Matthew Maier – The Transcript

Men’s basketball back on track after NCAC victory

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

With fall sports wrapping up last week, the winter season is upon us and the men’s basketball team is in full force.

Opening their season with a game against Albion College Nov. 18, the Battling Bishops won 91-77 with help from players like Ben Simpson and Will Orr. Simpson led the Bishops with 21 points.

“The main thing that I do is watch film and determine how I can exploit my matchup,” Simpson said. “I love determining what I can do as a player to get the whole team involved as well.”

A day later, the Bishops played Trine University and won 79-72. This time, it was Orr who led the Bishops with 21 points, making seven of his 13 attempts from long range.

“I really just get my body ready mentally and physically,” Orr said.

“During pre-game, I shoot and make sure that I am knocking down my shots.”

Since the Trine game, the Bishops hit a three-game losing streak, losing to opponents like Capital, Illinois Wesleyan and Otterbein.

Against Capital, the men’s team lost 76-82; against Illinois Wesleyan, they lost 70-88 and against Otterbein, the men’s team fell short 66-72. But coach Mike DeWitt said he is optimistic about the future.

“Right now we just need to trust the process and trust each other,” DeWitt said. “If we can do that, we’ll get better as the season progresses and be a good team.”

Orr said, “I think we just need to remain a family, continue to trust each other and all use a boost of confidence to get through this.”

The Bishops beat DePauw in a close game with a score of 84-71 on Dec. 3. In this game, it was Simpson who led the team with 25 points.

Bishop’s training to win, again

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

Following a first place victory last year in the NCAC championship, the Ohio Wesleyan track team is looking forward to continuing on the success they have had in the past.

“I enjoy the new challenges that each season brings,” said head coach Kris Boey. “While there is a great tradition, I am excited about the future. I am looking forward to seeing who will fill the shoes of the seniors who graduated last year.”

In the offseason, the track team had a new addition as Ben Carlson was named the head coach of the men and women’s cross country teams, as well as the assistant coach of the men and women’s track and field teams.

“It’s been a great transition to OWU,” Carlson said. “It’s always tough leaving a group of people, but I’m thankful for the opportunity at OWU. The students and the coaching staff have been fantastic in their reception.”

To prepare for the season, the team has been training since October in hopes to win the events they are scheduled for this season.

“We have been training together since Oct. 31 and to prepare for our various events, we have been comprehensive in our manner,” said Boey. “Each year I want our student athletes to improve, experience success and to have fun. We always expect to be at the top of the conference and region.”

Winter is coming

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

With one of the best fall seasons yet, it’s time to take a look back at some of the accomplishments the Battling Bishops earned this fall.

The men’s football team finished with a 6-4 record this fall, overcoming last season’s 5-5 record. That’s not all the football team accomplished.

Senior quarterback Dominick Orsini set a school record for total offense, including the second highest single-game rushing performance in school history.

Orsini ran for 252 yards in a win against DePauw, while throwing for 242 yards. Other members of the team won NCAC honors as senior Gary Brodek was first-team All-NCAC, senior Brad Dotson and senior Tim Shadoan were second-team All-NCAC and junior Brad Brodeck and senior Mason Tomblin were honorable mention picks.

In the NCAC championship meet, the men’s cross country team finished fourth, as junior John Sotos repeated as a first-team All-NCAC selection.

The women’s cross country team finished fifth at the NCAC championship meet, where senior Sarah Fowler earned Runner of the Year while also winning All-Amer- ican honors for the second year in a row.

The men’s soccer team finished with a 10-5-3 record and a trip to the NCAA tournament first round.

“I think overall, we had a great year and it was a year that our team learned a lot,” said senior goalkeeper Ben Farynowksi. “We are young and I think the guys coming up are going to do a great job continuing on the legacy of OWU soccer.”

The men’s soccer team had five All-NCAC picks: senior Kyle Baum was a first-team selection, senior Nick Norman was a second-team All-NCAC pick, while senior Ben Farynowski, sophomore Will Sharer and freshman Brady Whittekind were honorable mention selections. Norman was also voted to the Academic All-America first-team.

The women’s soccer team finished with a 7-10 record, greatly improving from their 1-15-1 record in 2015. Three players were selected to the All-NCAC team including sophomore Mackenzie Brunke and senior Alyssa Giarrusso being first-team all-conference, with sophomore Hannah Joseph being an honorable mention selection.

The women’s field hockey team finished with a 5-14 record and three All-NCAC selections. Junior Courtney Peterson was selected as a first-team All-NCAC selec- tion, with senior Candace Chanelli and junior Paige Haenig being selected to the honorable mention team.

The women’s volleyball team finished with a 19-13 record and three players were selected to the all-conference teams. Junior Iris Anderson was a first-team pick, and seniors Shelby Ksiazek and Shannon Schlater were named to the second-team All-NCAC teams.

The fall season proved to be a defiant time for the Battling Bishops. Winter sports have started and the Bishops are off to a great start.

Saturday Night Live covers elections

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

What are three words that describe this year’s election? Now, think of the Saturday Night Live skits that have been done. Are your answers roughly similar?

This election has brought some of the funniest and most outrageous sketch performances in recent history.

The infamous SNL skits have been centerpieces of the elections for years now, and this election has not disappointed. Let’s take a look back and rank some from this year’s election.

The first debate gave SNL plenty of material, and SNL used the ammunition accordingly. The countless “sniffles” of Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump truly brought up the is- sue many Americans were thinking and the style that Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton entered was right on cue.

Walking in with a cane, as if the rumors of her health second best out of the three.

The town hall debate had one iconic moment that people have forever remembered: Ken Bone.
The man who asked a question during this debate found memes and images of himself all around the country the next day and the SNL skit didn’t fail to mention him.

When asked about setting a good example for children, McKinnon answered “yes,” while Baldwin simply said “no,” earning laughs. This debate sketch comes in at number three, however.

Finally, the third and last debate was one for the ages as guest moderator Tom Hanks played the part of Chris Wallace.

If the attention from that wasn’t enough, audiences loved the way that McKinnon’s Clinton opened up the debate with how she was planning to “feast” in her last debate. As for Baldwin’s Trump performance, none were as good. Over the years, many people have played Trump, but Baldwin stole the show.

OWU’s mock vote falls flat

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

Would it be Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

This was the question Ohio Wesleyan wanted to know when they held a mock vote Nov. 2.

The Student Involvement Office, located in the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, held a mock presidential vote and the result was what the students on this campus would expect.

Clinton won the mock vote in an unsurprising victory. But in total, there were only 192 votes counted out of the roughly 1,600 students on campus.

Of these 192 votes, 122 went to Clinton while Trump received a mere 45 votes. Gary Johnson received nine votes, Jill Stein received one vote and 15 other write-ins were received.

“This mock vote was just a fun event for the students since it is an election year and we were just curious on how they were planning to vote in this election,” said Chloe Holmes, a student who works in the Student Involvement Office.

Would this mock vote correlate to the winner on Nov. 8? Students thought so.

“I think the students on campus here at OWU know exactly who is going to win,” said senior Kelly Schade. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that Hillary won the mock vote.”

Clinton won the mock vote, but Trump won the presidency.

Orsini sets precedent for OWU Quarterbacks

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

As a senior football player, nothing is more exciting than performing best in your final season on the team.

That was the case when senior quarterback Dominick Orsini set a school record for total offense and the second highest single-game rushing performance in the history of Ohio Wesleyan football.

On Oct. 22, the OWU men’s football team played DePauw University in which Orsini had 252 rushing yards on just 25 carry attempts and also had three touch-downs.

Orsini threw for 242 yards and one throwing touchdown. Total, Orsini had 494 yards in offense, breaking the school record of 484 yards that was set by Mason Espinosa on Nov. 13, 2010.

“Great preparation and focus helped me achieve these records, but most importantly, my team- mates playing extraordinarily well and doing their part helped me accomplish this,” Orsini said.

Orsini was named to the d3football.com’s Team of the Week. The honor recognizes six offensive players, one offensive line, 11 defensive players and four special teams players from around the nation. Along with this honor, Orsini was also named the NCAC athlete for the week of Oct. 24.

In his senior season, Orsini said he is proving to leave it all on the field. Teammates and coaches recognize this fact and praise his efforts.

“Having a guy like Dom [Orsini] on our team is something that makes our team special,” said senior captain Mason Tomblin. “He is always putting himself in the best situation to make our team better and I think he exemplifies OWU football perfectly.”

Looking back on his time at OWU and his past few games, Orsini said he has no regrets or ill feelings toward finishing a great career.

“It’s been an incredible feeling to end my career with these games and achievements, but ending with these great memories and doing it … with my brothers on the gridiron is an indescribable feeling that I’ll cherish with me throughout the rest of my life,” Orsini said.

The men’s football team will play Allegheny next at 1 p.m. Nov. 5 in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Beeghly Library celebrates 50 years

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

The Ohio Wesleyan campus celebrated a monumental birthday Oct. 21.

OWU’s Beeghly Library turned 50 years old. The celebration included cupcakes, alumni, a chance to win an Amazon Fire and pictures which showed changes the li- brary has undergone over the years.

L.A. Beeghly donated the library 50 years ago in recognition of his children and grandchildren who had attended OWU. One of his great-grandchildren is currently an OWU student.

“Celebrating 50 years is definitely an amazing accomplishment for OWU,” said junior Jeb Beeghly. “It’s humbling to know my family had something to do with this milestone.”

Current students who work in the library said they can feel its history every day.

“Although I’ve only worked in the library for a short time, I feel as though I learn something new about it each day,” said senior Clara Ellis. “The history is rich and I always am finding out new things.”

This birthday both marks an accomplishment for the univer- sity, but it also serves as reminder that the library needs to strive for greatness, said Dee Peterson, in- terim director of libraries and coordinator of user services.

“Physically, we have returned to a more open floor plan simi- lar to when the building first opened,” Peterson said. “We now have more tables and areas for group study and collaboration, especially on the first floor with the creation of the ICEcube. We have worked to accommodate different studying styles and user needs with our spaces.”

Beeghly Library is home to one of the country’s oldest government document depositories, as well as rare books, manuscripts and artifacts collection.

Carlson takes over cross-country

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

The Ohio Wesleyan athletics department named a new men’s and women’s cross-country head coach this past week.

Ben Carlson, former head coach of track and field and cross-country teams at Adrian College, is now the head coach of men’s and women’s cross-country and assistant coach of the men’s and women’s track and field teams.

“Ben was chosen from a very deep pool of candidates,” said Roger Ingles, athletic director. “He was selected from several very qualified candidates but was our clear cut, number one choice.”

At Adrian College, Carlson led the Bulldog men and women’s cross-country teams to fifth and eighth place finishes in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. As for cross-country, he helped coach three conference Most Outstanding athletes.

Carlson replaced Matt Wackerly who had been on the Ohio Wesleyan staff for several years. Wackerly relocated to Nebraska because of his wife’s job change.

“He has great experience as a collegiate athlete and as a collegiate coach,” Ingles
said. “We believe he brings a great set of skills to the position and we believe that he Ben will make a great fit here.”

The athletic department at OWU began looking for a new head coach right at the end of the spring track and field season.

“It’s always exciting to see what a new coach brings from their past experiences,” said junior Adira Jarman. “I can see him staying around for a long time and continuing our success that we’ve been known to have.”

Carlson will look to continue Battling Bishops success and the pride that the teams have, both on and off the field.

Homecoming hails hurrahs

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

The Ohio Wesleyan campus was electric as alumni and families were welcomed to Homecoming weekend.

Filled with festivities and plenty of things to do on campus, the main events of Homecoming weekend were the tailgate on Saturday and the men’s football game against Kenyon College.

Set up in the parking lot of Selby Stadium was a tailgate welcomed to families, friends and alumni. From noon – 2 p.m., OWU offered activities such as the “selfie station” for people to mix and mingle, as well as a food station and beer truck.

“The tailgate was something that has never really been done in all my four years at OWU,” said senior Katie Worland. “I really like how they made it a senior event as well so the seniors were able to be together and really have a good time.”

Once the tailgate ended, the Battling Bishops hosted Kenyon College at Selby Stadium, with the men’s football team looking to avenge its previous loss against Denison University.

In what amounted to a 25-17 win in front of alumni and students, the Bishops extended their record to 2-3 overall.

“The atmosphere for the game was great with so many people back,” said Tom Watts, head coach. “The home side was filled up and there was so much going on in the parking lot prior to the game that really helped us out.”

The past three years have proved to be successful for the Bishops against Kenyon as they have won each time. Solidifying this streak was this year’s win against the Lords.

“Kenyon always gives us a tough game, so it was a great opponent to play this week,” said senior Dominick Orsini. “I think both teams gave their fans a great game to watch,.”

Watts said, “The goal for the rest of the season is to build off the last game and keep improving to take that next step. We have a great team who has fought through some adversity, but the sky is the limit for this team.”