...OWU offers both for me, as well as a great tradition in athletics.
Name: Haji Sidibe
Class Year: 2024
Major: Sports and exercise management
How/Why did you choose Ohio Wesleyan?
I wanted to stay close enough to home while being on a nice campus. OWU offers both for me, as well as a great tradition in athletics.
How/why did you choose your major?
I'm an athlete, and want to continue to work in sports beyond college. I want to become an athletics director.
What is your number one goal, personal or team, for this season?
As a two-sport athlete, I have multiple goals for both the football and wrestling teams. I'm currently in wrestling season, and as a team I would love to win every home match we have at Branch Rickey Arena! For football, as a team I want to build on our success from this past fall, continue to win, and become North Coast Athletic Conference champions next year.
What event/sport other than your own would you like to try?
I would like to try lacrosse. I grew up in a school district that was very competitive in lacrosse, so all my friends played. I never got into it past the basics, but it always looked super fun.
What athletic or academic achievement/accomplishment are you most proud of?
At the moment I am most proud of getting my first collegiate win in wrestling - by pin.
What did you do to put yourself in position to achieve that (goal/accomplishment/etc)?
I worked hard over the summer and in the offseason to prepare myself for both football and wrestling season, which was hard. But they both go hand in hand, and benefit each other.
Is there a specific coach or teammate who has helped you get where you are?
There have been a number of teammates and coaches who have helped me get here, and continue to help me. But my high school teammate, Jaylon Moye, a former U.S. Navy member who unfortunately passed away last April, had a huge impact on me. He took me under his wing from the sidelines, he was injured his entire senior year, and introduced me to the sport of wrestling. He sadly passed away from the same conditions that sidelined him. So now everything I do on the wrestling mat is dedicated to him, and what he was unable to finish here.
Which three people, living or dead, would you like to share a meal with?
Jaylon Moye, LeBron James, and Ray Lewis
What is your ideal travel destination?
Wherever the Division III football national championship is being held next fall!
If you could visit another time, when would it be and why?
I would want to visit my childhood at my age, to see what life was like around me.
by Michaela Alfano '25
