Ohio Northern Sports Year in Review -
Fall 2004

July 22, 2005

By Zach Stipe

Before beginning yet another chapter in Ohio Northern sports this fall, let us first take a quick look back at the 2004-05 year in sports. In the first installment of a three-part series, we remember the 2004 fall season.

Football
The Ohio Northern football team opened the 2004 season with a new stadium, a new coach and high expectations. The team did not disappoint, finishing second in the Ohio Athletic Conference for the first time since 2001. First-year head coach Dean Paul led the team to an 8-2 overall record, 7-2 in the OAC and 4-1 in the brand new Dial-Roberson Stadium. The team ended the season with three straight victories and was the highest ranked team not to make the postseason, 19^th by D-3Football.com and 21^st by the American Football Coaches Association.

The Polar Bears christened new Dial-Roberson Stadium with a 31-0 shutout of Westminster (Pa.) on September 4. Quarterback Corey Minnfield came off the bench to throw three touchdown passes for ONU.

After a 31-3 loss to Baldwin-Wallace on September 13, the Polar Bears got things rolling with a 31-11 victory over Muskingum and a 38-14 win over John Carroll. Then against Heidelberg, the Polar Bears scored 59 points and held the Student Princes scoreless. Running backs, senior Zach Webber and junior Derek Garrod, both rushed for over 100 yards in the win and junior defensive back Rusty Midlam snagged three interceptions earning him Football Gazette’s National Player of the Week Award.

The Polar Bear’s only other loss came against Mount Union, the number one ranked team in the nation at the time. Ohio Northern led 27-20 with 6:05 left in the third quarter, but Mount Union lived up to its ranking and rattled off 21 straight points, en route to handing ONU a 41-27 loss and its only defeat in Dial-Robertson Stadium. In another season highlight Weber ran for 237 yards in a 38-35 victory over then fifth-ranked Capital.

Junior defensive end Jason Trusnik was one of the top defensive players in the nation in 2004. He was named Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All America by Football Gazette and First Team All-America by the AFCA. Trusnik led the nation in sacks (18.0) and tackles for a loss (31.0), and he led the team while finishing second in the OAC with 101 tackles. Trusnik also earned the Paul Hoerneman Award given to the OAC’s top defensive lineman and was a First Team All-OAC pick.

Senior wide receiver Greg Evilsizor, who had 50 receptions, 866 receiving yards and set the ONU career receptions record (146) was also a member of the All-OAC First Team along with earning the Ed Sherman Award given to the conference’s top receiver. Weber led the team with 917 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns and set the ONU career all-purpose yardage record (5,822) while earning First Team All-OAC honors.

Senior quarterback Corey Minnfield passed for 1,616 yards and 19 touchdowns while earning Honorable Mention All-OAC kudos. Junior cornerback Wes Hostetler also was named First Team All-OAC, while Midlam, junior linebacker Rick Danison and junior offensive lineman Kevin Thomas earned Second Team All-OAC honors. Junior offensive tackle Devin Russell was also named Honorable Mention All-OAC.

Volleyball
The Ohio Northern volleyball team continued its reign of success in the Ohio Athletic Conference, winning their fifth straight regular season title along with winning the OAC tournament crown for the third time in four years. Kate Witte, in her 14^th year as head coach, led the team to 29-5 record (9-0 in the OAC) and a number 10 ranking in the final Division III American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.

Ohio Northern opened the 2004 season with eight straight wins, dropping just two games during the streak. The run included 3-1 wins over nationally-ranked opponents Mount St. Joseph and Central (Iowa).

After a pair of losses, the Bears then won 17 of their next 18 matches, amassing a 25-game winning streak during the run.

Northern defeated all nine OAC opponents during that stretch, as the Bears swept eight of the nine teams.

The Polar Bears entered the OAC Tournament as the top seed and did not disappoint. ONU disposed of John Carroll and Mount Union with 3-0 shutouts before claiming the conference title with a 3-1 win over Baldwin-Wallace.

With a 29-4 overall record and a No. 5 national ranking, Ohio Northern was then chosen to host the NCAA III Great Lakes Regional. The Polar Bears, the #2 seed in the region, ended their season in the semifinal round, however, with a tough 3-2 loss to Mount St. Joseph.

Seniors Hannah Kanuckel, Diane Gehret, Jen Ginn and junior Erika Roof all earned First Team All-OAC honors and were each All-Region award winners. Kanuckel capped off a tremendous career by earning AVCA Third Team All-American honors for the second year in a row and by being named the OAC Player of the Year. She leaves ONU as the all-time leader in kills (1,788), attacks (5,277) and digs (2,351).

Gehret earned AVCA Honorable Mention All America honors for the second straight year and was the MVP of the ONU Invitational. She led the team in kills this year with 395.

Sophomore libero Karlee Kanuckel earned Honorable Mention All-OAC and Academic All-OAC honors. Seniors Janet Wilber and Lauren Seitz were both named Academic All-OAC as well.

Men’s Soccer
The Ohio Northern men’s soccer team, led by seventh-year head coach Brent Ridenour, completed another successful season in 2004 by finishing 13-7-1 overall and 7-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The team finished as OAC regular season runners up, setting a number of historic milestones along the way.

The Polar Bears started off their season in early August with a nine-day trip through Europe where they faced some professional teams in exhibition matches. In September, the team finished second at the ONU Adidas Classic and won the OAC-MIAA Shootout both held at ONU Soccer Field.

The team broke numerous records and had many all-conference performers. Senior forward Adam Gatton set ONU single season records of 22 goals and 52 points while earning First Team All-OAC and becoming ONU’s first-ever OAC Co-Forward of the Year. Senior Defender D.J. Switzer made his second consecutive appearance on the All-OAC First Team leading a defense that earned seven shutouts and had a 1.41 goals against average. Senior Andrew Schultz joined his teammates on the All-OAC First Team.

Sophomore forward Aaron Lecklider, who set the ONU single season record and tied the OAC record for assists with 14, earned Second Team All-OAC honors, while Honorable Mention All-OAC went to junior defender Corey Thigpen.

One highlight of the season was senior forward Tom Schiller scoring five goals and tallying 11 points in a single match, both ONU records, against Muskingum on October 16. The Polar Bears won that game 7-2 and embarked on a five-game win streak to end the regular season and secure a runners-up finish in the OAC.

The Polar Bears qualified for the OAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed, but fell at home to third-seeded John Carroll 2-0 to end their season.

Women’s Soccer
This past fall saw the women’s soccer team have a great season under first-year head coach Mark Batman. The Polar Bears finished 11-7-1 overall and 6-2-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, qualifying for the OAC Tournament for the first time in four seasons.

ONU was led by junior midfielder Laura Smolinski and sophomore forward Diana Smith as they earned First Team All-OAC honors. The pair became the first ONU players to be named All-Great Lakes Region since 1997, each earning second team honors. The two also tied for the team lead in assists with seven.

For Smith, it was her second consecutive season on the OAC First Team while leading the Polar Bears in goals (11) and points (29). Smolinski was fourth on the squad with 13 points on three goals and seven assists.

A strong contingent of juniors and seniors also contributed to the success of the team. Senior defender Amanda Story was named Second Team All-OAC, and junior forward Mindy Erb picked up Honorable Mention All-OAC honors as well.

Senior midfielder Ashley Limbert and junior forward Erin Smith started all 19 games for the squad. Smith capped off the team’s four-game regular season win streak that propelled them to the OAC Tournament by garnering OAC Player of the Week honors on November 1. Freshman goalkeeper Barbie Krieger was named conference Player of the Week on October 11 and October 25.

Krieger and the ONU defense ranked fourth in the OAC in goals against average (1.08) and shutouts (six). Along with Story, the defensive effort was led by juniors Amy George, Courtney Lindsey and Sherri Steinkirchner.

Northern entered the OAC Tournament as the fourth seed, playing at No. 1-seeded Capital. The Bears, however, fell 1-0 in a tightly contested match to end their season.

Men’s Cross Country
The ONU men’s cross country team, led by head coach Brian Cole and assistant coach Jason Maus, finished fourth in the OAC and ninth in the Great Lakes Region behind a strong pack of sophomores and juniors this past season.

The team raced against top competition at large meets like the Indiana State Invitational on September 11 and the Great American Cross Country Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 1. The team also finished fourth among its Division III counterparts at the All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan on October 8 and second at the ONU Invitational on October 16.

Junior Brad Schroeder came across the finish line first for the Polar Bears in all nine races this season. Schroeder earned First Team All-OAC honors for the second consecutive year by way of his seventh place OAC Championships meet finish, covering the 8000-meter course in 26:35. Schroeder’s season-best time came at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in Alma, Michigan, where he ran a 25:14 and earned All-Great Lakes Region Honors.

Junior Sean Koran and sophomores Kevin Heckman, Brian Janke and Jason Simcoe all broke the 27-minute barrier as well. Senior Mike Meyer had the team’s second best finish, placing 14^th at the OAC Championships at Baldwin-Wallace on October 30.

Women’s Cross Country
The Ohio Northern women’s cross country team, led by head coach Brian Cole and assistant coach Jason Maus, finished fourth in the Ohio Athletic Conference for the third consecutive season this past fall.

The team, comprised of primarily juniors and sophomores, also finished ninth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Among Division III schools, the team finished first at the Indiana State Invitational on September 11, seventh at the All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan on October 8 and third at the ONU Invitational on October 16.

Sophomores Elizabeth DiNino and Darci Walthew both emerged as the number top runners for the Lady Polar Bears and earned All-Great Lakes Region honors this past season. DiNino ran a 22:42 at the regional meet to set a new school record for the 6,000-meters, eclipsing Walthew’s previous record. She also finished fifth with a time of 23:47 at the OAC Championships at Baldwin Wallace on October 30 to earn First Team All-OAC honors.

Walthew ran a team-best time of 19:11 for 5,000-meters at the Cedarville Invitational on September 18. Junior Liz Terelle and sophomores Lauren Crook and Jackie Kessler were both regularly in the top five for the Polar Bears, as well. Terelle had the team’s second best finish at the OAC Championships, placing 13^th.

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