Athletics

http://www.goashlandeagles.com

Athletic Director

Al King

Ashland University offers 24 intercollegiate sports – 12 for women, 11 for men, and 1 co-ed. The Eagles play in NCAA Division II, and in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

The 2021-22 academic year continued to see the success on and off the fields of competition that one has come to expect from Ashland University Athletics.

Fall 2021 Highlights

This past fall was the first for Ashland University’s athletic department as a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

The Eagle women’s soccer team wasted little time putting its stamp on its time in the new league, winning both the Great Midwest regular-season and tournament championships, as well as reaching the NCAA Division II postseason for the 11th time in program history.

Ashland’s women finished the fall at 15-2-3 overall and 12-0-2 in the conference. Senior center back Tori Baker earned multiple postseason awards, including a second College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) second-team Academic All-America honor.

VOLLEYBALL – The Eagle volleyball team finished 18-13 overall, as the South Division champions in the Great Midwest, and as runner-up in the conference tournament. Senior outside hitter Erin Krupar became the sixth All-American in program history, earning the honor from both the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (first team) and American Volleyball Coaches Association (third team).

FOOTBALL – AU football endured an injury-riddled 2021 season in its return to the field for the first time since 2019. The 5-5 campaign was bookended by the celebration of a century of play in the program at the beginning, and junior right tackle Gavin Posey (CoSIDA Academic All-America for second year in a row) and junior linebacker Michael Ayers (Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Year) earning top honors at the end.

ESPORTS – Ashland’s esports teams found a lot of success during the first semester, paced by the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive unit going 18-4 and winning the Midwest Conference title in the NACE Starleague. That mark included notable wins over Michigan State and Michigan Tech. The Eagle Overwatch team was runner-up in the conference and qualified for the playoffs, while the Hearthstone teams finished 12th and 13th in the country.

MEN’S SOCCER – The Eagle men finished their fall season at 5-8-4 overall and 5-6-3 in the Great Midwest, highlighted by a four-game winning streak in the middle. Senior forward Justin Libertowski was a second-team all-region pick by the D2CCA and CoSIDA Academic All-District, as well as first-team all-conference.

CROSS COUNTRY – Young Eagle men’s and women’s cross country teams returned to action for the first time in two years in the fall. Ashland finished seventh (men) and eighth (women) at the Great Midwest Championships, and both teams competed at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional meet in Evansville, Ind.

Ashland’s men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s tennis teams all played their non-championship seasons in the fall, with the highlight being the Eagle women’s golf team winning its own Eagle Invitational on Oct. 9-10.

Winter 2021-22 Highlights

Ashland's men's indoor track and field team went to NCAA Division II nationals for the first time without head coach Jud Logan, who passed away in January at age 62. The Eagle men came back with a second-place finish, meaning they placed fourth or higher in the country in nine consecutive national meets, indoor and outdoor combined.

Senior Trevor Bassitt won three national titles indoors (60-meter hurdles, 400 dash and 4x400 relay), then went to Serbia, along with former Eagle pole vaulter Katie Nageotte, and both earned silver medals at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - The Eagles concluded the 2021-22 season at 29-3 overall and 21-1 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, having won both the Great Midwest regular-season and tournament championships. Ashland also played host to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional, finished the season ranked No. 9 in the country, and was ranked as high as No. 2 during the campaign.

WRESTLING - Junior Drew Wiechers earned All-American status by finishing fifth at the D-II Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo. The Eagles had five national qualifiers, and finished 32nd as a team at the national meet.

WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD - Ashland's women finished in a tie for 41st at nationals, and had two All-American finishes - the 4x400 relay of senior Cheyanne Davis, junior Macy Creamer, senior Rachel Miller and freshman Mia Gardner, and Carrol Pauley in the weight throw.

MEN'S BASKETBALL - The Eagles were 18-10 overall and 14-6 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, qualifying for the league tournament in their first season in the conference. Senior forward Aaron Thompson became just the second player in program history to record more than 1,000 career points and rebounds.

SWIMMING AND DIVING - A young program got better as the season went on, despite not competing for a two-month stretch from Nov. 13 to Jan. 14. Ashland's men were second at the Great Midwest/Mountain East Championships, and the women third. Junior Abby Locke was named the women's Swimmer of the Meet, sophomore Chuck Malberti was the men's Diver of the Meet, and senior Matt Filsinger was named Ashland's first Great Midwest Elite 25 Award winner.

Spring 2022 Highlights

Ashland's men's outdoor track and field team finished fifth at the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, and Bassitt ended his stellar collegiate career with 10 national titles and 21 All-American honors.

BASEBALL - The Eagles made the Division II postseason for the 17th time in 25 years in the spring of 2022, and prior to that, the program's first 100 years were recognized in early April. Ashland was the runner-up in both the Great Midwest regular season and tournament.

WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD - Ashland was tied for 42nd nationally, and freshman Kelsey Kinsley picked up her first All-American award by finishing fifth in the women's hammer throw.

STUNT - The Eagle STUNT program's first full season was a successful one, as the team finished 9-3. Ashland's first home game at Kates Gymnasium was a 16-0 defeat of Ursuline.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE - Under first-year head coach Lauren Simko, the Eagles improved to 6-11 overall and 5-5 in the Great Midwest, good for a conference tournament appearance. Junior Cassady Becker earned Great Midwest Attacker of the Year honors.

WOMEN'S GOLF - Ashland, with three freshmen and a sophomore in the lineup, finished fifth at the 2022 Great Midwest Championships. With four eagles in 2021-22, freshman Samantha Webb set both new single-season and career program records.

SOFTBALL - The Eagles finished 12-23 overall and 6-16 in the Great Midwest, and has a lot to look forward to, thanks to a young team and a new on-campus turf softball field that will debut in the spring of 2023.

TENNIS - Ashland's men were 6-12 overall and 2-4 in the Great Midwest in the fall and spring, and the AU women were 7-9, 3-4.

MEN'S GOLF - The Eagle men, another young squad with two freshmen and three juniors playing most tournaments, finished 11th at the 2022 Great Midwest Championships.

Niss Athletic Center Opens

The 125,000-square-foot Niss Athletic Center opened in late fall 2021, and on Jan. 28, 2022, the Niss Center had its dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony in front of hundreds of campus dignitaries, donors, coaches and student-athletes.

It features an 80-yard football field with endzones, a 300-meter, six-lane track, two NCAA long jump/triple jumps, an NCAA pole vault, eight 100-meter sprint lanes, a 310' x 175' turf area for soccer and lacrosse, two 16-foot x 80-foot batting cages, one discus and weight cage on the turf area, a high jump area, a conference room area, and a concession area.

The track in the Niss Center has been named the Jud Logan Memorial Track for Ashland's late head track and field coach.