featured – Page 15 – The Transcript

SLUs saved: MFL and SAGE buildings to remain on campus next year

When the moderators and members of the Modern Foreign Language House (MFL) and the Sexuality and Gender Equality House (SAGE) received the email late last Monday that their buildings would be safe next year, the resounding response was one of relief. Residents of both houses now did not need to worry about finding housing for the 2015-2016 school year.

Instead of razing both structures this summer, the decision was made to leave them standing. There will still be construction on a new structure starting this summer. According to University President Rock Jones, deciding to keep MFL and SAGE this year was because of a combination of reasons. It was a response to the concern of current students, it was disruptive to students who would have to find housing and it made more sense to build one building instead of two at the time.

Junior Alanna Spalsbury, the current and future moderator of MFL said that they decided “as a house on where we would be comfortable living if MFL was torn down, but that was never even solidified.”

Senior Meredith Harrison, the current moderator of SAGE said, “Ideally, if the current SAGE house was torn down, the community would love to be placed in an off-campus house…The next ideal option if SAGE would not be able to live in a house would be to live in a residential hall that provides shared community spaces…It would help the members and moderator build community more naturally.”

Wendy Piper, assistant dean of student affairs and the director of residential life, said she, Craig Ullom, vice president of student affairs and Levi Harrel, a ResLife coordinator, had discussed alternatives with the members of the SLUs. Some of the options discussed were “renting a house not owned by the university, occupying a fraternity house or being clustered together on a residence hall floor,” Piper said.

“We are planning to begin construction later this summer for two new SLUs on the site of the existing House of Thought. We eventually want to develop the rest of the Rowland Avenue site with a total of eight new SLUs.”

Both SLUs stayed in contact with each other during this time.

“Alanna and I have had pretty open communication through this while process,” Harrison said. “I think the scare of having our communities put back into residential halls next year really brought our two communities together. The other houses also had our backs and wanted to help us in any way they could. I think in some ways, it brought the entire SLU community together.”

However, communication between SLU members and ResLife was not as strong.

Junior Nancy Ransom, a member of MFL, said, “The communication between residential life and us was very fragmented…We were under the impression that a donor was prepared to donate a large sum to the school, but upon meeting with Residential Life, a bunch of hypothetical situations were introduced, although measurements around our houses have been taken.”

Sophomore Lissette Gonzalez, the future moderator of SAGE, said, “I believe that Residential Life really tries to be as transparent as they can be, however, I believe that communication could definitely be improved.”

Upon reacting to the news that her house would be saved, Ransom said, “My first reaction was to drop my jaw, as this process has caused me a lot of stress and anxiety, but on deeper reflection, I worried there would be no way of holding Residential Life accountable if they went back on their word, as this was all done over email. I do not think this will be the case, or I hope this will not be the case.”

Gonzalez said she cried when she heard the news. “I love this house and I cannot wait to be the moderator next semester.”

Sophomore goes pro

Schurer moments after throwing a flying disc at an Ultimate game. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

Whether he is leading the Ohio Wesleyan Ultimate Frisbee club to victory or playing with his professional team, there is not much time to relax.

Sophomore Sam Schurer has signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds to play professional Ultimate Frisbee.

According to Schurer, this is a great honor.

“Last summer I played for the top-level club team in Pittsburgh; we went to nationals, did fairly well and it’s a lot of the same guys back on this team too,” Schurer said.

Schurer is also the captain of the OWU club team, the Firedogs.

“As a captain Sam is one of the most aware people I have ever met, both on the field and off the field,” said freshman Beau Forester. “On the field Sam is aware of everything that is going on, and I know that I can always count on him to give me advice about how to play better. Off the field, Sam is someone that I know is always paying attention to how everybody is both emotionally and physically, and I know that if I ever have something going on, I can count on Sam to check in with me and see how I am doing.”

Schurer (front, far right) with the OWU Firedogs. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

According to Schurer it is different playing for two different teams at one time.

“There is a lot of adjustments, the pace is just different although the fundamentals of the game are all the same,” Schurer said.

Schurer has not been attending practices for the professional team because he is still in school but plans to start his season with the Thunderbirds after the school year.

His teammates at OWU agree that he is a very skilled player for this experience.

“Sam is a great motivator and leader for the team because of his skill and experience, and he can really do everything on the field,” said sophomore Gabe Kaufman.

Strand Theatre features “The Missing Picture”

Clay figures typically do not come to mind when the word documentary is mentioned.

The Missing Picture, nominated for the best foreign language film at the 2014 Academy Awards, was shown at the Strand Theater April 21-22 as a part of the 2015 Community Film Series.

The series is sponsored by the Ohio Wesleyan English department. Professors Lynette Carpenter and Martin Hipsky make the decision of which films will be screened each year.

The documentary – which uses clay figures to fill in for missing or destroyed footage – focuses on the horrible conditions Cambodians faced at work camps under the rule of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979. A total of one third of the population died under the dictatorship.

“I was looking for an East Asian film and this one I thought would be particularly useful for students to study because it’s so experimental,” Carpenter said.

Still from the film. Photo courtesy of mubi.com.

Students are not the only ones to go to the screenings. Many residents of Delaware have also attended.

“Honestly I wish more people would come because they’re great films,” said junior Joe Pileski. “They’re not things (films) that really get advertised in the normal cinema cycle.”

The Missing Picture was directed by Rithy Panh who suffered through Khmer Rouge rule with his family. Panh was able to escape to Thailand and today is considered one of Cambodia’s most talented directors.

“It was very interesting… animation superimposed on real images,” said junior Emily Webb.

Panh and his crew who helped work on the film created hundreds of little clay figures and then proceeded to move them to different, recreated sets that resembled Cambodia’s rice fields, work camps and cities.

“It also illustrates the difference perhaps between our assumptions about film making and what it’s actually intended to do and how other cultures see film making,” Carpenter said.

The final film of the 2015 Community Film Series, Sex, Lies and Videotape, directed by Steven Soderbergh, will be shown April 28-29.

On Agent Orange and war veterans

Dr. Thomas Wolber

From 1961 to 1971, vast areas of Vietnam were sprayed with Agent Orange herbicides. The purpose of the defoliants was to destroy the food sources of the Vietcong and to deprive them of canopy cover. Up to 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to the toxin. The effects are still virulent today, resulting on tens of thousands of annual premature deaths and severe birth defects, even in second and third generations.

The Vietnamese are not the only ones suffering from the consequences of this toxic legacy. Some 2.6 million Americans served in the war, and many of them also became disabled after being exposed to Agent Orange. The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes some fifty chronic diseases linked to Agent Orange, including Hodgkin’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, leukemia, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and several cancers.

It took an epic battle with the VA, but today most Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange (except sailors) qualify for help and treatment, at least in theory. But the waiting lists can be long, and many have died without ever being seen, examined, and treated. However, there is still no help for their descendants although Agent Orange is expected to cause continued health problems for veterans and their children for at least five to seven generations.

The list of possible birth defects is long and includes things like congenital heart disease, clubfoot, cleft lip or palate, his dysplasia, and numerous diseases that most of us have never even heard of. The VA provides compensation for many severe birth defects among children of female veterans who served in Vietnam, but there are no equivalent benefits for the descendants of male veterans, who constitute the vast majority.

Anyone who believes that the Agent Orange issue is not something that affects the Delaware or Columbus community is mistaken. We have hundreds of veterans of foreign wars in our midst. One of them is Joe DiGenova, a Vietnam War veteran and the longest-serving City Council member in Delaware’s history. He is very concerned about the transgenerational effects of Agent Orange and has urged Ohio politicians such as Andrew Brenner and Pat Tiberi to support legislation that would extent help for victims of Agent Orange to children and grandchildren of male war veterans.

An article in the Columbus Dispatch last year (5/12/14) profiled John E. Pistick, 71, who lost his left arm due to soft-tissue sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that has been found in Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange. Two of his three children developed brain tumors during childhood. They are adults now, but because of their inability to live independently they still reside with their parents.

The brave men and women of the armed forces deserve our admiration and gratitude. Society owes them the best care available. They and their children should not have to worry about whether or not to receive medical help. The Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2013 merits bipartisan support. It is a broad piece of legislation – perhaps too broad because it also includes assistance to Vietnamese nationals and environmental remediation. If it does not pass, then perhaps a more narrowly defined law that specifically addresses the needs of the American descendants of Vietnam War veterans needs to be introduced.

Dr. Thomas Wolber is an associate professor of German at Ohio Wesleyan. He teaches all levels of German language, literature and civilization. In addition to those subjects, he specializes in comparative literature and environmental studies.

Rock the Block a sophomore success

With an higher turnout of around 100 more students, this year’s Rock the Block ramped up the post-Day on the Jay concept begun last spring by bringing in more food trucks and a band from Columbus.

The event was a collaboration of several organizations, including the Campus Programming Board (CPB), Residential Life, the Student Involvement Office and CLEAR (Choosing and Learning Environments with Alcohol Respect).

“We have a new musical group (the Floorwalkers)…this year we’re getting a band from Columbus,” said Residential Life Coordinator Levi Harrel, also an advisor to CPB.

“They were one of the bands we’ve been looking at for a while,” said CPB co-president Elle Benak, a freshman.

The Floorwalkers, who just released their sophomore album, started in Cleveland and were named best band in Columbus by readers of (614) Magazine in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

Two members of The Floorwalkers play an original song in the gazebo. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

Their Facebook page lists them as a garage soul band, and an OSU Lantern article said they draw influences from “blues, rock ‘n’ roll, funk and soul.”

Last year, music was provided by students ‒ Wahoo Sam Crawford, a band of mostly class of 2014 graduates, and the Arjune DJs.

The Floorwalkers drew less of a direct crowd to Delaware’s nearby Bicentennial Park, but were still listened to by students eating dinner and taking part in other activities on Rowland Avenue.

Whit’s Frozen Custard brought ice cream cups for students, which were provided free and were a big hit.

“I got free Whit’s, and there’s flower pot painting ‒ it’s good,” freshman Emily Burns said.

Senior Luke Peters said he liked the free Whit’s, but didn’t want to spend a lot of money at a food truck, particularly Kinetic, which charges $8 for its signature wraps and bowls.

President Rock Jones and his daughter, senior Anna Jones, pet the family dog at Rock the Block. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

For freshman Sarah Kohn, the food truck options were a relatively new experience; she went with Kinetic for dinner.

“OWU doesn’t have avocados and I’m eating avocados,” she said. “I’m really happy.”

Freshman Abigale Lyon also got Kinetic, though she came to the event to see the flower pot painting run by Modern Foreign Language House and its moderator junior Alanna Spalsbury, a fellow member of Delta Gamma.

The food trucks included PhillyBuster, Holy Smoke BBQ and Kinetic, co-managed by Andrew Tuchow (class of 2013).

Most students got Kinetic, but freshman Bailee Bonanno went with Holy Smoke BBQ and liked her meal a lot.

Eric Smith, a post-graduate intern with the Student Involvement Office, led the food truck selection effort and said variety was the main goal.

“We have a really good variety of food for everyone to enjoy,” Smith said.

Freshman Laura Benson hands cash to Andrew Tuchow '13 for her food purchase at the Kinetic food truck. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey. — Freshman Laura Benson hands cash to Andrew Tuchow ’13 for her food purchase at the Kinetic food truck. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

Last year, OWU brought Kinetic and local favorite Dan’s Deli to Rock the Block but Smith decided against Dan’s this time since students can eat there most Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights.

“We wanted to spice it up (and) see what else we could throw in the mix.”

“I think the event overall went very well,” Harrel said afterward, noting the crowd seemed very energized.

For next year, the organizers plan to expand even further.

“We’re going to have more tables, more games, more events for students to participate in,” Harrel said.

Musical comedy has students laughing

By: Liz Hardaway, Transcript correspondent

Sophomore Reggie Hemphill and Senior Luke Scaros, both portraying police officers, rehearse a musical number for the show. Photo courtesy of Alanna Easley.

There is nothing dry about “Urinetown: the Musical,” the self-aware and witty comedy that opened at Chappelear Drama Center on April 17.

“Urinetown: the Musical,” written by Greg Kotis, explores corporate control and environmental concerns with a comical, modern-day Romeo and Juliet love story.

Directed by professor of theatre Ed Kahn, the musical took place in a fictional town with a water conservation problem. Urine Good Company, a monopoly, allowed the townspeople to do their business in public restrooms with a price.

However, Bobby Strong, played by freshman TJ Galamba, along with others couldn’t afford to pay as described in the wonderful “Privilege to Pee” sung by senior Brianna J. Robinson.

A corrupt Senator Fipp, played by junior Christian Sanford, and power-hungry CEO Caldwell B. Cladwell, played by senior Ryan Haddad, work together to raise the fee to pee.

Freshman TJ Galamba rehearses as Bobby Strong. Photo courtesy of Alanna Easley.

After meeting Hope, Strong’s overly optimistic love interest and daughter of the evil Cladwell, played by senior Grace Thompson, he decided to follow his heart and lead the lower-class citizens to fight for freedom.

Ohio Wesleyan’s theater, music and dance departments did justice to the self-referential musical, with clever commentary from a sassy narrator, Officer Lockstock, played by sophomore Reginald Hemphill, and an innocent rebel, Little Sally, played by junior Sarah Shulman.

The vocals of the performance were exceptional, with soulful melodies from Robinson and a deep bass from Hemphill. Thompson’s voice even mirrored Hope’s merry personality, with luminous ballads evoking the innocence of a Disney Princess; birds were about to fly onto her fingertips.

The audience could not forget they were watching a musical with the overly obvious special effects and a narrator reminding over-eager characters to not reveal any spoilers. As the plot thickened, the sarcasm of the musical always provided comic relief.

“It’s humorous, it’s very self-aware and makes fun of the conventions of musicals while also utilizing them,” said followspot operator, senior Emma Buening.

Organization was a key component within the play, with the cast and crew working since after spring break. Ensembles were choreographed to the last step, and the lights and sound programmed to each second. The collaboration and hard work that went into the designs for the set, costumes, props and every other condition for the performance were undeniably impeccable.

Though entertaining, the musical did tackle social issues such as corporate greed and excess resource consumption. With many green programs being implemented on campus, it is no wonder Kahn chose a tale of a monopolized dystopia plagued with draught and gluttony.

“Urinetown’ provided a witty and informative take on the importance of water conservation,” said freshman Evelynn Wyatt.

Not the typical story, “Urinetown: the Musical” encouraged the audience to find its balance between realism and idealism to handle obstacles.

“Ironically, it is the show’s ‘villain’ who poses the important question, ‘But what of tomorrow?’ Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from both sides, as we strive to follow our hearts,” Kahn said.

OWU gets $50,000 grant to study waste reduction in eastern Asia

Making interdisciplinary connections and improving waste reduction methods are the goals of the team of faculty recently awarded a $50,000 grant.

The grant is one of five awarded nationwide and comes from the Henry Luce Foundation, a nonprofit with a variety of grant programs.

John Krygier, professor of geology and geography, is one of the grant’s campus coordinators and helped write the proposal.

He said the money will be used for exploratory research in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan that will promote collaboration between professors and students involved with environmental studies and East Asian studies, and possibly other disciplines.

“The idea is to look at some ways that faculty and classes in those two different areas interact,” Krygier said. “It comes down to helping faculty get more Asian content in their environmental courses and get more environmental content in Asian courses.”

He said there is money available for students to get involved, and interested students should contact him.

The exploratory grant encourages faculty to collaborate with colleagues who have different, but complementary perspectives on the world, he said.

“Nobody here is an expert on waste, but you get smart faculty and students together and you just pick a topic, like waste, and say ‘How would that be looked at in your field?’” Krygier said.

Taiwan, South Korea and Japan have been innovators in waste reduction, and some of the methods they have developed could be applied in the United States, he said.

The grant money will also be used to examine the waste reduction practices of nearby companies with Asian roots. One such company is Honda, which aims to reduce its waste to zero.

“That is to a reasonable degree inspired by their Japanese headquarters, though it plays out in the United States very differently,” Krygier said. “So, it’s interesting to look at how ideas about waste management have diffused to the United States.”

Much of the research will occur this summer and fall. Next semester, there will be a symposium and workshop in which faculty and students will present their research.

Krygier said if the project goes well, they have the opportunity to be awarded an additional $400,000 to expand on their work.

Junior Reilly Reynolds, moderator of Tree House, said it is great OWU can connect with other countries on sustainability issues because they should be important to everyone.

“The majority of people at OWU are white, privileged, middle to upper class Americans who will never be affected firsthand by climate change by being forced to live in areas where the environment is unsafe,” Reynolds said. “So, in order to find the purpose of caring, we must look outside of ourselves.”

Ryan Missler’s last ball game

Some members of the Missler family play ball. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey. — Ryan’s son Trent throws the first pitch. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

When Ryan Missler hit a home run, it went farther than people were ready for.

At home in a practice game, he knocked a ball into the middle of Route 23, a record, then broke it by hitting the ball past 23. At Wittenberg, the ball went far over the fence and hit an oak tree so hard it ripped the skin off the ball.

After a game at Ohio State, which Ohio Wesleyan won, his two home runs made the news on all three channels; radio broadcaster Dave Maetzold described it by saying “this is Ryan Missler, and he hits a missile out of Bill Davis Stadium.”

Against the College of Wooster his sophomore year, Ryan hit a two-run homer, the only score of the first half of the doubleheader, and then his brother Aaron hit a home run with Ryan on base to win the second half 2-1. They advanced to the tournament because of the Misslers’ work.

Ryan and his brother Aaron, who graduated in 1996, were the first brothers to play baseball together for the Battling Bishops. College was the first time they took the field together since Little League.

Ryan’s father Mike managed to get all but one of the home run balls hit by them; he wrote down the distance and date for each and hung onto them.

Last summer, Mike, Aaron and many of the teammates were gathered around this collection remembering him at his wake; Ryan died in a car accident August 9 at the age of 38.

In his three years at Ohio Wesleyan, Ryan set the record for most home runs in a season and tied the record for career home runs, along with setting additional records.

Behind these high statistics was an intense drive to play the best possible game, no matter what.

On defense, he occasionally got an error for not completing a play that was nearly impossible to begin with – but he always tried.

A banner commemorates Missler. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

“He made a play…I didn’t know how he even got to the ball and then he threw it and it was a short hop that I basically had to do the splits to get it,” Aaron said; it was one of their best plays together.

“When he was out here, he was out here for every pitch,” Mike said.

This included a time when Ryan had accidentally been hit in the head during warm ups; former Coach Roger Ingles (now Athletic Director) wanted to bench him for the doubleheader but Ryan insisted on not sitting out since it would have been the first time missing a game.

Ryan took the field, despite having a swollen, bloody left eye – which he needed most as a right-hander – and hit two home runs in one inning. In baseball, even being up to bat twice in an inning is a rare feat.

“There was nobody as intense as him,” said Eric Heise (’98). “That was the thing about Ryan. Whether it was on the field, whether it was in the weight room, whether it was playing a video game, studying…he wanted to be the best at whatever it was.”

“The more he played, the better he got so after he graduated he became twice the player he was in high school, and he was all-Ohio in high school,” said Tim Saunders, Ryan and Aaron’s baseball coach at Dublin Coffman High School.

But while he was a great player, everyone – from his high school and college coaches, teammates and family members – agreed he was a greater person.

“His statistics speak for themselves, but what they don’t say is what a great young man he was and how much he contributed to the baseball program,” said Pat Huber (‘62), a leader in the W Association of Athletics alumni.

In 2008, when Ryan was inducted into the OWU Athletics Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, he made a list of teammates he thought deserved the same recognition.

“If there was a Hall of Fame for being a man, he would have been in it,” Mike said. “He cared about everybody…we were lucky to have him for 38 years.”

In one game, the shortstop was being heckled by the other team’s fans and it was getting to him; Ryan just went over to him from third base, put his arm around him and then gave the fans “a shit-eating grin” as Mike put it.

The fans heckled Ryan instead after that, but he could take it easily and dish it back – not too long after that he hit one of his many home runs.

This dedication to his teammates didn’t end after graduation – Ryan was one of seven seniors on the baseball team in 1998 and they were a very close group.

“You could go six months and not talk to him, you call him and tell him you need him and he’d drop everything and leave,” said Thad Reinhard (’98).

“Ryan was my strength, my encouragement, my best friend,” said Heather Missler, Ryan’s widow.

“We shared a love that some go their whole life in search of.”

After graduating, Ryan spent time in the minor leagues with affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds; he got a tryout with the Reds as a pitcher but pushed himself too hard and blew his arm out.

After that he worked alongside Aaron at their father’s irrigation company, which has provided services to many of OWU’s athletic fields. He married his wife Heather and they started a family. Heise and Reinhard agreed his competitive intensity – while always positive – mellowed a lot because of them.

“Every day he was anxious to get home to be with his family,” Mike said.

“One of my greatest memories was watching the love our boys, Trent and Caden, had for their dad,” Heather said.

“Ryan would walk through the door and the boys would light up with joy by just being in his presence. Ryan was a loving father and husband and he’s missed beyond comprehension.”

Ryan still didn’t back from a challenge at times, though – Mike said he helped out on a job at Ohio University on Aug. 5 that was as tough as any they’d ever done, without any complaint.

The day he died, Ryan was playing a round of golf with Aaron, Mike and some friends. He started out badly, but he didn’t care a bit.

Members of Missler's family stand beside his banner. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey. — Ryan’s widow Heather with their two sons beside the banner. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

Eight months later, many of Ryan’s friends and family were gathered at Littick Field once again, as the baseball team held a special ceremony to the man they’d dedicated their season to.

Coach Tyler Mott organized the event, held April 18, which included remarks from Mike – who thanked the university, saying Ryan had said he was very lucky to attend OWU, and that this was the highest honor a college could receive – and a cookout led by Mike.

The team also officially dedicated the sign that had been in left field all season, retiring the first number in OWU baseball history.

The team then swept Denison University in the doubleheader honoring Ryan, with scores of 6-4 and 11-6.

But while Ryan’s number was retired before those games, it was not his last game at OWU. His last OWU game wasn’t in 1998 either.

David Eastman, the announcer and an assistant professor of religion, said Ryan is now forever a part of the Bishops’ team since no one else will ever wear number seven.

So as long as the Bishops are taking the field, he’ll be considered with them in spirit.

Wil Haygood to speak at graduation

Wil Haygood. Photo courtesy of ohiodominican.edu.

The American journalist and author Wil Haygood is set to speak at Ohio Wesleyan’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 10.

Haygood was chosen by Ohio Wesleyan president, Rock Jones and senior class president, Elizabeth Fisher.

Haygood is known for his Washington Post article, “A Butler Well Served By This Election.” This article was about Eugene Allen and serves as the basis for the movie The Butler, which came out in 2013.

Haygood has covered many monumental events in history such as Hurricane Katrina, which hit Louisiana in 2005. He has also covered the presidential campaign of Barack Obama in 2008.

Since the release of the movie, Haygood has written a book about Allen, entitled The Butler: A Witness to History. His work is based on butlers that have served in the White House during different presidencies.

“He’s had a very exciting life so far, so I’m sure he will have an interesting speech and advice,” senior Sarah Dailey said.

Haygood was taken hostage by Somali rebels in 1990. He was rescued by troops from Pakistan and in that same year, he was outside the South African prison, which was housing Nelson Mandela. At that same time, Mandela was released.

“I am very excited to hear what he has to say,” senior Alex Thrasher said. “It seems as though he has had very interesting life experiences, and has made the most of them in a very positive way.”

As part of the ceremony, Haygood will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from OWU. The university saw this fit through his many personal and scholarly achievements.

“Wil Haygood is an amazing author and I am so glad that Ohio Wesleyan has chosen him to speak at graduation,” senior Ali Smith said. “I am looking forward to all that he has to say and the advice that he will share with us.”

A dramatic Denison Day win

Whenever the Ohio Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team faces Denison University, there’s bound to be some excitement.

On April 12 that was exactly the case as senior attacker John Umbach scored the winning goal with only 19 seconds left in regulation. Junior Marcus Dietz was credited with the assist.

OWU defeated their rivals by a score of 9-8 to remain undefeated. The dramatic win avenged two 2014 losses to Denison including a 5-14 loss in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tournament.

“We definitely felt very confident going into that game,” said senior attacker Tommy Minkler. “We knew that if we played our game and did not focus too much on them, then we would come out on top.”

The goal came just after Denison received a penalty with under a minute left. This gave OWU a one man advantage.

“Prior to the goal we had a lot of opportunities in the last couple of minutes to score,” Umbach said. “As a team we did a great job forgetting about the missed shots and were able to settle down and bury one with 19 seconds left.”

The goal, number 27 of the season for Umbach, was scored in front of an ecstatic crowd of over 2,000 at Selby Stadium.

“The atmosphere is amazing and nerves always kick in,” said Umbach. “Luckily for us we have been fortunate enough to play in big games with big crowds this year like the Franklin and Marshall game and the Salisbury game.”

OWU is now 12-0 on the year with only two games remaining in the regular season. Current Division III polls have them ranked at 3 and 4 in the country respectively.

“We have really been trying not to focus on the rankings too much,” said Minkler who contributed two goals in the win. “It’s easy to get caught up in the polls and get a big head, so both the coaching staff and the senior class have been really trying to keep everyone grounded and humble.”

Minkler and Umbach both said that the feeling after the game was incredible but that the goals for the season were still clear.

“While this was just another regular season game, the atmosphere in the locker room was great,” Umbach said.

Minkler added that the game taught the team a lot about themselves and that they plan to play Denison again in just a few weeks, at the NCAC tournament.