Oberlin Sports: Are Teams Actually That Bad?

Oberlin College football team competing on home turf.

Photo courtesty of Amanda Phillips

John Elrod

Contributing Sports Editor

Most Oberlin students would tell you that the sports teams are terrible. The College is a Division III school, and its student-athletes do not receive athletic scholarships or perform on national television like athletes at larger state schools. Even within Division III, Oberlin sports teams are often unable to keep up with their competition. However, if you are convinced that Oberlin is terrible at sports, you might just be looking in the wrong places.

It is true that out of the current ten North Coast Athletic Conference schools, Oberlin ranks ninth with only 23 conference championships across all sports since 1985. Denison University and Ohio Wesleyan University are tied for first with 157 conference titles.

The reputation of Oberlin athletics is often dictated by the sports that draw the biggest crowds — which have historically held losing records. In Ohio and most of the United States, football matters, and Oberlin’s football team may be the pillar of Oberlin sports’ general incompetence. Despite its early history as a powerhouse football program that competed with The Ohio State University and the University of Michigan 100 years ago, it has not had a winning season since 1990. The team was featured on ESPN.com multiple times for its historic 44-game losing streak during the late ’90s and early ‘00s. Since then, the program has only marginally improved and winning just three games since 2018.

Football has not been the only Oberlin sport to be featured in national media in a negative light. In an MLB.com article about an unconventional tactic that the baseball team used in the 1990s, the writer describes Oberlin as, “a school known for hippies, artists and left-of-center leanings, where the baseball was bad and the uniforms were uncomfortable.” Not much has changed for the team since then, but the team did have a proud moment when it shocked the Division III baseball world by winning the NCAC tournament in 2015 — despite having a losing record overall.

While there are clear examples of athletic ineptitude in Oberlin’s past and present, there are also successful teams that receive less recognition.

For example, the women’s track and field team has excelled in recent years, winning three straight NCAC meets in both outdoor and indoor track from 2017–19. In 2018, the team finished eighth in the national rankings for all of NCAA Division III. Individuals who stand out in this team include Monique Newton, OC ’18, who set conference records for shot-put and discus in 2018, and fourth-year Sarah Voit, who set the pole vault record the following year.

The women’s cross country team may be the most successful Oberlin athletics program, as it has secured nine NCAC titles since 2006. During those conference championships, Oberlin has had four different runners win the race individually: Joanna Johnson in 2007, 2008, and 2010; Molly Martorella in 2012; Emma Lehman in 2014; and Linnea Halston in 2017. The team has also done well in the national rankings, finishing in the top 15 five times since 2011.

There are several teams that put together a range of results from season to season or stay consistently average. Women’s and men’s lacrosse, soccer, and tennis are good examples of teams that regularly hold their own within conference play and even when facing out-of-conference Division III schools.

It appears that in recent history Oberlin has had a mix of elite, average, and poor athletics teams. In the current fall 2021 season, some teams continue to struggle — but the volleyball and women’s soccer teams have each won at least half of their games so far. If we gave each of the school’s athletics programs a fair look, it could change our perception that Oberlin is a terrible sports school.

Physical, Mental Health Work Together

Continued from page 16 You’d be lost, wouldn’t you? That’s the only thing I can relate it to. I have been doing gymnastics for 18 years. I woke up — lost it. How am I supposed to go on with my day?”

It is easily forgotten how much of sports is a mentality. Athletes exert themselves to their physical limits, quite literally having to disregard physical discomfort or even pain, for the sake of competition. Some are driven by success, but even the most unrelated mental hurt can damper that drive. Depression, anxiety, and trauma all add to the mental obstacle that challenges athletes to be their best. Although Simone was in therapy for a while, she took getting cleared to continue gymnastics as being done with therapy forever.

For many athletes, this can hit too close to home. Amidst the stress of an ongoing pandemic, a lot of student-athletes are noticing the mental strain of getting back into the daily routine of balancing physical and mental success. The isolation brought by the COVID19 pandemic has shined a light on many preexisting mental health struggles for a lot of athletes, and many in the spotlight are coming forward with their experiences and how COVID-19 influenced their success coming back to their sports after so long.

For women’s lacrosse college fourth-year Annie Payne, coming back was more of a relief than a burden. Being able to play and compete has allowed her to reset and clear her mind. She feels that she is at her best as a student, athlete, and friend when in season. She goes on to speak about her struggles being injured and how that provided a mental block for her in the recent season.

“It’s taken me a long time for me to figure out how to pull myself out when I’m in a tough spot mentally,” she said.

Payne relays how many people cannot give the same power to sports to clear their minds and how some need external support to do so. She notes the stigma about asking for help in the athletic community, and how there could be better support here at Oberlin College.

“A lot of [the] time I don’t think that people realize mental health is still a significant issue in athletics,” Payne says. “Many athletes are not fully aware of the resources available on campus, and I know some have trouble balancing mental health and the increased time commitments of being in season.”

Similarly to Payne, second-year field hockey player Dee Pegues feels that their mental health is taken seriously as a student, but not as much as an athlete.

“I’ve never heard of support specifically for athletes with regards to mental health,” they said.

Playing a sport takes up a lot of time, which Pegues believes the professors do not acknowledge. In their experience, professors believe academics are the most important, whereas coaches think athletics should come first, which is inherently conflicting.

Not knowing if these support systems exist can be challenging for student-athletes, especially after not having a season for so long. Their return to athletics has been a rough one. For some second-year athletes, their first real collegiate season was a rude awakening into how hard it is to balance college academics and athletics, which is persistent among many of our athletes.

Fourth-year field hockey player Eli Modahl feels very supported in her mental health.

“The primary way I have gotten through it is by reaching out to teammates and asking them for support,” Modahl says. “I’ve never been let down by my team when I’ve needed help in any way.”

Modahl speaks of the team environment being super supportive, and says that if anyone ever needs any help, she would try to get them the resources that they need.

Support comes in many forms but it is ultimately lacking in the universal athletics community, even affecting our very own campus. Athletes are forced to look inward to their own teammates because those in power do not always help or do not relay the resources that are available. It is when those resources become widespread that athletes will truly be able to thrive at the top of both their mental and physical game.

Oberlin College women’s soccer team posing for its 2021 team photo

Continued from page 16

Photo courtesty of Amanda Phillips

a very young team,” Adams said. “Most of us are playing our first seasons. Almost every game that we’ve played so far has been a battle and we’ve come up with positive results.”

First-year Samantha Gilfond is also happy with the results of her season to date and mentions that her team has been able to beat other schools in its conference that it has historically had a losing streak with, such as Ohio Wesleyan University.

“For myself, I think that the season has been going well — at least better than I predicted,” she said. “When I was initially coming to campus for preseason in August, I was not expecting to play very much, nonetheless start as a [first-year].”

At first, Adams felt a little stressed out about being a starting player but highlights that Sofia Mitchell, another first-year on her team, has been placed at center back with her.

“Usually, players with more experience play these central roles,” Adams said. “Both of us have had to step up and take a bit of a leadership role on the field. I was nervous about it at first, but Sofia is a great human and player so it made the job easy.”

Gilfond, a New York native, also highlights her supportive teammates and says she has been very grateful for all the positive experiences she has had at Oberlin so far.

“All of my interactions on campus have been exceedingly enjoyable,” Gilfond said. “All of the people that I have met are genuinely good people, which was honestly a shock coming from New York. It’s very different having everyone around you truly want what’s best for you and want you to succeed.”

First-year Heather Benway says that since the season began, she’s seen improvement in the chemistry of the team and its ability to possess and work the ball up the field patiently. Originally, one of her goals this season was simply to get on the field and make an impact as a player. She feels that with the team chemistry starting to flow, she’s been able to do just that.

“As for the next four years, the goal is essentially the same: make an impact on the field and help the team do well in all our games — especially in conference,” she said.

Adams hopes that this season her team will be able to qualify for the conference tournament and feels that this is a realistic goal. In the 2019 season, the team didn’t win any conference games, but the team already has a better record this season.

“The collection of players we have this year is something special and I want us to take advantage of that,” she said. “I feel like we are sort of an underdog this season and lots of teams will think their game against Oberlin will be an easy win. I want to give teams a run for their money.”

Since it’s a young team, the majority of the players will be together for the next couple of seasons. Adams feels they’ll all have the opportunity to make the soccer program stronger.

“Hopefully in the next few seasons we can continue to compete at a high level and hang with the other teams in our conference,” she said.

Gilfond wants to continue their positive trajectory and maintain not just a good record, but also a good team attitude.

“In my opinion, to have a good season — regardless of whether we continue to do well or not — we have to maintain the positive team environment that I believe has had a very big impact on our team this season and has allowed us to do so well,” she said.

After not being able to play last season, Adams has gained a new appreciation for the game and competition. Every time she gets the opportunity to play — whether it’s training or a game — her goal is to not to take it for granted.

“I only get to play three seasons with this team because of the pandemic, and I want to make the most of it,” Adams said. “Changing my mindset has made me successful this year; every time I get to compete I try to work hard, appreciate the opportunity, and have fun with the team.”

Gilfond credits her success on the team to her height. She was originally recruited as a center back, then Head Coach Dan Palmer told her he wanted her to play as a center forward. Although her height is not her only asset, she thinks it has allowed her to transition into the position of center forward more smoothly. She says that the goal she made against Franciscan University of Steubenville was a header, which she would not have been able to do if it weren’t for her height.

“I think that another reason that I have been able to be successful is my history as a center back,” she said. “I know what the opponent’s center backs are trying to do and how they are going to defend me, which I can use to my advantage when attacking.”

Gilfond says that when she scored her first collegiate goal she felt very relieved — especially because she didn’t think she would score at all.

“It’s similar to the feeling of finishing a super hard assignment or a long run,” she said. “Where you feel like all of your work was worth it and amounted to something.”

Benway feels that her speed has definitely come into play this season and is excited to be able to use that to her advantage.

“I also think playing off of the other players on the field, especially the midfielders and outside backs that I combine with a lot, has helped me to be able to get in behind the other team’s defenders at times,” she said.

Given the circumstances of this past year, Adams feels her experience at Oberlin has been fine thus far. She missed out on having a normal first-year experience and soccer season, so she feels like she still doesn’t know much about how the school generally runs. She said she feels like she is still a first-year.

“The 2020–21 school year was a bit stressful just because of COVID[-19],” Adams said. “We were successful in keeping cases down which is great, but it was a lot of pressure on students. It was hard for me to make organic friendships with every normal social opportunity taken away.”

Adams feels like this fall has already been so much better for her, and she is excited to have in-person classes, get a taste of indoor dining, and of course, play soccer.

The team’s next home game is this Saturday at 4 p.m. on Fred Shults Field.

Looking Ahead: This Saturday’s Game Schedule

Oberlin Soccer Hype Games:

Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Fred Shults Field

Oberlin Volleyball Dig Pink Senior Game:

Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. in Philips gym

Oberlin Field Hockey Senior Game:

Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. on Bailey Field

Join the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in supporting the men’s and women’s soccer teams for their hype games this Saturday, Oct. 9 against Wittenberg University. The women’s team will honor fourth-year captains Madeline Lynam and Maricel Mequi, along with fourth-year players Belle Smith, Grace Hayes, and Sophie Payne, for their outstanding contributions to the team at 4 p.m. The men’s team, fourth-year captains Ryan Kim, Nic Jandeleit, and Alex Caceres will be honored alongside fourth-years George Gworek, Michael Candelori, Ben Kessler, Thomas Kanter, Brian Lafranchi, and Harrison Tramposch for their dedication to their team at 7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear all white to match the players’ uniforms for their “whiteout” theme. The Oberlin College ice cream cart will be serving ice cream from 6:30–7:15 p.m. Come support the volleyball team this Saturday, Oct. 9, against Saint Vincent College for their Dig Pink senior game! Fourth-years Natasha Radic, Kiki Widran, and Lauren Fitts will all be honored for their commitment to Oberlin athletics and the dedication they have put into Oberlin’s volleyball program. Wear all pink to fit the “Dig Pink” theme and participate in their raffle for an Oberlin College swag bag with athletic merchandise. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Karen P. Nakon Breast Cancer Foundation, which provides financial support to families in Northern Ohio impacted by breast cancer diagnoses. The foundation was established on Feb. 22, 2003, Karen P. Nakon’s 38th birthday, “to honor her graceful and courageous five-year battle against breast cancer.” Come support the field hockey team this Saturday, Oct. 9 against DePauw University for their senior game! Fourth-year captains Bonnie Wileman and Lea Watkins-Chow will be honored alongside the rest of their teammates fourth-years Eli Modahl, Audrey Kamal, Julia Vincent, and the Review’s own Contributing Sports Editor Zoë Martin del Campo. Fourth-years are being celebrated for their commitment to Oberlin athletics and the dedication they have put into Oberlin’s field hockey program. The last time the field hockey team faced DePauw University, in 2019, they had a narrow loss with a 2-0 margin. Come cheer on the team as they face off an old rival.