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.

Both track and field teams were wrapping up their first day of competition, and basketball was competing against Wittenberg University in the semifinal round. Toward the end of the day, Head Track and Field and Cross Country Coach Ray Appenheimer noticed that many of his athletes were interested in the game and allowed some to walk over to support the basketball team.

“As the first day of competition was winding down, you could see lots of folks on their phones watching the livestream,” Appenheimer said. “I would say there were probably 20 or 30 of them who [were] obviously really into it. One of our seniors, [fourth-year] Theo Haviland, was like, ‘Hey, coach, can we go?’ I was like, ‘Sure, of course you can go.’”

DePauw’s Indoor Track and Field Center is about a half mile walk away from Neal Fieldhouse, where the basketball game was held, so a few members of the track and field team had to run over in order to make it by the end of the third quarter.

“I was concerned because our sense of direction isn’t always the best on this team,” Appenheimer said.

Fourth-year Iyanna Lewis, defending NCAC women’s weight throw champion, also led multiple rounds of the song, “Yeo Baby.” The track and field teams also donned capes — Lewis cred- its fifth-year Captain Sarah Voit for the idea — which they waved at Wittenberg whenever the Tigers attempted to make free throws.

“The rest of the parents that were at the game [were] just surprised that all of us had come in,” Lewis said. “Afterwards, I watched it back and the announcers were like, ‘Whoa, Oberlin’s fan section is so huge.’ We could tell that they were playing music to try to get us to dance.”

With two minutes left to spare, the rest of the team was able to make it to the game, though Appenheimer noted that, “in basketball times, [two minutes is] a half hour.”

Ultimately, fourth-seed Oberlin upset Wittenberg, the first-seed team in the tournament, and danced its way to the finals for the first time since 2018 to continue their Cinderella run. Before playing against Ohio Wesleyan University, the basketball team repaid the favor and cheered on the men’s weight-throwers and women’s shot-putters.

Although the clock struck midnight too soon with a 79–71 loss and 17–11 overall season finish, third-year guard Gina Lombard, who played an integral role in both games and was named to the NCAC third-team after the finals, enjoyed the celebration after Oberlin’s success over Wittenberg and its hard fought attempt against OWU.

“The feeling of beating [Wittenberg] and having the whole track team there to celebrate with us … was something that [I’ll] remember for a while,” Lombard said. “The whole weekend was a highlight for me.”

Appenheimer reflected that inter-team support is what makes Oberlin unique from different schools, even beyond athletics.

“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,” Appenheimer said. “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.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What got you into competing in track? How long have you been doing it?

I started running track in the fifth grade. I was lucky to have a track coach and gym teacher with experience as a world championship coach for professional athletes. His name is Leroy Solomon, and he is currently the assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. It was because of him that I started to run and jump initially, and it was also because of him that I continued into high school. While I loved soccer at the time, Leroy recognized the talent I had for jumping, continued to coach me through high school, and then connected me with the track club I would join during my sophomore year, the Bronx Tigers. I have been competing since, aside from my freshman year spent at Binghamton University.

What’s your favorite event?

I enjoy triple jumping more overall. It has always been my second best event, but I enjoy the technique and patience it requires. I think long jumping is more fun though. It’s nice that in long jump, you don’t have to think. You just run as fast as you can and jump into the sand. Triple is harder.

You’ve had quite the career here at Oberlin, highlighted by your winning of NCAC Athlete of the Week last month. Is there anything else you want to accomplish before graduating this spring?

I have goals of making trips to nationals in both events. I would love to break the school records and win conference again as well, but if the initial goal of nationals happens, the others will as well. Oberlin track and field has been very successful so far this year. What do you think has helped your team have as much success as it has? I think the time and effort we have put into bonding as a team has paid off. Winter Term definitely helped. We all have big goals, and we know each other’s goals and hold each other accountable. There’s no weak links. The horizontal jumps have a solid group — shout out the horz. crew — sprints and hurdles have a solid group, the throws and distance have solid groups. We are all happy to be around each other and are excited to practice hard together, and that has allowed us to be successful thus far, and hopefully continue to be.

What’s your favorite part about being a student athlete in an environment like Oberlin?

I have enjoyed the ability to leave practice and do other things. I get to attend concerts, be a part of student groups, and hang out with my friends. The coaches and team as a whole encourage that. A lot of my work outside of track revolves around the Asian Diaspora Coalition, which I am chair of, and I am excited that we get to host and organize the annual Asian Night Market — this year it’s May 5, so mark your calendar. Track is a break from my extracurricular and academic work and vice versa.

What’s in store for you after graduation?

I’m not sure yet. I hope I get a chance to travel — as a result of COVID-19 and track, I didn’t get to go abroad. However, I was lucky enough to visit my girlfriend in Seville last year and was wildly jealous, so I hope to do something similar.

Fourth-year thrower Iyanna Lewis was the clear star of the show, coming out of the gates in an unbelievable manner by setting a new school record in the weight throw with a launch of 61 feet, 5 inches. This incredible feat comes on the back of Lewis’s previous school record set at last year’s North Coast Atlantic Conference Outdoor Championships, making her a two-time school record holder in throwing. Lewis’s performance at Case Western has set her up as the NCAA weight throw leader, and she will clearly go down in Oberlin history as one of the greats.

Third-year thrower Abby Cannon went to work at the Classic, securing third place in the weight throw with a toss of 48–10 3/4. Cannon was also able to put up a respectable sixth-place performance in the shot put, posting a mark of 34–10 3/4. On the men’s side of throws, third-year Isaiah Schuham-Anders cashed in a toss of 44–10 3/4, earning him fifth-place honors.

Oberlin continued its strong outing in jumping events. First-year long jumper Anna Fritz showed a great deal of potential, winning her first-ever college event with a dominant leap of 16–11 1/4. Third-year high jumper Hayden Hill also made skillful leaps, placing second in her event with a high jump of 4–11.

Outside of the field events, Oberlin track athletes also put up impressive numbers. Fourth-year sprinter Chilly Wallace placed first in the triple jump with a formidable 36–00 3/4 mark and later continued her winning streak in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.37 seconds. Her efforts at the meet earned her a well-deserved spot as NCAC Athlete of the Week. Fourth-year Zack Lee also received the award for his outstanding clearance of 44–05 1/4 in the men’s triple jump, placing second overall in the event. Lee’s noteworthy score stands alongside first-year Namu Makatiani and third-year Jake Jarvis, who placed third and fifth with clearances of 44–02 and 44–09 1/2, respectively.

Second-year Kambinachi Obioha was able to secure a victory in the men’s 500-meter dash, taking first place with a time of 1 minute, 7.88 seconds, and first-year Cecilia Vaughn was also able to turn in an impressive performance in the women’s 500, putting up 1:30:39 in her collegiate debut.

The Holiday Classic concluded with the 4×400-meter relay, in which the Yeomen were able to secure a third-place spot. A strong group of runners including Obioha, third-years Jon Dromlewicz and Amar Rajani-Bangser, and first-year Dhylan MacLaren set a time of 3:38:06, successfully closing out the meet for Oberlin.

Today, Oberlin track and field will head to Tiffin University for the Andres Family Alumni Open.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Congratulations on receiving an at-large bid to compete at the DIII National Championships. What were your first thoughts when you received your invitation?

Going into the regional meet, I didn’t know that was a possibility at all. I knew there was an outside chance of us qualifying as a team, but I didn’t think anyone on the team would really have a shot at the individual bid. Immediately after the regional race, Head Track and Field and Cross Country Coach Ray Appenheimer came up to me and said, “If Calvin University gets a bid, then you would be the seventh individual to qualify.” That was thrilling. I knew I’d had a great race.

The conditions were pretty rough in Michigan. How did you keep your body warm in the lead-up to the race, and how did you deal with the snow and ice?

Yeah, the conditions were pretty crazy. There were three inches of snow on the ground, and temperatures were in the 20s. I’m from Virginia, so we don’t really get that much snow — certainly not during the cross country season. Typically those temperatures and conditions are only during the indoor track season. That was definitely my first time racing in that amount of snow and cold. One of the tactics we employed to keep me warm was to use olive oil to cover my skin just before the race — it works as a layer of blubber, and it’s nice because it keeps you a bit warm but doesn’t restrict motion. The team also had these old swim jackets, which I’d never really seen before. Somehow the coaches managed to get their hands on a couple of those, so I was wearing one right before the race as well.

When did you begin running competitively?

I started running a little later than most people who run in college – in the fall of my junior year. My high school team was very good, so I was surrounded by some very talented and dedicated runners. Some of my teammates were winning individual state championships, and our varsity team in my junior year even qualified for the Nike National Championships. I wasn’t on that team, but it was amazing to see what could be accomplished with some dedication.

It takes a team to get you to the top. Who has helped you the most this season and in your career?

I think one thing that is special about our team here is that we have a lot of depth. I ran virtually all my workouts with other people, and at the beginning of the regional race, we tried to form a pack and run together as long as we could. For the first mile and a half of that race, I was right next to fourth-year Ross D’Orfani, and second-year Jonah Barber, and even when I pulled away later, I knew they were working hard. Nationals were different, of course, because I was the only person racing, but we still had a really big group of people — probably about 15 of my teammates from both the men’s and women’s teams — come up to watch and cheer.

Qualifying for Nationals is an amazing accomplishment. What are your goals for the indoor and outdoor track season?

One of my big goals for the indoor track season is to take down the school record in the mile. I’m currently five seconds off, and while five seconds is more of a gap in the mile than in the 8K, I think I can definitely cover that. I think there are other people on this team who can break that record too. We’re going to have a really strong mile group this year. As for outdoor track, I’m really excited to return to the steeplechase. That’s an event that I never did in high school and only ran twice last year, but I had a lot of success in it. I placed second in the conference meet, and I ran a really big personal record, so I’m excited to see what I can do with a little more preparation and experience.

Fall Sports

Volleyball: Each year, the volleyball team throws a fall formal called Volley Ball. Teammates bring a date, dress up, and take pictures just as if it were a school ball. In addition to this major team event, third-year Lucy Myers described a smaller-scale tradition: whenever the team goes to away games, each athlete is paired with a “psych buddy” during the trip. Before getting onto the bus they give each other a gift such as a note or a snack, or as Myers puts it, “something to hype them up.”

Cross country: Third-year Chase Sortor described an  event where teammates anonymously submit a crazy story from their life, to be read while roasting marshmallows over the fire for s’mores. While one person reads a story aloud, the rest of the group must try to match the story to the teammate. “It’s confusing, and you learn insane stuff about people, such as riding their bike naked,” Sortor said. “It’s a fun one.”

Football: Big Brother/Little Brother is a tradition that second-year Jack Diskin adores. At the beginning of the season, each teammate is assigned a big or little brother. “When one guy gets knocked down, we are there to help them up, and it teaches us to appreciate the relationships we have within our team,” Diskin said. “It allows us to be vulnerable with someone else, which is hard for football players to do, and that alone helps strengthen our bond, making it easier to trust one another on and off the field.”

Field hockey: Second-year Ruby Schreiber’s favorite field hockey tradition is Teamsgiving, which takes place right before fall break at the end of the field hockey season. Teamsgiving is a potluck where teammates and coaches bring a dish they enjoy cooking and hand out paper plate awards to the team based on inside jokes they’ve formed over the season. “The food is really good. I know we have some good chefs on our team,” Schreiber said. More importantly, it’s her favorite tradition because it’s the last time all her teammates and coaches are together as a team for the season. 

Soccer: The women’s and men’s soccer teams have a tight bond — in the past, they’ve thrown a wedding, a prom, and a dress-up-as-decades night together. Fourth-year Belle Smith’s favorite tradition is prom, which happens in the spring. Athletes on the men’s and women’s teams put on their favorite formal attire or go thrifting to find an outfit. To Smith, it reaffirms athletes’ love of soccer during the offseason. “It’s like getting back together and bonding over soccer again,” she said. “Everyone who quit is still invited to come.”

Winter Sports

Basketball: One of the first tasks second-year Jaedyn O’Reilly was assigned during her first season on the team was to read The Hard Hat: 21 Ways to be a Great Teammate by Jon Gordon. Each week during the season, one teammate is awarded the hard hat, which is a white hard hat that acts as a canvas for students to write on.“Whoever gets the hard hat [that week] adds a word or phrase that explains why the next person deserves it,” said O’Reilly. “By the end of the season, the hard hat is covered with different ways our team have been good teammates to each other.”

The men’s basketball team, on the other hand, sticks with traditions on game day. Ten minutes before tipoff, the team huddles together to discuss and finalize their game plan. All day before going on the court, they wear their team tracksuits. “We all love game day,” said second-year Adel Dibael. “Wearing our sacred track suits on game day makes us feel very special and a part of something bigger.” 

Swim and dive: This year’s swim and dive Friendsgiving was done before conferences instead of over fall break. Friendsgiving, similar to field hockey’s Teamsgiving, is a team-wide potluck dinner that happens each year at Swim House. Second-year Anika Kennedy explained that each teammate must bring either an appetizer, an entrée, or a dessert to the event. 

Spring Sports

Tennis:

Each year, the men’s and women’s tennis teams celebrate Halloween together. “One of the most memorable years was when half of us dressed up as Average Joe’s and the other half as Globo Gym, the two rival teams in the movie Dodgeball,” recalled fourth-year James Dill. A smaller tradition Dill mentioned was the memorable quotes written throughout the years on the locker room chalkboard. “One of my favorite items is a drawing of a wizard, who is described as being ‘ashamed of his squib (non-magical) son.’”

Lacrosse: As explained by second-years Maya Blevins, Kaela Wilson, and Aidan Loh, each year the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams come together for a country-themed wedding. Everyone dresses up for the occasion, and teammates are assigned to characters — a bride and groom, ring bearers, bridesmaids, a maid of honor, a best man, the congregation, and, of course, an officiator. There is even a wedding cake at the end to celebrate the marriage.

Baseball: One nickname the baseball team calls itself is “The Mules.” Why mules? Because mules can’t breed. “Our team is known to have been very bad in the past,” said second-year Jay Aghanya. Apparently, many years ago, a coach from a school in the NCAC conference said that Oberlin’s baseball team was “so bad that they shouldn’t be able to reproduce.” The team now makes a joke of it. “We would say we’re the mules so we don’t have any bad generations in the future,” said Aghanya.

Softball: Before each game, the team huddles in a circle around some members in the middle to do the Yeo Baby cheer: “Can I get a yeo? Can I get a yeo baby? Can I get a yeo baby yeo baby yeo!” “It’s the thing that gets us hyped up for the game, gets us into a good headspace, and hopefully intimidates the opponent a little bit,” said third-year Kathyrn Beeman.

Track and field: Similar to softball, the track and field team also does the Yeo Baby cheer during their meets. “Every other [competing] team hates us for it,” second-year Jon Dromlewicz said. With a large team, the cheer can become extremely loud when there are groups of Obies scattered around the track. Dromlewicz clarified that Yeo Baby is usually done during relays and finals toward the end of the race as a final encouragement to those competing. 

Club Sports

Rugby: “We have a special naming process for the rookies each semester… we always have to call each other by our nicknames or you have to do a push-up,” said second-year Gillian Shin. For the Rhinos, the women and trans rugby team on campus, each teammate is given a nickname when they first join. How they come up with the names is very secretive, but nicknames are unanimously agreed upon by the team. 

Frisbee: A yearly tradition between the Preying Manti and the Flying Horsecows is Flat Crawl. Second-year Alea Strasser explained that in Flat Crawl, two people are tied to each other to compete in two- or three-legged races from one house to the next, and the first group that gets to the last house wins the game. “It helps form friendships between the teams,” Strasser said. At this year’s Flat Crawl, Strasser and her friend won second place. 

In the women’s distance relay, first-year Margo Lee and second-year Lucy Curtis competed with fourth-years Anna Scott and Phoebe von Conta, finishing first with a time of 12:35.98. Scott and von Conta then went on to sweep first and second place in the mile at 5:10.66 and 5:12.97, respectively.

Fourth-year Clare Tiedemann broke her own College record, as well as the NCAC record, in the women’s 60-meter hurdle pentathlon, finishing in second place with a time of 9.01 seconds. She currently stands at 19th place in the NCAA Division III rankings and earned all- NCAC honors for her score of 3,157 points in the event. For Tiedemann, breaking this record was more for the team than for herself.

“It was a complete surprise to do that well in the pentathlon — kind of mind-blowing,” she said.

That morning, Tiedemann didn’t think she was even going to compete, let alone advance to nationals, due to a pinched nerve in her neck.

In weight throw, fourth-year Zac Ntia placed first with a throw of 54-09.50 (16.70 meters). Third-year Iyanna Lewis — who stands seventh in the nation in the NCAA Division III rankings — also finished first in weight throw at a distance of 56-07.25 (17.25 meters). Second-year Abby Cannon followed in third place at 51-06.50 (15.71 meters) and placed third in shot put with 39-09.25 (12.12 meters). Cannon also earned all-NCAC honors.

Lewis and Cannon always compete against each other in weight throw, but they rely on each other as teammates and have a strong dynamic.

“I know what I need from [Lewis] to succeed, and she knows what she needs from me to succeed,” Cannon said. “She’s exactly what underclassmen need in an upperclass- man; she really stepped into that position as a role model for me.”

Fourth-year Sarah Voit placed first in the pole vault, clearing an impressive 11-11.25 (3.64 meters). She is cur- rently second in the nation going into the NCAA Division III Championships.

In the women’s triple jump, fourth-year Malaïka Djungu-Sungu set a new school and conference record of 38-04.75 (11.70 meters). Djungu-Sungu was named NCAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and is currently ranked 15th place nationally. On the men’s side, fourth-year Kofi Asare earned his second conference title with 46-06.25 (14.18 meters), breaking a College record originally set in 2013.

Asare, along with first-years Reese Hyatt, Sam Fechner, and Cole Fuller, set a College record of 1:31.26 in the 4×200-meter relay. It was their second time running this event all season.

Fuller also broke his own personal record in the men’s 400-meter with a time of 50.80 seconds, earning him all-conference honors and third place in the event.

“I know for [the first-years], it was a really big moment,” Asare said. “To be a first-year and say you have a school record — that’s pretty impressive.”

One key factor that influences this team’s incredible achievements is the drive and support from other team members, creating a hard-working yet relaxed environ- ment. They take cheering for their teammates seriously — from cheering at practice to creating spreadsheets with each athlete’s preferences on how they’d like to be supported.

Cannon describes the team as something similar to a family.

“We’re such a tight-knit group,” she said. “Whether it’s a home meet or away, we make it our meet; we make it our track … No matter what, I know my team’s gonna be behind me.”

Not only did student-athletes find success at the con- ference, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ray Appenheimer earned NCAC Women’s Coach of the Year award. When asked about his approach, he cited the importance of training long before the competition season starts and emphasized the essential role of team captains.

“[Winning] a conference title, breaking records, setting lifetime bests is not just something that happens on a Friday or Saturday in February,” Appenheimer wrote in an email to the Review. “For us, it happened in October when the semester started and we first got together as a team. It was built day in and day out at practice, working hard, supporting one another when no one else was looking. We asked a lot from our first- and second-years who had never been to a conference track and field championship. We have a wonderful group of captains who set the perfect tone at practice, preparing their teammates for big meets. They are awesome, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

On March 5, some of the athletes will go on to compete at the Last Chance Meet, an optional meet for those who haven’t qualified for nationals or for those who already qualified and want one last opportunity to practice or score even higher. As of now, Tiedemann, Lewis, Voit, and Djungu-Sungu are expected to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships in Boston March 10–12. On May 5–6, Oberlin will be hosting the NCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The Yeowomen have historically been a powerhouse, having earned three NCAC titles in both indoor and outdoor track and field during the 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19 seasons. But with the team’s season put on pause due to COVID-19, only the fourth-years on the team have experienced an NCAC championship. 

Director of Track and Field Ray Appenheimer spoke about the impact of fourth-years on the future of the program that once dominated the conference. 

“I think our seniors do a great job of not only conveying the habits and mindset it takes to win on and off the track but living it every day as well,” he wrote in an email to the Review. “They are amazing examples to the younger members of the team of what being successful on the track, in the classroom, and throughout their lives at Oberlin can look like.”

Fourth-year Phoebe von Conta, one of the team members who was a part of the successes of the 2018–19 season, was recently awarded Second Team All-Conference Honors this past cross country season. 

“Coming into this next season, I’m excited to see our team continue that legacy of strong competition and hard work,” she wrote in an email to the Review. “[The energy of past champions] carries through us, and I can’t wait to see what we do with it. I’m looking forward to the opportunities to share that with the younger generations of the team.”

Although the track program has experienced losses in power houses such as Adriano Atallah, OC ’21, who was an All-Region select during their fourth-year spring semester in 2021, the program has a bright future ahead with successful younger members of the team. Five first-year athletes from both the men’s and women’s teams competed this past cross country season in the conference championship, and two in regionals. 

“We’re going to be leaning heavily on our younger team members, folks who have never had a proper collegiate season,” Appenheimer wrote. “It was awesome to see these people rise to the challenge in cross country. There really seems to be an appetite for challenges with our first- and second-years. They have bought into who we are and what we are trying to accomplish so quickly, and seeing how they push, challenge, and support our upper class folks, makes me really excited for what’s to come.”

The first- and second-year classes bring a fresh perspective, with a tenacity to win at the next level. Second-year Eliza Medearis looks to her first track season with hope and drive, fueled by the support of her teammates.

“This team has pretty big shoes to fill, but I think everyone is hungry to compete after so long,” Medearis wrote. “There’s so much positive energy on the team that I’m sure we’ll be able to secure a conference championship.”

Medearis had a strong cross country season, ending with a top-50 finish in the conference championship and a top-100 finish in regionals, and will be competing with the distance squad in track.

Among the program’s exciting new faces is Coach Rocco Mitolo, who is replacing John Hepp as the throwing coach. He brings with him a fresh mentality and excellent resume, which includes coaching a national champion in the women’s hammer throw, three NCAA All-Americans, and 18 University Athletic Association champions in his six-year tenure. Coach Appenheimer is optimistic about this new addition to the coaching staff, knowing Mitolo not only brings a winning attitude, but a persistent mentality.

“Rocco has been amazing,” he wrote. “I was lucky to see Rocco coach and mentor a national champion when he was at Case Western. This was an athlete who was coming back from a serious injury. The skill, patience, and determination Rocco demonstrated at Case Western was a perfect match for our program and he is doing a fantastic job with our throwers.”

With a new member of the coaching staff and huge influences from the first-years, Oberlin track and field looks excitedly toward its first meet of the season set to take place this Saturday.

For student-athletes, the recruitment process is both one of the most exciting and one of the most stressful events of their athletic careers. With college coaches and players emphatically professing the quality of their program, it can be hard to discern what is true and decide which school to attend.

College first-year and cross country athlete Eliza Medearis remembers how her visit to Oberlin changed everything.

“I came to visit Oberlin not really knowing what to expect,” Medearis said. “But the girls took me on a run through campus and showed me around and told me about their classes and Oberlin life in general. I felt so accepted as a part of the community, despite not even going to the school yet. … On the drive back home [from Oberlin] I kept thinking about how much I missed the people I’d spent less than three hours of my life with.” 

College first-year and cross country athlete Sam Eig had a similar experience on his recruiting visit.

“The people here welcomed me with open arms,” Eig said. “Upon showing up to practice, I felt like they were genuinely excited to get to talk.”

Both Eig and Medearis were looking forward to starting their athletic and academic exploits at Oberlin, but the trajectory of their college careers was dramatically altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly, gone was their season, gone was the expected academic experience, and gone was a quarter of their team as a result of the College’s three-semester plan, which mandated that third-years spend the semester away from campus. The acclimation period they were anticipating became significantly harder.

“It has definitely been odd,” Eig said. “I like to think that we, as a class, are making the most of it. It is hard to say whether Oberlin is what I expected it to be. Many upperclassmen have said that this is a completely different campus environment.”

Medearis has also noticed the difference in how she is looking at the semester compared to her upperclassmen teammates.

“The upperclassmen have been reminiscing on Oberlin before COVID and wishing they could go back to that, and I feel bad for them because they actually know what they’re missing out on,” Medearis said. “As a first-year, I know that this isn’t the traditional college experience, but I never got to go to Oberlin pre-COVID, so I’m just enjoying the new experiences without much regard to how they should be or what they could have been.”

Assistant Track and Field Coach Ben Wach has noticed how both first-year athletes and the older athletes have adjusted to the new normal. He thinks that both have done an incredible job making the best out of the situation.

“One interesting thing is that the COVID challenges are new to everyone,” Wach said. “There’s no hierarchy to lean on to find the problem-solvers. [That said], this track and field team is the most welcoming group of people I have ever been around, so it’s totally unsurprising that the first-years are already a [part] of the fabric of the team. Obviously, it’s taken a little more intentionality to make that happen while keeping everyone safe, but intentionality in inclusion is a major strength of the group.” 

All things considered, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ray Appenheimer is proud of the way the first-years have assimilated into the team and of how well the team has welcomed them.

“They have been awesome,” Appenheimer said. “Our first-years are in training groups with our returning student-athletes, and I suspect an outsider would not be able to tell who was who.” 

While the team has provided a strong community, staying active and driven athletically has also been important for the first-year students. 

“I definitely miss competing and going to meets, but as a first-year I feel like I have to work hard to impress the coaches and establish good relationships with my teammates, so that’s been motivating me through workouts,” Medearis said. “Honestly it’s been amazing, and I feel so strong right now thanks to the help of my amazing coaches and teammates.”

Eig has also been proud of his work so far this semester and attributes his growth to the team’s training schedule.

“Training has been consistent and steady,” Eig said. “We are not training to peak right now, which has made it easier to recover for each following day.”

The first-years’ hard work is paying off, and their coaches are taking notice.

“We have been very pleased with how they have taken to the training and with how they have been progressing,” Associate Head Cross Country Coach Izzy Alexander said. “There is a lot of talent with this first-year class, and it will be exciting to watch as they continue to develop this year.”

As a result of their seamless integration into the team, both as people and as athletes, the coaching staff has high hopes for the first-year class.

“To be blunt, my expectations for the first-years are very high and high with good reason,” Wach said. “They’ve shown themselves to be exceptionally skilled and engaged. For this year, that means that it’s imperative that they carry on the great habits they’ve already built. … For the future, it means that they’ll be training to be better than they’ve been before. If they continue to put in the kind of effort that they’ve shown for the last six weeks for the next three years, I expect that they can leave Oberlin as extremely decorated scholar-athletes.”

Alexander agrees that the number one goal for the first-years at this time is to continue building good habits to carry with them into the future.

“Ultimately, the thing we care most about is that they are developing good habits,” Alexander said. “That they are figuring out how to manage their time, that they are being diligent with their schoolwork, that they are working hard and being good teammates and classmates, that they are taking care of themselves and prioritizing sleep, their mental health, and their physical health. If they are able to develop those habits, their success in college and beyond is assured.”

For the first years, the community provided by the track and field and cross country teams has assisted them in adjusting to college and coping with the lifestyle dictated by COVID.

“Cross country has undoubtedly helped,” Eig said. “Without practice to go to daily, I would spend way too much time in my room and feel sluggish all the time. And having a group that I can always turn to helps the bouts of loneliness everyone deals with at some point.”

Even though acclimating to life at the College has been easy for Medearis, she is quick to direct praise toward her coaches and teammates for her smooth transition.

“I think the team has been the best thing about college during COVID because I know that, despite these strange and unpredictable times, the team is always going to be there for me,” Medearis said. “I’ll always have them and running, even if the world is in chaos.”

The Review will continue to follow the track and field and cross country teams as the semester progresses. Stay tuned for the next installment of We Keep Yeoing to see a glimpse into teamwork and community in this bold and unprecedented time…