Ohio Wesleyan University will induct 10 former Battling Bishop standouts — 6 of them All-America selections — into the University's Athletics Hall of Fame and bestow the Dr. Robert M. Strimer Honor Award upon Bob DiBiasio '77 and the George Gauthier Award upon Douglas Dittrick '55 during ceremonies on Homecoming & Family Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 5.  For more information about Homecoming & Family Weekend, click here.

The 10 Hall of Fame inductees are:

• Dan Biello '69 was a 2-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection in baseball.  He won the starting leftfield position as a freshman and led the team in walks (10) and stolen bases (3) and shared the team lead in runs scored (7).  As a sophomore, he moved to centerfield and batted .339, ranking second on the team and 14th in the OAC.  He led the team in stolen bases (8), walks (22), runs scored (16), and total bases (25) and ranked second in RBI (12), and he struck out only 3 times in 56 at bats.  He was a second-team All-OAC selection.  His junior year, he led the team with a .268 average, shared the team lead in runs scored, tied for second in walks (8), and ranked second in total bases, and struck out only 3 times in 41 at bats.  His senior year, he led the OAC in batting with a school-record .526, ranking second in the NCAA College Division.  He led the team with 15 runs scored and 17 walks on the way to a .673 on-base percentage, which still stands as a school record.  He struck out only twice in 38 at bats. He was a first-team All-OAC selection after helping OWU to a 10-1-0 regular-season record and a berth in the first OAC championship game, in which Ohio Wesleyan defeated Baldwin-Wallace, 3-2, to win the OAC title.  His career batting average of .326 ranked third on the OWU career list, while his 47 runs scored ranked second.

• Cara De Angelis '14 was a 3-time All-America honoree in track & field.  As a freshman, she won All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors in the mile and 3000-meter runs to help the Bishops win the indoor NCAC title.  Outdoors, she won the NCAC title in the 1500 and placed third in the 5000 as OWU won the NCAC title.  She competed in the NCAA Division III championship in the 1500-meter run, finishing 14th.  As a sophomore, she finished second in the mile and 3000-meter runs as the Bishops won the NCAC indoor crown, then was second in the 1500-meter (in an OWU-record 4:32.28) and the 5000-meter runs as the Bishops won the NCAC outdoor title.  She won All-America honors with a sixth-place finish in the 5000 at the NCAA Division III championship.  She missed her junior year but returned to win the 3000 (in an NCAC-record 10:02.96) and the mile at the NCAC indoor championship as a senior, receiving Distance Runner of the Year honors and helping the Bishops win the conference title.  She won All-America honors with a second-place finish in the 3000 (in an OWU-record 9:39.17).  Outdoors, she won NCAC titles in the 1500 and 5000, receiving Distance Runner of Year recognition and helping OWU win the team title.  She won All-America honors with a third-place finish in the 5000 at the NCAA Division III championship.  In cross country, she won first-team All-NCAC honors with a fifth-place showing at the conference meet as a freshman, then won an all-region citation with a 20th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet.  As a sophomore, she won the NCAC title in cross country, OWU's first individual champion since 1988, as the Bishops finished second.  She repeated as an all-region honoree with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet and qualified for the NCAA Division III championship meet, finishing 51st overall.  She missed her junior year, but returned to finish third at the NCAC championship as a senior, helping OWU to a second-place team finish, and again claimed all-region status with a seventh-place finish, helping the Bishops finish fourth in the team standings and qualify for the NCAA Division III championship.  She led the Bishops with a 121st-place finish at the national championship meet as OWU finished 30th in the team standings.  She was a 5-time NCAC champion and 12-time All-NCAC honoree, won 5 All-Ohio championships, and was a 9-time All-Ohio honoree (8 individual, one as a member of relay teams) in track & field, and was a 3-time all-region and All-NCAC honoree in cross country, competing in 2 national championship meets.

• Mason Espinosa '14 was a record-setting quarterback who won North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year recognition in football.  As a freshman, he opened the season as the starter and then reclaimed the job midway through the campaign.  He broke out in a 41-21 loss at Allegheny, completing 38 of 59 passes (both second all-time at OWU) for 406 yards (third all-time), and closed out the season by completing 34 (third all-time) of 44 passes for 471 yards (OWU record) and 6 TDs (OWU record) with 484 yards total offense (OWU record) in a 47-24 win vs. Hiram, winning NCAC Player of Week honors.  He finished the season with school records of 2055 yards passing and 2057 yards total offense, ranking third in NCAC in passing yards per game and sixth in total offense, and was an honorable mention All-NCAC pick.  He picked up where he left off as a sophomore, setting school records with 2388 passing yards and 2384 yards total offense, and his 16 touchdown passes tied the school mark.  He ranked second in the NCAC in passing yards per game and third in total offense and was an honorable mention all-conference pick.  His junior year, he set OWU and NCAC records with 52 completions (tied for third all-time in NCAA Division III) and threw for 428 yards (third all-time at OWU) against Wabash in the team's only loss of the season.  He was 25-for-49 for 352 yards and 4 TDs in the season finale vs. Wooster as the Bishops clinched a share of the NCAC championship.  He finished the season with 319 completions in 490 attempts for 3371 yards and 20 touchdowns, along with 3252 yards total offense (all OWU records, with the 319 completions also setting an NCAC record).  He led the NCAC in passing yards per game and total offense and ranked second in NCAA Division III in completions, fourth in passing yards, and ninth in total offense.  He was named NCAC Offensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Ohio pick by OhioCollegeFootball.com as OWU went 9-1 and shared the NCAC title with a 6-1 record.  As a senior, he threw for a school-record 473 yards in a 47-41 overtime loss to Denison and fired 5 touchdown passes in the first half of a 50-7 win vs. Allegheny.  He finished with 287 completions in 428 attempts for 3255 yards and 3146 yards in total offense (all second all-time at OWU), and his 21 touchdown passes set a school record.  He led the NCAC in passing yards per game and total offense and ranked fourth in NCAA Division III in completions per game, fifth in passing yards per game, and 18th in total offense.  He was an honorable mention All-NCAC pick.  During his career, he compiled 1004 completions, 1617 attempts, 11,069 passing yards and 10,839 yards total offense (all OWU and NCAC records) along with 69 touchdowns (OWU record).  His 11,069 passing yards ranked 13th all-time in NCAA Division III and his 10,839 yards total offense ranked 17th all-time in NCAA Division III.

• Regan Fitzpatrick '96 was an All-America free safety in football.  His senior year, he was a third-team selection to the Associated Press Little All-America and Hewlett-Packard Division III All-America teams and a second-team pick to the Football Gazette All-America team.  He intercepted 7 passes (ranking second in the North Coast Athletic Conference) and compiled 51 tackles (24 solo, 27 assists).  He was named NCAC Player of the Week after intercepting 2 passes in the fourth quarter of a 20-0 win against Denison.  He was a first-team All-NCAC pick that year.  As a junior, he ranked fourth on the team with 69 tackles (38 solo, 31 assist) and broke up 3 passes.  His sophomore year, he moved into the starting lineup and ranked fifth on the team with 53 tackles (32 solo, 21 assists), intercepted one pass and broke up 2 others.  He lettered in a reserve role as a freshman.  During his 4 seasons, he compiled 176 tackles (95 solo, 81 assists) and intercepted 8 passes.

• Steffi Graf '08 won first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors in both volleyball and basketball.  She lettered in both sports as a freshman, leading the volleyball team with an average 2.55 kills per game.  She became a starter in both sports as a sophomore, playing as an outside hitter in volleyball and as a guard in basketball.  In volleyball, she led the team in kills (2.69/game) and ranked second in attack percentage (.240) and digs (4.26/game), setting a school record with 48 attack attempts in a 3-game match against Bluffton.  In basketball, she averaged 8.8 points per game and ranked fifth in the NCAC with an average of 1.77 3-point field goals per game.  She tied a school record with 5 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 21 points against Kenyon, then broke that mark by going 7-for-8 from the field, including 6-for-7 from 3-point range, and 6-for-7 from the line for 26 points against Denison.  Her junior year in volleyball, she led the team with an average of 3.11 kills per game and ranked second in hitting percentage (.264) and digs (6.66/game).  She tied a school record with 41 digs vs. Denison.  She was a first-team All-NCAC pick.  In basketball, she averaged 9.8 points per game (17th in the NCAC), led the league in free throw percentage (.813) and ranked eighth in 3-point field goals (1.9/game) and was an honorable mention All-NCAC pick.  As a senior, she led the volleyball team and ranked fourth in the NCAC in kills with an average of 3.55 per game, led the team in hitting percentage (.247), and ranked second on the team and fifth in the NCAC in digs (6.26/game).  She had a school-record 44 digs against both Allegheny and Washington & Jefferson.  She was a second-team All-NCAC selection.  In basketball, she led the team and ranked 12th in the NCAC in scoring with an average of 11.2 points per game and ranked second in the league in free throw percentage (.787) and fourth in steals (2.0/game).  In volleyball, she compiled 1091 kills (fifth all-time), 3.06 kills per game (second all-time), 3431 total attempts (third all-time), and 9.64 attempts per game (first all-time).  In basketball, she finished with 783 points (8.2/game), 236 rebounds, and 129 assists.

• Kyle Martin '09 was an All-America selection and North Coast Athletic Conference individual champion in men's golf.  His freshman year, he led the Bishops in 3 tournaments, including the NCAA Division III tournament, and ranked second on the team with a 76.16 average.  He placed 19th with a 237 at the NCAC tournament, then led the Bishops with a 302 at the NCAA Division III tournament, tying for 13th place among individuals and taking second-team All-America honors.  Ohio Wesleyan won 2 tournaments, finished second in the NCAC tournament, and tied for sixth place at the NCAA Division III tournament.  As a sophomore, he led the Bishops in 2 tournaments, including the NCAC tournament.  He played all rounds during the spring season, ranking third on the team with a 76.17 average.  He had a 73 to help OWU to a school-record 277 at the Paradise Point Scarlet course.  He won the Bob Nye Award as the medalist in the final 54-hole NCAC event, finishing with a 219, and was the overall conference medalist in the 4 championship events, compiling a 669.  At the NCAA Division III tournament, he finished at 313, tying for 40th place.  Ohio Wesleyan won 5 tournaments, won the NCAC championship, and placed third at the NCAA Division III tournament. His junior year, he had a 76.65 average as Ohio Wesleyan won 6 tournaments and won the NCAC championship.  As a senior, he ranked third on the team with a 75.60 average as Ohio Wesleyan won 5 tournaments and the NCAC championship.

• Hannah Mudge '09 was a 2-time all-region selection as an attacker in women's lacrosse.  She won a starting spot as a freshman, recording 32 goals and 11 assists for 43 points, and was a second-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection as Ohio Wesleyan went 12-3 overall and 5-1 in the NCAC.  She was third on the team in scoring as a sophomore with 26 goals and 7 assists for 33 points, contributing 3 goals and an assist in an NCAC tournament semifinal win over Kenyon and scoring 2 goals in the NCAC tournament championship game against Wooster. Ohio Wesleyan was 11-4 overall and finished 5-1 in the NCAC.  As a junior, she scored 30 goals and led the team with 17 assists and 47 points.  Her average of 1.13 assists per game ranked second in the NCAC, and her 3.13 points per game tied for 10th in the league.  She scored 3 goals in an NCAC tournament semifinal win over Allegheny and set up the game-winning goal in overtime in a 14-13 win over Wooster in the NCAC tournament championship game, finishing with 2 goals and 2 assists as Ohio Wesleyan won its second NCAC championship and collected the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.  She was a second-team All-NCAC and a second-team all-region honoree as Ohio Wesleyan went 10-5 overall and 5-1 in the NCAC.  Her senior year, she led the team with 50 goals (then third on the OWU single-season list), 16 assists, and 66 points (then third on the OWU single-season list) and led the NCAC in scoring with an average of 4.71 points per game.  She was a first-team all-region and All-NCAC selection.  Her 138 career goals ranked second on the OWU list, while her 188 points was third.  During her 4 years, Ohio Wesleyan was 40-19 (.678) overall and 18-6 (.750) in the NCAC with one conference championship and one NCAA Division III playoff appearance.

• Dan Stroka '00 was a 3-time All-America midfielder in men's lacrosse.  He won a starting spot as a freshman and scored 4 goals in his collegiate debut at Salisbury.  He finished the season with 28 goals and 13 assists for 41 points (leading OWU midfielders) and was named North Coast Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-conference.  OWU was 13-4 overall and 4-1 in the NCAC and advanced to the second round of NCAA Division III tournament.  As a sophomore, he compiled 34 goals and 24 assists (second all-time among OWU midfielders) to finish with 58 points, a record for OWU midfielders.  He ranked third on the team and third in the NCAC in scoring.  He was a first-team All-America and first-team All-NCAC honoree as the Bishops went 14-2 overall and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament.  His junior year, he collected 6 goals and 3 assists vs. Oberlin to tie the school single-game record for points by a midfielder.  He finished with 33 goals and 26 assists for 59 points, setting OWU season records for midfielders in assists and points, and ranked fifth in the NCAC in scoring.  By the end of his junior year, he also had set OWU career records for goals, assists, and points by a midfielder.  He won third-team All-America and first-team All-NCAC recognition as Ohio Wesleyan was 12-4 overall, 4-1 in the NCAC, and lost in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament.  As a senior, he again tied the single-game record for points by a midfielder with 4 goals and 5 assists at Oberlin.  He finished the season with 37 goals and 31 assists for 68 points, again setting OWU records for assists and points by a midfielder.  He was a second-team All-America and first-team All-NCAC selection as OWU went 14-4, shared the NCAC championship with 4-1 record, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament.  He finished his career with 132 goals (OWU record for midfielders), 94 assists (OWU record for midfielders), and 226 points (fourth all-time, also OWU record for midfielders).  The team was 53-14 during his 4 seasons, winning 2 NCAC championships (with a 17-3 conference mark) and advancing to the NCAA Division III playoffs 4 times.

• Kevin Wall '92 was a 2-time All-America defenseman in men's lacrosse.  His senior year, he was a second-team All-America, first-team All-Midwest Lacrosse Association, and first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection, also winning NCAC Player of the Year honors, as Ohio Wesleyan won the NCAC title.  He earned second-team All-America, first-team All-MLA, and first-team All-NCAC honors as a junior as the team went 13-4, won the NCAC and MLA titles, and advanced to the NCAA Division III semifinals.  He won second-team All-MLA and All-NCAC recognition as a sophomore in his first season as starter, helping the Bishops win NCAC and MLA titles and go to the NCAA Division III championship game.  The Bishops went 50-17 during his 4 seasons, winning 4 NCAC championships (with a 19-0 conference record) and advancing to the NCAA Division III playoffs 3 times.  He was selected to play in the North-South All-Star Game and served as team captain for 2 years.

• Kat Zimmerly '11 was an All-America honoree in cross country.  As a freshman, she led the Bishops with an eighth-place finish at the North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet to win a second-team all-conference citation, then led the team with a 29th-place showing at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet to take all-region recognition.  Her sophomore year, she led the Bishops with a seventh-place finish and first-team All-NCAC honors as OWU finished second, its best team finish in nearly 20 years.  She went on to lead the Bishops with a 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet to win all-region honors.  As a junior, she led OWU with a 19th-place finish and honorable mention All-NCAC recognition.  She placed third at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet to win all-region honors.  Her senior year, she placed second at the NCAC championship for OWU's best individual finish in more than 20 years.  She finished seventh at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet to win all-region honors, then completed her career by winning All-America honors with a 30th-place finish at the NCAA Division III championship meet, becoming OWU's first All-American in cross country in nearly 30 years.  She was a 4-time All-NCAC and all-region honoree.  In track & field, she placed fourth in the mile run to help the Bishops win the NCAC indoor title as a freshman.  Outdoors, she won the NCAC championship in the 3000-meter steeplechase, also scoring in the 5000-meter run, as the Bishops finished second at the conference championship.  As a sophomore, she scored in the 5000 and the mile as OWU tied for the NCAC indoor title, then won the NCAC title in the steeplechase as the Bishops reclaimed the NCAC championship.  Her junior year, she won the 3000-meter run in a school-record 10:18.03 and finished second in the mile as the Bishops won the NCAC indoor title outright.  She qualified for the NCAA Division III championship meet in the mile run, finishing 12th.  Outdoors, she finished second in the steeplechase at the NCAC meet, helping the Bishops repeat as conference champion.  She qualified for the NCAA Division III championship meet in the steeplechase, finishing 18th.  As a senior, she won the 3000 and the mile at the NCAC indoor championship in NCAC-record times (10:12.84 and 5:03.88) to win Distance Runner of the Year honors and help OWU repeat as conference champion.  Outdoors, she won the steeplechase in an NCAC-record 11:11.35 as OWU won its third straight conference title.  She qualified for the NCAA Division III championship meet in the 5000-meter run, finishing 15th.  She was a 6-time NCAC champion and an 8-time All-NCAC honoree, as well as a 4-time All-Ohio champion and 9-time All-Ohio selection (7 individual, 2 as member of relay teams), and competed in 3 national championship meets.

The 2024 class of inductees will be the 64th to be inducted into the Ohio Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame and the 49th to include women.

The Dr. Robert M. Strimer Honor Award honors graduates of Ohio Wesleyan University who have made outstanding, widely recognized, and sustained contributions to the field of athletics.  Strimer first came to Ohio Wesleyan in 1941 as freshman coach in football, basketball, and track & field.  After serving 3 years in the U.S. Navy, he returned to Ohio Wesleyan and was named head men's basketball coach in 1946.  When George Gauthier retired as athletics director in 1955, Strimer was selected as his replacement.  Strimer retired in 1977 but remained active in athletic, alumni, and development affairs for over 2 decades.

DiBiasio, the senior vice president of public affairs for the Cleveland Guardians, is in his 45th season with the Guardians and his 46th in Major League Baseball.  He started with the Guardians in 1979 as assistant public relations director, was named public relations director in 1980, and vice president of public relations in 1988 before being promoted to his current position in 2011.  His lone season away from the Guardians was 1987, when he served as public relations director for the Atlanta Braves.  DiBiasio serves as president of Cleveland Guardians Charities.  He is president of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame, is a member of the board of directors of the Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation, and the Baseball Heritage Museum at League Park.  In 1999, he was the recipient of the prestigious Robert O. Fishel Award for Public Relations Excellence in Major League Baseball.  In 1986, DiBiasio was named the Public Relations Director to the Sports Illustrated Dream Team.  He earned degrees in journalism and education from Ohio Wesleyan in 1977.  While at Ohio Wesleyan, Bob was sports editor of the school paper The Transcript, the student sports information director, and did color commentary on OWU football and basketball broadcasts.  DiBiasio also played one year of basketball and 2 years of baseball at OWU.

The George Gauthier Award honors graduates of Ohio Wesleyan University for exemplary, widely recognized, and sustained contributions to the Ohio Wesleyan athletics department, as an undergraduate and as an alum providing lifelong support, interest and leadership.  The award also honors those who, through their acts of unselfish involvement, personify "Service Above Self."  Gauthier served as Ohio Wesleyan's athletics director from 1921-55.  He was the Battling Bishops' football coach from 1921-46, the Bishops' men's track & field coach from 1922-55, and the men's cross country coach from 1922-33, 1947-54, and 1957-59.

A longtime supporter of Ohio Wesleyan athletics, Dittrick was the lead donor to the recent renovations of Branch Rickey Arena.  He has spent his career in the cable television industry and currently is president and CEO of Douglas Communications Corp. II.  Previously, Dittrick has served as chairman of the National Cable Television Association, been named Executive of the Year by Cable Television Business magazine, received the Vanguard Award for outstanding contributions to the cable television industry, and been inducted into the prestigious Cable Hall of Fame.  He currently is a Life Trustee and a member of Ohio Wesleyan's Founders Circle, and previously has served as president of the OWU Alumni Board of Directors, chair of the Board of Trustees, a member of the steering committee for The Campaign for Ohio Wesleyan, and more.  In 1993, he was recognized with an Alumni Award.