For the first time since 2007, the Ohio Wesleyan women's track & field team is not a defending North Coast Athletic Conference champion. The Battling Bishops' streaks of 10 straight indoor and 8 consecutive outdoor championships ended last season, and head coach Kris Boey and the Bishops hope to reclaim those titles in 2018.
"We're excited about the challenge," Boey said. "We had an outstanding run of conference championships that was interrupted last year, but in many ways we had a great year. We tied for 11th in the nation indoors, tied for 24th outdoors, and we won our second consecutive All-Ohio outdoor championship, and we have a great opportunity to build on those things. Our goal is always to be the best in the conference, and I believe that we have the right people and the right attitudes to return to the top of the NCAC."
Boey looks to the sprints and hurdles to be one of the Bishops' strengths in 2018.
Senior Amanda Clay (Van Wert) won the NCAC title in the outdoor 100-meter dash and holds school records in the 60- and 100-meter dashes.
Sophomore Jaliyah Atkinson (Columbus/Groveport Madison) placed in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes at last year's NCAC outdoor meet, and sophomore Megan Sievers (Strongsville) also looks to build on a solid 2017 season. Freshman Courtney Owens (Columbus/Gahanna Lincoln), who helped her high school team win a state championship, should make an impact.
In the hurdles, junior Alyssa Acevedo (Medina), senior Kelsie Steinmetz (Toledo/Notre Dame Academy), and junior Rachel Bush (Mount Gilead) return. Bush won all-conference honors in the 400-meter hurdles last spring and Steinmetz was an All-NCAC honoree in the indoor 60-meter hurdles.
Freshman Erin Ross (Middlefield/Cardinal), a 3-time regional qualifier in high school; freshman Cloie Riedlinger (Marion/Harding); and freshman Rachel Kent (Media, Pa./Strath Haven), a first-team all-county pick in high school, all look to contribute right away.
The jumps will be another key to Ohio Wesleyan's success.
Sophomore Cirrus Robinson (Ashland) won the NCAA Division III indoor high jump championship and took All-America honors outdoors. She was named Field Event Athlete of the Year at the NCAC indoor championship meet.
Acevedo has an NCAC championship in the indoor long jump on her resume, senior Emily Brown (New Concord/John Glenn) won all-conference laurels in the triple jump and the long jump last year, senior Nicole Rozsa (Silver Lake/Cuyahoga Falls) took All-NCAC honors in the pole vault both indoors and outdoors in 2017, and sophomore Tiffany Moore (Cleveland/Euclid) returns in the high jump.
In the multi-event competitions, Brown is the returning conference champion in the heptathlon and finished second in the pentathlon last year, while Steinmetz placed in both the pentathlon and the heptathlon.
In the middle distance events, sophomore Morgan Smith (Tiffin/Calvert) finished second in the 800-meter run both indoors and outdoors last year, Bush won all-conference honors in the 800-meter run, and sophomore Sana Qamar (Dublin/Coffman) captured All-Ohio status in the 1500-meter run.
Freshman Destiny Braden (Granville), freshman Makayla Trebella (Girard), and freshman Darcy Picker (Mount Gilead) each could make an impact.
Sophomore Maddie Meyer (Marion, Mass./Old Rochester Regional), who placed in the outdoor 5000-meter run, and sophomore Cait Culberg (Dayton/Centerville) highlight the Bishop distance corps.
In the throws, Acevedo won an all-conference citation in the javelin, senior Dominique Garrett (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) returns in the discus, and sophomore Madison Haggerty (Loudonville) placed in the shot put at last year's NCAC outdoor championship meet.
Freshman Ari McPheters (Reynoldsburg/Bishop Hartley) could make an immediate impact.
Ohio Wesleyan opens the indoor season on Dec. 2 at Case Western Reserve. The indoor schedule gets into full swing on January 12 with Ohio Wesleyan's Ron Althoff Classic, the NCAC championship meet will be held March 2-3 at Wabash and the NCAA Division III championship will be held March 9-10 at Birmingham, Ala. The outdoor season opens on March 23-24 at the Dr. Jack Tooms Alumni Invitational in Lynchburg, Va., and features the annual Marv Frye Invitational on April 6-7 at Selby Stadium and the George Gauthier Track, the annual All-Ohio Division III championship meet on April 14 at Selby Stadium and the George Gauthier Track, and the NCAC championship meet on May 4-5 at Allegheny before the NCAA Division III championship May 24-26 at LaCrosse, Wis.
