Varsity Fall – Page 2 – The Oberlin Review

College fourth-year Jack McMillin. Photo Courtesy of OC Athletics

In The Locker Room with Jack McMilllin, Fourth-Year Varsity Soccer Player

November 8, 2019

College fourth-year Jack McMillin’s ex-perience at Oberlin College has been, in a word, multifaceted. Not only has he found success on the field playing as a starting midfielder for the men’s soccer team, he is also graduating with a Creative Writing major and Africana Studies and Studio Art minors. Having been born and raised in Oberlin, OH, McMillin has been involved with the men’s soccer team from a young age. But looking beyond his college career, McMillin hopes to be able to w...

Quadmates Find Support in Athletics, Classroom, and Beyond

Zoë Martin del Campo, Contributing Sports Editor

November 8, 2019

When College second-years Lucca Abele, Anna Scott, Phoebe von Conta, and Maggie Allen are together, they often cannot hold a conversation without it eventually dissolving into laughter. In addition to being teammates on the cross country and track and field teams, the four live together, have overlapping academic interests, and take many of the same classes; all of which have fostered deep friendships that shape many aspects of their Oberlin lives. The four initially met as first-years during cross country preseason, which required them to be on campus a month before orientation. Allen and von Conta both agreed that they remembered Abele because she is vegan and from Vermont. Scott was more reserved her fir...

Last Saturday, field hockey alumni from the class of 2019 returned to Oberlin to catch the final game of the season and celebrate this year’s four College fourth- years Fatima Escalera, Hayley Segall, Libby Royer, and Luisa McGarvey. Their return to Oberlin served as a reflection of the team’s bond — one that exists between different generations of Oberlin varsity field hockey players, even beyond graduation.

In an article published in the Review over a year ago that detailed the unique friendships developed within the field hockey team, former captain Emma Broun, OC ’19, who attended this year’s senior commemoration and is pictured above in the middle, described the importance of team bonding over winning — a value that this year’s group of fourth- years has continued to cultivate.

“The general culture [of the field hockey team] is very focused on kindness, care, and love,” Broun said in 2018. “Nobody told our team that we have to love each other and spend time together off the field — we just do. Of course, we all have the common goal of playing good field hockey and winning games, but basing an entire two months of our lives on beating other teams won’t necessarily create the kind of environment we all want to live in. Instead, the common goal we are encouraged to pursue by our coaches [and each other] is being kind to others.”

Field Hockey Alumni Visit Senior Day Celebration

November 8, 2019

Oberlin women’s volleyball players gather around College second-year Lauren Fitts.

Despite Slow Season, Volleyball Looks to Impress in Season-Ending NCAC Championship Tournament

November 8, 2019

As their season comes to an end, Oberlin’s varsity volleyball team has one more opportunity to seek success after a relatively slow season. The team hopes to defeat their North Coast Athletic Conference counterparts in an attempt to receive an automatic bid to move forward into the NCAA Division III tournament. Seeded eighth out of nine teams, the Yeowomen (1-7) will travel to the Pam Evans Smith Arena in Springfield, OH tomorrow, home of the previous NCAC league champions Wittenberg Universit...

College fourth-year Zach Taylor stands beside College first-year Chris Allen Jr.

Football Quarterback Looks to Pass the Torch

November 8, 2019

The Oberlin College football team suffered through one of its worst seasons in recent memory in 2016, going 0–10. However, for followers of the Yeomen, there was a bright spot. Then first-year quarterback Zach Taylor was able to excite fans with his dynamic play, accounting for 2,284 total yards and 16 total touchdowns. This impressive season would be the beginning of one of the most accomplished individual careers in Oberlin history. Unfortunately, now in his fourth year, Taylor has been p...

OC Athletics Off-Season: The Grind Never Stops

Maranda Phillips

November 8, 2019

Oberlin’s varsity athletes never stop working. Even after the end of their seasons, athletes continue to practice, work out, and push themselves to refine and perfect their athletic craft. As the semester reaches its final weeks and the weather transitions from fall to winter, sports like soccer and field hockey have come to an end, while winter sports like basketball are just beginning. Sometimes, off-season conditioning can even be more strenuous than during the regular season — the idea be- ing that this hard work and perseverance will pay off for athletes when their sport comes back the next year. After the season ends, however, athletes normally get one to two weeks for recovery. Sydnie Savarese, a C...

College fourth-year Oona Jung-Beeman participating in the Rumble.

Women’s Cross Country Win Rumble: An Annual Tradition of Determination

November 1, 2019

On the morning of the Inter-Regional Rumble, members of the Oberlin women’s cross country team prepared by putting on glitter and writing words of encouragement on each other with colorful pens. Coaches, friends, Oberlin alumni, and family were on the sidelines cheering for their teams as athletes lined up at the starting line, a sea of multicultural uniforms. When the gun went off, the sound of pounding feet filled the air as hundreds of cross country athletes raced around the 6- and 8-kilomet...

This past Saturday, College fourth-year Von Wooding racked up 13 tackles against Wabash College, giving him a career total of 296. This moved him past his former teammate, Bennett Jackson, OC ’17, for second most all time at Oberlin.
“It honestly is more bittersweet than anything,” Wooding said. “It reminds me that I don’t have very much time left to play this game. Breaking records has always been a goal of mine, but what I cherish way more is the memories that I made along the way and the people who gave me the strength to do it.”
Wooding’s record further punctuates what has been a strong year for the Oberlin defense. Currently, the Yeomen rank third in the North Coast Athletic Conference in rushing yards allowed per game, third in fumble recoveries, and tied for first in interceptions.
Much like his record, Wooding attributes the success of the team’s defense to those who have supported both him and the program over the last four years.
“I owe this accomplishment to the Oberlin community, my family and friends back home, and to the other players that have helped transform this program for the better,” Wooding said.

Von Wooding Moves Up in OC Record Book

November 1, 2019

Olivia Smith, Two-Sport Varsity Athlete

November 1, 2019

College third-year Olivia Smith is used to balancing a variety of activities. In the fall, you’ll find her competing on the field as a member of the women’s soccer team. In the spring, she can be found running for the women’s track and field team. In her free time, between games and meets, Smith is an Oberlin College Research Fellow. As a result of her involvement with the Oberlin College Research Fellowship program, she has spent a significant amount of time researching and studying invas...

President Carmen Twillie Ambar on the field at halftime of the Homecoming football game.

Oberlin Celebrates Homecoming Weekend

October 11, 2019

The campus seemed to be abuzz with energy from students and non-students alike when Homecoming Weekend approached. Homecoming Weekend is always a time for members of the Oberlin College and community to come together. Whether it is families coming to Oberlin to watch their student-athlete perform on the field or alumni visiting old friends, there is always something that draws people to Oberlin’s campus. The festivities began Friday with the Heisman Club’s annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony...

Women’s Soccer Starts New Preseason Tradition: Race and LGBTQ+ Workshops

Jane Agler, Sports Editor

October 11, 2019

This past summer, the Oberlin varsity women’s soccer team looked to foster an inclusive space for all members, new and old, through workshops addressing LGBTQ+, gender, and racial identities. Rather than solely adhering to the preseason strategies that have been implemented for many years, the team started this new tradition. Each workshop was organized and headed by team members of those respective communities. “A major goal of [the workshops] was to begin normalizing these kinds of conversations in team spaces and help our teammates realize that they have a very tangible connection to [these] issue[s],” said College third-year and workshop facilitator Louise Metz. The workshops were conducted through panels comprised...

All Talk: Varsity Athletes Go In On Trash Talk

Khalid McCalla, Contributing Sports Editor

October 11, 2019

College athletics are highly competitive and every athlete is unique in how they respond to and handle the tense moments that arise during competition. One method is a favorite among many: trash talk. While from the outside, players who trash-talk may appear to be letting the moment overwhelm them, for many, it can be a way athletes ground themselves and, at times, gain a competitive advantage. The reason a player trash-talks is just as varied as how a player trash talks, with different players preferring different approaches. “I usually try to refrain from trash-talking during lacrosse games because, [personally], I find it distracting to have verbal altercations with an opposing player,” said Josephine An, a C...