The History of Ohio Wesleyan Athletics

1870-1919 | 1920-1939 | 1940-59 | 1960-69 |  1970-79 | 1980-89 | 1990-99 | 2000-08

1980

The women's tennis team records its third OAISW state tournament runner-up finish. Ohio Wesleyan finished seventh in the MAIAW regional tournament for the second straight season. Michelle Fox '83 won the No. 4 singles title at the regional tournament and represented the Bishops at the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national tournament, where she finished seventh.

Les Michael '40 retires after 29 seasons as baseball coach. The Bishops won 211 games and 4 Ohio Athletic Conference championships under Michael.

1981

Sabrina Spencer '82 finishes third in the long jump at the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national championship meet to become Ohio Wesleyan's first All-American in women's track and field.

Down 42-0 at halftime at Denison, Fouts unleashes quarterback Mike Wallace '82, who goes on to set 8 NCAA All-Divisions passing and total offense records. Wide receiver Ric Kinnan '82, who missed the first quarter while taking the LSAT, still manages to haul in 12 passes. Denison holds on to win, 49-34.

The men's soccer team reaches the NCAA Division III semifinals.

1982

Julie Bredenbeck '84 wins the NCAA Division III discus championship and also takes All-America honors in the shot put. Liz Phelps '84 takes the first of 3 straight All-America honors in the heptathlon.

Mary Parker founds the Centennial Athletic Conference, the first conference in the nation formed specifically for women's teams. Denison, Muskingum, Oberlin, Ohio Northern, Wittenberg and Wooster join Ohio Wesleyan as charter members. Parker serves as the conference's first president.

Carol Corbett '85 finishes 19th in the NCAA Division III women's cross country championship meet, becoming Ohio Wesleyan's first women's cross country All-American.

1983

Ohio Wesleyan leaves the Ohio Athletic Conference and the Centennial Athletic Conference to join Allegheny, Case Reserve, Denison, Kenyon, Oberlin and Wooster in founding the North Coast Athletic Conference, with play to begin in the 1984-85 academic year. The NCAC is the first conference to treat men's and women's sports equally from its inception.

Sue Collins is named head coach of the men's and women's swimming teams. She is the first woman to coach an Ohio Wesleyan men's team.

1984

Roger Ingles takes over as baseball coach less than a week before the start of the season.

Ray Leech '49 retires as wrestling coach. He coached 16 OAC individual champions during his 30 seasons.

With the move to the NCAC, the women's soccer team is accorded varsity status and softball and wrestling are dropped as varsity sports.

1985

Field maintenance at Roy Rike Field forces the men's lacrosse team to move to Selby Field for a year, but the relocation worked out so well it became permanent.

Dick Gordin '52 steps down as athletics director but remains as golf coach. Jay Martin succeeds Gordin as athletics director.

Nan Carney-DeBord takes over as women's basketball coach and the Bishops upset NCAA Division III quarterfinalist Muskingum in her second game as a head coach.

1986

The baseball team wins its first NCAC championship. The conference title is the Bishops' first since 1969.

The men's soccer team sets a school record with 20 wins and advances to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals.

Defender Robin Buckingham '89 becomes Ohio Wesleyan's first All-America field hockey player. She would go on to win 2 more All-America citations.

1987

The golf team wins the NCAC championship for the first time, starting a string of 4 straight conference championships. Ohio Wesleyan finishes ninth at the NCAA Division III tournament and Dick Gordin '52 is named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year.

Under second-year head coach Mike Pressler, the men's lacrosse team makes the first of 3 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III championship game. Goaltender Dan O'Neill '87 and midfielder Charlie Blanchard '88 are named national players of the year at their respective positions.

Mike Hollway becomes the head football coach.

Under third-year head coach Nan Carney-DeBord, the field hockey team wins its first NCAC championship and advances to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time. This season begins a 4-year span of NCAC titles and NCAA Division III playoff appearances in which the Bishops went 38-1-1 in conference play.

Jeff Kaplan '88 is the first Battling Bishop men's soccer player to be named All-America and GTE Academic All-America® in the same season.

1988

The men's basketball team wins the NCAA Division III championship. Wing Scott Tedder '88 is named the NCAA Division III Player of the Year and is joined on the All-America teams by baseline Lee Rowlinson '88. Gene Mehaffey was voted Division III Coach of the Year.

Jen Schiller '91 places fourth in the 100 backstroke at the NCAA Division III championship meet, the best finish ever by a female Ohio Wesleyan swimmer.

Scott Tedder '88 earns first-team All-America honors in baseball, becoming the first Ohio Wesleyan athlete to be first-team All-America in 2 sports. Tedder was drafted by the Chicago White Sox and played in the White Sox and Cubs farm systems for 7 seasons.

Selby Field hosts the NCAA Division III men's lacrosse championship game, but a cable TV audience sees Hobart defeat the Bishops, 16-8.

Defender Daina Stankevics '88 is a first-team All-America selection, Ohio Wesleyan's first ever in women's lacrosse.

The football team posts a 6-4 record, the Bishops' best finish since the Stagg Bowl season of 1971. Fullback Kevin Sims leads the NCAC in rushing with 1010 yards, becoming the third Bishop to pass the 1000-yard mark.

1989

The men's indoor track team wins its first NCAC championship, the first for head coach Marv Frye in 29 seasons at Ohio Wesleyan.

The women's soccer team wins its first of 3 NCAC championships under head coach Margie Shade.

The Bishops share the NCAC football title, their first NCAC championship. Ohio Wesleyan finishes with an 8-1-1 mark, tying the school record for regular season victories, and is ranked among the top 20 in NCAA Division III for the first time.

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1870-1919 | 1920-1939 | 1940-59 | 1960-69 | 1970-79 | 1980-89 | 1990-99 | 2000-08