sports – Page 3 – The Transcript

Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball roll past the College of Wooster

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor

The Ohio Wesleyan University men’s basketball climbed to the top of the NCAC standings with a win against the College of Wooster on Feb. 11.

Senior Ben Simpson and junior Nate Axelrod contributed nearly 50 points combined in the win against the conference rival. In the previous game, when the Bishops played the Scots, the score was 99-76.

The lingering thought of the last time these two teams met motivated the Bishops and the hard work and preparation paid off with the score 81-72.

“We realized that this was a big one with only a few games left,” said sophomore Chris Allocco. “We needed to not make the same mistakes as last time.”

“The main thing we needed to change was our competitiveness,” said Axelrod.

“We just wore them down throughout the game.”

The Scots did not just give in. At the half, the score was Wooster leading 38-30.

That did not faze the team, however. They went from scoring 39.9 percent of their three-point shots in the first half to 52.94 percent.

“Throughout the game, we trusted the process even when we were down,” Axelrod said. “We had faith in each other and we knew we would give them a run for their money.”

At the end of the game, Simpson and Axelrod had stand-out performances and together contributed 49 points, 7 assists and 4 blocks. They also recorded 37 minutes played in the game.

One aspect that influenced the game was the fans or as they should be called the “Sixth Man.”

“The fans are a great help. They really gave us the energy we needed,” said Axelrod.

“The fans were great,” said Allocco. “The combination of senior night and the stakes in the game made the atmosphere that much better.”

There is no looking back. The Bishops are now in the driver’s seat in the NCAC and are looking forward to the possibility of meeting the Fighting Scots one more time. Both Allocco and Axelrod believe that the teams will play again. But only time will tell.

“If things go the way we want, we will definitely play them again,” said Axelrod. “I have no doubt we will come out with the same energy again.”

Men’s basketball finishes sweetly and strong

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor

Seth Clark and the Ohio Wesleyan University’s men’s basketball team stayed consistent with another conference win over the DePauw Tigers on Jan. 21.

Earlier in the week, the men’s team played Wittenberg at home with the final score 76-70.

After beating their conference foe, the team’s intentions were clear heading into the game versus DePauw.

“We knew that DePauw would be tough, but we knew that we had to stay focused,” said sophomore guard Chris Allocco. “We also knew we had to strike early to set the tone.”

The Bishops never seemed to pull away from the Tigers as they trailed by 9 points at the half.

However, the DePauw Tigers tried to claw their way back in the second half, but still fell short with the final score 79-72.

“They are a good team that plays hard,” said junior point guard Nate Axelrod, who contributed 13 points to the win. “They have improved a lot since last time we played them. Their shooting guard is the lead scoring in the league so we had to put pressure on him.”

Axelrod’s performance seemed to be the key in the close win over DePauw. He played for 33 minutes of the game.

Teammate wing Law Jones said Axelrod’s ability to control the offense helped set the team up for success.

“It’s also fun to watch him play,” Jones said.

However, Axelrod was not the only factor in the win. Junior guard Seth Clark scored 31 points.

“It’s not a surprise to see [Clark] play like that,” Jones said. “It was fun to watch him hit everything on offense and lockdown on defense. I hope he will keep it going for the rest of the season.”

As of now, the Bishops are 10-2 in the NCAC and have a 13-6 overall record.

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.”

OWU Rugby wraps up fall season

By Ross Hickenbottom, Sports Editor

The Ohio Wesleyan club Rugby men’s and women’s squads recently wrapped up it’s fall seasons, both being named semifinalists in their conference championship tour- naments. The women are part of the Ohio Valley Women’s Collegiate Rugby Conference, along with NCAC rivals Hiram, Denison, Kenyon, Oberlin and Wittenberg, and the men are part of the Great Lakes Collegiate Rugby Confer- ence Central Division along with Denison Kenyon and Oberlin.

Both squads began their fall season as early as August 31, just a week after classes began at OWU. Their seasons consisted of games versus much larger schools including Xavier University, Ashland and the University of Kentucky. With only seven weeks of contests before the National Small College Rugby Organization playoffs.

Coach John English, who began coaching the men’s program midway through the spring of 2014, and in the fall of 2015, took over as the Director of Rugby for both men’s and women’s programs, set a goal to put Ohio Wesleyan University Rugby on the forefront of Ohio rugby.

“There has been great support for the rugby program from everyone at OWU, from the President all the way down,” he said.

“The university does a great job in recognizing the success of the players and program as a whole.”

As far as putting OWU on the map for Rugby, he has done just that. Both teams finished with winning seasons, and chalked up impressive numbers against opponents such as men’s wins over Oberlin 68-0 and Ashland 87-14, and a staggering women’s win over Wittenberg 55-7.

The OWU Rugby program continues to grow and gain relevance on campus through constant recruiting and adver- tisement among campus. The men’s team fielded 20 players in their first bout of the 2016 fall season while the women’s team fielded 25. Both numbers have shown an increase as compared to previous years in the program.

On Saturday the 29th, the men ended their season with a hard fought loss against the Jackets from Baldwin Wallace, 14-46 while the women ended theirs with a loss to the Oilers from Findlay 25-0.

The OWU Rugby teams are clubs of men and women student-athletes committed to the constant pursuit of perfect pitch, and are always recruiting.

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.

Men’s golf wins Gatorade Collegiate

By Julia Snyder, Transcript Reporter

Ohio Wesleyan University’s men’s golf team competed in the Gatorade Collegiate in Dover, Ohio at Zoar Golf Club Sept. 3 and 4 and came in first of 10 teams.

The team shot scores of 282 and 297 respectively, earning a total team score of 579, three strokes above par, beating out Allegheny by 16 strokes.

Sophomore Adam Armstrong contributed to the total team score by shooting a combined score of 137, placing second in the tournament by one stroke.

The other three contributors were freshmen Will Efkeman, Aunders Erickson and Shane Hoben, shooting combined scores of 147, 147 and 150 respectively.

Coach Ian Miller said the team was well prepared and he is looking forward to seeing the growth of the team while working together and pushing each other to improve.

“[We] executed our plans for attacking the course and responded well to holding the lead after round one,” Miller said.

Armstrong said he feels pretty confident that the team can finish top three of every tournament.

“There should be no reason why we shouldn’t. We did really well, it’s the first tournament we’ve won since 2014,” Armstrong said.

Junior Zach Shahrokhi said he was excited about having beat Allegheny.

“We beat Allegheny, which is good because they were runners-up in the conference last year and we were happy to beat them because that shows that we’re competitive within the conference and we are capable of beating [Allegheny] in conference this year,” Shahrokhi said.

The team has six freshmen and Shahrokhi said this is the most competitive team he has played with.

“The freshman have added a lot of talent and depth to the team which has helped us to improve our consistency,” Shahrokhi said.

Miller said, “The assimilation of the freshmen into the team has been very good. We started that process last spring—getting the incoming freshmen talking and keeping up with each other throughout the summer. That has helped the returners become familiar with them and their abilities and that led to an immediate acceptance and respect.”

The team is more competitive now and they are looking forward to winning some more tournaments and playing better in conference this coming spring.

“We’re looking forward to one of our home tournaments this coming weekend and feel confident we can beat the other teams at Plum Brook Country Club in Sandusky, Ohio,” Armstrong said.

The art of the OWU relay

Julia Snyder, Transcript Reporter

Running in a relay is considered an honor in track and field at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Kris Boey has been the head coach of the track and field team for the past 14 years. He said that having a strong relay team says a great deal because it shows the depth and quality of the team.

“Relays are fun, they’re exciting and they’re something that, as a team, we put a premium on because it makes a strong statement of your team and the culture should be that you earn your way onto a relay,” Boey said. “It’s a desirable thing. We take pride in that.”

There are several different relay events for outdoor and indoor track, but the same distances and strategies are used for the boys and girls.

There are three different relays in outdoor track: a 4×200-meter relay, 4×400-meter relay and a distance medley. There are only two relays for outdoor track: a 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay.

“The 4×100 is a pure sprint. It’s the trickiest because a hundredth of a second matters and exchanges have to be perfect,” Boey said. “It’s an extremely exciting race.”

Junior Colin McShane said, “The 4×4 is the most fun event for me because it’s the very last event of the track meet, and usually big meets come down to whoever wins the 4×4. To be a member of that relay is special because the whole team is watching you and depending on you guys to run well and basically win the meet.”

A distance medley consists of four runners who run 1200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1600 m, respectively.

“The distance medley is unique because of the four different distances. The exchanges can be a little tricky because runners are coming in at different speeds,” Boey said. “It becomes really strategic on where you put your people.”

There are many variables that go into choosing runners for a relay. Boey said that he wants the type of person who wants to have the baton in their hand, someone who is very team-oriented.

Both McShane and senior Sara Johnson agree that running a relay is less pressure and more fun.

“For a relay, I don’t get nervous,” Johnson said. “You’re not in the blocks, you’re like chasing someone and it’s with three other girls, so it’s more fun that way.”

McShane said, “When you’re on a relay, it really brings in the team aspect of the sport. I always run better in a relay because you feel like the guys depend on you more. My other roommate, Adam [Turner], has run the 4×4 with me since I was a freshman. It makes it more fun to do a relay with somebody you’re really good friends with.”

Sophomore Griffin Peyton is new to the team.

Peyton said, “Running a relay really establishes our team motto, ‘we stand alone, together,’ which is nice. I like that.”

Mixed results for OWU’s basketball teams

Leia Miza, Transcript Reporter

A bittersweet note was left at Branch Rickey Stadium on Jan. 24 as Ohio Wesleyan University’s women’s team was defeated and the men’s team triumphed over Denison University.

The women’s team went first against Denison and kept the score close throughout.

By the end of the game, the team faced challenges, which resulted in a loss.

“I was pleased with our rebounding effort in the first half, but they just wore us down in the fourth quarter,” said Stacey Lobdell, coach of the women’s team at OWU.

Rylie Pittard, a freshman on the women’s team, said, “throughout the game it was pretty even for both teams, we would score and then they would counter it.”

The players forced 21 turnovers and 13 steals, but the defensive effort still resulted in a 58-42 loss for the Battling Bishops.

Immediately after the women clashed, the OWU men’s basketball team came onto the court and began warming up. The stands filled with more fans and foot-stomping and chanting filled the stadium.

The scores between both teams remained close throughout the first half. But near the end of the game, there was a major turning point.

“The team went down by seven points with five minutes left in the game and we went on scoring run, took the lead and won the game,” said senior team captain Claude Gray.

This was a good test for the team as it gave it a chance to “show we have heart,” Gray said.

“I was just glad me and the team could pull together and do the things needed to be done to win the game. I’m looking forward to seeing the team keep improving.”

OWU track team sweeps triangle meet

Freshman Kevin Jones receives a baton from junior Colin McShane (pic- tured left). Photo by Leia Mizas.

Ross Hickenbottom, Sports Editor
Friday night was a successful one for the Ohio Wesleyan indoor track teams as they swept the OWU Triangular meet, where they hosted Mount Vernon Nazarene and Muskingum University.

The men’s track team, led by senior Adam Turner’s first place finishes in both the 300-meter dash and the 500-meter run, dominated the meet with their 180.5 points as compared to Mount Vernon Nazarene’s 84.5 and Muskingum’s 66.

A long list of first place finishers for the men include sophomore Nate Newman in the high jump, senior Aaron Port in the shot-put, junior Colin McShane in the 60-meter dash, senior Houston Smith in the 800-meter run, sophomore Nick Horton in the mile run, senior Nathan Madonich in the 3000-meter run, freshman Quentin Broomfield in the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Westin Short in the pole vault and senior Ahmed Abdel Halim in the triple jump.

Sophomores Nate Newman and Griffin Peyton as well as freshman Tommy Davis all feel as if the meet went as planned, if not better.

“We really exceeded expectations,” said Newman, a multi-event athlete.

As for the women’s team, the results are just as dominant as their male teammates.

Led by senior Sarah Alflen’s two gold medals in the shot put and the weight throw, the ladies took the meet with their 176 points, compared to 109 for Muskingum and a mere 26 for Mount Vernon Nazarene.

Another long list of gold medalists contributes to the team success, consisting of sophomore Emily Brown in the triple jump, sophomore Amanda Clay in the 60-meter dash, senior Sara Johnson in the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Rachell Resnik in the mile run, senior Abbey Warth in the 800-meter run, freshman Alyssa Acevedo in the long jump, sophomore Nicole Rozsa in the pole vault and JaMilla Holland who won the 200-meter dash.

Meg Teitelman, a sophomore multi-event athlete, contributed the “great team win” to the freshmen stepping up to their calling. In specific, Alyssa Acevedo, who took gold in the long jump, as well as finishing second in both the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles.

Acevedo said the team was expected to “destroy them, and that’s what we did.”

Both teams look to continue their dominance in their upcoming NCAC Quad at the College of Wooster on Saturday the 23rd.