TERRE HAUTE, IN- The Otterbein women’s cross country team placed 11th out of 34 teams at the NCAA Great Lakes Cross Country Regional on Saturday, hosted by Rose-Hulman and  Depauw. The regional was won by Calvin College, with 50 points.

Otterbein was lead by junior Andrea Pautsch who earned All-Region honors, finishing34th overall. She ran in 23:36.15.

Senior Nikki Reese and sophomore Sarah Hutchinson finished 69th and 70th for the Cards, running in 24:29.60 and 24:30.30 respectively.  

“We came in ranked 10th in the region, so we were right around where we expected,” said head coach John Lintz. “We were only three points out of ninth, so we weren’t far off from a better finish. We would have liked to do a little better, but it just wasn’t our day.”

Junior Shaylyn Webster took 84th place, crossing the finish line at 24:40.63. Sophomore Nicole Elliott came in 86th place, running in 24:45.62.

Overall, 231 runners from 34 different schools competed. This marked the end of the season for the Cardinals, who will be back in action next fall.
 

Otterbein Runs to Fourth-Place Finish at OAC Championships
Written Oct. 31, 2009 by Alex Stansell

WILMINGTON, OHIO- The Otterbein women’s cross country team placed fourth at the 2009 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships hosted by Wilmington College on Saturday. Baldwin Wallace College won the team title.

The Cards were led by junior Andrea Pautsch, who earned first team All-OAC honors. She finished in sixth place with a time of 22:31.49.

Senior Nicole Reese and sophomore Nicole Elliott earned second team All-OAC honors, finishing 14th and 17th respectively. Reese ran in 23:19.61, while Elliott finished with a time of 23:31.35.

“Andrea ran fantastic, I was very pleased with her performance,” said first-year head coach John Lintz. “Overall, our team had a decent performance today.”

Sophomore Sarah Hutchinson placed 21st, finishing in 23:42.10. Sophomore Lexi Dooley rounded out the top five finishers for Otterbein, placing 28th and crossing the finish line at 23:58.26.

“While today could have been better, it also could have been worse,” said Lintz. “So we’re looking forward to regionals here in a couple weeks.”

The Cards will run at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at Rose-Hulman on Saturday, Nov. 14. The race is slated to start at 11 a.m.

Reese and Pautsch Lead Cards to Second at Wilmington
Written Oct. 19, 2009 by Ed Syguda

WILMINGTON, OHIO—Otterbein, placing all five runners in the top 30, finished second at the Wilmington Fall College Classic.

The Cardinals scored 91 points to finish a close second to meet winner John Carroll, who tallied 85 points. There were 244 runners from 25 teams participating in the meet held last Friday.

“I thought that second place in a meet of this size was a great result,” said first-year head coach John Lintz. “It was the first time all year that they had to deal with cold race conditions and everyone responded.”

Senior Nicole Reese and junior Andrea Pautsch led the Cardinals over the 5,000-meter course. Reese took the seventh spot with a time of 19:07 while Pautsch finished 12th in 19:17.

“I was particularly happy with Niki’s (Reese) race,” Lintz said. “This was the first time all season that we've seen the real Niki. Talking to her after the race, I'm convinced she's figured it out and will only get better from here. For us to be really good, Niki needs to lead us.

“I was also really pleased with how Andie (Pautsch) ran again,” Lintz continued. “She's been consistently good all year, and I think she's ready to pop a big time in the next couple of meets.”

Rounding out the Otterbein scoring five were sophomore Sarah Hutchinson, 21st (20:01), sophomore Nicole Elliott, 22nd (20:05), and junior Shaylyn Webster, 29th (20:15).

Otterbein Finishes 18th at All-Ohio
Written Oct. 6, 2009 by Adam Prescott

DELAWARE, OHIO—The Otterbein women’s cross country team, led by junior Andie Pautsch, ran its way to an 18th-place finish last Friday at the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Championship hosted by Ohio Wesleyan. Overall, 42 teams from NCAA Division I, II, and III institutions competed in the event.

Pautsch led the way for the Cardinals by covering the course in 20:21.90 to finish 68th out of 285 total runners.

“From an individual standpoint, this is by far her best cross country season,” head coach John Lintz said of Pautsch. “She is getting excited to see what she can do at the end of the season, and Coach Lehman and I are as well.

Sophomore Nicole Elliott finished 113th with a time of 21:11.18 while freshman Bekah Reese turned in a time of 21:17.90, good enough for 118th.

Reese’s older sister, Niki (123rd), ran a time of 21:20.20 while sophomore Sarah Hutchinson (129th) covered the course in 21:25.40.

“A meet like the All-Ohio gives us a good gauge of where we are at this point in the season,” Lintz said. “We beat most of the teams that we should have beaten, but we were only the third OAC school and I would've liked to have been closer to Ohio Northern and Baldwin-Wallace.

“The good news is that no one remembers what anyone does in early October,” Lintz continued. “Oct. 31 (OAC Championships) and Nov. 14 (NCAA Regionals) are the dates that are important to us.”

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein placed five runners in the top 21, leading the Cardinals to a second-place finish at the 14-team Otterbein Invitational held Saturday.

The Cardinals scored 69 points. DePauw won the meet with 29 points. The meet drew 150 runners.

“The women ran well,” Lintz said. “To finish second in a meet of this size and competition is pretty meaningful, especially with the rainy conditions.”

For the third Saturday in a row, Junior Andie Pautsch led the Cardinals, finishing fifth in 23:23.1 over the 6,000-meter course.

“Andie has been in the top five in two of her three races this year (12th in the other), and her confidence is really growing,” said first-year head coach John Lintz. “She's had two great track seasons in her career, but this is the first year she's been great in cross country. 

Sophomore Sarah Hutchinson finished 13th (24:05.3) and sophomore Nicole Elliott placed right behind, grabbing the 14th spot in 24:09.3.

Sisters Niki Reese, a senior, and Bekah Reese, a freshman, placed 16th (24:14.9) and 21st (24:27.1), respectively, to round out the scoring five.

Cards Place Fourth at Cedarville
Written Sept. 23, 2009 by Ed Syguda

CEDARVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, led by junior Andie Pautsch, placed fourth at the 19th-annual Friendship Invitational hosted by Cedarville University last Saturday.

The Cardinals scored 114 points, finishing behind meet winner Ashland (39), Cedarville (64), and Shawnee State (110). Sixteen teams and 181 runners competed in the meet.

“The women continue to run very well, and are getting better and better every week,” said first-year head coach John Lintz. “We are pretty good right now, but it is important to be running the best at the end of the season, and we're on our way to doing that.”

Pautsch turned in Otterbein’s best performance, finishing 12th in a time of 19:27 over the 5,000-meter course.

“Andie has run very, very well this fall,” Lintz said. “But what makes her accomplishments even more impressive is that she is also working as an athletic trainer for the women's soccer team this fall. She is doing a good bit of running by herself, and that is not easy.”

Rounding out the scoring for Otterbein were freshman Bekah Reese, 18th (19:34); junior Shaylyn Webster, 26th (19:52); sophomore Sarah Hutchinson, 28th (20:02); and senior Nicole Reese, 30th (20:08).

OC Takes Four of Top 10 Spots to win at Marietta
Written Sept. 17, 2009 by Ed Syguda

MARIETTA, OHIO—Otterbein took four of the top 10 spots to win the Carl Broughton Invitational hosted by Marietta last Saturday.

The Cardinals scored 44 points to edge California University (PA), who finished second with 49 points. Seven teams competed in the meet. Host Marietta, the only other team from the Ohio Athletic Conference, placed fourth with 99 points.

“The women started the year out great,” said first-year head coach John Lintz. “We got a great team effort.”

Junior Andie Pautsch turned in Otterbein’s best finish, placing fourth in 20:20.26. Freshman Rebekah Reese, right behind, took the fifth spot with a time of 20:20.71. Rounding out the top-10 finishers were sophomore Sarah Hutchinson, eighth (20:39.39), and junior Shaylyn Webster, 10th (20:50.56).

“Andie has started her season off where she left off in track, and Sarah continues to improve week to week.” Lintz said. “It's nice to see someone who works so hard be successful.

“As far as Bekah Reese goes,” Lintz continued, “we knew coming in that she would help us out right away, but it has been a really pleasant surprise to see her be our No. 2 finisher the last two weeks.” Rebekah finished second to teammate and sister Nicole Reese, who is a senior, at the Otterbein Alumni meet held Sept. 4.

Lady Cards Look to Take Next Step, Reach New Heights in 2009 Season
Written Sept. 11, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – With five of the top six runners returning this fall, the Otterbein women’s cross country team will be looking to build on a 2008 season that saw the team earn a seventh place finish at the Great Lakes Regional in addition to a third place finish at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) meet.

The Cards, which enter the season ranked eighth in the Regional coaches’ preseason poll, anticipate being led by the duo of senior Nicole Reese and junior Andrea Pautsch.

Nicole Reese

Reese, a returning second team All-OAC performer, captured race titles at Marietta and Earlham a season ago. In 2007, she was named the OAC Runner of the Year and qualified for the NCAA Championships.

“Niki is arguably the most talented runner in the conference,” said first-year head coach John Lintz. “She has a 5k personal record that many guys would like to have. Niki put in an amazing summer of training and has come back in the best shape of her life. If she runs like she is capable, she could be an All American this fall.”

Pautsch, the defending OAC Track and Field champion in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, will also be counted upon to produce for the Cardinals. Also a returning second team All-OAC performer, Pautsch ran a career-best time of 19:54.85 en route to an 11^th place finish at Cedarville last season.

“Andie has proven to be one of the conference's elite runners in track, but hasn't yet put together a cross season to match,” said Lintz. “When she does this fall, we will have a one-two punch that is very tough.”

The program also expects contribution from incoming freshman Rebekah Reese, the younger sister of Nicole. Rebekah finished second behind her older sister at the team’s alumni meet this past weekend.

Other returning letterwinners include senior Danielle Vickers, junior Shaylyn Webster, and sophomore Nicole Elliot.

Vickers led the team with a sixth-place finish at the OAC Championships last season, covering the course in 23:43.63 to earn first team All-Conference. She also captured All-Great Lakes honors by finishing in the top 35 at the regional meet. 

However, the team will miss the services of sophomore Hannah Farver, who had compartment syndrome surgery on her calf this offseason and unfortunately will not run in 2009.

Overall, the group appears ready and able to embark on a successful season.

“We return a lot of runners with a lot of varsity experience, and that will certainly help come conference, regionals and hopefully nationals,” said Lintz.

Fresh off the annual alumni event, the team will travel to compete at Marietta this weekend.

John Lintz Named Head Coach
Written May 19, 2009 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein named John Lintz its new head coach for men’s and women’s cross country, Otterbein athletic director Dick Reynolds released today.

Lintz, a 2005 graduate of Otterbein College, has been serving as a graduate assistant under head men’s and women’s track and field coach Doug Welsh, who is retiring in June after 18 seasons at the helm of the Otterbein track and field program.

“I am glad to have John move over from graduate assistant into the head coaching position because it allows for continuity in our cross country program,” Reynolds said.

“The exciting thing,” said Lintz about his new position, “is being able to lead a program with the rich tradition that Otterbein has. If you go back 30 years, Otterbein has arguable the best cross country tradition in the state of Ohio and, really, in the region.”

Lintz, who is finishing his master’s degree in education curriculum at Otterbein, has been responsible for coaching the distance runners, pole vaulters and javelin throwers; and has helped in recruiting and meet management at Otterbein since 2006. Over that time, he’s coached one NCAA Division III champion, eight NCAA qualifiers, and nine Ohio Athletic Conference championships.

“I want to build a program that’s not only good on the conference level, but good on the national level on a consistent basis,” Lintz said about his future plans. “I would like to bring in high-caliber students, high-caliber athletes and keep the program moving forward and match the success we’ve had in the past.

“I want our student-athletes to come out of here having a great experience in cross country and a great experience in college, and to be able to take what they’ve learned here and pass it around in their real lives,” Lintz added. 

Vickers Named to All-Academic Team
Written April 15, 2009 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Danielle Vickers was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic team in NCAA Division III women’s cross country.

Danielle Vickers

In addition, both the women’s and men’s cross country teams earned USTFCCCA All-Academic team honors by maintaining a minimum team grade-point average of 3.10 and competed and compiled a team score at an NCAA regional meet.

Vickers, a junior nursing major from Cincinnati (Sycamore High School), earned the honor by finishing in the top 25 percent at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional in addition to maintaining a grade-point average of at least 3.50. A total of 219 student-athletes were named to the team in 2008.

The junior, a two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) performer in cross country, finished 35th at the regional meet held Nov. 15, 2008 at Otterbein. She placed sixth at the OAC Championship.

Otterbein Takes Seventh at Great Lakes Regional
Written Nov. 15, 2008 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—The Otterbein women’s cross country team placed seventh at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional held today at Otterbein College.

Abby Ludwig

“I thought we ran well,” said assistant coach Dave Lehman. "It was a good overall team performance.”

Calvin, placing five runners in the top 12, won its second-consecutive title. Calvin scored 42 points and was followed by Case Western (84), DePauw (105), Kenyon (167), Baldwin-Wallace (173), Oberlin (224), and Otterbein (226). Thirty-four teams competed in the meet.

Senior Abby Ludwig and junior Danielle Vickers earned All-Great Lakes honors by finishing in the top 35.

Ludwig turned in Otterbein’s top finish, covering the 6,000-meter distance in 23:33.97 to finish in 32nd place.

“Abby ran a good, solid race,” Lehman said. “When she finished, she felt like she gave it everything she had. It was a good race for her.”

Vickers took the final spot on the all-region team, finishing 35th (23:45.02).

“It’s been so exciting to see Danielle’s progress the last few weeks—top 10 in the conference and then all-region here,” Lehman said. “She’s really come a long way in a short time. She ran a great race."

Junior Nicole Reese just missed all-regional honors, finishing 38th (23:47.52).

Also scoring for the Cardinals were sophomore Andie Pautsch, 62nd (24:15.54), and freshman Nicole Elliot, 63rd (24:17.72).

Calvin and Case Western earned an automatic bid to the NCAA championship final scheduled for Nov. 22 at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind.

Otterbein Captures Third at OAC Championships
Written Nov. 1, 2008 by Adam Prescott

MARIETTA, OHIO—The Otterbein women's cross country team took a third-place finish and four runners earned all-conference honors at the OAC Championships Saturday in Marietta.

Junior Danielle Vickers came in first among the Otterbein runners with a time of 23:43.63, giving her a 6th-place finish overall.

"Danielle ran the best race of her career today," said assistant coach Dave Lehman. "She looked good, finished strong, and may have even exceeded her expectations coming into the race."

Senior Abby Ludwig crossed the finish line right behind Vickers in 7th place with a time of 23:43.64.

"Abby looked really good today despite some struggles on the hills," Lehman explained. "There was a point during where I thought she may win the entire race, but the course proved to be very challenging down the stretch."

Vickers and Ludwig earned first team All-OAC honors by finishing in the top nine.

Junior Nicole Reese and sophomore Andrea Pautsch finished in 12th and 18th place, respectively, and earned second team All-OAC honors. Reese turned in a time of 23:58.80 while Pautsch ran the 6,000-meter course in 24:20.36.

The Cardinals appeared to have earned a second place team finish, but Reese's time was adjusted as she fell from 11th to 12th place. The modification led to Baldwin-Wallace hurdling Otterbein to grab second.

"It was a great team effort today," Lehman said. "We hung right in there with teams that have beaten us most of the year. This was a great team finish for us. It's just too bad we came up a little short for second."

Freshman Hannah Farver ran a time of 24:30.99 to place her 23rd in her first OAC Championship race.

Otterbein Women Grab 8th Place Finish at Oberlin Inter-Regional
Written Oct. 18, 2008 by Adam Prescott

OBERLIN, OHIO--The Otterbein women’s cross country team earned an eighth- place team finish on Saturday as they participated in the 6K race.

Senior Abby Ludwig led the Cards with a time of 22:47, good enough for 26th place.

Sophomore Andre Pautsch and junior Danielle Vickers came in second and third, respectively, for Otterbein with times of 23:09 and 23:16. Pautsch finished 42nd while Vickers earned a 50th-place finish.

Otterbein next competes at the OAC Championships in Marietta on Nov. 1.

Cards Place 18th Overall at the All-Ohio
Written Oct. 14, 2008 by Alex Stansell

DELAWARE, OHIO—The Cardinals placed 18th out of 41 teams at the All-Ohio, hosted last Friday by Ohio Wesleyan. The overall champion was Cedarville University, with Cincinnati and Case Western Reserve winning NCAA Division 1 and NCAA Division III, respectively. 288 runners from 41 different schools competed.

Junior Nicole Reese led the way for the Cardinals with a time of 20:07, good for 92nd place. Senior Abby Ludwig also finished 101st (20:18). Andrea Pautsch, Sarah Hutchinson, and Hannah Farver all finished in the top 140 runners for the Cardinals. The team totaled 572 points.

Otterbein finished with 159 points among NCAA Division III schools, good for 6th place out of 19 teams. Every runner finished in the top 50, with Nicole Reese, Abby Ludwig, and Andrea Pautsch finishing in the top 30. Case Western Reserve’s winning total was 35 points.

OAC Names Reese Runner of the Week
Written Oct. 6, 2008 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Nicole Reese, a junior from Columbus (Centennial High School), was named Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) “runner of the week” in women’s cross country, the OAC released today.

Reese finished first at the Earlham Invitational held Saturday in Richmond, Ind. She covered the 5,000-meter distance in 19:29. This is the second time this season that Reese has earned runner of the week honors.

Otterbein won the seven-team meet by 41 points, scoring 24. Ohio Northern finished second with 65 points.

Otterbein is scheduled to compete Friday at the All-Ohio in Delaware.

Otterbein Takes Title at Earlham Invitational
Written Oct. 6, 2008 by Adam Prescott

RICHMOND, INDIANA – Otterbein placed ten runners in the top 15 finishers to earn first place at the Earlham Invitational in Richmond.

The Cardinals were led by junior Nicole Reese, who won the Invitational by finishing with a time of 19:29. Senior Abby Ludwig earned a third place finish by running the course in 19:46.

Sophomore Andrea Pautsch marked the third Otterbein runner landing in the top five as she recorded a time of 19:56.

Hannah Farver, Danielle Vickers, Nicole Elliot, and Sarah Hutchinson finished in seventh through tenth place, respectively. All four runners finished within 26 seconds of one another.

Laura Canafax (20:33), Lindsay Main (21:00), and Shaylyn Webster (21:04) rounded out the Otterbein finishers in the top 15.

Overall, 77 runners from seven different teams took part in the race. Ohio Northern finished in second place, coming in 41 points behind the Cardinals.

The Cards next compete at the All-Ohio/Ohio Wesleyan Invitational on Friday. Starting time is set at 2 p.m.  
 

OAC Names Reese Runner of the Week
Written Sept. 22, 2008 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Nicole Reese, a junior from Columbus (Centennial High School), was named Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) “runner of the week” in women’s cross country, the OAC released today.

Reese turned in Otterbein’s best performance at the Cedarville University Friendship Cross Country Invitational held Saturday in Cedarville, finishing fifth over the 5,000-meter course in a time of 19:18.38. The field included 174 runners from 18 teams.

Otterbein finished second with 50 points, just six points behind meet winner Shawnee State, who tallied 44 points.

A week earlier, Reese took top honors at the Marietta Invitational, helping lead her team to a first-place finish Sept. 13. The distance runner covered the 5,000-meter course in 20:20.

Cardinals Open 2008 with Win at Marietta
Written Sept. 13, 2008 by Ed Syguda

MARIETTA, OHIO—Otterbein opened the 2008 season in convincing fashion, winning the Carl Broughton Invitational by 45 points Saturday in Marietta.

The Cardinals, placing four runners in the top ten, scored 33 points. Alderson-Broaddus College finished second with 78 points. Other Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) teams competing at the invitational were Marietta, finishing fourth with 82 points, Capital, sixth with 178, Heidelberg, seventh with 207, and Muskingum, 10th with 268 points.

Otterbein junior Nicole Reese, OAC runner of the year in 2007, won the race, covering the 5,000 meters in 20:20. Abby Ludwig, a senior, placed fourth (20:45.45), and was followed by freshman Hannah Farver, sixth (20:59.91), and junior Danielle Vickers, 10th (21:14.87).

The Cardinals are scheduled to compete next at Cedarville Sept. 20.

Reese Named OAC Runner of the Year
Written Dec. 10, 2007 by Ed Syguda

Nicole Reese

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Nicole Reese, a sophomore from Columbus (Centennial High School), was one of two distance performers selected Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) “runner of the year” in women’s cross country, the OAC released today.

“To be named OAC runner of the year is a great honor and one that does not happen by accident,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland. “Niki put a lot of work in over the off-season and competed at a high level all season.

“Her focus was unwavering and she was very determined to achieve her goals this past season,” Borland continued. “We are very proud of her and look forward to even bigger things from her in the future.”

Reese capped off a stellar regular season with a second-place finish—just four seconds behind meet winner Lindsay Brickner, a senior from Baldwin-Wallace—at  the OAC Women’s Cross Country Championship held Oct. 27. Brickner was also co-recipient of the OAC “runner of the year” award.

The distance runner followed the conference meet with an 11th-place showing at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional held Nov. 10 in Grand Rapids, Mich., which qualified her for the national meet. Reese placed 195th in the field of 280 runners at the NCAA Division III Championship held Nov. 17 in Northfield, Minn.

Cards Place 10th at Great Lakes Regional
Written Nov. 13, 2007 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—The Otterbein women’s cross country team, led by two all-region performers, finished 10th at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional held Saturday at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Nicole Reese, a sophomore from Columbus (Centennial High School), and Abby Ludwig, a junior from Strongsville, earned all-regional honors by finishing in the top 35.

Reese took 11th place to qualify for the NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championships, which are scheduled for Saturday at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. Reese covered the 6,000-meter course in 22:07.90. Ludwig finished 30th in 22:59.50.

“Niki ran a very good race and put herself in position right from the start,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland. “I am so excited for her because I know how hard she worked this past summer and that nationals was a big goal for her.”

Rounding out the scoring for Otterbein were Danielle Vickers, a sophomore from Cincinnati (Sycamore), 58th (23:39.60); Ashley Suffel, a senior from Defiance, 76th (23:58.50); and Elizabeth Sabbath, a junior from Westerville (St. Francis DeSales), 93rd (24:22.05).

“Abby and Danielle ran great races and I am very proud of their efforts,” Borland said.

Otterbein scored 268 points to finish ahead of 21 teams in the field of 31. Host Calvin won the meet, scoring 46 points.

Cards Place Second at OAC Championships
Written Oct. 30, 2007 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, placing two runners in the top 10, finished second at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Women’s Cross Country Championships held Saturday at the Highland Park Golf Course in Highland Hills, Ohio.

The Cardinals scored 85 points, finishing behind meet winner Baldwin-Wallace (27), who placed all five of its runners in the top 10.

“I am very pleased with our performance,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland. “B-W is a very good team and we are excited to finish where we did.”

Nicole Reese, a sophomore from Columbus (Centennial High School), placed second to earn first team All-OAC honors, covering the 6,000-meter course in 23:22.83.

“It was a heart-breaking performance,” Borland said about Reese’s race. “She was winning coming into the last 20 meters and got passed at the end.”

Abby Ludwig, a junior from Strongsville, also took home first team All-OAC honors by placing ninth (24:17.46) in the field of 102 runners. Danielle Vickers, a sophomore from Cincinnati (Sycamore), earned second team All-OAC honors with an 18th-place finish (24:49.74).

 “Abby showed a lot of toughness in earning her first all-conference award,” Borland said. “I am excited that Danielle was able to make All-OAC in only her first season ever of cross country.”

First team all-conference honors were awarded to the first nine finishers while the second nine were named to the second team.

Rounding out the scoring for Otterbein were Ashley Suffel, a senior from Defiance, and Ashton Shanower, a senior from Alliance (Marlington). Suffel placed 27th (25:20.82) and Shanower finished 29th (25:25.47).

Cards Prep for OAC Championships
Written Oct. 25, 2007 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, compiling a 67-8 record this season, turns its attention to the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships scheduled for Saturday at the Highland Park Golf Course in Highland Hills, Ohio. John Carroll is serving as the host.

The women’s race is scheduled for an 11 a.m. start.

Otterbein, finishing first three times and third once over five meets in 2007, heads into the OAC Championships off a first-place finish at the 22-team Wilmington Fall Classic held Oct. 12. The Cardinals did not compete last weekend.

“I am very happy with the improvement shown from our women's team,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland. “Their attitude has been terrific all year long and their enthusiasm has been contagious.”

Otterbein, led by sophomore Nicole Reese, from Columbus (Centennial High School), will seek a move up and improve upon last season’s fourth-place finish.

Reese earned OAC Runner of the Week honors three times this season, finishing in the top seven in all five of her races. She took individual honors at Marietta and Earlham, and placed second at Wilmington.

Other Cardinal runners who could record high finishes include Abby Ludwig, a junior from Strongsville, and Ashton Shanower, a senior from Alliance (Marlington).

Ludwig has recorded three top-10 finishes this season while Shanower has one.

OAC Runner of the Week Leads Cards to Win at Wilmington
Written Oct. 17, 2007 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Nicole Reese, a sophomore from Columbus (Centennial High School), was named Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) “runner of the week” in women’s cross country, the OAC released Monday.

This marks the third time that she has earned the honor this season.

Reese helped lead her team to a first-place finish at the 22-team Wilmington Fall Classic held last Friday. The distance runner finished second with a personal-best time of 18:48.47 over the 5,000-meter course.

Otterbein placed all five runners in the top 20, scoring 58 points to easily distance itself from Franklin College, who finished second with 134 points.

Abby Ludwig, a junior from Strongsville, placed seventh (19:27.38) and was followed by Ashton Shanower, a senior from Alliance (Marlington), 13th (19:48.54); Ashley Suffel, a senior from Defiance, 16th (20:00.28); and Danielle Vickers, a sophomore from Cincinnati (Sycamore), 20th (20:13.18).

OAC Names Reese Runner of the Week 
Written Oct. 9, 2007 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Nicole Reese, a sophomore from Columbus (Centennial High School), was named Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) “runner of the week” in women’s cross country, the OAC released Monday. This marked the second time this season that she has earned the honor.

Reese finished fifth at the All-Ohio in the NCAA Division III race held last Friday in Delaware. The distance runner turned in the best time among OAC runners, covering the 5,000-meter course in 20.01.2. A week earlier, Reese took top honors at the Earlham Invitational held in Richmond, Ind. Sept. 29.

Otterbein, with 160 points, finished seventh in the 22-team All-Ohio, which was won by Case Western Reserve (23). Baldwin-Wallace (116) placed second and was followed by Ohio Wesleyan (124), Oberlin (141), Kenyon (142) and Denison (145).

Reese Earns OAC Runner of the Week Honors 
Written Oct. 1, 2007 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Nicole Reese, a sophomore from Columbus (Centennial High School), was named Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) “runner of the week” in women’s cross country, the OAC released today.

Reese took top honors at the Earlham Invitational, helping lead her team to a first-place finish Saturday in Richmond, Ind. The distance runner covered the 5,000-meter course in 19:14. This marked her second win of the season, having finished first at Marietta Sept. 15.

The Cardinals scored 52 points, beating runner-up Taylor University by 17 points in the 12-team field.

The Cardinals placed four runners among the top 20: Abby Ludwig, a junior from Strongsville, placed fifth (19:53); Ashton Shanower, a senior from Alliance (Marlington), finished 11th (20:24); and Ashley Suffel, a senior from Defiance, took 19th (20:46).

WESTERVILLE, OHIO―The Otterbein women’s cross country team finished third at the Otterbein Invitational Saturday.  Sophomore Nikki Reese of Columbus (Centennial) turned in the top mark for the Cardinals, finishing seventh with a time of 23:04.

The women’s team totaled 101 points with three runners crossing the finish line in the top 20.  Junior Abby Ludwig (Strongsville) ran the race in 23:23 to take 11th place.  Senior Ashton Shanower of Alliance (Marlington) finished 18th with a time of 23:42.

The Lady Cardinals will run next at the Earlham Invitational in Richmond, Ind. Sept. 29.

Cards Host Otterbein Invitational 
Written Sept. 21, 2007 by Aurelio Ruiz

Otterbein men’s and women’s cross country teams are set to take the course Saturday in the annual Otterbein College Invitational.

The competition will be very stiff, according to Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland, but his teams are excited for the opportunity to race against some very talented teams.  Some of the competition includes six Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) teams, including 2006 national qualifiers Mount Union, Heidelberg, and Ohio Northern.  “The OAC will be very tough this year, especially on the men's side,” Borland said.

The field of competition includes 18 teams from three different states with about 300 runners.

The season is still young, but Borland believes this year’s Cardinals have improved because of there “strong work ethic” and a “great attitude”.

Borland does not feel the Cardinals have a distinct advantage because of running at home.

“As far as an edge on our course, I don't think we have a definite advantage, but we do know the course very well,” Borland said.  “The best part about being home is that we can sleep in a little bit and everything is familiar as far as the course goes.

“This meet, although it is an early meet, is a very important meet for us,” Borland continued. “We feel that we have a great course and we like to have a good showing here on our course.”

The women’s race is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with the men’s race to follow at noon.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Melinda Keesee, a senior from Dublin (Scioto High School), was named the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) women’s cross country runner of the year, the OAC released today.

“Melinda had a very strong finish to her season,” said head coach Ryan Borland. “She is a good kid, who has worked very hard and is deserving of the award.

“Melinda is an athletic training major and had to do most of her workouts on her own this year, which is testament to her drive and discipline,” Borland added. “We are very proud of her improvement over her four years and look forward to this upcoming track season.”

Keessee Qualifies for NCAA Championships 
Written Nov. 13, 2006 by Ed Syguda

HANOVER, INDIANA—Melinda Keesee, who helped lead her team to a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional, qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Keesee, a senior from Dublin (Scioto High School), finished ninth, covering the 6,000-meter course in 22:47.1 in the regional meet held last Saturday at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind.

“Melinda ran a very gutty race and qualified for her first individual appearance in the NCAA meet,” said seventh-year head coach Ryan Borland. “She has committed herself to this goal and it is great to see her realize her dream of getting to the national meet.”

Otterbein scored 389 points to finish 13th. Case Western Reserve won the meet with 53 points and was followed by Calvin (57), DePauw (121) and Ohio Northern (154). The top four teams qualified for the NCAA Championships scheduled to take place this Saturday in West Chester. Wilmington College is serving as host school.

Scoring for Otterbein, in addition to Keesee, were: Abby Ludwig, a sophomore from Strongsville, 76th (24:48.0); Elizabeth Sabbath, a sophomore from Westerville (St. Francis DeSales), 94th (25:13.8); Ashton Shanower, a junior from Alliance (Marlington), 100th (25:19.8); and Niki Reese, a freshman from Columbus (Centennial), 111th (25:30.4).

Keessee Leads Cards to 4th at OAC's 
Written Oct. 30, 2006 by Alison Rose

TIFFIN, OHIO—The Otterbein women’s cross country team placed fourth out of 10 teams at the OAC Championship hosted last Saturday by Heidelberg.  The Cardinals accumulated 113 points, while Ohio Northern went on to win with a score of 39.

Melinda Keesee, a senior from Dublin (Scioto High School), led the Cardinals with her first-ever OAC Cross Country Championship title and also earned All-OAC honors by finishing in the top 10.  Covering the 6,000-meter course in a time of 22:59.2, she is only the fourth woman in the history of the Otterbein women’s cross country program to win an individual OAC title. 

Abby Ludwig, a sophomore from Strongsville, finished in 18th place with a time of 24:54.8. 

“Melinda beat some very good runners to win and won in impressive fashion,” said seventh-year head coach Ryan Borland. “I thought that Abby worked her way up well and competed very well. As a team, we didn't quite finish where we wanted, but we did enough to keep our streak of top-four finishes alive for the past six years.”

Rounding out the top five Otterbein finishers were junior Ashton Shanower, from Alliance (Marlington), finishing 28th in 25:34.1; Laura Canafax, a sophomore from Russia, 31st in 25:43.2; and Elizabeth Sabbath, a sophomore from Westerville (St. Francis DeSales), 36th in 25:54.4.

“Considering the conditions, everyone left everything they had out on the course,” said Keesee about the team’s performance. “Unfortunately we came up short and, hopefully, we will pull together as a team for regionals.”

Heidelberg to Host OAC Championships 
Written Oct. 24, 2006 by 
OAC Information Director Lindsay Rickel

AUSTINTOWN, OHIO-- The 2006 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will be hosted by Heidelberg College this year at the Clinton Heights Golf Course in Tiffin, Ohio. Heidelberg’s course is located on Township Road 122, just east of State Route 101, on the northeast side of Tiffin. The 8K men's championship race will begin at 11:00 a.m., while the women's 6K race will start at noon. 

The Mount Union men and the Ohio Northern women won the 2005 OAC cross country team championships, respectively. 

The Raider men out-ran two-time defending champion Otterbein by 13 points. This was Mount Union’s 23rd overall team title and it’s first since 2002. The Raiders had three runners finish in the top 10, including returning seniors Jeremy Velliquette (Fremont/St. Joseph Central Catholic) who finished fifth overall (25:25.8) and Jason Sigmund (Streetsboro/Walsh Jesuit) who finished ninth (25:45.7) overall. 

Ohio Northern captured its second overall title, edging runner-up John Carroll by a point, 63-64. Three Polar Bears finished in the top 10 , senior Darci Walthew (East Bethany, NY/Notre Dame Batavia) was the runner-up with a time of 22:28.9, senior Elizabeth DiNino (Beavercreek/Carroll) was eighth (22:59.3) and senior Jackie Kessler (Republic /Seneca East) was ninth (23:00.8). 

The following lists include both the men’s and women’s team scores from the 2005 OAC Cross Country Championships and the top-10 individual runners for both the men’s and women’s races. The top-10 runners were honored with All-OAC accolades. 

Hanover College will host the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regionals Saturday, November 11, while the NCAA Championship will be held on Saturday November 18, at Wilmington College.

2005 OAC Men's Team Results			2005 OAC Men's Individual Results
1	Mount Union	50	1	Mike Sawicki, Otterbein (Sr.)	24:26.5
2	Otterbein	63	2	Mike Cauley, Otterbein (Sr.)	25:01.5
3	Ohio Northern	69	3	Cyril Pinchak, John Carroll (Sr.)	25:08.7
4	John Carroll	107	4	Josh Biggs, Baldwin-Wallace (So.)	25:09.7
5	Heidelberg	110	5	Jeremy Velliquette, Mount Union (Jr.)	25:25.8
6	Baldwin-Wallace	147	6	Brad Schroeder, Ohio Northern (Sr.)	25:28.3
7	Wilmington	186	7	Chris Paulett, Mount Union (Sr.)	25:39.9
8	Marietta	247	8	Jeremy Wysocki, Heidelberg (Jr.)	25:45.3
9	Capital	279	9	Jason Sigmund, Mount Union (Jr.)	25:45.7
	Muskingum	279	10	Paul Lewis, Ohio Northern (Fr.)	25:47.1
2005 OAC Women's Team Results			2005 OAC Women's Individual Results
1	Ohio Northern	63	1	Ellie Fernandez, John Carroll (Sr.)	21:47.9
2	John Carroll	64	2	Darci Walthew, Ohio Northern (Jr.)	22:28.9
3	Mount Union	76	3	Megan Via, Baldwin-Wallace (Jr.)	22:39.5
4	Otterbein	80	4	Jenna Yeakel, Otterbein (Fr.)	22:43.1
5	Baldwin-Wallace	99	5	Shelly Gaines, Capital (Fr.)	22:46.2
6	Capital	177	6	Ashley Scullion, Baldwin-Wallace (Fr.)	22:46.8
7	Wilmington	184	7	Jamie Musick, Mount Union (Sr.)	22:49.8
8	Muskingum	200	8	Elizabeth DiNino, Ohio Northern (Jr)	22:59.3
9	Marietta	257	9	Jackie Kessler, Ohio Northern (Jr.)	23:00.8
10	Heidelberg	261	10	Melinda Keesee, Otterbein (Jr.)	23:05.3

Cards Place 21st at All-Ohio 
Written Oct. 11, 2006 by Alison Rose

DELAWARE, OHIO--The Otterbein’s women’s cross country team competed in the All-Ohio held last Friday in Delaware.  The Cardinals finished 21st out of 38 teams with a score of 539 while Ohio University won the meet with 63 points.

Senior Melinda Keesee, from Dublin (Scioto High School), led the Cardinals over the 5,000-meter course in a time of 19:21.3, finishing 25th out of 264 runners.  Keesee’s 19:21.3 was about a minute better than her previous best time of 20:34.8 in this race.

Following Keesee for the Cardinals were freshman Niki Reese, from Columbus (Centennial), and sophomore Abby Ludwig, from Strongsville, finishing 109th (20:37.7) and 116th (20:44.5), respectively.  Junior Ashton Shanower, from Alliance (Marlington), followed closely behind in 139th to finish in a time of 21:08.7.  Rounding out the top five was sophomore Laura Canafax, from Russia, placing 150th in a time of 21:30.0.

Otterbein finished eighth out of the 17 NCAA Division III teams that competed in the All-Ohio.  The Cardinals scored 190 points.  Case Western Reserve University went on to win with a low score of 39 points.

The Cardinals will compete next at the Wooster Relays Saturday in Wooster.  The women’s race is scheduled to start at 4:45 p.m.

Cards Place Seventh at Home Invite 
Written Sept. 24, 2006 by Adam Walters

WESTERVILLE, OHIO--The Otterbein women’s cross country team placed fourth out of 10 teams at the Otterbein Invitational held Saturday in Westerville. The women accumulated 100 points, while Oberlin won the meet with a low score of 30.

Melinda Keesee, a senior from Dublin (Scioto High School), led the Lady Cardinals by covering the rain soaked 6,000-meter course in a time of 23:50.6 to finish seventh.

Junior Ashton Shanower, from Alliance (Marlington), placed 17th in a time of 24:28.3. Abby Ludwig, a sophomore from Strongsville, and Niki Reese, a freshman from Columbus (Centennial), placed 26th  (25:05.4) and 27th (25:09.6), respectively. Laura Canafax, a sophomore from Russia, placed 38th in a time of 26:05.5 to finish off the scoring for Lady Cardinals.

“I was a little disappointed in the women’s performance,” said head coach Ryan Borland. “I thought we could have competed a little better, even under the tough course conditions.”

Cards Face Tough Field at Calvin 
Written Sept. 20, 2006 by Adam Walters

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.--The Otterbein women’s cross country team opened up its season at the Calvin Invitational, hosted by Calvin College last Saturday in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The women’s team placed seventh out of ten teams in a highly competitive field totaling 164 points. 14th-ranked Calvin College won the meet with 32 points, while the 12th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh took second with 88 points.

Senior Melinda Keesee, from Dublin (Scioto High School), led the lady cardinals with a 16th place finish by covering the 5,000-meter course in 19:14.6. Junior Ashton Shanower, from Alliance (Marlington), and Abby Ludwig, a sophomore from Strongsville placed 34th and 39th respectively with times of 19:52.9 and 19:58.1. 

Closing out the scoring for the lady cardinals were Elizabeth Sabbath, a sophomore from Westerville (St. Francis DeSales) and freshman Niki Reese, from Columbus (Centennial). Sabbath finished 43rd in 20:02.7, while Reese ran 20:14.0, good enough for 50th place overall.

The Cardinals will be back on the course this Saturday as they host the Otterbein Invitational in Westerville. The women’s race will begin at noon.

Otterbein College’s cross-country course is located on Africa Road, just west of the Clements Recreation Center. The course can also be accessed off Cleveland Avenue, just north of Main Street and adjacent to the Westerville Community Center.

Yeakel Earns All-Region Honors
Written by Adam Walters 11/12/05

The women’s cross country team placed ninth out of 31 teams at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional held last Saturday at Voice of America Park in West Chester.

Denison won the meet with 97 points and was followed by Calvin (105 points) and DePauw (139 points). All three schools qualified for the NCAA championships scheduled for this Saturday at the Dornoch Golf Club and Methodist Theological School in Delaware.

Freshman Jenna Yeakel (Canton/Glen Oak) earned all-region honors with a finish of  26th, covering the 6,000 meters in 22:21.3. The top 35 in the field of 222 runners earned all-region honors.

Junior Melinda Keesee (Dublin/Scioto) just missed all-region honors by one place, finishing 36th in 22:35.9. Rounding out the scoring for Otterbein were senior Meghan Randolph (Pickerington), placing 39th (22:40.7), and freshmen Abby Ludwig (Strongsville) and Laura Canafax (Russia), who finished 65th (23:16.7) and 121st (24:16.1), respectively.

Otterbein will only lose Randolph to graduation, so next season should be very promising as a much more experienced squad will return seeking to improve on their finishes from this season.

Cards Seek to Surprise in Regional Meet
Written by Adam Walters 11/08/05

The women’s cross country team is looking to finish the season strong and put it all together at this week’s NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Voice of America Park in Wilmington. Wilmington College is serving as host.

The Lady Cardinals head into the meet hoping to steal a berth in the NCAA Championships in a very competitive field. Otterbein will be fighting 26 teams for one of three spots to the national meet. The main competition will come from defending regional champion Denison and 2005 OAC champion Ohio Northern. Other teams in the hunt will be DePauw (IN), Anderson (IN), John Carroll and Oberlin.

“We have an outside shot at getting top three, but the region is very deep this year,” said sixth-year head coach Ryan Borland. “A top-six finish would end the season well.”

Otterbein has qualified for the NCAA Championships just once, that coming in 2003.

“I feel like this year’s team could be better than that 2003 team,” Borland said. “But we have yet to put it together as a whole group in the same race. If we come together a team, we can surprise a lot of people.”

2005 All-OAC performers Jenna Yeakel, a freshman, and Melinda Keesee, a junior; and two-time all-region runner Meghan Randolph, a senior, should lead the team. The rest of the line-up will include sophomores Alison Rose and Ashton Shanower, and freshmen Abbey Ludwig and Laura Canafax.

Cards Place 4th in Tight OAC Finish
Written by Adam Walters 10/31/05 

Otterbein placed fourth at the OAC Championships held last Saturday in Westerville. Ohio Northern won the meet with a low score of 63, edging John Carroll (64), Mount Union (76) and Otterbein (80) in a very tight team finish.

Freshman Jenna Yeakel (Canton/Glen Oak) led the way for the Lady Cardinals with an impressive fourth-place showing in a time of 22:43.1. Junior Melinda Keesee (Dublin/Scioto) also ran a strong race, covering the 6,000-meter course in a time of 23:05.3 to place tenth and capture the last spot for All-OAC honors.

Finishing right behind Keesee was senior Meghan Randolph (Pickerington), who finished 11th in a time of 23:09.4. Freshman Abbey Ludwig placed 25th (24:16.5) and sophomore Alison Rose (Pittsfield, PA/Youngsville) finished 30th (24:22.7) to round out the scoring. Freshman Laura Canafax (Russia) and sophomore Ashton Shanower (Alliance/Marlington) followed Rose closely into the finish chute placing 31st (24:29.5) and 32nd (24:30.4), respectively.

“We ran our best team race of the year,” said sixth-year head coach Ryan Borland, “it was just a tough conference. We still have some people getting healthy and we should have a good team at the regional meet in two weeks.”

The Cardinals will have this week off from racing before returning to the starting line for the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Nov. 12 at Wilmington College.  The women’s race is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Cards Prep for OAC Championships
Written by Adam Walters 10/24/05 

After taking a week off from racing last weekend, the Lady Cardinals are preparing to host the 2005 OAC championships in Westerville this Saturday.

The women look to improve on their runner-up finish in 2004 where they lost to champion Mount Union by a score of 43 to 50. The women’s team is seeking the school’s first-ever conference cross country title.

Otterbein will be looking to freshman Jenna Yeakel (Canton/Glen Oak), who has led the team in every race this year, and senior Meghan Randolph (Pickerington), who has been an All-OAC runner the past two seasons, to lead the pack.

Following Yeakel and Randolph closely will be senior Cathy Thompson (Hilliard/Davidson); juniors Melinda Keesee (Dublin/Scioto) and Bethany Trapp (North Olmstead); sophomores Alison Rose (Pittsfield, PA/Youngsville) and Ashton Shanower (Alliance/Marlinton); and freshmen Abby Ludwig (Strongsville) and Laura Canafax (Russia).

There are many teams in the mix for the title this season besides Otterbein; mainly Ohio Northern, who won the D-III All-Ohio and Mount Union, who is the two-time defending champion.

The gun will go off for the women’s race at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Cards Place Second at Wilmington Fall Classic
Written by Adam Walters 10/15/05 

The Otterbein women’s cross country team captured second place out of 15 teams at the 13th-annual Wilmington Fall Classic hosted by Wilmington College. The Lady Cardinals scored 90 points to finish runner-up to Anderson University, who won the meet with a score of 50.

Freshman Jenna Yeakel (Canton/Glen Oak) and senior Meghan Randolph (Pickerington) led the women’s team running times of 19:50.34 and 19:51.2 to finish eighth and ninth, respectively.

Melinda Keesee, a junior from Dublin (Scioto), captured 19th with a time of 20:45.4. Freshmen Laura Canafax (Russia) and Abby Ludwig (Strongsville), and sophomore Alison Rose (Pittsfield, PA/Youngsville) finished 26th (21:03.59), 28^th (21:10.75), and 29th (21:12.75) to round out the scoring. Leah Peelman, a senior from Hanover College, won the race with a time of 18:28.73.

Commenting on how the team is looking heading into the conference meet, Randolph responded, “Pretty well, we’re starting to come together as a pack, but we still have a lot of work to do. We’re really excited about the conference meet. We’re kind of underdogs and we relish that role, so we’re hoping to fly under the radar and surprise some people in two weeks.”

Head coach Ryan Borland added, “The girls ran decent today and Meghan had a good race. We’ll be ready in two weeks to do our best and compete for the conference championship.”

Cards Place 19th at All-Ohio
Written by Adam Walters 10/10/05 

The Otterbein women’s cross country team scored 525 points to place 19th out of 41 teams at the All-Ohio Championships held in Delaware last Friday. Akron won the meet with a score of 71 points.

The women also placed eighth out of the 20 Division III schools competing in the race, finishing with a score of 185 points. Denison won the Division III title with a score of 69 points.

Freshman Jenna Yeakel, from Canton (Glen Oaks High School), led the Lady Cardinals with a time of 19.39.2, good for 49th place (12th in Division III). Senior Meghan Randolph, from Pickerington, earned a 75th place showing in 20:01.9.

Rounding out the scoring for the Cardinals were junior Melinda Keesee, from Dublin (Scioto High School), finishing 122nd (20:51.2), sophomore Alison Rose from Pittsfield, PA (Youngsville High School), placing 138th (21:06.6), and freshman Laura Canafax from Russia, crossing the line 141st (21:12.7).

Cards Field Experienced Squad in 2005
Written by Ashton Shanower 09/14/05 

The Lady Cardinals bring back an experienced team along with a field of newcomers. Six letterwinners and a large group of underclassmen make up the 2005 team.

Returning letterwinners include senior Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington), senior Cathy Thompson (Hillard/Davidson), junior Melinda Keesee (Dublin/Scioto), junior Bethany Trapp (North Olmsted/ North Olmsted), sophomore Ashton Shanower (Alliance/Marlington) and sophomore Alison Rose (Pittsfield PA/Youngsville).

The captains for the team include Randolph, Thompson and Keesee. These leaders hope to take the team to a place the Otterbein women’s team has never been before. The women hope to bring home the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship title for the first time in school history. 

“I think the women’s team is ready to take the next step this season,” said head coach Ryan Borland. “I think the team is looking forward and is ready to make their move.”

This season the Cardinals will host both the Otterbein Invitational on Sept. 24 along with the OAC Championship on Oct. 29.

The season kicks off Saturday at the Cedarville Invitational.

Four Earn All-Region Honors at Great Lakes
Written by Ed Syguda 11/13/04  

Otterbein, placing four runners among the top 32, finished fifth at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional held today at Alma College in Alma, Mich.

Four Otterbein runners earned all-regional honors by finishing in the top 35 in this field of 194 runners.

The four include Meghan Randolph, a junior from Pickerington, 20th (22:34.9); Amy Davin, a senior from North Ridgeville, 21st (22:36.8); Melinda Keesee, a sophomore from Dublin, 29th (22:45.0); and Jennifer Lynch, a senior from Englewood, 32nd (22:46.1).

Rounding out the scoring for Otterbein was Kim Allen, a senior from Westerville, who finished 54th (23:18.3).

Only the top two teams in this 26-team field qualified for the NCAA Championships. The Cardinals, under fifth-year head coach Ryan Borland, scored 156 points.

Cards Prep for Great Lakes Regional
Written by Justin Milam 11/10/04  

Otterbein heads into this weekend’s NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional on a roll. 

Two weeks ago, the Cardinals stepped up their effort to earn a runner-up finish at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championships, falling seven points short of victory.  The next step is Saturday’s race, where, last season, Otterbein placed third to become the first women’s team in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

“Our last meet went very well and we want to carry that enthusiasm and effort into this meet,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “Obviously, making it last year was very special and we would love to have another opportunity to compete at the NCAA meet again.”

The Cardinals will be right in the hunt for one of the two NCAA-qualifying spots.  Teams fighting for those two spots include tenth-ranked DePauw University (IN), fifteenth-ranked Denison University, and OAC champion Mount Union.

Running for Otterbein will be seniors Kim Allen, Amy Davin, Jamie Levy, Jennifer Lynch and Susanne Lynch, as well as junior Meghan Randolph and sophomore Melinda Keesee.

“Last year’s regional meet was great,” Jamie Levy said.  “We came together as a team and ran the sort of race that we were capable of running, and it paid off.  I know that we definitely have the talent and the drive to do the same thing this year, and I really think that we are ready to repeat last year’s success at this year’s meet.”

The meet will be held at Alma College in central Michigan.  The women’s race is scheduled to begin at noon.

“With the women’s team running five seniors, it would be great to add another week to their last season,” Borland said.

Cards Place 2nd at OAC Championships
Written by Ed Syguda 10/30/04  

The Otterbein women’s cross country team finished second among ten teams at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Cross Country Championships held today and hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea.

The Cardinals, under fifth-year head coach Ryan Borland, placed four runners in the top ten, and trailed meet winner Mount Union by just seven points.

Otterbein runners earning All-OAC honors by finishing in the top ten were: Kim Allen, a senior from Westerville, sixth (23:50.86); Amy Davin, a senior from North Ridgeville, eighth (23:54.32); Meghan Randolph, a junior from Pickerington, ninth (23:58.07); and Jennifer Lynch, a senior from Englewood, tenth (23:59.52).

Melinda Keesee, a sophomore from Dublin, placed 17th (24:27.61) to round out the scoring for Otterbein.

Cards Seek First OAC Title
Written by Justin Milam 10/28/04  

Otterbein will look for its first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) cross country title when they head to Baldwin-Wallace for the OAC Championships Saturday in Berea. 

The Cardinals have finished third in each of the last two seasons, but did qualify for the 2003 NCAA Championships after beating OAC runner-up John Carroll at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

“This is my favorite time of the year,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “Our women want to pick up where they left off a few weeks ago.  We have some momentum and confidence, and we are looking to improve on our third-place finish from last year.”

After a disappointing finish at the All-Ohio Championships, Otterbein rebounded to win the Wilmington Fall Classic two weeks ago.  Since then, the Cardinals have been prepping to, hopefully, win that elusive conference championship.

Otterbein returns two all-conference performers, junior Meghan Randolph and senior Kim Allen.  Allen was the individual champion at the 2002 OAC Championships, which were held at Otterbein.

Seniors Jennifer and Susanne Lynch, Amy Davin, and Jamie Levy, along with sophomore Melinda Keesee, hope to be among the top finishers in the race.

Cards Prep for All-Ohio
Written by Justin Milam 10/05/04  

The women’s cross country team will look for their highest finish ever Friday afternoon when they compete at the All-Ohio Championships at the Dornoch Golf Club in Delaware. The meet will feature all of Ohio’s cross country teams, including NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA.

A season ago, the Cardinals finished fourth among all competing NCAA Division III schools, and 16th overall among all 39 schools.  Miami University won the meet, scoring 58 points.

At last week’s Lakefront Invitational, Otterbein finished fourth out of 34 teams from around the nation.  Ferris State, Missouri Southern State, and OAC-rival John Carroll finished ahead of the Cardinals.

Otterbein seniors Jennifer Lynch and Kim Allen teamed up to finish 24th (19:18) and 26th (19:20), respectively, among the 381 student-athletes.  Lynch has been the top runner at every meet so far this season.

Junior Meghan Randolph finished 39th (19:39), sophomore Melinda Keesee, 44th (19:47),  and senior Jamie Levy, 64th (20:08).

“I am really excited about our tight pack and how it is starting to move toward the front of the race,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “We certainly raced better as a group this week.”

At the Rio Grande Invitational last Saturday, senior Suzanne Lynch was Otterbein’s top finisher, placing eleventh in 20:20.

The women’s varsity race is set for 2:45 p.m. followed by the women’s open race at 4:15 p.m.

Cards to Compete in Loyola's Lakefront Invite
Written by Justin Milam 09/29/04

The Otterbein women’s cross country team will split into two teams this weekend as the varsity team travels to Chicago, Ill. to compete in the Lakefront Invitational while the rest of the team will compete at the Rio Grande Invitational.

The Lakefront Invitational, hosted by Loyola University Chicago, is one of the largest meets in the country and features schools from across the nation. 

“The Chicago trip will be a great opportunity for the women to see national caliber competition and create the atmosphere that we will face at the end of the year,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “Rio will give our younger members some much needed experience and our older runners a chance to improve and gain confidence.”

Last season, the Cardinals won the Rio Grande Invitational, outdistancing second place University of Charleston by 27 points.

Otterbein placed fourth of ten teams in their home invitational this past weekend.  14th-ranked DePauw (IN) easily won the team title, and was followed by Baldwin-Wallace and Mount Union.

Seniors Jennifer Lynch and Kim Allen led the way, finishing ninth (23:46.9) and eleventh (23:53.8), respectively, among the 119 student-athletes in the 6,000-meter race.

“I am very pleased with our effort at the Otterbein Invitational,” Borland said.  “It was an excellent meet with great competition.  Our pack time is right where we want it, but we need to put ourselves in better positions earlier in the race.”

The gun goes off in Chicago at 10:30 a.m. (CST), while the race at Rio Grande begins at 9:45 a.m.

OC Invite Features OAC Preview
Written by Justin Milam 09/21/04

Every year the Otterbein Invitational becomes a preview meet for the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships.  In each of the last three seasons for both men and women, the team champion from this meet has gone on to win a conference championship in late October.

This year’s meet will feature eight of the ten teams in the OAC, as well as Columbus State, DePauw (IN), Ohio Dominican, and Rose Hulman (IN). 

DePauw travels to Westerville hoping to do some damage. The DePauw women are ranked 17th in the nation, while the men are ranked 22nd in the latest NCAA Division III poll. In the preseason poll released two weeks ago, the Otterbein men were ranked 20th and the Otterbein women were ranked 26th.  Both Otterbein squads are currently receiving votes in the national rankings.

On the men’s side last year, the Otterbein Invitational ended in a thriller as the Cardinals topped Mount Union by just one point, 30 to 31.  Top returning runners from last year’s meet include Otterbein’s Mike Sawicki, Nate Ritz, Mike Cauley, and Justin Milam; Mount Union’s Chris Paulett and Jeremy Velliquette; and Baldwin-Wallace’s Chris Buhoveckey.

“It’s our home course and the last race on it for a lot of the seniors on our team,” said said senior Mike Cauley (Mechanicsburg) about Saturday’s race. “We have a lot of pride in that and we never want another team coming in and taking our title.” 

In the women’s race last season, Mount Union showed its force by scoring only 29 points, finishing ahead of Baldwin-Wallace (41) and Otterbein (56).  Top returning runners from last year’s meet include Otterbein’s Meghan Randolph and Jennifer Lynch; Mount Union’s Kristen Koelling and Dara Ford; and Baldwin-Wallace’s Lisa Bartkiewicz and Megan Via.

“This will be a good meet to see where we sit in the OAC right now,” said sophomore Bethany Trapp (North Olmsted).

Otterbein College’s cross-country course is located on Africa Road, just west of the Clements Recreation Center.  The course can also be accessed off Cleveland Avenue, just north of Main Street and adjacent to the Westerville Community Center.

The men’s race is scheduled to go off at 11 a.m. followed by the women’s race at noon.

Cards Making School History
Written by Justin Hamilton 11/20/03

For the first time in school history, Otterbein College will have a women’s athletic program competing in an NCAA national championship event.

Otterbein’s women’s cross country team will compete at the NCAA Championships Saturday at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind. 

“It is a very special feeling for our team and coach (Dave) Lehman and I,” said fourth-year head coach Ryan Borland.  “This is something that we have been working on for several years now and it is so exciting to see it happen to the group of women we have in our program right now.”

The Cardinals received the invitation with their third-place finish at last week’s Great Lakes Regional, also held in Hanover.  This year’s regional event consisted of 34 schools from around the region, with only the top three advancing to the nationals.

“It feels amazing to be the first women's team to make it out,” said sophomore Meghan Randolph, who finished 10th at the regional meet.  “It's really cool to know that we are a part of Otterbein history.”

Junior Kim Allen placed the highest of the Cardinal runners, finishing eighth out of 233 runners.  She noted that the team shocked even themselves by finishing third.

“I think that our team was pleasantly surprised when we heard that we were going to nationals,” Allen said.  “We all went into the meet planning on running our hardest, but we just didn't know where that would put us.  We weren't predicted to place high in the meet, so there wasn't too much pressure on us.  I am really excited and lucky to be a part of this team.”

There will be 24 schools competing in the championships, led by Wisconsin-Oshkosh who has captured four team championships since 1981.  Calvin College, who finished second behind Mount Union in the Great Lakes Regional, has won two national championships in the past five years.  Williams College is the defending national champions.

“I am very excited to be on a team that works as hard as we do and that can say we made school history,” Allen said.  “I think we are all very excited to have the chance to run against some of the best college athletes in the country.”

Along with Allen and Randolph, juniors Amy Davin (26th) and Jennifer Lynch (29th) received All-Great Lakes Region honors by finished in the top 35.  Sophomore Cathy Thompson rounded out Otterbein’s scoring card by finishing 64th.

Cards Head to NCAA Championships
Written by Ed Syguda 11/15/03

Otterbein qualified for the NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championship by finishing third at the Great Lakes Regional held today at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind.

The Cardinals, under fourth-year head coach Ryan Borland, scored 137 points to trail meet winner Mount Union, with 112 points, and Calvin, with 120. The top three teams in this 34-team field qualified for the NCCA championship scheduled for Nov. 22 at Hanover.

This will be Otterbein’s first team appearance in the women’s national championship.

Kim Allen, a junior from Westerville (North High School), and Meghan Randolph, a sophomore from Pickerington, finished in the top ten. Allen placed eighth, covering the 6,000-meter distance in 22:59. Randolph placed tenth (23:04).

Rounding out the scoring for Otterbein were Amy Davin, a junior from North Ridgeville, 26th (23:48); Jennifer Lynch, a junior from Englewood (Northmont High School), 29th (23:53); and Cathy Thompson, a sophomore from Hilliard (Davidson High School), 64th (24:46).

Cards Take Third at OAC Championship
Written by Ed Syguda 11/01/03

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—The Otterbein women’s cross country team finished third among ten teams at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Cross Country Championship held today at Wilmington College.

The Cardinals, under fourth-year head coach Ryan Borland, scored 65 points to trail meet winner Mount Union, with 47 points, and John Carroll, with 58.

Meghan Randolph, a sophomore from Pickerington, and Kim Allen, a junior from Westerville (North High School), finished in the top ten to earn All-OAC honors. Randolph finished fourth, covering the 6,000-meter distance in 23:09.57. Allen placed eighth (23:25.49).

Rounding out the scoring for Otterbein were Amy Davin, a junior from North Ridgeville, 12th (23:58.18); Cathy Thompson, a sophomore from Hilliard (Davidson High School), 17th (24:32.16); and Melinda Keesee, a freshman from Dublin (Scioto High School), 24th (24:58.87).

Cards Finish Third at Gettysburg
Written by Justin Milam 10/21/03

Otterbein finished third of 19 teams competing in the Gettysburg Invitational Saturday in Gettysburg, Pa.  The Cardinals tallied 93 points, finishing behind Loyola College in Maryland (32) and Gettysburg (67).

The trio of sophomore Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington) and juniors Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont) and Kim Allen (Westerville/North) finished in a solid pack, taking the 12-13-14 places overall.  Randolph covered the muddy 6,000-meter course in 24:21, while Lynch followed in 24:23 and Allen in 24:25.

Junior Amy Davin (North Ridgeville/North Ridgeville) finished 23rd (24:55) overall.  Freshman Melinda Keesee (Dublin/Scioto) and sophomore Cathy Thompson (Hilliard/Davidson) finished in 25:20, taking the 33rd and 34th places.  Junior Jamie Levy finished 49th in 25:51.

“The girls had a good team effort, especially with the conditions the way they were and the stiff competition,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “Jamie Levy had a real nice race for us.

“This will be a good week for us to rest mentally and get in some good work physically.”

The Cardinals will take a week off in preparation for the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships at Wilmington College Nov. 1.

Cards Record Highest All-Ohio Finish Ever
Written by Justin Milam 10/15/03

Otterbein finished 16th of 39 teams and fourth among NCAA Division III schools at the All-Ohio Championships held Friday in Delaware.  It was the team’s highest finish ever.

The All-Ohio Championships featured all of Ohio’s cross-country teams, including NCAA Divisions I, II, III, and NAIA.

The Cardinals tallied 417 points and finished nine points behind conference rival Baldwin-Wallace in the overall standings but edged them by two points in NCAA Division III scoring.  Otterbein also finished ahead of Xavier, avenging their one point loss from the Otterbein Alumni Meet in September.

Miami University brought home the team championship by scoring 58 points and was followed by Ohio State (65), Akron (99), Kent State (118) and Cincinnati (197).

“We were very pleased on how we finished at the meet,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “The team’s attitude is great and they are really starting to believe in themselves, which is exciting for the end of the season.”

Sophomore standout Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington) led the Cardinals with a 46th place finish, covering the 3.1-mile course in 19:35.  Following Randolph were juniors Kim Allen (Westerville/North) and Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont), who finished 74th (20:03) and 79th (20:09), respectively.

Junior Amy Davin (North Ridgeville/North Ridgeville) and sophomore Cathy Thompson (Hilliard/Davidson) finished 105th (20:29) and 113th (20:31), respectively.

“Randolph ran almost a minute faster than last year and had another great race for us,” added Borland.  “She moved up 51 spots from last year’s race.”

“Our performance at All-Ohio just shows that we are coming together as a team,” said Davin.  “We are continuing to improve and are getting better and better each week.”

This weekend the Cardinals will send half of their squad to Gettysburg, Pa. to compete in the Gettysburg Invitational on Saturday, 10.30 a.m.  The other half will compete in the Wilmington Fall Classic Friday afternoon, 4:30 p.m.

Cards Win at Rio Grande
Written by Justin Milam 10/7/03

Otterbein won their second invitational team championship of the season Saturday at the Rio Grande Invitational held at the University of Rio Grande.

The Cardinals scored 26 points and claimed 9 of the first 20 spots.

The tandem of sophomore Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington) and junior Kim Allen (Westerville/North) set the pace for the Cards.  Randolph and Allen combined for a 1-2 finish, covering the 5,000-meter course in 19:35 and 19:40, respectively.

Junior Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont) and sophomore Cathy Thompson (Hilliard/Davidson) followed for fifth (20:06) and seventh-place (20:25) finishes.

“It was really nice to go down to Rio Grande and win the meet,” said Randolph.  “We beat some good NCAA Division II schools.  It was exciting to win the race because I’ve never won one before.”

“It was a real solid win for us and I like the way the team is coming together right now,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “It just shows that we are going to be good down the road.”

“It was very exciting to see Meghan (Randolph) win her first cross-country race,” added Borland.

Friday, the Cardinals will travel to Dornoch Golf Club in Delaware to do battle with every college in Ohio at the All-Ohio Championships.

“This weekend we’re looking for a top 18 finish, which would be up there as one of our better performances at the meet,” said Borland.  “It’s a tough meet and we’re certainly excited about the challenge.”

Last season, Otterbein finished 24th out of 39 teams.  The women’s varsity race is set to go off at 2 p.m., with the women’s open race at 3:30 p.m.

Cards Take Third in Otterbein Invitational
Written by Justin Milam 9/30/03

Otterbein finished third of six teams competing in the Otterbein Invitational Saturday in Westerville.

The Cardinals tallied 56 points, while the team champions from Mount Union scored 29 points.  The runners-up from Baldwin-Wallace totaled 41 points. 

Both Mount Union and Baldwin-Wallace are ranked among the top 30 teams in the latest NCAA Division III poll.

Sophomore Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington) and junior Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont) paced the Cards, finishing fifth (17:47) and sixth (17:52) overall.

“I thought the women competed very well and handled the course change pretty well too,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “Jamie Levy and Susanne Lynch both ran extremely well, and the team stepped up in Kim Allen’s absence.  We’re anxious to get to the Rio Grande meet and see what we can do.”

Standout Kim Allen (Westerville/North) did not compete due to a hamstring injury. 

The race was moved to the soccer fields on Cleveland Avenue due to heavy flooding on Otterbein’s cross country course.

“The creek was flowing very fast and high, and the bottom field was flooded up to my knees,” added Borland.  The bottom field contains both the start and finish lines for the course.

“We didn’t want to cancel the meet, so we had to work with what we had.”

“We’re still improving a lot and looking forward to competing this weekend,” said Levy, who finished 21st overall in 18:54. 

Otterbein will be back in action Saturday when they head south for the Rio Grande Invitational.  The women’s race is set to go off at 9:45 a.m.

Cards Host Otterbein Invitational
Written by Justin Milam 9/24/03

Looking to build on last Saturday's victory in Marietta's Invitational, Otterbein will host its own invitational Saturday at 11 a.m.

In last season's Otterbein Invitational, Baldwin-Wallace dominated the meet, scoring a mere 29 points.  The Cardinals nipped Mount Union by one point, 67 to 68, for a second-place finish.

Top returning runners from last year's meet include Otterbein's Kim Allen (Westerville/North), Mount Union's Kristen Koelling, John Carroll's Shannon McConville, and Baldwin-Wallace's Jennifer Southall.

"We are really looking forward to testing ourselves against Baldwin-Wallace and Mount Union," said second-year runner Meghan Randolph.

Mount Union is ranked 25th in the latest NCAA Division III poll, and have yet to be beaten.  Baldwin-Wallace is ranked 29th, and have only one loss on the season.  The Yellow Jackets finished 20th at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships last fall.

Otterbein College's cross-country course is located on Africa Road, just west of the Clements Recreation Center.  The course can also be accessed off Cleveland Avenue, just north of Main Street and adjacent to the Westerville Community Center.

Cards Win Broughton at Marietta
Written by Justin Milam 9/21/03

The Otterbein women’s cross country team brought home the team title from the Carl Broughton Invitational held Saturday at Marietta College.  The Cardinals finished with 24 points; an incredible 79 points ahead of Ohio Wesleyan and Rio Grande, who tied for second place in the fourteen-team meet.

Otterbein took four of the first ten places, including a 1-2-3 finish.  Junior Kim Allen (Westerville/North) was the first individual to cross the line, finishing the muddy six-kilometer course in 24:41.  Just behind Allen was sophomore Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington) and junior Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont), who finished in 24:47 and 24:59, respectively.

“It was real exciting for us to finish 1-2-3,” said fourth-year head coach Ryan Borland.  “It just shows us that we are getting a lot better as a team.  To win a meet of that size is a big confidence booster for our squad.”

The Cardinals host the Otterbein Invitational this Saturday.  Teams making the trip to Westerville include: Baldwin-Wallace, Mount Union, Muskingum, John Carroll, Columbus State, OSU-Newark, Capital, and Central State.  The women’s race starts at 11 a.m.

Cards One Point Short of Alumni Win
Written by Justin Milam 9/14/03

Otterbein fell just one point short of the team title Saturday at the Otterbein Alumni Meet.  Xavier edged the Cardinals 30 to 31.  The Otterbein alumni team finished third, totaling 75 points.

“We were a little disappointed to lose to Xavier by one point, but we did all we could,” said junior team captain Kim Allen (Westerville/North).

The Cards placed their five scorers in the top 11, but it wasn’t enough.  Xavier had their five in the top 10.  Xavier’s Jennie Illig was the individual champion, covering the five-kilometer course in 20:01.

Allen was the Otterbein’s top finisher, placing third in 20:21.  Sophomore Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington) followed for fourth-place in 20:33.  Juniors Amy Davin (North Ridgeville/North Ridgeville) and Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont) combined for sixth and seventh places, running 21:02 and 21:04, respectively.  Freshman Bethany Trapp (North Olmsted/North Olmsted) finished eleventh in 21:36.

“It is still real early in the season, so I think that we will continue to improve,” said Allen.  “A main goal for this year will be to run in better packs.”

Bri Elsmore, a 2001 Otterbein graduate, was the first alum to cross the tape.  She finished in 20:57, good enough for a fifth-place spot.

Otterbein will return to action Saturday when they travel south to compete in the Carl Broughton Invitational held in Marietta.  The women’s race is slated to go off at 11 a.m.

Cards Host Alumni Invitational
Written by Justin Milam 9/9/03

The Otterbein women's cross country team will host a four-team invitational Saturday in Westerville.

Ohio State-Newark, Xavier, and an Otterbein alumni team will be competing in the race, which starts at noon.

The Cardinals return eight letterwinners from a team that finished third in the Ohio Athletic Conference and ninth at the Great Lakes Regional in 2002.

Last week, the Cardinals finished fourth of six teams at the Ohio State Invitational.  Host Ohio State won the meet with 15 points, taking the top five places in the race.

Junior team captain Kim Allen (Westerville/North) led the way for the Cards with an eleventh-place finish, covering the 4k course in 15:05.

"We were a little tired from preseason camp, which is what we expected," said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  "We had a good pack, and just need to continue to focus and work hard each week.  We are anxious to see where we are at this week, running the 5k course instead of 4k."

Otterbein College's cross-country course is located on Africa Road, just west of the Rike Center and the Clements Recreation Center.  The course can also be accessed off Cleveland Avenue, just north of Main Street and adjacent to the Westerville Community Center.

Cards Enter 2003 with Strong Upperclass
Written by Justin Milam 7/3/03

Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland fields an experienced 2003 squad with eight returning letterwinners, including one of the top runners in the nation, Kim Allen.

Allen, a junior from Westerville, won the 2002 OAC Championships, placed eighth at the Great Lakes Regional, and then finished 67th at the NCAA Division III Championships.  She earned All-America status during the indoor track season by placing eighth in the 800m and also during the outdoor track season by placing fourth in the 3000m steeplechase.

Following Allen will be Jennifer Lynch, a junior from Englewood, and Cathy Thompson, a sophomore from Hilliard.

Lynch placed 16th at the 2002 OAC Championships and 37th at the Great Lakes Regional.  She earned All-OAC honors during the indoor track season in the 1000m.  Thompson placed 35th at the 2002 OAC Championships, and earned All-OAC honors during the outdoor track season in the 1500m and 800m runs.

Other top returnees include Andrea Vernon, a senior from Gallipolis, Amy Davin, a junior from North Ridgeville, and Meghan Randolph, a sophomore from Pickerington.

Last season, Otterbein placed 24th at the All-Ohio Championships, third at the OAC Championships, and ninth at the Great Lakes Regional.

The Cardinals open the 2003 season Sept. 5 at the Ohio State Invitational in Columbus.  The women’s race begins at 4:45 p.m.

Groseclose Runs 67th at National Meet
Written by Scott Rex 11/24/02

Kim Groseclose, a sophomore from Westerville North, finished 67th out of 215 runners at the NCAA Division III National Championships at St. Olaf (MN) Saturday.

Groseclose covered the 6K course in 22:58.1.

“I was really nervous,” Groseclose said.  “I didn’t think I ran as well as in some of the other meets.”

“I thought it was a good weekend for her,” said head coach Ryan Borland.  “The first time you go to do something like that, it can be a little overwhelming, but I think she needed that experience.

“She ran a good, solid race,” Borland added.  “Hopefully we can get her back there next year.”

“I think being there is more motivation to want to get back there,” Groseclose said.  “And, it serves as motivation to want to get the team there.”

Missy Buttry, a sophomore from Wartburg College, finished first overall in 20:17.3.  The team championship went to Williams College, who placed three runners in the top seven overall.

“It was just really fun,” Groseclose said.  “They treated us really good and the meet was put together really well.  I was just happy to be there.”

Groseclose Qualifies For National Meet
Written by Scott Rex 11/17/02

Sophomore Kim Groseclose earned a trip to the 2002 Women’s Cross Country Division III National Championships by placing eighth overall at the regional meet at Ohio Northern Saturday.

She becomes the first Otterbein woman since Marsha Foulke in 1995 to qualify for nationals.

“I never thought I would make it to nationals this year, as a sophomore.  Maybe as a junior or senior, but not this year,” Groseclose said.  

Groseclose covered the 6K course in 22:30 Saturday.

“She ran a great race,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “I don’t know if it was her best race, but she did what she had to do, and in some tough conditions.  It was muddy and snowy up there.”

“I thought the race went really good,” Groseclose said.  “I just went out there and gave it everything I had.”

Groseclose has been Otterbein’s top place-finisher in every meet in which she has competed this year, including the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships, where she finished first overall.

“She’s worked really hard.  I know this was one of her main goals,” Borland said.  “But the great thing about Kim is, she’s always more concerned about how the team’s doing.  She’s a great leader, and the girls really look up to her.”

“I’m just really excited,” Groseclose said.  “I think it’s going to be a fun experience, and I consider it an honor to be able to compete against those other great athletes.”

Cards Place 9th at Great Lakes Regional
Written by Justin Milam 11/17/02 

Otterbein sophomore Kim Groseclose (Westerville/North) finished eighth overall at the NCAA-DIII Great Lakes Regional Championships held Saturday in Lima.  Her eighth-place finish not only helped the Cardinals to a ninth-place team finish, but also earned herself a ticket to St. Olaf’s College in Minnesota for the NCAA D-III Championships this Saturday.

Advancing to the national meet were Calvin (70) and Baldwin-Wallace (87).  Finishing behind the two qualifiers were Oberlin (187), Anderson (194), Mount Union (207), Kenyon (231), and Depauw (236). Otterbein finished with 267 points.

“This was the best team performance and race all year,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “If we keep improving the way we have been, we should be really good down the road.”

Groseclose, who covered the 6K course in 22:30, earned All-Great Lakes honors for finishing in the top 35.

Just missing all-region honors was sophomore Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont), who finished 37th in 23:40.  Rounding out the top five and finishing together were freshman Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington) in 71st (24:17), sophomore Amy Davin (North Ridgeville/North Ridgeville) in 75th (24:20), and freshman Cathy Thompson (Hilliard/Davidson) in 76th (24:20).  Seniors Marie Welshon (Reynoldsburg/Reynoldsburg) and Sara Rinfret (Millersburg/West Holmes) finished 98th (24:46) and 132nd (25:23), respectively.

Upon conclusion of the national meet, the Cardinals will take some time off before getting back to work in preparation for the indoor track season which starts Jan. 16.  Otterbein will host its first indoor track meet in the new Clements Recreation Center.

Cards Place 3rd at OAC Championships
Written by Justin Milam 11/5/02

Otterbein finished third among 10 schools competing in the OAC Championships held Saturday in Westerville.

The Cardinals finished with 96 points, barely edging out Ohio Northern (97) for third place.  Baldwin Wallace (35) won their fourth straight OAC title, and Mount Union followed with 71.  Rounding out the rest of the team standings were Muskingum (117), John Carroll (155), Heidelberg (168), Wilmington (211), Marietta (275), and Capital (319).

“We’re continuing to keep the streak alive of being in the top 3 for the past couple years, so we’re gaining some consistency,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “Amy Davin and Jamie Levy both ran very good races.  I thought Jennifer Lynch ran tough as well.  Kim’s performance was just exciting.”

The Cards placed six runners in the top 40, and had one individual earn All-OAC honors by finishing in the top 10.  Sophomore OAC champion Kim Groseclose (Westerville/North) took the individual title after a late race surge to cross the line in 19:08.  Sophomore Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont) finished sixteenth in 20:08.  Sophomore Amy Davin (North Ridgeville/North Ridgeville) and Senior Sara Rinfret (Millersburg/West Holmes) finished 27th (20:53) and 30th (21:06), respectively. 

“I thought we ran pretty well as a team, even though we maybe didn’t run up to the expectations of ourselves,” said Levy.  “I thought everyone ran as well as they could have that day.”

Otterbein will be back in action in Nov. 16 when they compete at the NCAA D-III Great Lakes Regional hosted by Ohio Northern University.  The top two teams qualify for the NCAA D-III National Championship in St. Olaf, Minnesota.

“We’re all pretty pumped about regionals, and, hopefully, about running as a pack—to get out quick, and turn in some great performances,” added Levy.  “Team unity is at a high for the season, and we are going to be a team to watch out for.”

“We’re looking to continue to improve over the next two weeks, and our goal is to beat our eighth-place finish a year ago at regionals,” said Borland.

The women’s varsity race is set to go off at noon.

Cards Host OAC Championships
Written by Justin Milam 10/28/02

After a well-deserved week off, the Cardinals return to the trails Saturday, hosting the 2002 OAC Championships.

In last season’s OAC Championships, the Cards finished third behind Baldwin-Wallace and Mount Union.  B-W and Mount Union both advanced to the NCAA-III Cross Country Championships last fall, finishing 20th and 24th, respectively.  Baldwin-Wallace, ranked 9th in the country, has won nine of the last 10 OAC Championships, and returns four individuals from the top 10 a year ago.

Nine of the top 10 performers from last year’s meet return in 2002.  Barely missing All-OAC status for the Cards last season were sophomores Kim Groseclose (13th) and Jennifer Lynch (15th). Both look to contend for an individual title this year.  Otterbein last had an individual champion in 1995 when Marcia Foulke took the crown. 

“Everyone expects B-W to come out and win,” said Otterbein team captain Sara Rinfret.  “However, I think we have a great opportunity to surprise a lot of people, especially on our home course.  We are definitely capable of doing so.” 

Fellow captain Andrea Vernon agrees. “If we run a good team race and compete up to our potential, good things are going to happen,” she said.

Teams making the trip to Westerville include: Baldwin-Wallace, Capital, Heidelberg, John Carroll, Marietta, Mount Union, Muskingum, Ohio Northern, and Wilmington.  The men’s race goes off at 11 a.m., followed by the women’s at noon.

Cards Test Regional Course
Written by Justin Milam 10/20/02

The Otterbein women’s cross country team finished fourth at the Ohio Northern Homecoming Invitational held Saturday in Lima.

Otterbein finished with 106 points.  Denison (57) took the overall championship, followed by Mount Union (65), and Kenyon (76).  Finishing out the team standings were Case Western (141), Ohio Northern (144), Wittenberg (186), Hiram (214), Albion (228), Ohio Wesleyan (260), and Youngstown State (340).

This was the first time the Cards have competed on a 6k course.  Normally they run 5k, but 6k will be run at the regional and national meets. This course will be used for the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional scheduled for Nov. 16.

“Fourth place was not bad at all in a tough meet like this one,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “It was a good experience seeing the regional course and good for our women to run the different distance, so now they know what to expect.”

The Cardinals placed five among the first 35 finishers.  Sophomore Kim Groseclose (Westerville/North) led the way by finishing fourth overall in 23:04.  Classmate Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont) finished twelfth overall in 23:34.

“I thought we all ran pretty well,” said Lynch.  “We’re looking forward to the conference race on our course, and I think this was a good race to get us ready.”

The Cardinals return to action Nov. 2 when they host the OAC Championships here in Westerville.

Cards Take 24th at All-Ohio
Written by Justin Milam 10/12/02

Otterbein finished 24th out of 39 schools and ninth among all NCAA Division III schools competing in the All-Ohio Championships held Friday in Delaware.

The All-Ohio featured all of Ohio’s cross-country teams, including NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, and NAIA.

Pacing the Cardinals was freshman Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington), who finished 96th in 20:28.  Following Randolph were senior Sara Rinfret (Millersburg/West Holmes) and freshman Cathy Thompson (Hilliard/Davidson), finishing 124th (20:52.1) and 125th (20:52.3), respectively.

Two of Otterbein’s top runners, sophomores Kim Groseclose (Westerville/North) and Amy Davin (North Ridgeville/North Ridgeville), did not compete due to illness. 

“It was a little disappointing on how we finished (as a team), but it was a tough meet, and it hurts not having two of our top five,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland. “Meghan (Randolph) ran a great race for us, which was excellent to see.”

The Cardinals head up to Lima for the Ohio Northern Invitational this Saturday.  The women’s race is scheduled for 11:45 a.m.

“We will have everyone back, strong and healthy, so hopefully we can come out, run well, and have a good meet,” Borland said.

Cards 8th in Louisville's Cardinal Classic
Written by Justin Milam 10/6/02

Otterbein finished eighth in an 18-team battle held Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky.  The Cardinal Classic featured many NCAA Division I programs, as well as a few top Division II schools.

Otterbein finished with 223 points, and beat the likes of Murray State, Morehead State, and Vanderbilt.  

Wayne State, ranked 11th in NCAA Division II, brought home the team title by scoring 53 points. Eastern Kentucky (69), UT-Chattanooga (78), Samford (113), Southern Indiana (130), Louisville (144), and Bellarmine (170) followed.  Finishing behind the Cardinals were Murray State (275), Centre (285), Vanderbilt (295), Lipscomb (310), Morehead State (341), Georgetown (397), Marian (440), Middle Tennessee State (521), Campbellsville (524), and Kentucky State (557).

“Our women ran well today,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “Our 3-4-5 were much improved.  Kim (Groseclose) ran well considering the competition, and finished with a personal best of 18:48.  I am really excited about watching them improve over the next month.”

Otterbein’s top seven finished in the top 75, with three among the first 45.  Sophomore Kim Groseclose (Westerville/North) led the way by finishing fifteenth overall with a personal record of 18:48.  Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont) finished 43rd (19:42), and Meghan Randolph (Pickerington/Pickerington), who broke 20 minutes for the first time this season, placed 44th (19:47).

“I thought we ran pretty well (as a team) against tough competition,” said Amy Davin (North Ridgeville/North Ridgeville), who finished 59th (20:12).  “We are definitely improving each week.”

This Friday, the Cardinals travel north up Route 23 to the Methodist Theological School in Delaware to face off against every college in Ohio at the All-Ohio Championships.

“We want to improve on our 18th-place finish from a year ago,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “The key for us this week is to improve the middle of our race.”

Otterbein finished 18th among all 35 teams, but placed third among NCAA Division III teams last season. The women’s varsity race goes off at 2:45 p.m., with the women’s open race at 4:15 p.m.

Otterbein Runs Second in Home Meet 
Written by Justin Milam 9/30/02

Otterbein finished as runners-up in their home Invitational held Saturday in Westerville.  

The Cardinals scored 67 points, just barely edging out conference-rival Mount Union (68).  Tenth-ranked Baldwin-Wallace took home the team championship by finishing with 29 points.  Rounding out the team standings were Muskingum (103), John Carroll (127), Ohio Wesleyan (146), and Capital (219).

The Cards placed six runners in the top 30, with sophomore sensation Kim Groseclose (Westerville/North) finishing second in 19:38.  Sophomore Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont) and freshman Cathy Thompson (Hilliard/Davidson) finished 12th and 13th in 20:41.

“It was nice to nip Mount Union by one point this weekend,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland.  “We haven’t beat them in awhile, and now we just have to keep improving and tighten our packs up.”

The Cardinals travel to Louisville, Kentucky this weekend to face off against teams from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee in the Cardinal Classic.  The women’s race is slated to go off at 10 a.m. 

Kim Groseclose Born to Run
Written by Jason Erickson 9/27/02

Ever since she can remember Otterbein harrier Kim Groseclose has been running straight and turning left.

A product of Westerville North High School, Groseclose has been running fast, breaking records, and finishing first. However, the Otterbein sophomore says that while she likes finishing atop the leader board, there is more to the sport than just crossing the finish line.

“I love to run, but more than that I love my team,” she said. “I love being around the girls, setting goals with them and accomplishing those goals together. Our team is special, we all get a long and we love being around one another.”

Groseclose is a two-time Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) record holder in track and field, and turned in Otterbein's best performance at the OAC Cross Country Championships last season, finishing 13th. She holds the individual record titles in the indoor 1000 meters (3:02.36) and outdoor 1500 meters (4:43.95).

From watching her father run marathons to leading the Cardinals to impressive performances, Groseclose says she attributes most of her success to her father, who has been the example she has followed.

“Ever since I can remember my dad has been running,” she said. “I would go to his marathons and run in the little kids race. I think that’s where I gained a love of the sport. I wanted to be like my dad.”

Running 40-plus miles a week is standard now for Groseclose, who recently won her second-straight meet with a finishing time of 19:21 at the Wilmington Invitational last Saturday. Despite winning two straight meets Groseclose expects her times to get better.

“My times have actually dropped,” she said. “I have not been running as fast as I used to, but have set some goals and hopefully things can get better. I expect the times to get better throughout the season.”

This year’s women’s cross-country squad leader is fronting a team of impressive talent, which expects to finish atop the OAC standings come the end of the season, and with Groseclose leading the way, Otterbein shows a lot of promise to succeed.

Engaged to be married in January, Groseclose says her life will soon change, but her love for running will not because of a supportive fiancé, who encourages her to continue running.

With two seasons still to go, the future looks bright for Groseclose, and Cardinal cross-country is sure to reap the rewards of having her a part of the team.

Groseclose will be in action Saturday as the Cardinals host the Otterbein Invitational. The race is slated to begin at noon.

Cards Host Otterbein Invitational
Written by Justin Milam 9/24/02

Saturday’s Otterbein Invitational is shaping up to be a preview of the race for the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship as the field features the top four OAC teams from 2001, including nationally-ranked Baldwin-Wallace and Mount Union.

In addition to B-W, Mount Union and Otterbein, the field includes Muskingum, Capital, Columbus State, John Carroll, Ohio Wesleyan, and OSU-Newark. The women’s race is scheduled for noon.

In last season’s Otterbein Invitational, the Cardinals finished third behind Baldwin-Wallace and Mount Union.  B-W, Mount Union, Otterbein and Muskingum finished 1-2-3-4 at the OAC Championships, and Baldwin-Wallace and Mount Union advanced to the NCAA-III Cross Country Championships last fall. 

Key individuals returning from last year’s meet include Otterbein’s Kim Groseclose and Jennifer Lynch, Mount Union’s Kristen Koelling and Kelly Hammond, and Baldwin-Wallace’s Lynn Katanik and Jessica Textoris.    

Otterbein heads into the invitational off a third-place showing at Wilmington last Saturday.

“This week we are looking to close the gap from our number one through five runners,” said assistant coach Dave Lehman.  “We would like to continue to improve each week, and at the same token to try and compete well against last season’s top two OAC teams.”

At Wilmington, the Cardinals finished third, just two points behind Mount Union, and 13 points behind meet winner Denison.  The Cardinals placed six runners in the top 20, including invitational champion Groseclose, and third-place finisher Jennifer Lynch.

Otterbein College’s cross-country course is located on Africa Road, just west of the Rike Center and the new Clements Recreation Center. The course can also be accessed off Cleveland Avenue, just north of Main Street and adjacent to the Westerville Community Center. 

Cards Place Third at Wilmington
Written by Justin Milam 9/21/02

The Otterbein women’s cross country team finished third at the Wilmington Invitational held Saturday at Wilmington College.  The Cardinals scored 47 points, 13 points behind team champion Denison, and two points behind Mount Union. Defiance finished fourth with 131 points, followed by Ohio Wesleyan (133) and Wilmington (156).

The Cardinals placed six runners in the top 20, including two in the top three.  Sophomore Kim Groseclose (Westerville/North) won her second consecutive meet by finishing with a time of 19:21, and classmate Jennifer Lynch (Englewood/Northmont) finished third in a time of 19:39.

“The women’s team had a really good start, and I thought they ran pretty well against some good teams,” said Otterbein head coach Ryan Borland. “We are just looking forward to improving next week so we can compete well next weekend at home.”

The Cardinals host the Otterbein Invitational this Saturday.  Teams making the trip to Westerville include: Muskingum, Mount Union, Baldwin-Wallace, John Carroll, Columbus State, Ohio Wesleyan, Capital, and OSU-Newark.  The men’s race begins at 11 a.m., followed by the women’s race at noon.

2002 Preview

Otterbein returns six of its top seven runners from last season's squad, which finished third at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships and eighth at the Great Lakes Regional.

Kim Groseclose, a sophomore from Westerville, heads the list of leading returnees. Groseclose, a two-time OAC record holder in track and field, turned in Otterbein's best performance at the OAC cross country meet, finishing 13th last season. She holds conference records with individual titles in the indoor 1000 meters (3:02.36) and outdoor 1500 meters (4:43.95), both set her freshman year.

Rounding out the list of top returnees are twins Jennifer and Susanne Lynch, sophomores from Englewood, Sara Rinfret, a senior from Millersburg, and Amy Davin, a sophomore from North Ridgeville.

Jennifer Lynch placed 15th at the OAC Championships, and led the Cardinals at the Great Lakes, finishing 43rd. Rinfret finished 18th, and Davin 21st at the conference meet. Davin earned all-conference honors in the 10,000 meters with a third-place finish (39:26) at the OAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships last spring.

Otterbein led NCAA Division III women's cross country with a team 3.818-grade-point average last season.

The Cardinals open 2002 with the Otterbein Alumni Meet Sept. 14. The women's race begins at noon.