This meet will not be the first time that track and field athletes have hit the road to lend support to the cross country team. Because most cross country athletes are also part of the track and field team in the spring, the two teams are very closely tied. According to Reese Hyatt, a third-year sprinter on the track team, athletes who compete exclusively in track frequently take time out of their weekends to travel to cross country meets to support their teammates. 

“If there is a meet that is close enough, we try to gather some track folks to go and watch,” Hyatt said. “I try to travel to support as much as possible.”

Kambi Obioha, another third-year sprinter on the track team, added that attending cross country meets can be important for team spirit. 

“We go to cross country meets to just run around and support and just to get the whole team hyped for competition,” Obioha said. 

Obioha also mentioned that, when the cross country team competed in Granville earlier in the season, he was able to attend. 

“It was very competitive, and they’ll be doing the same race,” Obioha said. “I’m excited to come out and support again.”

Amber Borofsky, a second-year on the cross country and track and field teams, said that cross country athletes appreciate the support and energy that the track athletes bring.

“I love being able to hear our Oberlin cheers, like the ‘Yeo Baby,’” Borofsky said. “It’s also really exciting when you’re looking around and seeing teammates or other people from Oberlin to know that you have that broad support.” 

While the two teams are separated during the fall, athletes mentioned that, when cross country athletes compete alongside track and field in the spring, the separation doesn’t affect them or the team’s chemistry. 

“I think that the track and cross country team could be described as a big family,” Hyatt said. “Towards the beginning of the year, it may feel a bit separated or disconnected due to us practicing and meeting separately. … Once we join together for indoor season, the team becomes much more connected and feels a lot more like a family.” 

Obioha mentioned that, despite the differences in their individual events, the athletes who compete exclusively on the cross country or track and field teams never waver in their support for one another. 

“We operate like one big family, so regardless of whether somebody runs longer than another person or not, or we’re not in the same events, we stick together as one unit,” Obioha said. “We mainly do it for the purpose of supporting each others’ goals and getting them through challenges together.” 

According to Borofsky, part of the unity that the teams feel is due to the continued support of the cross country team from the track and field athletes who don’t compete in the fall.

“We come together on track and bring the energy for each other, and likewise, they bring the energy for us,” Borofsky said. 

Hyatt added that supporting the cross country team in the fall is essential for creating a healthy team environment once the two teams merge together in the spring. 

“I think it’s really important to have a good relationship with the cross country team because, at the end of the day, we are all the same team,” Hyatt said. “Making good connections with the team in the beginning of the year will ensure success towards the end of the year once we are all competing together and cheering each other on.” 

Obioha echoed the sentiment and added that the cross country athletes also add a lot of energy and support to the track team during the spring season. 

“Regardless of whether you’re alone or not in your event, you’re always going to have people from the cross country team, or really good friends who are in your same events, come out and support you,” Obioha said. “You’re never alone when it comes to competing.”

Since softball is a spring sport, they do not participate in games in the fall — except for Fall Ball, one day when the team can play up to three games. On Oct. 7, the team hosted Ursuline College, an NCAA Division II school, and lost 6–4. 

“We played a DII [team], but we were definitely able to hold our own, which was great,” Brito said. “We lost a few players from last year, so it’s taken us a while to see where all the pieces are going to be for this year. Especially after play day, we have a much clearer idea of how our defense is going to shape up, and it’s looking really good.” 

Throughout the fall the team is allotted a set number of practices, which start in early September. After these, the team then transitions to captains’ practices for the rest of the fall, led by Austin, Brito, and Di Dio. In addition, they lift two to three times a week. 

The three housemates have all played softball for many years. Austin has been playing since elementary school. 

“It was the first sport I ever played and I just stuck with it because I like pitching so much,” Austin said. “[I] essentially [have] control on the mound and we just get to be outside with our friends. It’s a good environment and it teaches you a lot. I’ve learned so much about dedication and teamwork from travel ball and then playing in college, and it builds a really strong community.”

Brito has been playing softball since she was four years old. She hasn’t stopped playing because her mom never got the opportunity to continue playing after high school. 

“I really like it, but I mostly play because my mom didn’t get to,” Brito said. “She had my brother when she was 17, [so] she had to quit. So, I keep playing for her.”

Di Dio credits softball as her break from school, which motivated her to keep playing at Oberlin. 

“In high school and now, it’s a time to get away from academics and responsibilities,” Di Dio said. “It’s like structured hanging-out time with your friends; it’s your favorite people and you get to see them every day. Our team is so close-knit.”

In their house, the fourth-years have a cherished cone, a softball tradition. Each year, the softball fourth-years pass on a giant megaphone cone to the next group of fourth-years, with each graduating class signing the interior. Maria Roussos, OC ’18, came back during homecoming and noticed the megaphone cone sitting in their living room.

“She goes, ‘I cannot believe you guys still have this cone,’” Di Dio said. “And we’re like, ‘What?’ She’s like, ‘I started this when I was in school, when I was a [first-year].’ One of her [fourth-years] gave it to her. When you’re a [fourth-year], you sign the cone — under the cone, there’s a list of names from all these years past. She came and saw it in our house and she’s like, ‘I am so glad someone still has it. I thought it’d be thrown away right now. But I like that you guys are keeping the tradition forward. You have to give it to the next house.’”

Outside of softball, the three are constantly busy with other extracurricular activities, which the team is incredibly supportive of. Over the summer, Brito had the opportunity to study in Japan through the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment Grant as an East Asian Studies minor. When she did her LIASE presentation at the beginning of the school year, the team came and watched her present. When Di Dio presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium last year, she received similar support from her teammates and coaches who came to her presentation.

Since her second year at Oberlin, Brito has worked at the Multicultural Resource Center and as a manager at the Dionysus Disco. Over the last year and a half, she has been working with 15 different minority student groups on an archive for minority student groups on campus. She has gotten the school to approve a digital database, which will be uploaded to the Oberlin College Library server, and a physical archive, which will be in Wilder Hall. After Oberlin, she plans to take a gap year on campus to continue working on this project. Later, she plans to go into information science and archiving with a focus on social justice, library science, and information access. 

“There’s not many schools that are doing that,” Brito said. “I’m very excited.”

Di Dio is a peer tutor for Psychology and Statistics classes as well as a PRSM trainer on campus. She has been in multiple labs and assisted Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics Adam J. Howat in formulating a study investigating political identity and affective polarization. She currently does research at the Michigan State University Twin Registry, where she’s mainly focused on studying the etiology and development of externalizing behavior, specifically antisocial behavior. She presented her research in Spain at the annual meeting of the Behavior Genetics Association. She’s currently applying to Ph.D. programs in clinical science and psychology, where she hopes to continue her work or go into the field of behavioral genetics. 

Austin does research in the Ryno Lab in the Biochemistry department, looking at changes in the transcriptome of arabinose-treated E. coli. This summer, she participated in a nuclear and radiochemistry summer school program at San Jose State University, where she learned about the basics of nuclear chemistry and visited the Livermore National Laboratory and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Now, she’s looking at graduate schools for radiochemistry or biochemistry.

When asked about advice she would give to her first-year self, Austin was nostalgic about her time here. 

“Just enjoy the things that Oberlin has to offer, because it’s going by so quickly,” Austin said. “It’s over already, and we have to cherish these last moments, like going to Long Island Night.”

Di Dio believes that one’s first-year and fourth-year selves are very different. 

“A lot changes between first year and fourth year,” Di Dio said. “You think you might have it figured out, but you don’t — roll with the changes.”

This past January, the NCAA made changes to rules surrounding on and offseason practice scheduling starting this semester. Specifically, they have changed the measurement for the length of the season from weeks to days.

“A new playing seasons structure for all sports besides football will be established that eliminates weeks as a measurement for a season,” the NCAA website says. “This establishes a traditional start and end date for fall and spring segments, increases the nontraditional segment interaction from 16 to 24 days, measures the winter sports season by 114 days with the flexibility to use eight days before or after the season, and measures seasons for sports such as golf, rowing, and tennis by 114 days.”

The changes to the rules will likely equate to a more intense or longer offseason, which the NCAA calls “nontraditional segment interaction.”

Natalie Dufour, a third-year middle hitter on the volleyball team, appreciates what the offseason can do for her individually and for the team as a whole. She asserts that the offseason is really what athletes make of it, and that individuals and teams who work incredibly hard will then see the results and rewards in the fall.

“In my past couple of years here, what [the offseason] has looked like is practice three times a week, and also we lift twice a week when we have practices with coaches,” Dufour said. “It’s more focused on individual skills and breaking down mechanics, while during the season in the fall, we’re much more focused on team dynamics and building those connections.”

Since volleyball is a fall sport, the team begins competition around the beginning of the school year. Due to the immediacy of the season, volleyball players, like all fall athletes, must treat the summer as a continuation of their offseason. Dufour said players must maintain their fitness and practice regularly during the summer in order to compete well in the fall.

Myranda Montoye, a fourthyear on the cross country and track & field teams, agreed with Dufour’s statements. She said that since track is such a technique and effort based sport, not training regularly will have immediate detrimental effects to runners’ speeds and times.

“The sport of running doesn’t allow you to take much time off because it’s not really a skillbased sport — you have to run,” Montoye said. “If you take more than a week or two off, you’re losing fitness.”

Montoye joined the cross country team this year as additional offseason training for her track season. She runs the 400-meter, which is a quarter-mile, either one lap around the outdoor track or two laps around the indoor track. She said that her issue is less her speed and more her endurance in the race, and that cross country training will improve her endurance and track results greatly.

Gavin Girard, a third-year defender on the men’s lacrosse team, is also in favor of the intensity and workload in the offseason. Lacrosse has three scrimmages in the fall offseason, two against other colleges and one against alumni. The rest of their offseason includes practices and additional lifting.

“Typically, we’ll go three times a week, go for about two hours, but in reality it’s more [like] two and a half hours with stretching and all that kind of stuff,” Girard said. “But it’s pretty intense once we get going.”

Girard, alongside multiple Yeomen on the lacrosse team, competed in a summer league to maintain his fitness and skills. He echoed the sentiments of both Dufour and Montoye.

“Absolutely [the offseason] helps,” Girard said. “I think especially with a huge [first-year] class of guys coming in who are learning the ropes of things, having the time and scrimmaging in the fall is huge for building that chemistry we’re gonna need.”

Volleyball’s next game is today in Wooster against St. Mary’s College of Indiana, lacrosse has its alumni game Saturday, Sept. 23 at 3 p.m., and track and field will likely start their season around early December.

First introduced at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the heptathlon is a competition in which athletes, typically competing in the women’s division, participate in seven events: the 100-meter hurdles, the long jump, shot put, and the 200-meter run on the first day, and the broad jump, javelin throw, and 800-meter run on the second day. The event requires participants to be proficient in all areas of track and field and the training regimen is different from that of athletes who only run or only throw. Athletes like Hill and Vaughn work with multiple coaches on their teams who specialize in different areas of track and field.

“We have throws practice twice a week on top of our regular practices,” Hill wrote in an email to the Review. “We hurdle twice a week, high jump and long jump once a week, and do sprint work three times a week. We also lift, do tempo workouts, and perhaps most importantly take rest days!”

Heptathletes are allowed one false start in the track events. Two false starts result in disqualification. In the shot put, broad jump, long jump, and javelin, each athlete is given three attempts.

“The heptathlon is my favorite event to coach,” Assistant Track and Field Coach for Sprints and Hurdles Ben Wach wrote in an email to the Review. “I love that it’s unsolvable. Because what is required to be good at each event has effects — some positive and some negative — on each other event, every improvement creates new opportunities and new challenges. Getting to work through that process with people as resilient and hard-working as Hayden and Celia is as interesting, engaging, and fun an experience as I can have as a coach.”

In the competition last weekend, Hill put on a quality performance, winning the shot put, 200-meter run, and 800-meter run. She also posted personal records in shot put, the 800-meter, the 100-meter, javelin, and long jump, which all together add up to five of the seven events. Hill’s efforts earned her the NCAC Field Athlete of the Week award, and she is looking to build on her momentum in the NCAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship this weekend.

Vaughn, who just began training for the heptathlon this year, had a successful weekend, coming in sixth place overall. As the two heptathletes competing for Oberlin, Hill and Vaughn spend much of their training time with one another. In an email to the Review, Vaughn expressed her admiration for Hill’s dedication and commitment to the heptathlon.

“Hayden is such a naturally gifted athlete,” Vaughn wrote. “I got to watch her get better every practice, and it’s wonderful to have someone as incredible as her to look up to everyday. She’s so observant, kind, and diligent.”

Vaughn’s trademark has become her signature yell during her events, which she attributes to a much-needed release of anxiety and tension, especially following a bad event.

“At the end of the first day Hayden asked me ‘Do you use anger to fuel you?’ and I said, ‘Do you ask that because I yell in my events?’” Vaughn wrote. “I think of it as expelling all negative thoughts. Everyone says it reminds them of [Clare Tiedemann, OC ’22,] and I like to think it’s keeping her legacy alive even though I didn’t know her well. I asked Hayden if she was using anger now to fuel her, and she was like, ‘Oh yeah, after my high jump I wanted to take the anger into shot put.’ … She did and it was incredible. … After using anger, she kept PRing insane amounts, and I’m so glad she found something that worked so well for her!”

Vaughn and Hill’s bond has helped propel them to the top of their conference, and the support they have for each other and among the rest of the track and field team has made a world of difference in their development and success.

“That bond among the team is the most important ingredient to each person’s success here,” Wach wrote. “Success in track and field requires competing at the very edge of your body’s capacity — having the support of 80 other people who are invested in your success makes finding that edge so much easier.”

Track and field culminates its season at the NCAC Championships this weekend at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Track and Field

On day one of the NCAC semi-finals Feb. 24 in Greencastle, IN, the women’s track and field team placed first of seven teams, while the men’s team placed sixth of eight overall. Also present at this championship was the women’s basketball team. All three teams cheered one another on throughout the events.

“If I’m being a little selfish, I will tell you Wittenberg’s track team was there too at the track meet but wasn’t at the basketball game,” Track and Field and Cross Country Coach Ray Appenheimer told the Review. “I really think [it] speaks to this place and this community. … We understand that the more supportive your community, the better your performance is going to be. … So much of what we do around here is ‘I see you … and I want to be here for you, and if there’s anything I can do to help support you, help challenge you, help build you up, I’m gonna do that for you.’ That’s not only a basketball or track thing, and it’s not only a department of Athletics thing — it’s an Oberlin thing. It is part of the fabric of this place, and it’s why we all choose to come here every single day.” (“Track and Field, Women’s Basketball Cheer Each Other On During NCAC Championships in Indiana,” The Oberlin Review, March 3, 2023)

Basketball

At the same NCAC tournament, the women’s basketball team defeated Wittenberg University 63–57 to advance to the finals, promoting them to the fourth seed in the conference. In the finals Feb. 25, Oberlin lost 79–71 to Ohio Wesleyan University’s Battling Bishops after a valiant effort. With just over 12 and a half minutes left in the game, the Yeowomen led by 11 points, but the third-seeded Battling Bishops ultimately upped their defense to win their sixth NCAC championship.

Lacrosse

Playing in poor weather conditions April 5, the women’s lacrosse team won its final non-conference game 15–5 before it entered a string of NCAC games.

“It was very sporadic, and in the moments of torrential rain, the game became very back-and-forth,” College third-year Audrey Koren told the Review. “Both teams had difficulty holding onto the ball because it was hard to see and everything was slippery. Once the rain would stop for a while, we did a good job regaining control and maintaining possession.” (“Women’s Lacrosse Defeats Baldwin Wallace,” The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2023)

Softball

The softball team ended its season April 26 with a 4–3 win in game two of a doubleheader against The College of Wooster. The game lasted nine innings. At the end of the seventh inning, the College of Wooster Fighting Scots and the Yeowomen were tied 1–1, but the Yeowomen pulled ahead in the bottom of the ninth with three additional runs. College first-year Hailey Alspach intercepted a steal during the game. Earlier this semester, Alspach spoke to the Review about her hopes for the team. “We have become an aggressive offensive team with a greater knowledge of how to handle certain defensive situations,” Alspach said. “Moving forward in the season, the team is really excited to see what we will be able to accomplish with everything we have learned. Hopefully, we’ll be able to show that this team is better at competing than last year and come out with more wins than before.” (“Despite Early Losses, Softball Optimistic for Season,” The Oberlin Review, March 10, 2023)

Baseball

Over spring break, the baseball team made a trip to Arizona for the Tucson Invitational, where the team won four games and lost three. During the team’s first matchup against Carleton College on the fifth day of the invitational, which Oberlin won 11–1, College third-year pitcher Vince Dolcemaschio won an NCAC award for his work on the mound. “[The trip] was awesome,” Dolcemaschio told the Review. “For me personally, baseball is my passion and number-one priority. Being able to only focus on baseball without the burden of school or homework was a pleasure. I wish every week could be like that.” (“Baseball, Softball Find Success During Spring Break Trips,” The Oberlin Review, March 31, 2023)

Tennis

The men’s tennis team won its final match before entering the NCAC tournament. This final win was an away game at Ohio Wesleyan University, and the final score was 8–1. Both the women’s and the men’s teams lost in the first round of the NCAC tournament — the men saw a 5–4 loss to Wabash College while the women lost with the same score to The College of Wooster.

The One Love Foundation was founded in 2010 after Yeardley Love, a fourth-year student and lacrosse player at the University of Virginia, was brutally beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend weeks before she was supposed to graduate. In her honor, Love’s mom and sister began the foundation to help increase awareness of abusive relationships while simultaneously educating students and athletes on the signs of a healthy relationship.

In April 2016, lacrosse player Alex Wagman OC ’16 began Oberlin’s One Love foundation chapter and led the first workshop. In a 2016 Review article (“Athletes Explore Relationship Violence,” The Oberlin Review, April 22, 2016), Wagman explained the difference between One Love and workshops held by Title IX.

“As an athlete, we have Title IX workshops that are somewhat similar, but they really don’t get you involved or motivate students to participate willingly,” Wagman said in the article. “The main difference for me is that One Love addresses the stuff that happens before the actual issue in an engaging and relatable way.”

Lee acknowledged the importance of One Love’s intersection with lacrosse.

“Having One Love be a lacrosse-based foundation makes it more accessible to the athletic community,” Lee said. “Student athletes are more willing to learn about what healthy and unhealthy relationships are through One Love.”

The workshops that occurred last year were called the Escalation Workshops, which Koren explained in further detail.

“This was the basic understanding and a longer workshop that covered the path of a direct abusive relationship where the woman was ultimately killed by her boyfriend, which is why One Love was created,” Koren said.

Unlike last year, these workshops were mandatory for all athletes. They consisted of a series that depicted the dynamic and dialogue among three friends when one of them was experiencing an unhealthy and abusive relationship. This year, the committee chose to focus the One Love workshops on the topic of “Door 3.”

“Door 3 was specifically about how you as a friend support your friend that is in an abusive relationship, what are the warning signs you’re seeing, how can you help, and what resources and tools you can use,” Patchen said.

Overall, this set of workshops was a success. They were facilitated by Patchen, Koren, and Lee, as well as by other members of Oberlin’s women’s lacrosse, field hockey, and track teams. Oberlin’s own sexual harm prevention education program, Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct, also helped facilitate. The staff helped students identify the unhealthy signs shown in the video and discussed how everyone can support their peers when they begin to notice these signs in real life.

“We had really positive feedback for both workshops,” Lee said. “One of our goals was to start conversations and to have all student athletes be aware of what is happening, because we hear a lot about abusive, toxic, and manipulative relationships going on with our teammates and on the campus.”

By holding these workshops, students and student-athletes were educated on tell-tale signs of abusive relationships and were given a list of resources to help when these signs become present.

“Our goal is to provide a base for people to start having these hard conversations,” Patchen said. Because Koren and Lee were abroad during the fall, they were not able to organize a fall workshop to provide first-years the basis of the One Love Foundation. Next year the group hopes to hold more workshops earlier on. “Our plan for next year in the fall is to have a mandatory [first-year] athletes workshop so everybody has the same basic knowledge going into the spring workshops,” Koren said. “For the spring, we will pick another discussion topic and do another all athlete workshop.”

Overall, the 2023 “Door 3” workshops had a great turnout, with a majority of student athletes attending.

“For the three of us, this cause means a lot, and we want to give back to the athletic community,” Patchen said. “We are hoping that this is our legacy and it will continue on when we graduate.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Walk me through the process of stealing a base. When do you decide it’s the right time to steal?

Basically, we have signs, and our coach gives us a sign to steal. The way that it works in softball is that when you’re on a base and you get the sign to steal — the pitcher doing her motion, which is when she picks up her back foot — is when you leave that base to steal.

How does your ability as a baserunner affect how you look at softball when fielding?

Whenever you get a ball in the field, you try to think about what the runners are doing and how they’re going to be running. Then you can think about where you want to throw the ball. You can also think about your next play after you get the ball, just anticipating what they are doing.

What’s your favorite memory of stealing a base this season?

I would say there’s two. One of them would be when I stole third base, and then our coach was like, “You just broke the record.” That was pretty cool. And then the other one was a moment in our game against Capital University where we were actually down by one run in the last inning, and I had gotten on base. We had two outs and I had gotten on base, and the catcher bobbled the ball. So I took off to go to second after she bobbled it and I almost got out, but I ran into the shortstop really hard, so she didn’t get me out and the ball got away from her. Then I was able to get a hit in because of that. If I had gotten out there, then we wouldn’t have won the game and had that walk off.

Has base-stealing always been an asset of your game, or did the Oberlin coaches help make it a strength of yours?

It’s definitely not been an asset of my game in the past. Our coach this year, Coach Julie Pratt, is super aggressive. That’s one of the main aspects of the game she focuses on — being really aggressive with stealing bases. Nine out of ten times, if you get on, she’s gonna send you. That’s definitely not been something in the past where I have been like, “Oh, I have so many stolen bases.” That’s been implemented this year because of our coach.

You’ve already set the record of stolen bases as a first-year with eight games left in the season. What are your personal goals, both at bat and on the bases, for the rest of the season? Do you think you can best your record in the next three years?

I definitely think that’s a good challenge to set, because I’ll be growing as a player throughout the next three years, so hopefully I can try to beat my record. I would say that for the rest of the season, my goal as a hitter is to stay consistent. One of the goals I always have is to try to go .500 each game. Normally when I bat in the lineup, I get up four times a game, so usually I’ll try to get a hit two out of those four times. I think this program is going in the right direction. We’ve obviously had a little bit of a rough past few seasons, in terms of our record and stuff like that, but our new coach, she knows so much about the game, and I think she’s really changing this program for the better.

As previously reported in the Review, (“Oberlin Softball Players Face Racism from Rose-Hulman,” The Oberlin Review, May 20, 2022), Rose-Hulman players yelled racial taunts at V Dagnino, OC ’22, and third-year Mia Brito during a double-header in Terre Haute, IN. Since the article’s publication, Rose-Hulman confirmed the attacks to the Tribune-Star in an article published June 8 and suspended two players indefinitely from the team. Additionally, it stated that the entire team participated in educational workshops from Rose-Hulman’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

“This type of hurtful behavior is unacceptable and does not represent the institute’s values or commitment to treat others with respect, inclusiveness, and sensitivity,” Rose-Hulman’s statement read in the article published by the Tribune-Star. “We have contacted Oberlin College to convey our apologies and continue to stay in close communication with their athletic department.”

Coaching Changes Within Softball

With end-of-year evaluations resuming on Oberlin’s softball team for the first time since the pandemic restrictions shut the Athletics department down entirely for two years, players voiced their concerns at the end of the season about former Head Coach Sara Schoenhoft’s response to the Rose-Hulman incident. Fourth-year Lalli Lopez, who was indirectly affected, said they did not feel comfortable going to Schoenhoft about concerns that they had.

“[It was] just a general feeling of not being treated like an individual and more like a softball player or just like an athlete,” Lopez said. “So it just felt like a really odd relationship where I couldn’t go to her for any problems that I had.”

Brito stated that if there weren’t major changes, she was sure that many of the softball players from that year would not have continued. She also noted that other teams, such as swimming and diving and track and field, stood up for softball in their evaluations.

“We just kind of all had a general understanding that if we had our same coaching staff as we did last year, this year we were going to quit — I would’ve quit,” Brito said. “A couple others would’ve quit and it kind of would’ve been like that chain reaction. … We would’ve all quit — every single one of us. There would not have been a team.”

However, both Brito and Lopez emphasized that they still had respect for their old head coach and understood that Schoenhoft was in a difficult position.

“It was a tough situation,” Brito said. “It doesn’t take away from the fact that we were affected and that it needed to change.”

After receiving the evaluations, Delta Lodge Director of Athletics and Physical Education Natalie Winkelfoos hired Head Coach Julie Pratt, who came from Case Western Reserve University. Pratt started in the role July 2022.

“We are always looking for someone that can be a fit for Oberlin that has a competitive drive, experience with recruiting in a highly academic environment, and can work well within our department and campus community,” Winkelfoos wrote in an email to the Review. “Coach Pratt came to us with an outstanding coaching resume and high-quality referrals from people that are well respected within our industry.”

In addition to Schoenhoft’s departure, former Assistant Coach Lindsay Mapes, who worked at Oberlin since summer 2021 and who Lopez cited as a supportive figure after the Rose-Hulman game, left for a new job and was replaced by Lauren Dockrill. Dockrill worked as a volunteer in the fall and was later promoted to a full-time position in January 2023. Brito said that while the team dynamic was weakened after the Rose-Hulman incident, Pratt has acted as the “glue” of the team and sees the members as people first and softball players second. Lopez also added that the Rose-Hulman game is not what defines their relationship and that Pratt focuses on looking toward the future.

“With our new head coach, I definitely feel so loved and supported,” Lopez said. “We just haven’t talked about it because we just [want to] leave it in the past and just focus on being a new team. … That’s not at the center of what she talks about with us. I am 100 percent certain that she has our backs no matter what.”

In an email to the Review, Pratt expressed her gratitude to the Oberlin community for allowing her to coach and reaffirmed her commitment to the softball program both on and off the field.

“We have a great group of student- athletes who have welcomed me with open arms,” Pratt wrote. “I cannot express how excited I am for this opportunity to be on the field with this team every day. … With our coaching staff ’s leadership, structure and support, we work to prepare our student-athletes for gamedays, academic [perseverance], and the grit required for life after college.”

Schoenhoft now works as the associate director of campus recreation at Oberlin and maintains that she did her best to support her players after the incident, especially after navigating two seasons heavily restricted by the pandemic.

“I have always cared deeply about my players both as humans and student-athletes,” Schoenhoft wrote in an email to the Review. “There have been multiple instances over the course of my career where I provided support far beyond support [what] would be expected of a coach. I am sorry that some players didn’t feel that support last year. I poured every ounce of myself into the softball program and was able to transition into my new position knowing that I gave my absolute best effort to leave the program better than I found it and make a positive impact on the lives of my student- athletes.”

Finding Improved Support On Campus

While the three athletes initially had difficulty finding support on campus immediately after the Rose-Hulman game, Brito utilized the MRC, which had a full staff for the first time since 2020. This fall, she reached out to Assistant Dean and Director of the MRC Scott Hwang to take action if a similar incident happened again, and now works as a program assistant. In this job, she is working to archive stories of marginalized students at Oberlin and working on outreach programs with Assistant Dean for Inclusion and Belonging Chris Donaldson, OC ’97.

“The communication between [Student Athlete Advisory Committee] and the MRC is a lot more than it’s been in the past,” Brito said. “Chris Donaldson especially works with Black men and Latinx men which are minority populations in the athletic community, so just having those open spaces for specifically those people is really valuable. Events that we are working on to push out in the future or more open lines of communication is something that we haven’t had in the past, which has been really helpful.”

Along with the MRC’s work in providing support for non-white student-athletes, Winkelfoos has worked closely in making sure to offer a more effective response if a similar event were to happen, and says that she remains in contact with Rose-Hulman’s head coach.

“Nothing can prepare a person for the unpredictable experience our students and staff had that day at Rose Hulman,” Winkelfoos wrote. “It was an ugly incident that impacted two campuses and many people. Everyone navigated the situation the best they knew how at that moment. Unfortunately, we can’t ensure this won’t happen again but we can promise to do our absolute best to protect and support our student- athletes. We worked with our Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee Liaison to the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Ana Richardson, OC ’18, to create a process if something like this would, unfortunately, happen again.”

In addition to administrative changes, both Brito and Lopez have credited their teammates for supporting them and respecting their boundaries when it comes to discussing the game, even if they can’t directly relate to what happened.

“A lot of my teammates are white, so they obviously have not experienced racism in the way that Mia or [I] have experienced it,” Lopez said. “But this [was a] really eye-opening experience for them too because they saw firsthand. Afterwards [they were] like, ‘Hey, I’ve got your back now. I’m here for you. I know what to look for now in order to prevent it ever happening to you again. God forbid it does happen again, I’m going to be there for you.’”

Ultimately, one year later, both players are encouraged by the steps taken by the Athletics department, their teammates, their coaching staff, and the MRC in healing and moving on from the game. Brito is appreciative of Winkelfoos’ actions and is hopeful that Oberlin is one step closer in better supporting non-white athletes.

“The general Oberlin community [still has] a lot to go, and I don’t know if we’ll ever be completely there in terms of what we could be doing or should be doing for people of color,” Brito said. “But I think we have made very huge strides since where we were last year, which is awesome. The athletic community has completely turned itself around.”

Though all members of both rosters performed at high levels, the hurdlers and sprinters were the definite highlights of the day. Fourth-year Chilly Wallace dominated the women’s 100-meter hurdles. She won first overall in the race with a time of 15.57 seconds, marking her first victory of the outdoor season.

“I feel really good about my performance this weekend,” Wallace said. “I’m happy to have qualified in conference for all of my events on the first try. [I even qualified] in the 200, which is an event I’ve only ever done [once before during] my [first] year.”

The Yeomen and Yeowomen had multiple winning relay teams as well, closing out the entire meet with back-to-back wins in their respective 4×400 races.

“We blew [the 4×400] out the water,” second-year sprinter Cole Fuller said. “Once [fourth-year] Simon [Lowe] was ahead of everyone at 150 meters in the first leg, I knew this was our race to [win]. As long as we kept our distance away from the competitors, we were chilling. It was also amazing to see our national rankings sitting in seventh after the race. I’m very excited to see if we can maintain, possibly better it, later this season.”

Fuller and Lowe were accompanied by second-years Kambi Obioha and Sam Fechner in their success. Third-year Myranda Montoye, second-years Camila Ciembroniewicz and Sage Reddish, and first-year Clara Smith guided the Yeowomen to victory as well.

However, the 4×400 race was not Fuller’s only relay of the day. He had already run the 4×100 earlier that meet, an event that ended in far more dramatic fashion. In attempting a hand-off in the third leg, Fuller ended up falling to the ground and diving, thrusting the baton to Fechner.

“I took one for the team in the 4×100 — I knew our exchanges were smooth, and I needed to keep that up,” Fuller said. Despite his stumble, Fuller performed at a very high level. “We’re now competitive in the conference,” he said. “It’s very exciting to see what’s to come with this group.”

When looking at Oberlin’s overall running results from last Saturday, one thing is certain: Both teams show a lot of promise for the outdoor season.

“As for what I’m looking forward to, I’m excited to see how I continue to improve given that I’ve started off so strong, but also my teammates,” Wallace said. “The outdoor season has just started, and there have already been lifetime bests and conference qualifiers. Who knows what else is in store for Oberlin track and field?”

Wallace’s optimism for the future of Oberlin’s track and field athletes is a sentiment shared by many on the team.

“The team showed up for each other and there were a lot of PRs and conference qualifiers [throughout the meet],” third-year Eliza Medearis said. “We’ve been a pretty strong team in the past, but we lost a lot of seniors last year. It’ll be a lot harder to get the conference championship this year, but I think we can do it.”

Despite the loss of experienced teammates, Oberlin’s track runners don’t seem to have missed a beat. Tomorrow, the teams will travel to Delaware, Ohio to compete in the All-Ohio Championships.

In singles, Billerbeck fought a tight match against his Wooster opponent but eventually won in a tiebreak of 7–6 (7–5). After the tie, Billerbeck also won 6–1 in the second match. First-year Shawn Lisann also won his opening set 6–1 in opening position, then won the next match because of a withdrawal from Wooster.

In an email to the Review, Shawn Lisann expanded upon his thoughts on the season.

“Our best tennis is still ahead of us,” Lisann wrote. “Everyone on the team plays an important role, and it’s awesome that everyone comes prepared to compete every day. As a [first-year], it’s been awesome learning from everyone else on the team. We’ve got great leadership from our upperclassmen. The team is awesome.”

Second-year Sebastien Naginski also earned a victory over the Scots, winning his first set 6–3 and then falling 2–6. Naginski was able to secure his seventh win of the year, as he won 6–4 in his third set. Both Dill and fourth-year Samuel Topper were victorious. Dill beat his Wooster opponent 6–2, while Topper beat his opponent by matching 6–4 counts.

In an email to the Review, Topper commented on the season and his match on Wednesday.

“The season has gone pretty well so far,” Topper wrote. “This is the best team that weʼve had during my time here, and I really think we can make some noise at conferences this year. My match was fun today — I played a really consistent player who had a good backhand. … I struggled with my serve at the start of the match, but settled in nicely in the second set. It felt great to get a quality conference win in my last home match of the season.”

Topper is one of the few fourth-years who will graduate in the spring, so this is his last season playing with the team.

“My hope is to be able to fully enjoy the rest of my time being able to play college tennis,” Topper wrote. “My goal is to play at the level that my coach and my teammates know that I’m capable of playing at.”

The Yeomen have come off of a 3–0 spring break record. They hope to use the momentum from their 7–2 win during this matchup for the rest of the season. Next, the Yeomen take on Wittenberg University Saturday, April 15.