The first and second round games were played with mini goals and no goalkeepers. However, for the third and final round, teams played with regular soccer goals and goalkeepers. Each game was around 30–45 minutes long. The referees for the tournament were third-year Zoe Garver and fourth-year Brynn Adams, who are both women’s soccer players and recent All-NCAC honorees.

College third-year Olivia Gonzalez is on the club soccer team and played in the tournament. Her team — Koby’s BFFs, named after third-year Koby Mbonu — was a mix of College students, varsity soccer players, and members of other varsity teams.

“I had a great time at the tournament!” Gonzalez wrote in an email to the Review. “It was awesome for BSAG to organize this event, and I’m really proud of the turnout and success!! I was on Koby’s BFFs and despite our early elimination to Him (which actually featured a lot of my club soccer friends), we still had a blast.”

Gonzalez joined club soccer at the end of her first year, and though she believes she still has a long way to go in improving her game, it has given her an opportunity to practice a sport she loves.

“It was definitely daunting to join the club at first because I hadn’t played since middle school,” Gonzalez wrote. “However, we have practices 4–5 times a week, and slowly I’ve improved!”

These days, Gonzalez serves on the club soccer leadership committee team, which helped with the organization of the soccer tournament.

“BSAG invited me to one of their meetings to discuss logistics for the event and to run some ideas by club soccer regarding game timing, promotion, and rules,” Gonzalez wrote. “But I credit the majority of the event planning and success of the event to BSAG!”

Mbonu, who is co-chair of BSAG and on the men’s soccer team, served as one of the main organizers for this event.

“BSAG wanted to create another sports tournament for the Oberlin community and decided a soccer tournament would be the best idea,” Mbonu wrote in an email to the Review. “We partnered with Club Soccer and Yeofit (who were great to work with) and had an amazing time.”

Mbonu reached out to the club soccer team because it would guarantee players for the tournament. He also reached out to YeoFit since they would provide resources for the event, such as hoodies and frisbees for raffles and food and beverages.

“We haven’t hosted anything in the past with either organization, but will definitely be doing this tournament next year so we’ll be sure to reach out again,” Mbonu wrote. “In addition, the athletic and non-athletic community don’t cross over too much at Oberlin so it gave us a chance to do that as well.”

Only one team could win it all, and that was Tacha’s Team. Tacha Lee, a third-year on the women’s soccer team, thought that it would be fun to put a team together. It was composed of all varsity soccer members from the men’s and women’s teams.

“The tournament was really fun!” Lee wrote in an email to the Review. “It was nice seeing a bunch of people play soccer together. Winning was also great but it was more fun to just hang out with my friends and kick the ball around.”

Third-year Samantha Gilfond, who is on the women’s soccer team, played on the winning team.

“It was nice getting a chance to play with my teammates again after our season ended and also play alongside the men’s team,” Gilfond wrote in an email to the Review. “I thought it was a great way to spark friendly competition and meet new people. I love playing soccer and I am very competitive so it was a great way to support BSAG and leverage my competitiveness.”

When asked how the tournament was compared to a Division III in-season soccer match, Lee commented on the light-heartedness of the game.

“It definitely was a lot more relaxed than varsity soccer and I could just kinda enjoy myself while playing soccer more casually with others,” Lee wrote.

Gilfond noted the similarities and differences between this game and varsity games.

“It was super different, especially when we were competing against teams that were not made up of majority soccer athletes,” Gilfond wrote. “In the final game both teams were made up of mostly varsity soccer players which made the level of play pretty high.”

Mbonu, who also played on Tacha’s Team, had similar remarks to Lee and Gilfond.

“It was great playing in the tournament,” Mbonu wrote. “All around, I believed everyone had a great time though. It doesn’t really compare to DIII soccer at all because a lot of people playing weren’t currently training athletes, but the competition level was still high and I hope it will keep the same standard for next year.”

To our team, thank you for allowing us to end our collegiate careers by creating history. Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for buying into the vision of what we wanted our season to be and what we’ve always wanted it to be. Thank you for creating a family and sticking together through all of the cracks.

It took three years, but we did it. There’s no team like us. No one else is going to break out in dance battles during a timeout or do a catwalk before the game to Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love.” You all have provided a home in the chaos of what the last four years have been for us. We’re grateful it was this team we got to accomplish this season with. Every single person was integral to creating our family.

To our newest members, our first-years, you all make us so incredibly excited for the future of this program. When we look at you, you remind us how far we’ve come. We started just like you and can’t wait to see the people you become and watch you lead this program to an even better future than we can imagine. You committed to building relationships on this team and taught us how to be better teammates, leading through empathy.

To our second-years, you truly brought the joy of playing to this program. You raised the bar in discipline, and your love for the sport of volleyball is contagious. Each of your diverse perspectives and personalities taught us how to be better leaders through listening and making sure each voice was heard. When you joined this program, you reignited each of our loves for this sport. We can’t wait to watch each of your flames grow.

To our third-years, you are the core of our little family. We shared our first season with you, and you’ve grounded this team for the last three years. You started us on our leadership journey and have instilled confidence in us with your trust as we’ve grown up together. While you may not feel ready, we have full confidence in your ability to lead the team. You don’t even know how much the underclassmen look up to you and how much of a leader you already are. As we pass the baton onto you, we have a couple things we’ve learned. First, the person always comes before the player, and your worth is never determined by your performance on the court. Lead with empathy, and compassion will follow. Second, em- brace your own leadership style. The way each of you lead doesn’t have to be the same, and it won’t be the same. Everyone on the team brings something special, and it’s our differences that build our community. Lastly, change is a good thing. Over our four years, we’ve learned that, even though change is scary, good can always come from it. Two years ago, Stanny joined the program and transformed how each of us see the game of volleyball for the best. Without change, we could not have built the program we have today.

As our lives are about to change, we know we will always have a home here and can call OCVB our family, and we can’t thank you all enough for that.

Peace, love, volleyball.

Tomorrow, Gotham FC and OL Reign will square off in the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League Championship game on Bashor Field at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. A new champion will be crowned this season; Gotham hadn’t won a playoff game since 2013 and the Reign earned their first playoff win since 2015. Sixth-seeded Gotham snuck into the playoffs with the final berth and proceeded to upset No. 3 North Carolina Courage in the quarterfinals and the No. 2 Portland Thorns FC in the semifinals. The Reign entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, beating No. 5 Angel City FC in the quarterfinals and upsetting No. 1 San Diego Wave in the semifinals.

Connor Stalions Resigns

With a dynamic offense and one of the most daunting defenses college football has seen in the last decade, the Wolverines are 9–0 and the No. 2 ranked team in the country. However, for the last three weeks, the spotlight has not been on any specific player; rather, it has been on 28-year-old football analyst, Connor Stalions.

A former Marine Corps officer, Stalions now finds himself in the center of the NCAA’s investigation into illegal off-campus scouting and sign stealing. Stalions bought tickets to over 30 games at 12 Big Ten stadiums and four tickets to non-conference College Football Playoff contenders over a three year span. According to ESPN, Stalions also bought tickets to the 2021 and 2022 Southeastern Conference Championship games via the secondary market. Sign stealing is allowed in college football, but not to the extent of Stalions’ actions. Teams are able to watch film from upcoming opponents’ previous games as long as they do not go off campus and/or use electronic equipment to record a player or coaches voices or signals. NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1 states: “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited.”

On Nov. 3, Stalions resigned amid the growing investigation into the program. He had previously been suspended by Michigan without pay on Oct. 20.

“I love the University of Michigan and its football program,” Stallions told The Athletic regarding his resignation. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with the incredible student athletes, coach [Jim] Harbaugh, and the other coaches that have been a part of the Michigan football family during my tenure. I do not want to be a distraction from what I hope to be a championship run for the team, and I will continue to cheer them on.”

C.J. Stroud’s Historic Day

With 46 seconds left on the clock and two timeouts, quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans had the ball down four to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On the previous play, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield capped off a 10 play, 61 yard drive by finding tight end Cade Otton open in the back of the end zone from 14 yards out to put the Bucs on top 37–33.

Stroud, the second-overall pick in the draft, proceeded to lead the Texans down the field on a six play, 75 yard drive in 40 seconds to put the Texans on top 39–37, connecting with fellow rookie and second round pick Tank Dell on a post in the back of the end zone from 15 yards out.

Stroud finished the game with an NFL rookie record 470 passing yards, 5 touchdown passes, no interceptions, and a 147.8 passer rating — the highest single game rating by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. The rookie of the year favorite became the sixth player in NFL history to record over 450 pass- ing yards and five touchdown passes with no interceptions.

At 4–4, the Texans are in the thick of the playoff hunt, sitting one game back of a wild card spot and two games back of the American Football Conference Southern Division leaders, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

NBA Slate Empty Tuesday; Players and Fans Encouraged to Vote

The NBA season is in full-swing, but on Tuesday, Nov. 7, it took a day off. For the second year in a row, the league did not have any games on Election Day.

Last season, the NBA announced they would not hold any games on Election Day in an effort to encourage teams, players, coaches, and fans to vote in their own communities, increasing overall civil engagement among the NBA community. That initiative has carried over into this season.

“The league will continue to encourage fans and the broader NBA community to make a plan to vote and participate in the civic process,” the NBA said at their 2023–24 schedule announcement on Aug. 18. “As part of this initiative, the NBA will share important resources from voting organizations and highlight the civic engagement work of teams in their markets.”

Throughout their season, which lasts from September to mid-February, the team partakes in a rigorous practice schedule. Each week, they start practices at 5:45 a.m. on Monday mornings, followed by a second practice along with a lift in the middle. Despite this time commitment, the seniors couldn’t imagine a world where they weren’t swimming.

Weber has been swimming competitively since she was nine years old, and Ferrari since she was eight.

“For me, I could not have pictured my life without swimming, and it’s really difficult for me to picture my life in the future without swimming,” Weber said. “I think a lot of that has to do with how swimmers really work hard and I like the feeling of being with my team and getting through a really tough set together, or joking around on the bus on the way to a meet, or eating dinner together after practice. Those are things that I really value and I know I’m gonna miss once I graduate. But I think I’m lucky that every single team I’ve been on has been a really great group of people that are all super dedicated, super hardworking, and also willing to have fun.”

Ferrari appreciates the swim team for the values that they share.

“Swimmers as a group of people are really interesting and dedicated,” Ferrari said. “ There’s a certain value to them that other people — I don’t know, I don’t want to say ‘don’t always have,’ but there’s just something about swimmers and the culture that a swim team builds in my life that I really always wanted to keep. It’s kind of weird to be graduating and think of myself as a swimmer and over my competitive career per se. But honestly, that team environment and team culture and just the mentality of a swimmer — that I don’t even know how to describe.”

In contrast to some other sports, being named captain is not an election process, but instead decided by the coaches who use their judgment and receive recommendations from previous captains. Both seniors were named captains at the end of their second year and have continued to remain in the position since.

“I know in other sports, the best players are often chosen to be the captains, and that’s definitely not how it works on the swim team,” Weber said. “We’re not the fastest people on the team, so I think a lot of our role is being a role model to other people, so that’s a big responsibility. Also, serving as an intermediary between the coaches and the team, although we’ve been trying to kind of change the leadership structure a little bit so that more people can feel included and feel like they have a voice directly to the coaches.”

Swimming is both a team sport and an individual sport. Swimmers race against competitors to improve their own times while competing to improve the team’s standing, and working to improve their technique and endurance. As captain of a team unique in this way, Ferrari emphasizes the spatial awareness needed to navigate being captain of a swim team.

“I feel like you have to be aware of your mindset and where you are because obviously you need to be in the mindset to go out and race and be hyped and excited for your races,” Ferrari said. “But also, at the same time, watching out for the team and noticing, ‘Oh, maybe this person is really anxious about this event, or they’re nervous before this’ and just taking a second and talking with them and helping them get ready for their races is a lot of work. I also did that as a teammate and a member of our team, so I don’t think that was a behavioral shift once I became a captain.”

Weber points out that a common misconception people have about swimming is that it is solely individual, when in reality, swimming as a sport would not be attainable if you were by yourself.

“When it comes to a meet, yes, it’s just you and the pool, and that’s what it really is,” Weber said. “But, whatever you do, whatever place you get, that determines the points for the team. At the end of the day, your contribution can decide whether or not the team wins.”

Out of season, the captains run captains’ practices, which are lower-stakes and meant to keep the team in shape. During this time,
the team lifts, swims, and plays occasional water-polo games.

“We are also in charge of the team’s Swouse,” Ferrari notes.

“Swouse” is the term the team uses to refer to the swim house.

This team is very closely bonded and spends the majority of their time together, both in and out of the pool. Weber notes how at their last conference meet last year, which is hosted at Denison University every year, the team was just as engaged and excited as the beginning.

“I’ve never had more fun than our conference meet last year,” Weber said. “Everyone was swimming so hard and doing their best, but also you could see that our team was having more fun than any other team there. We were just joking around with each other. So it’s definitely the people that make the team.”

Weber and Ferrari’s first season occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, so they aren’t familiar with how the team operated pre-pandemic. As a result, they have prioritized creating new traditions. They express how much the team has changed since their first year, and they are working hard to ensure the culture stays the same once they leave.

One of their favorite traditions is the team brunch hosted at the start of each year, which the class of 2024 started as an opportunity to get to know the new first-years and reconnect as a team after the summer. This year, all the fourth-years on the women’s team are housemates, so they invited the team to their house to reconnect.

“Also, as a women’s team, in the fall we always go apple picking and go to corn mazes and do fun fall activities,” Ferrari said.

Going into their second year as captains, Ferrari and Weber are experienced in motivating the team to work hard and push each other. Now, their goals have shifted to ensuring they leave a positive legacy for the program.

“Swimming is a hard sport,” Ferrari said. “It’s a lot of time where you can’t talk to people, you’re in the water, your head down, and it can be very hard mentally. So just making practices fun, and making that team environment as fun as it can be, is kind of what I’ve been trying to work on the most.”

Weber explains her shifts in goals during her second year as captain.

“At first it was more about trying to figure out how to be the best leader I could, and I think that’s still true, but also with the mindset of like, ‘I’m going to be leaving this team soon, so how can I help foster the best team environment I possibly can?’” Weber said. “How can I make it inclusive so that people feel like their voices are heard? How can I make sure that people are having fun and actually enjoying practice, enjoying the need to not take anything too seriously for myself, for my team now, but
also to set them up?”

Outside of swim, the captains balance various extracurriculars along with their jobs working for the Admissions Office.

Ferrari works as a senior fellow with Admissions, a peer tutor, and an Environmental Studies major representative. She also does research with Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Andrew Pike, OC ’08, on mosquitoes in Lorain County. She is one of the
officers of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and also volunteers weekly with Oberlin Community Services.

Weber also works for Admissions as a tour guide and is part of OSteel, Oberlin’s steel pan ensemble. Along with this, she is an America Reads tutor and has been in the same fifth-grade classroom at Oberlin Elementary tutoring English language for multiple years. She also does research for the Anthropology department. Last summer, Weber did a study-abroad internship in Peru where she worked at an non-governmental organization in Cusco that works with Indigenous people. This past summer, she worked in Cleveland at Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services as an immigration legal intern.

The teams are randomly placed into eight groups. In each group, teams play each other twice, once at home and once away. Each win earns a team three points, each draw one point, and each loss zero points. After the group stage, the two teams in each group with the most points progress to the second round. In this round of 16 teams, a second draw happens, and the teams are split into two brackets of eight. Up until the finals, the teams play each other twice in each round. Teams move on by either winning two games, by winning one game and drawing the other, or by scoring more goals than their opponents if they split the two games. Ultimately, the final consists of only one game played in a predetermined stadium that does not give either team home advantage.

For many, winning the Champions League is the ultimate goal in their soccer career. When it comes to conversations about who are the greatest players in soccer, people like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and Johan Cruyff come
up — all of whom have won the Champions League. The conversation also extends to teams. The greatest teams in the world have
won the competition multiple times, like Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona. In total, 23 different teams have won the competition, the most recent being Manchester City with its first win.

Real Madrid has won the competition a record 14 times and holds the title of the first team to ever win three in a row, winning in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The closest team to that record is AC Milan, which has seven titles. There are similar competitions in soccer, like the Copa Libertadores for South America, the African Champions League, the Asian Champions League, and
the Concacaf Champions Cup for Central and North America. They all follow the same basis: the top teams form national leagues and play in a continental tournament.

As mentioned, the Champions League is comprised of the European national leagues’ top teams. However, there are two other competitions for teams who were close to finishing in the top spots: the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League. These two competitions have the same structures as the Champions League but consist of teams who have finished below the top spots of their leagues, often in either fifth or sixth place. The winner of the Europa League gets an automatic ticket to the Champions League the following season, while the winner of the Conference League gets one to the Europa League the next season. UEFA also hosts the Super Cup, a match between the Champions League winner and the Europa League winner. This year, it was Manchester City vs. Sevilla FC. Manchester City won, so it won both the Champions League and the Super Cup, an achievement few teams attain.

The Champions League came under threat a few years ago when some of the presidents of Europe’s biggest teams took is-
sue with how UEFA distributed the league’s revenue. Its income is distributed among all the teams, including smaller clubs that don’t regularly appear. In an act of protest, the presidents of these major teams announced the Super League, a competition containing only Europe’s most prominent teams. They aimed to keep all the revenue for themselves, with each elite team expecting a $400 million influx — four times what the winner of the Champions League earns. The backlash was intense: teams, fans, players, politicians, and managers all came together to denounce the Super League’s elitist and money-driven aims. Regardless, Fiorentino Perez, the chairman of the Super League and the president of Real Madrid, still supports its creation as he thinks the sport is “ill.” Perez is one of the many who have shown time and again how their focus is not on the sport itself but the business of it, which angers many fans worldwide. The Super League came to a halt after most of the teams withdrew their applications, since UEFA and FIFA threatened to impose strict sanctions on those who continued in the project.

The Champions League remains the pinnacle of global soccer, with players and teams fighting for top positions every year to get the opportunity to play on Europe’s grandest soccer stage. For fans worldwide, getting to see their favorite team in the Champions League is always an honor and privilege. The Champions League is well underway this year as teams head into their fifth week of group-stage matchups. Current champions Manchester City hope to retain their title but will come under threat from European giants like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Barcelona.

For the first time, cross country had their very own Senior Night, organized by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. In previous years, the cross country seniors were celebrated alongside track and field during one collective ceremony at the end of the year. This year, however, SAAC organized a ceremony to celebrate cross country on their own during the women’s soccer game against Hiram College. 

Fourth-year Margo Lee, who has been running track since she was five years old, expressed how personal this ceremony felt. 

“Definitely sad,” Lee said. “I have been playing at Oberlin for only two seasons, and I think that has made it especially personal. Wednesday was Senior Night, then we had our conference Saturday, which made me super aware going into Senior Night — like, I’m a senior and it’s my last one. But yeah, I’m feeling good.” 

Lee had the unique experience of being a transfer student-athlete, which has impacted her experience at Oberlin. When asked how her experience may have been different if she hadn’t joined cross country, she explained that her team served to ease the anxiety that came along with transferring. 

“I honestly can’t imagine my time as a transfer student at Oberlin without being on the cross country and track teams,” Lee said. “Transferring to a small school, especially halfway through an academic year, is such a scary thing to do, and I feel so grateful that I was greeted by a group of wonderful people who quickly became my closest friends.”  

Each senior expressed how different this year was compared to previous years playing their sport. Lee notes how this year she felt acutely aware of the fact that she is graduating in the spring.

“As a result, I am intentional about being present, definitely more so than in my previous year and a half at Oberlin,” Lee said. “I’m definitely emotional about having limited time to be a part of something so incredible as Oberlin cross country and track and field, so I try to soak up every moment, whether I’m in the middle of a tough workout, writing mantras on my teammates’ arms before a race, or walking with teammates from the locker room to [Stevenson Dining Hall] for dinner.” 

This past weekend, the cross country team participated in their first round of conference meets hosted at Denison College. Despite the meet being two hours away, they were greeted by 20 of their fellow track teammates who carpooled to cheer the team across the finish line. Lee described the comfort this brought her, making the away meet feel like home. 

“Our coach, Ray Appenheimer, often talks to us about the importance of making every meet feel like a home meet, and our team made sure that happened last weekend,” Lee said. “Throughout most of the race, I could hear my teammates cheering, and that energy gave me strength and pushed me forward. Perhaps most notably, they delivered a Yeo Baby cheer that I could hear for an entire mile.”

The cross country team is known for their exceptional spirit on the course. Lee highlighted how Oberlin was the only team who was covered in glitter and mantras they had written on each other in Sharpie. 

“I’ll write like ‘I’m strong,’ ‘I’m fearless,’ ‘I’m great,’ that kind of thing,” Lee said. “This weekend I wrote, ‘For the love of OCXC, OBLITERATE YOURSELF’ and I think that kind of thing lightens the mood. It’s like, I’m about to endure 20 more minutes of being drenched — but [I’m] having fun.”

Hunter Wilson, a fourth-year on the football team, emphasized hoWw rejuvenating his last season has been with new head coach John Pont. Wilson described the end to his football career as bittersweet.

“I would say that being with the guys for so long and growing such a strong bond with them has meant a lot for me,” Wilson said. “And it has really brightened my experience at Oberlin. But now that it’s coming to the end, knowing that I’m not going to be able to see them as much and interact with them and get to do all the things that I was doing like practice in the morning, lift, things like that — that’s gonna hurt a little bit, but obviously I really enjoyed my experience, and spending time with my family on Senior Night meant a lot for me.”

When asked how this year’s Senior Night differed from previous years, Wilson emphasized the impact that Coach Pont has made on the team’s camaraderie. The team won 37–35 on home turf against Concordia University Chicago for the first time in four years. 

“So this season, under our new head coach, Coach Pont, I felt a greater sense of faith and camaraderie amongst our team as opposed to previous seasons, when there was a lot more negativity in our program,” Wilson said. “Whereas this year, you know, when things have gotten difficult, we’ve all maintained positivity, and we also were able to get a big win in our second week of the year, and the season is not over yet. So, we still have two more opportunities. So, you know, obviously we’re moving in the right direction. There’s a lot of growth from last season just in terms of the faith that people have in our team. That just continues to build.” 

Wilson expressed how the recognition he received during the ceremony brought him immense satisfaction. 

“I felt recognized, especially for my contributions to the team,” Wilson said. “I really cherish the discipline that being a collegiate athlete taught me. It required me to create a schedule. It required me to be on time and attend everything that I had set in my schedule and give it my full effort and ability, which I feel like moving on into post undergrad and my life taught me a lot of lessons that I can continue to maintain.” 

Field hockey competed in their Senior Night game on Saturday, putting up a strong fight against Allegheny College, but ultimately losing 1–0. For fourth-years Abbie Patchen and Dee Pegues, the celebration evoked many heartfelt emotions. 

“I was feeling super reflective and sad that this was my last year playing field hockey,” Pegues said. “I’ve put so much work into the sport for so long that it feels weird that it’s over. But that moment on the field surrounded with the best team in the world, I felt nothing but pride and happiness. I am so glad I could spend my last game with them.”

Similarly, Patchen explained how nervous she was for the last game of her career. 

“I was more nervous for that game than I probably had been for any game in my career,” Patchen said. “There’s a lot more pressure when it’s the last game and all of our families were there but once we started warming up it all went away and we were all just able to have fun and enjoy our last time playing together.” 

A common Senior Night tradition is for all non-seniors to decorate the locker rooms for the graduating class prior to game day. Pegues expressed how not participating in the decorating was particularly moving. 

“I think the biggest difference was not decorating the locker room,” Pegues said. “I remember spending hectic late nights decorating the locker room for previous seniors. It felt so weird being on the other side of that experience. I know it seems small, but not decorating the locker room really stuck out to me.” 

When asked what they’d miss most about the season, both players emphasized how the time they spent with their teammates meant the most to them. 

“What I’ll miss most is getting to see them at the end of every day,” Patchen said. “Getting to laugh with them, just while we practice. Sometimes school can be really stressful. But practice and playing feel like it’s a time where you get to be outside, run around, and spend time with all of my best friends.” 

“I’m going to miss the team so much,” Pegues said. “Not just interacting with the team, but also playing with them, especially the seniors. The seniors and the team have been the one constant in my four years at Oberlin, and seeing us all improve over the years has been so special to see. I’m going to miss playing with them so much.”

Stalions was originally a volunteer assistant in 2015, but officially became part of their staff in 2022. A Michigan native, his parents both went to University of Michigan. Stalions played football throughout his childhood and his dad was a football coach for an eighth grade team. He graduated from the Naval academy in 2017, where he worked as a volunteer football assistant during his undergraduate years. He also wrote a 550–600 page document called the Michigan Manifesto that he managed daily, which outlined his 15-year blueprint for taking over the University of Michigan Football program and becoming head coach. Stalions is suspended with pay from his role for the Wolverines due to sign-stealing allegations.

To be clear, sign stealing in collegiate football is allowed to some extent. For example, people can steal signs before the games by watching film. However, scouting opponents in person and recording signs is not allowed, especially when using electronic equipment to relay information during a game. An NCAA bylaw implemented in 1994, rule 11.6, states that “off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited.” However, for the same event at the same site, “An institutional staff member may scout future opponents also participating in the same event at the same site.” Another exception is for Conference or NCAA Championships, where “an institutional staff member may attend a contest in the institution’s conference championship or an NCAA championship contest in which a future opponent participates (e.g., an opponent on the institution’s spring non championship-segment schedule participates in a fall conference or NCAA championship).” Under Article 11. H in the NCAA Football 2023 rules book, “any attempt to record, either through audio or video means, any signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is prohibited.” 

Before Michigan supposedly started sign-stealing in 2021, the program had a streak of losing three or more games for the past couple of seasons. Since 2021, however, they have lost only three games. So, where does Stalions come in?

Stalions bought tickets for over 30 games at the Big Ten schools for the past three seasons, with tickets to 12 of the 14 Big Ten. Stalions would pay for people to go to games and sit on the opponent’s side to film opponents signals, specifically to be behind and across the benches around the 45-yard line. This was revealed on his public Venmo transactions, where he was seen paying people with the caption “GA” the day before a Georgia vs. Ohio State game. In other cases, people would charge Stalions with the transaction caption as “Game.” These were games in which Michigan was going to play the opponent or play in that stadium in the future. However, it is unclear whether Stalions himself was funding those tickets. After all, he only makes $55,000 a year, and the Washington Post reported that this operation would cost around $15,000 if Michigan planned to send scouts to 40 games. 

Most recently uncovered is a photo of a man, who appears to be Stalions, dressed as a Central Michigan University Coach when CMU played Michigan State as their season opener on Sept. 1 and was pictured with a “VB” — or Visitor’s Bench — pass. However, the CMU head coach claims that Stalions’ name was not on the list of names associated with the VB pass for that game. The University of Michigan played Michigan State Oct. 21, winning 49–0. 

This isn’t the only Michigan football scandal going on at the moment, however. In January of this year, former Co-offensive Coordinator Matt Weiss was fired after accessing other University of Michigan emails without authorization. Though this isn’t tied to the sign-stealing scandal, the FBI is now involved in looking into Michigan’s football program. On top of that, Head Coach Jim Harbaugh served a university-imposed three-game suspension earlier this season for unrelated recruiting violations. 

Despite off-the-field scandals, the Wolverines have been dominant on the field. Michigan currently sits at 8–0 and is the No. 2 ranked team in the country. They have outscored conference opponents 229–31, with an average margin of victory of 34.8 points per game.

However, they have yet to play any significant competition. On Nov. 11, they will travel to play No. 9 Penn State, and two weeks later they will face off against No. 3 Ohio State in one of college football’s most-anticipated rivalry games. Ultimately, the results of these two games will determine if Michigan can make it back to the College Football Playoffs for the third year in a row, and potentially win the program’s first national championship since 1997. 

If Michigan didn’t already have a target on their backs, they sure do now. As time goes on, so will the investigations, and more details will come about the scandals. Coaches and players will be forced to answer questions in the media and hear about it every time they turn on the TV or check social media.

The Wolverines have become the villains of college football. Will they embrace it, or will it potentially tarnish a record-breaking season for one of college football’s most prestigious and historic programs?

“We’re running our best when it matters most,” Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Coach Ray Appenheimer wrote in an email to the Review. “It’s a testament to how hard they have trained and how well the team has taken care of themselves throughout the semester.”

The women’s team finished the competition with 99 points. Third-year Sage Reddish led the Yeowomen and finished in 23 minutes and 13.4 seconds, earning them second-team all-conference honors. Fourth-year Eliza Medearis and third-year Camila Ciembroniewicz both earned third-team honors, while fourth-year Margo Lee, second-year Amber Borofsky, first-year Sophie Mateja, and third-year Caleigh Lyons all made it into the top 50.

The men’s team finished the competition with 62 points. The team’s best performances came from third-years Walter Moak and Jonah Barber, who ran the 8K in 26:12.2 and 26:18.7 respectively, earning the pair first-team all-conference honors. Third-year Johnny Ragsdale was not far behind and earned third-team all-conference honors with a time of 26:42:5. 

“We couldn’t have asked for a more positive start, to be honest!” Ragsdale wrote in an email to the Review. “I think we all ran great individually, but more importantly we worked very well as a team on a difficult course. That’s what will help us most at regionals!”

Appenheimer was quick to credit the runners who were highlights for the team this past weekend.

“So many of the runners stepped up today,” Appenheimer wrote. “Up front Walter, Jonah, Sage, and Eliza did a great job leading. For both Camila and Johnny, it was their first time getting all-conference honors in cross country. Danny, Margo, and Aiden were also close and ran great for the team. It was a total team effort.”

Ragsdale echoed Appenheimer’s statements and was quick to highlight how highly each runner placed in the race. 

“It just shows the strength in depth we have on this team!” Ragsdale wrote. “Cross country isn’t about who has the fastest runner, but the fastest team. For both the men’s and women’s teams, that’s the case!”

The positive note set the team in a great position for their final two events, one of them being the NCAA regional championships.

“We are all super excited for regionals,” Ragsdale wrote. “It’s going to be a fast course and the feeling around the whole team is we are so amped to toe the line together! If we treat regionals like we’ve treated every workout and every other race this season, we are a dangerous team.”

Cranmer wasn’t always a rugby player. As a kid, he was an offensive lineman on his youth football team, but always wished that he had more action than blocking. When he was 15, his friends, who were also offensive linemen, started playing rugby and got to run with the ball, so he decided to give it a shot, too.

“What really got me interested [in rugby] is that I played football, and I played on the offensive line, and I saw my friends who were also on the offensive line,” Cranmer said. “They were allowed to run with the ball [in rugby] and I really wanted to do that, so I ended up trying out … and started playing.”

Cranmer was looking for schools that had elite rugby programs during his college search and was heavily influenced by his peers’ experiences at Bowling Green.

“My coaches both played rugby [at Bowling Green], and I had a lot of friends that played there too,” Cranmer said. “I actually got a small scholarship to go there and play, so that was really cool.”

Rugby is not a varsity sport under the NCAA, so Cranmer competed on Bowling Green’s varsity club team, which means the team is only partially funded by the school. The Falcons are a part of the Division I-AA conference and play against other top varsity club teams, including The Ohio State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Michigan. They were recently ranked second in the nation by the National Collegiate Rugby Coaches’ Poll. 

As a part of the Falcons, Cranmer was a flanker, which means he was mostly in charge of support. His main tasks on the field were to ensure his team kept possession of the ball and making tackles on defense. 

Since they were a top team, the Falcons went on multiple national and international trips for competitions while Cranmer was part of the team. Although those trips were exciting and memorable, they aren’t what Cranmer misses the most about his playing days.

“The parts I miss the most are just the camaraderie, being around teammates,” he said. “I just really miss the camaraderie and the competitiveness — that’s something I definitely still wish I had in my life, something to compete in.”

Although Cranmer’s collegiate career was filled with highlights, it wasn’t all positive. He dealt with injuries that took him out of the game and required a lot of time and patience during recovery.

“I had an AC joint injury: I separated my shoulder my [third] year, so that put me out for a good three or four months,” Cranmer said. “That was really disheartening just because I couldn’t play and it was very painful — even sleeping was uncomfortable depending on my position. But definitely the biggest challenge was just dealing with injuries.” 

The Falcons have consistently been at the top of collegiate rugby for a few years and have gone all the way to the national championship game in back-to-back years. However, Cranmer wasn’t able to win during his time at Bowling Green.

“We lost in the national championship game my senior year, so that was very, very tough to go through, but we bounced back the following year and they ended up winning,” Cranmer said. “It was right after I graduated, so I wasn’t eligible anymore, but I’m proud to be a member of that team without being on the field.”

Growing up, Cranmer always knew that he wanted to pursue sports as his career, preferably working with athletes as a trainer or coach. As a former collegiate athlete, he understands the commitment it takes to be a student athlete as well as the toll it can take on a player’s mental and physical health. That’s why he approaches his job as an athletic trainer with an open and understanding mind.

“Rugby, in general, gives me some perspective on what athletes go through and how to approach an athlete versus how not to,” Cranmer said. “I tend to check in, make sure [my athletes] are feeling good about the workout, help [them] out, of course, if [they] need it. I think knowing what I needed as an athlete from a strength coach now helps me provide that to our athletes here at Oberlin. I also understand that [athletes] have to dedicate a lot of time to [their] sport and [are] also students and very busy so I understand that there’s going to be ups and downs, sometimes stress is higher. Let’s not add on to that by being a screaming, yelling coach or making the workout too intense depending on what’s going on during the season.”

This is Cranmer’s first year at Oberlin, and he is looking forward to connecting more with his athletes and pushing them to be the best they can be.

“The athletes are fun, the students are too, and I think Oberlin is a great place,” Cranmer said. “I’m really excited to be a part of it.”

In an unlikely matchup in the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series between two wild-card teams, the Texas Rangers dominated, winning in five games over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The team’s victory is their first World Series crown in franchise history. The Rangers rebounded well after being crushed in Game 2, giving up just eight runs in the next three games. Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was named the World Series MVP for the second time in his career, joining just three other players as two-time MVPs. Pitcher Max Scherzer, outfielder Adolis García, and shortstop Marcus Semien were other key contributors to the Rangers’ success.

Although the Diamondbacks lost, they had a memorable run to the World Series, having won the fewest regular season games out of any team in the postseason. Furthermore, second baseman Ketel Marte set a record in this year’s World Series — he holds the mark for the most postseason games with a hit at 20. His streak ended in Game 5 but has cemented his name in MLB history.

LA28 Committee Proposes New Sports for 2028 Summer Games

The LA28 Organizing Committee has proposed five sports be added to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles: baseball/softball, cricket, lacrosse, squash, and flag football. The first three sports have all been a part of the Olympics in the past — baseball/softball from 1992–2008 and 2020, cricket in 1900, and lacrosse in 1904 and 1908. Squash and flag football would be brand new additions to the Olympic sports catalog. The International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Programme Commission will issue a recommendation to the IOC Executive Board for these sports to become new additions. If the recommendation is accepted, the sports will then be presented to the IOC Session for approval.

For the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, there will be four new sports: breakdancing, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. All four sports have seen a dramatic rise in popularity in the last few years and have established competition circuits, including the X Games for skateboarding and the World Surf League. 

MLS Playoffs get underway

The 2023 Major League Soccer Playoffs have just begun. In this year’s format, the eighth and ninth best teams in each conference — the Eastern Conference and Western Conference — played one game to determine which team earned a wild card spot. In both conferences, the eighth seed won the wild card game: Sporting Kansas City defeated the San Jose Earthquakes in the Western Conference battle in penalties, while the New York Red Bulls trounced Charlotte FC 5–2. Kansas City has carried their momentum into the playoffs and demolished the No. 1 seed St. Louis City 4–1. However, St. Louis, and every other team that lost the first game in their best-of-three quarter final matchup, can still make it into the semifinals by winning their next two games. The playoffs continue this weekend with No. 1 seed FC Cincinnati looking to close out the New York Red Bulls and the Seattle Sounders seeking a sweep against FC Dallas.

Pride Tape Reinstated in NHL

In June, the National Hockey League announced that it would be banning the use of “Pride Tape” on hockey sticks, along with all other “specialty” jerseys or gear. The league’s announcement came after players faced backlash last year for refusing to take part in warmups wearing “Pride jerseys,” including defenseman Ivan Provorov, who cited his Russian Orthodox religion. Some teams then didn’t partake in “Pride Night” in an effort to protect their players.

The NHL’s announcement was met with swift and sweeping backlash. Travis Dermott, a defenseman for the Arizona Coyotes, was the first to violate the ban and wrap his stick in Pride Tape. “It’s not like I’m shutting up and going away,” Dermott said in an interview with PHNX Sports. “I know more questions are going to be coming. We’re just going to be as prepared as we can be to just spread love. That’s the thing. It’s gay pride that we’re talking about, but it could be men’s health. It could be any war. It’s just wanting world peace. Everyone’s got to love each other a little bit more.”

In light of the backlash, the NHL reversed their stance on the ban. 

“After consultation with the NHL Players Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, players will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season,” the NHL said in a statement.