Video Slideshow
WESTERVILLE, Ohio—Otterbein University inducted its fifth class into the Athletic Hall of Fame last Saturday on the Westerville campus.
Members of the 2012 class, with graduation year in parenthesis, include Kim Groseclose Allen (2005), from Columbus, Ohio; Matt D’Orazio (2001), from Columbus, Ohio; Dave Lehman (1970), from Westerville, Ohio; Andy Miller (2007), from Dublin, Ohio; Lori Povisil (1987), from Westerville, Ohio; Tom Schnurr (1988), from Galena, Ohio; and the 1993 men’s golf team. Ernest Barnard (1895) and Dr. Royal F. Martin (1914) were honored posthumously.
A brief biographical sketch of each inductee follows.
Kim Groseclose Allen
Kim Groseclose Allen was a force to be reckoned with, both at Otterbein and on the national scene, during her time with the track and field and cross country programs from 2002-05.
Allen was a track and field national qualifier each of her four years, becoming a three-time All-American in the process. She achieved the status twice during indoor season in the 800-meters, and once outdoors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Allen holds school records in the 1,500 meters, 3,000-meter steeplechase, 4x800 relay, and the distance medley, while also ranking on Otterbein’s Top-Ten list in the 800 meters, 4x400 relay, 400-meter hurdles, and high jump. She was an All-Ohio champion in the Distance Medley Relay and 1,500 as well.
In addition to her dominance on the track, Allen was a two-time national qualifier in cross country, winning the individual title at the 2002 conference meet as a freshman.
Allen has continued her passion of running to this day, completing the Columbus Marathon (three times) and Boston Marathon, while also taking part in several sprint triathlons. Regardless of the type of race, chances are Allen is still running near the front of the pack.
Matt D’Orazio
A local product of St. Francis DeSales High School, Matt D’Orazio graduated from Otterbein as one of the most prolific quarterbacks to play for the Cardinal football team.
D’Orazio capped his Otterbein career by leading the team to a 7-3 record in 1999, marking the program’s first winning season since 1982. He set multiple single-season records that still stand today, including most passing yards (2,798), total offense (3,073), and most touchdown passes (36).
In addition, he tied the Otterbein record for most touchdown passes in a game (6) as his senior season ended with a USA Football All-American selection.
D’Orazio is Otterbein’s all-time leader with 73 passing touchdowns, 8,770 passing yards, and 9,364 yards of total offense. He ranks among the top-five in the Ohio Athletic Conference record books in nearly every passing category.
D’Orazio continued his playing days after college, signing with the Arena Football League (AFL) in 2000. His best stint came between 2006 and 2008, beginning with an Arena League championship as quarterback of the Chicago Rush. D’Orazio was the top-rated passer in the league that season, scoring a combined eight touchdowns in the championship game.
His best season, however, would come in 2008 when he led the Philadelphia Soul to the league championship. D’Orazio was voted the AFL Most Valuable Player for the season and was named MVP in the title game for a second time. He is just one of two players in league history to receive ArenaBowl MVP honors while playing for two different teams.
Dave Lehman
After graduation from Otterbein in 1970, Dave Lehman was given an opportunity to coach on a part-time basis by college coach Bud Yoest and has been involved with Otterbein Athletics ever since.
He spent the next 30 years as head coach of the men’s cross country team, producing seven Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championships, 10 NCAA qualifying teams, and five All-Americans. His 1994 team finished eighth in the nation, and the 1995 group took 17th.
Lehman began serving as the assistant cross country coach in 2000, seeing the team win two more league titles. He then assumed the head job for the women’s cross country program in 2012 while remaining a men’s assistant.
In addition to cross country, Lehman was an assistant coach for Otterbein Track and Field from 1971-2009, helping generate six All-Americans and 11 OAC championship teams. He took over as head track and field coach in 2010.
Lehman is a seven-time OAC “Coach of the Year” selection in men’s cross country and has earned numerous awards, including the Service to Otterbein Award from the Otterbein Alumni Association in 2005. He served on the Otterbein Board of Trustees from 2003-06.
Lehman earned seven varsity letters competing in track and cross country at Otterbein, serving as team captain his senior year. He held school records in the 880 yards, 600 yards, and the 4x400 relay.
Andy Miller
A native of Xenia, Ohio, Andy Miller enrolled at Otterbein in the fall of 2003 and quickly cemented himself as one of the nation’s top men’s golfers.
Miller began compiling hardware immediately by earning the 2004 Phil Mickelson Award, presented annually to the top freshman golfer in NCAA Division III.
His individual success directly contributed to the team as Otterbein captured the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championships. The Cardinals competed in the NCAA Championships all three of those seasons, including a sixth-place finish in 2006.
Although the team did not advance to the NCAA’s in 2007, Miller qualified as an individual and finished his career a four-time PING All-American and all-conference pick. His senior season was highlighted with the Jack Nicklaus Award, recognizing the National Player of the Year in Division III.
Miller remains the Otterbein record holder in wins (11), top-ten finishes (23), and low-round score (63). In addition, he set the OAC Championship scoring record at the 2005 league tournament.
Miller also maintained a high level of consistency in the classroom, appearing on the Otterbein Dean’s List every quarter while receiving a handful of international and departmental awards. He garnered PING Academic All-America honors every season and was also a three-time CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America selection.
This long list of collegiate accolades, coupled with his commitment and integrity throughout, make Andy Miller one of the most decorated and successful men’s golfers in Otterbein’s history.
Lori Povisil
A four-sport athlete as an undergraduate at Otterbein, Lori Povisil excelled in basketball. A four-year member of the varsity basketball team, Povisil led the Cardinals in both scoring and rebounding as a junior and senior on her way to first team All-OAC honors. She was also named to the Academic All-OAC first team both seasons.
Povisil averaged 19.1 points and 8.8 rebounds as a junior, and 17.1 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior. The former center ranks third all-time at Otterbein in scoring, 1,432, and fifth in rebounding, 730, while also holding the school’s single-season record for most free-throws made, 126.
Following graduation, Povisil coached girl’s basketball at Worthington and Northridge high schools, and boy’s basketball at Perry Middle School. She was selected coach of the year in the Mid-Buckeye Conference in 1996.
Povisil is founder of “One Leg at a Time”, a non-profit organization formed to help end bullying. The program was developed by students from Worthington Kilbourne High School in 2010.
Tom Schnurr
One of the most prolific distance runners to come out of Otterbein, Tom Schnurr earned All-American honors five times in three different events over the course of his four-year career.
During his senior year (1987-88), Schnurr ran to All-American honors in three events: 10th at the NCAA Division III cross country championships, fifth in the 5000 at the indoor NCAA championships, and fourth in the 10,000 at the outdoor NCAA’s.
Schnurr turned in his best All-American finishes with a second in the outdoor 10,000 in 1986 and a third in the outdoor 5000 in 1987. The distance runner earned All-OAC honors 17 times in track and field, winning 12 conference titles.
As a senior, he won the indoor 1500 and 5000, and the outdoor 10,000, 1500, and 5000. As a sophomore, he set school records in both the outdoor 5000 (14:25) and 10,000 (30:04), records that stand today.
In cross country, Schnurr was a four-time All-OAC performer and four-time national qualifier. He placed second, three times, and third, once, in the OAC meet. He won the NCAA Division III Great Lakes regional in 1987 and finished second in 1986.
Ernest Barnard
Known as “the father of Otterbein athletics”, Ernest Barnard rose through the ranks to become president of the American League in professional baseball in 1927, a position he held until his sudden death from a heart attack in 1931.
Barnard, armed with a strong playing knowledge of athletics while a high school student, entered Otterbein in 1891 and was entrusted by school officials to help coach football and baseball. He remained with Otterbein after graduation in 1895, becoming the college’s first paid football coach. The Cardinals finished 5-1 that season, including a 14-6 win over Ohio State.
Barnard left Otterbein after two seasons for various jobs, including sports editor of the Columbus Dispatch. His career in professional baseball began in 1903 when he was hired as traveling secretary by the Cleveland Bronchos, a team that would later change its name to the “Indians” in 1915.
Barnard worked his way up through the Cleveland organization, becoming vice president and general manager in 1908, and president in 1922, a position he held until being elected league president in 1927.
Dr. Royal F. Martin
Dr. Royal F. Martin wore many hats over his 42-year career at Otterbein. Among his many duties, Martin served as athletic coach, athletic director, head of the physical education department, dean of men, dean of the college, vice president and interim president.
He earned two undergraduate degrees, the first from Springfield College in 1911 followed by Otterbein in 1914. Martin came to Otterbein in 1913 to coach all sports and serve as the physical education director for both men and women.
In 1919, following a two-year stint at Marion High School, Martin returned to Otterbein to organize the physical education department and served as athletic director for the next 24 years. He received his master of education degree from Springfield in 1937.
Martin, who served as Otterbein interim president in 1945-46, was promoted to vice president in 1945 and continued to serve on the faculty until his retirement in 1958. Otterbein awarded him an honorary LL.D. in 1951.
1993 Men’s Golf Team
The 1993 men’s golf team, under head coach Dave McLaughlin, greased the wheels for future teams, becoming the first golf team in Otterbein history to qualify for the NCAA Division III Golf Championship.
Fresh off back-to-back Ohio Athletic Conference championships in 1992 and 1993, the Cardinals finished eighth in the 1993 national championship. Twenty-two schools competed in the 72-hole tournament. The Cardinals finished with a 1,248, shooting rounds of 316, 312, 309 and 311. Cardinal Mark Paluszak earned All-American honors by finishing in the top 18, placing eighth with a 305 (78-75-76-76).
Other members of the 1993 team were Chad Stancil, Matt Mohler, Brian Dreier, Jason Boyer, and Tony Dearth. Otterbein men’s golf teams would go on to win conference championships and advance into the NCAA’s in 10 of the next 13 years.
