Sports
UF vs LEC Womens Highlights
UF vs LEC Mens Highlights
UF vs LEC Mens Highlights
Oilers Club supports over 600 athletes
By: Markell McCoy
Email: Mccoym@findlay.edu
The Oilers Club works behind the scenes of athletics as the official booster club for sports at the University of Findlay. However, not everyone might understand what the club does behind the scenes in support of more than 600 athletes.
Associate Athletic Director for Development and Business at the University, Jim Givens says the Oilers Club helps supporters such as alumni, family members, and friends connect to UF athletes.
“Our mission is to ‘inspire student-athletes to become motivated, well balanced and successful’ and without financial support, it would not be possible,” said Givens.
He explains the Oiler Club is not a new organization. It has been around for over 20 years. Before the specific group ‘Oilers Club’ was in existence, there was a similar, yet smaller, booster club called Varsity F. The reason for expansion was to include more members.
The athletic department is always looking for new members to join the club. Like most groups, social media is the largest used platform to raise awareness for the Oilers Club. In addition to social media, information about Oilers Club is advertised at all athletic events.
Givens explains that all gifts are accepted, but in order to qualify for benefits, there is a minimum gift amount.
“Any gift to the Oilers Club qualifies one to be a member. Benefits begin with a $50 gift,” Givens said.
Oilers Club member benefits have a wide range of possibilities. From recognition in game programs, to qualifying to have lunch with the coach of their sport of choice, to season passes, Oilers Club members reap many benefits. Givens says members of the club join for various reasons. He also states why he manages the club.
“Overseeing the Oilers Club was very important to me early in my career because it provided an avenue to establish and maintain relationships with donors or potential donors,” explained Givens. “Also, I understood the importance of the financial component. Those two elements inspired me to become as involved as possible.”
Givens says the Oilers Club helps all student-athletes to succeed in obtaining the ideal ‘championship experience’ as all sports are supported through the gift donations.
If you would like to join the Oilers Club or just read more information, see http://athletics.findlay.edu/oilers_club/Oilers_Club_Brochure_Web.pdf.
Regular season ends with a splash at Senior Night
By: Dylan DeWitt
Twitter: @dd_witt
Email: dewittd@findlay.edu
Regular season came to an end for the University of Findlay men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams last Friday, Jan. 26. The teams celebrated senior night as they took on the Tiffin Dragons at home.
Outscoring the Lady Dragons 228-43, many of the seniors were highlighted in victories for the Oilers in Sink Natatorium. They included Emma Barnes with victories in the 50 and 100 yard backstroke, Corrina Talamo in the 1000 yard freestyle, and Rachel Farmer with a victory in the 50 yard breaststroke. The trio of swimmers also were also able to grab another victory in the water with Alyssa Sauter for a 200 yard freestyle relay win.
The men finished off strong as well with a victory of 213-98. Senior Janko Radmanovic won the 50 yard freestyle, 100 yard freestyle, and 200 yard individual medley while Senior Ben Rath won the 500 yard freestyle.
Senior Corrina Talamo says the night was a success.
“I think Senior Night went really well, it was really successful,” said Talamo. “It was a very fun night, I’m going to miss my teammates.”
While both teams compiled victories against the Dragons, the women’s team went on to make history. The “Women of the Waters” were the first team in program history to have an undefeated record at home. These victories came against Tiffin University, Saginaw Valley State University, Ashland University, Wayne State, Lewis University, and Hillsdale College. The women’s victory over Wayne State also marked the first time in program history the Oilers were triumphant over the Wayne State Warriors.
As the regular season comes to an end, both the men’s and women’s swim and dive teams will begin their preparation for the four-day GMAC competition. The conference championship will take place Feb. 14-17 in Canton, Oh. There are multiple swimmers on the team looking to take home a conference title, in addition to bringing home a team title to Findlay.
With postseason coming in roughly two weeks, the swimmers have their eyes on the prize.
Not just along for the ride
By: Stephanie Radloff
Twitter: @SRadloffUF
Email: radloffs@findlay.edu
“You just sit there.” “The horse does all the work.” “Horseback riding isn’t a sport.” These are statements almost every equestrian athlete has heard at some point in their lives.
“As a serious equestrian, these statements are hard to hear,” said University of Findlay senior IHSA Hunt Seat Team member Peter Patch. “We work extremely hard just like any other athlete and I wish more people realized the hard work that goes into our sport.”
Universities all across the country have equestrian teams or clubs. At the collegiate level, there are two organizations that govern the sport. The NCEA (National Collegiate Equestrian Association, a part of the NCAA) and IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association). The NCEA has 16 Division I teams, five Division II teams, and two Division III teams.
Across the country, over 400 schools are a part of IHSA, which is not broken down into divisions set by the NCAA, but rather by regions and zones as defined by the IHSA committee. Findlay has both a Hunt Seat and a Western team, with 91 varsity athletes (54 on Hunt Seat, 37 on Western), which are a part of the IHSA section.
Athletic Director, Brandi Laurita says that Findlay chose to remain part of IHSA due to female only restrictions in the NCEA teams and that with IHSA the structure of the association allows for more diversity in the skill level of the riders. This gives more people a chance to compete.
At UF, the two IHSA teams (Western and Hunt Seat) are considered varsity sports and recognized by athletics. Both teams officially joined the athletics family in 2001 and have been a part of it ever since. The teams became part of athletics to help benefit both the athletic department and the teams themselves.
“There’s a lot of value for the equestrians in getting the publicity and being a part of something bigger. They can recruit a little bit better because of that since they are a part of varsity athletics,” said Laurita. “For us [athletics], it gives us a wider variety of student athletes. Both teams help get us to 26 varsity sports which is a lot. It also helps us learn a lot about the sport.”
Brandon Morin, a senior on the UF western team, loves the added value of being an athlete at UF.
“We get funding, vehicles to use, they feed us at every show, and pay our fees,” said Morin. “I think that the University of Findlay Athletics most definitely recognizes us as a sport. They provide tons of funding to our IHSA teams and recognize us like any other sport at the school.”
Morin notes that UF athletics is stepping up its game in promoting the equestrian teams.
“Up until this year, our team lacked team photos and head shots of our riders on the athletics website, but this year we got them done!” said Mroin.
Both Patch and Morin say equestrians do not get enough credit over all in the sports world.
“Too many people think we just sit there and don’t do anything when we ride,” said Patch. “But that’s the point! If you can’t see what we’re doing, then we are doing our job. The amount of strength and body control it takes to look like that requires us to be just as strong as any other athlete.”
“Across the nation, I do not think our sport is properly recognized as an athletic event,” said Morin. “I think that trying to explain what we do to other types of athletes is difficult because we cannot really compare it to anything else. It is a very unique sport.”
Both teams have a full schedule this year, with hopes of once again competing at nationals. Last year, both teams qualified after winning regionals and zones (Hunt Seat) and regionals and semi-finals (Western).
Highlights during UF women’s basketball win streak
By: Dylan DeWitt
Email: dewittd@findlay.edu
Twitter: @dd_witt
The season began for the University of Findlay’s women’s basketball team on Nov. 11 in Painesville, Oh. against the Wayne State Warriors; a game that would have to go into extra minutes and be decided in overtime.
The Oilers were defeated in the contest, 92-88, to begin the season. However, what came next is something worth mentioning. Over almost a two months span, the next twelve games would go a different route for the women’s squad. Twelve wins to be exact.
The win streak began with a victory against Tiffin University at the GMAC/ GLIAC Challenge with a triumph of 32 points, 95-63. The streak would move on with another twelve victories in a row. The twelfth win came against Ohio Dominican, another overtime thriller. Ironically enough, the Oilers won 92-88 – the same score they lost to Wayne State just flipped as that defeat fueled their streak.
Along the streak, the women’s team had multiple highlights along the way. Multiple players were awarded GMAC player of the week. Anna Hintz was named player of the week during Dec. 10 -16. In that week, Hintz helped the Oilers to two wins on the road against Ohio Dominican and a double-overtime victory versus Cedarville. In the two games, Hintz averaged 25.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks a game.
Another highlight during the win streak, other than compiling wins and excitement, came from Senior Lynsey Englebrecht. In the women’s victory over Davis & Elkins, Englebrecht broke a school record of most 3-pointers made in program history. She was able to knock down a total of 8 3-point field goals. Currently she has 58 3-pointers this season, which puts her only 20 behind the record for most in a season. This record has stood for two decade set in 1997-1998 by Trish Lauck with 78. With Englebrecht’s efforts, she too earned GMAC player of the week.
The winning streak concluded with a loss to the Ursuline on the road, but the team holds a 13-3 record overall with a 10-2 record in conference play. The Oilers will be back in action at home on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. against Kentucky Wesleyan.
As the season has passed its halfway point and postseason play inches closer and closer, the Oilers, who are still ranked first in the GMAC, will look to keep the victory morale going, and start another streak of their own.
UF vs Trevecca Nazarene Full Mens Game
UF vs Trevecca Nazarene Womens Highlights
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