Ohio Wesleyan head coach Kris Boey and the Battling Bishop men's track & field team seek to defend their North Coast Athletic Conference indoor championship and All-Ohio Division III outdoor crown while reclaiming the NCAC outdoor championship in 2018.
"We have high expectations," Boey said. "We won our second consecutive indoor conference title and our third consecutive All-Ohio outdoor title last year. We will be a young team, but there is an excellent blend of character and ability that I believe wiill culminate in another championship-caliber team."
The multi-event competition should be one of the Bishops' strengths.
Senior Nate Newman (Chillicothe/Zane Trace) was named NCAC Field Athlete of the Year both indoors and outdoors after sweeping the heptathlon and decathlon titles in 2017. He would go on to win All-America honors in both events.
Sophomore Jayson Blankenship (Medina) placed in both the heptathlon and decathlon last year, and sophomore Nate Minic (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch), a newcomer to the Battling Bishop track & field team, looks to contribute right away.
The Bishops will once again have a deep group in the sprints.
Junior Tommy Davis (Clyde) was the NCAC Sprint-Hurdles Athlete of the Year at the indoor championship meet after winning the 200-meter dash and taking all-conference honors in the 60-meter dash.
Junior Delontaye Morrow (Medina) won all-conference recognition in the indoor 60-meter dash, senior Griffin Peyton (Cincinnati/Anderson) also has been an all-conference honoree in the 60-meter dash, and sophomore Nick Jackson (Silver Spring, Md./Georgetown Day School (D.C.)) also will be heard from.
Freshman Brandon Boyd (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline), an all-region selection in high school; and freshman Justin Winfield (Baltimore, Md./Eastern Technical) should make an impact.
Junior Quinton Broomfield (Gahanna/Lincoln) won all-conference honors in the hurdles both indoors and outdoors and placed in the indoor 400-meter dash.
In the jumps, Blankenship swept the NCAC indoor and outdoor pole vault championships. Newman was the conference high jump champion both indoors and outdoors, and Morrow placed in the long jump both indoors and outdoors.
Newcomers who look to contribute include freshman Clay Cheney (Marion/Pleasant), an all-district performer in high school; freshman Darien Ramirez-Wilson (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township); and sophomore Alex Barrett (Kingston, Wash.).
In the throws, sophomore Mike Heeschen (Gettysburg, Pa./ Gettysburg Area) won all-conference laurels in the javelin a year ago. Senior Justin Reznik (Columbia Station/Columbia) also returns.
Sophomore VaShawn Walker (Canal Winchester/Bishop Ready) and senior Nick Deem (Simi Valley, Calif./Moorpark) return in the weight events, with freshman Cade Richeson (Worthington/Thomas Worthington), who helped his high school team win a state championship, and freshman Wayne Brookover (Delaware/Hayes) also in the mix.
Sophomore Darcy Isaiah (Akron/Firestone), who placed in the 800-meter run last spring, highlights the Bishop middle distance group. In the distance events, junior Daniel Frame (Tipp City/Tippecanoe) placed in the 10,000-meter run at last spring's NCAC outdoor championship meet, sophomore Ryan Lesmez (Arlington, Va./Yorktown) placed in the mile run at last winter's NCAC indoor championship meet, and sophomore Ahmed Hamed (Hilliard/Bradley) looks to build on a fine cross country season.
Ohio Wesleyan opens the indoor season on Dec. 2 at Case Western Reserve. The indoor schedule gets into full swing on January 12 with Ohio Wesleyan's Ron Althoff Classic, the NCAC championship meet will be held March 2-3 at Wabash and the NCAA Division III championship will be held March 9-10 at Birmingham, Ala. The outdoor season opens on March 23-24 at the Dr. Jack Tooms Alumni Invitational in Lynchburg, Va., and features the annual Marv Frye Invitational on April 6-7 at Selby Stadium and the George Gauthier Track, the annual All-Ohio Division III championship meet on April 14 at Selby Stadium and the George Gauthier Track, and the NCAC championship meet on May 4-5 at Allegheny before the NCAA Division III championship May 24-26 at LaCrosse, Wis.
