COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican women's tennis team concluded their fall season on Thursday afternoon with a win over Ohio Wesleyan University at the Branch Rickey Field House in Delaware, Ohio. The women dominated play on their way to a convincing 8-1 win over the Battling Bishops.

The women's program finished with a 3-2 record for the fall with wins over Wittenberg University, Wilmington College and Ohio Wesleyan University.   more

Leading the way for the Panthers, was Kate Rodgers (Sr., Milford, OH), who finished the fall season with a 3-1 record at #1 and #2 singles. Also playing well for the Panthers was Aline Mariano (Fr., Sao Paulo, Brazil), at #2 and #3 with a fall season record of 5-0 and Ruchika Alahakoon (Jr., Colombo, Sri Lanka) who finished with a record of 3-2 at #1 and #2 singles. In doubles play, the Panthers #1 doubles team of Rodgers and Mariano finished runner-up in the ITA Mideast Regional, falling in the finals to Taylor University, 8-6. In dual competition the duo finished with a 3-2 record with dominating wins over Wittenberg, Wilmington and Ohio Wesleyan.

"The program lost four seniors from a season ago and this fall was crucial for us to see what direction our program will be headed in," said head coach Ryan Beigle. "There was significant improvement and I am excited for the outlook this spring."

The Panthers will return to action in February when they will look to earn their 3^rd consecutive trip to the NAIA National Tournament. ODU will compete as an Independent this year in the NAIA.

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 women's tennis team was recently awarded their second consecutive ITA All-Academic Team award for their strong academic performance in the classroom. The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). All eligible student-athletes whose names appear on the NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA eligibility form and have competed in one or more varsity matches must average into the GPA for the current academic year (including fall 2008 and spring 2009).

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must meet the following criteria: 1.) be a varsity letter winner, 2.) have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year, and 3.) have been enrolled at their present school for at least 2 semesters (including freshman thorough senior year).  more

The women were also well represented in receiving individual recognition.   Seniors Emily Sampsel (Marysville, OH), Amanda Hollenbaugh (Reynoldsburg, OH) and Katie Strancar (Canton, OH) earned their second ITA All-Academic award. Juniors Kate Rodgers (Milford, OH) and Caroline Orians (Upper Sandusky, OH) along with freshman Mari Monaco (Port Clinton, OH) also earned academic recognition.

"Our team has done a remarkable job at finding a way to be excellent on the court and in the classroom," said head coach Ryan Beigle. "I am extremely proud of their efforts in their studies."

The Panthers will begin their 2009 fall season with a trip to Indianapolis, Indiana on September 5^th when they will play the University of Indianapolis in a dual match format. The match is set to begin at 10 a.m.

COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio Dominican University accepted membership with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II. At a meeting yesterday at the University of Findlay , presidents of the GLIAC schools approved ODU's application for membership, along with Lake Erie College , effective July 1, 2010 .

"This is a huge accomplishment for Ohio Dominican University and our athletic program as we continue our journey to full membership status within the NCAA," said Ron Seiffert, ODU Interim President.   "We are honored to join such a competitive and elite conference as the GLIAC and we're delighted that Lake Erie College will be joining us.   I am particularly grateful for all of the hard work undertaken by our students, coaches, faculty and staff that helped achieve this milestone."   more

"The addition of these two institutions is the result of a tremendous partnership with the Presidents Council, the GLIAC office, the GLIAC member institutions and our new members," stated Grand Valley State University President and chair of the GLIAC Presidents Council, Dr. Thomas Haas.   "This expansion will definitely help us achieve our goals of reducing missed class time for our student-athletes and reducing travel costs, while strengthening our league both academically and athletically."

In March 2008 the university applied for membership with the NCAA Division II.  ODU joined the NCAA Division II as candidacy members on September 1, 2008 for the 2008-2009 school year. The Division II prescribed timeline for membership is three years. The first two years are spent in candidacy membership, followed by one year of provisional membership.   In January 2009, ODU applied for GLIAC membership. ODU has also recently applied for year two candidacy with the NCAA Division II for July 2009. ODU will begin competing in the GLIAC in 2010-2011 and is scheduled for full membership with the NCAA and the GLIAC in the Fall of 2011.

"We are very excited about the addition of Lake Erie College and Ohio Dominican as provisional members," stated new GLIAC Commissioner Dell Robinson. "The institutions are an amazing fit within our geographical footprint and with the growth of our conference in the state of Ohio ; we will provided exposure in untapped media markets for the GLIAC. The growth will also help offer access and opportunity for prospective student-athletes throughout the state of Ohio within the region and throughout their respective communities."

As an active NCAA Division II member, Ohio Dominican would be the only university in Central Ohio to be NCAA DII .   Since 2002, ODU has taken several steps to meet NCAA Division II requirements, including:

• Expanding our athletic programs, currently offering 14 intercollegiate sports: men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, men's and women's cross country, football, and men's and women's soccer.
  
• Improving our sports facilities, including Panther Field, with stadium lighting and additional practice fields, a new training area, weight rooms and athletic offices. ODU constructed a new 82,000-square-foot student center, to open in August, offering new locker room facilities, a fitness center, expanded gymnasium, and new athletic offices.   This summer, the university will also expand its baseball and softball facilities.  

For additional information on ODU's athletics, log on to http://panthers.ohiodominican.edu/