Category: Sports

By Hugh Kerins
Transcript Correspondent

The Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball teams’ season came to an end on March 9 in the second round of the tournament at the hands of Cabrini College with a score of 84-81. The Bishops went into the NCAA tournament with a regular season record of 22-5; they ended up finishing with a record of 23-6.

Their season record tallied the second most wins in school history and a personal best for Head Coach Mike DeWitt. Senior guard Andy Winters said a key to the team’s success this season and their run in the tournament was their chemistry.

“We are very close as a team,” Winters said. “We hang out all the time on and off the court and that is something that is special to have.”

Junior guard Taylor Rieger agreed with Winters and said their chemistry on and off the court was a big part of their success this season.

Senior post Billy Reilich said the team’s “cohesiveness” has also been instrumental in its achievements.

“It seems like everyone understands their roles and is perfectly okay playing them, we give each other advice and know how to take it just as well as give it,” Reilich said. “We trust each other unlike any team I’ve ever been on. It’s unreal.”

The team hosted their first round game of tournament against St. Vincent on March 2, which they won 84-75. During the first half the score remained close, and going into half time the score was tied 36-36. However, in the second half the team came together as a whole to pull away from St. Vincent.

The Bishop bench stepped up their game, adding 20 points down the stretch. Winters ended the game with 22 points and a team high of four assists. Rieger followed with 16 points and three assists, and senior Marshall Morris had a game high 11 rebounds.

Senior guard Eric Easley said the unity of the team and their “hard work” in practice led to their success against St. Vincent. Following their win against St. Vincent the Bishops hosted the second round tournament game against Cabrini.

Going into the game on March 9 the Bishops had been on a seven-game win streak. The first half of the game remained close all throughout with the Bishops leading at half-time with a score of 39-37.

The two teams rallied back and forth in the second half as each team made several scoring runs. The Bishop offense was led by Winters, junior guard Dre White and freshman post Claude Gray.

“In the game of basketball, scoring runs are inevitable,” Winters said. “Good teams are going to make a run and it becomes a possession-by-possession game. They happened to make a few more plays.”

The Bishops were able to keep the second half close until the final buzzer. Cabrini came back from the two-point deficit to win the game in the last minute with final score of 84-81.

While many fans were upset with officiating during the final minutes of the game, Winters said the team was able to recover from the calls.

“We needed to adjust and I believe we did for the most part,” Winters said. “We had a chance to win and go into overtime and that’s all you can ask for.”

Winters led the way in point for the men’s team with 22 points and six assists. Rieger would finish the game with 15 points, and Reuel Rogers grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Winter’s said the team was upset to see their successful season come to an end, but they were proud of all that they had accomplished.

“I can’t thank OWU enough for the experience I had on and off the court,” Winters said. “Everyone was so supportive and that is what makes OWU a special place to play.

“These eight seniors had a great career at OWU and we all expect big things from the classes to come. We will miss it but it is time to move on. I’m sure I can speak for all the seniors when I say ‘Thank you, OWU.’”

By Graham Lucas
Transcript Correspondent

Ohio Wesleyan dominated at this year’s Division III Indoor Track and Field championships where five Battling Bishops earned All-American honors. The distinguished two day event from March 8 and 9 was held at North Central College’s facility in Naperville, Ill.

Senior Emily Amburgey received her All-American honor by clearing 5’5” in the high-jump that tied for sixth place. Amburgey also earned the All-American title her freshman year by placing fifth in the outdoor high jump. She said earning the honors this time around was even more special than the first.

“I think it meant a lot more to me because it had been such a long time since I was an All-American my freshman year,” Amburgey said. “I was able to see my hard work finally pay off again. It was well worth the hard work and the wait.”

Amburgey’s efforts gave the OWU women’s track team two and a half points, earning them 54th place at the Championship meet. Amburgey said she deals with the pre-meet pressure in a whole different way.

“I always go into every meet with the same competitive mindset, no matter what the stakes are, and I always get nervous no matter where I am,” Amburgey said.

“All my coaches know I love to laugh and joke around, and that helps me get my mind off matters at hand. It’s quite the sight to see at a meet like the national championship. Everyone is so serious and focused and here my coaches and I are laughing and joking around. We get a lot of weird looks from competitors, but we get the job done.”

Seniors Ethan Freet and Silas Jolliff placed third and fifth respectively in the 400-meter dash. Head Coach Kris Boey told the athletics website two All-Americans in one event is a rare occurrence.

Freet, a transfer from Cincinnati University two years ago, has built a successful career at OWU. Freet is a five-time All-American as a Battling Bishop and was just recognized as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional Track Athlete of the Year.

Senior Matt Martin and sophomore Brian Cook teamed up with Freet and Jolliff to earn second place in the 1600-meter relay. The finish was an all-time best for OWU, something Cook said is a “great honor.” Freet told the athletics website the experience has been incredible.

“To finally be able to go out and put a race together at the national championship meet with those three guys was a little overwhelming,” Freet said in an interview.

“We have been working for years to do what we did, and it felt great being able to finally have the four of us on the podium together.”

Those efforts, along with sophomore Matt Hunter’s ninth place heptathlon finish earned the men’s team 18 points and seventh place in the final standings, an OWU best. Martin said the senior aspect intensifies the whole experience.

Coach Boey, who has produced 15 All-Americans and 271 NCAC champions during his career at OWU, told the athletics website he is proud of his team.

“The thing that was most impressive was that each of our athletes bettered themselves in spite of the nerves associated with the championship,” Boey said in an interview.

“Simply stated, they competed like champions at a national championship meet. We’re proud of what we accomplished over the last several days at the indoor NCAA championship. Our men’s and women’s programs were well-represented by first-class student-athletes.”

By Emily Feldmesser
Transcript Correspondent

The Ohio Wesleyan Water Polo Club provides students of all swimming levels an opportunity to play the high-endurance sport.

The club has existed at OWU for a while, but dwindled because there wasn’t enough participation to keep it going, according to sophomore Marcus Ramirez, the club’s president.
Ramirez said many swimmers who played water polo in high school, or wanted to play, participate in the club.

“I am trying to change that and get new people involved that are able to swim, but also want to learn a new sport,” he said. “…My coach in high school used to recruit basketball and baseball players because they will have the athletic ability already and would only need to learn how to tread water.”

Ramirez said new players only need to know how to swim; the rules of the game can be easily taught.

Freshman Bryce Uzzolino said he is excited to play with the OWU club because he “wants to have fun and learn how to play a new sport.”

“I have swam all my life and have played water polo for fun, so I thought it would be cool to play on a team,” he said. “It will also help keep me in shape.”

Ramirez said the club is coed because normally there are not enough women to have a women’s team.

“That is understood with other teams and during the games, the teams understand that we can keep the game coed as long as there is an equal number of women playing at a time on each team,” Ramirez said.

According to the official Olympic Games website, water polo began in the 19th century as a version of rugby played in rivers in lakes. Today, it is a “fast, tough, demanding sport.”

There are seven players on each team in a pool without a shallow end, which requires players to tread water at all times. The players aren’t allowed to touch the sides or the bottom of the pool during the game.

Ramirez said he enjoys water polo as preparation for swimming and basketball, “because it has a lot of leg and core training.”

By Graham Lucas
Transcript Correspondent

The Battling Bishops baseball team is predicted to finish third amongst conference competition by North Coast Athletic Conference coaches in a poll released last week.
Head Baseball Coach Tyler Mott said the team goals are to “win the NCAC, and make some noise in the Regional Tournament.”

Since the team’s first two games against were cancelled, their season will begin against Capital University March 6.

Only five seniors will return this year. Senior James Toland, who earned first team All-NCAC honors last year and led the team in home runs, said being a senior brings great responsibility.

“My duties as a senior are to be a leader,” Toland said. “Take the freshman under my wing, guide them, teach them and show them how things are done the right way. I just have to lead by example.”

Another senior, pitcher Brandon Sega, who led the team with five wins last season, will lead a strong pitching rotation.

Sophomore Charles Cooper led the NCAC last season in earned runs average. The lefty’s 1.86 ERA also earned him a NCAC Newcomer of the Year award.

“I worked as hard as I possibly could in the off-season to try to earn playing time,” Cooper said. “My work ethic got me into the starting rotation and from there I just trusted my pitches to strike people out and they did.”

The Bishops do not have any regular season games against number-one preseason favorite Wooster.

They do, however, have two games against DePauw, the number two preseason favorite, which will largely affect NCAC tournament implications later this spring.
Toland said he hopes they meet Wooster in the NCAC tournament.

“To dethrone Wooster this season it is going to take a team effort,” Toland said. “Hard work each day, each game and each practice. If we never take a rep off and do everything we can to play together, we’ll peak as a team at the right time. That’s when we’ll be most dangerous.”

The chemistry Coach Mott, Assistant Coach Fody Frentsos and Athletic Director Roger Ingles share also affects the team’s success. Mott, who played for then Head Coach Ingles, said their relationship does not only impact the team.

“I was extremely fortunate to have such good college coaches during my time as a player at OWU,” Mott said. “I am even more fortunate because I still get to work with all of them every day as a coach. Coach Ingles has made such a positive impact on me. He has helped me to better myself both as a player, and now as a coach.”

According to Sega, the teams’ off-season efforts will translate into more wins.

“This off-season we worked on really just being consistent, whether it be hitters having good approaches every drill and at bat, to pitchers working on keeping their delivery the same on every pitch,” Sega said. “As a team we worked on just making sure we did all the little things right, so when it comes time to play we are a well-oiled machine.”
The baseball team’s efforts could decide whether the NCAC’s All-Sports Trophy will return to OWU since the 2008-2009 seasons.

By Graham Lucas
Transcript Correspondent

Saturday night, men’s basketball won their first North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament crown since 2008 when they defeated top-seeded Wooster 76-66 at Timken Gymnasium in front of nearly 3,000 spectators.

The Battling Bishops 19-5 regular season record earned them the second seed in the NCAC tournament. They first defeated Denison in the quarter-final match 77-56, and then went on to beat Kenyon in a hard fought 77-64 victory in the semi-final round.

Senior forward Marshall Morris led the team with 19 points against the Wooster Fighting Scots.

He buried 4 of 5 from beyond the arc, something he said his own teammates probably didn’t expect.

“I don’t think Wooster was ready for that,” Morris said. “But I don’t think many of our players expected it either. It’s just one of those things that we practice every day and I felt confident and comfortable on Saturday. It just so happened that I had a couple big opportunities in the game.”

Senior guard Andy Winters took home the Al Van Wie trophy as the tourney’s most valuable player after he recorded 17 points, six assists, seven rebounds and four steals in the championship game. Winters said he could never take credit by himself.

“I am very lucky to be playing with this group of guys,” he said. “The eight seniors we have provide tremendous leadership and guidance for the rest of the team. In basketball, one man can only do so much for the team. Most of the credit goes to my teammates.”

The Bishops also earned their first win against Wooster this season after losing to them in both regular season contests. Morris said their ability to conquer Wooster has been a lengthy process.

“As far as growth, it has been a four-year process, not just the two losses this year,” Morris said. “Our seniors are now 1-11 against them, which isn’t impressive, but that one win is worth it to our group of seniors. The two losses prior this year were mainly just indicators that we could accomplish what we were trying to do, we just needed to go out and do it.”

In the NCAC podcast interview, Head Coach Mike Dewitt said the team has kept the same motto all year: to “take it one game at a time.”

Dewitt said they try not to look ahead or behind in the schedule, but to be completely focused on the next mission at hand.

Along with the NCAC tournament crown, the Battling Bishops earned the NCAC’s automatic qualifier into the Division III NCAA tournament.

In their next game, they will square off against Saint Vincent College on Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA tournament in the Branch Rickey Arena. Morris said the team is peaking at the perfect time.

“We’re playing really well together, and the chemistry is awesome,” Morris said. “For us, it isn’t a matter of changing anything up or doing anything different. It’s simply a matter of coming prepared to play at our potential every game of the tournament and enjoying the opportunity that we have.”

By Heather Kuch
Sports Editor

The Ohio Wesleyan women’s lacrosse team suffered a tough loss to Centre College in their season opener on Sunday at Selby Stadium.

The Centre Colonels defeated the Bishops with a score of 17-14.

Senior midfielder Meredith Wholley said the team did not know what to expect going into the match, but planned to play the best game they could against the non-conference team.

Sophomore defender Eilee Foley said the team was excited to use what they had worked on in preseason going into Sunday’s match.

“We were looking to see how we come out on the field, and to see how well we ‘jell’ together,” Foley said. “We have only been playing against ourselves the past month, so it is great to see what we look like against another opponent.”

Senior defender Molly Curry said the team felt prepared going into the match but knew it would be a challenge, and they would need to “be focused and have confidence.”
The Battling Bishops and the Colonels rallied back and forth in the beginning of the first half resulting in a 4-4 tie between the two teams. Senior attacker Annie Swanson, freshman attacker Patricia Ryan and junior midfielders Cate Bailey and Theresa Wolfgang scored first four goals for the Bishops.

The tie was soon broken as the Colonels then went on a 7-3 run for the remainder of the half putting them ahead 11-7.

The Bishops tried to rebound from the deficit in the second half with another goal from Bailey to bring the score to 11-8. However, Centre continued to outscore the Bishops, adding two more goals and increasing their lead by five with a little over 20 minutes remaining in the half.

The Bishops put up one last fight as Ryan and freshman attacker Meg Doherty each scored once and Wholley scored twice to bring the score to 13-12 with 11 minutes remaining in the half.

The Colonels were able to secure the win just a minute later as they scored two back-to-back goals to extend their lead to 15-12. Centre went on to score two more times in the remaining 10 minutes in the match. The Bishops were able to add two more goals but could not catch up to the Colonels.

Wholley, Swanson, Bailey and Ryan led the Bishop offense with three goals each, while sophomore Daylin Stevens led the defense with 10 saves in the goal.

Wholley said she expects the team to do well this season and hopes they will make it far into the post-season competition.

“I know the team is hungry for a great season, and we will work hard to get there,” Wholley said. “We have a lot of great talent on the team this year, and we hope to find a team cohesion that will bring us a winning season and to the NCAC conference tournament.”

Foley agreed with Wholley and said the team has worked hard in preparation for this season.

“This year for Ohio Wesleyan women’s lacrosse we are looking to go very far this year into our conference,” Foley said. “Last year was a big transition year for us, and we are looking to improve from it. The girls have been working very hard on and off the field. Coming out of our preseason, we look great. Our coach has worked us very hard to prepare us for the future.”

Curry said she expects the team to be successful this year because every member of the team has something to contribute.

“With several new players this year, I think our team is going to be stronger than ever,” Curry said. “I have a lot of confidence in my teammates this year and I am looking forward to a successful season. Our team goal is to not only make it to the NCAC playoffs but to finish first and move further in the tournament. There is so much talent on this team and I can’t wait to see where it will take us this season.”

Foley said the team has a new mindset this season that she thinks will help them to be successful.

“A goal we have going into this season is to play for ourselves, play for our seniors, and play for each other; we are a unit and we want to play like one,” Foley said. “Like I said, we have worked so hard to not make progress. This team is definitely going to be a dark horse in our conference.”

The next home match for the Bishops is Wednesday, March. 6 at 5 p.m. at Selby Stadium against the Otterbein College Cardinals.

By Brittany Vickers
Transcript Correspondent

Rays from the early morning sun waned through snow filled clouds. It was a chilly Saturday morning in January, a few leftover flurries from last night’s snowstorm drifted down. My car clock read 7:30 a.m. 19 degrees.

Cars crowded a shockingly full parking lot at Thomas Worthington High School. People bundled up in leggings, sweatpants and brightly colored jackets all shuffled in the same direction. Each person completed his or her look with running shoes.

I joined the flow towards the school’s entrance and suddenly I was surrounded by at least 200 bubbly, chatty people – ready to brave the weather for their weekend run.

According to the statistics, a possible 1,000 runners surrounded me. 67 percent female, 37 percent male, 46 percent of us were beginners, 45 percent experienced and nine percent advanced, all of us training for some type of marathon; 57 percent taking on the full 26.2 miles and the remaining 43 percent of us taking on 13.1 miles.

I was looking for Jeff, the head coach of Marathoners In Training (MIT).

“There is Jeff, he’s the tallest guy you’ll ever meet,” a fellow runner with dark hair and a headband pointed across the slew of bodies. Indeed, Jeff stood two or three heads taller than everyone else in the crowd. I later learned he is “unofficially the tallest runner in Columbus,” from his online biography.
I made my way over. “You must be Brittany!” he said.

I sized him up: runner’s leggings, Brooks shoes, tufts of brown hair poking up a bit here and there, a bright yellow jacket with letters advertising, “MIT” and a marathon sized smile. He was oozing passion.

*****

A runner for life, Jeff began his career on the Thomas Worthington high school cross-country team. He continued his running at Otterbein University, and was determined to keep running post-college. So, in 2004 he signed on as Thomas Worthington’s head cross-country coach. Saturday morning meets meant the bus left early from the school, and Jeff and his team weren’t the only people standing outside in their running gear.

“I kept seeing all of these people getting together to run,” Jeff recalled. “I thought, ‘Man, I want to be a part of what they’re doing.’”

*****

So what is MIT doing? That’s what I was there to find out. May 13, the day of my very first half-marathon, was looming close in my mind. I wanted to do well so badly! But whenever I mentioned it to my friends and family they all looked at me like I was crazy: “13 miles!?” “You’re insane.” “Good luck with that!” I turned to scouring the Internet, and stumbled across MIT’s website.

“Change your life. One mile at a time.”

A clickable slogan if I’ve ever seen one. The hyperlink lead me to a website full of testimonials, photos of smiling, fit people and lists of training program potentials for halfs, fulls and multi-sport races. All this in Columbus, Ohio? The same city listed in 2002 as the sixth-fattest city in America?

Yes, MIT is in Columbus, and has been since 2000, when it began with just 90 participants and 4 volunteer running coaches. Since 2001 the group has run approximately 2.7 million miles together, with it’s largest group the summer of 2012, totaling over 1,000 runners and 60 coaches.

The group runs together on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings, does core and cross training workouts Tuesday and Sunday mornings and attends a myriad of clinics on today’s relevant health and wellness topics.

The program options include the Full Marathon package, the Half Marathon package, the Multi Sport package or the Year Long membership.

The Full Marathon package is a 20-25 week program, depending on the date of your marathon, at $120 for new members and $100 for alumni.

The Half Marathon package consists of a four-month program, costing $100 for newbies and $80 for alums.
The Multi Sport Package comes in full or half options and is offered at the same price. It includes the addition of multi-sport specific clinics.

Finally, you could join for the year, which allows you to train for multiple races all year, for a fee of $200 or $160 depending on your previous member status.

So, I read the website, and on my first trip to Thomas Worthington I thought there was no way in hell anyone else was braving the 19-degree temperatures to go for an 8 a.m. run.

*****

“Our 10:30 group is awesome!” Jeff parted the sea of runners to introduce me to my pace coach for the day, Randy.

Randy grinned back at me, held up his 10:30 pacer sign and led our group to the door. Spry on his feet, greying hair covered by a hat, Randy’s wiry strength gave him a sturdy and reliable look, and he engaged me in friendly conversation.

“How long have you been with MIT?” I ask.

“Oh, I’ve been coaching for probably seven years, but running since 2000.”

“How many marathons have you run?”

“Somewhere over 28…”

I think my jaw may have dropped on the spot. He just grinned, “I trained for the first few myself, but then I found this group. It’s something special. And then I found my running partner, Jill!”

He pulled in a tiny blonde woman in a pink “coach” vest. She laughed; her shy smile and spindly legs shouldn’t be mistaken for weakness, though – she had a look of steely determination about her as she led the other half of the 10:30 group.

As we made our way outside I couldn’t help but notice Randy’s conversation with almost every runner we passed, “Hey, how ya doin’ there, Dave?” “Tim! How’s the knee?” “It’s great to see you out again Sarah!”
And, although Randy spoke to a remarkable nine out of every ten, it wasn’t just him. I made a 360-degree turn: hugs, high fives, waves and cheery greetings. Everyone knew each other, more than that – everyone seemed to really like each other.

“This is where all my friends are!” 5’2”, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, Mikea’s face peered out from between her furry head band and high collared jacket. She started MIT because she had baby weight to lose and she couldn’t make it past the three-mile hump (today we were running six).

Now she runs with a close knit group of MIT women, at what she jokingly calls the 10:36 minute pace due to occasional injuries, 4 or 5 times a week.

“MIT changes your life,” she told me, “I’ve met my best friends here, lost my baby weight and run a marathon. I love coming every time, these are seriously the best people.”

*****

MIT is run out of the Fleet Feet store in Polaris, a franchise operation with a small town feel. I went to see the shoes, Jeff in his natural habitat and what Fleet Feet was all about.

Shiny storefront windows glimmered in the winter sun. I walked in and immediately focused on the back wall, which featured a rainbow of shoes – every color, style and type you could imagine. Jeff and I sat next to the glorious wall of shoes and chatted.

He told me stories of his mom and dad rediscovering running through MIT; how out of his 60 volunteer coaches just two of them would consider themselves lifelong runners – the rest had found their passion later in life through MIT; how the passing of a group member led to a funeral procession of running jackets in every color.

He gave me story after story, person after person, life after life, that MIT had changed, one mile at a time. If he can get just half of the “bucket list” people, as he called them, to stay with MIT as an existence and not just a checklist, he was making a difference.

This group isn’t just a workout. It’s a lifestyle. Every person I spoke to at MIT said, “Yes, we’re crazy, but I’m so glad to be a part of this.” Jeff, Randy, Doug, Mikea, Tim, Anne, Jill and so many others who were friendly enough to let me pester them as we ran – not one of them had a negative word to say.

No matter where they started or where they were headed in their life, Saturday mornings were the release, the escape, and the best way to start their weekend.

They don’t come just to run; they stay after and catch up, they meet up at local restaurants for a weekly breakfast gathering and they join book clubs together. Those are just a few examples from the people I had a chance to talk to.

In the short span of time I was attending, I was invited to several of these activities and immediately accepted without a second thought. If I was crazy enough to join them on their Saturday run, I was crazy enough to join them in the rest of their endeavors.

*****

Bodies warm, steamy breaths and spirits high – the final half-mile felt like flying. I ran in next to Dave, who’s making a comeback with the group after taking some time off. We chatted for a while about his stepdaughter’s volleyball career and college decisions.

It felt like we were already fast friends, we exchanged numbers and I offered my advice to his stepdaughter regarding collegiate volleyball decisions. He smiled and told me how proud he is I’m taking on the half in May.

I walked to my car feeling completely exhilarated. One run and I was hooked.

*****

On my last visit to MIT, Jeff gave me an offer I can’t refuse, “Come back and train with us. We would love to have you!” And I will be back, college student or not – my foreseeable future on Friday nights revolves around my Saturday morning run. The crazy in MIT is contagious; but if you ask me, it’s worth catching.