The Oberlin Review

College students are required to wear masks while working out in Philips gym.

Students Adjust to Changes at Philips Gym

September 11, 2020

To operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, Philips, like most gyms, has instituted significant changes. Individuals and teams alike have had to adjust their habits to meet the new restrictions. Philips opened on Aug. 17, debuting the precautions taken by the College. The gym has canceled its community membership program, which means access is restricted to Oberlin College students and personnel. Other notable changes include — but are not limited to — reduced hours of operation, lowered max...

Football games will no longer be held at the Dick Bailey Field following the suspension of fall athletic competitions.

Athletics Community Reacts to the Cancellation of Fall Sports

September 4, 2020

Without competitions to prepare for, coaches have had to adjust their plans for this season. Oberlin College came to the difficult decision to cancel all fall athletics on June 22, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A month later, the North Coast Athletic Conference overall announced that they would make the same decision. After seeing the previous spring season meet the same fate, fall athletes are now living through the same shock and pain their peers experienced months prior. Del...

College second-year and baseball player Nick Rosa-Palermo leads a yoga session. Photo Courtesy of Nick Rosa Palermo

Off-Campus Athletes Stay Connected During COVID-19

September 4, 2020

With the sudden cancelation of the 2020 spring season, followed by the cancelation of fall sports, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Oberlin Athletics has been staggering. Most third-year athletes are off-campus this semester, making it difficult for teams to try and stay connected during the pandemic. However, Oberlin coaches and athletes alike are taking the adversity in stride and coming up with unique and creative solutions to maintain their community. Oberlin football’s coaching s...

Football Welcomes New Head Coach

February 28, 2020

When newly hired Head Football Coach Steve Opgenorth enters the room, his energy and approachability jump out. On his desk is a copy of The Football Coaching Bible by the American Football Coaches Association, and various accolades hang from his wall. “Trust the process,” is one of the many catchphrases Opgenorth employs when discussing his love of the game. Before Oberlin, Opgenorth spent five seasons at Baldwin Wallace University, serving as associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and...

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...

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

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...

The Oberlin Review front page from Oct. 11, 1921.

The Last Ohio Team to Beat OSU? Oberlin

September 20, 2019

One of the four announcers on ESPN’s Sept. 7 College Gameday segment held up a crisp hundred dollar bill and posed the question, “Who is the last team from Ohio to beat Ohio State?” He was met with silence. One announcer answered, “Miami?” The other announcers laughed, and all agreed that no Ohio team had ever beaten the football powerhouse. The Buckeyes are a legend in American football and have amassed eight national championships since their establishment in 1890. The universit...

College fourth-years Nae McClain and Maya English and College second-year Zac Ntia.

Bonner Scholar Athletes Contribute To Oberlin, Both On And Off The Field

September 20, 2019

When imagining the typical college experience, volunteering for night shifts in churches to help care for individuals in need is not the first thing that comes to mind for most. But for College fourth-year Nae McClain, this was part of a normal day during her first two years as a Bonner Scholar at Oberlin. She balanced not only her academic and athletic responsibilities, but also dedicated 140 hours per semester to community service. Working in the church until 6:30 a.m., she would return to her r...

Competition, Athleticism, or Something Else Entirely: What Makes A Sport?

Khalid McCalla, Contributing Sports Editor

September 20, 2019

Across the globe, people are playing, watching, and interacting with sports on a daily basis. Most children are put on a sports team from an early age and, for some, that initial love of sports never fades. However, despite the fact that sports as a concept is an integral part of society, both at Oberlin and in the world, there is still no general consensus about what a sport really is. There is the mainstream list that includes football, basketball, soccer, baseball, and a few others that are legitimized as sports by the presence of high-profile major leagues and million-dollar television deals at the collegiate and professional levels. However, a larger portion of potential “sports” exist on the outskirts of the conversation...

In The Locker Room with Devin Wilkins, Football Player, Ordained Minister

April 12, 2019

West Philadelphia native Devin “Dev” Wilkins is a senior Philosophy major at Oberlin College and a defensive back on the varsity football team. However, when he’s home in Philadelphia over the summer, Wilkins works as an ordained minister who legally marries couples at Philadelphia City Hall. After being introduced to the job through his mother’s friend, Wilkins has seen people from all walks of life pass through City Hall with one thing in common: They are in love, and wish to m...

Women Remain Underappreciated in Athletic World

Khalid McCalla

March 8, 2019

ESPN’s annual World Fame 100 List, a definitive compilation of the world’s most famous athletes, determines its order through criteria like social media followers, yearly net-worth, and Google Trend scores. The top of last year’s list consisted of many familiar and expected names — NBA star LeBron James, tennis legend Roger Federer, and soccer greats Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo are all featured in the top five. Many different sports, races, and nationalities were represented in the list; a solid representation of the make-up of the sports world within the United States and beyond. Numbers are fed into an equation, which assembles the list. However, a problem arises when you take a closer l...