Category: Sports

Bishops Remain Undefeated

Peter Lujan

Transcript Correspondent

pllujan@owu.edu

The Battling Bishops’ football team has started the season rather well. It is 4-0 so far this year, defeating Otterbein University 22-10, Kenyon College 42-0,, Oberlin College 55-3, and most recently, Allegheny College, 28-10, on Saturday afternoon. The wins give the Bishops an average margin of victory of 31 points. 

The Gators of Allegheny went into the matchup with a record of 1-2. In contrast to the Bishops red hot start to the season. A year ago in 2018, the Bishops went 4-6 overall and tied for fifth place in the NCAC (North Coast Athletic Conference.) This year however, they have 38 incoming freshmen, 23 seniors, and 29 other’s racing toward the goal of NCAC champions.

Head Coach Tom Watts observed that last season they were, “always able to play well and pick it up toward the end of the season but were never really able to start the season on the right foot.” However, this season has been the opposite, as their 4-0 record suggests. 

Senior wide receiver and captain, Mher Tcholakian said earlier this season that a big motto and slogan for this year’s team is “going 1-0.” The football team uses this slogan for everything they do. Whether it’s in the weight room, at practice, or whatever the case may be, they want to, “go 1-0.” 

“This ‘1-0 slogan’ is our main focus as a team, [Going 1-0] means giving your all every single rep and every single play.” Tcholakian explained. 

Tcholakian, on this football team for three years, starter for two, he is witness to the Bishops declining record over the last few seasons. “We’ve always known we’ve had talent on both sides of the ball. There was just something missing, our execution. We just could not finish that last little step.”

Aside from his verbal leadership, Tcholakian also has been leading by example through his play on the field. He has 145 receiving yards this season, 61 on Saturday alone, which marked a new season high for him, along with his first receiving touchdown of the season. 

The Bishops look to continue their win streak when they face Wabash College this Saturday in Crawfordsville, Ind.  

Bishops Battle Heidelberg in Volleyball Home Opener

By Peter Lujan

Staff Reporter

pllujan@owu.edu

The Battling Bishops women’s volleyball team has it’s first home stand Tuesday night where it faced Heidelberg University. The game is part of a string of  heavy competition for the Bishops according to head coach Kirsta Cobb, “Our first weekend was against top-25 teams in the nation.” This is no mistake either, Cobb explained, “playing tough competition early, the goal of that is to get us ready, mentally, emotionally, physically for the conference season” 

Senior captain Jordan Brandt is on the same page with her coach, as she stated, “That’s our goal; to be top 25 in the country we belong in the top two [in the conference.]”

However, junior captain Megan Schwallie, said she feels that they need to step up to the occasion “But we don’t want to settle either.” However, she does see the positives as well “ We found a lot of growth with the teams that we were playing,” Schwallie added. 

The first two sets of the match went to Heidelberg, where they won the first, 25-19, and the second, 25-16.

The third set, however, went down to the very last point. After the Bishops started off the set up 8-3. Heidelberg used momentum to go on a 14-7 run, taking a 17-15 lead in the set.

 That prompted Cobb to call a timeout and discuss things with the team. 

According to Brandt, this timeout was rather beneficial. “[Cobb] does a really good job of calling timeouts systematically.” 

After the timeout, the Battling Bishops gained some of that momentum from Heidelberg and ran with it, winning the set 25-23 on the strength of a 10-6 run, including a 46 second rally on their 20th point. 

“A big part of volleyball is the first five points, especially when you have that kind of momentum,” explains Brandt. 

Heidelberg started off the set with a 5-0 lead, and the Bishops did their best to chip away at the lead. But Heidelberg continued to score in bunches, while the Bishops missed a handful of serves. At the end of the night the Bishops missed a total of 17 serves. 

Unfortunately, that momentum did not carry into the next set, in fact the Bishops got the exact opposite start that they hoped for. 

When asked about the inability to carry the momentum from the end of the third set into the beginning of the fourth set, Brandt said, “It’s the struggle of taking that high energy and high intensity and focusing it.” 

When asked about how that many missed serves affected the tone and momentum of a volleyball game, Cobb said, “It’s really hard to build momentum and put pressure on the opponent, if we keep giving them an out.” 

Schwallie added, “That many missed serves makes up more than half a game.” 

Heidelberg finished the fourth and final set on a 5-2 run, winning the set 25-19 and the match 3-1. Bishops are now 1-6 on the season. 

Brandt explained the frustration of these early season struggles. “Unfortunately, we haven’t quite had the results we wanted to. We put a lot of emphasis into these first games, because if we want to get an at-large bid to the national tournament, winning these games is key.”

Even with this start to the season, Cobbs does not seemed worried.“We still have the ability to reach a lot of our goals…We just want to continue to progress and improve each day.”

The Battling Bishops have their next game Friday, Sept 13 at 5 p.m. against the Wilmington Quakers in Branch Rickey Arena as the Bishop Invitational kicks-off.

Nike swoosh and Bob the Bishop will team up in the fall

Updated April 23, 2019

By Jacey Scheffel

Transcript correspondent

jsscheff@owu.edu

The red and black will get a new look this upcoming season with all 25 varsity sports switching to Nike uniforms.

The Athletics department at Ohio Wesleyan University recently signed a five year contract with sports retailer, BSN SPORTS. Effective on March 1, all 25 teams will be sporting the Nike swoosh.

As a part of the BSN SPORTS’ Nike Collegiate Select program, OWU will purchase all athletic uniforms and gear from the vendor, Doug Zipp, Ohio Wesleyan Athletics director said.

The switch was made so the department could be more uniform. All teams will be under one umbrella and look similar.

“It’s more to be consistent around our department and that we know Ohio Wesleyan is represented in the right way,” Zipp said. “When we get off the bus people know Ohio Wesleyan is arriving because we all look the same. And it doesn’t matter if it’s the football team, the field hockey team, the volleyball team, you know.”

To achieve this similarity, uniform logos will be constant across teams. There will be a lot of choices, but the Bishop head, fonts and other logos will be the same style, Zipp said.

Along with an easier purchasing process, the university will receive a discount for purchasing in bulk, Zipp said.

Since 2012, the Ohio Wesleyan football team has purchased Nike through BSN SPORTS under the direction of Coach Tom Watts.

Not much change will be seen in the purchasing process for the football team, but other teams and the university will benefit from streamline purchasing and discounts, Watts said.

The football team will debut new Nike uniforms this upcoming season. The Bishops will be showcased in a white jersey with Bishops, in text, across the chest along with matching white pants.

“I think it looks sharp and our guys really liked it when we showed it to them. It’s simple, it looks clean, and it looks like OWU,” Watts said.

A lot of student athletes like the Nike for the branding, Zipp said.

“Nike is good quality,” sophomore football player, Logan Whalen-Hennick said. “I love the new uniforms because they are Nike. They look cleaner, and the team looks crisp and nice.”

Ohio Wesleyan will have everyone in the brand within the next three years, when all teams have had their chance at uniform renewal.

The uniforms will be simplistic, but represent what Ohio Wesleyan stands for, Zipp said.

“We try to say 25 sports, but one team. I think we’ll look more like that with the same kind of simple branding that BSN will provide for everybody,” Watts said.

Striking out for one of their own

By Grant Cayton

Transcript correspondent

ggcayton@owu.edu

The Ohio Wesleyan University softball team is banding together to support one of its own.

Shelley Johnson, assistant softball coach at OWU, was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer last October. After her diagnosis, the team rallied to help her, dedicating their annual Strike Out Cancer event to helping pay for Johnson’s treatment. As a part of their effort, fundraiser was held at the Hamburger Inn, of Delaware, on April 4. They will also donate all proceeds of a double header, scheduled for April 13, to Johnson’s treatment.

Johnson expressed her thankfulness for the support of her team.

“I feel very fortunate by having all of the team support. Not everyone going through this has the family support that I have, let alone an entire additional team.” Johnson said. “From the current team and coaches wearing teal bracelets, alums sitting at chemo with me and sending cards and books, to parents of former players sending their support, I feel lots of love from my OWU softball family,” Johnson said.

Sophomore Baylee Small, a member of the softball team, is happy to help Johnson in her time of need.

“I get the opportunity to support her all while playing the game I love, and that’s an indescribable and memorable experience,” she said.

Small described Johnson as an incredibly supportive person. “Shelley is the most selfless person you will ever meet,” Small said.

The team has struggled with not having her around to encourage and support members. “Not having her unmatched humor around recently has been difficult, but we have full confidence that Shelley is gonna beat this and be back in full swing,” Small said. According to Kayla Richard, interim assistant women’s softball coach, the Strike out Cancer event has been affiliated with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in the past, and that last year, the team worked with Play4theCure, a program created by the National Foundation for Cancer Research. This year, she said, the team is working on its own so that all proceeds raised at the event go to Johnson. The doubleheader will be held at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at Margaret Sagan Field on April 13. The team will play against Allegheny College, and Johnson will throw the first pitch herself.

Mens basketball suffers another loss this season

Updated March 6, 2019

By Jacey Scheffel

Staff reporter

The men’s basketball team fell at Wittenberg University on Wednesday night, 91-58. After back to back losses, the team plans to get back on track to finish up their 2019 season.

Junior Tristin Tillman and Freshman Gabe Johnson had 3-pointers late in the first half to bring the Bishops to 39 points. Trailing 10 points behind Wittenberg. Freshman Nick Carlson put up 8 points and 2 rebounds in the first half. Junior Grant Gossard contributed 2 rebounds.

Freshman Ethan Stanislawski brought the Bishops up to a 7 point trail within the first minute of the second half. Junior Jaret Gerber, Sophomore Jeffrey Hudson and Junior Jake Hecker put up 2 rebounds each.

Gossard and Stanislawski contributed 10 points each to the Bishops.

Hudson was not surprised by the difficulties the team faced against the Tigers.

“Wittenberg came out really hard like we expected, but they consistently hit tough shots and made things hard for us on offense,” Hudson said.

Coach Mike Dewitt attributed difficulties to poor team play but believes the team has to learn to play away from their home court.

“I think any young team has to learn to play well on the road, especially against good teams. We are learning that lesson,” DeWitt said.

The team also lost a close game to the Wooster Fighting Scots Saturday at home, 76-74.

Coming back from back to back losses does not pose a challenge to DeWitt. His plan for the team is straightforward.

“Our goal all year has been to just improve in every game and in every practice, and that still remains our goal,” DeWitt said.

Student Assistant Coach Deji Adebiyi says improving as a team and individually every chance they get will help them recover from these losses.

The team stands 7th in the NCAC with a current overall record of 11-11. The Bishops plan to end the season with a winning record.

“I expect us to bounce back and play very well in these last three regular season games,” DeWitt said.

A disappointing defeat for Bishops

By Avery Detrick

Staff reporter

aedetric@owu.edu

The Ohio Wesleyan University Bishops Women’s Basketball Team lost 57-76 to the Wittenberg University Tigers on Feb. 6, 2019. The game was hosted at OWU at the Branch Rickey Arena and began at 7 p.m.

The Wittenberg Tigers played with a strong defense. Many of the points made by the Tigers were the results of rebounds off of the Bishops’ offense. The players on both teams played aggressively, resulting in the Bishops receiving 18 fouls and the Tigers receiving 16.

The OWU Women’s Basketball Team has a 10-12 record and holds a losing streak of 3. The score on Feb. 6 was led by sophomore guard Tia Karras, who scored 15 points. Karras was followed by senior guard Erin Delaney with 31 points and freshman guard-post Cierra Joiner with 8.

The Wittenberg Tigers have a record of 15-8. Their team was led by sophomore forward Kristie Kalis with 19 points. Following Kalis were junior center Riley Culver with 15 points, and senior guards Alex Kiess and Sydney Mayle, both scoring 8 points.

“I am proud of our seniors. Erin (Delaney) and Lisa (Zeller) have committed to being their best and lead by example, on and off the field,” said head coach Stacey Ungashick Lobdell. “We are in a rebuilding season and have a lot of talent in our younger players.”

“We have been working really hard in practice to finish out the season strong, and I think it’s showing in the games,” said Karras. “Although we did not win the game against Wittenberg, we gave them a hard-fought battle. We played well as a team, and I am excited to see what the end of the season has in store for us.”

The team’s next game will be against the DePauw Tigers on Feb. 9, 2019. The game will be hosted by OWU at the Branch Rickey Arena. 

OWU rugby members get the chance to travel

By Claire Yetzer

Staff reporter

ceyetzer@owu.edu

It’s not just the retired who escape to Florida. Two Ohio Wesleyan students had the opportunity to travel to a warmer climate while representing the women’s rugby team.

On Jan. 19 and 20, two members of Ohio Wesleyan’s Women’s Rugby team participated in an All-Stars 7 tournament, hosted by the National Small College Rugby Organization in St. Petersburg, Florida. Jesse Sailer and Ariana Campos were chosen as seniors and captains of the OWU club team and helped form the Ohio Valley Women’s Collegiate All-Star Team.

The tournament is in its second year. It has expanded from 8 teams to 12 teams this year.

The  Ohio Valley All-Star team was made up of players from 5 small colleges. Players from Ohio Wesleyan University, Denison University, College of Wooster, University of Findlay and Tiffin University were nominated by their coaches and attended practices were chosen for this honor.

 

Yetzer: How long have you been playing rugby?

 

Sailer: Since my first semester freshman year.

 

Campos: I began by playing for the women’s soccer team my freshmen year but found it to be too big of a commitment time wise. So I decided to stop playing, and I started working as a waitress and then my roommates at the time both played rugby and got me to try it out. That was my sophomore year so I’ve been playing for 3 years now.

 

Yetzer: Why do you think that you were chosen to be a part of the all-star team?

 

Sailer: This was my second time being chosen to play for the Ohio Valley All-Star team, so I already had three and a half years of rugby under my belt as well as the experience and ability to play against harder competition. The coach was also choosing a lot of returners for the team and with that comes chemistry because you have this group of girls that have played with each other before and was able to help the newer players.

 

Campos: I believe I was chosen to be apart of the all-star team because of my athletic ability. I got really good at playing, it just came naturally to me and it’s honestly become my favorite sport

 

Yetzer: What are your strengths and weaknesses as a player?

 

Sailer: I played soccer and track in high school so I already had the athletic ability under my belt, it just took a while to become accustomed to the rules of rugby but once I got the hang of it I was able to excel on the field. So I think my overall ability of knowledge of reading the field and knowing what to do is a strength. Weakness would have to be my lack of patience. I get really heated if we have girls that aren’t passing or are making the same mistakes but it’s those moments where I need to remind myself that as a veteran who’s been playing a while, it’s my job to teach them and to make them better players.

Campos: My strengths are my speed and my voice. I also communicate a lot on the field because it’s very important for my team to know what’s happening. Communication on the field gets overlooked a lot because everyone is so into the game that we forget how important it is to be communicating because that puts us in a better position while doing less overall work to win the game.

 

Yetzer: What is your favorite thing about rugby and why do you play it?

 

Sailer: Tackling. It’s nice to play a sport where you can just body someone and completely lay them out. Contact sports are different in that they make you use all of yourself and there’s a lot of both physical and mental strength that goes into playing something like rugby.

 

Campos: My favorite thing about rugby is just the type of game it is. Rugby is a truly a hard sport to play because there’s a lot of contact. It’s a great feeling especially when they come to a game and watch you lay someone out. They respect you and if you get laid out they respect you too because we take those hits like champs. That’s why I love rugby, and I would definitely like to continue playing after I graduate from Ohio Wesleyan.

 

Yetzer: What is your relationship with your teammates like?

 

Sailer: I love my team, as well as the teams I play against. As intimidating as it might seem, if someone takes you to the ground they’ll be the first to pick you up and tell you ‘hey great run’. We’re family first and foremost and that’s why I push so much when it comes to recruiting because this team gives more than it takes.

 

The Ohio Valley Women’s Collegiate All-Star Team placed 6th out of 12 teams. They won 2 games and lost 3.

 

OWU lacrosse gains new coach for the 2019 season

Updated Feb. 1, 2019 and Feb. 28, 2019

By Erin Ross

Staff Reporter

emross@owu.edu

Ohio Wesleyan University announced the promotion of the assistant women’s lacrosse coach on Monday.

OWU athletics director Doug Zipp was faced with finding a new coach for the women’s lacrosse team after Coach Chelsea Conley resigned from her position on January 3. Zipp explained the reasoning behind Conley’s resignation.

“The decision to step away is for family and personal reasons along with a great opportunity to pursue an exciting new career opportunity outside of athletics,” Zipp said.

On Monday, January 21 Zipp announced the promotion of Assistant Coach Patricia Ryan (’16) to interim head coach for the 2019 season. Ryan is an OWU women’s lacrosse alumna who is serving her second season as a coach for the women’s lacrosse team. Her commitment to the team and passion for the sport played a role in her promotion.

“The reason she was promoted is she has demonstrated leadership, initiative and passion for the program and for our student-athletes and that will go a long way and will push our program forward for this season,” Zipp said.

Despite being saddened by the loss of their head coach, members of the OWU women’s lacrosse team wished Conley the best and have remained optimistic about the upcoming season.

Junior midfielder Sloane Baumgartner said, “The team has taken the change very well and has a positive outlook on the season. We all had some insight that Coach Conley was going to leave. Therefore, having Coach Ryan step in was the best thing to advance the program.”

Ryan herself is eager to lead the team this season and looks forward to being able to try out new practice drills.

“I think implementing some new things and critiquing and working on the old will be exciting,” Ryan said.

Despite limited time to fill the position, Zipp is also happy about the decision to promote Ryan.

“We are excited that Patricia has agreed to take on this role just a few weeks before the start of the season,” Zipp said. “She has already embraced the role, has had team meetings with the players and is continuing to prepare for the season as well as finishing the recruiting for the Fall class of 2019.”

Ryan’s experience as both a student and a coach at OWU has encouraged optimism and fostered enthusiasm among the athletes.

Sophomore goalie Rachel Albers said, “I am looking forward to the energy that Patricia will provide for the team. She is super dedicated to the game and I look forward to learning from her experience as a former player and an OWU alumna.”

Baumgartner, 3-year member of the women’s lacrosse team, agreed with Albers.

“The team is very excited to have Patricia Ryan step into the head coaching role because she understands what it takes to be a student athlete,” Baumgartner said. “Being an alumna, she knows how to push us on the field and in the classroom at Ohio Wesleyan.”

Ryan also recognizes the chemistry that she has with her athletes and the ways in which her alumni status plays a positive role in such chemistry.

“I think it is easy for me to connect to them being that I’ve been in their place not too long ago,” Ryan said. “I like to think I really understand the importance of being a Division III athlete and all that comes with being a student athlete.”

Ryan also deems herself fortunate and is grateful for the help she has received from the athletics department.

“I think that there is a lot of knowledge in the department, so I will be looking to other coaches a lot for help,” Ryan said.

At the end of the 2019 season Ohio Wesleyan will begin a national search for a new head coach, Zipp said.

“Our women’s lacrosse program has a lot of potential and it is important that we now look nationally for the best person to lead our program into the future,” Zipp said.

Men’s basketball looking to make noise this season

By Nick Braydich, Transcript Correspondent

Despite graduating the 2018 Division III Player of the Year, the Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball team has high hopes for the upcoming season.

“Our goals stay the same. We want to compete for an NCAC title and make it to the NCAA tournament,” junior captain Jaret Gerber said.

The Bishops graduated a total of eight seniors last season, including Nate Axelrod (2018 NCAA Division III Player of the Year) and Seth Clark (first-team All-NCAC).

Junior Grant Gossard said playing well together is essential to replace the senior class.

“We plan to replace Nate and Seth by good team play and ball sharing,” Gossard said. “Our success will depend on old and new players stepping up and taking on larger roles.”

The team has added eight players to their roster this season. These players include six freshmen: Colin Kimbrough, Curtis White, Ethan Stanislawski, Gabe Johnson, Lucas Nathanson and Nick Carlson. The other two players are transfers: sophomore Grant Smith and junior Tristan Tillman.

Assistant coach Nate Conley mentioned the team has prepared differently than previous seasons.

“We have 17 members on our basketball team this year, and eight of them are new to the program,” Conley said. “As a coaching staff, we felt the need to talk and instruct more in practice while focusing on teaching some of the basics.”

Other than practice, the team played in a recent scrimmage. On Oct. 28, the Bishops played against Marietta College, who competed in the Division III NCAA Tournament last year, according to Conley.

The scrimmage was beneficial for the inexperienced team, Gerber said.

“Our first scrimmage could have been a lot better but it was a good wake up call for us,” Gerber said. “Most players don’t have much experience; that’s why you scrimmage.”

Men’s basketball wrapped up the preseason with another scrimmage against Ohio Dominican University (ODU) on Nov. 2. ODU were conference champions in the Great Midwest Conference last season.

Gossard said playing against elite competition in the preseason will provide confidence moving forward.

“Playing the top competition is the best way to get better and if we can compete with the best, then we can compete with anyone,” Gossard said.

Head coach Mike DeWitt usually challenges his team during the preseason stretch, according to Conley.

“He [DeWitt] has always scheduled the toughest non-conference schedule possible to prepare his teams for the rigorous schedule in the NCAC,” Conley said.

The Bishops will begin their season playing in the Midway Classic in Chicago, Illinois on Nov. 17 and 18. They will play Springfield College in their first game, who is ranked No. 3 in the Division III national preseason poll