Football
Tim Doup’s upgrade from offensive coordinator to head coach is only one of the changes for a Cardinal football team that struggled last season.
Coming off a 3-7 season, Doup chose to overhaul a defense that proved problematic in the past.
“We’re going to go to a 3-4 defense instead of a 3-3 … then you can get in a four-man front … constantly blitzing somebody, bringing somebody off the edge, which helps.”
The Otterbein defense gave up 410.4 yards per outing in 2011 — 183.8 yards on the ground and 226.6 through the air. The team had a -19 turnover margin as well, collecting seven fumbles and picking six passes.
“We’ve got Anthony Korpieski at defense back, all conference, Joey Whitehead is going to be a four-year guy for us on the defensive line,” Doup said. “We’ll be a little younger (than last year), but I think we’re going to be more athletic.”
Football opens up with a home opener Saturday, Sept. 1, at 1 p.m. against Gallaudet University.
Men’s Cross Country
The men’s cross country team has only one major obstacle,
according to Coach Alpeter: More than half of the team is rookies. However, inexperience will not deter them.
“Everyone has a good attitude and are all willing to put in the work to help us move up in the conference,” Alpeter said.
The top runners for the men’s cross country team include senior Mark Bayman; juniors Andrew Mantell, Anthony Napoli and Steve Sheneman; along with sophomores Caleb McCullough and Joey Montoya. The top freshmen include Brennan McCotter, Ben Diamond, Dan Williard, Phillip Cochran and Chris Nusbaum.
Women’s Cross Country
Improvement is the expectation for the women’s cross country team this season after it finished sixth in the Ohio Athletic Conference in 2011.
“Rebekah Reese will be a senior, and she is one of the best runners in the conference,” head coach Dave Lehman said. “We’re certainly looking forward to the kind of season that she might have.”
Reese placed third at the Otterbein Invitational, seventh at the OAC and 83rd at the NCAA Regionals, second on the team behind Nicole Elliott (50th).
“I’m definitely looking toward nationals, trying to qualify,” Reese said. “On a flat course for 5K, I’d like to be in the 18:40. I’d be happy with that and a flat course for 6K, mid to low 22 (minutes).”
Lehman is also looking to Kaila Cramer and Sara O’Brien to contribute to the team’s improvement.
Men’s Golf
The team remains hopeful after the loss of a dominant senior class.
“It is going to be hard since we lost three seniors who happened to be our top three golfers,” senior Taylor Harle said. “But it seems like we have some strong freshmen coming in who can contribute right away, and Matt Mosca has always been an extremely solid golfer.”
The team has six invitationals scheduled this fall, as the spring is the more dominant season. Under head coach Matt Cooperrider, the team will take its talents to the links for the first time Sept. 8 for the Transylvania Fall Invitational.
Women’s Golf
The Lady Cardinals golf team is coming into its upcoming season after finishing second in the OAC last season. Coach Chad Bucci knows the schools to beat since it finished first.
“Baldwin Wallace has a great program and will for the next few seasons, so we will be chasing them again and again to get the crown back, which they have had the last two years,” Bucci said.
The Lady Cardinals excelled in the classroom with a GPA of 3.76, which had them placed third in the nation out of all divisions for women’s golf programs, making the coach say he proud to coach them.
With Coach Bucci’s motto “WIN (What’s Important Now),” he is expecting his players to overcome their battles on and off the field.
Men’s Soccer
Head coach Gerry D’Arcy, returning for his 24th year, looks to improve with the addition of a talented freshman class and experienced upperclassmen.
“We are strong at the back with junior goalkeeper Kyle Ripma and senior defender Adam Brown being dominant players, and the addition of transfer Justin Esarey,” he said.
The midfield will be senior Dusty Kiaski, junior Evan Fallon and sophomore Conor Holland.
Upfront is senior Aaric Milligan, junior Jimmy Costin and sophomore Jared Pulliam.
Senior Dusty Kiaski echoes D’Arcy and his thoughts on the season.
“This is definitely the deepest team we have had since I have been here, so I am expecting us to have a good year.”
Last season the men finished 5-10-2. They open up the season with their first game at home at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, against Kenyon College.
Women’s Soccer
The women’s soccer team looks to continue its tradition of winning OAC championships this year with a handful of
veteran returners and the experience of head coach Brandon Koons.
“This season should be a lot of fun, and we are looking to rise up and meet the standards this program has set,” senior Jessica Yaney said. “We have great returning players and a good freshmen class.”
The team finished 10-6-2 last year and will travel this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 1, to play Penn State Behrend.
Women’s Tennis
Coach Patricia Anderson is ready for a strong fall.
“I expect this team to be ready to start immediately,” Anderson said. “The returning players understand the importance of using their offseason wisely, and this year’s incoming freshmen come from strong high school programs, so they will be ready.”
Senior Taylor Jordan and junior Julie Stroyne, the captains, were both named first-team all-OAC last season, and Stroyne repeated her nomination as “Player of the Year.”
The team will welcome incoming freshmen Sammi Kruger, a standout from the Cincinnati area; Adrien Leatherwood, who placed first in singles for her high school; and Megan Locke.
With the array of strong tennis players and some hard work, Anderson believes that the Lady Cards are in good shape to compete for the conference title.
Men’s Tennis
The Otterbein men’s tennis team placed third in the OAC last fall season.
“We are feeling optimistic about the season,” junior Ryan Shutt said. “We are such a young team, with no seniors this season, so we are looking forward to seeing the new freshmen get some experience.”
The biggest obstacles for the Cardinals this fall is to first avoid injury because the men’s team is already low on numbers.
Secondly, incoming players as well as freshmen have to find a way to step up and replace the first and second singles players from last year, as well as a couple double-teams players.
The Cardinals first home game will be Sep. 26 against Central State.
Volleyball
Under sixth-year coach Monica McDonald, Otterbein’s volleyball team was picked to finish third in the OAC behind Heidelberg and Mount Union.
The ladies finished with a 26-6 record last season, riding a nine-game home winning streak.
Offensively and defensively, the Cardinals were not just tough, they were dominant.
The team boasted 13.2 kills per game while holding their opponents to only 5.4. They had 1.9 aces per game while opposition posted 0.5. They also rattled off 15.6 digs per contest and only saw 8.2 per game from the other side of the net.
The team returns a host of players from last year. Juniors Annie Juenger and Liz Palmer return along with senior Kristen Bennett and last year’s standout freshman Tabatha Piper, who will be a sophomore this season.
The team is ready to begin this season’s play.
“We are all extremely excited to start,” Juenger said. “We are ready to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves and surpass everyone’s expecta-
tions.”
The team opens with a home match Friday, Aug. 31, against Thomas More at 5 p.m.
