COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican cross country made history over the weekend as the women's team earned their first team title and sophomore Meghan Willeke took second place in the Midlands/Independent Conference qualifying meet in St. Louis, Missouri.  

The Panthers, competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic (NAIA) for the last time, saved their best for last as they posted a team score of 38 points edging out the field of five to earn the team title. Ohio Dominican had three runners finish in the top 10 and seven runners finish in the first 20 spots in the meet.     more

Willeke (Lexington, OH) led the way with a time of 21:17 and will be the first Panther to qualify for the cross country Nationals in school history. Willeke, the Panthers school record holder, will advance as an individual to the NAIA National Championship held in Vancouver, Washington on November 21^st.  

Elyse Wyant (Jr./Chillicothe, OH) finished sixth with a time of 22:12 and Hali Cassidy (Fr./Portsmouth, OH) came in seventh with a time of 22:25. Rounding out the top finishers for the Panthers was Ali Green (So./Cincinnati, OH) at 13^th  with a time of 22:53 and Stephanie Elliotts (Sr./Hillsboro, OH) placed 15th with a time of 23:35 a personal best. Stacey Woeste (Sr./Melbourne, KY) finished 18^th and Courtney Rizek (So./Westerville, OH) 22^nd.  

On the men's side, ODU battled through some late season injuries to finish 8^th overall at the Conference meet. McKendree University edged William Woods for the team title with a total of 33 points. ODU accumulated 207 points in their final meet as a NAIA member.

The Panthers Brian Litt (So./Mansfield, OH) was Ohio Dominican top performer as he came in 36^th overall with a time of 30:48.           

COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the second straight season the Ohio Dominican men's and women's cross country team had their best performance at the Wilmington Fall Classic. Led by a record setting performance by sophomore Meghan Willeke the Panthers turned in a team best performance of the season.

Willeke (Lexington, OH) running in what has to be her favorite race of the season broke her own school record of 21:24, set at the Wilmington Fall Classic last season, with a time of 21:03. Willeke finished 60^th overall in the event.  The Panthers women's team finished 18^th overall with a total of 507 points. ODU saw eight of their nine participants finish with personal bests, including Elise Wyant (Jr. /Chillicothe, OH) with a time of 21:39 and Addie Shough (Fr. /Columbus, OH) who finished at 23:55.  more

Earning the team title was John Carroll University who recorded a total of 85 points in the 5k run. Heather Waterman of Franklin College turned in the best time at 18:38 .

On the men's side ODU had four of their five runners record personal best times while finishing 20^th overall in the largest field of the season. The Panthers earned a total of 587 points in the 8k run. Leading the way for Ohio Dominican was junior Josh Watson (Reynoldsburg, OH) with a time of 29:12. Brian Litt (So. /Mansfield, OH) had a breakout performance on the course as he recorded a personal best time of 29:13. Eric Rauschenbach (Fr. /Struthers, OH) also ran a personal record finishing with a time of 30:00.

Earning the team title in the 8k run was the University of Rio Grande. The Panthers former conference rivals turned in a team point total of 89 to earn the victory. Rio Grande 's Bryce Wilson and Nick Wilson came in first and second with times of 25:19 and 25:38.

ODU will return to action in their final meet of the season in the Unaffilicated Conference Meet on Saturday, November 7^th in Saint Louis, Missouri.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican University Athletic Hall of Fame will induct six former Panthers student athletes during the Annual Homecoming weekend of October 9 and 10. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony and dinner, sponsored by the ODU Alumni Association and ODU Athletics, will be held on Friday, October 9 in the new Bishop James A. Griffin Student Center . This event is open to the public and tickets may be purchased by calling (614) 251-4643 or emailing ODU's Doug Sweeney, Senior Development Officer, at sweeneyd@ohiodominican.edu.

ODU introduced its first Hall of Fame class during the 1996-97 season and has honored 15 individuals in its short history.  more

Joining the Hall of Fame will be Tom Fitzpatrick '69 (basketball), Mike Hickle '93 (baseball), Craig Brown '94 (baseball), Jerry Lanier '95 (basketball), David Flavius '99 (soccer), and Michelle Welage-Galloway '00 (basketball). Here is a brief biography on each of this year's inductees:

Tom Fitzpatrick '69 (basketball):  Fitzpatrick was a member ODC 's first men's basketball team. He was a 3-time co-captain and named the 1967-68 Men's Basketball Most Valuable Player. Tom is one of two players to have their jersey numbers retired in school history.

Mike Hickle '93 (baseball):  A stand-out ODU hurler on the baseball team, Hickle, was a 2-time Mid Ohio Conference and District 22 Player of the Year in his time at ODU. He was selected as a Second Team NAIA All-American in 1992 and Honorable Mention Team in 1993. In both of those seasons he was also a All-Great Lakes Region Team member. Hickle currently holds the record for innings pitched (107.1), complete games (10), winning percentage (11-0, 100%), and fewest walks allowed (36) in a season.

Craig Brown '94 (baseball):  Craig Brown is this year's second member of the Panthers baseball team inducted into the Hall of Fame. Brown was an Honorable Mention NAIA All-American and All-Great Lakes Region Team selection in 1994. The left handed pitcher was a 3-time NAIA District 22 selection and twice named to the Mid Ohio Conference First Team.   Currently he holds the career records for most starts (46), complete games (29), wins (37), and ERA (2.25). Brown also holds the season record for wins with 13 in 1994.

Jerry Lanier '95 (basketball):  Lanier was the face of ODU basketball from 1992-95. With over 1,800 points, the former guard ranks second in school history in points scored and first in points in a season with 704. He ranks in the top 10 in 11 categories including the top performer in school history in free throws made (438). Lanier was a 2-time First Team All-Mid Ohio Conference selection and 2-time NAIA All-American Scholar Athlete. During the 1993-94 season he was selected as a Third Team NAIA All-American. He also was a First Team NAIA District 22 performer in 1992-93.    

David Flavius '99 (soccer):  Flavius became the first and only ODU player selected in the NPSL drafted as a first round selection of the Kansas City Attack. A forward on the men's soccer team from 1995-98, Flavius, holds nearly every offensive scoring record in school history. He is first in career goals scored with 99, first in hat tricks (5), and points (220).   His 38 goals and 80 points in a season ranks tops in school history. While at ODU he was named the 1998 American Mideast Conference Player of the Year and an Honorable Mention NAIA All-American in that same season. He was a 2-time First Team All-Mid Ohio Conference performer and earned two other all-conference accolades. Flavius was also selected to the NSCAA/Umbro All-American First Team NAIA and Ohio. He was also named the MOC Player of the Week 3-times and AMC Player of the Week twice.  

Michelle Welage-Galloway '00 (basketball):  In her first season at ODU Welage-Galloway was selected as the Mid Ohio Conference Freshman of the Year. From there she continued to rewrite the ODU record books and ranks in the top 10 in nine categories. An outstanding guard/forward, Welage-Galloway, ranks 5^th all-time in points scored with 1,465 and second in free throws made with 479. She was a 2-time All-Mid Ohio Conference selection and earned Second Team All-American Mideast Conference accolades. She was also a member of the AMC Scholar Athlete Team and a NAIA Academic All-American in 1999-00.   

For more information on the 2009 Hall of Fame Induction Class please contact Jeff Blair at (614) 251-4577 or email at blairj2@ohiodominican.edu.  

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican men's and women's cross country teams traveled to Westerville, Ohio for the Otterbein Cross Country Invitational over the weekend. The Panther men's team earned their second straight 13^th place finish in the 8,000 meters, while the women also came in 13^th in the 5,000 meter race.

Mount Union College earned the team title for the men as they finished with a total score of 59. The Raiders placed three runners in the top 10 and just edged DePauw University who finished with a total of 63 points. Heidelberg University came in third as they posted a score of 79 points.      more

ODU came in 13^th for the second straight meet as they collected a total of 421 points. The men saw a pair of freshman have breakout performances with Eric Raushenbach (Fr., Struthers, OH) and Josh Weitz (Fr., Dayton, OH) posting personal records. Raushenbach came in 89^th overall with a time of 31:25.7. Weitz was right on his heels with a 94^th place finish and a time of 32:13.0.   Leading the way for the Panthers was Josh Watson (Jr., Reynoldsburg, OH) with a time of 29:17.0

In the 5,000 meter women's race DePauw University was crowned the champions as they posted a team score of 29 points. The host Cardinals came in second with a team score of 69, followed by the College of Wooster with a team score of 104.

ODU earned their best performance of the season placing 13^th overall, while combining for 364 points. Leading the way was ODU record holder Meghan Willeke (So, Lexington, OH) with a time of 26:15.3 good for 54^th place. Panther freshman Hali Cassidy (Fr., Portsmouth, OH) finished with a time of 26:43.7, while newcomers Kaitlin McNeish (So., Newark, OH) and Addie Shough (Fr., Columbus, OH) each ran personal bests of 30:39.3 and 30:39.7, respectively. Courtney Rizek (So., Westerville, OH) also had a good day as she bettered her fastest time by nearly two minutes with a time of 29:55.6.

The Panthers return to action this Friday, October 2^nd as they head to the All-Ohio Invitational hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.