WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein University recently concluded a strong year of success both on the playing surface and in the classroom, winning seven different Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championships while racking up many notable awards along the way.

The Cardinals finished 63rd in the final standings of the Learfield Directors' Cup, originally started in 1993 as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Through the course of the year, Directors' Cup points are awarded based on a school's finish in up to 18 sports - nine men and nine women - in NCAA Championships. 

There are more than 400 schools competing under the NCAA Division III banner and 323 of those scored points in the Directors' Cup standings. New to the structure this year was that men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's basketball, must be included by every school in their scoring total. Previously, the top nine men's and women's scoring teams could be counted; now, regardless of whether a school's soccer and basketball teams qualify for the NCAAs, they must be counted. The Cardinals ended with 302.5 points (159 from the fall, 55.5 in the winter and 88 for spring0.

Otterbein experienced one of its best fall seasons ever, making the NCAA Championships in men's soccer, women's volleyball and women's cross country as all three programs won Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) titles.

"It was really fun to watch our guys be involved in that championship mix again," men's soccer coach Jason Griffiths said. "I know a lot of them had been frustrated in recent years and wanted to get our program back on the map. It was great to do our part and celebrate the success with everyone else around campus, especially being grouped with other sports that won titles."

Griffiths' bunch won a pair of NCAA matches before exiting the Sweet 16 in Chicago, ultimately culminating with a 19-3 record and ranked 11th in the final national poll. The squad, which returned to the postseason for the first time in 15 years, tallied 64 Directors' Cup points toward the Otterbein total and saw defender Jaden Lunger punctuate his career with All-American recognition.

"Once you win something, the target is on your back," Griffiths added. "Seeing some of our other teams making it three or four championships in a row has been inspiring from a consistency and productivity standpoint. When you win, you attract better attributes for your program and the department as a whole. I'm eager to keep this thing going and see the culture rise even more."

Women's Cross Country continued its dominance with a third-straight OAC crown before finishing fourth at the Great Lakes Regional and 29th at the NCAA Championships in Elsah, Ill. It was the first team appearance for the Cards since 2003, watching standout junior Claire Lamb race her way to individual All-American honors.

Head Coach Dara Ford helped carry that momentum into the winter and spring, guiding women's track and field to its first OAC Indoor championship since 2007. The Cards pulled away as the meet progressed to end a seven-year streak by Mount Union, and ultimately grabbed five All-American awards at indoor nationals during early March in Birmingham, Ala.

Volleyball went 30-4 overall, a single-season record for wins, and advanced to the NCAA second round on its home floor in the Rike Center where they served as a regional host for the first time ever. The group swept through the OAC regular-season and tournament, spent time in the national rankings and had three All-Americans by season's end. One of those standouts, OAC Player of the Year Morgan Lowenkamp, recently inked a contract to play overseas in England.

"Championships usually don't happen overnight, so it was awesome to see everyone's hard work in previous years and behind the scenes comes to fruition," volleyball coach Monica Wright said. "We have some veteran coaches that always provide great conversation and idea sharing, and then younger coaches who come in and add a fresh perspective. I'm proud of our group collectively and for the student-athletes who made lasting memories. I hope they watch what other sport programs are doing because it all adds to the environment."

Otterbein rounded out the calendar with more team hardware in the spring as baseball, softball and men's golf each won a championship for the third-straight year.

Baseball reached 30 wins yet again, claiming the OAC regular-season championship before competing in the NCAA Mideast Regional up in Michigan. The group had 10 all-league recipients and was ignited by OAC Player of the Year Ben Beachy, who went on to earn All-American honors at shortstop from two different organizations. Senior catcher Justin Feltner was then voted a CoSIDA Academic All-American, making it a school-record five-straight years the baseball program has had someone make the list.

"In recruiting, my staff has tried to identify strong students who also have a certain ability and passion within their sport," baseball coach George Powell explained. "I think that's become common for other coaches here too. It can be more work at times up front, but it certainly pays off in multiple areas once they get to Otterbein. You're seeing that now across the board."

Softball won its third-straight OAC regular-season title after going 32-10 overall, spending multiple weeks in the national rankings and bringing home a slew of postseason awards. Senior Bailey McElwain earned OAC Player of the Year, and was then one of four all-region selections before later becoming an All-American in the catcher spot.

The softball program also warranted a pair of first team Academic All-Americans in senior Maddie Flasco and junior Alyson Shaw, who were two of just 11 standouts on the top squad. Flasco became just the third Cardinal in school history to receive the CoSIDA award three times.

Men's Golf helped highlight the closing stretch by winning a fourth-consecutive OAC Tournament, and a staggering 20th in the past 27 years, before going on to finish 13th nationally at the NCAA Championships in Greensboro, N.C. The Cards generated 63 Directors' Cup points as senior Austin Wells made a run at the individual national championship, finishing in third place and just one shot back of the medalist.

"I think coaches have done a good job figuring out which methods work for them, and also adapting to how our school is evolving and the vision of the university," Powell added. "Not everyone has the exact same approach, but you don't have to because variables change from sport to sport. I've seen some healthy/friendly competitions between student-athletes or sport programs, and that really benefits us in the larger picture."

Otterbein made a run at the OAC All-Sports Trophy on the women's side, eventually posting 78.5 points to just narrowly finish behind Ohio Northern (80.5). The Cards then came in fourth on the men's side with 66.75 total points.

The department finished the year with 17 individual All-Americans and a whopping 135 student-athletes earning Academic All-OAC, presented for maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and reaching sophomore status. The 76 spring-season recipients marked the highest total for any conference institution since the new Academic All-OAC format was implemented in 2013. The previous best was also held by Otterbein, at 64 in the spring of 2014.

As a whole, student-athletes combined to contribute 2,177 volunteer hours across the entire school year and helped raise nearly $30,000 for various causes. The Cardinals are currently regrouping over summer and will be ready to hit the ground running again this coming fall for 2018-19!
 
2017-18 OAC Championships:
Men's Soccer - (first since 2003)
Women's XC - (3 straight)
Volleyball - (first since 2012)
Women's Indoor T&F – (first since 2007)
Men's Golf (4 straight, 20th overall)
Baseball – (3 straight)
Softball – (3 straight)
 
2017-18 Directors' Cup Points:
Men's Soccer - 64
Men's Golf – 63
Women's T&F – 55.5
Volleyball – 50
Women's XC - 45
Baseball - 25