Otterbein University Athletics

Dara Ford enters her 12th year at Otterbein in the fall of 2025, recently being elevated to the Director of Cross Country and Track and Field for all programs. She has helped the Cardinals win eight Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) titles overall; six in cross country and two for indoor track and field.

Ford guided Women's XC to four-straight OAC championships from 2015-18, with the group spending lengthy time in the national rankings each season and earning a pair of trips (2017 and 2018) to the NCAA Championships. She helped mentor standout Claire Lamb, a combined 12x OAC champion and 5x All-American across both sports.

The men's cross country squad made a big jump under Ford's tutelage in the fall of 2018, claiming its first OAC crown since 2004 and first All-Ohio championship since 2005. Otterbein then repeated in 2019 became back-to-back OAC champs on the men's side after repeating in 2019, and has since notched three consecutive runner-up finishes at the Great Lakes Regional.

As a result, Men's XC has delivered four-straight appearances at the NCAA Championships after not making the national event since 1995. The Cards have recently turned in a pair of top-20 finishes collectively, along with All-American efforts from Chase Hampton (12th) and Cal Yackin (18th). That duo also went on to hit the podium in track and field... Hampton in the indoor 3K and steeplechase, and Yackin in the outdoor 1500.

The Cards made consecutive NCAA appearances as a program (the first two since 1995), spearheaded by three-season All-American Chase Hampton. He hit the national podium in cross country, the indoor 3K and outdoor steeplechase.

Ford carried momentum over to the winter in track and field, guiding the women's indoor program to consecutive OAC titles in 2018 and 2019. The Cardinals ended Mount Union's seven-year streak in 2018 and later earned five All-American trophies at NCAA's. Then, in 2019, Otterbein brought back 10 All-American awards from the NCAA Indoor Championships and saw its women's DMR squad (Sandvik, Bedell/Acosta, Foltz and Lamb) hit the podium for a third-straight time.

Both cross country and track and field programs have also enjoyed a slew of success in the classroom, bringing in multiple Academic All-OAC and USTFCCCA regional/national awards.

Ford came to Otterbein after serving in the same position at John Carroll, coaching the cross country teams from 2008-13 and track and field from 2010 until departure. Ford was instrumental in growing all rosters at JCU, notably ballooning a women’s cross country team of six members in 2007 to an OAC championship team of 25 by 2013.

A native of Canton, Ohio, Ford earned her bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in adolescent to young adult education in 2005 from Mount Union where she was a 3x Academic All-American. She received the Clyde Lamb Award, which is presented annually to the top female and male senior student-athlete at each OAC school.

Ford was a 5x national qualifier in cross country and the 3,000-meter steeplechase, claiming Mount Union records in the indoor 3K, steeplechase, and outdoor 5K.