Athletics

http://www.goashlandeagles.com

Athletic Director

Al King

Ashland University offers 24 intercollegiate sports – 12 for women, 11 for men, and 1 co-ed. The Eagles play in NCAA Division II, and in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

Fall 2023 Highlights

Ashland University’s women’s soccer team earned one of the best seasons in program history in 2023 – capturing the imagination of the program, parents, fans and alumni alike.

The Eagles finished the fall with an overall record of 19-1-4 and a record of 11-0-3 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Ashland won two home NCAA Division II postseason games at Ferguson Field, tied the program record for wins in a season, and earned 19 shutouts in 24 games – and only the 1998 Eagles (D-II Final Four) went further in the postseason than the 2023 edition did.

During the season, for the first time in program history, the Eagles were the top-ranked team in the country in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Top 25 poll, and were so for six weeks. Ashland finished the campaign at No. 10 in the country.

Three Ashland players earned All-American status from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) after the season ended – senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Simon (first-team), junior defender Julianna Williams (second-team), and junior midfielder Merrik Mihalek (third-team).

FOOTBALL – A 1-3 start turned into a 9-3 ending for Eagle football in 2023, as an eight-game winning streak was punctuated with a 23-20 win over McKendree in the America’s Crossroads Bowl. The win streak is the program’s longest since 2017 (11 games), and it will be the second-longest in D-II when the 2024 season begins – behind only 2023 national champion Harding (19 in a row).

VOLLEYBALL – Ashland University volleyball went 22-10 overall and 15-4 in the Great Midwest in the fall, winning the conference’s South Division for the third consecutive season. The Eagles won seven in a row prior to the Midwest Region Crossover, and perhaps the win of the season was a 3-2 decision at home vs. Cedarville on Oct. 24 – after losing the first two sets.

MEN’S SOCCER – The Eagles went 7-9-4 overall and 6-4-4 in the Great Midwest in 2023, qualifying for the league tournament and reaching the semifinals. Senior midfielder Vander Rocha earned the program’s first D2CCA All-American honor (second-team) in 15 years.

CROSS COUNTRY – Ashland’s women and men finished 21st and 22nd, respectively, in a personal best-filled Midwest Regional meet in November, and both teams were eighth at the 2023 Great Midwest Championships in October. Sophomore Michael Snopik finished 19th at the league meet, becoming the first AU men’s runner to earn All-Great Midwest honors.

ESPORTS – All of Ashland’s esports teams began their seasons in the fall, with the Overwatch 2 varsity team taking second place at the Mid-America Gamers Expo (MAGE) 2023 collegiate in September in Iowa.

Winter 2023-24 Highlights

Ashland's STUNT team made history by not only becoming the first collegiate program to win two conference championships, but also winning its first postseason game - a 16-14 overtime decision against outgoing conference rival Trevecca Nazarene.

The Eagles won a program-record 18 games, finishing 18-10.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL – The Eagles continued to build upon what has been a 13-season run of dominance within D-II, going 31-2 overall and 20-0 in the Great Midwest - which included a 23-game winning streak. Ashland won its third consecutive Great Midwest regular-season and tournament championships, and reached the Division II playoffs once again. Fifth-year forward Annie Roshak earned first-team Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American honors - her third WBCA All-American citation, and head coach Kari Pickens was the conference Coach of the Year.

TRACK AND FIELD – At the 2024 Great Midwest Championship, in the Niss Athletic Center, Ashland's women's indoor team won its first conference championship in 28 years. Redshirt freshman Hailey Rios was the Great Midwest's women's Freshman of the Year and of the Meet, and head coach A.G. Kruger gained women's Coach of the Year honors. A dozen AU men and women qualified for indoor nationals.

WRESTLING – For the third time in four seasons, Ashland wrestling earned a Great Midwest championship - and head coach Colt Sponseller earned league co-Coach of the Year honors. The Eagles also won six straight duals to end the regular season, then won the NCAA Region 3 meet at West Liberty. Five AU grapplers qualified for D-II nationals.

MEN'S BASKETBALL – The Eagles finished 17-11 overall and 11-9 in the Great Midwest, qualifying for the league tournament. On Nov. 22, head coach John Ellenwood became the program's all-time winningest coach, and has 260 victories guiding Ashland.

SWIMMING AND DIVING – Three Ashland divers - sophomores Joey Lenczyk and Maddi Whitticar, and freshman Riley Hunt - each qualified for the D-II national meet for the first time. Lenczyk and Hunt earned Great Midwest Diver of the Year honors.

Spring 2024 Highlights

Eagle women's golf earned a spot at D-II nationals as a team for the first time in nine years, finishing 17th in the country. Ashland placed fourth at the East super regional tournament, and was the runner-up at the Great Midwest Championship.

During the regular season, the Eagle women earned seven top-three team finishes, including tying for the win at their own Eagle Invitational, a win at the Klash In Kentucky and a victory at the Gannon Spring Invitational.

BASEBALL – Ashland was nationally ranked throughout the season, ending at 42-15 overall and 24-8 in the Great Midwest - earning the program's first Great Midwest regular-season title. The Eagles played in both the conference tournament and the D-II Midwest split regional tournament. Head coach John Schaly, the Great Midwest Coach of the Year, coached in his 2,000th career game as a collegiate head coach at home on March 20.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE – The Eagles won a program-record 11 games, and one of those wins was the first conference tournament victory in program history - a 21-4 win over Lake Erie at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field. Head coach Lauren Simko was the Great Midwest co-Coach of the Year.

TRACK AND FIELD – As was the case in the winter, Rios was the Great Midwest women's Freshman of the Year and Freshman of the Meet outdoors. Seventeen Eagle men and women reached the D-II outdoor national meet.

TENNIS – Both Eagle tennis teams qualified for the conference tournament. Ashland's men were 13-6 overall and 3-5 in the Great Midwest, and the AU women 14-9, 4-5.

SOFTBALL – AU softball ended the season at 19-26 overall and 12-14 in the Great Midwest.

MEN'S GOLF – Ashland's men finished seventh at the Great Midwest Championship.

Whieldon Women’s Athletic Scholarship Fund Established

Former Ashland University President Dr. Carlos Campo announced the continuing receipt of the largest bequest in the University's history – a high seven-figure gift established as the Gay Whieldon Women's Athletic Scholarship Fund.

The scholarship fund will provide much-needed scholarships for female student-athletes who participate in AU interscholastic sports. This gift changes the face of "Accent on the Individual" for women's sports at Ashland.

Whieldon was a 1966 and 1983 graduate of Ashland College. In 1966, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Education, majoring in Health Education and Physical Education, and in 1983, a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.

She was the Assistant Professor in Physical Education at Ashland College from 1976-82. Whieldon spent a majority of her career teaching physical education and coaching women's college sports, including swimming, soccer, and field hockey. As the Eagles' head women's field hockey coach from 1977-80, she led the team to the second round of state tournament play in 1979.

In 1977-78, Whieldon, while serving as the first woman at AC to have the published title of Associate Athletic Director, was the tournament director for the Ohio Association Intercollegiate Sports for Women (OAISW) State Basketball Tournament at Kates Gymnasium.