2007 guide - Ohio Wesleyan University

Home of the BishopsThe Battling Bishop men’s and women’s soccer teams playtheir home games at Roy Rike Field, located on Park Avenueacross from the Ohio Wesleyan residential campus.Widely regarded as among the Midwest’s finest facilities forthe sport, Roy Rike hosted NCAA Division III soccer championshipsfor men in 1990 and 1998 and for women in 2001. It hasbeen the site of an overwhelming home-field record by the Bishopmen’s team, including a 40-game winning streak. That homefieldadvantage helped the Bishops post the best record in theNCAA during the 1980s.A fully-enclosed press box and new bleacher seating anda new building housing locker rooms and offices completed a3-part reconstruction of Roy Rike Field. A state-of-the-art irriga-tion system and new lights and standards were installed as theproject’s first 2 phases.Built in 1934 as a project of the Works Progress Administration,Community Field hosted football games and track meets forWillis High School and included an adjacent baseball field andtennis courts. When Hayes High School was finished in 1962,it provided for those sports with playing facilities on the schoolgrounds and Ohio Wesleyan purchased the complex. E. Roy Rike’42 donated $25,000 to remove the track and upgrade the fields forintercollegiate soccer and lacrosse and intramurals.Prior to 1964, Ohio Wesleyan home games were played atSouth Field, which was located on Henry Street south of SelbyField.Roy Rike FieldSelby FieldAthletic FacilitiesThe crown jewel of Ohio Wesleyan’s athletic facilities is SelbyField, which is the home of the Bishop football, field hockey, track& field and men’s lacrosse contingents.An OmniGrass artificial playing surface was installed for the2006-07 academic year, making Selby one of the most impressivevenues among NCAA Division III institutions. Constructedin 1929, Selby received a new, fully-enclosed 2-level press boxand new bleacher seats in the first part of a 3-phase restorationprogram and refurbished locker rooms in the program’s secondphase. The facility, which seats 9100 and is the fourth-largestcollege-owned field in NCAA Division III, was the site of the 1988Division III men’s lacrosse championship game.Selby also houses the George Gauthier Track, an AmeritanFP surface installed for the 2006-07 academic year. The site of 16of the first 23 NCAC outdoor track & field championships, Selbyis believed to be the oldest facility in the nation constructed toOlympic specifications and remaining in its original configuration.Across campus, Roy Rike Field hosts soccer, primarily underthe lights. Widely regarded as one of the Midwest’s finest facilitiesfor the sport, Roy Rike Field was the site of the NCAA Division IIIsemifinals and championship game for men in 1990 and 1998 andfor women in 2001. Roy Rike also serves as the home field for thewomen’s lacrosse team.The centerpiece of Ohio Wesleyan’s athletic facilities is theBranch Rickey Physical Education Center, prized for both its sizeand versatility. Its Richard Gordon Field House, with a 5-lane,200-meter track, annually hosted the Ohio Athletic ConferenceChampionships and the women’s state title meet as well as thefirst 9 North Coast Athletic Conference championships. Indoorpractice for fall and spring sports can be handled there as well:floor space is larger than a football field, accommodating 6courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis.Branch Rickey Arena, seating 2300, hosts varsity basketballand volleyball contests. Also in the Center are 5 handball/racquetball courts, a squash court, offices, locker rooms andlounges.Offices and locker rooms also are part of Edwards Gymnasium,which is connected by tunnel to the Rickey Center and inturn adjoins Pfeiffer Natatorium, home of the Bishop swimmingteams. Remodeling in Edwards has recently included anexpanded strength facility.Softball will be played at Margaret Sagan Field, scheduledto open for the 2008 season. Baseball is played at Littick Field,site of the 2003 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional; and tennisat the Tennis Centre, a complex of 12 outdoor courts where the1978 NCAA Division III championships were held.The cross country teams run at nearby Methodist TheologicalSchool and Delaware Golf Club, which hosted the NCAADivision III men’s and women’s championships in 1984 and 2005and annually plays host to the All-Ohio Intercollegiate championshipmeet. The golf team also hosted the 2003 NCAA DivisionIII championships at the Delaware Golf Club.