OWU in Review 2025
Join Ohio Wesleyan in Celebrating the University's Most Memorable Moments of the Past Year
How did Ohio Wesleyan University thrive in 2025?
Let us count the ways as we look back at a big, bold year that included:
- Announcing and breaking ground for the John F. Milligan Library.
- Launching the Conrades School of Engineering with a mechanical engineering major.
- Creating the Smith Center for Faculty Excellence and the Palmer Center for First-Generation Student Success.
- Celebrating Professor Dustin Reichard's bird research on the cover of Science and Professor Laurel Anderson's Pushcart Prize for poetry.
It was a great year to be a Bishop, and we can't wait to see what's in the mix for 2026!
January
- Mayukha Dyta '24 is named a Rhodes Scholarship finalist for the 2025 awards cycle. She previously earned a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program grant, enabling her to spend nine months in India studying medical delivery systems in urban vs. rural areas.
- Lauren Denison '25 sets a Bishop career record on Jan. 15 when she starts in her 112th consecutive women's basketball game. Denison breaks the mark of 111 games set by Kelly Heil '05.
- OWU staff members Elaine Chun and Thea Smekens win Staff Council STAR and SPARK awards, respectively, for their outstanding contributions to the campus community.
- In response to OWU's rising reputation, President Matt vandenBerg is invited to join the I Know I Can board of directors and the international Young Presidents' Organization. In addition, Ohio Wesleyan joins the Coalition for Transformational Education.
- The Ohio Wesleyan Learning (OWL) Camp earns a $20,000 Delaware County Foundation Grant to support its STEM programming for talented and gifted fifth- through eighth-graders statewide.
- OWU language students are now able to earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy, an international micro-credential verifying their linguistic abilities.
February
- After three knee and five foot surgeries, OWU men's basketball player Phil Wallace '25 earns NCAC Athlete of the Week recognition for his perseverance and success on the court.
- Matt Weiss takes over as men's soccer head coach, succeeding Jay Martin. Athletics Director Doug Zipp says Weiss is "exactly the right coach to lead our program well into the future."
- Nevin Horne '20 joins Ohio Wesleyan as the Battling Bishop esports director and head coach. His goals include "putting our students on the national stage."
- Christopher Yates, director of the Ross Art Museum, launches the "Culture Push" film series, using a $15,000 grant from the Art Bridges Foundation. In August, the museum earns a $16,308 Sustainability Grant from the Ohio Arts Council to support exhibitions and programming, including an "Art and the Environment Talk Series" and make-and-take events for children and families.
March
- The globally distributed National Geographic magazine features Biological Sciences Professor Eric Gangloff and his "Lizard League" of students, including Emma Foster '26, for their studies of the common wall lizard.
- Mathematics & Computer Science Professor Han Guo is the co-author of new research that he says "potentially provides fundamental insights into early evolution of multicellular organization."
- Ohio Wesleyan's second Melvin Van Peebles Symposium explores Black arts and features activist and actor Erika Alexander discussing her career in a fireside chat with Communication Professor Phokeng Dailey.
- Inesh Tickoo '26 wins The Woltemade Big Problem Challenge, and Thomas Stathulis '25 takes the top spot in the center's Pitch OWU competition. Both earn $3,000 for their entrepreneurial endeavors.
- Tyler Bodovetz '25 competes in the NCAA Division III wrestling championship – the first Bishop grappler to compete nationally since Mark Rodan '80 in 1979.
- The women's basketball team competes in the NCAA Division III sectional semifinals. Macy Miller '27, Kasey Schipfer '25, and the OWU coaching staff earn All-NCAC special awards.
- Hurdler Katherine Dortmund '28 earns second-team All-America honors during the NCAA Division III women's track & field championship meet.
- High jumper Connor Smith '27 wins second-team All-America honors during the NCAA Division III men's track & field championship meet.
April
- President Matt vandenBerg announces at a news conference that Ohio Wesleyan has raised over $50 million to create the John F. Milligan Library, with a lead gift of $20 million from John and Kathryn Bradford Milligan, both members of the Class of 1983. At the same event, vandenBerg announces the University will launch Ohio higher education's largest campus solar energy project, expected to reduce OWU's carbon footprint by 82% when complete.
- Graduating seniors Michaela Alfano, Abby Charlton, Kathy Habian, Amarilys Torres-Nuñez, and Clara Wood earn Meek Leadership Awards at the 2024-2025 Golden Bishop Awards in recognition of their leadership at OWU and potential for future leadership in the world.
- Ohio Wesleyan awards nearly $88,000 in OWU Connection grants this spring to help students Think Big, Do Good, Go Global, and Get Real.
- Trey Theobald '25 wins the Presidential Award at the 2024-2025 Dale J. Bruce Scholar-Athlete Awards.
- The men's lacrosse team wins the 2025 NCAC conference championship, the Bishops' second NCAC crown in three seasons and first outright NCAC title since 2018.
- Men's track & field athlete Michael Strange '27 wins All-NCAC honors, and Michael Hess '28 places in the decathlon at the NCAC combined-events meet.
May
- Ohio Wesleyan celebrates its 181st commencement ceremony, with dancer, actor, author, and director Jasmine Guy encouraging the Class of 2025 to "Go change the world, Bishops!"
- Caity Journey '28, shortstop for OWU softball, is named NCAC Newcomer of the Year and a first-team all-NCAC choice.
- Abbie Grogan '26, OWU women's lacrosse defender, is named NCAC Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-NCAC choice.
- Several members of the OWU Men's lacrosse team earn NCAC honors. Wes Silver '25 is named Defensive Player of the Year, and Henry Ross '27 is named Offensive Player of the Year.
- Professor Phokeng Dailey is appointed as vice president for Marketing and Communications, replacing retiring Chief Communication Officer Will Kopp.
June
- OWU women's basketball team member Macy Miller '27 is honored by the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, displaying her jersey in the prestigious Ring of Honor.
- Education Professor Sarah Kaka earns a $25,000 grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region Program to help middle and high school teachers create social studies lesson plans.
- Barb Bird, director of the Smith Center for Faculty Excellence, receives a $20,000 NetVUE Professional Development Award to help infuse the academic curriculum with liberal arts "power skills."
- Six men's lacrosse players are named to U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division III All-America teams: Wade Beckstrom '27, Anthony Fresolone '25, Brady Hunt '25, Henry Ross '27, Wes Silver '25, and Joey Wiseman '25.
- Trey Theobald '25 finishes fourth nationally and earns All-America honors at the NCAA Division III outdoor track & field championship meet in Geneva, Ohio. His 216-2 throw is OWU's best in NCAC history.
- Connor Smith '27 finishes ninth and earns second-team All-America recognition in the high jump at the NCAA DIII outdoor track & field championships. He clears 6-6¾ at the meet.
- Katherine Dortmund '28 finishes 13th nationally and earns second-team All-America honors in the 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III outdoor track & field championship meet.
July
- Ohio Wesleyan wins three 2025 CASE Circle of Excellence awards, earning international recognition for "exceptional achievement" in public storytelling, message impact, and constituent engagement.
- Biological Sciences Professor Laurel Anderson wins the prestigious Pushcart Prize for her poem "Ransom Note."
- Cody Hartzler is named head coach for women's basketball, and Adrian Tolentino is named director of tennis.
- Ohio Wesleyan earns a $25,000 Glenn W. Bailey Foundation grant and a $500,000 Austin E. Knowlton Foundation grant to support STEM students and research.
August
- Ohio Wesleyan welcomes its Class of 2029, the University's largest new class in 17 years and its largest transfer class in 183 years. At convocation, President Matt vandenBerg proclaims that, "Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our community, Ohio Wesleyan is on a rocket."
- Brittney Parks '27 is the lead author of a new paper published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Experimental Biology on the feeding routines of common wall lizards, alongside Ashley Mollett '27, Professor Eric Gangloff, and Allison Litmer.
- Trey Theobald '25 is recognized as the Region VII winner of the Division III Commissioners Association Men's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year award. He also wins the NCAC's 2025 Don Hunsinger Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, service, and leadership. A Bishop last won the award in 2020.
- Ohio Wesleyan welcomes three new tenure-track assistant professors, Mehwish Abbasi in the Mathematics & Computer Science department, Carolina Barbosa in the Environment & Sustainability department, and Benjamin Douglas in the Psychology department.
- Astronomy Professor Robert Harmon and OWU alum and University of Michigan assistant research scientist Rachael Rottenbacher '08 receive a $600,000 NASA grant to conduct "the largest-scale study of starspots performed to date in terms of the number of stars involved."
- Methodist Theological University President Kyoung-dong Yoo and Ohio Wesleyan President Matt vandenBerg sign a memorandum of understanding that creates new opportunities between the Methodist-affiliated schools.
- Brendan Eagan is hired as sports information director for the Battling Bishops, replacing Mark Beckenbach '81, who retires after 41 years with Ohio Wesleyan.
- OWU is named "one of the most transfer-friendly colleges in the nation" by Phi Theta Kappa in recognition of the university's bold initiatives to support transfer students who choose to become Bishops.
September
- During Homecoming and Family Weekend, Ohio Wesleyan inducts six former Bishop standouts into the Athletics Hall of Fame – Colton Bloecher '15 (men's soccer), Jeremy Carpenter '00 (track & field), Kevin Hinkle '94 (men's tennis), the late Chuck Mears '32 (track & field), Katie Reid '15 (track & field and cross country), and Julia Fouts Swayne '08 (women's lacrosse).
- In addition, OWU bestows the Dr. Robert M. Strimer Honor Award upon Jeff Long '82 and Tom Schott '90 and the George Gauthier Award upon John Guy '60.
- Also at Homecoming, the University recognizes the 1970-71 wrestling team as its Team of Distinction during Homecoming for its distinguished members and extraordinary contributions to Bishop athletics.
- In the football team's season opener, quarterback C.J. Jackson '27 ties an OWU record of six passing touchdowns set in 2010 by Mason Espinosa '14.
October
- President Matt vandenBerg announces that Bishop alumni, parents, and friends contributed $69.4 million to the University during the 2024-2025 academic year, supporting OWU's bold vision and setting a new giving record.
- As Ohio Wesleyan breaks ground on renovations to create the innovative fine-arts infused John F. Milligan Library, President Matt vandenBerg announces $15 million in gift commitments to create the Smith Center for Faculty Excellence and the Palmer Center for First-Generation Student Success.
- Ohio Wesleyan hosts the inaugural Kickstart Ohio event, concluding with a fireside chat between Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and OWU President Matt vandenBerg.
- Andy Warnock '06 and Cole Antle '21 make a seven-figure donation to allow Ohio Wesleyan to create the Westwood Real Estate and Community Development Fellows Program, providing students with both a well-developed liberal arts education and specific training in real estate, development, and community impact.
- Ohio Wesleyan hosts the second annual U.S. Entrepreneurial Competition, the largest of its kind in Ohio, with professional and student tracks. OWU students Inesh Tickoo '26 and Aarav Singh '26 are among those competing, finishing third in the student category.
- Biological Sciences Professor Dustin Reichard is a corresponding author on research featured on the cover of the journal Science, one of the most widely read and cited magazines in the world. The project explores bird behavior during the 2024 total solar eclipse.
November
- Sociology & Anthropology Professor Paul Dean publishes "Class Cultures and Social Mobility: The Hidden Strengths of Working-Class First-Generation Graduates." The book discusses Dean's personal experience and his research into first-generation college students and the challenges they face.
- Grace Ammon '27 is named the NCAC Midfielder of the Year alongside several of her teammates on the field hockey team receiving NCAC honors. Alyssa Markell '26 is also named to the 2025 NFHCA Collegiate Senior Team.
- Abby Nulph '29 is named NCAC Newcomer of the Year and a first team All-NCAC selection.
- The women's cross country team captures its first NCAC championship alongside several members winning individual honors.
- Football wide receiver Reddik Pillarelli '29 is named the NCAC Newcomer of the Year and an offensive second-team All-NCAC selection.
- Josh Hurst '26 etches his name into the OWU football record book, hauling in seven catches in his final game to surpass Calvin Cagney '15 for the most career receptions in program history with 200.
- Midfielder Alyssa Markell '26 is named to the 2025 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Collegiate Senior Team.
- At the Corbiere-Merion Invitational, John Wion '28 breaks school records in the 100-yard backstroke and as part of the 400-yard medley relay team with men's swimming and diving teammates Ian Sander '27, Evan Lucas '26, and Nathan Ambler '27.
- Zoe Ward '27 runs the 6000-meter course at the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, finishing 42nd in a field of 290+ competitors.
December
- Ohio Wesleyan announces the creation of the endowed Conrades School of Engineering. Supported by a $13 million donation from George Conrades '61 and Patricia "Patsy" Belt Conrades '63, the school will offer a mechanical engineering major and begin admitting students in fall 2027.
- Ohio Wesleyan awards nearly $67,200 in OWU Connection grants this fall to help students Think Big, Do Good, Go Global, and Get Real.
- Middle blocker Abby Nulph '29 is named NCAC Newcomer of the Year and a first-team All-NCAC volleyball selection.