2015-2016 YELLOW JACKET SUCCESS: In 2015-2016, The Baldwin Wallace University athletics program had a great year, and arguably the 2016 spring sports season was the best in school history.
Overall, sixteen of BW's twenty-three varsity athletics programs had a winning record. The 23 teams combined for a .696 winning percentage. Yellow Jacket Teams won 480 of 886 contestsfor a .536 winning percentage. The women's indoor track team won a national title (see more below) and was the national runner-up outdoors. In addition, the wrestling team captured its first Ohio Athletic Conference crown since 1973 and the men's lacrosse team was the OAC regular-season co-champion.
2015-2016 TOP BW ATHLETICS AWARDS: Senior three-time All-American wrestler Jesse Gunter (Akron/ Coventry) received both the Kenneth Steingass Most Outstanding Male Athlete Award and the BW/ OAC Clyde Lamb Award, symbolic of the school's Most Outstanding Student-Athlete.
Senior Div. III track and field All-Americans Kim Gallavan (Auburn Township/ Chagrin Falls Kenston) and Melanie Winters (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls) were the top women's award-winners. Gallavan was the Most Outstanding Female Athlete and Winters (see more below) was the Clyde Lamb honoree.
BW TIES RECORD FOR CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS: BW tied a single-year school-record for the most CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in 2015-2016 with six. The other two times were in 2011-2012 and 2013-2014.
Four track student-athletes were named as 2016 spring CoSIDA Division III Academic All-Americans. The first-team selections were senior All-American sprinter Ben Beidleman (Washington, D.C./ Saint Anselm's Abbey) and multi-event and 13-time All-American Winters. Senior two-time All-American thrower and four-year starting football middle linebacker Tyler Burdorff (Painesville/ Riverside) was a second-team choice and junior All-American high jumper Erin Kasper (Amherst/ Steele) made the third-team.
Jesse Gunter and senior men's tennis standout Doug Ganim (Olentangy/ Orange) were named as CoSIDA Division III Academic All-Americans in the At-Large catagory (wrestling-swimming-tennis-golf-lacrosse). Gunter was a second-team selection and Ganim earned third-team honors.
BW LEADS OHIO DIVISION III SCHOOLS/ 11th NATIONALLY: BW now has 104 all-time CoSIDA Academic All-Americans -- more than any other Division III college or university in the OAC or Ohio and ranks 11th nationally in Division III.
A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK: The Baldwin Wallace University women's indoor track and field team captured the 2016 NCAA Division III National Championship and had two student-athletes combine to win three individual national titles. Kim Gallavan won national titles in the shot put and weight throw and Melanie Winters won a national crown in the long jump. In addition, Tyler Burdorff (Painesville/ Riverside) was the national runner-up in the men's weight throw.
NATIONAL RUNNER-UP OUTDOORS IN TRACK: This spring, the BW women's outdoor track and field team were the Division III national runner-up, and Winters, Gallavan and senior Maggie Urban (Cleveland/ St. Joseph Academy) led the way. Winters won Division III national titles in the 100-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash and was the national runner-up in the long jump. Gallavan was the national champ in the shot put and placed seventh in the hammer throw. Urban was eighth in the hammer. The BW men tied for 34th and Burdorff was the Div. III national runner-up in the hammer throw.
WINTERS IS MOST CELEBRATED WOMEN'S STUDENT-ATHLETE IN HISTORY: Melanie Winters leaves BW with an unprecedented legacy of success both in the classroom and on the track. The 2015-2016 Clyde Lamb Award winner carried a 3.5 grade average in English, earned a BW-record 13 NCAA Division III All-America awards, won three national titles and set 13 school records. She was this year's women's track & field Honda Award winner, symbolic of the top women's track athlete in NCAA Division III.
WRESTLING TITLE; JESSE GUNTER: The BW wrestling team had a 5-0 record and won the 2015-2016 OAC title. The Yellow Jackets also placed second at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Tournament and 20th at the Div. III national tourney. Jesse Gunter was one of three BW wrestlers to qualify for the 2016 NCAA Div. III National Tournament. Joining him at the national tourney were 2015 All-American Garrett Chase (Erie, Pa./ Cathedral Prep) and sophiomore Tyler Maclellan (Medina/ Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy).
GUNTER IS MOST CELEBRATED WRESTLER: Gunter, who will serve as an assistant coach in 2016-2017 while he is pursuing a Master's of Accounting degree, became the most celebrated wrestling student-athlete in school history. He earned his third straight Div. III All-American award with a fifth place fnish at the national tournament. That followed a fourth place finish as a sophomore in 2013-2014 and a third place finish as a junior in 2014-2015.
In addition, Jesse was a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American and the only Div. III student-athlete in 2015-2016 to be named as a Haier Achievement Scholar-Athlete.
WRESTLERS GO TO RUSSIA ON NWCA "CULTURAL EXCHANGE": BW Head Wrestling Coach Jamie Gibbs and Assistant Mason True and nine Yellow Jacket wrestlers left on May 28 for a 10-day "Cultural Exchange" in Moscow, Russia that was sponsored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. While in Russia, the BW grapplers will workout and learn from the best Russian and Romanian Olympic coaches and compete in three exhibitions as well as learn about the Russian culture. CLICK HERE to read about the trip.
FOOTBALL'S WINNING TRADITION: The football team had its 47 winning season in the past 51 years with its 7-3 overall mark this season. The team was led by senior All-OAC and All-North Region quarterback Tyler Moeglin (Canton/ St. Thomas Aquinas). Tyler also was a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award winner. In addition, current Head Coach John Snell '87 enters the 2016 season with 89 wins.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SUCCESS: The women's basketball had its 24th straight winning seasons, including 14 with 20 or more wins. The Yellow Jackets also advanced to the 2016 OAC Championship Game. One of the most successful senior classes in school history compiled an outsanding four-year record of 77-34. In addition, Head Coach Cheri Harrer is still the second winningest coach in OAC history with 527 victories.
WELCOME HOME TOM HEIL: Tom Heil returned home last summer to become BW's men's basketball coach. After serving five seasaons as Duane Sheldon's main assistant, he left the University to coach and lead Defiance to the NCAA tourney in 2015. Heil returned to BW for the 2015-2016 season and led an extremely young team to a 16-11 mark.
KUHN SETS MEN'S HOOPS SINGLE-GAME SCORING MARK: Sophomore two-time All-OAC guard Cam Kuhn (Vermilion) had a night to remember on December 2, 2015 when he scored a school single-game record 51 points and made a school-record-tying nine three-pointers at the University of Mount Union. His 51 points surpass Bob Walters' previous school-record of 47 points against St. Vincent (Pa.) College in 1961. His nine triples tied a record set by Kevin Krakowiak '15 two seasons ago against Mt. Union in Berea.
THOMPSON ADVANCED TO SWIM NATIONALS: Sophomore Tyler Thompson (Broadview Heights/ Brecksville-Broadview Heights) finished ninth in the 100-yard breaststroke and earned his first NCAA Division III All-American honor at the Div. III Swimming and Diving Championships with a time of 55.15 seconds. He won the OAC title in the 100-yard breaststroke in an OAC and BW-record time of 54.68 seconds, which was the second fastest qualifying time to the NCAA Championships. Thompson also set a BW-record in the 200-yard breaststroke at the OAC Championships.
ASHBAUGH ENDS EXCELLENT CAREER: Senior Chandler Ashbaugh (Napoleon) ended an outstanding four-year career as a two-time OAC champion, eight-time All-OAC compewtitor, a three-time Academic All-OAC choice, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District pick and a four-time school record-holder individually and four more times as a member of a relay team.
BASEBALL EXCELLENCE: The past five seasons, Brian Harrison has led the baseball team to a school record for wins, including 31 in 2015. In 2014, BW made its first-ever appearance in the Div. III College World Series, and the Yellow Jackets returned to the Div. III national tourney in 2015. During the last five years, BW has produced a 138-78 record, advanced to three OAC tournaments, the OAC Championship Game twice, two NCAA regiuonal tournaments with a Mid-Atlantic Region title and a World Series appearance.
Individually in 2016, senior Mark Zimmerman (Akron/ Green) was a Division III first-team All-American by the ABCA (America Baseball Coaches Association) and the d3baseball.com web site. He also was the ABCA and d3baseball.com Division III Mideast Region Player of the Year, the Dr. Bob Fisher OAC Player of the Year and a 4-time first-team All-OAC selection. He is just the third OAC and first BW baseball student-athlete to ever be named first-team All-OAC for four consecutive seasons.
ZIMMERMAN SEVENTH BW PLAYER DRAFTED BY MLB: On June 11, Mark Zimmerman became the seventh BW baseball student-athlete to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team when the San Diego Padres took him in the 33rd round.
QUICK SUCCESS IN LACROSSE: The University included lacrosse as a varsity sport for men and women in 2013. It has been a great success!
In 2015, the women's lacrosse team won an OAC Co-Regular Season Title, and in both 2014 and 2015, the Yellow Jacket women advanced to the OAC Championship Game. This spring, BW finished 11-7 and juniors Maddie Russell (Rocky River) and Katie Kocher (Rocky River) earned IWLCA (Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association honors. Russell also carries a 3.96 grade point average and was named CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 as well.
MEN'S LAX WINS OAC CO-TITLE: The men's lacrosse program has grown by leaps-and-bounds. In 2016, Head Coach Jason Tarnow's squad won an OAC regular season co-title and reset the single-season school record with 14 victories and a 14-3 record. In 2015, Tarnow's squad won a school-record 11 games to start the season and had a 13-2 record, That's a 27-5 record with an .844 winning percentage.
GREVE IS OAC DEFENDER OF THE YEAR: Junior men's lacrosse defender Josiah Greve (Milford) was the 2016 OAC Defender of the Year. He led a defense that allowed just 5.3 goals per game. He is now a three-time first-team All-OAC selection. Greve also is solid in the classroom and owns a 3.477 grade point average.
THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: In his first season as volleyball coach, Scott Carter led the Yellow Jackets to a 23-7 overall record -- the most wins since 2006! In addition, freshman outside hitter Alicia Lortcher (Norwalk ) was the OAC Freshman of the Year.
THE SUCCESSFUL VETERANS: Brian Rector '89 and Jack Bethlenfalvy are the winningest Division III men's and women's tennis coaches in the State of Ohio and have among the best programs in the Central Region of the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association).
Rector, a former BW record-holder and an Academic All-American, has compiled an unbelievable 495-100 career record with an .832 winning percentage and has led his team to nine 20-win seasons, five OAC titles and into the 2012 NCAA Division III National Tournament.
Bethlenfalvy, a regisered professional tennis instructor, has a 371-277 career mark in 32 seasons while always playing the toughest competition he can find for his team.
HARRIS AND GANIM AMONG ALL-TIME BEST: Seniors Peter Harris (Akron/ Richfield Revere) and Doug Ganim are two of the best to ever play at BW and led the Yellow Jackets to a four-year-record of 81-17. Harris, the 2015 OAC Player of the Year, ended his career fourth all-time with a 92-22 singles record. Ganim was sixth with an 86-20 career mark. Together, Harris and Ganim combined to play No.1 doubles for four years and rank third all-time with an 89-26 slate. The duo rank fourth and fifth all-time with 181 and 175 career combination wins, respectively. In addition, Harris graduated with a 3.453 grade average and Ganim, the CoSIDA Academic All-American, had a 3.83 grade average.
PATTERSON RETURNS AND ALSO AMONG ALL-TIME BEST: Senior Kyle Patterson (Wooster/ Triway) did not play tennis a year ago but returned this year to help BW compile a 24-5 record and was a member of four teams that combined for a 95-11 record with an .896 winning percentage. Individually, Patterson was third all-time with a 96-19 career singles mark and sixth with an 87-26 career doubles slate. Overall, Patterson ranks third all-time with 183 career combination victories. Not to be outdone by Harris and Ganim, Patterson graduated with a 3.812 grade point average.
BLATT EARNS FOURTH STRAIGHT All-OAC HONOR: Senior Kelsey Blatt (Tallmadge) earned first-team All-OAC honors this spring and ends her career as a four-time All-OAC and three-time Academic All-OAC student-athlete. She also is 20th all-time in singles wins with 41 and 12th with 49 doubles triumphs.
WOMEN'S SOCCER FIVE STRAIGHT; GOUGH ALL-REGION: The women's soccer team had its fifth straight winning season with an 11-6-5 record. The last five years, BW is 59-32-13. This year's team had five All-OAC and six Academic All-OAC student-athletes, including junior defender Kelly Gough (Hudson) who was an All-Great Lakes Region pick.
CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS GROWING, BETTER & REALLY SMART: First-year Head Coach Joe Eby had his work cut out for him in the fall. He successfully led both teams to a better OAC finish than the year before, set a new bar for success and had a pair of All-OAC runnersw in sophomore Brian Brennan (Akron/ Walsh Jesuit) and freshman Kelly Brennan (Akron/ Walsh Jesuit). Brian placed third at the OAC Meet and also earned All-Great Lakes Region honors with a 15th place showing. Kelly, his younger sister, placed fourth at the OAC Meet and earned All-Region accolades by placing 24th. In the classroom, Brian Brennan maintains a 3.911 grade average and Kelly is a perfect 4.0!
FRESHMEN LED SOFTBALL TEAM. A pair of freshmen led the softball squad this spring. Alex Boledovic (Brook Park/ Berea-Midpark) and Erica English (North Olmsted) each earned All-OAC accolades. Boledovic, who started at first base, batted a team-high .341 (31-for-91) and English, who started at shortstop, hit .330 with a team-high 36 base hits.
AYERS RETOOLING MEN'S SOCCER FOR FUTURE: The 2015 men's soccer team was extremely young. Junior defender Adam Grove (Indianapolis, Ind./ North Central) and senior goalie Zach Haynes (Medina) were the top two men's soccer players this season. Grove was an Academic All-OAC pick for the second straight year. Haynes earned honorable mention honors. With a number of veterans returning and an outstanding recruiting class coming to Berea this fall, look for this team to be much, much better in 2016!
OVERALL ATHLETICS SUCCESS: During the past six years, eight different teams have advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament and nine others have been represented by individual student-athletes. Since Kris Diaz '78 took over as athletics director eight years ago, BW teams have a combined 116-50-10 record with a .688 winning percentage. Overall, Yellow Jackets teams have a combined 4173-2905-17 record with a .589 winning percentage.
