In many ways, the 2023-24 Oakland City University athletic campaign could be described as historic, leading the Mighty Oaks to unprecedented successes, both at the conference and national level. A season that ended with a total of 13 teams competing for a shot at a River States Conference championship, with two teams winning Conference titles, as Colin Dixon led the Men's Tennis team and Joe Epkey led the Women's Tennis team to their third and second consecutive championships respectively.
At the national level, six teams competed in the NCCAA Mid-East Regional, with six competing in the National Tournament. Four teams won the Mid-East Regional Title (Women's Volleyball, Women's Golf, Men's Golf, and Baseball), with the Baseball Team advancing to the NCCAA Championship game, finishing second, one place higher than the Women's Basketball Team.
The Women's Basketball, Women's Tennis, and Men's Tennis teams competed at the NAIA National Tournament, where they each posted strong showings against teams that made deep runs in the finals, with the Women's Basketball team falling to the eventual national champions.
Women's Volleyball, under first-year head coach Allyson Moorman, took their 2022 record of 5-17 and improved to 19-12, including a 14-5 mark in River States Conference play, finishing third in the west division and qualifying for the RSC tournament, where they finished in a tie for third place. After winning the NCCAA Mid-East Regional, they competed in the National Tournament, finishing in a tie for fifth place. Senior Dunja Madjarevic (Palio, Serbia) was named the RSC Defensive Player of the Year, while earning NCCAA 1st Team All-American and NAIA Honorable Mention All-American honors. Madjarevic was named to the RSC 1st Team All-Conference, Mariana Anastasiadi (senior, Nikaia, Greece) earned 2nd Team honors, while De'Sheonna Foster (sophom*ore, Evansville, IN) and Chloee Thomas (junior, Frankton, IN) were named to the 3rd team.
The inaugural Sprint Football campaign saw the Oaks face, and overcome, many challenges, finishing with a record of 0-7 despite playing competitive games in nearly every outing. The Oaks will look to improve on the foundation of the first season and will do so under the leadership of newly hired head coach Jared Maners. Davontay Gilbert was named the team's Most Outstanding Offensive Player, while Kanye Johnson earned the same award on the defensive side.
Women's Soccer found their new leader, hiring Jamie Bladen to rebuild the team, and will look to push for a top spot in the River States Conference and NCCAA next season.
Men's Soccer found its way to a 9-10-1 record this year, going 6-3-1 in conference play, under second-year Head Coach Adam Sell. The OCU men made their fourth straight RSC tournament appearance, defeating Shawnee State University (4-0) in the quarterfinals before falling to West Virginia Tech (8-3) in their semifinal matchup. The Oaks saw their season end in the NCCAA Mid-East Regional Tournament, falling in the semifinal, 2-0, against Asbury University. Ian Cowie (junior, Tincity, Trinidad & Tobago) earned RSC 1st Team All-Conference honors, while Evan Reape (junior, Ballina, Ireland), Pablo Herrero (sophom*ore, Murcia, Spain), and Ross O'Brien (freshman, Kilcullen, Ireland) earned 2nd Team designation, and Brian Elizarraras (senior, Jasper, IN) was named to the 3rd Team.
The Women's Golf team continued their stranglehold on the NCCAA Mid-East Regional Tournament, winning their fourth straight, and sixth of the last seven, advancing to their seventh consecutive NCCAA National Championship. This year, under second-year head coach Tyler Toopes, they finished in sixth place. In RSC play, the Oaks finished fourth in the fall preview, two spots higher than the year before, and placed fifth in the spring championship, one spot above the previous year. Leading the team in scoring average was Tanisha Downer, a sophom*ore from Indianapolis, IN.
On the men's side, the OCU golf team won the NCCAA Mid-East Regional Tournament to earn a bid to the NCCAA National Championship for the second time in a row, finishing in seventh place, equaling their highest team finish in team history. After coming in 8th at the RSC fall preview, the Oaks slipped to 11th in the spring championship. Sophom*ore Jack Dolan, from Dublin, Ireland, was the player with the best average for the year.
In Cross Country, the men's team finished in 11th at the RSC championship meet, while the women's team finished in 12th place at the conference championship. At the conclusion of the season, first-year head coach Blake Guillozet named Pamela Barbosa (senior, Metepec, Mexico) and Pierce Lashley (freshman, Lincoln City, IN) as the Most Valuable Runners.
Third-year head coach Ken French led the Mighty Oaks Men's Basketball team to a record of 7-22, with a 2-16 mark in conference play, dropping their final 15 games of the year, including the NCCAA Mid-East Regional Semifinal, where they fell 74-62 to Alice Lloyd College. The Oaks lost 16 games by 12 points or less, as their record did not indicate the competitiveness of the team. Sam Muller (junior, Layton, UT) earned RSC Third-Team recognition, while Logan Phinney was named the developmental team Most Outstanding Teammate, with Josiah Wright earning the same award for the varsity squad.
The OCUWomen's Basketball teamfinished the season at 25-9, including 17-1 in RSC play, winning the west division, and advancing to the conference championship under fourth-year head coach FahKara Hawkins for the first time. They took on the University of Rio Grande, falling 95-90, but earning a bid to the NAIA National Tournament for the second time in team history, where they were beaten by Dordt University 81-71, the eventual national champions. After receiving an at-large bid, the Mighty Oaks advanced to the NCCAA National Tournament, where they were the top-seed for the second time in as many years. After they defeated Redeemer University (99-67), they lost on a last second shot to the host and eventual champion Grace College (75-73), before winning in the third-place game over Alice Lloyd College (89-79). Emilee Hope (senior, Henderson, KY) and Jalaya Dowell (senior, Long Beach, CA) were named First-Team All-Conference players, while Marissa Austin (senior, Slaughters, KY) earned Second-Team All-RSC recognition. Coach Hawkins was named the Conference Coach of the Year, while Hope garnered NCCAA Second-Team All-American honors, with Erin Whitehead (senior, Reynoldsburg, OH) being named to the NCCAA Championship All-Tournament Team.
For the second year in a row, the Women's Tennis Team won the River States Conference Championship, under first-year head coach Joe Epkey, who was named RSC Coach of the Year. Maria Trembach (freshman, Kyiv, Ukraine) earned RSC Newcomer of the Year honors, while joining Cristina Hurtado (junior, Vina Del Mar, Chile) on the RSC All-Conference First-Team. Liz Aristizabal (senior, Bogota, Columbia), Juliana Puente (sophom*ore, Ibarra, Ecuador) and Tiana Sparks (sophom*ore, Brownsburg, IN) were named to the RSC All-Conference Second-Team, while Isabela Todorovic (junior, Dorsten, Germany) earned Third-Team honors. The team advanced to the NAIA National Championship, where they were defeated in the opening round by ninth-seeded William Carey University (4-0).
The Mighty Oaks Men's Tennis team finished the season ranked #25 in the NAIA, capping off another record-setting season, winning their third consecutive River States Conference Championship under seventh-year head coach Colin Dixon, who was named RSC Coach of the Year. At NAIA Nationals, they lost to Xavier University (LA), 4-1, in the opening round. Andres Perez Perez (sophom*ore, Guanajuato, Mexico) was named the RSC Player of the Year, earning 1st-Team All-Conference honors, as well as being named to the NAIA All-American Third Team. Also earning First-Team All-Conference honors was Juanes Pinto (sophom*ore, Ambato, Ecuador), while Christian Salmeron (freshman, Seaton, Australia), Francisco Perez (sophom*ore, Mar del Plata, Argentina) and Samarbir Sidhu (sophom*ore, Sahibzada Ajit Sigh Nagar, India) were named to the All-RSC Second Team, and Sebastian Bahamondes (junior, Punta Arenas, Chile) garnered All-RSC Third Team honors.
Track and Field, under the direction of Jack Kegg in his first season with the program, had their first A-Standard NAIA National Qualifier, as Dakyra Howard (freshman, Homestead, FL) ranked as high as ninth in the triple jump.
For the second year in a row, the Softball Team set a record for wins, finishing 30-26, including a 19-13 mark in River States Conference play, good for third place in the west division and earning their first RSC Tournament appearance, where they finished tied for seventh. In the NCCAA Mid-East Regional, they advanced to the title game, falling 2-1 against the host Kentucky Christian University. The runner-up finished earned the team an at-large bid to the NCCAA National Championship, where they lost their opening game in extra innings against Geneva College (4-2), then bounced back with a 6-3 victory over Dallas Christian College. However, facing Geneva again in their next game, the Oaks were unable to overcome an early deficit, losing 11-1, and finishing in a tie for fifth place in the tournament under first-year head coach McKendree Ward. Alyssa Haynes (sophom*ore, Evansville, IN) earned All-RSC First Team honors, while Kasey Wood (sophom*ore, Princeton, IN) was named to the All-RSC Second Team. Jessi Goforth (senior, Princeton, IN) was named to the NCCAA Championships All-Tournament Team.
In his fourth season at the helm of the Baseball Team, Andy Lasher led the Oaks to yet another record-setting season, finishing with a record of 45-18, including a 17-7 mark in conference play, ranking third in the west division. The Oaks hosted the opening round of the RSC Tournament, where they handled Alice Lloyd College in back-to-back run-rule games, winning 17-5 and 15-1 to earn their place at the final site. However, after giving up an early lead to lose to IU Kokomo 11-9 in the first game in Chillicothe, OCU bounced back by beating Ohio Christian University 17-5 in the next outing. But the eventual conference champions proved to be too much for the Oaks, as OCU saw their tournament run end with a 9-3 loss against Point Park University. Oakland City University's Konkler Field, in its first season of play, hosted the NCCAA Mid-East Regional Tournament, where the Oaks handled Alice Lloyd College (10-0) and Asbury University (7-3) to earn their first-ever number one overall seed at the NCCAA National Tournament. With wins over Trinity Christian College (14-4), Mission University (4-2), Southwestern Christian University (11-8), and Columbia International University (5-0), OCU reached the championship round for just the second time in team history. Facing Southwestern Christian, the six-seed in the tournament, OCU dropped a pair of games, falling 10-6 and 6-5, to finish in second place, equaling the best showing in school history.
The OCU athletic department boasted a total of 76 Scholar-Athlete Award winners, including 15 from men's soccer, 13 from baseball, 10 from men's tennis, eight from women's basketball, eight from women's tennis, five from women's volleyball, five from men's basketball, four from men's golf, four from softball, three from women's cross country, and one from women's track and field. Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards were granted to Mariana Anastasiadi (Women's Volleyball), Pamela Barbosa (Women's Cross Country), Mathias Salfate (Men's Soccer), Aven Davis (Women's Golf), Addison Horner (Men's Golf), Moniek Meeringa (Women's Basketball), Jack Wininger (Men's Basketball), Cristina Hurtado (Women's Tennis), Jose Portez (Men's Tennis), Madison Shipley (Softball) and Aron Busick (Baseball). Busick also earned the Athletic Scholar Award as the graduating athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average, finishing with a perfect 4.0 in his time as a Mighty Oak.
The Oakland City University Athletics Hall of Fame welcomed nine new members, the largest class since the inaugural class. The class included the first men's soccer and the first women's soccer players to receive hall of fame honors. Gil Hodges (1947-1948, men's basketball), Jim Fleming (1971-74, men's basketball), Gary Denbo (1981-83, baseball), Pat Arnold (1961-65, men's basketball and baseball), Bill Dickerson (1977-1981, men's basketball), Jon Bruner (1986-90, men's basketball and golf), Casey (Mills) LaGrange (1996-2000, women's basketball), Schuyler Redpath (2000-04, men's soccer), and Emily (Gries) Maxberry (2001-05, 2006-09, women's soccer) became the newest members of the distinguished group of former Mighty Oak greats. There are now 76 total inductees in the OCU Hall of Fame.
The "Oakie Award", given by the Athletic Director to the student-athlete who best personifies what it means to be a Mighty Oak, was awarded to Gehrig Tenhumberg (baseball) and Dunja Madjarevic (women's volleyball).
Wrapping things up, Athletic Director, T-Ray Fletcher said, "I am proud of all of our student-athletes as the Athletic Director. I could not express that to you enough. Thank you, athletes, for everything you do."
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