The hammer throw might be the most dangerous event in the sport of track and field. It injures, and occasionally kills, more athletes and spectators per year than any other track and field event. Because of its inherent danger, it has been banned from most high school programs across the country. Ironically enough, for many Oberlin field athletes who participate in the hammer throw along with shot put, javelin, and weight throw, the hammer remains their favorite event. “Yeah, there’s...

Balancing academics, athletics, and other extracurriculars at an elite institution like Oberlin is a challenge that very few student-athletes manage to tackle for all four years. Last weekend, four different varsity teams at Oberlin honored their seniors and celebrated the contributions they have made in the classroom, in the community, and on their respective field or court over the past four years. Softball The softball team honored its trio of seniors — Kat Ladouceur, Hannah Rasmussen, and Emma Downing — on Saturday with a celebratory lunch in the Knowlton Athletics Complex and at Culhane Field before their doubleheader with the Kenyon College Ladies Wednesday. The Yeowomen earned a split, ru...

The routine of the average high school student is simple: Go to school, attend classes and other extracurricular activities, and then return home to do homework for the following school day. For Vianca Dagnino, a first-year catcher on Oberlin’s varsity softball team, high school was a bit different. While her peers were at school in her home state of California, Dagnino was getting hits off softball legends like Monica Abbott. Since the age of 13, Dagnino has been an active membe...

Oberlin Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Topher Grossman has always believed in the importance of giving back. Most collegiate athletic teams, at Oberlin and elsewhere, may partner with a local non-profit throughout their season, or maybe play an “awareness game” or two, where baked goods are sold for medical research. The men’s lacrosse team, however, has taken its philanthropic goals a step further and partnered with University Hospital Rainbow Babies, a local branch of the Pediatric Bra...