the right track at all times, it has led us to a great season and another Indoor Conference title for the 8th time running!”

Johnson said that the team reached over 100 “personal best” times and scores in the indoor season and hopes to add to these personal achievements during the outdoor season.

“Our main focus and goal for this outdoor season is, as a team, obtaining another Outdoor NCAC Conference title making our seniors this year, go out in a perfect record and hopefully keeping our streak until my senior year and more,” said Johnson.

Boey said the main goal now is to have a large representation of red and black at the NCAA D-III and NCAC outdoor championships.

“As we head outdoors, the goal is always to be the best in the NCAC and among Ohio D-III schools,” said Boey.

“We want to represent Ohio Wesleyan to the best of our abilities in every capacity and to be well represented here at home when we host the NCAA Outdoor Championships in May.”

DeAngelis, Hunter get All-American track honors

Illustration by Noah Manskar

NCAA All-American honors are rare at any division level and in any sport. Two Bishops, senior Cara DeAngelis and junior Matt Hunter achieved these honors at the NCAA D-III indoor track and field championships on March 14 and 15 at Nebraska Wesleyan University. DeAngelis came in second place in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9:39.17 which broke the school record she recently set. Hunter came in sixth place in the heptathlon, scoring a combined 5028 points in the seven events. Here are some of their thoughts on the honor, their goals and the rest of the season.

The Transcript: What does it mean to you to be representing Ohio Wesleyan as an All-American athlete?

Cara DeAngelis: It means a lot to represent OWU as an All-American athlete. We are more of an outdoor-based program and so typically we do not have a lot of athletes to represent OWU at the indoor national meet. It was an honor to be able to do so.

In addition, OWU has never had someone on the women’s team place as high as second place at an indoor national meet, which makes it even more special to be the first to do so (at least I think that’s the case).

Plus, this was the first year they ran the 3k (3,000-meter race) at the national meet. When I left nationals, I wanted people from other schools to know Ohio Wesleyan’s name.

T: What goals did you set on the way to this honor? Was being an All-American one of those goals?

Matt Hunter: When I came to OWU as a freshman, I set a goal to be an All-American. I had other goals along the way, but I was always focused on this one goal. And it feels great after working for two and a half years towards one goal to finally achieve it.

T: How have Head Coach Kris Boey and the OWU track staff helped you develop?

CD: All the coaches have helped me a lot, but Matt Wackerly is my main coach. He plans all of my workouts and modifies them when I need to change things up. I trust him completely to help me achieve my goals.

Honestly though, it’s not just the coaches that have helped me develop. My parents have played a huge part as to who I am as a runner today. The Tom (Josefowicz), the trainer, and Dr. (Jason) Diehl here helped keep me in one piece during cross-country and continue to help me do so.

My boyfriend, Nathan Kafity, has helped me immensely with staying positive. As a distance runner, the race is pretty much 80 percent mental, and so even though I have a coach to get me physically fit, none of that matters much if I am not there mentally, so he has helped me a ton.

My teammates also have been very supportive of my goals and we help each other stay motivated and get through the rough days.

T: How do you plan on transitioning successfully to outdoor season?

MH: The transition to the outdoor season has already begun. Indoor nationals was over on Saturday, and on Sunday I started to get my body ready for the decathlon. The key for me is to be consistent with my training, and to be patient as we move towards the outdoor national meet.

How much more competitive is the National Championship meet than, say, the NCAC Championship meet?

CD: Exponentially more competitive. Nationals is Conference on steroids — a lot of steroids. The national level is the best athletes from (Division) III from all over the country, whereas conference was just from a small selection of schools belonging to the NCAC.

T: Were you expecting to have the best 60-meter time at the NCAA championships?

MH: The Monday before the meet I pulled my groin, and wasn’t sure if I was even going to be able to compete. The whole week all I did was rehab and didn’t even try to run until the day before. I knew that if I had been totally healthy then I was undoubtedly the fastest in the field, but to be honest I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to finish the race. With all that stress, finishing in first place—and with a new personal record—was a huge thrill.

I bet most of my teammates could guess that over the last two and a half years my goal was to be an All-American, and I bet that most of them could guess what my goal is going forward. That being said, I am a firm believer that you should have big goals, and keep them to yourself. If you want to know, you’re just going to have to wait and see what I do!

T: Being a senior, how happy are you to have had such a great final indoor season?

CD: I’m not happy. Just kidding. Of course I’m happy! Indoor Nationals was really just a bonus I wasn’t expecting to get since we focus on outdoor track. My training for indoor is not nearly as tough as what I will be doing for outdoor training. The focus now is staying healthy for outdoor nationals, especially since we are hosting it. I want nothing more than to be able to represent OWU on my own track.

See the full story on the OWU track and field team’s indoor NCAA Championship performance on Page 8.

Men make NCAA tournament

Although OWU men’s basketball NCAC championship hopes were ended last Friday after their loss to Wooster 67-78 in the tournament semifinal, they were selected to play in the NCAA D-III tournament Monday morning.

The team will play nationally ranked No. 5 St. Norbert’s College March 7 in Bloomington, Ill at 6:30 p.m.

Senior Dre White said having the opportunity to play in an NCAA tournament game is like a new beginning.

“Getting into the NCAA tournament is like new life after feeling our season was over last Friday at Wooster,” said White.

“It is exciting us our seniors to have one last shot to make a run in the tournament, but it is also exciting for our younger guys to be able to experience this as well.”

St. Norbert’s College is 24-1, with an impressive 18-0 Midwest Conference record. The Green Knights averaged 83 points per game with three players averaging 16 points or more.

Athletic Director Roger Ingles said St. Norbert’s program is talented, but the Battling Bishops are well prepared.

“St Norbert is a very confident, mentally strong, and evenly balanced team but our (OWU) regular season schedule has prepared us for anyone.”

The Battling Bishop’s invitation to the 2014 D-III NCAA tournament marks DeWitt’s second consecutive appearance. OWU President Rock Jones said the team is a model of success.

“The Battling Bishop’s men’s basketball program is recognized as one of the premier programs in the NCAC and the NCAA,” said Jones.

“Coach DeWitt’s leadership and the commitment of each member of the team to disciplined work on and off the court have led to this success.

“I wish them the best as they compete in then national tournament.”

Men’s basketball chases NCAC title for Coach Dewitt

Men’s basketball will advance in the NCAC tournament after defeating Kenyon 78-67 in the first round Feb. 25.

The Battling Bishops will face rival and No. 1 seed Wooster on Feb. 28.

Head Coach Mike DeWitt has coached his team to their 5th consecutive NCAC tournament semi-final game. Athletic Director Roger Ingles said DeWitt’s coaching style is based on consistency.

“He is fundamental and very consistent in his approach,” Ingles said.

“His teams play hard, with confidence, and most importantly they consistently play defense. If you play defense every night, you’ve got a chance to win the game.”

OWU is currently averaging 74.3 points per game, good enough for second in the NCAC behind Wooster who averages 75.7 points per game.

Sophomore Claude Gray owns the best three-point shooting percentage in the NCAC, shooting 43.4 percent from beyond the arc. Gray said he has confidence in his team to bury shots as the tournament progresses.

“Shooting is a mentality,” said Gray. “Some days you have, some days you don’t, but hopefully throughout this tournament we’ll have guys pick up the slack if anyone is having an off night.”

Top NFL draft prospect comes out

University of Missouri Defensive Lineman Michael Sam announced he is openly gay on ESPN’s Outside the Lines on Feb. 9. Sam, the co-South Eastern Conference defensive player of the year became the first openly gay college football player in history.

According to ESPN’s analyst Mel Kiper Jr., Sam will still be drafted in the first four rounds of the NFL draft despite his announcement. Sam originally came out to teammates and coaches in Aug.

Junior Ben Danielson came out in high school, but as an incoming freshman on the soccer team, he had new obstacles to conquer. Danielson said making the announcement to teammates is trying.

“I’m lucky enough to say that I came into college out,” said Danielson. “I didn’t feel compelled to tell my team, nor did I make it my job to hide myself. I was just me. I had thought about coming out to them during certain meetings, but in the end I was too scared that I might make some of my teammates uncomfortable or somehow offend them.”

OWU President Rock Jones said collegiate athletic programs should accept all athletes regardless of sexual orientation.

“All of the members institutions of the NCAC have non-discrimination statements that include sexual orientation as a form of discrimination that will not be accepted or tolerated on their campuses” said Jones.

“This commitment extends to all aspects of the campus, including athletics programs. Our athletics programs welcome all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or identity, and we at Ohio Wesleyan will not accept or tolerate any form of discrimination or mistreatment directed toward openly gay athletes. This is consistent with the values of OWU, and these values are shared by all of the member institutions of the NCAC.”

In 2013, NBA Forward Jason Collins announced he was gay and became the first openly gay professional athlete.

As expected, Collins received a slew of encouragement with a fair share of backlash from the NBA community.

OWU Athletic Director Roger Ingles said gay athletes are breaking discrimination barriers that will improve sports as a whole.

“I think the challenge for all of us in collegiate athletics is to make our programs a welcoming and loving environment that supports, respects and accepts individual rights and differences in all team members,” said Ingles.

“Gay athletes are beginning to feel more comfortable in most team sports sharing their sexual orientation. I would like to think it is because as a society we are becoming more accepting of our differences in all areas like race, religion and sexual orientation. And that is a great thing.”

Women’s indoor irack sets records on the way to another NCAC title

Ohio Wesleyan’s Women’s Indoor Track and Field sprints toward new goals this season, setting their sights on the NCAC championship this March.

“We are working to win our eighth straight NCAC indoor title this March,” said head coach Kris Boey.

“Each year we have to be more focused and determined because the target on our backs gets bigger each year.”

This year, the women’s team has already set a new 4×400 meter record with a time of 4:01.76. Sophomore Sara Johnson said it is not all about breaking records, but making improvements.

“From winning the NCAC Championship last year, this has pushed my harder to strive for my goals and hopefully win another title,” she said.

“Last year was the first time any team has won all Conference for four years; I hope to keep that perfect season going.”

Junior Katie Reid said her goals for this season are to “win All-Ohio and NCAC championships as a team, qualify for nationals individually and as a relay, and to achieve All-American status.”

Despite the team’s strong goals, several team members have suffered weakening injuries.

Reid said that she currently has an injury in the thigh area and hopes to get that figured out soon.

Boey, who was the NCAC Coach of the Year last year, said he expects his team to “represent Ohio Wesleyan in the best possible manner” this year.

“I am pleased with our progress so far,” Boey said.

“It’s early, but the potential to be truly great is real. We are where we need to be if we hope to accomplish big things down the road, but we cannot afford to be content or complacent. We need to continue to improve so we are ready when the championship meets come.”

The Indoor Track and Field season runs through March, when they transition into the outdoor season.