2020
On Thursday, March 12. the NCAA Division III indoor track & field championships are canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following day, Ohio Wesleyan cancels all spring sports and other athletics-related competitions and practices for the remainder of the academic year.
Cirrus Robinson '20 receives All-America honors for the 2020 NCAA Division III indoor track & field season. Robinson was tied for the fifth seed in the high jump and was looking to win her third indoor national championship and her fifth overall national title when the NCAA Division III championship meet was canceled on the eve of its scheduled start. The NCAA Division III Executive Committee recognized the participants in individual events who were selected for the national championships and initially announced by the NCAA as All-America honorees.
Branch Rickey Arena is renovated, receiving new flooring, bleachers, scoreboards, lights, sound system, air conditioning, and more. The top-to-bottom renovation also reconfigures the arena's main lobby to create a welcoming entry that highlights current Bishops, OWU champions, and the legacy of building namesake Branch Rickey. A 1904 Ohio Wesleyan graduate, Rickey broke Major League Baseball's color barrier when he signed Jackie Robinson in the 1940s. Other renovations include converting a nearby racquetball court into a concession stand and storage area, refurbishing all public restrooms, and relocating the athletic training room from the third floor to the first. On the second floor, the renovated All-America lounge includes recognition of the courage, character, and life of Charles Thomas, as well as couches, chairs, and gathering spaces.
2021
Varsity athletics at Ohio Wesleyan return in February, with most Battling Bishop teams -- fall, winter, and spring -- playing limited seasons. North Coast Athletic Conference competition resumes for the spring sports, with those teams vying for conference championships.
Men's basketball coach Mike DeWitt '87 chalks up his 400th career victory when the Bishops defeat Denison, 50-45, on Feb. 11.
Women's basketball coach Stacey Ungashick Lobdell records her 100th career win when Ohio Wesleyan defeated Wooster, 84-32, on March 6. The Bishops close out the abbreviated season with an 8-2 record (.800), Ohio Wesleyan's highest winning percentage since the 1999-2000 team went 23-3 (.885).
The volleyball team sweeps a doubleheader from Wittenberg, winning both matches by a count of 3-1. The win in the first match was Ohio Wesleyan's first over Wittenberg since Nov. 9, 1996, when the Bishops won the North Coast Athletic Conference championship with a 16-14, 16-14, 8-15, 8-15, 16-14 decision over the Tigers in the NCAC tournament title match at Branch Rickey Arena, and broke a 36-match losing streak to Wittenberg. The win in the second match completed the sweep, marking the first time that Ohio Wesleyan has defeated Wittenberg more than once in a single season. The Bishops go on to finish the abbreviated spring season with a 7-0 record.
The men's lacrosse team ties Denison for the NCAC West Division title, but Denison advances to the NCAC championship game on goal differential in division games. The Bishops finish the abbreviated season with an 8-1 record.
The field hockey team posts wins over Allegheny and Earlham on the final weekend of the regular season to qualify for the NCAC tournament. The Bishops then defeat top-seeded Kenyon and third-seeded Denison to win the NCAC tournament for the first time, as well as become the first No. 4 seed to take the NCAC tournament title. Midfielder Astrid Koek '22 is named Most Valuable Player of the NCAC tournament and the NCAC's Offensive Player of the Year. In their first NCAA Division III playoff appearance since 1995, the Bishops upend 15th-ranked Cortland, 2-1, on an overtime goal by midfielder Megan Knee '24, Ohio Wesleyan's first-ever NCAA Division III playoff victory. The Bishops advance to the second round and take a 1-0 lead before falling, 2-1, to fourth-ranked Rowan.
The football team finishes the season with an 8-2 record, the Bishops' highest win total since 2012.
The men's soccer team makes its NCAA-record 42nd Division III playoff appearance, defeating Knox in the first round before falling, 1-0, to Calvin in the second round.
2022
Peyton Howell '23 wins All-America honors in the high jump at both indoor and outdoor NCAA Division III championship meets, finishing third indoors and fifth outdoors.
The field hockey team wins its second consecutive NCAC tournament championship. Midfielder Veronica Hardman '23 is named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
The men's soccer team wins the NCAC tournament and makes its NCAA-record 43nd Division III playoff appearance, defeating Penn State-Harrisburg in the first round before falling, 1-0, to Mary Washington in the second round.
2023
The women's basketball team wins the NCAC tournament and makes its first NCAA Division III tournament appearance since the 2008-09 season. Guard Kasey Schipfer '24 is named the NCAC tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Schipfer also is named NCAC Player of the Year and Top Defensive Player, becoming the first to win both Player of the Year and Top Defensive Player since the defensive award was instituted for the 2016-17 season.
Peyton Howell '23 wins All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the high jump at the NCAA Division III outdoor track & field championship meet. The All-America citation is the third for Howell.
Spencer Amacher '25 is voted to the Academic All-America® teams, winning third-team at-large honors and becoming the first Ohio Wesleyan men's lacrosse player to win Academic All-America® recognition.
The field hockey team runs the table during the regular season, compiling a 16-0 record, and wins the NCAC championship with a 10-0 record for Ohio Wesleyan's first NCAC title since 2019 and its first outright conference crown since 1995. The Bishops assemble a string of 14 consecutive shutouts but fall, 1-0, in overtime in the championship game of the NCAC tournament.
The women's soccer team shares the NCAC championship, Ohio Wesleyan's first conference crown since 2011.
The men's soccer team makes its NCAA-record 44th Division III playoff appearance, defeating Rose-Hulman in the first round before falling, 2-1, to Chicago in the second round.
Claire Solberg '24 wins honorable mention All-America honors in volleyball, the first Bishop to do so since 2017.
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